FOR almost two years, our Health Wise columnist, Lee McCusker has been bringing much-needed nutritional advice to our readers.
To mark 100 editions of our publications featuring his column, Lee sat down with this reporter earlier this week to discuss how he began writing the column and how he hopes his advice has helped people across the city change how they view their relationship with food and hopefully live a fuller, healthier life.
As a registered nutritionist, Lee works out of his practice in West Belfast where he assists people in their journey to achieve a balanced and healthy diet. He is also in the process of developing a course which bridges the gap between college and university for those wanting to follow in his footsteps.
“I began writing the column at the beginning of the pandemic. Firstly, it was only supposed to be for four weeks and here we are 100 weeks later,” he said.
“At first I spent hours writing the column but now it comes naturally to me. A lot of work went into understanding the demographics and making my advice really practical for people within our communities.
“That involved using language that they would understand, using supermarkets that are local to them and making my advice as practical as possible.”
Lee said that he has found that, when it comes to nutrition, the pandemic has been a mixed bag for people.
Who would have thought it;a centenary over the last 2 years. Something which started off as just a 4 week edition has turned into a weekly column and moulded me into a nutrition writer. From getting nominated for awards to mythbusting all the facts that go round about nutrition⭐️ pic.twitter.com/44hGHFFCIF
— Lee McCusker Food Nutritionist (@CuskerLee) April 7, 2022
“A lot of people that I have been speaking too have been consuming too much alcohol because they have been stuck in the house. They were under a lot of stress with the likes of home schooling, then you had other people who had more time to cook and became more healthy.”
As businesses have reopened and people have begun to venture out to enjoy themselves again, Lee advises that they stick to the ‘eat well plate’ to maintain their nutrition.
“In terms of eating out, that food falls under high fat, sugar and salt. The guidelines advise that we keep that to a minimum. Yes, you can have your fast food and stuff but that should never make up the majority of calories in your diet. It is okay once or twice a week.
“One of the recurring themes that I see is too much calories coming from foods that fall under high fat, sugar and salt. That is your takeaways, your sugary food such a chocolate and sweets and ultra-processed, high fat foods such as ready meals.
“The majority of people that I see through the practice are consuming these foods.”
When it comes to calorie counting and weight loss clubs, Lee is concerned about how it makes people view their relationship with food.
“People should be looking at things based on nutritional value of f
ood. If you just focus on calories and food labels, it doesn’t represent the full picture. For example, if it says 100 calories on an item of food, your body will only digest 70 of them.
“People should be aiming for three or four portions of starches a day, be that bread, rice, pasta. You should be aiming for a minimum of five portions of fruit and veg a day, two or three portions of dairy a day from cheese, milk or yoghurt.
“A probiotic milk drink is good too daily for our immune systems.
“We should be keeping red meat to a minimum with no more than 70g per day and we should keep our saturated fat to a minimum with no more than 30g for a male and 20g for a female.
“If you are following a vegan diet you have dairy alternatives which are all fortified with vitamins B2, B12, calcium and iodine of which dairy is the best source.
“It is also important to stay hydrated with 1.6-2.0 litres of water per day for females and males.”
When it comes to supplements, Lee recommends that we should take a vitamin D3 supplement on cloudy days.
“It is advisable for every adult on the island of Ireland to take a vitamin D3 supplement containing 10 micrograms between September and April.
“We are coming into April now and if you are getting some mid-afternoon sunshine then you won’t need the supplement.”
Lee also advised people who don’t eat fish to take an Omega 3 DHA and EPA supplement. To find out more about Lee’s nutritionist practice, visit his social media pages or email leemccuskerfoodnutritionist@gmail.com.
