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By
Dr David Delvin.
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Do
we eat healthily in this country?
Well, to be quite honest the answer is a resounding 'No'! In fact, I'm
very doubtful if I've ever met a British person who eats really healthily
- and that includes me, I'm afraid!
I know that may seem a sweeping statement, but pretty well all
nutritionists and doctors are agreed that people in the UK - whether
they're young, middle-aged, or elderly - do eat a diet which the human
body wasn't designed for.
Does this matter? Well it does, really. You see, any doctor will tell you
that our rather crazy Western diet causes degeneration of the arteries in
practically everyone over the age of about 19.
The public is completely unaware of the fact that most men and women who
are in their 20's have already got diseased arteries. That's
right - in their twenties. This arterial disease will
eventually help cause heart attacks and strokes in middle or later life.
Now what's the cause of this 'silent epidemic' of artery disease? The main
culprit is our diet. Since about 1900, it has been
far, far too rich in fat and particularly the type of fat,
which is called 'saturated'. That means mainly fats of
animal origin - from meat, cheese, milk, butter and so on.
Back in Victorian days, very few people could afford lots of animal fat;
meat was expensive! So, men and women didn't have their arteries clogged
up with fatty deposits - as they are today.
The truly astonishing result was that in Good Queen Victoria's day, no
one ever had a heart attack (a coronary). I know that seems
quite incredible, but if you ask your GP he or she will tell you that the
first-ever coronary was reported in a medical journal in about 1910! Since
then, of course, heart attacks have become epidemic in Britain, America
and other western countries.
WHAT SHOULD YOU
DO?
So what can you do about this?
Well, in our society it is very difficult to adopt the kind of 'primitive'
diet that the human body was meant to go in for - as used by our cave-man
ancestors. But you can change your present diet so that it's much
healthier. Here's what to do:
FATS:
All authorities are agreed that we eat far too much fat - especially
animal fat. So:
* Eat only small portions of meat, cheese, eggs and butter.
* Avoid cream.
* Instead of butter, use low-fat spreads most of the time.
* Try to avoid fried foods - go in for grilling instead.
FRUIT:
Eat lots and lots of fruit! That's one of the things the human body is
meant to 'work' on. Recent Government advice is that you should try and
eat at least 5 (five) pieces of fruit per day.
FIBRE:
Get plenty of fibre. That's the stuff our ancestors lived on! Today, you
can get fibre from vegetables (like beans, peas and leafy things),
cereals, bread (especially wholemeal bread), fruit and bran.
SUGAR:
Keep it to a minimum. We all get a heck of a lot of it through canned
goods and processed foods. The average British intake is well over a pound
a week. Don't add to it by putting even more sugar in your grub, or in
your tea and coffee.
SALT:
Keep your intake of this pretty low too. Many experts think that the salt
in the cooking should be enough for anyone. Adding more at the table isn't
great for the kidneys and the blood pressure.
ALCOHOL:
Keep your intake low. Although a little red wine may
be good for the heart, having a lot of booze certainly tends to shorten
your life.
TOTAL FOOD
INTAKE: Try and
keep this relatively small if possible. Alas, those who eat
a lot are less likely to survive into old age. Experiments with mice have
shown that those which eat less, tend to live much longer. And among
humans, you don't see many overweight people getting the Queen's telegram!
Q.
MACULAR DEGENERATION
I've recently developed something called 'macular degeneration' in one
eye. So I'm apprehensive about the possibility of partial blindness in the
future. What is macular degeneration?
Also, I've heard that using a coloured filter over the eye is a
protection. Any comments?
A. Sorry to hear about this problem. In fact, 'macular degeneration' is
very common in older people, causing poor sight and sometimes partial
blindness.
What is it? Well, the MACULA - at the back of the eye - is the spot where
light falls onto when we're looking at something. Unfortunately, that spot
tends to suffer wear and tear as the years go by - and this is called
macular degeneration.
I have a personal theory that this wear and tear may be partly caused by
SUNLIGHT being focused on the back of the eye. I may be wrong - but it's
certainly the case that one should never look directly into sun. And I
have a growing suspicion that - particularly in summer - far more people
should wear good quality sunglasses when they're out and about (even in
Britain!).
Sorry, but I haven't been able to find any evidence that 'coloured
filters' will help. But your specialist may think differently.
For completeness, I should add that some cases of macular degeneration are
caused by diabetes.
Q. GENERAL HEALTH -
AGE 65
I've developed a heartbeat irregularity, and have to take Warfarin for the
rest of my life. But my GP is unable to say why my ankles swell up, and
give so much discomfort when they do.
A. Swollen ankles are very common in older people - especially in hot
weather. The swelling is due to FLUID (mostly water), which has leaked out
of the circulation, and into the tissues.
In folk who have heartbeat irregularities, the circulation is obviously
not working as well as it should do - and this tends to make water
accumulate in the lower part of the leg.
'Water pills' may help - but they do have side-effects. Two
more natural treatments are:
* Putting your feet up on a pile of cushions, so that they are above
the level of your heart.
* Constantly exercising your calf muscles - because this
boosts the circulation in the legs, and so helps to get rid of excess
fluid.
Q. CALORIE BURNING
I think that many of us who watch our intake of calories (and who try to
burn them off) would be interested to know more about these little
blighters, and what they are like.
For instance, if I eat a cream cake, how long does it take for the extra
weight to be added to my bulk?
A. If you eat a pound of cream cake, your weight will INSTANTLY go
up by a Pound - as you can verify by simply stepping on the scales.
I think that what you mean is 'How long does it take for food to get into
the fat deposits in your body?'. And the answer is: a few hours at most.
You're refer to calories as if the 'little blighters' were objects that
one could see. They aren't I'm afraid, they are simply units of energy and
If you take in too much energy, you get fat. It's as simple as that.
Please bear in mind that different foods contain different amounts of
energy (calories). Thus:
* Carbohydrates contain only about FOUR calories per gram.
* Proteins contain about the same.
* Fats contain over TWICE as much - more than NINE calories per gram.
* Alcohol is nearly as bad - about SEVEN calories per gram.
Q. EXERCISE
I have a leaking mitral valve. It doesn't really affect me. So can I go in
for an exercise regime?
A. For the benefit of other site-readers, can I just explain that the
mitral valve is in the heart. It often becomes leaky, so that blood gushes
back through it.
While in general an exercise regime is good for most people, I would
certainly not recommend it for a heart patient such as
yourself. If your cardiologist thinks it's a good idea, then go ahead, but
please don't do it without his say-so.
Q. HEALTHY EATING
Being widowed, I live alone and sometimes I find it a chore to 'cook for
one'. What is your opinion about ready-made meals and take-aways?
A. A lot of folk have the idea that these must be worse than
home-cooked food, but that just doesn't make sense.
You see, what it depends on is the INGREDIENTS, You're better off
with a nourishing 'ready made' meal that contains sensible foodstuffs than
you are with ,say, a home-made fry-up swimming in fat. Please see my
article above re: healthy eating.
Q. HRT
Could a woman who is taking Warfarin tablets daily use Estroven instead of
HRT?
A. In case anybody else doesn't know, 'HRT' means 'hormone replacement
therapy' - something, which hundreds of thousands of women use after the
menopause.
Now, you mention 'Estroven' as an alternative to HRT. Doctors don't
prescribe this, because it's an 'over the counter' preparation, marketed
recently as a supplement for women of menopausal years.
Would it react badly with your Warfarin? Well, I've had a look at the
ingredients of Estroven, and they are mainly vitamins and minerals (such
as calcium). I don't think that these should clash with your medication,
or cause side-effects.
However, among the ingredients of Estroven are 'isoflavones' which are
derived from Japanese arrowroot and Soya. I don't think that at the
moment, anyone could forecast whether these could possibly interact with
Warfarin. Soya itself can cause allergic reactions sometimes.
I note that the pack of Estroven very sensibly says 'Please consult your
doctor before taking'. This is good advice.
Q. OSTEOARTHRITIS OF
THE HIP
Is Osteoarthritis in the hip easy to diagnose, and does it sometimes
present like sciatica?
Also, is there any advance in pain medication for people who cannot take
anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) by mouth, because of stomach side effects?
A. Yes, sir: it is possible to confuse the pain of arthritis of the hip
with that of sciatica. But an x-ray of the hip should make matters clear.
Unfortunately, most of the anti-inflammatory drugs, which are used for
arthritis and rheumatism, do tend to upset the tummy. A simple way of
getting round this is to take the drugs in suppository form. Alas, many
British people still refuse point-blank to take medication in this way!
For
more information on Osteoarthritis, click
here to read my previous article on the subject.
© 2000, 2001 Dr David Delvin/Retirement
Matters Ltd. All rights reserved.
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