Archive for the ‘Nutrition for women’ Category

Do you carry around the embarrassment and inconvenience of heavy bleeding during periods? Are you forced to take off from work or studies because of excessive bleeding? Do you stick to dark-colored clothes during the dreaded days? You’re not alone.

Generally, heavy bleeding (Menorrhagia) needn’t imply any serious complication. But it can impact your physical, emotional and social well-being and disrupt routine life. Since blood-loss while menstruating varies largely from person to person, heavy bleeding is largely subjective. Hence even without diagnosis you can almost always tell if you have Menorrhagia.

Ask yourself the following questions to know that your bleeding is too much.

• Are you using more number of sanitary napkins than what is usual for you?
• Do you experience heavy bleeding that stain your clothes or bedding often?
• Does your period last for more than a week?

If you answer YES to all, then you do have heavy periods.

Lifestyle changes that can make a difference:

• Heavy Periods can be linked to your iron deficiency. Including plenty of iron-rich foods like green leafy vegetables, apple, chick peas, honey and jaggery is one thing you can do. Starting your day by having a couple of date-fruits can also boost your iron-reserve.
• Feast on vitamin C rich fruits like orange. This will help your body to absorb iron better & perhaps make your blood vessels stronger.

If you feel the need to remedy your nutritional deficiencies by taking vitamin C or iron supplements, please consult your doctor first. Similarly, it is always better to check with a Gynecologist to make sure there are no other underlying conditions that cause you to bleed excessively during periods.

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Of course! Aerobics is the exercise to burn or lose extra belly fat. No need to squander a fortune to tauten and tone that Abs! Aerobics exercise is any physical activity intense enough to work your lungs and heart harder- resulting in increased blood circulation and fitness.

“Belly fat located deep within the abdominal cavity fills the spaces between internal organs and is linked with increased risks for heart diseases, diabetes and some cancers.” -  MayoClinic

Aerobics exercise is a safe bet to combat these risks. Let us see how.

Brisk Walk

Did you know brisk walking too is as good as aerobics? Brisk walking puts all your Ab muscles through its paces. It is important to swing your arms and pull in your tummy while at it. Walking in this manner for atleast 30 minutes a day can attain the aerobic effect. Make it a point to do this before breakfast, post lunch and after evening tea, 10 minutes each. This will largely increase the chances of you sticking to it.

Weight Train (Resistance Training)

Weight training not only boosts your metabolism, but also good for bones. It reduces the odds for osteoporosis after middle age. No, weight lifts do not make you masculine as commonly believed. Moreover, it enhances your energy level while burning most of those unhealthy belly fats. Same can be achieved through regular push-ups.

Link earlier blog on the same?

Play a sport

Playing a sport is the best bet to make one break into sweat. Not everyone may have access to tennis court, basket ball court or swimming pool. But one can easily rig up a net on a nearby ground and enjoy a spot of badminton. Same can be said for sports like cricket and football if you can gather enough people. It will set your heart racing and shed those bad fats.

Remember, you need to start somewhere and crossing the starting-trouble hurdle is a huge step. So ready to face that aerobic challenge that leaves you out of breath to make Ab fats history?

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The Christmas holiday is often stressful, especially with kids at home- what with the festivals and guests and visiting around. But returning to work, school and the same old routine can be even more so. You might wish for another holiday to recover from it. You are not alone in coming back to routine life with tales of family fights, money problems after overspending or even a mere end-of-holiday gloom.

Shall we explore some tried-tested tips to manage post holiday stress?

Slowly easing back to normal routine:

Late nights and afternoon wakeups take time to alter. Try going to sleep and setting the alarm for the same time. Within a week, your bio-clock will (or forced to?) reinstate itself. This alone can cut down half the post holiday blues. If your diet or workouts have gone down the hill over the holidays, try fishing out the old diet chart and get them back to normal.

Appraise the happenings during the hols (both good & bad):

If your vacation hasn’t gone as smoothly as you wanted, think over what went wrong calmly. Perhaps there were some petty quarrels with friends or family, or may be your boss imposed an urgent assignment unexpectedly or budget didn’t go as planned. It would be easier to be objective if you think over things now. Talking to a trusted friend can put things into perspective.

It sounds unreal. But while solving post holiday stress, one often faces a wake-up call about what you want from life. Of course it is your choice to act on it. But it can make a sizable difference in your professional and personal life. Technically, however you holidayed, whether you liked or tolerated, it is now in the past. Focusing on the present can lessen any post holiday stress tremendously.

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Let us beckon 2013 with a fresh pledge to living healthy. The following healthy resolutions, if you adopt, are sure to keep you happily fit and gorgeous, both inside and out.

Rein your portions

Wish to right size your shape? Mindless binge eating is often the villain. Start right sizing your food portions by using smaller dishes. Yes, the smaller your platters are, the more you lose that extra weight. And instead of serving directly from the main bowl, take some into a small dish and put away the main bowl.

Staying Active

Instead of sighing jealously at those naturally thin people, observe their lifestyle. They are most likely to share a great liking for being physically active. Aim for moderate intense activity like brisk walking for atleast 30 minutes per day. This, you can squeeze in your busy schedule easily- like 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes after lunch and and another 10 minutes after office.

Cutting down on salt

Now the recommended limit of salt consumption per day is 1 teaspoon. And you know that’s way less than your daily intake. Besides making your stomach feel all bloated, this habit can shoot up your BP. Processed foods are the most dangerous as they use salt as preservative. Remember to check labels carefully before you give it for billing.

Piling on the antioxidants

Do you know why we need antioxidants? When foods are digested, body releases harmful free radicals that can eventually lead to heart burn, cancer etc. Antioxidant-rich foods like orange, tea, pomegranates etc are important to defend your body from these free radicals.

Flossing Daily

Oral Hygiene is horribly underrated. But bacteria in mouth can cause serious health risks. Flossing daily can ward off bacteria; it is a simple enough practice to ingrain with long term benefits to your dental health.

But all these resolutions will go down the drain if your expectations from yourself are far from healthy. For example, don’t expect a drastic change in your figure soon after you started portion-controlling and exercising. Just as it took your body to build-up fats, it will take time to lose it too. So if your inner-spirit tends to be a bit mean to you, just bash it with healthy acceptance. Let that be your founding stone to all your healthy New Year Resolutions.

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Are you one of them who wake up incredibly grouchy, especially on cold winter mornings? Admit it, you are secretly jealous of those ‘morning people’ who not only manage house chores in record time, but also keep their spirits up as they cheerfully set to tackle the day’s assignments. The funda is simple- they i.e. their brains are all set for the day and yours unfortunately are not.

Morning people are not born that way. They become that way through certain practices and lifestyles- just the way you have become a regular sourpuss in the morning by years of practice. Lets see what you can do to wake up smiling and have a great day ahead every day.

• Had a great sleep? First things first. Nothing will help improve your morning tempo unless you have had a good night’s sleep- advantage of well-rested body, mind and all that! So please work on polishing your sleep hygiene before doing anything. The best sleep strategy you can follow is to try going to bed and getting up in the morning at the same time.

• Morning Shower: You know what they say. “Whatever makes you feel lazy to follow is probably good for you”. A cool morning shower may top this list which includes daily exercise, diet control etc. Yes, you hate the cold plunge, we know. But it’s a good (rude?) wakeup call to your brain and you feel dynamic and energetic enough to face whatever is thrown at you.

• Energetic Music for Energetic Morning: If slow soothing music is an aid to good sleep hygiene, then it can work in reverse. That is, if you put on some lively music in the morning, will you be able to stop your body moving and get geared up? Mix up a few jazzy numbers and try it. Who knows, you may even be game enough to go for a morning shower.

• Having fruit juice to fire up brain cells: Having juice with breakfast is the best way to ensure essential nutrient intake that you often miss in the whirl of junks and fizzies. Fruit juices have everything you need like vitamins and minerals to keep you chirpy and productive all day. Some of those Ads do talk sense once in a while, don’t they?

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It’s that time of year again. High calorie-junks dance temptingly in front of your eyes. They lurk around in various forms- it may be chips packet or a chocolate doughnut or a couple of bites at some deep-fried chicken. This is the time when you stock celebratory snacks for Christmas & don’t think before you drink too. All these stuffs tote up, and if you’re like most Indians, you’ll put on a few kgs before New Year, in other words holiday weight gain.

Holiday weight gain is a misleading term. It sounds as if the weight gained will disappear after holidays. Alas, it does not. And you are definitely not in the mood for portion patrol. Not when parties are regular occurrences at this time. But you can still enjoy your epicurean spell sans weight risks.

“I’m not having much lunch or tea today. I have a party to attend in the evening”.

A common syndrome that haunts most guests! There’s a slight hitch here. When you leave your stomach empty for hours, it goes into starvation mode, making your body store, and not burn, fat. On top of that you tend to tuck in every food on sight because you are so hungry. Now add two and two. Do you think this technique really helps?

Breakfast is the best good morning wish for your body

Whether you have a function to attend later or not, skipping breakfast is just wrong. Having a regular breakfast is the best way to ward off winter weight. Have a glass of warm water as soon as you wake up and eat something within 10 minutes of waking up, before you start making food. For instance, a banana a morning can make you feel real great.

Is party just a food-event for you?

When your eyes light up at the sight of numerous delicacies, you often don’t hear the world-weary sigh of your stomach. Is the joy of getting together and having fun thinned out due to this tendency? Gather people and plan some fun activity… or dance with friends. It will double the enthu in the air and keep people off from stuffing their body.

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The outset of cold weather is often welcomed by sniffs & sneezes. Let it be different in your family this year.

Infections like common cold and flu are most common during winter. No wonder it’s called the Flu season. The best way to keep potential infections at bay is to give a little extra care to your immune system.

Stop Smoking & Reduce Alcohol: Cold weather is temptingly a good combo with tobacco smoking and alcohol drink. You already know how smoking kills in many ways. The problem with drinking alcohol is that it is linked to immune deficiencies and a greater number of reports of infections.

I’m sugar, but don’t overdose yourself: Do you know why you find sweets irresistible? Sugar releases the happy hormones endorphins that have a soothing effect on you while giving you a natural ‘high’. But you just have to opt for other ways to set off endorphins like whole grains, fruits etc and stay away from sugary foods. Studies say that our White Blood Cells’ ability to fight viruses deteriorates if exposed to high sugar levels.

Short-cut to energy, I feed on your sleep: Agreed, coffee contains some antioxidants. Apart from that it does more harm than good. If you are a regular reader here, you may already know how coffee tampers your deep sleep, which will have a direct impact on your immunity. Also, the high acid levels can hinder the lining of the small intestine, adversely affecting your body’s ability to absorb nutrients like calcium.

I’m fat, but I have a good side too: And that is Omega Fatty Acids or Good Fats. So please don’t banish nuts, red meat, walnuts, soybeans etc from your diet. Omega 3′s & 6′s if taken in moderately can help the immune system to control & kill cancer agents.

For a total flush out of toxic food from Diet: It may be impossible to do away with artificial stuffs like preservatives that often dominate most packaged foods. It is surely impractical to avoid pesticides, insecticides etc sprayed on fruits & veggies. But avoiding packed foods & giving a thorough wash to your buys can make a huge difference.

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Every year since 1948, people worldwide have been observing Human Rights Day on 10 December. Having kick-started with the declaration that all human beings are born with equal rights & fundamental freedoms, this initiative of WHO has taught us to claim what is ours- Right to health.

“The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being…” ~ World Health Organization

What makes your average Indian woman hesitate to grab this right? As women we are guilty of putting our health in the last strung of the priority-ladder. Setting aside the deep-seated conditioning, it is high time we accept that taking charge of one’s health & life doesn’t dilute womanliness in any way. And yes, it is time to scrutinize our mechanical compliance so that health becomes atleast one of the top 5 priority.

“Fish did not discover water. Infact because they are completely immersed in it, they live unaware of its existence. Similarly when a conduct is normalized by a dominant cultural environment it becomes invisible.” ~ Marshall McLuhen

Lets explore some common trends that violate women’s Right to good nutrition & eventually Right to health by women themselves.

• Eating last: It is common, particularly in middle class homes, for women to eat after everybody else had their meals. A double-edged sword attitude it is.

Whys it bad: Not only do they eat much late after repeated growl-alarms from their stomachs, there may not be enough food (especially side dishes) left. A major nutritional compromise! On the other hand when too much is left over, guilty of wasting, they tend to wipe the vessel clean.

How to rectify: Make your mealtimes a family time!

• Eating old food: Another common trend is eating old refrigerated food even when fresh food is available. Again, due to the guilt of wasting food!

Whys it bad: Eating fresh means better nourishment! The longer it takes you to eat that roti sabzi, the faster its nutrients escape from it.

How to rectify: That’s quite straightforward. Eat fresh i.e. eat food atleast within 3 hours of preparation.

• Never opting for their personal favourite food: Post marriage, woman not only change their surname but also eating habits, albeit unconsciously, but also their favourite food cooked in a way they have liked since small.

Whys it bad: Changes in food habits & late-nights after wedding will result in deficiency of your metabolizing and energy-giving Vitamin B stores.

How to rectify: Make it a point to eat your favourite dish atleast once a week.

Simple funda is, if you take complete responsibility for your family’s overall well-being, you need to be healthy. It is your right to health & you owe it your body!

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You are drained physically, emotionally as well as mentally during your pregnancy and delivery. Now, your health front needs to be in the forefront. Along with your newborn, your health also needs your special attention. It is necessary for you to keep hale and hearty as your newborn care can quickly make you drained and exhausted. So, do not miss your share of self-care.

En Route to Fitness

With the newborn, it is obviously difficult to find time for exercise, but you have to make the effort. It is not about getting back to your original shape soon after childbirth, but it is about staying fit as your body needs it. There is absolutely no need for any organized fitness classes; just a few exercises done at home can do wonders.

• Dance a little! The foot taps can tap your fitness.
• Chalk out some time for a small walk. Take your baby on a pram tram ride too in a park while you move your legs a bit.
• Swim away a little from your baby for a swim. You can leave your baby  with his/ her dad for a while and you go for a swim.
• Postnatal exercises are taught in child health clinics. Certainly, attending a class or two will give you a fair idea as to how to go about it.

Eat Right

As you would be breast-feeding your baby, so it becomes even more important for you to eat right. Never skip on the sips of water. Increase dietary calcium with lots of milk and dairy products. Even the temptations of snacking should be met with some healthy options like sliced and salted raw vegetables, vegetable soup, breadsticks, baked beans or scrambled eggs every now and then.

Come Out of Your Shell and Socialize

The more you meet your loved ones, family members, relatives and friends, the more you will feel reassured. Socializing helps! Try to interact with other new mothers who can be some of your friends or relatives, meet them frequently by visiting their houses, plan for outings together if possible. Getting to see the same pediatrician or exercising at the same dance class will further motivate you to keep fit and to stay healthy without affecting your bond with your newborn.

How has the phase of new motherhood added fun and excitement to your life?

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“Diabetes – Protect Your Future” – more than 346 million people worldwide have diabetes. Almost 80% of diabetes deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries – estimates WHO.

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