Clueless about nutrition needs

Dear Donovan,

I’m new to this whole ‘nutrition’ thing and I’m not sure where to start. I understand that I have to be healthy and have a balanced diet, but as someone who has thrown caution to the wind when it came to exercise and dieting before, I’m basically clueless. Do I have to go vegan, sugar-free or make any other drastic or radical changes? How do I know what are my major nutrient or vitamin deficiencies? For reference, I am female, aged 34, 5ft 6inches, and weighing 155 pounds. I was recently advised by my doctor to lose some weight, as I’m pre-diabetic, but I honestly don’t know where to start. Currently, I eat like a horse — full breakfast of starches, protein and tea, fast food for lunch, and for dinner, a full meal of starches, protein again, some vegetables if I have it, and fruit juice. I snack on sugary items. I have always been athletic so I have never paid my weight or overall health too much mind until now.

To your first question I must tell you that it might not be necessary to go sugar-free or become a vegan in a flash. For the most part, you may not be able to sustain such changes long term. For most people, it might be better to make small, healthy changes in your diet and exercise over time. This is usually more sustainable.

In addition, you could always ask your doctor to recommend blood work for you. This would give you a rough idea of the status of nutrients and vitamins. However, I must tell you that even if your blood work does not show that you have any nutrient deficiencies, this may not mean that you are getting enough of all the nutrients and vitamins you need. Your nutrients may not be sufficient but the nutrients may be enough to survive but not enough to thrive and be totally healthy.

I would suggest that you pay full attention to the two main health concerns your doctor has pointed out — that you need to lose some weight and that you are pre-diabetic. Being pre-diabetic should be taken as a wake-up call that you are on the road to diabetes. Pre-diabetes also means that your blood sugar level is higher than normal but not enough for you to be diagnosed with diabetes. In a nutshell, how your body is able to metabolise carbohydrates is mildly abnormal.

The main point to note at this stage is that you are not dealing with your starches and sugar (carbohydrates) properly and this has led to an elevation of blood sugar. Over time, people who are pre-diabetic can become diabetics. Diabetes is a dangerous disease and you don’t want to go there. So having a diet with lots of sweet things, starches and fast food is definitely not the way to go. All efforts must be made ASAP to start reducing your intake of starches, sugary drinks, sugary snacks and fried foods in your diet.

It is also very likely that you have diabetes running in your family why there is a craving for these carbohydrates. However, you don’t need to know much about nutrition to know that you need to reduce your sugar and starch intake. As much as possible you will have to make some changes. You might even have to do more cooking at home or try to make healthy selections if you eat out. At this point you should try to incorporate more fruits, vegetables, vegetable juices, soups, salads, ground provisions, yoghurt, shakes and whole grains. Effort must be made to reduce or eliminate white flour and white rice from the diet. So overall you should try and reduce carbohydrate consumption along with reducing your portion size.

It is best to eat small meals more frequently than one or two large meals. This may help you to reduce your cravings. Also, reducing your carbohydrate intake will help you to lose some weight. Losing weight is helpful to your overall health.

I must point out that the body does need carbohydrates, but if you must, efforts must be made to choose carbohydrates which are healthy and also have low glycaemic index. This just means that these carbohydrates are converted to sugar very slowly and do not cause a rapid increase in blood sugar levels.

Exercise can help to keep your blood sugar levels controlled. Do this for at least half hour three to four days per week.

We will answer your weight-related questions

Are you struggling to lose weight or just need some advice on living a healthier life? Tell us about your health issues and we’ll have nutritionist and wellness coach Donovan Grant answer them for you. Grant has over 12 years’ experience in the fitness industry and is the owner of DG’s Nutrition and Wellness Centre, 39 Lady Musgrave Road. Call him at 876-286-1363. E-mail questions to clarkep@jamaicaobserver.com .