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A Human’s first food-Breast Milk

breast-milk

August 1-7th is considered “World Breast Feeding Week”. On this occasion we emphasize the value of breastfeeding for mothers as well as children.  I take this opportunity of celebrating breastfeeding week by bringing you a blog on Breast Milk and how it is an important nutrient for a Child..

We have often thought about what we should eat and what we should avoid but has this thought crossed our mind when we were born? The first 1000 days of a human is the milestone that decides his or her lifelong health. This journey starts from the mother’s womb (day of conception) and continues till the 2nd birthday.

Well, as I believe, our life is a gift from God. He’s the creator and he creates everything perfectly. The same way, in the womb he protects the child from the environment and provides nutrition from the mother’s stores. When he enters the world, his food comes in the world with him. But do we make its best use?

Yes, let me tell you what we should feed a newborn so that he may not have to face any health issues in his future.

As you may be aware the first food normally given to an infant is breast milk. However, during the first few days after child birth a thick, sticky yellowish fluid is secreted from the breast. This fluid is called colostrum. Breast milk is secreted from the third or fifth day onwards.

Colustrum is the most nutritious and balanced food which the baby needs. In addition to containing all the vitamins and nutrients your baby needs in the first six months of life, breast milk is packed with disease-fighting substances that protect your baby from illness. It is often referred to as the first immunization that a child receives from the mother. Unfortunately, some families still welcome their child with jaggery, sweets or even tea.

Most of the mothers usually complain that their child doesn’t seem satisfied with the content of milk and therefore keeps crying.

But that’s not true. Your child is crying because of the new environment which he or she has to get adjusted to. If your child is crying a lot then keep him close to your breast to maintain skin contact with the child. Science says that the skin of the mother has the same temperature as it was in the womb therefore the newborn feels comfortable in the mother’s arms.

A mother should feed her child solely on breast milk up till 6 months, till the digestive tract of the infant is totally developed to digest other foods. She can continue feeding till 2 years, however other complimentary food is necessary to start at the age of 6 months.

The benefits of breastfeeding are numerous, for the child as well as the mother.

Benefits of breast feeding on the child:

  1. Well absorbed and digestible, appropriate nutrients for growth and development
  2. Rich in taurine which helps in retinal development
  3. Rich in polyunsaturated essential fatty acids which helps in brain

Development

  1. Better bioavailability of iron and calcium
  2. Protects against infection due to presence of immunoglobulins and

lymphocytes

  1. Prevents allergies in infancy and later life
  2. Associated with higher intelligence
  3. Promotes emotional bonding
  4. Lesser incidence of heart disease, diabetes and lymphoma as an adult

Benefits of breast feeding on the mother:

  1. Helps in involution of uterus
  2. Delays pregnancy
  3. Decreases mother’s workload, saves time and energy
  4. Lowers risk of breast and ovarian cancer
  5. Helps to get back in shape faster
  6. Emotional bonding with the child.

Lastly, I believe that 90% of women are capable of breast feeding. However if there is some unfortunate incident then a child should be given formula milk that is most similar to breast milk, or could also purchase breast milk from breast milk banks.( it’s an excellent upcoming concept).

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Carbohydrates-“Your diet’s fuel”

carbohydrate-diet-plan

The way carbohydrates are demonized today, it’s no wonder that so many people actually fear eating them. I used to be one of them. As a recovering “carb-o-phobe,” I’m now on the flip side and advocate eating complex carbohydrates for optimal nutrition.

Carbohydrates are nutrients that act as a good source of energy for our body. It is made up of sugar, starch and cellulose and it contains hydrogen and oxygen in the ratio 2:1which is the same as that of water. Although carbohydrates can be digested a lot easier than fats or proteins, they aren’t considered indispensable for the body.

While some carbohydrates make us healthy, others can be harmful to our health, if taken in excess quantities. For example, certain carbohydrates increase the risk of diabetes and heart ailments. So why are certain carbohydrates are beneficial and others adversely affect our health?…We need to go deeper and learn about the different forms of carbohydrates.

There are many forms of carbohydrates, but the three common forms are sugars, starches, and fibres. The basic unit of all carbohydrates is a sugar molecule. Then there are simple and complex carbohydrates. While sugars are simple carbohydrates, starches and fibres are classified as complex.

We generally consume simple and complex carbs. To understand what they are about, we’ll look at the list of carbohydrate rich foods and all that is essential for.

Simple carbohydrates are sugars composed of monosaccharide (single sugar molecules) or disaccharides (two joined sugar molecules) such as glucose, sucrose, lactose, and fructose. This category of carbohydrates is best found in fresh fruits.

On the other hand, however, there is another grade of foods that contain simple carbohydrates. This class of foods is processed foods. The trouble with these foods is that they provide energy and calories in abundance. It is for this reason that these high-calorie products must be kept away. Apart from that, simple carbohydrates that the body obtains from natural foods are also easier to digest than those obtained from processed foods.

Simple carbohydrates contain one or two sugar molecules linked together and are digested or broken down into glucose faster, because the bonds in these small molecules are easily accessible to the enzymes of the digestive tract. Hence, these carbohydrates are readily absorbed.

Complex carbohydrate:

Complex carbohydrates (or polysaccharides) are made up of three or more sugar molecules that are bound together. Since these carbohydrates get digested slowly, they release sugar into the system very gradually, thus allowing the body a consistent level of energy.

Often referred to as starch, foods that contain these complex carbohydrates are a great source of vitamins, minerals, and fibres. The old belief that starch is bad for the body is rapidly dying, because starches by themselves contain only 4 calories per gram, while fat contains 9 calories per gram. Also, the advantage with complex carbohydrates is that they fill you up quicker, thus allowing a reduced intake of food, which very simply leads to a reduced calorie intake.

In addition, refined carbohydrates may contain hydrogenated vegetable oils, additional fat, and processed sugars. Eating refined carbohydrates like a cookie in the morning will neither give you the energy nor give you the nutrition to maintain a balanced body.

Benefits of simple sugars:

Eating sugar gives you immediate access to fuel. There are times when this is an advantage. When the level of sugar in your blood drops, you may feel sluggish or even ill. Eating a simple carbohydrate, such as a fruit, may raise your blood sugar and give you the burst you need.

Simple carbohydrates may have the advantage over complex when it comes to preparing for exercise. Before a training session, race or game, many athletes eat a large amount of carbohydrate to provide energy. So before any workout, simple carbohydrates are your best choice. Due to the fact that they’re digested more quickly, simple carbohydrates are good for athletes who need short bursts of energy, as opposed to endurance athletes who need longer-term energy from slow-digesting carbohydrates. Examples of pre-workout meals that contain simple carbs are bananas with honey, low-fat yogurt with jelly or chocolate milk.

Complex Sugars:

There a number benefits of eating more complex carbohydrates, so it might be necessary to make some switches. Here are some examples of easy substitutions:

  • Instead of white bread and pasta, switch to whole grain bread and pasta (if the switch is intimidating at first, try mixing half whole grain and half white when making your pastas).
  • Instead of munching on chips, try raw vegetables.
  • Instead of rice, try eating more beans as a base for dishes.

Also diets rich in fibre help to keep us ‘regular’ which also promotes greater intestinal health and, in turn, helps to guard against a number of illnesses including colorectal cancer. Immunity is strengthened. It contributes to Energy, Digestion, Metabolism, Sleep, Filling fibre, Brain function, and Nervous system function.

Well, to distinguish simple and complex carbohydrates and how they are processed by the body, one might think that foods containing complex carbohydrates are actually healthier than those that have simple carbohydrates. However, this is not always true. Rice is rich in starch which is a complex carbohydrate, while fruits contain fructose which is a simple sugar. But we all know that between the two, fruits are a better option when it comes to eating healthy.

Thus, we see that not all carbohydrates are bad. In fact, a balanced diet that has a fair share of carbohydrates, is essential for a healthy you. So let go of your carbohydrate fears and feel good about including some of these foods and reap the benefits that good carbohydrates have to offer.

 

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5 Easy Ways to Cut Down on the Fat

fat burning foods

During my college days, I was on the healthier side as compared to all my friends. And, I always felt I had to lose weight just to be like them. The first thing that crossed my mind was I should be skipping my meals. I did precisely that, started to skip my meals and lost weight. But, when is started back on my normal meals I realized I used to gain back the weight. After losing the weight, I also started feeling weak. Since I was into sports I needed to be fit too. I wondered why I am feeling weak. I have lost the extra weight but, yet not feeling energetic?

Slowly and gradually as time passed on, I started my dietetics studies and that’s when I realized the actual meaning of what is weight loss.

When we talk about losing weight, what does it actually mean? Does it mean losing weight or losing muscle weight??

I realized that, there is no shortcut or a magical pill for fat loss. There are several reasons and factors that are responsible for it. When I first lost weight, I started feeling weak because I lost muscle weight and not fat weight.

The key to real fat loss is combining the right foods together and eating right. When the right foods are combined there is a synergy affect resulting in double fat loss in almost half the time.

The way to successfully losing the fat weight is long-term healthy lifestyle change. I think this is a very clever way of informing people to stop trying to find a quick and easy way to lose fat. It just reaffirms that we need to mould ourselves in self created healthy environment and become a healthier individual naturally. Here, are some easy ways to cut down the fat weight rather than of yourself! So lets get started..

1)Healthy Eating Habits- When we talk about healthy eating habits what are the things that come to your mind?

Your major meals of the day which are breakfast, lunch and dinner. These meals are very important and we should not skip these meals. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Your body needs to know that it can start burning calories and breakfast is exactly that flag. One should have a king size breakfast. If you do not then you will end up eating unhealthy stuff. Lunch should be lighter than breakfast and well balanced with carbs and proteins. Same with dinner, it should be the lightest of the all meals, with more proteins and less carbohydrates.

Our meals should be load up on protein and fiber. To get rid of that stubborn fat, we need proteins. As proteins helps to repair and build muscles, intake should be up to the requirement. At the same time we should not forget fiber. Fiber helps to digest and lose weight by helping you feel full. So add beans, whole grains, brown rice, nuts, and berries on to the list which are awesome foods to get going.

Not only proteins and fibers but, also the fats are important to include in the daily diet. Not any sort of a no-fat or low-fat diet. Well, a low-fat diet is good but, only if you do it right. You need to stick to the good fats. The good kind (unsaturated; your omega-3s and 6s) can actually lead to fat burn, rising your metabolism.

To reduce calories, to get rid of body fat, you need not to cut out healthy fats completely.  Include avocados, fatty fish, olives, nuts and seeds, and oils such as olive, flaxseed and canola in your diet.

2) Eat often- Getting rid of body fat is all about the metabolism, and to keep up the metabolism, you got to be eating constantly.

As we are talking about the major meals same time small frequent meals are important too. When you eat small meals all the time, your metabolic rate increases and the increase in metabolism helps to lose fat. If you eat six meals a day versus just the three regular meals (breakfast , lunch , dinner) with the same total calories, you can lose more fat because more meals burn more calories by increasing thermogenesis, the production of heat, in the body.

Let’s not forget portion control, while going through proper meals you need to have look on portion control as well.

Try to take a less portion when you are serving your plate. Mindful eating works well such as chewing the food thoroughly, eating slowly. Eating slowly helps because it is known that once you cross 20 minutes of eating, the satiety center in the brain gets stimulated which sends you a signal that you are full and you stop eating. This is how portion control helps.

3) Water-The body fuel! Water is the medium in which most cellular activities take place, including the transport and burning of fat. In addition, drinking plenty of calorie-free water makes you feel full. Drink at least 3 litres of water a day. This is going to help you in washing away the toxins from your body and also to lessen the load of liver and thereby helping the liver to focus on metabolizing fat and the metabolizing rate related with fat loss.

Set yourself to accomplish this goal and you are on. Drink loads of water. It’s practically the easiest detoxifying tactic there in.

Two glasses of cold water can actually spike up your metabolism for about half an hour.

4) Exercise with proper breathing- To be on a healthy path you need a proper exercise along with the diet! Try to be more active, Daily 30-45 mins of Interval walking/ Running can be beneficial. Your main focus when you exercise should be losing body fat, and you can’t lose body fat just by burning calories. When we exercise, our bodies start burning calories, but the calories that are burned are the calories from carbohydrates in our system. In order to burn calories from your stored fat, your body requires the presence of oxygen. There is a certain amount of oxygen that your body needs in order to start burning fat and the only way for you to measure the amount needed for your own body is to keep up with your target heart rate during exercise.

Fat burns in the presence of oxygen. There’s a phrase which says (When you eat more, breathe more). It means oxygen burns the extra calories we eat, which is not required by the body and also reduces the overall fat percentage in the body. Oxygen thins the blood a little which helps lower your blood pressure and speed up the flow of blood. This increases your metabolism and burns more calories. The more oxygen you have in your blood the faster your metabolism will be. Cool air causes an additional increase in your metabolic rate because you need to expend more energy to keep the body at a comfortable temperature.

5 ) Rest– as focusing on all activities to stay healthy, along with all that your body needs a crucial ingredient-“rest”!

The culprits are leptin and ghrelin. Leptin tells your body it’s full and ghrelin stimulates appetite. When you don’t sleep, leptin levels decrease and ghrelin levels increases. The result? You eat more unconsciously which can lead to fat gain. To avoid this scenario, make sure you rest. Try to take proper 7-8 hours of sleep. Also your body requires it to reduce stress levels and rejuvenate once again with fresh energy for the next day. You are like a powerhouse that just can’t be stopped, but your body needs to rest. Especially if you’re lifting weights like it’s your job; your muscles need time to repair themselves. And the muscle repairs and recovery happens when your body is at rest. So, take a day to take it easy. You don’t have to sit on the couch all day, but do allow your body to heal itself.
These are some fat burning food- Berries, grape fruit, Green tea, Eggs, Olive oil, Enova oils (Soy or canola) Almonds and other nuts, chilli peppers, whey protein, peanut butter, oat meal, spinach and other green vegetables, whole grains, beans and legumes, lean meat, fatty fish (salmon, tuna, etc), dairy products (low or no fat) etc.

For fat burning exercise you can check the following blog links written by my co-colleagues

https://goqii.com/blog/interval-training-to-put-your-fat-on-flame/

https://goqii.com/blog/10-tips-for-fat-burn-exercise/

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Cashew Nuts & it’s benefits

cashew-nuts

Cashew nuts are favourites of all. It’s a nut that is easily available and used for all occasions. It can be carried in your pocket and popped into the mouth as and when you feel hungry as the fat content in it keeps you full for a longer time and refrain you from snacking on unhealthy refined foods.

A fruit that is native to Brazil was brought to India by Portugal explorers and today it’s widely grown in the coastal areas.

Despite it being a healthy food, people are often scared of consuming cashew nuts because it is considered to be high on fats and hence not to be eaten often. Especially those suffering from any kind of heart ailment keep cashews away.

I would say these are all myths and would like to clarify that Cashews are safe to consume from a health perspective. It consists of healthy mono unsaturated fatty acid, Oleic acid which helps to lower bad cholesterol LDL and increase the good cholesterol HDL.

Cashew nuts also consists of some of the B complex Vitamins like Pyridoxine, Pantothenic Acid, Riboflavin& Niacin. All these play a major role in the metabolism of Carbohydrates, Proteins & Fats. Alongside it has individual health benefits such as Pyridoxine helps to protect the heart by inhibiting cholesterol deposit.

Niacin helps against Dermatitis- a skin infection, Pantothenic acid helps relieve your stress and gives you good skin & hair. Riboflavin prevents acne and gives you healthy eyes.

Cashew nuts have benefits in abundance so why would you want to keep it aside? It is high on calories but, as one should work on the quantity and timing and you will gain a healthy heart, good skin, healthy eyes and anti-stress properties.

Cashews are best to be had as a snack. Roast them and have about a fistful in between the meals, pre or post workout, during or after a trek or game.

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