Dear Dr. Roach: Our 19-year-old son, who is 6 feet, 2 1/2 inches tall and weighs 130 pounds, wants to know if there鈥檚 anything that can decrease his metabolism.
He has always been thin and very active, loves outdoor sports, running, hiking, surfing. He鈥檚 employed and will be graduating high school next month, but lately he is so self-conscious about his thin build that he doesn鈥檛 want to do water activities or wear short sleeves or go shirtless out in public.
He does not like most breakfast foods and therefore is not a breakfast eater. He is starting to eat pizza only because he鈥檚 embarrassed to keep pulling all the cheese off in front of his friends. He loves all fruits and vegetables, even the green ones that most teens dislike, but there鈥檚 not a lot of calories in those.
He doesn鈥檛 do drugs, drink or smoke; neither do his friends. He鈥檚 an honours student with a 4.0 grade point average. We persuaded him to at least try chocolate milk, and he鈥檚 drinking a lot of it. Can you suggest a healthy way he can gain weight, or are we good with the chocolate milk?
S.S.
If your question is about a healthy diet, I would tell him not to worry too much. He is making choices far healthier than those of most teens.
I might recommend some good protein sources (peanut butter, granola, nuts, legumes), unless he eats those already. If your question is about his appearance, I would recommend his adding weightlifting, which is the most reliable way to gain muscle mass. The weightlifting also strengthens bones, improves balance and, for many young men (and women), improves self-confidence.
As far as eating certain foods to gain weight, I wouldn鈥檛 worry about it too much, as long as there is not a medical problem, such as an eating disorder or a chronic illness. Based on what you are telling me, that sounds pretty unlikely, but I hope his doctor has done a careful history and physical exam, and has considered thyroid disease, Marfan鈥檚 syndrome, malabsorption and many others.
Most very thin young men like him stay thin and healthy, and very gradually gain weight over the years. Gaining fat isn鈥檛 healthy; gaining muscle is.
I found helpful links at the USDA website: http://1.usa.gov/1TOG5zn. A registered dietitian nutritionist is an invaluable colleague if his issue is in food and nutrition. 聽
Dear Dr. Roach: Some people say they won鈥檛 eat shrimp because shrimp are high in cholesterol. Others say shrimp are high in the good cholesterol, so it is not an issue. Which is correct?
B.P.
Shrimp are somewhat high in cholesterol, and there is only one type of dietary cholesterol. There are many types of blood cholesterol, depending on what protein the cholesterol is associated with. High levels of VLDL and LDL cholesterol (very low and low density, respectively) increase risk for arterial blockages, while high density lipoprotein cholesterol reduces risk.
The consensus of most experts now is that dietary cholesterol has little or no effect on development of heart disease. Long-term studies of people鈥檚 diets show that people who eat lots of shrimp and other shellfish tend to have a lower risk of heart disease, although that isn鈥檛 proof that eating shrimp is good for you. But the bottom line is that shrimp and other shellfish can be part of a healthy diet.
Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible. Readers may email questions to [email protected].
