Have a Health & Nutrition Question? Ask the RD!

stephanienelsonrd

gingerwengert wrote: »

How much protein should one be eating? Is there really a way to eat to “balance your hormones”?

The short answer to your first question: it depends. My recommended minimum is between 0.8-1 grams per kilogram of body weight, but I've broken it down a little further: 
- If you're active and exercise regularly, you can go up to 1.4g/kg. 
- For weight loss, you can go up to 1.6g/kg. 
- In general, I don't recommend more than 2g/kg. 

To manage your protein intake, try for a protein source at every meal or snack, even if it's only a little. Build your meal around the protein source and balance it out with fruits and veggies.

Now, onto the second question. There's not really a way to balance most hormones through diet, but it's important to eat enough fat to allow for some hormone production. It should be worth noting that if you feel that something is wrong with your hormone balance, you should talk to your doctor, who may suggest getting hormone tested and potentially medication. Some advice: Don't use at-home hormone testing kits! These kits leave you on your own to interpret the result, whereas your doctor can help you understand the numbers behind your hormone levels.

The only hormones that are really influenced by diet are the hormones that tell you when you're hungry and full! Leptin, ghrelin, and other hormones signal when it's time to start and stop eating, and they might even tell you to eat certain foods that you really like. It's important to eat a balanced diet with enough calories to prevent hunger hormones from getting out of whack.

stephanienelsonrd

JoddieTay17 wrote: »

Hi Stephanie!
In the last few months, I've changed my eating style to tofu/seafood/fruits/veggies and beans. I am so gassy! Especially the last few weeks. I've cut out processed plant products like Just Egg and Beyond Meat, yet the gas persists.

I just ordered some quinoa so will have some grains starting this week. I also eat a lot of Dave's Killer Bread (21 Grain). Though I struggle to hit my protein goals, I am always over on fiber. Could it be the fiber that is causing gassiness?

Beans = chickpeas and black beans
Seafood - smoked salmon, grilled tilapia, grilled shrimp
Veggies = bell peppers, cabbage, carrots, radishes, cucumbers, red onions, etc
Fruits = frozen: cherries, berries, mangoes and bananas. Fresh: Ambrosia apples and Bosc pears

THANK YOU for reading Stephanie!

Hi there! It sounds like you might be sensitive to FODMAPs, which are certain kinds of fermentable sugars that can cause gastrointenstinal distress for some people. I highly recommend reaching out to your doctor for guidance with this, but the general idea would be to get rid of high FODMAP foods in your diet until your symptoms go away. Then, slowly introduce the foods back into your diet to see if any of them trigger the GI distress. This is pretty complicated to try by yourself, which is why I recommend you do this with the help of your doctor or an RD.

stephanienelsonrd

jbirming wrote: »

My doctor recommended eating 2 probiotic foods per day. I eat yogurt or kefir, but so many brands have so much sugar. Are cottage cheese, cheddar, swiss, or other cheeses probiotic foods? I've tried some non-dairy probiotics (kombucha, kimchi, sauerkraut), but didn't care for them. Are there any other probiotic choices?

Probiotics are one of my favorite topics! One of my favorite tricks with yogurt, to reduce added sugar, is to get plain yogurt and then mix in a small amount of vanilla extract. Or, try defrosting some frozen berries, and include the melted juices to mix into the yogurt. Cottage cheese and some cheeses do contain live bacteria so they are technically probiotics, but they aren't always the same strain that you might find in yogurt or kefir so they might have different benefits/effects. My suggestion would be to switch it up and rotate through different sources of probiotics to make sure you're varying the strains of bacteria.

stephanienelsonrd

cvanloan11585 wrote: »

Could you recommend a probiotic supplement for someone struggling with Gut health after antibiotics? If not a specific brand, could you suggest qualities to look for in a good probiotic supplement for someone trying to build up better gut health? Thank you!

ElizBallien wrote: »

What should I look for in a GOOD probiotic supplement? There are so many to choose from, and I know getting the pre- and probiotics from food sources is preferable. I just can’t stomach everything I need to keep my gut in good health. So, what are things to look for when choosing a probiotic supplement?

Stervit wrote: »

Probiotics - how do you determine the right amount to take? Thank you in advance for any suggestions.

The problem with supplements in general, including probiotic supplements, is the lack of labeling regulations. There have been way too many instances of a supplement claiming to have an ingredient, and then an independent testing lab will find that supplement doesn't contain the ingredient at all, or it doesn't contain the amount the labels claim. In the worst case scenarios, the supplements can contain a harmful ingredient or a banned substance.
With probiotics, the problem becomes even more complicated, unfortunately! Don't forget that probiotic cultures are living organisms, so the population of the probiotic culture is really hard to control for in research studies. Different probiotics survive your digestive tract differently, which makes it extremely hard to judge exactly the right dosage to get from either food or a supplement. Because of this, we still don't have strong scientific confidence that certain doses of specfic probiotic strains are benefical.
My general recommendation is to get a probiotic supplement that is third-party tested from NSF, Labdoor, or ConsumerLab. This will ensure that the supplement's label is accurate so you know you're getting what you pay for. Look for lactobacillus or bifidobacterium strains, which are common in food sources of probiotics and are the most widely studied for health benefits.
You can also check out this website, which focuses on Canadian products, but you can get some really good information on the type of probiotic for your health need.

stephanienelsonrd

gantun wrote: »

Hi, Im struggling to lose my last 7 pounds. Any advice or tips on how to break my weight loss stall?

Hi! Congratulations on making it so far in your journey. You are totally not alone; this is a common hurdle and a lot of it has to do with your metabolic response to weight loss. Weight loss slows down exponentially over time, and this is just your body doing its job. In fact, when your body is approaching its happy weight, it's incredibly common for the last few pounds to hang around longer than you'd expect, sometimes a for a year or longer.
That's not to say there's nothing you can do about it. You can try these things to troubleshoot: First, make sure your calorie goal is up-to-date. Since you've lost weight, your calorie goal will have gone down over time, so make sure your weight is updated in the MyFitnessPal app. Make sure there aren't any changes to your activity level that might be affecting your metabolic rate. Finally, recognize that because we don't recommend anything below 1200 calories for women (to make sure you're eating enough nutrients overall), the calorie goal to maintain your weight loss rate might have gone below that, so you should absolutely expect your weight loss rate to slow. It's that pesky math that gets you! 🤓
My last big tip for you is to try switching up your workouts. Try a new activity you've always wanted to try, or even just switch up the intensity (like switching from long runs to sprints or vice versa). I really love rock climbing and recommend that people give that a try if they want to change up their workouts!
Finally, be kind to yourself. Sometimes the secret is to focus on maintaining your health, improving your physical activity, or trying a new activity. Improvements in those metrics can be influenced by your actions immediately while the weight loss slows, and sometimes that mindset shift is all you need to reach your happy weight.

Betty

That’s it for today folks! Huge thanks to @stephanienelsonrd for joining us in the community today. Stay tuned for some more resources and answers next week!