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About Saaimah Parkar

Saaimah Parkar has a long list of degrees. She is a bachelor Home Science, a Msc Cardiovascular rehabilitation and has a post graduate diploma in sports science and nutrition. Thanks to all her degrees and knowledge in Nutrition counselling, preparing weight loss/gain diet charts, Management of Diabetes and PCOD/PCOS she has done her internship at the Asian Heart Institute before gaining experience of working at some of the leading fitness centres. Her job profile entailed prescribing weight loss and weight gain diets to clients apart from paying special attention towards those clients who were suffering from hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia and PCOD/PCOS. A black belt in Taekwondo she believes that overall good health can be achieved through a holistic approach and not through dieting or exercising alone. According to her natural foods have great healing powers. She has also researched well on the role of garlic in heart disease. Her other interests lie in experimenting with recipes and coming up with healthier versions, gardening and feels that every person should have a plant associated with them as it contributes to your share of oxygen to the environment. With regard to her own fitness, Parkar likes to run and practicing Taekwondo as it gives her lot of confidence to defend herself. Finally, to distress she practices yoga.

July 11, 2024 By Saaimah Parkar 1 Comment

ALL ABOUT VERTIGO!

It came across as strange initially when I said that the world around me was spinning and that my entire room seemed to be in constant motion. Basically, I used to find the floor of my bedroom, the bed, and the room itself was in constant motion (not literally spinning or in constant motion, but I felt that way). I had to walk around supporting myself using the wall, furniture, anything that was close by, and if nothing was available, I literally had to crawl. Finally, I was diagnosed with something called Vertigo.

Vertigo is the feeling that you or your environment is moving or spinning. It differs from dizziness in that vertigo describes an illusion of movement. When you feel as if you are moving, it’s called subjective vertigo, and the perception that your surroundings are moving is called objective vertigo.

A few causes and types of Vertigo:

Benign Paroxysmal Postional Vertigo: Tiny calcium particles called canaliths clump up in the canals of the inner ear. This could also be caused due to sudden movement of the head, resulting in the dislodgement of the crystalline structures in the ear’s balance detectors.

Meniere’s Disease: This is an inner ear disorder caused by changing pressure in the ear and a buildup of fluid in the ear.

Labrynthitis: Inner ear viral or bacterial infection

Bleeding in the brain: Vertigo can be caused by decreased blood flow to the base of the brain. Bleeding into the back of the brain (cerebellar hemorrhage) is characterized by vertigo, headache, difficulty walking, and an inability to look toward the side of the bleed. The result is that the person’s eyes gaze away from the side with the problem. Walking is also extremely impaired.

Some other less evident causes: 

Head or neck injury.

Stroke, tumor, diabetes mellitis, atherosclerosis

Migraine

Certain medications

Hormonal fluctuations in menopausal women.

Most common symptoms are: Spinning, loss of balance, headache, sweating, nausea, and yes I have experienced all of this at one go.

Treatment for Vertigo:  Treatment depends mainly on what’s causing it. There are a variety of treatments for vertigo, including self-care remedies, medications, and physical therapy maneuvers.

Let us look at some of the treatments

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo: Posture correction exercises, head and neck strengthening exercises help with this type of vertigo. It has helped me too. Apart from this Vitamin D supplementation may be beneficial for patients diagnosed with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. However, before that, you need to check if you have a Vitamin D deficiency.

Meniere’s Disease and Labrynthitis: These two are usually treated with anti-inflammatory and diuretic medicines. However, natural foods like ginger root and curcumin aid in speeding up the recovery process.

Stroke, Atherosclerosis, Diabetes, Hypertension: Dietary modifications like avoiding junk, simple sugars, refined flours, and incorporating complex carbohydrates, more fruits and vegetables, and whole grains can help improve symptoms of vertigo.

Avoiding red meats, packaged and preserved foods like frozen meats like salamis and sausages, various sauces, chips and wafers (foods high on sodium), and replacing them with fatty fish and lean meats can improve both vertigo or any of the cardiovascular and lifestyle diseases mentioned above.

Understanding vertigo and its various causes can help in managing and treating it effectively. By incorporating lifestyle changes and seeking appropriate medical care, individuals can find relief from the discomfort and distress caused by vertigo. Remember, with the right approach, you can manage vertigo and lead a healthier, more balanced life.

#BeTheForce

Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for general awareness and educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalised medical guidance or concerns related to your health.

March 25, 2024 By Saaimah Parkar 14 Comments

Celebrate Occasions with Health: Tips for Eating Well at Parties, Festivals, and Weddings

always eat healthy

We Asians relate food to almost every occasion. Be it any occasion- happy times or sad, food plays an important role in our lives.

Birthdays remind us of cakes, weddings of a large buffet spread of delicious food and desserts and festivals of all the goodies. India is such a vast country with so many cultures and religions that we celebrate one festival almost every other week. Secondly, we Indians are highly social people and we have loads of relatives who visit us or we visit them, we also have a lot of business meetings taking place over food.

Given this background how does one stay fit? People are constantly making excuses to not exercise or eat healthy. The list is never ending and neither are the excuses to not stay fit.

Why do we make such excuses? The biggest reason being the perception that most have about dieting. Diet to most Indians means eating just salads, fruits and tasteless food and that they are forbidden from eating their favourite foods or desserts. But, little do we realise that dieting is not all about salads or fruits, instead, it is all about achieving the right balance of all the nutrients required in your diet. You can also have that occasional junk but, we need to maintain a right balance between junk and wholesome food.

An average Indian also lacks basic knowledge of foods and is easily fooled by the junk market and not to forget some less aware doctors, dieticians, newspaper articles add more to the confusion. In such a scenario what does one do?

If you ask me I would say anything in excess is bad. You eat too much of salads and raw foods you will end up with a bloated stomach. Therefore the best way to lead a healthy life is to maintain a good balance of the healthy and the not so healthy.

Not all our traditional food is bad. In fact, we have such a unique cooking culture that every region has different cooking styles and this is something that is influenced by the climate, soil fertility and the crops grown and yes, that is what is healthy!

The olive oil that travels from Italy or middle-east is not the trend we should follow, we should stick to our local grown peanut oil (Gujarat/Maharashtra), Sesame (Til) oil (Punjab), Coconut oil (south). So why are we fat and not fit compared to our grandparents and ancestors, despite having so much access to all the information about health and nutrition?

We eat the non-traditional foods such as burgers, pizzas, pasta etc too often and our grandparents traditionally stayed in joint families and worked in farms all day, the food was limited and physical exercise in the form of working on the farm was very high. We have now come down to nuclear families and abundance of food. To cut it short, we need to eat local wherever on the globe we are, because local food is customised to suit local people for better health.

Some tips to eat healthy when eating on many above illustrated occasions:

  • Eat the traditionally fried, baked or sweet foods but in controlled portions
  • Drink more water, at least 3 litres every day, if you stay outside in the sun a lot then you definitely need more water intake.
  • Make the traditional delicacies at home so you know there is no adulteration in the ingredients.
  • On festive occasions like Holi, Eid, Lori relish the milk based sweet drinks (Thandai and Shirkurma, Lassi) all of which contain really healthy spices and nuts.
  • Do not force anybody to eat more, change the trend by avoiding fried food and offering healthy sweets. Also, if someone says they are on a diet, help them follow it and don’t push food down their throat.
  • If possible take tasters of food and appreciate healthy food. However, never mention you are on a diet, trust me you will be the biggest target at the party to eat.
  • If the food is heavy, avoid the dessert. But, if you have a major sweet tooth, eat a smaller main course to accommodate the sweet.
  • Limit alcoholic drinks to 1-2. Banning soda is the best thing you can do for your body.

Embrace the joy of celebrations without compromising on your health. Follow these tips to enjoy traditional foods in moderation and maintain a balanced diet during parties, festivals, and weddings. Share your own healthy eating tips in the comments below! For personalised guidance on nutrition and wellness, connect with our experts through GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here. Start making healthier choices today!

#BeTheForce

January 2, 2015 By Saaimah Parkar 2 Comments

Nutritional benefits of Indian Gooseberry-‘Amla’

amla

Do you know what is ‘Phyllanthus emblica’? Actually, we all know it by its Indian name ‘Amla’ also called the Indian gooseberry as most of us have eaten it in its various forms of chutney, pickles, jams and the likes. It is most eaten during the winters. Amla is tangy in taste, which is not very appealing; however it has endless benefits, and hence is often referred to as the “Wonder Fruit”.

Amla also known as Amlakka or Amlakkai in Hindi, which means the “sustainers” or the fruit where the “goddess of prosperity presides”

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 184 kJ (44 kcal)
Carbohydrates 10.18 g
Dietary fiber 4.3 g
Fat 0.58 g
Protein 0.88 g
Vitamins
Vitamin A equiv. (2%)15 μg
Thiamine (B1) (3%)0.04 mg
Riboflavin (B2) (3%)0.03 mg
Niacin (B3) (2%)0.3 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5) (6%)0.286 mg
Vitamin B6 (6%)0.08 mg
Folate (B9) (2%)6 μg
Vitamin C (33%)27.7 mg
Vitamin E (2%)0.37 mg
Trace metals
Calcium (3%)25 mg
Iron (2%)0.31 mg
Magnesium (3%)10 mg
Manganese (7%)0.144 mg
Phosphorus (4%)27 mg
Potassium (4%)198 mg
Sodium (0%)1 mg
Zinc (1%)0.12 mg
Other constituents
Water 87.87 g

Some benefits of Amla are listed below:

  • It is a rich source of Vitamin C
  • Heals mouth ulcers
  • Cures sore throat and cold
  • Reduces constipation when eaten in its whole form
  • Reduces Arthritis pain
  • Reduces Sleeping disorders
  • Improves eyesight
  • Removes toxins and free radicals.
  • Regulates pH in the stomach.
  • Improves metabolism
  • Boosts Immunity
  • Improves haemoglobin production and purifies the blood
  • Reduces blood cholesterol levels
  • Lowers risk of gall stones
  • Improves insulin sensitivity
  • Reduces ill effects of smoking
  • Delays premature ageing
  • Reduces wrinkles
  • Reverses greying hair
  • Reduces skin pigmentation
  • Treats hair loss, dandruff and lice

Here are some ways to incorporate Amla in our daily diet

Sprinkle some salt on Amla before you bite into them and believe me it will really cut down the sourness of the Amla and make it easy to eat.

Amla Powder is available in many grocery shops make it really easy to add Amla in our daily diets. You can have Amla Powder in small amount (1 tsp) before each meal to improve digestion.

Amla juice is the most easy and quick way to add Amla in your daily diet.

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