Hydrate yourself when suffering from the stomach virus

When you are sick with a stomach virus, the last thing you probably want to think about is food.  However, if you are losing food and fluids through vomiting or diarrhea, it is especially important to work to rehydrate yourself.  Food is important, too, but as the second step after fluids.

If you are suffering from vomiting or diarrhea, that means you are losing not only fluids but also key nutrients like the electrolytes sodium and potassium.  While we normally get these electrolytes in our regular diets, when you are sick, you are not able to eat your usual diet.  Your body often cannot digest normal foods when it is compromised with a stomach virus.  If you try to eat those hard-to-digest fats, dairy products, whole grains and even some proteins, your body will likely respond with a worsening of symptoms, thus causing further nutrient losses.

A good rule-of-thumb is to keep your intake as clear fluids for at least the first 24 hours of your sickness.  This will help your digestive tract to heal most effectively, without needing to focus energy on trying to digest regular foods.  Clear liquids are most easily digested and help to rehydrate you.  Examples of items on a clear liquid diet include: water, ginger ale, caffeine-free tea, sports drinks, jello, clear chicken or vegetable broth and fruit flavored (pulp-free) popsicles.  Look for natural versions when possible.  Gatorade makes a great tasting G series natural thirst quencher with sea salts to provide electrolytes.  Hansen’s makes a natural ginger ale cane soda that contains real Chinese ginger root – sure to help your queasy tummy!  Chamomile tea with honey makes another soothing beverage.  Also, try making your own popsicles with apple juice or grape juice, too.  As you begin to feel better, you can slowly introduce easy-to-digest regular foods back into your diet.  Avoid high fiber foods, high fat foods and dairy products for at least a couple days since they tend to be the most challenging for your body to digest.  Continue to avoid caffeine, as it can dehydrate you.  In addition to the clear liquids you have been trying, try foods like bananas, applesauce, white rice (try combining with chicken broth for a little boost), dry cereal like Cheerios, toast, oatmeal, cooked carrots or chicken noodle soup.  Once your body is digesting foods like these well, you can transition back to a regular diet.

As you return to normal, it is good to consider the ways to prevent getting sick next time. While we cannot avoid getting sick all the time, we can certainly be proactive to keep ourselves as well as we can.  Examples include staying well hydrated, washing hands well and often, eating a well-balanced diet with possibly a multivitamin, staying physically active and maybe even taking a probiotic supplement for good immunity and digestive health.

It is no fun to be sick, but with a few good nutrition steps, you should be back on your feet soon and ready to build back good immunity!  

 

Soup makes a nutritious winter meal

Soup makes a healthful, inexpensive and convenient meal, perfect for a chilly day.  And, yet, we often forget about soup.  Sure, you can buy canned soup and warm it up in a flash.  Maybe even serve it with a sandwich or salad.  You could also make a homemade version quite easily.

In the past, canned soup selections were often limited, with an entire can usually giving you your day’s worth of sodium.  But, thanks to creative and modern brands, there are a lot more from which to choose.  If you are on a low sodium diet, you might actually be able to find some prepared soups that fit in your meal plan.  Considering sodium is found in many of our daily foods, you should be mindful to determine how soup can fit in to a low sodium diet and whether homemade (with no salt added) would be better alternative.

For those of us not on low sodium diets, we can still be mindful of sodium intake while incorporating soup healthfully into our diets. It can be a great way to get more vegetables into your day, especially.  If you are mindful about how often to choose cream-based or meat-based versions (like Italian Wedding Soup and Beef Vegetable), then you can choose to select vegetable-based or lowfat broth-based versions most frequently, which often tend to be lower in saturated fat and cholesterol.  Read the label to be sure.

When you read the label, look for words like “low sodium,” “reduced sodium,” or “no salt added”.  Read the nutrition panel to see how many milligrams of sodium are in one serving.  Everyone should try to limit sodium to no more than about 2000 milligrams daily.  (Most Americans go way over on sodium intake.)  Some of the best low sodium soups can be found at Trader Joe’s – for quite a deal, too! 

Aside from trying to limit the sodium, consider also what might be missing from your diet.  Do you regularly eat broccoli?  Butternut squash?  Lentils?  Kidney beans?  Black beans?  These and many more vegetables can make their way into your diet through soup!  You might even be able to get some fruits in there, too.  Butternut squash apple soup makes a great winter-time soup that pairs well with half a tunafish sandwich!  Look for recipes online or check out the version at Earthfare grocery store in Huntersville.  Amy’s makes a Light in Sodium Butternut Squash version with 290mg sodium per cup (1/2 can).  If you felt inclined, you could add your own roasted apples to it! 

You can always go the extra step and make the soup yourself.  The more non-processed the ingredients you use, the higher the chances of creating a lower sodium soup, too.  If you do choose things like canned beans to go into homemade soup, try to get low sodium versions and/or rinse the beans before adding them to your recipe.  

If you choose to make a simple chicken noodle soup, use lowfat, low sodium chicken broth, boneless and skinless chicken, whole grain noodles and fresh vegetables like fresh carrots, onions and celery.  Some recipes can be made straight in the croq pot – put all the ingredients in before you leave in the morning for an instant meal at the end of your workday.

So,  give another thought to soup.  It might just warm you up and fill you up with the perfect balance of ingredients!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Professional organization of nutrition professionals changes name

http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/011012p34.shtml

Choose a quality supplement for your nutrient needs – not all “vitamins” are the same

Are you looking for good supplements to accent your diet?  Many of us seek pills to take to try to make up for deficiencies in a not-so-perfect diet.

While eating nutritious food and beverages is the tried and true best standard for getting  all the nutrients we need to keep us well, sometimes dietary supplements add a needed nutrient boost that may be difficult to achieve from your usual diet.

Take for instance vitamin D.  Many of us fall short with vitamin D intake and end up with too-low levels in our bloodstream.  While you can make it in your body with the right sun exposure, it is difficult here in North Carolina, especially in the wintertime.  Since low levels can lead to poor calcium absorption in our bones and may also be detrimental to immunity and other bodily functions, it is important to be sure we get enough.  

If you are low in vitamin D, you would certainly want to know which supplements are best.  Same goes for other nutrients.  Some of the most popular (in addition to vitamin D) include omega-3 fatty acids (often achieved through fish oil supplements), a regular multivitamin, vitamin C and calcium.   To know what is best for you, work with your doctor or dietitian to determine if your body would benefit from the addition of any dietary supplements.

When selecting a high quality supplement, consider several things before purchasing: (1) look for the USP (US Pharmacopeia) symbol on the label to indicate quality and independent testing (www.usp.org); (2) avoid artificial colors – especially in children’s supplements.  Read the ingredients label to be sure to avoid things like Red #40 and Blue #1; (3) avoid artificial flavors; (4) go online to www.consumerlab.com to see if the brand you are considering has been tested for potency and is free of contaminants; (5) Don’t go for supplements that contain well above the 100% daily value (DV) for nutrients per serving, unless recommended by your doctor; (6) Don’t start taking a supplement just because all your friends are – make sure the supplements you choose are carefully selected by you and your healthcare team for your individual needs.  Some supplements negatively interact with each other so it is essential you understand what you should and should not take; (7) if you have food sensitivities, ensure your supplements meet your needs – some are gluten free, all natural and contain no traces of nuts; and (8) always check the expiration date!

As far as brands go, there are a lot of great brands out there.  Some are pricey and some are inexpensive.  Higher cost does not always guarantee a better product when it comes to vitamins.  However, it is a good idea to research the company of the brand you are considering.  Sometimes, store brands are just as effective as name brands.   

Set great New Year’s Resolutions

Happy New Year!  Yes, of course, now is the time to set New Year’s resolutions.  If you think about it, most individuals set at least some of their resolutions around health.

So, if health is so important that it consistently ranks as a top New Year’s resolution, perhaps we should all take more time to set achievable goals to improve how we take care of ourselves.

There is probably room for improvement for most of us.  Perhaps a good place to start is to consider whether you met your health resolutions for 2010.  If you did, you should congratulate yourself.  It may even make this year’s resolutions seem more achievable.  If you had trouble meeting your resolutions for 2010, perhaps your expectations were too high.  This could present an opportunity for improving how you set your own goals.  Either way, encourage yourself to set health goals for 2011.

If you are unsure where to start with your goals, consider the basics, first.  It will help prevent you from becoming overwhelmed at the whole picture.

Things like scheduling preventative or follow-up appointments with your physician or specialists are at the top of the to-do list, when it comes to your health. If you have trouble following the recommendations of your health professionals, consider setting goals to change your behaviors.  Psychotherapists are excellent resources to help you with behavior change techniques.

Next, consider how you nourish your body.  Do you skip meals?  Do you overeat or undereat?  If you struggle with illness that can be better managed by good nutrition (hence, almost every illness), do you feel you are doing your best with fueling your body and strengthening your chances of recovery?  If yes, set goals on continuing your efforts.  If no, consider having a dietitian help you set achievable goals.

What about movement? Do you move enough?  Many individuals struggle with motivation to exercise.  Know there are trainers and coaches out there who can help motivate you.  Some resources exist online and others exist in a close friend or spouse.  Consider your location and finances when setting your exercise resolutions.  There are plenty of no-cost options to increase daily movement.  The key is monitoring.  Either monitor yourself or have someone else monitor you.  That goes for all your resolutions, too.

Also consider your emotional health.  Emotional health is significantly impacted by physical health.  That means food and exercise play key roles in mental health.  And, since emotional health can impact our motivation to change our behaviors, we can all benefit from ensuring our emotional well-being stays as balanced as possible.  In addition to healthy physical activity (including things like yoga) and balanced nutrition, consider psychotherapy, meditation, deep breathing and journaling to help center yourself and keep you grounded.  Laughing is an often over-looked form of self-soothing, too.

So, all in all, as you set your New Year’s resolutions, take a look at all the pieces of your health.  Praise yourself for what you are doing well.  Seek opportunities for change in the other things – they represent the missing puzzle pieces to a healthier you.  And what better time to make good changes – the beginning of a new year.

Watch me on Charlotte Today to learn how to set great New Year’s resolutions

http://www.wcnc.com/charlotte-today/Healthy-New-Years-Resolutions-136665633.html