The year end is a time of fun and festivity often marked with overindulgence. For most of us, it starts at Christmas and rolls over till the New Year with little thought of the the calorie and fat content of foods. Even the most ardent dieter will put aside their weight loss plans to indulge in the Christmas lunch, often promising to return to a healthy eating plan in the new year. Being aware of the calories in the typical Christmas meal can be useful in making careful choices before eating – not only in the type of food but also the portion size.
Folate (vitamin B9) is one of the B-complex of vitamins that is derived from a number of foods. It is probably best known for being an important part of pregnancy and pregnant women are always advised to use folic acid supplements. There is often confusion between folate and folic acid. Simply folate is the vitamin B9 absorbed from natural sources like food whereas folic acid is the synthetic form derived from supplements.
Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is found in foods sourced from animals, like meat, eggs and milk. It plays an important role in the formation and maturation of red blood cells – the key carrier of gases in the blood. Vitamin B12 also helps cells to synthesise DNA and plays a key role in the structure and functioning of the nerves. The body stores about 2.5mg (milligrams) of vitamin B12 and adults only need approximately 2mcg (micrograms) per day while 0.7 mcg is sufficient for children.
A popular weight loss detox program doing its rounds in South Africa is the lemon detox diet. Touted as the diet of choice for the Hollywood elite, the lemon detox is another starvation diet claiming its weight loss and body cleansing benefits. While fad diets come and go, few are as dangerous as the lemon detox diet and if you are suffering with any chronic disease like diabetes, the lemon detox diet is a sure recipe to land yourself in a hospital.
As mentioned in the glycaemic index article, the GI of foods vary. While most refined foods have a high GI, which is what you want to avoid, not every unrefined food will have a low GI. A typical example is bread – if you are keeping to a low GI diet, then white, brown and wholewheat bread are a problem as they are medium to high GI foods.
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Glycaemic index (US ~ glycemic) is the measure of a food’s ability to affect the blood sugar levels. This immediate effect is usually based on the type of carbohydrates within a food. Since all foods contain a mixture of carbohydrates, protein and fat to varying degrees, the glycaemic index is relevant to all foods, not only carbohydrates. Awareness about the glycaemic index (GI) of foods is important for us all, but particularly for those suffering with diabetes and obesity.
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