1 September 2008

GI News—September 2008

[SEPTEMBER COLLAGE]

  • No one diet has a monopoly on good health
  • 7 healthy eating habits from Greece
  • The latest on diet and diabetes risk
  • Life stages and critical mass with Prof Trim
  • Spotlight on glycemic load claims
  • GI values for Woolworths Select range
This month, Dr Antigone Kouris shares some healthy eating habits from from Greece and Catherine Saxelby looks at the benefits of oregano and rosemary . In Curly Questions, we ask you to pitch in with your thoughts on stretching the food budget. 'Spend as much as you can at the greengrocer, as much as you need in the butcher's shop, and as little as you can at the grocer, ' is one suggestion. We'll be interested in your ideas. There are all our usual features too, including delicious recipes and Robert's incredible 25 kg weight loss Success Story.

Good eating, good health and good reading.

GI News Editor: Philippa Sandall
Web Design and Management: Scott Dickinson, PhD

4 comments:

Andrew said...

I would appreciate your views on medium-long term usage of losec / omeprazol and diet. Loosing weight might help but beyond that many people with reflux have few alternatives, especially if, like me, they have to take other heart related drugs like lipex and aspirin, that are tough on the stomach. Would you adjust your dietary advice for users of losec? I gather it can affect B12 and calcium absorption.

Thanks for any responses

Andrew

GI Group said...

We don't give individual dietary advice and you would need to consult your doctor or dietitian for answers to your specific questions.

There are some general tips for dealing with reflux that can help – they are:
Eat small amounts often and avoid overeating;
Relax at mealtimes – don’t eat when stressed or upset and avoid eating on the run;
Eat slowly and chew foods properly;
Avoid drinking large amounts of coffee, strong tea and carbonated soft drinks;
Don’t smoke;
Avoid foods and drinks which are very hot or very cold;
Limit alcohol intake and don’t drink on an empty stomach;
Avoid eating a large meal before bed – try to leave three hours between eating and sleeping;
Particular foods may make indigestion and heartburn worse – common problems are fatty foods, spicy foods, onion and garlic. Avoid these if you find they upset you.
Avoid peppermint – it can relax the sphincter between the stomach and oesophagus, allowing stomach acids to flow back into the oesophagus, worsening reflux.

Andrew said...

Thanks for the reply.

I did intend my question to be general rather than individual. Losec is one of the most widely used drugs in the world and a significant proportion of over-40s will be using it, especially those with heart / cardio-vascular complaints. Since it reduces stomach acidity it is likely to affect the digestive process including the things you measure for GI. I wondered if this had been researched, or perhaps might be a worthwhile area for future research. A genuine thank you for your very speedy reply and I don't of course expect you to rush and do something now, just a thought. For myself my plan is to loose weight (my diet is already good) and hopefully that will do the trick.

Andrew

GI Group said...

Hi Andrew, we have asked around. There appears to be no actual research published but our best guess is that that reducing the stomach's acidity won't affect the GI to any great degree because the acid in the stomach is the strongest acid on record (hydrochloric acid) ... so even in the midst of a reduction, there's still plenty of hydrogen ions around. Hope that losing a bit of weight and following some of the tips our dietitian suggested help. Let us know how you go sometime.