Men's nutritional health

Are you a man?  Do you have a man in your life you'd like to take better care of?  There are a lot of women's magazines that tell women how to look after themselves, and it has always been perceived that women are more interested in looking after themselves than men.  Obviously this just isn't true... anymore...  But if you think you, as a man, need to improve your nutrition, then read on.  If you think your husband, boyfriend, partner needs to improve his nutrition then... read on.

Also it isn't just your waistline that could be improved.  Better nutrition can help with fertility, heart and prostate health, depression and even erectile dysfunction.

So what exactly should men be eating and why?

Red peppers are extremely high in vitamin C.  Just one portion (that's 1/2 a red pepper) provides over 200% of the recommended daily intake.  Vitamin C is especially important for men who are trying to have a baby with their partners, as it prevents sperm cells from clumping together, a common problem in infertility.

Tomatoes and other red vegetables, are a rich source of lycopene which is a powerful antioxidant which helps to reduce the damage caused by free radicals which can cause disease.  So include as many red foods such as tomatoes, peppers, red grapefruit and watermelon as possible in your diet.

Both lycopene and vitamin C have been associated with good prostate health.

Nuts, especially Brazil nuts, are extremely nutritious and are full of heart healthy fats and vitamins E and B and Magnesium.

The type of fats found in Brazil nuts are monounsaturated, which have been found to improve blood cholesterol levels and therefore, reduce  the risk of heart disease.

Magnesium is very important to health, and often severely lacking our diets.  Magnesium helps to maintain a regular heartbeat and when combined with B vitamins, it helps convert food into energy.

Another mineral found in Brazil nuts is Selenium which is especially beneficial to men.  Selenium is involved  in making the protein found in sperm and men with  low sperm counts have been found to have low blood levels of this mineral.

Selenium is also used for keeping the immune system healthy, and in the formation of enzymes that help protect the body from free radical damage.

However, nuts - in any form - should be eaten raw for maximum benefits.

Red kidney beans and other legumes, are a great source of high quality fiber which is essential in the diet for optimal health.

A good amount of fiber is essential for maintaining good digestion and has been shown to reduce the
risk of heart disease, diabetes and high cholesterol.

Fiber also makes you feel fuller for longer which can be helpful if you are trying to control your weight.

Depression is surprisingly high among men in the UK.  With 1 in 8 men experiencing a mental health issue at some point in their lives.  Whereas diet isn't actually going to cause depression, being depressed can affect your food choices and this may contribute to low mood swings.

Some people comfort eat when depressed and others skip meals.  Whether you are comfort eating or skipping meals your blood sugar levels will be unbalanced and possible nutrient deficiencies can lead to low mood, making the problem even worse.

High fiber foods such as oats, lean proteins and healthy fats all help stabilize blood sugar levels and prevent mood swings.

High fiber diets have also been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Eggs have been black listed as a cholesterol problem for decades, a bad rap which is totally unwarranted, as eggs have little impact on cholesterol levels.

Eggs are very high in pure protein but they are also packed with almost all the essential vitamins and minerals needed for great health.

Their high protein content means they leave you feeling fuller for longer, and people who eat eggs for breakfast tend to eat less over the rest of the day.

Two boiled eggs also supply a good source of selenium and zinc which are particularly beneficial to men.  So, don't be afraid to open the door to eggs and you certainly don't need to limit your weekly intake.

Fish, especially oily fish; wild salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, trout and sardines are packed full with Omega 3 fatty acids.  These are essential for health and must be obtained from diet.

Omega 3 fatty acids are associated with a reduced risk of heart disease and low levels may impact on fertility.

Fatty acids produce compounds called prostaglandins that help reduce inflammation in the body.  Inflammation can damage healthy cells and weaken the immune system which is thought to be a contributing factor for many diseases including cancer.

One of the earliest warning signs of heart disease is erectile dysfunction.  A man with erectile dysfunction in his 40s has a 50-fold greater risk of having a heart attack over the next 10 years.

If you can't face uping your fish intake, then it would be a good idea to invest in a good quality supplement.  Krill oil is a better option as it is water soluble and therefore better absorbed by the body.

I left the best for last...

Steak!  Yes you can have your steak and eat it too.  Steak is high in protein which is great, and it is also a great source of zinc.  Zinc plays a huge role in the immune system, cell growth and would healing.  Zinc is also essential for the male reproductive system as it is used to make male sex hormones and is found within sperm cells in high concentrations making this mineral an essential part of male fertility.  It has also been associated with good prostate health and it may help to reduce the development of an enlarged prostate.

Zinc and iron (also found in red meat) are essential for healthy hair too.

Red meat is healthy in moderation, so you might like to explore other sources such as; green vegetables, seeds, nuts, mushrooms, shell fish and pulses.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Up and down

Yo-yo dieting means restricting food intake drastically and losing weight very quickly only to go back to eating as you did before, thus putting all the weight back on and then some.

A survey in 2014 found that 60% of yo-yo dieters will try up to 20 different diets in their lifetime... repeat offenders!

But this constant up and down has health consequences that go far beyond your waistline.  Extreme diets have been blamed for many health problems such as hormone imbalances, osteoporosis and even heart problems.

So, what does yo-yo dieting really do to your body?

To start with is the one we already know, you'll put it all back on again and then some more.

Studies have shown that the body strives to maintain its weight at what is called a set point.  The body will protect itself against weight loss during a period of restricted intake, which also explains why people often don't put weight on if they over eat for short periods of time.  However, when the body is being starved for a fairly long period of time, weight loss occurs but your body also gets used to functioning on less resources.  When this happens, your metabolism gets reset to that lower level, so when you start eating normally again you put the weight back on faster.

However, diets like the 5:2 diet, which involve intermittent fasting, do not reset the metabolism as the period of calorie restriction is too short.

When calorie intake is severely restricted, there comes a point when the body begins to digest its own muscle cells as well as remaining fat cells for energy.  Muscle mass is actually esencial for weight control as in order to maintain muscle the body burns more calories.  So, if your body is obliged to digest muscle this will actually slow metabolism even more and promotes rapid fat gain when you begin to eat normally again.

It's aging.

Depending on how much weight you lose, your body can be left with stretch marks, saggy and
droopy skin.  Also, the more this happens the worse the consequences as you age.  As we get older our skin loses elasticity.  Older women will be more prone to saggy skin.  Less drastic weight loss regimes where the weight comes off gradually, give the skin time to adjust.  Also restrictive diets can have an affect on the plumpness of skin especially if the diet has a low protein content.  This stops the production of collagen which gives the skin its firmness.

Yo-yo dieting can also affect the health of your hair.  At any one time, 90% of head hair is in a growth phase and just 10% is in the resting or shedding phase.  Restricting calories severely forces more hairs into the shedding phase as the follicles have fewer nutrients to sustain them.  Rapid weight gain also affects normal hormone levels and stresses hair follicles.

Severely restricted calorie intake means the body isn't getting as many key vitamins and minerals such as calcium to keep their teeth and gums healthy.  Yo-yo dieters are more prone to gum disease which can also lead to tooth loss.  Dieters who severely restrict their food intake produce less saliva.  The saliva produced in the chewing of food helps protect the teeth against acid attack.  And when they reintroduce lots of food into their diets they tend to choose a high carbohydrate diet which puts them at risk of tooth decay.

Heart Unhealthy.

In the latest study from the Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, data from 158,000 women over the age of 50 was analyzed.  Dr. Somail Rasla, lead author of the study, says that gaining weight as part of  yo-yo dieting increases heart rate, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels.  These alterations do not go back to normal when the weight is lost again.  With the up and down of repeated yo-yo dieting, these problems only get worse over time, damaging the heart in the process.

The study which was carried out over an 11 year period, showed that women of normal weight who admitted to yo-yo dieting more than four times, were three and a half times as likely to die from a heart attack than women whose weight was stable, even if they were obese.

Yo-yo dieting also increases inflammation markers in the blood which are associated to lots of diseases such as arthritis.

Fertility Treatment Problems

Calorie restriction followed by bingeing can disrupt the release of hormones from the pituitary gland which drives the menstrual cycle, stimulating the ovaries to release eggs.

When a woman loses weight quickly, this process shuts down because the body switches to starvation mode and diverts all its energy to vital processes and reproduction is not considered a vital process.

However, many women are told to lose weight in order to qualify for fertility treatment, and this can encourage crash dieting.  It has been found that women who lose weight as quickly as possible, sometimes reducing their calorie intake to 400 calories a day, in order to reach the required weight for treatment, have very poor outcomes when it comes to getting pregnant as the IVF is unlikely to work.

Losing weight sensibly through lifestyle changes is much healthier and the weight stays off.  It's up to you what you want for your body and your health.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Coconut Oil it's good for EVERYTHING

Coconut oil has had a lot of bad press for years as it is a saturated fat.  However, more recent investigations have managed to unlock all those healthy secrets coconut oil has been hiding.

In one of my very first posts I wrote about the beneficial effects that coconut oil has had on Alzheimer's sufferers.  You can read that article here: Pure Coconut Oil. A "cure" for Alzheimer's

So why is coconut oil so great?

Coconut oil is a powerful destroyer of all kinds of microbes, from viruses to bacteria to protozoa, many of which can be dangerous.  It also provides your body with high-quality fat that is essential for optimal health.

About 50% of the fat in coconut oil is lauric acid which is difficult to find naturally.  In fact, coconut oil contains the most amount of lauric acid of any substance found in nature.

The body converts lauric acid into monolaurin, a monoglyceride that can actually destroy lipid-coated viruses such as HIV and herpes, flu, measles, gram-negative bacteria, and protozoa such as giardia lamblia.  Coconut oil is made up of medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) that are easily digested and easily cross cell membranes.  MCFAs are converted immediately by the liver into energy rather than being stored as fat.  Coconut oil is also easy on the digestive system and does not produce an insulin spike in your bloodstream, so it is great for a quick energy boost when needed.

The general health benefits of coconut oil are:

• Promoting Heart Health
• Supporting proper thyroid function
• Promoting healthy brain function
• Providing an excellent healthy fuel for the body which can also support a strong metabolism and aid in weight loss
• Strengthening the immune system
• Maintaining healthy and youthful looking skin

Yes, you heard it right!  Coconut oil is an amazing BEAUTY product.  Lots of the creams, shampoos and conditioners we use on a daily basis are full of toxic ingredients.  Coconut oil can replace all of them.  Here's an idea of what coconut oil can do for you:

• Makeup remover:  Put some on a moist cotton ball and swipe over your face, then remove with a
  
  clean cotton ball or a wet face cloth.
• Facial cleanser:  Massage a small amount of coconut oil into your face and neck, wash off with a warm wet face cloth and pat dry.
• Facial Scrub:  Mix coconut oil with baking soda, or oatmeal with a dash of cinnamon and gently apply to the face and then rinse.
• Body Scrub:  Mix equal parts of coconut oil and cane sugar in a glass jar.  Apply to the skin before your shower.
• Shaving lotion:  Lots of men find that shaving irritates the skin, just apply a thin layer of coconut oil before shaving and then shave as normal.  This also works for shaving legs and underarms or your bikini line.
• Eye cream:  Apply a small amount and pat gently around the eye area to soften wrinkles and counteract thinning, sagging skin.
• Face and body moisturizer:  You can use as is or mix with your favorite essential oil... just make sure it is apt for topical use.  Apply small amounts to your skin and massage in.
• Cuticle Cream:  Simply rub a small amount of coconut oil around your cuticles to soften dry areas.
• Bath soak:  add a little coconut oil to your bath, it will help moisturize dry itchy skin.  Just be careful and clean the bath afterwards, otherwise the next person to use it may slip!
• Deodorant:  Apply a small amount of coconut oil directly onto your underarms can help keep odors away.  Or you can mix 2 tablespoons of baking soda, 2 tablespoons of arrow root (for thickening) and 3 tablespoons of coconut oil, you can also add an essential oil if you choose for aroma.  Mix thoroughly and leave to thicken.  Then just apply a small amount to your underarms.
• Insect repellent:  Mix coconut oil with high-quality essential oils such as peppermint, lemon balm, rosemary, tea tree oil, citronella, etc., may help keep insects at bay when applied to exposed skin.
• Hair Conditioner:  apply to dry hair, and massage into the scalp.  Leave on for as long as possible, I cover my head with a shower cap, and then wash and condition as usual.  You may
  
  need to wash your hair twice!

Other uses for coconut oil:

As coconut oil has brilliant antimicrobial and anti-viral properties it may help in the treatment of:

• Bug bites and bee stings
• Hemorrhoids
• Skin rashes and irritations, including chicken pox and shingles.
• Ear infections: Place a couple of drops into each ear canal.  
• Fungal and/or yeast infections such as athlete's foot and ringworm.  For fungal infections you can mix in a small amount of oregano oil or tea tree oil.
• Thrush
• Head lice:  The European Journal of Pediatrics found that a combination of coconut oil and anise was nearly twice as effective a the usual lotions.

You can also use coconut oil for maintenance around the house:

• Clean, condition and sanitize your wooden cutting board in the kitchen.
• Metal polish.
• Moisturize and soften leather goods as you would using leather conditioners.
• Maintain your cast iron pots and pans.
• Lubricate squeaky hinges and sticky mechanisms with coconut oil instead of WD-40.
• Clean and condition wooden furniture - I recommend you test a small area first.
• Remove chewing gum from virtually any area, including carpets and hair.

The list goes on and on... it really is a true gift from Mother Nature.  So if you have a use for coconut oil not mentioned in this post, please let me know.

Social Nutrition:

You can make an appointment to improve your health with Social Nutrition either in person (Madrid) or online (Skype).  Just send an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com