More bad (vitamin) maths
Looks like I’ll be able to do a weekly blog on this idiotic regular snippet in the Daily Mail Good Health. Last week it was how (not) to get vitamin B12, this week is it how (not) to get magnesium – which is a mineral for starters – not even a vitamin!
I did notice that there is no name next to the article this week – it has gone in anonymously – good to see that no dietician or nutritionist is putting their name to this nonsense this week.
The article suggests this week: “How to get your recommended daily allowance (RDA) of 300mg magnesium”:
2 poppadums (that is how it is spelled in the article) + a 40g bowl of All Bran + 11 Brazil nuts = 300mg of magnesium.
The trouble is – that mixture also adds up to a whole load of different flours, salt and vegetable oil in the poppadums and more wheat (bran), sugar and glucose fructose syrup in the All Bran. Why not just consume the brazil nuts? You’d need 80 grams at 525 calories to get your magnesium from the nuts. Nuts are very nutritious, but they are not great for people trying to lose weight, as they are high in carbs and fat and this combination facilitates human fat tissue storage very nicely (triglyceride formation).
Another way of getting magnesium would be 92 grams of sunflower seeds at 540 calories – again seeds are highly nutritious but high in both fat and carb content – that great fat storing combination. Sunflower seeds are also the best natural source of vitamin E – which is the body’s natural antioxidant.
Lowest calorie way to get 300mg of magnesium? 380 grams of raw spinach (that’s a lot!) for 87 calories.
Sugar free cereal option for magnesium? Over 200 grams of porridge oats (that’s also a lot) for over 800 calories.
Most fun way to get 300mg of magnesium? 60 grams of natural cocoa powder for 137 calories and a great source of protein too. Get out your very dark chocolate and leave the wheat and sugar concoctions alone.
4 Responses to “More bad (vitamin) maths”
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hi Z –
i find all your articles fascinating & so informative & written with such common-sense – i have also just received all of your books which i am finding v interesting. (one error tho’ = potatoes do not contain serotonin but cause release of insulin to allow tryptophan to get thro’ blood-brain barrier)
i am also reading the book on the ansel keys starvation experiment – no wonder i have fear of hunger, after years of anorexia!
one Q plse – what is full fat milk on your diet – a carb, fat or a protein??
i like to drink decaff coffee after every meal(instead of dessert) but after which meal would it not work – eg fat/protein or carb ?
warmly
anna
Hi Anna – many thanks for this and I hope you’re as fascinated by the Minnesota starvation experiment as I was – I also did the experiment personally, but didn’t know it to be anorexia in my teens!
The term “Full fat milk” always makes me smile because such milk is still only approx 3.5% fat – it’s just fat phobic diet advisors who think 3.5% fat is “full fat”. Tasty and yummy is what it is! Whole milk, nuts/seeds and avocados are the interesting foods where nature puts fat/protein and carb in the food all in reasonable quantities. This makes them automatic ‘mix’ foods for our purposes, but the milk is really so low in fat (milk is mostly water) that it isn’t as big a carb/fat mix as nuts (and seeds) are. Hence enjoy either milk at the end of a meal – if you are being extra cautious, stick to low fat after a carb meal.
Watch milk generally in between meals – dairy products do have a carb content (yoghurt and milk more than many cheeses). If people drink milk in (decaf) tea and coffee regularly throughout the day, they are drip feeding carbs into their system and this may stop fat burning from being able to take place.
Hope this helps!
Check out our club for support and great queries like this: http://www.theharcombedietclub.com
Very best wishes – Zoe
MANY MANY thanks for your reply, Z – it is GREAT to have the author reply in person !
yes i am definitely addicted to the sugar & fat & lactose in milk (prob get thro’ x2 pints a day, drip fed in decaff coffeee thro’-out day). my stomach blows up as if pregnant & have uncontrollable desire to sleep = milk coma
cant seem to give it up – have tried & tried & tired – did manange for x5 days for phase one & felt better but now back on it (goat, soy, rice, hemp, oat & coconut milk = so sweet)
have given up so much already: sugar (as on kathleen des maisons’ potato not prozac program), wheat, white carbs, trans fats etc – sigh !!!!!!!
anyway many thanks for good advise
warmly
anna
I spy dairy intolerance!! Cold turkey – it’s the only way :-)