chatwithketch

Just had a baby and wondering how to lose all of that baby weight? Well, read my story 😀

I remember those years before I had my first baby! I see some of those pictures and I gaze in awe. Those must have been the days when my mum would jokingly say I made skirts out of half a yard of fabric! I had my first baby and once she was six weeks old, I was back on the beat doing my exercises to get back to my BC (before child) status. My Yoruba aunt-in-law could not understand this and my utter lack of disregard for the plates of amala et al she attempted to serve up for my eating pleasure. I was determined to get back to my BC status and the earlier that happened, the better. This worked pretty well in this instance and before long, I was exactly how I wanted to be.

Then came along baby number 2…and suddenly, it wasn’t so easy to get back to my pre-pregnancy state. I managed it at the end of the day though…but it was with tightly gritted teeth, loads of sweat and oodles of perseverance. I realized at this time that my days of eating like a horse and burning it all off were gone. Oh, I used to be able to wolf down calories that even the fast food joints would shudder at, and not show a bit of spare flesh. What happened to that fantastic metabolic rate? It up and died on me because, it now appeared that even when I smelt food, I added weight ! 😀 Honestly…I could almost swear!

Then came baby number 3 and my metabolism finally gave up. Every food I ate was duly converted to calories and stored in embarrassing areas of my body like my lower belly and my hips. I’m one of those lucky ones whose arms and wrists don’t really ‘swell’ up whenever they add weight…but consider that I was unlucky in every other way as I added weight in every other place 😀 Again, I worked at it, even harder this time and I was motivated by the fact that I’d been bought a couple of clothes to wear post pregnancy, and so they provided sufficient motivation to get with the crunches and sit-ups. And finally, the clothes fit!

In between, I tried some magic berry pills that were supposed to speed up your metabolism so fast it made your head spin! Mark you, I’m a doctor so I wasn’t looking for anything that had any side effects that could affect my health. Nope, I wanted to do it naturally, but hey, if a pill helps, why not?! Yes? Well, I can tell you for a fact that my head spun, not from how fast my metabolism was converting fat to muscle but by how I could have ever considered there was an easier way…than sweating and grunting through it!

Did it get better afterwards? Nope, it became a constant battle to get the weight off and make it stay that way. I have this friend who wolves down everything in sight and yet, nothing happens. But not me! I finally made my peace with this new me…Ketch AC (After Children :D) a couple of years ago and realized that this is my new reality…I add weight when I smell food 😀 So I can either stay down and whine about it or get up and do something about it.

Want to know what I did? Get details from the book, Just For The Health Of It. You can get a copy via the shop now link on our facebook page. Or you can get it through:

1) Jumia.com. Just click on this link http://www.jumia.com.ng/jumia-books-just-for-the-health-of-it-with-dr-ketch-179486.html and get a copy. You have the option of paying when the book is delivered to you or paying online. This service is available all over Nigeria.

2) Another option for those in Lagos is Laterna Bookshop on 13, Oko-Awo Close, Off Adetokunbo Ademola Street,. Victoria Island.

3) If you’re outside the country, please visit Amazon through this link http://www.amazon.com/Just-Health-Ketch-Pregnancy-Parenting/dp/9789398026/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426246647&sr=1-1&keywords=just+for+the+health+of+it+with+dr+ketch+olalere+nkechi

Have a great day, people 😀

Ever heard of the baby bottle tooth decay?

The baby bottle tooth decay is a condition that occurs when babies’ teeth are exposed to prolonged contact with sugary liquids or substances. In children, this would occur by allowing children to go to sleep while feeding at the breast on a bottle or giving them pacifiers that have been coated with honey or other sugary substances. During sleep, saliva production reduces; thus these sugary substances which lead to the production of acids stay on the teeth for prolonged periods leading to erosion of the enamel and subsequent tooth decay.

How can you prevent this?

• Mothers are advised to practice exclusive breastfeeding but if for any reason bottles have to be used for any period, this should be carefully monitored. Ensure that baby never falls asleep with a bottle containing milk (be it expressed breast milk or formula), fruit juice (fresh or packaged) or any other sweetened fluids. This also goes for children who are breast fed. Please don’t let them fall asleep on the breast. This ensures that the baby’s teeth is not in contact with sugary fluids for prolonged periods of time. This prevents tooth decay.

• Clean baby’s mouth and gums at least once a day, gently massaging the gingivial tissues and gum. This can be done using a piece of moistened cotton gauze wrapped around a finger. This helps to clean baby’s mouth, establish the development of healthy teeth and also aid teething.

• As soon as the first tooth erupts, plaque removal should commence. Ensure that babies’ teeth are brushed at least twice a day. Before the child can spit out, please use a non-fluoride containing tooth paste. We don’t want the child swallowing fluoride and coming down with some ailments. However, as soon as the child can spit, please introduce fluorinated toothpaste.

• Wean the baby from the bottle as soon as possible and use a cup for liquids. During the weaning period, dilute the bottle feeds as much as possible to the point where only water is taken with the bottle.

• If your baby uses a pacifier, please use for only short periods of time and be sure not to coat with honey or any other sugary substance to ensure that his teeth is not in prolonged contact with substances that will lead to tooth decay.

I trust y’all are having a great weekend!

As a follow up to the post of yesterday, I’ll make some comments and I’ll take on some on the questions raised.

Full cream milk is advised for children from 1 year when they can start taking regular milk till 2 years. The fat in the full cream milk is needed for proper brain development.  After the child turns 2 years,  please switch to skimmed milk or 1 or 2% milk if you can get that. Thus, from age 2, people should be getting skimmed milk at the recommended portions we noted yesterday.

Should people with gastritis get full cream milk? Well, skimmed milk is better. Full cream milk stimulates more acid production in the stomach, making a bad matter worse.

What if one cannot tolerate milk? I suppose you’re referring to lactose intolerance. This can very well happen and in some people, e means that they cannot enjoy dairy products at all. In  some others,  taking milk ay still be possible. For details of lactose intolerance,  please click on this https://chatwithdrketch.com/2015/02/17/daily-health-tips-lactose-intolerance/

It’s been a great day and an awesome week for me. I was at an even where we discussed iron deficiency anaemia. Do you know what this means? Do you know rich sourcesof iron and people who are most at risk of this anaemia? Food for thought! I’ll take this subject on next week.

How was your week?

Q: Thank you Dr Ketch for the wellness information you share.  It’s really helpful. Please what’s the right portion of milk to take per day?

A: Thanks for writing in. Milk is full of protein, calcium and other nutrients needed for proper development. It’s needed, not just by our children as a lot of people tend to think, but also by adults who need to build up a good stock of calcium to ensure they don’t end up with brittle bones (osteoporosis).

Here’s how much milk everyone needs from birth till old age:

Breast milk is the best milk and should be the only food for your baby until he is 6 months old, given at 2-3 hours’ interval.

From 6 months to 1 year, continue breastfeeding and then add other meals like cereals etc.

Continue breast milk till 2 years. However, if this is not feasible, cow milk can only be introduced from the age of 1 year…not a moment earlier.

From 1 year to 2 years, the child should get at least 2 cups of full cream milk. The fat is particularly important to ensure proper brain development

From 2 years to 8 years, your child should get at least 2 1/2 – 3 cups of milk or other dairy products daily

From 9 years till adulthood, you should get at least 3 – 4 cups of milk or dairy daily.

Adults who don’t take this much milk should ensure they get supplements. Speak to your doctor for this.

Have a great night, y’all 🙂

Q: Good morning Dr, please the tip of my breasts have been hurting. Please note that I made love with my husband during the unsafe period. What is wrong with me?

A: I’ve received a couple of questions on nipple pain. There are many different causes of nipple pain and they include:
• Given the fact that sexual intercourse happened just before the complaint of nipple pain, it may very well be that this led to the pain. Vigorous rubbing of the nipples can lead to pain. This would usually heal without incident and applying a moisturizer will help the process.
• Friction: In this case, not wearing a bra or wearing a poorly fitted bra during exercise routines may lead to rubbing of the nipples against the fabric and consequent soreness/pain. Wearing a proper
• Sensitivity to the weather (hot or cold), certain fabrics, detergents or even creams/lotions may lead to nipple pain. If this is caused by specific detergents or creams, you may have to change them.
• Hormonal changes as can occur close to a woman’s menstrual period. This pain will usually disappear after a few days.
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding can also lead to this condition. In pregnancy, the pregnancy hormones lead to the nipples being extra sensitive and during breastfeeding, the baby may not latch on well to the nipple, there could be blocked ducts or mastitis or breast abscess etc leading to pain. During pregnancy, be sure to choose bras made with fabric that can ‘breath’ like cotton. And during breastfeeding, be sure to get help with making sure you know how to lput baby to the breast to prevent sore nipples etc.
• Cancer (Paget’s disease of the breast) can also be a cause of nipple pain.

So, where in doubt…especially if you have tried to rule out the causes above, please see your doctor.

I hope y’all had a great day.

Have a good night.

If you’re trying to lose weight, maintain your weight or even just saty healthy, eating right is key.

Plant proteins, except soya beans, do not have all essential amino acids. They are called complementary vegetable proteins. Complementary proteins are proteins that lack one or more essential amino acids (building blocks of proteins) required to keep the body functioning properly. This includes most proteins of plant origin except soya beans. When these are paired together, they produce complete proteins.

Here are complementary protein groups with examples:
• Seeds – pumpkin (Egusi) seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds
• Grains – oats, wheat, rice (brown/local), barley, corn (bread, pasta like whole wheat macaroni/spaghetti, dumplings, biscuits)
• Nuts – walnuts (Asala, Awusa), cashews, almonds, pistachios
• Legumes – soy products, beans, peas, peanuts

To be able to plan your meals properly, get the most benefits from your food sources and help you in meal planning, especially if you want to lose weight, you need to combine these proteins right.

How to combine them? Get details from the book, Just For The Health Of It. You can get a copy via the shop now link on our facebook page. Or you can get it through:

1) Jumia.com. Just click on this link http://www.jumia.com.ng/jumia-books-just-for-the-health-of-it-with-dr-ketch-179486.html and get a copy. You have the option of paying when the book is delivered to you or paying online. This service is available all over Nigeria.

2) Another option for those in Lagos is Laterna Bookshop on 13, Oko-Awo Close, Off Adetokunbo Ademola Street,. Victoria Island.

3) If you’re outside the country, please visit Amazon through this link http://www.amazon.com/Just-Health-Ketch-Pregnancy-Parenting/dp/9789398026/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426246647&sr=1-1&keywords=just+for+the+health+of+it+with+dr+ketch+olalere+nkechi

Have a great day, people 😀

This week on the season finale of the Dr Ketch Show, we take on the delicate subject of cancer. What causes cancer? Is there a way of preventing it? Who’s more at risk of having cancer?

We get into your kitchen to find out if there’s any help there. Foods to help fight cancer? We’ll see.

Finally, I had a chat with a cancer survivor who shares with us her story. Don’t miss this.

It’s on tomorrow by 7pm on Africa Magic Showcase. The episode will be repeated by 11.30am on Monday.

You can always visit our youtube channel to watch other epsiodes of our show: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClZDy59jnB2D4YGmHb7FDCQ

I hope you’re having a restful weekend? 🙂

Did you know that research shows that one out of every five people do not wash their hands after using the toilet. Then, 40% of people wash their hands for less than 10 seconds…and yet, you need at least 20 seconds to get your hands all sueaky clean! Finally, men are twice as likely not to wash their hands with soap or hand wash! Oh dear, just think about all the people we shake hands with, trusting and hoping that their hands are clean!

Well, if you’re one of those who do not wash your hands after using the bathroom/toilet, let’s encourage you to start washing today.

Click on this link for our tips:

For tips on how to wash your hands well, take a look at this:

Have a great day, people 😀