Frequently asked diet questions

From cellulite to slimming pills, get the lowdown on a range of dieting dilemmas in our FAQs special!

Frequently Asked Diet Questions Are there any foods that can help to prevent or get rid of cellulite?
Unfortunately there aren't any 'miracle' foods that will prevent or help you to get rid of cellulite? Cellulite is worsened by poor diet, a sedentary lifestyle and poor circulation so it will help to eliminate toxins by eating more healthily, starting an exercise programme and incorporating some massage into your daily routine. Eat plenty of fruit and veg to boost your intake of vitamins and minerals, as well as wholegrain foods to increase your fibre intake. Cut down on processed foods, which can be high in sugar, fat and salt. Aim to drink at least two litres of water a day, and get active! Toning exercises aimed at hips and thighs will help to define the muscle underneath the fat layer and reduce the appearance of cellulite.

I often feel bloated and uncomfortable after eating my lunch or main evening meal. What is causing this?
Bloating is usually caused by water retention. To help prevent water retention, you should try to choose a low-salt diet. Don't add salt during cooking or at the table and go for lower salt versions of foods such as breakfast cereals and tinned goods. Where possible, choose fresh foods instead of tinned or from a packet - our recipe based plans will help you avoid using tinned or processed foods. And, strange thought it sounds, you should also try to drink plenty of water - aim for at least one to two litres each day.

I suffer with constipation quite a lot and feel bloated as a result. What can I do to prevent this?
The best way to avoid constipation is to ensure you have a high intake of fibre. Fibre is found in all fruits and vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds and pulses, but not animal products, so the best diet to prevent constipation is one that contains lots of natural unrefined plant foods. Refined foods such as sugar, white breads, white rice, and manufactured cakes and biscuits, refined breakfast cereals and white pasta, contain much less fibre than their natural, unrefined counterparts. It is very important that you drink lots of water - one to two litres per day, as plenty of fluids are needed to bulk up the stools and make them easy to pass. If this condition persists, I would recommend that you consult your doctor.

After dinner in the evenings, I often get cravings for crisps or peanuts. How can I stop this?
I don't think anyone yet knows for sure why we get cravings for particular foods, but there could be several factors involved: it could be our body's way of telling us that we need a particular nutrient - like salt, if we have been exercising a lot; it can be through habit; it might be the physical experience of eating; it can be because we're surrounded by food or it could be a reaction to the 'thinner is better' pressure. It's likely to be a combination of all these things and more. There are a few things you can do when you get a craving:

*Decide if you are actually hungry and if so, eat something nutritious like a fruit or a yoghurt.

*If you're not hungry, wait 20 minutes - it's quite likely that your craving will pass.

*Have a big glass of water.

*If you must have some of the foods you're craving, have just a little bit - this should satisfy the craving.

My local health food shop sells pills that claim to speed up the metabolism. Will they help me to lose weight quickly?
I would not recommend any type of slimming pill or potion to enhance weight loss. There are drugs available that claim to increase metabolism but these drugs are mostly either ineffective or dangerous. Drugs such as caffeine will speed up the metabolism but its effect is so slight, this really won't have any effect on weight loss. Other drugs such as ephedra, ephedrine or kava kava will speed the metabolism but have been linked with a number of serious illnesses and deaths. These drugs are banned in many countries.

The only safe and effective way to increase the metabolic rate and so increase calorie burning is through exercise. Cardiovascular exercise increases the metabloic rate both during and for a time after the exercise, while weight training exercise increases muscle mass and so increases the metabolic rate on an ongoing basis.

My New Year's resolution was to eat less red meat but I'm worried that I won't get enough protein. What should I do?
Don't worry. Most people eat twice the amount of protein they need for a healthy diet! Health professionals recommend that you eat about 20-25 per cent of your calories from protein. For a person on a 1600-calorie meal plan that works out to about 80-100 grams per day.

Protein is not only found in meat, but also in poultry, fish, dairy, grains, beans and even vegetables. A four ounce piece of fish has 28 grams of protein, a cup of skimmed milk or yoghurt has eight grams, a piece of bread has three grams, a cup of cooked broccoli hs four grams. Just these few items provide you with half of your recommended amount for the entire day.

I know we're supposed to eat at least 5 portions of fruit and veg per day, but what exactly is a portion?
The Department of Health recently launched new guidelines on what exactly counts as a portion of fruit and vegetables, after a National Diet And Nutrition Survey revealed that only one in seven adults eat the recommended quantity of 'greens' on a regular basis. So an example of one portion of fruit wouldbe one medium apple, banana, orange or peach, two small madarin oranges, two plums, two kiwi fruit, a handful of raspberries or 10 grapes. A portion of veg would be half a pepper, one medium tomato, two spears of broccoli, three sticks of celery, three tablespoons of frozen mixed veg, seven cherry tomatoes or eight Brussels sprouts!

Get more diet, health and fitness tips from our sister magazines Zest and netdoctor.co.uk

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Published: 21 February 2005