What to eat - before, during and after workouts???

Nowadays people have become so conscious about their health that besides having a busy life, they take out time to work out. Earlier looking fit and good was an affair for young girls. Now women, men and older people too want to enjoy this experience. This has encouraged many gyms and slimming centres to come up with facilities to lose weight and look fit. But do you think just working out for few hours can actually help you reduce your weight? Can it keep you healthy? What, if you don’t exercise for few days?

A client visited me for diet consultation few months back. He was an IT professional. To practice a healthy lifestyle he had joined his office gym. But after few days he started feeling weak and drowsy all time. After checking all his details I found his weight was perfectly correct for his age and height.  His BMI (Basal Metabolic Index) indicated him to be healthy. He was only lacking the knowledge about what to eat and when to eat. Workout with full enthusiasm and no planned diet to cope up with the physical stress because of the exercise had made him weak. This incident led me to write on what to eat and when to eat while working out.

                                            

Usually people go either for STRENGTH TRAINING or CARDIO or CIRCUIT TRAINING (combination of both).

STRENGTH TRAINING:

Since in this type of exercise muscles build up so one needs to have lots of protein like chicken, eggs, soy, milk and its products with complex carbohydrates like whole grains, green leafy vegetables, fresh fruits, etc. Take healthy fats like unsaturated vegetable oils. Nuts and seeds like almonds and flax seeds respectively can also be made part of your diet.

CARDIO:

In this type one needs high carbohydrates which can provide instant energy. Also one needs to keep electrolyte level balanced in body which is lost due to sweating. Banana is a rich source of both carbohydrates and electrolytes. Coconut water instead of sports drink will be a good option. Eggs, lean chicken, cheese, fruit juices, cereals like rice, wheat, oats, milk and yoghurt, etc should be included in the diet.

CIRCUIT TRAINING (combination of both strength training and cardio):

One should take high protein food 2-3 hrs before and carbohydrate rich food 1 hr before working out. A light snack like a chicken sandwich or a glass of chocolate milk or banana shake before 1 hr of workout will be good enough to keep you energised throughout the circuit training.

However you should also keep in mind the following:

5 tips before workout:

1. Take heavy meals 3-4 hrs before workout, small meals 2-3hrs before workout and light snacks / drinks 1hr before workout.
2. Whole cereal bars, lean chicken sandwich with vegetable oils (no saturated oils), fruit salads, fresh fruits, sports drinks, etc should be part of your diet before working out.
3. Never workout on empty stomach or you might faint. A fresh fruit or a cup of yoghurt or fruit smoothie or a few nuts ½ hr before exercise can provide you with full energy to workout. If you have a habit of tea or coffee in the morning, have 1 cup with 2 biscuits ½-1 hr before leaving for exercise.
4. Keep yourself hydrated. Sweating indicates your calories are burning and to replenish your water loss you need to take lots of water, fruit juice, coconut water, sports drink, etc. But have them ½-1 hr before exercise.
5. Diabetics need to have light snacks 30 minutes before workout. This will not let blood sugar fall leading to hypoglycaemia.

3 Tips during Workouts:

1.           When you workout for long hours it is important to take break and sip small amounts of fluids to keep hydrated.
2.          Be careful not to over eat if you are running a marathon or you can end up having upset stomach.
3.          Diabetics can take light drinks or snacks in between.

5 Tips after workouts:

1.          Sip on water or any fluid after exercise to prevent dehydration because of perspiration.
2.          Relax for few mins after workout. It will help your fatigued muscles to relax.
3.          Eat large meals 3-4 hrs after exercise. Your organs too need rest. Instead you can have small or light snacks like a fresh fruit or coconut water to prevent hunger pangs.
4.          Diabetics need to have a light snack ½ hr after workouts.
5.          If any day you miss your gym or jog, next day you can increase your duration of exercise but you need to be careful with your foods.

You just need to be careful with your diet and their timings. This will help you maintain your weight and also keep you feel healthy and strong.

Want to get rid of Constipation??

I have come across some patients of mine who tell each and every detail of their illness and their food habits but forget to or do not think important to mention about their irregular bowel movements. Some people consider constipation as a general complication whereas some even when they want to get rid of it actually cannot do so.

Constipation is difficult, forceful or painful defaecation. Different individuals have different bowel movement. For most individuals once stool a day is necessary for good health. Some may evacuate thrice a day or more. Bowel movement depends on the individual’s nervous system and the type of diet he / she takes. However, less than three motions a week can be termed as constipation. It can lead to headache, foul breath, irritation, discomfort of abdomen, flatulence, etc.

Constipation can be easily taken care of by following 3 simple practises:

1. Physical activity:  Daily physical activity especially brisk walking is beneficial. It helps in proper digestion of food and maintaining bowel movements.
2. Abdominal Massage:  A light abdominal massage with talcum powder or some oil for 15-20 mins in the early morning can be helpful.
3. Dietary management:  It is important to eat fibre rich food and lots of fluids to prevent constipation. Fibre binds with fatty acids and bile and so softens the stool. It has water holding capacity thus increases the bulk of stool and causes distension in the colon leading to evacuation.

·         Consume lots of fluids especially water (8-10 glasses of water per day or more) but not carbonated beverages, tea or coffee. Water digests the food and softens the stool for easy passage.

·         Fruits like pineapple, plums, peaches, apple with skin, berries like strawberries, rasp berries, black berries, etc are low in calories and high in fibre.

·         Dry fruits like almonds, walnuts, peanuts, raisins, prunes, etc are rich in fibre. Prunes besides having fibre also contain Sorbitol, a natural laxative.

·         Green leafy vegetables like spinach and vegetables like brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrot, baked potato with skin, etc are really helpful in constipation.

·         Go for whole grains instead of refined ones like brown rice, brown bread, bran, wheat products, etc.

·         Warm milk and yoghurt are also helpful. Bacteria in yoghurts help in digestion.

·         Lean people can go for fatty foods as fats act as lubricatives.

·         Flax seeds are rich in fibre. Ground flax seeds can be sprinkled on any food and consumed.

·         For alcoholics alcohol consumption should be minimized to 2 drinks per day for men and 1 drink per day for women.

·         Too much iron can also be a cause of constipation. Avoid too much iron rich foods like oysters, liver, mussels, etc.

·         Isaphgul husk or china grass is vegetable substance which absorbs considerable amount of water. Overnight soaked husk in a glass of water can be an option once in a while.

If you are pregnant and suffering from constipation, need not worry. It is just because of hormonal changes and the increasing size of the uterus which leaves little room for stomach, rectum and colon. You can follow the above but it is better to consult your physician about your medications and their effects. Just remember the following:

·         Do not eat much leafy vegetables especially spinach. It might lead to complications.

·         Whenever you feel the urge just go. Do not force yourself.

·         Before taking laxative consult your doctor.

·         Do not drink or smoke at all during pregnancy.

·         Do not take too much tea or coffee.

If you follow these certain practises you can easily get rid of constipation. Then you can consider it as a general complication. So do not think just go for it !!!

What to eat during Fever?

Fever is a common term which most of the people is aware of. Each one of us has got fever at least once in a lifetime. It is actually an elevation of body temperature above the normal which may occur due to internal problems like antigen-antibody reaction or external problems like viral, fungal or bacterial infections.

Fever can be for short duration like in case of cold, flu, influenza, typhoid, etc. It can also be chronic like in case of tuberculosis. Fever in case of malaria is an intermittent one which means it peaks and subsides, resulting in the occurrence of fever at one time and recovery in the other. According to University of Maryland Medical Centre, the most common causes of fever include respiratory infections, urinary tract infections, bacterial and viral gastroenteritis, severe infections like Tuberculosis, skin or bone infections, appendicitis, pneumonia, etc.  

Whatever may be the case there are certain changes in the body which increases the metabolic rate of the body during fever which leads to increased perspiration, restlessness, weight loss, weakness, etc. Now, this makes good diet really an important factor along with medicine and rest in the speedy recovery from fever and its effects.

There are certain myths that during fever certain foods like rice, ice-creams, fruit juices should not be taken or since you don’t feel like eating, you can have spicy, fried or junk food. But the reality is different. For the speedy recovery from the effects of fever, along with medicines you need to follow the 10 following points:

1. Drink lots of water. It will cool down the body temperature and flush out the toxins.
2. Take lots of fluids such as fruit juices, coconut water, lime water, glucose water, electrolyte drinks etc. They will keep your body cool and provide you with vitamins and minerals needed to boost up the immune system. Electrolyte drinks will maintain the electrolyte balance in the body which is lost due to excessive perspiration, urination or when fever is accompanied with diarrhoea.
3. Never go for raw foods as they take time to get digested. Eat boiled or cooked foods like soups, porridge, khichdi, etc so that your organs don’t have to work hard. Do not take canned vegetables or fruits. Go for fresh whole fruits or fresh fruit juices.
4. During high fever patient should be given fluids at an interval of 2 hrs. When the fever subsides, patient can be given soft diet like yoghurt, porridge, soups, khichdi, etc.
5. Fish, chicken, oat meals, eggs, banana, etc. increase white blood cell production which fights against infections in the body.
6. Fermented foods like yoghurt, idli, buttermilk, soy products, etc. will provide you with beneficial bacteria which help the body to fight against infections and diseases.
7. Ice-creams and cold yoghurt can give soothing effect on sore throat whereas in case of pneumonia go for hot boiled milk, hot soups or khichdi.
8. Do not take sugar or honey instead take glucose. Blood will absorb glucose more easily than sugar.  This will get you instant energy.
9. The taste buds get coated during fever so keep cleaning your tongue. To activate them you can try out eating cooked bitter gourd (karela) or lemon cut into halves and roasted with little salt on each halves.
10. Do not take alcohol, tobacco, cigarettes, coffee, carbonated beverages, sea food, red meat, spicy or fatty foods, etc. during fever.

• Nicotine of tobacco and caffeine of coffee and carbonated beverages decrease the immunity power of the body.
• Sea food and red meat have high amount of cholesterol.
•  Fatty foods take long time to get digested.
• Spicy food can irritate your weak organs and disturb the bowel movement.

Now this time office goers, students or mothers of young children won’t have to worry about their health. By following the above 10 points you can surely cope up soon with fever and its effects without further deteriorating your health.

Banana: our SUPERHERO

I have always wondered if Superheroes save us from bad people by continuously and bravely fighting with them, what do they eat to make themselves that strong? As a kid, my mother used to say and till today she forces me to have a banana daily. “Have a banana daily. It will protect you” I guess every mother says this to her child. But have you ever thought why?

Let me explain to you in more details:

Banana is one of the sweetest and cheapest fruits which are available all year around. It is green when unripe and yellow when ripens. Now do not get confused with the green ripened ones. They are called plantains. They both belong to the family Musaceae and grown in tropical and subtropical countries. But plantains are a bit longer with a thicker skin. Both of them vary a little in their nutritional values though both contain more or less same nutrients. Plantains when raw can be cooked as a vegetable and eaten as a fruit when ripened. In other words these two are close cousins. We can have banana in the form of salads, muffins, pies, cakes, shakes, chips, grilled, etc.

HEALTH BENEFITS:

Besides being soft and tasty it adds nutrients to your body. 100gms of Banana when eaten provides 90kilo calories, 22.84gms carbohydrates mainly simple sugars like fructose, sucrose. Dietary fibres 2.60gms, 1.09gms protein, 0.33gms fat and no cholesterol. Whereas a 100gms of plantain provides 122kilo calories, 31.89gms of carbohydrates, 1.3gms of protein and 0.37gms of fat. And yes it too does not contain cholesterol. These both cousins are a store house of vitamins like vit B-complex, vit C, vit E, vit A, vit K and minerals like iron, selenium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, calcium, copper, phosphorus, etc. and contain good amount of electrolyte sodium and potassium. [The above values have been taken from USDA National Nutrient Data Base]

Since I have mentioned about the nutrients and their values it has become mandatory to explain what role these nutrients play in our body.

1. Dietary fibres improve and regulate our bowel movement and help to prevent constipation.
2. Vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine) treats neuritis, anaemia, and helps to decrease the homocystine (a causative factor in cardiac and blood related diseases and stroke).
3. Vitamin A improves eye sight, protects from skin infection, etc.
4. Vitamin C improves immune system by giving resistance against infectious diseases and scavenges harmful oxygen radicals.
5. Copper increases red blood cell production.
6. Calcium and magnesium strengthen the bones and latter also provides protection to heart.
7. Potassium controls heart rate and blood pressure. It also keeps a check on the bad effects of sodium.
8. Bananas with dark patches have been found to contain an anti cancer power. According to Japanese Research, it has been found that yellow bananas with dark patches contain TNF (Tumour Necrosis Factor) which can produce white blood cells and destroy cancer cells.

In a layman statement Banana will protect you from serious diseases related to bone strengthening, under weight, constipation, heart problems, blood pressure, strokes, skin and eye infections, and many more.

[But be careful- Diabetics can have them in very small amount in the form of mixed fruit salad with other less sugary or citrus fruits. It might cause ORAL ALLERGY SYNDROME to some resulting in diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, irritation and swelling of mouth and throat.]

So, I think our superheroes might be eating this to get their powers. With so many great qualities and power to fight with bad diseases, it is Banana who actually deserves to be addressed as a real SUPERHERO.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Night Shifts: a trouble for food and health

I have come across many friends and some clients of mine working at nights, who have often complained about their food and health troubles during night shifts. First, I need to explain which type of industries requires night shifts. Working at nights are usually required in industries like Call centres, many IT companies dealing with international clients, hospitals, etc. In night shifts companies ask their employees to work at night and sleep in the day which is just the opposite of the schedule in which we have been grown up since our birth. These changes in the schedule works adversely on our biological system affecting our immune system and leading us to many serious medical problems like insomnia, back problems, indigestion, etc.

According to a report from msnbc., the World Health Organisation and the American Cancer Society  classify NIGHT SHIFT WORK as a probable CARCINOGEN. It has been reported that among people working at night, 40% females suffer from Breast Cancer and 20% male suffer from Prostate Cancer.

Reason of medical ailments:

•  Our body secretes a neurohormone melatonin which is responsible for regulation of our immune system, digestion, ability to think, etc. It is not produced properly in absence of natural light. Working at night and sleeping in the day prevents the body to get exposed to sunlight thus hampering the production of the hormone.
• Our working schedule at night affects our biological clock affecting the functions of all our vital organs.
• Wrong choice of foods at night like chips and chocolates or consumption of too much coffee, improper sleep in the day due to the noises like passing cars, daytime works, etc.
• No physical activity.
• Over eating at work due to loneliness, tiredness. Eating along with working also makes us eat more. 

10 easy ways to keep yourself healthy while working at night:

• Take your dinner at around 7-8pm, at least 2 hrs before going to work. 
• Go for a short night walk after dinner.
•  Since all the shops and stores are closed at this time, vending machines with full of fat, calories, high sugar choices are the only options left.  Better carry homemade food. If you stay away from home you can carry vegetable sandwich, cereal bars, fruits, fruit juices, fruit buns, salads, etc.
• Eat 4-5small meals at frequent intervals instead of having 2-3 heavy meals
• Don’t go for many coffees. Caffeine will help you stay alert at night but it will hamper the absorption of iron, make kidneys excrete more water leaving you dehydrated. Never take coffee 3-4 hrs before your shift is closing or you are heading to bed after work. Caffeine’s effect lasts for at least 8 hrs. It will hamper your sleep during daytime.
• Keep sipping water, fruit juices, lassi, buttermilk, milkshakes, herbal or ginger tea, vegetable soups, etc. to prevent dehydration 
• Eat protein rich food and complex carbohydrates instead of refined carbohydrates or fatty foods like paranthas made from refined flour, chips, carbonated drinks, alcohols, sugary items, etc. Instead carry pasta salads, chicken or vegetable sandwich, egg white omelettes, baked or boiled veggies with little black pepper and salt on it. Protein rich foods like cauliflower, chicken, egg, soy, etc are a rich source of tryptophan, an essential amino acid which helps to produce melatonin(a neurohormone) and serotonin(a neurotransmitter) which is important for our brain.
• Take lots of fruits and vegetables. They contain vitamins, minerals and antioxidants which combat free radicals which your body produces through the physiological stress of night.
• Never skip your breakfast and it should be the largest meal of the day after waking. Take a light meal after work and 1-2hrs before going to sleep. After you wake from sleep in the afternoon or evening take a heavy meal.  Consider it as your breakfast.
•  Use ear buds, blackout drapes while sleeping to avoid day time noises.
•  “One large mistake you can make while on night a shift is switching your schedule on weekends” says The National Sleep Foundation. Never change your schedule on weekends or holidays. Sleeping at night or enjoying in the day might be tempting but at the onset of the week you will feel tired and drowsy.

 Diabetic Employees Just Need To Follow 2 Extra Ways Along With The Above:

•  Keep a check on your blood sugar level.
•  Ask your physician to adjust the timing of the injections or dose of the medications (stimulating the release of   insulin in your body) according to your working schedule.

With few restrictions and healthy practices, I am sure even a night shift problem can be taken care of.

Isn’t it..!!!

Which lifestyle do you practice?

LIFESTYLE is the living conditions, behaviour and habits of an individual or group of people that is either typical or chosen. So in both the cases lifestyle can be modified, more or less, so that we can be benefited. In general, Lifestyle can be Sedentary and Active depending on the type of profession and the type of activities you get involved into.

The term Active means to move around a lot or participate a lot in different works. The term ‘Sedentary’ comes from the Latin word ‘sedere’ which means ‘to sit’. A sedentary person is also called Couch Potato.

What do you mean by active lifestyle?

Let us suppose, you are an IT professional and you have to spend 10-12 hrs of the day infront of the computer without any physical activity. But you make sure you don’t skip you meals, take breaks from your work for atleast 10-15 mins in between, stand up, move around and also take out time from your hectic schedule for jogging or go for brisk walks regularly, you actually lead an active lifestyle inspite of having a sedentary profession.

Now what exactly being sedentary means?

If we go by its literal meaning a sitting person is called a sedentary person or a fat person appearing like a potato can be said to be a sedentary man. But both the meanings are correct only to some extent and not exactly.

Few months back, The New York Times had published that researchers, affliated with the World Health Organisation and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, reported that worldwide people’s waistlines are expanding, with the total weight of human beings on the Earth exceeding to 287 million tons.

Let us suppose, you are a sales person and you have to spend most of your day from one door to another. And when you return back home tired, exhausted and hungry, you just relax on the sofa, gorging on food, watching your favourite show or go to bed immediately after a heavy dinner. In all the activities you are just allowing your body to enjoy the leisure so that it can replenish the lost energy. This lifestyle is termed as a sedentary lifestyle and a person living in it is said to be sedentary.

“Sedentary behaviour is something we need to take note of beyond telling people to get 30 mins of activity a day.” Said Peter t Katzmarzyk, one of the lead researchers for the study and a professor of population science at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La. He said “standing should not be an alternative to exercise but can be to sitting.” [These informations were taken from The Wall Street Journal online, wsj.com]

ILL Effects of a Sedentary Lifestyle:

•         Obesity  
•         Acidity
•         Sleeping disorder
•          Artherosclerosis (fat deposition on the walls of blood vessels hampering the blood flow)
•          Coronary heart diseases
•          Cancers of the organs like kidney, colon, oesophagus, uterus, etc.
•          Other related problems like type II Diabetes Mellitus
•         Mortalility of foetus, heart burn in pregnant women, etc.
•          Anaemia

It has been surveyed that  mortality in elderly women leading a sedentary lifestyle is double than in case of elderly men of same lifestyle.

Lifestyle Practises:

There are certain practises which can modify your lifestyle and you can maintain them anywhere anytime. They are as follows:

·        Walking while talking over phone.

·        Avoid public / private transport for short distances.

·         Using staircase instead of escalator or lift.

·         Do not keep your stomach empty for long by taking smaller meals at frequent intervals.

·       Take lots of fluids. (Fluids with added sugar will only help  incase of underweights, non diabetics suffering   from fever, dehydration, diarrhoea, etc.)

·         Never skip your meals especially your breakfast. If you don’t have much time just grab a fruit or munch on few nuts.

·         Try to jog / take brisk walks atleast thrice a week.

·         Do not go for crash dieting . It will not help you lose weight but push you towards malnutrition leading to weakness, anaemia, etc.

·         Never go to bed immediately after heavy meal. Sleep lowers the metabolism.

·     Choose salads or vegetable raita, baked items instead of fried ones as starters, fruit juices instead of carbonated drinks and plain nans or rotis instead of buttered ones at a party. Correct choice of food is very important.

·     Avoid or minimize your intake of alcohol. It not only is a rich source of calories but also a cause of various fatal diseases like cirrhosis of liver.

Now you choose which lifestyle would you like to practice?