healthy weight

Malnutrition, the double-edged sword that could be decreasing our quality of life

by Christina
21/06/202105/02/2025

Last year, in October, I observed Malnutrition Awareness Week (MAW) with other healthcare professionals in the USA, Canada, and the U.K. You may wonder why that’s important. Simply put, malnutrition can lower our quality of life and life expectancy.

What is malnutrition anyway?

On hearing the word, Malnutrition many of us will conjure up images of starving children in war-stricken countries. However, malnutrition is a global issue that affects more people than you may recognise.

Food provides our bodies with the energy and nutrients important for growth, repair and staying active. However, for many of us, access to affordable, nutrient-rich foods is a challenge. Nutrient-dense foods such as fish, fruit, vegetables, low-fat dairy, nuts and seeds can be unavailable, inconvenient or unsafe. Pockets of food insecurity exist even in the most developed countries, which we have seen throughout the pandemic.

Should I avoid Carbs?

by Christina
14/10/202009/03/2022

I always found it confusing when people said stuff like, “oh I have to cut down on bread to lose weight”. From a scientific perspective, bread is not super-charged with anything to cause weight gain. It’s definitely not like the magic bean that Jack had. If anything, bread is one of the most affordable staple foods capable of providing energy and micronutrients that you may not otherwise be getting. So, why do people think it’s making us fat? What about other starchy foods and sweet carbs? Today, we’ll talk a bit about the role of carbohydrates in global diets and hopefully, you’ll be able to determine if it’s the cause of weight gain.

Carbohydrates are one of the macronutrient trio which supplies energy to the body. CHO, or Carbs are a diverse set of molecules which are derived from organic monomers (units) such as glucose, fructose and galactose. Plants are the most diverse sources of carbohydrates because they use carbon dioxide and water to create carbs for energy and structure. Carbohydrates can range from the simplest sweet sugars like those found in fruits, to long, branched chains which taste starchy, such as those in potatoes, ground provisions and starchy foods.

Facing the Fats: 6 Truths and 1 Myth about replacing saturated fats in the diet (Part 4)

by Christina
24/04/2020

Thank you for continuing to follow this series on fats. I hope by this point, you have a better idea of the role of fats and know the differences among saturated, unsaturated, trans fats and essential polyunsaturated fats. Now as we don’t consider just nutrients when eating food, let’s talk about some practical ways to incorporate more healthy fats into our diets. I’ve tried to put together as many useful ways as I know, but if you have your own swaps and suggestions, feel free to sound off in the comments.

1. Eating Oily Fish and & Taking Omega 3 Supplements – TRUTH

Consuming oily fish such as salmon, sardines, mackerel and pilchards are a great way to incorporate more EFAs into your diet. There are UK guidelines for the consumption of oily fish along with other fish and shellfish because there is a concern about mercury poisoning. They recommend two 140g portions of fish including 1 oily fish.

Increasing the amount of salmon we consume can improve polyunsaturated fats and hence improve heart health. — Salmon fillets are great sources of PUFAs and essential fats. Source

As I am not particularly a fan of eating fish (unless I have cooked it), I aim to get my omega 3 through supplements or vegetarian sources. There is some controversy on the usefulness of fish oil supplements as compared to eating fish, but if you do consider taking them, you should consult your medical doctor for the best advice.