Ask Me
Write your burning health, nutrition and weight loss questions in the comments here and I’ll do my best to answer them in a post in the coming weeks. If you would prefer to have your questions answered confidentially, please use the contact page instead.
128 responses so far
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Darya,
I was wondering if you could tell us your typical food intake for a day, including snacks? I know every person is different in their needs, but I sometimes think I actually don’t eat enough over the course of a day. I know the serving sizes of individual foods, but don’t always know how much to be eating in total.
If you’ve done this already in the Q&A or in a blog post, forgive me for not seeing it, and just kindly point me in the right direction.
Connie
Darya,
Do you have a good site for referencing which produce is currently in season? I was talking to another friend and, although I shop at the street markets in Italy for fresh, in-season produce, I can’t help but notice the “Dole” pineapples and bananas at the stands! Where can I get a concise list of produce/season info?
Thanks for the blog!! I love it!!
Ally
In the US I use localharvest.org, but I don’t know what you could use in Europe. I would talk to the market vendors, start with them. Not all of them will know, but I bet at least a few of them care enough to help. The Slow Food movement is also big in Italy, so they may have resources you could use.
You’ve mentioned your stance on grains previously, but I was wondering if you had seen this study before. It’s rather lengthy, but it makes some excellent points and I’d be interested to hear your thoughts.
http://www.direct-ms.org/pdf/EvolutionPaleolithic/Cereal%20Sword.pdf
Hi Alex,
You weren’t kidding, this review is long! (This is not a study, but a review of the scientific literature on grain consumption). I find most of the data in it to be accurate and in accordance with things I’ve heard previously, though parts of it teeter on speculation.
From this we can conclude that relying on a diet with a very high percentage of its calories from grains can be dangerous. It also suggests processed grains are a bigger problem than intact whole grains, and that there are indeed some nutritional benefits grains.
To me this suggests that grains can be beneficial in small amounts, especially when unprocessed. But that we should strive for a balanced diet to ensure adequate nutrition.
From everything I’ve read grains are only a problem when consumed in large quantities. Eating lots of grains increases the negative consequences of consuming them (anti-nutrients, allergens, etc.) and also replaces other essential foods (vitamin B12, iron, etc.). Processed grains are an even bigger problem because of their effect on blood sugar/insulin sensitivity.
Not everyone likes/wants to eat grains, but my guess is most people can benefit from eating small quantities of relatively unprocessed grains. (e.g. For better workouts, etc.)
Let me know if this answers your question.
dp
Wow, thanks for the reply, I appreciate all the work you put in to this site.
My pleasure
Hi,
I live in Mumbai – India, it’s one of the hottest area in India. According to you what is suggestible food for summer, what type of food should be avoided and what should be consumed more.
As I’m Pure Veg please let me know accordingly.
–
Regards
Kalpesh D. Sampat
Hi Darya,
Thank you for great web site. Very helpful!
Im trying to use more gluten free wheats like buckwheat flakes. If I want to make my own muesli, f.x. with nuts, seeds, dried fruits, honey/agave and quinoa pops, how would I use the flakes? Do I need to soak and dry the flakes before adding to the muesli?
If they are rolled flakes, I just add them directly. I tend to eat my muesli on yogurt (lowfat plain) or with some milk alternative.
If you have to sweeten your coffee, what’s the healthiest sweetener to use? Turbinado sugar, brown sugar, honey, agave, stevia, xylitol, truvia, splenda? Thanks
Just assume they are all unhealthy and pic the one you like best and enjoy it. I’m digging this coconut palm sugar, but whatever you pick is fine. If I had one piece of advice to offer it would be to choose natural over artificial – it won’t help you and it tastes horrible.
Hi Darya, I want to start with the whole intact grains consumption but I dont seem to be able to get precised information on the internet which I should eat, could you please let me know which are the best ones?
Many thanks for the time and effort you put into this site, it is great!
Lorena from Leicestershire, England, UK
Great question Lorena! When it comes to natural foods, there really is no “best.” You should strive to get a variety of different foods into your diet, they each add something special. Probably the easiest place to start is with brown or wild rice. Quinoa is great. Oats are easy. Wheat berries are great in recipes. Try barley, faro, buckwheat, etc. Have fun and feel free to come back and let me know what you like best