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Nutrition for Skin!!

Skin-Tips-Blog

One is always on the lookout for that “miracle cream” that will make our skin glow and make us fair. Most of us in literal sense abuse our skin, especially our facial skin exposing it to various creams, lotions and treatments. No matter how we take it, but our skin regulates our body’s temperature, protect us from bacteria’s and viruses causing infectious diseases.

We often give much attention to our facial skin for obvious reasons. But, we should definitely try to maintain and keep our entire covering (skin) healthy rather than focusing only on face.

There are number of superficial treatments available in the market to bring a glow on your skin, however as a dietician, I will be showing you ways to keep your skin healthy by foods found in your kitchen itself.

You will be surprised to know that there is a strong link between the food choice you make and skin health. Your choice of food is revealed on your skin.

Vitamins:

Vitamins like B complex, A, D, E, and C have known to play an important role in maintaining healthy skin. They have chemical called photochemical which helps in preserving the body from various bacterial, viral, free radical invasions. They also have anti-oxidant properties which helps skin from the oxidative damage caused by stress, pollution, body’s own reaction etc.  

Tip–

  • Eat at least 5-6 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables daily.
  • Make your salad more colourful, the more colours you add, the more beneficial it is to your skin.
  • Try having Amla (Indian gooseberry) juice every day. I would say, “An Amla a day keeps dermatologist away”
  • Drink fresh fruit juices. Try different juice every week for example- Cranberry, blueberry, orange juice etc.

Supplementation:

Supplementation helps in maintaining healthy skin. Apart from the cosmetic point of view, many dermatologists now recommend nutritional supplements to tackle issues like acne. Supplementation of multivitamins and omega 3/ fish oil capsules have shown positive effects on skin.

Supplementation is needed when a person’s daily requirement of a certain nutrient is inadequate. Hence, before starting off with any nutritional supplement, consult your dietitian.
Avoiding certain foods:

As mentioned above, the kind of food we eat reflects on our skin, avoiding eating junk food, fatty foods, carbonated drinks, alcohol, and refined products affects your skin. This can be attributed to the fact that these foods have a negative impact on health by hindering with the absorption of certain nutrients. Also smoking can accelerate aging process causing wrinkles even before time.

Water:

This is tried and tested all over and also considered as “gharelunuska”-meaning home remedy. Drinking enough water and keeping good hydration status retains moisture of the skin. Also drink adequate water clears out toxins and waste from the body keeping body healthy and which is indirectly seen through skin.

Stress and Sleep:

Ever wondered why when you’re in stress you see acne on your face?

Research has shown a positive link between people who take too much of stress and its effect on skin. Getting a good night’s sleep and de-stressing yourself from everyday routine can be helpful and also improve your skin. Insufficient sleep causes dark circles around the eyes.

Early morning yoga outdoors will not only reduce your stress level but will also give you your daily dose of Vitamin D. There is a research that shows a strong link between stress and skin ageing. I am sure nobody wants look old, right? Try de-stressing yourself everytime you find it’s taking a toll on your health.

Exercise:

It is the key to healthy skin. We all are aware of the benefits of exercise and cardio respiratory fitness, but little do we know about its effect on skin. Regular exercise helps in regulating blood flow to our body especially skin. Blood not only carries oxygen but also the nutrients to our cells. Thus, exercise keeps your skin healthy by increasing blood flow and keeping nourishing skin cells and healthy and vital.

Nutrition is one the important component to modulate the vibrancy of your skin. As a dietician, I believe we should stop taking our skin for granted and that it’s just a covering over our body. But, think of it beyond creams, make ups and laser treatments. Nourish your skin not through chemicals but through foods found in your very own kitchen

 

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10 Healthy snacks for your road trip

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How often have you remembered to carry some food with you when you step out of your home? More often than not when we are away from home we seldom think of carrying any food along with us. You could blame this on laziness or to the fact that easily available food on the go. Fast food joints have made our life so simple and comfortable that we don’t bother to carry a lunchbox or snack box if we are going away.

Ideally, it is very important that we plan our trip before leaving our house. Here are few healthy and yummy snacking options that you can choose from:-

Nuts

Nuts are packed with protein, fibre and essential fats. Handful of nuts makes a vitality-boosting snack and unlike most other options contributes a mix of valuable vitamins and minerals. The fiber content in the nuts helps us feel satiated for a longer period of time.

All nuts have different nutritional value and health benefits.

Cashew Nuts :-

Cashews contribute a good level of protein and are a useful source of minerals like iron and zinc; cashews make an excellent choice if you’re following a vegetarian diet. They are rich in the mineral magnesium, which is thought to improve recall and delay age-related memory loss.

Hazelnuts:-

If you are concerned about high levels of homocysteine, an amino acid which has been associated with heart problems as well as conditions like Parkinson’s disease, Hazelnuts are a good source of folate, which plays a key role in keeping homocysteine within normal levels.

Pistachios

Pistachios are rich in vitamin B6, which is important for keeping hormones balanced and healthy, Pistachios also contain good amount of potassium. This is the only nut that contains reasonable levels of lutein and zeaxanthin-two antioxidants that play an important role in protecting the eyes.

Dried fruits

Dried fruits like Raisins, cranberries, apricots, peaches, etc. Dry fruits are anti-cancer militant. These help us in beautiful and healthy skin. Dried fruits lack fats, are rich in fibre and help in increasing iron in the body.  Dry fruits are packed with needed vitamins and minerals that are essential for healthy living.

Carrots :-

Carrots have antioxidant power in reducing free radicals in the body that works as Anti cancer. Helps in reducing lung cancer and has high amount of Vitamin A that helps is better vision.

Blueberries:–

Blueberries are low in Calories, high in nutrients. It is also known as King of Antioxidant Foods. Blueberries protect cholesterol in the blood from getting damaged and lower blood pressure. Blueberries can help maintain brain function and improve memory.

Bananas:-

Bananas help overcome depression due to high levels of tryptophan, which is converted into serotonin (happy-mood brain neurotransmitter). Have Banana before workout to pack an energy punch and sustain your blood sugar. It protects against muscle cramps during workouts and nighttime leg cramps. Bananas reduce swelling, protect against type II diabetes, aid weight loss, strengthen the nervous system, and help with the production of white blood cells. All these benefits are due to high levels of vitamin B-6.

Sandwich :-

Make a healthy sandwich by selecting healthy whole grain bread, peanut butter, Honey and add toppings as per taste. You can also add veggies to it.

Whole grain roasted snacks:

If you are buying something from a superstore, then opt for roasted snacks made of whole grains, pulses and seeds.

Whatever you choose, always keep in mind that they must be whole foods, with good fiber content and probably also have good protein, vitamins and minerals. Avoid carrying too salty, spicy and oily snacks.

Eat healthy and enjoy your journey!

 

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Cold water vs Hot Water: Which is better?

Water

After a tiring day, I always opt to drink water with no ice and more often than not people think I am crazy because largely when one tends to have cold water. But, honestly I am not crazy I have a strong reason for doing what I do.

Let us take a minute and close our eyes and picture the following situation: It is spring and you are standing on a wooden dock that extends into a high mountain lake. While the temperature in the air is fairly warm, the top layer of the lake has only recently melted and you can tell by the color of the crystal clear blue water that it is anything but warm. You close your eyes and dive in to in the lake.

What does your body do? What happens to your skin? Are you relaxed and open, or tight and constricted?

I am not sure how many actually know this fact that warm water opens your pores and makes your skin feel looser, while cold water closes your pores and constricts your skin. Guess what? Drinking cold water does the same thing to your digestive tract!

What Happens When You Drink Cold Water 

– When you drink cold beverages your blood vessels shrink, your digestion becomes restricted and hydration is hindered.

– Instead of working to digest the food and absorb the nutrients to create energy, your body is expending energy to regulate your temperature. This can lead to water loss.

– Drinking cold water after a meal creates excess mucus in your body, which can lead to a decrease in immune system function, making it easier to catch colds and illnesses.

– If you eat food while drinking cold beverages or immediately after, the water temperature solidifies fats from the foods we’ve just eaten and the body in turn finds it hard to digest the unwanted fats from our bodies.

Some people say that drinking ice cold water is beneficial because it burns more calories. I argue that we do not want to make our digestive system work harder; we want to make things as easy on it as we can. There are many other ways to burn calories. And one of the best ways to burn calories is exercising. 

Benefits to Drinking Warm Water

Here are some benefits to drinking water that is room temperature or warmer

– Faster + increased hydration

– Natural digestive enzymes are stimulated and therefore your digestion is enhanced

– Food breaks down more easily

– Your bowels move better (warm water with lemon in the morning is great for this)

– It purifies your blood and increases your bodies natural detoxification processes via your skin, kidneys and lymphatic system

Once you get into the habit of drinking water at room temperature or warm, you will notice a dramatic improvement in your digestion and the way your body feels while eating and after the meal. Some people have also reported reduction in sugar cravings.

So, the next time you eat out ask your server to “Hold the Ice!”

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Mysterious Coffee

cffe-ap

Our very famous beverage and a favourite of many- Coffee, loves to be in the limelight! Personally, I am not too fond of this beverage, but the deep love that people have for coffee kind of triggers me to research upon it more to find out what is so good about this Coffee?

Coffee, as we all know, is a major source of caffeine, the world’s most widely used stimulant drug. Tiny amounts of caffeine can do good to our health, whereas a lot of caffeine can harm it. After all, anything in excess is bad, isn’t it?

The wonderfully enticing flavour of Coffee (taste+aroma) and the stimulant property that it possesses attracts people towards it and makes most of them dependent on it (addiction, you see). It gives us more energy, makes us feel more alert, improves athletic performance and so on. It gives us a super kick which helps us stay up during our long meetings/long hours of studying or while working on the most tedious project. It’s like a rocket fuel that keeps us going! No wonder so many love it?

Hold on, there’s more to it, coffee also suppresses appetite, so many people drink it to lose weight. Ahem! Now that’s something which definitely grabs attention. But that’s certainly not a healthy way of losing those extra pounds.

As I mentioned, I am not a usual coffee drinker, but there was this one day when I ended up drinking more than 4 cups of coffee as I was deeply engrossed in a project work with my buddies. They were grabbing coffee during breaks and I got carried along. I noticed something peculiar about myself on that day. I was eating more than I usually did and it was quite annoying to feel so hungry so often.

It’s true that our hunger and appetite are controlled by what we eat and drink, including coffee. Coffee is an appetite suppressant, that’s what I was aware about and I am sure most of you must have heard of its appetite suppressing property.

Coffee contains phytochemical compounds called chlorogenic acids, an important group of biologically active and antioxidant dietary phenols. Fruits like apples, pears, strawberries, pineapple, etc. also contain these compounds. Chlorogenic acids have captured attention in the field of obesity as researchers suggest that they can help decrease hunger. Caffeine, by itself, often masks hunger and fatigue as it provides a short-term boost in energy and alertness.

Now the question is, why did I feel so hungry on the day I drank too much coffee? It’s not just me, I have got this from many of my clients too.

After digging to find out more about this mysterious coffee, I finally unlocked its mysteries.

Here’s the story-

Coffee affects many neurotransmitters and hormones (such as cortisol and insulin).

Drinking more than 250-700 mg of caffeine during the day can actually lead to anxiety, hypertension, insomnia and nervousness. All these factors may spark off stress-related emotional eating. Reasons for this- going overboard with caffeine over stimulates the central nervous system, and our body responds to it by triggering the adrenal glands to generate cortisol (stress hormone), which tells our body to increase its energy stores by consuming calories. Exactly, why we are in this constant search of food.

Moreover, caffeine stimulates the secretion of insulin. Increased insulin secretion can result in a drop in blood sugar levels, which again makes us feel hungry and increases food cravings.

Additionally, caffeine is a diuretic, it draws water from our body cells leading to increased urination and dehydration. Thus, it actually makes us feel thirsty, but somehow, we may confuse the thirst with hunger and tend to eat more. Thirst and hunger cues are similar, remember my previous blog? (http://goqii.com/blog/how-important-is-it-to-know-if-youre-thirsty-or-hungry/)

Thus, coffee’s mixed effects are highly driven by the type of coffee (caffeinated/decaf), the amount we drink, when we drink it, our overall biological makeup, and so on.

How do we go about this mysterious beverage?

I would say, low or moderate consumption of caffeine doesn’t cause any noticeable side effects. A moderate caffeine intake would mean, around 200 to 300 milligrams per day, which is equal to anywhere between 2-4 cups of coffee.

I will never ask you to give up your love for coffee, after all, it gives you that extra boost you need to get out of your closet (and probably get to the gym!). All I would reiterate again is ‘Anything in excess is bad, so control your intake of caffeine’.

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