Archive for the ‘Healthy tips’ Category

Healthy Tips to Gain Weight

Saturday, March 5th, 2011

You will find thousands of programs available if one is interested to reduce his or her weight. But there are a section of people who are underweight and want to increase their weight and they find it equally difficult to increase their weight. Skinny women find that gaining weight is not as easy as it seems.

Under weight may be due to an overactive metabolism, genetics, or poor eating habits. What ever the cause is it is sure to pose serious health risks later in life. Some  health hazards due to under weight are Low Immunity, getting tired very quickly, hair loss, higher risk of bone loss, loss of muscle bones, anemia, menstrual irregularities, pregnancy complications, heart irregularities, memory loss, digestion disease, cancer, hypothermia. So it is equally important to tackle the problem of being under weight like it is for obese person.

Reasons for under weight

There are many reasons why people may find it hard to gain weight. Genetics can obviously play a role, but individual personalities and the environment can be strong factors. Some people may be moving around and burning more calories than what they intake. Lots of physical activities are good but it should match with the quality of intake of calories to stay healthy. Some others lose their appetite, experience a change in metabolism, and/or lose poundage and muscle mass fast because of various reasons, including illness, chronic pain, depression, stress, and side effects from drugs. And in yet some others it may be due to genetics.

Weight Gaining diet:

Gaining weight is not impossible feat. It’s only that you have to take right initiative. Some of the recommended ways are:

  1. Have a balanced diet with the right balance of proteins, carbohydrates, and the right kinds of fat (such as unsaturated and monounsaturated fats, olive oil, canola oil, pistachios, almonds and walnuts)
  2. Eat foods higher in calories, vitamins, and minerals, as opposed to higher in fat or sugar.
  3. Drink mixed juices in place of the juice of a single fruit.
  4. Have snacks in between meals.
  5. Do not take in alcohol half an hour before food.
  6. Drink plenty of water and healthy liquids like fruit juices, vegetable juices, milk, milkshakes etc. instead of soda, alcoholic beverages and caffeine rich tea and coffee.
  7. Sleep at least 8 hours a day. This will help you to increase your weight.
  8. Increase the number of meals you have. At least take 3 square meals a day.
  9. Exercise regularly. This will help you to increase your appetite and hence help in weight gain.
  10. Try to take rest after every meal.

Herbal weight gaining Supplements:

  1. Ginger: It is regarded as a carminative and digestive stimulant and used to cure stomach ache, poor appetite, dyspepsia, flatulence and nausea. Regular use of ginger in food will increase the appetite.
  2. Gentian: Gentian can be used as a treatment for or loss of appetite, dyspepsia, to assist in the assimilation of food, and to provide tone to the gastrointestinal tract.
  3. Ashwagandha- It improves resistance power, anabolic agent, Increases digestion power, and relives stress.
  4. Shatavri Kalpa: In addition to gain weight, it also helps in developing muscles and reproductive organs.

Easy weight gaining tips:

    • Eat banana and follow it by drinking milk. You may also take banana shake instead.
    • Take a cup of milk and put some almonds, date palm and anjeer in it. Boil this milk and have it when warm.
    • Take 30 -40 Gms of raisins every day. It will increase your weight.
    • Have a mango followed by a glass of milk. Instead you can take mango shake.
    • Increase in the intake of fatty foods such as flour, rice honey, raisins, figs, dates, butter, and germinated wheat.

Avoid Junk Food to Stay Healthy

Wednesday, November 17th, 2010

There is very old saying that ‘We are what we eat’. What we eat or put into our body gets digested and becomes a part of us. Imagine a building, a new brand house made up of only mud without the use of cement. We may get our house looking good on the outside by painting it bright. But the internal structure is not going to be strong. Very soon it will crumble. The same phenomenon is applied to our body. Put in junk food and low –nutrient and unhealthy foods, the structure of our body will become weak. The constant stress of low or missing nutrients will affect our body. The result will be premature aging, overweight, other health problems. The modern killer diseases such as diabetes, blood pressure, heart problem and cancer are definitely related to our diet and life style.

Younger generation is almost mad after the junk food. It is the duty of the parents to show them the harmful effects of the junk food.  Some parents try to prevent their children from viewing advertisements which promote junk foods like maggi and soft drinks. But how far they are successful?

From nursery school to college and then to office every where there is a propaganda of junk food .So as parent we will not be able to keep the children away from junk food. But what we can do is to instill the harms of junk food right from the child hood days. Some are as follows:

This kind of food is high in calories but have no nutritional value. For example one slice of pizza or a bottle of soft drink will give us 200 calories mostly from sugared fat. There are no vitamins, minerals and other nutrients and the fats which are present in it are also trans- fats which clog the arteries and the lack of fiber leads to constipation and other related diseases. All the soft drinks and colas are high in caffeine sugar and phosphorous. On the other hand, they in fact cause our body lose calcium from the bones.

The favorite food of the children potato chips and French fries are also unhealthy because they are fried at high temperatures. Any time food is cooked, fried or processed using high heat, a substance called acrylamide is produced. Acrylamide is a known carcinogen and neurotoxin.

Another problem with fast or junk food is that it provides us with ample energy from bad fats and proteins with harmful food additives but lack in vitamins and minerals which are protective food as these help in building up our immunity. This kind of food lack in fibre also. As a result the junk-eating children are obese but not healthy. They are excess in weight but have nutritional deficiencies such as anemia,  they get easily fatigued, may perform poorly in studies, lack concentration,  are sometimes hyper in nature, and their body is a haven for all adulthood lifestyle diseases like diabetes, heart attacks and high blood pressure.

So the only remedy is to modify junk into healthy food. What kind of  foods  must betaken to stay healthy— this thought may crop up in your mind. Here are some food which must be included in your daily diet.

  • Banana—-Bananas may not be included in many diets as it may help in gaining weight but due its rich potassium content it helps in controlling the blood pressure, also helps in strengthening the digestive system and lowers the cholesterol level.
  • Grapes—–Red seedless grapes with rich lutein content helps in reducing early atherosclerosis.
  • Green Tea——-Drinking just one cup a day will give great antioxident protection. The flavinoids in green tea are known as “polyphenols” – which are powerful antioxidents that may be greater than or equal to that of Vitamin C and vitamin E.
  • Lemons.—- They are excellent for detoxifying the liver, which contain high amounts of vitamin C, a vitamin that the body requires to make a substance called glutathione which helps the liver detoxify harmful chemicals.
  • Cabbage—-This plant has many virtues against cancer because it contains antioxidants. Also, it can clean the digestive tract and neutralizes some of the harmful compounds found in cigarette smoke.
  • Organic Drinks and Shakes ——–Juices, drinks and milkshakes are ideal for freshening up after a long day, or preparing for a work day. Organic drinks and shakes are doubly beneficial. These organic products offer vitamins and minerals, all in an unadulterated, organic form.

Improve Your Vision Naturally

Tuesday, October 5th, 2010

Almost 90% of the world population is facing with vision problem.  Today we find small children wearing eyeglasses as an aid to improve their vision.  The most common reason behind this is the normal strain of daily life and the modern technologies that we stare at constantly-T.V., computers or mobile phones.  All these stress our eyes beyond the normal para meters which results in decrease in the vision.  So people take the help of the eye glasses to rectify their vision.  But the fact is that while glasses and contacts may help one see more clearly right now, their eyes are constantly changing and they will never be able to find the perfect prescription to adjust for these changes.

It is now proved that your vision can be affected by many numbers of things -including the weather, your mood, your mental state, and anything else that can be distracting you.  This means that your eyesight doesn’t just change from year to year, but from day to day as well.  So it is always advisable to improve the vision naturally without glasses.  But how to do it is a question asked frequently which is dealt with below:

1. Reduce the amount of stress in your life.  Stress can be directly linked to the amount of strain you put on your whole body, and it definitely affects the eyes as well.

2. Do not keep staring at a thing for a long period of time.  Relax your eyes frequently if you have long working hours demanding continuous staring (like working on a computer, long hours of studies etc)

3. Soak triphala in a small pot at night. Distil the water early in the morning and wash your eyes with  it.  This will improve your vision.

4. Sit before the rising sun when the red and orange rays of the sun directly fall on your eyes  closed

5. Consumption of 250ml of carrot juice daily also helps in improving the vision

6. Sit before the rising sun. Close your eyes and allow the red and orange rays of the sun directly fall on your closed eyes.

Other than this you can practice some simple exercises daily which will help in keeping your eyes healthy.  Some of them are:

1. Concentrating on an object -Hold a pen in your hand and concentrate on its tip for a couple of seconds.  This will strengthen your eye muscles

2. Rolling your eyes- Roll your eyeball, five to seven times from extreme right, up, extreme left and down.  Repeat it in the reverse direction for equal number of times.

3. Palming-Sit comfortably in front of a table, resting your elbows on a stack of cushions high enough to bring your palms easily to your eyes without stooping forward or looking up.  Close your eyes and cover them with your cupped palms to exclude light, avoiding pressure on the sockets.  Breathe slowly and evenly, relaxing and imagining deep blackness.  Begin by doing this for 10 minutes, two or three times a day.

4. Color Day- Choose a color and look out for it throughout the day.  When you see that color, be aware of the color and experience it.  For example, if you see a red car, experience the shade of red, not the car.

5. See Clearly Method – Hold a small object in your hand at arm’s length and slowly move it towards your face till it touches your nose,, ensuring that your eye follows the object and retains focus upon it.  Slowly move it to its original position.  Repeat it 5 times.

Back Pain-Causes and Cure

Wednesday, September 15th, 2010

Generally it is found that Back Pain is the main reason for a person to visit the doctor. 99 out of every 100 person are suffering from this irrespective of age or gender. Many spinal conditions cause back pain, but muscles sprains and strains can cause it, too. So it is very important to find out the cause for the pain.,

Back pain may be a result of injury to spinal cord or any other part related to it. Or it may be due to the muscular pain in the back. It may also occur due to sprains and strains caused by stressful movements like lifting something without using proper techniques or a sudden twisting motion.

Back Pain may be acute or chronic, sudden and sharp or dull. Acute pain may last for about a few weeks where as chronic pain is persistent.

Some of the common causes for back pain are:

  • Aging—-Ligaments in the spinal cord thickens and the discs dry out with age leading to increase in pressure on the spinal cord. This will lead to have symptoms like pain, numbness and weakness.
  • Daily life—Stress and emotional tension can cause muscles to tighten and contract, resulting in pain and stiffness. Since we carry most of our weight in our backs, that’s where we can feel the end result of tense daily living: tight muscles and painful movements.
  • Improper Posture—– The correct posture while sitting is to keep our back straight. Even knowing this we don’t practice it. We generally feel bend our spine while sitting. Standing for longer hours will also lead to back pain., Injuries and accidents— The injury caused to the spinal bone will lead to the back pain.
  • Obesity— Being overweight puts pressure and stress on the back, especially the low back, Carrying heavy loads on our backs may also lead to back pain.
  • Pregnancy—Back Pain is very common during pregnancy. Carrying a child changes the position of your internal organs putting a huge amount of pressure on the lower spine leading to the pain.
  • Long working hours—Computers have brought with them the problem of back pain. We are forced to sit in front of the computers for long hours. This is one of the major cause for back pain

Effective Alternative treatment to Back Pain:

  1. Accupressure—Developed in China, the practioneers believe that every individual possess a positive energy called ‘chi’ which when blocked causes a pain in the body.By freeing this ‘chi’ chanel they cure the pain.
  2. Herbal treatment—-Some of the herbs and its extract which helps in lessening the back pain are Ginger Root Extract, Shallaki Capsules, Arthcare.
  3. Massage– Many cases of back pain are caused by muscle strain and overuse, Massage with a herbal oil is a worthwhile treatment in these conditions. A massage can help release muscle tension and relieve muscle inflammation and pain.

Simple steps to be practiced to avoid the occurrence of back pain

  • Sit on a firm chair and not in couches.
  • Every time you lift something, remember to bend your knees first, this will prevent your lower back from getting tense causing damage to your spine and back muscles.
  • If you have to sit for long working hours then relax two or three times a day. Stand straight keeping your palm on the lower hip, fingers facing the ground. Stretch back, look at the ceiling for 4to 5 minutes. This will help you to relax the back muscles.,
  • Practicing regular exercise will also be beneficial.
  • Lie on your abdomen. Hold your hands crossing near the buttocks and stretch them .Then slowly lift your chestup and down 30 to 40 times
  • Use hard bed for sleeping instead of soft bed

Some natural Cure to problems related to MENOPAUSE

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

Menopause is a stage through which each and every woman has to pass through. It shows the end of menstruation period. It generally happened in the midlife and is a sign of the ending of the fertile period of a woman’s life. However the commencement of this stage differs from woman to woman depending upon her hormones and heredity to an extent.

It is as such not a disease but a transition between two phases of a woman’s life. Menopause is a normal, natural event—defined as the final menstrual period and usually confirmed when a woman has missed her periods for 12 consecutive months

Menopause generally occurs in ladies between 40 and 50 years of age .

If it exceeds after 55 then proper check up is required. It is advised to make a visit to the gynecologist. Apart from age other factors which determine the onset of menopause stage are the country which you live , caste ,climate , eating habits etc. The women who have regular menstrual cycle, who lead a happy married life, who breast feed their children have late menopause. Those ladies who are over weight have their menopause early.

Menopause in some women is a normal thing. They do not get much of complications and they get through it smoothly. But for others it disrupts both their lives and inter- personal relationship.

Some of the common symptoms found in most of the women with the onset of menopause stage are:

  • Irregular cycle———with the onset of menopause there is irregularity in the menstruation cycle. It may start occurring too early or too late. There may be difference in the amount of flow of also.  With the onset of menopause the chances of a woman getting pregnant is minimized but not written off.
  • Drier vagina—–The lining of vagina becomes dry and hence is less elastic. This may lead to a painful intercourse. It may also result in change in vaginal discharge.
  • Hot Flashes—–Hot flash is the feeling of  warmth that is felt all through the body  and lasts from about a few minutes to half an hour  and  is followed by perspiration . it is the most common symptom faced by most of the women going through menopause stage. It is cause due to declining ovarian estrogen production in women.
  • Breast Changes—the shape of the breast may change in many women in the menopause stage.
  • Bone Loss—–Many women face the problem of bone loss during the menopause stage which even though does not result in any kind of pain but increases the chances of fracture.
  • Weight Gain—–Women nearing menopause are said to increase in weight even after controlled diet and regular exercise. This is a direct cause of changes in the hormones and aging. The increased weight generally gets accumulated along the waist and abdomen.
  • Hair Growth—–The onset of menopause may in many women lead to the growth of coarse hair along the upper lip and chin area.
  • Low Libido——Libido in common language refers to the desire of having sex. With the onset of menopause, the desire to have sex decreases among majority of women.
  • Weakness—-Many women feel weak with the onset of menopause stage. They feel drained out of their energy and incapable to do odd jobs which they were very easily capable of doing.
  • Increase in heart beat(tachycardia), restlessness, backache, constipation, lack of  concentration are other common symptoms.

How to tackle the symptoms of Menopause Naturally or through Herbs?

Menopause is not a disease that has a definitive cure or treatment. How ever some of the symptoms faced by women during menopause stage are curable.

  • Hot flashes can be cured by hormone therapy, complementary and alternative treatments. The herb usage of  Black Cohosh  is a popular alternative to hormone replacement therapy. Regular Aerobic exercise may also help in keeping a check over hot flashes.
  • Taking a low fat diet may help in keeping the weight under control. Regular exercise will also be of great help.
  • Consumption of  beet juice about 90 ml twice daily will help to avoid menopause disorder
  • Taking in Alfalfa, Soya beans, sprouts, cabbage, olive oil will help in relieving from menopause.
  • Licorice (mulethi) helps in maintaining the hormonal disturbances that occur during the menopause .It should not be consumed more than 5 gm in a day.

Some  tips to overcome the problems during menopause:

  • Green leafy vegetables, cauliflower, sweet potato, soya bean, orange,cabbage, coconut, almond are rich in calcium and should be taken in large quantity.
  • Soft drinks containing phosphoric acid weaken bones. So these should be avoided
  • Taking in of a mixture of a glass of plain water , a tea spoon of lemon juice and 2 tea spoon of honey early in the morning ( empty stomach) is very beneficial.

How to prevent Baldness

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

Hair loss is a common problem faced by majority of people today. There are various reasons for this. Just applying all kinds of vitamins is not considered enough if hair loss is to be prevented. If you are not taking in a healthy and nourishing diet you will not be able to prevent your hair loss. Even though you think you are doing all kind of treatment like applying vitamins to your body and hair, nothing will help, if you don’t take in your diet, the required vitamins, for making the scalp strong.

      Vitamin B is a vital source for the growth of good and strong hair. Niacin and Pantothenic Acid gives shine and glow to the hair and helps in the growth of strong and full hair. These also help in stopping hair loss and also prevent hair loss. These vitamins are found in whole grains, organ meats and egg yolk. If you take plenty of vitamin B then you can prevent the hair loss to a great extent.

There are very many herbs available which can help you to fight against hair loss. Some of the commonly used ones are:

Saw Palmetto: It can be taken in the form of a tablet or applied with oil to the hair. This is in use for the past 100 hundred years and is found to be very effective in preventing the hair fall

Aloe: Applying Aloe to the hair directly prevents hair fall, promote hair growth and acts as a conditioner to the hair. Just rub aloe on to your scalp. Leave for 15 minutes and rinse.

Arnica: The oil made from the flowers of Arnica helps in the reduction of dandruff and promotes hair growth. Applying it regularly prevents hair fall.

Brahmi: The antioxidant property of Brahmi helps the nourishments to reach the hair roots, removes dandruff, and prevents hair splitting at the ends. This can be added to the oil and applied to the hair.

Thus only applying all kind of nourishment to the hair is not enough for the full growth of the hair and remain shinny but taking in of all the vitamins and minerals which are necessary for the healthy growth of the hair are also necessary .You have to nourish the parts of your body which are attached to your scalp if you want to prevent hair loss and stop hair loss. A proper diet is also needed for healthy growth of the hair.

TOMATO – RICH IN ALL TYPE OF NUTRIENTS

Friday, April 16th, 2010

Tomatoes are a rich source of minerals and vitamin. They not only meet the nutritional need of our body but also make the food tastier. They are the essential part of daily food.

By eating tomato we can fight against  any type of cancer. Lycopene present in the top layers of tomato helps to  reduce the cancer attack. After boiling the lycopene level increases, that’s why  tomato soup, sauce and puree are of a great help. Lycopene can be absorbed easily if taken with little amount of fat.

Tomato is rich in calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, chromium. It also contains vitaminB6, potassium and folate which help to reduce the risk of heart diseases. Niacin present in the tomato reduces the cholesterol level where as potassium reduces high blood pressure.

Tomato is a rich source of carotene which turns into vitamin A after entering the body. Vitamin A is good for eyes and it also helps in keeping the skin glowing.

VitaminC present in it helps to increase the  immunity to fight against any  disease and also keeps the bones strong.Vitamin C helps in the formation of new cartilages between the bones and also helps in  fast healing of  wounds .

Anti oxidants present in  tomato helps to prevent any damage of our muscles. It  also prevents macular degeneration(leading to blindness) happening in old age.

Raw tomatoes are rich in phosphorous and ripen are rich in VitaminA.

Above all… being not so expensive it can be used by a common man. And it also adds taste to our food.

Menstrual Cycle and Problems

Friday, April 9th, 2010

Everyone knows the teen years can be difficult – for both teens and parents.  All those physical changes during puberty can make adolescents feel awkward and unsure of themselves.

For a girl, getting her first period is a physical milestone and a sign of becoming a woman.  But it can also be confusing and scary, particularly if she encounters certain problems like irregular periods or premenstrual syndrome.

Some Common Menstrual Problems: Premenstrual Syndrom: It includes both the physical and mental problems that the females get before their cycle begins.  It may be anything and every thing from acne, bloating, fatigue backaches, sore breast, constipation, food carvings, depression, and irritability.  PMS is usually at its worst during the 7 days before the period starts and disappears soon after it begins.  Not all the females face this problem.  It depends upon the hormones of them.

Cramps: Many experience abdominal cramps at the time of their periodic cycle.  They’re caused by prostaglandin, a chemical in the body that makes the smooth muscle in the uterus contract.  These involuntary contractions can be either dull or sharp and intense.

Irregular Periods: The typical cycle of an adult female is 28 days, although some are as short as 21 days and others are as long as 45.  Irregular menstrual cycle may disrupt the life and if it is left untreated, it is sure to complicate the reproductive system.

Delayed Menarche:Menarche is the medical term fore the beginning of the menstruation cycle.  This depends on the genetics of the female.  It may occur as early as 9 years or as late or 13 years.

Menorrhagia (Extremely Heavy, Prolonged Periods): The most frequent cause of menorrhagia is an imbalance between the levels of estrogen and progesterone in the body, which allows the endometrium (the lining of the uterus) to keep building up.  When the endometrium is finally shed during menstruation, the resulting bleeding is particularly heavy.  But some times it may be due to ” fibroids (benign growths) or polyps in the uterus ” thyroid conditions ” clotting disorders ” inflammation or infection in the vagina or cervix.

So it is advisable to consult a doctor if this happens.

Allopathy Treatment: To determine whether a problem requires treatment, the doctor will ask several questions and do a thorough physical exam.  The doctor may do a pelvic exam, a Pap smear, blood tests (to check hormone levels), or urine tests.  If there might be a structural problem or some sort of growth, an ultrasound or CAT scan may be performed.  Together, these tests can help the doctor determine how a condition should be handled.

Herbal remedies: Herbs are one of the most popular methods of curing any kind of ailment Because herbs have healing properties that not only treats a particular ailment but also provide overall well-being too.  Some herbs are ” Parsley: Use the dried up parsley to brew tea and drink 3 to 4 cups in order to kindle delayed period.  Alternatively you can use fresh parsley to achieve the same effect.  Just put a handful of fresh aromatic plant in a pot of hot or boiled water and allow it to steep for about 15 or 25 minutes and then strain it!  It is ready to drink.

Banana: It is an useful fruit during the menstruation period.  Women suffering from excess bleeding and severe pain at the back and stomach should take banana leaf, cooked in little oil, with curd.  This gives fast relief from pain and also controls the excessive blood flow.

Papaya: Papaya helps in proper functioning of the muscles of the uterus, which enable the proper flow of blood.  Eating raw papaya gives relief from the pain faced during the cycle.

Some home remedies :

  • Eat a balanced diet with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables
  • Reduce the intake of salt
  • Eat calcium rich food
  • Soak in a warm bath or put a hot water bottle on the abdomen

How good are Pulses for Health?

Friday, March 19th, 2010

What are pulses? They are the seeds of some leguminous plants. They are also called wonder food as they are low in fat and absorb the flavor of spices and herbs making them tasty to eat. Beans and legumes contain all the important nutrients that have been recognized recently in preventing heart disease, cancer and obesity. Besides having carbohydrates and fiber, they are the richest source of proteins. Pulses give an alternative source of proteins with out fat for the non-vegetarians where as for the vegetarians it is the only source of proteins. Commonly used pulses are green gram, Bengal gram soyabeans kidney beans.

Composition of pulses: They supply the same amount of calories as that of the cereals where as the protein content is twice that of the cereals. The fat content of the pulses is negligible (1 to 2 gm per 100 gm) Whole pulses are good source of vitamin B complex. The iron content of pulses is high (8 to 10 mg per 100gm). They also provide 60 gm of carbohydrate per 100gm. The calcium content is between 100 to 200 mg per 100 gm. Pulses also contain zinc which is essential for growth and wound healing. Copper which is found in the pulses helps in the formation of hameoglobin, and also helps in transport of iron to bone marrow for the formation of red blood cells. Some whole pulses also contain magnesium which helps lower blood pressure.

Soyabean is the cheapest source of protein equivalent to meat. It contains no saturated fat cholesterol and is rich in fiber and isoflavonoids that help the risk of heart disease and improve bone health. Isoflavonoids act as antioxidatants by protecting cells and tissues from getting damaged. They also act as phytoestrogens, helping to protect the older women from osteoporosis and cardiovascular problem. Genistein a particular isoflavonoid inhibits the growth of both breast and prostate cancer.

How can we consume more pulses? It is very easy. We can eat pulses in various forms

  1. By roasting: Roasting any gram in iron utensils can increase its iron content. It also improves its protein digestibility and protein quality. A handful of roasted chick-pea is a good option for in between meals.
  2. Fermentation: Fermentation of grinded pulses with rice to prepare idly dosa dhokla increase its content of Vitamin B. It is also light in digestion. Even the people suffering from fever are given this.
  3. Germination and sprouting: The vitamin C content of the pulses can be greatly increased by soaking them in water and allowing them to germinate. The vitamin A content increases on the third day after germination when the shoots change from yellow to green with an increase of chlorophyll. Germinated pulses have an easily digestible form of carbohydrates- maltose. Half a cup of any sprouted seed provides vitamin C equivalent to six glasses of orange juice.  So a plateful of sprouted green gram salad is a tasty and healthy way of getting your daily dose of vitamins.
  4. Vegetables and pulses combination: A combination of pulses with vegetables provide adequate amount of vitamins and minerals. For example sambhar can be prepared by cooking arhar dal with vegetables like pumpkin, bottle-gourd, brinjal, onion etc. Spinach can be cooked with green gram or chick –pea or soyabean to make it tasty
  5. Cereal pulses combination: A combination of cereals with pulses provide adequate amount of proteins of high biological value. The common practice of cooking rice with pulses (khichri) is highly nutritious. You can add vegetables also with this to make it tastier. Chappatis can be made by mixing wheat flour with Bengal gram flour. The flour of the pulses can be added to soups, vegetables curries to make it thicker and tastier. Sweets prepared from green gram and Bengal gram flour can be a good high protein supplement for kids.

How simple changes in our daily routine can help in reducing Obesity

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

We live in the modern world where the science has improved and provided us with various machines to do most of the work. No doubt we should be proud of it. But do you it is one of the reasons for our becoming over weighted. If you are serious about shedding a pound or two then follow the following simple steps in your day to day life.

1.  Lock up all the machines in your house and start working by yourself. If you have maid to do the work sack her. You wash the dishes, wipe the floor and mix batters. Instead of using a drier hang your clothes on the line. If you do so you will end up burning a large amount of calorie.

2. Try out using soft butter instead of a hard one. With a small amount of soft butter you can spread on a larger area when compared to the hard one.

3. When you are offered food at the time you are not feeling hungry feel free to say, “No Thank You.” If you take even a little bit of food then you are just adding the unwanted calorie in your body.

4. If you think your friends or co-workers will be offended if you deny to their dinners offered then speak out to them and tell them why you are doing so and ask them for their moral support. They will only feel happy in helping you with your ambition to reduce weight.

5. Instead  of sitting and watching T.V better go out and play something which will burn your calories like- dancing, bowling, golfing, cycling, or may be even brisk walking.

6. If you are on an outing drink no calorie water instead of alcoholic beverages.

7. Analyze and set realistic goals which you think you can accomplish so that you can taste the success and set new goals. If you are not able to accomplish the target you will feel frustrated and will be tempted to quit your plan of reducing weight.

8. Even while watching T.V. you can take a walk in the 3 minutes commercial break.

9. Eat at fixed times and leave the table as soon as you have finished instead of lingering over the last bites.

10. Use good plate psychology. Select the plates with colors which will not increase your       appetite. Yes some colors like violet, lime green increases our appetite. The design of the plate also matters. If the plate is bowled shape then it will be better as it gets filled up soon.

11. Eat smaller portion of food

12. Remove all the food stacked at appropriate places like candy bar in the drawer.

13. Eat slowly and chew your food properly. Can you imagine we do not chew our food   properly? We have to chew each bite of food 32 times before swallowing it.

14. Do not try to skip your meal. If you do so then you will surely over eat the next time.

15. Do not try to taste the food while preparing it.

If you follow these simple steps for a weak you are sure to reduce your weight by a few pounds. Just try it out!