Ruth Murillo

In some cases yes! It depends of the factors affecting your blood pressure. Poor diet, stress, caffeine and smoking are factors that can increase blood pressure. Through lifestyle changes you can correct these. Age, race, and genetics are also factors that affect blood pressure, but you can't do anything about those. I would focus on a heart healthy diet (low in saturated fat and salt) along with moderate exercise. Work closely with your doctor to manage any medications. Some individuals can manage blood pressure through lifestyle changes alone whereas others require some medical intervention (medication).

I'm so glad that you are working to address your disordered eating. You are right that the only thing that will really make you feel better is getting enough nutrients and calories from your food. Until then I would recommend a general women's once a day vitamin. It is usually helpful to choose nutrient dense foods such as nuts/seeds, yogurt, peanut butter, and avocados when you do eat so that the foods you are taking in are loaded with as much nutrients as possible.

Gaining weight can be just as hard as it is for many people to lose weight. Although there are some appetite stimulant medications out there they may or may not help you put weight on. I recommend you drink nutrition shakes such as Boost or Ensure Plus along with small frequent meals of high calorie/high protein foods. Things like peanut butter, avocado, meat, and full fat dairy are all great options to put on weight. Ultimately to weight more you need to eat more. Get in lots of liquid calories and bring snacks with you everywhere you go. Some people have to set a reminder to eat every few hours during the day.

With Celiac Disease you will need to follow a strict Gluten Free diet. Be sure to check nutrition labels and look for products that are specifically gluten free. There are Apps that can help you determine if a food contains gluten as well. You will have to get good at reading nutrition labels and get good at looking for sneaky sources of gluten.

As long as you wash your fruit well then all fruit is safe during pregnancy. Since constipation is often an issue in early pregnancy (due to hormonal changes) it would be a good idea to include high fiber fruits such as pears and dried fruit.

No. Thankfully the human body is very resilient and one single incidence of high cholesterol intake will not affect your health over all. In general it is better to have a wide variety of foods at your meals rather than a concentrated amount of just one. This helps to avoid over-doing it with any one nutrient in the future. For example: rather than just eating 6 whole eggs you might choose to eat 2 eggs with 2 slices of whole wheat toast and a Greek yogurt.

I recommend a basic prenatal vitamin and a well balanced diet.

Absolutely! Getting a stent means that you had significant enough build up in your arteries to cause a problem. If one of them required intervention with a stent that the others are at risk as well. A heart healthy diet is recommended for the rest of your life! I recommend the Mediterranean diet or any diet that contains lots of whole foods (fruits/vegetables/whole grains) and less processed foods.

Absolutely, meal patterns vary depending on an individuals nutrition needs and personal schedule. Some people prefer smaller more frequent meals and others prefer fewer larger meals. As long as you are getting everything your body needs in a day then there is no wrong way to do it.

Elevated creatinine levels are an indication of impaired kidney function. Creatinine is a normal waste product of muscle breakdown but it should be filtered out of your blood by your kidneys. If levels are high then your kidneys may not be working as well as they should. The best thing for kidney health is to increase water intake and cut down on salt.

Electrolytes primarily means sodium, potassium, magnesium. There are lots of electrolyte supplements that are low or no calories such as Gatorade or Powerade Zero, or liquid IV supplements. Some individuals make their own electrolyte drink by combining salt, lemon juice and coconut water (you can find recipes online). I hope this helps.

Yes, as long as you follow the appropriate serving size and don't double up on vitamins with any other supplements (like a multivitamin for example) then the Athletic Greens product is fine. It is a combination of various vitamins, minerals, and probiotics. Nothing harmful there!

Yes, there are many ways you can improve your heart health with diet and exercise. Although arteries likely wont "unclog" you can avoid further plaque build up and decrease blood pressure by following a Mediterranean diet and exercising regularly.

IBS can be very individualized but in general you will want to avoid foods that are spicy, greasy, or super high in fiber. Some people with IBS also need to avoid diary (or lactose).

The Mediterranean diet has been proven time and time again as being one of the most heart healthy options due to its focus on whole grains, lots of fruits/veggies, and heart healthy fish.

Yes, adequate protein intake is important during pregnancy...but you need lots of other nutrients too. I would just make sure that your "protein rich" eating habits aren't limiting your from getting enough plant foods as well (fruits, veggies, and whole grains). Also, be sure to take a prenatal vitamin!

Yes, a Ketogenic (Keto) diet is definitely safe for most people BUT that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be effective or a good fit for you personally. Many people do lose weight on Keto Diets especially in the begining but as time goes on weight loss starts to plateau and many people find the diet unsustainable long term. Short term changes are only even going to give you short term results. It can be difficult to achive true ketosis and then once you have it can be hard to maintain for an extended length of time.

Also keep in mind that anytime you are eliminating entire food groups (grains and fruit in this instance) there are going to be some serious drawbacks. You could be missing out on essential vitamins and fiber as well as the overall balance and satisfaction that comes from eating a wider variety of food. Most people don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables as it is so any diet that further restricts those categories gets a big red flag in my book.

I recommend that you follow an eating pattern that works best with your lifestyle and preferences and that can be followed long term without missing out on anything essential. Chances are when you really think about it Keto isn’t it.

Ruth T Murillo RD, LD