Question

I am 5’5″ (1.65m) and weight one 138 pounds (63kg). I would like to weigh 125 pounds (57kg). How many calories should I eat a day?

Answer

I am assuming you are female and would like to lose a little weight judging from your height and weight.

If you would like to lose weight, the easiest way to do this is to exert a little more energy than you take in. You can do this through either diet or exercise, but a combination of diet and exercise is the best way to achieve weight loss.

Our recommended calorie intake shows the amount of calories you need to eat each day for each age group (and gender). Use this as a starting point for your weight loss plan.

Your diet should aim to include high quality protein at every meal, so that your body can get enough of the amino acids it requires to function properly and to help you burn fat – the more lean tissue you have, the more your body will burn fat, even when you are resting, compared to someone with less lean tissue. Our dietary guidelines show exactly what is considered to consist of a good diet – this is a guide only.

You should aim for 1-2 kg (2-4 pounds) of weight loss each week, in order to maintain this long-term.

Please note that the information provided is for educational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose or treat medical conditions. Consult with your medical physician regarding appropriateness of using supplements in your healing process.

Question

I am really finding it hard to work out what supplements my family and I need. We all eat well, but I think maybe not all the required nutrients are absorbed from our food and maybe we do not eat enough fruit and vegetables. I would also know what supplements should be taken together and which ones apart. I take a good multivitamin supplement but I am not sure if I need more of specific nutrients.

Answer

You seem like you are doing everything right to keep yourself and your family healthy. If you eat a lot of natural foods (especially vegetables and fruits), plus whole grains, low fat dairy and protein, plus some good fats each day, then you are going a long way to preventing ill health and disease. Exercise should also be a regular feature of your daily activities. Taking a multivitamin supplement will only boost your levels of nutrients if they are too low or deficient in some way.

If you would like to know your levels of the vitamins and minerals, you can do a variety of blood tests, which your medical practitioner can organise for you. You can also do a hair analysis which tests for a variety of nutrients and also any heavy metals or other detrimental factors in your body. This test can be organised by an alternative health practitioner.

• Recommended daily intake of all the vitamins
• Recommended daily intake of all the minerals
• Recommended daily intake of all the amino acids

The pages above also list the tolerable upper levels of these nutrients, so you can see what is the potential maximum for each.

Just remember, with most water soluble vitamins, if your body does not require them, they are normally excreted through the urine. But, the fat soluble vitamins are stored in the fat cells, so can have a potentially negative effects if too high levels are taken over a long time. Please check the levels of all the supplements you take.

Please note that the information provided is for educational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose or treat medical conditions. Consult with your medical physician regarding appropriateness of using supplements in your healing process.

Question

I am interested in my 26yr old son trying GABA. He has a totally controlled epilepsy, on Tegretol, but has a tendency to early sleep ‘startles’, like a tendency to have a mild seizure. What dose would you suggest for GABA and is it worth trying please?

Answer

Taking a GABA amino acid supplement is not worth it, especially when your son is already on Tegretol.

Tegretol or Carbamazepine affect the GABA receptors in the brain, so taking more GABA, is still not going to get through. GABA may not even cross the blood- brain barrier.

The body actually synthesises its own GABA from glutamate using glutamic acid, another non-essential amino acid which occurs in proteins. Due to the fact that glutamic acid is “non-essential”, the body actually recycles this amino acid. Therefore, it doesn’t really matter if the diet is low in dietary protein as the body can create its own.

Please note that the information provided is for educational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose or treat medical conditions. Consult with your medical physician regarding appropriateness of using supplements in your healing process.

Question

I’m wondering about people taking several vitamins and adding GABA amino acids to that as well. Would a GABA amino acid supplement be necessary for someone not eating a lot of proteins?

Answer

GABA is a non-essential amino acid, so it can be created in the body from the other essential amino acids. It’s probably not necessary to supplement with GABA unless you have a specific deficiency of that particular amino acid.

You need to eat protein foods at each meal to ensure you get enough of the essential amino acids. The protein article on this site explains the necessity of eating protein. If you do not eat meat, there are vegetarian alternatives which will ensure you get all the necessary essential amino acids.

If you do not eat much protein, you should try to find a supplement that includes all the 9 essential amino acids. Talk to your doctor about supplementation. If you lack the essential amino acids in your diet, you are at risk of ill health.

Please note that the information provided is for educational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose or treat medical conditions. Consult with your medical physician regarding appropriateness of using supplements in your healing process.

Question

I was reading your article about isoleucine and it states that high doses of isoleucine may cause some side effects. I was hoping you could show me how much isoleucine (as a supplement) would be considered a high dose?

Answer

Isoleucine is one of the essential amino acids, which means we need to take it in the form of the food we eat each day. Most people generally get enough isoleucine from their diet,, but some people can become deficient and may need to supplement their diet.

If you want to take an isoleucine supplement, the RDA is 12 mg per kg of your weight (adults).

eg: a 90kg man = 12 mg/kg* 90kg = 1080mg = 1.08g

The upper limit is set at 5-10g, but some people may not need to reach that level to experience some side effects.

As isoleucine is an essential amino acid, it does not appear to have many dangerous side effects, but any supplementation should be taken at the lower dosage first and increased as long as you do not experience an adverse reaction. You should always inform your doctor about all the supplements you take, so they are aware of this and can advise you according to your particular situation.

Please note that the information provided is for educational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose or treat medical conditions. Consult with your medical physician regarding appropriateness of using supplements in your healing process.

Question

Are there any similarities between cow’s milk and coconut milk?

Answer

Cow’s milk is considered a high quality protein food – which means it has adequate levels of all the 9 essential amino acids and it is low in saturated fats (even more so, if it is a low fat variety).

Coconut milk on the other hand, is a very highly saturated food (even the lower fat variety has over double the amount of saturated fat as low fat cow’s milk), has a high kilojoule value and has a much lower amount of calcium than cow’s milk. Coconut milk is also considered a complete protein.

Cow’s milk is produced from an animal (cows) and comes in several forms – no fat skim, low fat skim, and full fat. Coconut milk comes from the coconut and comes in two forms – low fat and full fat. The coconut and its milk are entirely suitable for all vegetarians, while cows milk is not suitable for vegans, who do not eat any meat or meat by-products such as milk or eggs.

Please note that the information provided is for educational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose or treat medical conditions. Consult with your medical physician regarding appropriateness of using supplements in your healing process.

Question

My husband ate some pink salmon last night and he kept burping afterwards. I told him to have a glass of milk. He disagreed with me saying he has been told that you should not mix the two. Is this correct?

Answer

If your husband started burping after consuming a certain food, there may have been a problem with the way he digested that particular food.

A healthy digestive system will run smoothly, without any strange symptoms. Perhaps a priority would be to have your husband see a naturopath to address any underlying imbalance in the digestive function.

As far as fish and dairy go, this is a poor food combination together, but in a resilient digestive system there should be no adverse symptoms.

Please note that the information provided is for educational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose or treat medical conditions. Consult with your medical physician regarding appropriateness of using supplements in your healing process.

Question

Just wondering if Tryptophan can still be purchased in Australia?

Answer

The short answer is yes, but with a special proviso.

“Over the counter” tryptophan cannot be purchased without a prescription from your general practitioner (GP) and which can be obtained by your naturopath, it seems in Queensland only.

Tryptophan is the precursor to 5-Hydroxy-Tryptophan (5-HTP) after which it is converted into the neurotransmitter serotonin.

Please note that the information provided is for educational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose or treat medical conditions. Consult with your medical physician regarding appropriateness of using supplements in your healing process.

Question

If I am a strict vegetarian almost vegan then what can cause high production of oestrogen and how do I balance this through foods – ie vegetarian food?

Answer

Foods that have an oestrogenic effect are as follows:

• seeds – sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, linseed
• legumes – soy beans, soy products, tofu, soy sprouts, chickpeas, green beans, peas
• herbs – fennel, alfalfa, red clover, parsley, sage, aniseed
• vegetables – garlic, carrots cabbage, beetroot, pumpkin, potato, squash

As far as balancing your hormones with foods, requires some more information from you. I would suggest to have your personal diet analysed by a nutritionist/naturopath in your area. If you are almost vegan now, and plan on cutting out eostrogenic foods, your diet will be too restricted and you risk malnutrition. Traditionally speaking, everything in moderation is actually a wise choice.

Herbal medicine is of greatest value when hormones are out of balance. Wild Yam and Chaste Tree are the herbs which would alter a high eostrogen level in the body as they have an affect on progesterone levels. Wild Yam cream is easy to apply to the inner thighs as part of the daily routine.

Please note that the information provided is for educational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose or treat medical conditions. Consult with your medical physician regarding appropriateness of using supplements in your healing process.