Health Benefits of Muesli

Muesli is becoming a popular breakfast option on the breakfast table of most urban households. It is by far one of the healthiest cereal options currently available in the market. Besides the fact this is a great healthy breakfast option , it actually tastes good! Muesli is a combination of rolled oats and wheat flakes that also contains added ingredients like dry fruits, nuts and seeds in it. Some of the pre-packaged muesli available in the market might contain added sugar in form of dried fruits and other preservatives. While buying the box make sure to read the instructions and look for “ low-sugar” or “no-added sugar” option.

We have told you many times that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It contributes to 1/3 of an individual’s daily calorie & nutrition requirement. Muesli is one of the healthiest, high in nutrition that contains relatively low calories and easy to prepare breakfast option available. It is far superior to the regular cornflakes in terms of health benefits.

Most common mistake people make when they are trying to lose weight is that they skip breakfast, without realizing it is the most important meal of the day. Skipping breakfast over a period of time slows down your metabolism. Let us explain the logic: by missing breakfast you have automatically reduced the calories from your diet. After sometime your body gets use to the limited calories and in return slows the metabolism. So anytime you add it back to your routine it gets added to your system as extra calories (especially since the body is not use to it), making you believe that eating breakfast makes you fat.  Read more

Health Assessment Tool

General health statistics are dwindling all over the world. The rate of health disorders caused by bad lifestyle is increasing. Diabetes and heart health are the leading causes of deaths around the world. India is on the brink of being called the World Diabetes Capital. People dont have to lose their lives due to them as both these conditions are preventable and reversible provided you adopt a healthy lifestyle.

What is a healthy lifestyle? It is a combination of healthy diet and exercise. There has been an increase in awareness amongst people at large when it comes to adopting a healthier lifestyle.  Result of which can be seen around us where a reasonable amount of people are either eating well or leading an active life.  The biggest catch in this is that if some people are exercising but might not paying attention to their diet and vice a versa. Infact some recent studies have shown that some people put on weight when they start exercising. Mostly its because people assume that now that they are exercising they can eat as much as they want to. In some cases it might have worked but would not sustain good health in the long run. Combination of eating right and exercise is the only valid & successful approach to being healthy.

They say its never too late. Fortunately most of the lifestyle health disorders are reversible if you start watching what you eat and taking some time out for exercise. Eating healthy does not mean reducing your calorie intake. It means being more conscious of the quality of food you are taking in instead of the quantity. Most of us consider ourselves intelligent to differentiate between unhealthy and healthy food habits. Some healthy habits are obvious but there are some habits that are unhealthy but not so obvious to us. These unaccounted for habits might be gradually causing a lot of harm to your system and reversing everything thing else right being done to lead a healthy lifestyle.

There are a million sources that talk about “eat this and not that”. But how many look into your current dietary pattern and understand what is actually good and what is not so good for you. To help you give a brief insight into your daily dietary intake experts at Fitho have created a special health tool called the “Health Assessment Report’ that does exactly that. And it gets better as this tool is completely free of cost. Read more

Eat Vegetables to Lose Weight

According to the recently released food plate the average daily dietary allowance one requires atleast 3 portions of  seasonal vegetables to meet the daily dietary intake. Most of us find it difficult to successfully meet this dietary requirement resulting in poor health, weight gain and nutritional deficiencies. Besides eating vegetables can actually help you lose weight.

There are many excuses for missing the most natural foods in their diet, some of which are eating greens is a task and we purposely skip them, they are tasteless, while some people assure you that they have vegetables in their diet and when asked to review their meals that’s the only thing that’s missing from the diet. Before we get started with the tips let us just give you a quick reminder on why vegetables are good for us:

• The most natural  and easily available food that contains different vitamins, minerals and thousands of other plant chemicals.
• Vegetables are low in fat and calories,
• Good source of dietary fiber and provide us with extra energy. Fiber keeps us fuller for long preventing us from overeating and  frequently eating.
• Vegetables provide more energy to the body in return helping us be active and burn more calories.

Vegetables are not tasteless and infact can have better flavor & texture than most meats if prepared well. Besides we know the health benefits of seasonal vegetables. If you are not use to eating them we can suggest easy ways of slowly  introducing them to your diet them and finally develop a taste for them. Once you have them as part of your diet trust us you will wonder what kept you away from them for so long! Read more

Types of Milk and their Health Benefits

Did you know that all three types of milk (Skimmed, toned, double toned and full cream) contain approximately the same amount of vitamins and minerals:Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Vitamin D, Sodium, Potassium, Phosphorus, Selenium, Zinc. But do you know that different milk tend to vary with their production style and primarily fat content. If you are trying to lose weight then whole milk is not the right option, while low fat milk is as it gets digested slowly and is low in calories, fat and increases better absorption of nutrients.

Commercial milk is usually of two types. Pasteurized and homogenized. Pasteurized milk is heated at high temperature to kill harmful bacteria while maintaining the flavour and nutrition content of the milk. Homogenized milk is identical in fat content to pasteurized milk and other factors but it undergoes a process called homogenization, a process which breaks up the fat globules in the milk which spreads the fat evenly and prevents the formation of creamy layer forming at the top.

Milk is healthy for kids as well as adults because of its high nutritional content which provide energy for work and protein for muscle repair along with calcium and phosphorous for bone development. Some people complain of weight gain by drinking milk which is possible if you are drinking whole milk  that is high in fat content. Adding other ingredients like energy powders to the milk can increase  calorie content of the glass of milk resulting in weight gain.

Here is the nutrition break-up of four  most popular kinds of milk and their fat content

Whole Milk: Whole milk is non-altered milk which is packed with its natural nutrients without adding or removing anything from the milk. Drinking a glass of toned milk will provide approx 150 calories.

Skimmed Milk: Skimmed milk lacks the fat content or has a fat content of 0.3% to 0.1%. It contains nearly half the calories of full cream milk but contains all its nutrients like vitamins and minerals as par other forms of milk.  Consuming skimmed will provide around 80 calories per glass of milk . Read more

Does Low Calorie Diet Work?

Have you ever wondered why you have gained weight over a period of time? Many of your answers would point to not eating healthy food, not exercising or some would say it just happened. If you know the reasons that have resulted in weight gain then working on these factors could help you lose those pounds again. But does it work this way or there is more to losing weight than just eating food.

Lifestyle has a major impact on your weight loss or if you are gaining weight. You were lean before and were eating the same nutrition as now but how did you start gaining weight. Weight gain can happen due to many other factors than just by eating foods that are unhealthy. Your sleeping patterns, stress in work, late nights, changing eating patterns, hormonal change, skipping meals, alcohol, smoking, no workouts, no activity, leisure lifestyle etc. The list can go on as these are some of the factors like many others that are small but have a huge impact on weight management.

Exercise impacts weight management as it helps to improve blood flow in the body and accelerate metabolism for faster calorie burns. Most people who are really not into fitness walk for 20 minutes or jog for a while, do some hand and body movements wondering that they have done thier part. What happens after this workout? Drinking some energy drink to refill those calorie burnt and resting for the rest of the day! If you are looking to lose weight then you need to burn the stored fat to see weight loss.

It is difficult to count calories everytime as we eat regularly and can be boring at times. Knowing what are healthy foods and unhealthy food is also not enough. Unhealthy foods are fattening but healthy foods could also impact in gaining weight. Dairy is healthy but excess of it leads to weight gain. Eating food more than the body requirement will store the extra calories and over a period of time this will count as a pound and then many more. Read more

Should You Eat Junk Food?

Junk food is  not healthy and we know it. Eating junk food can almost be compared to the warning sign on cigarette packets. All smokers know its bad for health but yet they smoke. Junk food only provides empty calories to the body without any nutrition. But prolonged consumption of  junk foods can even cause irreversible damage like diabetes, high cholesterol, heart diseases etc.

Some of the universal favorite junk foods are potato fries, salted chips and snacks, candy, sugar, high sweet content food, sweet desserts, fried food products, fast food fried foods and products like sweetened sodas. A lot of food companies are marketing foods like sweetened cereals, packaged soups, biscuits as health products. But if you read the ingredient content you would notice the high sodium, sugar and corn syrup content of these products. This does not mean they are lying . These so called healthy foods might contain some nutrition than others but are still not completely healthy. The similarity between partially healthy and completely unhealthy foods is that they are high in calories that only leads to storage of fat.

Junk food products that are salted are loaded with sodium that increases cholesterol in the body affecting heart health, results in water retention and slowers metabolism.It also causes high blood pressure and hypertension. On the other hand sweets lead to excessive calorie intake which leads to increased blood sugar levels causing type 2 diabetes in the long run. It causes storage of fat and increases visceral fat than reduces the insulin effect. Yet if you reverse your nutrition from empty calories to healthy foods then you would experience weight loss and better health.

Below are some unhealthy food options  that can be easily replaced with somewhat healthy options:

Cheese Burger with Coke: This is all season snack for us and is so satisfying and filling is what we feel. This is a monster diet when we look at the calories it provides. The combo provides approx 380 from the cheese burger and 210 from an 500ml bottle. The cheese and, high sodium in the burger and sweet in the drink is not so healthy choice.  Instead choose from vegetarian wraps that are made of healthier grain as a good substitute for white bread.

Cholle Bhature: Famous indian food which is combination of chick peas and fortified flour which in high in oil and sodium. Its taste makes you eat more of it which spikes the calorie intake to 170 calories from chick peas and 275 calories from two pieces of Bhature which is deep fried. Why not instead eat sprouts or boiled chick peas with salt, pepper and lemon with a slice of garlic bread.

Potato Wedges with Salsa Dip: The touch of the salsa dip on widgets is mouth watering but is high caloric. Its small size and shallow dips with each bite increase the caloric intake. 380 calories from the wedges and 80 calories from the salsa dip. Drinking some sweetened beverage could further increase the caloric intake as it is high sodium which makes you feel thirsty making you eat and drink more. Instead look for finger foods that have green vegetables in them for better nutrition. Eating grilled vegetables can be tasty too if you are open to giving them a chance.

Hot Chocolate Fudge: Sweet desserts that promise happy moments are certainly not healthy with their calorie intake. One hot chocolate fudge adds 350 calories to your diet. What about eating some dates insted for the sweet tooth? You could drink a cup of cappucino instead. Dark chocolate is healthy and could make a healthier choice. ‘

Cheese Pizza Slice: Dont be confused that sharing a pizza and eating two slices would not be unhealthy. Cheese and the pizza provide nearly 450 calories eating two slices. Some sweets or sodas increase the intake again. Choose veggie or chicken pizza with out cheese. Opt for thin crust, whole wheat pizza without any fillings in between.

Is Corn Healthy or Unhealthy ?

Corn has always been in news as the enemy of the dieters. Is it really as unhealthy as they speak of it to be? Let us understand what makes corn healthy or unhealthy and what is the best form to consume it in.

Corn can be eaten boiled, steamed or grilled and is highly nutritious in its natural form. It provides instant energy for the body as it is high in carbohydrates and its high amount of fiber provides a healthy digestive system. It is low in fat and it also tastes goods to eat it regularly alone or in combination of fruits, vegetables, cereals etc. It has anti-oxidation properties along with flavnoids, carotenes which helps it fight diseases and free radicals. Corn is rich in phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, zinc, copper, iron and selenium. Corn is a good source of vitamins B1, B5, C, and E, as well as phosphorus.

Though eating corn in its natural form is healthier than eating it in some of its other processed products like corn syrup, fructose which are alternate substitute for sugar.

Another popular way of eating corn is as breakfast cereal made by combining milled corn with sugar.  The major ingredients include milled corn, sugar, iron, high fructose corn syrup and vitamins (A, B, C, D, and E). Cornflakes are high in glycemic index which quickly converts the sugar into energy which increases the blood sugar levels in the body and therefore not a healthy breakfast option, especially for those that need to control/manage their blood sugar.

Corn syrup is made from corn which is sweeter than sugar and is digested in our body in  an unhealthy manner and is fattening in the body when consumed. This corn syrup is cheap in cost and sweeter so it is used in various commercial products like chewing gums, toffees, cadies, baked products, indian sweets, cheap tomato ketchup, sweetened soda’s and beverages and drinks. It is highly substitued for sugar and is often used in baked products to maintain the moisture and keeps products fresher for longer periods.

Consuming corn in its natural form is healthy but high fructose corn syrup used products don’t provide the same health benefits as corn kernals as its constitution and nutrition value changes. Read nutritional value to know the form of corn used as it can hamper your weight loss and have not so healthy benefits on the body.

Low Calorie Breakfast Options

Make your breakfast options healthier and satisfying. Start eating breakfast which offer low calories and helps you lose weight. Eating breakfast will keep you active and full helping you avoid munching in between. If you skip breakfast you could be slowing your metabolism which would affect your weight loss process.

You could make breakfast options simpler and easily available to not skip it and eat healthy and stay fit. Here are some breakfast options that would keep you active and keep you full to avoid mid-meal munching.

Curd and a fruit: If you are the one who doesn’t like eating breakfast and are always in a hurry to run to the office then this the easiest breakfast option. You don’t have to prepare anything or cook it either. Just carry it or even buy it on your way. A good combinationof carbohydrate and protein providing approximately 250 calories. Curd (Yogurt)provides satiety which helps to keep hunger away till its time for next meal.

Brown Bread and Egg: Eggs are possibly the most versatile as well as being the most nutritious breakfast protein. They can be poached, scrambled, fried, soft-boiled, hard-boiled or made into an omelette. Egg is low in calories and saturated fat yet is full of vitamins A, B,D, E and minerals such as calcium, iron, potassium, selenium and magnesium. Brown bread is rich in nutrients providing a feeling of fullness, thereby reducing the risk of overeating. Egg with 2 slices of bread provides approx 220 calories.

Sprouts with buttermilk : Sprouted seeds, legumes and grains are acheap and easy way of increasing your intake of vitamins and minerals. Germinating seeds and grains increase their nutritional value. The vitamin C content of wheat increases sixty percent during sprouting. Sprouts are filled with antioxidants, they are full of protein, chlorophyll, vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Buttermilk is lower in fat than regular milk, because the fat has been removed to make butter. It is also high in potassium, vitamin B12, calcium, and riboflavin as well as a good source of phosphorus. Approx calories 270 calories.

Oats in low fat milk: Oats, like other cereal grains, are valued primarily as a source of carbohydrates which provide calories for energy needs. It contain soluble fibre beta glucan which help to control your sugar and cholesterol levels. Oats have a higher concentration of well-balanced protein than other cereals. It alsohelps in keeping bowel movements regular. Approx calories 240 calories.

Nuts and Fruit: Nuts are a Super source of Non-animal, digestible protein Breakfast options does not have to be the one which has to pass through the oven. Eat some nuts and a fruit at breakfast with a glass of milk. When eaten first in the morning, nuts help start proper digestion for the rest of your day. A fist of nut along with a fruit provide approx 200 calories.

 

Whatever you prepare for yourself, choose a healthy option to keep you full and meet the nutrition requirement.

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