Healthy Living Tips

Healthy Living Tips-

.       Wish you could be more disciplined about your diet?

While on a diet maintain a food and activity diary and record everything – what you eat, when you eat, how much you eat, amount of exercise you did, how you feel etc. This will help track of your caloric intake and the calories burnt as well as what factors make you eat more and the pitfalls. It will also help your dietician understand your eating pattern and exercise routine.

2      What is served to you at a restaurant is always more than one serving!

Restaurant portions tend to be enormous, and if it's on the plate, we are, more often than not inclined to finish it. After all, we have paid for the entire plate, right? In that case, you could eat half of what is served and pack the rest and use it for the next meal.

3      The best way to cook your veggies is to steam them.

Steaming is one of the healthiest ways to cook veggies. The food retains nearly all of its natural nutrients as opposed to boiling which may lead to leaching of the nutrients into the cooking water. Even better, steamed veggies taste great -- which means you'll be more likely to eat them instead of filling up on fatty foods.

4     How many fruits should I consume in a day to reap maximum health benefits?

If you are otherwise healthy, you need to consume at least 2 servings of fruits daily. One serving of fruit is 1 cup sliced or chopped apple/pear Or 1 small (6” long) banana Or 1 cup Papaya cubes Or 1 small guava Or 10-15 grapes Or 1 cup diced watermelon Or 2 tbsp raisins (Manuka) Or 2 small figs Or 3-4 seedless dates. Yes! Even dried fruits are allowed!

      Do you take multivitamin or mineral supplements? Read further.

If you are advised to take both iron and calcium supplements - For the best absorption of both iron and calcium, it is recommended to take your calcium supplement 2 hours before or after your iron supplement. You should not take them at the same time. It is important to read supplement labels and follow the directions for use.

6  Nutrient of the day: Iron

Role in health

Iron plays a vital role in improving your concentration and IQ levels.

Sources: Meat and poultry are the best sources as its easier to get iron from them. Vegetarian sources: Garden cress seeds(halim), Bajra, Riceflakes (Poha), dried Figs and small amounts in  jaggery.

Caffeinated beverages like coffee, fizzy drinks and to some extent tea decrease its absorption. Add a dash of lemon, wherever possible, to your foods to get more iron from them.

7    Food of the day: Figs

They possess carotenoids which prevent us from infections and improve our Vitamin A levels. Figs can be had in 2 forms- Fresh and dry. Dried figs are packed with Fibre and Iron thus aids in maintaining our digestive health. Approx 1-2 figs give 60 calories and 3 g of fiber and absolutely no fat.

8   What should I eat before starting my workout?

The following are some of the greatest pre-workout snacks:

a.       Skim milk blended with fruit to make a smoothie

b.      One whole wheat slice of bread and a yellow banana

c.       100 percent fruit juice (without added sugar) and half an apple.

      Looking to gain muscle from your workout?

A post workout snack is a must after your workout. The post workout snack is responsible for replenishing the body with lost sugar and nutrients during a hard, intense workout and helping the body to recover. Pick from high-protein options like egg-whites, low-fat milk/yogurt, boiled and/or sprouted lentils like mung, matki, chawli etc, almonds or a ready protein shake. Make sure you read the nutrition label to see if the shake is beneficial to you.

      So, you think potatoes are fattening? Think again.

Did you know that potato is a low-fat food? In fact 60 to 80 percent of the dry matter in a potato is starch (complex carbohydrate). Potatoes are rich in several micronutrients, especially vitamin C - eaten with its skin, a single medium-sized potato of 150 g provides nearly half the daily adult requirement. It is a good source of fiber, vitamins B1, B3 and B6 and minerals such as potassium, phosphorus and magnesium, and contains folate, pantothenic acid and riboflavin. By itself, potato is not fattening (and the feeling of satiety that comes from eating potato can actually help people to control their weight). However, preparing and serving potatoes with high-fat ingredients raises the caloric value of the dish.

1   Food of the day: Pumpkin seeds - Seeds that we throw away are actually very beneficial!

The roasted seeds from inside your pumpkin are one of the most nutritious and flavorful seeds around. They give about 185 calories in ¼ cup. But, they are brimming with manganese, magnesium, phosphorous, iron, zinc, proteins and Vitamin K. They help keeping men’s prostate and bones healthy. In addition to the above nutrients, these seeds are high in MUFAs, which are heart-Ok.

   A hug can truly do ‘magic’!

Reaching out and touching someone, and holding him tight—is a way of saying you care. Its effects are immediate: for both, the hugger and the person being hugged, feel good, researchers claim.  Many scientific studies have shown that people who were touched lovingly every day had significantly fewer heart problems.

   Do saunas really burn fat?

Using a sauna for any period of time will only make you sweat (There is no muscle building, no fat shedding, no after burn (VERY important!) and no muscle strengthening or toning). Sweating releases fluid from your body. The longer you sweat, the more fluid you will lose, and this fluid loss is really the only weight loss that you see from sauna use. Exercise is the only efficient way to really get rid of calories.

1   Going on and off a diet? Don’t do it too often?

Frequent dieting, fasting, binging and purging imbalance your electrolyte levels, causing weakening of the heart muscle and damage to the heart. Moreover, constant weight gain followed by weight loss and then re-gain of the weight (Called the yo-yo effect) will only leave you undernourished and with a very poor resistance to infections. So, this diwali eat sensibly and allow yourself only ‘small’ treats.

1   Yoga for your neck!

Relieve your strained neck muscles by combining these four exercises. Sit with your back straight on a chair and practice each set of the following exercises at least three times.

a.       Back & forth: Drop your head back gently and then slowly drop it forward.

b.      Side to side: Tilt your head to the right shoulder, to the center and to the left shoulder.

c.       Turn: Turn your head to look over your left shoulder and then over your right shoulder.

d.      Rotation: Inhale as you rotate your head to one side, exhale to the other.