Nutrition Questions and Answers
Vital Health Zone is proud to announce Anastacia Sampson, who is our resident naturopathic expert and who is available to answer questions about nutrition and health.
Anastacia Sampson has a private practice and is available for consultation in a number of ways.
Anastacia Sampson will answer your nutrition-related questions.
Q: As a trial, I am eliminating dairy products from my diet to assess the impact on my skin (acne) and stomach bloating.
As a substitute, I enjoy soy milk however am aware that this prevents the absorption of zinc (also vital to skin health).
Another alternative is rice milk (however this contains a very high amount of kilojoules which I would rather avoid).My third option is almond milk, however this product is very expensive!
Is there anything you can recommend for me as an alternative to dairy milk?
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A: Thank you for your email.
You could try potato milk. There are a great deal of advancements in food technology and thus other alternative milk varieties may be on the market. Try and enquire at your local heath shop what is easily available for use.
Indeed soya milk reduces the absorption of zinc due to its content of phytates. These are also known as phytic acid and they bind to various minerals and create an insoluble substance. All whole foods generally contain phytates. They are there to prevent mineral excess absorption. Yet in our lifestyles we need to prevent mineral deficiency, which seems to be rife. The degree of inhibiting zinc is relative to the amount of phytates, level of zinc intake and times perhaps of zinc supplementation. In your case do try and take at least 20 - 30mg of zinc daily.
It is worth trying your experiment and all foods have advantages and disadvantages. It is a matter of balance. Rice milk may be of calorie concern but it is a light protein and even has beneficial phyto-oestrogens.
Try the potato milk or alternate between the non-dairy milk formulas and it rests on experimentation. The extra calories from rice milk may encourage you to take up some moderate physical exercise periodically and that will boost overall immunity and well-being.
Do email should you have any other enquiries any time.
Please note that the information provided is for educational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose or treat medical conditions. Consult with your medical physician regarding appropriateness of using supplements in your healing process.
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