Is Rice Healthy or Unhealthy

Everyone seems to be doubtful that whether rice is healthy or unhealthy. Few believe that it is good for people in losing weight and some complain about the sugar content in it. Rice is rich in carbohydrates and is good for instant energy. It has advantages and disadvantages along but can be made healthy with a few variations.

Rice is not fattening if you eat it in a small portion in fact it is a good source of vitamins and minerals. These days brown rice is getting popular as a healthier substitute for white rice, as promoted by a few studies around the world. The studies confirm the fact that people who consume brown rice weighed less compared to people who consumed refined grains.

The not so healthy side of rice is that it is high in glycemic index that increases the blood sugar level Read more

Fiber for Optimum Health

Fiber is an essential nutrient in your diet. Fiber is in the form of soluble fiber as well as insoluble fiber. The soluble fiber binds with the fatty acids in the stomach and the arteries. This helps to regulate blood sugar and reduces the over all cholesterol. The insoluble fiber removes toxins from your colon and balance intestine acidity.

Research has shown that people who consumed the highest amount of fiber were 22 percent less likely to develop heart and health related risks. Fiber helps in controlling diabetes and heart disease risks because it improves cholesterol levels, blood pressure, inflammation and blood sugar levels. Besides it, fiber also has the property to bind along with the toxins and remove it from the body quickly. Read on to find out how much fiber your need, and best sources of fiber for your body. Read more

Health News: Tackle stress, Weight Loss, Healthy Living

You must have heard about the immense potential of adding olive to your nutrition. Olive oil helps keep cholesterol levels in check and controls the blood sugar. It is one of the easiest to digest as it is monounsaturated. Read more for how Olive can do wonders to your diet!

Drinking vegetable juice boosts weight loss says a research. This study suggests that Read more

Are you Indian? Careful about diabetes and hypertension

Research over the last several years has shown that Indian bodies and genetics are different from their western counterparts. Not in a good way- Indians suffer from abdominal obesity compared to people in the west, whose bodies are uniformly obese. As a result of this, Indians are at a higher risk of diabetes and hypertension.

There are currently 41 million diabetic people in India and this number is expected to rise by 170 per cent in the next 20 years. Even today, India has the largest population of diabetics in the world. By 2050, India is projected to be diabetes capital of the world. Today, one in every three Indians has high blood pressure, which is expected to shoot by 60 per cent in the next 20 years.

Not much can be done about the genetic risk of Indians, but a lot can be done to take measures about reducing your risk. First, get yourself tested for blood sugar and hypertension. Then, watch your diet and exercise. The Indian diet is very high on carbohydrates. Watch the type of carbohydrates that you put into your body- some carbohydrates promote fat storage. You don’t have to cut out fat from your diet. Just eat the healthy fat. Here are snacks that are delicious and healthy- Almonds keep you fit, Yoghurt reduces fat, Apple fights cancer, Guavas build immunity- read for their health benefits.

Need to lose weight. Call Fitho or email us at fitness@fitho.in. We provide effective diet and workout plans that are customized to your needs.

If you have not exercised in a while, then this is your chance to start- start with a walk, and graduate to a jog. There are innumerable benefits of running. Read these tips to start running. The classic pushup exercise, builds muscle and burns fat. This exercise is for great legs. Find out if its better to run on treadmills or outside.

You’re never to old to get in shape! If you need to lose weight, get on a healthy weight loss plan, with a balanced diet and an effective exercise routine. We even provide a personal manager to help you stay on track, and answer any questions. If you need more motivation, try our personal trainer program. On any of these programs, besides losing weight, you will be fitter, look better and be healthier. Isn’t that the point of weight loss?!

Avoid High Calorie Coffee shop Drinks

Coffee shops and cafes are first choice for places to hang out at. As you’re hanging out, you often order a large delicious coffee drink with 5 word names, out of which none make any sense. But it doesn’t matter, since it tastes great!

Have you ever wondered what goes into the drink, to make it so delicious! Most fancy coffee drinks come loaded with calories because they’re made with lots of cream, caramel, sugar syrup, ice cream, cookie crumbles, chocolate bits and all sorts of high calorie goodies. All those ingredients are loaded with sugar, which make you fat. Same goes for all the pastries, cookies, etc.

How sugar causes havoc inside you- Read our previous article for this. So, sugar promotes fat storage, makes you sleepy and is related to suppressing the immune system.

So, how do you go to a coffee shop and not damage your waistline? Pick a coffee drink with some low fat milk, or if you want the caffiene kick, go for an expresso, cafe latte (with low fat milk) or a capuccino. Ask the cafe for some honey, to replace the sugar.

Running burns calories while you rest

Wonder if you should start running? The New Scientist magazine reported that a Yale University study showed that endurance athletes, such as long-distance runners, burn up extra calories even when at rest- while your reading a book, watching TV, sleep or just hanging with friends.

Mitochondria is the part of a cell which convert sugar and fat into ATP molecules, which transport energy within cells. The study showed that the mitochondria in the cells of men who run (treadmills or outside) for four or more hours each week, use 54% more fuel than the mitrochondria of non-runners.

When the mitrochondria uses sugar and fat, this helps to clear out cellular fats that may contribute to insulin resistance. This research suggests that, even when at rest, running plays an important role in helping to protect against type 2 diabetes, as well as helping to burn fat.

4 hours a week is not that much. Break it into 6 days- that’s 40 minutes a day, with rest on one day of the week So, get those running shoes out and start running. We’ve got all the tips to start running.

White Bread- your weight loss enemy

The title says it all- white bread is not on your side in the war against fat, health, diabetes. If anything it promote fat storage, and diabetic tendencies. Read on to find out.

White bread is made from refined wheat flour (maida) which gives it a high content of simple carbohydrates. Then, it contains added sugar to improve flavour, further increasing the simple carbohydrate content. To top it, many people add a layer of sugar laden jam to their white bread- completely loading their snack with simple carbohydrates. These simple carbohydrates (carbs with high GI- read more here) promote fat storage in the body. There are also theories that also link consumption of excess sugar to suppression of the immune system.

So, you should really watch your white bread consumption. People with high blood sugar (diabetes) or those trying to get in shape, you should completely avoid white bread. Due to the high glycemic index of white bread, the glucose level in your blood spikes, that leads to fat storage and an increase in the production of insulin to compensate.

Wheat bread is a great alternative to white bread- it provides you with long lasting energy from the complex carbohydrates, more soluble fiber which helps to cleanse your arteries of the plaque choking them and does not promote fat storage in the body. So, give wheat bread a shot!

Corn Flakes Calories, Nutrition- Are they healthy or fattening?

Traditionally, when people think of breakfast cereal, they think of corn flakes and milk. Yes, breakfast is good for you. But what is odd, is the association of corn flakes with healthy food. Many people eat corn flakes to lose weight or reduce harmful belly fat.

The base ingredient is corn, but along with that the other major ingredient are sugar, malt flavouring, and high fructose corn syrup. All these ingredients have a high content of high GI carbohydrates. In fact, there is a huge controversy linked to the excessive use of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) in food- it has been linked to obesity, since it promotes excessive food consumption and insulin resistance in the body. As Indians, we already have the ‘belly gene’, and are prone to diabetes. Consumption of high GI carbohydrates only increases that risk.

Besides the health effects of HFCS, corn flakes has a high content of high GI carbohydrates, which promote fat storage in your body. Besides the fat storage, high GI carbohydrates increase your blood sugar drastically. This high blood sugar level promotes fat storage in the body. This is the ‘sugar rush’ or ‘energy rush’ that you experience after eating sweets. Your brain’s job in the body is to balance all processes. So to counteract this increased blood sugar level, your body over produces Insulin. (Insulin is a hormone which regulated blood sugar levels. For more, know more about Insulin). With extra insulin in your system, your blood sugar level reduces drastically. Your brain assumes this low blood sugar is a signal of less energy, and you experience that laziness post a carbohydrate heavy meal (rice, white bread, etc). Your brain also signals you to eat, since it misinterprets these low sugar levels for lack of energy in the body.

Calories and Nutrition in Corn Flakes: Each cup of corn flakes (approx 25 grams) contains, 21.7 gms of carbohydrates and only 1.7 grams of protein and low fiber content if any. Due to its low protein content, it will not keep you full for long. Each cup of corn flakes has approx 95 calories.

Some breakfast cereal ads might show that corn flakes help you lose weight, but they only expect to eat limited corn flakes for your meals. The irony of corn flakes is that its low in fat, but the high sugar content promotes fat storage!

If you really enjoy corn flakes, then have it with some low fat milk, and add a dose of vitamins, fiber and antioxidants with fruits like berries, apples or bananas. It’ll make a delicious and healthy breakfast and great post workout snack. If you’re diabetic, watch your diet- we have the complete list of foods that diabetics should avoid.

To really lose weight, get on a proper weight loss plan. Or see any of our customized fitness plans, like personal training, diabetes management, hypothyroid, pregnancy weight loss, and more..

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