We are in the middle of a health crisis which means we have to take extra precautions to prevent or reduce the risk of catching the novel coronavirus. With no cure or vaccine at the moment, it is only healthy hygiene habits that can help us stay clear of contracting this virus. Have a look at the healthy habits you should adopt regularly to prevent contracting this deadly virus:

Sip on Warm Lemon Water

Start your day in the morning with a glass of warm lemon water and give your body a good dose of vitamin C content to boost your immune system and eliminate toxins from your body.

Practice Food Safety

Wash your hands, fruits and vegetables, utensils, and surfaces when preparing any food. Cook and store food at optimal temperatures to avoid illness.

Hand Hygiene

The best way to prevent infections and stop the spread of germs, and viruses like COVID-19 is by maintaining good hand hygiene. With the virus at large, It is essential to wash hands several times a day and more importantly the right way. When not having access to water and soap, carry an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with you.

Boost your Immunity

Strengthen your immune system with the intake of a balanced diet high in fruits and vegetables alongside exercise, good quality sleep, stress management, and other healthy habits. Incorporate spices and herbs such as ginger, turmeric, and garlic to keep your immunity in its best form.

As of now, a remedy or vaccine for COVID-19 is yet to be developed which is why we have to take extra precautions to protect ourselves. Since food and immunity are closely related, it is integral to consume a balanced diet. Adopting these simple and healthy habits every day will help keep you and your loved ones safe during this pandemic.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, most of us are facing or will face stressful times. Uncertainly of life has a large share of contribution towards the development of mental illnesses such as depression. But such times should not deter us from striving towards a happy and healthy life.

It’s during these times, that we must ensure that our physical and mental health is a priority. Among all the therapies and strategies that can be used to improve mental health and beat depression, eating the right kind of food has equal importance.

Healthy and nutritious foods can make you feel good and provide your body with the right kinds of nutrients. This will help you stay positive and strong amid this global crisis. This is why I bring to you six powerful foods that will ensure you stay healthy and help you avoid or beat depression.

1) Dark Leafy Greens

Dark leafy greens are one of the most nutrient-dense foods available to us. From Kale, Spinach, Arugula to Swiss chards, Bok choy, and Collard Greens, these vegetables have anticancer effects, anti-inflammation effects, and powerful immune-boosting properties.

Brain inflammation has been linked to depression. Including leafy greens in your diet can significantly lower depression symptoms. What’s more, these healthy foods have oodles of minerals, phytochemicals, and vitamins such as A, C, E, and even vitamin K.

2) Berries

Berries such as strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries are high antioxidant foods. Known as DNA repairmen, berries enable cell repairing and ensure prevention of illnesses like cancer. Studies conducted on depressed patients have also shown that the consumption of antioxidants from berries can lower depression rates.

3) Avocados

Called as a power food, Avocados contain healthy fat that is required for your brain to function properly. They contain four grams of protein, which is higher than any other fruit. They are also loaded with vitamin K and various other kinds of vitamins B, C, and E12. What’s more, they have high dietary fiber and are quite low in sugar, making them an ideal healthy food for your mind and body.

4) Walnuts

Walnuts are an excellent mood-boosting food. They are packed with omega 3 fatty acids, which have mood-enhancement effects on the brain. Many studies have pointed to the benefits of omega 3 in boosting brain function and minimizing symptoms of depression. Moreover, since our brain is made of 80 percent lipids, healthy fats in walnuts can strengthen its functioning.

5) Tomatoes

Another great food when it comes to fighting depression is tomatoes. They are packed with alpha-lipoic acid and folic acid, both of which are good for beating depression. Many studies have shown that one-third of people suffering from depression were folate deficient. Folic acid in tomatoes can help lower homocysteine rate, which is known to prevent the production of feel-good chemicals that are essential for battling depression.

6) Seeds

Seeds like hemp, flax, chia, and sunflower seeds are super beneficial for your brain and mental health. Like walnuts, seeds are also great for your mood because they are rich in omega 3 fatty acids. When eaten together with vegetables, they can help fight diseases and allow protective nutrients to be absorbed from them.

I hope you have gained some valuable and noteworthy insights from this article. By making these power foods a part of your daily diet, you will ensure that you have an uplifting mood, a healthy body, and strong immunity. After all, a sound body and mind are essential to get through the current pandemic in a safe and stress-free manner.

Are you looking for smart ways to stay cool and lose weight this summer? Then here are some expert-recommended tips you should follow to lose weight, and beat the heat during the summer!

Say YES To Spice!

Studies claim that eating spicy food stimulates heat receptors in the mouth. This in turn causes you to sweat more while also helping the body cool down. Try to incorporate some healthy spices into your meals, such as black or white pepper, green chilies or garlic this summer.

Fruit Infused Water

Why binge on unhealthy sodas and sugary energy drinks when you can make your healthy summer drink! Fruit-infused water is a natural and healthy way of keeping your body cool, detoxifying your system, and aiding natural weight loss. Plus, it tastes great too!

Super Sabja

Sabja seeds have a ton of health benefits to offer which include, natural weight loss, help control blood sugar, and relieves constipation and bloating. Soak a spoonful of sabja seeds in a glass of water and drink then add it to a jug of water. Drinking this throughout the day will help you keep cool and also keep you feeling fuller and prevent overeating!

Be a Fruitaholic!

Popular summer fruits such as watermelon, pineapples, sweet limes, and oranges are loaded with essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Regular consumption of these fruits will surely help you keep fresh, boost skin health, keep you cool and also aid natural weight loss during the summer!

Go Coconuts!

Coconut water is a popular and refreshing summertime drink! Coconuts are loaded with magnesium which is essential for good bone health. This delicious drink will help you boost metabolism, aid digestion, and boost heart health while also aiding weight loss.

Armed with these essential expert health tips, we are sure that your summer will be a healthy and happy one!

Before you start getting any ideas, let’s just be clear. Junk food is not the solution to mental health problems! And this article certainly does not endorse binge eating or support junk food. Now if you want to know, how healthy and wholesome food can help you cope with the mental health issues you are likely to face during a lockdown, read on!

Anxiety & Stress

Work stress, family-related concerns, your health and safety, not being able to get out of the house; there is a load of issues we all need to deal with at a time like this. And at the end of the day, whether you’re a parent or a child, we all are worried about something.

What to eat:

Curcumin, the active ingredient found in turmeric has been known to help lower anxiety by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress. This can be especially helpful for individuals who experience mood disorders, anxiety, and depression. Apart from turmeric, dark chocolate and ginger are also known to help lower anxiety levels effectively.

What to avoid:

Salty foods & junk food contain high levels of sodium and sugars, which will only increase your anxiety levels and leave you feeling more stressed out than comforted.

Overeating

While it is essential to consume food to survive, eating in large quantities and at frequent intervals can often lead to a load of health problems such as obesity, weight gain, etc. But while sitting at home the whole day, one does get hungry more often and tends to eat more. So now what is to be done about this problem?

What to eat:

Drink plenty of water. Water is the elixir of life; it helps detox your body naturally, hydrates your system and can effectively help prevent overeating. Drink 1 glass of water 10 minutes before each meal. You could eat soak 1 tbsp of sabja seeds in 1 bottle of water, and consume it throughout the day.

What to avoid:

Salty & butter-laden foods such as cookies and biscuits will only increase your appetite and make you feel hungry, more often. Try to avoid them at all costs.

Depression

Whether you have dealt with depression in the past or not, being cooped up in the house all day, completely cut off from the outside world, worrying about this pandemic sweeping across the world, is enough to get anyone depressed.

What to eat:

Cloves contain potassium, which regulates blood pressure and can help provide relief to individuals experiencing depression. Also, regular consumption of green tea has been linked to increased dopamine and serotonin levels, which can help reduce the symptoms and feelings of depression.

What to avoid:

Processed foods, dairy, and sugary foods may help provide momentary relief from your current mental state, but in the long run, they are likely to damage both your mental and physical health.

Sleep Disorders

Netflix, YouTube, online gaming portals; in a world filled with so many fascinating distractions, one can often tend to disregard the importance of something as essential as a good night’s sleep. For some of us, it may be a choice, for others a matter of circumstance, but the truth is sleep is extremely important for one’s mental health.

What to eat:

Almonds are high in monounsaturated fats and are a known source of the sleep-regulating hormone melatonin. Milk, on the other hand, has been shown to improve sleep, especially when taken along with melatonin. So treat yourself to a nice warm glass of milk, coupled with 2-3 crunchy almonds, 2-3 almonds, an hour before bed. This combination will send you off into dreamland in no time!

What to avoid:

Foods high in caffeine and sugar should be avoid, especially during the night time.

Food is in its natural form the purest and most wonderful gift from nature. But what we choose to do with it and how we use it completely up to us. During this lockdown, period let us not take our health for granted. Instead, let us take care of our mental and physical health, and work on improving it for our future self!

In today’s day and age a strong immunity can play a very important role in protecting you from sickness and deadly diseases. But you do not need to rely on supplements or medicines to boost your immunity. The best way to achieve strong, long-lasting immunity is to begin feeding your body the right kind of foods!

Here are 6 wonder foods that will certainly do wonders for your immune system naturally and keep you safe from unwanted health issues!

Citrus Fuits

Apart from being great for your skin, citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons and limes can do wonders for your immunity levels as well! The vitamin C found in citrus fruits increases the production of white blood cells which play a key role in fighting off infections and keeping your system healthy.

Broccoli

This healthy green vegetable is packed with vitamins such as, A, C and E as well as essential minerals, antioxidants and fiber, which help supercharge your health, build up your immune system.

Turmeric

This bitter yellow spice is famous for its anti-inflammatory and healing properties. It is often paired with milk to help treat infections, sore throats and boost immunity in children. For adults it is an age-old home remedy for treating both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Garlic

Apart from adding a zing to your food, this powerful spice is well-known to fight off infections and boost overall health. Consuming garlic on a regular basis can also help lower high blood pressure levels naturally.

Red Bell Peppers

Did you know, red bell peppers have twice as much vitamin C as citrus fruits?! They are also a rich source of beta carotene, which besides from boosting your immune system, can also help improve skin health and promote good eye sight.

Green Tea

In today’s day and age, a strong immunity can play a very important role in protecting you from sickness and deadly diseases. But you do not need to rely on supplements or medicines to boost your immunity. Simply feeding your body the right kind of foods can boost immunity naturally and keep you safe from unwanted health issues!

Now that you are aware of all these wonder foods, it’s high time you start adding them into your daily diet! These foods are not too exotic or expensive, and are easily available in ordinary supermarkets.  . So do your body a favour and start working on building up your immunity today!

Food is one of life’s most satisfying pleasures in life. Whether it’s a party, get-together, picnics, or any kind of celebration, food plays an essential role in every occasion. However, one should never forget that the primary purpose of food is to provide fuel to our body and enable both body and mind to function effectively.

Nowadays due to our hectic schedules and busy lifestyles, unhealthy eating habits have slowly become a part of our daily life! As a result, this can decrease energy levels, increase lethargy, and result in acidity or also weight gain. But don’t worry! Here are some simple and easy-to-follow tips to follow if you are an officegoer or have a super tight schedule!

Kickstart Your Metabolism with these foods!

Within an hour of waking up kick start your metabolism with a few nuts like almonds, or walnuts. Nuts are a good source of fiber, healthy fats and proteins. A fruit or a glass of coconut water are good options. You can also have a glass of buttermilk here which acts as a good probiotic to aid in digestion by regulating the PH balance.

Never Skip Your Breakfast

Skipping breakfast makes it harder to maintain stable blood sugar levels and the effective functioning of your body and brain during your busy mornings. You can easily grab a hard-boiled egg or a toast with peanut butter to give you the needful proteins and carbs.

Don’t Let Your Body Stay Hungry

One basic trick to winning with nutrition is to prevent yourself from getting too hungry. Eating every 2 hours ensures that your brain gets a regular flow of sugar thereby avoiding fatigue, mood swings, and sluggishness. Have regular mini meals during the day such as nuts, seeds, fruit or even a glass of buttermilk.

Click here for some low-calorie mid-meal snack recipes!

Consider Switching to Green Tea

Caffeine can inhibit your mental performance throughout the day. Consider replacing it with green tea which is loaded with antioxidants that provide a variety of health benefits such as increased metabolism and improved digestive.

Remember To Keep Your Dinner Light

Many of us tend to view dinner as a comfort meal wherein we can afford to indulge since the other meals during the day have been compromises. But this is not the time to indulge but a time to be smart if you want to avoid health problems. Keep your dinner as light as possible. A smart way to eat your dinner would be veggies first, protein second and carbs last. Make sure your dinner is complete at least 2 hours before your bedtime and avoid desserts!

These are a few general healthy eating guidelines, but one size doesn’t fit all. The most important ingredient is your desire to eat right!

If you want to break free from unhealthy eating habits give us a call +91 9619940698 to book an appointment with Pooja Bhargava & get started on your health journey today!

Wedding buffets are a treasure trove of delicious food and exotic cuisines. But you need to remember to think with your head, and not with your stomach! Ensure your diet stays on track this wedding season by making these healthy and smart wedding dinner choices!

1) Before the Wedding

Most people tend to starve them before indulging in a heavy meal in the hope of keeping the kilos off. But starving only slows down metabolism and increases your chance of gaining weight! The best thing to do before heading out for a wedding is to snack on something healthy and light. This will help keep you feeling full until you reach the venue and prevent you from stuffing yourself with unhealthy appetizers. Also, eat a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the day and keep your meals light.

2) Go for Grilled!

While those fried wedding starters may be quite delicious and tempting, be aware of their nutritional value before you start bingeing on them!

Foods tend to absorb more fat when they are fried and even lose their nutritional value. Therefore, eating deep-fried and oily foods can obstruct smooth blood flow, lead to an increase in body weight and increase the risk of your arteries getting clogged! Grilling foods, on the other hand, helps the food retain more nutrients and absorb less fat, hence making them a healthier choice!

3) Say YES to Salads!

Salads are one of the healthiest foods available at a wedding, so why not take advantage of them?! Even if you’re not a salad person, ensure you allocate at least 1/3rd of your plate to some fresh fruits and veggies. Since the rest of the food on your plate is bound to have at least some spicy and oily food, salads will help balance acidity levels in the body and save you from that horrible heartburn.

A word of advice; dodge the chaat! While you may argue that chaat does contain raw veggies and just chutneys, the fact remains that chaat items usually have a lot of sugars and spices added into them. Also, most varieties of chaat include either potatoes or maida-based puri which have been deep-fried to give them that crunchy texture.

4) Go for BROWN!

Wheat flour is obtained by simple grinding all three parts of the wheat grain, namely the bran, the germ and the endosperm which contains a good quantity of protein. When wheat flour is further refined to separate the husk and bran, it is known as maida or all-purpose flour. This flour has lesser nutritional value than whole wheat flour as a majority of its nutrients are lost during the refining process!

Dinner rolls, tandoori rotis, romali rotis, and puris; all these yummy-looking foods are made from maida! Opt for brown bread or a small chapatti, because these foods will contain fewer calories and are not as unhealthy as the rest of the options!

5) The Day After Detox

A healthy detox is a great way to clean out your system after all that eating! So start your day off with our detox concoction!

How to prepare:

• Prepare 1 glass of water
• Add 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• Add in 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• Mix the ingredients well
• Consume the drink warm

Now that you know these easy and effective tips, you can enjoy the wedding season without worrying about gaining weight!

When you are trying to lose weight, you might try to cut down on junk food, purchase running shoes and enroll yourself in a fitness program. However, you’d be surprised to know that the quality and amount of sleep you get is just as important as your diet and workout plan. The aim of this blog is to help you understand the positive effects of sleeping well and how it can help you lose weight naturally!

1) Keeps Obesity at Bay!

If your quality of sleep is consistently getting compromised, your body will start producing stress hormones known as cortisol. To preserve energy, cortisol prompts your body to store any food it receives, especially fats. Having plenty of sleep can be the difference between struggling to lose fat and reaching your weight loss goals.

2) Reduces Craving for Unhealthy Food

Choosing salad over pizza can take a lot of will power. What ends up making or breaking this resolve is the quality of your sleep. The better you sleep, the more willpower you have. People with a full night’s rest tend to prefer healthier food. However, the same group of people, when sleep-deprived can make unhealthy food choices. This is because the area of their brain that helps them make rational decisions is inhibited.

3) Helps You Stick to Your Goals

Not getting enough sleep may lead to daytime fatigue and make you less motivated to workout. If you do get yourself to exercise, you would notice that are getting tired quickly. A quick fix to this would be to get more sleep. One of the reasons why getting good sleep is linked to reducing weight is because it helps you stay motivated to stick to your fitness goals.

4) Prevents Insulin Resistance
Insulin is the hormone that is responsible for moving sugar from your bloodstream into your cells so that it can be used as energy. Lack of sleep can lead to your cells becoming insulin resistant. When this happens, sugar remains in your bloodstream which causes your body to produce more insulin. This excess of insulin can increase your hunger cravings and sends signals to your body to store more calories. Enough sleep will help prevent this from happening.

5) Burn Away Calories!

You are likely to burn anywhere between 50 to 100 calories an hour when you get a good night’s sleep. In fact, health experts are now learning that a good amount of sleep can lead to a healthy metabolism. On the contrary, lack of sleep can lead to a slower metabolism which could contribute to weight gain.

Getting proper sleep is one of the most under-appreciated factors that contribute to weight loss. Although, you must keep in mind that sleep is not a quick-fix. Like other weight-loss strategies, you must ensure that you receive quality sleep consistently. Only then will you notice the difference in your energy levels which in turn leads to making healthy decisions followed by weight loss.

Sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16914506

Eating habits and choices that we develop in our childhood can affect our health into adulthood and beyond.  It therefore becomes extremely important for parents to inculcate the right eating behavior in children as this will define their health when they grow up. As stated by James Baldwin, children have never been very good at listening to elders but have never failed to imitate them. So, it is very essential for parents to take charge and create the right environment to choose to make the right choices about food.

Have A Family Dinner Time

Make mealtimes pleasant by involving the entire family. Encourage your child to eat slowly. It takes the brain at least 20 minutes to register that the stomach is full. Also, never eat in a rush in front of your kids. Sit down, set aside a few minutes to nourish yourself and your child will imitate you.

Encourage Frequent Mini-Meals

Give your child frequent mini-meals during the dau, such as a mid-morning snack or pre-dinner snack. Ensure you have healthy snacks at hand. Nuts, seeds, fresh fruit, whole wheat crackers, and veggies chips are great low-calories healthy snacks for your child, as well as you!

Take them grocery shopping

Involve your kids when you go out grocery shopping. Give them the liberty to choose foods that they want but also take this time to educate them about ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’ foods, how to under the labels and read the ingredients, and decide which is the right snack to consume.

Never force them to eat!

Do not force your child to eat a lot if he decides to eat less once in a while. This habit of not overeating will go a long way into adulthood. Adults who sometimes don’t realize and eat even after having a full stomach are 90% of the times the ones who always used to overeat when they were kids.

Don’t Be A Couch Potato!

As adults, many of us offer complain about constant neck pains and backaches. Well this is the result of a wrong sitting and couching posture! Teach your children about the importance of posture and sitting upright. Also, try to not slouch or slump in front of you kids because this will only lead to them mimicking you and might even stick as a habit.

Variety Is the Spice Of Life!

Include a variety of all foods into their diet; ensure their diet includes fresh vegetables and fruits of all kinds, dairy products, cereals, pulses and an occasional treat of their favourite foods.