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latest buzz Medical Nutrition

The Most Popular Superfoods of 2023

superfood image

With the beginning of 2023, it’s time to be trending with the new ‘superfoods’ of this year! Last year people were either ‘strictly vegetarians’ or were eating gluten-free food.

Instagram was also flooded with pictures of frozen yogurts and fancy smoothies.

Even coconut water was rather in, especially for all the fitness freaks.

So Here’s Top 6 Super Foods That Should Be Considered This Year

Celery

Celery is loaded with vitamin C, vitamin K and various other antioxidants with nutritional value. It also has some tricks up its sleeve aka phytonutrients, which provide anti-inflammatory benefits!

It is also the best crunchy low-calorie veggie to eat with some dip – the healthy kind of finger food!

Green Tea 

It helps in weight loss, it’s good for your hair and skin, it’s the best replacement for tea or coffee and it even combats allergies!

This magic liquid can also boost eyesight, reduce cholesterol levels, and promote oral health while also helping one relax. Wow, so much in one cup.

Sprouts

They’re a great source of vitamin K, vitamin C, fiber and other essential nutrients. Some surveys even suggest that sprouts have therapeutic benefits and could even prevent diseases – goodbye flu!

They can be added to salads, sandwiches, soups or even snuck into pastas and stuffed chicken. Sprouts have more volume and few calories so they do help in your weight loss process.

Smoothies

They’re a great source of calcium, they’re super filling thus making them the healthiest mid-day meal and they look pretty!

Strawberry, papaya shake, banana-honey, chocolate, banana-strawberry .. you name the flavor and it could be presented to you.

It’s the new soya milk for fitness fanatics and the best way to make your kids get some calcium in their bodies.

Walnuts

Walnuts contain some rare and powerful antioxidants that have varying benefits – from cancer-fighting properties to preventing heart-related problems to a reduction in type 2 diabetes.

Just like an almond, a walnut also improves brain health and is highly recommended! Another added factor is that walnuts help in weight loss and over time help you maintain your ideal weight.

Pancakes

Pancakes are honestly underrated items on any menu. They could range from gym-fit-healthy to heavenly-chocolate-overdose. They’re the perfect breakfast – topped with maple syrup or maybe made with a banana filling.

Have you ever had ham and cheese pancakes? They’re to die for. Pancake desserts go from healthy with fruit to topped with Belgium chocolate mousse – each bite is better than the other! And the best part is they’re super easy to make at home.

In case of any related query related to healthy nutrition or weight loss book an appointment with Dt. Silky Mahajan .Please send us a mail at info@foodsandnutrition.in or call on 080 6741 7780 (Dial Extension: 778).

Categories
latest buzz Medical Nutrition

Top 26 Lifestyle Changes to Adopt for a Healthier & Fitter You

healthy lifestyle image

Unlock the secrets to lasting health success with our comprehensive lifestyle change tips. Start your journey to a healthier, happier you today!

Health is a holistic concept that encompasses both the mind and body. To achieve long-term health success, it’s essential to adopt a comprehensive approach that integrates various aspects of well-being.

Top 26 Lifestyle Changes to Adopt for a Healthier & Fitter You

Appetite Management

This must always be under control. Overeating is just unnecessary fat for the body and insufficient eating will cause your metabolism to slow down.

Body goals

In your mind you must have a certain goal that you want to attain – drop 10 kgs, beach body, fat stomach, bigger biceps – they’re all part of your body goals.

Consistent Evolution

The only thing constant in this world is change. Change your diet regularly, change your exercise pattern and make all required changes in your lifestyle for long-term results.

Dietary Diversity

Make sure your diet contains enough green leafy veggies like spinach, lean protein, carbohydrates and a certain amount of fat. Even the occasional dessert and cheat meal should be incorporated into your diet.

Exercise

No matter how often you eat right, how many hours of sleep you get and whether or not you count calories, until and unless you do exercise daily you’ll never be able to have a totally healthy lifestyle.

Frequent Commitment

The first step towards a long-term healthy lifestyle is frequency. It takes 21 days to form a habit, after that it seems just natural. You need to be frequent and consistent to attain such long-term goals.

Green Tea Goodness

It helps boost the metabolic rate, reduce belly fat, and can lower the risk of various diseases. Try to drink at least 3-5 cups of green tea every day. Plus it’s 0 calories, so what’s the harm?

Homemade Food Advantage

This one’s the best way to eat healthy and avoid junk food. By cooking at home you know exactly what you’re eating and you’re well aware of what nutrients go into your mouth. Plus it’s the easiest way to maintain a balanced diet (since the balance is in your hands now)!

Intrinsic Motivation

You need inspiration to maintain long-term success. It could be from apparent weight loss, from reading a book about healthy living or even by watching someone maintain a healthy lifestyle. This can’t be done by mindlessly following some diet!

Use Jealousy as a Catalyst

Sometimes envying others might help you get the best results. When you envy someone for their clean eating habits or perfect body, you will probably want to achieve that yourself – which will be your biggest motivator for long-term success.

Kick-Start Your Journey

You will literally wake up one day and decide you want to start living a healthy lifestyle! It’s time to kick start every day towards making these healthy changes.

Losing Weight Safely

Who doesn’t want to shed 5 kgs in a month? But you can’t do this by starving yourself or going on a detox where you just eat fruits and drink water! That’s totally unhealthy. It is essential to let your healthy weight loss journey take its time, so that you have long-lasting results.

Mental Health

Mental and physical health go hand in hand. It is important that you focus on strengthening your mind as well, not only your body. Falls in mental health will eventually affect your physical health as well!

Nutritional Necessities

From carbs to protein to minerals, each and every nutrient is essential for maintaining a healthy diet as well as performing normal bodily functions. Eating everything in the right proportion will promote a long-lasting healthy lifestyle.

Observant Adaptation

Observe what changes you are making, divide them into healthy and unhealthy changes and then continue with only the healthy changes. Your observation skills will help you get rid of unnecessary and unhealthy changes instantly.

Pledge to Persevere

You need to promise yourself you’re going to stick to this new lifestyle no matter how hard it gets! Promise yourself to eat healthier every day, to exercise a little more every day and definitely promise yourself to stay away from the unhealthy goodies!

Quit Detrimental Habits

It’s important to quit the bad habits! Binge drinking, smoking, stress eating and all these other habits aren’t going to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Raw Food Rewards

Raw foods are the best form of food you can get! They help prevent diseases, give your body a lot of energy and contain essential vitamins and minerals.

Sleep Significance

Sleeping for 6-8 hours every night is a requirement for proper body function! It’s the time your body needs to recuperate, repair your muscles and even improve your mood. Exercise and good eating are useless without sufficient sleep.

Tangible Tips

Tips like these will really help and motivate your to manage a long term successful healthy lifestyle. Take tips from experts, from dieticians and even from people you look up to for inspiration – you never know which trip does the trick.

Understanding and Awareness

You need to understand what your body needs, how much weight you need to gain/lose to be “fit” (not skinny, not thin- but fit) and how often you should exercise. It is important to understand nutritional facts on packaged items and what goes into your body. Understanding is essential for better results!

Value of Veggies

Yes, lean protein and meats are important, BUT you can’t have a balanced diet unless you’re eating enough green leafy vegetables. Incorporate them into every meal!

Wellness Over Weight

Weight cannot be defined as per your weighing scale or BMI. Your focus cannot be ‘How can I lose weight’; you need to focus on how you can continue with your healthy lifestyle.

(e)Xhilarating Workouts

Go for extreme activity classes like Zumba, CrossFit, army circuit training, power yoga, and other such high-intensity activities! It’s a good change from your usual workout and will probably have more effective results.

Yoga

From increased flexibility to increased strength, from meditating to improving bone health; yoga has all-round benefits which are only going to improve your lifestyle.

Avoid Zero Dieting Policy

You cannot diet (and I mean not eating at all) to lose weight and ‘look thin’. Starving and minimal eating doesn’t help you to maintain a long-term healthy lifestyle. Your diet must be full of rich foods.

Conclusion

Achieving long-term health success is a multifaceted journey that requires a harmonious blend of physical, mental, and nutritional strategies.

From understanding the nuances of our appetite to embracing the holistic benefits of practices like yoga, every step we take is a testament to our commitment to well-being.

By integrating these principles into our daily lives, not only do we pave the way for a healthier present, but we also lay the foundation for a future where wellness becomes second nature.

As we navigate this path, it’s essential to remember that health is not a destination but a continuous journey of growth, understanding, and perseverance

In case of any related query related to diet or weight loss book an appointment with Dt. Silky Mahajan please send us a mail at info@foodsandnutrition.in or call on 080 6741 7780 (Dial Extension: 778).

Categories
latest buzz Medical Nutrition

What Does 200 Calories Look Like

200 calories?? Doesn’t sound like much. Especially when your daily calorie requirement is somewhere between 1500-2500.

Given that calories depend from person to person, based on gender, weight, age and various other factors; the calories consumed don’t change a bit no matter who consumes them.

If someone says 200 calories, it seems like nothing when we talk about desserts and fried food, but it seems like a lot in context to fruits and ‘healthy’ food.  So let’s take a look at some pictures of food depicting 200 calories to figure out how much is too much.

200 Calories

First is some fish, particularly salmon. This amount is great for a filling healthy snack. Add some vegetables or some vignettes to make it a perfect dinner.

Then comes 3 small pieces of brown bread – which is more than enough for a light snack. Pasta in that amount makes 200 calories, so you add some chicken or vegetables and mix it up in a great sauce to make it a healthy meal under 500 calories.

One full glass of white wine comes up to 92 calories, so you easily kick back and enjoy 2 glasses of wine! Potatoes – the best sin. French fries – an even deadlier sin! But be careful not to order a large amount, stick to a small portion for a quick snack.

Now don’t look at the brownies and get too excited, you’re allowed only one such piece because that’s around 190 calories.

White rice can be consumed in more than a mouthful though; you can enjoy one full bowl of white rice without worrying about more than 200 calories. 3 boiled eggs – the perfect healthy snack, which is astoundingly so filling is another snack under 200 calories.

One glass of full-fat milk comes up to 200 calories which is why is a recommended mid-night snack. Then we have one whole chicken breast, which can be spruced up with sauce or cooked in any manner without worrying about too many calories.

A plate full of fruit such as kiwi makes up 200 calories – now that’s a great way to feel full and be healthy! Black coffee makes up for barely 10 calories, if you have it with sugar that’ll be around 30-40 calories.

This means you’re allowed 5-8 cups a day (it’s safe to assume you will become a night owl after such consumption). If you like your coffee with milk and sugar, that’s almost 100 calories so you’re allowed 2 cups of that.

Well, now you know what 200 calories look like, in some cases, it’s barely a mouthful while it’s more than a yummy meal in others. Another great way to make sure you’re snacking under 200 calories or consuming the necessary amount, check in a calorie counter app.

It allows you to record every food item and shows you the total amount of calories you consume. Here’s to some healthy snacking, some unhealthy binging (once in a while allowed), and an overall diet within your calorie budget. Njoy your healthy meal 🙂

In case of any related query related to diet or weight loss book an appointment with Dt. Silky Mahajan please send us a mail at info@foodsandnutrition.in or call on 080 6741 7780 (Dial Extension: 778).

Categories
latest buzz Medical Nutrition

10 Tips to Strengthen Your Immune System

Man fighting virus image.

Overall your immune system does a very good job of keeping you healthy and well, but you’ve got to do your bit to keep it at it’s a game.

It could never hurt to take some care of your immunity! You could eat well, go for regular checkups and always eat your vitamins.

But is that bare minimum enough to keep it on track? Diet, age, exercise, lifestyle as well and environmental factors play a huge role in the working of your immunity system.

10 Easy Tips That Will Help You to Boost Your Immunity

1. Get Some Sleep 

As per research, your immunity system only produces half the amount of antibodies than it usually would when you haven’t got enough sleep.

That will ultimately increase your susceptibility to any illness. The easiest and most relaxed way to boost your immunity is to get 7-9 hours of sleep every night.

2. Stress is Never Good

Everyone has problems in life – home, family, financial, but they should be avoided as much as possible. When you stress, your body produces ‘stress hormones’ which suppress the working of your immunity system. Join a meditation class but don’t let the stress get to your body. 

3. Kale is the New Spinach

Vegetables like broccoli, kale and cabbage support the liver’s ability to flush out toxins while also directly boosting your immune system. Go vegetarians!

4. Don’t Be a Couch Potato

Exercising, which could also be a 20-minute walk, will really stimulate the lymphatic system, increase oxygenation and increase the production of leukocytes – a cell that helps fight infection.

You’re going to be living healthy and helping your immunity! Win-win situation.

5. Mushrooms Are Good

Medicinal and Japanese mushrooms are filled with antioxidants and immunity boosters. There’s a wide variety so try a new one every time!

6. Avoid Sweeteners and Sugar

Consuming 75 grams of sugar will reduce the ability of the WBCs to overpower and destroy the bacteria. Opt for fresh fruits and flavored teas to complete your sugar cravings.

7. Bmi Matters

Shape and size really don’t matter, but having the right weight for your height and age really does. Use our BMI calculator to find your correct BMI.

Higher numbers of fat cells tend to trigger a series of events which eventually lead to a diminishing immunity system.

8. Eat Your Vitamins

Sounds like such a cliche but they’re really important. Each vitamin has a different property to boost one’s immunity.

9. Say Bye to Cigarettes and Alcohol

Well, that title would certainly ruin a Friday night for most people.

But apart from what these items do to your body, they majorly undermine your immunity system. It’s almost like causing intentional bacteria in your body!

10. Live, Love, Laugh

Well, the key word here is laugh. By laughing, you’re automatically distressing while also unintentionally allowing your body to produce more WBCs. Watch a good comedy and let the magic begin.

In case of any query related to diet or weight loss book an appointment with Dt. Silky Mahajan please send us a mail at info@foodsandnutrition.in or call on 080 6741 7780 (Dial Extension: 778).

Categories
latest buzz Medical Nutrition

Pros and Cons of Coffee

Pros and Cons of Coffee image

What is your usual morning routine? Wake up, have some coffee, open your eyes and let the day begin.

Coffee is addictive and how! There are people whose day can’t end unless they’ve consumed their daily 5 cups of coffee.

It’s very important to understand when to take coffee & in how much quantity so that, you can benefit rather than health issues.

You could be the judge of that after reading these pros and cons of the effect of coffee on our health!

PROS

  • Coffee is made from seeds, and like all other seeds it has protective compounds.  Coffee can prevent strokes as well as lower our risk of Parkinson’s and dementia.
  • Coffee boosts our concentration and memory
  • Coffee lowers the risk of oral cancer. Decaf has a much weaker effect for the same while tea has no effect at all.
  • Studies show that high consumption of caffeine reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes.
  • The caffeine in coffee controls many brain functions e.g. mood, energy levels, vigilance and even reaction time.
  • Caffeine can boost one’s metabolic rate drastically, which basically means an increase in the burning of fat – weight loss!
  • A single cup of coffee contains vitamin B5, vitamin B2, potassium, manganese and magnesium – all essential and important nutrients.
  • Coffee contains stimulants which can drastically lower the risk of developing depression.

CONS

  • Coffee can disrupt sleep patterns which leads to restless sleep and finally insomnia.
  • Coffee can lead to spinal bone loss in those people who aren’t getting enough calcium on a daily basis.
  • The acidity in coffee can irritate your stomach lining which could eventually lead to ulcers, gastritis and even Crohn’s disease!
  • The overconsumption of coffee can lead to headaches, and sometimes even migraines.
  • Caffeine can cause a sharp increase in blood pressure levels – those with blood pressure problems must limit themselves.
  • Regular coffee drinkers are at a risk of dehydration – they must take measures to ensure they’re always hydrated.

You’ve got the rundown on its effects, now it’s your turn to choose your side.

In case of any query related to nutrition or weight management book an appointment with Dt. Silky Mahajan. Please send us a mail at info@foodsandnutrition.in or call on 080 6741 7780 (Dial Extension: 778).

Categories
latest buzz Weight Management

Your Guide to Healthy Fat Loss Success

Now or later image

Harness the power of nutrition for effective and sustainable healthy fat loss. Elevate your journey to a healthier you today!

Self-discipline is a pattern of behavior where you choose to do what you know you should do, rather than what you want to do. It’s the inner power that pushes you to get out of bed to exercise rather than sleep in.

When you are consistent in doing the things you know you should do, when you know you should do them.

You will achieve your goals. When you are consistent in doing the things you know you should do, your odds of achieving your healthy fat loss goals will be dramatically increased.

Your self-esteem will soar. Every time you push yourself to do something you know you should do, you are building your self-esteem.

People’s respect for you will grow. This includes everyone from your spouse to your employer who witnesses your efforts. 

You will influence the lives of others. Every good and right thing you do influences the lives of those who are watching and can have a ripple effect on future generations

You will see greater success in all areas of your life. Always remember, for every disciplined effort there is a multiple return. Think about it. You will enjoy a more rewarding and satisfying life.

Set Your Weight Loss Target

This approach will allow you to adapt to your new healthy fat loss routine. As you make progress and witness results from these modest goals, your confidence will grow, prompting you to set higher targets for even greater fat loss

For example, your weight is 60 kg, height is 158 cm & age is 28 years. In this example, your BMR should be 1400 KCAL.

If currently, you are doing intensive exercise for at least 20 minutes 1 to 3 times per week then a rough estimate of the number of calories required per day based on your current activity level 1925 kcal/day.

Based on this activity level, after subtracting 500 calories your new target (calories/day) would be 1425 which should result in roughly 500 gms of weight loss per week.

Definitely, if you increase your activity levels then you can expect more weight loss per week.

Number Of Servings Per Day

It is essential to realize that not eating will only reduce your metabolism which will in turn hinder the process of losing weight.

Instead, eat 5-6 small meals a day which will keep your digestive system running thus it’ll keep burning calories. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and you must not skip it.

You notice the days you skip breakfast you will tend to be more hungry all day. Make sure your breakfast is rich in insoluble fibers since they contain almost zero calories.

Understanding Portion Size

Let’s do the math here. Say you’re asked to leave 25% of your food on the plate and just eat the rest. You need 2000 calories a day which means you’ll be leaving around 500 the whole day.

Now instead of leaving the food, serve yourself on a smaller plate. That way you can eat everything on your plate and you needn’t worry about leaving a certain amount.

This way you won’t even realise when you burn those 500 calories! Same way, you can set your target weight loss of calories per day and work your way accordingly.

Watch What Your Drink

Diet sodas and fizzy drinks are filled with calories – even though their advertisements state otherwise.

When you drink diet sodas which contain artificial sweeteners these trick your body into thinking that you haven’t consumed too many calories which in turn makes us eat more, thus consuming more calories than we already do.

Similarly, when you drink cup after cup of tea or coffee in the workplace you’re drinking more calories than you can even comprehend.

Thus it’s better to drink water or green tea to keep your mouth busy and to ward off unnecessary calories.

Read Nutrition Labels Before Buying Any Food

Not only diet sodas, you must make sure you read and understand the food labels of all processed products properly.

It is essential to know what is going into your body and the subsequent effect it will have.

Just because the cover might say it’s fat-free doesn’t make it totally true, you must read the nutrition label at the back and know what all the product really contains since there is enough margin for error allowed by the law in regard to trans fat, saturated fat, etc.

A lot of packets also provide information per cup serving or per 100 grams. In such cases, it is essential to consider these values in terms of your consumption.

Don’t Skip Meals

Skipping meals while aiming for healthy fat loss can result in significant weakness and fragility. Moreover, not eating regularly can lead to a decrease in TOR activity, which is a crucial regulator of muscle growth cells.

When you skip meals your muscle starts wasting away much faster than it normally would.

The brain’s exclusive fuel ie glucose is compromised within 4-6 hours of not eating.

Basically, the glucose stored in the liver as glycogen runs out during this time period. When blood glucose dips too low the liver converts glycogen into glucose and releases it into the blood.

But if this has depleted due to lack of food, the body and brain eventually run less efficiently. This could cause a major brain drain and will hinder your productivity.

Exercise Daily

Cardio exercise is the most important and easiest way to burn calories and start your fat loss journey. If you have time restraints you could burn these calories while doing daily household work! Cleaning the house for 2 hours or gardening for an hour and a half burns 500 calories.

You could even get some exercise in while you take your kids out to play or when you walk your pet! If you can barely manage to get an hour’s worth of free time join an aerobics, zumba or spinning class.

They’ll help you distress as well as burn off those calories without you even realizing how the time went by.

Based on this activity level, after subtracting 500 calories your new target (calories/day) would be 1425 which should result in roughly 500 gms of weight loss per week.

Definitely, if you increase your activity levels then you can expect more weight loss per week.

Having A Balanced Meal Is Essential

You cannot completely stop eating. Nor can you stop eating carbs and fat just to maintain a certain body weight. It’s essential to eat every type of food, just in balanced proportions.

Try eating more vegetables and salad instead of rice or roti – here it is important to remember you need both to maintain a healthy balanced diet, so you can’t just skip the carbs.

Another thing, you needn’t give up on your taste buds completely! Eat what you enjoy, just make sure you eat everything in a balance and you’re good to go.

It won’t kill you to have a slice of pizza, or even satisfy your sweet tooth by having some dessert. Plus once you’ve had a little bit, you won’t crave it anymore – that instantly cuts down the possibility of overdosing on any unhealthy sin.

Not only will you feel healthier and fitter, but you’ll also manage to imbibe somewhat of a healthy lifestyle. 

If you follow these small mantras on a daily basis, in no time they’ll seem totally natural to you. This way you need not make drastic changes in your routine, nor will you struggle with any eating disorders!

In case of any query related to nutrition or healthy fat loss book an appointment with Dt. Silky Mahajan please send us a mail at info@foodsandnutrition.in or call on 080 6741 7780 (Dial Extension: 778).