3 replies to this topic

[Tygo]

Hello, I'm new here, and I hope you guys can help me out with my diet, I believe it's terrible. I find it very difficult to know for sure if I'm taking enough nutrients/antioxidants/vitamins, there's just TOO MUCH information on the internet, and a lot of it is contradictionary. I am 5'11" in height (180 cm) and I weight about 205 lbs (93 kg). I'm trying to lose some weight, since my BMI is just too high. 165 lbs (75 kg) seems like a nice target and it will bring my BMI in healthy territory. I'm also trying to improve my skin, since I suffer from some light acne and mild seborrheic dermatitis.

This is what I'm eating/drinking right now:

MORNING - 8:00:

One bowl of biological low-fat yoghurt (133 calories)
One slice of whole grain bread (70 calories + what's on it)
Quarter cup of pumpkin seeds (186 calories)
One teaspoon of vitamin D3 - 2000IU - oil based (40 calories)
One teaspoon of Nordic Naturals fish oil - 3:2 EPA/DHA (40 calories)
One tablespoon of inulin/psyllium fibre in my yoghurt (0 calories)
One cup of Lipton White Tea with 100 mg vitamin C (0 calories)

MIDDAY - 12:30:

Two slices of whole grain bread (140 calories + what's on it)
One bowl of fruit with some extra virgin olive oil (varies, but roughly 150 calories)
One glass of vegetable juice with tomato paste (60 calories)

EVENING - 17:00:

Meal: this changes a lot, but I eat some vegetables and some meat everyday (I guess 800 calories)
One glass of pomegranate/raspberry juice (180 calories)
One vitamin B complex tablet (200% RDA of all B vitamins, except biotin)
One biotin tablet (300 μg)

Other than that I drink 3 additional cups of Lipton White Tea + 100 mg vitamin C in between.

Need more nutrients? Too much calories (roughly 1900 a day)? What do you guys think?

[JLL]

Download CRON-O-Meter to determine your nutrient intake.

I'd opt for full-fat yoghurt instead of low-fat, but to each their own. Get rid of whole grain bread, unless it's just for taste. Healthwise, it's unnecessary, especially if you have acne. Pomegranate juice may be a good or it may be bad - it depends on whether its benefits are bigger than the harm from fructose. Does it contain added sugar?

300 micrograms of biotin is ridiculously little, I don't think it'll do anything. You get more from your diet anyway.

Have you measured your serum vitamin D levels? 2,000 IU is probably not enough, unless you spend a lot of time in the sun.

[Tygo]

Thanks for the CRON-O-Meter tip, nice program! I will play around with that for sure.

And I was thinking about replacing the bread, perhaps I need more protein in my diet? Any ideas on what I can use to replace it with? More yoghurt? Nuts? I find it very hard to eat meat in the morning or midday, unfortunately. Lower intake of carbs is associated with better skin.

I'm drinking the pomegranate juice mainly because I've read in quite a few studies that it's good for cardiovascular health. I don't think it contains added sugar, I'm not entirely sure. But you are right, perhaps there is a better alternative. The fructose in it might tip the scale towards badness.

Is 300 μg of biotin really that low? I'm using the Solgar brand, and according to the bottle 300 μg is 100% of RDA. I'm using it mainly because it's suppose to help some seborrheic dermatitis sufferers. Biotin has been used in dogs to treat skin conditions too, although in milligrams, not micrograms. It probably increases IGF-1 factor though, so it's not good for longevity.

Haven't had a blood check for my vitamin D levels, but I'm reluctant to increase it above 2000 IU. In elderly people, it's been associated with increased brain lesions. I'm young, but I still find it disturbing. I'm trying to be on the safe side. Besides that, according to this study, low dose supplementation is just a good as high dose supplementation.

[niner]

Haven't had a blood check for my vitamin D levels, but I'm reluctant to increase it above 2000 IU. In elderly people, it's been associated with increased brain lesions. I'm young, but I still find it disturbing. I'm trying to be on the safe side. Besides that, according to this study, low dose supplementation is just a good as high dose supplementation.

I wouldn't worry about the brain lesion paper. It's a pretty weak study. They used a Food Frequency Questionnaire rather than blood levels, so the data is pretty shaky. The mean amount of total vitamin D used by people in the study was only 341 IU. There is a reason to be concerned about calcification, to be sure, but given the results of the first study I wouldn't worry about "brain lesions". An important aspect of avoiding calcification is having the proper levels of vitamins A and K. I would certainly not say that low dose supplementation was "just as good" as high dose supplementation. Why fool around when it's so easy to get a 25-OH vitamin D3 level? 2000 IU is fine for someone your size. It might turn out that you need more or less to optimize your levels, depending on sun exposure and other things. No one should mess around with the inadequate RDA though. Try to hit 40-50 ng/ml blood levels.