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Expert Q&A
Would you like to find out which super foods could really boost your energy or how you could fight the afternoon slump? Drop Angela your questions today and join us again soon for the answers!
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Your Questions Answered...-
1. Vee asks: As a Cardiac patient I’d like to know what foods I should and shouldn’t be eating.
A diet that’s good for a healthy heart is the same as one that’s generally balanced and healthy. So it needs to contain at least five portions of fruit and vegetables daily, along with plenty of whole grain carbohydrates (wholemeal bread, wholewheat pasta and the like) a couple of portions of lean protein (e.g. lean meat and poultry) and 2-3 portions of low fat dairy products (low fat yogurt and skimmed milk). Avoiding too many processed products and particularly foods high in cholesterol raising saturated fat - such as meat pies, sausages, pastry, full fat dairy products and chocolate - is important. You need to try to watch your salt intake too - more than 6g a day is inadvisable as it raises blood pressure. It’s also important to have two portions of fish a week - one of which should be oily to deliver heart-healthy omega-3s.
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2. Gemma Tobin asks: I’m training for a 10k charity run, what foods should I be eating to give me more energy?
You need to base your meals around energising carbohydrate foods such as pulses, whole grains, rice, pasta and breakfast cereals. Getting some lean protein every day is important too, for repair and renewal of muscles. Making sure you refuel and rehydrate properly after a run is also critical - try to eat within an hour of working out, or at the very least have a drink such as an isotonic sports drink, or glass of skimmed milk to tide you over.
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3. Heather Clark asks: My granddaughter aged 6 is diabetic. Are there any jams that she can have? Can I make her a strawberry jam using Canderel?
Unfortunately it’s not possible to make jam using Canderel; it’s one of the few uses that the sweetener can’t be put to because it can’t withstand the level of heating that’s involved. A scraping of reduced sugar jam available from any supermarket is probably fine though - as long as your granddaughter is given the insulin that’s required to balance out the sugar she is having, she can still have some sweet treats. If you’re worried though, something like peanut butter might be a safer option. Get whatever information you can from her parents.
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4. Laura Hettenbach asks: I’m trying to lose weight but don’t want to have to give up alcohol. What drinks can I still have whilst on a diet?
The lowest calorie drinks are generally those that consist of one shot of spirits mixed with a diet mixer - for example gin and diet tonic, vodka and diet cola or whisky and soda. These drinks have around 60 calories each, but bear in mind you’ll double that if you go for a double shot! If you’re drinking white wine, make it into a spritzer and you’ll keep calories down too. Drinks to avoid are those with a high fat and /or sugar content too - such as Bailey’s and full sugar alcopops.
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5. Rachel Thomas asks: I’m going to Egypt in July and have heard of many people catching stomach bugs whilst there. What foods should I avoid to prevent this?
Egypt is one of the higher risk places for holiday tummy, but you may be able to help yourself prepare by taking a probiotic drink such as Yakult or Actimel. A number of studies have shown that people travelling to foreign countries can prevent or cut short a bout of diarrhoea by taking a course of probiotics starting one week before they travel.
You could also increase your intake of garlic which contains natural antibiotic sulphur compounds that might bolster your resistance to stomach bugs. But the other major thing to do when you are away is to stick to bottled water at all times - and that includes for cleaning teeth. But make sure the seal is intact - unscrupulous vendors have been known to fill up mineral water bottles from the tap and resell them. Other things to give a miss include ice-cubes, salads, shellfish, ice-cream, and fruit that you haven’t peeled yourself.
Only eat food cooked to order, rather than buffet food that may have been kept lukewarm for hours. Lukewarm temperatures really allow bugs to thrive. If the worst happens and you do succumb to diarrhoea or sickness, the most important thing is to replace lost fluids. That can mean drinking four litres or more of (clean) water per day in hot weather.
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6. Sara asks: I use Canderel daily, is there a limit on how much I should be consuming?
Any food product can be overconsumed, but using Canderel every day, even several times a day is very unlikely indeed to represent a health problem. Current average intakes of aspartame and acesulfame K - the sweeteners in Canderel - are well below maximum recommended intakes even in people who are quite heavy consumers, so you have no need for concern.
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7. Don Fields asks: What makes Canderel suitable for Diabetics? The packaging says it contains 380 kcals per 100g, isn’t this too much?
Gram for gram Canderel contains around the same calories as sugar, but per given volume it has only one tenth of the calories (there’s 20 calories in one teaspoon of sugar and 2 calories in one teaspoon of Canderel granules). But the real reason that it’s so useful for diabetics is not because it is low calorie, but because it doesn’t have the same effect on blood sugar level or insulin release that sugar does.
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8. Tony asks: I am making ginger beer using sugar and yeast, is it possible to replace some or all of the sugar with Canderel?
No unfortunately, yeast needs real sugar to act on and produce the bubbles found in ginger beer, so Canderel wouldn’t be a suitable alternative.
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9. Viv Turner asks: How much Canderel do I use in replacement of sugar when baking a cake?
If you are baking a cake, use 10 per cent of the weight of sugar. So for example if the recipe calls for 100g of sugar, use 10g Canderel; if it says 150g sugar, use 15g Canderel. If the recipe suggests a volume measure - such as a teaspoon , a tablespoon or cupful, use the same amount of Canderel as you would sugar.
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10. Harriet Pope asks: I never eat breakfast but am trying to lose weight and heard this could help? What can I eat that isn’t going to increase my calorie intake too much?
If you look at people who stay slim, or successful dieters, you’ll see that one pattern of behaviour they all seem to have in common is eating breakfast. Breakfast sets you up for the day and means you are less likely to snack unhealthily over the next hours. An ideal choice is a whole grain cereal with semi-skimmed milk and fruit, or whole grain toast and juice, or a couple of poached eggs.
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11. P. Aherne asks: Does Canderel contain the sweetener Xylitol?
No, Canderel does not contain Xylitol which is another form of sweetener of the sugar alcohol family that can cause bloating and flatulence in high doses. Xylitol is found in sugar free chewing gums and mints in particular. Canderel is different and contains aspartame and acesulfame K which do not cause gut problems. It’s also virtually calorie free in the dosages needed to sweeten, which is not the case with Xylitol.
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12. Agata Klosek asks: I always have the same thing for lunch and am getting bored. I’m trying to stick to a healthy eating regime but have a big appetite, any suggestions?
How about ringing the changes with different soups (you can have them cold in summer) and salads - there’s an infinite variety you can experiment with. To make salads more filling, make sure there is an adequate protein - prawn, chicken, tuna, salmon - content and add starchy carbs in the form of couscous, pasta, rice etc., If you fancy a sweet but low calorie treat afterwards, sprinkle Canderel granules over fruit, or why not make a chocolate mousse or other cake or pud? Visit the Canderel Kitchen for inspiration!
