Q. Please suggest a meal plan for my mother based on her recent reports.
Hello doctor,
My 59 year old mother is under treatment for hypothyroidism, hypertension, and osteoarthritis of knee joints along with a mild iron deficiency anemia. With the help of medications, TSH (3.15), BP (120/72) and FBS (89) are currently stable, although she used to get symptoms like reeling of the head a few times (once after breakfast another after lunch), which as per our family doctor, is due to low BP. She also faces gastritis and some amount of constipation from time to time, although a physical examination does not indicate anything worrisome. She had lost weight, nearly 11 lbs in the past eight months, which is not explained by any of the clinical findings. I request your help to identify if she follows the right schedule in terms of daily food habits and also if she should include any particular type of food to fight against the current medical conditions. Below mentioned is her daily routine and food habit summary, which I request you to kindly review and share your feedback, as required.
She wakes up at 5.30 AM and takes Eltroxin 50 mcg on an empty stomach. She takes regular tea with biscuits at 7.30 AM while doing the regular exercise for knee joints, and then does her household work such as cooking, etc. She then takes her BP medicine (Olmezest 20 mg) at 9.30 AM. Her household work gets completed around 11 AM, after which she takes breakfast. This mostly consists of brown bread (four pieces) or sooji or noodles or fruits (mostly apple, guava and sweet orange). Every alternate day, she takes four pieces of dates as well. After breakfast, she takes Gemcal D3. She takes lunch at 3 PM, which mostly consists of white rice, dal or vegetable and fish. She had stopped curd for colitis since the past six months as advised by her doctor. After lunch, she takes the multivitamin Cobadex CZS. In the evening, she takes normal tea with a biscuit around 7.30 PM and then does her regular exercise for knee joints. She then takes dinner at 11 PM, which mostly consists of whole wheat roti (three pieces), vegetable or paneer and mostly no fish at night. There is no other medication after dinner.
Hello,
Welcome to icliniq.com.
I saw her reports (attachment removed to protect patient identity). All her numbers are alright, except a few which are on the borderline. But, no need to worry about it. Her diet should be perfectly balanced according to the climate. Also, exercise and yoga play a significant role in treating her.
Firstly, her weight is perfect according to her height and age. Her diet schedule is not up to the mark. I am sending a few diet tips which are suitable for her lifestyle. Please follow this:
Foods to be included are
- Fish such as salmon (Saiman), tuna, and sardines (Pedwe) contain omega-3 fatty acids. They help reduce inflammation, improve immunity, and lower the risk of heart disease. Due to the presence of selenium, it improves the functions of the thyroid gland.
- Nuts like groundnut, almond, cashew nuts, and pistachios are also good sources of selenium.
- Fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, sweet potatoes, cherries, carrots, cucumber, onions, beet, etc.
- Whole grains (gluten-free) such as brown rice, oatmeal, arrowroot, ragi, corn, etc.
- Dairy products like milk, yogurt, cheese, paneer, etc. contain vitamin D and other nutrients like iodine, protein, and calcium but should be taken in moderation.
Foods to be avoided are:
- Soy products such as soybean, tofu, soy milk, and soy paneer inhibit the functions of the enzyme that forms the thyroid hormone.
- Some vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower.
- Gluten-containing foods such as wheat, bread, barley, etc. Gluten can irritate the small intestine and hinder the absorption of thyroid hormones.
- Fried and processed foods like french fries, chips, fried chicken, butter, margarine, mayonnaise, cookies, cakes, pasta, bread, etc.
- Sugary foods and alcohol like sweets, sugar, candy, chocolates, brandy, beer, whiskey, cold drinks, etc.
- Take your meals with a small gap of two hours.
- Do not have milk tea on an empty stomach. You can have some dry fruits before that.
- Finish your breakfast by 9 AM.
- Include fruits, milk, ghee, etc. regularly.
- Yoga or exercise is a must every day.
Feel free to contact me in case of further queries.
Thank you doctor,
As she seems to have some amount of colitis, gastritis and constipation too, what kind of food to take and what to avoid? Is it alright to have milk products like curd on a daily basis? As she seems to have felt a couple of instances of low BP and reeling of head, is taking oats suitable for her? As per one of her past reports, her good cholesterol was low (39), although total (155), bad (85) and triglyceride (143) was normal. Do you have any specific recommendation for this? As she lost weight in the past few months, is there any specific recommendation to prevent this?
Hello,
Welcome back to icliniq.com.
For your first question, the diet should be the following.
Foods to be included:
- Healthy carbohydrates such as fruits (apple, papaya, six to seven grapes, pear, or watermelon), vegetables (green leafy, pumpkin, lady’s finger), etc.
- Whole grains (brown rice, wheat, oats, ragi) legumes (beans, peas, lentils) and low-fat dairy products.
- High fiber foods like vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes (beans, peas, lentils), whole-wheat flour and wheat bran.
- Good fats like avocados, almonds, walnuts, canola, olive and peanut oils. But, these should be consumed in moderation.
- Fresh curd is alright to have.
Foods to be avoided:
- Sweets, sugar, coke, ice cream, canned foods, processed or fried foods, junk foods, caffeine.
- Acidic foods that include tomatoes and tomato preparations, soft drinks, and citrus fruits.
- Also, avoid pickled foods which have a high vinegar content.
- Gluten-containing foods such as bread, pasta, biscuits, cereals, pastries, etc.
- Cow’s milk, alcoholic beverages.
- Raw and undercooked green vegetables like Brussels sprouts and cauliflower.
- Mint and mint flavored chocolate, soy and soybean oil.
She can have oat khichri. Once she starts her perfect routine, everything will be normal. So, there is no need for a specific diet for cholesterol. And, we cannot expect all the things to happen suddenly. It takes time to get normal.
Her weight loss is probably due to her diet. Now, her weight is perfect, and she just needs to maintain it.
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