administrator | Slice of Health

Author Archives: administrator

Six Pack – Yes or No?

Because of the never ending supply of articles about six packs in fitness, body building and magazines as well as the washboard stomachs displayed by actors in films and advertising it would seem that everybody and anybody has a six pack these days which can leave you wondering why you don’t and what you have done wrong to suffer such injustice.

You might then read countless magazines on fitness and embark on a frenzied journey to attain this evasive gold standard of fitness. What you need to be aware of, however, is that even your favourite stars and bodybuilders do not sport the 6 pack 52 weeks of the year. Body builders spend a large part of the year consuming more calories than their bodies need so that they can build muscle tissue.

They then begin dieting as early as 3 months before a competition to ensure that their bodies are ripped to sheds on the big day. D-day muscle-show itself is usually a combination of near-starvation combined with dehydration. But (you say), what about athletes? And that skinny friend of your that seems to ALWAYS have a six pack despite what he eats? Is he lying when he/she says he works for it? No. Some people are genetically blessed with an extremely low propensity to gain fat.

They make great athletes for a reason and any muscle they build will show right up because they don’t have a lot of fat covering it anyway. So, Yes, they do work for it. But the odds are, you can work twice as much and not see the same result. Does all this mean you should just give up on the idea of six-pack abs? Not really, you should still train hard and eat right.

You should look at cutting down on visceral fat as much as you safely can and you should still work your core and look to strengthening it. What you should also do is keep your expectations realistic. If your diet is leaving you cranky and irritable and your training is exhausting you instead of energising you. You might need to dial it back a little, and accept that the best you can do without losing your sanity, is a nice no-fat/very-minimally-clothed-in fat-midsection.

The Author, Jyotsna John, is a fitness enthusiast who turned her passion for fitness into a full time career. She has travelled to UK and the US and studied a lot about fitness while she was there. She has a list of certifications, and is currently a trainer at The Unit, in Chennai.

Fitness Trackers for Fitter Lives

Fitness trackers are here to stay. Worn or clipped on, these trackers are perfectly inspiring tools to keep your health on track. Here are some of the benefits of fitness trackers, enough to teach you reason to invest in one:

PC:connectedly.com
– It lends credence and personal accountability, because your tracking app will help you make sure that you stick to your commitment.
– You can work out towards individually-tailored goals, so that you don’t take on too much just out of an uninformed decision on your part.
– It’s really all about you! Imagine, all the chronicling and information dovetailing on your every fitness need – nothing gets more committed to YOUR health than this!
– It is a great source of motivation – if not for anything else, at least for the fact that you spent money on it!
– Most Up-to-date weight loss tool that it is, you will also be able to track every last detail on your fitness regimen without an issue.
– Personal motivation is on an all time high – and when you post on social media, there is also a sense of communal motivation.
– It gives you an incentive to stay active all day.
– It is a fantastic health aid, telling you when to drink water, to sleep and other every day monitoring needs, so that you don’t wind up compromising on your health on any account.

Feature Image Courtesy: wired.com/

References:
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/fitness-tracker-buying-guide,review-2549.html
http://www.onlinefitnesslog.com/Benefits.aspx
http://www.trackmy.fit/fitness/4-benefits-fitness-tracking/
http://www.healthfitnessrevolution.com/top-10-benefits-of-fitness-trackers/

Salt

Salt tends to be a bit of a dampener if you’re working to retain your good health and weight under control. It provides dietary sodium and helps contribute qualitative flavor to your foods, but at the same time, it is important to ensure that it is at its minimum, so as not to augment bloating and water retention. The best way to do this is to flavour your food alternatively. Here are some ways to do just that:

1. Cooking techniques: Use sautéing, grilling, and roasting in your cooking methods. They bring out the natural caramelizing properties in foods and really seal in the natural flavors and juices of meats and vegetables. Sautéing involves using a pan to cook foods at high temperatures for short periods of time. Grilling sears in flavor, creating a “crust” on the outside that keeps juices in. Roasting allows cooking the ingredient in its own liquid content.

2. Use herbs and spices to add flavour to your dishes. They add a rich taste that can distract from the need for salt, and therefore be a great substitute for salt.

3. Use citrus: Lemon, lime or even zest can bring a zingy taste to your dishes. Citrus juices are perfect when it comes to augmenting flavour instead of salt.

4. Add flavour filled accompaniments such as onions, peppers, garlic, ginger and more into your food. Use aromatic vegetables to add a distinctive flavor and aroma into the meal. It is also a good idea to use fresh ginger and horseradish.

5. Cook with oils and flavored oils: When you use flavoured oils, you don’t miss out on salt. Add extra-virgin olive oil or walnut oil to a garden-fresh salad mix or top off a stir-fry with a dash of sesame oil. You can infuse neutral oils, such as canola, safflower, and grape seed oils, with spices and herbs to give them unique flavors as well.

6. Use marinades, vinegars and spice mixes to create a mélange of flavours and to avoid unnecessary salt content.
Source:
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/10-ways-to-add-flavor-without-salt.html

A New Year. A New You.

Did you know that you don’t have to stay under pressure to get the best out of life? It’s a new year, and there’s room for a new you – a you that’s built on happiness, peace and a lot of comfort, without any stresses. Here are ten simple tips that you can use to build the life you want, and discover the new you!

1. Take less and give more: There is so much joy in giving, and in allowing more and more people to benefit from your generosity. Take, by all means, but not more than your needs require.
2. Work less, live more: Spend time doing things that you like and make you happy. Indulge in a hobby and a passion, and stay away from time-wasters. Make it a point to work and leave work back at work, and come home to spend time with yourself.
3. Do less, achieve more: Hard work is definitely important in this day and age, but smart work is what makes hard work succeed. Spend time working smartly, and allowing your hard work to gain direction. This will help you accomplish better.
4. Do less, BE more. Spend time to introspect and to accomplish as much as you can within yourself. Give yourself the space, time and bandwidth to be yourself, and to allow your inner personality to shine.
5. Speak less and listen more: The lesser you speak unnecessarily, the more you will be able to listen. Be a compassionate listener, and spend time with wise thoughts from intelligent speakers.
6. Buy less and recycle more: Try to avoid mindless spending and find a way to make use of things that you think are rendered useless, better. Old notebooks can be used to recycle paper, use empty bottles to make décor and brighten up your spaces.
7. Stock less and de-clutter more: Don’t clutter up your spaces – stay minimal and allow your spaces to breathe. Remember, a clutter free space represents a clutter free mind.
8. Be less angry and more compassionate: Try your hand at empathy. It is easy to get angry with people around you, but hold off on that anger – especially because it gets you nowhere. Try to understand where the other person is coming from, and practice compassion.
9. Control lesser, allow things to flow more: There are many things beyond your control, and there’s nothing wrong in admitting it. Allow things you cannot control to go on, as it does, and walk around it like it is not an obstacle that will affect you.
10. Be less cynical and dream more: Allow yourself to enjoy the happiness and creativity that being a dreamer brings with it. Indulge yourself in the spaces and the freedom that your ability to dream and indulge in your creative pursuits allows you.

References:
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-23020/18-sacred-intentions-to-set-for-2016.html
http://www.psychicsuniverse.com/gallery/spirituality/attracting-positivity/10-positive-ways-start-new
http://lifestyle.allwomenstalk.com/ways-to-start-the-new-year-on-a-positive-note

Healthy Cooking trends 2016

While the content of ingredients inherently makes a difference to your health, how the dish is cooked and put together makes all the more of a difference and changes things. Here are some interesting new cooking trends that can help you stay healthy and eat wisely, to keep your health in top shape.

Pit Style Cooking: Using a deep, pit-styled container made of cast iron or any other metal that can withstand heat can help ensure that your food is cooked faster without unnecessary amounts of oil. A pit styled pan can be placed over an open flame, and the cuse of charcoal can help cook the food with a char-grilled taste. This works especially well with rice-based dishes, which can be cooked without any oil or water. If you’re cooking meat and vegetables, the roasted flavour that lends itself to the sautéed mix makes the dish delightful.

Sous vide Cooking: Using the power and pressure of steam to cook, Sous vide allows for using a rice steamer or an open steamer, or even an immersion heating rod. In this technique, food is cooked at low temperatures, with water, and pressure takes care of cooking the food. The water evaporates from the heat and must be refilled until the food is cooked. Sous vide can work perfectly to make yoghurt and milk-based dishes. Vacuum boiling cooking: On the lines of the sous vide technique, vacuum boiling involves putting food into plastic bags and sealing them before heating them. This will then help take the heat to a very high degree (above 100 ℃ to 120 ℃). These plastic bags must be of good quality, i.e., food graded. The technique is useful to cook meat as it needs very less oil to cook, and the flavours remain intact.

PC: simplebites.net

Delta-T cooking: A little complicated, this technique works very well to create heat in a burst for wholesome cooking. A sugar free cake works very well with Delta T – all that has to be done is to pre-heat the oven for a while, and then bring the food to be cooked to the same temperature, and then bring down the oven’s temperature to the same temperature, and then allow it to cook to perfection.

Parching grain: Another interesting technique, parching grain comes from an ancient tradition where food is kept free of any bacteria. Best for grains, the technique involves roasting grains, and then adding it into casseroles of meat and vegetables.

References:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/best-new-health-foods- 2016_567adc0be4b0b958f658f4ef?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063&section=india

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/diet/Healthy-cooking-trends-of- 2016/articleshow/50307944.cms

Guide to a fitter you!

It’s that time of year again, when it’s impossible to get an empty dreadmill treadmill at the gym. And even as gym attendance increases, you may still find it hard to find that motivation to make good on your New Year’s resolution. Don’t worry, you are not alone.

Getting used to a fitness regimen make take some time, but before you know it, you will stop dreading your workouts and actually look forward to them. Making small lifestyle changes can make a huge difference. So make 2016 your fit year with tips from this guide.

Make A Clear Goal

Many people easily break their resolutions to lose weight or become more fit because these are general goals. Because everyone still has the happiness high from New Years, you may be excited to join a new gym or lace up new running shoes. But if you have a “New Year, new me” mentality without any defined steps along your fitness journey, you could be setting yourself up for heading right back to the couch and old habits.

If your overall goal is to lose unwanted weight, than focus on making smaller goals for the month or even week. Mini goals could include drinking more water, eating more vegetables, walking 30 minutes for three times a week or going to the gym four days a week. If your overall goal is to become more fit, sign up for a 5k race, enter in a obstacle race, or sign up for a new fitness class to keep your muscles working without reaching a plateau.

Accountability

Tell people about your fitness goals so that you hold yourself accountable. No one can force you out of bed for an early workout before work but yourself, but having some fit friends can make the struggle easier. Join a local running club or set up a weekly walk with your neighbors. Those who may need an extra push should consider hiring a personal trainer through their local gym. While you might not want to shell out extra money, think of it as an investment in your health. A trainer can show you how to get the right form when working out to reduce injury and will hold you accountable for getting in your workouts. No one wants to let down their trainer!

Track Your Progress

Create a food journal to log what kinds of foods you are eating. And don’t worry, there’s plenty of apps to make it easier. Reward yourself for your hard work so you avoid feeling like you are depriving yourself from what you crave, but over time you will start to crave healthier foods the more you incorporate them in your diet rather than junk that will make you feel sluggish and sleepy. Even if you plan on working out all the time, you won’t be able to out train a poor diet. Your success rests on what you put on your plate.

There are countless fitness apps out there that count your calories, workouts, steps, distance and speed. While a new study found that health tracking apps don’t produce weight loss results by themselves, they still are a great way to track how far you have come on your fitness journey. Just remember to keep up your healthy habits so that you continue to progress.

Best Ways to Get in Shape

You have planned out your fitness goals over the year, stocked up on healthy foods and downloaded popular fitness apps. Now it’s time to get moving. Think of the last time you tried to get into shape and what worked and what wasn’t working for you.

Here are the top ways to get the best shape:

1. Exercise daily: Start slow with just 30 minutes a day. This could be a brisk walk or pop in a workout DVD you have lying around. You can also turn to YouTube for yoga or dance workouts. Alternate your activity, such as weight lifting one day, cardio the next.

2. Try something new: Like a kickboxing class, spinning or even aerial yoga. The key is to find a workout that you enjoy. The more you like an activity, whether it be swimming or rock climbing, the chances are you will want to do it.

3. Clean up your diet: We have all heard the phrase “abs are made in the kitchen.” And it’s true. Eat more veggies, limit processed and prepackaged foods and cut out sweets. Remember it’s all about portion control. Don’t forget to stay hydrated!

4. Be prepared: Getting up early to workout can be hard to do, especially when your bed is warm in the winter. Sleep in your workout clothes or lay them out the night before so you have no excuse. If you need music to run, set a playlist ahead of time. Buying new workout clothes can also motivate you to wear them during your next sweat session.

5. Get enough sleep: With that said, you still need rest to be able to function properly throughout the day. If you don’t have sleep, you won’t have the motivation to workout. Set a bedtime and don’t bring your phone or tablet under the covers with you so you can fall asleep without the distraction of Facebook.

6. Don’t make fitness a fad: There are plenty diets and fitness products that turn out to just be a fad. View your fitness journey as a lifestyle not just something you are plan on doing short-term.

7. Make it social: Last year we saw the continuing rise of fun runs, 5k races that include runners in cool costumes, neon lights and epic dance parties. Make a team and have your friends join with you. Setting a race date also helps you keep on training so you feel prepared on the big day. These races are so fun that you won’t feel like it is a workout.

8. Go on a follow spree: On days when you need an extra push, look to Instagram accounts that capture healthy lifestyles. Seeing pictures of an awesome yoga pose or a curvy frame in a squat could help you refocus and get off the couch. There are also great Facebook groups for running and other fitness lovers worth joining.

9. Lift weights: Cardio and diet can help you lose weight, but lifting weights is the best way to really see defined muscles. You don’t have to lift like body builder. Start with what you can handle and each week aim to improve.

10. Set alarms: Schedule and plan your workouts on your phone or calendar so that you are mentally prepared for your weekly fitness plan. This can help busy fitness enthusiast find and make the time to get their workouts completed.

Remember that the road to getting in shape is a process, so don’t expect to see results over night. Give your routine a month and if you see results, keep working at it. If you don’t, change it up.

References:
http://www.techtimes.com/articles/24693/20150106/your-ultimate-fitness-guide-smart-ways-to-get-in-shape-this-year.htm

Make a resolution and Stick to It!

This new year, make a commitment to your health, both in mind and body. Your state of mind of an individual affects his physical wellbeing and wellness. As they say, you are what you think, and a healthy mind means a healthy body. Staying healthy is really a choice: and before you decide to dismiss this as a run off the mill statement, hold on. There are many people in the world who have proved this. Here’s your guide to some of the healthy resolutions you should be making this year!

– That you will spend time in the outdoors and with nature: Allow your mind to breathe while your body does, expanding with space and light and soaking in good vibes. Go for a walk in the mornings or the evenings, and admire the scenes around you without worrying about anything.

– That you will exercise regularly: The more you exercise, the more your body begins to release endorphins, or feel good hormones. This, in turn, keeps your mind relaxed and body healthy, all because you feel happy.

– That you will eat healthy: When you deprive your body of food and energy, you wind up struggling under depression, anxiety and withdrawal symptoms that also make you feel fatigued and exhausted. Eating healthy helps your body stay supple and your mind, robust.

– That you will get enough rest and sleep: When you remain active each day, your body uses up a lot of its energy and needs to recharge. To do this, it needs sleep. When your body loses sleep, it loses the capacity to function normally, and the mind becomes tired and fatigued, so you fail to coordinate and remember things, and stay in a good mood, too.

– That you will drink enough water: When your body is dehydrated and loses its water and essential salts, which in turn leaves the mind bereft of its supply of energy. Dehydration can cause the mind to struggle with fatigue, anxiety and forgetfulness.

– That you will spend time in the company of others: Be gregarious and allow yourself to laugh and spend time with people around you. Don’t stay cooped up indoors and in isolation

– remember, cry and you cry alone. Laugh, and the world laughs with you!

– That you will, sometimes, do just nothing: Sit back on your recliner or lie flat on your back and admire the skies above, and enjoy spending time just relaxing. When you do nothing, your mind and brains recharge quicker and you become more productive.

– That you will refrain from unnecessary substance abuse.

References:
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-18642/9-extraordinarily-simple-ways-to-get-healthy-happy.html
http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/5-ways-to-stay-happy-no-matter-what-happens/
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/10-scientifically-proven-ways-stay-happy-all-the-time.html
https://www.livealifeyoulove.com/how-to-stay-happy/

http://www.webmd.com/women/features/20-new-years-resolutions-you-can-really-keephttp://www.adecco.co.uk/news/10-new-year-resolutions.aspx

http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/health/health+advice/galleries/5+healthy+new+years+resolutions+you+should+make,28187

The Morning After a binge

Let me know if this sounds familiar:

You decided to start making healthy food choices(again) on Monday. Its Thursday(or wednesday, depending on the severity of the diet) and the motivation that was coursing through your veins just a few days ago, no longer exists.

You sneak in a few snacks after a lunch, a dessert after dinner, and before you know it, its sunday and you’re bingeing away at food you’re not even all that hungry for, because you’ve promised yourself you can start again on Monday.

Come Monday, you break out the soups and salads and teas(again) to pay for what you consider the sins of the weekend.

Except, if you did do that, I can promise you one thing for sure.. you WILL fail before the week is out.

The average diet lasts 72 hours… just long enough for your body to realise that a famine is upon you, slow down your metabolism, throw out some muscle, and send out hunger signals.

All of this will ensure that the next time you eat, you will store more than you burn. For every diet you try and fail at, you will be heavier.

If you think willpower is your problem.. you’re wrong. Diets are your problem.

Making unrealistic promises to yourself is your problem. Promising yourself perfection in a life thats entirely human and wonderfully imperfect, is your problem.

So the next time your eating goes wrong. This is what you can, instead, try and do:

1) Get back to where you left off as soon as you can. Not on Monday. Not tomorrow but ASAP. The very next meal.

2) Don’t try to compensate for the past. The future will take care of itself. In the long run, one bad meal will change nothing, week after week of binge eating followed by starvation will.

3) Food and exercise are not reward and punishment. Eat because you’re hungry. Exercise because you need the strength. Throw out the guilt that everyone has convinced you, you need.

4) At every meal eat some protein, carbs and veggies. Irrespective of what your last meal looked like.

Think of it this way. If you decide to run a marathon.. but also decided that you will only complete it if you do not stumble/fall through the entire distance, and will, additionally go back to the starting line every time you fall… would you ever get around to finishing the race?

Exactly.

Get up, dust yourself off and pick up where you left off. Thats really all it takes.

The Author, Jyotsna John, is a fitness enthusiast who turned her passion for fitness into a full time career. She has travelled to UK and the US and studied a lot about fitness while she was there. She has a list of certifications, and is currently a trainer at The Unit, in Chennai.

Vitamins, Minerals and Supplements

PC: rebuildingyou

What are vitamins?
A vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in tiny amounts by an organism. A compound is called a vitamin when it cannot be synthesized in sufficient quantities by an organism, and must be obtained from the diet.

Are there different types of vitamins?
Yes. Vitamins can be classified as fat soluble or water soluble vitamins

Why should I know about the types of vitamins?
Fat soluble vitamins require fatty substances to metabolize them, therefore tend to get accumulated in the body. Overdose of fat soluble vitamins can themselves cause problems. The fat soluble vitamins are A, D, E and K. Water soluble vitamins are easily metabolized and excreted from the body and therefore have a lesser chance of being accumulated in the body. The B group of vitamins and vitamin C are water soluble. However, some forms of vitamin b such a B3, B7 can cause overdosing even though they are water soluble.
Are vitamins important?
Vitamins have a wide range of functions, from acting as important co enzymes in chemical reactions to actually functioning as hormones. Therefore optimal levels of vitamins are EXTREMELY important for the human body.
Are vitamins important in childhood too?
Not only are vitamins important in childhood, but are important even before the child is born. These nutrients facilitate the chemical reactions that produce among other things, skin, bone, and muscle. If there is serious deficiency in one or more of these nutrients, a child may develop a deficiency disease. Even minor deficiencies may cause permanent damage.

Are foods the only source of vitamins?
For the most part, vitamins are obtained with food, but a few are obtained by other means. For example, microorganisms in the intestine—commonly known as “gut flora”—produce vitamin K and biotin, while one form of vitamin D is synthesized in the skin with the help of the natural ultraviolet wavelength of sunlight. However these are not sufficient for the body and therefore food sources of vitamins are extremely essential.

When can one have vitamin deficiencies?
Deficiencies of vitamins are classified as either primary or secondary. A primary deficiency occurs when an organism does not get enough of the vitamin in its food. A secondary deficiency may be due to an underlying disorder that prevents or limits the absorption or use of the vitamin, due to a “lifestyle factor”.

What can cause the vitamins to not be absorbed efficiently?
Smoking, excessive alcohol consumption or the use of medications that interfere with the absorption, among other factors can cause poor absorption of vitamins leading to ill health.

Do I need vitamins in my diet every day?
Because human bodies do not store most vitamins, humans must consume them regularly to avoid deficiency. Human bodily stores for different vitamins vary widely; vitamins A, D, and B12 are stored in significant amounts in the human body, mainly in the liver, [27] and an adult human’s diet may be deficient in vitamins A and B12 for many months before developing a deficiency condition. However almost every kind of food that you take contains a certain amount of different vitamins and therefore you do take vitamins everyday even without your knowledge. So yes, you need vitamins in your diet, but do you need supplements or not is a completely different question!

What are the common vitamins that cause vitamin deficiency disorders?
Well-known human vitamin deficiencies involve thiamine (beriberi), niacin (pellagra), vitamin C (scurvy) and vitamin D (rickets). In the developing countries, other vitamin disorders are also very common, including Vitamin A and Vitamin B12.

Can you have vitamin overdose?
Yes, you can. In large doses, some vitamins have documented side effects that tend to be more severe with a larger dosage. The likelihood of consuming too much of any vitamin from food is remote, but overdosing from vitamin supplementation does occur.

What about recent reports about vitamin supplements being ‘useless’?
At the outset, remember that most of these studies are based on the western world, where their needs are different from ours and nutritional deficiencies are relatively rare. What is being extensively studied is to find out if taking a lot of vitamins can actually prevent diseases like heart attacks and cancer. However that does not mean that there are no vitamin deficiencies in your body. There is enough proof today with structured well reputed studies without any conflicts of interest that have shown the role of vitamins and other micronutrients in the role of preventing and attacking oxidative stress, which is now considered to be the root cause of a number of diseases. So, optimum doses of vitamins are an absolute necessary. The question comes back to ‘Do you need vitamin supplements?’ for which the obvious answer is that it depends on the current status of your health!

So vitamins and supplements will not protect me from cancer and heart diseases?
That is a tricky question. Lack of vitamins and certain essential minerals will make you prone to heart diseases and cancer and therefore supplements will help you. But if the cause of these diseases in your body is not due to deficiencies, then taking excess vitamins will not protect you.

There are a few. Recent studies have shown that too much of Vit E and maybe even Vit C in smokers make them prone to Lung Cancers. In the same way, retinoids (a form of Vitamin A) MUST be avoided during pregnancy. People prone to kidney stones must avoid calcium supplements except under medical supervision. Amino acid supplements can worsen kidney function in patients with kidney failure and should not be taken except under medical supervision. But do not panic, this information is not to scare you, but to make you aware that taking a single supplement is not the way to go.

So I do not have specific health issues, I can safely take vitamin supplements. Is that right?
Even with certain chronic lifestyle diseases like diabetes and increased blood pressure, you can safely take most of the Vitamin B and C group without much adverse effects. If you plan to undergo any elective surgery or if you have generalized illness like infections, vitamins will help you recover sooner.

Can you mention certain generalized conditions for which I can take supplements?
Normally, if you have attained menopause and have not been diagnosed with kidney stones, it is optimal to take a daily dose of calcium supplements. Both men and women can take Vitamin B and C supplements in normal daily doses. If you are NOT a smoker and if you have a family history of any kind of cancer, anti oxidant supplements like Vitamin E can be taken in minimal doses safely. People who are diabetic or hypertensive or both and without any kidney complications can also take amino acid supplements safely. However, do let your doctor know of all the supplements you take for him to optimize your medications

Our collaborator, is preventive care and wellness physician, Dr. Wasim Mohideen. A medical professional with an MBA and Post Graduate training in Allopathy as well as Alternative medicine, he strives to bridge the gap between modern medicine, traditional treatments and healthcare management.

Diabetes Friendly Foods!

With Diabetes, one of the most enduring issues is how one can best control their blood sugar and their weight loss. It is no longer just as linear as it once was – it’s not about strict or crash diets, forbidden foods and opting only for sugar free food. According to the American Diabetes Association, the standard nutrition recommendations for people with Diabetes now are to eat well with Diabetes in mind. This means, just eating well while applying the basic principles of healthful eating.
The original trend was to follow a rigid diabetic diet – which means one has to limit the amount of carbohydrates, while eating once in every two hours. People can, now, instead, eat healthily, and manage the content of one’s intake without allowing stress to take over. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans dovetail perfectly with the American Diabetes Association’s nutrition guidelines currently, and it dictates that the norm is now to: shed a few pounds if there is need for it, to get and keep the blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure within the healthy target zones and to retain a state of good health mentally and physically.
Here are five simple tips to follow to do this:
1. Always choose your portions wisely. For lunch and dinner, fill half your plate with vegetables, a quarter with starch or grain, and the remaining quarter with a lean protein source. Include a serving of fruit and low-fat milk or yogurt at the majority of your meals. Choose whole grains instead of refined varieties.

2. Always moderate your portions: Oversized portions tend to lead you to gain excess calories and pounds. Enjoy all that you want, but in moderate portions.

3. Always choose healthy oils and fats: Make sure that you eat less total fat, and more of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Saturated and transfats are absolutely not allowed. Steer clear of solid fats to ensure that you minimise the extent of saturated fat. Get more is from mono- and polyunsaturated sources by using liquid cooking oils from vegetables, nuts, or seeds. Always cut back on your fat-gram count by trimming down to daily calories.

4. Always opt for Nutritious Carbohydrate Sources: Avoid taking too many calories and empty gains through refined sugars and heavy calorific content. Get your carb grams from nutrition-loaded sources: vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and low-fat dairy foods.

5. Always keep eating out to a minimum: Try cooking at home, and making on-the-run breakfasts, taking brown-bag lunches, or grabbing a healthful frozen entree paired with a salad, fruit, and milk for dinner a few times a week.

References:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/diet/Handful-of-walnuts-a-day-may-keep-diabetes-away/articleshow/49934943.cms
http://www.diabeticlivingonline.com/food-to-eat/nutrition/5-healthy-eating-tips-diabetes

« Older Entries Recent Entries »