The food and drink you consume provides all the building blocks needed for your body’s growth and repair, so having low intakes of certain vitamins and minerals can increase the risk of developing many serious health conditions – including heart disease , stroke, osteoporosis and some cancers.
Prevention is always better than cure, and there’s increasing evidence that by selecting foods and nutritional supplements wisely, you can improve and even cure many common problems.
Asthma
This lung condition affects an estimated one in 10 children and one in 12 adults in the UK. People with asthma have airways that are inflamed, making them overly sensitive to a variety of triggers which cause coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath.
Foods that can help
*Eat more omega-3s: Asthma has been linked with an/imbalance in dietary fats, so aim to increase your/intake of omega-3s, found in oily fish such as/mackerel, herring and salmon, wild game such as venison and grass-fed beef, omega-3-enriched eggs and fish oil supplements.
*Eat more fruit and veg: People with a high intake of fruit and veg have better lung function and are less likely to develop asthma. Apples and dark green leafy vegetables are especially protective.
*Treat yourself to dark chocolate and coffee: They contain methylxanthines, such as caffeine and theobromine, which can suppress coughs.
Avoid
Reduce your intake of omega-6 vegetable oils (safflower, sunflower and soya oils, found in margarines and fast foods) and replace with rapeseed, olive, almond or avocado oils, which supply omega-3s and healthy monounsaturated fats.
Depression
This common mood disorder is associated with an imbalance of brain chemicals, such as serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine. Sufferers may comfort-eat and gain weight initially, but as depression takes hold, they tend to lose their appetite.
Foods that can help
*Follow a low-GI diet: Concentrate on wholegrain cereals, root vegetables, legumes and oily fish. Try not to skip meals, however low you feel.
*Obtain vitamin D: By eating oily fish, liver, fortified
margarine, eggs, butter and fortified milk, and from sensible sun exposure – or take supplements.
*Omega-3 fish oils: (DHA and EPA) play an important structural and functional role within the brain. Worldwide, populations which eat very little fish have a higher prevalence of depression than in those where fish is eaten regularly. One study last year found that people who ate 1-2 portions of oily fish per week had
around a 20% lower risk of getting depression. If you’re not a fish lover, think about an omega-3 supplement.
Dementia
The condition affects one in 30 people aged 65-75, and one in five aged 85 and over. It’s estimated that more than half of all cases may be preventable through diet and lifestyle changes.
Food that can help
*Get your five a day – or more: Fruit and veg contain/vitamins, minerals and polyphenols that help to reduce blood pressure and protect against dementia (those with a lower BP are four to five times less likely to develop dementia). Dark green leafy vegetables are especially important as they supply folic acid, which lowers levels of homocysteine – a harmful amino acid associated with arterial damage and dementia risk.
*Eat fish/seafood at least once a week: Older people who eat fish weekly have a lower risk of developing dementia.
*Get more vitamin E: This may help to protect against Alzheimer’s disease. Dietary sources include wheatgerm oil, avocado, butter, wholegrains, nuts and seeds, oily fish and eggs.
Psoriasis
This inflammatory skin disease affects around one in 50 adults, causing red, raised skin patches covered with silvery scales. The good news is that changing your diet can ease these symptoms.
Foods that can help
*Eat more oily fish: Omega-3 fish oils can damp down skin inflammation. Eating oily fish two or three times a week can reduce symptoms, as can taking high- dose fish oil supplements (1122 mg EPA and 756 mg DHA per day).
*Top up your turmeric: This curry spice contains curcumin, which can reduce skin inflammation.
Avoid
Cut back on omega-6 fats, which promote inflammation.
Underactive thyroid
As many as one in 12 women has an underactive thyroid, causing them to suffer low energy, muscle cramps and weakness, weight gain, dry skin and brittle hair. But again, diet can help.
Food that can help
*Eat more selenium-rich foods: Dietary sources include wheatgerm, Brazil nuts, fish, wholegrain cereals, mushrooms, onions and garlic. Selenium helps to regulate the thyroid gland.
*Eat sources of iodine: For example, fish, seafood, eggs, meat, milk and iodized salt. A study of vegetarians published in the British Journal of Medicine found that 63% of females and 36% of males had inadequate iodine intake.
Avoid
Don’t eat excessive amounts of goitrogen-containing foods
as they can further slow your thyroid gland. Sources include
Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. Reduce
high sugar and processed food as, over time, they may
impair thyroid function.
High blood pressure
One in every three adults has high blood pressure, raising their risk of heart or kidney failure and stroke. It becomes more common with age, but studies show that adjusting your diet can significantly reduce blood pressure.
Foods that can help
The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) trials showed that you can significantly reduce your blood pressure in eight weeks by:
*Eating more: fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, poultry, fish and low-fat dairy products.
*Eating less: red meat, fats, cholesterol-rich foods and sugary sweets.
*Also increase your intake of potassium, which helps to flush excess sodium from the body through the kidneys. Potassium-rich foods include bananas, avocado, sweet potatoes, spinach and broccoli. Also, try pomegranate juice: Researchers from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, have shown that drinking pomegranate juice every day for four weeks significantly reduces blood pressure.
Avoid
Reduce your salt intake. Check food labels for sodium levels and eliminate high-salt foods, such as crisps, ham, bacon, cheese and ready meals. Avoid sweets, fizzy drinks and chocolates.
Gout
This affects around one in 500 people, occurring when high levels of a chemical called purine in the body cause needle- like uric acid crystals to form within joints – typically the base of the big toe. This results in excruciatingly painful swelling, but dietary intervention helps one in two sufferers prevent attacks from recurring.
Foods that help
*Eat low-fat dairy products: Skimmed milk and low-fat yoghurt appear to offer a strong protective effect, as milk proteins (casein and lactalbumin) increase the excretion of uric acid through the kidneys.
*Eat plenty of dark blue-red fruits: Cherries, grapes and blueberries contain antioxidants called anthocyanidins, which can lower uric acid levels and prevent gout attacks when around 250g (9 oz) are eaten daily.
*Have an apple a day: They contain malic acid, which helps to keep uric acid diluted so that it’s easily flushed from the body.
Avoid
Steer clear of purine-rich foods, including liver, kidney, shellfish, oily fish, game, meat and yeast extract. Avoid excess alcohol – especially beer – which increases uric acid production and reduces its excretion.
Arthritis
Under X-ray, around one in six men and one in four women over the age of 45 show signs of the wear-and-tear joint condition osteoarthritis in their knees. Foods that reduce inflammation can help to alleviate the painful symptoms.
Foods that can help
Consume more omega-3s: Omega-3 fatty acids are converted to substances called resolvins which reduce the activity of inflammatory enzymes in the same way as aspirin. Omega-3s are found in oily fish.
*Eat Brazil nuts: Studies have found that people with the highest dietary intake of selenium are the least likely to develop osteoarthritis, and of all nuts, Brazils are the richest dietary source – two nuts a day is plenty.
*Spice things up: curry spices, such as anise, chilli, cloves, cumin, fennel, ginger, mustard and turmeric have an anti-inflammatory action.
Avoid
Reduce intake of omega-6 fatty acids as excess levels promote inflammation. Replace vegetable oils with rapeseed or olive oil. Also, try cutting out tomatoes, peppers, chillies, aubergines and potatoes (all plants of the nightshade family) for a few weeks to seeif symptoms improve.
Cold and flu
We get an average of two to three colds a year, but if you follow a healthy diet and lifestyle, you’re far less likely to succumb.
Foods that can help
*Have an apple a day: Apples contain soluble fibre and antioxidant flavonoids that activate immune cells and
reduce inflammation.
*Enjoy more elderberries: They supply natural antiviral substances shown to reduce the severity and duration of cold and flu infections. Cook with onions and garlic – serve as a sauce with red meat – as they both have antiviral properties.
*Get enough zinc: Optimum levels help shorten the duration of a cold. Dietary sources include most meats, shellfish, nuts and seeds –especially pumpkin.
PMS
As many as one in two women suffer from PMS. It can trigger irritability, sugar cravings, headaches, fatigue, bloating and breast tenderness. But adjusting your diet can bring relief.
Foods that can help
*Eat a source of complex carbohydrate every three hours: Choose wholemeal bread, rice cakes, digestive biscuits and wholegrain cereals to keep blood-sugar levels steady. In one study, 50% of women gained relief from symptoms by controlling blood-sugar levels with diet. A further 20% experienced some improvement.
*Increase calcium and magnesium: Calcium, found in dairy products, eggs and green leafy vegetables, enhances hormone-receptor activity, while magnesium is essential for balanced hormones and can be found in nuts, seeds, wholegrains and pulses.
Avoid
Cut down on salt to reduce fluid retention.
Photo credit: Getty
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