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

Eating Right Eating the right foods and the right amounts of foods can help you live a longer, healthier life. Research has proven that many illnesses—such as diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure—can be prevented or controlled by eating right. Getting the nutrients you need, such as calcium and iron, and keeping your weight under control can help. Try to balance the calories you get from food with the calories you use through physical activity (select for more information about physical activity). It is never too late to start eating right. Here are some helpful tips. Eat a variety of foods, especially:   Vegetables. Choose dark-green leafy and deep-yellow vegetables.   Fruits. Choose citrus fruits or juices, melons, and berries.   Whole grains, such as wheat, rice, oats, corn, and barley.   Whole grain breads and cereals. Eat foods low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol, especially:    Fish.    Poultry prepared without skin; lean meat.    Low-fat dairy products.

A recent research has suggested that tricking people into thinking they have taken caffeine before a workout makes them train harder.  A   Coventry University   expert has shown powerful ways the mind can force the body to work harder, reports the Scotsman.   For the experiment, each of 12 cyclists drank 250ml of fluid containing artificial sweetener and then either caffeine or a placebo before the 30-second trial.   Tests were carried out to measure power, heart rate and the build-up of lactic acid.   The four cyclists who were told they would receive caffeine and were given caffeine showed the highest sprint power.  

A child's lunchbox may not only hold secrets to better physical health but can help a child mentally prepare for learning, says a new study.  "Parents can make the school day easier for their children by providing nutritious and yummy breakfasts, lunches, and snacks that promote optimal learning," said   Karin Richards , director of the Exercise Science and   Wellness Management   program and director of   Health Sciences   at   University of the Sciences .   Richards suggests the following while planning a lunchbox for your children:   Incorporate at least three types of foods into each meal – including protein, carbohydrates – carbs will give your child energy while the protein will satisfy the appetite for a longer period of time.   Encourage them to try new and interesting fruits and vegetables like kiwi, papaya.   Experiment with breakfast - Thin crust pizza, peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat, a grilled chicken sandwich, or last night's leftovers

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, apart from flying abroad once every quarter. But

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 and vegetables', even when they are a

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-related illnesses, says an MSSM release.   The