Nutrition for Healthy and Strong Bones

Strong bones are an essential part of our body’s basic structure. A solid foundation spells lower risk of injury and improved health as we age. A good diet, with sufficient calcium sources and a regular physical activity may ensure healthy bone structure. Due to current fast lifestyle and poor dietary habits, cases with low bone density, osteoporosis and early age arthritis are increasing.

While an overall nutritious diet can keep bones, along with the rest of the body, healthy, some specific components of diet contribute directly to bone strength. Including specific vitamins, minerals, macronutrients and phytochemicals in the diet may lead to a lower risk of osteoporosis and other bone disorders and help keep bones protected against fractures.

Take (All) Your Vitamins

Calcium and vitamin D are well-known heavy hitters for strong bones. While it”s important to focus on these two nutrients, we often disregard other essentials that work together to keep bones strong. Don”t overlook these unsung heroes:

- Magnesium: The second most abundant mineral in your skeleton after calcium, magnesium helps to built strong bones.

- Vitamin K: This fat-soluble vitamin is essential for strong bones factor. The intestinal tract normally creates adequate vitamin K, but antibiotics and digestive diseases can impair K levels, making dietary sources of the nutrient necessary.

- Omega-3 Fatty Acids: A nutrient that”s scarce in the standard diet, studies have shown that higher levels of omega-3 fats in the blood correlate with greater bone mineral density and this greater bone density leads to strong bones.

Whether you have osteoporosis or just want to build strong bones for the future, there are several things you can do to maintain your bones.

Eat Calcium-Rich Foods

For strong bones, adults should eat at least 700 mg of calcium a day, and 1,200 mg if diagnosed with osteoporosis. You could consume 700 mg in one day by eating a cup of low fat yogurt, a cheese sandwich, a handful of almonds and a spinach salad.

Get Your Sunshine Quota

Your body needs vitamin D to help it absorb calcium. Vitamin D is found in oily fish, liver, fortified spreads and cereals, and egg yolks. Your body also makes its own vitamin D when you”re exposed to sunshine. So enough vitamin D can be obtained by spending 15 minutes in the sun i.e. between 9:00 am- no deposit online casino 10:00 pm at least two to three times a week. Generally, normal levels that are built up in the summer will be enough to last through the winter.

Go Easy on The Protein

Excessive amounts of meat, cheese and protein make body acid, which drains the body of calcium and weakens bones. Keep your diet balanced.

Your meals should contain protein (meat, fish, eggs, nuts, and seeds), fresh fruits and vegetables, and carbohydrates (bread, pasta, potatoes and rice) in order to built strong bones.

Quit Smoking

The more you smoke, the more likely you’ll get osteoporosis. Aim to cut down or, better still, quit smoking altogether.

Cut Out The Salt

Salt is thought to speed up the body’s loss of calcium. Most of us consume 9g of salt a day, but the recommended limit is 6 gm, which is just a teaspoonful. Don’t add top salt to your food, and look at food labels to help you cut down.

Avoid foods that contain 1.5 gm of salt per 100 gm (or 0.6 gm of sodium) or more. Crisps, ham, cheese, cooking sauces and processed foods such as pies, pizza and soups are all high in salt.

Be Active

Bones get stronger when you use them. The best way to strengthen them is to do exercises at least five times a week. This includes walking, running, dancing, golf, tennis or netball. It doesn”t include cycling or swimming (although swimming is good for staying flexible).

Bones also benefit if you lift and carry things. Weight training is ideal, but carrying shopping, gardening and housework all count.

Drink Sensibly

Alcohol, tea, coffee, cola and other fizzy drinks reduce the amount of calcium you absorb, and weaken bones. Stick to their recommended amounts of alcohol, and swap your caffeine-fueled drinks for water and diluted juice.

Maintain a Healthy Weight

Losing too much weight too fast under a crash diet can increase your risk of osteoporosis.

Weight loss can cut the amount of estrogen (a hormone that helps to protect your bones) in your body. If you need to lose weight, do it sensibly. Gradual and steady weight loss with a healthy planned regime by a professional health expert is what is recommended.

Other Considerations

Plant chemicals called photochemical, or phytonutrients, may also impact bone strength. Isoflavones, which are found in soy and legumes, have shown a positive effect on bone density in some studies, but others have failed to find a correlation. The Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University reports that a few small studies have also found evidence that plant compounds called lignans, found in flax-seed, may help reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

If the base of any structure is strong, it is bound to have a long steady life. Same goes with our bodies. Our skeletal system is the basic foundation, of which bones are the major constituents. Stronger skeletal system ensures that your body will go a long way. What needs to be done is to follow a regular healthy lifestyle routine!

Eat Balanced Diet For Healthy You

The amount and type of food you eat has a major influence on your health. If you eat a well-balanced diet, it can reduce your risk of various diseases as well as help you to maintain a healthy weight. There are certain times when it can be particularly important to make sure that you follow a healthy diet, for example, if you want to lose excess weight or if you’re watching what you eat because you’re pregnant. However, it’s important to eat a healthy diet throughout your life, no matter what age you are – there’s never a bad time to make some changes and improve your eating habits.

A balanced diet requires eating a variety of foods without consuming too much of any one. It also means eating certain things in moderation, namely saturated fat, Trans fat, cholesterol, refined sugar, salt and alcohol. The goal is to take in nutrients you need for health at the recommended levels. Each food is categorized into a different group based on its similarity in content to other foods within that same group.

Why is it important to eat balanced diet?

The purpose behind a balanced diet is to consume all of the necessary nutrients, vitamins and minerals which are essential for maintaining basic human physiological functions. These compounds aid in digestion and metabolism, help body tissue grow play an important role in hormones and assist the cell with its functions.

For Balanced diet one should need to eat a range of foods to get all of the nutrients and fibre your body needs. The five main food groups are:

* Starchy foods, which include bread, pasta, rice and potatoes

* Fruit and vegetables

* Milk and other dairy foods

* Meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein

* Foods high in fat or sugar

* Eat the right balance of foods from these groups to make sure your body gets all it needs to stay healthy

Getting The Balance Right!

Fruit and vegetables : Fruit and vegetables are a vital source of vitamins and minerals. It is advised that one should eat five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables a day. There’s evidence that people who eat at least five portions a day are at lower risk of heart disease, stroke and some cancers.

Eating five portions is not as hard as it might sound. Just one apple, banana, pear or similar-sized fruit is one portion. A slice of pineapple or melon is one portion. Three heaped tablespoons of vegetables is another portion.

Starchy foods: Starchy foods such as bread, cereals, potatoes, pasta, maize are an important part of a healthy diet. They are a good source of energy and the main source of a range of nutrients in our diet. Starchy foods are fuel for your body.

Starchy foods should make up around one third of everything we eat. This means we should base our meals on these foods.

Try and choose wholegrain or wholemeal varieties, such as brown rice, wholewheat pasta and brown wholemeal bread. They contain more fibre (often referred to as ‘roughage’), and usually more vitamins and minerals than white varieties.

Meat, fish, eggs and beans :These foods are all good sources of protein, which is essential for growth and repair of the body. They are also good sources of a range of vitamins and minerals.

Meat is a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals such as iron, zinc and B vitamins. It is also one of the main sources of vitamin B12. Try to eat lean cuts of meat and skinless poultry whenever possible to cut down on fat. Always cook meat thoroughly.

Fish is another important source of protein, and contains many vitamins and minerals. Oily fish is particularly rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Aim for at least two portions of fish/ chicken a week.

Eggs and pulses (including beans, nuts and seeds) are also great sources of protein. Nuts are high in fibre and a good alternative to snacks high in saturated fat, but they do still contain high levels of fat, so eat them in moderation.

Milk and dairy foods: Milk and dairy foods such as cheese and yoghurt are good sources of protein. They also contain calcium, which helps to keep your bones healthy.

To enjoy the health benefits of dairy without eating too much fat, use semi-skimmed milk, skimmed milk or 1% fat milks, lower-fat hard cheeses or cottage cheese, and lower-fat yogurt.

Fat and sugar: Fats and sugar are both sources of energy for the body, but when we eat too much of them we consume more energy than we burn, and this means that we put on weight. This can lead to obesity and also increases the various metabolic diseases in an individual.

Try to cut down on foods that are high in saturated fat and have smaller amounts of foods that are rich in unsaturated fat instead. For a healthy choice, use just a small amount of vegetable oil or reduced fat spread instead of butter, lard or ghee. When having meat, choose lean cuts and cut off any visible fat.

Failing to eat a balanced diet can be dangerous. A deficiency of any single nutrient may cause osteoporosis, muscle attenuation, irritation, skin irregularities, growth and development problems, anemia, suppressed functionality of the brain and nervous system and many other serious health concerns. A loss of zinc and protein, for instance, can cause dry, brittle and loose hair. These effects can range from subtle to serious. So in order to lead a happy and healthy life one should make a habit of following the balanced eating pattern in day to day life.

 

 

 

Pregnancy Diet

Pregnancy is the most beautiful phase in a woman’s life. It brings both emotional and physiological changes as well as it also poses extra demands on the body. In this phase the body needs extra nutrition for the developing foetus, for pregnant woman herself and also the lactation period to follow. Pregnancy Diet must be full of nutrition and healthy also.

Importance of Nutrition in The Diet in Pregnancy

These nutritional demands have to be met for a healthy child and mother because as the week progresses the organs and other system of the foetus start developing in mother’s womb and thus the energy used to create these systems (which actually comes from the energy and nutrients in the mother’s circulation, and around the lining of the womb) also starts to increase. The table below highlights the nutrients, its importance and food sources which should be included in a women’s pregnancy diet -

NUTRIENTS	IMPORTANCE	FOOD SOURCES
Protein	cell growth and blood production	lean meat, fish, poultry, egg whites, beans, tofu
Carbohydrates	daily energy production	breads, cereals, rice, fruits, vegetables
Calcium	strong bones and teeth, muscle contraction, nerve function	milk, cheese, yogurt, spinach
Iron	red blood cell production (to prevent anemia)	All green leafy vegetables e.g. spinach, methi and whole-grain cereals
Vitamin A	healthy skin, good eyesight, growing bones	carrots, dark leafy greens, sweet potatoes
Vitamin C	healthy gums, teeth, and bones; assistance with iron absorption	citrus fruit, broccoli, tomatoes, amla, guavas
Vitamin B6	red blood cell formation; effective use of protein, fat, and carbohydrates	pork, ham, whole-grain cereals, bananas
Vitamin B12	formation of red blood cells, maintaining nervous system health	meat, fish, poultry, milk  (Note: vegetarians who don’t eat dairy products need supplemental B12)
Vitamin D	healthy bones and teeth; aids absorption of calcium	fortified milk, dairy products, cereals, and breads
Folic acid	blood and protein production, effective enzyme function	green leafy vegetables, dark yellow fruits and vegetables, beans, peas, nuts
Fat	body energy stores	meat, whole-milk dairy products, nuts, peanut butter, margarine, vegetable oils  (Note: limit fat intake to 30% or less of your total daily calorie intake

Recommended Nutrients in The Diet in Pregnancy

Cold Flu – Does being cold make you sick?

With the approach of autumn, we welcome that slight chill in the air after the relentless heat of the summer. We look forward to the brilliant colors of the changing leaves and digging out our favorite sweater. Cooler temperatures and shortened days also signal the start of cold flu season and the time to prepare is now.

In winter we spend more time indoors, in rooms that may not get a lot of circulation, giving us more opportunities to be exposed to respiratory viruses. The winter air, inside and outside, also tends to be less humid, drying nasal passages and making them more vulnerable to viral invasion.

Cold flu generally immerges during winters. The chill of cold weather drives people indoors, increasing person to person contact in close quarters, which readily spreads nasty viruses. A relatively new theory is that with the decreased amount of daylight we produce less vitamin D. It is well known that vitamin D in important in building strong bones, but new research is revealing that this vitamin is instrumental in maintaining a healthy immune system as well.

Frigid temperatures also encourage people to become less active, since they are able to perform fewer activities outside, such as yard work and outdoor sports. These factors weaken the immune system, making the body more susceptible to illnesses. Poor diet and exercise also contribute to a weakened immune system. These issues are also prevalent during the winter season and results leads to cold flu and other problems.

During winters, laziness, poor nutrition and less physical activities not only make you sick but it also leads to weight gain and lower immunity. So, this winter fight off all your laziness.  Here are a few reasons that why you get more sick in winter.

Lack of physical activity: Spending all day in indoor not only makes you feel sluggish, it can leave your immune system sluggish, too. Studies show that regular, moderate exercise like a daily 30 minute walk increases the level of leukocytes, an immune system cell that fights infection. When you’re a non-exerciser, your risk of infections such as cold increase as compared to those who exercise.

Nutritional Deficiency: When your body lacks nutrition, you will have a weak immune system. Since our bodies cannot produce nutrients needed for optimal health, quality food plays a major factor in keeping our cells healthy and our immune system strong. Food not only provides energy to your body, but all the nutrients that are essential for a healthy immune system.

Lack of drinking healthy water: In winters we drink less water and drinking less water lead to dehydration. Dehydration means the cells just simply do not have enough fluid. Dehydration cause medical problems including pain, arthritis, asthma, and allergies, among other medical issues. It can affect your energy and your sleep, and the ability to get toxins/waste material out of the body.

Stress: Everyone has some stress in their lives. And short-term stress may actually boost the immune system. But chronic stress has the opposite effect. It makes you more vulnerable to illness, from colds to serious diseases. Chronic stress exposes your body to a steady cascade of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline, which suppress the immune system.

So lead a healthy lifestyle, eating balanced nutritious diet and taking part in regular activities [Indoor/outdoor], to best cold flu and enjoy a disease free winters!

 

 

 

Post Pregnancy Weight Loss Success Story

I am 34 years old and a  mother of two young daughters. All my life I have been thin. Even pregnancy didn’t add too many inches or kg to my body . But with age, average eating habits and an almost sedentary lifestyle I started putting on bad looking flab on my body. There was a paunch that hung over my jeans. I developed a double chin that made me look terrible in my pictures. Plus there was this perpetual lethargy that hung on me all the time. I knew I wasnt overweight but I didn’t feel like myself.

Gradually I started reading about diet, health, nutrition, exercise online. I came across www.fitho.in and subscribed to it. Over a period of time it became my source of information on health and fitness. With all the information on health I was definitely getting more aware about my lifestyle. But I still needed someone to help me put it in practice. I didn’t need a heavy duty diet but I did need professional guidance to get me on track, especially since I had my basic knowledge on health and nutrition in place.  After deliberating for sometime I decided to finally write to Fitho about their body toning program. Instantly I got a reply from their side and they got me started on the program. The best part of this was that I didn’t have to go anywhere and everything was given to my right in the comfort of my house.

The first step was filling an exhaustive questionnaire  about  my lifestyle, food habits, food preferences, fitness levels etc. Based on the information given by me I was delivered my diet chart and exercise chart within one working day, along with a personal health care manager (something similar to a personal relationship manager). My health manger was my mentor and my assistant who was  available for me round the clock, checking on me, monitoring my progress, giving me healthy recipes and just ensuring if I am comfortable with everything.

Joining Fitho has been the best  investment I have made in terms of my health. I lost five Kg in two months along with all that extra flab that totally melted out of my body (my main motive was to lose the flab and not the weight). I got all this without compromising on my favorite food. Plus there were no funny restrictions to eat dinner before 7:00 pm to lose weight! I could got out and lead a normal social life on this routine. Fitho understood my requirement completely and created a service that was completely personalized to my need and personal goal.

I finished the program three months ago and I have managed to keep all that flab off! Fitho helped me get a brand new lean and fit body. I almost the same size as I was before my daughters were born. Thank you Fitho for understanding and delivering what you promised to help me achieve. I would like to vote for Fitho as the most healthy, simple and easy body toning program that is completely natural and uses no fad or crash diets to help you get toned. I have  lost weight and gained health with Fitho

Best Exercises for Abdominal Fat or Love Handles

After belly, thighs and arms and butt the other common weight gain area is your waist. Over a period of time weight starts to collect on the side of your stomach which is also known as “love handles” or “tyres”. All these terms are nothing but common slang for abdominal obesity.

Eating unhealthy food and no exercise is the most common cause of love handles. These tyres were mostly seen on women in the past but now more and more men seem to develop it in their late twenties & early thirties. Indians are genetically inclined to accumulate fat around their waist which is also linked to Type 2 diabetes and heart health.

The simplest way to check for abdominal fat is to measure your waist. Run a tape measure around your waist at about the level of your navel. Breathe minimally, and make sure not to pull the tape measure so tight that it depresses the skin. The average BMI  (Body mass Index) of an Indian woman ranges from 18-24.9 , a waist circumference greater than 34-35 inches is considered high risk to lifestyle diseases.

Another way to measure abdominal fat is by calculating the waist to hip ratio. This is done through simple calculation of taking the ratio of the waist and hip. The healthy range in women is less than .7 and men is less than 1.

The best way to lose weight is to exercise and watch what you eat. Ensure that your body is getting adqeuate nutrition to improve the metabolism. Do not resort to fad diets as they might show you weight loss in the short term but in the long term you put the weight back on besides depriving your body of important nutrition resulting in multiple deficiencies in future. For healthy weight loss consult a good professional weight loss expert to help you lose weight and get fit.

Here are a list of exercises that are very effective to lose abdominal fat or love handles:

Running: Love handles are fat accumulated on your sides. So it is more about burning the fat in the body. You can lose maximum fat by running or doing any cardio exercise. Running allows you to burn maximum fat in a workout other than boosting metabolism. So do running in variations and or push your self more for quicker results. Include sprinting, bounding,
German drills, etc in your plan. Burning maximum calories starts burning fat gradually from the body. Manage your diet and eat adequately according to your daily requirement to allow fat to burn faster.

Crunches: Love Handles are part of your core and require core to be worked to exercise the area and build some muscles underneath. Crunches are highly beneficical is strengthening your core for better balance in the body and provides strength for intense workouts. Do crunches on medicine ball and see the muscle gain.

Side Crunch: Working the obliques help in reducing the love handles on the side and side crunch is very effective for oblique muscles. Lie down on right side of your body with right arm over your chest. Crunch your left armpit towards the left hip and raise your legs while crunching. Repeat and do both sides.

Elbow to Knee Crunch: You could do elbow to knee crunch either standing or while lying down.Lie down on the floor with knees bent and arms over your chest. You have to touch your right elbow with the left knee and alternatively. While doing the exercise move your torso for the exercise. This works the rectus abdominis and obliques while the standing one works the entire mid section and hip flexors.

Side Bends: Stand straight with dumbbells in your hands by your side. Alternatively bend your side and stretch the other side holding for a few seconds and then do the other side. This execise stretches the love handles and improves blood flow in the area.

Burpees: It is a aerobic exercise which is a combination of a few exercises mixed together for greater fitness. To perform the exercise stand straight in the first step. Then get down to squat position. Third put your hands on the floor and throw both your legs back stretching your back and looking up in the air. In the fourth step bring back your legs to the sqaut position and lastlt jump up to starting position. Repeat. This exercise not only stretches the core and works the entire body but the faster version of it burns many calories too.

Russian Twist: Sit on the floor with your knees bent and hold your  arms straight in front of you and lean your back a little while your torso is at 45-degree. Brace your core and rotate to the side and as far as you want. Repeat for both sides and mind the posture. This exercise also helps build the muscles on the side and works the core. To make this exercise more intense hold a weight between your hands or lift your feet in the air and perform the exercise.

Wood chop: It is again one of the finest twist exercise which can be done with a object, cabel, dumbbell, bat, base ball bat etc. As you pull the weight across your body, you rotate your hips and bend forward slightly so the weight ends up slightly below your hip. Keep your torso, chest and head in line with your hips. Do it for both sides.

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 their 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 every time 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.

If you are looking to lose weight and get fit then look out for a healthy weight management course where the plan is made according to your lifestyle. A successful plan should be able to offer you flexibility as well as a structured routine to compliment your fitness level. This is key to keeping you motivated. Your goal should be fitness and not simply weight loss because the main incentive to lose weight is to be healthy.  Going after only weight loss might deprive you of key elements like exercise and nutrition that might make you look thin on the weighing scale but not fit.

Benefits of Seasonal Fruits

Eat a fruit every time you have a growling stomach. Its the healthiest substitute for a snack as it is packed with nutrition and can actually boost your metabolism. There are variety of fruits present through out the year offering loads of nutrition packed in different flavors. Binging on fruits is specially helpful when you are trying to lose weight or are on a  weight loss diet. Seasonal fruits then become an ideal in-between meal snacks. Fruits contain phyto-chemicals and antioxidants help fight free radicals and diseases in the body.

Regular consumption of fruits promote healthy heart health reducing the chances of cardiac problems, lower blood pressure and keeps cholesterol in check. The vitamins and mineral quality of fruits can’t be replaced with supplements as it is a natural source and gets absorbed by the body easily. Summers offer a range of fruits which are full of taste, colour and nutrition. Add 1-2 fruits in your diet and experience the change.

Some Summer Seasonal Fruits

Water Melon: Eating 100 gms would add just 20 calories to your diet. Though it is sweet but the high amount of water and fiber lessen the calories present in it. It is refreshing and reduces body temperature, blood pressure, inflammation and many other health conditions. It has the highest concentration of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant which improves heart health. It contains vitamin, A,C and B and minerals like potassium, calcium and is fat free. Enjoy its juice or eat raw in salads.

Mangoes: 65 calories is what it provides for 100 gms. You could eat a small sized mango before a workout as it is high is carbohydrates but with a low glycemic index. vitamin A (beta-carotene), vitamin E, vitamin C and selenium along with phenolic compounds are present in mangoes. It is rich in minerals and has high anti-oxidation and anti-inflammatory properties. Check the portion control while eating mangoes for weight loss.

Plum: 52 calories Potassium, magnesium, calcium and phosphorous are minerals present in plum along with Vitamin A, E and c. It provides 55-60 calories per 100 gms though consume 2 fruits. It is high in fiber and boost immunity and protects against cancer. It is a healthy fruits.

Jamun/Jambul: High in vitamins and minerals like  iron, manganese, zinc, calcium, sodium and potassium. It contains antioxidants like Tannic acid, Gallic acid and oxalic acids along with alkonoids. It is beneficial for diabetics and eating 100 gms adds 60 calories approx.

Musk Melon: Eating a cup of muskmelon will add 50-55 calories with lots of fiber and carbs for energy. It is rich in vitamin A, B and C along with potassium, magnesium and sodium. Improves constipation problem. It has anti-oxidation properties and improves metabolism.

Healthy Seasonal Vegetables

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 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.

What is Making You Fat

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.

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.

Being Thin Does Not Mean Being Healthy

Increased body fat percentage and being overweight result in lifestyle disorders that cause heart disease, hypothyroid, diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure. Excessive saturated fat consumption increases the cholesterol levels in the body. Certain types of fat are bad for health and some are  equally important which are commonly referred to us essential fat without which the body will fail to absorb and process nutrition in the body. Read here to know more about this.

The distribution of fat varies between gentics and gender. Women tend to store more subcutaneous fat which is under their skin. Distribution of fat in women is generally in their hips and thighs area while men tend to store more fat in the middle area or the abdomen. Once the person enters adolescence the fat cells don’t increase in number instead they only increase or decrease in size. Its the male and female hormone that decide the fat deposit destination in the body. For example women with big bellies are considered  to have higher levels of testosterone ( male hormone) in their system that causes fat accumulation on the stomach. While if men have large hips its due to the high levels of estrogen (female hormone) in that body part.

We presume that fat people are more prone to metabolic disorder ( also known as lifestyle disorders) but a study by Ruth Loos at the Medical Research Council in the U.K. found that lean people with a specific genetic variant were equally at risk of diabetes, heart disease even though the reports confirmed lower fat percentage in the body. Read more

How to Improve Your Energy Levels

As we get older there is a change in our hormones levels that can affect the energy levels in the body. But even then low energy levels that reduce with age means that you dont have the hyper activity of a 13 year old. If you constantly feel tired and out-of-it even when you havent done much all day should make you get concerned. Maybe its a calling to make that lifestyle change before it translates into some health issues. We give you some easy to follow steps that can help clean your system internally, regulate your metabolism and spike your energy levels naturally.

Based on a simple philosophy of eat well and exercise, this is how you can do it too:

Balanced Meal: Eating a heavy meal or stuffing till the time we feel loaded gives a sleepy feeling. Ensure your meal are dominated by fresh seasonal vegetables and pulses. This will not only give the right nutrition for your body but will also detox your system simultaneously. Vitamins and minerals accelerate the basic chemical reactions in the body for various functions. Low intake of vitamin and minerals affects the immune system which slows down the body metabolism and shows decline in energy levels. Eat fruits and vegetables for vitamins and minerals and keep a faster body metabolism.

Water: Sometimes feeling thirsty can be a reason for lowered levels of energy. If you are dehydrated then you will feel fatigued and lack energy. Keeping the body hydrated will keep the metabolism high and faster digestion of food in the body. Drink plenty of water to kep energy levels high. Sometimes drinking too much coffee or tea also leads to dehydration. Avoid as much caffeine as you can. Instead switch to green tea for all its health benefits. Read more

Improve Immunity with Exercise

Research is trying to figure out if better immunity can be achieved through exercise. As there are many factors involved in immunity like age, diet exercise etc. Exercise is vital in life as it keeps one active, maintain blood sugar levels, increases absorption of nutrients and for various other purposes. Diet and exercise form a great combination to increase immunity and keep us healthier and fit.

We eat foods that boost immunity but if the metabolism of the body is slow then the absorption of vitamins and minerals important to boost immunity will slow. Exercises help increase metabolism, so improving metabolism through exercise will help improve immunity through increased absorption of essential nutrients. Improved blood flow through exercise will help the immunizing nutrients to transport faster in the diseased area helping fight the infection, germs and bacteria and flushing toxins out of the body.
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Eating Disorder

A harmless remark by an educated parent on the physical attribute of their growing teenage girls resulted in a shocking “anorexia pact” by the duo at the age of 11. Now at the age of 33 and being doctors they don’t lead a normal life. Here are some news clippings of the twins story.  Eating disorders might start at a very early , if not identified and treated can stay with you for life.

Anorexia nervosa is one of the most common eating disorder that is associated with abnormally low weight achieved by extreme dieting, fasting and followed by compulsive exercising.  Mostly young girls are afflicted from this disorder especially in the absence of early parental care and support to inculcate healthy eating habits. Eating disorders have been around forever but finally society is accepting the seriousness of this ailment  and encouraging parents, friends to come together and support the person suffering from it.  There is a higher success rate of controlling and reversing it through family and social support .

Eating disorders mostly start from home and parents play an extremely critical role in stimulating and curbing them.  Children very closely watch and imitate their parents. If the parents fuss too much about their looks and being thin the kids will imitate them. Similarly if the parents eat a lot of unhealthy food the kids would be inclined towards junk food even when they grow up. Therefore it is mostly parent’s responsibility to inculcate healthy eating habits amongst children.

Eating disorder can have serious repercussions on health like weakness, fatigue,  anaemia, heart & kidney problems, osteoporosis, infertility, disruption of sugar levels  and even death. Nature and nurture is equally responsible for this condition. Therefore it is imperative to apply a three pronged approach to dealing with it.First restore the healthy weight of an individual, second to treat the psychological factors that may have caused this situation and lastly ensure there is total support and care to prevent relapse. Read more

Eat to lose weight

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.

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

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