How Healthy are Packaged Soups

Positioning of food products as healthy has become as fashionable as people joining a gym. Unfortunately most of these so called health products are not as healthy as the natural counter parts of these. For example packaged soups do not carry half as many health benefits of natural soup simply because nutrition cannot be stored for such a long time. Besides all the preservatives used to improve the shelf life of these perishable goods destroy the antioxidant qualities of the vegetables. The ingredients used are also of not the best quality, leaving the major content of the soup to be actually starch, sugar and sodium.

The vegetable content of any packaged soup is almost negligible besides containing depleted nutrients. Here are the three critical components of a pre-packaged soup that might be causing harm to your family’s health.

• Corn flour- the packaged soups have a very high amount of corn flour for a thick consistency. Some major health hazard of corn flour is that it raises the blood sugar content. It leads to the Yo-Yo effect which is harmful for one’s health. It further leads to fat deposition in the body, which makes one more hungrier and further leads to over eating. Corn flour leaves an adverse effect on the intestine.

• Salt- packaged soups contains very high amount of salt. This is extremely not recommended for people suffering from blood pressure or even those who have borderline blood pressure as high salt will increase their levels. Excess of salt causes is linked with osteoporosis, asthma, kidney diseases and stomach cancer sometimes; it also causes water retention and edema.

• Preservatives- in packaged soups amount of preservatives is also very high. Coal Tar Azo Dyes, sulfites, etc are some kinds of preservatives which are present in soups. Such kind of preservatives can also cause cancer and other health hazards.

Moreover all the nutrients in a packaged soup are in powdered form (dehydrated) and when these nutrients come in contact with heat, they lose all the essential vitamins. Besides these soups only contain empty calories that gets stored in your body and don’t get absorbed immediately as they are void of any nutrition. Most people tend to gravitate towards these products because of fantastic marketing, convenience and affordability of these products. Don’t be short-sighted and only think for now and not the larger picture of good health. The money that you think you are saving on buying these cheap products is actually adding to your medical bills later in life. Read more

How Unhealthy is Gluten

There is a lot of talk about gluten these days. Some people say it’s good for you, some people say its bad for you. So, we decide to decode this gluten madness for you, so can you really know if gluten really is that bad for you?

Gluten is a type of protein found in wheat, rye and barley. Gluten is responsible for providing elasticity to the wheat, rye and barley flour which is also now very popularly being used in a larger number of processed food products. It is also used as a stabilizer in some popular products like ice-cream and ketchup.

Why has gluten suddenly become so infamous that people are writing and talking against it. Not only that the whole “Grain” category is getting a bad name. Let us explain to you how and why it all started. We consume food which is then broken down, through a series of complex process, in our digestive system. If there is anything that disrupts the smooth functioning of this process it results in deficiencies and other health disorders. Read more

How Pasta Can Be Healthy

There have been health myths whether pasta is healthy for the diet or not. It could be healthy with the right ingredients and cooking it to the right temperature and softness. Pasta can be made into a complete nutritious meal.

Here are tips on how to cook healthy pasta.

Ingredients:

Go for whole wheat pasta: When you pick your raw pasta opt for whole wheat grain pasta or multi grain pasta which will keep the calorie intake low and provide the body with fiber and absorb the excess water from the body.

Cooking Style:

Do you cook the pasta ‘Al Dente’ ?Pasta when cooked Al dente has a lower glycemic index when overcooked. Pasta when cooked al dente is soft but not too soft and holds the shape and feels just perfect to the mouth while chewing it. Basically, what that mean is that pasta should not be cooked till it is completely soft. When it is ‘al dente’ Read more

Ideal Body Weight

Commonly ideal body weight is calculated  with a formula that takes into consideration your height in accordance to your weight ? But is it the ideal body weight to refer to? Not really, as ideal weight does not only depend on height but on many other factors like the fat percentage in the body, muscles and bone ratio and age and gender. Height can give you an approximate idea but not definite ideal weight. We have repeatedly told you that no two people of the same height and weight can have the same ideal weight. Age and body types are some of the few elements that differentiate two individuals.

Click here to know your Ideal Body Weight

Click Here to calculate Body Fat Percentage

Here is a table for ideal body weight range, for both men and women. You can use it as a height-weight calculator as well.

Men			Women
Height	Weight		Height	Weight
4’5	28-35 Kg		4’5	28-35 Kg
4’6	30-39 Kg		4’6	30-37 Kg
4’7	33-40 Kg		4’7	32-40 Kg
4’8	35-44 Kg		4’8	35-42 Kg
4’9	38-46 Kg		4’9	36-45 Kg
4’10	40-50 Kg		4’10	39-47 Kg
4’11	43-53 Kg		4’11	40-50 Kg
5’1	45-55 Kg		5’1	43-52 Kg
5’2	48-59 Kg		5’2	45-55 Kg
5’3	50-61 Kg		5’3	47-57 Kg
5’4	53-65 Kg		5’4	49-60 Kg
5’5	55-68 Kg		5’5	51-62 Kg
5’6	58-70 Kg		5’6	53-65 Kg
5’7	60-74 Kg		5’7	55-67 Kg
5’8	63-76 Kg		5’8	57-70 Kg
5’9	65-80 Kg		5’9	59-72 Kg
5’10	67-83 Kg		5’10	61-75 Kg
5’11	70-85 Kg		5’11	63-77  Kg
6’1	72-89 Kg		6’1	65-80 Kg

According to a study women tend consider ideal weight for their height and age lesser than what is medically recommended forcing them to resort to yo-yo diets to achieve their target.While men tend you lean towards the higher range working on building more muscle through supplements or a high protein diet. Read more

Food With Fat For Health Benefits

Fat has an important role to play in the smooth functioning of body just like how protein is important for muscle building, carbohydrates for energy and vitamins and minerals for other nutrition. The minimum requirement of essential fat for men is 2-5% and women is 10-12%, anything below which physical and psychological health would be effected. When one consumes fat more than the daily requirement it then it gets stored in the belly, thighs and all over the body. Fat helps in healthy cell function and keeps the skin healthy and stores energy in the body and provides 9 calories per 1 gm of fat.

Essential fat is required for brain functioning, bone marrows, central nervous system muscles and healthy functioning of the body

It provides cushion to internal organs of the chest and abdomen.  These essential fats are often confused with the bad fats that increase the LDL bad Cholesterol. Essential fats actually increase the HDL good cholesterol levels improving heart health and improves the flow of blood in the arteries.

Here is a list of Fatty foods for good health

 

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Can Exercise Make You Fat

Some researchers are of a belief that exercise makes you fat. And if we continue to be moderately physically active it is enough to maintain the weight. According to them sweating it out in the gym only makes you fat and does not really help in any weight loss.

We partially agree to this theory about moderate physical exercise is enough to keep you fit. Like most things there is a condition that too applies to moderate physical activity, which is  if you are also watching what you eat. Even if you are exercising and at the same time eating more than you are actually burning you are bound to not lose any weight. Keeping this logic in mind we further explain how exercising is really making you fat.

We see a lot of people compulsively exercising at the gym over a period of time without losing any weight. Well there could be two reasons for it. First either you are following a wrong routine which is similar to ‘eating empty calories’ or you are still eating more than you are burning. Like doing a twist with a long rod on the shoulder or walking on a high incline while holding the rod in front. Infact  talking on the phone while walking on the treadmill, elliptical, slow cycling is as useless as sitting on a chair. There is a study that states that while you exercise you need to focus at the activity at hand for best results.  Have you ever seen a sports or a fit person be on a phone while exercising ?

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Lose Weight and Stop Snoring

Snoring is a result of blockage or obstruction of breathing. It is not as big a problem as it may seem but can be irritating at times when you want to sleep and the person next to you is snoring. Snoring is a sign telling us that there is a problem in breathing while one sleeps and take action in curbing the problem before it becomes big and chronic.

Some people have a problem that they can not breathe during sleep due to snoring. This is called Apnea. Body takes immense pressure on the body, unable to take in oxygen properly. Hypertension, hyperactivity and heart problems are more common in people who snore. People who snore probably don’t get good quality sleep due to breaks during sleep because of
breathing. For people with greater difficulty in snoring can cause problems to the brain due to lack of oxygen going to it.

Sleep researchers in Israel examined more than 2,000 sleep apnea patients, for example, they found that 54 percent were positional, meaning they snored only when asleep on their backs and the rest were non positional.

Other studies shows weight plays a major role. According to the National Sleep Foundation, in people who are overweight, slimming down is generally the best way to cure sleep apnea and end snoring for good. People who were overweight saw rduction in snoring when they lost weight.

Due to increasing obesity rates snoring is picking up with kids too which is not a healthy sign. If you snore at night then try sleeping on your side and not your back, it may help. If that is not of any help to you then reduce your weight maybe you get away with the problem and sleep tight.

With the help of some breathing exercises and reducing alcohol and smoking snoring can be curbed. Sleeping on the side can help in reduction of snoring. Most importantly a healthy diet and some exercise plays a great role in maintaining a balance in the body.

Why Do Some People Never Get Fat?

You surely know a few people around you who are extremely thin and eat much more than you do but never get fat. They eat all kinds of foods and never add an inch to their waistline. Well just to make you feel better its because there are certain enzymes in our bodies which regulate the body metabolism. When these enzymes are not present in the body it keeps a man thin says a study.

The enzyme MGAT2 is found in the intestines and determines the fate of our food by regulating how it is metabolized: It either makes fat go straight to your waistline, or converts it into energy. Scientists in California have discovered that when mice are missing the gene for MGAT2, they can eat whatever they want and never have to worry about getting fat.

Another common misconception amongst people is that thin people have Read more

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