First Eat Right - Dietitian Nutritionist Dr. Nafeesa's Diet & Nutrition Clinic

  • Home
  • Diet & Nutrition
    • Integrity in Nutrition
    • Sports Nutrition >
      • Nutrigenetics / Genomics
      • Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics Research
      • Performance Nutrition
      • Training & Recovery
      • Fuel For Workout
      • Nutrition for Exercise
    • Life Cycle Nutrition >
      • ADULT NUTRITION >
        • Nutrition for Adults
        • Nutrition For women
        • Pregnancy Nutrition
        • Lactation Nutrition
      • KIDS NUTRITION >
        • Infant Nutrition
        • Childhood Nutrition
        • Nutrition For Teenage
      • Ageing Nutrition
    • Medical Nutrition >
      • DIESEASE & CONDITIONS >
        • Infertility | PCOS
        • Diabetes Mellitus
        • Cholesterol
        • Hypothyroid
        • Kidney Problems
        • Hypertension
        • Cardiovascular Diseases
        • Liver Diseases
        • Gastro intestinal disorder
        • Cancer
        • Metabolic Disorders
        • Orthopedic Disorders
        • Eating Disorders
        • Dietary Recall
        • Weight Record Filled By Clients
        • Online Payment Transaction Details
        • Online Clients Weight Check Form
        • Weight Record 2017 Clients
        • Measurements sent by Clients
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Lifestyle & Wellness Blog
      • Allergy & Intolerance
      • Weight Loss / Gain
      • Weight Loss / Slimming Blog
  • Clinics
  • Knowledge Centre
    • Knowledge Resources
    • Worldwide Research & Patents
    • Myth Buster
    • FAQs
    • Testimonials - Videos
    • Avoid Fraud - Videos
    • Myth Vs Fact - Videos
    • Our Specialty, Expertise and Forte
  • Blogs
  • Testimonials
  • Online
  • Home
  • Diet & Nutrition
    • Integrity in Nutrition
    • Sports Nutrition >
      • Nutrigenetics / Genomics
      • Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics Research
      • Performance Nutrition
      • Training & Recovery
      • Fuel For Workout
      • Nutrition for Exercise
    • Life Cycle Nutrition >
      • ADULT NUTRITION >
        • Nutrition for Adults
        • Nutrition For women
        • Pregnancy Nutrition
        • Lactation Nutrition
      • KIDS NUTRITION >
        • Infant Nutrition
        • Childhood Nutrition
        • Nutrition For Teenage
      • Ageing Nutrition
    • Medical Nutrition >
      • DIESEASE & CONDITIONS >
        • Infertility | PCOS
        • Diabetes Mellitus
        • Cholesterol
        • Hypothyroid
        • Kidney Problems
        • Hypertension
        • Cardiovascular Diseases
        • Liver Diseases
        • Gastro intestinal disorder
        • Cancer
        • Metabolic Disorders
        • Orthopedic Disorders
        • Eating Disorders
        • Dietary Recall
        • Weight Record Filled By Clients
        • Online Payment Transaction Details
        • Online Clients Weight Check Form
        • Weight Record 2017 Clients
        • Measurements sent by Clients
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Lifestyle & Wellness Blog
      • Allergy & Intolerance
      • Weight Loss / Gain
      • Weight Loss / Slimming Blog
  • Clinics
  • Knowledge Centre
    • Knowledge Resources
    • Worldwide Research & Patents
    • Myth Buster
    • FAQs
    • Testimonials - Videos
    • Avoid Fraud - Videos
    • Myth Vs Fact - Videos
    • Our Specialty, Expertise and Forte
  • Blogs
  • Testimonials
  • Online

AVOID FRAUD. EAT SMART. PLAY HARD. STAY HEALTHY.

Touch-me-not Foods for Individuals Suffering from High Cholesterol Values

10/31/2018

 
Eat cholesterol-rich foods in controlled portion
Ice creams Contain More Cholesterol Than A Hamburger
Eating is blissful for some. They can go about munching on a variety of delicious and tasty dishes whenever they feel bored or tempted. At a young age, we don’t care about calories, health quotient or the ill effects of a certain food. For example, if you ask a teenager to refrain from eating pizza, he/she is surely not going to give heed to what you recommend. But, as the teenager grows, he/she is sure to bother about the calories present in every food that they eat irrespective of their hunger.
​
High blood pressure, high cholesterol values and risk of heart disease are becoming a common issue these days and though, we would love to continue the teenage habit of munching on anything that comes by our way, monitoring our food intakes becomes of utmost concern here.

Impact of Cholesterol on Day-to-day Life
Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in the cells of the body. Its not bad in moderate quantities and our body needs certain quantities of cholesterol to produce hormones, vitamin D and enzymes needed for digestion. But too much of cholesterol can be a problem.

Every adult above the age of 20 is advised to get his/her cholesterol levels checked every 4 to 6 years with a lipoprotein blood test. Avoid these cholesterol-rich foods to keep your cholesterol levels under control:

  1. While liver might be rich in iron content and prescribed to be a healthy food in the case of some individuals, for some other individuals it might pave way for increased cholesterol levels in the body.
  2. While muffins are consumed for breakfast and is proposed as a healthy option, the goodness of the muffin depends on the method of preparation. If the muffin is made of whole-wheat or low-fat bran, it is definitely a healthy choice. But the ones baked with chocolate sauce and nuts are full of calories.
  3. Popcorn can be good or bad for health depending on the method of preparation. If you microwave your popcorn with plenty of butter and salt, it is ultimately going to be high in calories and contribute towards excess cholesterol. Whereas, if you choose a bowl of unsalted, butter-free popcorn it is going to be a healthy snack that aids to lower cholesterol levels. If you would like to garnish something over your popcorn, choose a light olive oil dressing with some parmesan cheese sprinkled over your snack to keep it balanced on calories.
  4. Baked goods are hard to resist but fast to assist in shooting up your cholesterol values. Cupcakes, cookies or cake slices can be tempting but individuals with high cholesterol are strictly advised to stay away from these foods as they are filled with trans fat due to the use of hydrogenated vegetable oils.
  5. Shellfish is generally good for health but must be ignored by those with heart disease or increased cholesterol levels. Only 85 grams of lobster contain 61 mg of cholesterol which excludes the butter into which the lobster gets dipped into for added taste.
  6. Cheese and pasta are loved by many of us. The list of ingredients that form the dish, such as whole milk, butter and cheese are loaded with saturated fats and cholesterol that makes it an unhealthy choice for many.
  7. Burgers are fulfilling, versatile and can be loaded with any of your favorite fillings right from ham to your choice of exotic vegetables. These also make a comfortable choice for quick on-the-go lunch/dinner menus. Think twice before placing an order for a burger next time as one Mac burger contains 85 mg of cholesterol and a double burger contains 175 mg of cholesterol.
  8. No party is complete without the fried chicken. It’s tasty, crunchy, golden fried and filled with cholesterol so much more than what is present in a hamburger. It is better to replace this with a heart-healthy chicken dish.
  9. French fries are liked even by a 2-year-old baby or a 70-year-old person. These are storehouses of cholesterol due to the presence of hydrogenated vegetable oils. Oils in the fries help to preserve the food and can also withstand repeated heating without crumbling down which is essential for frying fast foods. Studies show that partially hydrogenated oils contain ample trans fat.
  10. Ice creams might be your favorite dessert and it might hurt you when you hear that one scoop of your favorite frozen treat contains more fat that a hamburger and more cholesterol than 10 glazed doughnuts. So, ice creams are not the best snacking options for those with high cholesterol.
  11. Egg yolks are rich in cholesterol. Earlier, people avoided these yellow portions as they were high in cholesterol. But, these are sources of good cholesterol when consumed in moderation. It is ok to enjoy a breakfast of omelettes with bread or scrambled eggs and keep a watch on your cholesterol intake during the other meals of the day.
  12. While butter might be the key ingredient in many dishes, such as popcorns, pancakes and so on, if we suffer from high cholesterol levels it is recommended to stay away from these dishes.
  13. Red meats are loaded with cholesterol and saturated fats compared to other meats. Instead of consuming red meats such as beef, lamb and pork choose healthy alternatives such as plant-based proteins, beans, chicken (without frying) and fish (rich in omega-3s).
Baked Goods Load You with Cholesterol
Pasta & Cheese are a Deadly Cholesterol Combination
No Party is Complete without Fried Chickens
Eating the above-mentioned foods is not a sin. All you have to keep in mind is to eat them in controlled portions and stick to your daily physical activity routine to stay in good health. If you suffer from high cholesterol values which keeps hitting your health badly, it is better to get in touch with a registered dietitian nutritionist at www.firsteatright.com who can help you control cholesterol values with healthy eating plans and a simple activity routine.

Lung Cancer: Don’t Pollute your Lungs with Your Own Smoke

10/31/2018

 
Lung Cancer Awareness Month (November 1st-November 30th)
​
Quit smoking and protect your lungs
You Might Have Two Lungs, but they Function Together!
Smoking is the primary cause of lung cancerStop Smoking. Save Yourself from Lung Cancer
Respiratory Anatomy
Breathing is the crux of human existence and lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system which also comprise of airways, blood vessels and muscles that help a person breathe. Lungs help to breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide from the body. Termed as ‘gas exchange’ this is a vital element of breathing.
​
Alongside gas exchange, the respiratory system also performs other important functions that support breathing such as:
  1. The air inhaled is brought to the right body temperature and maintained at the right humidity level.
  2. Harmful substances are expelled out of the body by enabling the person to cough, sneeze, filter or swallow them.
  3. Keeping your sense of smell in check.

Lung Anatomy
Humans are blessed with two lungs-the right and left lung each having distinct characteristics. The right lung is divided into three lobes and the left lung into two lobes. These lobes are like balloons that are filled with sponge-like tissue. Each lung is surrounded by pleura-membranes that surround each lobe of the lungs.

Air enters our body primarily through the nose but can also enter through our mouth if we are accustomed to breathing through our mouth. This air enters the throat which passes it to the trachea or wind pipe. Trachea is composed of two bronchial tubes that enter each lung which are again divided at the lobes of the lung. The tiniest of the bronchial branches are called bronchioles which are comprised of air sacs or alveoli. Though small, the air sacs enable exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Walls of the alveoli are comprised of capillaries (blood vessels) through which blood passes entering via the pulmonary artery and leaving via the pulmonary vein. In the capillaries, blood pushes carbon dioxide into the alveoli and takes oxygen from air in the alveoli.

Complexity Involved
Breathing is a complex process which can be greatly disturbed owing to the presence of infections, injuries, diseases and other factors.

Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide but shows no symptoms until later stages. Absence of much symptoms is due to the presence of restricted number of pain receptors in the lungs.
​
Lung cancer is commonly present among the older generation, specifically amongst people belonging to the 70-74 age group. Individuals younger than 40 face the least risk of the disease. Although it can occur in anyone, smoking is the primary cause (more than 85%) of this cancer owing to the various toxic substances that are inhaled.

Symptoms
The symptoms of lung cancer vary depending on the type of lung cancer and the placement and size of the tumor. Common symptoms include:
  • Chest pain
  • Coughing up blood
  • Persistent chest infection
  • Wheezing
  • Fatigue
  • Cough that persists for 3 weeks or more
  • Shortness of breath

Types
Cancer that starts in the lungs is called as primary lung cancer and one that starts elsewhere and spreads to the lungs from another place in the body is called as secondary lung cancer. There are three main types of lung cancer namely:

Small cell lung cancer: Almost 10-15% of lung cancers belong to this category and falls under primary lung cancer. It spreads quickly compared to the rest of the types.

Non-small-cell lung cancer: Almost 85% of lung cancers belong to this category making it the most common type present universally.

Lung carcinoid tumor: This is the least-present type of amounting to lesser than 5% of the total lung cancer statistics. These tumors grow slowly and rarely do they spread.

Treatment
Treatment purely depends on the stage of diagnosis, type of cancer and how far the disease has spread. When the cancer is confined to a small area which means that it has been diagnosed early, surgery is the preferred option where the portion of the affected lungs are removed surgically. When health conditions don’t permit surgery, radiotherapy is the suggested option for treatment. Chemotherapy is introduced to the patient only if the cancer has spread too much making surgery or radiotherapy an ineffective option.

Diagnosis plays a very important role in treatment and survival rates. Only 1 in 20 people live for at least 10 years diagnosis while 1 in 3 people live at least for a year for sure after diagnosis.

Prevention
The best way to prevent lung cancer is to stop smoking (if you smoke) as this is the primary cause of the disease. Even if you have been a heavy smoker until now, your chance of acquitting the disease reduces once you stop it. After some 10 years of quitting, the chances of developing lung cancer decrease by almost 50%. When such are the advantages of quitting, why can’t we think about it seriously? Read more about the side effects of smoking and the advantages that tag along once a person quits smoking from the website www.firsteatright.com.

Eat healthy: Keep your lungs healthy by eating nutritious and wholesome food. Include five portions of fresh fruits and vegetables daily, choose whole grains, eat foods that are high in fiber diet, low in fat and rich in nutrients.

Physical activity: Exercising regularly decreases the risk of lung cancer in fact, any type of cancer. Indulge in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every week which amounts to at least 30 minutes of exercise five days a week.

Trick-or-Treat, Don’t Cheat on your Health During Halloween

10/31/2018

 

Halloween Day (October 31st)

Replace candies with non-edible goodies during Halloween
Spread the Joy of Sharing during Halloween by Donating Excess Candies
Bribe children into receiving non-edible treatsDistribute Candies, Don't Allow Kids to Grab Them
Halloween is the most desired day for children as they right royally grab umpteen candies to eat, dress up as spookily as possible and the schools and neighborhoods are buzzing with activities. But as parents, are you ready for all the sugar laden treats that could last for months after the festival? Having a party together, going for a trick or treat or celebrating in your own unique way, there are multiple creative ways in which you can make Halloween healthier, desirable and enjoyable.

Safe Halloween
There are quite a number of safety measures that should be ensured before sending your child for his/her Halloween celebration.
​
Costume-wise
Kids jump with excitement and are ready to do anything to look their best on Halloween. They don’t mind the flowing dresses, huge hats or mighty swords. But as parents, we need to make sure that the costume fits correctly without being too big or too small making it uneasy for the kid to move around easily. If you are making a mask, hat or a wig ensure that these props fit your child perfectly instead of blocking their vision.

Pumpkin-wise
What is Halloween without the scary or silly Jack-o’-lanterns? The custom is believed to have originated in Ireland where pumpkins were often carved with grotesque faces. Since then, the tradition of carving pumpkins and lighting them to ward off evil forces has been followed worldwide. Never give kids the responsibility of carving pumpkins with knives as there are many dangerous consequences attached to it. You can help them with permanent markers where the child can draw features over the pumpkin and make them spooky/silly according to their wish. Else, allow them to draw the features and help them with the carving process. Also, instead of lighting candles inside the carved pumpkin, you can use glow stickers. If you wish to use candles, place the pumpkin in places where there are minimal chances of tripping over and blow off the candles when you are not at home.

Trick-or-treating-wise
Halloween is the time of year where children are prone to car accidents twice as much compared to any other time of year. It is better to:
  1. Always look on both sides of the road before crossing and cross as a group
  2. Take a grownup with you wherever you go or keep in touch with them via mobiles as often as possible
  3. Use glowsticks to light your candy bags which enable car travelers to recognize your presence in the dark
  4. Walk only on the footpath and enter only those houses that are well-lit

Eating-wise
This is the most sought-after part during Halloween and children love to munch on candies as and when their bags fill up. But, it is always better to wait until you reach home before opening your candy bag. This way, you ensure that you eat only those that are fully wrapped and get to read the ingredients if your child has any food allergies. Never let children eat any edibles that seem to be made of unknown ingredients. Before you kid gets ready for the candies, it is always better to make him/her aware of the idea that not all candies need to be emptied then and there. Parents can take a few to their office and share it with their colleagues or even encourage their children to trade candies for other prizes such as their favorite toy or dress. This way, you ensure better health and less sugar intake.

There is no hard and fast rule attached with Halloween celebrations. It is the time of year to celebrate and promote togetherness in an amicable way. As parents you can always incorporate positive changes such as:

  1. Don’t allow kids to grab candies but distribute one or two to every child who visits your place.
  2. Don’t feel unsure about bringing in new changes. Instead of candies you can always distribute healthier treats or even non-edible gifts that children would love to have. Non-edible gifting ideas that are sure to impress children are shared at www.firsteatright.com from which you can always choose one and win your kid’s heart.
  3. Get your kids moving by making them walk from house to house instead of driving around
  4. Bribe your kids into trading left-over candies for a day at their favorite hangout-park, zoo, movie or pool
  5. Feel free to donate the excess candies to orphanages or other places. This way, kids learn to share and care

Stark Truth of Our Future Legacy’s Health

10/30/2018

 
Adolescent births form 11% of total births in India
Whoa! Your Teenage Child Looks All Grown Up
Adolescents and youngsters form the majority of population in India. This is a ‘cat on the wall’ stage which terrorizes every parent and excites every adolescent! Worldwide, there are around 1.2 billion people, almost 1 in every 6th person living in this world is an adolescent aged between 10 and 19 years. Adolescence is the period of maximal growth of an individual-girls and boys attain puberty, hormone levels change and they love to explore their body and mind. While most adolescents are healthy, some of them suffer from premature death, illness and injury due to alcohol/tobacco use, unprotected sex, sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise or exposure to violence/trauma. All these rips off the teenager of good health and affect their health lifelong as adults and also their children’s health. Avoiding such behaviors during adolescence and promoting healthy behavior in these individuals is needed to enable them to grow up into healthy adults who can reproduce healthy kids.
​
Some of the critical health issues that hit these people include:

Early pregnancy and childbirth
Globally, there are 44 births born of girls aged 15-19 years of every 1000 births (11% of total births) and early pregnancy and childbirth is the leading cause of death in these girls. Enabling better access to contraceptive information and pills, specifying strict rules on minimal age for marriage and enforcing them can curb such early pregnancies greatly. If in case such adolescent girls do get pregnant, appropriate antenatal care must be provided and in countries where laws permit, safe abortion practices should be given for those who wish to terminate the pregnancy.

HIV
While the total number of deaths due to HIV is down by 30%, HIV-related deaths in adolescents are rising with around 2 million teenagers living with HIV and many of them even unaware of their HIV status. Youngsters must be made aware of ways to protect themselves, given access to these means and given better access to HIV testing and counselling services. Condoms for avoiding sexual transmission of the virus and clean needles/syringes for injecting drugs must be made available to them.

Vaccinations have helped decrease the attack of a great number of diseases including polio, measles and mumps. Still, diarrhea and respiratory tract infections are said to be the top 5 causes of death for 10-19-year olds.

Mental health problems
Depression is the 3rd leading cause of ill health and disability among adolescents and suicide is quoted as the third leading cause of death in adolescents aged between 15 and 19 years. Trauma, rape, violence, humiliation and poverty increase the chances of mental illness by multi-folds. Children should be trained in life skills and parents should develop a fine rapport with their children that enables them to detect any changes in their children’s behavior immediately.

Use of alcohol/drugs
Use of alcohol and drugs are major sources of other harmful issues such as unprotected sex, injuries due to road accidents, violence by a partner and premature deaths. Drugs availability must be reduced as drug use is dominant among 15-19-year olds. Injuries and deaths due to road accidents too is a major reason of death among adolescents. Blood-alcohol levels must be set lower for teenage drivers.

Malnutrition and obesity
Malnutrition and obesity exist at two ends of the spectrum in developing and under-developed countries. There are many children who enter adolescence as malnourished teenagers which makes them vulnerable to health issues. Obesity in kids and teenagers is also on the rise in low-, middle- and high-income countries globally. Its high time to curb the obesity epidemic and join hands together to promote healthy eating among our present generation kids to enable them to grow into healthy adults. For more insights on managing the obesity epidemic and learning to live a healthy lifestyle please visit the website www.firsteatright.com.

Exercise and nutrition
Iron deficiency anemia was the leading cause of quality life lost to disability and death in 2015. Teenagers consume a bulk portion of junk foods high in saturated fats, trans fat, free sugars and salt that’s totally harmful for the body. Data too suggests that fewer than 1 in 4 individuals meet the physical activity requirements of exercising for 60 minutes daily.

Tobacco
Smoking starts as early as adolescence due to peer pressure or the excitement to try new things and this develops into a habit gradually. To prevent this, it is necessary to increase tobacco prices, impose higher taxes on tobacco products and ban tobacco advertising. Almost 1 in 10 adolescents aged 13 to 15 years use tobacco which needs immediate intervention.

The Cat & Mouse Fight

10/30/2018

 
Women have increased oxygen uptake
Women Show Greater Aerobic Fitness Ability than Men
Women are weaker of the two sexes-this feeling has been instilled among women since ages and ages by our forefathers and fathers. Society too treats a man with more respect than a woman as he is proudly called the ‘head of the family’. But now, women are breaking all barriers and setting their successful footsteps onto all domains-we have the first Indian woman pilot, Ms. Avani Chaturvedi flying the fighter jet to Dr. Soumya Swaminathan who is the deputy director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), the highest post held by an India in the WHO.
​
All these bring about a new question-who really is the weaker sex? Science and logic are fervently working together to produce a clearer picture on a woman’s physical fitness levels on all fields, especially in ones that require greater physical stamina as in athletic training. A new study suggests that when it comes to getting fitter and maintaining it, women have an aerobic edge over men. Though a small study, it compared the oxygen uptake of 18 young men and women while they worked out on a treadmill. An important criterion that determines aerobic fitness is oxygen uptake. Results proved that women consistently processed oxygen about 30% faster than men which is contradicting the common belief that men have a stronger and more naturally athletic body. One researcher involved in the small study exclaimed that a woman’s muscles extract oxygen from the blood faster and this indicates a much more powerful aerobic system. One point to note is that, all participants in the study were around the same age, fitness level, weight and highly active people.

While men may have higher fitness peaks than women, the study clearly shows that women show clearly more aerobic fitness ability than men at the same level. The reason for this faster oxygen uptake is not clear, but one thing is-the way we differentiate women and the way in which we approach assessment and training might all change forever in a few years’ time.

Be it a man or a woman, the ability to perform, to process and prove results matter more than anything- be it the person’s sex, caste, creed, height or weight! If you are a sports person or someone looking to enhance your athletic performance with a healthy diet plan and physical activity, you can get in touch with acclaimed registered dietitian nutritionists at www.firsteatright.com.

Rhabdo is Rare, But those Affected Fare Bad!

10/29/2018

 
Physical exertion beyond limits cause muscle tissue injury
Rhabdo Can be Life-Threatening
People go crazy over workouts and physical fitness at one stage in their life and during this period, they give their 100% to physical activity exerting themselves beyond their maximum limit. Most health clubs these days offer discounted rates or festive bonanza offers in their membership prices and include dynamic exercises such as whole-body workouts, CrossFit, high-intensity interval training, functional training, etc.
​
Trainers are pumped up with energy and they pass over such high spiritedness to their clients. They push you to a whole new level of exercising and motivate you all through the schedule. These high-intensity workouts benefit some clients but affect many of them causing a life-threatening disease called rhabdo.

Rhabdomyolysis
Rhabdomyolysis is the breakdown of muscle tissue whose contents enter the bloodstream rapidly. Myoglobin is released when muscle cells burst and too much of this protein results in kidney damage.  Myoglobin is a local oxygen reservoir that serves to supply oxygen during periods of high-intensity muscular activity.

What Causes Rhabdo?
High-intensity workout/training is one of the many causes of rhabdo. Other critical ones include:
  • Medication side effects
  • Alcohol use
  • Infections
  • Drug overdose
  • Trauma or crush injury
  • Genetic muscle diseases
  • Seizures or muscle tremors
  • Low phosphate levels
  • Ischemia or death of muscle tissue

Symptoms
Major symptoms of rhabdo include dark or red-colored urine, overall body weakness, muscle tenderness, weakness of affected muscle, decreased urine output and muscle stiffening or aching. Other symptoms include fatigue, joint pain, seizures and weight gain.

Diagnosis & Treatment
The aching muscles are thoroughly checked for tenderness alongside a urine and blood test to confirm rhabdomyolysis. The doctor might check for normal levels of the following elements that are required for muscle and kidney health:

  1. Creatinine kinase, an enzyme found in skeletal muscles, brain and heart.
  2. Myoglobin (a protein that’s a byproduct of muscle breakdown) content in blood and urine.
  3. Potassium leakage from injured muscles and bone.
  4. Creatinine in blood and urine. Creatinine is a breakdown product created by muscles and removed from the body via kidneys.

Increase in levels of any of these substances are clear indications of muscle damage. Any of us might be excited with the prospective advantages over a new physical activity and wish to excel in it! Your attitude is right, but it is also necessary to intimate your trainer about your body type and present activity level. Where do you stand in terms of fitness and health concerns? Beyond all these, you need to adopt healthier food and beverage habits:

  • Keep yourself well-hydrated by drinking plenty of fresh water. This prevents problems and helps flush your kidneys. Dehydration is dangerous, especially during summer and water is not the only option for preventing dehydration. There are a host of other healthy hydration options given at www.firsteatright.com amongst which you can choose your most-preferred one.
  • Never use anti-inflammatory medications without your doctor’s knowledge when you have rhabdo as these medicines aggravate kidney damage.
  • Restrict/stay away from alcohol consumption as it may dehydrate you due to its diuretic property.

In most cases, rhabdo is treatable at home with plenty of fluid intake. If the physician doubts a kidney problem or if muscle enzyme levels are high, IV fluids may be needed and rarely, the patient might even be hospitalized and kept under observation. Bicarbonates are prescribed usually after diagnosis.

Be Strong-willed
Exercising is fun, entertaining and enjoyable when you focus on it considering your body cues. Some trainers love to show fast-paced results and keep drilling you to the point of exhaustion. A good trainer is one who gets to know your body well in due course and adjusts exercise routines to match your fitness level. He/she slowly and consistently introduces new exercises and challenges to your body until you start functioning better and faster.

Soy Foods & their Conflicting Role in Breast Cancer Risk

10/29/2018

 
Eat soy in moderation
Soy Foods have a Dual Effect on Breast Cancer
Soybeans are the classic version of a vegetarian meat substitutes. Affordable even to the poorest of mankind, these protein-packed foods are widely used for their minimal calorie content and maximum protein punch. This special food finds itself entangled between conflicting study results and statements that appreciate or condemn its effects on human health. Hailed by some for controlling hot flashes, osteoporosis and cancers such as breast and prostate, the same food is hated by many for fear of breast cancer risk, dementia and thyroid problems.
​
Nutrition Combination
Science proclaims soy as one of the healthiest foods available in abundance to every man living in this world, but conflicting research prevents mankind from advertising it to the world. Containing abundant quantities of isoflavones, it is this element that brings about varying results on our very own soybean. Isoflavones are estrogen-like compounds found in plants that have a weaker effect comparatively. Estrogen is likelier to promote the growth and development of breast cancer. Consuming isoflavone-rich soy foods is feared to worsen the chances of breast cancer greatly. Contrarily, there have been few other studies indicating positive effects of soy intake on inhibiting breast cancer risks. Read more about breast cancer, its signs, symptoms, diagnoses and the foods you can eat to remain at a reduced risk from the website www.firsteatright.com.

Studies that Don’t Conclude Yet Confuse

Eat Soy, Experience the Joy of Cancer-inhibition
Its more than 25 years since the conflict in information surrounding soy intake and breast cancer risk started appearing and we’ve not been able to come to any decisive conclusions until now. It all started on a positive note when soy-consuming countries showed decreased mortality rates which made researchers curious about isoflavones’ role as anti-chemo agents. That’s mainly because these elements contain both estrogen-dependent and estrogen-independent properties that give us clues that it might obstruct the occurrence of breast cancer.
Much research on soy started evolving as many women in Asian countries showed decreased risk of breast cancer compared to women in Western countries. Soybeans and soy products mainly contain two isoflavones called genistein and daidzein. Different research results prove genistein to prevent cancer of the breast, prostate, colon and skin while daidzein is also said to possess anticancer effects. Yet another study showed that women who consumed soy were 21% less-likelier to die over 9 ½ years compared to those women who ate the least. The same study also showed that there are no side effects such as increased cancer risk due to soy consumption. In fact, it only promotes various other health benefits such as decreased heart problems, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases along with the anti-cancer effect.

Research Show Soy Foods as Cancer-promoting Foods
Adding a small amount of soy foods to diet has the tendency to trigger cancer-inducing genes in the body, according to a study. The study involved 140 women who were diagnosed with stage 1 or 2 breast cancer between 2003 and 2007 and scheduled for a mastectomy or lumpectomy in 2-3 weeks. Within those three weeks these women were grouped into two where 70 of them consumed soy protein (52 grams daily) and another 70 consumed a placebo that looked like soy protein. On comparison of each woman’s breast tissue sample that was taken before and after surgery, results showed that genes that promoted cancer cell growth were turned on in women who consumed soy protein. Two studies in 2009 done by reputed study groups came to strikingly different conclusions. One study observed whether soy triggered the recurrence of the disease and concluded positively. Yet another study on Chinese breast cancer survivors most of whom underwent a mastectomy showed that those women who consumed a soy-rich diet were at a decreased risk of recurrence compared to those who ate a diet that contained little of soy.
​
All said and done, consumption of soy still remains a vital treatment source to minimize menopausal symptoms and avoid bone loss. There are study results that support consumption of soy from a younger age compared to inclusion of soy-rich foods from menopause. We need yet more conclusive research studies that either approve or disprove soy usage as an agent against breast cancer. Until then, there is no harm in eating moderate quantities of soy foods.

Sources of Soy
Feel free to consume one or two servings of soy foods such as tofu, tempeh, edamame and soy milk daily. You can substitute peanuts for soybeans, soymilk for cow’s milk while eating your breakfast cereal, use soy protein instead or red meat while preparing gravies, use miso dressing for your salad or relish yummy smoothies with soy milk.

Trick-or-Treat, Don’t Cheat on your Health During Halloween

10/29/2018

 
Ensure that your kids costume is safe during Halloween
Non-edible Gifts are Great Gifting Options Too
Halloween is the most desired day for children as they right royally grab umpteen candies to eat, dress up as spookily as possible and the schools and neighborhoods are buzzing with activities. But as parents, are you ready for all the sugar laden treats that could last for months after the festival? Having a party together, going for a trick or treat or celebrating in your own unique way, there are multiple creative ways in which you can make Halloween healthier, desirable and enjoyable.
​
Safe Halloween
There are quite a number of safety measures that should be ensured before sending your child for his/her Halloween celebration.

Costume-wise
Kids jump with excitement and are ready to do anything to look their best on Halloween. They don’t mind the flowing dresses, huge hats or mighty swords. But as parents, we need to make sure that the costume fits correctly without being too big or too small making it uneasy for the kid to move around easily. If you are making a mask, hat or a wig ensure that these props fit your child perfectly instead of blocking their vision.

Pumpkin-wise
What is Halloween without the scary or silly Jack-o’-lanterns? The custom is believed to have originated in Ireland where pumpkins were often carved with grotesque faces. Since then, the tradition of carving pumpkins and lighting them to ward off evil forces has been followed worldwide. Never give kids the responsibility of carving pumpkins with knives as there are many dangerous consequences attached to it. You can help them with permanent markers where the child can draw features over the pumpkin and make them spooky/silly according to their wish. Else, allow them to draw the features and help them with the carving process. Also, instead of lighting candles inside the carved pumpkin, you can use glow stickers. If you wish to use candles, place the pumpkin in places where there are minimal chances of tripping over and blow off the candles when you are not at home.

Trick-or-treating-wise
Halloween is the time of year where children are prone to car accidents twice as much compared to any other time of year. It is better to:
  1. Always look on both sides of the road before crossing and cross as a group
  2. Take a grownup with you wherever you go or keep in touch with them via mobiles as often as possible
  3. Use glowsticks to light your candy bags which enable car travelers to recognize your presence in the dark
  4. Walk only on the footpath and enter only those houses that are well-lit

Eating-wise
This is the most sought-after part during Halloween and children love to munch on candies as and when their bags fill up. But, it is always better to wait until you reach home before opening your candy bag. This way, you ensure that you eat only those that are fully wrapped and get to read the ingredients if your child has any food allergies. Never let children eat any edibles that seem to be made of unknown ingredients. Before you kid gets ready for the candies, it is always better to make him/her aware of the idea that not all candies need to be emptied then and there. Parents can take a few to their office and share it with their colleagues or even encourage their children to trade candies for other prizes such as their favorite toy or dress. This way, you ensure better health and less sugar intake.

There is no hard and fast rule attached with Halloween celebrations. It is the time of year to celebrate and promote togetherness in an amicable way. As parents you can always incorporate positive changes such as:

  1. Don’t allow kids to grab candies but distribute one or two to every child who visits your place.
  2. Don’t feel unsure about bringing in new changes. Instead of candies you can always distribute healthier treats or even non-edible gifts that children would love to have. Non-edible gifting ideas that are sure to impress children are shared at www.firsteatright.com from which you can always choose one and win your kid’s heart.
  3. Get your kids moving by making them walk from house to house instead of driving around
  4. Bribe your kids into trading left-over candies for a day at their favorite hangout-park, zoo, movie or pool
  5. Feel free to donate the excess candies to orphanages or other places. This way, kids learn to share and care

World Stroke Day (October 29th 2018)

10/29/2018

 
Stroke impact depends on treatment delay
Act Fast on the Signs of F.A.S.T
Every year we insist citizens around the world to familiarize themselves with the symptoms of stroke and help the affected person receive treatment as early as possible. Still, stroke remains as one of the leading causes of death globally. Beyond the tragedy of death, the most ironic part is the feeling of loneliness that sets in most of the stroke-affected persons post-stroke. For those who feel isolated-there are 80 million people who live in a similar state of mind as yours and 50 million survivors who have learnt to lead lives with some form of lifelong disability.
The bitter truth remains unchanged that life after stroke doesn’t remain the same as before. The impact intensity and nature differ from person to person, but one thing remains unchanged-your ability to remain resilient and strong, bounce back from the disaster and make your life as meaningful as possible. The effect of stroke entirely depends on the how fast you react on the F.A.S.T warning signs.
​
F.A.S.T Warning Signs
Stroke is a condition that happens when a blood vessel carrying oxygen and other important nutrients to the brain is blocked by a clot or bursts. The parts of the brain that are deprived of oxygen and blood start dying and physicians predict the impact of a stroke depending on the extent and locality of the brain cell damage. Leaving a stroke-affected person unattended every minute after stroke destroys millions of brain cells. Learn the cardinal symptoms of stroke with the help of F.A.S.T and act fast to avoid as much damage as possible to the body:

F-Face drooping. Can you notice drooping or numbness on one side of the person’s face?
A-Arm weakness. Ask the person to lift both arms. Can you notice either of the hands drooping down or seeming weak/numb?
S-Speech difficulty. Try conversing with the person. Is his/her speech slurred, difficult to understand or the person finds it hard to converse?
T-Time to call emergency. If you notice or doubt any of the above signs, call emergency and take the person to the hospital immediately. Don’t drive by yourself as an ambulance has the facility to provide treatment on the way to the hospital and this remains of utmost help.

Anyone is at Risk
Stroke affects anyone of any age although your age, sex, ethnicity and lifestyle are risk-promoting factors of stroke. Anyone who smokes, drinks, stays inactive or has high cholesterol, BP and sugar are always at a higher risk of being affected by the condition. One can always minimize these risks by staying healthy, eating nutritious foods, maintaining a healthy body weight, exercising regularly and limiting smoking/drinking. Get in touch with registered dietitian nutritionist at www.firsteatright.com to lead a healthy life, change your lifestyle for the better and promote nutritious eating habits that last a lifetime.

Heart Health: 50-60, Not 50-50

10/28/2018

 
Exercise and eat healthy to stay heart healthy
Self Before Service becomes a Priority After 40s to Ensure Health
Women should ensure that they exercise at least for 30 min dailyWomen, Start Attending to Your Health Too!
Aging is an inevitable phenomenon that can never be reversed but how we age can be controlled and monitored by our decisions and priorities. Every decade of a person’s life adds certain new elements and takes away some oldies. Twenties and thirties are the prime ages during which each of us brim with energy and await with eagerness to explore and exploit the good things that life has to offer us. Stepping out of your 30s and entering your 40s is a radical stage during which the physical body exhibits enormous changes and you seem to notice changes mind-wise too. Making healthy choices and taking nutrition-based decisions help a person stay healthy as he/she ages. Starting off with healthy habits even in your 40s, 50s or 60s increases quality of life and reduces your risk of heart disease and chronic illnesses. Middle age is the right time to garner all your attention towards good health for now and forever.
​
There is no hard and fast rule that states that one needs to visit a doctor only for treating ailments. It is also essential to get an annual health checkup done to ensure that your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels are in normal ranges.

Smarty 40
Your forties are your life’s prime years that involve settling your child into their favorite study streams, reaching great career pinnacles, amassing as much fortune as possible and taking all big decisions in life. In all this turmoil, people rarely find time to think about themselves and take care of their health. A team of researchers dwelled into the health records of more than 25,000 people over several decades analyzing blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol levels, body mass index and smoking risk factors across participants when their average age was early 40s. Cardiovascular disease risk factors that was present in the early 40s accurately denoted the health status of participants at ages 65, 75 and 85. Those who had no major health risk factors lived a longer healthier life without heart disease or chronic illness which saved healthcare expenses too, according to a study published in the journal Circulation.

Your 40s is the best time to assess your health and make changes for the better to safeguard and protect it in the long term. You are what you eat! Analyze your diet and introduce any changes, if needed, cutting back on sugar, processed food and sodium all three of which are major contributors for diseases such as diabetes or blood pressure. Women especially are at an increased risk of diabetes as they approach menopause. Cut down on your sodas, frozen desserts and refined carbs consumption to prevent or even reverse the onset of diabetes.

50-60, Not 50-50
Your health affects everything in life-daily routine, performance at work and even your ability to work. There are even studies that show that employees with better cardiovascular health experience fewer sick days and focus better at work along with reduced annual healthcare cost. Even when menopause does not pose to be a dangerous risk factor for cardiovascular disease, symptoms can start occurring right around this period and heart disease symptoms can become more evident later in life.

Actually, 50s and 60s are the time during which individuals accumulate more weight and heart disease risk factors increase. It is better to take precautions before your 50s and prevent accumulation of weight. Regular physical activity during the middle age can improve elasticity of blood vessels that can occur due to a sedentary lifestyle and decrease cardiovascular disease risk. Few simple ways of staying active include taking walks in your neighborhood or walking down to the farmer’s market to find fresh produce. Avoiding eating outside and preparing meals at home can be a great way of staying healthy.

60s and over are the decades during which medical problems become pronounced and the number of hospital visits increase.

Although men are more affected by heart disease than women, currently the statistics show a steadily increasing number of women who become victims to heart disease. Women step onto the role of caretakers playing the role of a mother, wife, daughter, office executive, businesswoman or otherwise putting the needs and wants of all other people before attending to their needs. So critical is a woman’s role in other peoples’ life that any changes to this can shake up the entire family network.  Take some precautions to safeguard yourself from heart disease in your 40s and above with the following suggestions:

  1. Maintain a work-life balance, take time to relax and practice stress management techniques to reduce stress in every day life. Set aside 15 to 20 minutes daily to sit quietly, relax and calm down. Learn breathing techniques and stop worrying.
  2. If you have not started practicing physical activity, now is the right time to begin as many body changes start happening from hereon. It is extremely difficult to find time between family and work, but it is up to your discretion to squeeze in some time to take care of your health. Exercise for at least 40 minutes 3 or 4 times a week to improve your blood pressure, HDL cholesterol, heart strength and reduce your chances of developing diabetes. Yoga, jogging and core strengthening exercises (weekly once) can help you become stronger and prevent core weakening (a major symptom as we age).
  3. Cook and eat heart-healthy meals that include colorful veggies, fruits, whole grains, lean meats, fish rice and skinless chicken rich in omega-3s and low-fat/fat-free dairy products. These foods furnish your body with supple nutrients and improve your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Meet a registered dietitian nutritionist at www.firsteatright.com to get a healthy diet plan that helps you avoid any increase in BP, sugar or cholesterol levels or control irregular levels, if any.
  4. Some of the critical tests that you must undergo before reaching 45 include weight, BMI (body mass index), blood pressure, cholesterol, heart exam and fasting blood glucose which serve as the primary ones for improving health.
  5. Get enough sleep. Ultimately your body needs rest to chew on all the things that happened over the course of day. In general, every adult requires around 6-8 hours of sleep for preventing any disruption to their daily activities and ensure smooth functioning of work and life.

Whatever your age, taking every step possible to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease is needed and helpful. Involve the entire family including children, grandchildren and spouses in group activities and work as one team together for the well-being of the entire family.

Pump or Breast, Aren’t Both Best?

10/28/2018

 
Kids drink less when they breastfeed directly
Breastfeeding Improves Mom-Child Bonding
Pumping milk is a time-consuming processBreast Pump is a Working Mom’s Best Friend
Women are still deprived of extended maternity leaves and expected to roll up their sleeves and get back to work at the end of their third month post-delivery, but newspapers and magazines uphold the advantages of feeding breast milk to kids directly from the breast up to the baby’s sixth month. So, are women expected to have supernatural powers such that they can help their little ones breastfeed even when they are held up in an important meeting with the CEO at office or stuck in traffic while driving back from work?
​
Gone with the Wind
A few decades back there wasn’t a need for such debates and assessments as women stayed at home tending to the needs of the family forever. Times have changed and we feel proud and happy about our girl children and women in our family when they excel academically and achieve great milestones at work. Nothing comes free of cost. Additional income, pride to the family and independence come at the cost of multitudinous things such as compromised time schedules with children, absence of leisure time at home and above all, leaving your child at the mercy of a caretaker at home when the kid is not even four months old. To support this, technological advancements prove to help us in as much ways as possible. Work from home options exist, attending client meetings through video calls has become possible and even we are given the option of expressing breast milk through a breast pump and feeding our child with our very own breast milk even when we leave to work. The only difference is that the child consumes this milk using a feeding bottle instead of directly drinking it from our breast. This seems to be a minimal change when we look at the larger picture (enabling the working mom to feed her child at home with her milk) but there are always pros and cons attached to such technological stuffs.

Breastfeeding Way better than Pumping
Undoubtedly, breast milk is the best milk for your baby and there is research authenticating the effects of breastmilk on decreased obesity risks for babies. WHO repeatedly insists on exclusively breastfeeding your newborn baby up to its 6th month to reap numerous benefits. Now, a new research proves that directly breastfeeding your child is best compared to giving your baby breast milk out of the bottle. By doing this, the infant not only gains weight slowly and steadily but also possesses a lower BMI score at 3 months.

But, isn’t it weird that the same milk expressed via two different formats could affect the infant in such contrast ways? After so much ordeal and time pumping milk and keeping it aside for her kid, the woman is still told that breastfeeding is better than pumping. One must understand that we are only talking about better of the two and there is no doubt that pumping too adds nutrition and health of breast milk to the child.

The research included 2,500 infants of which those infants who had the lowest scores at the end of the 12th month were exclusively breastfed (without formula) and started consuming solids around the 5th or 6th month. Yet the research did not probe into the mode of breastfeeding past the infant’s third month. This research clearly showed that putting a full stop to breastfeeding before the infant’s sixth month leads to:

  • Rapid weight gain
  • Higher BMI at the end of 12 months
  • Thrice the risk of being overweight compared to exclusively breastfeeding

There are plenty other studies backing the fact that infants with a higher BMI are at a 100% risk of developing obesity as children and adults later in life. An obese child is at a maximal risk of growing into an obese adult as per various research data references available at www.firsteatright.com.

For Reasons Unclear
The reason behind this huge difference between breastfeeding and pumping remains unclear though. Researchers guess that it might have something to do with thawing, refrigerating or freezing breast milk which changes the breast milk components. Or, maybe children who breastfeed have better control over the amount of milk they consume compared to drinking from a bottle.

This study should never bring upon people the wrong impression that it is better to formula-feed infants rather than suffer from pumping milk. Something is better than nothing. Any amount of breastmilk that goes into your infant’s body is advantageous to the child. The only step left now is to make it a huge social issue and insist governments to extend maternity leaves mandatorily. Its all about supporting the mom in her journey of breastfeeding the infant. What we do now lasts a lifetime for the child.

Raising Awareness, Breaking Rigidity, Reducing Tragedy

10/19/2018

 

Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October 1st-October 31st) 
​

Early detection is the key in preventing breast cancer tragedies
Women, Be Safe than Sorry!
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month where thousands of organizations worldwide conduct campaigns and events to spread awareness and make people realize the need to get themselves detected as early as possible to avoid life-threatening consequences later. Consistently organizing such campaigns has increased survival rates but stepping out of danger is only half the bridge crossed. Breast cancer can shatter a woman’s emotional wellbeing where she isolates herself from the rest of the society living in constant fear of cancer reoccurrence and lack of confidence.
​
Heart-breaking Stats
There are about 1.38 million new cases and 4,58,000 deaths due to breast cancer every year (on an average) making it the commonest cancer form in women worldwide. India fairs worse in breast cancer rates and the average onset rate has dipped by a full decade. Onset is expected anytime between 45 and 50 years compared to 60 years and above as previously noted. Worse, a study in the Lancet journal shows that breast cancer rates have risen by over 40% in the last 2-3 decades making it the No.1 type of cancer occurring in women in our country. This tremendous increase in rates is due to unavailability of adequate medical facilities, lack of awareness and much stigma associated with the disease.
​
There has been substantial improvement in early detection rates across the country, thanks to organizations such as the Indian Cancer Society that keep repeatedly emphasizing on early detection needs, conducting camps and advertising frequently.

Early Detection is the Key
On a positive note, most of the cancers that strike women including breast, cervical, uterine and ovarian cancers are associated with increased survival rates when detected and treated at an early stage. If this was followed diligently, we could have prevented the death of more than 6,27,000 women who died from breast cancer in 2018 (WHO statistics). Unable to single out any key cause until now, early detection via diagnosis and screening remains the only efficient option available for breast cancer control.
​
  1. Ensure to get a mammography done every year once you cross the age of 40
  2. Self-examine your breasts regularly and immediately report any lumps or nodes in the breast to your physician. Also, be on the lookout for liquid discharge from the breast, inverted nipples, change in size or shape or constant pain.
  3. Avoid smoking and alcohol, lead a healthy lifestyle and minimize intake of fatty foods to minimize breast cancer risk
  4. Don’t pay heed to myths surrounding breast cancer that can frighten you further

Nutrition & Health
Following a nutritious diet and leading a healthy lifestyle are sure ways to stay abreast with breast cancer prevention. The tips here are useful for preventing breast cancer, while getting yourself treated or post-treatment of the disease:
​
  1. Maintain a healthy weight especially beyond 18 years of age as even a 10% increase in weight increases your breast cancer risk while a 10% decrease in overweight/obesity decreases your risk substantially
  2. Eat more of plant-based foods that are rich in fiber, antioxidants and phytochemicals that are excellent ways of decreasing your risk of disease due to their anti-cancer properties
  3. Avoid saturated and trans-fats and eat balanced portions of healthy fat such as nuts, seeds, fatty fish and olive oil
  4. Soy-this has been the most controversial food for breast cancer treatment and there are hundreds of rumors doing their rounds supporting or opposing their inclusion in our diet. If you still wish to eat it, consume soy in moderate portions. Read more on the various studies that worship soy as the superfood for breast cancer and also those that condemn its use blaming it as a catalyst of breast cancer from the website www.firsteatright.com.
  5. There is no harm in continuing your exercise even after detection of cancer as long as you discuss it with your physician and get his/her approval. Exercise might even reduce nausea, stress and pain while undergoing treatment keeping you strong and active
    ​
Do the little that you can showing your support and contribution-wear a pink ribbon all through the month, condemn false propagandas, donate for a cause and educate the illiterate about breast cancer. Major landmark buildings across the cities appear pink in color, banners are visible in every major junction and hospitals/clinics too offer discounted prices on mammography and breast cancer screening test. With such vigorous campaigning it is possible to arrest breast cancer in the initial stages and save every soul affected by it.

Have We Accepted Stevia in a Haste or is it Safe?

10/18/2018

 
Stevia contains close to zero calories
Stevia: A Miracle Leaf
Stevia is the best artificial sweetener available to mankind till dateStevia's Weird Taste Displeases Many Who Skip Sugar Altogether
Mankind loves experimenting with new things and never gets tired of exploring various alternatives to consuming sugary foods and beverages. One question about alternatives to sugar and pop comes the answer-artificial sweeteners which have been time and again scrutinized and defamed for their side effects. The latest sweetener to hit the limelight is stevia, an all-natural alternative to artificial sweeteners. Banned by countries at one junction, stevia is now approved by most of the countries not because its advantages have been solid enough but only because it’s disadvantages could not be proved with rock-solid evidence.
​
A Natural Herb
Stevia’s history dates back to ages though it has become popular as a natural sugar substitute quite recently. Tropical climates are best-suited for stevia, a herb belonging to the chrysanthemum family and grown wild as a short shrub across Paraguay and Brazil. We discuss about stevia’s advantages and disadvantages, but Paraguayans have been using stevia as a food sweetener for centuries and so have other countries such as Brazil, Korea, South America, Japan and China whose history is not as ancient as Paraguay’s but still good enough. It is an easy-to-grow shrub that can be cultivated even in your backyard but there’s a huge difference between the stevia you grow at home and the one you buy at the grocery store.

Stevia is said to be thirty times sweeter than sugar with no effects on blood sugar meaning diabetes patients can consume stevia without any hesitation. Then why aren’t doctors prescribing the use of stevia and if not, why aren’t patients getting it from stores themselves? This is a big question and reconfirms the point that however non-synthetic stevia might be, it is still some kind of an artificial sweetener which leaves individuals perplexed. Get more information about artificial sweeteners and the plethora of news surrounding its use from the website www.firsteatright.com.

Approval-Disapproval Balance
A non-nutritive sweetener, stevia almost contains zero calories. Despite all such benefits, the FDA banned stevia in 1991 due to studies and research supporting the fact that the sweetener might cause cancer. But, after-studies falsified this claim and in the year 1995 the FDA allowed stevia to be brought back but this time as a food supplement rather than an artificial sweetener. Finally, in the year 2008 the FDA gave a green signal to use stevia in food production and all mainstream food consumption sectors.

In India too, stevia was banned in the year 2011 but the ban was withdrawn in 2015 and until now the permission to use stevia remains unaltered.

Benefits?
There is a list of possible benefits listed but the evidences supporting it are still inconclusive leaving the public in a dilemma.

  • Diabetes: We have been told that stevia neither contains calories nor has any effects on blood glucose levels. Research on how stevia affects people with diabetes is inconsistent. One research shows that taking 1000 mg daily of stevia leaf extract containing 91% stevioside reduces blood sugar levels after meals by as much as 18% in people with type 2 diabetes. But, another research shows that taking 250 mg of stevioside thrice a day does not show any positive effect on blood sugar levels or HbA1c.
  • Blood pressure: Some research shows that consuming 750-1500 mg of stevioside daily reduces systolic blood pressure by 10-14 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure by 6-14 mmHg. But other studies deny any positive effects of consuming stevia on blood pressure levels.
  • Heart problems
  • Allergies
  • Weight Loss: Overweight/obesity is the result of different reasons such as physical inactivity, eating more calories than you burn and eating foods that contain high quantities of fats and added sugars. Due to it’s close to zero-calorie advantage, stevia might help individuals to control weight but there’s no evidence that they offer an advantage for weight loss over other artificial sweeteners.

Food should not only satisfy the health requirements of a consumer but also provide him/her with a good sensory experience. With stevia the results seem to be mixed as the sweetener leaves a lingering bitter taste after consuming it. Accepting this taste is a challenge and some individuals even feel this taste to worsen their coffee, tea or juice. They outwardly reject using stevia as sugar replacements and feel fine skipping sugary foods altogether instead of trying the stevia-based beverages or sweets.

A Matter of Concern
Stevia is approved to be equally safe as artificial sweeteners, maybe even more safer. But a review done by top-notch researchers spurred up a damaging side effect that stevia could cause cancer. Certain test tube and animal studies showed that stevioside caused genetic mutations, chromosome damage and DNA breakage. No studies exist that prove these compounds to cause cancer in animals, but these changes can presumably contribute to malignancy. During those initial days, there were concerns raised that stevia could reduce fertility or aggravate diabetes. All these doubts are now put to rest due to some well-proven study results that prove otherwise. In fact, one study showed this non-nutritive sweetener to improve glucose tolerance while some other showed that stevia might induce pancreas to release insulin and hence, might be a potential cure for treating type 2 diabetes.

Artificial sweeteners were banned in Japan more than 40 years ago and the Japanese switched over to stevia to sweeten their foods. Since then, Japan has invested time and money in researching on stevia. They have conducted more than 40,000 clinical studies and concluded it to be safe for human use. Apart from this, there are not many long-term studies on stevia’s use and effects.

The Judgement
All said and done, stevia’s sweetness, close-to-zero calories and natural origin makes it a popular sugar substitute in a larger picture. The fact still remains that there are sparse long-term studies available on the plant extract but there exists the possibility that huge quantities of stevia can prove detrimental to health. At this junction, it is also not harmful to say that stevia might be the best plant-based substitute available till date, when consumed in moderate quantities.

Mammoth food companies such as Pepsi and Coca cola plan to use stevia as their sweetening agent in the forthcoming years but surprisingly there is not a single food that is totally stevia-based existing globally until now. Maybe, sometime later, you might find your bottled drinks, sweets, lassi or even yogurts that contain stevia on top of the ingredients list in your supermarkets and online shopping stores.

But not all individuals have the independence to use stevia in their life. Some people are at an increased risk of suffering from side effects due to daily use of stevia as this sweetener can lower blood pressure and blood sugar levels and act as a diuretic. People on certain medications must also refrain from using stevia or discuss with their doctor before choosing it for sweetening their lives! In general, individuals with liver conditions, kidney conditions, heart conditions, blood pressure conditions and using medications for all these conditions, those using steroids, hormone regulating medicines and cancer medications must discuss with their physician before going about using stevia.

Despite stevia’s advantages, disadvantages and side-effects, our common sense gives us the best prediction that it is always safe and better to stay away from any form of sweetener despite your diabetes conditions, urge to lose weight or blood pressure levels. Eat natural produce, home-cooked food, sparsely use synthetic food substances and stick to your healthy eating habits to stay fit. It doesn’t mind if you must skip added sugars often. Be happy that you were able to relish your mithais, sweetened beverages and kheers until now. Look forward to maintaining your health with the right kind of foods and nutrients.

Yoga’s Chinese Sister

10/18/2018

 
Qigong requires lesser time than Yoga
Practice Qigong for Well-being & Tranquility
Even as little as 10 minutes is enough to practice QigongQigong can be Practiced by Anyone of Any Age
It took years together for yoga to become a billion-dollar industry as it stands today! There is no denial that it might take even more time for Qigong to match the pace of yoga and in due course of time, even overpower yoga and reach its position one day. Qigong? Weird name? Am I talking about the right stuff? You must be thinking by now that I must be insane to quote Qigong to be bigger than yoga sometime. It might sound crazy, bitter or even childish, but what is the truth?
​
Qigong is deep-rooted as a traditional Chinese exercise form and is similar to another famous Chinese exercise form, Tai Chi. ‘Qi’ in the word Qigong translates to energy which in combination with our mind and body creates a balance in the human body. ‘Gong’ roughly means mastery and Qigong literally means ‘mastery of your energy’. Our body and mind accumulate negative energy by means of stress, illness, lifestyle, eating habits and so on. When we bring in positive qi (or energy) by practicing Qigong, this expels the negative energy from the body promoting the flow of good energy vibes and blood throughout our body.

Qigong basically involves generating awareness of your own breathing, realizing your positive energy and practicing sets of slow and coordinated movements. In short, meditation (energy), breathing and movement are an indispensable part of every Qigong session which focuses on ultimate well-being. One can become aware of his/her breathing only when the mind is without thoughts and the focus is completely on the air that goes in and comes out. Relax yourself, don’t allow outside thoughts to interrupt you and assume it to be a meditation of sorts.
The first step is to feel the energy by following the instructor’s instructions before proceeding to movements. Once you feel the energy in some form (a tingling feeling or a warm overall body shrug) it is advisable to proceed to the movements part. If an individual starts practising movements before realizing the energy, it is of sheer waste as the ultimate goal of the program is lost. The movements involved are very slow and can be practiced even by an 80-year-old individual.

Study
A study conducted in 2012 on a group of women found that Qigong improves chronic fatigue and mind wellness. Another study in 2017 found that Qigong can reduce depression among women with chronic fatigue. These women were seen to grow positive as they continued practicing Qigong, became less obsessed with their suffering and were ready to come out of their shell. Researchers at Harvard University are exploring the possibility of aiding Parkinson’s disease-affected individuals with their depression and motor function.

There are also various studies at various levels of research probing onto the benefits of Qigong on the nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, excretory, skeletal, lymphatic, circulatory and digestive system.

Reactions
Practicing Qigong involves expelling negativities and this includes flushing out impurities that have accumulated over a long period. Some people might experience few reactions when unhealthy energy goes out of the body and once all these impurities leave, the individual is said to possess better health and well-being.

Some people experience sweating, flu-like symptoms, discharge, vomiting, diarrhea, cough, eye discharge, fever, perspiration, emotional symptoms and mental reactions too. One vital thing here is to continue practicing Qigong despite these reactions and also stay calm and composed during this phase. Understanding that this is only a temporary phenomenon can help one get through the thick and thin of things easily.

Can Qigong Surpass Yoga?
Yoga and Qigong involve different postures and movements, but both uses breathing techniques for energy. One cannot judge the better of the two and one should not compare also as each provide the user with a set of benefits independently.

  1. Qigong can be practiced by anyone of any age-a 15-year-old adolescent as well as an 80-year-old elderly person can practice Qigong. You can practice this art form standing up, sitting down and also by individuals stuck in wheelchairs or with other disabilities.
  2. Qigong sessions usually take lesser time than yoga. An average session lasts anywhere between 5 and 50 minutes but there can never be a yoga class lesser than 60 minutes in duration. One cannot brand yoga to be difficult just because of this but only understand the subtle fact that it’s different from Qigong.
  3. Qigong does not require as much physical strength as yoga. It involves less muscle strength and flexing. Even people with auto-immune diseases or restricted mobility can practice Qigong up to their competency level. Basically, Qigong is a mild exercise form that goes easy on the muscles and joints. This makes it easily accessible even to the physically unfit, children, disabled and women.
  4. Yoga focuses more on breathing into a definite posture. Qigong, just like Tai Chi, can be called as ‘meditation in motion’ as it focuses on stress reduction and mental concentration. It calms your body and enhances blood circulation throughout the body.

Now, its up to you to decide which form you would love to take up and master for overall well-being of your emotional, mental and physical self. This is only a recommendation and not an order-if your goal is to lose weight, strengthen muscles and get hold of some friendship (as yoga classes are often group ones), yoga is the best art form for your body. Along with yoga, you can also follow a healthy lifestyle incorporating the right foods and beverages by getting in touch with reputed dietitian nutritionists at www.firsteatright.com. If you have limited time and your primary goal is to reduce stress, improve circulation, breathing and mind alertness, its time to go the Qigong way.

One cannot gauge between the better of the two as both are great for the mind and body. Both lead to the same result of well-being and longevity and only the approach taken is different. Choose what suits best for you and attain maximum benefits pursing the chosen path.

Belly Fat Attack & Menopause

10/17/2018

 
Belly fat might contain in-depth visceral fat
Cardio, Weights & Core Help You Avoid Belly Fat Stores
Exercise & diet help control belly fatCut Out Belly Fat, Avoid Heart Attack
Beauty is timeless but time decides a woman’s beauty! Even the most beautiful women living in this world are haunted by the effects of menopause and aging. Ironically, we find the media industry dominated by heroes in their 40s, 50s and even 60s still playing the role of a college goer or a son whereas female leads who once were paired with these heroes play character roles in their films nowadays. This might be just one of the examples, but it is a valuable one that helps each of us relate to the aging process in women.

Physiology
A woman’s physiology prepares her for child bearing. Puberty, menstruation and menopause are events that occur owing to this task of childbirth that’s been designed for a female. While the process of childbirth might be once, twice or maximum thrice in a woman’s life these days, the hormonal changes, physical strains and body physiology experience a roller coaster ride all the way. Attenuating the speed, distance and frequency of this ride is a mammoth task for the woman involved. Its understandable that weight gain before and after childbirth is inevitable and the woman’s age is the cushion during this period which helps her get back in form with exercises and diet. But, menopause is one of the toughest chapters in her life which takes a toll on her mental and physical well-being.

Jelly Belly
Any woman hates putting on weight, especially around her hips, abdomen or thighs. Sadly, that’s exactly what menopause brings unto you. Every woman is at a high risk of gaining excess weight in the front and sides of the abdomen due to fluctuating estrogen levels. Menopause causes a sudden drop in estrogen levels resulting in your hot flushes, mood swings, bone loss and above all, belly fat. Your hips, thighs and buttocks that store fat redistribute it to the abdomen. A 1-2-kilogram increase in weight is inevitable and normal (subcutaneous fat) but anything above that strikes you hard on the visceral fat part where the fat surrounds your internal organs leading to chances of increased inflammation and several health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Dropping hormone levels are one of the many conditions that lead to weight gain post menopause. Women who were once juggling multiple chores during their 20s, 30s and 40s start decreasing their activity levels as they age but never compromise on their caloric intake. Such decrease in activities coupled with never-decreasing caloric intakes lead to fat storage in the body.

Remember, any waist measurement above 35 is a sign of danger that needs immediate attention. Despite no control over fluctuating hormone levels that affect body fat distribution, we can always control the factors that completely lie in our hands:

Eating to your needs: One might always wonder why he/she is gaining weight when the calorie value of foods consumed remains the same across age groups. What these individuals keep forgetting is that their activity levels are constantly on the lower side of the graph as their age increases. Choose a balanced diet that is high in calcium (this helps to reduce visceral fat gain) and brimming with colorful produce, whole grains and adequate dairy. Dump away your potato wafers and yummy pastries to minimize trans fat accumulation. Get in touch with registered dietitian nutritionists at www.firsteatright.com to help you consume the right kind of foods fulfilling your calorie requirements.

Exercising Right: Activating your total body works like magic. Combine cardio, weight lifting and core work alternating between high- and low-intensity bursts in one workout. Lift weights twice a week and do yoga or Pilate to strengthen your cores. Metabolic rates decline as a person grows old. One study found that decline in estrogen levels caused metabolic rates to drop. When an individual neither increases physical activity nor decreases calorie intake over the course of years, she is bound to experience steady weight gain over the years owing to decreased metabolic rates.

Sleep Enough: Fall in estrogen levels causes abdominal weight gain by disrupting sleep. Hot flushes and mood swings can increase sleeplessness which in turn can increases abdominal fat accumulation. One study showed that sleeping for less than five hours every night increases abdominal fat gain. Poor sleep elevates cortisol (Stress hormone) levels and increases appetite too making the individual store much fat around the waist.

Stay Motivated, Love Yourself: Just imagine yourself with a rounded belly that protrudes from your body. Now think of a trimmer you, with the belly fat cut. Don’t you feel good, confident and complete? Every time you feel like giving up and binge eating think about your goal and the resulting output which should be motivating enough for you to work harder. When you love and respect yourself you are sure to pursue your goals with much determination and achieve your dreams.

Fitness & More

10/17/2018

 
Stress & sleep too can affect your weight loss goals
Avoid Weight Gain Rebounds Due to Demotivation
Avoid overtraining and weight loss plateausUnfollow Habits to Stay Away from Putting on Weight
Weight Loss Plateau
Getting yourself entangled with the weight loss plateau is ought to happen with every individual trying to lose weight. Even after knowing this, many individuals get frustrated, surprised or even demotivated when it happens to them as they are doing their diet-exercise program with utmost caution and care.

Our body is an amazing work of art that needs the sharpest of the eyes and minds to understand it. Our body can adapt to any kind of situation but when it is subjected to only one kind of training stimulus repeatedly, there would definitely be a loss of response to this stimulus as the body is used to this challenge by now. You would definitely not avail the same benefits that you availed previously.

The First Few Weeks
Our body is in tune with a routine and when you break this routine by squeezing in a healthy diet plan with exercise routines, the body loses weight steadily and rapidly during the first few weeks after starting the program. That’s because, bringing down calories pushes the body to acquire the required energy by releasing stores of glycogen. Glycogen is a carbohydrate that is partly made of water. When glycogen is used for energy it releases water and the weight loss reflected in our body is mostly water lost from our body. This brings us to an extremely important question-Where does the lost weight evaporate? Weight loss in terms of water content is agreed but this is not the only way out. A major chunk of the weight is expelled out of our body as carbon dioxide. Don’t be surprised but our lungs function as the major organs to expel weight out of our body in terms of CO2. Detailed explanation along with equations are available in the website www.firsteatright.com. Please don’t miss reading about it as almost 98% individuals remain unaware on the answer to this important question!

Weight loss includes muscle as well as fat loss. Muscles monitor your body’s metabolic rate and ensure that you lose calories at a faster rate. But as you start slimming down, metabolic rate decreases and you start burning fewer calories that earlier. All this happen even when you stick to your diet plan that helped losing weight in the first place. When the calories consumed equate the calories burnt, you reach a weight loss plateau. To break this plateau, you need to either decrease calorie intake or increase your physical activity. If you don’t do any of these two and continue with your age-old fitness routine, you are bound to never lose anymore weight but only maintain the weight loss.

Un-habit the Habit
A monotonous life becomes boring after a while to individuals-getting up, doing your morning chores, eating breakfast, going to school/college/work/doing household chores, getting back, eat your dinner, sleep and repeat step 1 again. This frustrates us and vacations/recreational activities help us reenergize ourselves mentally and physically. Our body too faces this scenario every now and then when it is subjected to the same monotonous diet and lifestyle! A simple tweak to the routine might help your weight loss routine get back on track! To regularly improve body fitness, increase workload and intensity, otherwise you’ll remain on the plateau. The simple routine changes suggested here can revamp your fitness goals.

Vary exercises: Prevent your body from reaching a plateau by adhering to periodic training or periodization. Here, you keep changing your exercise schedules at regular intervals which keeps your body in a constant state of shock. It takes around 8-12 weeks for your body to adapt to a particular routine after which there must be changes incorporated to enable further weight loss. Apart from increasing the workout intensity or duration, you can even change the order in which you workout. For example, weightlift for 20 reps one day and weightlift for 6-7 reps of heavy weights the next day. Try mixing up cardio workouts with resistance training. A reputed study published in the Obesity journal shows that strength training helps to lose more fat than cardio. This builds lean muscles which in turn increase metabolism which ultimately increase fat loss although weight loss might become slower. It is advisable to combine cardio exercises with at least two days of strength training every week.

One can reach a fitness plateau even if a person reaches a dead end physiologically. Maybe you are bored with the workout or mentally you stop challenging yourself to workout and only workout simply because it has become a habit. All these are psychologically demotivating and it is better that an individual either starts attending group exercises, finds an exercise partner or joins a group dance class to motivate himself/herself to exercise vigorously.

Stress & Sleep: Diet and exercise are not the only two things essential for weight loss. Enough nutrition in terms of calorie intake, proteins and carbohydrates and quality sleep to elevate your training efficiency are mandatory for showing results. Sleep is the time during which growth hormones are produced, tissues repair and mind is devoid of any thoughts. Without sufficient sleep, stress hormones increase and the body becomes overstressed which can affect your workout efficiencies.

Though physical fitness is independent of many things in life, it is totally not isolated from our daily life. One needs to consider all other life stressors such as work, relationship status and economic status that could affect our quality of life. When you suffer from increased stress at work, choose low stress exercises while increasing intensity to make up for the low stress time periods. Beyond changing the intensity, duration and type of activity if you are still unable to cross the plateau it might be an indication of overtraining-training too much without giving time for recovery.

If you’ve tried out every possibility within your reach, maybe its time that you get some help from a fitness trainer. Even if you can afford a personal trainer constantly, you can meet up with the trainer and discuss for some fresh ideas, strategies to achieve your goals and mainly make you accountable for your goals. If you can’t cut down any more calories or increase physical activity, maybe its time to revisit your goals and the numbers you dream of are not practical for you. On the positive note, you have already improved your lifestyle by following a healthy diet and exercise schedule and this means you have already improved your health. Obese/overweight people who have lost even a few kilograms have definitely improved their chronic health conditions. One most important thing is to NEVER revert back to your old eating and exercising habits (if unhealthy) which could further deter your efforts and bring back all your lost weight. Feel proud of what you lost, ensure to maintain this loss and take every effort possible to elevate the weight loss in every healthy way possible.

Gadgets Of Course Make Us Healthier!

10/16/2018

 
Technology can inculcate good habits
Gadgets Can Be Beneficial or Not Depending on ‘How’ We Use Them
One day we feel grateful for the discovery of mobile phones and the next day we curse the invention. Do you all agree that smartphone invention is good and how we use this invention is what makes it good/bad?
​
Instead of blaming our phones, computers and gadgets for all our laziness, grammar mistakes and sedentary lifestyle, it’s time we start looking at the positives and work towards them. Devices can even help shed away bad habits and replace them with good habits.

Habit
A habit is some behavior that we do repeatedly such that it sinks within us subconsciously and becomes a part of our daily life. For example, brushing teeth or having bath are habits. Such is the power of a habit that makes it harmful (bad habit) or powerful (good habit).

Charles Duhigg in his book ‘The Power of Habit’ points out that a habit is made up of three pieces-the trigger, the routine and the reward.

Trigger
Any technology comes of best use for this part of a habit. It can provoke you to set a trigger to follow a routine. To install useful triggers on your gadget you need to set up a few things. First, decide when you want this habit to fit into your daily routine and then, work on where you would like it to happen. Then set the trigger for the habit. Every watch, laptop or smartphone can be a great device to set reminders. For example, if you want to pay your monthly credit card bill by the 15th of that particular month, you can set a reminder to ‘pay credit card bill at 10 PM on the 14th of each month.’ You can even set location-based habits such as setting a reminder to ‘take a few deep breaths as soon as you sit down at your desk’. You can set pop-up reminders in your task manager or calendar app.

Sometimes you need to be creative to build your habits. For example, if you would like to drink some plain water every few hours, promote your blog on Facebook once they get published or maintain a journal some triggers can help you do so. Workflow apps like Zapier (a specialty of iOS devices) can help you set complicated reminders. For examples, you can set a reminder to change your meetings into walking meetings on days when it is not raining or a reminder to leave office early if you have worked overtime the previous night.

Logging apps help you log details about the foods you consume and in course of time it might be a trigger for you to start working out once you find the calories going way beyond your regular intake.

Routine
With the ‘trigger’ process set intact, the next step is to think upon using technology beneficially in the long run.
We meddle with our mobiles while watching TV. Instead, if we involve in some activity that we enjoy, it would be useful as well. You can paint something, do embossing or quilling. Even if you are learning a new art, don’t get frustrated when you don’t get to do it correctly in the first attempt. Tech comes of immense use here. You can use YouTube help videos or other ‘how to’ videos and follow instructions to succeed in your activity.

Even exercises and fitness have become easily accessible with a plethora of fitness and health apps such as Lose it, Couch to 5K run, etc. Even amateur runners can practice for marathons and succeed using these apps. Some of these apps even conduct online competitions and reward winners that can be motivational and fun. If you are unable to perform some exercise, you can map a Skype call to your gym friend and learn it.

Every now and then, we need distractions from our boring routines and apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hot star come to our rescue here. These remain integral to sustaining habits and succeeding in them.

Reward
Like how parents tempt their child by rewarding them with crayons or stickers for completing their homework or being well-behaved, tech too provides users with rewards. But one must always ensure to skip food rewards that can affect your child’s health badly in the long run as elaborated at www.firsteatright.com. Rewards motivate an action to become a habit. Our brains get used to doing the activity and receiving a reward which finally makes us crave for the habit.

Few people love encouragement and hence, love to post their achievements on Facebook or Instagram to be rewarded with applauses and encouragements. Also, reward yourself with small yet pleasurable rewards when you complete a task. If you decide to reach office by 8 AM every morning and you do it, reward yourself with 5 minutes of Facebook posts every morning. If you decide to go for a short walk during your office break and you do so, reward yourself with 5 minutes of reading memes at the end of the day.

Chopping Bad Habits
Bad habits can be curbed only with good habits. If you want to reduce alcohol consumption, try switching over to a smoothie and if you would like to eat your lunch on time despite office work, reward yourself for doing so by the end of every day with a video call to your loved one.

Technology can be good or bad depending on the user. Learn to savor technology by using it in the right sense, motivating yourself to form good habits and rewarding yourself for practicing these habits. Technology might even change your phone, laptop or other gadget usage from merely being compulsive to something more intentional and worthy.

From Farm to Table: World Food Day (October 16th)

10/15/2018

 
ZeroHunger is possible if we join hands & work together
Avoid Food Waste, Prevent Hunger
Save the local farmer by purchasing from him/herBuy Local, Support Sustainable Living
Food is a basic necessity required for the survival of human beings. Mother Earth was a charming planet sometime back with aplenty water, agricultural land and greenery. With persistent manhandling of resources, the days are not far away when every human in this Earth will die due to hunger, thirst and pollution. People had enough to eat and drink sometime back and after a steep dip in hunger rates world hunger is on the rise again. Now, more than 820 million people suffer from chronic undernourishment, according to the latest FAO report.
​
World Food Day
Every year, the 16th of October is celebrated as World Food Day honoring the commencement of the Food & Agricultural Organization (FAO) launched by the United Nations in 1945. In accordance with this year’s theme, ‘Our actions are our future’, the global goal of achieving zero hunger by 2030 is not a distant dream if we join hands and adopt a sustainable lifestyle globally. 70% of the world’s poor live in rural areas, millions of people sleep hungry every day due to poverty, but the world also houses over 600 million obese people and 1.3 billion overweight individuals. We are extremely imbalanced and the perfect way to solve this hunger crisis is to rightly balance needs and requirements.

On this day, more than 130 countries participate actively by organizing different events, marathons, cultural performances, concerts and exhibitions across the world to popularize the pathetic situation existing and come up with practical plans to overcome crisis. Some ways in which each of us can contribute towards ZeroHunger include producing more food with less resources, avoiding wastage of food, practicing a healthier and sustainable diet and promoting #ZeroHunger.

Everyone Can Help
The FAO strongly advocates their thoughts that each of us living in this world, be it a farmer, businessman, doctors, teachers or any individual with a strong desire to bring about a change can contribute towards #ZeroHunger in their small way possible. Let’s start it right from our house.

Cooking judiciously: Making new dishes needs talent but playing with the available ingredients and preparing food that exactly serves your needs without any wastage requires creativity and smart work. Avoiding wastage helps to eradicate hunger when we stand together as one world.

Eat sustainably: Eating healthy does not mean that you create a havoc in your kitchen by planning lavish meals and using exotic produce. Its easy to prepare nutritious meals by following simple ways and using healthy ingredients. One can always refer the net for following a sustainable living and preparing food in a sustainable way.

Shop for your ‘needs’: Supermarket culture has made people grab and buy whatever they come across. Loading your grocery card, overstocking your fridge and under utilization of produce will never be beneficial. Rather it increases your electricity bills and food wastage due to perishable produce left unused for a long time. While our intention of shopping is to minimize our frequent visits to the shop, we must ensure to shop smart and buy only those that are needed.

Leftover food: Its not mandatory that what we cook gets exhausted to the last morsel available every single day. When there are leftovers, use it wisely the next day in re-creating them into delicious new dishes that would surprise other family members.

Sustainable Living
What we eat not only affects our well-being but impacts the well-being of the environment too. Food holds top-most place in the list of environmental issues contributing to 60% of global biodiversity loss. Nature has blessed us with vegetables and fruits along with our poultry and animals. Influence of Western diets has diverted our attention towards ultra-processed foods, meat and dairy that require ample agricultural land for animal feed production which in turn increases carbon dioxide gas emission. Understand the foods that have the largest carbon footprint emission by visiting the website www.firsteatright.com. You would be shocked to realize that some of your favorite and everyday foods contribute greatly towards carbon emission.

What we produce, harvest and eat from our plates is the biggest cause for environmental degradation. Establishing a healthy connection between people and food is essential for healthy people and a healthy planet. Encouraging people to purchase directly from a farmer’s market nearby their place of stay reduces transportation needs, buying what you want rather than what you desire prevents wastage and cooking according to what you might consume helps to avoid throwing food into the bin. This World Food Day is an excellent opportunity to start practicing sustainable living and help towards making our world’s dream of #ZeroHunger a reality by 2030.

“What” Your Gut Contains Determines “How Much” Weight You Lose

10/15/2018

 
A healthy gut paves way for a healthy body
Gut Breaks Food into Small Chunks, Smallest of Which Add Calories to Your Body
​Gut bacteria seems to be a jukebox which can enable/disable well-being of human health. Human body houses trillions of bacteria, virus and fungi each of them dancing to their own music and having a gala time within each of us! Of the lot, majority of them reside inside the intestine. Some years back, if someone had blamed the gut bacteria for his/her inability to lose weight we would have looked upon that person as a weird creature who loves to shift the blame on others. But now, it’s high time that we realize what we know about gut bacteria is just a drop in the ocean.
​
It’s been more than a century and we are aware that bacteria live in our intestine, but little were we aware of their strong impact on our health. Scientists and researchers ignored these specimen as they assumed them to simply take advantage of our warmth and nutrients in our gut. Nature is a perfect planner and nothing in nature exists the way it is without strong reasons behind it. As time progressed, scientists deciphered vital information about genes in our gut bacteria that paves the possibility for various implications. In fact, our gut bacteria have 250 to 800 times more genes than we have human genes and they make substances that gel into the human bloodstream and affect body chemistry. This itself strongly indicates that human gut bacteria are important players in structural well-being of individuals.

‘What All’ to ‘What Not’
Similar bones, muscles, tissues, skin and skeletal framework but ‘n’ different faces, features, body physiques, health conditions and wellness quotients are what makes each of us unique in this earth. Similarly, a healthy gut flora for one person may not suit yet another person in the same terms. Growing body of evidences suggest that our gut flora can affect our metabolism and is strongly linked to obesity, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

An average human weighing around 70 kilograms has about 40 trillion bacterial cells and only about 30 trillion human cells. Most of these bacteria occupy major portions of the large intestine called the cecum and discharge duties that keep your body healthy while only a small portion of them cause diseases. They regulate the way in which we digest our food, aid in producing chemicals that make us feel full and hence, play a strong role in influencing body weight. Abundant information on gut bacteria and how exercising can promote a healthy gut is available at the website www.firsteatright.com.

Beyond Diet & Exercise
We are certainly aware that some people don’t lose weight as effectively as others despite consuming less calories and working out more. When researchers analyzed whether there are any other factors vital for weight loss determination apart from diet and exercise, they came across human gut bacteria and its impact on weight loss.

Gut bacteria break down food particles and provide us with energy to perform our activities which is good for us. In certain cases, the researchers wondered if the increase in functions performed by the gut bacteria to provide people with more energy might be the key reason behind an individual’s inability to lose weight. When the research team collected and analyzed gut bacteria of 26 participants, they found significant differences in gut bacteria between individuals who did not lose weight and those who did lose weight. The presence of a certain type of bacteria promoted weight loss while the presence of another type of bacteria curbed weight loss. All the more, when an individual used more carbohydrates, he/she lost less weight. Although a small study, this gives us a definite idea about gut bacteria and its impact on weight loss.

Yet another study analyzed blood plasma and stool samples of 674 participants and deciphered that 19 different metabolites might affect a person’s BMI. Obesity-linked metabolites were related to four different intestinal bacteria and the most prominent of these metabolites were glutamate and BCAA. The difference in glutamate and BCAA levels were responsible for differences in BMI. The study proved that metabolites and gut bacteria interact with each other rather than being independent of each other.

Small Vs Big
Any food that we eat is broken up into small chunks. Only the smallest of these are absorbed into our blood and the rest is flushed out as waste. This is equivalent to saying that not all food that we eat is converted as calories and stored inside the body. The gut bacteria break down food and some of them are so well-versed that they break food into smallest of the pieces that get digested, add calories to our body and finally, increase body weight. In theory, if our gut has more of these bacteria it should be harder to lose weight. While some are doubtful about this, some groups of scientists and researchers have proved it on animals. We are slowly understanding the role of gut bacteria in obesity. Although we are not anywhere near any treatments that will make an individual lose weight easily, the days are not far off.

Food for the Gut
Improve the quality of your gut bacteria by eating more of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, fermented foods and probiotics and consuming decreased quantity of sugary foods, artificial sweeteners and foods that contain unhealthy fats. All these assures you of a healthy gut which in turn affects the way in which food is digested, fat is stored and how frequent you feel hungry or full. Overall, a healthy gut is needed for maintaining a healthy weight.

Encourage & Support your Overweight Child in His/her Weight Loss Journey

10/14/2018

 
Parents should be a role model for their children
India is one of the Countries Topping the Charts in Childhood Obesity
​Children are in their growing phase. We cannot curb a child from eating a cream biscuit or warn him to never touch French fries or burgers in life as this is surely going to hurt him/her. As a parent/caretaker we can do many other things to help our children reach and maintain ideal body weight. Consuming foods and beverages that help the child stay active are important for overall well-being of the kid.
​
Deciding if your Child is Overweight or Not
Branding a kid to be overweight is not so simply. Kids grow at their own pace; the growth rate is different for boys and girls and a child’s body fat differs as the kid ages. BMI for children is calculated using percentile data and having a look at the chart can help you decide whether your child is in normal weight ranges or not.

Obese Children are More Likely to Grow into Obese Adults
Look into obesity/overweight issues in kids right away as weighing too much can create a lot of health problems in life later. Presently, he/she might become breathless while running, may not be able to be stay in pace with other friends or experience joint pains too. Some kids might even develop health problems such as cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure or be subjected to mental trauma due to bullying by friends, low self-esteem or depression.

Overweight children enter adulthood with a greater risk for health problems such as heart disease and certain types of cancer. The growth chart is only for your reference and don’t take any decisive action, such as putting your kid on a weight-loss program, without consulting your pediatrician in the first place.

Sow the Seeds of Health
Talk to your child constantly about the benefits of eating heathy food, good sleep, physical activity and lots of play time. Take the kid to the supermarket and make him/her choose healthy foods, fruits and vegetables and involve the kid in meal planning and preparation at home.

Explain your child regarding the benefits of sleep, choosing the right foods and beverages, limiting screen time daily and above all be a good role model. Only if the entire family comes together in taking up a solid change in lifestyle for the better, your child will succeed in his/her weight loss program.

Offer Interesting Meal Ideas
Apart from the regular dairy products, foods and drinks that contain plenty of sugar, fat, calories and salt, help your child eat foods such as:
  1. Fruits, veggies and whole grains
  2. Low-fat or fat-free dairy
  3. Lean meat, poultry, seafood, beans, peas, soy products and eggs in lieu of red meat
  4. Water, tender coconut water or milk instead of soda and other drinks with added sugars

Help your child eat better and not eat more by sticking to these simple principles:
  1. Never serve large portions for meals or snacks in one go. Serve a small portion and let your child ask you for more food if he/she is still hungry. When your child chooses canned food or beverages, check the Nutrition Facts label for calories and serving size and match your child’s portion accordingly.
  2. Keep healthy foods in places where your child often checks out for something to munch upon and slash away high-calories foods and beverages out of sight.
  3. Ensure that you sit down together for meals whenever possible and avoid ‘meals on the go’.
  4. Turn off any electronic gadgets, television or laptops when you sit down to eat.
  5. Eat out less often. Even when dining out, help your child choose healthier dishes such as sliced fruits or vegetable mocktails instead of fries or soda cans.
  6. Offer non-food rewards for practicing healthy lifestyle.
  7. Never tune your child to clean off food from his/her plate.

Replace candies, soft drinks, cookies and other unhealthy snacks with healthier options such as air-popped popcorns without butter, fresh veggies such as baby carrots, cherry tomatoes or broccolis, unsweetened plain yogurt with fresh cut fruits or puffed with sliced veggies prepared in similar lines with bhel puri.

Active Parents Up bring Active Children
Children need at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. It need not be covered in one stretch but can be distributed throughout the day. Let your child choose his/her favorite sport, dance class or rock climbing sport. You can make him/her ride the bicycle at home, play hopscotch with your little one or even play a game of badminton together to benefit mutually.

Involve the entire family in play activities during the weekend which brings about a stronger bond between family members and also equips you to be better physically.

Remember to stay positive, supportive and encouraging throughout your child’s weight loss journey. Help your child set small goals and reward him/her with stickers, new board games or above all, hugs and kisses, when he/she accomplishes them.

Impart the importance of losing weight to your child and be with him/her in his weight loss resolution. Despite all these, if your child is still unable to lose weight, it is better to meet a registered dietitian nutritionist at www.firsteatright.com who can customize a healthy diet plan with the required physical activity.

Cut Down Daily Calories to Age Gracefully

10/14/2018

 
Slower metabolism decreases ageing
60 to 16 Health-wise!
If there was a pill to make a person stay young eternally, that would be the most sought-after one by people across the globe. You end your day on a happier note when you receive compliments such as ‘You look younger for your age’, ‘Your mom looks like your elder sister’ or ‘You become more and more beautiful as you age’. Looking young or remaining vibrant even in your late 50s and 60s is not a distant dream. A new research suggests that cutting calories by 15% for two years can diminish metabolic process that leads to aging and protect against age-related diseases.
​
Age-related Study
The researchers first needed answers to 2 questions:
  • What kind of calorie restriction could study participants stick to-diet only, exercise only or 50% diet and 50% exercise?
  • What level of calorie restriction would produce the desired effect?

The research team studied people located across three different locations implementing the three kind of calorie restrictions to each of the groups. At the first location, the study group decided to reduce the calorie intake of the study group by 25% through diet alone. Women aged between 25 and 45 and men aged between 25 and 50 were recruited. Half the study participants were normal-weighted and the other half were overweight but not obese. Instead of calculating daily calorie intake of participants and reducing it by 25%, weight loss was used to calculate the total reduction in calories for each participant over time. The participants did not achieve the 25% target as assumed but reached 15% calorie restriction over a period of two years. Participants lost an average of 9 kilograms by the end of one year and maintained the loss during the second year. It also decreased sleeping metabolic rate by about 10%.

Slower Metabolism
One assumption is that aging in humans is inversely related to metabolic rate. Metabolic rate is the rate of metabolism, the amount of energy used by an animal per unit of time. Increase or decrease in metabolic rate is said to affect weight loss in a strong way. Read more on metabolic rate and its impact on weight loss at www.firsteatright.com. Researchers feel that a slowed metabolism means that the body has become more efficient in using fuel from food or oxygen to derive energy. Each time energy is derived, byproducts are generated. These byproducts (called as oxygen radicals) accumulate in the body and damage cells and organs in due course of time. This damage leads to a shortened lifespan. Calorie restriction not only slowed metabolic rate of participants but also decreased levels of oxidative damage and improved healthy aging.  

In a society where lifespan is already on the upper side in the recent decades, people now are concerned about ageing healthily as they are about living long.

An ‘Egg’citing Day

10/11/2018

 

World Egg Day (Oct0ber 12th)

Eggs are versatile & nutritious
The King of Proteins
Indeed, we do need a day to appreciate the health benefits of eggs-one of the few natural food products that have the highest nutritive values accessible to the common man! First celebrated in 1996, World Egg Day is celebrated every year on the second Friday in October. None other food source can match an egg’s versatility and high-quality protein along with numerous other nutritive elements essential for a healthy life.

Apart from proteins, these oval-shaped prized possessions are rich in choline helping school-going children to improve memory and cognition. Proteins available enhance muscle and brain development, assist in disease prevention and aid in total body health. Above all, these eggs have a low-carbon footprint saving the world from further environmental pollution. But people are still confused over the controversies surround egg yolks and hesitate to eat them despite their nutritive excellence. Get yourself cleared of every doubt that lingers in your head with the help of an article dedicated to this at www.firsteatright.com.

India is the faster-growing egg producer in the world (according to International Egg Committee and World Egg Organization) showing an increase in production of almost three billion eggs every year. China holds the first place in egg production globally while India and USA are constantly fighting for the second position. With ever-increasing production rates, India is the proud distributor of three million boiled eggs to school-going children on this special day throughout the country.

Being a universal food adding variety and taste to any cuisine worldwide, there are innumerable recipes and dishes that can be prepared using eggs. Some of the most-popular ones include:

Omelets: Although French toast might make us think of France as the omelets home, the first omelet ever was made by ancient Romans using eggs and honey. Omelets can be made using one, two or even three eggs and stuffed with healthy fillings such as tomatoes, onions, bell peppers and even corn. Seasoning it using pepper and salt further enhances the omelet’s flavor and taste.
French toast is a signature dish of France
French Toast to Boost your Spirits
Omelets are all-time favorites
Veggie-rich Omelet
Pancakes go best with honey
Delicious Pancakes Stacked Up in a Row
Pancakes: Not any Enid Blyton’s novel is complete without children enjoying homemade pancakes with a drizzle of honey and butter and the narration would surely make any of us yearn to eat one! Pancakes are available worldwide with a slight variation and a touch of uniqueness added by every country serving it. To the French, the pancake is a crepe, a blintz in Japan or a blini in Russia. Pancakes made in Korea and Indonesia are similar to omelets and used as wrappers for other foods.

Egg Bhurji: Native to our own country, it is often confused with scrambled egg. The preparation is different and so is the addition of sautéed vegetables and seasonings. In this recipe, the veggies are added to the pan and sautéed before adding the eggs and whisking them until they are completely cooked. Variations do exist in preparing the egg bhurji too depending on individual preferences. Some love to add veggies such as carrots, peas and potatoes along with the regular ones to improve the dish’s taste while others completely love to experiment and might add the tomatoes to the beaten egg before pouring them onto the pan to improve the tangy taste and flavor of the dish. However might be the method of preparation, egg bhurji tastes great with roti or naan!

People have started looking at eggs beyond just as a breakfast staple. We add them in curries, salads, wraps and parathas with eggs finding a place in cocktails too! Dedicated eat outs exist for egg lovers where an entire restaurant’s menu only caters to their different needs and wants. Choose what you want, eat what is right and stay healthy by utilizing the various health aspects provided by our very own Anda! ​

The Golden Globe or the White Beauty?

10/11/2018

 

World Egg Day (Oct 12th 2018)

Egg yolk is rich in HDL cholesterol
Whole Egg Contains More Protein than Egg White
Though shaped like a ‘0’, the egg is 100% beneficial. This powerhouse of protein has been consumed by humans for thousands of years and most people feel their breakfast to be incomplete without eggs-either poached, scrambled, boiled, fried or consumed as an omelettes. There is one question that keeps nagging in our minds each time we eat our eggs-Which is better for health, egg whites or egg yolks?
​
Eggs for Health
Eggs are replete with proteins and one medium egg contains around 70 calories with 7 g of protein and 5 g of fat. A reputed journal study even shows that children who eat one egg daily for six months along with a diet that contains reduced-sugar foods can help them grow taller and prevent stunting. Eggs contain choline (an important nutrient mainly because our body cannot produce choline), a nutrient without which we become deficient in folic acid too.

Egg Yolk
The yellow portion of the egg or the egg yolk is the most-debated part for its health and calorie values by people worldwide. There is no denying that the egg yolks contain cholesterol, fat and saturated fat but what we ignore is the rich nutrients too, such as the fat-soluble vitamins, essential fatty acids and other major nutrients, that are present within it. The egg yolk makes up about 34% of the liquid weight of the egg and contains almost all the fat in the egg and around 50% protein content of the egg. Precisely, one egg yolk contains around 55 calories, 4.5 g of total fat, 210 mg of cholesterol and 2.7 g of protein.

Nutrient-wise, the egg yolk is anytime high in all nutrients such as vitamins (B6 and B12), folic acid, pantothenic acid, calcium, copper, iron, manganese, phosphorus, selenium, zinc and thiamin except for niacin and riboflavin. Vitamin A, D, E and K are present only in this golden portion of the egg. Vitamin D or the sunshine vitamin is rarely present naturally in foods and egg yolks are one valuable source of this vitamin.

With so much in line inside one egg yolk, what about the nutrient contents of double-yolked eggs? Do they contain twice the quantity of the nutrients? Double-yolked eggs are generally produced by younger chickens whose production cycles are not completely synchronized. Sometimes, genetics too might decide the fate of the yolk as certain hens produce only double-yolked eggs throughout their life cycle. Though rare, it is not weird for a chicken to produce an egg with no yolk at all.

Egg White or Albumen
Albumen contains the remaining portion of the egg’s liquid (66%) and is comparatively a greater source of egg protein (more than 50% of the total protein content), niacin, riboflavin, magnesium, potassium and sodium compared to the egg yolk. One egg white contains only 17 calories with 4 g of protein and 55 mg of sodium. That, the egg white contains 0% fat is worth noting here.

Egg White Vs Egg
Whole eggs top all other protein foods and for this reason, have been classified under the ‘protein’ foods group alongside meat. The opinion on the best portion of the egg has varied greatly over the years with different suggestions and recommendations pouring in from physicians, nutritionists and dietitians worldwide. Latest studies do show that controlled consumption of egg does not impact cholesterol levels negatively.

Coming to our comparison, although egg whites might contain a greater protein portion, the whole egg contains even greater protein than consuming the whites alone. While egg whites might contain 7% of protein, the whole egg contains 10% of protein. Also, vitamin D is present only in the egg yolk and this is of immense value as this vitamin is rarely present in foods naturally (Already mentioned, but worth noting again!).

Coming to the heart of the issue-cholesterol content of the egg yolk. Not all cholesterol is bad for health and you might all be familiar with the two types of cholesterol, the good (HDL) and bad (LDL) cholesterol present in different foods. Reduce your LDL levels that is popular to increase your chances of heart attack and increase your HDL levels to reduce your chances of heart attack considerably. The cholesterol in egg yolks are the good ones (HDL) and it is extremely beneficial to your body to eat the egg yolk as well.  Just because there is a small percentage of fat in the yolk doesn’t mean that you completely ignore taking the yellow portion of the egg. Instead, reduce or cut out fat from other unhealthy food sources, do plenty of exercise and continue consuming your egg yolks for maximal health benefits and balance.

Even people on a weight-loss diet can surely continue taking their whole eggs. The restriction might come in the quantity of eggs they can eat and it is fully up to a registered dietitian nutritionist to guide the individual taking up the weight-loss diet on the quantity of eggs allowed for consumption. Get in touch with dietitians/nutritionists at www.firsteatright.com to help you in this endeavor and don’t completely ignore the egg yolks eating only the whites until you are guided by a professional.

Handshake: Understanding the ‘Heart’ of the Problem

10/10/2018

 
Resistance training improves grip strength
Shake Off Diseases with a Firm Handshake
A firm handshake conveys it all at the interview or a meeting. What if this shake could predict your heart health too? Handshakes cannot be rigid as you are obliged to shake your hand in the process. But, they could be unstable where your fingers don’t linger long enough over the other person’s hand and you seem compelled to do so. Society and science defer various meanings from a single handshake. While these might be true, the grip of your handshake releases your thoughts to quite a different genre of introspection-overall body health.
​
An international study on this covered more than 1,40,000 participants living across 17 countries and followed their health for an average of four years. The participant’s average age was between 40 and 70. Every 5-kilogram decrease in grip strength over the study period was associated with a 16% increased risk of death (cause might be anything), 17% increased risk of death from heart disease, 9% increased death risk from stroke and a 7% increased death risk from heart attack. Despite correcting other contributing factors of heart disease such as age, smoking and physical activity, the association between grip strength and cardiovascular disease remained strong constantly. The beauty of this research is that, grip strength turns out to be a better indicator of heart disease compared to blood pressure.

Chronological Versus Biological Age
You might convey a different age number when asked by someone while you might be actually older. Many people at every junction of their life always have two different ages-one for the world and the other one which is the actual age. Coincidentally too, every human has two different ages namely chronological and biological age. Chronological age is the actual number of years a person has lived in this earth while biological age refers to how old a person looks which depends on factors such as diet, exercise, stress, muscle strength and many others. Biological age clearly shows whether the body functions better or worse than its chronological age.

This study imparts the knowledge that getting to know one’s grip strength is a clean way of predicting a person’s biological age. While decreased hand grip does not increase the risk of diabetes, cancer or other chronic conditions, it does increase the risk of death directly. That’s because, a person with decreased muscle strength is highly likelier to die when he/she is affected by any chronic condition compared to those who have increased muscle strength.

‘Heart’ of the Problem
Now that we know grip strength is related to heart functioning, let’s delve into its effects on the shape and function of the heart. A group of researchers measured grip strength of more than 5,000 individuals and created a statistical model. This model consisted of various factors that could impact data such as cardiac risk factors, drivers of muscle mass and physical activity level. Results showed that individuals having a stronger hand grip were pumping more blood per heartbeat. They were also suffering less from a condition called as remodeling of the heart muscle that normally happens due to high BP or heart attack. When an individual suffers from less remodeling, he/she is at a reduced risk of cardiovascular damages. Hence, better handgrip also ‘ups’ the heart functioning greatly.

In every way, improving muscle strength seems to be the way out. Engage yourself in resistance training twice or thrice a week taking a day or two off between these resistance training days.

Lift Off the ‘Weights’
People directly jump onto weights carrying 10-15-kilogram ones with a resolution of building muscle mass. Apart from moving around with dumbbells, you can try resistance bands too. These bands are excellent choices for practicing resistance training exercises as they provide resistance as you flex your arms and legs through a serious of various movements. When you don’t have time to hit the gym try few innovative ones at home that are only extended versions of what you practice at the gym:

  1. Use the stairs whenever feasible to strengthen muscles of your abdomen, buttocks, hips and legs
  2. Lift some packets of moong dal/wheat atta in your kitchen to facilitate arm muscle buildup
  3. Keep moving around while watching television, conversing over the phone or waiting in the queue. You can shake your hips, raise your heel or do leg lifts to strengthen your leg muscles

Sleep is also a part of this game without which your body does not have enough time to repair muscle tissue and restore energy. Try sleeping for at least seven to eight hours every day. Understand the effects of sleep on our body by visiting the website www.firsteatright.com. Aim for supporting all these with proper nutrient intake with foods such as beans, nuts and fish. Understand that protein supplements or eating excess meat will not help you grow muscles in a weeks’ time. It is slow and steady buildup of muscles that last long. 

International Day of the Girl Child (11th October): Realize the Power of a Girl Child

10/10/2018

 
Help a girl become a talented individual
Focus on Girls, Empower them
It was yet another usual day in my life and I started it on a positive note by going for a walk. MJs and their never-ending playlists fulfill my pleasures of walking but today was different. In between these songs were government ads promoting the need of education and empowerment to the GIRL children of India. The speaker went on and on praising the worth of a girl child in the family insisting individuals to raise girl children with equal care, importance and priority as they would shower on a male child. This struck me like lightning and I couldn’t digest the fact that still we are promoting our nation to forego female infanticide and educate girl children. Today being the International Day of the Girl Child, there is no harm in social media trying its best possible ways to uplift the importance of a girl child.
​
It was in 2012 that the United Nations started observing the International Day of the Girl Child to raise awareness on the inequality issues surrounding girls worldwide. There is inequality at every step in a girl’s life-education, legal rights, discrimination, violence against women, child marriage, sexual abuse and the list goes on and on. Small babies are sexually assaulted and the world is heading nowhere ahead with horrifying statistical data surrounding us.

More than 600 million adolescent girls will be ready to enter workforce in the next decade. 90% of them reside in developing countries and will pursue work in informal sectors where pay scale is comparatively low and exploitation/abuse is common. The scenario today shows that most of the girls today are not able to learn skills that can assure them of a secure job in the future. Almost 10% of primary school children are out of school while many others drop out of secondary school owing to economic issues. It’s always the girl child whose education is curbed during economic crisis in the family. Boy children are made to complete their education by hook or by crook being the future breadwinners of the family. The world is moving towards innovation and automation. Girls need to equip themselves with skills that are on par with market requirements but sadly many lack teachers, facilities or the guidance required to succeed in their endeavors.

This year’s theme is “With Her: A Skilled Girl Force” and to do justice to this theme each of us must work towards creating better learning opportunities for girl children and plan for their endeavor into workforce. Sharpening their skills and enabling them to compete against men in the workplace is the need of the hour. A parent’s duty doesn’t end with marrying away the girl child and giving her a life to lead. It starts right from the birth of the girl baby equipping her with abilities and confidence to lead a life on her own. Instead of gender stereotyping women and their professions/work, let’s try to involve women in every field of work possible. We do have women as fighter pilots, reputed doctors, CEOs of big organizations and even in our army and navy. But the ratio is extremely disproportionate and it is this ratio that we must work towards improving and increasing. All this makes us question ourselves-Are women the weaker sex? Get your question answered at www.firsteatright.com.

Stop typecasting women into stereotype roles such as teachers and nurses. Depict a woman policeman in the child’s GK books, elaborate on the achievements of women in the workforce or give the example of a woman CEO while talking about administration. Today’s girls are tomorrow’s powerful women force. Let’s support their growth and remove any barriers surrounding their skillsets.
<<Previous

    AVOID FRAUD. EAT SMART.

    Picture
    +91 7846 800 800
    Picture
    Member - Academy Of Nutrition & Dietetics USA.

    Author

    Dietitian & Nutritionist          Dr. Nafeesa Imteyaz.
    Ex HOD  Fortis Hospital (Dept Of Dietetics & Nutrition)
    ​Managing Director - First Eat Right.
    Fellow - Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics USA. http://www.eatright.org
    ​

    Worldwide Research & Patents Blog -  Dr. Nafeesa.
    ​

    Archives

    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017

    Categories   

    All
    Dietary Supplement Abuse
    Female Infertility
    Superfood - Banned Term
    Vibration / Heat Machines For Weight Loss - A Big Fraud

    Dr. Nafeesa's Blog 2

    Dr. Nafeesa's Blog 3

    Dr. Nafeesa's Blog 4

    RSS Feed

We   take   pride   in  delivering  exceptional  services to our clients.  But  don't  just take our word for  it.   Here's  what  some   of  our clients are  saying  about  us.

Picture
Eat Smart | Play Hard | Stay Healthy
Picture
First Eat Right - Diet & Nutrition Clinic
  • ​HOME
  • AVOID   FRAUD
  • LIFE CYCLE   NUTRITION
  • MEDICAL   NUTRITION
  • SPORTS   NUTRITION
  • KNOWLEDGE   CENTER
  • BLOG 
  • PLS CALL: +91 78 46 800 800
  • email : nutrition@firsteatright.com

​© COPYRIGHT 2017. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  FRST HEALTHCARE PVT LTD. #66 HMT LAYOUT. RT NAGAR. BANGALORE 560032.
First Eat Right - Best Dietitians & Nutritionists in Bangalore | Pune | Hyderabad | Chennai | Mumbai | Delhi |​ Kolkata.