Question One:
I take medication for an under-active thyroid. Can i take it together with my calcium & vitamin d pills? Also, is it possible to get too much calcium?
-Myrna
Answer:
Iron and calcium supplements can reduce the absorption and effectiveness of levothyroxine (Synthroid), a medication used to treat an under active thyroid gland. Separate calcium or iron pills with thyroid medication by two hours.
Myrna also wanted to know if it is possible to get too much calcium. The answer is yes. The safe upper daily limit for calcium is 2500 milligrams per day from food and supplements combined -- an amount that's hard to get unless you are drinking a lot of milk plus taking calcium supplements. Taking too much calcium can cause stomach upset, high blood calcium levels, impaired kidney function and decreased absorption of other minerals.
Myrna is at risk for osteoporosis and needs 1,500 milligrams of calcium each day plus 800 to 1000 IU of vitamin D.
Question Two:
Do vegetables retain their nutritional value when cooked in the microwave vs. steamed?
- Sharon
Answer:
Many of us know that boiling vegetables can cause a significant amount of nutrients to be leached away. Some nutrients dissolve in water, especially vitamin C, folate and thiamin (vitamin B1). And some, like vitamin C, are easily destroyed when exposed to heat, air, oxygen and light. In general, the longer and hotter you cook your veggies, and the more water you use, the more nutrients you'll lose.
Steaming is much gentler on nutrients because vegetables don't come in contact with cooking water. Grilling, roasting, stir-frying and pressure-cooking also preserve a greater amount of nutrients than boiling.
Microwaving vegetables is often regarded as one of the best cooking methods when it comes to preserving nutrients. But a study published in 2003 found that microwaving broccoli destroyed 97% of phyto chemicals in cruciferous vegetables (like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, bok choy and kale), natural chemicals thought to help prevent cancer. Boiling resulted in a 66 per cent loss, whereas steaming had a minimal effect (11 per cent loss). The researchers speculated that unexpectedly high temperatures generated by microwave cooking broke down the natural compounds in the broccoli.
To maximize the amount of phyto chemicals you get from cruciferous vegetables, steam, quickly saut�, microwave on low power, or better yet, enjoy them raw!
Question Three:
I was surprised and enlightened by your program on restaurant meals. Why is the sodium content so high in these meals?
-David
Answer:
We were shocked too to learn how high the sodium content was in certain restaurant meals. Just to remind viewers, we sent popular restaurant meals to the lab for analysis to find our calories, fat and sodium counts. For sodium, we found the following:
- Kelsey's Fajitas 4450 milligrams
- Milestone's Chicken Penne Asiago 1869 milligrams
- Keg Classic Steak Dinner 1664 milligrams
- Jack Astor's Kid's Meal 1050 milligrams
Keep in mind that the upper daily limit for sodium intake is 2300 milligrams.
Restaurant meals are high in sodium for two reasons. For starters, salt is added to sauces, dressings, and as a seasoning. But sodium is also high because restaurant portions are so big -- with a large portion of food comes a large portion of sodium. Keep I mind that pasta meal weighed in a 1200 calories and the fajitas had 1429 calories. That's a lot of food!
Question Four:
My daughter is 5 years-old and she refuses to eat a proper lunch at school. How nutritious are cereal bars for her?
-Gisele
Answer:
Gisele wrote that her daughter refuses to eat a so-called proper lunch at school -- she didn't like sandwiches, soups and so on. Even a lunch made up of snack foods didn't appeal to her -- yogurt tubes, cheese and crackers.
Lunch should provide roughly one-third of a child's daily intake of calories and should be based on whole grains, lean protein, fruit, and vegetables.
So a cereal bar counts towards her grain food which provides energy. The problem is most cereal bars are made from white flour and sugar and offer little fibre. To choose a healthier cereal, look for a whole grain to be listed as the first ingredient. Ideally a cereal bar should have 4 grams of fibre and no more than 10 grams of sugar. Quaker Oatmeal To Go, cereal bars that list whole grain oats as their first ingredient.
But her daughter should also eat a source of protein at lunch to keep her energy level sustained longer -- add a yogurt, cheese string, mini can of tuna, tofu cubes, even some leftover cubed chicken breast. I would also add some fruit.
To prevent boredom, mix it up by offering mini whole-wheat pita pockets sandwiches, whole-wheat tortilla wraps, mini bagels, or whole grain crackers. Leftover pasta salad counts as a grain serving too.
Question Five:
My dad has high blood pressure. I've heard chocolate can actually lower blood pressure. how much and what type of chocolate can he eat?
- Cheryl
Answer:
This letter was in reference to a study we talked about. The study, published in July, found that a small 6.3 gram serving of dark chocolate per day -- only 30 calories worth -- lowered blood pressure in people with pre-hypertension or high blood pressure. If your father wants to add dark chocolate to his diet, he can include one to two small squares -- either with meals or after. But be sure to buy dark chocolate that contains at least 70 per cent cocoa solids. This means there are more antioxidants in the chocolate.
I also think there are more important dietary changes to make to help lower blood pressure 0 reduce sodium intake, increase fruits, vegetables and low fat dairy, and lose weigh if overweight.
