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.

What are the healthy foods for eyes?

Eating the right and healthy food are very important for eye care. The food must contain the necessary vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. Eating the right foods can lower the risk of many eye diseases.

The important nutrients for eye health include:

• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E
• Selenium
• Zinc
• Antioxidants like lutein and zeaxanthin

A major US study has found that vitamins A, C, E, selenium and zinc can slow down the age-related macular degeneration in existing and low grade patients. Vitamins C and E may help to prevent development or to reduce the progression of cataracts.

Lutein and zeaxanthin are deposited in the eyes and these antioxidants help to scavenge or neutralize free radicals which can cause cell damage in the eyes. Overexposure to the sun’s UV radiation is a main cause of oxidative damage of the eyes. Dark coloured fruits and vegetables contain lutein and zeaxanthin and they include: spinach, kale, Brussels sprouts, kiwi fruit, mango, prunes, water melon, squash, broccoli, orange peppers, grapes, papaya, pumpkin, sweet corn, green beans, peas, oranges, peaches, sweet potatoes and dark green lettuce.

For maximum benefit eat the vegetables lightly cooked so that the cells are break down and the bioavailability of lutein and zeaxanthin is increased.

Vitamin A is rich in liver, carrots, spinach, mango, cantaloupe and kale. Vitamin C is rich in papaya, green bell pepper, oranges and in other citrus fruits, broccoli, sweet potatoes and red chilli. Plant oils are rich in Vitamin E.

Brazil nuts, ground nuts and other tropical nuts contain lot of selenium. In countries where the soil is poor in selenium many foods are enriched with this important mineral. Meat, nuts, pulses and beans are rich in zinc.

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.

I have diabetes and inject insulin. I eat a lot of raw rice, how to reduce my high blood sugar value?

Eating boiled or brown rice is better because of vitamins and minerals like selenium. Whether raw or boiled rice, you must take only 90 g of cooked rice for lunch.

Avoid all root vegetables and banana. Eat a lot of leafy vegetables and avoid mango, grapes, jack fruit, banana and dates.

Avoid sweets, honey, jam, syrup, glucose, dried fruits, fried foods and processed foods.

Alcohol must be avoided and thus you can reduce your blood sugar level and insulin dose.

Keep glucose with you. If there are symptoms of low blood sugar you have to take it immediately.

Do not forget your physical activity and it is equally good as the right foods.

I want to live healthy, must I avoid coconut completely?

No, you need not avoid coconut completely; it has a lot of saturated fatty acids and other nutrients which our body needs. Think of selenium which is important in free radical scavenging and excretions of heavy metals is present in the highest amount here.

Moreover, we need some saturated fatty acids for our body, my personal experience is, avoid meat and meat products, all the processed foods and also the fast or junk foods, then you can eat enough coconuts because of hidden saturated fatty acids in these foods. In places where coconut is used in all foods, the people are not getting more heart attacks than in other places.

Avoid the other risk factors, such as smoking, overweight, excessive sweets, high fat meals, excessive alcohol, laziness, stress and homocysteine; then you can eat as much coconut you like, this is my personal experience. The saturated fatty acids in coconut are only 30% of the total fat and are not long chain fatty acids, which may have more adverse effects, but are short and middle chain fatty acids.

Sometimes, theoretical knowledge, practical experience and research may give significant results than the believed facts. In these fields more research is needed to understand many riddles about food and our metabolism.

Selenium

Approximately 30 years ago we thought Selenium was a toxic element. But we have now learnt much about selenium and it is really a very important and essential element for us. It is important for our health.

The vital works done by Selenium include:

• Selenium helps in the removal of other toxic elements like mercury, cadmium, arsenic and lead from our body
• It decreases the viral load for HIV
• It reduces the incidence of cancers, particularly lung, colorectal and prostate cancers
• It plays also a vital role in thyroid hormone metabolism
• It is vital for antioxidant defence system. As apart of the enzyme glutathione peroxidase it helps the free radicals scavenging
• Selenium is involved in maintaining normal liver function
• It is needed in protein synthesis
• It defends sperms from the attack of free radicals, that is why it is present in high concentration in semen

Although it is the most important antioxidant nutrient, many Americans do not know about selenium and many doctors there consider this very shameful.

What are the foods rich in selenium?

• Meats
• Seafood
• Poultry
• Eggs
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Pulses
• Whole grains
• Yeast

What is the reason for selenium deficiency?

The problem is in most countries the soil is poor in selenium and the local food contains almost no selenium. Marginal selenium deficiency is possible in alcoholics and those who eat mostly refined and processed foods. That is why in most of the developed countries it is added in bread or in other food stuff or in animal feed. Or they must eat enough nuts imported from tropical countries.

If nothing helps supplementation is the last step.

What is the daily intake of selenium?

From 1986 it was continuously increased and it is now 200µg per day. The supplementation amount is also 200µg per day if the deficiency is established.

Selenium from the yeast is better than the inorganic salts.

As usual, the dose makes the poison. 600 to 750 micro g per day is the toxic dose.

The signs of selenium toxicity include:

• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Dry hair
• Caries in children
• Hair loss
• Abnormal nails
• Depigmentation of the skin
• Bad breath
• Vomiting
• Problems with the nervous system

Brazil Nuts

The Brazil nut is a native of Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Guiana, Peru and Venezuela.

The nutrients in 100 g edible Brazil nuts include:

• Water – 5.6 g
• Protein – 13.6 g
• Fat – 66.8 g
• Carbohydrates – 3.6 g
• Organic acids – Salicylic acid 0.46 mg
• Fibre – 6.7 g
• Minerals - 3.7 g – sodium 2 mg, potassium 645 mg, magnesium 160 mg, calcium 130 mg, iron 3400 micro g, copper 1300 micro g, zinc 4000 micro g, selenium 105 micro g, iodide traces
• Vitamins - vitamins B1, B2, B6, nicotine amide, pantothenic acid, folic acid, Vitamin C 0.7 mg, vitamin E.
• Purine – 25 mg

Brazil nut is a very healthy nut and it is also good for persons with diabetes and cardiovascular problems. It is very rich in selenium.

Amalgam fillings of the holes in your teeth

Organic mercury compounds are very toxic. Inorganic mercury is mixed with other metals together to form an alloy. This is normally used in teeth fillings.

The other metals used with Mercury are silver, copper, indium, tin and zinc. But mercury is always the major component here.

Mercury will be free if the quality of the fillings is not good and swallowed with the saliva. The amount liberated in the mouth could be estimated with the so called “chewing gum” test.

Many people have no problems and others have lot of health problems. A part is excreted in the urine and a major part is accumulated in the tissues. During the process of removing the amalgam fillings, lot enters inside our body. This could be removed only with the help of the chelating agents. If you are allergic to mercury, these fillings must be removed and with other metals such as gold or platinum replaced. But these are very costly compared to amalgam, but very good.

The amalgam fillings must be removed by an experienced dentist. The doctor who removes the mercury deposited in your tissues must be very careful because during this process many of the essential minerals are also eliminated from the body. Necessary minerals supplements must be given before the beginning of the detoxification. The kidneys must be 100% healthy. The clinical toxicologist plays an important role. He supervises the analysis of mercury in blood, urine and in the hair before and after the detoxification. Essential minerals like copper and zinc are also controlled in the blood after the detoxification.

For the removal of toxic metals from our body we need selenium from our food. Food always plays an important role in removing the poisons from our body.

Today there are many alternatives to amalgam. Ceramic is one of the best.

Prawns

Prawns are very tasty food. It is a good source of iodide and selenium. If you have high cholesterol you could eat only once in a week, that is also only 100g.
The average nutrients in 100 g edible prawn-meat include:

• Water - 78.4 g
• Protein - 18.6 g
• Fat - 1.4 g
• Minerals - 1.4 g – sodium 145 mg, potassium 235 mg, magnesium 65 mg calcium 90 mg, iron 605 micro g, copper 1100 micro g, zinc 2200 micro g, selenium 50 micro g, iodide 130 micro g.
• Vitamins - vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, B12, nicotine amide, pantothenic acid, biotin, folic acid
• Cholesterol 140 mg
• Purine 145 mg

In artificial cultivation of prawns antibiotics are also used to minimise the bacteria. The rest residues of these are always there. It is better to buy fresh prawns from the sea

Coconut

The coconut palm is grown throughout the tropics and the whole tree is useful to us.

What are the uses of coconut?

• Coconut is a good food with all the necessary nutrients.
• Almost every part of the coconut tree is useful to human beings.
• It is used in traditional medicine as well as in modern medicine. More than 50 applications are written in the literature which is still in use.

Why are the fatty acids of coconut healthy?

Coconut has less (30%) long chain saturated fatty acids but more (70%) short and medium chain saturated fatty acids and therefore it is healthy to make a good ratio of LDL and HDL.

What is your personal opinion?

Coconut is good and we all must eat. The reasons are as follows:

• It has 9% fibre.
• Coconut has the highest amount of selenium. It has 810µg Selenium per 100 g. Selenium is found in enzymes to remove the dangerous free radicals and also helps to remove the toxic heavy metals such as mercury from our body.
• All the other elements like potassium, magnesium, manganese, iron, copper, zinc and iodine are present.
• B vitamins, E and C are also present in coconut.

30 g of coconut chutney for idly or for methu vadai will not harm anybody. Normal amount could also be used in some other food preparations. In every preparation the food is diluted few times to several times and at the end we may be taking only few grams of long chain saturated fatty acids.

I met several people who are not at all using coconuts years together in India because of their high blood pressure or after the bypass heart operation. Interestingly many of them are still eating meat or poultry and why is coconut alone a villain? But to have things properly done care should be taken with coconut oil as well as with other oils in cooking. Other vegetable oils are also good and healthy. The dose makes always the poison.

But we must keep it always in mind that studies have shown virgin coconut oil has reduced the bad cholesterol and increased the good cholesterol. If we see the coconut belt throughout the world where coconuts are produced and eaten everyday without any adverse effects for the heart or other organs, then I ask myself whether some lobby groups are at work to sell their products which has no equal quality of coconut or coconut oil.

Here also I want to stress the importance of individual counselling.

What is virgin coconut oil?

Virgin coconut oil is made from fresh coconuts and from copra, the dried ones.

What will happen then to the excess coconut oil available in the market?

Coconut oil has several applications. It is used as bio-diesel for aeroplanes and to manufacture soap, cosmetics and creams. It is used in the medicine and as raw materials for paints and for industrial purpose. But I think it could be better to use it as food for persons who are poor than to any other industrial purpose.

What do you say about tender coconut water?

It is very good not only in summer but also in all seasons. Packed in the natural fatty container it is always pure and also has minerals and vitamins.

Has coconut cholesterol?

No. Coconut has no cholesterol. All plant foods have no cholesterol.

What is the connection between mother’s milk and coconut?

The fatty acids present in both mother’s milk and coconut are same in composition. The nature knows what we need. The reason is short and medium chain fatty acids are converted in the liver to give direct, immediate energy to the infant which important to live. Only the long chain fatty acids need the enzymes for the long digestion. Do we want to say mother’s milk is bad? Never.

What are the oils good for our Indian way of cooking?

Sesame oil, coconut oil and groundnut oil are the best oils to our way of cooking because they are heat stable.

Food & Fertility: Food rich in vitamin B6, Folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium and zinc

Food rich in Vitamin B6

• Vegetables
• Whole grain products
• Nuts
• Legumes
• Fish
• Poultry
• Meat
• Milk

Plant food loses less Vitamin B6 than meat and milk during cooking. Milling reduces vitamin B6 and so white flour (Maida) has very little vitamin B6. All the processing techniques including freezing, cooking, canning etc. can make vitamin B6 loss.

Food rich in Folic acid

• Meat and inner organs like liver, kidney etc.
• Nuts
• Beans and legumes
• Leafy vegetables
• It is present in all vegetables in small quantities and it is very difficult to take the necessary amount from the food or from raw food. The loss in cooking is always very high. Here we have to think about the supplement.

Food rich in Vitamin C

• Citrus fruits like oranges, grape fruit and lemon
• Vegetables with dark green leaves
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Strawberries
• Kiwi
• Spinach
• Cabbage
• Potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Capsicum
• Liver
• Oyster

Vitamin C is unstable. Losses occur from exposure to air, light, heat and copper.
Also dissolves in cooking water and is mostly wasted.

Food rich in vitamin E

• Edible vegetable oils such as sesame oil, coconut oil, groundnut oil
• Unprocessed cereals
• Unprocessed nuts
• Seeds
• Green leafy vegetables
• Fish
• Poultry
• Fruits and vegetables contain small amount of vitamin E

Vitamin E is relatively stable except at deep frying temperatures.

Food rich in Selenium
• Meats
• Seafood
• Poultry
• Eggs
• Nuts and seeds, particularly nuts from tropical countries including coconut
• Whole grains are rich in selenium

The problem is in most countries the soil is poor in selenium and the local food contains almost no selenium. That is why in most of the developed countries it is added in bread or in other food stuff. Or they must eat nuts imported from tropical countries. If nothing helps supplementation is the last step.

Food rich in Zinc

• Onion
• Garlic
• Nuts including coconut
• Milk, yoghurt and cheese
• Meat
• Liver
• Fish
• Eggs
• Seafood

Fruits and vegetables contain only little zinc. The vegetarians must be careful in their food. Nuts, pulses and milk and dairy products may be the rich sources.

Seafood contains poisonous metals like mercury, cadmium, lead etc. and one must be careful to eat them.

Food and Fertility

What are the best foods for fertility?

The following are the best foods for women who want to become pregnant:

Nuts, whole grains, beans and pulses can promote ovulation and polished grains and flours and, sweets, chocolates, cakes and soft drinks decrease fertility.

Whole milk but not low fat yoghurt increases fertility although normally animal fats are not good.

What about fruits and vegetables in fertility?

Several hundreds of plants have phytoestrogens and these have weak estrogenic activity that means these help to regulate the female sexual hormone. These have influences on hormone concentration which positively regulates sex drive, reproduction and menopausal symptoms and may help to prevent breast cancer.

Foods rich in phytoestrogens are wheat bran, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, legumes and pulses.

What about meat or animal fat?

For both women and men, if they plan a baby it is better to cut completely animal fat except milk for women. Particularly, a fatty diet may play havoc in male sex hormones and so, his sex life. After sometimes of high fat intake, testosterone level comes down and that makes problems.

In women fatty food increases the estrogens levels, thus helps fertility. Normally low fat food can protect from breast cancer.

What is the relationship between vitamin C and sperm?

Vitamin C can give agility to sperm because it is an antioxidant which protects sperm from the attack of oxygen free radicals. Intake of 1000 mg of vitamin C for two months can remove most of the environmental chemicals from the semen and make it fertile. But, there may be other causes for the infertility and it is necessary to diagnose correctly and only this additive effects will lead to success.

Fruits which are rich in vitamin C are well known to you. If you need supplementation, first consult your doctor because in overdose this antioxidant may act as pro-oxidant, this is against our interest.

What about folic acid?

Folic acid is necessary for safety of the foetus against neural tube defect. It should be taken immediately as you plan a baby because these defects may occur in the early days of pregnancy.

What are the other important things that I must know?

Drinking 3 to 4 litre of water daily and taking care of iron status in the body and eating lean red meat are advisable.

What about the vitamins other than vitamin C and folic acid?

The other two important vitamins are vitamin B6 and E which influence the hormone balance and their deficiency results in reduced fertility. You know already which foods are rich in vitamin B6. Oils or fat which are rich in vitamin E should be taken only in small quantities. It is better to supplement vitamin B complex because from our studies we know that many, even in Western countries, have vitamin B6 deficiency.

Are excessive vitamins good for fertility?

Do not take excessive amount of vitamins and this may reduce fertility. Further, high level of vitamins can also cause side-effects. For example, excess vitamin B6 can cause neurological damage and vitamin C could act as pro-oxidant and reduce fertility.

Are the oysters a good source of good Zinc?

Yes. Oysters are rich in zinc. However, it is advisable not to eat oysters. Oysters also contain poisonous heavy metals such as cadmium, arsenic and mercury. There are other far better sources of zinc.

What about the myth about figs or eggs?

These are normal food, nothing more than that, but their shape has nothing to do with the fertility and it is only a wrong belief.

Many pharmaceutical companies say vitamin supplements are much needed, is it so?

Too much of vitamins will only do harm, try to take them from your food and if it is not possible consult your doctor.

What about coffee?

Some say for women decaffeinated and for men strong coffee, but one to two cups can be taken a day, tea or coffee by both.

What about trans-fat?

Trans-fats are used almost in all processed foods including chocolates. They have no nutritional value, but these are added only to increase the shelf life of food. These fats affect the fertility of women.

Is selenium very important?

Selenium is important because it helps to scavenge free radicals. Semen contains lot of selenium and zinc.

Next: Food rich in Vitamin C, E, B6, Folic acid, zinc and selenium