To Everyone:

I've been getting a fair amount of PM's with people asking nutrition questions.....I'm happy to answer them all.....

But if you're willing for everyone to see your question and my answer, that would be great.....best to post it here.....for everyone to see....

If you would rather keep the fact that you asked a certain question private, that's fine.....PM me with your question and I will post the answer for all to see -- and keep your name out of it....

But I would like everyone to see the answers to all questions I get.....because the questions I've received so far are excellent and intelligent and I think can benefit everyone......

So feel free to post questions here or PM me with them.....

Thanks for your faith in me......:)

I think that's a great idea, Joan!

First question:

Is there a realistic "ideal weight" chart available for us to look at?

Yes....they are no longer using the height/weight tables anymore.....(the metropolitan life insurance tables).......they are now using the "BMI" concept.....(body mass index)......which tells according to a number whether you're underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese......

And depends on one's height and weight......(the old tables simply went by gender and height and the numbers really didn't tell you anything except a range for how much you "should" weigh".....)

With the BMI's there is a definitive category for where a person is with regard to his/her own weight vs. his/her own height....

I will find a BMI table website and post it here.....and this will be quite clear....

Okay click on this site...and on the LEFT, you will see "Body Mass Index"....all the info you need about BMI's is there....this is a really important concept as it correlates to risk of chronic disease.....(diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, cancer, etc.)

www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/

I would like to summarize a few of the questions (and answers given) I've received from PM messages....I am getting the authors' permission to do this....

Thanks!

Cool offer, Joan! This was posted a while ago- hope you still don't mind!

What do you think is better: 1)high fiber diet 2) high protein diet 3)high fiber low protein diet -I'm confused!!!

about a year ago I read an article (scientific american I think) about the traditional food pyramid being rewritten based on more recent nutritional studies- have you heard anything about it being finished???

does drinking coffee/caffeine, alcohol, or soda make it pointless to take supplements (do they do something to lower our absorbtion of the active constituants)? I heard something about this somewhere and havn't been able to find out much about it

I have to avoid sunlight; I don't go to extremes to avoid it because my allergy is just uncomfortable and not severe- but I stay in the shade or indoors as much as I can; havn't had a tan in years! ---How much vitamin D should I take to replace what I'm missing- or does it not matter so long as I take some? Any other vitamin I'm missing out of bacause of this?

Thanks!!! :D

Good questions SubtleMuttle.. and yes thank-you for the offer Joan. I would be interested in your answers regarding fibre/protein & carbs.

Ian

Cool offer, Joan! This was posted a while ago- hope you still don't mind!

What do you think is better: 1)high fiber diet 2) high protein diet 3)high fiber low protein diet -I'm confused!!!

about a year ago I read an article (scientific american I think) about the traditional food pyramid being rewritten based on more recent nutritional studies- have you heard anything about it being finished???

does drinking coffee/caffeine, alcohol, or soda make it pointless to take supplements (do they do something to lower our absorbtion of the active constituants)? I heard something about this somewhere and havn't been able to find out much about it

I have to avoid sunlight; I don't go to extremes to avoid it because my allergy is just uncomfortable and not severe- but I stay in the shade or indoors as much as I can; havn't had a tan in years! ---How much vitamin D should I take to replace what I'm missing- or does it not matter so long as I take some? Any other vitamin I'm missing out of bacause of this?

Thanks!!! :D

Do you mean fiber or carbs.....You can't really compare fiber vs. protein...as fiber per se isn't a nutrient....Having said that.....

I DO recommend high fiber foods at all costs......in the forms of fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, beans, seeds etc. because the research indicating health benefits is phenomenal....but DON'T recommend high OR low protein.....Neither is healthy.....Too much over time MAY cause strain on the liver and kidneys...and a high protein necessitates LOW other nutrients (like carbs)...and that isn't good either.....I think a good balance of protein, carbs and fats ( good fats...the unsaturated and monos found in plant based fats) is best...

One or two cups of coffee per day will likely not interact with supplements or medications.....Alcohol, on the other hand, might, esp. in large quantities....In fact there may be some dangerous interactions between alcohol and meds/supplements....in that it may increase or decrease the effectiveness of the med/supplement.....Soda is fine....just dont' recommend a lot of it as it's mosly sugar....and not very nutritious.....

Good questions by the way....As far as Vitamin D goes.....you don't need MUCH sun exposure for the body to "make" it....as little as 20 minutes of sun exposure per day....BUT if you have to avoid it all costs.....you can get Vitamin D from foods.....(a normal healthy individual needs 400-800 IU of vitamin D per day).....Get it from Vitamin D fortified Milk (most is) as well as fatty fish and most fish actually......If you can't get it from foods, THEN supplement accordingly.....As one gets older it gets increasingly important to get enough Vitamin D as it is the job of Vitamin D to increase the absorption of calcium in the body.....Vitamin D acts as a "carrier" of calcium.....

Good questions....Sorry took so long to answer.....I didn't see this post....