Are You Allergic To Foods Or Intolerant?

I have observed that when people say "This food doesnt suit me", they want to convey that eating a certain food brings about symptoms in them which range from mild (e.g. itchy eyes) to distressing (e.g. continuous sneezing bouts).

What they may be actually suffering from is either a food allergy or a food intolerance, and not something simple like mere 'unsuitability'. Sadly, few are aware of disorders like 'food allergy' and 'food intolerance' and can correctly correlate it to their present problem.

A runny nose is one of the symptoms of food allergy

Food allergies and food intolerances, are not one and the same. Let me explain the difference in a very simple manner, using two situations.

Situation 1: You eat a particular food and within minutes or an hour, you experience symptoms which can be either-

Mild e.g. runny nose, watery and itchy eyes, itchy throat, hives, swelling of lips,

or,

Life threatening e.g. swelling or closing of the windpipe, Anaphylactic Shock

Food labels should indicate allergen presence

The above two instances are that of a food allergy and occur when your body wrongly perceives a harmless food protein as dangerous and initiates immunological war against it. Common allergy causing foods or allergens include, fish, shellfish, nuts, soy or soya bean, milk, egg and wheat. Now, just because these foods are known to cause food allergy should not scare you into avoiding them, if you are not allergic. You would be losing out on some of the best proteinaceous food in the world. Yes, for someone with a proven allergy (verified by formal diagnostic tests like skin prick test, RAST test etc) to these foods, caution to prevent accidental consumption has to be exercised at all times.

Situation 2: You eat a particular food and develop symptoms like diarrhea, abdominal cramps.

This is a food intolerance and occurs when your body is unable to digest a particular component of the food you ate, for various reasons, like absence of necessary enzymes e.g. Lactose Intolerance (when you cannot digest lactose, the sugar found in milk), Gluten Intolerance (when you cannot digest gluten, a protein found in wheat). Though the symptoms of food intolerance are similar to those which occur during food poisoning, the cause is not the same. Diagnostic tests are available to confirm presence of a food intolerance.

Hopefully this post helped readers differentiate between a food allergy and food intolerance and also use this knowledge to better judge and take care of their problem food.

If you like this post, you might also like:

Food Fussy Grandparent? Not Without A Reason

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The Nutrition Omnibus and A Fistful of Nutrition ©Raksha Changappa. Contents of this blog post (excluding images) are the exclusive copyright and intellectual property (IP) of Raksha Changappa. This post is solely for knowledge and information of the reader. If you want to use the post contents, kindly do so by acknowledging the source, namely this blog and the author, via hyperlinks or credits. If not, no content will be copied, reproduced, republished, transmitted or distributed, in any form or means, including print and electronic media. Copyright and IP infringements will be taken seriously. For queries contact nutrewise@yahoo.com

Bariatric or Weight Loss Surgery: When Is It Alright To Go Under The Knife?

My client clears his throat, avoids eye contact and says, "Madam, I need to lose 10 kilos in one month. Please give me a diet to make me lose weight fast, or else...I will...I will go for weight loss operation".

Of course, I wasnt going to give him a diet plan to make him lose 10 kilos (20 pounds!) in one month. Diet plans inducing rapid weight loss are against my professional and personal ethics. In case you are curious, a drop in body weight in the range of 2 kilos (4.4 pounds) to a maximum of 5 kilos (11 pounds) per month is the permissible rate of weight loss. Any technique causing a faster rate of weight loss is best abandoned.

Now, what my client meant by `operation' was Bariatric Surgery (BS), a surgical procedure performed with the motive of making an individual lose weight. Bariatric surgery is of many types but lets save that discussion for a later date.

Bariatric Surgery is the last line of treatment for obesity, but is mostly marketed as a weight loss option which is effective, simple and for everyone. Why, if a layperson were to read a promotional material on bariatric surgery, it would make them believe that its just a simple nip and tuck and that the only side effect is permanent happiness!

And, this is precisely the impression this client and many other clients of mine are under. Under, until I use my 'Dietitian Voice' and elaborate on all aspects of the procedure. Here is what I tell them in form of FAQs (frequently asked questions).


Q 1. When can you consider bariatric surgery as an option for losing weight?

Bariatric surgery is your option for weight loss only if-

a) you are morbidly obese i.e. your Body Mass Index (BMI) is greater than 40, or,

b) you have a BMI of 35 and above, accompanied with serious and/or life threatening comorbidities (diseases) e.g. diabetes mellitus, hypertension.

But, that still does not qualify you as a candidate for surgery...

Even if you fulfill one of the above two criteria for `eligibility', it still has to concluded by a team of specialists that the first line of treatment has failed with you. In other words, all other options of making you lose weight namely calorie restriction, lifestyle modification, exercise, medication, psychological counselling and family involvement have failed.

Q 2. What should I know before undergoing the procedure?

If its been concluded by the team that nothing but surgery will work for you, then your surgeon needs to discuss the following with you, prior to the surgery-

a) Risks of the actual procedure. However non-invasive, all surgeries carry some amount of risk.

b) Physiological and medical side effects of the procedure which are for life e.g. malabsorption of nutrients, gastric dumping syndrome and more.

c) Access to life long postoperative followups.

d) Approximate cost involved, of not just the procedure, but also the postoperative care and followups.

Q 3. How does bariatric surgery make me lose weight?

There are many types of bariatric surgery and they aim to bring about weight loss in you by decreasing the amount of either-

a) food entering your gastrointestinal tract, or,

b) food absorbed in your gastrointestinal tract.

Q 4. What happens after the surgery? The good.

Yes, you lose weight. It not surprising considering your food intake and/or absorption, has been made to drop by a big percent. This loss in weight sees improvement in the symptoms of comorbidities like hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia etc. 

Q 5. What happens after the surgery? The uncomfy and the bad.

There are side effects for life and no one should tell you otherwise. The only thing is these side effects will vary depending on the type of surgery performed.

Lets take some of the side effects of of a common type of bariatric surgery called Gastric Restriction (where a portion of the stomach is surgically removed or stapled)-

Side effect 1: Since the procedure has made your stomach smaller than normal, you will feel full after eating even small quantities of food, with symptoms like nausea and vomiting. You can never eat even normal amounts of food in one sitting again.

Side effect 2: Your stomach produces HCl (Hydrocholoric acid), a germicidal agent, amongst other things. Removing a portion of your stomach surgically, reduces HCl production, thus lowering your stomach and small intestines resistance to bacterial action. Result? Increased risk of gastritis and bacterial overgrowth in your small intestine.

This apart, you have to definitely go for postoperative followups which involves appointments with your specialists and consultations with a dietitian (as you cannot eat the same food you did before the surgery and you definitely cannot eat anything that you feel like).

As I finish my narration on Bariatric Surgery to my captive audience, I normally leave them with an increased determination to lose weight the way its best suited for most-by eating mindfully. And, that was the idea to begin with.

If you liked this post, you might also like:

Whats A Size Zero? How To Be A Size Zero? The Myth. The Truth. The Stupidity. 

Weight Loss Friend Or Foe? How Does Your Plate Measure Up?

Weight Related Bullying and Bullycide 

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The Nutrition Omnibus and A Fistful of Nutrition ©Raksha Changappa. Contents of this blog post (excluding images) are the exclusive copyright and intellectual property (IP) of Raksha Changappa. This post is solely for knowledge and information of the reader. If you want to use the post contents, kindly do so by acknowledging the source, namely this blog and the author, via hyperlinks or credits. If not, no content will be copied, reproduced, republished, transmitted or distributed, in any form or means, including print and electronic media. Copyright and IP infringements will be taken seriously. For queries contact nutrewise@yahoo.com

Health Claims: When Only Mother Nature Should Get The Credit

Many processed or packaged foods make claims of possessing a special nutritional property, which is going to make you healthier. Of these, some brands highlight a nutritional property which exists naturally in that food and by clever or ambiguous writing on the packaging, make it sound like they should get the credit*. This is nothing but stealing the limelight from Mother Nature and here are some popular instances:

Examples of tag lines used on food packaging, which take the credit away from Mother Nature:

"New! SSS brand of tea. Rich in anti-oxidants!"

Tea, Camellia sinensis, in all its available varieties (white, green, black, oolong), is naturally rich in anti-oxidants (the antioxidant amount may vary as per the variety). Thus, no company should grab the privilege of implying that only its brand of tea contains or is rich in anti-oxidants.

"TZ brand of oats are rich in heart healthy soluble fiber"

All oats, whether grown in Australia, UK, USA, India, or any patch of soil across the globe, are naturally rich in the soluble fiber called beta-glucan, which is endowed with a cholesterol lowering effect.

"Protein rich YY brand of eggs"

Again, eggs, which ever color of shell they may possess (white, cream, grey, brown) come `protein rich' right out of the poultry in question, be it a hen, duck, geese, turkey, quail...

"Protein rich X brand of pulse, legume (e.g. dal, rajma, soya bean, broad beans, peas) and so on"

Pulses and legumes have been since ages, known to be rich vegetarian sources of protein.

" ZZZ brand of milk/yogurt/curd/paneer/cheese supplies you with your daily need of protein and calcium'

Once again, this is taking credit for foods which are naturally rich in protein and calcium, and making it sound like only a ZZZ brand of the same supplies you with protein and calcium.

" Q brand presents, low Glycemic Index (GI) brown rice"

Brown rice is partly milled rice, where only the outer most layer of a rice grain, called the husk, is removed. Whereas in white rice, two more layers are removed. Brown rice is thus fiber rich and fiber rich foods are by default, low GI foods. So once again, its not 'Q brand' but Mother Nature who has to be thanked.

There are many more instances, but you get the idea.

If you are picking up a food based on its health claim, try spending a few seconds practically (read: by not being distracted by memories of its attractive advertisement) analyzing the claim. If you cant decide or get confused, put it back on the shelf. You can always pick it up later. Whats the rush?

*does not include food brands which are fortified or enriched, or, brands with a bonafide and new health innovation in their product.

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The Nutrition Omnibus and A Fistful of Nutrition ©Raksha Changappa. Contents of this blog post (excluding images) are the exclusive copyright and intellectual property (IP) of Raksha Changappa. This post is solely for knowledge and information of the reader. If you want to use the post contents, kindly do so by acknowledging the source, namely this blog and the author, via hyperlinks or credits. If not, no content will be copied, reproduced, republished, transmitted or distributed, in any form or means, including print and electronic media. Copyright and IP infringements will be taken seriously. For queries contact nutrewise@yahoo.com

Carbohydrate Loading: A Marathoners Must Do

The marathon season is here, what with the Delhi Half Marathon, right around the corner. Every marathoner worth his electrolytes should know about carbohydrate loading, so here is a primer.

What is carbohydrate loading?

Carbohydrate loading is a diet strategy for increasing a sports persons muscle glycogen stores, prior to a competition or event.

Basic procedure

Carbohydrate loading involves making changes in the diet, a fixed number of days prior to a sporting event. Athletes usually:

first, reduce the number of hours they train, over a span of 1-4 days, and,

second, immediately follow it up with a high carbohydrate diet pattern (supplying about 7-12 g of carbohydrate per kg body weight) for a span of 3-4 days.

How does it help?

Carbohydrate loading maximizes the athletes muscle glycogen stores, enabling him/her to perform for longer and yet maintain their optimum pace during an event.

What all sports does it help in?

Marathon apart, this practice also works very well for sports like endurance swimming, cycling, amongst others.

Planning out and following a high carbohydrate diet, which supplies carbohydrate in the range of 7-12g/kg body weight is not an easy task and is best left to a professional and more importantly a qualified dietitian (Bachelors or Masters degree in Nutrition and Dietetics, or, atleast a 2 year Post Graduate Diploma in the same).

My Detailed Profile | My Website | Linkedin | Twitter | Media

The Nutrition Omnibus and A Fistful of Nutrition ©Raksha Changappa. Contents of this blog post (excluding images) are the exclusive copyright and intellectual property (IP) of Raksha Changappa. This post is solely for knowledge and information of the reader. If you want to use the post contents, kindly do so by acknowledging the source, namely this blog and the author, via hyperlinks or credits. If not, no content will be copied, reproduced, republished, transmitted or distributed, in any form or means, including print and electronic media. Copyright and IP infringements will be taken seriously. For queries contact nutrewise@yahoo.com

Weight Loss Friend Or Foe? How Does Your Plate Measure Up?

We all have a favorite plate or thaali or khumcha. Big. Small. A robust steel or a pretty melamine. Even those who dont have a favorite, are habituated to eating out of a particular one. When it comes to controlling how much you eat, your plate can be a friend or a foe. Here`s how.

 
The Illusion

While serving ourselves food or while being served, we try to judge if the food on our plate is enough or not, visually. These visual calculations of sufficiency of plated food, or using our eyes to judge the amount of food on our plate, are always inaccurate. Our eyes can fool us. To elaborate, people tend to gauge the adequacy of the food on their plate, by how it looks in proportion to the rest of the plate. That is, if the plate size is big, they will go on serving themselves until the food amount on the plate looks adequate or proportionate, in comparison to the rest of the plate. In other words, bigger plate sizes make people over serve food and thus over eat. Which means more calories being consumed.

An Illustration

Imagine you were offered 100 g rice on two plates-one, a smaller, 10 inch diameter (width) plate and another a 12 inch diameter one. The same 100 g of rice will look more, visually, on the smaller 10 inch plate, making you feel like you have enough to eat. On the bigger 12 inch plate, the very same 100 g of rice will look less, making you feel like you need more and goading you into adding more rice, until you get a `visual-proportion match’ between your plate and the rice. Thus, your plate is powerful.

A Bit Of Mathematics

A mere increase of 2 inches in diameter between the 10 inch plate and the 12 inch plate translates into a increased area of 44% (do the math) i.e the 12 inch plate has 44% more surface area than the 10 inch one. You will thus eat 44% percent more esp if you have a tendency to completely fill your plate, with no spaces and eat it clean.

Make Your Plate, A Weight Loss Ally

So, how do you outwit your plate? Change over to a smaller one. A steel or melamine or vitrelle, round plate, 9” or 10” in diameter should be good. In the Indian market, steel plates or thaalis go upto a whopping 15” inch in diameter. Thats a lot of surface area! If you are fond of partitioned plates (plates which mimic a thaali and have partitions for putting rice, gravy and other foods), migrate to those with a smaller diameter and smaller partitions. Remember on migrating to a smaller plate, if you were to miss your fav’ big ol’ plate, dont try to make up for its absence by loading your new plate from rim to rim or by piling food high so that everything fits! If you dont want to change your plate size and yet want to exert portion control or you hate round plates, then its best you serve your food e.g. rice, dal/beans, gravy, vegetables into small bowls (or, katoris) instead of directly on your plate and then stick to the amounts you have in those bowls, by not going for a refill. This will also work if you are a man who thinks its sissy to give up your massive plate for a smaller one (but isnt compromising on ones health sissy?). So when you grab your plate today, look at it in a new light.

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The Nutrition Omnibus and A Fistful of Nutrition ©Raksha Changappa. Contents of this blog post (excluding images) are the exclusive copyright and intellectual property (IP) of Raksha Changappa. This post is solely for knowledge and information of the reader. If you want to use the post contents, kindly do so by acknowledging the source, namely this blog and the author, via hyperlinks or credits. If not, no content will be copied, reproduced, republished, transmitted or distributed, in any form or means, including print and electronic media. Copyright and IP infringements will be taken seriously. For queries contact nutrewise@yahoo.com

Food Fussy Grandparent? Not Without A Reason.

A Fistful Of Nutrition Post #6:




When an elderly person, say a grandparent, fusses over salt being less in the food, or the food smelling `funny', know that their concerns are genuine. The elderly (>65 years) undergo many physiological changes which affect the way they smell, taste, chew or even swallow food e.g. ageusia, is a condition in the elderly, where there is loss of sense of taste. Similarly, many also develop hyposmia or a decreased sense of smell. All these impact how food appeals to their senses. Modifying their diet (e.g. instead of increasing added salt or spices, a dash of lemon juice will heighten the taste perception of a dish) helps overcome these problems and makes life a bit more comfortable for them.

My Detailed Profile | My Website | Linkedin | Twitter | Media

The Nutrition Omnibus and A Fistful of Nutrition © Raksha Changappa. Contents of this blog post (excluding images) are the exclusive copyright and intellectual property (IP) of Raksha Changappa. This post is solely for knowledge and information of the reader. If you want to use the post contents, kindly do so by acknowledging the source, namely this blog and the author, via hyperlinks or credits. If not, no content will be copied, reproduced, republished, transmitted or distributed, in any form or means, including print and electronic media. Copyright and IP infringements will be taken seriously. For queries contact nutrewise@yahoo.com

Your Herbal Tea May Not Be....Well, Herbal!

 A Fistful Of Nutrition Post #5:

Most herbal teas are just regular tea leaves, honey or a sweetener, a significant portion of appealing flavour and a tiny amount of herbs thrown in. While buying any herbal tea, read the  "Ingredients" label provided (usually at the back) carefully. This label should  provide the name of all the herbs the tea claims to contain e.g. Mint, Rosemary, Tulsi etc. The percentage content of each herb in the tea should also be mentioned and in a descending order e.g. Mint (5%), Tulsi (2%) and so on. No information or non-specific information, means the brand is not worth buying. Skip.

My Detailed Profile | My Website | Linkedin | Twitter | Media

The Nutrition Omnibus and A Fistful of Nutrition © Raksha Changappa. Contents of this blog post (excluding images) are the exclusive copyright and intellectual property (IP) of Raksha Changappa. This post is solely for knowledge and information of the reader. If you want to use the post contents, kindly do so by acknowledging the source, namely this blog and the author, via hyperlinks or credits. If not,  no content will be copied, reproduced, republished, transmitted or distributed, in any form or means, including print and electronic media. Copyright and IP infringements will be taken seriously. For queries contact nutrewise@yahoo.com