Questions and answers

What is a serving size?

Fruit and vegetables 

  • A serve of fresh, canned, frozen, and cooked fruit and vegetable is the amount that fits into the palm of your hand with the fingers curled around the food. 
  • For watery fruit and vegetables, such as lettuce and watermelon, the serving can be larger than a handful. 
  • For dried fruit and vegetables, a serving size is the amount that fits in to half  the palm of your hand. 
  • For juice a serving size is 250ml. 

Breads and cereals

Examples of serving sizes include:

  • 1 cup of cooked pasta or cooked rice
  • 1slice of bread
  • 2 plain biscuits
  • 1/2 cup of muesli
  • 2 wheat biscuits

Meat, chicken, seafood, eggs, beans, peas and lentils

Examples of serving sizes:

  •  1 egg
  • 1 medium steak (120g)
  • 1/2 can of baked beans
  • 2 chicken drumsticks (110g)
  • 1/2 can of tuna

Milk and milk products

Examples of serving sizes: 

  • 250ml of milk 
  • 2 scoops of ice cream
  • 150g of youghurt 

See Eating for Healthy Adult New Zealanders for more information on serving sizes.


Glycaemic Index (GI) 

Can you tell from looking at a food product label (without clearly being labeled as such by the manufacturer), whether a food is low GI (glycaemic index), or do you have to “know” what foods are better as far as low GI goes?

Short answer, no you can’t tell if a product is low GI just by looking at the nutritional panel. However, if the product is high in sugar (about 20g sugar/100g product or more) it’s unlikely to be low GI. But, there are other factors involved in determining GI, such as, protein and fat content, cooking method, particle size etc. I recommend that you look up the GI values of the foods, rather than trying to guess… I guess I should define GI, GI is the impact a food has on your blood glucose levels. For example, if a food has a GI of 10, your blood glucose levels will rise slightly, but if the GI is 80, your blood glucose levels will rise dramatically.

Eating disorders

What is the difference between anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and eating disorders not otherwise specified?

An eating disorder is defined as a “disturbance in eating which impairs physical health or psychosocial functioning or both” (Human Nutrition edited by Geissler and Powers). There are two main types, anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa is defined by three main features refusal to maintain normal body weight, extreme fear of becoming fat, and a distorted sense of body shape. There are two types anorexia nervosa, restricting type and binge-eating-purging type. In the former, weight loss is achieved by restricting food intake. In the latter type, the person binges on food and then compensates for these binges by purging (which might include, fasting, excessive exercise, vomiting, using laxatives and diuretics). Bulimia nervosa is characterized by repeated binge eating, repeated purging to prevent weight gain, and placing self worth on body shape and weight.

Eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS) have similar symptoms to anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, but they are less severe and don’t have all the symptoms of these eating disorders. EDNOS are however just as serious and respond to similar treatment as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

 

Caffiene

Is it true that Coke is less hydrating than water?

Yes, caffeine is a dehydrating agent.
 

How many cups of coffee/cans of coke a day is too much?

It’s recommended by the National Heart Foundation that we don’t drink more than 5 cups of coffee per day. However, there seems to be no upper limit for cola consumption, but I recommend having no more than one to two cans of cola per day.

You may be wondering why there’s a recommended limit of the world’s favourite beverage. Well, as you may know, coffee is full of caffeine! It can also be quite high in sugar, but that depends on the type of coffee you buy and how much sugar you add to it. Caffeine is a stimulant and it you makes pee – not good if you’re an insomniac and prone to dehydration. Also, caffeine intake has been linked to high blood pressure and high blood lipids, which are contributing factors to heart disease. Caffeine consumption has also been linked to osteoporosis. The sugar content of both coffee and cola can be a problem. Lots of sugar means lots of energy, therefore if you consume more energy than you need, you increase your chance of becoming overweight.

Food and sex

What is the nutritional value of semen? 

 When I got this question I thought it was a joke, still do. Anyway I guess it’s an important thing to know considering I think people should aware of they’re putting to their bodies. Since I didn’t learn about the nutritional value of semen in class so I had to look at some unfamiliar sources, according to  http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/), semen is one percent sperm and a typical “serving” is about 1 teaspoon, which is equivalent to 5-7 calories or 20-30 kilojoules. Semen also contains fructose (fruit sugar), water, vitamin C, citric acid, protein (including enzymes), phosphate, bicarbonate and zinc. Another site http://www.luckymojo.com/ said that a “serving” contains about 15 calories (about 60 kilojoules). It also said that semen contains vitamin C, antigens, calcium, chlorine, cholesterol, choline, citric acid, fructose, lactic acid, magnesium, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, urea, uric acid, vitamin B12, zinc and protein. Another site http://www.askmen.com/, said that semen has about 25 calories (about 100 kilojoules) per serve and it contains proteins, sugars, vitamin C, water and zinc. Semen seems pretty nutritious, but I recommend supplementing semen with a variety of wholesome foods.
 

Does diet affect the taste of semen? 

 Again, this is something we didn’t cover in class. According to http://www.luckymojo.com/ diet can influence the taste of semen. They said that eating alkaline-based foods, e.g. meats and fish, produce a butter fish flavour. Dairy products can make semen taste very bad. Acidic fruits give semen a pleasant sweet flavour. The writers at http://www.askmen.com/ say that kiwifruit, watermelon, celery, and pineapple makes semen taste less intense, and that beer and coffee are believed to have the opposite effect and may make semen taste bitter. Alice at http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/ recommends that experimenting with different foods to alter the flavour. She also recommends avoiding garlic, as because it has a strong flavour that comes through quite well in bodily fluids.

Can nutrition influence sperm count? 

 Yes, according to http://www.healingwithnutrition.com many studies have shown a link between high fat, nutrient deficient diet with low sperm count. Therefore I recommend that if you want a nice, healthy sperm count, eat healthily! 

 Do semen allergies exist?  

I know this isn’t really a nutrition question, but anyway.. Yes, people can be allergic to semen. Apparently, mild allergies can be cured by multiple exposures to semen. If you do have an allergy to semen that is severe, you should see a doctor. 

 How much energy does sex burn off?  

 For the average 70 Kg person, sexual activity burns off 880-1470 Kj/hour according to http://calorielab.com/burned.

 What foods act as aphrodisiacs?

According to http://www.lifeinitaly.com/food/aphrodisiac.asp asparagus, cocoa and cocoa products, celery, squash, oysters, pineapple eaten with chili powder or mixed with honey and rum, sweet potato, ginger, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, garlic, liquorice, nutmeg, and mustard are claimed to be aphrodisiacs. Whether or not they work is debatable. I think there is no harm in trying them out to determine if they work for you.

I know that it’s possible to change the taste of semen, is it possible to alter the taste of female sexual fluids? If so, what should one consume to taste better?

This wasn’t covered in class, so I will answer this question to the best of my ability. The information I will give you is inspired by Alice from http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/. Alice said that garlic and onions have strong flavours and tend to come through quite well in bodily fluids, thus you might want to limit your intake of these foods. You might also like to limit alcohol and smoking as it might make you taste unpleasant. Alice also suggested varying your diet, as different foods and different quantities of particular foods might alter the taste of your bodily fluids.

Does drinking Mountain Dew really affect sperm count? Razz

Mountain Dew contains an additive called yellow No.5 or tartrazine 102, which makes it appear yellow. This additive is rumoured to lower sperm count. This is a myth, according to many websites. Yellow No.5 is actually considered to be safe to add to foods according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. So, it looks like Mountain Dew doesn’t affect sperm count, however, having a poor diet can lower the quality and quantity of a man’s sperm.


Exercise questions

How soon before you exercise should you eat/not eat?

It depends on how much you eat and what you eat. Some people can eat within half an hour before working out and feel okay. Whereas, some people can’t eat anything within the two hours before they work out, without feeling nauseous. I recommend that you experiment with your pre-exercise meals and snacks. Try eating different foods at different times before you work out and see how you feel.

 Is there anything in particular that is best to eat before a work out?

 For someone doing a long work out (for an hour or more), I recommend that you have something which is low fat, low protein and low fibre and high carbohydrate. For example, you could eat a muffin; crumpet; smoothie based on milk, yoghurt and fruit; sandwich with banana and/or honey; flavoured milk or baked beans before you work out.

Do protein supplements work?

Proteins supplements include protein shakes, powders and bars. The idea behind protein supplements is that the more protein you eat the greater your muscle mass and strength will be. There is some scientific evidence that protein supplements work, however they are generally unnecessary and overpriced. Protein supplements, which contain carbohydrate may be beneficial, they make good post-work out meals, and they may increase muscle mass. Additionally, individual amino acids, such as arginine, ornithine, and lysine may also increase muscle mass and strength.