Lifestyle Changes Help You Ease Your Period Pains

Fruit is great for weight loss because it is low calorie, high fibre, and water content. Fruit is nature's quick snack and is a great source of vitamins and other elements that help maintain a healthy diet. Fruit has vitamins and minerals that the body needs in abundance. According to Dr. Archana Batra, a dietician and a certified diabetes educator, "Many people consume fruit wrongly, which might cause more harm than benefit if not corrected." She also shares a list of mistakes one makes when eating fruit. Combining fruit with anything else- Fruit breaks down faster than any other food. When combined with other foods, it can cause the formation of toxins in the body known as ama. This is due to the fact that food pairing can slow down digestion. Fruit must stay in the stomach for as long as the heaviest food takes to digest, making nutrient absorption difficult. It begins to ferment in the digestive juices, which is usually toxic and may raise the possibility of illness and other health conditions. It is therefore preferable to consume it separately. Fruit at nighttime- It is best to avoid anything 2-3 hours before going to bed because it interferes with the digestive system. This holds true for fruit as well. Fruit consumption right before bed has a high chance of disrupting sleep because it releases a lot of sugar, which spikes energy levels when the body should be resting. At night, our ability to absorb and assimilate nutrients is significantly reduced. In addition, eating fruits late at night may cause acidity symptoms. Fruit should be consumed as an evening snack and no later than that. Drink water immediately- Not only children but also adults, are frequently observed drinking water immediately after eating fruit. Drinking water after eating fruit can cause the pH level of the digestive system to become unbalanced, especially consuming fruit with a high water content like watermelon, muskmelon, cucumber, orange, and strawberry. This is because fruit with a lot of water in it can change the pH balance by reducing the acidity of your stomach. Experts warn that doing so can result in serious illnesses such as diarrhoea or cholera. You are not eating the skin- When it comes to vitamins and antioxidants, the peel is frequently the best part. Apple peels, for example, are high in fibre, vitamin C, and A. Eating the skin may even be the key to lowering your risk of obesity and cancer, according to research. (N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe)

'Healthy lifestyle' a common phrase that has come under much scrutiny over the last couple years, has some of us checking our calorie count with every meal intake, and most of us aiming to achieve it, but never being able to. Despite alarming facts that reveal the sorry state of the Indian population's heart health, and India accounting for approximately 60 per cent of the world's heart diseases, it becomes an important consideration. We know that hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, or obesity can impact our health negatively. These can be caused by our poor lifestyle choices. Our sedentary lifestyles have led to reduced levels of physical activity, coupled with the lack of moderation and imbalance in our food habits that include excess consumption of processed foods high in refined sugar, salt and high-in fat consisting of saturated and trans-fat. The key to minimising health risks is not as hard as you may think. Starting small and adopting simple dietary and lifestyle changes can help in maintaining overall heart health. Choose Granola Bars Over Indian Dessert We Indians have a sweet tooth and crave for something sweet with our meals, but most of the time we go overboard with the consumption of desserts which have excessive amount of sugar. Over consumption of sugar for long period of time accumulates as fat in the body causing weight gain. Even though sugar is part of our regular diet one needs to be mindful about the consumption pattern, portion sizes and should go for a snack which is more ideal. Granola bars are a quick snack for those who need a power boost but make sure you use low amounts of sugar. Homemade granola bars can be made at home with oats, berries, edible seeds and dry fruits that are high sources of fibre and protein. Soluble fibre helps to reduce LDL levels i.e., bad cholesterol and blood pressure which will keep your heart healthy. Swap Fruit Juices With Whole Fruits Consuming whole fruits in the morning helps in better absorption of vitamins from the fruits. However, people choose the convenient option and consume fruit juices. Natural and canned fruit juices are a concentrated sources of sugars without the benefit of fibre. Hence, it is advisable to include whole fruits as part of your breakfast, which have nutrients like fibre, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. Seasonal fruits can be a good way to include fruits in your breakfast every day. Choose Blended Oils Over Single Seed Oils Our day-to-day cooking requires oil in almost all our meals, therefore choosing the right oil is a simple change for overall health. Though single seed oils like ground nut, soybean, canola etc. do have health benefits, they are not enough to provide the right balance of fatty acids which are recommended in our diet. A healthier switch would be opting for multi-source oils, also known as blended oils. Blended oils with antioxidants have multiple benefits like providing nutrition from fats and improving immunity. It is prepared by combining two or more oils into one to obtain benefits of two oils in one. They are scientifically blended to provide good balance of MUFAs and PUFAs that help manage cholesterol. Choosing a blended oil like Saffola Gold Blended Oil as part of your everyday diet can help in keeping your heart healthy. It has natural antioxidants that help build immunity and gives you benefits of oryzanol that helps lower your cholesterol. Additionally, it has LOSORB technology which helps in absorbing lower quantities of oil during frying compared to other cooking oils. The oil is a blend of Rice Bran Oil which is rich in MUFA and Sunflower Oil which is rich in PUFA; and hence, gives you a good balance of MUFA and PUFA, which is beneficial for your heart health. Lower Sodium and Saturated Fat Rich Snack Foods The American Heart Association and Indian Council of Medical Research recommend ideal consumption of sodium to be no more than 2000 mg a day. Processed foods like chips, crackers or white bread as an evening snack has become a norm amongst adults these days and these foods are usually high in sodium and saturated fat. It is important to check nutritional labels before purchasing processed foods to assess the amount of sodium and saturated fat you are consuming. You can also opt for a healthy switch and consume foods like fruits, sprouts, oats, yogurt or millet based foods for snacks. Swap Fast Food With Healthy Alternatives Working professionals living sedentary lifestyles tend to depend on fast food to satisfy their hunger pangs. Fast food could have excess amounts of saturated fats, refined sugar and sodium, increasing the possibility of obesity, diabetes, hypertension and cholesterol imbalance. To counter this, a simple habit of eating healthy alternatives like hummus wrap, savoury oatmeal, and millet dosas can be relished. Chickpeas, oats, millet flour and veggies have great source of plant-based protein and fiber which improves your good gut bacteria and have low glycemic Index that helps to control blood sugar levels. Leafy vegetables like spinach, cabbage, fenugreek leaves, kale and collard greens are high in fibre, vitamins and minerals that promote overall health and heart health. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can seem overwhelming, especially with all the information out there. However, breaking down your health goals and making simple, easy changes to your everyday habits can help achieve a healthy lifestyle. (N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe)

Dengue fever is rampant and its incidents have grown over time. Each year, mosquito bites cause dengue fever to strike millions of people around the world. With the arrival of monsoon, cases in India begin to climb and experience a dramatic increase in the months that follow. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi reported around 900 dengue cases in the city in October, based on its statistics. In order to promote speedy healing and strengthen immunity, it's critical to keep a mindful diet and consume foods that are strong in vitamins and nutrients. "While patients are advised to take proper rest and drink plenty of fluids in order to recover fast and prevent dehydration, there are some super foods that help regain one's strength. Varun Khurana, Founder & CEO Otipy shares below the list of superfruits that help one recover faster from the illness and support overall health. Kiwi As per various studies Kiwi fruit has been found to have a strong therapeutic effect on dengue fever and other concomitant symptoms. It contains copper, which is particularly important for the production of healthy red blood cells and enhancing resistance to infection. It is also a rich source of potassium, vitamin E, and vitamin A which maintains the body's electrolyte balance. We can talk about immunity also since Kiwi has good amount of Vitamin C & natural immunity is important in fighting against Dengue etc. Pomegranate Pomegranate stands out for its high iron content. It aids in preserving a healthy blood platelet count, which is necessary for recovering from dengue. Its consumption has an overall positive impact on the body; It combats fatigue and exhaustion, which is common in dengue and persists for several weeks after recovery in the acute stage. Malta Citrus fruits are proven to be beneficial for dengue patients. Malta has a high concentration of antioxidants and vitamin C. Patients with dengue infection are susceptible to dehydration and Malta helps the body stay hydrated along with fighting fatigue, and boosting immunity. A simple cup of Malta juice added to the patient's daily meal can significantly strengthen their immune system. Papaya Papaya extract is a good source of the digestive enzymes papain and chymopapain, which help with digestion, stop bloating, and treat other digestive issues. Papaya leaves are the highly recommended remedy to fight dengue and consumed widely. 30ml of freshly squeezed papaya leaf juice aids in the treatment of dengue by boosting platelet count. Coconut Water It is a natural source of water which provides essential minerals and electrolytes. In most cases, dehydration follows dengue and coconut water has adequate minerals and salts which keeps the body hydrated. A Lot of fluid intake is recommended for quick recovery and coconut water is one of the essential and readily available fluids that helps the body heal faster. Dragon Fruit Along with being packed with potent antioxidants, high fibre and iron content, it is also a rich source of vitamin C. It boosts cellular immunity of the patients and protects against dengue hemorrhagic fever. Dengue fever often causes acute pain in the bones and dragon fruit helps in restoring bone strength and increases hemoglobin due to its powerful antioxidant properties. Banana Bananas come under the category of easily digestible fruits. In order to recover fast from dengue's consequences, the patients are advised to consume food that is easy to digest and has sufficient amounts of nutrients and maintain a balanced diet. In addition to being one of the best foods that help with digestion, they are rich in Potassium, vitamin B6, and vitamin C which acts as a booster in recovering from the disease. While the primary need is to get the necessary medical care, the aforementioned superfoods being a rich source of vital vitamins and minerals are highly recommended as they act as a booster for a quick recovery. (Varun Khurana, Founder & CEO of Otipy) Read More► 3 Snacks to Help Manage Diabetes!

Consistency is among the most underappreciated aspects of fitness. We frequently place a lot of emphasis on the most efficient kind of exercise or what's popular right now, but consistency-building is typically given less attention. The best fitness programme in the world won't help you if you don't stick to it. Because of this, adherence is regarded as the most important component of any workout programme. A number of aspects, including nutrition, the correct activity programming, and motivation, go into making progress; if any one of these factors fails, it will have a domino effect that will cause you to fail or stagnate. To maintain the proper frame of mind and sufficient drive, one must adhere to and be consistent with their actions. With fitness goals, consistency helps to motivate people and fosters a sense of accomplishment. Consistency maintenance becomes crucial because of this. This implies that not every session will be fantastic, but what counts is that you showed up, made an effort to move toward your objective, and maintained the momentum. Everybody experiences days when exercising or working out is completely out of the question, and it's these days that can make or break the momentum. We must make sure that these days are worthwhile. This does not imply that you should work out intensely. Simply put, this means that at the conclusion of days like this, we need to know that we exerted every effort to engage in activities and that we made progress toward our goal. In order to keep up with our routine on days when we lack motivation, we must engage in enjoyable or simple activities. Here, there are a few straightforward things that can be done. Some of the easiest things to keep up momentum when you are having a rough day are as follows: Step Count This is a seamless way to ensure that activity gets done without dedicating a separate time to work out. On busy days or days of poor motivation having a step target of something like 10k steps helps you get some activity done without hitting the gym. This can be spread across the day and can be done at your own pace Walk/Jog You do not need an intense workout all the time to reach your goals. Some days backing off and going on a nice long walk can serve as an activity to make sure that you keep up your consistency while also ensuring you clear your mind from a tough day's work. It is very important to not have a black-or-white mindset with exercise and understand that not all days have to be intense. Home Workout Not all days have to be intense gym workouts with plenty of machines and weights. Home workouts are a simple and effective way to get done with the activity of the day while still getting in an effective session. The following is a quick and simple way to do a super simple home workout Warm-up Upper body warm-up (e.g. arm swings or Shoulder rotations) - 10 reps Lower body warm-up (e.g. leg swings or High knees) - 10 reps Primary Workout circuit (Repeat them one after another for 5 rounds) Exercise 1 - Core (Eg, Crunches or Tall plank sh taps) - 15 reps Lower-body exercise 1 (Eg, Bodyweight Squats or lunges) - 15 reps Upper body exercise 1 (Eg Wall push-ups or push-ups) - 10 reps High-intensity exercise 1 (Eg Inchworms or burpees) - 10 reps Cool down Shoulder stretch - 30 seconds/side Hamstring stretch - 30 seconds/side The above is just an example and please be sure to consult your doctor before starting any physical activity or exercise routine. Casual Sports These days there are so many apps that can help us to quickly be a part of nearby sports and game activities like football, cricket, badminton, tennis, etc. This is a great way to keep it interesting while getting a good high-intensity session in. The great part is that you'll be able to socialize and gain some new friends too in the process. These are a few strategies you can use to maintain your momentum when things get challenging or when you're lacking motivation. Always keep in mind that any improvement is better than none at all. Read More► The importance of a workout regime to check diabetes