health goodness - august 2015

Health Goodness | August 20151

table ofC O N T E N T S 31

37

35The balanced diet plan106 fruits that are responsible forweight loss!

13Get rid of acne 15Good healthshortcuts!16 Worst foodsfor people withdiabetes

19What happens whenyou stop eating sugar?20Surprising things that make youstink

25

5 Steps to Better Digestion8

Energy boostersto improveyour performance

27Tips to helpyou detox yourbody

29

39

Tricks to sharpen

thinking andmemory skills

Signs you needmore vitamins

Be a vegetarian!

Healthy weightfor a healthyback

table ofC O N T E N T S

Foods to avoid for a flat belly43 8 Ways You’reDrinking WaterWrong

44 A Visual Guide to Celiac Disease47The ABCs ofAppendicitis49 InfectiousDiseases-All that you

51How our brainworks57

Benefits ofBetel Leaf77Low Air Loss Matresses -Prevents Pressure Sores84

How to avoidgeneralanesthesia

59

Foods thatmake you41

Using StemCells toTreat knee Osteoarthritis

61Is laser hairremoval safefor teens?

65

68

7173

73

How to correctpoor posture

Foods thatwork as

mood regulators

NaturalRemedies forSciatica

Green Tea as a

Nutrient!


5 Steps to Better DigestionWhen we talk about a healthy lifestyle, we typically think of eating nutritious, clean foods and exercising. However, nutrition and exercise aren’t always enough for optimal results. If your digestive system is out of whack from years of abuse (and possibly damage you didn’t even realize you were doing), it can sabotage your efforts and leave you feeling less than accomplished – even after all that thoughtful grocery shopping and food prep.

So how do you know if your digestion is out of whack? Your body will tell you. After you eat one of your carefully thought-out meals, do you feel like your food is just sitting in your stomach for hours afterwards? Or, is the opposite happening, and you are running to the bathroom before you’ve even finished your meal? These are telltale signs that something is off inside your tummy.

If this sounds like you, you are not alone, and there are things you can do improve the situation. Here are 10 steps to get things moving properly through your gut:1. Combine foods properly.When foods are combined properly, they do not sit in your stomach and rot. That rotting food feeds the bad bacteria and yeast that we all have residing in our digestive tracts. To combine food the right way, eat protein with vegetables


or grains with vegetables, but not proteins with grains. Also, fruits should be eaten alone on an empty stomach to avoid fermentation and bloating.

2. Eat fermented foods.Speaking of fermentation, there are naturally-fermented foods, such as kefir, sauerkraut and pickles that, when eaten, will feed the good bacteria in your gut and balance your inner ecology.

3. Consider enzymes and probiotics.I recommend taking digestive enzymes and probiotics to help with food digestion and to build up immunity. When our digestive systems have been taxed from years of improper food combining or processed foods, those digestive enzymes need a boost.

4. Time your water intake strategically.We all know we need to drink plenty of water, but I suggest also drinking a glass 15 minutes before each meal. This habit will get your digestive juices flowing and help your food settle.

5. Follow the 80/20 rule.

Eat until you are 80 percent full. That leaves 20 percent of the room left in your stomach for your digestion to work. Think of it like a paper shredder: If you try to cram too many pages into a paper shredder, it backs up, doesn’t shred and can be a real pain to un-jam. However, if you feed it just a few at a time, without overload, it shreds up your pages quickly and efficiently. Your digestive tract works the same way.6. Eat loads of fiber.Your body needs fiber to carry out toxins, excess hormones and junk. Eating lots of water-soluble fiber, found in veg-gies, will ensure that you get plenty of fiber. Just don’t forget step No. 4! Drink lots of water, too, so that you don’t end up with bulky stool. Too much fiber without water can lead to constipation.


The balanced diet planYou are constantly in search of that perfect diet. The diet that is super easy to follow, let you eat what you want, won’t force you to eat or not eat anything and also provide you with stunning fat loss results in record time. Well, let me make this quick and painful - such a diet doesn’t exist. Sad, I know but there’s not much you can do about it. The human body has certain unbreakable rules that help it function optimally and “Do not entertain any ridiculous physiological demands” is one of them.

The thing is that there is no one perfect diet. Every-body is different and every body is different. This is why you often hear about something working for someone you know but when you try it, you see hardly any changes. But the point isn’t to randomly start a diet and sit around fingers crossed hoping for results. The point is to find what works for you

and build on that to arrive at a plan that will pro-vide you with health, fitness and happiness in the long term.

First, some very basic science. In order to function optimally, the human body needs nutrients - pro-teins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals - which we get from food. While experts from different camps constantly fight about which is the most important nutrient, the truth, as demonstrated by our ancestors, is that we need all these nutrients in order to thrive. It is true that the body can make do without one or few of them, but survival is not what we’re interested in anymore. We are in search of optimal health and for that we need enough of all these nutrients.

In other words, if you can find a way to consume meals that contain adequate quantities of carbohy-drates, fats, protein, vitamins and minerals, your health and body should be in fairly good shape (assuming other factors like food quality, exercise, sleep and stress are taken care of). But the trick is in ensuring that you get enough of all these nutri-ents because the way things are today, it is highly probable you are getting too much of some nutri-ents and very little of the others. This balancing act is where the magic is but for most people, this is


not easy.

Conventional approaches based on calories and percentages require a lot of planning, will power and self control and hence people resort to trying highly marketed diets or using a plan that worked for a friend or emptying their wallets to celebrity nutritionists. But, in reality, there is a much simpler way to fix this nutri-tional imbalance.

Step 1: Look into your diet and find what you get too much and too little of.

Step 2: Reduce what you get too much of and increase what you get too little of.

For example, if your diet is dominated by carbohydrates (idli, dosa, upma, roti, rice, sweets, fruits etc) and is deficient in protein (milk, curd, eggs, meat and seafood), your solution is to eat lesser carbohydrates and more protein. If you get too much protein and very little carbohydrates, then you do the opposite. You get the idea.

I know it sounds too simple to be effective but trust me when I say it is not the giant leaps but these seeming-ly small yet consistent steps that take you closer to your goals.


6 fruits that are responsible for weight loss!A recent study found that eating five portions of fruits and veggies a day is a great way to live a disease-free life. Fruits are natural superfoods with immense benefits that help in weight loss – they are high in fibre, con-tain natural sugars and help keep hunger pangs at bay. One portion of fruit is defined as 80g of fruit so one medium-sized apple would constitute one portion. Here are the top 10 fruits for weight loss:

1) Watermelon

The watermelon is your go-to fruit for weight loss. It’s high in water content (90%) and a 100g serving just contains 30 calories. They’re also a rich source of amino acids called arginine which helps burn fat. The best thing about watermelon, however, is the fact that not only does it keep you hydrated, it will also keep you satiated for a long time which will lead to less unhealthy snacking. Read more about the health benefits of watermelons.

2) Guava

The guava was brought to India by the Portuguese and is packed with immense health benefits. High in fibre, it’s another potent weight loss aid thanks to the fact that its glycemic index is low, making it perfect for dia-betics as well. Along with that, it keeps our bowel movements prim and proper which aids the overall weight loss process.


3) Apple

What if we told you that there was a fruit that could reduce your cancer risk, keep your heart healthy, make your teeth whiter, boost your immune system and even beat diarrhoea and constipation? Well the apple’s the one. If you’re on a weight loss diet, then you certainly need the apple in your dietary reper-toire. One medium-sized apple contains around 50 calories and doesn’t have any fat or sodium. In fact, a Brazilian study found that women who ate apples be-fore their meals lost 33% more fruits than those who didn’t eat them! Read more about the health benefits of apples.

4) Banana

Packing 105 calories, per piece, the average ba-nana is an excellent source of instant energy and the perfect post-workout food. They’re also health-ier than packaged post-workout snacks like energy bars which are just chocolate bars masquerading as ‘healthy’ options. It also helps beat muscle cramps, keeps your BP in check, prevents acidity and even beats constipation.

5) Pear

The pear fulfils one quarter of your daily fibre re-quirement and is great for your digestive system. It also helps reduce cholesterol levels, reduces the risk of coronary heart diseases and type II diabetes. The fibre content keeps you satiated for longer than normal and the fruit also packs a mean punch thanks to the fact that it’s rich in Vitamin C.

6) Tomatoes

Yeah, tomatoes are fruits not vegetables and they’re a Godsend for your weight loss battle. They’re deli-cious, full of antioxidants and reduce water retention. They also reverse leptin resistance, for those not in the known, leptin’s a type of protein which prevents our body from losing weight, thus tomatoes are the perfect ally. Just keep in mind that ketchup – which is loaded with synthetic stuff and sugars – don’t count as tomatoes.


Get rid of acneTake a peep into your home to banish acne, an expert shares home remedies to cure acne:

Lemon juice: Take a slice of lemon, rub it on the face and leave it for a few minutes. Then rinse your face.

Aloe vera juice: The medicinal properties of aloe vera can treat acne. Apply aloe Vera juice on affected area twice daily.

Neem: Neem has fungicidal properties hence, it is very effective in treating acne. Make a paste of neem leaves by adding small amount of water. Apply it on the affected areas.

Honey: Honey has both antiseptic and moisturising properties. Apply honey on the affected skin for half an hour. Then try to first rinse the honey off with warm water first, followed by cold water so that pores get closed.

Orange peel: Vitamin C in orange is good for treating acne. Take orange peel and allow it to dry under sun, then grind it into powder form. Add water to the powder, mixing it into a paste. Apply it on the face and leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes, and then wash it off.

Grapes: Take fresh chilled grapes, cut in half and then rub it on your skin, and leave it for 10 to 15 minutes then wash your face.


Good health shortcuts!The rules for healthy living often seem endless: exercise regularly, eat healthful foods, wear sunscreen, be sociable, etc. Who has time? The good news is you can swap out some of the must-dos for quicker fixes if you know how. Try these time-saving health trade-offs that really work.

Schedule at least one phone conversation with a friend a day. In-person meetings take time, but studies show that simply speaking out loud to one good friend a day boosts happiness levels. There are several ways to make the most out of those phone conversations, says Irene S. Levine, a psychologist and author of “Best Friends Forever: Surviving a Breakup With Your Best Friend.” “First, call someone who makes you feel good,” Levine says. “And focus on being positive rather than negative or confrontational. You can also try to bring back some shared memory and maybe use the time to plan something nice to do together in the future.”

Get moving throughout the day in small ways, at least every hour, says Tom Holland, an exercise physiologist and au-thor of “The 12-Week Triathlete” (Fair Winds Press, 2011).“ N.E.A.T. — non-exercise activity thermogenesis — refers to little activities we do during the day that boost metabolism,” Holland says. Get rid of your chair and stand for periods throughout the day, for example, or just get up every hour and stretch. “If you don’t mind a few stares, try walking lunges down the hallway and squats against the wall while going up and down in the elevator,” he says.

Prioritize by choosing organic versions of produce highest in pesticides. Look up the Environmental Working Group’s list of the “dirtiest dozen” fresh fruits and vegetables highest in pesticides. The most current list includes (in order of highest to lowest) apples, celery, sweet bell peppers, peaches and strawberries, while the “cleanest” includes onions, sweet corn, pineapples, avocado and cabbage. The Food and Drug Administration recommends cutting away any bruised or damaged areas and then washing all produce under plain running water before eating.

health goodness - august 2015

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