Karmacat: I'm passionate about my DFW journey to riches

Seaxwyn

The '5 a day' thing is very very oversimplified. I worked at the PR company which developed that campaign - had to translate the incredibly complicated nutritionists' advice into something which your average CD2s (or whatever the patronising PR term is) could grasp. '5 a day' has certainly taken off and entered the public consciousness and probably improved the diets of many but, as you say, it doesn't guarantee you a good diet!

On the other hand, I, too, am constitutionally anaemic and SO GLAD to be ineligible for giving blood!

ZTD

Seaxwyn wrote: »

This is not meant to be alarmist... but I have read reports recently of people being poisoned by taking vitamins - where you are gettingover 100% of RDA of certain nutrients they do more harm than good. Maybe Google the brands you are using

Well it's important to remember what RDA actually means - it's the level below which, over a long period of time, symptoms of malnutrition would appear. Or to put it another way if you were to fall below the RDA of water, then you would eventually die of thirst. Obviously we all have an intake of water far in excess of the RDA - 2 litres a day is *way* above.

Even the RDA doesn't take into account the fact we all need more vitamins and minerals when we're ill, and some people have poorer absorption than others. So you could be taking the RDA, and still be malnourished. For example Vit A isn't absorbed well on a low fat diet, because it is fat soluble.

In consequence would should all have a fair bit more than the RDA as a "buffer".

The most critical Vitamin for overdose is Vitamin A. More than 300% of the RDA is beginning to get dodgy.

Just for comparison this is vitamin D poisoning.

Karmacat

Coo, you've worked on some amazing stuff, it sounds wonderful!

Okay, fruit & veg - I know to vary the colours... I've had maize, raisins, broad beans and soy. And am about to have a snack-salad of celery, tomato, cucumber and sweet red pepper. Plus protein and carbs, obviously (ahem... I'm sick... instead of steamed potatoes, this is Tesco Value oven chips). And this evening I'll have broccoli and carrot with evening meal, with a glass of orange juice later on.

OK? :rotfl:

ZTD

Karmacat wrote: »

Not recently, but within the last 4 years or so...

Was this before or after you discovered cutting out sugar had such an affect on your well-being?

Karmacat wrote: »

Aw, thanks Z - as I say, I've got the multivits, which should give me zinc - yep, just been to check, 100% of RDA. And its a probiotic.

You can pep up the zinc a little - you'll be using more if you're ill.

Karmacat wrote: »

I hesitate to say this, but with the research thats coming out nowadays about the long term effects of binge drinking, I'm wondering whether I did myself some damage in my teens and twenties - a big crowd of us used to drink all day Saturday and Sunday, all the time. I stopped before they did, I stopped enjoying it, but I just wonder if I damaged my ability to digest micronutrients and what not. Probably not, but it does make you wonder....

Probably the thing that will have been damaged, will have been your liver. That won't have affected your absorption of nutrients, but could affect the storage of them. If you're worried, get yourself to the Docs for a liver function test. It's quite sensitive.

redsquirrel80

Karmacat wrote: »

Seaxwyn - don't worry, its mainly vit a, which can lead to blindness at a very low "overdosage" rate. Vit c is water soluble, which will get flushed away, in other words, not stored. I've read those same reports, I think, and I'm pretty sure I know what I'm doing. I wouldn't take 2 multivits a day nowadays, for instance, but I'm sure I need some support at the moment. All concern gratefully received!

Redsquirrel - that made me laugh! It was good, don't worry, I consider 0.02 good value! Its free money, you know - does need a lot of getting-your-head-round it, and some bits are still competely foreign to me, but the basic get-free-money thing is fine by me. Isn't it amazing about our diets? I certainly get my 5 a day, usually 6 or 7, but last year I was too low on iron to be able to give blood, even tho I was within the normal range (they want you to have a high normal score, and I just had normal-normal).

The reorganising is lovely - therapeutic in itself, looks great when I'm done, and it declutters for when I eventually move house.

Yep it is hard to know what we 'should' be eating - I generally think if you feel well then you've pretty much got it right! I wasn't overly surprised that the online thing said I was short on Vit D and calcium as I don't drink milk, but was surprised I was low in other things. And also horribly shocked at what proportion of my calories came from fat

I tried to give blood a few years ago, was ok on the iron test but my veins were too small!!

ZTD

redsquirrel80 wrote: »

Yep it is hard to know what we 'should' be eating - I generally think if you feel well then you've pretty much got it right! I wasn't overly surprised that the online thing said I was short on Vit D and calcium as I don't drink milk, but was surprised I was low in other things. And also horribly shocked at what proportion of my calories came from fat

Trust your instincts more than the experts. You know when you're eating shiite.

Unfortunately "experts" have "sponsorship bias". I remember when margarine (trans-fats) was good for you...

Karmacat

Quote:
Originally Posted by Karmacat
Not recently, but within the last 4 years or so...

Was this before or after you discovered cutting out sugar had such an affect on your well-being?

Um, before, I think. I'm in the normal range weightwise - I went to my doctor recently cos I thought a mole needed investigating, and he said I was in good shape...

You can pep up the zinc a little - you'll be using more if you're ill.

Okay... foods I have in the house at the mo with lots of zinc in according to the chart I bought in my local healthfood store: wholegrain rice, lentils, almonds and oats (I eat oats every day). And I just realised that my vit c also has zinc in, another 100% of the total. And I just found some milk thistle tincture for liver function, I'll start taking that. I've just had my manuka, will have echinacea in a mo, I'm not doing too badly!

And there is this whole thing about the news of new research - in those adverts from the 1950s, cigarettes are supposed to be good for you! I reckon as long as its a veg or a fruit, or not too processed (we've been eating flour for thousands of years, after all) its not too bad. I'm back on the wagon when it comes too over processed foods, tho - I've eaten all that German chocolate, "fortunately" - no more sweet shop goods for me.

The margarine - I do have margarine, but its Olivio, no transfats.... its tough, isn't it! Off to munch that salad now, I haven't yet.

"Scientific bias according to funding" -absolutely, its the first thing I think of when I hear some new research result.

hypno06

I'm another one in the "not enough iron to give blood" group.........

Probably explains why I get tired easily although I do eat lots of iron rich foods now.........

Karmacat

It surprised me, I must say - I always have broccoli in, and I eat other greens too, of course. Ah well - all the more for me! How you doing, hunny?

Seaxwyn

I think we can worry too much about food. If you look at the wide variety of diets people live and thrive on around the world - the human frame seems to be able to adapt pretty well.

There are many other possible reasons for feeling run down, worrying about money being one of them. I hope you can shake off your illness. Can you sit in the garden and get some sun on your face while it lasts?