I admit I struggle with my food intake. I acknowledge that I must be even MORE aware of what I eat, and be more especially aware if I am getting enough of the required nutrients that I need.
The main reasons I can think of that give me trouble about my diet are two-fold:
(1) Making plans and setting aside time. When I can, I make weekly plans for what to eat, and I know that when I do this it helps. But there would be weeks when I either forget to plan, or I put off doing so and run the risk of not having enough time to shop or cook. That spells certain disaster.
(2) Food I like, and don't like. I'm not an extremely picky eater, but there are some food I am not used to eating. And sometimes habits are just stubborn, and when it comes to food, there is a taste that needs to be acquired. Anyhow, this is an excuse I have in my head, for I know I can easily acquire a taste when I will to do so. After all, taste is all about brain signals!
So it is very usual that I won't get what I need from what I am actually eating. That's where taking supplements and incorporating superfoods into the diet come in. In our session, Dr S and I talked about how I should tackle the deficiencies that we know I have, and other ways to improve nutrition.
Iron
For instance, I know that I have chronic anaemia for as long as I can remember. In 2007, while confined in the hospital, it became worse as I was told I needed a blood transfusion before I can be discharged, just so that the charts would show the right amount of iron levels. I opposed this for a time as I didn't like the idea of another person's blood in my veins (There is a risk, and it would be my first time to have one), so I was given double my usual (325mg to 650mg) iron supplement dose for a few days. But I succumbed eventually and had the transfusion after a third resident showed me that my levels were dangerously low and they were all very concerned. Quite the drama, don't you think?
(1) Supplements. I take a 325mg tablet each day. I was told to take more before since I needed it badly. Now that I'm going to force myself to get iron from other sources this should be all right now. I hope to take a smaller dosed tablet later on. Iron overdose is associated with constipation in the short term, as well as some cancers and parkinson's in the long term. Don't want to overdoit now!
(2) Plant sources. So as I said, I usually take iron supplements, but I ought to eat more iron-rich food. Some vegetables rich in iron (like lentils, lima beans, broccoli, etc) are good. I can tolerate these food, but I can't consume a bucket of lentil soup for the life of me in one day. So there has to be other sources other than plants.
(3) Animal sources. It's good to know that our bodies are fast to absorb animal-derived iron, like from beef parts and animal liver. I don't consume enough of either. I like beef, but it takes a while to cook. For this reason, I usually order beef out when I'm in a restaurant or cafeteria, assuming that I am happy with how they prepare it. As for liver, I'm not really a fan. One dish I know I can tolerate chicken liver is when it is in chopseuy. I'd have to ask my mom to teach me a recipe of liver with onions in soy sauce that I remember being able to eat.
One reason why we, especially those who are anaemic, need to be more aware of iron-rich sources (food/supplements) is that the body absorbs only about 10% of the actual iron that we consume.
Vitamin C
Another thing I learned from being a long-time *taker* of iron supplements is you have to take it with Vitamin C. Vitamin C helps in the uptake of iron.
Ms S advised me to check that the Vitamin C I am taking is Ascorbic acid or Sodium Ascorbate, and NOT Calcium ascorbate. The Calcium buffer in Calcium ascorbate makes it less acidic, as some dislike the "acidic" taste of the other forms of Vit C. But this doesn't help much, as the acidity IS necessary for the uptake of iron.
Good to know that I've been taking Ascorbic acid for the longest time.
Folate and Iodine
I've not taken a multivitamin for a long time, perhaps 5 years or more. But even then, I had not bothered to check how much of each mineral/nutrient was in the capsules or tablets, and how much of it I really needed. Ms S advised me to find a multivitamin that contains at least 400mcg of folate or folic acid, as well as some amount of Iodine.
The folate, I learned later, combats the risk of colon cancer. I found this to be an important concern on my end, as I'll be increasing beef in my diet as a source of iron. Other than this, folate will also help maintain/improve reproductive capacity. Very important indeed.
Iodine will take care of the thyroid function. In the early diagnosis of my condition, I had been told to keep an eye out for my thyroids, as one doctor actually thought I had a swelling at one point. Another doctor expressed concern that I might have a predisposition to goiter, as my grandmother has it.
Most of the iodine I know I am getting comes from fish and seafood. I love seafood, but I eat little of it aside from fish. The complication is that I am allergic to shellfish, shrimp and its derivatives. The intolerance is much less worse than when I was younger now, and I can take a small serving, which makes this less of a worry. But fish, I get a lot of, so that's good. And let's not forget the iodized salt! (Thanks Shelley!) If you gotta use salt, may as well be iodized.
I did my multivitamin hunt already, and found one. That's another post in itself. I'll continue in a future post about some superfoods and the herbal tonic she concocted for me.
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