Eating to Energize

Are you feeling low in energy and unable to keep up with the activities of daily living? Is mental fatigue and stress keeps you away from performing your work duties? Is your diet sufficient for you to see the day through?

Right eating habits and hygiene-friendly cooking techniques can keep you in shape and physically active. At times you might find it little confusing as to what items you should eat and what foods you must avoid as there are innumerable mouthwatering recipes knocking on your door everyday.

Are you Feeling Rundown Following an Enticing and Adventurous Day?

Here you go with things that can tickle your muscles and help regain your strength!

• Having a handful of dry fruits within 10 minutes of waking up can supply your body with necessary magnesium to aid in conversion of glucose into energy.   
• Whole-grain bread in breakfast can be an energy booster with its essential carbohydrates which are preferred body fuels.
• 8-10 glasses of water intake can prevent your body from dehydration & reduce fatigue.
• Eating fresh fluid-filled fruits such as orange, apple, strawberries, grapes etc. is another perfect way of keeping yourself energetic and hydrated. 
• To boost your energy as well as mood, nibble at some chocolates. It will do the trick for you.
• Don’t pamper your sweet tooth too much as it may cause immediate spikes followed by a rapid drop in blood sugar levels, making you less energetic by the end of the day. 
• A whole-wheat cracker with peanut butter is a power snack that can keep up your energy level for longer periods.
• Whole-grain cereal with milk is another strategy.

If the above tips don't work for you and if your energy levels are constantly on the lower side, you must be missing out on some of the essential nutrients in your diet. Before it is too late, seek a doctor’s advice to prevent any unwanted harm to your body.

Low Blood Pressure or Hypotension in Women

If your feet and hands go numb after prolonged sitting or lying down or if your vision go blur when transferring from sit-to-stand or from lying down to sitting, this can be an indication for you to see a heart specialist. You might be dealing with low blood pressure or postural hypotension.

Your body needs to put the best effort against gravity to pump up the necessary blood that is required for you to stand. This causes a decline in your blood pressure. The sudden drop in blood pressure can cause dizziness, blurred vision, and uncomfortable feeling all over your body. You must seek immediate medical attention if you have a fainting spell upon rising.

What Low Blood pressure?

• Pregnancy - Right from the moment your urine pregnancy test turns positive, you will witness hypotension as your blood vessels start to dilate.
• Dehydration - Any spike in temperature, exhaustion due to heat, or chronic diarrhea and vomiting can lead to dehydration thereby lowering your blood pressure.
• Heart conditions - Continuous low blood pressure can be a result of heart condition. Unusually slow heart rate is a common cause of hypotension.  
• Severe blood loss - Any severe blood loss, whether menstrual loss or accidental injury, can lower your blood pressure, and you can end up having a life-threatening shock.  
• Medication-induced - Certain antihypertensive and antidepressants are known to cause hypotension.

 Preventing Hypotension 

• Engaging in cardio exercises such as brisk-walking, swimming, jogging, or bicycling or doing aerobic exercises can help improve your blood circulation and lower the chances of hypotension.
• Try to stay away from heat exhaustion when outdoors as extreme temperatures are known to cause dehydration and lowering of blood pressure.
• Replenish yourself with lots of liquids to stay protected from adverse effects of dehydration and hypotension. Add a little salt for increased water retention in your body.
• A 3-step-approach for any postural changes will be your best bet to prevent hypotension episodes. Or you can slow down your movements to prevent dizziness and fainting spells. 

“When did you last check your BP?”

Simple Natural Ways to Keep Your Skin Healthy and Glowing in Monsoon

After the scorching summer heat, you cannot stop getting yourself underneath the first few drops of rain. Even though it is an open invitation for various skin infections, the increased humidity, sky-riding dust and pollution can really push you on the back foot forcing you to stay indoors. Now, how to protect your skin this rainy season?

     Natural Ways to Protect Skin Damage

• Cleansing allows your skin to breathe by washing away the impurities like dirt and excess oil from your skin surface. Do not use antifungal lotion or cream or soaps with perfumes.
• Toning your face with a non-alcoholic toner can help you tighten up your skin pores. To prevent unwanted acne and skin infections, apply it before going to bed and in the morning after waking up.
• Moisturizing is useful to keep your skin well hydrated.
• Let avoiding heavy makeup be your mantra this rainy season. Use light waterproof makeup instead and always pat it dry as any kind of friction can cause hyper-pigmentation.
• Keeping the skin well nourished by eating salads can be a good move to provide your skin with essential vitamins and nutrients to keep it healthy and glowing.
• Proper hydration with at least 8-10 glasses per day, can keep your skin glowing and even eliminate any pollutants that went deep inside the skin.
• Wearing a sunscreen is always necessary when you go out even on cloudy days to protect it from harmful UV radiation.
• Don’t hesitate to follow it up with a skin specialist even for slightest of skin conditions such as swelling or irritation.

     Are you ready to go out in rain with your skin guard on?

Get a flat tummy without the pain of dieting

 It is not rare to see women cribbing about sacrificing their most favorite dishes for the sake of slimming     down. Even though the aspiration of getting a flat tummy is so intense, still the fact remains that your stomach never wants you to diet, let alone your taste buds. How good would it be for you to trim down your inches without experiencing the pain of  giving up your favourite food? Here are a few tips that you can follow and a few lifestyle changes that you can inculcate to carve your curves without forgoing food!

Eating Habits to Help Slimming Down

• Adequate protein and complex carb intake changes your plus size to smart size they help in slowing down the release of sugar into your blood by the food you eat. This in turn reduces your hunger pangs considerably and increases energy, whereby inhibiting the body’s tendency to accumulate excessive calories in the form of fat. It even adds to the fiber intake in the body, which is known to aid in digestion.

Food Sources:

Complex carbs: Green leafy vegetables, veggie salads, beans, brown rice, pasta, oats, – barley.
Protein: Meat, fish, eggs, chicken, nuts, beans, soya, soy products, dal and quinoa.

• Don’t say no to Fats. It is a misconception that cutting down completely on fats helps reduce your inches quickly. Actually, a regular fat intake helps create a texture in your mouth due to which you get a full feeling, and thus eat less. Also, it helps trigger some hormones that give your brain a message of having a full feeling.

Food Sources:

Low-fat dairy products, seeds, olive oil, sunflower oil, fish, nuts and Desi Ghee.

• Extra Tips to Habituate:

Eat small frequent meals, 8-10 servings a day, and drink plenty of water to – reduce your hunger pangs
Increase wholegrain foods in your diet such as brown rice, wheat, pasta, brown bread, etc.
Use small utensils for eating and have starters like salads or soups for early satiate.

What BMI (body mass index) do you get a flat stomach?

Health Tips for Pregnant Women

First of all, hearty congratulations!

Being pregnant is a thrilling experience and having a baby born out of your own flesh is the most miraculous thing that can ever happen. But it can also become quite overwhelming. Pregnancy is a time of uncertainty with all sorts of questions arising in your mind. Plenty of info and facts are swimming around to get into your head. It might seem like all and sundry has an advice or opinion about you and your baby. The best way to keep away from confusions, contradictions, myths and information-overload is to educate yourself from reliable sources.

If you are healthy during pregnancy and afterwards too, then that will be an icing on the cake for you, your child and your spouse. After all, you can take care of your family only when you are healthy yourself. So, if your urine pregnancy test comes positive or if you are planning to be pregnant, then, certainly there are things that you must keep in the back of your mind.

Healthy Eating for To-be-moms

For a healthy pregnancy, you need to eat a balanced diet which must include foods from a variety of sources including vegetables, fruits, whole grain foods, milk & dairy products, meat, as well as fish. Have a fruit along with a fistful of dryfruits within 10 minutes of waking up & before going for your morning walk. Enjoy a nutritious breakfast after an hour. You’ll feel great!

On an average, 5-6 servings in a day are sufficient. In between your meals, grab a fruit or yogurt or even a glass of milk to supplement your diet with necessary nutrients and most importantly, calcium.

How to Relieve Nausea, Vomiting, Heartburn and Constipation Symptoms

• Small portion size meals with lots of liquid in between meals.
• Avoid foods that are high in fat, spicy, and have a strong odor. 
• Eat slowly & chew thoroughly.
• Avoid reclining immediately after meals.
• Eat whole-grain foods and exercise regularly.

Some More Health Tips during Pregnancy

• You must abstain completely from smoking and drinking all through your pregnancy, as there is no safe amount and also no safe time to smoke or drink alcohol.
• Try to be regular with some physical activitythroughout your pregnancy period as it helps to improve your mood-swings, facilitates proper weight gain, reduces stress, promotes sound sleep, increases muscle tone, builds stamina for forthcoming labour and delivery.
• Create a healthy and pleasant atmosphere as being a happy mother guarantees for a healthy baby.

How smartly can you avoid overeating this festive season?

When it comes to festivals and feasts, no other country on earth can beat India. The excitement is in the air; family gatherings, new clothes, holidays and immeasurable fun being laced with them.

Since there are special delicacies for every occasion, fridge would be always full, crammed with indescribable snacks that are carefully baked to precision. These are also the times when you gorge on sweets guiltlessly while health takes a backseat in your priorities.

Now you know that festivals will disturb your carefully planned diet and the hidden diabetes traps too do not escape your notice. But how can you refuse a bite when sweets are served all pink-yellow-brown in a platter? It is not just killing your sweet tooth but you also fear of offending the host if you say no. So you just turn off your mental calorie alarm, indulge or eat out more often than healthy.

Most of the health problems, trips to doctors and rigorous gymming after festivals can be avoided if you listen to your stomach. After effects of festivals can be worse in Indian scenario because of our, especially women’s tendency to ignore the body’s warnings until it gets excruciatingly painful.

It is festival season and yes, if you can’t be epicurean now, when will you? Let the treatment begin from your palette without depriving you of the yummy indulgence.

Smart Things That Can Prevent You from Overeating

• Eat slowly and chew the cud – According to a recent study, women, who have been eating slowly, consume 70% less calories than the women who eat faster.
• Get more fiber and eat whole-grain foods – Whole grain foods can never be a foodie’s delight, but fiber in it will balance overeating by making you feel full. 
• Increase your water intake – Water can be the mainstay of your dieting plans as it can keep your food cravings under control. Mixing it in with lemon in the morning can help you burn those extra calories too.
• Habituate for a starter before meals – A platter of vegetable salad or a bowl of tomato soup will help you improve your digestion.
• Eating in portions help proportion your body fat accumulation – Eating frequent portion size meals will not only let you enjoy different recipes but also promotes proper digestion.
• Keep your hunger at bay with healthy foods – You can curb your desire to binge on junk food by grabbing a fruit, a platter of salad, or cracking a few crackers when hungry.

Are you able to keep a watch on your diet and eating a healthy diet? Do you always carry an antacid pill in your purse? Are you afraid of eating too much junk food this festive season?

Have you recognized the Calcium call of your body?

Calcium deficiency is serious as your body may give you the alarm a little too late for your bones. According to a recent study, about 90% of women and 60% of teens are found to be calcium deficient. Calcium is the most abundant mineral in your body and a prime constituent of your bones.

                                                                                                                   
Being a woman, you need much more dietary calcium for your bone health. Adequate amount of calcium intake not only makes your bones stronger but also increases the bone density thereby reducing the risk of fractures. The figure-conscious females would be happy to know that including sufficient amount of calcium in your daily diet promotes weight loss too. Adequate calcium intake prevents osteoporosis, high BP, colon cancer and even breast cancer.

On an average, every woman in the age group of 19-50 years needs around 1000mg of calcium on a daily basis. As your body is incapable of producing calcium, you are bound to rely on other dietary sources for fulfilling this need. Based on your age, your daily calcium requirements are as follows:

Now is the time to give serious thought to your daily calcium intake. According to a recent study by British Medical Journal, eating calcium rich diet and taking supplements may not do you any favor at a later stage. This is a habit that needs to be cultivated at a young age. Do you think your current diet takes care of your bone health adequately?