Non Perishable Food List For Travel

Your food habits have a huge impact on your energy levels and even show on your skin. The dietary choices we make every day can either make us feel energetic and look good or can make us look older than our actual age. Healthy eating is beneficial for maintaining proper body weight as well as boosting the immune system. It rejuvenates your skin and improves your hair quality, thereby leaving you with glowing skin and reduced hair fall. Apart from that, it also helps to smoothen the skin, curb wrinkles and strengthen nails. Skin, during winters, can become dry, and one might not be able to protect it in the right manner despite moisturizers. Certain superfoods can help healthily protect the skin- Water: This one is one of the most important elements in our daily diet. Water gives our body and skin the much-needed boost of hydration. Consuming ample water makes the skin soft, smooth and supple. If the opposite is done, it can lead to dryness, clogged pores, wrinkles and blemishes. Further, drinking less water leaves you dehydrated that can trigger fatigue and make you look older. Fatty Acids: Omega-3 fatty acids found in walnuts, flax seeds, and fish like Salmon and Mackerel help in keeping the skin nourished. These polyunsaturated fats accelerate the production of the skin's natural oil barrier, which is critical in keeping your skin hydrated. It even makes it plumper, and younger-looking. Carrots: Carrots are rich in beta-carotene and lycopene that protect skin from UV damage. Although the sun is not too bright in winters, UV rays are still present all around us. Carrots are also packed with Vitamin A, potassium and antioxidants that keep dry skin and uneven skin tone issues at bay. Citrus Fruits: Winters are the time when fresh juicy and refreshing citrus fruits such as oranges, tangerine, grapefruit, and lime are available in abundance. These vitamin C rich fruits can be excellent winter superfoods. Some common benefits provided are - Vitamin C can help boost immunity, the water content can help keep the body hydrated, and fibre can help improve digestion. Sweet Potatoes: A winter special is loaded with tons of benefits. Sweet Potatoes are loaded with fibre which keeps the stomach full for a longer time. The high levels of beta-carotene found in sweet potatoes not only nourish the skin but also makes it glow from within. They are essential to boost immunity and help in safeguarding the body against minor ailments. The change in weather demands a change in diet. With Covid cases on a rise again, it poses a lot of health problems as we continue to work from home and there is less physical activity. Joint problems, weight gain, vitamin D deficiency, constipation are some of the common problems people are facing during self-quarantine. With winter stepping in, dry skin and hair fall also become a cause of concern. Enriching your diet with nutrient-rich foods may help deal with all these problems and let you enjoy good immunity, good skin and overall good health. (Rohit Shelatkar, VP at Vitabiotics, Fitness & Nutrition Expert) Read More► Make Your Kids Morning Happy With These Healthy Breakfast Foods

Breakfast is the most crucial meal of the day, and starting your day without one is like trying to fly a kite without wind. A nutritious breakfast is essential for children not just to give them a powerful start to the day, but also to refuel their bodies after sleep, as their brains and bodies are still developing. The most difficult task for parents is to ensure that their children have a nutritious breakfast. About 20-30 per cent of youngsters miss meals, therefore a breakfast for them should be quick, easy, filling, and, most importantly, delicious. Aditya Bagri, Director at Bagrry's shares delicious and healthy breakfast options for your kids: Wheat Bran Pancakes: Pancakes and waffles are the breakfast of champions (when it comes to fixing our tastebuds), but it doesn't need to be all unhealthy. Wheat bran, along with atta and oats, is a great substitute for maida. Just change the grain and add a lot more fibre and protein to your kid's breakfast. You can sweeten the batter with honey, jaggery, and bananas instead of sugar as well, along with some cocoa powder. Quinoa Upma: Like a veggie breakfast -why not add quinoa instead of suji to your kids' Upma? It packs a lot more protein and fibre along with Omega 3 fatty acids. Peanut Butter & Wholegrain Toast: A easy peasy peanut butter and toast combo are great for kids. Be sure to use actual wholegrain toast and unsweetened peanut butter, topped with some bananas for sweetness. You can even sprinkle some honey or chia seeds for more crunch. Oats Idli: Idli's are an all-time breakfast favourite - why not change the base from white rice to Oats along with dal, adding more fibre, more protein and better energy. Chocolate Muesli: Chocolate cereals are often laden with sugar. For older kids, muesli is a much better choice, laden with whole grains, nuts, berries and much less sugar. It gives energy for the whole day and needs no preparation time. Banana Berry Smoothie: In case parents are short on time to cook breakfast, portable breakfasts for eating on the go act as an exceptional option. The simplest sugar-free, on-the-go meal for kids is a simple blend of bananas, berries, oats, and a dash of milk. Just blend it all together and it's got the fuel needed to start your day. Overnight Oats: These are easy to prepare and way to healthy. Make them in Mason jars the night prior, and let your child customise this dish with their preferred toppings. You need to mix about 1/4 cup (26 grams) of rolled oats and 1/2 cup (120 ml) of your choice of milk in a small Mason jar. Garnish with nuts, shredded coconut, chia seeds, and dried or fresh fruits. As an alternative to cooking them, leave the jar in the fridge and allow the oats to soften overnight. Pumpkin-Quinoa Porridge: Quinoa is a quick-cooking, gluten-free grain, and this breakfast porridge packs a punch of vitamin A. Boil one part of quinoa with two parts of milk of any type and let it cook for 10 minutes on a medium-low flame. Stir in some pumpkin, cinnamon, and a pinch of nutmeg and allow it to simmer. Top it with brown sugar, chopped nuts, or shredded coconut before you serve it. Berry Yoghurt Parfaits: Layer high-protein Greek yoghurt with fresh berries and a sprinkle of granola for an easy and on-the-go meal. Read More► 68% of Indian Ultra-Processed Food Products Have Excess Salt, Sugar

Winters in India have always beckoned for that hot, steaming bowl of tomato and pepper rasam or the mellow, millet based Raab. Certain dishes like Sarson ka saag, undhiyu, nimona pulao are winter specialites in the country. Seasonal food has always been an Indian speciality we switch our choice in fruits, vegetables, sometimes even grains with the onset of a different season. The preference of using specific ingredients during certain climates is visible in our sweets as well. It's common to find local and traditional delicacies made of jaggery, instead of sugar during the winters. Case in point the Nolen Gur Rasgulla, a speciality made in Odisha and West Bengal between November to February. Celebrity chef, Sanjeev Kapoor, strongly advocates this need of eating seasonal produce. He says, "The beauty of our food is in our seasonal usage of fruits and vegetables. If you realise, Gajar ka halwa is made aplenty during winters as this is the season when beautiful red carrots hit the market or mango pickle is made during summer, thanks to its availability. Despite people and sometimes, even me, suggesting that we should eat fresh as well as seasonal fruits and vegetables, we do not know what chemicals are sprayed on them to keep them safe while they are growing. When this produce hits the market, there isn't a certifying agency like the FSSAI that will help people understand what vegetables and fruits are free of pesticides and germs and which ones don't. Hence, the onus lies on us to make them safe for consumption. ITC's Nimwash is a good solution." When it comes to winters, the Chef recommends eating these fruit and vegetables: Purple Mogri- Mogri or Radish pods are not a common sight throughout the country. But you can spot them during the winters in local markets in northern India where women pick them up to make raitas, curries and stir fries. Rich in magnesium, calcium and copper, the vegetable is known to aid people from digestive problems. Sweet Potato- A re-discovered favourite, Sweet potatoes have created a space for itself in the millennial kitchen. With its diverse addition in burgers, chips and even chat, the root vegetable is filled with nutrients such as fibres and vitamins. Avarekalu- Called Hyacinth beans in English, Avarekalu is a winter speciality in the south that is added to sambhar, saagu, rotis, etc. Bangalore is famed for its Averakalu mela during the winter months, where you can find these beans in dosas, Pani puri and even Jalebis! Thronged by crowds from all over the city, the food fest is a gourmand's delight. Amla- The Indian gooseberry is a common winter fruit found through the country. High in Vitamin C, it is known to be immunity building and extremely beneficial for the skin and hair. There are multiple ways to eat Amla - it is pickled, made into a fruit preserve called Murraba or even eaten by sprinkling salt over it. Read More► 5 Superfoods to Boost Immunity in Kids

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), the apex trade association of the country, as part of its 'Illness to Wellness' campaign and in the light of the forthcoming 'World Diabetes Day' on Saturday unveiled a report on the findings of a National Level Survey conducted on the state of Diabetes in India. The release was followed by a webinar on "Diabetes Free India" organized with the objective of cascading awareness and disseminating wisdom on diabetes management and its prevention, which was attended by a panel of eminent experts and doctors from across the country. The survey report entitled "Diabetes in India" was produced by ASSOCHAM and the Delhi-based think tank, Thought Arbitrage Research Institute (TARI). The survey was designed and conducted by IMRB-Kantar and covered 2,33,672 people and 673 public health offices in 21 state clusters covering appropriate regions and age segments. The key findings of the survey relate to the burden of diabetes and its primary causes or risk factors which lead to its rise and increasing spread in the country. According to the report, the prevalence of diabetes cases in India almost doubled from 42.6 million cases in 2005 to 85.4 cases in 2019. Globally, on the other hand, the prevalence of diabetes increased from 273.4 cases in 2005 to 460 million cases in 2019. Small wonder then that India has the dubious distinction of becoming the global hub for diabetes cases with prevalence of cases increasing from 15.6 per cent to 18.6 per cent cases in the same interval. Globally, diabetes accounts for 70.9 million DALYs (Disability-Adjusted Life Years) and 36.7 YLDs (Years Lived with Disability) in 2019. In India, diabetes accounts for 12.8 million DALYs, 6.7 million YLDs and 0.3 million deaths during the same time-period. In terms of risk factors for diabetes, dietary habits related to high intake of junk / fried foods, most common in younger people today, has highest relative risk of 47 per cent. The next highest risk factors as elicited by the survey report relate to low physical activity (38 per cent), low intake of fruits and vegetables (28 per cent), and other causes such as stress, pollution, and high consumption of alcohol and carbonated/ sugary drinks. Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Over the time, uncontrolled diabetes leads to serious body's systems damage, especially the nerves and blood vessels. There are ample studies conducted by RSSDI (Research Society for the Study of Diabetes in India) which emphatically depict and highlights that diabetes is a major cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke, and lower limb amputation. The survey outlines the prevalence landscape of diabetes in that it accounts for 25 per cent of all NCDs in India at a rate of 2.9 percent. The disease incidence increases significantly in individuals above 35 years of age and affects men more than women. The report also finds that about 16.8 per cent of the male adult population (15 years) and 14.6 per cent of the female adult population (15 years) on average are estimated to be diabetic. Prevalence of diabetes is highest in southern states including Puducherry, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and lowest in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. In terms of sufferers seeking treatment for diabetes, the survey presented some important insights in this regard too. About 7 per cent of the respondents who were suffering from diabetes stated that they were not seeking any treatment at all. However, more than 56 per cent of the respondents stated that they are seeking treatment for more than one year, a fact testifying to the indisputable and inevitable morbidity of this disease. Diabetes is proven through studies to be associated with a high risk of cardiac arrest and there have been substantial increases in new cases of diabetes during the Covid-19 pandemic due to various reasons. In the current situation, diabetes has become a serious health concern since large numbers of patients are already vulnerable to the coronavirus. Thus, diabetic patients affected by Covid-19 can cause a major health crisis. Reports show that large occurrence of diabetes makes it a serious comorbidity in Covid-19 patients. Diabetes also imposes a substantial burden on society in the form of higher medical costs, lost productivity, premature mortality, and intangible costs in the form of reduced quality of life. Setting the tone for the panel discussion at the webinar, Anil Rajput, Chairperson, ASSOCHAM CSR Council, said: "This year marks the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin. It is, however, unfortunate that diabetes has been underrated as a global public health issue. This needs to be addressed on priority and we as a nation need to take urgent important steps to address this challenge. It is a fact that diabetes is one of the top three NCDs in India and with each year the burden of this disease is rising." Dr. Banshi Saboo, President, Research Society for Study of Diabetes in India (RSSDI), said: "Diabetes prevention must be part of a larger national mission. Students should be taught 'Health Science' as a subject in schools which can help in preventing this disease and creating awareness about healthy lifestyles among our future generations. We must also change the age limit for the cyclical three-year testing protocol for sugar from 30 years presently to 25 years of age." Dr. (Col.) Sudhir Tripathi, Chairperson and HOD, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital New Delhi, said: "Diabetes can be prevented even at the pregnancy stage. Healthy mothers give birth to healthy children. We must also educate and inform people that this disease is reversible with healthy lifestyle and timely interventions. Babies who are healthier, not obese, have a far lesser risk of developing diabetes in adulthood. It is advised that we must now have a National Diabetes Month in November to spread awareness and access about diabetes amongst people." Dr. Dinesh Agarwal, Senior Consultant Internist and Head of Department, Department of Medicine Marwari Hospitals, Vice Chairman, RSSDI Assam Chapter, said: "One of the key risk factors and causes of diabetes is stress and junk food. Even children undergo a huge amount of stress these days due to a highly competitive and strained environment. It is a fact that stress leads to hormonal changes which in turn can trigger diabetes in individuals. Add to this the fact that lack of exercise among both children and adults lead to an onset of the disease which could have easily avoided by following simple steps." Dr. Rajesh Kesari, Founder and Director, Total Care Control, Delhi-NCR, said: "Diabetes free India is a dream for all of us. Diabetes, a chronic disease, has so many affected all of us either as families or as individuals. It is important to control this disease because not only does it cause many other diseases or co-morbidities and complications to take place, but also leads to a huge economic burden. The interesting aspect here is that 95 per cent of diabetes can be prevented, and it is important that we all work towards this." The webinar was addressed by Shri Anil Rajput, Chairperson, ASSOCHAM CSR Council; Dr. Kaushik Dutta, Founder and Co-Director, Thought Arbitrage Research Institute (TARI), New Delhi and eminent doctors which included - Dr. Banshi Saboo, President, Research Society for Study of Diabetes in India (RSSDI), Dr. (Col.) Sudhir Tripathi, Chairperson and HOD, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital New Delhi, Dr. Dinesh Agarwal, Senior Consultant Internist and Head of Department, Department of Medicine Marwari Hospitals, Vice Chairman, RSSDI Assam Chapter, and Dr. Rajesh Kesari, Founder and Director, Total Care Control, Delhi-NCR. Read More► Is Pregnancy Related Low Back Pain Sciatica?