Orthopaedics expert, Dr VV Prasad answers readers’ questions on bone health. Get your doubts cleared and see them featured on our FAQ page every Monday.

This week’s answers:

I Am Shiv, from Mumbai. I had a right Knee ACL surgery 15 days back, my question is which the best Hinged Knee Brace. Or DonJoy product is worth?

Every place has a product that is best or famous. It’s better you stick to your surgeon. Please get what he recommends.

Send in your questions on orthopaedics to bawarchieditor@sify.com now! And don’t forget to include `Orthopaedics FAQ` in the subject line.

Eating low-calorie frozen foods can help you stay slim and fit, according to a Loyola University physician.

Low-calorie frozen meals provide convenience, structure and calorie control, which leads to better adherence and weight loss, according to Jessica Bartfield, MD, internal medicine who specializes in nutrition and weight management at Loyola University Health System.

“Save time, save money, boost nutrition and control portions by eating low-calorie, frozen foods,” advises Bartfield.

To safely lose weight, Bartfield recommends that most people will need to consume a low-calorie diet, anywhere from 1,000 to 1,800 calories per day, depending on certain factors such as weight, age, height and gender.

Most frozen meals provide 200 to 350 calories per meal, which fits within that range along with one to two healthy snacks per day, she said.

(more…)

A simple measure that could go a long way in enhancing public health — limit salt intake to less than 1,500 mg or about three-fourths of a teaspoon each day — is the subject of an advisory to Americans.

The American Heart Association (AHA) has issued an advisory based on a thorough review of recent lab, animal, observational and clinical studies. This advisory is meant not only for people with medical conditions, but also for perfectly healthy people.

A limited salt intake would significantly reduce the risk of high blood pressure (BP), heart disease and stroke.

“Our recommendation is simple in the sense that it applies to the entire US population, not just at-risk groups,” said Nancy Brown, AHA’s chief executive officer, the AHA journal Circulation reports.

(more…)

Adding fruits and vegetables to the diet can improve the health of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD, according to a study.

Alkaline therapy is used to treat CKD patients with severe metabolic acidosis (when there is too much acid in the body).

Nimrit Goraya, MD (Texas A and M College of Medicine) and her colleagues looked to see if adding fruits and vegetables-which are highly alkaline-can benefit CKD patients with less severe metabolic acidosis.

For the study, 108 patients were randomized to receive added fruits and vegetables, an oral alkaline medication, or nothing. After three years, consuming either fruits and vegetables or the oral medication reduced a marker of metabolic acidosis and preserved kidney function to similar extents.

(more…)

To prevent body odour, add a few leaves of neem in the bathing water

During Diwali, the last thing you’d want is a dietician telling you what not to eat!

Nutrition experts are often subject to comments like “Oh! She is watching me” or “How many calories is this? Can I eat it?” And, the table laden with sweet dishes laboriously prepared for the festival is the last place where anyone needs to hear talk of calorie counts!!

So, this year, let’s talk about the goodness of Diwali sweets and how you can eat them.

There are some main ingredients that go into making several Diwali sweets, which excluding the sugar and maida, are healthy like nuts, saffron, besan, milk and desi ghee.

Did I say ghee? Ghee has been used in every household in India for ages, in Vedic rituals and Ayurvedic preparations. Not the kind one buys off the shelf from supermarkets, but yes, fresh ghee made from cow’s milk, unadulterated, without additives and made at home. Ghee has both saturated fat and cholesterol, but also antioxidants. Therefore, in limited amounts it is healthy. As with all saturated fats, ghee should be kept to less than 10% of the total fat intake. This means about 6gm of ghee in a day for someone on 2000 kcal diet. Due to its intense flavour, a small amount is enough to get the taste and feel of texture.

(more…)