Healthtips , Health News, Health Care and Fitness,Health and Nutrition Tips

Is it possible to stay fit while your work makes you travel most days of the month? Some frequent fliers tell us  ...  So you're on the right side of 30, and after making a resolution on your birthday to 'take charge of your fitness', you renewed your gym membership and replenished your kitchen shelves with healthy stuff. However, while you are in town, you are so busy with social commitments over food and drinks that it is practically  impossible to keep track of your diet and fitness.  Hotshot frequent fliers lead a different life. One that's all about hotel reservations, eating-on-the-move and tackling jetlag. Some, however, manage to stay fit despite the chaos. We asked four such high-fliers how they streamlined their diet and exercise regimen as they zip across the world.  Dr Swati Piramal As director of a healthcare company, Dr Piramal goes to  Delhi  from  Mumbai , or to other metros, at least once a week, a...

With the 6-meal-a-day diet catching up among weight watchers. We talk to nutritionists to weight the pros and cons  Weight Watchers Inc. in the city these days is now swearing by the six-meal-a-day diet. And it's understandable why the 'Eat and lose weight' tagline is so tempting to dieters, as a "major chunk of people who come in for diet counselling in the city are weight watchers who have had a relapse!" reveals Dr Damayanthi from the National Institute of Nutrition. Another interesting fact she reveals is that "almost 90 per cent of them are working women in the 30 plus age group, who go on unsustainable crash diets and then revert back to their old eating ways emerging a couple of kilos heavier than before!" Harita Shyam, head of the dietetics department in a leading city hospital, confirms this, "Usually people who go on severe diets lose weight rapidly in a short span of time, but once off the diet they gain the lost weight and more....

Forget starving and gruelling gym sessions, just follow the Atkins diet or the calorie-counting ' Weight Watchers' plan and do away with love handles, says a new study.  A study of four popular weight loss plans showed that dieters lost an average of 11 pounds over two months by following the Atkins plan, while the calorie-counting 'Weight Watchers' method helped people shed more than 10 pounds. Individuals who followed the Slim Fast Plan and a Rosemay Conley diet plan, both lost on average between eight and nine pounds.  Despite claims that the low-carbohydrate Atkins diet could be dangerous due to its reliance on red meat and fat, researchers also found that all the diets tested were healthy.  Helen Truby worked with a team of academics from United Kingdom universities who studied the different diet plans. She said, "These disappointing findings suggest that people remain resistant to the advice to 'eat more fruit an...

How does going on a diet help fight ageing? Scientists have found some anti- ageing molecules that get activated by a low calorie diet.  Charles Mobbs , professor of neuro-science and geriatrics at   Mount Sinai School of Medicine   (MSSM), and colleagues unravelled a molecular conundrum to determine that in certain conditions, a lower-calorie diet slows the development of some age-related conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.   How the diet is restricted -- whether fats, proteins or carbohydrates are cut -- does not seem to matter.   Dietary restriction induces a transcription factor (   DNA binding   protein that turns genes on or off) called CREB-binding protein (CBP), which controls the activity of genes that regulate cellular function.   By developing drugs that mimic the protective effects of CBP -- those usually caused by dietary restriction -- scientists may be able to extend lifespan and reduce vulnerability to age-rel...

Whole peanuts also known as earthnuts, ground nuts, or pygmy nuts contain high amount of protein, which makes it a preferred diet of those people engaged in body-building and also those who are underweight.  In fact, not many know this but the raw peanut butter with crushed skin contains much higher amounts of nutrient than refined 'nut-only' butter. But whichever form you prefer it in, there's no denying its health   benefits .   - Peanuts contain high concentrations of antioxidant polyphenols, primarily a compound called p-coumaric acid. Roasting peanuts increases its p-coumaric acid levels, boosting it overall antioxidant content by as much as 22 per cent. Roasted peanuts rival the antioxidant content of blackberries and strawberries, and are far richer in antioxidants than apples, carrots or beets.   - Unsalted peanuts are good for your arteries. One quarter cup of peanuts contains as much monounsaturated fat as a tablespoon of olive oil. Mon...

Do you send your car for maintenance after some time so that when it comes out from the mechanic, you can hear the vroom sound again? Well, same for us humans - we need to detox too - too much accumulated toxins can aggravate your sinus, or do you feel low at times or need to shed a few pounds for that beach party? Time to make a clean start and start this 5-day detox plan - safe and natural. If you have not been exercising, try to brisk walk daily for about 15-30 minutes, breathe deeply - relaxing and instantly relief your sinus! Day 1-3 Eat a diet of fresh fruit and green vegetables only. Sources of fruits - Papaya - Vitamin C for its antihistamine effect Apples - an apple a day keeps the doctor or even the dentist away still rings true as it contains pectin and moves any accumulation of decayed residue from foods Pineapples - has enzyme bromelain, purifies the stomach and kills offensive bacteria and sinus is caused by bacteria . Grapes, berries - cleanse the mucus Sources of veget...

Have you tried out every trick in the book to lose weight – crash diets, gyms, or simply starving yourself?  Now, try a simple trick – drink a glass or two of   water   before meals, as that’s the best way to curb appetite and shed those pounds – says a new research.   Scientists have reported that just two 8-ounce glasses of water taken before meals, can lead to weight loss.   “In this recent study, we found that over the course of 12 weeks, dieters who drank water before meals, three times per day, lost about 5 pounds more than dieters who did not increase their water intake," said   Brenda Davy   of   Virginia Tech   in Blacksburg.   The simple reason is that it fills up the stomach with a substance that has zero calories. People feel fuller as a result, and eat less calorie-containing food during the meal.   And it gets even better if you replace sweetened calorie-containing beverages with it.   Although there’s...

Blame it on SRK’s six-pack-magic, Aamir’s eight-pack-charisma or Priyanka’s hot bikini bod, but flaunting the flattest tummy and a set of well toned abs is the latest dream for many youngsters.  But, they usually tend to forget that it takes more than just basic crunches and crash dieting to carve a drool worthy, flat stomach. Explains fitness trainer, Deanne Pandey, “Ab exercises + cardio exercises + right diet – this is the most effective formula to achieve well-toned abdominal muscles. Missing upon any one of these will take away the real impact of an abs-workout.”  “An ideal diet and workout for every individual depends upon his/her weight loss requirement, body type and body shape,” suggests Pandey. For instance, a pear shaped person may indulge in a less strenuous workout and minimal diet modifications to get the desired tummy in comparison to an apple shaped body, who is usually heavy in the tummy area.  Here are a set of workout ...

So you have been dieting all this while and also keep a check on what you eat, still you feel you aren't losing much weight. Or does it come back after sometime? We help you find out 6 evil factors that doom your diet.  Don’t give your food power:  It’s all in your mind. Food can’t make you eat it. Some people talk as if a chocolate bar holds them down, forcing them to eat it. You have the power to say No to food.   Good versus bad food:  So you think there are good and bad foods? Incorrect. Food is food; it could be fatty, salty, sweet, and low in fat, high in fibre, high in protein. You have to find the right balance and ensure that your body is not deprived of food.   Dieting can’t go on forever:  You feel heavy today and you go on a   diet   plan. Once you lose the excess weight, you go off the diet. If you follow this pattern, you are most likely to regain all the weight. So eat well but eat right.  

Want to have a healthy heart? Practice yoga daily as Indian researchers have claimed that breathing exercises, stretching, relaxation and meditation improve heart health  .   According to the researchers at IIT-Roorkee in Uttarakhand, heart rate variability, a sign of a healthy heart, has been shown to be higher in yoga practitioners than in non-practitioners.   Ramesh Kumar Sunkaria,   Vinod Kumar   and   Suresh Chandra Saxena   of the   Electrical Engineering Department   evaluated two small groups of men in order to see whether yoga can improve heart health.   The team said that in their preliminary study of 84 volunteers, there was strengthening of parasympathetic (vagal) control in subjects who regularly practice yoga, which is indicative of better autonomic control over heart rate and so a healthier heart.   They analysed the "HRV spectra" of the electrocardiograms (ECG) of 42 healthy male volunteers who were...

Grandma always had this little friend in her kitchen kingdom to reign over recipes. For a winsome stride over sumptuous savories or for a strict check on common ailments, Badam added crunch, delight and nutrition to every thing from shrikhand and kheer to sherbat and pinni.   Then rampaged the calorie revolution and the notion that nuts are “not” for the cholesterol-conscious. But the good news is that almonds actually lower the cholesterol levels, at least that is what the Almond Board of California and its recently-formed Indian Almond Advisory Board preach.   Chandigarh Times finds more from Dr Achintya Moulick, a city-based cardio-vascular surgeon who is also a part of the five-member almond advisory board that includes educationists, doctors and nutritionists to highlight the importance of balanced dietary patterns and healthy snacking habits among Indians.  

A daily intake of almonds could significantly decrease levels of two biomarkers for oxidative stress in people with high cholesterol, according to a study by scientists at Tufts University in Boston, Mass.  Coauthor   Jeffrey Blumberg   and colleagues found that almonds successfully lowered plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) and urinary isoprostanes levels in a group of 27 male and female volunteers with elevated cholesterol.   Blumberg is the director of the   Antioxidants Research Laboratory   at the Jean Mayer   USDA Human Nutrition Research Center   on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts   The researchers analysed blood and urine samples from the subjects who had consumed three different dietary treatments, consisting of the same amount of calories each, for one month.   The study was a crossover, randomised clinical trial, so each subject received each treatment in random order.  

The King of Fruits has several benefits, so indulge your senses this season in some mangoes.  Not only do they taste great, but   mangoes   are also loaded with several qualities that are excellent for your health. They are rich in powerful antioxidants that are known to neutralise free radicals that cause damage to cells and lead to health problems like heart disease, premature aging and cancer among other things. Here’s why you should consume them...   - With its high iron content, mangoes are excellent for pregnant women and those who suffer from anaemia. But do consult with your doctor beforehand on how much is suitable.   - Constantly complaining about clogged pores? Place mango slices on your skin and then wash off after 10 minutes.   - If you suffer from indigestion problems, nothing will help you as much as a mango. They’re known to give relief from acidity and aid proper digestion since they contain digestive enzymes that help ...

Aerobic activity may help keep the brain young, says a new research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine.  In the study, physically active elderly people showed healthier cerebral blood vessels.  Researchers led by Elizabeth Bullitt, M.D., Van L. Weatherspoon Distinguished Professor of neurosurgery, used non-invasive magnetic resonance (MR) angiography to examine the number and shape of blood vessels in the brains of physically active elderly people, 7 men and 7 women, ages 60 to 80. The study subjects were equally divided into 2 groups. The high activity group reported participating in an aerobic activity for a minimum of 180 minutes per week for the past 10 consecutive years, and the low activity group told investigators they had no history of regular exercise and currently spent less than 90 minutes a week in any physical activity. Aerobically active subjects exhibited more small-diameter vessels with less tortuo...

Back pain is one of the most common complaints among people of all classes, affecting both men and women. Earlier the vanguard for old age, back pain has now become a major cause for concern for the late 20’s to 40’s age group. Back pain affects any of the 26 bones connected by muscles, ligaments and discs that constitute the spine.  Back pain is mainly of three types. When the soft tissues in the spinal column get stressed due to poor posture, it is called Postural Syndrome. When the fluid nucleus in the disc gets pushed out of the normal position, or ‘slipped disc’, the other tissues come under tremendous pressure. This is called Derangement Syndrome. Dysfunction Syndrome is the shortening of the muscles, joints, ligaments and other soft tissues resulting in limited movement and sporadic back pain.   Dr Kaushal Malhan, Joint Replacement Surgeon says, “75 per cent to 80 per cent patients today complain of severe back pain due to poor posture. The changes in occupation, a ...

  Climbing stairs  can help you stay fit, say researchers in Ireland.  They came to the conclusion after analyzing benefits of climbing stairs once or twice over the course of a workday.   “I think the key thing here, is that stair-climbing is one of the few everyday activities at a moderate to high intensity that one can do surreptitiously without having to change, use special equipment or look foolish,”   The Globe and Mail  quoted Colin Boreham, a professor at the   University College Dublin Institute for Sport   and Health as saying.   In the study, boffins asked eight undergraduate women to undertake an eight-week program that started with climbing a 199-step staircase twice a day, five days a week, climbing 90 steps a minute.   Compared to a group of matched controls, 17 per cent of aerobic   fitness   increased in the stair-climbers and reduced harmful LDL cholesterol by 8 per cent.   By the end of the stu...

From yoga to belly dancing, people are shunning gyms for more interesting forms of workouts  Gym   memberships are going down as people opt for   fitness   forms like yoga, dancing, Pilates and kickboxing, confesses the manager of an elite New Delhi-based gym. On the other hand, he says, fitness classes are usually full. Finally, one can give the gym a miss, as an increasing number of people shift from gyms to other ‘interesting’ forms of workouts. Belly dance classes, aerobics, swimming, spinning and Pilates routines are popular. Admits socialite Kitty Kalra, who is a fitness buff but hates the traditional gym routine, “I now focus on Pilates and power yoga. I believe in a variety of workouts since I get bored easily. It keeps my energy and interest going!” Several people confess that they started their fitness routine with a gym but then soon tired of it. Actor   Shah Rukh Khan   too was recently advised to try   belly dancing   to maintain hi...

Love to have your food with extra pepper? Well, other than spicing up your taste buds, it will also help you lose those extra inches around the waist.  Food scientists have said that hot peppers contain a substance called capsaicin that can actually cause your body to heat up.   However, now researchers have found growing evidence that the body-heat-generating power of peppers might even lend a hand in our quest to lose those extra inches accumulating around the waistline.   And fortunately for those who do not appreciate the "burn" of hot peppers, there are plants that make a non-burning version of capsaicin called dihydrocapsiate (DCT) that could have the benefits of peppers without the pungency.   In a study aimed to test the weight-loss potential of this DCT containing, non-spicy cousin of hot peppers, researchers at the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition set out to document its ability to increase heat production in human subjects consuming a weight-loss di...