Families are a gift to every human being and one needs to cherish this gift forever in life. Our hearts go out to those who live in this world without anyone to call as their family. I don’t think we can ever imagine their grievance or relate to their sorrow. All that we can do is respect their feelings, give them their space and shower them with affection. If you are one of those lucky ones who has been blessed with a family never take them for granted. Cherish their presence, support your family members in every way possible and do squeeze in time out of your busy schedule to spend quality time with your adorable ones. For most of us, spending time with family might be about eating together, going out shopping, seeing a movie, eating out or visiting relatives but beyond these we also need to bond over one another, realize our strength and weaknesses and spend quality time together. Involving in physical activity and exercising together is a great way to accomplish this!
An Active Family is a Happy Family It’s a common sight to see mother, father, brother and sister going hand-in-hand to the theatre or a vacation but not many-a-time have we seen them walking or playing together. Physical activity is integral for children and adults across all ages. Standard guidelines recommend 150 minutes of physical activity per week for adults and 60 minutes of play/exercise daily for kids. An active family reaps the benefits of good health and being active showers benefits on the entire family. Make way for some activity time together with the tips given below: Block your clock for activity by setting a specific time in your schedule: Sit down and discuss each of your available timings and single out a common time during which all of you are free for some activity. Set aside a few hours out of this for exercise. It might be a post-dinner walk on Saturdays after dinner or an early morning walk on Sundays. Plan the activity well ahead and jot it down in the calendar: Writing down the plan in a calendar placed in a common place is useful as every member is forced to look into it moving around the house. Involve kids in planning any activity and make them feel important by assigning the job of ticking off the activity in the calendar once it’s been accomplished. Your house is a great place to start working out: Gardening and growing veggies/fruits organically has become the latest trend in most of our homes. Kids can easily participate in yard work and other chores too (such as cleaning the rooms, washing dishes or decorating the rooms). Ask for their help in raking, weeding, planting or vacuuming. Minimize expenses by Maximizing ideas: Its always simpler and feasible to plan activities and exercises that need little or no equipment. It is always easier to choose anything from walking, jogging, jumping rope, dancing or some sport. Playing together gives you the benefits of exercising as well as entertainment. Join kids in classes: Enroll your kids in gymnastics, swimming, dancing or tennis classes which they are sure to enjoy. There is always the plum possibility of making new friends, understanding the concept of teamwork and above all, having fun. Have a list of activities that can be performed irrespective of the weather outside:We love excuses to avoid exercising but ensure that none of you are able to come up with an excuse by planning a list of activities that can be performed anytime. It could be walking inside a mall, swimming in an indoor pool or virtual reality games that need arm-leg movement. For more ideas and concepts for accommodating exercises during any season of the year please visit the website www.firsteatright.com. Switch off the television: Our forefathers spent a good lot of time with the family as they were devoid of televisions, smartphones or the Internet. How good would it be to switch off these gadgets and focus on enjoying with family members every day of the week? Ensure that none of you spend more than 2 hours a day watching TV, playing video games or working on the computer (unless it is a school assignment). Spend the time rather on dancing together, going for a walk or playing out. Small drops make an ocean: Start small by introducing one family activity and moving on to the next when all members are ready. It can be a longer walk session or an extra game. Invite other family members: Call your other family members for some active time together. This offers dual benefits as you get to meet, greet and enjoy yourselves as well as ensure your physical health too. You can go for boot camps together, play snow bowling or even cricket! Reward family members with fun activities: When its time to celebrate plan a visit to the zoo, park or a trek as a family treat. Aiming for the stars is great but you have to go through mountains indeed! Being a great mountaineer or even a hiker is not everyone’s cup of tea. Undoubtedly, you need a fit body and an even fitter mind but above all, your health must also permit your body for such adventures and experiences. Oxygen levels might be extremely low high up in the mountains and those travelling up and down a mountain must be ready to face changes in oxygen levels at any point of time. Even the amount of blood pumped by the heart around the body decreases at high altitudes. Though we are aware of such difficulties existing at greater altitudes its essential to understand what’s exactly causing it.
Rise High Above the Challenges Exploring the possibilities for decreased pumping of blood has remained a topic of interest not because there is an increase in the number of trekkers, hikers and mountaineers but ever since scientists were involved in their first summit of the Mt. Everest. The latest study on these involved researchers collecting data on how the heart and the pulmonary blood vessels adapt to life in the presence of decreased oxygen. Analysis shows that at a high attitude (above 3000m) the decreased presence of oxygen in the air results in a decrease in the volume of blood circulating around the body thereby increasing the blood pressure in the lungs. This decrease in circulating blood levels and increase in blood pressure plays a strong role in reducing the amount of blood the heart can pump with each beat. Despite such issues never once do they affect our ability to exercise at high altitudes. While this is the mechanism that happens in individuals who travel up and down the mountains what about those whose lives revolve around such mountains and high altitudes? Research shows that any altitude above 4900 feet has a grave impact on those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or facing breathing problems. COPD causes debilitating side effects when left unattended and for more details about this please visit the website www.firsteatright.com. For others it’s been shown that living at high altitudes decreases the risk of death from heart disease. Researchers feel that lower oxygen levels turn on certain genes and these genes have a strong impact on the heart muscle function. These genes might also produce new blood vessels that enable blood flow into the heart. Some other scientists feel that mankind is better exposed to increased solar radiation at high altitudes and this helps the body synthesize vitamin D in a better way. Such increased synthesis might be beneficial on the heart and some other kind of cancers too. In fact, people living at a high altitude have the ability to make more oxygen-carrying red blood cells, the blood contains less fluid and the heart works a little less than those of people living in other regions. This doesn’t show that exercising at a high altitude is any better than exercising elsewhere but when there is a threat of a heart attack those who’ve been surviving at a higher altitude fare better. That’s because the heart works more efficiently than those of other individuals who survive in the plains due to the increased presence of oxygen-carrying red blood cells. Dementia overtakes heart disease as the leading cause of death for women in countries such as England and Australia. To be frank, Alzheimer’s shows discrimination-it attacks the women population but spares the men population comparatively. There are more than 50 million people living with dementia presently and the numbers are expected to hit beyond 75 million by 2030 and 131.5 million by 2050. In any of these statistics majority of them are women. Women are becoming more and more susceptible to the disease. It is no surprise that women have a longer lifespan compared to men and Alzheimer’s is one disease in which age plays a critical role-the older you are, the likelier you are to develop late-onset Alzheimer’s.
Flag bearers of the Disease Though longevity might be a risk factor there are other contributing factors that can trigger onset of the disease. Apart from suffering through the disease a solid number of women are bearing the burden of the disease indirectly also. Almost 60% of the caregivers are women and women have a 1 in 6 chance of developing Alzheimer’s compared to the 1 in 11 chance for men. Women past their 60s are at a 2-time risk of developing Alzheimer’s compared to breast cancer. Intrigued by the disproportionate Alzheimer’s rate between men and women, Alzheimer’s association assigned 15 of the world’s reputed scientists to understand the cause behind discrimination in a better way. One of the scientists who studied gender differences proposed the fact that age is a criterion for Alzheimer’s and women live between 4 and 5 years longer than men but the onset of it occurs some 20 years prior to diagnosis. Researchers at Stanford University studies about 8,000 individuals for the presence of a specific gene ApoE-4 that increases the risk of Alzheimer’s. It was seen that women with this gene were twice likelier to develop Alzheimer’s compared to women who don’t carry the gene. Whereas, men who carried the gene were only slightly at an elevated risk compared to men without the gene. The researchers theorized that it might be due to the interaction of the gene with the estrogen hormone. Another study proposes that it might all be linked to heart health. Heart disease strike men during their middle age and hence those who live past 65 are likelier to bear a healthier heart. This protects their brain from Alzheimer’s attack. Two other researches concluded that dementia rates in UK decreased by 20% and the major contributors for this were men over 65 years. Professionals look at this as a result of effective public health campaigns against smoking and heart disease, both of which are major risk factors for Alzheimer’s. Women are likelier to suffer from depression and depression can trigger the onset of Alzheimer’s. Also, being a caregiver puts you at a higher risk of the disease and it is a fact that more than 60% caregivers are women which puts them at a higher risk for the disease. Testing Differences Alzheimer’s is detected by looking at two toxic proteins that accumulate in the brain and studies show that there are no differences in the levels of these proteins between men and women with Alzheimer’s. But women display increased cognitive decline which proposes the fact that both genders might require different predictive values. Also, we have data that women are better performers on the initial tests which causes the physician to miss the diagnosis at an early stage misinterpreting the disease’s severity. Cognitive tests used to diagnose Alzheimer’s rely on recalling words and stories which are a woman’s forte comparatively. So, a woman who suffers from a mild cognitive decline might score normally compared to men. Women were seen to perform better compared to men who suffered from the same level of the disease. Only in advanced stages of Alzheimer’s does a woman’s advantage get eliminated. That’s the reason behind a woman’s faster deterioration after diagnosis-she is already in the advanced stages of the disease. Some say that the risk for Alzheimer’s is laid in the womb and affected by factors such as the environment, surrounding risk factors, diet and exercise. Though speculations and theories are many the exact reason why Alzheimer’s affects the women population more than the men remains to be unraveled. Until then, all we need to do is live a healthy lifestyle by exercising daily, eating nutritious foods and stay away from stress as much as possible. Get in touch with registered dietitian nutritionists at www.firsteatright.com who can help you with your lifestyle and eating practices. It’s a test for your memory skill! Just think quickly and tell me for how long you have been the way you are right now in terms of body weight? A word of caution here as your answer holds the key to your risk of cancer.
Overweight and obesity are becoming increasingly prevalent in today’s world with almost 2 billion adults and 350 million children and teenagers worldwide classified as either overweight or obese. Pitifully this condition has no barriers but seems to affect any individual residing in any country (low-, middle- or high-income) equally. The rate at which it affects people depends on the individual. The excess energy from the food that we consume is stored as fat in adipose tissue. The quantity of adipose tissue varies upon person to person and, the size and location of fat stores too differ depending on the individual. Such storage of excess weight affects the health of a person. This extra fat exists as the root cause for various serious diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other metabolic disorders. Don’t Carry the Excess Baggage for Long, Your Chances of Escaping Cancer Risk might become Forlorn The longer that a woman is overweight/obese greater are her chances of suffering from cancer. The duration of your high BMI (body mass index) levels is linked to developing many different types of cancer right from breast to endometrium. The researchers analyzed data of around 74,000 participants whose BMI records of several years were maintained, diet, smoking, hormone use and history of cancer were also noted and none of the participants suffered from cancer at the beginning of the study. The study happened for 12 years during which almost 6400 patients were diagnosed with obesity-related cancer. Results showed that when women were obese for more than a decade continuously their risk of obesity-related cancers shot up by 7%, their risk of breast cancer went up by 5% and the risk of endometrial cancer by 5%. When you think about association between obesity and cancer logically too this seems to fit the bill. Survival with obesity/overweight issues for a long period is said to increase the risk of insulin resistance, DNA damage, hypertension and changes in hormone metabolism. Beyond the duration of obesity/overweight the chances of being affected by cancer also depend on the degree of overweight. Few evidences also show that having a BMI above 29 kg/m2 increases the risk of cervical cancer. Surprisingly, almost 2/3 of participants in the study were obese/overweight during some point in life. Researchers compared the health of these women to that of those who have never been hit by obesity. The research team’s primary goal was to understand whether being obese for a long time affects cancer risk. Endometrial postmenopausal breast cancer was highly prevalent in those who never used postmenopausal hormones. Staying overweight continuously increases the risk of heart diseases, diabetes and changes in hormone metabolism, all of which are great factors that can increase the risk of cancer. But again, not every obese/overweight woman can be assured of cancer development as this is a disease that is greatly influenced by genetic and environmental factors too. Increased body weight increases the risk of esophageal, mouth, stomach, larynx, ovarian, endometrial, prostate, kidney, liver, colorectal, breast, gallbladder and pancreatic cancer. Settling Down the Risk of Cancer Men and women are at an increased risk of cancer due to overweight issues. While overweight is a grave issue it is seen that even a 5-10% decrease in body weight reduces blood levels of estrogen, testosterone, insulin and inflammation-related biomarkers. Including a healthy diet plan and regular activity surely carries with it a series of positive effects on the body. Relying only on either diet or exercise doesn’t do the trick. You need to introduce your body to both these changes simultaneously to reap total benefits. If you suffer from obesity/overweight-related issues its high time that you get in touch with reputed dietitian nutritionists at www.firsteatright.com who can help you with your weight loss efforts in the most practical and sensible way possible. Why suffer from some disease or illness when you are better off without any concerns simply by exercising and eating healthy? Rujuta Diwekar, You are not a Dietitian. Please Stop Misleading through Propaganda Marketing.4/6/2019
Following Rujuta Blindly May Increase Heart Trouble / Diseases. Be Aware. Be Careful. Be Alert.
Ayurveda has thousands of years of rich history. We Indians are proud to inherit it, and share the wonders and effective results, with the rest of the world. Like other sciences, Ayurveda also has some limitations and cannot be used for all situations i.e. heart attack, cardiac arrest, cardiac failure, stroke, heart surgery, brain surgery etc. Images below and the attached links, are a testimony that there is a very big population which is tarnishing the image of real, effective, researched and original Ayurveda. In addition to Medical Science, Dietetics & Nutrition, we at 'First Eat Right' support and try to promote some selected, research oriented, age old proven methods of Ayurveda. Professionals like Rujuta Diwekar, who has a pure Ayurveda Education Background (From Sadhana intensive and Teacher training courses, Sivananda Yoga Vedanta academy, Uttarkashi) stands on stage and blasts all other well researched, and proven, western Medical Science Approach, related to Dietetics & Nutrition, which is improper. Rujuta is not Qualified as a Professional Dietitian and she has very less academic exposure in the field of Dietetics & Nutrition which totals to 1 year and 9 days. Zero hospital experience, because she is not eligible. https://www.rujutadiwekar.com/about.aspx (5 Days) https://www.uni-potsdam.de/international-nutrition/summerschool/germany2015.html - (5 Days) (4 Days) https://www.sportsdietitians.com.au/courses-events/sports-nutrition-course/ - (4 Days) (1 Year) http://sndthsc.com/nav/post_graduations/pg-diploma-in-sports-science-and-nutrition.html - (1 year) A dietitian studies Dietetics for min 3 years i.e .BSc, and then 2 years MSc in Dietetics, which totals to 5 years of academic exposure in Dietetics & Nutrition. Then a dietitian works in hospitals with pre and post operative cases. First, Rujuta should introduce herself, in all her videos and talks, as an Ayurveda Practitioner and then continue her talk, and she must give explanatory scientific answers to all her weird hypothesis and theory. If not, Rujuta should not be taken seriously at all. She is creating noise and confusion only, via her meaningless body & limb movement, gestures and talks. In effect, she is also tarnishing the image of real Ayurveda and nothing else. If she does not explain all the scientific mechanism, of all her weird preaching, which she has not done in the past, then, she should be considered to be misleading Indian Population and India like all other quacks mentioned below, the only difference is, she speaks English with meaningless, unnecessary, weird, deceptive & distracting body & limb movement & gestures. ​ Some of her unexplained advice, which she must rethink & explain minutely, before speaking / misleading. Rujuta Myth No.1 - You can eat everything and anytime is good to eat everything. Rujuta Myth No.2 - Portion control is not needed, eat as much you want. Listen to your stomach. Rujuta Myth No.3 - No need to break food into Protein, Carbohydrate, Fat, Minerals, Vitamins etc. Rujuta Myth No.4 - Throw away your weighing scale which is meant for Junk only & not humans. Rujuta Myth No.5 - Eat Ghee without any fear in all the meals. Rujuta Myth No.6 - Rice is a heavenly item and you can eat as much you want. Rujuta Myth No.7 - Aachar (Pickles) are divine items and you must have as much as you want. Rujuta Myth No.8 - If you are Interested in a food It is going to work for you. Rujuta Myth No.9 - Panchamrit. Milk. Ghee. Sugar. Dahi. Honey Consumption ok for heart disease & diabetes. Rujuta Myth No.10. -Lactose intolerance, Glucose Intolerance means somebody is lost and will come back. Rujuta Myth No.11 - Diabetic can eat mangoes. Rujuta Myth No.12 - Cardiac patient can eat rice and ghee fearlessly. Rujuta Myth No.13 - Hum khakar apradh bodh no kare balki Eeshwar ka Aabhar jataein. Rujuta Myth No.14 - Don't think of losing weight because you will lose muscle. Rujuta Myth No.15 - Daadi Naani Funda, Local Economy, Global Ecology, Carbon Footprint, Local Grown, Rich /poor Food funda. Rich fruit, Poor fruit etc. Simple Facts : 1. To maintain a heart healthy life pls maintain a healthy life style, like eating more natural food, rather than processed and packaged food items. 2. Use less amount of saturated fat, eat your meals on time, eat portions according to RDA (Recommended Dietary allowance) and not according to Rujuta Diwekar. http://ninindia.org/DietaryGuidelinesforNINwebsite.pdf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reference_Daily_Intake https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK234929/ ) 3. At least 30-45 mins of physical activity everyday, with adequate amount of water, sleep at least 7hrs. In case of existing heart diseases 1. Please avoid people like Rujuta Diwekar for advice. Instead, meet a proper qualified professional Dietitian & Nutritionist for advice and help. 2. Please start immediately physical activities like walk etc, every day for at least 30 mins. ​3. Avoid saturated fats and focus on good fats like omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, which you will get from nuts, like almond, walnut, and also fish. Include more fresh fruits and vegetables. Cut down on red meat. 4. If medication is advised, take them timely, till all your parameters like cholesterol, triglycerides etc, come under control. ​5. Try to maintain a stress free or low stress life by adding yoga, and / or meditation.
Its very sad to see the level to which these quacks have taken our Pride i.e. Ayurveda. We must act now.
World Health Day (April 7th)Almost none in this world needs an elaborate explanation for the term ‘health’ but most of us don’t pay attention to this precious gem in our life. Yoga, autism, cancer, diabetes, malaria and many more have designated days to impart their importance to the citizens of any country. But doesn’t it seem funny to celebrate a day for health when it is a part of each of us integral to everyday life and activities? The proverb,
‘If wealth is lost, nothing is lost If health is lost, something is lost If character is lost, everything is lost’ says it all. Heath is not only the absence of physical pain but in the actual sense it is a sense of complete well-being of the body which includes physical, mental and social well-being. Health is a person’s ability to recover from illness or the time taken to become his/her normal self after being struck by problems. While this definition is conventional, of late researchers have also added the statement that health is the ability to adapt to new threats and diseases without having to face debilitating side effects. Physical & Mental Health Physical health has been the topic of conversation for decades. Alongside absence of any disease it is also the person’s ability to develop endurance, lead a healthful lifestyle and minimize the risk of injury. Mental health on the other hand has gained prominence recently. It is as important as physical health for the overall well-being of the person. What we need to understand is the core fact that mental health is not only the absence of depression, anxiety or restlessness but also the inside ability to enjoy life, face problems, feel safe, lead a normal life even after facing stressful situations in life and maximizing your potential to reach a better place in life. It is essential to realize that both, mental and physical health are interrelated. For instance, the inability to walk or move around prevents a person from performing few tasks or even going to different places. This brings about frustration or a sense of disappointment which in turn can become depression in due course. Likewise, depression prevents a person from doing physical activity increasing sedentary behaviour and leading to physical imbalance. The overall health of a person is affected by the multiple conditions- the environment in which he/she lives, genetic code of the individual and the socio-economic environment surrounding the person. The last factor, socio-economic environment determines the quality of life of the individual. Higher the socio-economic environment better is the life of the person as he/she enjoys better health, good healthcare and a great job. Being Healthy Forever Each of us can take steps from our end to safeguard health and improve wellness. This is the smartest way to lead a healthful life instead of waiting until some disease strikes us. Adhering to few recommendations can take us a step ahead in terms of wellness and well-being.
Life does not come with a guarantee or warrantee but taking these steps can help you become more flexible, healthier and stay positive in life. You might not be disease-free but you are surely equipped with the ability to handle situations, illnesses and problems with better ease. When we don’t have a separate lane for ambulances to speed through the heavy burst of traffic in our roads what more can we expect. A dedicated lane for cyclers and walkers? This is impossible as we have not yet reached a stage where healthy lifestyle and wellness take a front seat over getting the work done. A small sense of hope still lingers in my heart as I occasionally see cyclists occupying a tiny place in our lanes with their safety helmets and well-equipped shoes either performing it as an exercise or travelling to work.
Pedaling Fuels More Health into our Body Gyms are well-equipped with stationary bikes of all kinds and cycling too has been treated on par with walking when it comes to physical activity. It is an integral part of cardio workouts prepping the body for bursts of intense physical activity. Many college campuses like the IITs and BITS, PIlani offer bicycles as the primary mode of commuting to their fellow students with a biker-friendly campus. It is indeed refreshing to see our younger generation still lingering onto this vehicle for essentially attending classes or going back to the hostel. Be it the scorching sun or the freezing cold these guys are prepared to face the harassing weather. By doing this they prepare themselves not only physically but are also mentally prepared to face the hardships offered by life. Cycling to college brings about an overall sense of wellness and makes the person a complete individual. Studies that Portray the Glory of Cycling There are studies that have already proved the benefits of cycling but a latest study shows that bicycling is not only associated with a lower risk of diseases but with a longer lifespan as well. The biggest study in this aspect, this study included more than 2,60,000 participants who were followed-up for five years. 52% of them were women and 48% were men aged between 40 and 69 years. The participants were divided into five groups based on their mode of transport used for commuting to work such as walking, cycling, public transport, car, mixed walking (walking and riding) or mixed cycling (cycling and riding). Over the course of the study 2,430 of them died, almost 3750 were diagnosed with cancer and 1,110 of them had heart problems. Final results showed that compared to riding to work commuting by cycle was associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease or cancer and, death too during the study period. Walking too was associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. Those who cycled regularly decreased their risk of cancer by 45%, heart disease by 46% and death by 41%. Walking too showed similar results but only when the individual covered at least 10 kilometers in a week. Though some feel that cycling too much can lead to infertility its better to do away with false accusations and remember that there is no truth behind these claims! If you are still unsure about this you can find it for yourself at www.firsteatright.com. The advantage with cycling to work is that we are forced to work everyday and commuting by your cycle to work doesn’t need any willpower to exercise compared to walking or visiting a gym. Biking becomes a habit that doesn’t need any motivation as your bike becomes your mode of conveyance. Combining both cycling and public transportation too was effective in elevating total body health. Before choosing to cycle ensure a few things:
“Yesterday is but a dream, tomorrow but a vision. But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness, and every tomorrow a vision of hope”There might have been several instances in your life that keep recurring in your mind and you simply lose focus on the present owing to your persistent rumination of the past. At some point all these frustrate you so much that you take an oath to simply focus on the present and live in the moment. Taking adequate steps to move forward with this concept is good for health too! Technically called as mindfulness this is an age-old concept that seems beneficial in terms of weight loss too!
Mindfulness Mindfulness is awareness of one’s experiences and a state of living in the present moment without getting tangled between worries of the past or thoughts about the future. This is not accepting things in an emotionless state (such as going on autopilot mode) but experiencing life as it unfolds in front of our eyes, both good and bad, without predetermined thoughts or mindset. There have been different studies that have come up with different advantages of practicing mindfulness and this includes ability to cope with stress and serious illnesses, suffer less from depression and anxiety, enjoy life with much joy and enthusiasm and experience improved self-esteem. Other advantages include:
Its no secret that eating healthy food, exercising daily and leading a disciplined lifestyle helps a person lose weight. We know that it’s a clear-cut ‘no’ to foods that contain more of sugar, oil, salt or fats. The main thing is to change how you eat and why you eat. The main idea of mindfulness in weight loss is to prevent individuals indulging in eating foods owing to emotional hunger instead of real hunger. Read more about emotional hunger and how it causes weight gain in a person from the website www.firsteatright.com. Its very rare to see someone eat because they really feel hungry and in most cases, we go for an extra helping of the dessert, pounce for the last wafer packet or plop a candy into our mouth to get rid of anxiety, irritation and frustration. This kind of practice might seem beneficial now but leads to graver consequences (weight gain) later in life. On a mission to eat healthy food your mind automatically changes when your eyes find a freshly baked cake sitting on the bakery. You eat a piece of it and feel disappointed with your own behavior and follow it up by eating more pieces to get over this emotional turmoil. Avoiding such cravings is not going to be easier and focus needs to be shifted over something else of interest to compensate this. Practicing self-awareness helps us realize that feelings of guilt, urge to eat and cravings are like waves that come and go. It depends on our reaction to these waves to chuck them out of the house. None of us are perfect in this world and each of us are bestowed with our share of positives and negatives in life. Succumbing to a craving is not a great sin and it doesn’t call for a torture of your own self. Studies show that practicing mindfulness meditation which focused on eating-based practices helped individuals to acknowledge their hunger levels, emotions, thoughts and motivation. This further prevented them from emotion-based eating. Focus on Thyself Mindfulness enables you to focus on your thoughts, actions and body. Individuals watching television keep themselves relaxed and joyous with some popcorns, soft drinks and the movie without bothering about what goes into their mouth. But, with mindful eating you are aware of every mouthful of food that goes into the mouth, focus on what you eat, enjoy the food and stop eating once you feel full. This fast-aced world is a challenging place to practice mindfulness as we are bothered more about doing several things at the same time, but this practice can leave you delighted and full of positivity. It’s possible to practice mindfulness anywhere and anytime-while waiting for the cab, sitting in the bus, answering calls or standing in the queue. The only concern here is that you need to be more aware of your breath, fingers that are typing, feet that are placed on the ground and people’s voices around you. As individuals start practicing mindfulness they realize how badly they had been fluctuating between the past, present and future all these years. This helps to bring them back to the present and it is these small little steps that create a much brighter, healthy and mindful life. There are many ways such as yoga, tai chi and qigong to practice this technique but most common among all is to develop it through mindful meditation. Love for pastries, chocolates or burgers is understandable but what about wanting to eat dirt, clay or paint? Small children love free play and they utilize this time to play role play, imagine and play something with their toys, have fun in the playground building sandcastles or likewise. The story of Lord Krishna swallowing a handful of dirt is famous far and wide. When his mother scolds him to open his mouth and spit out the dirt she was shocked to see the planets and the universe inside. When the Lord himself was attracted to eating mud, we are all no exception to it. I guess most of you reading this would have had your very own personal experiences with eating sand from the ground. But when this continues persistently for over a month isn’t it of concern? Pica Pica is an eating disorder that involves persistent consumption of substances such as dirt and paint that have zero nutritive value for at least a month at an age for which this kind of a behavior is termed to be inappropriate. Such a behavior is more common in children aged between 1 and 6 comparatively though we are still unclear on statistical data regarding how many children consume dirt intentionally. The common cravings that strike people with pica include dirt, clay, paint, sand, ice, animal feces and hair. Symptoms of pica sometimes occur in pregnant women too due to lack of certain nutrients such as iron and zinc. These women have abnormal cravings and pica might also be present in some other people who feel a certain texture in the mouth. Signs & Symptoms Isn’t it obvious that something is drastically wrong when someone (especially adults) eats clay or lead? Still we have a few striking symptoms that can confirm the presence of the disease:
Eating such non-nutritive items can affect quality of life seriously and lead to nutritional deficiencies as well. In fact, it obstructs the consumption of healthy food items. The dirt that some people eat might be infected with bacteria and parasites causing damage to the liver or kidney even sometimes. Eating paint too can land someone with lead poisoning and this has the power to impair learning abilities and cause brain damage too. Lead poisoning can bring grave side effects unto a person and for details about this disease and treatment ways please visit the website www.firsteatright.com. When someone pops in something that is solid and non-digestible (such as a stone or gem clip) this can obstruct the digestive tract, cause constipation or even lead to tears in the intestine lining due to the sharp nature of the object consumed. Pica is also associated with intellectual inability, hair pulling disorder and skin picking disorder. Treatment We don’t have a specific test that can confirm pica. As it is known that nutritional deficiency is a side effect of the disorder the physician can request for blood tests to check iron and zinc levels. Tests for infections that could prove whether the patient had consumed soil or animal waste must also be done. So, when test results yield any nutritional deficiencies those should be corrected as the first step. Treatment includes different things such as behavior, environmental and family education. Rarely, treatment is also given in the form of mild punishments given to such eating behavior and once the person starts eating normal food, he/she is also rewarded for the same. The success ratio of any treatment procedure varies depending on various factors. For some, it might be resolved in a few months and for some others, it might continue into teenage or even adulthood. A four-year-old complaining of knee pain or a 10-year-old suffering from constant headache isn’t a rarity these days. When I tell how tired it is after some important chores it’s my little munchkin’s turn to repeat the same. Pathetic, isn’t it? Its so weird to hear words such as tired, painful or hurting from our tiny tots when they have not even fully bloomed yet. We are into a generation of rearing kids who would do nothing but stare at gadgets, eat junks and feel pain after playing for some time outside. Let’s assume that you miss out on a day’s exercise session or fail to eat healthy food. So, do we blame ourselves or the food? Both! Food Minus the Nutrients We eat fresh fruits and vegetables minus the freshness in it. We drink plenty of water minus the sweetness in it. We have all the resources but none of them are up to their mark. Strawberry has secured a place for itself in the top 10 contaminated foods and even the red beetroots that we eat today are adulterated sometimes. Disgusting! Milk from cows is adulterated with water, groceries are adulterated with stones and hybrids are planted to reap better harvests that are beneficial. Mankind has started looking into everything beyond quality. The word quality seems to have no place in our dictionaries. Maybe that’s the reason for such multitudinous diseases affecting us and tiny tots not knowing to read or write wearing glasses! To compensate for such insufficiencies in nutrition levels such as vitamins, minerals and others its been found with the help of a research that almost a third of children under the age of 19 use dietary supplements or alternative medicines. Multivitamins were most-commonly used followed by vitamin C, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D and melatonin. The study published in the reputed journal JAMA found that vitamin/mineral supplements use remained unchanged between 2004 and 2014. It was non-vitamin products and other herbal supplements whose consumption increased by two-folds during this period. It’s also been analyzed that alternative medicines such as digestive aids, probiotics and energy stimulants were used by almost 3% of children and 5% of teens. Unregulated Supplements Dietary Supplements have never been regulated by the FDA and we are really not aware of what goes into these supplements too. Reputed research scholars feel that many of these supplements are involved in adverse drug events (specifically cardiovascular ones) which is a safety concern. They are worried whether there would be any benefits that would surpass its disadvantages. The other day I heard from one of the mothers that she nourishes her child with a healthy diet along with multivitamins and folate supplements occasionally. Parents rely too much on these supplements for providing their kids with super powers or energy. Likewise, the latest frenzy on prebiotics and probiotics has not diminished. Their use is four-folds higher now compared to the previous decade. Probiotics and prebiotics are often dispensed as the carrier of good bacteria and help in the digestion process. Certain studies confirm their effectiveness in treating diarrhea and the kind of diarrhea that people suffer from after taking antibiotics. These also help to deal with stomach issues and certain cases of inflammatory bowel disease as well. Yogurt is the most-preferred probiotic especially now that it comes in a variety of flavors whereas bananas, onions, garlic and honey are healthy prebiotics. Children these days fail to sleep well especially after the use of the smartphone technology. This is not the only disadvantage and the list goes on and on. If you are interested to know about it and correct your kids, www.firsteatright.com is the place for you. Melatonin is a hormone secrete by the body for aiding in sleep. When production of this hormone is lower than expected quantities adults use melatonin supplements. For children too, this has become a common supplement now. But studies are still underway in realizing whether melatonin supplements are 100% effective in dealing with sleep problems. Apart from oral medications parents have started training their kids on practicing yoga and meditation too which is a good sign. Yoga helps in the overall wellness of the body and has the beauty of being a fried to all age groups. Along with your football and cricket why not allocate some time for yoga and meditation too? Instead of relying on supplements to shower your kid with nutrition why not prepare nutritionally-rich dishes and lure them into eating it? Violence exists as the language of communication and one can find the daily news filled with information on violent acts across the world. Mankind has seemed to have forgotten the meaning of compassion, amicability and care as the world seems to move forward towards materialism and paper money. People are attacked for money, killed for jewelry or murdered for family heir. Pronounced practice of violence is seen not only among the adult population but also amidst youngsters and children. Schools and colleges have reported overpowering rates of bullying. Every second child is either a bully or is being bullied by someone else. Bullying has become one of the top-three causes of injuries worldwide and for the other two top causes visit the website www.firsteatright.com. A kid’s first response to some argument seems to be a slap right on his/her opponent even before trying to discuss the issue and sort it out. Maybe the media around, entertainment programs and our very own family members serve as concrete examples for such acts.
Curbing Violence with Violence Is violence the solution to violence? A new study has come up with a research that stimulating the prefrontal cortex can reduce a person’s thoughts of committing violent acts by as much as 50% or more. The prefrontal cortex is associated with controlling complicated ideas and behaviors. This controversial study boasts of the fact that using minimum invasion helps to make people realize that making physical or sexual assaults are a wrongful act in our society. The study team researched on 81 adults above the age of 18 years who were split into two groups. One group received a stimulation (direct current) on the prefrontal cortex for 20 minutes while the placebo group received only low current for 30 seconds. The researchers were interested to check out the prefrontal cortex especially the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex as there have been proofs showing that violent individuals often show deficits in this region of the brain. But serious doubts exist whether brain deficits lead to such behavior or vice versa. The research team wanted to understand whether there was any role that this region of the brain played on elevated chances of violent thoughts/acts by the person. As a second part of the study each of the participants were given two hypothetical scenarios-one on physical assault and the other one on sexual assault and were asked to rate on a scale of 0 to 10 their intention to act as a protagonist in each of them. Those who underwent stimulation expressed a 47-70% decline in their interest to carry either of the assaults. Morally Right or Wrong? Research shows that almost 50% of variation in violence is due to biological factors. Rarely, in times of stress and anger we feel like hitting someone, pushing them down or hurting them but do we really resort to such ideas? The study seems befitting as a solution against violence but there is more evidence and research needed before such solutions can be implemented. Crime rates are steadily climbing up, sexual assaults are more than ever before and violence is reaching an all-time high. But the solution for this is not instant and we cannot expect changes overnight. Meanwhile, focus on emotional wellbeing as the first step towards less violence. Love and affection in one’s heart prevents the need for any violent attack and communication seems to be the best form to settle scores between opponents. Stay less violent by being emotionally stable. Sitting down on the floor was a prestige issue sometime back when even children hesitated to occupy a place in the mat when they went over to someone’s birthday party or even during a get-together. Sadly now, even kids feel it a pain to sit down on the floor and get up, request someone else to bring them a pencil or an eraser and find it difficult to sit down and get up repeatedly. I am not exaggerating and the other day, my cousin’s daughter requested me to get her a glass of water as her legs were paining and she was too tired of playing. On the other side, even youngsters as young as those in their 20s or early 30s suffer from knee-related problems or joint pain these days. Its pathetic to see such young people quote different problems that has a strong impact on their quality of life. Maybe its due to the unhealthy food consumed, lack of regular exercises, improper work schedules, irregular eating habits and overall, a miserable lifestyle practice. Sometimes, the health of people in their 60s and 70s overpower the energy and strength of those in their 30s and 40s. Knee conditions are prejudiced against women and every household (that has a lady) is not spared of this mostly. They are said to suffer from osteoarthritis-the most common form of arthritis.
Burdened Bones Osteoarthritis is the most common chronic condition of the joints where the cushion or cartilage between joints between joints break resulting in pain, swelling and stiffness. In worse cases, the bones break and cause excruciating pain in some people. This condition can affect anyone but predominantly a greater number of people above the age of 65. Age, weight, joint injury history, joint overuse and genes are major risk factors for the disease. Sometime back it became well-known that even a 10% reduction in body weight improved symptoms of osteoarthritis in obese and overweight adults. Lifestyle changes which included a well-balanced diet and regular exercise reduced pain and inflammation, helped individuals walk better, faster and improve overall mobility. This 10% reduction in weight not only improved osteoarthritis effect but also improved symptoms of a number of obesity-related conditions. While a group of researchers were curious whether further reduction (20% maybe) in body weight reduced osteoarthritis symptoms further they conducted their study on 240 overweight/obese adults who suffered from osteoarthritis. All the participants were above the age of 55 and most of them were women. The study was a long one conducted for 18 months at the end of which 74 individuals lost less than 5%, 59 of them lost between 5 and 9.9%, 76 lost 10%-19.9% and 31 lost 20% or more of their body weight. It was seen that those individuals who lost 20% or more of their body weight suffered from less inflammation compared to those who lost only 5% of body weight. The people belonging to the maximum weight loss category suffered from less pain and performed better in a 6-minute walk test than those who lost less than 5%. The 76 people who lost between 10 ad 19.9% body weight also performed almost equally as those belonging to the 20% category. Greater Weight Loss than Ever This research shows that achieving greater weight loss through pure and scientific methods benefitted individuals greater than the previously mentioned standards (5-10% of body weight) of weight loss. When weight loss is achieved under professional guidance with no compromise made to the quality of food, without skipping meals and regularly working out it results in better quality of life, pain reduction and improvements in function. Such professional weight loss in a scientific way is made possible in a simple way by registered dietitian nutritionists at www.firsteatright.com who can help every individual achieve his/her target weight in a realistic and doable way. Office timesheets may show an impeccable nine-hour login every day of the week, but appraisal results show a ‘C’ bucket that offers peanuts as a raise! Efficiency and progress in work stand a notch above clocking in long working hours that mean nothing finally. Sleep too might fall in line with your office schedule-work quality pattern.
Sleep is the universal language for energy replenishment which helps to keep the mind alert and the body healthy. There is more to this activity than clocking anywhere between 6-8 hours daily or getting quality sleep every day. Ok. This is a bit trickier than any of us expected! First, we habituate ourselves to sleep for at least 7 hours, we then turn off all our smartphones and electronic gadgets earlier than usually to get quality sleep and now, there is yet another rule. A new study on sleep recommends people to go to bed and get up at the same time daily to weigh less and minimize their risk for heart disease and diabetes too. When a person follows regular sleep timings, even during weekends the body’s circadian rhythm stays balanced enabling better body functions such as appetite and digestion. Study The research that studied almost 2000 participants in the U.S. found that people who failed to maintain regular sleep timings weighed more, had higher BP levels and sugar levels and suffered from a greater risk of suffering from a heart attack within the next 10 years compared to those who maintained regular sleep timings. Their levels of stress and depression, two factors that affect heart health greatly, were also on the upper side. The participants (all of them aged between 54 and 93) used extremely precise devices to track sleep routines. These devices were equipped with the ability to track the effects of even a 10-minute change in sleep routine on the study participant’s health. None of the participants suffered from sleep disorders. The researchers observed the participants’ sleep preferences-whether they loved to sleep early or late and observations showed that those people with hypertension slept for more hours while those with obesity were awake until late night before sleeping. Such irregular sleeping patterns drastically decreased activeness while increasing sleepiness quotient in the participants. The research team expressed confusion whether obesity disrupted sleep quality in the study group or lack of proper sleep affected the body’s metabolism which might lead to weight gain. For this, further research is necessary. Three Point Someone Sleep is generally associated with duration and quality but now, its also been linked with regularity. This comes as a strong blow to individuals doing shift jobs or those who love to party late in the night. Moving off the track from routine schedules is unavoidable but the beauty is all about getting back on track and staying healthy. Irregular circadian rhythms can result in irregular eating and sleeping schedule and increase in BP and diabetes. The best way to tackle all these problems single-handedly is by following regular bed timings diligently daily. For quality sleep and regular sleep timings, get tips from the website www.firsteatright.com. Autism is not the end of life. Well, it might be a developmental disorder that impacts communication, socialization and behavior strongly but do you realize that children with this disorder might be extremely talented in different fields, mostly those that focus on creativity such as drawing or painting? There is no cure for autism and until now we have only got plenty of ways to keep it under control. This makes many parents turn towards nutrition and diet. Latest news has it that quite a many of them approach physicians and health experts with requests for a specialized diet plan for their autism-affected child. The long-standing doubt whether diet can save a child from autism or at least improve the child’s situation remains to be answered. But almost 1 in every 5thchild is on a special diet. So, how about understanding what nutrients to include/avoid that can help a child with autism lead a better life?
Do/Don’t we Have a Diet for Autism? Before we look into the foods that need/need not be removed from the child’s meal lets have a look at the common concerns that need to be addressed with such children. These kids:
Following a Gluten-free, casein-free diet (GFCF): It’s said that people with autism suffer from a leaky gut and when gluten and casein are not completely digested it can even interfere with the normal functioning of the nervous system thereby impacting mental functions and behavior. Gluten is a protein found in wheat and casein is a protein in milk. This diet has maximum positive reviews and accolades from parents whose children have reaped benefits after pursuing it. Excluding food additives: We know that some children don’t accept bright colors or certain food textures easily and there are also theories that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) cannot tolerate food additives. We’ve got many research results backing this and parents too have started taking serious steps against including foods that contain too much of food additives. Eliminating foods: Parents can try an elimination diet by excluding much of casein, gluten and other allergic foods such as peanuts, fish, seafood, eggs and soy. Then, it is recommended to slowly reintroduced foods-one at a time. Maintain a journal noting down the effect of each of these foods and decide upon their inclusion in the daily diet thereon. Supplements:Children with ASD are absolute picky eaters who are never going to meet their nutrient needs. Including supplements is the only way to ensure that they get their daily share of vitamins and minerals. Each of us need a well-balanced nutritious diet and this is especially true in the case of kids with ASD. Choose something that’s free of pesticides, artificial ingredients, processed foods or preservatives. When children are fed with a diet that contains less of toxins and is more organic it is easier on their digestive system. As many kids don’t adapt to proteins well nor include much of fiber or fatty acids it is best to approach a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) for dietary advise. Get in touch with reputed RDNs atwww.firsteatright.com to help you with an amazing diet plan for your child. |
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Dr. Nafeesa Imteyaz of First Eat Right clinic, is the Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Bangalore. Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Pune. Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Hyderabad. Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Chennai. Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Mumbai. Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Delhi. Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Kolkata.