Excerpts of Live Chat With Nikhil Chaudhary on Wellness And Nutrition

In a recently conducted Live Chat Nutritionist Nikhil Chaudhary answered queries on weight loss, reversal of metabolic diseases and general well being of mothers and their children as well.

Q. My two-year-old son has recently developed fondness towards chicken and Salami. Can I give him non veg twice or thrice a week? How much is too much? He weighs 11 kg and from his 1st year till now his weight gain has not been very significant, is it a cause to worry? I

As far as the non-vegetarian food is concerned, these days the source of these foods is a big question mark. Otherwise giving non vegetarian food is not a problem. The use of multivitamins is not required, just make sure you give him wholesome foods like whole grain porridges, whole legumes and lentils, etc. the skin of these grains are very rich in vitamins and nutrients

Q. My one-year-old is not eating food for like a month. His weight and height is 9.1 kg n 76 cm for the past 2 months. What should I do to make him eat?

Make sure that you give him nuts and seeds. Also include fatty foods which are non-fried and refrain from sugar. If your child is intolerant to milk then please don’t give him any milk from outside. Only if you can breastfeed it is good. For weight gain, it is important that the child is not below the normal range.

Q. I haven’t started outside milk fearing it will aggravate the problem. And he takes my feed 4 times a day. Could breast milk too cause gas?

It would be nice if you could give your baby some curd or other fermented foods. Also you can try to chew some food and feed the baby which will make sure that some bacteria gets into the baby’s gut. This will help him/ her to digest the food and reduce gas production. Also try to make a note as to what kind of food creates such problem. Sometime it can be a single food product like milk.

Q. Can we give cow milk to children?

Cow or buffalo milk for children up to 2 years generally doesn’t create problems. Beyond that age a lot of research suggests that it should be discontinued. The reasons are many. The enzyme lactase which digests milk is produced in low quantities. The IGF growth factor present in milk is becoming a bigger liability to us. Some children have even shown production of morphine like substances from milk protein casein in the intestine which affects their brain.

Q. My little one has constipation so the doctor advised no milk. Is it a phase that the child will grow out of once he is potty trained?

There cannot be one size fits all. But generally the rule of healthy life is to eat a lot of veggies, avoid sugar and refined foods. Avoid fried fats, sugar, maida, packaged products.

Q. I have PCOS, thyroid and the likes. I find it difficult to remain satiated most of the days and am often tempted to over eat. Is that a mental or hormonal issue? Also, should calcium supplements be taken every day after delivery?

All the symptoms and problems you face are related to hormonal imbalance. Insulin is very high in your body. This hormone packs all the sugar you consume into fat very quickly this makes you feel hungry very quickly. The accumulation of the fat in the body makes fat-based hormone irregular and leads to problems like PCOS. Thyroid is an overall system regulator. That is directly affected by the levels of insulin in the blood. This is also a pre-diabetic situation. If you reduce foods that are high in glycemic index and switch to fiber rich foods, most of your problems will be sorted.

Q. I am a hyperthyroid patient for more than 3 years. Please suggest me some exercise and diet which can help me get rid of this disease. My doc has suggested to get operated, however I am not ready for it.

You can easily cure hyperthyroid by eating lots of raw salads which includes a lot of vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower etc. Completely cut down on sugars, white rice, maida and maida products and packaged food. I think you will see normal ranges within a month or two and you will not need to get it operated. However, for a complete diet, we will need to see various thing in depth.

Q. My doctor has advised me to avoid cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, soya bean, maida products and seafood. But you have suggested consuming these veggies raw. I am confused.

That advice is given to thyroid patients suffering from hypothyroidism. They should not take these things raw and should consume them after boiling or cooking only. But for hyperthyroidism it should be consumed raw. Try it and check your TSH levels after 10 days. You will be amazed.

Q. Is there any food that helps in balancing hormones or makes us feel positive during? During my menstruation cycle I feel very upset. Can a diet improve this?

Vitamin C is an amazing food that de-stresses you. I would suggest you to increase intake of lemons and gooseberries on a daily basis. Also sugars lead to mood swings and depression. So avoid them.

Q. I want to know what extra supplements we should take so we stay strong. I feel too tired and old.

You can take Omega 3 supplements especially if you a vegetarian. Other supplements are Vitamin B complex, Shtavari, Triphala and so on. Most importantly spend some time in the sun on our skins every day.

Q. Can you suggest foods that can increase milk supply for a mother with hypothyroidism?

There are a lot of foods that are known as lactogauges.These foods stimulate the production of breast milk in mothers. You can find the list on the internet and choose foods which are available around you. Red Rice in South India is one such food.

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