Welcome to the weekly r/Nutrition feature post for questions related to your personal diet and circumstances. Wondering if you are eating too much of something, not enough of something, or if what you regularly eat has the nutritional content you want or need? Ask here.
Rules for Questions
Rules for Responders
My girlfriend is vegetarian. For her, this means lots of pasta and Mac and cheese. Lately she’s been feeling insecure about her size (she’s been doing a 500 calorie deficit with semi-frequent workouts for the past few months but hasn’t seen progress). As the house cook, I want to help her get slimmer. Not because I want it, but because of the way she feels about herself. The trouble is, I have difficulty coming up with vegetarian, low carb, filling dishes. What are some healthy, low carb meals for vegetarians that I can incorporate into our diets? She can eat eggs and cheese.
I’m an incredibly busy person (dad, career demands constant “on call” etc.) and the thought of meal planning and cooking makes me incredibly uncomfortable so I’ve resolved to two or three extremely simple, plain meals of just clean foods that will take little to no time on a weekend to make. After a little research I did, I’m afraid I might not be getting all the vitamins/specific nutrients that are recommended. Would taking different vitamin pills that have these be a good supplement? Or should I try harder to incorporate them into my meals to begin with?
Who feels so much better dropping excess fat? I have been at 170-180 lbs most of life. But recently, I have come down to about mid 140’s…and pretty consistently for the last 6 months. I can sleep better, exercise better, and just feel better. Using calipers, am down to about 7% body fat, which is just above essential body fat for a guy.
Are Vitamin C supplements safe or not?
As a healthy 26 y/o male, can I safely supplement with 600 mg of Vitamin C or not? People say “it’s fine, you’ll pee it out anyway”. But on Google are pages about how more than 480 mg of C can cause oxalate build-up, oxalate nephropathy, hyperoxaluria, kidney failure etc. Obviously, I’m not qualified to interpret this information and that’s why I’m asking you for a simple answer.
I’ve been taking 600 mg of C for a few days, and afterwards I took a routine blood test and my calcium serum level was suddenly above the upper limit, but not enough to be a concern. Apparently C can raise calcium levels as well…? My C supplement has 500 mg of C, 250 mg bioflavonoid complex, 25 mg rutin, 13 mg hesperidin, and 13 mg quercetin. Additionally, my multivitamin already has 100 mg of C and 440 mg of magnesium. And yes, I know that it’s unnecessary, above the RDI and that it’s better to get C through foods. I struggle with focus and getting distracted easily, and the C gives me a ridiculous amount of energy, reduces my anxiety and allows me to focus much easier, so taking it would be very worth it no matter how “unnecessary” it is. What concerns me is the safety.
So… is it safe or not?
Quotes:
“This article presents a clinical case in which ingestion of high amounts of vitamin C led to oxalate nephropathy. The patient was ingesting approximately 480 mg to 960 mg of vitamin C daily. The patient’s oxalate nephropathy was attributed to excessive vitamin C intake.”
“Ascorbic acid intake greater than 2 g/day can induce oxalate crystal nephropathy, although cases have been documented with intake as low as 480 mg/day PO.”
“Vitamin C is a precursor of oxalate and promoter of its absorption, potentially causing hyperoxaluria.”
“Given his oxalate-rich diet, chronic diarrhea, and daily 680 mg vitamin C and furosemide, we postulated Ca oxalate-induced nephropathy, a diagnosis confirmed by documenting hyperoxaluria, and finding of diffuse intraluminal crystals and extensive interstitial fibrosis on biopsy. He was hemodialysed 6 times to remove excess oxalate.”
“High-dose vitamin C can induce hyperoxaluric nephropathy and progressive renal failure, especially if aggravated by diarrhea, oxalate-rich diet, metabolic acidosis, and dehydration.”
“We present a case of ascorbic acid-induced oxalate nephropathy in a patient with a history of small bowel resection and BPH who was taking ascorbic acid supplementation (2 g/day), leading to acute kidney injury with tubular atrophy.”
“There is no clear toxic dose for vitamin C, but a dose of 1000 mg/d can increase oxalate excretion by 6–13 mg/d and may induce calcium oxalate calculi, and oxalate nephropathy has been reported after as few as 2 i.v. doses of vitamin C.”
“They revealed that those men who received the high-dose supplement (1000 mg) had an elevated kidney stone risk ranging between 1.7 and 2.2 times.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3096888/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6361085/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/255923
https://www.kidney-international.org/article/S0085-2538(15)48976-8/fulltext
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2235877/
I decided to incorporate a new carb source, potatoes, into my diet. I might be tripping but I’m looking for about 400g of potato, because from what the nutrition label is telling me that would give me about 80g carbs. When I weighed it out and cut it up before cooking, it ended up taking up a whole baking sheet. Now I’m sitting here eating them and there’s no way I can finish all these. For this specific meal I used to eat four tacos. Four small tortillas provided me about 70g of carbs, and did not leave me feeling full before I finished the meal. Am I tripping and eating too many potatoes?
I get strong headaches from too much omega 3, but I can eat much more (but still not that much) omega 3 from fish like canned mackerel than fish oil supplements until I start to get headaches. I suspect that may have something to do with a form of fish oil I ingest https://youtu.be/d6mhTY4x5BA?t=193
Knowing that omega 3 has a lot of benefits, I would like to test all of these forms of fish oil to find the one I can eat the most of without getting headaches. Do you know which form of fish oil (from the video above) is in the canned mackerel and which one is most likely in the cheapest omega 3 supplements?
I have a relative who consumes vegetable oils everyday (margarine, canola oil, snacks full of said oil (like potato chips). This relative has high blood pressure and thinning of the heart muscle and is experiencing dizziness, lightheadedness and almost fainting.I tell him to cut out all vegetable oils and any snacks that contain it explaining how these oils are unhealthy and oxidizing and cause inflammation in the body which causes heart disease. I tell him to use real butter and olive oil only. However his doctor is telling him to eat vegetable oils instead.Who is correct here?
Mid 30s and never been a lover of vegetables. I don’t like the taste and texture. I want to make a change. Will 1 green smoothie per day consisting of spinach, other mixed green leaves, frozen berries, chia seed and sunflowers seeds all blended, be a good starting point?
I’m trying to eat healthier and have recently started making smoothies for breakfast. I was wondering what kind of protien powder or like pre workout I could put in it. I do construction and my job is pretty physically demanding so I was looking for something that would give me a little more energy than just the fruits and veggies. Any suggestions would be appreciated
I prefer to eat smaller meals about 6 times a day (totaling 2000-2500 calories). I am not overweight (BMI of 21). Is there any downside to this in terms of nutrient absorption, hormones, blood sugar, GI health, etc? The only thing I notice sometimes is stomach bloating.
Hello!
Very recently started to transform my eating habits for the better, and over the course of a month, I’ve lost 3 lbs!
I eat lots of potatoes, root vegetables, kale and spinach, LOTS of fresh fruit, all kinds of different nuts, beans and seeds, and PLENTY of eggs. I’d say the only dairy I have in my diet is Greek yogurt, I usually stick to oat or soy milk otherwise for that kind of craving. I also stick to whole grains, like oats, quinoa, brown or wild rice etc. Then some Whey protein to meet daily calories if needed (I’ve been keeping track of all these macros with the cronometer app).
Vitamins and supplements I take are D, B12, fish oil, ashwaganda, ginseng extract, zinc and some testosterone tablets.
My personal goal with all this is to lower my body fat percentage (at a healthy rate) while also maintaining and gaining muscle steadily.
What would an adequate amount of macros be for this goal? ( I usually take in more carbs on days I exercise, and more protein when recovering, fat is variable and its always healthier ones such as Avocado, egg yolk, olive oil etc.)
I keep feeling “hungry” before bed, what can I do?
I avoid simple sugars during the day and have a big meal at 7pm (mostly a pasta, rice, or potato and meat dish), and some snacks like nuts and fruit after, I feel too hungry to sleep around 10-11pm.
Well, it doesn’t feel like a hunger like my stomach is rumbling, but like a craving for food that prevents me from sleeping.
I am traveling soon and will have to undergo a mandatory 2 week quarantine. During the first week of quarantine, it will be very hard to eat due to various circumstances. Could I essentially eat nothing but a multivitamin and a bowl of instant miso soup every day for a week from a nutritional standpoint?
I started eating the recommended five servings of vegetables per day and have been having diarrhea extremely frequently. I have been eating one serving each of the following daily: kale, spinach, brussel sprouts, broccoli, romaine lettuce, and asparagus. I measure each of these out to one serving size, and eat them raw. Should I cut down on the cruciferous vegetables? Or will my body get used to it. Thanks
How do maintenance calories work?
I decided to look up what my maintenance calories should be for my height and weight and its apparently 2.6k. I am currently eating around 1.5k on average everyday and I’m 6’1 65kg. If my maintenance is 2.6k, how come my weight never changes when I eat 1k less then what my maintenance is? Wont I just gain loads of weight if I up my calories by a whole 1000? My current food everyday is 3 fried eggs in the morning with a fruit of choice, bowl of rice, canned tuna and a fruit of choice and then for dinner its way more varied everyday, stuff like a larger bowl of mince beef and rice together or salmon and larger bowl of rice together as examples.
I have a smoothie recipe that has over 1000 calories and a balanced set of macronutrients. How come I’m hungry so soon after the smoothie? If I drank a new smoothie for every time my body demanded food, I’d likely consume over 6000 calories in a day, it makes no sense.
Toxic processed SUGAR has been scientifically linked to a plethora of health issues. HOWEVER I often wonder about the trouble most people seem to have in digestion of ‘better’ alternatives like stevia/erythritol. Eating more than a few tsp usually results in major gas and stomach cramping for hours. Have they been linked to any long term harm via scientific studies? (not referring to equal/sweetnlow). I don’t want to find out in 20 years that we should of just ate the delicious sugar. Lol :) Thoughts?
White Male
405 foot 7 inches205 pounds currently, everything looks normal but a stubborn bellyGoal: 155 poundsWork indoors/computers, not really sporty but starting to feel good about being active1 hour a everyday day either jog/walk 3.0 miles or bike 8.3 miles. (just started a month ago)3 times a week, Gym, mostly machines, still getting used to itNot making a great progress with the weight loss because I think I'm using the new activity as an excuse to keep eating or eat even more.What is my BMR based on this info? And what should I aim for in deficit?How do I actually get to 165? :(Can anybody revaluate my meal plan? I made a “base” diet/meal plan.I want to lose weight and keep it off. Anything I should add/remove? Of course, I’ll adjust portion sizes for weight loss.
Breakfast:-porridge -nuts/seeds (10g of fat)-full fat dairy (15-20g of protein)-100g of berries-100g of any other fruit
Lunch:-eggs (15-20g of protein)-cheese-sourdough bread-100g of beans/lentils-200g of veggies
Dinner-lean meat (15-20g of protein)-avocado/olives (10g of fat)-potatoes/sweet potatoes-200g of veggies
Snack/Dessert:-coffee/tea-ice cream/chocolate/cookies
I’m going to try and research some studies later today: but does intermittent fasting reduce inflammation? I’ve seen the claim out there but not sure how scientifically supported it is. Most claims about intermittent fasting seem to be iffy at best
In a hypothetical world, if someone’s gut microbiome were obliterated due to having been on a “heroic” long-term antibiotic regimen - aside from advice regarding the diet - what ideas come to mind on how best to rebuild the gut microbiome? What would your top 3 recommendations be for supplementation?
Is the weight of a food the maximum amount of pounds that can be gained from it? For example is it possible for a food that weighs a pound to have enough energy to accumulate more than a pounds worth of fat? Like a food that weighed a pound but had 10000 calories in it?
42F. I want to grow and eat broccoli sprouts for their high sulphurophane content (or precursor to). Whenever I eat them my breasts increase 1 to 2 cup sizes and get very tender to the point where I can barely walk let alone run. I always have to cut them out.
Does anyone know why this is? Is it related to estrogen getting recycled back into my body? I have asked numerous dietitians and doctors in my country and gotten no answers.
Please help!