The Fast and the Furious Feasters.

Since the time mankind has come to believe in religions, ritual fasting has become an imperative part of most cultures; be it for Hindus who fast during Navratra, Muslims who fast during Ramadan or Jews who fast during Yon Kipper. And since we never back down to start the mud slinging about how bad a particular religious way of fasting is, I decided to look at the whole matter rather objectively and solely from health point of view. Now let me tell you that I have never fasted in my life. Not because I am not spiritual but because I love food way too much; but after knowing what good fasting can do to your body, I am tempted to test my will once again.

Human body is well equipped to handle periods not eating, thanks to our history of our forefathers being hunters and gatherers. Search 'fasting and health' online and you will get more than 34 million results in less than 0.32 seconds, most of them talking about the doctor recommended benefits like how fasting helps in removing toxins, resting your vital organs and weight loss. Now I for once will never recommend fasting as a means to lose weight (I'll tell you why by the end of the post), but I for sure will vouch for the other health benefits that accompanies a fast.

• Burns Fat! Let me explain how our body works. when we eat food, our body utilizes carbohydrate to produce glucose in the body which gives energy. In the absence of food, the stored up glycogen is used to produce energy. When that gets over, our body starts to burn fat. However if you prolong the fast to few days, Ketosis kicks in, meaning the body is using fat as a primary source of fuel. In the short run, it leads to fatigue, soreness and bad breath. In the long run it causes additional stress on the liver and kidney and can cause damage. 
• Fasting may help your heart: Fasting for shorter duration may prevent heart diseases and insulin resistance which is a pre-cursor of diabetes.This again goes out to the fat burning effect of fasting. If you are burning fat cells, chances are your heart will remain block free for longer. 
• It can cut down the risk of cancer: Although still in nascent stages of research, it has been proven that fasting decreases the growth and division of malicious cells in humans. So fingers crossed.

Now the reason I mentioned that I would never fast for the 'weight loss' is because of the tittle of my post. Most of us get so excited by the thought of food after a fast that we forget the whole purpose of a fast. We become voracious eaters and dig on anything and everything. That kills the whole purpose of fasting and shoots down the fundamental theory of '5 small meals a day'. Your body is going to stack up all the calories in double the amount when you feast after a long fast. My advice to those who are fasting- Break your fast with more of fruits and liquids and less of fried and heavy meals. Take a break once you are thorough with the fruits. Take a walk, rest for a while and then sit for the main course. This way you are not only spacing out your meals, but also getting satiated early and avoiding the binge calorie intake. 

Make Your Winter a Healthy One!

I yawned again and sleep walked till the coffee machine for my 3^rd cup of extra strong coffee that day. I cranked up the noisy machine and watched it pour the espresso in my big Soup mug. I stared at the mug trying to convince myself that the caffeine is not all that bad after all. A, It helps boost metabolism, B its winters, C…Damnit, I ran out of excuses there. Truth to be told, coffee is not one of the best things to be consumed in winters. Sorry, coffee machine gossipers.

Coffee and other caffeine containing beverages, dehydrate your body. They have a diuretic effect on your system, meaning you’d need to visit the washroom more often; having said that, it also kills your thirst for water. Coupled with this, the long hours of spending time in air conditioned office rooms, one tends to get dehydrated more. My advice, restrict yourself to one cup of coffee per day.

Here is my list of food that you should pig out in winters. ( coz appetite somehow triples in this season)

•  Oranges and Guava- Nature has its own way of taking care of us. These 2 fruits, found only in winters, are extremely rich in Vitamin C (especially guava, which is the best source of Vitamin C). Amongst other qualities, Vitamin C helps protect you from infectious diseases by boosting your immunity. Also they are not heavy on calories, so eat to your heart’s content.

• Potatoes- Yup that’s true. Potatoes sometimes get a bad rap for being a white starch, thrown into the same category as white rice or white bread. But unlike those starches, potatoes are whole foods that contain several beneficial nutrients. They are an excellent source of two immunity boosters—vitamins C and B6, delivering 25% and 29% of your daily needs per medium potato, respectively.

• Avocados and Almonds- One thing that you can never miss about winters, even if you are on the equator, is the chapping skin that it brings along with it. Having vitamin E rich foods like Avocados and almonds, help retain the skin’s collagen and elasticity and prevent it from chapping.

• Tofu, Soyamilk, anything Soya- Soya may help to preserve skin-firming collagen because it is rich in isoflavones. You will have fewer wrinkles and smoother skin even when exposed to UV rays.  And lets’ face it; you tend to expose yourself to sun more in winters than in summer.

These are just some tips to combat winters. Believe me, seasonal fruits and veggies are the best bet for any season as they have just the right nutrient required for the season. So stay smart and pick out the right food this winter. You can always have reasons for coffee machine gossips, but if you don’t make the right choices, you might not always have your health!

Love, Relationship And Fat!

 ‘Oh I used to be like a cane stick before this husband thing happened. Marriage ruins it for you’… ‘You

know you should really enjoy being skinny till you are single’… ‘Oh so you can fit in a size 26 jeans? Wait till you get hitched!’  I was literally sick of hearing nonsensical bullshit like this, until I realized this is not completely nonsensical and bullshit! People say you bloat up after getting married. Some say it’s your casual attitude towards your body, coz hey you have got a guy to marry you and now who do you really want to show of a body hugging little Black dress to, right? Some even suggest the theory that it’s the change in routine and food that makes you bloated.

Nevertheless, we women love to blame everything on hormones; Mood swings, anger, slapping boyfriends, Back stabbing best friend, everything. It’s our safest and the best mouth shutting excuse to anyone. In this case these hormones might actually be the real culprit. It is true that post marriage there are lot of Hormonal changes that take place in the body. Apart from gaining a husband for life, gaining weight can might just be another side effect of marriage.

While I am no doctor to prescribe meds to control your husband…I mean your hormones, these are some of my suggestions for food stuff that you can munch on to keep you balanced, and also few stuff that you should avoid:

1. Proteins (produce hormones): Hormones are essentially protein derivatives, hence it becomes imperative to consume substantial amount of proteins in order to keep the hormonal production house ready and going; coz woman, you are gonna need a lot of them! Soaked beans, lentils, fish, sprouted pulses are sources of clean proteins (sans bad fat). They also are good sources of Omega 3 fatty acid.
2. Avocados (good fat): They're rich in healthy fat that helps our body absorb and use nutrients They are also full of fiber, potassium, magnesium vitamin E, B-vitamins, and Folic acid - all essential for maintaining hormonal balance in the body.
3. Antioxidant rich veggies (protect your body): Look for anything dark green in color. Broccoli, spinach, asparagus etc. also bright colored veggies like bell peppers, tomatoes, red, purple cabbage etc. are good sources of essential vitamins. Do not over soak/over cook these veggies though, else you will lose out on all the vitamins that they are known for.
4. Avoid Foods with High glycemic index: Ok that’s a fancy word which diabetics are well versed with. But all it really means is that not all carbohydrates are made equal. Some carbohydrates produce glucose faster in the blood than others. These are the ones that are our enemies. If you are carbohydrate addict, stay away from potatoes, rice, white flour, bread, rice, corn flakes etc.(not to mention sugar and its products of course)
5. Water:  This sneaky little neutral item always finds it's way in all my posts. And that is for a reason. Keep yourself hydrated well enough to flush out all the toxins and to keep your hormones diluted in the blood!

The list can be exhaustive, but I would keep it crisp. Our bodies have an incredible ability to heal and be in balance, when given the nutrients they need to flourish. So love generously but eat wise!

6 Reasons You Are Better Off Without That Caffeine

If there is one thing that the corporate world runs on, its coffee! No office infrastructure is complete without the grunting coffee machine, be it a multinational fancy Google office or a small start-up in a garage. Any office desk is just incomplete without this small little cuppa. More often than not, it is a means to take a break and get away from the desk, maybe catch up on some latest gossip or check out the new hottie in office. But in all that leisure we do not realise what felony we are committing to our body and mind.

Here are 6 reasons which will make you think twice before reaching out to your coffee.

1. Depletes Calcium: Unless you like your bones to be weak, caffeine is a strict no no especially when it comes to people suffering from osteoporosis or other bone related diseases. Caffeine flushes out excess amount of calcium in the urine than is necessary. It may therefore also be a good idea to get extra calcium in your diet to make up for the calcium that is lost due to caffeine intake.
2. Insomnia: If you think you are losing sleep because you are in love, think again. It may simply be because of that coffee, which you had in the afternoon. No doubt caffeine makes your brain alert, but it also starts affecting your brain cells and ends up affecting your sleeping pattern.
3.  Makes your Skin Look Lifeless:  Caffeine cause toxins in your body, the kind that can make your skin look dull and leathery. Caffeine also dehydrates your cells, making your body loose more water. So if you want a glowing skin, bid adieus to coffee. 
4. Even One Cup a Day Can Get You Hooked and How:  Caffeine is addictive. Also some people, like smokers, process caffeine more quickly and hence will need  more of it to keep them going throughout the day. People who try to stay away from caffeine, show withdrawal symptoms similar to that of an alcoholic (headache and nausea are common).
5. Makes You Act Like Lab Rats: Caffeine hits hard early in the day and then fades off in the afternoon. It's predictable self-administration, kind of like a lab rat pushing a lever that'll give them the next expected hit of a drug. These patterns become so ingrained that many of us don't even realise how long it's been since we've gone without them. People go on for months and years, without skipping coffee, which clearly shows how powerful it is.
6.  You Will Be Anxious All The Time: Caffeine is notorious for causing anxiety. You will notice this the next time you are nervously working around deadlines and you reach out for your coffee, your anxiety levels will increase and you will be more panic stricken and in a hurry to finish your work or get results. While you may debate that this will work in your favour, it actually works against you as it increases your heart rate and decrease your  ability to think logically. It is definitely not a soothing beverage.

Also a small note to those who think drinking strong black coffee is way more cooler and macho than having a light frothy coffee; you are just training your mind and body to become a slave of this drink forever.

My Suggestion for staying awake and alert during office hours-

·         Munch on an apple. The munching makes your brain alert and also shoos away sleep. It is in fact more effective than tea of coffee. Also you are doing a great favour to your body by eating healthy.

·         Take a break every 15-20 minute. Stretch yourself. While sitting on your chair, rotate your toes and ankles, stretch your neck and back, then stretch out your arms. Drink a glass of water.

·         Sip on some warm green tea. Trust me it works like a wonder. You feel relaxed and energised because of all the catechins that fresh green tea has.

·         Listen to your favorite song, it won’t take more than 5-7 minutes; but don’t listen to a song that will work like a lullaby, listen to something peppy.

If none of this works, you always have that parasitic leech like boss to remind you that no good has come from sleeping at work ;)  

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!