Blame it on calories

New Yorkers could have controlled calories in their food intake with the government’s move to enforce strict implementation of display of calorific values in the menus at restaurants. This would largely avert the growth of diabetes and obesity problems in the city. The display would have to be carried out in the menu cards by food chains that have a minimum of 15 outlets across the country to start with. Renowned food chains such as Duncan Donuts and Mc Donalds have fallen under the scanner. The move is expected to protect 30,000 diabetes and 130,000 obesity patients in New York.

Diet and lifestyle

One billion people globally suffer from high blood pressure, which is categorized to be greater than 140/90 or more. If you wish to be kind to your heart, cut down your salt intake, practice a diet rich in fruits and vegetables to the best possible extent and follow a steady exercise pattern. Animal proteins have high amino acids and ‘aniline’, a chemical responsible for high levels of high blood pressure. People eating more meat have the problem due to this reason. Dr. Jeremy Nicholson and his team at Imperial College of London published these findings studied on urine samples.

Research on tiny tots

Researchers at Children’s research center in Washington have an interesting revelation based on the urine samples of small children. Urine samples of 163 children belonging to different ages were collected and analyzed. Results revealed that the powder and shampoos applied on children affected them with cold and wheezing problems. Cute little children under three years were found to play with toys having PVC composition (Poly Vinyl Chloride), which revealed an alarming result. Scientists opine tha the PVC may create problems with their reproductive system in their later days.
Parents! Please hurry up to take care of these aspects of your child.

Children and eating – The memory formula

Children need to be aware of their eating habits in order to keep problems like obesity and anorexia at bay. Interestingly children’s memory and their diet pattern bear a significant relation towards their memory. Studies reveal that an ideal combination of 50% fruits, 25% boiled vegetables and 15% dry fruits in their regular diet would trigger the memory cells and keep them fresh. For God’s sake, please ask them not to pop up any brain memory pills as research brings out that it may keep the children’s brain at a state of perennial alertness. The result is untold anxiety or the most despised ‘insomnia’ of sleeplessness. Live in tune with nature.
Do ask your children to have vegetables, fruits and eatables containing wheat – before school examinations.
Do tell your children not to eat Ghee, chocolate, fried pie, non-vegetarian food before school examinations as the food develops inertia and the child may tend to sleep.

Cow’s goodness
According to research by the Government of Uttarkhand in India, Cow’s urine can be used in preparing about 25 medicines. For the uninitiated, cow’s urine is used since the Vedic age for all auspicious occasions in India. Ancient wisdom has that all the products of cow namely; Ghee, dung, urine etc. are useful products. Cow’s urine stands foremost as an antibacterial agent.

It has been found that medicines equivalent to Siplax, Amoxycillin can be extracted from cow’s urine. The best part is you do not have any chemicals or drugs and the product is natural. It has been reported that nearly 5 tons of cow’s urine are required per day for research and medicine extraction. Cow owners in India are having a field day, as many pharmaceutical companies are ready to shell out Rs.5/- per liter for Cow’s urine.

Mudras as said earlier are different combinations of our fingers, which helps in curing many diseases and improved wellness. The basic underlying principle is that the five fingers represent the five elements of nature. The thumb, index finger, middle finger, ring finger and little finger represent Fire, Air, Space, Earth and Water respectively. For any yoga related sitting posture, a lotus position or padmasan is recommended for better results. Yoga also relates to an erect positioning of spine and spinal wellness. Since the spine is considered to be the seat of the six Chakras or the important divine centres of our body, it's important that an erect posture for the spine is always recommended while sitting even in normal circumstances and to avoid any spinal injuries and damages.

1) Chin Mudra: Just touch the thumb with index finger. No pressure is necessary. A gentle touch is sufficient. This helps in increasing brain power, mental concentration and cures problems of Insomnia, tension and lack of concentration.

2) Vayu Mudra: Vayu means ‘Air’ in Sanskrit. Index finger pertains to the element air and therefore press the first mount of the index finger (after the finger is bent) on the base of thumb at the mount of Venus (the first mount). This is said to cure Rheumatism, Arthritis, Gout, Parkinson’s disease and blood circulation deficiencies.

3) Shunya Mudra: Shunya means void and as it indicates emptiness, this implies space. The number Zero is called ‘Shunya’ in Hindi. Middle finger indicates space and is to be kept bent and pressed with the thumb at the mount of Venus (the first mount). If done for about 45 minutes, it hopes to cure deficiencies of ear and Vertigo.

Smart Sniffers

Animals have been perceived to superior as far as understanding nature and geographical changes are concerned. It is common knowledge that rats are employed as guinea pigs for research that leads to conclusions about behavior of medicines in human bodies. When it comes to dog, they not only are faithful to their masters, but also help in detecting certain types of Cancers in humans. Does it sound strange? Not really. The faculty of sniffing in dogs has been found to give them the unique ability to detect Cancers. Doctors and Scientists around the globe are engaged in extensive research on Cancer detection and research on associated drugs.

Considerable breakthrough was achieved by ‘Pine Street Foundation’ of California, which related the sniffing of dogs to bring Cancer to the fore. Significantly, the foundation was successful in finding the fact based on the theory that cancer cells of patients exhibit certain basic characteristics, while healthy people do not exhibit them. Three Labradors and two Portuguese water dogs were reportedly engaged in prolonged sessions of training with an exposure to samples of exhaled air of healthy people and Cancer patients. Remarkably, dogs were able to sniff the air of Cancer patients.

Dear Dolphins

If you can befriend Dolphins, you are one up. You have a short in the arm and pleasant splash in the water. According to Biophilic research, a discipline which deals with relationship of humans’ health with nature, swimming with Dolphins can improve relaxation and reduce mild or moderate depression. Studies reveal that 9 out of 10 patients who swam with these beautiful and friendly aqua creatures reported lasting improvement.

Tail Piece: Elephants are believed to possess instincts to sense earthquakes in advance. In some parts they have been reported to move in herds in advance to safer places.

Go Quizzing: What are Pachyderms?

Wine and dine

Izaak Walton English Writer and author of The Compleat Angler said “Look to your health; and if you have it, praise god, and value it next to a good conscience; for health is the second blessing that we mortals are capable of; a blessing that money cannot buy.”

Wellness is an excellent feeling that results in maintaining our health with low cholesterol diets and recipes that not only target the taste buds, but also keeps a watchful eye on their impact on our health. Apart from conventional allopathic medicine, a knowledge and awareness on alternative therapies such as Homeopathy, Acupuncture, Naturopathy etc. are imperative for good health.

A story goes thus. A psychiatrist was explaining the ill effects of alcohol to an audience filled with alcoholics and to demonstrate the effects he put a small worm in the alcohol beaker when it died. Asked about the moral of the story, a wise man in the crowd replied that boozing is good since it can kill the worms in the stomach. But it’s for die-hard alcoholics. Limited doses of wine may do some good. Especially the combination ‘Wine & Dine’…Want to take a cue from drinking! To have Wine and then to dine appears to be the best combination – virtually! If studies by Danish scientists are any indication go by. The results of the studies carrried out a couple of years ago, reported that wine takers inclined to buy healthy eatables such as more fruits, vegetables, Olives, low fat cheese than beer drinkers who were prompted to buy the opposite- high calorie foods. The study had been conducted by the National Institute of Public Health, Copenhagen and the results are there to see. But nothing can deter the high spirits of Oktoberfest where gallons of beer are gulped in a moment. Right!

Keep Guessing: Where is Oktoberfest held?

Atkins Diet, Zone Diet and South Beach Diet

The different diets that have entered the lexicons of dieters and health conscious people are the Atkins Diet, the Zone Diet and the South Beach Diet. The common feature among any diet pattern is the different phases that the diet regime undergoes. For instance, followers of Atkins Diet would have four phases; and people who advocate South Beach Diet would have three phases to follow. However, the Zone Diet has an exception, where you do not find any specific number of phases.

Another common feature among diets is an underlying specific principle that governs the regime. The buzzword for Atkins Diet is ‘low carb dieting’ and it is no coincidence that Dr. Atkins is called the ‘Father of Modern Low Carb Diets’. Consisting of four phases such as the induction, ongoing weight loss (OWL), pre-maintenance and maintenance phase, the duration rests on the weight and response of a person who undergoes the diet. Addition of carbohydrates takes place with progression of phases, but with a caveat. You have to refrain from refined grain and sugars for a sustained result.

The Zone diet popularized by Biochemist Barry Sears centers on the theory that a 30:40 proportion of Proteins: Carbohydrates triggers natural anti-inflammatory chemicals of the type of eicosanoids. These are heart and health friendly and that's why probably Barry Sears termed this positive effect as ‘The Zone’. The Zone Diet shot to fame, when Mexican Manuel Uribe lost about 180 kg in a year. Sounds incredible! Nevertheless, it has to be believed since it’s true.

The South Beach Diet designed by Dr. Arthur Agatston, a cardiac Physician, focused on his patients symptomatic of insulin resistance syndrome, which doesn’t keep the heart fit. The diet consisting of three phases with the first phase lasting a fortnight, but excludes most of the carbohydrates and sources of saturated fats including trans fats. Gradual increase of carbohydrates with a low glycemic index is added to the regime as the phases advance further.

Check out websites for more on these plans and do yourself a whole lot of good to adopt a low-carb diet with a low glycemic index and a balanced diet regime.

Sonoma Waves

The first Sonoma wave will last for 10 days comprising yummy breakfasts, lunches and dinners made out of healthy whole foods. The second wave which forms the major part of the diet will continue to be with you until the targeted weight is achieved. This second wave is about variety and you can couple it with doses of wine – preferably one glass a day for women and 2 glasses a day for women. Wave 2 can be viewed as the dieting phase of the plan and may run for several months as one gradually loses weight.

Once you reach the targeted weight, you’ll be more than happy that the eatables would include Olive oil, tomatoes, fresh garlic, even limited servings of red meat and vegetables, fish and chicken. Sonoma dieters can eat bread and pasta provided its whole wheat. But wine comes with a rider. It’s allowed only in wave 2, since the wave 1 focuses on calorie reduction.

Wave 3 sets in with specifications on plate sizes apportioned with respect to nutritional values such as carbohydrates, proteins and vegetables in the ascending order. This is a general description as an eye-opener on Sonoma diet. Websites are available dime a dozen on this specific diet pattern and online enrolments are also available to achieve targeted weights. Check out for few good sites and sign up for customized Sonoma diet pattern for a trim waistline.

Herbs and diet

As far as nutrition is concerned, herbs are playing a predominant role as an alternative to conventional medicine. Herbs provide us with safe chances of recovery even from chronic diseases and in this regard, if herbs are used as part of diet in our day to day lives, many a disease can be prevented from snowballing into the system. Herbal life or life lived with herbs for external and internal applications can be rejuvenating to the system. Several hundreds of herbs are available for the benefit of mankind. The Indian herbal life is synonymous to herbal living as this is the birth place of Ayurveda and Siddha practices, where herbs are quintessential for preparation of medicines. Pertinently, India has been the abode of sages and Siddhas or seers who had formulated various preparations and listed remedies even for chronic diseases. The efficacy of these medicines, especially Ayurveda is deeply penetrating even US health markets and lot of patients and tourists are making a beeline to India for Ayurvedic retreats.

Gymnoma Sylvestrae, Androgrophis Paniculata and Withania Somnifera are only few natural products that are highly beneficial to our health and which are used in the preparation of medicines. There are whole lot of natural herbs, vegetables and fruits that await human consumption. Where there is a will, there are many ways.

Sonoma Diet

Sonoma diet is a unique diet system, which has been the darling of the people in the Mediterranean region. The Sonoma diet pattern developed by renowned top dietician Dr.Connie Gutterson has success rates accelerating in leaps and bounds. One may wonder the name Sonoma and for the origin it owes its name to the lush green Sonoma valley in California rightfully symbolizing the greenery required in the diet.

If you feel that the heart which fits into the fist shouldn’t slip out of your hands, embrace the Sonoma diet, for its heart healthy and a traditional diet which testifies its success with live examples – especially from the Mediterranean region Crete, Greece, Italy or any other country on the Mediterranean coast.

They have been found to have a very low risk of heart disease and interestingly the Sonoma diet even allows wine in limited doses. In general, the mantra is to get your waistline trimmed by eating proper food in the right proportion and not to fall into mislead notions like fasting to the core.

Any systematic and established dieting procedure coupled with physical activity bids good-bye to obesity and ill health. The Sonoma diet pattern allows even limited servings of red meat, but gives importance to whole grains, cereals, nuts and fish as part of diet regimen. Unlike conventional dietary procedures, this doesn’t advocate any fasting practices to shed off those extra pounds of flesh.

In fact, the Sonoma diet allows you to go in for a variety of things such as lean meat and other varieties of tastes that satisfy the yearning of the taste buds.

The bone structure of Asians is smaller and therefore the ideal body mass index or BMI calculated as the ratio between the weight measured in kilograms and height in square meters is set at 23 for Indians. The ideal constant for Caucasians is set at 25. If you belong to the fair sex, then you have to see that your hip to waist ratio doesn’t cross 0.85. For men the safety factor is set below 1.0. If the joints are not to nag somebody, hearts are to pump efficiently and for a trouble free insulin secretion among other wellness aspects, better watch out for these obesity indices. The obesity monster is striking big. To quote statistics, it is estimated that about a quarter of a million people have undergone surgeries for obesity in the year 2006. Simple lifestyle changes and change in diet patterns- which contain low calories, will make a lot of difference to our health. Take care.

World Aids Day – Dec 1.

Today is World Aids Day. The World Aids Campaign’s theme for this year is “Stop Aids: Keep the Promise – Leadership”. The advent of a deadly disease that came to light in 1981 because of HIV (Human Immuno Virus) is observed every year showing the symbol of a red ribbon. Started in 1988, Dec 1 continues to remind humankind about the importance of an AIDS free society. It also reminds healthy people the importance of their co-existence with patients battling the syndrome and to offer them a life free from stigma associated with their lives.

According to UNAIDS figures, 33.2 million are living with HIV, including 2.5 million children. Unfortunately, youths before 25 years contract HIV and succumb to the disease before 35 years – the age, when one sees the pinnacle of life in terms of career achievements and other accomplishments. More startling revelation is that 95% of the cases are from developing nations. Beware of AIDS and be aware of AIDS. Be free from needles that induce artificial trance and don’t share them. Not only budding youth, but also entire human race should realize that they should not lose the woods for the trees.

World 'Anti-Obesity Day'

November 26 was Anti-Obesity day. It’s not a sin to be obese, but it’s no fun either. Thin roads in many places all over the world became fat filled with people that created awareness against Obesity. According to WHO statistics, 60% of US citizens and 35% of Indians are obese- the news, which is not worth enjoying. About 310 million or 31 crore people world over are excessively fat, according to figures. Public conducted rallies with placards, banners and funny dresses to spark the fire of fighting obesity. Many carried slogans against fast foods, Pizzas etc. asking public to refrain from such high calorie foods that lead to unhealthy body.

Interestingly, there seems to be a significant relationship between TV watching and Obesity, if results according to practical studies are any indications to go by. Children watching the idiot box for more than 3 hrs have the risk of 4 times suffering form Obesity than their peers who don’t watch Television for long durations. So, parents are to ensure that their children are fit as a fiddle by giving them the right food, making them play lot of games and importantly make them understand that intelligent kids stay away from the idiot box. And tell them not pester you for preserved foods and junk diets. Of course, do take care of yourselves- not to be obese. After all we have to practice before we preach.

Vegetables and fruits are natural sources of health, which is an indisputable fact. Regular servings of green vegetables and fruits can do whole lot of good for our body. As was seen in the earlier postings in the case of groundnuts, ‘Tea’ is also a natural source of ‘Flavanoids’, which shields heart problems. Beans also contain flavanoids, which can prevent heart problems up to 13%.

‘Seeing red’ is a phrase in English, which means to suddenly get angry. But you only need to get happy when you see red coloured vegetables. They contain ‘Lycopene’, a carotenoid, which acts as an antioxidant and helps in several ways including preventing cancer. Several websites on Lycopene substantiate its goodness in inhibiting Prostate Cancer. Antioxidants are substances that helping fighting ‘free radicals’, the agents of bad health. Tomatoes, guava, watermelons, rosehip and grapefruits are classic examples of vegetable and fruits containing Lycopene. Get enough tomatoes and red colored fruits and vegetables in your diet to keep yourself healthy.

An advice to be ‘by hearted’

Going nuts isn’t good and of course going bananas too. But eating groundnuts bestows a whole lot of good health. According to a study by American heart association, including groundnuts in your regular diet reduces the risk of heart disease by 21%. The accompanying good news is good cholesterol also increases with the consumption of groundnuts.

Another study in Israel concludes that people having wine regularly may consume at least half a cup of pomegranate juice daily. This is due to the presence of 5 times the antioxidants in pomegranate, though small doses of wine is advised for a healthy heart. Adherence to this dosage of juice results in reduction of bad cholesterol and there may be chances of a reduction of 44% of heart problems. Regular doses of 6 ounces of pomegranate juice and 50 grams of groundnuts may reduce heart problems to a larger extent. There is nothing to loose much as this is neither expensive not it requires excessive effort to follow this regime. Why not try it? ‘By heart’ this advice for a healthy heart free of any cardiovascular problems.

Did you know September 30 was celebrated as 'World Heart day' and the world heart slogan was 'Team up with hearts'.

Here’s Sweet news… Eyebrows still frown when children demand chocolates lest their teeth get stained and worms infect their bowels. Last but not the least, the sugar content discourages diabetics to lead a sweet life. But if scientific studies are any indications to go by, derivatives of cocoa products into chocolates had a significant impact on lowering blood pressure. According to a study in Netherlands, when surveyed on 470 healthy Dutch men aged above 65 years their blood pressure was significantly normal and the inference was that it was probably due to their consumption of 10 Gms of chocolate a day. A finding as far as Australia is concerned is 2, 50,000 people suffer from Diabetes, out of whom 80,000 are insulin dependent. Blindness, kidney damage, nerve dysfunction and blocked blood vessels are the side effects of Diabetes. Low Glycemic Index foods such as whole grains, bran and cereal fibre may reduce the risk of heart disease in diabetics. But as far as mortality rates are concerned it seems diseases that have played havoc are Malaria, Dysentery, Tuberculosis and respiratory disorders in general. It’s because of these diseases; nearly 75 million have departed this planet which in turn is in the grip of environmental degeneration like Greenhouse gases, global warming and what not. Even before problems can take to cudgels in the form of problems such as Diabetes, Blood Pressure etc. we can prevent it with regular exercises such as walking. Like to have a look at the latest statistics nation wise, so that we can be wary of the facts about the figures regarding exercising. Germans seem to be highly health conscious with 52% of people over 50s taking into regular exercise followed by Spain which is 47%. The third place goes to France at 43% and the last to UK at 28%.

Value Addition for health: What is a Mudra? A Mudra is a form of particular positioning of fingers of our hands. If formed in different combinations coupled with Asanas or seating postures and breathing exercises are carried out, beneficial effects accrue on our health. These are time tested combinations which we would be seeing gradually.

Smart Sniffers

Animals have been perceived to superior as far as understanding nature and geographical changes are concerned. It is common knowledge that rats are employed as guinea pigs for research that leads to conclusions about behavior of medicines in human bodies. When it comes to dog, they not only are faithful to their masters, but also help in detecting certain types of Cancers in humans. Does it sound strange? Not really. The faculty of sniffing in dogs has been found to give them the unique ability to detect Cancers. Doctors and Scientists around the globe are engaged in extensive research on Cancer detection and research on associated drugs. Considerable breakthrough has been achieved by ‘Pine Street Foundation’ of California, which related the sniffing of dogs to bring Cancer to the fore. Significantly, the foundation has been successful in finding the fact based on the theory that cancer cells of patients exhibit certain basic characteristics, while healthy people do not exhibit them. Three Labradors and two Portuguese water dogs were reportedly engaged in prolonged sessions of training with an exposure to samples of exhaled air of healthy people and Cancer patients. Remarkably, dogs were able to sniff the air of Cancer patients.

Dear Dolphins

If you can befriend Dolphins, you are one up. You have a short in the arm and pleasant splash in the water. According to Biophilic research, a discipline which deals with relationship of humans’ health with nature, swimming with Dolphins can improve relaxation and reduce mild or moderate depression. Studies reveal that 9 out of 10 patients who swam with these beautiful and friendly aqua creatures reported lasting improvement. Tail Piece: Elephants are believed to possess instincts to sense earthquakes in advance. In some parts they have been reported to move in herds in advance to safer places.

Go Quizzing: What are Pachyderms?

Scientifically this is agreeable to a larger extent since even as a thumb rule we avoid certain foods pertaining to the corresponding seasons. This means foods which suit one season may not suit another season. A similar principle is applied in Chinese medicine, which propagates the theory that to maintain the balance of ‘Qi’ or the Life Force that flows through the body, the forces of ‘Yin’ (cold) and ‘Yang’ (hot) are to be balanced. The interpretation would be that Yang would dominate in hot season than Yin. The imbalance of ‘Yin’ and ‘Yang’ corresponds to the theory in Ayurvedic medicine which advocates the theory of the balance between Vata (gas), Pitta (bile) and Kapha (Phlegm).This also makes an interesting inference that it’s more of cosmic energy that sustains us than the element of food that we swallow. If it’s the Om or Omkara that is revered in Hinduism, its equivalent ‘Qi’ is respected by the chinese. After all, the names may vary but the divine cosmic energy is one and the same.

Generally for a healthy body, recipes low in cholesterol value is recommended for a low LDL level in the body. As far efficient maintenance of oure health Systems, Ayurvedic and Chinese medicines have a mention on the different seasons that affect the health of human beings. Even some animals go on a long hibernation in some seasons to maintain their wellness. While generally the seasons are spread as summer, autumn, spring and winter, Ayurveda specifies that the seasons are divided into six seasons namely Vasant Ruthu, Sharad Ruthu, Grishma Ruthu, Hemantha Ruthu, Varsha Ruthu and Shishira Ruthu. A detailed study named ‘Ruthu Charya’ or ‘seasonal maintenance’ occupies a place of considerable importance in Ayurveda. Ayurvedic texts testify that human body behaves in a particular way in particular season and accordingly the diets specified also vary.