I am an 18-year-old girl and I am very thin. I want to have a better figure and am thinking of taking diet supplements. Please advise

I don’t understand how diet supplements are going to help you. I would strongly advise you against it. The only way to a more shapely body is through exercise. You should exercise atleast 30 minutes day for 5 days a week. You should alternate cardio/aerobic training and resistant training. If it’s the cardio day those 30 minutes can be broken down into a 5 minutes warm up (walking at a normal pace) after which you can either do a 20 minute spot jog/ climbing of stairs or a run followed by a 5 minute cool down. If it’s the resistant training day, you have the standard 5 minute warm up, some floor exercises and stretching after which you devote 20 minutes to resistant training (use weights (1-2 kgs) for both arms and legs) followed by a 5 minute cool down. This regime should be maintained fora year or so.

My name is Renuka. My problem is I always feel fatigued. I never feel hungry. I am not eating well and my health is deteriorating. I want to feel healthy and energetic. I have also lost confidence and feel very depressed. Please help me

I suspect you are anaemic. Have you checked your Haemoglobin (Hb) level? If not, please do so immediately. If your Hb is too low (normal range is 11-14 mg), you may need iron supplementation. It is very important that you eat the right kinds of food; chicken liver, fish, spinach, mint, pistachios, almonds, raisins, figs, apricots, watermelon, rice flakes etc. These foods should be accompanied by a citrus fruit rich in Vitamin C as this will enhance the absorption of iron.

I am a 17-year- old girl with a weight of 40 kg and height about 5 feet. Is my weight correct? If not then please suggest some proper food items that I should include in my meal. I don't even feel like dining some times. Please help me out.

You are underweight. You should not skip meals, even if you are not hungry. A small bite will do no harm.
I suggest you eat more energy dense foods, that way, you won’t be eating a lot, but at the same time, will be getting adequate amount of energy. Peanuts, almonds, pistachios, raisins, apricots, figs, dried beans, baked beans, paneer, chiku, cheese toast, icecream with fruit and milkshakes. This energy dense diet should be accompanied by a 30 minute walk every day of the week. You will notice, that your appetite will return and your weight will increase to a normal range.

Parul Dube, R.D
Health Professions Council, UK

YOUR QUESTIONS

Every week, Living will feature an interactive
column, ‘Well-being’, where your questions on health, fitness, diet and nutrition will be answered by experts. Send your questions to Living, c/o Deccan Herald, # 75, M G Road, Bangalore-560001 or mail us at living@deccanherald.co.in