Monthly Archives: December 2018

December 20th, 2018

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Tips To Stay Fit and Trim During The Festive and Holidays Season

There’s something about the Christmas season that has the unique ability to scupper your best-laid fitness and diet plans. We all have gone through it.

It is a busy time of the year for us. Many of us will be on a holiday and celebrating the festivities. During this time of the year, it seems that the only thing we do is binging from breakfast to lunch, dinner and supper with friends and loved ones. And our exercise regimen is thrown out of the window. This does, however, affect our health.

keeping-fit-festive-Measureing waistline

With all the mince pies, chunks of meat, boxes of chocolate, desserts and pigs-in-blankets about, Christmas isn’t always so kind on our waistlines and hips. So I have pulled together some tried and tested tips for keeping fit and trim over the festive season.

Watch out on portion size
It isn’t always what you eat, but how much of it that can keep you from staying healthy over the holidays. It really just comes down to being sensible about your portions. An easy way to reduce your portion sizes is to use a smaller plate. If there is less room on the plate, you’ll be eating less food overall.

Eat slowly
Eat slowly and enjoy the company of others while dining, which will give you something else to focus on besides food.

Avoid second helpings
Never go back for seconds no matter how sumptuous the buffet is! Chances are you’ll be stuffed to your neck if you do second helpings.

Do not stock up on unhealthy foods
In order to keep yourself from overindulging in unhealthy foods at home, avoid buying unhealthy snacks and foods that you know you can’t avoid like chips and candies.

Eat before heading out
Eat something healthy and light before heading out to visits, trips or family dinners. By doing so, you will no longer be tempted to eat a lot or overindulge yourself since you are already half full. I like to snack on some fruits, nuts or eat a bowl of oatmeal before heading out for a celebration lunch or dinner with friends.

Avoid skipping meals
Don’t skip meals, especially breakfast! Even though it can be tempting to skip on certain meals, believing that it will make up for the treats you consumed in the previous day, don’t do it because it will only lead to overeating in the next meal and counterproductive results.

Be active
Even though it’s the holidays, you should still stick to your regular fitness routine whenever possible and if you can’t do that, simply walk more, park your car some distance away from the store or just use the stairs.

Drink more water
This can satiate your appetite as well as keep you hydrated at all times. And it will also prevent a possible hangover if you overdo it with alcohol. Good choices of drinks are plain water, lemon juice, green tea and herbal teas without sugar.

Add more fruits and vegetables to your diet
During this season, most of the foods that we eat tend to be laden with fat, oil, carbs and calories. Do not forget to incorporate more fiber like fruits, vegetables and nuts to your diet.

We all go a little overboard this time of year, but I think a little indulgence shouldn’t be the end of your weight loss journey. Do not be too hard on yourself. No-one can fully enjoy their holidays if they have an inner voice pestering them, so take the time to relax a little and enjoy yourself. If you slip up, do not beat yourself to it. Just continue with healthy choices afterwards. Enjoy the treats and celebrate the holiday.

If you will just try following my tips, believe me, you can still stay fit and trim and not gain a pound after all the festivities and celebration.

Health and Fitness

December 7th, 2018

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Children With Inherited High Blood Cholesterol

My youngest daughter who is 10 years old has borderline high cholesterol at a total cholesterol reading of 5.3 mmol / L. She has inherited my bad DNA of Familial hypercholesterolemia. The disorder allows cholesterol to build up regardless of your weight, diet, and exercise.

Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a genetic condition. If one parent with FH passes the gene to his or her child, the child will also inherit the disorder.

People with this condition have high cholesterol starting at birth. Untreated, it can cause heart attacks at an early age.

The treatment for the condition — a low-fat diet, exercise, and cholesterol-lowering medications — is the same as the treatment for anyone with high cholesterol. But even with treatment, cholesterol may still remain high if your genes are in the driver’s seat.

For my daughter, our pediatrician is of the opinion that she does not require medication yet. He recommended another blood test to be done when she hits teenage-hood.

Even with a sustenance just on plain water, fruits, vegetables and very little meat, my total cholesterol reading is still hovering at 5.8 – 6 mmol / L. Everyone from my side of the family has high cholesterol. If not for a routine blood test that my daughter did last month, together with the yearly ultrasound scan of her urinary tract, I would not have found out that she has borderline high cholesterol.

What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that’s found in all the cells in the body. The liver makes cholesterol, and it is also in some foods, such as meat and dairy products. The body needs some cholesterol to work properly. But if your child or teen has high cholesterol (too much cholesterol in the blood), he or she has a higher risk of coronary artery disease and other heart diseases.

Treating Familial hypercholesterolemia in Children
While you may be reluctant to start your child on medication, prescription medication is recommended for the treatment of hereditary high cholesterol to reduce LDL cholesterol, even in children. Unlike high cholesterol that is the result of an unhealthy lifestyle, FH is a genetic disorder that usually can’t be resolved through lifestyle changes alone. Each family needs to consider the information available and make their own decision about when and how to treat FH, in consultation with their healthcare provider.

People with FH are exposed to very high levels of LDL cholesterol from birth, and by the time they reach the age of 12 many will already have measurable atherosclerosis. Cholesterol-lowering medications can dramatically reduce the risks of hereditary high cholesterol. Observational studies from Europe have found that long-term cholesterol-lowering therapy with statins decreases the excess lifetime heart disease risk associated with FH.

Getting Your Child To Eat a Healthy Diet
It can be a challenge to get children to eat healthy foods, especially if they are teenagers. What we parents can do is to only stock up on healthy foods in our kitchen and to cook foods that are low in cholesterol and fats.

I have to keep reminding my daughter that she now has to eat like her mummy, which is a diet that is low in animal fats, low in cholesterol, reduced food portions and include more fruits, nuts and vegetables in her diet.

Model healthy behavior by eating a balanced diet low in saturated and trans fats. Keep your home stocked with nutritious choices, avoiding pre-packaged snacks and carefully reading food labels to watch out for hidden trans fats and hydrogenated oils.

Making Exercise a Habit
Today’s children are surrounded by screens and technology, including smart phones, computers, televisions and video game systems. Getting them to be physically active is more difficult than ever, but regular exercise is important for heart health, especially for children with inherited high cholesterol. Make a family commitment to get up and move for 30-60 minutes most days of the week, whether it’s by taking daily walks together, playing family soccer in the backyard, or turning up the music and having a dance-off in the living room.

group of kids having a conversation near body of water

Eliminating Exposure to Tobacco Smoke
If you are a smoker, quit. Smoking is a major contributor to cardiovascular conditions and strokes, and children with FH already face a 20 times greater risk of developing it. Children model their parent’s behaviors, and one of the best ways to ensure that your children remain life-long non-smokers is to be a non-smoker yourself. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, exposure to secondhand smoke also damages blood vessels and can trigger a heart attack or stroke, increasing the risk in children who are already vulnerable to cardiac incidences due to their inherited high cholesterol.

High Cholesterol

December 3rd, 2018

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Why We Should Eat Bitter Foods

Sweet foods are often preferred over bitter foods. Who would want to dig into a bowl of bitter gourd when they can enjoy comforting savory dishes or sweet desserts with gusto? Bitter foods tend to get the bad rap in the culinary world since their strong flavors can be off-putting to picky eaters. However, bitter foods are incredibly nutritious and contain a wide variety of plant-based chemicals that have significant health benefits.

Some of these benefits include a lower risk of many diseases — including cancer, heart disease and diabetes — and better gut, eye and liver health.

According to Huffingtonpost.com, America is still probably the most sugar-philic and bitter-phobic culture the world has ever known. The ancient European tradition of “digestive” bitters never caught on in America, nor do the Americans embrace the Chinese ideal of including a bitter food as part of every meal. Of the three truly bitter foods Americans eat regularly — coffee, chocolate and beer — the first two are typically vigorously sweetened.

So how does eating bitters benefit your microbiome exactly? Here’s the un-bitter truth about their digestive benefits and how to incorporate them into your diet.

Health benefits of bitter foods
Bitter foods are called bitters simply because of their taste and action in increasing saliva and stomach acids. Bitters may help to stimulate the digestive system and improve the absorption of food. That’s largely because bitters may trigger the production of stomach acid, which facilitates a variety of digestive processes when the food you’ve eaten makes its way to the intestinal region.

Bitters may increase the production of digestive enzymes, which further aids food absorption. Those extra enzymes may also help prevent food mal-absorption and leaky gut, in which food particles and/or microbes make their way out of the intestines and into the bloodstream, causing inflammation.

There’s also some evidence that bitter foods may work like prebiotics in the gut. Bitter foods are packed with fiber, both soluble and insoluble, which stimulates the growth of healthy gut bacteria. Some research suggests that bitter foods may help regulate hunger and quell cravings for sweets. These foods are plant-based and packed with vitamins and minerals as well as fiber, which makes them super nutritious.

Bitter herbs and foods run the gamut from greens, like arugula, broccoli, bitter gourd, brussels sprouts, dandelion greens, radicchio and kale, grapefruit and cranberries and herbs like mint, neem leaves, fenugreek and yellow dock.

Bitter greens like radicchio, dandelion greens, rapini, endive, kale, daikon and arugula contain phytonutrients that support the liver as it manages cholesterol, balances hormones, detoxifies the blood and metabolizes fats.

There is an appealing logic to consuming bitters for health. Just as sugar causes blood sugar, insulin, and hunger to spike and then dip — often leading, long term, to obesity and Type 2 diabetes — research indicates bitter foods can have the opposite effect, moderating both hunger and blood sugar.

One of the healthiest bitter foods is bitter gourd. Bitter gourd is a rich source of vitamins and minerals. It contains iron, magnesium, potassium and vitamins like A and C. It contains twice the calcium of spinach and beta-carotene of broccoli. Various anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds are present in bitter gourd.

Bitter gourd health benefits,Bitter gourd health tips,Karela juice benefits

Bitter gourd also helps in lowering the bad cholesterol levels, thus reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke. That’s not all. It strengthens the immune system, improves respiratory health, boosts skin health and contains anti-ageing properties.

Bitter gourd contains polypeptide, an insulin-like compound called and charantin, which has anti-diabetic properties. These components actively help in reducing the blood sugar levels. It also helps to prevent unpredictable spikes and drops in insulin levels by regulating the metabolism and use of sugar the body has consumed. Bitter gourd acts as a hypoglycemic agent. It is rich source of soluble fiber and is low in glycemic index, which helps in lowering the blood sugar level.

WHEN TO EASE OFF BITTERS

One caveat: Anyone who has acid reflux, stomach ulcers or other digestive issues may want to consult their doctor prior to starting a diet that includes bitters. It’s also possible to have too much of a good thing. Eating too many of these foods could cause unfriendly side effects like bloating, gas and diarrhea.

You’ll maximize the gut benefits of bitter foods if you take other steps to support a healthy gut and lifestyle. Additional strategies for improving gut health include drinking enough water, eating fermented foods, reducing stress, exercising regularly, following a fiber-rich diet and cutting back on sugar and salt.

Bitter foods are filled with tons of benefits which can enhance your health and fight off various diseases. Lead a healthy and fit life with these miraculous ingredients in your kitchen always!

In the comments, please share your favorite bitter foods!

Nutritional Information On Vegetables