WOMAN'S GUIDE THROUGH LIFE STAGES

Health is defined as well-being of physiological, mental, social, emotional, and spiritual dimensions.
Women's health is always compromised as they give first priority to the family.
We need to understand that how today women do not prioritize themselves and affect their health and how making health their first priority will help them and their family to lead a happy life. There are several factors which affect a female

• Different stages of her life.

Adolescent
* Menstrual hygiene
* Polycystic ovaries
* Early childbearing and abortion
* Undernutrition and anemia

Reproductive age 
* Unwanted/unplanned pregnancy
* Anemia
* Pregnancy complications

Post reproductive age 
* Hormonal changes pre/post menopause
* Tendency to gain weight
* Osteoporosis
* Osteopenia
* Depression
* Breast cancer

• Key factors to wellness

Deep Relaxation:- Walk bare feet on grass, meditate 15 minutes before sleep.

Proper Hydration:- Have a good water intake, include infused waters in daily routine.

Optimum Nutrition:- Do not avoid any food group. Include antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables.

Adequate Sleep:- Try having a sound sleep of 7-8 hrs.

Exercise:- Choose exercise regimen what suits best your body (Yoga/Dance/Zumba/Aerobics)

Me time:- Allocate at least 30 minutes in a day for yourself (do what you love)

                                                                                                 Inputs by Nutritionist Mithila Gupta

THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE FACTS

The science behind the facts:

1. Avoid eating fruits post meal, eat them in between meals like mid day or evening.
Why: There are more than a few reasons behind this one

 A large main meal generally contains a mix of macronutrients such as carbs, fat and protien. While fat and protein digest slowly- carbs digest relatively quicker. Depending on what you ate and how much you ate the food slowly gets broken down and sent into the blood stream to all the waiting organs that require energy. Once this is taken care off the excess energy (or calories) are then converted to fat.
Eating a fruit with your meal increases the odds of this conversion happening as you are adding a carb to and already carb-ed up lunch/ dinner. In addition to this carb on carb complex- you generally arent your most active self post meal.Which means any excess sugars or carbs will quickly buildup in the blood stream with nowhere to go.
Other reasons to avoid eating fruit post meal is based in ayurvedic principle that states eating fruits with  larger meals delays the digestion time causing the fruit to break down in the stomach and ferment while it waits. This fermentation process then causes GI discomfort such as gas ,bloating etc- while simultaneously losing precious nutrients etc that would otherwise be digested better on.


2. Avoid eating mix of fruits at one time. If you chose to eat a fruit eat Any or max 2 different fruit at one time. Avoid Fruit platters and fruit chat.

 While most people consider fruits a super healthy food ( which they definitely are) they also forget that fruits are an easy way to load on up simple fast digesting carbs. All carbs are basically combinations of simplesugars strung together (carbo) +  with water (hydrate)
When these break down sugars and water are released into the body.
Now as you can imagine not all fruits have the same level of sweetness (i.e: Sugar!) eg: mango vs sweetlime or cherries vs a guava
Each fruit has its own GI (glyceamic index - which is basically the way the fruit influences how much your blood sugar goes up - how fast + and how much) which further adds to its GL (Glycemic Load- that is how the food overall contritbutes to the total amount of carbs )
Now to avoid getting into the complicated thick of things- the main reason behind mixing too many different fruits is to avoid raising your blood sugars in a complicated manner. Too many different fruits of varying GI's can confuse the stomach and also cause it to release a lot of gastric juice that again can destroy the delicate nutrients contained in them (as per ayurveda) and once again lead to fermentation tract.
Lastly you wouldn’t mix sugar with sugar would you? Then why a tonne of fruits? The body cannot diffrentiate between table sugar and natural sugar once they are broken down they are all the same chemically to the system- with the major differences coming from things like fibre vitamins etc.
However if your blood sugar goes up beyond a certain level--- and that sugar has no place to go--- it will once again be converted to fat. There are ofcourse exceptions for people who have depleted muscle glycogen stores (like athelets, runners, etc) but for most of us with desk jobs and 20 minutes of elevated heart rate on our evening walks- having fruit salads could be a easy way to gaining fat.

3. Eat local seasonal fruits and avoid imported fruits like purple big grapes and New Zealand apples 

Eating local is so good for you for a number of reasons:
-Foods indigenous to your area and locality are easily recognised by your digestive tract and are thus easier to break down and absorb without being treated as a foreign particle and raising red flags in your gastro intestinal system ( hello food allergies and intolerances!) you may have even noticed these signs and sympotms but thought nothing of it. Indicatiors include gas, bloating etc.
-Eating locally reduces the chances of having fruit that have been transported with chemicals or may have been stored for a long time before it finally gets on your plate. In this waiting periods a lot of vitamins can be lost as certain delicate biochemical compounds cannot withstand time, heat and oxidiation.
-Locally grown fruits are also less likely to have been subjected to genetic modification as simple farmers don’t have much access to these things.

DIET TO LOSE LOVE HANDLES

Love handles not only look unsightly but cause discomfort when fitting into clothes. Many people struggle to lose love handles by cutting down on meals and exercising vigorously, with little or no results. The key is to eat the right food and follow the right diet plan to permanently lose those bulges at the side of your waist.

Here are some tips to knock off those wobbles:

• Avoid snacking at night especially on weekends because we don’t do much activity at night. Since there’s no consumption of energy, the excess sugar results in fat storage under the skin.
  
  
• Cut down on cookies, chips and candies because they contain high saturated fats that cause fat in the body.
  
  
• Reduce alcohol consumption as it contains no nutrients and its all fat, which generally works its way to your belly, sides and back.
  
  
• Clean your shelves off canned, processed and refined foods and instead stock up on vegetables and fruits.
• Feast on high fiber foods such as oatmeal, beans and whole grains. Foods high in calcium such as almonds and low fat dairy are also recommended.
  
  
• Include citrus, ginger and green tea in your diet.

Gut Recharge Guidelines.

Supercharge your gut with our guidelines.

These guidelines have to be followed for minimum 5 days. These guidelines will help in reducing inflammation around the gut and improve efficiency to digest, assimilate and absorb the nutrients, which will improve your immunity, reduce cravings, bloating, water retention and much more.

Here are our Nutribullets for the next few days:

1.   Include Prebiotic Foods:
Banana, homemade ghee and white butter, coconut oil, boiled potato,  rice, sweet potato in your diet.
Suggest start your day with banana, cook only in ghee or white butter. a

2.   Include Probiotic foods:
Home-made curd, water-based pickles, traditional buttermilk, carrot kanji, idli, dosa , dhokla, sanna’s, handvo and any fermented food products for next 5 days. Make sure not to use eno or baking soda in dhokla or idli. a

3.   Include anti-inflammatory foods such as turmeric, ginger, fatty fish or fish oils, walnuts, coconut oil, beetroots, celery (less than 5cm stalk more than 5 will aggravate), basil seeds (sabja), chia seeds. a

4.   Avoid Highly Processed / Packaged Foods- anything factory made or that comes out of a packet.
(Such as Sausage, Deli-Meats – pepperoni, ham, salami, Pasta, Biscuit, chips, Namkeens, even diet bhels, sevs etc.) a

5.    Avoid Sugars and Artificial Sweeteners. a

6.    No Milk – however fermented milk products such as buttermilk, dahi or any other variants are allowed. a

7.    Avoid Alcohol. a

8.    Avoid Chicken. a

9.    Avoid unnecessary Antacids/ Supplements. a

10. No raw foods post 4pm this includes salads, raw veg and fruit. Instead eat yourvegetables stewed or steamed.

WORLD HYPERTENSION DAY

Every 4 out of 10 people suffer from Hypertension and probably 50% of them are not even aware that they are suffering from the condition. Change in lifestyle, being an ideal weight and managing stress can help in bringing down the blood pressure. So here are some lifestyle and food habits which you can acquire to keep yourself healthy and disease free.

Eating a healthy diet: To help manage your blood pressure, you should limit the amount of sodium (salt) that you eat, and increase the amount of potassium in your diet. It is also important to eat foods that are lower in fat, as well as plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. The DASH diet is an example of an eating diet which is rich in fruits, vegetable, grains and low fat dairy products that can help you to lower your blood pressure. Getting regular exercise: Exercise can help you maintain a healthy weight and lower your blood pressure. You should try to get moderate-intensity aerobic exercise at least 2 and a half hours per week, or vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise for 1 hour and 15 minutes per week. Aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, is any exercise in which your heart beats harder and you use more oxygen than usual. Maintaining a healthy weight: Being overweight or having obesity increases your risk for high blood pressure. Maintaining a healthy weight can help you control high blood pressure and reduce your risk for other health problems. Limiting alcohol: Drinking too much alcohol can raise your blood pressure. It also adds extra calories, which may cause weight gain. Not smoking: Cigarette smoking raises your blood pressure and puts you at higher risk for heart attack and stroke. If you do not smoke, do not start. If you do smoke, talk to your health care provider for help in finding the best way for you to quit smoking. Managing stress: Learning how to relax and manage stress can improve your emotional and physical health and lower high blood pressure. Stress management techniques include exercising, listening to music, focusing on something calm or peaceful, and meditating.

Inputs by Nutritionist Sunidhi Vernekar

DETOX YOUR LIVER!

Along with the heart and the brain, liver is also one of the most important organs in our body. However, most often the liver is not given the credit that it deserves. The liver is one of the hardest working organs in your body as it performs hundreds of functions.  Whatever you eat or drink which includes junk food and alcohol, all goes down to the liver where the liver processes it and either repackages it for your body to use or eliminates it. The best way to keep your liver healthy is by eating healthy. As the liver stores most of our nutrients, it’s the major organ for nutrient processing. Thus to detoxify the liver, you can include the following foods in your diet.

• GarlicChopping garlic and letting it sit 15 minutes before cooking activates liver enzymes that help your body flush out toxins. Garlic also holds high amounts of allicin and selenium which are two natural compounds that aid in liver cleansing.

•  Leafy GreensLeafy greens are cleansing foods which offer a powerful protective mechanism for the liver. Leafy greens can be eaten raw, cooked, or juiced. They have high amounts of plant chlorophylls which suck up environmental toxins from the blood stream. Leafy greens such as bitter gourd, arugula, dandelion greens, spinach, mustard greens, and chicory will help increase the production and flow of bile.
• AvocadosAvocado is also known as “Supercado” is filled with tons of nutrients, healthy fats and vitamins. Avocado helps the body to produce glutathione which is necessary for the liver to cleanse harmful toxins.
• LemonLemon and all citrus fruits contain Vitamin C and minerals that boost bodily functions and enhance the cleansing process, sweeping out wastes. Drinking freshly-squeezed lemon or lime juice in the morning helps stimulate the liver.
• Green TeaThis liver-loving beverage is full of plant antioxidants known as catechins, a compound known to assist liver function. Green tea is not only delicious, it’s also a great way to improve your overall diet. 

Which is a healthier choice?

Multigrain atta or Whole grain atta

Multigrain" and "whole grain" are two different attas. If you were under the impression that eating multigrain was healthy, you were wrong.

In Whole grain atta all parts of the grain kernel, bran, germ and endosperm are used. The germ is rich in essential fatty acids and b-vitamins; the endosperm, which is mostly starch; and the bran, which, of course, is high in fiber.

In contrast, multigrain atta means that a food contains more than one type of grain, although none of them may necessarily be whole grains. Mostly refined grains i.e. devoid of their natural nutrients and fibre and consisting of only the endosperm.

So how do you choose the right flour?

In order to make sure you are actually getting a whole grain product, look for 100% whole wheat or 100% whole grain. The first ingredient on the ingredient list should be a whole grain.

For e.g. Wheat flour, Barley, Bajra.