Guidelines for daily diet

                                                                 

Guidelines for daily diet

When you prepare menu daily, guidelines should be kept in mind are:

Say no to fat and cholesterol 

It is showed that fat is conclusively linked to heart disease and perhaps to cancer as well. High fat is also associated with stroke and high blood pressure. Excess fat intake raises the blood cholesterol level and it leads to block in arteries found in victims of heart diseases, heart attack and stroke. One has to be careful to not to use fat as a flavoring agent. Try to eat less meat, buy leaner cuts of meat, trim the fat, eat chicken without skin and don't fry it.Use skim milk instead of whole milk, use low fat mayonnaise for salad dressing  and snacking on fresh fruits and vegetables instead of fat filled chips and sweets.

Cut the calorie (especially if you are over weighed)

The calorie requirement depends on your gender, age and activity. Man needs more than women, younger people need more than adults and active people need more than inactive. The average recommended calorie requirement is 2000kcal. Hold the sugar in your daily diet. Sugary foods are quick energy boosters, but the initial burst is followed by a sump.The complex carbohydrates work very slowly and the best choice for long lasting energy. 

Reduce the salt intake

The FDA recommends that we get 2400 mg of sodium from a tsp of salt. Select the packaged items labelled 'less' sodium or sodium 'free' . Instead of seasoning food with salt, try cooking with herbs, spices and lemon juice. The reason for all concern over the sodium is high blood pressure. Along with that, too much sodium causes the loss of calcium, results in osteoporosis and the brittle bone disease of old age. 

Boost your complex carbohydrates

Getting more complex carbohydrates means eating more wheat/oats based bread, pasta, pizza etc as well as extra fruits and vegetables. Eating more fiber rich foods helps to lower the chance of getting cancer and heart diseases. A person should get 25 gms of fiber per day. Diets high in fruits, vegetables and fiber have been shown to reduce your chances of developing precancerous polyps. Similarly, protein availability is another added benefit from fruits and vegetables.

USDA food guide pyramid supports:

Bread/Cereals- 6 to 11 servings

Vegetables- 3 to 5 servings

Fruits- 2 to 4 servings

Dairy, fish and egg- 2 to 3 servings

Fat, oil and sweats- Use sparingly

Drink plenty of water

Water is everywhere in the human body, accounting for about 60% of its total weight. It plays a role in digestion, absorption, circulation and elimination. It helps the body to regulate the temperature. We lose water constantly through perspiration, urination, sneezing and through tears. Drinking 3-4 litres of water daily able to meet the needs of the body. Avoid alcohol and beverages that contain caffeine increases urination and reduces the amount of water int he body.

Smoking- Facts and Effects on body

Smoking- Facts and Effects on body

Nicotine is the addictive substance in tobacco, which compels the people to smoke continuously and make them feel good. They feel that after smoking, they are less stressed and able to control their mood. But, tobacco contains dozens of cancer causing chemicals. These are:

• Tar contains carcinogen Benzo pyrene.
• Carbon monoxide is an odor less gas which takes place the role of oxygen in the body, results in distribution non oxygenated blood to different parts of the body leads to organ damage.
• Hydrogen cyanide sticks to cilia in the lungs and stops the lungs clearance system and deposits carcinogens in the lungs.
• Free radicals in the tobacco damages the heart and blood vessels.
• Radio active compounds are present in the tobacco, results in cancer.

Effects on the body are
In the respiratory system, 

• lung abcess
• lung cancer
• permanent damage of the air sacs

In the cardiovascular system

• hypertension
• cardiomegaly
• stroke 
• myocardial infarction

In the musculoskeletal system

• osteoporosis
• osteomalacia

In the reproductive system

• low sperm count 
• impotence
• menstrual cycle irregularities
• low level of fertility
• cervical cancer

It is well known the fact that smoking is dangerous. Still, the smokers are not able to quit it. It shows that it needs wide spread awareness, proper guidance and counseling to stop smoking through "ECR"

• Education about the facts and side effects of smoking
• Communication regarding the current research based evidences to report the side effects of smoking
• Reinforcement of the public to quit smoking.

Sardine Benefits

Sardine Benefits

Sardine or Pilchard is a oily fish, small in size, from the family of Clupeidae. These are rich in nutrients and one of the concentrated sources of Omega 3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, which is helpful to lower triglycerides and cholesterol level. These are excellent sources of vitamin B12, which promotes cardiovascular health. 

The vitamin D in sardines promotes bone health and prevent osteoporosis. It also prevent cancer, as it is rich in calcitriol. These are rich in proteins, which helps to boost up immunity of the body. The selenium in sardines are important for cognitive functions, immunity and fertility for women and men.

The sardines contains (100 gms):

• Calories - 189
• Vitamin B12 -33%
• Omega 3 Fatty Acids - 6.1%
• Protein -4.5%
• Vitamin B3 - 1.6%
• Calcium -3.5%
• Iodine - 2.4%
• Selenium -8.7%

Apple benefits

Apple

Apple benefits

Eat an apple everyday, keeps the doctor away. There are many health benefits by eating apple in your daily life such as

• decrease the amount of bad cholesterol in your body
• reduce the chance of getting alzheimer's disease
• prevent type 2 diabetes mellitus
• improve the immunity of the body
• prevent the chance of getting cancer
• keep your skin healthy
• keep your body cool
• its a heart friendly food
• reduce the chance of asthma/bronchitis
• keep your teeth healthy
• prevent Parkinson's disease
• prevent hypertension
• reduce weight
• strengthen the bones
• help to increase the hemoglobin in the body

Dragon Fruit Benefits

Dragon Fruit

Dragon Fruit Benefits

It is commonly called as Pitaya. It is a beautiful fruit with red colored skin and green petals. The center part of the fruit consists of white colored pulp in rich of small black seeds.

The dragon fruits are rich in vitamin C and antioxidants which helps to block the side effects of free radicals, thus, it helps to fight the cancer and aging. It is also rich in dietary fiber with 1 gm per 100 gm of dragon fruit pulp, prevents constipation, hemorrhoids and colon cancer. It does have a small amount of monounsaturated fats.It is very essential to replace bad cholesterol such as saturated and trans fats in blood which helps to lower the risk of heart diseases and stroke.

Have plenty of dragon fruits, lead a healthy life...

Dragon Fruit

Plantain Benefits

Plantain

Plantain Benefits

A plantain is rich in starch, potassium, dietary fiber and less in sugar. Plantains are different from ripened edible bananas, which means only cooked plantains are edible.

These are high in calories, 122 calorie per 100 gm banana. As it is rich in high dietary fiber content (2.3 gm per 100 gm), very helpful to relieve constipation. It also boost up immunity of the body because of vitamin C (18.4 mg/100 gm). It also rich in vitamin A, helpful to prevent blindness, xerophthalmia and enhances the skin complexion. Potassium content in plantain (499 mg/100 gm) helps the body to control heart rate and blood pressure and counteracts the effects of sodium.

Like bananas, these are rich in vitamin B complex, especially pyridoxin, which has a beneficial role in the management of anemia, coronary heart diseases and strokes. Include a plantain in your daily diet and lead a disease free and healthy life....

Ground Nut Benefits

Groundnuts

Ground Nut-Benefits

The ground nut or peanut is a species of Arachis Hypogea, which belongs to the family of Fabaceae. Peanut have many uses and in various forms such as peanut oil, peanut flour, roasted or boiled peanuts and peanut butter.

The peanuts consist of 570 kcal per 100 gm, 24 gm of monounsaturated fat,25 gm of protein including Tryptophan(0.25 gm), Leucine(1.5 gm), Tyrosine(1gm), Valine(1gm), Glutamic acid(5 gm) etc.It is also rich in Niacin(12.9mg), Folate(246 microgram) with high amount of Phosphorous (336 mg) and potassium(332 mg).

• As peanut is rich in folate, it promotes infertility
• Tryptophan in peanuts helps to prevent the depression, an aminoacid which catalyzes the production of serotonin involved in mood regulation
• Niacin in peanut reduces the chance of memory loss
• It can prevent gall stones
• Phytosterol in peanut reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases and cancer
• It contains high amount of anti oxidants, which doubles during boiling

Caution on use

It may be contaminated with aflatoxin produced by fungus with greenish yellow appearance, which is very toxic and carcinogenic.