Archives for April 2015

April 24, 2015 By Hardika Vira 3 Comments

5 WAYS TO BOOST METABOLISM

In so many years of my practice as a dietician consultant, I have seen people literally starving themselves to lose weight. But, what if I could convince you that without starving and just by eating healthy and your heart felt or more than what you generally eat, you can lose fats/ look more toned and reduce weight at the same time? You can achieve this by improving your basal metabolism.

What is basal metabolism?

It is the rate at which our body burns calories when even at rest. It includes calories burnt for the process of digestion, and carrying out basic functions of the body. Basically when you are not being physically active.

We have an assumption that exercising is the only way to improve metabolism. It is true but, there is loads to add to the list of foods that help improve metabolism like having small frequent meals i.e every 2.5-3 hours, quantity and quality of food consumed etc.

Today I will share 5 of easiest ways for the same

CONSUMING MORE FIBER RICH FOODS

Fiber is the undigestible material of the plant that provides bulk and adds satiety levels. When we include more fiber in the meals, our body takes more time and effort to break those fiber molecules thus spending/ burning more calories. There are 2 kinds of fibers, soluble and insoluble.

Here is a list of fiber rich foods: whole grains, bran, whole fruits, vegetables like carrots, cucumber, green leafy vegetables, cabbage, bell peppers, broccoli, etc., beans, nuts,

INCLUDE PROTEINS IN EACH MEAL

Proteins take more time to digest than carbs and hence the thermic effect of food i.e the calories that are burned during the digestion of proteins increases. Proteins also aids in functions of growth and development i.e. building muscles, growth and for wear and tear of the tissues used throughout the day this requires a lot of energy. Higher the muscle content in the body, higher is the metabolism.

Sources of proteins: Milk, paneer (cottage cheese), plain yoghurt, buttermilk, pulses, sprouts, soya, tofu, eggs, chicken, fish. Also lente carbs in chick peas (chhole) and kidney beans (rajma) keep you full for long time and helps increase the metabolis

DRINK PLENTY OF WATER

2/3^rd of your body is water. Muscles are approx 75% water and cells, bones, blood hold water and float in it.Basically it is required to carry out each and every biological function in the body. Thus when the body is in the state of dehydration, the metabolism slows down as the ability to generate energy and body’s ability to utilize fat as fuel is severely inhibited.

INCORPORATE SPICES IN THE MEALS-

Ginger (gingerols and capsaicin), garlic (allicin), cinnamon, pepper and chillies (capsaicin), turmeric(curcumin) etc. also known as hot spices are known to improve metabolism and also help in carrying other antioxidant functions.

OPT FOR GREEN TEA-

Green tea is rich in polyphenols like catechins and flavonoids which are antioxidants. It also contains caffeine in small amounts. Through few studies, it has been seen that green tea increases metabolism and rate of fat burning. But ensure that you consume a glass of water after every cup of green tea as the caffeine present in the green tea helps in dehydration of cells apart from giving a boost to metabolism.

The above ways are the some of the simplest ones which can be controlled/ practiced without any difficulty. Apart from these as mentioned above exercise helps improve metabolism. But, do you really know which one is more effective?

Combining strengthening exercises in the schedule will really help improve the metabolic rate for a longer duration until the repair/wear and tear of the broken muscles occur as compared to the cardio exercises which raises metabolic rate only for a limited period. It is always better to practice each on alternate days. Afterall, every exercise has its own benefits.

April 21, 2015 By Vrushali Athavle 1 Comment

Body goes Nuts over Nuts

Here is your guide to Nut allergy: Dos and don’t’s

Nuts! Oh…they sure can cause trouble if you are allergic to them and growing number of adults and kids alike are allergic to them. I became more attentive to this problem when my 3 year old daughter experienced allergic reactions. The doctor identified the red rashes all over her body, as an allergic reaction to some food.

The doctor asked me to cut down on 8 foods namely eggs, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shell fish, wheat and soy which accounts for about 90% of all the reactions.

So what type of food allergies are we talking about? It could be peanuts for one or tree nuts. (almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashew, Pistachios, hazelnuts).

Nut allergy is one of the most common types of food allergy in both children and adults. This allergy tends to last an entire lifetime, although about nine percent of children with a tree nut allergy and 20 percent of children with a peanut allergy eventually outgrow their allergy. On stopping the consumption of peanuts, the rashes never turned up, thus confirmed the nut allergy in case of my daughter.

The first thing that comes to one’s mind about having an allergy is, you picture non-stop sneezing , running nose etc. But, unlike an allergic dust or spring flower that many have, a nut allergy can cause difficulty in breathing and other serious issues including skin rashes etc. and could prove fatal at times.

Before we proceed towards, the symptoms, precautionary measures to take and substitutes, let’s quickly check out what exactly is a food allergy.

What is food allergy?

It is very important to know what is food allergy? People are seldom aware that one could be allergic to some food and that dust and flower allergies are not the only allergies that people may have.

The job of our body’s immune system is to identify and destroy the germs (such as bacteria or viruses) that make you sick. A food allergy occurs when this immune system wrongly identifies a harmless food as an allergen i.e a threat and attacks it.

When you come into contact with something that you are allergic to (an allergen), a group of cells in your body, called mast cells, release a substance called histamine. Histamine causes the tiny blood vessels in the tissues of your body to leak fluid which causes the tissues to swell. This results in a number of different symptoms.

The Symptoms may vary for person to person. Here is a list for you to go through. Basically the symptoms are divided into two categories-:

Mild symptoms which can be cured by medication

Rashes, swelling of the extremities, redness and tenderness, hivesm nausea, stomach cramps, vomitting, diarrheo and breathing difficulty.

Quick action: Antihistamines such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl) or loratidine (Claritin) can help relieve rashes and hives. Cold, wet compresses can also help soothe irritated skin.

Anaphylaxis: Life threatening

Constriction and tightening of airways, a swollen throat or the sensation of a lump in your throat that makes it difficult to breathe, Shock with a severe drop in blood pressure, Rapid pulse, Dizziness, lightheadedness or loss of consciousness

Quick Action: Emergency treatment is critical for anaphylaxis. Untreated, anaphylaxis can cause a coma or even death.

KEEP YOURSELF ALERT !!

A person with an allergy to one type of tree nut has a higher chance of being allergic to other types. Therefore, many experts advise patients with allergy to tree nuts to avoid all nuts. Here are few precautionary actions to need to take care of:

Avoid peanuts and tree nuts. This means we also need to avoid foods containing them like cookies, candies, ice creams, yogurts, sauces, Thai, Chinese and Indian dishes that often contain peanut and tree nut. One can have these without the nuts in them.
Read labels while you purchase foods from market. Keep at bay all the food products which say “may contain nuts” or “produced on shared equipment with nuts or peanuts”
Be very cautious in the kitchen while using the equipments. Knife, spoon or any vessel in which peanut or nut food preparation was used should be properly washed before using it again.
Inform about your allergy to everyone with whom you enjoy your food like your family, friends and colleagues so that they are careful while serving you food. When you visit a restaurant, be very careful to check the ingredient list or ask the manager about the foods served. Don’t feel shy and if they are not willing to share, better opt for some other restaurant. (Abroad restaurant menus do specify dishes that have nuts and warn anyone with nut allergy. But, in India we do have to ask and let the person know about your allergies)
Keep rescue medicines on you at all times — not in your locker, but in a pocket, purse, or bag that’s with you.
If your child is suffering from nuts allergy, inform this in their school.

Take care of your loved ones, by being extra careful of what they are eating. Make them happy by suggesting these alternatives such as sunflower seed butter or soy nut butter, hummus and nut free granola bars over peanuts and tree nuts.

Disclaimer: This blog is based on examples we have come across of people with Nut Allergy. To know if you’re allergic Please consult a doctor and do not go by your own judgement. An allergy test will confirm the allergies you have if any.

April 20, 2015 By Nilakhi Nath 3 Comments

What do you know about doing crunches?

PRO’S AND CON’S OF CRUNCHES

Summer is here, and it’s the time to flaunt your perfect physique. Some of them have that perfect beach body already and many of them dream to have one all the time.

To have that perfect body, the one most common thing that a person resorts to is an exercise called ‘Crunches’. But, before one does hundreds of Crunches, is it not necessary to know its pro’s & con’s?

The answer is ‘Yes’, it is indeed extremely important to understand the advantages and disadvantages of an exercise.

Let’s have a look at some of them here,

Pro’s

It is an exercise which can be done anytime. You don’t have to go to a gym to perform crunches. You can do these at home.
Crunches help you tone and strengthen the muscles in the abdomen.
Helps build the core muscles. Hence, improves the stability of your body
Gives you a perfect ripped midsection.

Con’s

While regular crunches helps to build the abdominal muscles and strengthen our core, performing the same exercise in a wrong way or too many repetitions at once may potentially increase the risk of a back or a neck injury.
To have a perfect beach body, it is necessary to maintain a balance between the structures. This balance is disrupted when we over work or build only a section of our abdominal muscles. We tend to focus on our front abdominals more than our oblique’s and the back muscles, which are also a part of our core. This imbalance results in faulty posture and loss of balance.
Larger muscles burn more fat. Crunches use only a specific muscle group and don’t involve the larger group of muscles. Hence, the amount of fat burnt is less.

So, should we continue to do the Crunches or stop it completely? Well, I suggest that we do this exercise by following the proper technique and minimizing the repetitions to protect our spine.

April 17, 2015 By Amrozia Sayyed 2 Comments

For your eyes only!

As fitness personnel, our focus is on one muscle of our body daily. Having said that I would say let’s not neglect the very sensitive part of our body which is our beautiful eyes.

I remember as a kid attending yoga sessions in school during our physical training class. Our teachers took so much effort and tried bringing awareness of exercise among us at a very young age. Talking about school, the eye yoga session, I remember was something very funny we did and at the same time enjoyable and less time consuming. It was an easy exercise and we were sure to get some spare time in the end to play some outdoor games on our own.

As it is said eye is the Lamp of our body and it sure deserves some special attention and care. Few exercises will surely help to improve flexibility, strengthen the muscle and improve for better and sharper vision. Today, both children and adults are exposed a lot to television, computer, tab, mobile etc. Even our break time is all about browsing through internet, reading, whatsapping, etc.

A small 5 to 10 minutes break is all that is needed for your eyes!

Following are some exercises that you can try at your desk, before bed, during office break or anytime you want.

Right and left movement: Select a centre point as you sit and slowly move your eyes left, stretch, hold and back to center point. Do the same for the right side. Repeat the movement 4-5 times. Slowly close your eyes and relax.

Up and down movement: Keep your centre point and slowly move your eyes up , stretch and hold and back to center point. Now slowly move your sight downwards, stretch and hold and back to center point. Repeat the movement 4-5 times. Slowly close your eyes and relax.

Upper right & lower left and upper left & lower right: This is slant movement. From your center point to upper right hold and stretch. Back to center point and then slowly to the lower left. Hold and stretch. Repeat 4-5 times. Do the same for the other side that is upper left and lower right. Hold and stretch and repeat 4-5 times. At the end of it close your eyes and relax.

Circular motion : This movement is two types clockwise and anti clock direction. Make a big circle as big as possible. Repeat 4-5 times.

Near and far: keep your right hand straight at your eye level with thumbs up and make it as a center point. Now the movement is look at your nose, thumb. somewhere far, back to thumb, nose and repeat the same. At the end it close your eyes and relax.

Heat: Rub your palms slowly till little heat is generated. Place it over your eyes like a cup without touching the eye lids. Open your eyes slowly while your palms are still over your face. Feel the heat moving inside.

Pamper more if you have some extra time: Dip some cotton in sterilize rose water (if required put cold rose water) and place it over your eyes for some time. Eye pack can also be used at the end of the exercise as a treat.