General

The importance of health has been ingrained in our minds since time immemorial; so much so that we are often reminded of the phrase that if health is lost then everything is lost. It is a challenging task to remain hundred percent healthy nowadays thanks to inorganic food, polluted drinking water, smog filled air that we are breathing and last but not the least, lifestyle disorder. It is important to have a balance diet and regular exercise. Keep checking your BMI and make sure that it is under control. Obesity leads to a number of disorders and diseases so try to cut down on carbohydrates and avoid junk food as much as you can. Healthy eating should start as early as an infant. Babies should be fed only mother’s milk because that is the only and most nutritious thing that a baby survives on during the first few months. When the baby is breastfed, the mother should maintain a diet specifically focusing on iron and zinc rich food. Calcium is also needed to give strength to the bones because a new mother has to do a lot of running around. Malt based food, which is mainly extracted from barley, is a highly nutritious substance. Aqueous extracts of barley malt, called “wort” contain all the essential vitamins in the B family (niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, thiamin, nicotinic acid, Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), biotin, and folic acid); plus amino acids and protein, minerals, (such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and zinc), and soluble fiber (glucans). Malted Food beverages like Choco Malt, Malto Vitaa, Champion, Choco Vita, etc are excellent sources for a healthy life. Once the baby becomes 5 to 6 months old, the weaning process will take place. The mother will gradually replace or add other sources of food with breast milk. Usually mothers feed formula or mashed banana and sometimes mashed rice with boiled lentils. It is prudent to give the baby a specially prepared weaning food, mixed with fruits, vegetables and various pulses. In other words, kit should be a judicious mix of Protein – easy to digest and helps in rapid growth, Carbohydrates – acts as energy booster, Vitamin, Calcium and Phosphorus for strong teeth and bones, Iron and Zinc for rich blood formation. Such type of weaning food is very good for nurturing the health and growth of the baby. These days, the supermarkets are filled with processed foods. Before buying anything off the shelf, do check the labels – if there are more than 6 ingredients, most likely it is a processed food. Please avoid them because you should thrive towards eating wholesome food that has no other ingredients but themselves. It is very difficult to change food habits once our taste buds develop a fondness for a particular food item. So the trick is to develop taste for healthy food. Consuming sugar in the form of ice cream or sweets is alright once in a while but not always. Instead you can replace them with natural sugar available in dates, grapes, homemade honey, maple syrup, etc. Source by Rahul Singh

Health benefits of eating fruits are exceptional for perfect health. They are an excellent source of natural vitamins and minerals which are needed by your body for proper functioning. Nutritionists recommend inclusion of dietary fiber in your daily diets and fruits are the best source of gut-friendly fiber. It keeps your digestion and vent system work properly and protects from ailments like constipation, gastritis etc. We know very well, the human body is knowledgeable construction and several disparate convoluted reactions takes place in every fraction of the moment. Today, everyone has a busy lifestyle due to that reason most of the people’s eating pattern become arranged with preservatives and processed foods, that are not only lacking imperative nutrients but can also responsible for the birth of noxious disease in the human body. When your body shows any health disorders or it falls ill, these kinds of concerns are recover or treated with a healthy diet which can be easily gained by eating various nutritious fruits. Many fruits are also an excellent source of antioxidants. They help you fight free radicals which can protect you from many diseases. Many studies recommend that eating a diet rich in flavonoids can lower the risk of heart disease by a surprise 65 percent. Antioxidants may also help you improve the health and quality of your skin and hair. Health benefits of fruits: Fruits are absolutely cholesterol free They are low in sodium and calories Rich in potassium, Vitamin C, Folate Dietary fiber in fruits helps reduce cholesterol and lowers risk of heart ailments Fruits are also an excellent source of antioxidants Our body digests fruits effortlessly and provides an instant supply of energy in the very short interval of time, it is considered a prime benefit of fruits that one can take advantage of busy schedules. Therefore, sports person, gymnastics, pregnant women and sick patients are mostly guided by doctors to add fruits to their balanced diet for the incessant supply of energy which required by the body in a natural manner. Almost, every species of fruits have the spacious nutritional profile but you know, type and quantity of nutrients vary with the selection of different fruits in your diet. The nutrients in fruit are censorious for health and maintenance of your body. The potassium in fruit can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke. Potassium may also decline the risk of developing kidney stones and help to decrease bone loss as you age. The comfort of fruit for your hair health can be enjoyed through hair masks. Melon and banana hair masks are endorsed by many beauty professionals for hair care at home. You can also make a paste of lemon juice and aloe vera and apply it to your hair. Keep the paste on for approximately minutes and then exhaustively wash your hair with mild shampoo. These packs not only improve hair quality but also terminate scalp disorders like dandruff and itching. Best way to consume fruits is to eat them raw and when they are ripe. Avoid cooking fruits as all the nutrients will be lost. Eating a diet rich in fruits may protect you from certain kinds of cancer. FODMAPs are found in dairy, wheat, garlic, onions, beans, some fruits, artificial sweeteners, and other foods. And some people simply aren’t able to digest them very well. Source by Jasmeen Kaur

When you think of India, the first thing that comes in mind is its food. Yes that’s true. Most of the people across the world think of India as a democratic republic with a huge variety of healthy Indian recipes and diverse culture. And that is pretty much true also. India is known for its amazingly fabulous cuisine. Ranging from the low calorie Gujarati snack “dhokla” to the rich oily Amritsari delicacy “chole bhature”, all the healthy Indian recipes have their unique place in the international menu card. The invaders in the history of India like Portuguese, British, Persian, Arab and Aryan etc. have influenced Indian cuisine in a great sense. Even today top hotels follow guidelines to prepare healthy Indian recipes suggested in health and fitness tips to inculcate healthy food at their outlets, to ensure heavy customer base. Indian appetizer recipes are prepared keeping in mind the need of the hour. Nowadays people want to lead healthier lifestyles, thus they pay more attention towards what they eat and how much they eat. Indian appetizer recipes come under the category of foods which can easily be used to curb the midnight hunger pangs often felt by people. Healthy food is the one which helps the individual to get fit. Indian appetizer recipes are also just like that. Some of the low calorie versions in Indian appetizer recipes category are like Pongal food, which means boiled food. It contains dishes like Ariselu, Bandaru ladoo and Sarkarrai Pongal. All these dishes are prepared by using minimalistic amount of oil, salt, green chilies, gram flour and jaggery. Consuming such dishes in small proportions on specific timings can help you in attaining quick weight loss. Source by Neha Rani Gupta

The foundation for a healthy life is embedded in providing the body healthy food. A well-balanced diet every day is the key to keeping your body functions efficient. While you may be on a wholesome balanced diet, there is one other factor that can steal the nutrients and make your food toxic – your cookware. Thus, in order to cook nutritious food, you need healthy cookware as much as you need healthy ingredients. What’s Wrong with Conventional Cookware: The body can eliminate the natural bad that you ingest with food but toxins in food is another thing. Toxins leaching from conventional cookware contaminate your food and start accumulating in blood, tissues and organs. Over time it compromises the immune system and lays the foundation for various health problems. How Does This Leaching Happen? Metals and ceramics are the most commonly used materials for making cookware these days. While metals are naturally reactive, ceramics are laden with chemicals that contain metal oxides and glazed with paint-like substances that have their own side-effects. As much as they are attractive to the eyes they are harmful to the body. While cooking, the metal ions and chemicals leach by reacting to the bio-chemicals in the food. These toxins then replace essential nutrients in cells all over the body. These dysfunctional cells cause detrimental changes in organs and result in dangerous diseases. Equally Bad Is What Happens to The Foods Nutrients: The heat from metal/ceramic cookware is harsh and destroys delicate nutrients, further depleting essential nutrients. When the body is fed with such nutritionally depleted diet, it not only gets weak but fails to overcome the bad effects of toxins. In this way, the wrong cookware can greatly reduce the health value of food and make it toxic. Truly Healthy Lifestyle Calls for Healthy Cookware If you are hoping to live a truly healthy lifestyle, you need a truly healthy cookware. History teaches us that the healthiest cookware used for the longest of time was made from clay. Unglazed primary clay (or pure clay) with absolutely no chemical content is ideal for making naturally healthy cookware. Pure clay is completely inert and doesn’t leach anything into your food. It’s unique far infrared heat is good for delicate nutrients and cooks without damaging them. It is by far the only natural cookware that tends to remove toxins from food while cooking instead of adding more to it. By using such healthy cookware, you can make sure that your food is rich in nutrition and free from toxins – just the way it’s needed for a healthy lifestyle. So as you plan your healthy lifestyle make sure you keep healthy cookware in mind so the food you have prepared with care can remain healthy and nutritious by the end of the cooking process. Source by Sharon Ray

There are now more choices than ever when it comes to healthier foods and there is no need for you to select processed foods when you go shopping. Buying healthier foods is a great way to start leading a healthier lifestyle and organic food is becoming easier to find and cheaper to buy. You can find organic foods in most stores although the wider choice will be in a specialist shop or online. Natural and organic foods are far healthier for you and they can make you look and feel so much better. Eating processed foods simply fills your body with the wrong type of things which can make you feel lethargic and run down. They are full of manmade sugars and fats which will make your body feel fuller and you will have less energy. Although organic foods are the best you can eat simply eating healthier can help your body as well the food we tend to eat at the moment is at an all time low and manufacturers are simply filling foods with chemicals and preservatives. All of these things are bad for you and over time your body will begin to reject the foods which you are forcing it to have. You need your body and mind to run at the best possible state it can and to achieve this you will need to watch what you put into your body. It needs a certain amount of proteins and nutrients a day and if you are not giving it what it needs then you will become ill. Your energy levels and immune system will become weaker and this will make you remain unwell for longer periods. There are many foods which you can eat which can help to boost your immune system and can help with both your energy and your brain power. You need to ensure that you have enough vitamins and nutrients a day and if your food cannot achieve this then you may need to take supplements. By avoiding processed foods you will look and feel better in no time at all, although you may not be able to cut those out completely you should try to eat less of them. You will find that you can lose weight easier if you stop eating the foods which are bad for you and with a healthier diet and an exercise plan you will achieve your goal in no time at all. Eating healthier is not difficult it is simply a state of mind once you realize there are alternatives to the foods you buy at present. If you look around you can buy healthier snacks and drinks which will be the start of your journey. Once you see how much healthier you look and feel you will never want to go back to feeling the way you did. Processed foods can cause problems with your digestive system, your skin, hair, nails and fitness levels. Is it worth feeling and looking awful simply to eat something quick and processed? Source by Graeme Thompson

The School Lunch Program Healthy food makes healthy kids, right? Right, but in order for kids to eat healthy foods, they have to have access to them first. Unfortunately healthy food is hard to come by in today’s school lunch program. School cafeterias are woefully underfunded even with assistance from the Child Nutrition Act. Passed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1963, the Child Nutrition Act is a federal law that stemmed from the National School Lunch Program which is responsible for feeding over 30 million children each day in over 101,000 public and private schools. However, with inflation and cutbacks in school budgets, it only provides schools about $1 per student. Cafeterias simply cannot afford the fresh healthy food that kids need. Sometimes schools have no choice but to take part in the Department of Agriculture’s commodities program for items like meat and cheese. These items come from farmers’ surplus stock and, although it may be a cost effective method for obtaining pricier food items, it can be disastrous as proven in 2008 when one of the largest suppliers of meat for the National School Lunch Program was caught slaughtering ill cows. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act The good news is there is a bill up for vote in the House of Representatives that would add $4.5 billion over the next 10 years to help feed America’s school children. It would be the first non-inflationary increase in funding of the school lunch program by the federal government in 30 years. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act was passed unanimously by the Senate in August, 2010 and was scheduled for a House vote by the end of September. It seemed like a no-brainer especially since the Senate passed the bill by a process called unanimous consent where they agreed to pass it without a voice vote. The bipartisan bill has since been delayed in Congress and will not be voted on by the House until after the November 15 elections. This legislation is near and dear to the heart of First Lady, Michelle Obama, who is looking to Congress to pass this bill as a crucial part of her Let’s Move campaign. Her goal is to end childhood obesity within a generation and allocating more money for healthy food in our kids’ schools will go a long way in meeting that goal. This bill also addresses the lack of proper funding for low-income students. U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, explained that this legislation “invests heavily in new initiatives designed to automatically enroll more eligible low-income children with our National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs and includes a major expansion of afterschool feeding programs.” The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act will also increase nutritional standards in schools by allowing the Secretary of Agriculture to establish nutritional standards. The Department of Agriculture continues to modify and improve the nutrition standards for school meals by including more fruits, vegetables and whole grains and less sugar and processed food. In fact, this legislation could mark the end of the junk food vending machine era in schools. The Future of the School Lunch Program Assuming Congress passes the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act in November, school kids nationwide will benefit from healthier food options, as cafeterias will have enough funding to buy higher quality food. The $4.5 billion will be distributed over the next 10 years and it should put us on track to lower childhood obesity rates. However, school administrators need further help in order to make good use of these additional funds. Since they are used to buying mostly bulk frozen food, they will need to establish relationships with distributors who also deal with fresh food. Matching local farmers to schools can help bridge the gap between meat and produce, and the hungry kids who will eat it for lunch. Unfortunately, fresh and healthy food tends to cost more than frozen processed food so it’s important for schools to know how to get this food without breaking their budgets. If schools are encouraged (or forced) to remove their junk food vending machines, they need ideas on what types of machines to replace them with. Vending machines that offer healthy items like baked chips, nuts and dried fruit are available as well as drink machines that dispense milk, juice and water as opposed to sugar and chemicals. A few helpful hints, as well as a list of farmers and distributors willing to participate in the school lunch program, will help school administrators make good use of their new funds. If Congress does not pass this important legislation, it is crucial that we teach our kids which types of foods are healthy and which foods will make them grow big and strong. Schools can also help in this effort by removing junk food vending machines on their own. Replacing them with healthy vending machines is a giant step forward in limiting the sugar and empty calories kids consume when allowed to make their own snack decisions. School administrators and food service workers do the best they can with their budgets but there are ways to improve kids’ health even without $4.5 billion in help from the government. Source by Austin Brawner

As a parent, our focus always remains that our kid should eat healthy food. On the contrary, kids are known to be picky eaters and making them eat something healthy is a difficult task at times. We constantly look for recipes that are healthy and will help in increasing our baby’s weight. We should not rely only on the child weight chart to decide if the baby is healthy or not. Skinny does not mean unhealthy and similarly chubby is not a definition of health. For moms, the real challenge is to make healthy food choices look appealing. Below mentioned are few food items that are healthy and nutritious, using these we will prepare a few recipes which your little ones will gobble down in a minute. Fruits Vegetable Dry Fruits (In moderation) Pulses Oats Rice/Dalia Ghee & butter (In moderation) Khichdi: This is considered to be one of the most nutritious and healthy first food for toddlers. It is easy to make and different vegetables can be easily incorporated. It helps in weight gain and it’s easy to digest as well. Ingredients: • Rice/Dalia (half cup), • Moong Dal (half cup), • Ghee (1tsp), • Cumin Seeds (1/2 tsp) • Vegetables: Carrot, tomato, spinach, bottle guard, potato (cut into small pieces) • Spices: Salt, pepper, and Turmeric • Water (1 cup) Cooking time: 15 to 20 minutes Recipe: Pick, wash and soak rice and dal in little water. Put ghee or butter in a pressure cooker and heat it up, then put cumin seeds till it starts to splutter. If you wish you can add a pinch of asafoetida as well, it helps in digestion. Then put all the vegetables in a pressure cooker and sauté it for a while. Add all the spices like salt (as per taste), pepper (a pinch) and turmeric then let it simmer for a minute. Put rice and dal and 1 cup water. Give a couple of whistles and Voila! A perfect meal is ready for your baby. P.S. You can adjust the consistency of this dish as per your choice. Oats Pancakes: Ingredients: • Oats powder (half cup) ***roast half a cup of oats for a minute and then grind it to a powder *** • Fruits: banana, blueberry, apple, grapes • Dry fruits (Chopped and roasted) • Honey (2 tsp) • Rice powder (Half cup) • Baking powder (A pinch or two) • Milk (1.5 cup) Cooking time: 10 to 15 minutes Recipe: Mix oats powder, rice powder, sugar, salt, baking powder in a bowl. Pour milk into it and give it a good stir. Put a pan on the stove and drizzle few drops of butter. Pour a ladle full of prepared batter and spread it evenly in circular motion. Cook it on medium flame from both sides and transfer in on a plate. Layer it with chopped fruits, dry fruits, and spoon full honey on top of it. Your healthy and delicious dessert is ready and your kids will love it. P.S: You can use chocolate syrup once in a while to change the taste. Put a dollop of peanut butter on top of a pancake, drizzle some chocolate syrup and serve it to your little ones. One of the best ways to get your little ones to eat a healthy meal is to work on the presentation. Source by Divya Tandon

It matters little that whether you are cooking for your family or for a get together, all you want while you cook is a sign of pleasure on each face as they are finished with their lunch or dinner. For that you surely need some assistance and this is what makes healthy meal recipes so very important. You get some great ideas about some delicious dishes that can be cooked quickly and served fast. Here’s a healthy meal recipe that is easy to cook and sweet to eat. It takes only 30 minutes with no added sugar and is low in calories. Mixed berries and Semolina pudding o 1 | milk o A pinch of salt o 150 g semolina o 20 g butter o 2 eggs, separated o 20 g extra cold butter o 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon o 750 g berry mix (frozen) (1) Boil the milk after adding salt and butter to it. (2) As the milk starts heating up, cook the fruit according to the instruction cited on the package. (3) Stir the semolina as the milk starts boiling. Trim down the heat slowly to allow it to simmer for around 10 minutes. The mixture turns thick gradually. Keep stirring to avoid burning. (4) Include the left over butter and little beaten egg yolks. Add cinnamon also to the pudding. Mix it well, beat the egg whites to stiff, and then cautiously place them under the pudding. Mix some of the fruits, spread berries on the top for decoration, add a bit of cinnamon and it’s ready to serve. With the economic slow down of recent times eating out all the time is getting difficult for most of us. Moreover, foods containing high calorie, fat and sodium or meals packed, boxed, or frozen for a long time are giving real tough time to many of us. Easy healthy meal recipes offer you a scope to enjoy fast flavorsome meals at home. Source by Mohamed Tohami

When we think about Thanksgiving Day we think of a happy family gathering at the dinner table as we enjoy a delicious turkey meal. It is the season for spending quality time with family relatives and friends. It is also the season to give thanks and express gratitude for the blessings we have received in our lives. Turkey is an integral part of this traditional holiday feast. Not only is turkey a wonderful way to satisfy healthy appetites, but more importantly, incorporating this food into your diet is a great way to improve and protect your precious eyesight. This is due to the fact that it consists of vitamins and minerals essential in promoting good eye health. Therefore, here are some of the vision promoting benefits of turkey for better eye health: Turkey consists of the eye health promoting nutrient called Zinc. About 3 ounces of turkey provides your eyes with the daily recommended allowance for Zinc. Research suggests that this vision promoting nutrient may reduce the risk for the age related vision disorder Macular Degeneration by 25% Additionally, turkey also consists of the B vitamin called Niacin. Due to its ability to lower blood pressure it dilates blood vessels. Therefore, it benefits eye health by increasing circulation to the optic nerve in the eyes. Turkey is a healthy food that is good for your eyes also due to the fact that this traditional Thanksgiving Day food consists of vitamin A. This is a nutrient vital in promoting eye health because it improves night vision and also reduces the risks for dry eye. Here are some general health benefits of this healthy food: Turkey is a good source of protein and essential amino acids. Just one serving of this eye food supplies 65% of your daily recommended allowance for protein. It consists of trace minerals the body uses in the prevention of cancer due to its Selenium content. Selenium promotes the healthy function of the Thyroid and the immune system; therefore, it provides antioxidant protection from cancer cells in the body. It supplies the eyes with Vitamin B 3, better known as Niacin, which is essential in helping the body metabolize fats. Vitamin B 6 plays a critical role in keeping blood sugar levels in a healthy range. Ultimately, not only is turkey a good food to satisfy a healthy appetite but it also provides your eyes with the right vitamins and minerals necessary for promoting better vision health while protecting them from age related vision problems. These are wonderful reasons to make this traditional Thanksgiving Day food an important part of your diet. Source by Joel Travers King

Martha’s Vineyard Detox Diet is a diet plan that promises not only detoxification and weight loss, but also blood pressure control and energy replenishment. The main plan consists of a full twenty one day detox process, but there are two other smaller options of two days and a week’s tune up. The diet consists of high density anti-oxidant berry drinks, the herbal cleansing formula, vegetable and green powder juice, lots of herbal tea, aloe Vera supplement, enzyme capsules, home made detox soup and of course, lots of water. The instructions are all easy to find on their site but the real question is the diet’s reliability. De Luz’s book has the diet mentioned as ’21 pounds in 21 days’, the promising diet has promising signs with its recommendation of lymphatic massages, colonic and coffee enema. The experts however refer to the fact that such cleanses in general, don’t have a clinical or medical certificate to back up their claim, in fact they also mention that it is quite natural for anyone to feel better if the person breaks away from bad eating habits and starts taking in healthy food and lots of water, the real question is that how the diets affect them when used on a long term basis. A good thing that can be said about Martha’s Vineyard Detox Diet is that she says it is not only her own recipe that will detox the body, but even small ‘mini detox’ plans can also help the body, for example, a single meal consisting of cleansing foods and berry drinks through out the day, for some period of time can show a healthy and positive change as well. Source by David J. Young