In  On 31 July 2018

  WHAT DOES DETOX DIET PROMISE? They're popular, but they have not proved to do what they say they'll do: flush toxins out of your system. In fact, they may be risky and even backfire.   STILL THINKING ABOUT DETOX DIET? YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS FIRST. What You Can Eat and What You Can't That depends on the particular detox diet you're following. There are many of them. Some involve fasting, or just drinking liquids. Others allow some foods, like fruits and vegetables. They typically are short diets -- they're not a way of eating you can stick within the long run. Level of effort required to do a detox diet: High You'll be hungry and may feel weak. Whether or not a detox diet is safe depends on the plan and how long you stay on it. Most people don’t feel good on low-calorie, nutrient-poor diets. Potential side effects include low energy, low blood sugar, muscle aches, fatigue, feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and nausea. SO WHAT IS DETOX !!! Doing a detox means removing harmful or potentially damaging substances from our bodies, our environment(polluted air, cigarette smoke, alcohol etc) and our diet(pesticides, food colors, drugs(no vitamins), high-temperature cooking, processed food, bacteria etc). The body has natural methods of detoxification. The liver is the principal organ of detoxification, assisted by the kidneys and intestines. Toxins can be excreted from the body by the kidneys, bowels, skin, and lungs. This detox mechanism happens 24X7, so as such there is no need to go for a particular “detox diet”. If this appeals, you might try "clean" eating that focuses on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean protein -- basically, whole foods without a lot of processing. That's good for you and more likely to give you results that last, especially if you make exercise a habit. Following are some of the nutrients which help in the detoxification process on daily basis eg: Flavonoids e.g: Green tea, onion, strawberry etc. Quercetin e.g:Apple,onion ,Sulforaphane(cruciferous veggies like cabbage,cauliflower,broccoli etc) Vit B complex,Selenium(brown rice,brazil nuts etc),copper,zinc,calcium,magnesium etc Hence detoxification is not in our control, it is the process which occurs daily in our body. So fasting & following any juice diet, fruit diet or any other fad diet will never help to detox. They can just reduce the load to some extent. Perhaps, It needs to manage with making necessary dietary changes, exercising, reducing exposure to toxin on a ?day to day basis. So do you think you need a detox diet? The choice is yours.  

In  On 02 July 2018

In today's scenario, learning how to read food labels on packed food or processed can help you make healthier choices. Because every person nowadays wants to find out one or other easy way to get his work done, the same thing is applied to his food habits as well. He goes for more easily available processed, fast food, or junk food in order to satisfy his hunger. While doing this he forgets about his health & put himself at risk for disorder & disease like obesity, diabetes, hypertension etc. Hence, in order to avoid this, it's very important to understand few basic things while buying, eating any kind of processed food. It’s a need of an hour to unprocess your processed life. So you may ask what process food is. The term processed food includes any food that has been purposely changed in some way prior to consumption e.g. Maggi, biscuits, bread, cakes, pastries etc. Following are few key points one should check on processed foods. CHECK YOUR INGREDIENT LIST FIRST: Product ingredients are listed by quantity, from highest to lowest amount.A good rule of thumb is to scan the first 3 ingredients because they are the largest portion. If these first 3 ingredients include refined grains, any kind of sugar or trans-fat oils, you can make sure that product is unhealthy for you. Hence, try to opt for food items that have whole foods listed as the first 3 ingredients& another rule is if the ingredients list is longer than 2 to 3 lines then consider that the product is highly processed.   CHECK FOR MSG (Monosodium glutamate or Ajinomoto): This is generally added in most of the instant noodles, Chinese foods or other packed food. It acts as taste enhancer when it is consumed in high quantity may cause a health risk. It should be avoided in pregnancy as it may cause neural tube defect in babies SODIUM CHECK: USDA guidelines recommend consuming using less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day but most of the processed foods like canned soups, pickles, instant noodles, frozen foods are generally high in salt as are most restaurant dishes.    MOST MISLEADING LABELING CLAIMS : Following are the most common claims. Low-calorie: These products have to contain 1/3 fewer calories than the original product original. Low-carb: low-carb diets do help with improved health. But on the contrary, processed foods that are labeled low-carb are usually just processed junk foods, just like processed low-fat junk foods. Multigrain: It sounds to be healthy, but generally it just means that there is more than one type of grain in the product. They are mostly refined grains, until & unless the product is marked as whole grain. No added sugar: Few products are naturally high in sugar. So it doesn’t really mean healthy they just don’t have added sugar & unhealthy sugar substitutes may also have been added. Natural: This does not mean that the product resembles anything natural. It just means that at some point the manufacturer has added a natural source (eg.apple, strawberry etc) to work with. Made with whole grain: It probably says that there is very less whole grain in the product. It’s important to check first three ingredients; if not in first three then it’s in very negligible amount. Fortified or enriched: It means that some nutrients have been added to the product. For example, Vit E added in oil or Vit D to milk. Fruit-flavored: Most of the products refer as natural fruit flavor, but in reality, there will be no fruit, it just refer as natural fruit flavor,  there will be no fruit, it just has chemicals designed to taste like fruit. Zero trans-fat: It means "less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving." So if serving sizes are misleadingly small, the product can actually contain a lot of Tran’s fat. SUGAR WITH DIFFERENT NAMES: Sugar appears by different names in ingredient lists, many of which we may not recognize. These include cane sugar, invert sugar, corn sweetener, dextran, molasses, malt syrup, and maltose and evaporated cane juice. So choose wisely before buying.   Hence it’s very obvious that the best way to avoid being getting fooled or mislead by food labels is to restrict or avoid processed food whenever & wherever it is possible & choose wisely while buying them as, all food products which you shop are not unhealthy. However, it’s always better to go for natural & whole foods on daily basis for good health.

In  On 21 June 2018

                                                                   WEIGHT LOSS MYTHS There is a lot of doing's & don’ts when it comes to weight loss. But most of it is unproven. Here are few weight loss myths one needs to know before beginning his/her weight loss journey. SUPPLEMENTS CAN HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT The supplement industry is massive. There are many different supplements out there that claim to have dramatic effects, but they are not really very effective. The main reason they can work for some people is the placebo effect. People fall for the business gimmicks and want the supplements to help them lose weight, so they become more conscious of what they eat. However, there are a few supplements that can have a modest effect on weight loss. CARBS MAKE YOU FAT If we see in the Indian population, our staple diet predominantly contains carbs but it doesn’t mean that all carbs are responsible for making you fat. Low-carb diets can help with weight loss. That is a scientific fact The obesity epidemic started around 1980 but humans have been eating carbs for a very long time. The truth is, refined carbs (like refined carbs like maida,poha, and sugar) are definitely linked to weight gain, but whole foods like oats, ragi, whole wheat, brown rice,hand-pounded rice that are high in carbs are very healthy. They will release happy hormone’s & keep you full for a long time. So next time don’t avoid your carbs. FAT MAKES YOU FAT  Fat act as insulation & protect our body’s vital organs. Body fat is stored fat. So, eating more fat should make us store more of it. It is logical. There is nothing fattening about fat, except that it is often found in calorie-dense junk foods. As long as calories are in range, fat does not make you fat. Additionally, diets that are high in fat (but low in carbs) have been shown too because of weight loss in numerous studies. Eating a lot of fat along with a high-carb, high-calorie, junk food-based diet will definitely make you fat. But it's not just because of the fat. OBESITY IS ABOUT WILLPOWER, NOT BIOLOGY As we know Obesity is a “MOTHER OF ALL DISEASE” & very complex disorder. Hence there are many genetic, biological and environmental factors that can have a major effect on body weight. It is not always about willpower to weight loss. PEOPLE WITH OBESITY ARE UNHEALTHY, THIN PEOPLE ARE HEALTHY Yes, obesity is associated with an increased risk of other several lifestyle disorders. This includes type 2 diabetes, heart disease, increased risk of some cancers, gout etc. However, there are still plenty of people with obesity who are metabolically healthy, and plenty of thin people who have these same chronic diseases .what matter here is where the fat builds up. If you have a lot of fat in the abdominal area, around the organs, then this type of fat is visceral fat & strongly associated with a metabolic disease like diabetes, CVD, etc. The fat that builds up under the skin, the subcutaneous fat, is more of a cosmetic problem.  

In  On 19 December 2017

TO ACHIEVE A OPTIMUM HEALTH ONE SHOULD TRY TO FOLLOW SOME DISCIPLINE WITH HIS EATING & LIVING HABBITS. FIRSTLY NEVER EVER START YOUR DAY WITH TEA OR COFFEE ,BETTER THAN THAT GO FOR SOMETHING IN VERY NATURAL FORM ie FRUITS,NUTS LIKE SOAKED ALMONDS,WALNUTS,PEANUTS.THIS  WILL HELP YOU TO STAY ACTIVATE THROUGH OUT THE DAY HELPS TO  REGULATE YOUR BLOOD SUGAR LEVEL AFTER LONG HOUR OF FASTING IN THE NIGHT. SECONDLY EAT MORE WHEN YOU ARE MORE ACTIVE &LESS WHEN YOU ARE LESS ACTIVE,THAT MEANS  HAVE A HEAVY BREAKFAST IN THE MORNING ,IN THE AFTERNOON GO FOR MODERATE LUNCH,IN THE NIGHT GO FOR VERY LIGHT DINNER JUST LIKE BEGGAR. THIRD STEP FOR HEALTHY YOU IS EAT FOR EVERY TWO HOURS ,ie HAVE 3 LARGE MEALS  & 3 SMALL OR MINI MEALS..DONT GO FOR UNHEALTHY SNACKING LIKE CHIPS,BISCUITS,COOKIES,CAKES ,INSTEAD HAVE SOMETHING LIKE FRUITS,NUTS,EGGS,SPROUTS ETC.EATING FOR EVERY TWO HOUR THIS WILL HELP TO BOOST THE METABOLISM ,KEEP AWAY FROM  WEIGHT GAIN,MAINTAIN THE BLOOD SUGAR LEVEL. FOURTH STEP IS HAVE EARLY DINNER (7 TO 8PM) & SLEEP AFTER TWO HOURS OF EATING.EATING EARLY WILL HELP TO STAY AWAY FROM WEIGHT GAIN,GIVES GOOD & SOUND SLEEP.HELPS TO RELIVE FROM ACIDITY OR DIGESTION ISSUES . FIFTH STEP ONE SHOULD TRY TO DO IS,DOING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR 60MIN MAXIMUM OR ATLEAST FOR 45MIN ON REGULAR BASIS,IF NOT POSSIBLE DAILY ,DO IT FOR 3 TO 4 DAYS A WEEK.ITS NOT ALWAYS NECESSARY TO HIT THE GYM FOR EXERCISE BUT CAN DO ANY ACTIVITY LIKE YOGA,SWIMMING,DANCING,BADMINTON,CRICKET ETC.DOING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY WILL HELP TO RELEASE HAPPY HARMONES IN YOUR BODY & HELPS TO KEEP YOU ACTIVE THROUGHT OUT THE DAY,ALSO HELPS TO BOOST METABOLISM,KEEPS YOU WEIGHT UNDER CONTROL. SO THESE ARE FEW STEPS WHICH WILL HELP IN LONG RUN TO GAIN OPTIMUM HEALTH&HELP TO STAY AWAY FROM DISEASE .ITS ALWAYS BEST TO FOLLOW SOME RULES IN LIFE TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS.,SAME APPLIES WITH YOUR HEALTH . .STAY FIT STAY HEALTHY,EAT TODAY FOR YOUR BETTER TOMMOROW.