Mirror - a True Reflection: Intermittent Fasting = Fast pace of Gaining weight...

Mirror - a True Reflection: Intermittent Fasting = Fast pace of Gaining weight...: Intermittent fasting is very trendy in today’s world. But before following this method to lose weight on a faster scale, kindly think over...

Intermittent Fasting = Fast pace of Gaining weight

Intermittent fasting is very trendy in today’s world. But before following this method to lose weight on a faster scale, kindly think over judiciously ‘If it is a scientific method or not & whether it is safe to follow’.

What is intermittent fasting?

Intermittent fasting is not a diet, but a diet schedule that is purported to accelerate fat loss and muscle growth compared to traditional eating schedules. It is promoted primarily in the scientific community, however, there are currently zero scientific studies (as of February 2014) that have supported intermittent fasting for gaining muscle while losing fat.

With caloric restriction, intermittent fasting can lead to weight loss. In a recent review (Varady, 2011) and one recent randomized clinical trial (Harvie et al., 2011), authors conclude that intermittent fasting and daily caloric restriction are equally effective at promoting weight loss in overweight and obese individuals. However, no studies to date have been performed with athletes who require maintenance of muscle size, strength, and function.

Similar trends are being reported by humans who have tried intermittent fasting. Studies and personal reports by men and women suggest the following cons to the practice:

·        Obsession over food during the fast period (watching the clock constantly in expectation of the next meal, which of course raises anxiety).

·        An overreliance on coffee that causes severe adrenal fatigue, hormonal, and circadian dysregulation.

·        Insomnia, particularly among women, due to activation of the hypocretin neurons that incite wakefulness.

·        Hormonal havoc for women takes many forms, including adult acne, metabolic disturbance, obsession over body image, and menstrual irregularities.

·        Eating less than normal can trigger severe hunger in some people while others find that they tire easily, suffer headaches, nausea and have trouble concentrating. Because of hunger, fasters may find that they eat more than usual both before and after a planned fast which essentially eliminates the benefit of the fast.

Disadvantages of Intermittent Fasting:

·  Although short fasts are seen as safe and can be effective for weight management, longer fasts can have an adverse effect on your short and long term health.

·  Rapid weight loss can be easily regained during the post-fast period if you eat too much.

·  Fasts do not address your day to day eating habits and fail to teach correct food selection or portion control.

·  Fasting can be socially exclusive -- especially within a family setting where meals are eaten together.

·  Longer fasts may cause muscle atrophy -- a condition where muscles are broken down for energy -- which may result in a lowered metabolism.

·  The use of sporadic eating patterns to lose fat can be effective, but that does NOT mean it is healthy, sustainable for the long term.

Note:

Importantly, intermittent fasting is not recommended for pregnant women, women who are breastfeeding, people with diabetes, or other people who need to closely regulate their blood sugar. In addition, there has not been research on participants who are underweight, very old, or very young (<18 yrs. old) and these populations could be at higher risk for experiencing negative consequences of fasting

Take home messages

• Intermittent fasting is a dietary approach heavily promoted to the athletic community to achieve and maintain a very lean, strong physique. However, there is currently no scientific evidence supporting these claims.
• In the scientific literature, intermittent fasting with caloric restriction often yields equivalent benefits as traditional low-calorie diets in regard to changes in fat mass, alleviating discomfort due to low energy, improving insulin sensitivity, and improving blood lipid profiles.
• The most effective weight loss plans and healthy life styles are ones that can be maintained, and these habits are not the same for everyone.

Thus to conclude Intermittent fasting is not healthy method to lose weight. Whatever method brings results instantly and with less effort is not sustainable for long. There is no alternative to healthy way of losing weight by making daily calorie deficits, following a simple pattern of physical activity and consuming balanced meal. Results are bound to show up and they will be sustained for a long period of time in future too.

For more informations kindly register in http://360degreenutricare.zest.md/ & visitmy facebook page https://www.facebook.com/360degreenutricare/. 

Enough is a Feast - This ThanksGiving be Healthy

#Thanksgiving is a time for family, gratitude, and, of course, food. The typical holiday meal can have more than 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat, according to the Caloric Control Council. That's almost three days worth of food for most of us! So Thanksgiving is all about overtreating yourself. We need to alter the tradition this year to be healthy. Fortunately, it is possible to eat right and still enjoy yourself on Turkey Day!

·         Use brussel sprouts with chestnut and sage

·         Opt for mushroom stuffing over cornbread stuffing

·         Relish creamed onion with low fat milk to make white sauce

·         Chose sweet potatoes instead of simple potatoes. Potatoes are high in calories and fat when made traditionally. Unlike Potatoes, sweet potatoes are far easy to roast than boil and mash. Glaze with maple syrup to enhance the flavor. Sweet potatoes are good source of beta carotene, vitamin A and potassium.

·         Be flexible to make apple shallot roasted turkey with cider gravy. Apple and shallot cook inside the turkey to keep the meat moist and add rich flavor and aroma. The shallots also give the gravy a rich caramelized onion depth

·         Instead of Pumpkin pie, make pumpkin mousse

·         Turn to French beans as side dish

·         Chose red wine or white wine in drinks. Red wine contains resveratrol, a healthy antioxidant.

·         In turkey, chose skinless breast over thighs.

But amongst all these the two most important things are:

·         Work out more than you usually do

·         Pitch in to guests’ house after dining at your own house. That’s the best way to show gratitude to your guests.

If you are really thankful what do you do? You share .. you share your hapiness and positivity. So being healthy is also to be shared this Year in Thanksgiving. Let transform the day from overtreating ourselves to adequately treating ourselves and help others follow the same.

 Good Health and Diet always go hand in hand. Healthy diet is a solution to all health issues. For any further assistance kindly register in http://360degreenutricare.zest.md/ and also visit my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/360degreenutricare/ to stay updated regarding all Health tips. Make a resolution today and hasten your decision to enter into a whole new world of Health & Nutrition.

It's Not Too Late - Prevent COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a life-threatening lung disease that interferes with normal breathing – it is more than a “smoker’s cough”.

Some facts about COPD:

·         COPD is the only major cause of death whose incidence is on the increase and is expected to be the third leading cause of death worldwide by 2030 (exceeded only by heart diseases and stroke).

·         The primary cause of COPD is tobacco smoke (through tobacco use or second-hand smoke).

               The disease now affects men and women almost equally.

·         Total deaths from COPD are projected to increase by more than 30% in the next 10 years without interventions to cut risks, particularly exposure to tobacco smoke.

·         COPD is the 5th biggest killer worldwide. Every hour COPD is estimated to kill over 250 people worldwide.

·         Almost 90% of COPD deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.

·         The number of deaths from COPD has increased more than 60% over the last 20 years.

·         COPD is not curable, but treatment can slow the progress of the disease.

SO IT’S TIME TO ACT NOW!!

The Importance of Proper Nutrition:

Proper nutrition can help reduce carbon dioxide levels and improve breathing. Due to metabolism, carbohydrate, fat, and protein are all converted to carbon dioxide and water in the presence of oxygen in human body.

Dietary Tips for Better Breathing:

To help increase an individual’s dietary intake and ensure a healthy diet, the following are some nutritional tips for better breathing:

• Eat meals when energy levels are at their highest, which is usually in the morning.
• Eat several small, nutrient-rich meals to avoid becoming breathless while eating.
• Eat slowly and chew foods thoroughly to avoid swallowing air while eating.
• Choose foods that are easy to chew. Modify food consistency if mastication seems to increase fatigue while eating.
• Choose foods that are easy to prepare to conserve energy for eating.

• Limit salt. Consuming too much can cause the body to retain water and can make breathing more difficult.  In addition to removing the salt shaker from your table:

Ø  Use herbs or no-salt spices to flavor your food.

Ø  Don't add salt to foods when cooking.

Ø  Read food labels and avoid foods with more than 300 mg sodium/serving.

• Eat calcium- and vitamin D-rich foods to support bone health.
• Prepare meals that appear palatable and well presented.

·         • Avoid foods that cause gas or bloating. A full abdomen can make breathing uncomfortable. Some of the foods that usually causesbloating are as follows:

Ø  Carbonated beverages

Ø  Fried, greasy, or heavily spiced foods

Ø  Apples, avocados, and melons

Ø  Beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, corn, cucumbers, leeks, lentils, onions, peas, peppers, pimentos, radishes, scallions, shallots, and soybeans

• Eat while sitting up to ease lung pressure.
• Drink liquids at the end of the meal to avoid feeling full while eating.
• Wear a cannula while eating if continuous oxygen is prescribed. Eating and digestion require oxygen, so the body will need the extra oxygen.
• Limit caffeinated beverages, as caffeine can interfere with some medications and cause nervousness or restlessness.
• Make the meal more enjoyable by engaging in social interaction while dining.
• Avoid aspiration by breathing carefully, swallowing, and sitting properly and with good posture while eating.
• Rest before meals.

Good Health and Diet always go hand in hand. Healthy diet is a solution to all health issues. For any further assistance kindly register in http://360degreenutricare.zest.md/ and also visit my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/360degreenutricare/ to stay updated regarding all Health tips. Make a resolution today and hasten your decision to enter into a whole new world of Health & Nutrition.

                                                                                                                          ~Dt. Deepalekha Banerjee

Essentials of a low calorie Healthy Kitchen

To make a kitchen healthy and nutritious here comes some tips. Donot think and get demotivated that your kitchen would lose colour and look bare as sahara desert. Rather it would have as much variety as earlier with few modifications and upgradations. Feeling excited to know? Here it comes: Some kitchen essentials of healthy and low calorie kitchen:

·         Measuring cups

·         Measuring spoons

·         Food weighing scale

·         Anti bacterial handwash

·         All types of Herbs & Spices to add on flavor – nit calories

·         Good quality Non-Stick cooking pan

·         Microwave or tandoor

·         Green vegetables

·         Fresh fruits of all colours

·         Almonds & walnuts

·         Yogurt from skim milk

·         Skim milk & milk products

·         Egg white

·         Lean meat

·         Low fat paneer or tofu

·         Breakfast cereals

·         Olive oil

·         Tomato

·         Onion

·         Ginger

·         Garlic

·         Lemon

·         Honey

To elaborate the Herbs & spices rack:

·         Dried basil

·         Bay leaves

·         Cayenne or

·         Crushed red pepper flakes

·         Curry powder

·         Seasoned salt

·         Chili powder

·         Cumin

·         Cinnamon

·         Garlic powder

·         Onion powder

·         Oregano

·         Paprika

·         Dried parsley

·         Rosemary

·         Thyme

·         Cloves

·         Cardamom

·         Dry mustard

·         Sage

·         Dill

·         Coriander

·         Nutmeg

Not a handful of items it seems right? It’s a mammoth task to make this transformation for good. Enter into a whole new world of Health & Nutrition & as the saying is “Charity begins at Home”.. Start from your house kitchen. All the Best. Don't forget to visit my website http://360degreenutricare.zest.md/ and my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/360degreenutricare/ for more such informations.

DRIED FRUITS are trendy this DIWALI, Say NO to sweets

Sweets Vs dry fruits. It’s an ongoing, closely fought battle for demand this Diwali.

Fructose (fruit sugar) is broken down slower by the body allowing the body to react more efficiently to the sugar you have just eaten, sucrose (sweet sugar) is broken down quicker by the body and can cause your body's natural sugar levels to change more quickly.

Thus dried fruits are always better an option than sweets in this Diwali. But Dried fruits has some disadvantages. If these disadvantages are not kept in mind then one tend to consume more calories than consuming sweets or fresh fruits.

Key points to remember:

·         Water is removed from fresh fruits to make dried fruits. Thus the sugar & fibre in fruits gets concentrated.

·         No one eats one or two dried fruits. They take a handful of them. This causes more calorie and sugar intake. Because drying fruit removes its water content, the portion size shrinks by about three-quarters. If you dehydrate one cup of fresh apricots, you’ll get 1/4 cup of dried apricots.

·         Dried fruits contain preservatives like sulphites which causes digestive and respiratory problems

·         Concentrated Fructose in dried fruits doesn’t send alarm bells to the brain to say you’re full. It fails to stimulate – and, indeed, blocks – appetite hormones leptin and ghrelin. This is why we don’t stop at 1-2 apricot

·         Dried fruits are hard to digest. Fiber and water exist together in nature to help digest foods properly. Without water, dried fruit is hard to push through the gut and can cause some un-wanted problems.

To conclude when consumed in moderation dried fruits are far better than sweets this DIWALI. Just keep an eye on the portion size of the dries fruits you consume to restrict yourselves from consuming more calories and more fructose.

Dried fruit details:

Dried fruit caloric table
Product	Quantity	Energy (kcal)	Protein (g)	Fat	Sugar
				(g)	(g)
Almonds	100 g	572	20,0	52,0	20,5
Cashews	100 g	633	25,2	53,6	12,6
Cedar nuts	100 g	629	12,0	61,0	12,0
Coco nuts	100 g	380	3,4	33,5	29,5
Dried apples	100 g	238	2,1	2,1	62,3
Dried apricots	100 g	284	5,4	1,2	72,2
Dried apricots with stone	100 g	227	5,0	0,0	53,0
Dried bananas	100 g	390	3,9	1,8	80,5
Dried briar fruit	100 g	110	3,4	0,0	21,5
Dried dates	100 g	277	2,0	0,4	74,0
Dried figs	100 g	290	3,6	1,2	78,0
Dried peach	100 g	254	3,0	0,4	57,7
Dried pears	100 g	270	2,3	0,6	62,6
Hazelnuts	100 g	640	14,4	63,0	14,9
Mustard pits	100 g	474	25,8	30,8	23,4
Peanuts	100 g	560	25,7	46,1	19,2
Pecans	100 g	589	20,5	48,5	25,0
Poppy seeds	100 g	478	20,1	42,9	24,7
Prunes	100 g	267	3,5	1,2	68,9
Pumpkin seeds	100 g	556	24,5	45,8	18,0
Raisins	100 g	277	2,3	0,5	71,2
Roast chestnuts	100 g	182	3,2	2,2	33,8
Sesame seeds	100 g	565	19,4	48,7	12,2
Sunflower seeds	100 g	561	24,4	43,7	24,6
Walnuts	100 g	645	16,0	60,3	18,0

                                                                                                                           Dt. Deepalekha Banerjee