MAKHANA - A SUPERFOOD

MAKHANA - A SUPERFOOD

Fox nuts or more popular name is Makhana. This is actually Fox Nuts and mostly grown in the Asian region.
These days Makhana is on top of sales because of its nutrition value. Makhana is highly nutritious and is loaded with health benefits. So let's discuss the health benefits and why we should include this as a snack.

A GOOD SOURCE OF PLANT PROTEIN: A cup of dry roasted makhana gives 4.2 grams of protein. This helps to boost immunity, build muscle mass and gives you energy.
                                                                 
 






GOOD FOR HEART PATIENT: Makhana is low in fat and sodium and high in magnesium, potassium. Thus good for B.P and heart patients.










GOOD FOR DIABETES: Makhana is good for diabetic patients as the glycaemic index is quite low. Thus can include as a snack.




WEIGHT REDUCTION: Makhana is a good source of fiber. 100 grams of makhana gives 7.6 grams of fiber and this is low in calories. A cup of makhana gives you 80 Kcal with a high satiety value.







NUTRITION VALUE: A medium cup of makhana means 25 grams- (the nutrient values are)
                                       CARBS: 19 grams
                                       PROTEIN: 4.2 grams
                                       FAT: 0.5 grams

So include makhana in your diet and keep yourself fit and healthy.

BE HAPPY AND HEALTHY

                                       

GOOD FOOD = GOOD MOOD

GOOD FOOD = GOOD MOOD

Do you know food and mood both are related? When you are already experiencing a low mood like depression, anxiety and stress, then choosing healthy food is very essential.

Now I am directly coming to the specific food which can uplift your mood and if you can include this in your daily diet, this will impact positively on your mental health.

The first one is DARK CHOCOLATE. This helps to raise endorphin levels thus helps to uplifts our mood. While buying DARK CHOCOLATE make sure the cacao percentage should be a minimum of 55%-60%.


YOGURT is rich in probiotics, as discussed in my previous blog. This is good for our overall health. This also helps to keep our mind calm and also reduces aggression.
                                                                                                     




 VITAMIN-C rich food is orange, Musambi, Kiwi, Broccoli, All types of berries etc. This helps to boost your immunity and works as an anti-depression.



MAGNESIUM rich food like dark green leafy vegetables, bananas, nuts (almonds, walnuts, avocado etc) and 
seeds (flaxseed, chia seed, pumpkin seed etc) helps to balance Serotonin (Hormone) and thus makes us happy.                                                                                                   




FISHES are rich in omega-3 fatty acids which improve your mood and helps to reduce depression.

        FISH contains a high level of Vitamin B12 which again helps in serotonin (A Happy Hormone) production.


EGG contains all the essential Amino Acids. Thus it helps in maintaining a happy mood.





These food are healthy and tasty as well.
A healthy diet will positively affect your overall health (physical & mental).


So include this food in your daily diet and keep yourself healthy.

BE HAPPY AND HEALTHY

CARBS - GOOD OR BAD

CARBS - GOOD OR BAD

                                                                         

CARBS or carbohydrates are considered a major source of energy. Thus it is considered a crucial part of "WELL BALANCED DIET". This is a small introduction about carbohydrate.

Few questions I am getting these days from my patients-
"Should I include carbohydrate or not", "Should I completely cut down carbohydrate to reduce my weight", "Should I stop eating rice completely" etc.

Now let's discuss what we should actually do.

Now I am dividing CARB into two categories.

GOOD CARB & BAD CARB

What type of CARB is good for us and how much we should include in our daily diet.

Examples of Healthy Carbs:

WHOLE GRAINS: oats, brown rice, whole wheat, multigrain bread, quinoa etc.

FRUITS: All types of fruits (Whole Fruits)

VEGETABLES: all types of veggies including green leafy vegetables

STARCH: potatoes, sweet potato, carrot.

LEGUMES: lentils, soy chunks, chickpeas

MILK: low-fat milk, curd, yogurt

According to the United States Department Of Agriculture, the recommended daily allowance of carbohydrates for a sedentary worker should be 130-175 gms per day.
Now, this total amount we can divide for the whole day's meal. The best thing we can do is that heavy breakfast, a medium portion of carbohydrate in lunch and a low carbohydrate meal for dinner. But we should not omit CARB completely from our diet.

But we can omit BAD CARBS from our diet like white sugar, refined flour, white bread, ice cream, cold drinks etc or if you have craving, try to cut down the quantity.

For weight reduction or for any specific reason the amount of CARB can be reduced. But consult a dietician and follow his/her instructions.

Suddenly do not start to follow a very low CARB diet or KETO diet.   

Now the importance of CARB & why we should not cut it completely from our diet:

i) CARB is the main source of energy to the brain and central nervous system.
ii) CARB helps to sleep better.
iii) CARB provides immunity, thus helps to prevent diseases.
iv) CARB helps to uplift our mood.
v) CARB helps to keep our memory sharp.

vi) If taken in right quantity CARB also helps to reduce weight.
vii) Complex CARB provides fiber to the body.
viii) CARB helps to prevent blood clots.
ix) CARB improves the digestive system.
x) CARB the best nutrients for Athletes.

So include these healthy CARBS in your diet in the right quantity and keep yourself fit.

STAY HAPPY AND HEALTHY

PREBIOTICS & PROBIOTICS

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PREBIOTICS & PROBIOTICS

1) Prebiotics are a special form of dietary fiber- (the non-digestible part of food) acts as a fertilizer for the good bacteria in the gut.
    Probiotics are live/ good bacteria that are naturally created by the process of fermentation in food.

2) Examples of prebiotics are banana, onion, garlic, apple skin, beans, kiwi, asparagus, almonds, cabbage, sprouts, wheatgrass, green apple, leafy vegetables, apple cider vinegar etc.

 


Examples of probiotics are yogurt, curd and milk products.

                                                                                                           



3) Benefits of prebiotics:

i) Increase calcium and magnesium absorption.
ii) Regular intake makes our bones stronger and increases bone density.
iii) Prebiotic rich food helps to strengthen our immune system.
iv) The prebiotic-rich diet helps to reduce the triglycerides level and controls weight.
v) Prebiotic rich food improves bowel regulations.
vi) These types of food are heart-healthy and reduce anxiety.




Benefits of probiotics:

i) Probiotic-rich foods are good for diarrhea.
ii) Regular intake of probiotic-rich food helps in IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
iii) Probiotic-rich food helps in ulcerative colitis.
iv) Curd is good for Crohn's disease.
v) Good for vaginal infections.
vi) Probiotic-rich foods good for urinary tract infections.

                                                                                                               









Include prebiotic and probiotic-rich foods in your diet.
This will help in increasing immunity as well as overall health benefits.

                       
STAY HAPPY AND HEALTHY

DIABETES

DIABETES

Diabetes has become a common term all over the World or rather we can say this is one of the most prevalent diseases all over the World. India is also called diabetes capital.

In India, 50.9 million people suffer from diabetes and by 2025 it could reach up to 80 million.

There are three types of diabetes.

Type 1: When our body is not producing enough insulin. This can be treated by taking daily insulin but it can not be cured.

Type 2: Sedentary lifestyle, junk food, obesity, stress, indisciplined lifestyle, lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating habits like too much-refined carbohydrates, saturated fats, less or no intake of fruits and vegetables in the diet.

Type 3: Gestational diabetes means blood sugar level increases due to pregnancy. Treatment is a healthy diet, exercise and regular blood sugar monitoring. If the sugar level is still high, doctors may prescribe medicine or insulin accordingly.

The most important part is we can control our sugar level by SELF CARE

                                               Regular 30-40 minutes of physical activity helps to control blood sugar.





Check your blood sugar (if you have diabetes) once per week with a glucometer and note it down. By keeping this record you can understand the progress.








Cut down refined carbohydrates completely from the diet.
Complex carbohydrates like oats, whole wheat, brown rice etc, required amounts of protein and healthy fats should be included in the daily diet.



Similarly what we eat is equally important as when we eat.

Heavy breakfast, medium lunch and light dinner is the key to fitness.










     Water intake should be sufficient and keep yourself hydrated. 

Unlimited vegetables can be included in the diet (any form like boiled, vegetable juice, mixed veg sautee) and have 100 gms of seasonal fruit daily. 
                                                                                                                                                        
     



   Portion control is the key to maintain blood sugar.

Once in a week if you are going outside select food properly. Before meal have vegetable soup or salads. This will reduce your appetite.

Spend time with your family, friends and pets. This helps to reduce stress level.
                                                                                                            

Supplements can be taken accordingly (Body type, BMI etc)

                                                        STAY HEALTHY AND HAPPY

COVID-19 (nCoV)

COVID-19 OR (nCoV)

COVID-19 has become a headache for all over the World. The total number COVID-19 cases are increasing day by day Worldwide and so many people have lost their lives.

Now I am going to discuss what is COVID-19 all about. Corona Virus is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome. Symptoms are common cold, dry cough, fever, loss of smell, headache, nausea or vomiting, joint pain, fatigue, shortness of breath etc. The virus mainly spread through touch. When anyone COVID-19 positive sneezes or coughs the droplets can infect others. The most important is this can spread rapidly. WHO declares Corona Virus Pandemic.

This is very essential to keep our immune system strong always.

Give your immune system a boost to fight against corona virus. As COVID-19 has impacted all over the World, we all are thinking how to stay healthy. Nutrition and lifestyle modification two major things can make our immune system strong. A high protein, low fat diet can boost our immune system.

A sample diet to boost immunity:

Early Morning: Lukewarm or hot water (also can add a pinch of fresh turmeric powder)

Breakfast: A high protein and complex carbohydrate meal like Oats Kichdi (can add two types of dal- Masoor/Red lentil and Mung dal/yellow lentil) Or, 

Multigrain bread and whole egg Or,

Muesli and milk

Have 1 multivitamin tablet after breakfast.

Mid morning: Black tea (can add honey)

Lunch: Have fruit salads 1 hour before lunch

             Rice, Mixed boiled vegetables and Lentils(any type of dal)

             Can add fish or chicken/ soybean or mushroom

Afternoon: Tea/ Coffee

Evening: A bowl of sprouts or mixed dry fruits

Dinner:  Rice/Chapathi with vegetables and egg poach or Paneer

Have lukewarm or hot water for 3-4 times and hot tea and coffee for 3 times. It is being said the COVID-19 virus produces thick mucus in the throat and if we constantly take hot water or tea and coffee the virus can not produce the mucus and neutralize it.

Evercise: 30 minutes exercise also boost our immune system.

Take sufficient fluid .

Few precautions need to be taken:

·      Wash hands with soap frequently.

·      Avoid social gathering.

 ·   Maintain social distance whenever you are going out for any specific and important reason.

·      

   Wash whatever packets you are buying.

 

Stay at home.

Stay healthy and fit.