Australia's Sunday Telegraph.
"A cup of parsley contains more beta carotene (Vitmanin A) than a large carrot, has nearly twice the Vitamin C of an orange, and contains more calcium than a cup of milk. It also has more iron than liver, . . . a good source of vitamions B1 and B2."

It can help with certain liver, spleen, stomach, and unrinary complaints. Caution is to be taken for some conditions such as pregnancy!

AW

Victoria

and not to mention roughage!!!!!!!!!

quote:

Originally posted by RONT:
[qb]and not to mention roughage!!!!!!!!![/qb]

Important too.
Victoria

I've had a real rough time with the diet thing. A few years ago since these panic attacks started, I became extrememly sensitive to many foods. Meat proteins made me very ill and triggered panic attacks. I've been a vegetarian ever since. Not to mention food allergies. Only problem, I've lost 65 lbs. and still loosing. Food makes my stomach upset and when I exercise it triggers major attacks. The food is wonderful, lots of energy, exercise=lots of energy, but seems to turn into panic episodes and muscle spasms. When I don't exercise, I feel great, then I try again, and the attacks are horrible. Medical tests confirm no dietary deficiencys! Am very stuck and skinny. I was happy to go from 185 to 130, but it's still coming off. Now I'm trying not to worry about being so skinny. My friends are even worried, I'm 5'8 1/2" and a size 2. HELP!

Greetings Angelheart,
I'm so sorry having read your reply. Perhaps the problem stems not from a problem with food but with something that has happened to you that results in this. From what you wrote it does not sound like your having anerexia because you see yourself as skinney and not fat. Therefore, something may have happened to you, in growing up, something you read or have seen that has caused you subconsious to not accept food seeing it as a threat. If their is no medical reason to determine why you get sick and panicy from eating and exercise than a suggestion although I'm not qualified to give this:

Introduce foods at very small portions including healthy drinks, carrot, barley, soy protein (if not alergic) and other. Small finely cut up food portions throughout the day.

Take very short walks dailey. Walk from one end of your street to the other or just a couple houses either way for the first week and add a couple weekly. Do things so slow and so gradual that before you know it you will be fine.
When you clean your house think about your movements and give it a little extra stretch. Take the steps rather than an elevator. Park a distance and walk a little bit further when shopping and so forth.

Think back when this first started happening and you may see the cause. Perhaps you had a trauma in your life (PTSD), unrelated to food, that started your eating disorder. If you can identify that you may be on the right road of reprograming your emotions.

A couple of times I was eating a meal and was told some very distressing news at the time. I suddenly put down the fork and just couldn't take another bite. Although I don't have your problem - I mentally am not comfortable going to the restaurants where this happened again because of the reminder.

The following is really about common eating disorders. Nevertheless, the following partial quotes might still be helpful in some way although I am not diagnosing nor recommending. Neither are is the Awake magazine from which I quote:

"Depression has devastating effects on teens. Indeed, experts believe that it plays a significant role in adolescent eating disorders, psychosomatic illnesses, difficulties at school, and instances of substance abuse."

"Of course, experts have put forth a confusing array of treatments for eating disorders. Some recommend medication. Others endorse psychotherapy. Many say that a combination of both is most effective. Then there is family counseling, which some say is especially vital if the sufferer is still living at home.
Although experts may differ in their approach, most agree on at least one point: Eating disorders are not just about food."

Since eating disorders can thrive in a climate of low self-worth, you may need to reevaluate yourself as a person. The Bible tells us that even a single sparrow has value in God�s eyes, adding: �You are worth more than many sparrows.� (Luke 12:6,�7) So the Bible can help you to develop healthy self-respect.

Wishing you well,
Victoria

AngelHeart:
I understand what you are saying about feeling sick after eating when you are too thin. I have experienced this myself. You probably are VERY hungry.

You have to push through the sick feeling because you need to eat more calories. You should feel better once you start getting more energy. So eat regardless of whether you feel hungry and regardless of whether you feel sick. It will make you feel better in the long run.

Try eating your meals at scheduled hours and in a relaxing manner. You should gradually increase the amount of food you are eating (you will need to gradually increase your intake to 500-1000 kcal above your normal requirements for maintaining weight). Eat snacks and eat even when you are not hungry (Mahar & Escott-Stump, 2004).

Eat energy dense foods. Pick the highest kcalorie foods from each food group. Eat more fat (monounsaturate and polyunsaturated; you probably will have to go off of a low-fat diet). Drink juice and milk, do strength training excercises to build muscle, eat larger portions at each meal, and expect to feel full. It takes time to gain weight. Gaining 1 pound per month is reasonable (Whitney & Rolfes, 1996).

I also noticed that when I was run down I had more panic attacks. When I get stressed out, I loose my appetite and start to loose weight unintentionally. I then feel really sick and have more anxiety attacks, which both cause me to eat less and loose more and so the cycle goes. So you too probably need to make sure you are eating enough. What helped me was to drink Ensure and Ensure Plus. It is an easy way of consuming extra calories. It tastes awful though, so I recommend drinking it with a straw and really fast! Drinking Ensure or another brand, should help you get over the hump and feel less sick and more interested in eating. Also I ended up having to take Xanax for awhile to break the vicious cycle and Zoloft, which I am still on.

Also, you mentioned that you don't have any nutrient deficiencies. Just because you don't have any deficiencies, it doesn't mean you are providing your body with enough nutrients. Nutrient deficiencies take time to develop. So you could be eating poorly now and not yet have a deficiency. But if you continue to eat poorly you can develop a nutrient deficiency.

If you need help gaining weight, you can talk to your doctor. Your doctor can refer you to a registered dietitian who can help you gain some weight. Or you can go to http://www.eatright.org/Public/ and type in your zip code in the "Find A Nutrition Professional" in the lower left corner of the webpage, to find a registered dietitian in your area.

Here are some other tips: http://www.eatright.org/Public/NutritionInformation/92_11841.cfm .

Hope this helps!

REFERENCES

Mahar, L. Kathleen & Escott-Stump, Sylvia (2004). Krause's Food, Nutrition, & Diet Therapy. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Science.

Whitney, Eleanor Noss & Rolfes, Sharon Rady (1996). Understanding Nutrition. St. Paul, MN: West Publishing Company.

Credibility of sources: Krause's Food, Nutrition, & Diet Therapy and Understading Nutrition are nutrition textbooks used in universities accredited by the American Dietetic Association.