Health Benefits of Muesli

November 14, 2011 · Filed Under Fit in the city · Comment 

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

Are Salads Healthy?

September 14, 2011 · Filed Under Diet Tips, Fat Loss Tips, Weight Loss Tips · Comment 

Salads are popularly known as the dieter’s delight. Unfortunately a lot of salads that are often promoted as healthy might not be as healthy as they appear. Infact sometimes might even carry double the amount of calories than a bowl of pasta!  Its very easy to add calories to a dish but how do you make it equally easy to reduce them.

Salads (Cr/freedigital)

The secret to the calorie count of every salad is in the sauce.  Four signs that make salad fattening are : creamy dressing, red meat like bacon toppings, oily dressings and lastly cheese. Your next question would be how to choose a healthy salad from the menu without compromising on the flavour of it. We have a few answers explained for you right  here:

Combine fruits with vegetables for that extra flavour: Fruits contain natural sugar that adds flavour without burdening the salad with extra calories. It is also the best substitute for artificial sugar. Citrus fruits can be added to enhance the flavour and give it a tangy taste for more variety. Both fresh fruits and dried fruits add flavour, texture and nutritional benefit to the salad. This combination adds antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and minerals to your diet. Besides the reduced calories your body is getting the best of nutrition packed in one meal! Read more

Healthy Seasonal Vegetables

July 6, 2011 · Filed Under Diet Tips, Fat Loss Tips, General Fitness, Weight Loss Tips · Comment 

Vegetables offer low calories, no fat (when eaten raw) and add lots of vitamins and minerals to the diet. Through out the year we see different vegetables in the departmental store or being sold by our local vendors. We encourage consumption of seasonal vegetables for two reasons, first they are cheaper and secondly they are fresher than those not in season. Most of the vegetables available in summer have high water content as they keep the body cool and replenish the lost nutrition caused due to sweating and general heat. Vegetables are also high in fiber content which keeps us fuller with a healthy digestive system.

Vegetables (Cr/freedigital)

Vegetables are not always tasteless and boring. If prepared well they can be better tasting than most of the processed food available. Besides they build immunity and improve the metabolic functions in the body. People especially watching their weight or suffering from any therapeutic condition or even just living healthy should include portions of vegetables in their diet either as salads or stir fried. You could eat vegetables raw, cooked, individually or in a combination with other vegetables, legumes, cereals, etc. Here are some seasonal vegetables that you can eat this season for good health.

Some summer vegetables and their benefits in keeping us healthy

Lady Finger/Okra/Bhindi: This vegetable is low in calories and it adds just 30 calories per 100 grams. It contains vitamins A, C, K and B vitamins along with flavnoids. It is rich in anti-oxidation properties and helps in vision. It contains important minerals as iron, calcium, manganese and magnesium. Healthy for people on weight loss as it makes you fell full and adds lots of nutrition too.

Tori/Ridge Gourd: It is beneficial for the stomach and helps reduce blood sugar levels. 100 gms of Ridge Gourd adds just 20 calories to the body. It is rich in nutrients such as dietary fiber, vitamin c, riboflavin, thiamin, iron and magnesium. The high fiber and low fat content make it effective for weight loss.

Pumpkin: A bowl of pumpkin will add just 30 calories to your diet besides supplying  a lot of vitamins and minerals to the body. It is rich in vitamin A, C and E along with iron, magnesium, potassium, niacin and dietary fiber for better digestion. It contains carotenoids which improve the immune system. It has anti-oxidation and anti-inflammatory properties.

Bottle Gourd/Lauki/Bottle gourd adds just 12 calories per 100 grams. It is 96% water and contains vitamin c and B vitamins. Sodium, iron, potassium are presnt in the vegetable and contains high amount of dietary fiber. It is extremely effective in weight loss, reduces constipation, improves complexion and has a cooling effect on the body.

Gavarfali/ Cluster Beans: Gavarfali (cluster beans) are rich in iron, folic acid, calcium and are an excellent source of fibre. They are best eaten with lentil dals. It only contains 25 calories every 100 gms. High in dietary fiber and rich in vitamins and minerals. Also recommended for weight loss as it  improves metabolism.

Low Calorie Lunch Options

July 6, 2011 · Filed Under Diet Tips, General Fitness, weight loss tips · Comment 

Eating meals timely is important to maintain the metabolism. Untimely meals, delayed meals or even skipping meals slows down the metabolism. What happens when the metabolism gets disturbed? Simple, you start putting weight. Everyone tries to start healthy by keeping breakfast options minimal and healthy. But by the time we reach lunch all the work or a busy day takes a toll over our lunch choices. We dont realize eating unhealthy food will only make things worse both in terms of being bad to the body but also adding stress to our lives. Eating processed and junk food leads to high cholesterol, disturbed sugar levels resulting in high blood pressure, hyper-tension and Type 2 Diabetes.

Vegetable Roll (Cr/freedigital)

We suggest why develop bad habits when its as easy to develop good habits. This doesnt mean you have to punish yourself and live only on raw food and water. It means that if you start planning  in advance you can be more conscious while packing lunch at home or eating out.   Here are some healthy lunch options that you could carry it from your home or buy.

Vegetable besan cheela with low fat curd: This chick pea-flour pancake are packed with protein. It can be prepared in no time and at the same time its tasty as well as nutritious. Chick pea is said to be a good source of fiber and many other nutrients and low in fat. One best thing about this Besan Chilla is that it can be pretty much toyed around with to suit different tastes. You can change the veggies you add to it:  mushrooms, green peppers, onions, tomatoes, zucchini, carrots, or spinach. One vegetable chilla gives aroun 120-140 calories.

Paneer/Chicken wheat flour Kathi Roll: Kathi Rolls are hot crispy rotis served with a choice of fillings. Use any combination of vegetables like  paneer, mushroom, soya, corn or green peas to make these vegetarian rolls. For non veg fillings you could use chicken. These rolls are ideal for packed lunches as these are quite easy to prepare, pick and eat.The calories varies according to type of filling, But on an average 1 vegetable kathi roll provides around 195 calories. Read more

Low Calorie Breakfast Options

July 5, 2011 · Filed Under Diet Tips, Fat Loss Tips, General Fitness, Weight Loss Tips · Comment 

Bread and egg (Cr/freedigital)

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.

What is Making You Fat

June 30, 2011 · Filed Under Exercise, Fat Loss Tips, Weight Loss Tips · Comment 

We know enough about the repercussions of being fat, unfit or eating unhealthy foods which can cause metabolic disorder and cause weight gain. Though we read about healthy food options to include in our diet and presume to have fixed all the factors for weight loss but yet weight loss seems to not happen.

Burger (Cr/freedigital)

Did you fix quitting junk food that adds only calories, fats and not nutrition ? Have you started eating foods that are healthier than what you were eating earlier? You are reading the best of advices and following them too but the outcome is not satisfying. Where is it that you are going wrong and what is it that you do to make weight loss happen and not get fat. Fix the loopholes where you are going wrong and correct it to lose weight.

Its not just about eating the right amount of calories , it is about ensuring they meet the daily nutritional requirement intake for a healthy metabolic rate. Read below for factors that probably are holding you back from losing weight.

Fluids: It is lots of water that you have to drink through out the day and not energy drink, iced teas, lemon drinks, sodas and sweetened beverages. Do you know how many packets of sugar are these pre-packaged drinks are adding to your diet  even if they are being marketed as healthy. These drinks might even sabotaging your fitness routine by increasing your daily intake of required calories. Instead stick to water to rev up metabolim and keep the body hydrated.Water is zero calories and preloading with it before a meal can help you lose weight fast.

Portion Control: You feel unsatisfied when you eat small meals. Large meals make more calorie intake which is over your daily nutritional requirement and gets saved as fat. Eat in small plates, chew slowly and stop eating once you feel full.

No Fiber: Fiber helps in better digestion of food and absorbs lots of water from the body. If you have water retention then add fiber to your diet. Fiber also keeps you feel fuller for a longer time without adding any extra calories.

No Exercise: Exercise boosts weight loss. You are eating to your requirement which will help you lose weight but exerise will accelerate the calorie burn in the body and give quicker results. As more muscles are improtant higher metabolism and weight loss, regular exercise will develop muscles in the body.

Missing Meals: Some people miss meals to fasten their weight loss presuming to save calories for the day. Missing meals makes the body go in the mode of starvation where the body burns the reserves slowly. Eat you meals at time as you would miss on the nutrition for that meal. Eating the next meal after the missed meal makes you consume more calories as you are hungry, which would get saved as extra calories as skipping meals slows the body’s natural metabolic rate.

Cheat Meals: It is alright to have a cheat meal once or twice a week but if you are cheating more unhealthy meals for healthy meals then you are slimming your chances of losing fat. It disrupts the weight loss process as the body takes time to adjust to a pattern before showing results.

Best Weight Lifting Exercises

June 28, 2011 · Filed Under Exercise, Gain muscle, General Fitness · Comment 

Weight Lifting builds muscles and accelerates the metabolism of the body. More muscles inthe body will result in higher metabolic rate. You can do compound exercises, means multi-joint movement exercises that work multiple muscles at one time, either by using body weight or lifting weights that have been designed to work specific muscles in the body in order to build them.

Muscular body

Weight lifting is a technique that provides resistance to the muscle to increase their mass and strength. It is one of the more popular forms of strength training that helps building the size and strength of skeletal muscles. Skeletal muscles are the voluntary muscles in our body that are attached to the bones through bundles of fiber.There are many exercise that help develop and strengthen various skeletal muscles in the body. Below is  the list of  best weight lifting exercises for different muscle groups like biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest, back, abs, quadriceps, hamstring, calves and forearms.

Best Weight Lifting Exercises

Best Weight Lifting Biceps Exercises

Barbell Curl: This is the most basic of bicep exercise where to increase its effective increase the weight with which you do not moe than 10 reps. You can do it alternately and do it with barbells for proportionate growth.

Preacher Curl: Preacher curl works the muscle in isolation and exerts stress on the muscle for increase in mas and strength. Helps work the fore arms also.

Close Grip Chin Ups: This is a great compound exercise where it requires lifting the body weight with biceps working the core as well. Build strength and stamina in the muscle.

Best Weight Lifting Triceps Exercise

Dumbbell Tricep Extension: You can do tricep extension either on the bench lying or sitting or on a decline bench. Triceps extension helps the muscle work in isolation and build triceps big.

Dips: Keep your body upright to allow maximum tension on the triceps to build power , strength and mass. You can do dips with a bench, parallel bars or by the side of your bed.

Bench Press: On of the most effective tricep exercise where you can increase tension by add extra weight. You can do bench press with dumbbells or barbells. It works the triceps and the chest also.

Best Weight Lifting Shoulders Exercise


Upright Rows: This exercise builds muscle mass and stregth and brings power to the shoulders. You can do upright rows with barbells or dumbbells.

Overhead Press: You could do overhead press with dumbbells or barbells. Overhead press is a highly effective shoulder exercise. Maintaining the right positions will build immense strength and muscle.

Lateral Raises : Lateral raises can be done with dumbbells and you could do two types of the raises. Front lateral raise for front deltoids and side lateral raise for side deltoids.

Best Weight Lifting Chest Exercise


Bench Press: It is a effective exercise for building upper body especially the chest and triceps as they exert maximum tension on them. There are many variations you can do with bench press like with dumbbells or barbells on decline, incline or flat bench. Increase weight for muscle mass.

Butterfly Machine: Butterfly machine pumps up the chest and builds big chest muscles. Cable cross over and dumbbell fly are also highly effective exercise.

Incline dumbbell Fly: Mind the posture while doing this exercise. It is a isolation exercise for chest and works for a big bulging muscular chest.

Best Weight Lifting Back Exercise

Pull Ups: One of the best back building exercise. The exercise is difficult in the beginning but gradually build endurance and strength in the core which involves the back. You can do variations with chin ups or pull ups. Do palms facing inwards, outwards, inverted chin ups and parallel grips.

Rowing: Rowing helps build overall back muscles in mass and width. You can choose between barbells and dumbbells and increase weight to increase intensity. You can do bent over row, dumbbell row or machine row.

Dead lift: It is a complete back exercise which involves power. The deadlift works the thighs, glutes and calves along with the complete back. Builds power, mass and strength and size.

Best Weight Lifting Abs Exercise

Crunches: Highly effective exercise for the rectus abdominis (6 packs). It is a beneficial exercise for beginners and works in building muscle and strength.

Hanging Leg Raises: This exercise works the entire core and involves hanging in the air while performing the exercise. It works the lower abdomin region and can be done with bent knee raises and staight knee leg raise. It buildd strength and enduarnce in the ab region.

Twist: As you need to burn fat from the sides and build oblique muscle twist exercise is a highly effective exercise for strengthening core muscles and losing fat from the sides. Tones the back and abs.

Best Weight Lifting Quadriceps Exercise

Squats: It works the front thighs, glutes and lower back. For strong lower body and and big muscles squats is highly effective. It can be done with barbells for increase in intensity. Mind the posture while doing squats.

Lunges: Maintaining a right posture and keep back straight is important while doing lunges. Exert pressure with front thighs to push body weight up and not the back. Tones the thighs, glutes, back and hips. Use dumbbels for bigger and toned muscles.

Leg Extension: This exercise is an isolation exercise for front thighs. It pumps up the thighs and helps build muscle mass and strength. One of the best exercise to build quadriceps.

Best Weight Lifting Hamstring Exercise

Romanian Dead lifts: This deadlift works the hamstring, glutes and lower back. It build muscle mass and strength in the hamstring for muscular thighs overall.

Straight Leg Dead lifts: It takes a lot of effort to do this exercise where you are supposed to keep your legs staright and not bent. Though is a compound exercise which works the calves, glutes but very effective for hamstring.

Lying Leg Curl: It is a isolation exercise completely for hamstring. Again a great exercise to build strength and muscles in the hamstring. Do it easily and properly for maximum benefits.

Best Weight Lifting Calves Exercise

Standing Calf Raise: It invoves raising your body slowly on your toes and stretching the most while at the top. Don’t jump while doing the exercise and add weights on the shoulders to increase the intensity. You can use a barbell, smith machine, hip belt, dumbbells to do variations with calf raises.

Seated Calf Raise: Concentrate on the bottom and top part while performing the exercise. Use weight to build big muscular calves. Check the momentum of the exercise and don’t hurry through.

Best Weight Lifting Forearms Exercise

Wrist Curl: This exercise works the inner forearms while it increase the width of the wrist for building muscles. It involves curling the wrist and can be done with weight for more muscle mass and strength.

Reverse Curl: This exercise works the outer forams. Usually this muscle of the forearms get missed out reducing the size of the forearms. Use weights to increase intensity of the exercise.

 

How to Build Immunity

June 21, 2011 · Filed Under General Fitness · 1 Comment 

Are you tired of falling sick every time there is a slight change in the weather or being extremely vulnerable to other people with viruses or bacteria. Body produces antibodies that help identify and neutralize foreign bodies like bacteria and virus in the body thus providing immunity. Immune system is the body’s defence against organisms and foreign substance which have potential to cause diseases and health problems. The immune system is made up of cells, tissues and organs that fight together to protect the body.

Garlic (Cr/freedigital)

There are three types of immunity in the body known as innate, adaptive and passive. Innate is the natural immunity that we all are born with for general protection. Adaptive immunity is the active immunity which develops throughout our lives and in some cases where the infection is too dangerous to fight we can be immunized through vaccination. Lastly, passive immunity is which is borrowed from other sources like mothers milk that provides immunity to child when he is born until he develops his immunity.

Lymphocytes, which are the white cells, are the key laborers of the immune system. The primary lymphocytes are B-cells, T-cells, natural killer cells, macrophages and dendritic cells.

You could strengthen your immune system naturally through balanced diet and exercise. Good nutrition with vitamins and minerals and other important nutrients will keep the immune healthy and ready to ward off invaders. A life style that indulges in the consumption junk foods, fear, worry, and anything that promotes stress will weaken and destroy the immune system. Here are some food options for building immunity.

Garlic: It is a powerful immune booster and stimulator which increases the production of infection fighting white blood cells, boosts natural killer cells and destroys antibodies.  Allicin and sulphides present in garlic boost immune system. Garlic is an anti-oxidant which fights free radicals in the body and helps clear out toxins from the body.

Carrots: Carrots, his food of choice, contain loads of beta carotene, which is a powerful phytonutrient that boosts the immune system’s production of infection-fighting natural killer cells and T cells. It reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases  and kills free radicals which cause aging and strengthens the immune system.

Yogurt :Ingesting live bacteria might not seem like the best way to stay healthy, but, on the contrary, your body needs certain bacteria to function properly. Lactobacillus acidophilus is an example of good bacteria that your body needs, because it produces lactic acid in your gut, which helps you digest food and break down complex compounds into usable bits.

Mushroom: Mushrooms increase white blood cells in the body to fight diseases and infections. They help build the immune system. Mushrooms contain beta glucans which are one of the best immune enhancing substance. They provide rich nutrition to the body and keep foreign substances away.

Citrus Fruits (Cr/freedigital)

Citrus fruits: Vitamin C is an antioxidant which eradicates free radicals from the body and keeps the body in fighting mode from all foreign substances. Vitamin c increases the production of infection-fighting white blood cells and antibodies in the body fighting the immune system. Vitamin C has rich anti-inflammatory properties helping fight cold and bruises, wound healing cuts, swelling etc. It keeps a good body immunity fighting against the bacteria and fungi causing allergies.

Drinks lots of water to flush out toxins from the body and include vegetables, fruits which contain fiber beneficial in removing toxins from the body. Exercise to keep the body healthy and increase blood flow in the body and fight infections better.

Eat to lose weight

June 17, 2011 · Filed Under Diet Tips, Fat Loss Tips, General Fitness, Weight Loss Tips · Comment 

Weight loss and diets arn’t really about not eating and starving yourself to burn  fat. You could eat the same quantity and lose weight. Not eating is unhealthy for our body as it effects the immune system and the body’s power to fight infections and slows down the metabolic rate. Would you rather eat healthy and lose weight or not eat and get unfit.

Fresh Fruits(Cr/freedigital)

There are certain foods that are low calorie and some foods provide no calories at all. Our bodies require a certain number of calories per day and eating beyond it would store the calories. Usually when we are eating we give less importance to the calorie intake but rather eat till we feel full. So here are food options that will fill you up and keep the calorie intake balanced and low.

Fresh foods: If you want to eat choose natural food options like fruits, vegetables, cereals and pulses etc. The cheese burgers, pizzas, patties, fried foods, heavy snacks, empty calorie food provide less nutrition and are fattening. 1gm of fat provides a lot more calories than whats carbohydrates or protein provide. So changing your habits and eating healthy food will help you consume less calories,keep you full and fat especially which gets difficult to burn.

Fruits and vegetables Salads Read more

Food With Fat For Health Benefits

May 14, 2011 · Filed Under General Fitness, Health Myths, Heart Health · Comment 
Fatty Foods

Fatty Foods

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

 

Read more

Balanced Diet

May 14, 2011 · Filed Under Diet Tips, General Fitness, Health Foodie, Weight Loss Tips · 3 Comments 

Healthy Meal

We are all familiar with the concept of eating right. There is so much information about all sorts of healthy foods and their calorie value. There is enough being written about how vitamins are good for you and what are the rich sources of this nutrient. But rarely do we get to know the approximate quantity that is required by the body on a daily basis. What makes a balanced diet. To make it a little simpler for you we decided to give you an overview of what should make your daily dietary intake.

 

The key nutrients that are required for smooth functioning of the diet are proteins, fat, fiber, minerals, iron, carbohydrates, vitamins and calcium. A diet that includes all these essential nutrients, in correct portion, is known as a balanced diet. Based on the average calorie requirement for a male weighing 60kgs: 2700 or a female weighing 55 kgs:2100 here is a list of essential foods to maintain your weight :

Read more

Easy Ways to Control Post Dinner Snacking

March 18, 2011 · Filed Under General Fitness, Health Myths · Comment 

Do you eat at midnight ? A research suggests that snacking post dinner increases your weight and drags you towards being fat. Eating after dinner adds extra calories to your body at a time when it is not required. Late night munching is an acquired habit that one gets addicted to after sometime and gets into a cycle of  binging on high calorie food like ice-creams, junk food, chips, chocolates etc post dinner.

Dark Chocolates

Dark Chocolates

Night time is also the time when our bodies are resting and eating food at this time leads to piling up of the calories. For many people midnight munching is a habit Read more

Fiber for Optimum Health

March 2, 2011 · Filed Under General Fitness · Comment 

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.

Fruits & Vegetables

Fruits & Vegetables

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

Manage Menopause Weight Gain

March 1, 2011 · Filed Under Health Myths, Obesity · Comment 

Weight gain during menopause is a big concern for women. The menopausal phase triggers changes in body shape resulting on an average weight gain of about  5-10 kg. This weight is primarily  hormone related and has a direct impact on appetite, metabolism, and fat storage.  Therefore controlling weight during this time becomes extremely difficult due to fluctuating estrogen, testosterone, and androgen levels. These added kilos further aggravate depression and anxiety which in turns can bring on the hot flashes and disturbed sleep.

Fat women

Fat women

Estrogen plays a big role in menopausal weight gain especially as the estrogen levels decline with age as the body stops ovulating. Due to the decrease in estrogen levels produced by the ovaries, body searches for other sources to substitute the shortage of estrogen in the body. Meanwhile fat cells in our body have the natural capability to produce estrogen, hence the body starts restoring to these cells  to convert calories into fat to increase estrogen levels. Unfortunately fat cells don’t burn calories the way muscle cells do, which causes this unwanted Read more

Is Oatmeal healthy?

February 27, 2011 · Filed Under Health Foodie · Comment 

Oatmeal is the latest thing to recommend for a healthy breakfast. But is oatmeal really healthy? Let’s find out.

Oatmeal

Oatmeal

Oatmeal is overall healthy. It provides healthy carbohydrates. It is a good source of soluble and insoluble fiber and contains essential amino acids for optimum functioning of the body. The fiber slows down the digestion of starch and helps in regulation of blood sugar levels and keeps you away from heart risk. The fiber makes you feel full for a longer time which helps you lose weight. Further, the soluble fiber present in it helps in reducing LDL ( bad cholesterol).

It all sounds wonderful, but should you be eating oatmeal for every meal? Probably not, since Read more

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