5 Ways To Be Beautiful -Instantly!

     Wow that sounded like a Fairness cream commercial! But now that I have your attention, let me clarify, the 5 ways I am going to mention will not bring results immediately, because hello, I am not advising a cosmetic surgery!  But nonetheless these are ways and mean, and simple things that one can include in daily life which can bring about miraculous results and can actually leave you feeling beautiful.
1.       Seasonal Fruits:
-This had to be on top of my list coz (a), I m a nutritionist and fruits play an important part in most of the recommendations and (b) they are the Pandora ’s Box of benefits.
Fruits are the warehouse of all the essential vitamins and minerals which may/ may not be present in other food group but in lesser concentration and hence become pivotal to a good health.  Also it is very important to consume fruits during their natural season because they are most dense in nutrients (sans pesticides and artificial ripening chemicals) during this time.
-Fruits are also very nutrient specific during weather change. This basically means that you will get Oranges and Guavas, which are rich in Vitamin C, only in the winter season because this Vitamin helps boost Immunity- which is most susceptible during winters; and you will get a watermelon only during summers because its High water content and minerals help you stay hydrated and fresh! (yes Nature has some Kickass Logic)
-Also the rich vitamin content (read vitamin C and E especially) make your skin glow and helps maintain its natural elasticity and suppleness.
-You can also watch your weight with fruits because the high fibre content of fruits make you feel satiated faster and helps you consume lesser calories. So thumbs up to a fit physique!
2.       Water:
- Minimum 3 litres and counting. That should be the mantra (unless you have edema or a kidney disorder, in which case you should restrict your intake). There are innumerable benefits of this wonderful liquid. Our body is 70% water (debatable to a higher percentage). It is  a natural detoxificating agent that helps flush out all the toxins from our body (which is also the reason why you are made to drink lot of water after an alcoholic binge as it dilutes the toxin and washes it out). It makes your skin hydrated and brings out a beautiful glow.
-Water is also a very important player in fat metabolism. So if you are really working hard in the gym, trying to get away with the lumps and not getting any results, time to check your water intake.
3.       Omega 3 Fatty Acid:
-This ‘sophisticated sounding oil’ is required by the heart to carry out its functions smoothly. This fatty acid basically helps to increase the Good Cholesterol in our body and take over the bad cholesterol thereby preventing cardiovascular diseases. Healthy heart is healthy you (now I sound like a cooking oil commercial!)
-This omega 3 Fatty acid also improves luster and texture of your hair while also has anti-ageing effect on the skin.
-The easiest way to consume omega 3 fatty acid is to introduce fish in your diet (if you are a non- vegetarian) or flax seeds which can be roasted and chewed-on during the day. Walnuts and soybean are other sources.
4.       Exercise:
-I cannot stress enough on how important exercise is to stay healthy and remain beautiful. Fitness reasons apart, Exercising in any form releases Endorphin- the hormone which make you feel exhilarated and happy and blocks any kind of pain. That's why people become addicted to strenuous forms of exercises and experience "runner's high."
- Working out also releases Dopamine- which is a pleasure hormone( the ‘dope’ in dopamine actually justifies the name;) ) Dopamine helps you relax and makes you feel happy and light, and everyone knows that a happy soul is a beautiful soul.
- Exercise also makes you sweat a lot which opens up the pores in your skin and helps it to breathe. It also increases your blood circulation which can fight skin problems like zits and acne.
5.       Smile:
-This is a cheesy one but so damn true. Even on your worse day, when you know you aren’t feeling your best, a simple smile can make you look gorgeous and wonderful. And this is just not a poetic extract, it is scientifically proven too.  When you smile, even a fake one, your face stretches and the muscular movement helps trigger endorphin (the happy hormone) which make you feel good and boost up your mood. So when you smile, not only are you making others happy, you are doing a huge favour to relieve yourself from stress!
 So Stay Happy, Stay healthy … Stay Beautiful!
 

The Man Friday of Rains!

Everything about the rains is just so beautiful! The cool weather after the scorching heat, the wind in your hair, the little drops of water trickling down on the cheeks, the trees swaying in happiness, little kids hoping in the puddle, young couples entrenched in the moment of love..everything about the rains makes you fall in love with it. The last thing you ever want to happen is to fall sick and miss all of it, and unfortunately this is the first thing that happens to most of us :) 

What we forget is that while rains bring a lot of relief from the heat, it also makes our body highly susceptible to infections.This is majorly because the air around us becomes moist and humid, which makes the environment very conducive for infectious germs and micro organisms to breed multiply and spread around. The best way to prevent getting bed ridden is to build your immunity and let your body's defense mechanism take care of you.

Ascorbic Acid Or Vitamin C is the easiest way to make sure that your Body is well guarded and Immune to most of these common infections and illnesses. Its the Man Friday of Monsoons! Vitamin C being an anti oxidant, also helps in preventing carcinogenic cells to multiply hence reducing the risk on cancer in your body. And since we are talking about anti oxidants, say hello to a young and beautiful skin too!;)

Recent studies show that a dose of 500 mg per day is required to take care of an adult body requirement. This is way higher than the RDA prescribed 75-90 mg / day. So unless you are having enough portions of raw fruits and vegetables in your diet, It is recommended that you take supplements of Vitamin C. Also, being a water Soluble nutrient, it can very safely be consumed even in a little excess as any additional amount will get passed out from your body in the form of urine. So don't worry, it is the safest nutritional supplement :)

Some quick tips to pump up vitamin C in your diet-

•  Include a lot of Fruits and vegies in your diet, specially raw. But make sure you clean them well before eating coz hello, its the season of germs. 
• Include- Indian Gooseberry(amla), Lemon ( you can use the juice to sprinkle over food preparations), orange, bell peppers, Guava, Kiwi, Cabbage family, Papaya and Strawberries.
• Do not re- heat, over heat and over cook food. This leads to lot of wastage of essential vitamins, especially water soluble vitamins.
• Do not throw away the water after boiling vegetables. Use the water in the preparations or use it in soups.
• Try to keep the length of the vegetables in salads as long as possible. Chopping the veggies finely make them loose their vitamins more easily. Also cut them just before you are about to eat them
• you can opt for Vitamin C supplements if you think you are not doing justice to your dietary consumption.

So stack up on that Vitamin C this monsoon and don't let your sneeze ruin a romantic moment :) Stay healthy, stay happy!