Q: How many fruits and vegetables should my children eat each day?

A: I’m glad you asked this as a few months back there was a lot of noise in the media and newspapers about a new generation of children growing up undernourished because their parents have gone overboard with healthy eating and were giving them far too many fruits, vegetables and low fat products and not enough carbohydrates and protein for energy.

Children have high energy needs and that’s why, unless there is a serious weight problem, I don’t advise dieting or low fat products. Children, at least until the age of five, should be given full fat dairy products. As far as fruits and vegetables go I recommend 3 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit each day. Older children, over age 6 years should have 3-5 servings of foods from vegetables and 2-4 servings from fruit.  A serving of vegetables is 4 oz of cooked vegetables or 8 oz of raw vegetables or a glass of vegetable juice. A serving of fruit includes 1 medium apple, banana, orange, 4 oz of chopped, cooked, or tinned fruit (use unsweetened not tinned fruit in syrup) and a small glass of fruit juice. If your child eats a larger serving, such as 2 apples, then count it as two servings.

 

Remember that these are just general guidelines and your children don’t need to eat the exact number of recommended servings each day. Instead, his or her diet, over a period of a week or two, should average out to the recommended servings. So on some days they may eat more and some days less than the recommended number of fruit and vegetable servings.

Q: Does eating potatoes count towards my five daily portions of fruit and vegetables?

A: As much loved as it is the potato doesn’t count towards your five daily fruit and vegetable portions. This is because it has a higher carbohydrate content than vegetables and when potatoes form part of a meal they are generally used in the same way as other sources of starchy carbohydrates, such as bread, pasta or rice, so they are classified as a carbohydrate food rather than a vegetable. Yams, cassava and plantain, also don’t count as vegetables but there is an exception and that is sweet potatoes.

Sweet potatoes are classed as a vegetable because the carbohydrate they contain breaks down more slowly. They also contain high levels of beta-carotene, which converts to vitamin A in the body and helps protect against certain cancers and heart disease and has an anti-ageing effect.

 

Just because potatoes aren’t classed as a vegetable doesn’t mean they aren’t good for you but in moderation. They provide decent amounts of vitamin C, B-vitamins and iron and make a significant contribution to your overall intake of these nutrients. Jacket potatoes contain the highest amounts of vitamin C, followed closely by new potatoes.  Potatoes also contain hydroxycinnamic acids which are powerful antioxidants that help combat free radicals – substances which lower immunity and accelerate the ageing process. These antioxidants, along with vitamin C, tend to concentrate just below the skin, so this is why cooking and eating potatoes with the skin or jacket on makes sense nutritionally.  So it is better to buy organic potatoes, so the skin will not be loaded with pesticides and just scrub them lightly. 

 

Most varieties of potatoes are classed as high glycaemic index (GI) foods, which means the sugar they contains enters your blood stream fairly quickly giving you an instant energy boost followed by a low when blood sugar levels plummet, but you can lower their glycaemic value and keep your blood sugar levels and your appetite and mood stable by eating potatoes with protein e.g. eggs, tuna, baked beans (the no added sugar variety, not containing an artificial sweetener but sweetened with something like apple juice).  Jacket potatoes have the highest GI (85) followed by new potatoes (78), chips (75), mashed potatoes (74), sweet potatoes (61) and boiled old potatoes (56).  So if you have a jacket potato just have half and load it up with tuna and salad. 

 

Finally, be aware that the potatoes you eat are only as healthy as the method you use to cook them. Opt for baked or boiled potatoes and avoid deep fried potatoes or chips, which are typically high in unhealthy fats and cancer causing substances.

Q: I have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and need to lose a couple of stone in weight. I’m finding this very hard. My doctor has suggested that I limit my carbohydrate intake. Is this the right thing for me to do?

A: I’m not surprised that you are finding it hard to lose weight as many women with PCOS do. I hope your doctor has explained to you that PCOS is caused by an imbalance in several sex hormones and this imbalance not only triggers symptoms such as irregular or no periods, facial hair, acne, and infertility, but also makes weight loss more difficult.

 

Many women with PCOS suffer from insulin resistance which is a condition in which the body resists the effects of insulin and so produces more to compensate. These constant high insulin levels keep blood sugar levels low, which in turn often prompts cravings for sugary foods and unfortunately this means that it is easier to put on weight – and harder to lose it.

 

There’s even more bad news, I’m afraid. Insulin resistance also increases the risk of longer-term health problems. For example, women with PCOS and insulin resistance are more likely to develop diabetes or have a heart problem.  Fortunately, the good news is that with weight loss the risk of developing problems like this can be dramatically reduced.  In fact, studies have shown that losing between just five and 10 percent of body weight is enough to ease symptoms of PCOS, reduce the risk of getting diabetes and heart disease, and improve fertility.

 

The reason your doctor has advised you to take notice of your carbohydrate intake is that he or she is trying to help you combat the effects of insulin resistance and keep your blood sugar levels balanced. If your blood sugar levels are balanced it is much easier for you to lose weight because you feel fuller for longer.

 

My advice is therefore to limit your intake of sugary and refined carbohydrates foods made from white flour and to replace them with wholegrain carbohydrates such as brown rice, oats and whole wheat pasta. Studies also show that eating healthy protein together with your carbohydrates can help to keep your blood sugar levels balanced.

To keep your blood sugar levels, your weight down and your symptoms at bay it is also extremely important that you eat little and often and don’t leave long gaps between meals.

 

As far as supplements the following may prove helpful:

• Chromium: low levels of chromium can trigger insulin resistance. Chromium is a well researched treatment for overweight women and studies have shown it can help control cravings and reduce hunger. Take 200 mcg a day.
• B vitamins: A 2003 study also found that vitamin B supplementation not only boosted weight loss but improved ovulation. Aim for 50 mg of each B vitamin a day, as a vitamin B complex. 
• Zinc is crucial for appetite control, hormone balance and for insulin regulation. Take zinc at 30 mg per day.
• Magnesium: There is a strong link between magnesium deficiency and insulin resistance so women with PCOS should aim for 300 mg of magnesium citrate per day.

 

Finally, don’t forget that exercise is important for everyone who needs to lose weight but it is especially important if you are overweight and have PCOS, as weight gain just makes your symptoms worse. One of the best ways to keep your blood sugar levels in balance, lose weight and reduce your symptoms of PCOS is to combine a healthy diet with a regular exercise programme. Aim to exercise at least five times a week for 30 minutes.

 

Whatever you do don’t try to crash diet in an attempt to lose weight as this will just slow down your metabolism or fat burning. On this programme you might find you lose weight more slowly than you think you ought to, but if you follow my advice you should still see those pounds gradually drop off and your symptoms ease or even disappear within three months.

 

(For more detailed information on PCOS see my ebook on PCOS)