Promote healthy eating habits so that your child stays hale and hearty, and fortify him against deteriorating health conditions. Most of us are very well aware that in today’s times, the number of over-weight kids is more than before. Also, you might have come across kids who are overweight and suffer ‘adult’ problems such as blood pressure and diabetes. Y. Claire Wang, MD, Assistant Professor of health policy at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York City says that research has proved that the below mentioned points are the key for keeping kids at a healthy weight. Lesser sweet drinks and more water intake Dr. Wand suggests, “Many sugary beverages including sports and juice drinks are being marketed as healthy.” Therefore, avoid drinks loaded with added sugars. Pick 100% fruit juice and serve 4 to 6-oz twice on a daily basis. Lessen the screening time This is an effective method which will play a crucial role for betterment of your kid’s health.  [...]

Check ahead how slowing down in your meals will help you for eating less. Reminiscing your mother’s words, hmmm… she was right when she advised to slow down while eating. Yeah, we too back her views. A recent study of about 3000 people has concluded reporting, “People who eat quickly are three times more likely to be over-weight than those who eat at moderate pace.” This happens because when we eat fast, we tend to go overboard and in the meanwhile, our brain doesn’t get a chance to realize that the stomach is complete. Deborah Enos, CN, wellness coach who has penned the book ‘Weight a Minute!’ suggests of trying the following tips to pace yourself. Move ahead and check his tips which will ultimately help you for flaunting a slim and slender body. After each bite, put your fork down While eating maintain this habit, you just need to do is eat, chew, swallow, then put your fork down, sip water or inhale a deep breath, before you pick it again. Leave the table for a while When  [...]

There is a probability that liking for sugar may be an innate phenomenon, possibly a connection to development. Lona Sandon, RD, Assistant Professor of nutrition at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas and spokesperson for American Dietetic Association (ADA) suggests “Humans likely gravitated away from bitter foods, which might have been poisonous and moved towards sweet ones, which were probably safe.” Also, studies on infants have denoted that they smile or chuckle after eating something sweet, like breast milk or their first food or something else that is sweet and cry or frown after they taste some bitter flavors. Audrey Cross, PhD, MPH, retired professor from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University in New York City shares that “Sugar is a form of energy, or calories and nothing else.” Actually, sugar does not possess any nutritional value. However, the truth is our body gets nourishment with natural sugar. Rich sources of natural sugars include fruits  [...]

Check the truth that whether is sugar really addictive and how you can curb it. As a child, I was a die hard lover of luscious chocolates; I hided a secret box beneath my bed in which I used to keep wrappers of covert candies. Though these days aren’t the same as my little childhood when I yearned candies and ate them secretly, things have not gone too far to. Even today, luscious taste for candies reclines in my tongue, but I no longer eat them secretly. Many times, I treat myself with York peppermint patties, jelly beans, candy corn whenever I am out. Now, don’t get me start on irresistible dark chocolates. Loads of people accept that they are addicted to sugar; even I stand amidst them, but is this craving similar to drug addiction? Well, may be yes. However, according to FDA, “In order for a substance to be an addiction, it has to cause a craving, be hazardous to your well-being, and even knowing that, you still use it.” Allen Levine, PhD, Director of the Minnesota Obesity  [...]

Take Time to Enjoy Your Meal Positive traits: Relishing every bite of your meal helps you extract every flavor from your food which in turn will make you feel complete, otherwise because of which you may overeat. If you eat faster, then probably you don’t receive the message that you had enough. Negative traits: Research has proved that during long dinners with friends, we tend to gain more calories. The reason behind this is that while we are with our friends, we eat more and prefer high-calorie dishes, similarly like our friends. In addition, if we sit for a two hour long dinner, we tend to eat more and order deserts just to linger for long with friends. Caution: The essential point to remember is eating slowly and savoring every bite of food. This is to keep an eye over what we are eating. Also, if you can’t say no to large portion of food, then while you enter in a restaurant, ask the waiter to pack half portion for home. And if after eating the main course meal,  [...]

Fill Your Plate (and Pantry) with Many Different Foods Positive traits: As the famous saying cites “Variety is the spice of life,” it is absolutely true and an effective way. How? As it prevents boredom, which is a nightmare as it is a diet disaster. For instance: if you are served grilled chicken with steamed vegetables every night on a regular basis, and you compel yourself to stick with this diet, then you may find yourself munching a double cheese burger before the week ends. Negative traits: Variety may impel you to eat loads of food. This is because of a phenomenon called as ‘Sensory-specific Satiety.’ Hollie Raynor Phd, RD, explains “When flavors are limited, we tend to eat less.” Also a study conducted by Dr. Raynor reported that dieters who were limited to just one type of snack ate lesser calories than those who ate several varieties. Caution: Prefer eating variety of fruits, vegetables and other low calorie foodstuffs that are your favorites. However,  [...]

You might be familiar with the saying that every rule has an exception; yeah… there are lots of good and healthy advices out there, but do you know that sticking too much to them can end you up leading nowhere as mind gets frustrated after a hectic period of diet and ultimately ends in hidden indulgences. For instance: for losing of oodles of weight, you might abandon chocolate, however following too much of dieting plans strictly, may lead you gorging entire chocolate cake alone one night. Therefore, if you are looking ahead for losing weight, then the perfect key is moderation as is personalization. Tara Gidus, RD, an Orlando-based nutritionist suggests “There’s no one-sizefits- all diet plan.” Experts are of the view that good nutrition and exercising are some healthy habits that can help in slimming down, but apart from this, there is always space for minor alterations. As Rena Wing, Phd, Co-Founder of the National Weight Control Registry recommends “It’s important to  [...]

Instead of sitting to talk on the phone, try standing up to chat By this way, you can efficiently burn up to 40% calories, and kick the chances of gaining extra weight. A study came out with surprising results that obese women sit 2 and half hours more than there slimmer friends. Rather than sitting while talking on the phone, get walking and catch up talking, apart from this idea catch up with other effective ideas. For instance, while you are watching T.V., start doing other household chores like ironing simultaneously; skip the seating for standing on the sidelines, while your kids are on the soccer field. Instead of beating the 3 p.m. slump with a cup of coffee, try going for a walk Studies have proved that an energetic 10-minute walk stimulates energy levels for hours to come as well helps you accumulate 30 minutes of routine work out, which is suggested by your CDC to mitigate the risks of obesity, heart diseases, hypertension, diabetes and varied types of cancer. Gulping coffee  [...]

Kudos to those who can adapt to new habits by recreating themselves overnight! However, these kinds of persons are quite rare to find in planet Earth. Usually, the quick changes don’t last for long. Therefore, it is suitable if we consider minor tweaks that can bring a big difference. For this purpose, I am right here at your disposal to help you in leading a healthy life. Try to give these tips a hit each week, so that you start leaving a hale and hearty life. Instead of staying up late to watch Letterman, try calling a friend before you call it a night Switching to channels, surfing for chatting with mates is good for our health as they work positively for our mood and waistline. Recent 35-year analysis conducted over 45,000 adults reported that unhappy people watched about 20% more television, compared to their cheerful friends. The happy-go-lucky friends spent most of their leisure time mingling or reading. Another research carried in the sleep department of Nurses’ Health Study  [...]

Most of the women restrict the utility of expensive anti-aging creams to cut down the expenses of our beauty regimes. Just because our beauty budgets are contracting, it doesn’t mean that the glow and luster of our faces should get wiped off. So, we sought views of Lisa Drayer, MA, RD, author of ‘The Beauty Diet,’ to find out whether there are some measures that can overturn the signs of aging from inside out. Check out her tips which render a whole new meaning to the old oldage by “You are what you eat.” The Power of Antioxidants Lisa Drayer describes the free-radical theory of aging in her book, where she presents clear description wherein she says, that each day we are exposed to free radicals (unstable atoms or molecules) that “wreak havoc on a molecular level.” If this process continues, then over a period of time, it sprouts dilapidating diseases like cancer, cataract, wrinkles, and other such diseases pertaining to old age. Ultimately, the question that evokes in  [...]

Read ahead whether your child requires extra vitamins. Recent study conducted over 10,000 children discovered that kids who don’t consume multivitamins are the one with utmost need of multi-vitamins. Most pediatricians recommend that those kids who are very picky and don’t eat multi-vitamins are the ones who absolutely need it. Pediatrician Bob Sears, MDMD, author of ‘The Healthiest Kid in the Neighborhood,’ suggests that “I don’t recommend a multi for every child, but there are some who could use it as a little insurance.” Frank Geer, MDMD, Chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition suggests another reason to consider Vitamin D, “We advise 400 IUIU of D daily, which a child can really only get by drinking 32 ounces of milk.” Taking a multi-vitamin is an easy and cheap way to enhance the level of your child’s energy and assuring yourself that child is getting enough nourishment. So, make sure that your kid is full and healthy with  [...]