What about minerals? Where must I be careful?

It is really a good question. Minerals are part of the body’s composition. Every day the body produces 200 billion red blood cells and the whole blood is totally replaced in every 120 days. Every 90 days the bone structures are renewed. The skin regenerates every 2 to 3 months. Acid-base balance and water content of the body are regulated by minerals. Minerals are also part of the enzymes which help our metabolism function properly. As we know magnesium is present in 300 enzymes and zinc is present in more than 350 enzymes. We know the importance of calcium very much. Iron is important but, very problematic. Selenium is necessary to scavenge the free radicals and to remove poisonous metals like mercury from the body.

If you have to take a mineral supplement it is better to take an organic compound as inorganic compounds are mostly useless.

Calcium must be taken very carefully. Calcium should not be taken after meals. It can disturb the absorption of iron. Calcium also should not be taken with magnesium. Calcium should be taken between two meals. Remember too much of calcium even from the food makes more calcium to excrete. Too much of protein intake influences more excretion of calcium. It is same with the excess sodium. Excess sodium intake makes more calcium excreted from the body. Calcium supplements need not have vitamin D. If you eat normal you get enough vitamin D from your food.

Aluminium can also disturb the absorption of iron as calcium. Moreover excess iron is poisonous. Too much of iron can be stored in organs like liver and heart and produce many hydroxyl free radicals which are very dangerous for our health. If it is necessary we can take iron supplements only few weeks under the supervision of your doctor.
Zinc and selenium should not be taken together. If zinc is taken in the morning selenium must be taken in the evening.

Excess calcium supplements can cause gas, bloating or constipation. For each mineral there are recommendations for daily intake. This must be followed very strictly.

When do you need mineral supplements? Women over the age of 50 need calcium. This is well studied. Here not only calcium is important but also the enough physical activity to make the bones strong. Moreover, from your food intake it is easy for your dietician to tell whether you take enough minerals.

The minerals are also excreted continuously from the body through kidneys. Uncontrolled intake of minerals may spoil the kidneys too. Therefore, before you take supplements you consult your doctor or dietician.

Change your food habits with the help of your dietician and mostly this makes wonders.

I’m a Malayali and working in Dubai; rice, chapathi and chicken always; can you recommend me more to be healthy?

I know the food habit of many Malayalis working in UAE. Rice, chapathi and chicken are good foods, but they do not give you all the nutrients necessary for our metabolism. Too much of carbohydrates and protein can increase the blood sugar and thus the blood fat, triglycerides. This is a risk factor for heart diseases. They are also the reason for weight gain and type-2 diabetes. Too much of chicken has other saturated fats and this increases the risk. Moreover, the body becomes acidic and loses the valuable calcium from your bones. That is why we need vegetables and fruits every day.

I will try to help you and many others who also eat like you to do the best in your / their situation. They include:

• Reduce the amount of rice, chapathi and chicken so that the weight and blood sugar are under control. Eat daily a handful of nuts.

• Poly saturated fats like omega-3 fats are very important for our health. Try to eat twice in a week fatty fish. If not possible, buy fish oil capsules and take one in the morning, midday and in the evening after your meals.

• Surely you will get frozen vegetables there. These are as good as or better than fresh vegetables. No cleaning or cutting is necessary and you can make your vegetable curry in 10 minutes. If it is not possible there are natural food supplements that you can take.

• If fruits are costly or not available try to get dry fruits and you can take this, 20 to 30 g twice in a day.

• Take one vitamin B complex tablet everyday if you are a pure vegetarian to get the vitamin B12.

• Take one 500 mg vitamin C tablet in a day as magnesium and vitamin C keep the blood vessels clean. Moreover, vitamin C is an important antioxidant.

• Use milk and dairy products, but not in excess. The minimum amount needed is enough.

• Women in child bearing age must take one vitamin B complex tablet every day. If they plan for a baby this must be taken before pregnancy so that the folic acid in the vitamin B complex helps to produce normal cell division in the embryo. It is of no use and late if you take after you know that you are pregnant.

• If you have iron deficiency and low hemoglobin level take one vitamin C tablet after every meal. During this period black or green tea must be avoided after the meals. Cucumber must also be avoided. If you are very particular to drink tea or eat cucumber take them in between meals. Eggs and red meat are very good sources of iron. Do not eat too much cheese or drink too much of milk during your meal. Excess calcium disturbs the absorption of iron from our small intestine. Avoid iron tablets. This will bring more problems only.

• Premenopausal and menopausal women can take calcium and vitamin D tablets in between two meals. Two hours after the intake of the tablets only you can take your meals.

• Do not smoke.

• Avoid alcohol; social drinking is two drinks for a man and one drink for a woman, that also only 3 to 4 times in a week. It is better to avoid if you cannot control the amount. Dry alcoholics should not touch alcohol. Never believe your husband when he says that his doctor told him that brandy is good for his health. No doctor will give this recommendation.

• Have enough physical activities. Walking quickly, jogging, riding bicycle and swimming are good. Select according to your convenience and do it for 30 minutes 5 to 6 days in a week.

Have you more questions? Feel free to ask me and you get always an answer from me. It is in your hands to be healthy. Be healthy and be happy….

What is the relationship between iron and aluminium in our food?

Iron is an essential element. We need enough iron to produce red blood corpuscles. Red blood corpuscles are important to transport oxygen to all our cells to produce energy. Aluminium is not an essential element. For decades we thought that aluminum will not be absorbed in our intestine and will not reach our blood. It is because we had no standard analytical methods to estimate low amount of aluminium in the blood. Standard methods are now available to estimate aluminium in blood with advanced instruments like AAS or ICP-MS.

If there is no relation between iron and aluminium where does the problem lie? There is a very big problem because both have the same transport mechanism from our intestine to blood. Vitamin C is needed for iron absorption and it is also needed for the absorption of aluminium. To put it in simple words, if the amount of aluminium in our food is high then vitamin C and the transport proteins support the absorption of aluminium than iron. The result can be iron deficiency.

We know the problem of iron deficiency very well. So it is better to avoid food rich in aluminium. The contamination of aluminum is another big problem. If we could avoid both we can achieve very good iron absorption to be healthy.

What are the right foods for a pregnant?

There is no need to eat for two during the pregnancy. It is recommended that for the first trimester the food intake should remain about the same as it was prior to the pregnancy. During the second and third trimesters the food intake should be increased upto 30%. It is easy to achieve this with more fruits intake.

It is important to eat variety of foods to ensure the nutritional needs of both mother and the baby. The recommendations include:

• Fruits and vegetables very generously
• Whole grain products and cereals, but not milled grain products
• Milk and dairy products should not be eaten in excess
• Lean meat, chicken and fish in moderate amounts
• Avoid excess intake of fats, sugar and salt
• Beans, pulses, nuts and seeds
• Drink enough water

Do not diet if you are a pregnant. This bad for you as well as to your baby. Green leafy vegetables are very important for the intake of folic acid. Folic acid supplement is recommended for the health of your baby. It is better to consult your doctor before you take a supplement.

With proper food it is possible to manage the iron content of your body also. Iron supplement could be taken only if your doctor recommends it.

Avoid excess of vitamin A intake and vitamin A supplements are not required. The excessive intake of vitamin A may cause birth deformities.

I have low haemoglobin. One of my friends advised be to eat chicken liver. Will it help me?

Organ meat is rich in minerals and vitamins and it is a good food. It contains iron and vitamin B12. These are good for the production of more haemoglobin.

If the liver meat is from the free-running animal it is a very good food. These hen and cock eat natural food. But the hen from the mass production gets animal feed and may also get medicines like antibiotics. In this case it is not advisable to eat this liver. Only if this liver is available eat only 30 to 40 g per day and three times a week. Continue this for 3 to 4 weeks.

This is also applicable to lamb liver also. In my diet plans I recommend liver meat because they contain lot of zinc and selenium.

Liver meat contains cholesterol. 100 g edible liver meat contains 490 mg cholesterol. A good dietician can accommodate liver meat in your food without any problem.

I like only egg yolk. Can you inform me the nutrients in it?

Egg yolk contains much cholesterol, but it is also rich in important nutrients including vitamins and essential fatty acids. It contains most of the nutrients in an egg.

100 g edible egg yolk contains:

Water………………………50.0 g
Protein……………………...16.1 g
Fat………………………….31.9 g
Carbohydrate………………0.3 g
Minerals……………………1.7 g
Sodium……………………..50 mg
Potassium…………………..140 mg
Magnesium…………………16 mg
Calcium…………………….140 mg
Iron…………………………7200 microgram
Zinc…………………………3800 microgram
Fluoride……………………..30 microgram
Iodide……………………….12 microgram
Selenium……………………19 microgram

Egg yolk is rich in vitamin A, B1, B2 B6, B12, E, D, Nicotinamide, Pantothenic acid, Biotin and Folic acid.

Cholesterol…………………1260 mg
Lecithin………………….…6.79 g

If integrated in your food rightly it is a very nutritive food with rich iron, zinc and selenium contents and vitamins. You could even sacrifice some food supplements.

If you are suffering from coronary diseases consult with your doctor or dietician and they can help you to select the right food.

I hear about eggs only negative things because of cholesterol. Is egg so bad?

Egg has cholesterol, but it is a very good food. Cholesterol is important for our body. Without cholesterol your body cannot function. Only LDL-cholesterol is not healthy.

100 g edible egg contains:

Water………………………74.4 g
Protein……………………...12.8 g
Fat………………………….11.3 g
Carbohydrate………………0.7 g
Minerals……………………1 g
Sodium……………………..145 mg
Potassium…………………..145 mg
Magnesium…………………12 mg
Calcium…………………….55 mg
Iron…………………………2000 microgram
Copper……………………...6 microgram
Zinc…………………………1300 microgram
Fluoride……………………..110 microgram
Iodide……………………….10 microgram
Selenium……………………10 microgram

Vitamin A, B1, B6, B12, E D, K, Nicotinamide, Pantothenic acid, Biotin and Folic acid are also present.

Cholesterol…………………395 mg
Lecithin……………………2.7 g

Raw egg can also be eaten, but it may be contaminated wit salmonella. You must be very careful.

Our liver produces daily 1.5 g to 2 g cholesterol everyday. Before excretion a part is also reabsorbed because it is important for our life. Egg is a very good food.

Egg is rich in iron and is very useful to increase the haemoglobin amount in blood.

What is red and white gold?

Pure gold (24 carat) is soft and can not used to make jewels. In India, it is normally 22 carat and in Europe it is 14 carat and very rarely 18 carat.

It is always the metal in the alloy that makes the colour different.

Normally copper, silver and other base metals form the gold alloy.

• Copper is the most common metal and it forms a red alloy.
• 25% copper in the antique created a rose gold.
• Iron alloys with gold gives blue gold.
• Aluminium and gold give purple gold alloy.
• 14 carat and 18carat with silver give a greenish yellow gold.
• The white gold alloy is made with palladium or nickel.

This is the story of gold colours.

What are the applications of ozone?

Ozone is a pollutant, but it has many industrial applications. They include:.

• As a disinfectant in hospitals, food processing factories and aged care homes
• Water disinfectant in place of chlorine, also in swimming pools
• To kill bacteria in food
• Washing of fresh fruits and vegetables to kill bacteria, mould and yeast
• In chemical synthesis in the industry
• Used to remove the contaminants such as iron, arsenic, hydrogen sulphide and nitrites in water
• Clean and bleach industrial plants.
• In processing plastics
• Ozone is also used in bleaching wood pulp.
• It is also used to detoxify cyanide wastes from gold and silver mining.

There are several other applications because of the high oxidation potential of ozone.

What are the common toxic heavy metals in our food?

Although iron is essential it is also toxic and the toxic metals include:

• Arsenic
• Lead
• Mercury
• Cadmium
• Iron
• Aluminium

Arsenic - It is the most common cause of acute heavy metal poisoning. It is released from different industries to the environment. Shellfish, cod and haddock contain arsenic. Paints, rat poison, fungicides are the other sources. The target organs are kidneys, central nervous system, digestive tract and skin.

Lead - It accounts for most of the cases of paediatric heavy metal poisoning. It reduces the intelligence of the children. The old houses still have the lead pipes. Industry produces every year 2.5 million tons of lead and most of this is used in batteries. Bones, brain, kidneys and thyroid gland are the target organs. The paints also contain lead salts to dry them quickly. Therefore children should not be allowed to lick painted doors or windows. It is a problem throughout the world. Back hair dye and black printing ink have also lead.

Mercury - Its emissions are there from nature as well as from the industry. Chloralkali plants and paper industries are significant polluters. Dental amalgam is also a source of pollution. Fishes have more mercury. Target organs are the brain and kidneys. The present problem of mercury in our environment is the incandescent light bulbs, which we use in our houses. Some politicians want to ban these bulbs because they consume much more electricity. Politics and industry, therefore, recommend energy saving compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. But, the problem is they keep silent about the mercury present in these energy saving CFL bulbs which then could become one of the serious environmental contamination to our soil and ground water. When these bulbs are used up, they form solid wastes. In Western countries we can give back fused bulbs where we bought them and it is the law which regulates this. What will happen in other countries where there are no such possibilities? People simply throw used up bulbs with their household waste or near their houses, the mercury goes to the soil and ground water. The plants take these metals and the animals along with their feed or grass and we are the last in this chain to get it from our food. We must be very careful to keep ourselves and our families free from such poisons.

Cadmium - it is used in nickel-cadmium batteries, PVC plastics and paint pigments. Cigarette (tobacco) also contains cadmium. The absorption is through respiratory system. Liver, placenta, kidneys, lungs, brain and bones are the target organs.

Iron - it is a heavy metal of concern because iron supplements may acutely poison young children, 5 to 9 years. If the children consume 30mg iron tablets per day, it may spoil their health. The health problems associated with free radicals are dangerous to children. Too much of iron supplement is not healthy for adults. It accumulates in liver, heart muscles, kidney and other organs, rusting a reddish brown oxide coating forms on iron by the action of oxygen and moisture there and producing countless number of free radicals.

Aluminium - it is not a heavy metal but it is ingested through the use of food additives, antacids, nasal sprays and antiperspirants. Other sources are drinking water automobile exhaust, tobacco smoke, aluminium foil, aluminium cookware, ceramics and fancy fire works. Target organs for aluminium are the central nervous system, kidney and digestive system. The question of Aluminium and Alzheimer’s disease is not yet answered. It is proved that aluminium could cross the blood-brain barrier without any problem.

Are ladies finger healthy?

Lady’s fingers has different local names like okra, bhindi, vendakkai etc. This is a very good source of protein. Tryptophan, cysteine and other sulphur containing amino acids are present there.

Vitamin C is is present as a main antioxidant. It is rich in fibre also. It is rich in folic acid and vitamin A and B6. It is also rich in calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron.

Lady’s fingers are useful in

• It help to stabilize bood sugar levels
• It is useful in the detoxification
• It is a good natural laxative and prevents constipation
• It binds excess cholesterol in bile acids
• The fibre present in Lady’s fingers is good for the bacteria anus thus contributes the health of the intestine
• It gives enery and acts against depression
• It is used to heal ulcers
• It helps the joints to be healthy
• It is a very good alkaline food
• It helps healing in acid reflux
• It helps reducing cancer, especially the colo-rectal cancer

Lday’s fingers must be cooked as little as possible to retain the nutrients present. Cooking with low heat or lightly steamed or raw is the best way to get all the benefits.

Q&A Series 1: Woman, 47 years old, vegetarian – Problems: hair loss, fatigue, iron supplementation, arthrities…

Thank you. You are the first person who sends a question. With the limited available information I would like to comment your health problems.

Whether you are in your twenty's or forty's your food intake is very important. Healthy food does not always mean healthy to you. Here your doctor or dietician could help you to find the correct food.

For hair loss no supplement will help. The right food will help you. Too much of protein will have the negative effect here. Olive oil oil is good to stop hair loss.

It seems you are taking iron supplementation for a long time. It is not correct. Iron supplement could be taken 14 days to 3 months and not more. The excess iron that you absorb will not be converted into haemoglobin. It is deposited in your heart and other muscles. Our body temperature and the water present can rust the iron and with Fenton’s reaction iron produces too many dangerous hydroxyl free radicals. Iron concentration, thus the haemoglobin must be increased through food only.

The reason for your fatigue may be the low iron and thus the low haemoglobin levels. The oxygen supply to your cells are not optimum. This is the reason why you need 10 to 12 hours sleep. After your long sleep you may become tired after few hours.

You can be a vegetarian. Are you eating enough legumes, pulses, beans, nuts and seeds? At least 400 g vegetables and 400 g fruits must be eaten every day, in 3 to 4 servings. Tofu and soja milk are healthy, but rich in protein. With curd you have a milk product also. Here, the protein intake is too high. This has two disadvantages. Protein makes the body acidic and this makes more calcium to excrete from your body. Excess intake of protein increases the uric acid values in your blood. So what you have may not be arthritis but may be gout. Here consult your doctor.

At first you have to change your food and this will help you surely. If you have the right food and health you need not worry about your coming menopause.

Drink 4 to 6 litres of fluids per day and 70% must be pure drinking water. Avoid cola drinks.

These are the comments what I could make from the information that I got your letter. It is great that you have written but the information is still too little to say many concrete things. Here a metabolism based individual diet plan will be the right one for you.

I am waiting still from our members the filled analysis form and the 14 days food and fluid intake information. After that I wanted to select 5 persons to write their metabolism based individual diet plan free of cost. I don’t know whether you are doing that.

When I get up in the morning I am fresh, but about 11 a. m. I feel tired and I go to bed, what may be the reason?

Unfortunately I do not have any information about your food intake and medical history. But, I have seen this symptom very often, go to your doctor, request him to control your blood chemistry, it may be because of iron deficiency.

With food rich in iron like red meat, eggs, nuts and seeds, legumes and pulses, beet roots and other vegetables you can increase your iron status without any problems. It takes time to improve the iron content to normal values, thus increasing the red blood cells which transport oxygen to all cells in our body, less oxygen means, weakness and tiredness.

About iron supplementation, I am against this because this makes more problems to our body than an iron deficiency. Two to four weeks is the maximum time for iron supplementation. Foods or vitamin tablets fortified with iron must not be taken excessively because iron in high concentration is poisonous to our body.

I heard lemon tea is very good, how much I can drink this daily?

I do not know your medical history and food habits and so it is difficult to give you an individual answer, but I tell you what is happening if you drink lemon tea.

Because of acid rain, soil is rich in aluminium and it is not an essential element to our body. Very few plants can take the aluminium from the soil and tea plant is one of them and has a lot of aluminium. Now comes the lemon which contains vitamin C and it is necessary for the absorption of aluminium.

Few decades ago we thought aluminium cannot be absorbed; it may be because before 1980 we had no analytical methods to estimate aluminium in blood. The products of dialysis had lot of aluminium and that was the beginning of the analysis of it in water, blood and in other tissues. Now we know aluminium can be absorbed to the blood and even can cross the blood-brain barriers and may be a reason for Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s sickness. So, lemon tea could be consumed, may be a small cup per day, but avoid it to drink with your meals.

Aluminium disturbs the absorption of iron.

I have iron deficiency, what is the relationship between iron and vitamin C?

This is a very important question, if we understand the relationship between these two lots of problems could be solved by us, I mean the iron deficiency.

We need vitamin C for the absorption of iron, so as also aluminium, moreover the transport protein is the same for iron and aluminium. That means if we have more aluminium in our meals, more aluminium is absorbed than iron and this can lead to iron deficiency, thus low haemoglobin values.

If we keep the aluminium levels in our food low and eat foods rich in iron and vitamin C, automatically more iron is absorbed and converted to haemoglobin. This is possible, if we know all the sources of aluminium in our food or also the contamination from aluminium cooking vessels and even from aluminium foils if you pack acidic foods directly in it.

Cucumber and tea are rich in aluminium. Think of rice cooker, the bowel there is aluminium so that our rice is quickly ready. Deodorants are also rich in aluminium which can enter our body through the skin.

The aluminium value of Indian human hair is found to be the highest in the world and I have examined approximately 250 Indian human hairs, most of them had low iron.

In spite of sound sleep at night I always feel tried, why?

There are many people who have this problem. In many cases the villain may be the iron deficiency.

Consult your doctor, ask him to estimate your blood values of iron, ferritin and haemoglobin and try to correct the iron deficiency with food, or with iron supplement. The iron supplement should be taken only for only 14 days to 3 months; otherwise more free radicals will be produced in your body due to Fenton’s reaction.

Foods rich in iron include:

• Red meat
• Eggs
• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Nuts
• Legumes and pulses

After your meals, take one glass of either orange juice or one kiwi fruit that contains vitamin C. We need vitamin C for iron absorption.

Excess aluminium disturbs the absorption of iron; since vitamin C favours the aluminium absorption, avoid tea and cucumber with your meals. Avoid also calcium tablets after meals since they could also affect iron absorption.

All deodorants contain lot of aluminium salts and use them only under the arm and also very little. Aluminium cooking vessels and aluminium foils to pack the food must be avoided completely if you have iron deficiency.

The relationship between iron and free radicals in our body

Our body needs iron to produce red blood cells and they are in charge of transporting oxygen to all cells in our body to produce energy. Less iron means less haemoglobin with many adverse effects, particularly not enough energy to carry out your day today work.

If you take iron supplements, all the iron absorbed cannot be converted into haemoglobin and the excess iron deposits in kidneys, liver and in heart muscles rust there. 37 degrees C and enough water are the best medium for the iron to rust. They produce lot of dangerous hydroxyl free radicals from Fenton’s chemical reaction and too many free radicals are dangerous to our body.

The iron tablets could be taken 14 days to 3 months under the strict supervision of you doctor.

Consult a dietician and improve the iron status only through your food, it is easy, if you know how to do it. Here, do not forget the role of vitamin C and aluminium.

Do you hate corn-flakes?

No, I do not hate corn-flakes. Do you know how I eat corn-flakes? I take now and then, about 20 g with less milk.
After that, I eat my bread or egg or idli or dosai or poori or whatever available. Is it so difficult to understand and to tell to our children?

Now in India, my breakfast is poori or idli or dosai with two medhu vadai made out dhal and my black tea.

In Hamburg, I used to eat ragi buns like breakfast bread with cheese. There I take fenugreek seeds and also few pumpkin seeds. Of course coffee is a must.

Want to reduce the risk of high blood pressure and heart attack or stroke or want to do well in the school, college or in your office never miss your breakfast.

Should we then not eat cornflakes?

Studies in animals in USA have brought to the surface many negative results about corn flakes. There were many negative health effects if the animals are continuously fed for one or two months. Therefore, it is only better to serve your child once to twice in a week.

Now and then, in small quantities in a week is enough as long as the children want to eat. It is better for the children not to brush their teeth immediately after eating corn flakes. If they do the enamel of the teeth could be damaged. The dentist’s treatment can cause lot of pain and money. For adults also the same recommendations, now and then yes, but do not forget the major component is carbohydrate, that means ultimately sugar.

How are the cornflakes produced? Are they actually more nutritive?

Maize is polished well so that only the carbohydrate is left and mixed with sugar and malt.Everything is cut, mixed and with heat becomes a paste which is cut and made in different forms. Chocolate or vitamins and minerals are sprayed and vacuum packed. It is only maize flour, sugar, some minerals and vitamins, but at the end counts only maize flour and sugar. This extreme amount of carbohydrate is bad for sugar patients and also for the children because too much of carbohydrates are one main reason for early puberty. Early puberty and late pregnancy are risk factors for breast cancer. Moreover, your dentist will be happier.