Diet & Health Tale

22/07/2022

28/09/2021

🙋Why excess biscuit intake is bad for your health:

1. Since most biscuits contain refined flour, they can cause constipation in some individuals.The white flour is devoid of fibre that lead to weight gain, a spike in blood sugar, inflammation, cardiovascular diseases and indigestion.

2. Unconscious eating : According to a study published in 2013 at Connecticut College, eating biscuits activates similar pleasure in the brain as co***ne and morphine and that's the reason humans never settle for one and develop the habit of unconscious or overeating.

3. High in sodium content : According to Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH), average sweet biscuits contain 0.4g of salt per 25g packet, which when consumed in excess quantity can increase the risk of high blood pressure, stroke and heart failure. Excess sodium intake also leads to water retention resulting in bloating, puffiness and weight gain.

4. High preservatives: Store bought biscuits and cookies contain Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). Research says that they both are bad for human blood. Apart from this, biscuits also contain Sodium Benzoate, which is linked with certain types of DNA damage.

5. Contains transfat linked with heart disease, inflammation, higher “bad” LDL cholesterol and lower “good” HDL cholesterol levels.

6. Contains high amount of sugar.

03/09/2021

🙋Health hazards of over exercise and poor diet:

✓Exercise is supposed to be good for you but exercising too much or running too fast can have serious consequences for your body and brain - Exercising is supposed to be good for you. It can help you stay at a healthy weight, improve your cardiovascular health, and even ward off depression. But like most things, it's possible to over-do it. And getting too much exercise can have serious consequences for your body and brain. So, what exactly is "too much" exercising?

Well, it depends on factors like your age, health, and choice of workouts. But in general, adults should get around five hours a week of moderate exercise or two and a half hours of more intense activity. Or some combination of the two. But research shows that going way above and beyond that doesn't increase your health benefits. Over-exerting yourself could actually undo the results you worked hard to get, and worse, could damage your heart and arteries, lead to injuries, and make you addicted.

“Healthy exercisers organize their exercise around their lives, whereas dependents organize their lives round their exercise.”

✓Moderate exercise can improve your immune system, while excessive exercise could suppress it.

✓Too much exercise can lead to injuries, exhaustion, depression, and su***de. It can also cause lasting physical harm. Your adrenal gland, pumping out hormones as you pound the pavement, can only produce so much cortisol at a time. Suddenly, the heartbeat you’d lowered to a resting 48 is up to 80.

✓ Diet plays an important role along with exercise to achieve a healthy body. Unhealthy amount of protein to build a masculine body is harmful. A good diet with exercise is needed.

Various gym products sold online, and over-the-counter, ‘prescribed’ by gym staff and recommended by friends or gym colleagues may contain a cocktail of substances including testosterone and other androgens, aromatase inhibitors, HCG, phosphodiesterase inhibitors etc. These are commonly called with a variety of names by the users, namely body building products, muscle building substances, anabolic steroids and anabolic drugs. Some abuse growth hormone for similar reasons.

While these products may not serve the purpose for which they are taken, they can cause serious damage to the body. Such adverse effects include, suppression of natural testosterone axis in the body, abnormal breast growth in men called gynaecomastia, high cholesterol levels leading to heart attacks and brain strokes, liver and kidney damage, heart problems, abnormal clotting tendencies, lowering of good cholesterol, short stature in teenagers, infections, elevated blood glucose, acne, greasy skin, low s***m counts in men, masculinisation of women and problems in s*x life.

Psychological disturbances and dependence are also common with such products that contain the abovementioned substances. Speaking specifically about women, they can develop male pattern voice, hair fall on scalp, excess facial and body hair, acne, oily skin, infertility issues and menstrual irregularities.

Instead of resorting to using these health supplements and spending a fortune on them, one could instead use naturally available products which are rich in protein such as nuts, egg white, fish and chicken along with fruits and vegetables and build up one’s muscle and strength the natural way. These natural substances are readily available for a lesser cost and include a good source of essential nutrients and proteins which offer a more holistic way of taking care of one’s nutritional needs.

30/08/2021

🙋Controlling portion size of food but still unable to lose weight?

• Portion control means choosing a healthy amount of a certain food.It is important to control portion sizes, as an extra 100 calories every day can lead to a weight gain. Portion control helps you get the benefits of the nutrients in the food without over-eating. Portion control is important because it helps you: Digest food easier. Reach or maintain a healthy weight.

• Calorie control means, to lose weight you need to eat fewer calories than you burn.

For example if you eat an Ice Cream, it is calorie dense but does not give u satiety. In order to achieve satiety you need eat more foods so overall calorie count increases.

✓ Portion control +Calorie control = Healthy body weight

31/07/2021

🙋 Teeth sensitivity is usually caused due to exposed dentine due to damage to your tooth enamel. Even the thought of certain foods can make you cringe when you have sensitive teeth.

1. Include high-fibre foods in your diet. Eating high-fibre foods like fresh fruits, dried fruits and veggies like beans, cabbage, peas, etc. which helps create mineral defences against sensitivity. keeps saliva flowing. Foods that are eaten as part of a meal cause less harm to teeth than eating lots of snacks throughout the day, because more saliva is released during a meal.Saliva helps wash foods from the mouth and lessens the effects of acids, which can harm teeth and cause cavities.

2. Load up on calcium, a crucial ingredient in the prevention of tooth problems. Good sources of calcium like milk, cheese, etc. help rebuild enamel and strengthen the bone around your teeth. Milk is not only a rich source of calcium but also helps prevent reduce the pH in the mouth. Cheese is an alkaline food which forms an alkaline film around the teeth and is also known to increase the pH level of the mouth.

3. Eggs also prevent a drop in pH. They are a great source of protein, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin D, etc. which are essential for tooth mineralisation.

4. Drink adequate water: Drink at least 2-4 litres of water every day. This is especially important after eating as it helps wash away plaque that sticks on teeth resulting in pain or sensitivity.

Foods to avoid

1. Reduce the frequency or stay away from foods and drinks that are high in acid, especially juices like lemon, orange, tomatoes, soda and aerated drinks and pickles. Lower pH in them erodes the protective enamel layer and worsens the condition. Fruit juice also contains an unhealthy amount of sugar which over time gets converted into sugar acids. Aerated drinks and sports drinks not only have fewer minerals and nutrients, but contain a large quantity of sugar, which is detrimental to the enamel. To reduce their contact with the teeth a good idea is to sip these drinks through a straw.

2. Sweetened foods can worsen the condition of damaged enamel. The bacteria grow on the sugars to produce sugar acids in the mouth that can dissolve the softer and less resistant inner dentine layer.

3. Sour candies too are tough on tooth enamel. Not only do they contain a lot of sugar, they also have added acids that can damage your tooth enamel.

4. Alcohol dries out your mouth and causes a burning sensation. It contains sugars and is very acidic too.

5. Hot or cold drinks and foods can trigger sensitivity. Dentine is made up of many tiny channels called dentinal tubules which contain fluid. Eating or drinking hot or cold foods moves the fluid in these tiny channels and irritates the nerves in the tooth causing sensitivity.

6. Limit the number of snacks you eat. If you do snack, choose something that is healthy like fruit or vegetables

07/06/2021

🙋 Health benefits of Jamun:

Jamun is loaded with nutrition that makes it a great snack to have in summer. The dark colour of the skin is because of anthocyanin, which is a potent phytonutrient. This provides the body with an ample amount of antioxidants, that protect the cells in the body from harm caused by oxidative stress and free radicals. Jamun is rich in naturally occurring sugar called fructose and contains very few calories. 100 grams of Jamun gives you just 62 calories and 18 mg vitamin C, 15 mg calcium, 15 mg phosphorus, 26.5 mg sodium, 55 mg potassium, 5 mg magnesium and small amounts of thiamine, riboflavin, carotene, folic acid, fibre and negligible fat. Jamun is loaded in glucose and water content, making it a suitable fruit to have during the hot summer months.

02/06/2021

🙋Health benefits of Lychees:

Lychees contains good amount of Vitamin C, Vitamin B-complex and phytonutrient flavonoids.

· It is a rich source of nutrient that is required for the production of blood. It provides manganese, magnesium, copper, iron and folate that are required for the formation of RBC.

· Lychee contains good amount of fiber and Vitamin B-complex which increase metabolism fat, protein and carbohydrate.

· It contains high amount of antioxidants which is effective to prevent early ageing.

· Lychee contains a good amount of potassium, which is required to maintain sodium level.

· It helps to maintain blood pressure and it reduces the risk of stroke and heart attack. Also it contains minerals like manganese, magnesium, iron, copper and folate that maintain blood pressure.

· Lychee contains high amount of dietary fiber which proves best nutrient that promote cardiovascular health.

Note:

Litchis are safe. But you’re in trouble if you eat unripened litchis (the small, green ones) on an empty stomach.

Unripe litchi fruit contains the toxins hypoglycin A and methylenecyclopropyl-glycine (MCPG) that may cause vomiting if had excessively. It may cause fever and seizures serious enough to need hospitalisation in severely malnourished children.

20/05/2021

📌 Is sugar ok to consume during isolation?

Limit your sugar intake WHO recommends that ideally less than 5% of total energy intake for adults should come from free sugars (about 6 teaspoons). If you crave something sweet, fresh fruit should always be the priority.

18/05/2021

🙋 Magnesium rich pumpkin seeds in combating CORONAVIRUS :

A growing body of evidence suggests that magnesium sufficiency may help in preventing or combating Coronavirus. A report from National Center for Biotechnology Information suggests that magnesium can play a significant role in managing respiratory disorders, which has been associated with the symptoms of COVID-19 virus. Without relying on supplements, enriching your diet with magnesium-rich foods may help a great deal in keeping your health in good shape. Pumpkin seeds are a well-known source of magnesium nutrient, and hence, gaining a lot of traction these days. Health experts all over the world have suggested including pumpkin seeds in daily diet.

Pumpkin seeds are also known to boost immunity, cardiovascular system and help achieve weight loss goals. All these factors make pumpkin seeds a valuable food to be included in our everyday diet. Here are some ways you can use these wonder seeds to make some healthy and delicious recipes.

Some other sources of magnesium -

✓Nuts - cashews, Brazil nuts
Seeds - flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds.

✓Legumes - lentils, beans, chickpeas, peas, soyabean.

✓Tofu

✓Some fatty fish - salmon, mackerel , halibut.

✓Bananas

✓Leafy greens

02/05/2021

🙋 Don't forget this immune booster drink (kadha) to fight with Covid:

The reason why kadha is considered to be such a potent immune booster is because of its many components. A kadha is made with dry ingredients that cannot be juiced, hence these ingredients are added to water and boiled to extract the nutrients within.

According to a 2018 study published in the Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine, herbal teas like the kadha are a rich source of natural bioactive compounds or antioxidants like carotenoids, phenolic acids, flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, terpenoids, polyacetylenes, coumarins and many others.

Improving the antioxidant status of the body is a well-known way to reduce the risk of all types of diseases, because all of these antioxidants improve the antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, antithrombotic and vasodilatory actions of the immune system. Not only does drinking kadha keep seasonal and chronic diseases at bay, but it also improves the quality of your skin and works as a natural anti-ageing agent.