Ask The Dietitian
Julie Dowsett has 20 years experience of working as a hospital dietitian and is a fellow of the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute, the professional body for dietitians in Ireland. She has also been involved in a university post graduate training programme as well as a variety of writing projects for textbooks, health professionals, the media and the general public on all kinds of dietary and nutritional advice.
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Rating: +4
What should I eat to gain weight? I am 25 and weigh only 53kg?
You don’t say if you are male or female or what height you are so I cannot say if you are underweight or not. Check your BMI here. It is best to have a BMI of 20-25.
If you would like to gain weight a good idea is to eat small amounts quite frequently in the day: three meals and three snacks of nourishing foods like cereal, milkshakes, sandwiches, yoghurts and nuts. Try to avoid low fat varieties of milk, yoghurt and cheese. Use foods which are a higher source of fat than would be routinely recommended for the normal population such as fried food, oils, spreads and dressings but to keep it healthier, choose the vegetable sources of fats (unsaturated fats) such as olive oil, sunflower oil or groundnut oil.
Good options for breakfast could be muesli (much higher in calories than other cereals), toast, a cooked breakfast, such as a full Irish is very high in calories and is worth trying at the weekends.
For lunch include a sandwich with cheese and ham and coleslaw for a very high calorie option, cereal bars or a bag of nuts are good snack foods for your desk or car.
Your evening meal could be anything you like, but try to have a bit more meat, chicken or fish and a little less vegetables for the short term until you start to gain weight. Even try using an unsaturated fat such as sunflower spread or olive oil on your potatoes.
It might be worth a visit to your GP to make sure there isn’t another reason you are not gaining weight. There are nutritional supplements that you can take which are effective in promoting weight gain which your GP can prescribe, but it is worth trying food first. Specific muscle strengthening exercises will help to build muscle, so a trip to a gym to talk to a fitness instructor might help.
If you would like a more thorough dietary analysis and advice go to www.indi.ie where you can get access to a dietitian in your area.
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Rating: +0
Hi. I have a one-year old and a two-year old. They are good eaters and not fussy. I am confused as to which bread is best for them. What would be the most nutritious? The Irish Pride kids bread is white - is this still better than a wholegrain/wholemeal?
First of all, lucky you for not having fussy eaters! Many children go through fussy stages with eating, which can be very frustrating. Small children need a lot of energy from food to meet their needs. Their nutritional requirements are quite different from an adults, so where a lot of adults would be encouraged to use wholemeal and wholegrain breads as part of a healthy diet, small children wouldn’t be encouraged to take a lot of high fibre foods as they can fill them up too much.
A general rule of thumb for a child is to take 5g of fibre a day plus 1g per year of their age, so this means your one year old would need 6g and your 2 year old 7g. Irish Pride Vita Kids has been designed with a child’s nutritional requirements in mind, so it does have fibre in it, but not too much. It also provides additional omega 3, iron, calcium and is lower in salt than normal white breads so a good choice all round. In fact it is the second lowest salt bread in Ireland. The best type of diet for your child is a varied one, so certainly include wholemeal and wholegrain foods in their diet, but don’t think that white bread is bad for them.
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Rating: +1
How much dried or cooked pasta constitutes a serving on the food pyramid?
3 dessert spoons of cooked pasta or rice constitutes a serving on the food pyramid. This is only a guideline. Remember, the more active you are, the higher your energy needs will be and energy should come from the breads, cereals and potatoes shelf, and from the fruit and vegetable shelf.
If your physical activity levels are high, up to 12 servings from this group may be necessary. To make pasta and rice even more healthy, try to use the whole-wheat, wholegrain or brown varieties and use vegetable and tomato based sauces rather than the creamy ones. For more information on the food pyramid look here and click on the shelf to see the serving sizes.
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Rating: +1
I've recently started gaining weight, particularly around my stomach. I am 39 and eat a pretty balanced diet. I work in an office but walk/cycle every night. Can you advise on how I could trim down.
The usual reason for weight gain is that you are eating more than you are burning off. Check your BMI by clicking in the list on the left. There is increasing evidence that the weight we have around our stomach area is the worst type of weight for our health. Safefood recently launched a campaign at finding out if you have too much stomach fat and what action to take if you have, so see http://www.safefood.eu/ for more details.
You can see more info on simple changes to make to lose unwanted weight at here.
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Rating: +2
I am 25 and I am very thin. I want to gain weight but in a healthy way....can u suggest me some tips and exercise on how to gain weight healthily?
Absolutely. It is a problem that rarely gets much sympathy as so many people are trying to lose weight, but it is a real issue for many people.
A tip for how to gain weight is to look at what overweight people do: graze constantly on high calorie foods! Eat small amounts quite frequently in the day: three meals and three snacks of nourishing foods like cereal, milkshakes, sandwiches, yoghurts and nuts. Try to avoid low fat varieties of milk, yoghurt and cheese. Use foods which are a higher source of fat than would be routinely recommended for the normal population such as fried food, oils, spreads and dressings but to keep it healthier, choose the vegetable sources of fats (unsaturated fats) such as olive oil, sunflower oil or groundnut oil. Good options for breakfast could be muesli (much higher in calories than other cereals), toast, a cooked breakfast, such as a full Irish is very high in calories and is worth trying at the weekends. For lunch include a sandwich with cheese and ham and coleslaw for a very high calorie option, cereal bars or a bag of nuts are good snack foods for your desk or car. Your evening meal could be anything you like, but try to have a bit more meat, chicken or fish and a little less vegetables for the short term until you start to gain weight.
It might be worth a visit to your GP to make sure there isn’t another reason you are not gaining weight. There are nutritional supplements that you can take which are effective in promoting weight gain which your GP can prescribe, but it is worth trying food first. Specific muscle strengthening exercises will help to build muscle, so a trip to a gym to talk to a fitness instructor might help.
If you would like a more thorough dietary analysis and advice go to www.indi.ie where you can get access to a dietitian in your area.
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Rating: +4
I am a new mother and trying to lose the weight I gained during pregnancy, can you help?
You don’t say how old your baby is. I would generally say don’t worry about it for the first 6 months, especially if you are breastfeeding as the hunger you get when breastfeeding is cruel! Also you are probably so tired it is very difficult to motivate yourself. A good place to start is to try to stop any further weight gain. It is so tempting to eat snacks and quick food like take-aways when you are so busy and tired. Try not to have biscuits, cakes and chocolate around to reduce temptations. A good bowl of high fibre cereal for breakfast, brown bread sandwich and soup, or beans on toast for lunch and a satisfying dinner in the evening. Try to cook double dinners that you can freeze such as stews, casseroles and bolognaise with plenty of vegetables and maybe beans or lentils added to keep them filling but low in fat. Snack on toast with mashed banana, low fat yoghurts, fruit or popcorn and try to get out for at least one walk a day - not just good for your weight but your mind as baby often sleeps on a walk!
Go to the weight reduction page in the Adult section for more info. -
Rating: +4
I have a 5 year old boy who is a very fussy eater. Do you have you any tips?
It’s a very difficult and frustrating (and yet common!) stage. The main thing is not to get too stressed yourself because it makes everything worse. Use the food pyramid to see what he should be eating. Remember foods on the shelves are interchangeable, so if he only eats fruit and no vegetables, that is less of an issue than a child eating no fruit or vegetables. Sometimes kids like picky food rather than actual dinners which is ok. Give him a tiny amount of the family dinner each time, but also things you know he will take. Irish Pride Vita Kids is great because it provides extra vitamins, minerals and omega-3, so a cheese sandwich made with Vita Kids, either milk or yoghurt and some apple, orange juice or grapes. Remember, a child is more likely to have a good diet if you do. You are their role model, so make sure to have a varied diet and show how much you enjoy it. Get him to cook or shop with you to expose him to different foods. If you are very concerned he is not getting enough nutrients you could probably give him a vitamin supplement for his age. Ask your pharmacist to recommend one. And good luck!
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Rating: +5
I am a 16 year old and play rugby at school. Can you tell me what way nutrition is important in sports?
Nutrition is an essential component in optimal performance and the enjoyment of sports and exercise. After genetic factors and training, nutrition is the next biggest factor in determining optimal sports performance. Energy is provided by carbohydrate, fat and protein. Carbohydrates are an essential fuel for athletes. About 50-60% of your diet should come from carbohydrate based foods such as breads, cereals, rice, pasta and potatoes. Protein is essential for growth at your age and essential for repair and post exercise recovery. This protein requirement can easily be met by a well-balanced diet and you don’t need to take supplements. High protein foods include red meat, chicken, fish, eggs, cheese, milk and pulses. Dehydration can lead to fatigue and impaired performance, so you should aim to drink a litre of fluid per hour of exercise. A rule of thumb is: start well hydrated (drink before exercise), get well hydrated (drink during exercise) and stay well hydrated (drink even more after exercise).
Look at the Teenager section to see how much of the different foods you should be eating.
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Rating: +2
I am a 28 year old female and recently was told my iron level was low when I went to give blood, but I find the supplements very constipating. Can you help?
48% of women in Ireland between the ages 18-50 don’t eat enough dietary iron, 1 in 3 have low iron stores and 1 in 30 have iron deficiency anaemia. The symptoms are tiredness and malaise, so it is good to know that you are a bit anaemic and need to do something about it. If you are anaemic you should probably take the iron supplements and try to balance the constipation by taking plenty of wholemeal and wholegrain foods, such as brown bread, cereals and brown rice. Make sure to have a good fluid intake too. To prevent the recurrence of anaemia, include lean red meat in your diet at least 4 times per week, as the iron in red meat is the best source of dietary iron (black pudding is great!). Contrary to popular belief spinach isn’t a great source of dietary iron, and neither is stout!
