Are you confused with Nutrition advice from the experts?

Are you confused with Nutrition advice from the experts?

Not sure if you will be able to follow and maintain your diet plan? Not sure if a certain food is good for you? What should be the portion size?

A healthy eating plan is the one with low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium (salt), and added sugar. Following a healthy eating plan will lower your risk for overweight /obesity, heart disease and other related conditions. A healthy diet should replace processed food with real food whenever possible. Eating food in its natural form can make a huge difference in the way you think, look, and feel.

Healthy foods include:

• a. Fat-free and low-fat dairy products, such as low-fat yoghurt, cheese, and milk.
• b. Protein foods, such as lean meat, fish, poultry without skin, beans, and peas. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is a modest 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.
• c. Include Whole-grain foods, such as Whole wheat flour, bajra, jowar, nachni food, steel-cut oats, buckwheat, rajgira, white/brown/parboiled rice, broken wheat etc instead of refined wheat flour food items like bakery products.
• d. Fresh, seasonal and local fruits and vegetables
  • Consume at least 2 fruits per day on empty stomach or before and after workouts.
  • Include vegetables in every meal. For breakfast, instead of plain poha/upma/idli/dosa, add veggies to it. In lunch and dinner include cooked veggies in the form of sabzi or soup and raw veggies as salads or raita. Try to add varieties of vegetables wherever possible in your recipes from day today.
• e. Low or no sugar: replace sugar with 1-2 tsp of jaggery/honey/stevia per day.
  1-2 fruits per day and Include 2-3 black dates or 2 anjeer or 6 to 7 black raisins per day.
• F. Sip 2.5 to 3 litres of water to hydrate the body throughout the day. It is preferred to have plain water/lemon water/buttermilk/coconut water over soft drinks and other packaged drinks.

Moreover, some simple tips can help to learn, to create and stick to a varied, and nutritious diet that is as good for your mind as well as your body.

Eat a variety of nutrient-rich foods and always match food intake with physical activity.

Avoid smoking, chewing of tobacco and tobacco products and consumption of alcohol.

Apple and its myth. Will an apple a day able to keep the doctor away?

Does eating an apple every day really keep the doctor away? As we all know Apples are delicious and nutritious and certainly popular.
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away” is an old Welsh proverb that most of us are familiar with, but is the food that grows in cold regions actually beneficial for the people residing in the western region as well?
The cold regions of the country, the state of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh are the leading apple producing states in India. Jammu and Kashmir has gained much popularity for the different varieties of apples produced and today it is popularly known as the ‘Apple State of India’.
As the fruit is easy to store and is supplied all over the country in all seasons, are we getting it as fresh and healthy as other local fruits that we have?
No doubt Apples are extremely rich in important antioxidants, vitamins, flavanoids and dietary fiber, but like other fruits if eaten in excess, apples too may contribute to weight gain.
Furthermore, apples are acidic and its juice may damage tooth enamel. Snacking on acidic food throughout the day damages teeth in an extreme way.

An apple a day is good, but taking all day to eat the apple can damage teeth.
Most apples have pesticides in them, unless they are certified organic. Researchers said that conventional apples had pesticide residue on their peels. However, the group also said that the health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh the risks of pesticide exposure.
Apple seeds, also called pips, contain a chemical compound called amygdalin, which can release cyanide, a powerful poison, when it comes into contact with digestive enzymes. Whole seeds pass through your digestive system relatively untouched, but if you chew the seeds you may be exposed to toxins. One or two will not be harmful, as the body can handle small doses of cyanide, but if you or a child chews and swallows a lot of seeds, you should seek medical attention immediately.
Inspite of having these side effects, how can apple be so popular? How can apple keep the doctor away? There still remains a mystery behind it.