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Name
Gerami
-
Profession
Question
Could you please tell me foods that increase our iron, but do not cause constipation? Thank you.
Answer
Your body needs iron to make hemoglobin which is the part of the red blood cells that carry oxygen through your body. Your cells use oxygen to break down the energy in the foods you eat.
Your body will take more iron when you have low iron levels in your body and higher iron needs (i.e. pregnancy)
Your body will take less iron from food when you have high iron levels in your body.
There are two types of iron from food: heme iron and non-heme iron:
• Heme iron is absorbed more readily by the body than non heme iron
• Sources of heme iron are meats while sources of non heme iron come from grains, vegetables, beans and dried fruits.
Your body absorbs less iron form food when you drink coffee and tea with meals and eat certain vegetables like raw spinach and broccoli
• Drink coffee or tea at least one hour before or 2 hours after meals to help improve absorption
• Eat foods that contain vitamin C at every meal or snack so your body will absorb more iron from foods
Good sources of iron rich foods are: liver, lean meats, dried beans, spinach, raisins, bran flakes, cream of wheat, oatmeal.
Iron supplements have been known to cause constipation. To avoid constipation drink plenty of water and have a mixture of soluble and insoluble fibre.
Name
Hany
-
Profession
Question
As-Salamu`alaykum, can you tell me how safe it is to take slimming pills? I hear they have a lot of side effects. Would you prescribe dieting pills for your patients?
Answer
Wa'alykum as-salamu warahmatullah.
I do not recommend diet pills to my patients wanting to lose weight. Most are not regulated by the government, so you have no idea what exactly is in those pills.
For people wanting to lose weight, the safe and effective way I recommend is a balanced diet and incorporating daily physical activity.
Thanks for the question.
Name
Terry
-
Profession
Question
I have a full time job and sometimes I don't have time to eat a proper lunch in the middle of the day. Could you tell me how I can compensate this by eating food that will provide me with a lot of energy? What kinds of groups will help me get through the day?
Answer
As-Salamu`alaykum.
Working during the day does make it difficult to fit in meals, but I strongly recommend that you don't skip meals. When you have limited time the key is to maximize what you are eating.
Try to have a meal that incorporates at least 3 of the 4 food groups. For example a tuna sandwich, yogurt and a piece of fruit for lunch include all 4 food groups and it isn't a meal that requires a lot of prep time or time to eat.
To avoid the mid afternoon munchies, have easy snacks on hand like crackers, low fat muffins, hummus, dried fruit, fruit cups and milk. They'll give you the energy you need to finish off the day.
Thanks.
Name
Taymor
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Profession
Question
As-Salamu`alaykum, my dad has diabetes and he is getting really thin. I want him to regain some of his weight without eating anything that might increase the glucose or cholesterol. He's been losing too much weight. Please tell me what I can do for him.
Answer
Wa'alykum as-salamu warahmatullah.
I recommend that your dad see a registered dietitian so that he/she can evaluate what he is currently eating and look at his blood sugars and bloodwork.
It is difficult for me to answer this question as I don't know what his medical history is. Unintentional weight loss is something that your doctor or dietitian can evaluate.
I hope this helps and thank you.
Name
Shereen
-
Profession
Question
Hello,
I would like to ask you about the appropriate diet for someone who has hyperacidity and oesophagitis.
I want to have a healthy and balanced diet but a lot of things give me heart burn. I also don't like to take vitamin supplements because they sometimes upset my stomach.
What foods do you suggest I eat instead of taking vitamins?
Answer
It sounds like you suffer from GERD - gastroesophaegeal reflux disease, which is quite common.
Some diet suggestions are:
- avoid high acid foods like tomato, oranges (and other citrus foods), pop, and peppers.
- stay sitting up for at least 30 min (preferably longer) after meals.
If you are finding that vitamin supplements are upsetting your stomach, the best way is to still get your vitamins and minerals from foods. Eating a good variety of fruits and vegetables (those that you can tolerate) will ensure that you get the recommended daily dose.
Thanks.
Name
Jamilah
-
Profession
Question
What is the best time to exercise especially during Ramadan?
How to organize our diet?
I am addicted to tea and coffee, how can I deal with this and is there any replacement?
Answer
As-Salamu`alaykum.
This is an excellent question and very timely as Ramadan is just around the corner, insha'Allah.
I would recommend exercising after you break your fast. It is not advisable to exercise while you are fasting because you are unable to replenish your water losses or your "fuel" losses.
Your body increases its demand for glucose when you exercise, if you don't have enough glucose you can experience hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
To treat this you must ingest some fast acting sugar (i.e. juice) which you cannot do, when you are fasting. Low blood sugars can result in loss of consciousness and is very serious. That's why if you do exercise in Ramadan do it after you have eaten.
To avoid the dreaded caffeine withdrawal during Ramadan, you can try weaning yourself off prior to Ramadan starting. For example, if you drink 4 cups of tea/coffee a day, start decreasing the amount weekly till you get to one/day. Start decreasing by a cup/day every week.
The best replacement is water. You can try incorporating water into your diet while you're weaning off the coffee/tea. Just substitute a glass of water for a cup of tea/coffee.
I hope this helps you.
Name
Zayed
- United Kingdom
Profession
Student
Question
As-Salamu`alaykum. Thanks a lot for your time. Please suggest whether it is Islamically right to invest time and money in the Gym (to build a strong body, etc.)? I am only asking this because I am not sure how the Messenger of Allah, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), his companions and our early caliphs (may Allah be pleased with them) used to keep themselves fit. I am confused that it is "stressing our bodies too much" by going to gym or being "too health conscious"?
Secondly, does our diet have any link with losing hair?
JazakAllah (May Allah reward you for your good deeds. Wa'alykum as-salam.
Answer
As-Salamu`alaykum.
This is a very interesting question. I am by no means an Islamic scholar, so the following is strictly my opinion.
Your body and health is a gift from Allah and I think it is everybody's responsibility and duty to treat it with respect. I think this means taking care of your body by not doing harmful things and doing what is the best for it. This includes eating healthy and exercising.
In this day and age we are very physically inactive compared with our forefathers. Allahmdullah (thanks to Allah) we have many things that make our lives very easy (i.e. cars) which also make us not exert as much energy. In the old days people really only could walk to get around plus they had to do a lot more physically demanding jobs.
I don't think exercising is stressing our bodies too much unless done in excess. As with everything in life moderation is the key. The minimal recommendations for exercise are at least 30 min 3-4 times a week.
I think you can invest in a gym as long as you follow Islamic principles. For example, if you are female join women's only club. You can also invest in exercise equipment to have in your home.
Like I said this is strictly my opinion. I hope that helps.
Quick answer to your hair loss question.
A diet low in protein, calcium and B vitamins can cause hair loss but is not associated with genetically predisposed individuals to hair loss.
Thanks!
Name
salah
-
Profession
Question
As-Salamu`alaykum, what is a good way to establish good eating habits? I also heard that breakfast is the most important meal, what are the implications of skipping breakfast? Can you please shed some light on this? Jazakum Allahu khairan.
Answer
Wa'alykum as-salamu warahmatullah.
Yes, your mother was right; breakfast IS the most important meal of the day.
Skipping meals regularly trains your body into thinking that it won't receive food regularly and, therefore, must conserve future energy. It does this by storing it in the form of fat.
While you are sleeping, your metabolic activity is slowed down. When you wake up and eat something, it acts like a signal to jump start your body and increases your metabolic activity (i.e. you burn calories).
If you don't eat when you get up or extend the time till lunch, your body believes it still needs to conserve energy. This means your body is not going to use up its stored energy (fat).
So it's a good idea to eat something when you wake up. It doesn't have to be a big meal. Even a glass of milk or juice first will help as long as you eat something more substantial soon.
I hope this is helpful.
Name
Khadija
- Australia
Profession
Question
How many eggs I can eat per week that won't cause the cholesterol to go high? Some people say three, some say four, and some there is no maximum time if you do a lot of excercise.
Answer
As-Salamu`alaykum.
If your doctor has told you that you have high cholesterol, then it is recommended not to have more than 3 egg yolks per week. Egg whites do not contain cholesterol and are low in fat, so you can choose them more often. Egg substitutes are also OK.
Remember if you do have high cholesterol, it isn't just cholesterol-rich foods that you need to limit. You need to limit your total fat intake.
Limit/avoid saturated and trans fats and choose the poly and monounsaturated fats more often.
Exercise has no direct link to lowering cholesterol but weight loss has been shown to improve lipid profiles.
Thanks for the question.
Name
Ameena
-
Profession
housemaker
Question
I have tried lots of ways to avoid constipation: food with fibre, stool softner, bills, etc. Do you have any different way of treating constipation?
Answer
As-Salamu`alaykum.
Increasing the fibre in your diet is still the best way of decreasing constipation. You do need to make sure you have a variety of the two types of fibre:
Insoluble fibre is found in whole grains like bran, vegetables, beans and lentils.
Soluble fibre is found in fruits and oatmeal. You need a balance of both.
If your diet was not high in fibre initially and you decide to increase fibre in your diet you must make sure to add slowly. Otherwise you will be constipated.
The other important thing to remember is to increase your water intake while you are increasing your fibre intake.
Thanks for the question.
Name
Lamis
-
Profession
Question
I take Orlistat to lose weight and i restrict my fat intake greatly. Is this a good way, or do I have to beware of something, because some people tell me that taking Orlistat for a long time is bad? Thank you.
Answer
As-Salamu`alaykum.
Orlistat, in Canada, can only be taken with a prescription from a doctor. I'm not sure how it is regulated in other countries.
If you are concerned about the side effects you should talk to your doctor.
Name
Mona
- Bahrain
Profession
Question
Does blood test diet work? What is the best diet?
Answer
As-Salamu`alaykum.
I am frequently asked what the best way to lose weight is or what the best diet is.
There are many different diets out there with many claims. This question alone is a whole session in itself.
In the interest of time I will try to be quick and brief.
There is no scientific evidence that eating certain foods for your specific blood type works.
There are a couple of things to watch if you are trying to lose weight and eat healthy. This is a quick list:
• Don't skip meals.
• Eat a balanced diet choosing foods from all of the four food groups
• Watch portion sizes, remember moderation is the key.
• Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.
• Avoid highly processed foods that are high in fat, sugar and calories.
• Eat your fruit rather than drinking it.
Like I said, this is just a quick list. I hope this helps you on the road to healthy eating
I think this is the last question.
I just want to thank everyone for their questions.
Any misinformation is my own fault and I ask Allah for forgiveness.
Thanks again.
Name
Editor
-
Profession
Question
Answer
Finally, we would like to thank sister Shameem Kizar for taking the time to answer the questions of Islamonline viewers today, and we also thank all those who participated in this dialogue. We apologize for not being able to accommodate all the questions within the time allocated to this session. If you feel your question is very important, feel free to contact us at EngLivedialogue@islamonline.net and we will try our best to answer your question. We request our readers to join us in upcoming sessions.
