Six kitchen drop-outs...

You might be following the dos and don'ts of a healthy lifestyle — avoiding fried, unhealthy stuff, watching what you eat and exercising well.

However, small things you miss tend to have a huge impact. Fact is, food is bombarded with chemicals in some way or the other and you invariably end up making the mistakes you were desperately trying to avoid. The solution — be informed and aware. Here are six easy dietary tips that can save you from life-threatening diseases.

How to use salt

The common table salt you buy from your grocery is bleached and leached of all its minerals. This 'refined' or 'iodized' salt also includes additives including aluminium silicate (to make it free flowing), dextrose, bleaching elements and chemicals. Salt is vital to your body, but it's important to have the right type.

Solution: Switch to unrefined crystal rock salt (sendha namak). it contains 84 of the 92 trace minerals and that too in the same proportions as the human body does. It also has calcium and magnesium.

Avoid tea bags

Switching to green or herbal tea is a good choice, but tea bags can negate all the good effects. They are manufactured using a compound called epichlorohydrin, which is also used as an insecticide and to manufacture plastics. The bags are bleached to look white, and the edges are heat-sealed using chemicals. Drop by drop we absorb these chemicals into our bodies and weaken our immune system.

Solution: Use natural tea leaves

Food labels

If you don't recognise - or can't pronounce - the words on a food label, don't buy it. First, check for expiry date. Any product with a shelf life of two to three years is bad. While purchasing oil, check the chemicals mentioned.

Solution: Here's a quick guide:

- Avoid products containing nitrates and nitrites, sulphur dioxide, sodium benzoate, coloring, BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene), BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole), MSG (ajinomoto), refined or bleached flour.

- Avoid products containing sugar substitutes such as saccharine or aspartame.

- Avoid food that has been genetically modified or engineered. Nearly all processed food contains GMOs.

- Avoid products made with ingredients described as 'natural flavouring' or 'natural colouring'.

- Avoid products with added sugar – watch for words ending in "ose", e.g. glucose.

Water before and after meals

Naturopathy believes water is unhealthy for the body 30 minutes before and one hour after any cooked meal. If you have water before meals, it settles in your system before you've started eating. The enzymes released to aid digestion get diluted and they can't be as effective. Similarly when you have a meal it roughly takes 40 minutes to an hour to digest, and this process gets affected if you have water during or immediately after eating.

Solution: Chew food really well; the body generates its own fluid through saliva to aid digestion. And if you have something too spicy and have a lime shot instead of water.

Oily truths

Don't fall for oils that make tall claims. Through a refining process, crude oils are standardized, using water, salts, acids, alkali, clay, pressurized hydrogen and catalyst metals. Oil is further processed, filtered, deodorized and bleached, stripping it of its vitamins, minerals and enzymes.

Solution: Use unrefined sesame or mustard oil. Don't use extra virgin olive oil for cooking as it has a low burn point. Cold pressed, unrefined oils are best used in their natural state.

Know your plastic

Adopt these two measures: No plastic containers or wraps in the microwave. No plastic water bottles. For dioxin, a chemical that's highly poisonous to cells and causes cancer, is present in plastic and freezing water-filled plastic bottles releases it. Similarly, the combination of fat, high heat and plastics releases dioxin so don't heat fatty food in plastic containers in the microwave.

Solution: Use glass or ceramic containers for heating food and glass jars or bottles for storing water. While having instant noodles or soups, remove the contents from the packet or container and heat them in something else.

Superfoods for the stomach

This monsoon, eat foods that enable fast digestion.

Ginger: Ginger contains an active constituent gingerol, which is responsible for its hot, pungent taste, as well as its stimulating and healing properties. Ginger is often used as a therapeutic spice, working on the digestive system by encouraging secretion of digestive enzymes.


Fennel: (SAUNF) Fennel contains anethole, which stimulates secretion of digestive and gastric juices. Fennel also contains aspartic acid, which acts as an anti-flatulent.
It is no wonder, many of us are in the habit of chewing fennel seeds after meals. Fennel is a digestive herb with many medicinal and culinary uses. It acts as a popular "after mint".


Yoghurt : Yoghurt contains probiotics which are responsible for several activities in the gut; such as producing lactase; killing harmful bacteria and improving digestive tract function.


Fenugreek: (METHI) I Fenugreek leaves and seeds assist digestion, help relieve constipation and help overcome flatulence.
Tip: You can soak fenugreek seedsovernight and eat them next morning tohelp relieve you from digestive disorders.


Mint: Mint is used as a treatment for indigestion, colic, heartburn and flatulence. It also can stimulate the appetite and cure nausea and headaches.


Peppermint tea can help soothe a dry throat.


Bay leaf: Bay leaves are used to treat migraines, stressand anxiety. They also improve digestion and help detoxifythe system.

Stop fooling yourself - IV

cont...

I'm big-boned
We'd all love to believe it's large frames that are to blame for our size.

The facts
Being big-boned means you will have more muscle, but it shouldn't add more than a few kilos to your weight.

Beat it
Try to accept your body type. You can still be slim and look amazing if you learn to eat properly for your size.


It's water retention
It's not flab, it's water, and you're forever finding yourself puffed up with it. Or are you?

The facts
Many women actually do suffer from cramp-related water retention during the week before their periods.

Beat it
Fluid is transported around the body by our lymphatic system, and we rely on muscle movement to keep it flowing. So get lots of exercise and walk instead of driving whenever you get the chance.

Stop fooling yourself - II

cont....


It's my hormones
The mysterious world of hormones gets the blame for all manner of things – including your weight gain.

The facts
Women with polycystic ovaries may find their weight hard to control. Also, PMS can impact a woman's weight, as rising progesterone and serotonin levels affect mood and food choices.

Beat it
Don't overeat in the week before your period; beat the urge to have salty, spicy food. When you feel less hungry afterwards, make sure you go back to eating sensibly.


I've got a slow metabolism
Some people seem to eat loads and never gain weight, whereas you pile it on and always feel tired. It must be a case of slow metabolism.

The facts
The vast majority of overweight people do not have a dysfunctional metabolism. If you are very active, you will have a high metabolism and burn lots of calories. If you're not, you will have a slow metabolism.

Beat it
Being active and eating nutritious foods like lean meat and vegetables boosts metabolism.

Stop fooling yourself - I

Many of us could do with losing some weight, but it's often easier to come up with excuses. While there may be genuine and honest reasons for being unable to shed the kilos, there will always be some who need a reality check for their excuses. Read on to know if you are one of them.

 

Diets don't work for me
You've tried different diets but never managed to keep the weight off.

The facts
If you take in fewer calories than you need, you will lose weight. The problem comes when we follow quick-fix diets. They're fine for a few weeks, then we hit our target, go easy and get back into bad habits.

Beat it
For lasting weight loss, make realistic lifestyle and diet changes. And watch your alcohol intake as well.

I have wheat intolerance
Pasta makes you bloat and bread is your diet enemy. The minute you give up wheat, the pounds fall off. Surely this means wheat intolerance, right?

The facts
Many people find foods like pasta hard to digest. This is often due to the water the pasta absorbs, which makes it swell and leads to bloating. This, however, does not mean you have wheat intolerance (a condition less than 0.1% of us suffer from). Going wheat-free inevitably makes you lose weight as you ditch the fat-loaded pizzas and pastries.

Beat it
Other symptoms of wheat intolerance are headaches and joint pains. If you suffer from these, see your GP and keep a food diary to work out what brings on the symptoms.

Yoga to Improve Your Memory and Eyesight - III

cont...

Yoga for relaxation - Shavasan:

1. Lie down straight on your back on a not-so-hard-not-so-soft surface. Loosen all your limbs and all the body parts, lie like a dead body. (Incidentally, shav means dead body).

2. Remain like this for about 10-15 minutes and roll on to your left side and gradually get up. You will feel rejuvenated and fresh. Now you are ready to study in the best possible way

Yoga to Improve Your Memory and Eyesight - II

cont....

Yoga for the memory-'Bhramari Pranayam':


1. Sit in a comfortable pose.

2. Keep your eyes closed.

3. Breathe in through the nose and exhale very slowly through the nose so that it takes a longer time to exhale. While exhaling, make a nasal humming sound varying its frequency from high to low pitch.

4. Breathe in again and repeat it about seven times.

This pranayam works wonders through the sound waves it creates. It subtly vibrates and massages the brain as well as the delicate and sensitive internal organs present inside the skull, such as the optical nerves, nasal track, throat, etc.

While you physically improve the health of these important organs, it is also very essential to be able to concentrate on what you are studying (or trying to remember) so that the input turns out to be of high quality.

Yoga to Improve Your Memory and Eyesight - I

A report published recently suggested that several students in the city are consuming memory-enhancing pills to enrich their recalling powers. So, we list a few natural memory building techniques using yoga that will help you improve your brain capacity to recollect and remember, without the consumption of unwanted drugs.

Yoga for the eyes:

1. Move your eyeballs up and down as much as possible without moving the head.

2. Move your eyeballs right and left without moving the head.

3. Roll your eyeballs clockwise and anti-clockwise (each of this exercises can be done 10-20 times).

4. Close your eyes tight for five seconds, then immediately open them and hold them open for as long. Keep alternating about 20 times. This will improve blood circulation to the eyes making them stronger.

Are Deodorants Harmful for Your Skin?

You are constantly bombarded by deodorant advertisements on the television, who claim that their almost magical olfactory love potion will make you irresistible to the opposite sex. And in the lure of this claim, some of you just can't wait to get your hands on that deospray. And as a result, you must have sprayed yourself with it from head to toe. Also, summer's here in full swing with soaring temperatures, humidity, profuse sweating and sweat odour. And in the bid to avoid smelling like a skunk in this climate, many people are in the habit of dousing themselves and soaking their clothes with deodorants. As a by-product of this habit, you may be doing a public service to the olfactory senses of those around you. But little did you know that you might be harming your skin? Read on to find out how...

Why are they harmful?
There's no denying that deodorants help to neutralise or block body odour. Also, the fact that antiperspirants usually contain aluminum compounds which block the sweat glands and reduce the amount of sweat produced. And if there is no sweat, bacteria cannot act on proteins in the body to produce odour. Dermatologist Dr Sunita More warns about the unpleasant effects of these products. "Most of these products contain aluminium and parabens which mimic the female hormone — estrogen and act on breast tissue, so individuals with family history of breast cancer should avoid their use. Similarly, those with kidney problems should avoid antiperspirants containing aluminium, However, deodourants are preferred over anti-perspirants as they do not block the function of sweat glands." says she.

Antiperspirants generally contain aluminium-based compounds which help to reduce sweat or the heavy use can clog sweat glands. Sweat glands discharge the waste from our body as sweat and if the waste is not being discharged from the body, it is unhealthy. Cosmetologist Dr Abhijit Desai says, "Deodorants cause irritation (because of alcohol) and redness which leads to itching and eventually slight pigmentation of the underarm area. The harmful effects of anti-perspirants are similar to those of deodorants but they are more due to intolerance to aluminium compounds in antiperspirants that can lead to conditions like contact dermatitis and allergy."

What about deodourant sticks?
In case you are wondering about the big dent your wallet is going to have, for you will have shelled out the big bucks on branded perfumes, don't fret.

There is some reason to rejoice. Dermatologist Shreyas Kamath says, "Deodorant sticks are better than sprays. Sprays contain more chemicals for long lasting fragrance, which has a deeper impact on our skin than the sticks. The sticks are made with mild chemicals and generally does not harm the skin."

Alcohol-free sprays are ideal
There are certain deodorants that claim to be alcohol free and are ideal for use in comparison to alcohol-based ones, as they have very less chances of causing irritation and allergies. Also they are gentle on the skin and don't cause dryness. Dr Kamath opines that non-alcoholic deodorants are free from aluminium based compounds. They are skin-friendly deodorants. Many dermatologists recommend their patients to use nonalcoholic deodorants which are a bit costly, but does not affect the skin.

Beware of cheap duplicates
Most of us sigh at the price tags of branded perfumes, and some of us get tempted to buy cheap duplicates sold at roadside stalls in various bustling shopping areas. You may be saving a whopping load of money doing so but you'll be subjecting your skin to a whopping load of damage too. That is because they can give rise to severe allergies and pigmentation of skin. Dr More cautions, "Do not go in for cheap, duplicate products as these can be extremely harmful as the chemical content is virtually unknown and unregulated by any reputed drug authority."

It is suggested that natural remedies to keep oneself odour-free by sharing the following tips:
- Include plenty of greens and salads in your diet
- Avoid red meat and other poultry preparations during summers
- Keep yourself well hydrated
- Wear loose, cotton clothes which allow the skin to breathe freely

Too much traveling ups health risks

A study has found that people who travel frequently for business increase the rates of poor health and health risk factors, including obesity and high blood pressure.


People who did not travel at all are actually a less-healthy group. Compared to light travelers (one to six nights per month), non-travelers were about 60 per cent more likely to rate their health as fair to poor.

This may reflect a "healthy worker effect", with employees who have health problems being less likely to travel.

Otherwise, rates of less-than-good health increased along with nights of travel. Extensive travelers were 260 per cent more likely to rate their health as fair to poor, compared to light travelers.

Other health risk factors showed similar patterns: obesity was 33 per cent more likely non-travelers and 92 per cent more likely for extensive travelers.

The same two groups were also more likely to have high blood pressure and unfavorable cholesterol levels.

Although business travel is often equated with long airline flights, relatively short business trips in personal cars are much more common.

Several factors could contribute to health risks in frequent business travelers—for example, poor sleep, fattening foods, and long periods of inactivity.

The study has been published in the April Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.