<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
Notes From Our May Meeting
--------------------------
by Tom and Carolyn Sullivan
Two presentations were made with Q & A afterwards. The first was by
Dorothy Vaughan, our group's dietitian advisor; and the second by
Cassie Callahan, personal fitness advisor, owner, and aerobics
instructor at Titan Fitness Studio in Farmington Hills.
Dorothy Vaughan
---------------
Dorothy stated that weight management must always be combined with
exercise. Eating must balance activity so that energy in equals
energy out.
In her practice, Dorothy has noted what may be termed a "life cycle of
the celiac". First a celiac loses weight, usually a lot, because of
not absorbing properly. As a result, they get in the habit of eating
a lot. Then they are diagnosed, get the proper diet, start to heal,
and feel comfortable. For a month they eat a very restricted diet, as
they begin learning what is safe.. Then they look for variety.
Unfortunately, at this point they are just like every non-celiac:
subject to weight gain, high cholesterol, diabetes, ill-fitting
clothes, heart disease, etc., if they eat more calories than they use.
What is the proper weight for a celiac? Dorothy stressed that what is
wanted is a good healthy weight RANGE, not a specific weight number
for an individual. Adults know what they should and shouldn't eat.
What they should be doing is healthy eating--not dieting--to maintain
their healthy weight range.
Dorothy provided everyone with a copy of the food pyramid and
discussed the sections of it. She noted that the pyramid applies to
everyone, not just celiacs. The base of the pyramid is of course
breads and grains. Unfortunately, celiac flours are lower in fiber
than gluten flours. One way to add more fiber is to substitute other
flours such as brown rice, bean, or flax. Another way is to eat more
vegetables. As you move up the pyramid, the number of daily servings
recommended gets smaller as does the serving size. A serving of
fruits, for example, which are actually the original fast foods, is
the size of a fist. A meat serving on the other hand is the size of a
deck of cards.
Dorothy stressed the need for dairy products in order to obtain
calcium. Some celiacs have lactose intolerance also and often it
occurs early in the diagnosis. If fat is a problem with dairy
products, the use of skim milk is recommended. (Start with 2% and
work your way down.) Other low or no fat products usually add
something for bulk and/or texture, and the additives are often a grain
starch. Always check the label.
Dorothy concluded by noting that the objective should be to make
eating for celiacs PART of life, not one's whole life:
* Calories count - whatever the source.
* Balance is the key over a few-day period, not necessarily each
day's food intake.
* Eat a variety of food groups and eat a variety of foods within
each group.
* Once on a gluten-free diet, celiacs must eat like everyone else -
wisely.
* Pure foods are the safest.
* Do one thing at a time until you have a series of little habits for
healthy eating.
Q: What about fish or meat from grain-fed animals?
A: This is no problem. The protein is broken down internally by the
animal or fish itself and there is no transfer to anyone who would
eat the animal or fish.
Q: What about Olestra or other similar fat substitutes?
A: Olestra does NOT cause villi damage. It was known early on to
cause some GI problems so the question for celiacs would be, even
though it doesn't cause villi damage, why would one want to add
possible trouble to one's already critical diet?
Q: What about removing a hamburger from a bun or scraping off fish
batter?
A: ANY contamination of foods by gluten must be avoided. Gluten can
NOT be scraped off to make the food safe for celiacs. Once
contaminated the food is always unsafe for a celiac.
Cassie Callahan
---------------
Cassie completely supported Dorothy's presentation. She repeated that
diet and exercise must go together, there is no substitute for
exercise and diet is simply a well balanced daily intake. Healthy
living is both proper eating and proper exercise.
The major reason for exercise is to retard or prevent wear-out of all
the body parts. Exercise strengthens bones and prevents bone loss and
thinning. Muscles, including the heart muscle, do not become as weak
as one ages if one exercises. Metabolism rate remains high with
exercise thus burning more fat and calories. And even the various
tissue attachments remain stronger with exercise, reducing aches and
pains.
The immediate benefits of exercise are an increase in blood flow,
added adrenaline in the system and an increased energy surge. There
is always something that can be done. Any movement helps. Everyone
can at least walk - anywhere.
However, Cassie recommended caution also. Do a little bit at a time.
Don't overwhelm the body.
Q: What exercise machine is best?
A: The basic machines are still the best. Her choices would be
treadmill, exercise bike, and stairmaster, in that order.
Q: Should one exercise when tired?
A: You have to evaluate the tiredness. Is it mental or physical? Is
it one time or several days? If I just don't "feel" like it, then
yes, exercise. If I ache and am feverish, then maybe I should
rest and "get over" whatever it is that ails me.
Q: What is the best time to exercise?
A: That's up to the individual. Workouts can be anytime of the day.
Whatever the individual prefers is fine. The only thing is
consistency. Try to exercise at about the same time of day each
time you exercise.
Q: How often should one exercise?
A: Three to five times per week is recommended depending on the
individual.
Q: What is better - more repetitions or more weight?
A: More repetitions, never less than 15, is recommended. Lighter
weight with more repetitions builds endurance. The heavier weight
tends to build muscle mass.
Q: What about swimming and water exercise?
A: Either or both are excellent. A recent innovation is to do weight
lifting in a pool.
|
