Nutritional Facts of Common Foods

Common food elements and diet facts that contribute to the nutritional requirements in the body are discussed below. Common food elements include the macronutrients and the micronutrients consisting carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, photochemical and water.



The foundation of the diet should be build by including cereals and millets in the diet. This provides complex carbohydrates which is the body’s preferred fuel source. Each gram of carbohydrate provides 4calories. Carbohydrates can be simple or complex, prefer complex carbohydrates for a simple reason that they are high in dietary fiber and low in fat. Complex carbohydrate sources include whole wheat and its products, unpolished rice and millets.

Fruits and vegetables
Include at least 8-9 servings of variety of fruits and vegetables daily to get essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants in the diet. Consumption of the recommended amounts in daily diet reduces the risk for heart diseases, diabetes, obesity, diverticulitis, certain cancers and improves bowel movements.

Dairy foods
Milk and milk products are rich in proteins, and also a good source of calcium and vitamin D which is essential to maintain healthy bones.Like carbohydrates proteins also provides 4 calories per gram. A normal diet should comprise 15% protein of daily energy intake. Include low fat options like skimmed yoghurt and milk over ice cream.

Pulses, meat, fish, poultry and eggs
This group also provides handful amounts of proteins. Eat 2 servings of oily fish, soy beans and flaxseeds in diet to meet the requirements of omega 3 fatty acids which is essential for heart health. Sprouts and pulses are the vegan source of proteins. Along with proteins a cup of sprouted pulse has 6 times more vitamin C, and other B-complex vitamin graph is also increased.

Fat and sugars
A gram of fat provides 9 calories. Fat is essential for absorption of fat soluble vitamins which are required for various functions in the body and it also provides essential fatty acids. Limited amounts are required for good health, but when consumed in excess then problem arises gradually (obesity, heart attack, diabetes, stroke and cancer). Type of fat that is being consumed is also of importance. Plant sources contains zero cholesterol, cholesterol is present in animal sources. 80% of cholesterol is synthesized in our body by liver.
Excessive consumption of saturated fats and foods high in cholesterol also contributes to high lipid cholesterol.
It is wise to consume sugar in minimum amounts. Sugar contributes to “empty calories” without giving any other nutrients to the body.

Water
Water is the most important, but many a times most forgotten element in the diet. Include adequate water daily for proper metabolism of the body.

Vitamin, minerals and Antioxidants
A balanced meal provides all the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants required for a healthy living. The need for supplements is nil when you consume a healthy diet daily.

100 Best Weight-Loss Tips

In 100 Best Weight-Loss tips there are no strenuous exercises, no formal diet plans to follow and no horrible-tasting things to gulp. And it helps in losing weight in a quick and safe manner. It also suggests healthy eating habits for permanent weight-loss.

Avoid unhealthy, commercial (expensive) low-carbohydrate diet, wherein there is accumulation of fats in the body leading to heart attack and stroke, and even damages liver and kidney. And you gain weight on a rebound if you stop the diet.

Tips have to be followed regularly to lose weight easily and safely. Gradually your health will improve. You will feel better, be thinner, look younger and gain firmness and will lose weight forever.

Allergy Relief

What is allergy?

Allergy is a condition where any exposure to substances known as “allergens” causes a reaction in the body called an allergic reaction.

Causes of allergies

When the body of allergy sufferers meets some substances for the first time, a record of that substance is stored in the allergy cells. Whenever these “allergens” are encountered again, the allergy cells respond by releasing chemicals (like histamine) into the blood stream, resulting in an “allergy attack “.

Symptoms of allergy:

Symptoms vary greatly from sneezing and itching to the most dangerous allergic reaction: anaphylactic shock.

-Mild reaction: Exposure to allergens causes sneezing, wheezing, red itchy eyes, wheals on the skin, sometimes diarrhea.

-Anaphylaxis: If an allergy sufferer is exposed to even small quantities of the allergen, dramatic reactions occur, like hypotension, swelling tongue, rash over the skin, swelling and spasm of the throat causing difficulty breathing. Anaphylaxis is a life threatening condition.

Treatment of allergy:

-Mild allergies are best treated by avoiding the allergens, for example someone who is allergic to milk might never have the symptoms if they never drink milk.

-Drug treatment: For a mild allergic reaction, the mainstay of treatment is a type of drugs called antihistamines.

-They counteract the allergic reaction and produce allergy relief.
For anaphylaxis, the single most important medicine is “epinephrine” or “adrenaline”, it is life-saving, that is why an allergy-sufferer who is prone to anaphylaxis must carry an adrenaline shot with them at all times.

Prevention of allergy:

-Allergen identification and avoidance: examples of allergens include animal fur, pollen, house dust, foods like shellfish or eggs, aerosols like perfumes and insecticides, certain materials like rubber (latex) etc Allergens are identified by the doctor and subsequently avoided.

-Immunotherapy and hyposensitization: consists of exposing the allergy sufferer to gradually increasing doses of the allergen until the body gets used to it and there is no more allergic reaction.

Home remedies for allergies:

-Vit C for example from tomatoes (not from citrus fruits) is very helpful for allergy relief.

-Honey from local apiaries helps with pollen allergy and bee-sting allergy.

When to call the doctor?

Whenever the drugs are not effective in relieving the attack, or when allergic attacks persist in spite of avoiding known allergens.

Fibromyalgia Treatment – A Nutritional Approach

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a syndrome that affects middle-aged women predominantly. It is characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain; there is tenderness at specified sites accompanied by disturbed sleep and tiredness. The relaxation rate is reduced, there is decrease in Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) and Phosphocreatine, and the painful muscles exhibit disturbed microcirculation. The pain-sensitivity is abnormally high (indicated by pain analysis).

The cause for Fibromyalgia varies from patient to patient.

And though the exact cause remains unknown, physiological sleep disturbances is considered as one of the main symptoms.

Fibromyalgia is not regarded a disease, but is classified as a syndrome.

A disease is a condition where the main cause is identifiable clearly and it remains the same in all patients. Whereas a syndrome is a condition where there are a set of symptoms responsible for the condition and no single causative agent is detectable. Fibromyalgia symptoms vary from patient to patient.

The human body is a complex system and for the body to work efficiently all the functions must work properly. But the body can heal itself and compensate on certain mechanisms, through appropriate instructions, right tools and sufficient time.

Fibromyalgia Comorbidities

Fibromyalgia is also found related with a number of other conditions like migraine and tension headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue immune deficiency syndrome (CFIDS), micro-trauma and de-conditioning of muscles, major depressive disorder, mitral valve prolapse, ischemia and muscle spasm, myofascial pain syndrome, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), primary dysmenorrhea, Sjogrens syndrome, sympathetic hypersensitivity, sexual abuse and temporamandibular joint syndrome (TMJ).

Weight Management: Underweight

Most often, being underweight is a sign of an accompanying disorder. This disorder must first be dealt with in order to bring your weight back to normal. In addition, to this treatment, physical activity may need to be modified and psychological counseling may be required. After the treatment of the primary disorder is successful, nutritional support may be provided along with dietary changes.

Dietary management

The objectives of dietary modification are to restore the body to its normal weight, rebuild tissue and store nutrients, and maintain the desirable body weight.

Energy:

A nutritious high energy diet providing calories over and above the body's requirement will result in weight gain. An increase of about 500 -1000 Cal per day can result in a weight gain of approximately one kilogram per week.

Protein:

A liberal intake of high quality protein will help in building up of muscle tissue. A daily protein intake of two grams per kilogram of body weight will be required. For example, if your body weight is 60 kg, you require 75-120 g protein

Carbohydrates:

A high carbohydrate intake is also necessary to meet the energy requirements of a malnourished body. The bulk of the diet, however, should not be increased as it cuts down food intake. Avoid taking more fiber than is necessary for regular bowel movement.

Fats:

Fats aid in the weight gain process, but they should only be used in amounts that can be tolerated. Emulsified fats like butter, cream etc. are better tolerated by the body.

Minerals and vitamins:

These must be provided in sufficient amounts in order to counter for nutritional deficiencies.

Diet and feeding pattern:

The amount of food intake cannot be substantially increased all of a sudden. The amount of food at each meal and the frequency of meals should be increased gradually. The calorie density of the foods can be increased, without increasing bulk, by using more sugar, jam, butter, cream, oil, and nuts. To increase the protein content of the diet, milk powder, cheese, cottage cheese, and protein concentrates can be added to liquid milk, and other beverages and soups.

Fiber - The Wonder Non-nutrient

Dietary fibers are constituents of plants that are resistant to digestion in the human digestive tract. The types of fiber - soluble and insoluble, their functions and sources have been discussed earlier in this book. The table below gives fibre content of common foods.
A fiber rich diet helps in weight management in many ways. Fiber rich foods are generally 'calorie poor'. They also contribute bulk to our diet and hence give a sensation of fullness of stomach, early satiety and very few calories. They also delay gastric emptying and hunger sensation and increase inter-meal hunger interval besides decreasing insulin (appetite-stimulant) levels.
Hence, a high-fiber, low-fat diet is ideal for sustained weight loss. Along with a regular exercise schedule, a high-fiber, low-fat diet provides the key to weight reduction and positive health. Given below are some high-fiber recipes containing bran.

1. Wheat bran biscuits (sweet)
Number of serving: 8

Size of serving: 3 biscuits

Ingredients:
Wheat bran 100 g

Wheat flour refined (Maida) 100 g

Oil/ghee 50 g

Jaggery 100 g

Procedure:
-Beat fat till creamy.
-Add flour, wheat bran, crushed caramelized jaggery and make dough. Keep it for 4-5 hours.
-Roll out and cut into required shapes
-Bake at 3500 F for 25-30 minutes or until done.
-Nutritive value per serving: 120 Cat 4 g fiber.

2. Wheat bran biscuits (salty)
Number of serving: 8

Size of serving: 3 biscuits

Ingredients:
Wheat bran : 100 g

Wheat flour refined (Maida) : 100 g

Oil/ ghee : 50 g

Curd : 100 g

Thyme and salt to taste

Procedure:
-Beat fat till creamy.
-Add curd and mix well.
-Add flour, wheat bran, salt and thyme and knead to make dough. Keep it for 4-5 hours.
-Roll out and cut into required shapes
-Bake at 3500 F for 25-30 minutes or until done.
-Nutritive value per serving: 95 Cal, 4 g fiber.

3. Yogurt and Lentil Patties (Dahl vada)
Number of serving: 6

Size of serving: 2 vadas

Ingredients:
Black gram dal (washed) :25 g

Curd : 250 g Wheat bran : 100 g

Salt to taste

Black pepper to taste Roasted cumin seeds

(jeera) : 1 tsp

Ginger : 1" piece

Procedure:
-Soak dal overnight.
-Grind dal, bran and ginger together to thick batter consistency.
-Make balls and fry them.
-Beat curd, add roasted jeera powder and salt and pepper to taste.
-Soak vadas in water, squeeze and soak them in curd. Nutritive value per serving: 125 Cal.

Artificial sweeteners
There are a number of low calorie artificial sweeteners that are available in the market as a sugar substitute. They are mainly of two types: nutritive, and non-nutritive.
Nutritive sweeteners include sorbitol and fructose. These sweeteners provide calories and should be used with discretion.
Non-nutritive sweeteners include aspartame, saccharin, cyclamates, acesulfame K etc. Aspartame is a low calorie sweetener, about 200 times sweeter than sugar. It is virtually calorie-free and can be consumed in amounts up to 40 mg per kilogram of body weight. It is considered safe for consumption by all individuals except for persons suffering from phenylketonuria. Saccharin is a calorie-free sweetener which is 300-500 times sweeter than sugar. The acceptable daily intake for saccharin is 5.0 mg per kilogram of body weight. Cyclamate is also a calorie-free sweetener 30 times sweeter than sugar. It can be consumed in amounts up to 11 mg per kilogram of body weight. Acesulfame K is 130-200 times sweeter than sugar and is calorie-free. The acceptable daily intake for acesulfame K has been set at 15 mg per kilogram of body weight.

Fat Replacers
Fat replacers are substances that can be used to replace some or all of the fat in food products. They have the potential to help reduce total fat consumption and hence, indirectly reduce total calorie consumption. Because fat replacers can improve both the taste and texture of lower-fat foods, they can help alleviate the sense of deprivation that can impede compliance with a low-fat, low-calorie diet. Fat replacers are of three types:

These include cellulose, maltodextrins, gums, starches, fibres, polydextrose, etc. Carbohydrate based fat replacers have lower calories than fat.

Although they are heat stable for baking, they do not melt and so cannot be used for sautéing or frying.

Protein based fat replacers:
These are generally based on egg whites, whey, protein or soy. Their texture and appearance make them particularly suited for use in dairy products. Although they are suitable for baking, they cannot be used for frying.

Fat based fat replacers:
These are based on fat, usually vegetable oils. The fatty acids in the vegetable oils are chemically treated so that they provide few or no calories. Fat based fat replacers have the advantage of heat stability and can be used in frying.