‘B’ Group: People in this blood group can consume milk and milk related products. Fruits and vegetables suit this group. They should refrain from Sesame, wheat and Groundnuts, as these items will increase the weight. Tomato will create stomach related problems.

‘AB’ group: Persons of AB blood group can consume milk and milk related products. But they may reduce the intake of any type of meat since digestion problem may arise. It is found by research that they have to refrain from wheat products too. Groundnuts and grams can be consumed in limited quantities.

‘O’ group: Studies reveal that people in ‘O’ group can consume meat, as acidity is naturally present in this group. They can consume fish, meat and eggs, which are free from chemical mixture. It is advisable to control intake of wheat, since ‘Gluten’ present in wheat can increase the weight. Cabbage, Cauliflower and seafoods are to be avoided in this case.

The people of their respective blood groups can do introspection and the pattern of food can be changed accordingly to see whether the studies match the theory. If it benefits, the diet can be changed to maintain good health and live to prove the adage, ‘A sound mind in a sound body’.

All said and done, it’s up to the takers to decide whether to satisfy their taste buds and give into gluttony or to limit their calories for a hale and healthy life.

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When dieting, a person adopts certain procedures to reduce the flab in the body and improve the waistline. It doesn’t mean starving to the core. It requires an understanding of the calories needed by the body and planning accordingly. A Physiological calorie is the amount of heat necessary to raise the temperature of one kg of water by one degree centigrade. One gram of fat yields nine calories while the same quantity of alcohol yields seven. An Apple provides about 20 calories and a Mango about 122 Calories. For instance, a woman in the process of dieting may aim to achieve 1500 calories, which may prove detrimental if the caloric intake goes further down resulting in the loss of health. On the other hand, high total caloric intake may also cause ill health. Interestingly, people who are obese don’t necessarily consume more, than people who are of normal weight. This can be due to their lack of necessary fat reducing agents. There are about eight such agents like Vitamin B6 and Pancreatic acid that burn the fats in the body. It is said that if foods with these constituents are added to our body, the unwanted body fats can be removed.

While these are the basics of good diet, there is another remote area of diet, which has a close relevance to the diet we take. This is the domain of blood group and researchers have evolved these studies of which the details are as follows:

‘A’ Group: Vegetarian food is best suited for people who are in this blood group. Vegetables such as beans are very good for their health. Research reveals that persons belonging to ‘A’ group may be prone to cardiac related problems and diabetes. Milk and its products don’t suit their bodies since digestion will be a problem. Certain chemicals in potato, Tomato and cabbage may create stomach related problems.

Read between the lines: What is the definition of a Calorie?

How many Calories does an Apple provide?

What is Sonoma Diet?

What is a Food Pyramid?

It is also important to note that hot water should be drunk after eating Ice creams and sweets to avoid accumulation of fats due to consumption of these foods. Drinking hot water not only melts the fat, but also neutralises the effect of chilly ice cream and prevents soar throat and common cold problems.

While discussing water we cannot rule out the therapy of water called ‘water therapy’. Even generally, for the sake of our health, a minimum of 1.5 litres of water should be consumed in the morning on an empty stomach. This has an excellent effect in that the toxins piled up in the body are washed away and the body gets hydrated which is important for general health.

Nowadays, consumption of Alcohol is on the increase, be it for a happy occasion or a sad event. Though Alcohol need not be eliminated from our lives, it is of interest to note that it is devoid any nutritional value and can be turned into fat, adding flab to the body. If the consumption goes unchecked, the level of triglycerides increases.

It has been a practice in most households in India to observe ‘Fasting’ once a week or at least once in a fortnight. This is advantageous to the body, in that, the load on the ‘stomach workshop’, which works all the day grinding and digesting the food, is reduced. This is akin to a ‘Preventive maintenance’ of a machine.

Read between the lines: Is increase in level of triglycerides good for health?

Fibre-rich foods tend to be low in fat and less in calories. High fibre foods minimise the risk of constipation, colon and rectal cancer, hiatus hernia, heart disease and obesity. A study reveals that colon cancer is the second largest cancer in the United States after Lung cancer. The estimation says that out of 1,50,000 people affected, nearly 57,000 died in the year 2003. This underscores the importance of a diet rich in fibres to get rid of the aforesaid diseases. It may be incredible to believe that Al Beckles of Britain achieved the distinction of becoming Mr. Universe with a Lacto-vegetarian diet. But it is true and the misconception that a diet with flesh and meat alone can make a person strong was proved wrong.

As far as consumption of a balanced diet, the least consumption should be Oils, Butter, Ghee and Sugar. Foods that should be consumed in limited quantity are Dals, dried seeds, Milk, Curd, Cheese, Fish, Eggs and chicken. The varieties that should be consumed more would be vegetables, fruits, Wheat and bread. The taste buds are to be tamed for a better health inasmuch as prevention is always better than cure and will it not be wise to refrain from diets that make us more vulnerable to different forms of cancer and serious problems? Fats are an essential part of the regular diet albeit; the wrong choice may cause a bad spell for the health. Refrigerating the fat diets until the fat rises to the top of the container and slicing it off can do elimination of fat. Saturated fat raises blood cholesterol, while polyunsaturated fat lowers blood cholesterol. Foods that enhance HDL (High Density Lipoprotiens) which are beneficial to the health are to be consumed and those with LDL (Low Density Lipoproteins) – the bad cholesterol function are to be kept away. Using monounsaturated oils like Olive oil, Canola and Groundnut oil and polyunsaturated oils like Sunflower oil, oils of corn, soyabean, Mustard, Gingely would be a better substitute for other oils. Nowadays it has become mandatory for the manufacturers of edible oils to declare the composition and grading of the oils they manufacture. One can find the wordings PUFA (Poly Unsaturated Fatty Acids) etc. so that the consumer may know what sort of nutrition he is resorting to.

Read between the lines: Which is bad cholesterol?

What PUFA stands for?

Scientific Discoveries

Health experts feel that breakfast should be rich, since more energy is required to be spent during the whole day. Lunch must be less than breakfast and dinner should be minimal compared to breakfast and lunch.

Scientists opine that two to three teaspoons of oil are sufficient for our daily needs. They also recommend that, instead of using the same type of oil, it's better to use different ones, like sesame, sunflower, groundnut, olive or soya for a balanced nutrition.

Junk food and eating while watching television should be discouraged for good health. This is because while watching television a person consumes more due to his involvement in the TV Program. People involved in dieting should have weight loss as their prime goal.

Moreover, regular intake of beef, mutton, ghee, butter, cream, cocounut and biscuits provides more saturated fatty acids, which are harmful to health. Crabs and prawns contain more cholesterol too. It is pertinent to mention that as per medical recommendations care should be taken to see that intake of animal products does not exceed 240 gms per day to limit cholesterol levels. Consumption of fat at different times causes less increase of cholesterol than a large amount of fat teken at one time. It has been studied that a blood cholesterol level over 240mg/dl (Mgs/decilitre of blood) approximately doubles the risk of coronary heart disease.

Welcome to the site, which will discuss the impact of diet and other food related information. This will include food news such as Sonoma Diet and structures like food pyramids that would interest you in every possible way - and I trust you will relish the information in terms of the food being taken at present, the modifications you may like to do in the future and an absorption of any relevant information on food and various cuisines cutting across geographical borders.

I am the author of the the article titled Indian's View of Diet - How food habits can make or break a person which was published in 'The Positive Health' magazine published from Portsmouth U.K. It was published in its issue 101 - July 04. I thought it would be nice to start with a published article of mine, which was received well by the esteemed readers of the magazine. I would be gradually posting the contents of the article and as soon as it ends, I would finish it with a --------. Please Hold On! It's just the beginning. After the end of the article, this would further continue with loads of food news. Wish you a Happy reading on food.

Indian's View of Diet- How Food Habits Can Make or Break A Person

There is an Indian saying, which says,

‘A fellow eating once a day is a Yogi’
‘A fellow eating twice a day is a Bogi’
‘A fellow eating thrice a day is a Rogi’

Well, the terms Yogi, Bogi and Rogi may cause confusion, which is explained as follows:
A yogi is a person who leads a calm life with balanced composure in pleasures and adversities. A Bogi is a person who enjoys his life in pursuit of sensual pleasures. A Rogi is a patient who deceives and abuses his body by eating three times a day. Lord Shri Krishna in the divine text Bhagawat Gita says,

Katv-amla-lavanaty-ushna
Tikshna-ruksha-vidhahinah
Ahara rajasyeshta
Dukha-shokamaya-pradah

This means foods that are too bitter, too sour, salty, hot, pungent, dry and burning are dear to those in the mode of passion. Such foods cause distress, misery and disease.

This can explain as to how the food habits can make or break a person. This doesn’t certainly mean that one shouldn’t consume food three times a day. At least, the diet can be planned and regularized so that a balanced diet is followed to keep one’s health as fit as a fiddle. Traditional medicine advocates that a light dinner bestows good health since one’s digestive power is strong at the beginning of the day and minimal in the night. The Indian religious system holds ‘Pancha Bhutas’ or the five elements of nature namely Fire, Water, Earth, Gas and Space in high esteem. In fact, these five elements are revered as Gods in the name of Agni, Varuna, Prithvi, Vayu and Akash respectively. All the existence in this world is viewed as the combination of these five elements and food is not an exception to that. In essence, the food what we supply to the body should comprise these elements to have a balanced nutrition. Significantly, the Ayurvedic system of medicine suggests that a disturbance between the Vata (gas), Pitta (bile) and Kapha (Phlegm) is the root cause for the problems arising in the body. Therefore, it’s important that the consumption of food should have spices, juices, minerals, air and space respectively. The space literally means the availability of empty space in the stomach, which implies that food should be consumed in limited quantity and space should be left to balance the aspect of the five elements of the nature.