Sherri's Nutritionist Answers Your Questions!

As you know, Sherri's refining her diet and hitting the gym to slim down and get a bathing suit body. To help, The View recruited nutritionist Dr. Rovenia Brock ("Dr. Ro") to give Sherri's diet a makeover. Now Dr. Ro is answering your questions! (And don't forget, Sherri will be revealing her bikini body LIVE on The View on August 6th!)

Here are a few questions submitted by viewers:

User "ijeomma" asks: Do canned vegetables make a big difference instead of using fresh vegetables?

Dr. Ro: Canned vegetables on average are considerably higher in sodium than fresh vegetables. As part of a healthy lifestyle, the goal is to keep your sodium intake to no more than 2,000 mg (milligrams)/day. When fresh produce doesn’t fit your plan because of space or budget, pound for nutritiously-delicious pound, frozen vegetables offer roughly the same nutritional contribution as the fresh variety.

User "gavinsgirlone" asks: I am deathly allergic to all dairy products and I was wondering what I can do. I know that a lot of recipes call for some type of dairy. What can I do or substitute for them?

Dr. Ro: It really depends on the types of recipes that you’re making. In short, for most, if you can use powdered milk, then a good source of plant protein as a substitute could be soy powder. On the other hand, as a calcium source for your body I recommend calcium-fortified orange juice, calcium-fortified soy products such as tofu, soy milk, and soy powder, and sardines or other canned fish such as salmon eaten with bones (which are soft and chewable). Hint: calcium is stored in the bones of animal protein sources such as dairy products and fish.

User "Lyvette417" asks: Why is it that I can weigh myself one morning and the next morning at the same exact time weigh three pounds more than the day before? What causes this and how to remedy?

Dr. Ro: Most likely the weight “gain” that you are experiencing is little more than water weight. If you have food high in salt or sodium the night or day before you weigh yourself, it could be causing your body to hold onto water weight. If you are female who may be experiencing her cycle, that too can cause water weight gain and bloating. Finally, if your are weight lifting and building more muscle -- which weighs more than fat -- weight gain here is relative. In other words, while your body could weigh more, you could actually be smaller with a higher muscle to fat ratio.

But for actual fitness and health I recommend focusing more on how loosely or tightly your clothes fit or how much effort it takes to go up and down stairs and to walk to and from those places that you must get around each day. If you can climb stairs and walk to and fro without being winded, there’s nothing to worry about.

^{Photo Credit: Carol Claffey/Retna UK -- Jenny Acheson/Retna Ltd}

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