Two women change to health

Just the other day two of my friends Sita Kumar and Minu Sharma came visiting me for consultations on weight-loss.Both were in their late thirties one was a gracious home maker-chef  and the other was an enterprising fashion designer. Both of then had kids were super women juggling home, family and work. They were over-wight,complained of fatigue and chronic back and knee pain. Minu also had issues with her menstrual cycles.All said and done I found out both of them didn't weight-loss programs but zing of some important nutrients and life style to their body. A small transformation in their diet and food style has helped both of them to be are right on track and feel great again.

                      Every women has a super woman in her.With multi-tasking being norm of the day 30s to 45 can be most testing years. And sadly a study has proved that Indian women are the most stressed on in the world.

                    But 2 main nutrients  can keep  you going this way all the way and help you to fight the health and emotional issues in a positive way.They are Iron and Calcium. I am going to take you through both these nutrients and help you to understand their importance in your daily life.

The white Power for women

Minu's problem was very acute.She was suffering from bone and joint pain and due to nature of her job,she needed to strain her bones maximum.What she lacked was proper Calcium nutrition.Calcium is very crucial for any woman at any stage of life. Entering the 30’s with enough bone mass is a huge challenge for in today’s modern lifestyle.

A look at the risk factors that makes your bones weak:

• Gender:The female population is more susceptible to bone issues atleast by 8 times due to primarily 2 reasons-pregnancy and physiological stress
• Race:White-skinned people face more risk .Constitutionally dark-skinned have higher bone density so lesser issues during aging. 
• Body size: Influence of weight and body fat distribution on bone density in postmenopausal women- a study has proved that  women with higher fat mass on the upper part of body tends to have higher bone density. Also the estrogen secretions are higher.
• Genetics:Some bone related issues are genetically influenced. But the issues may not follow a same pattern.At time it may not even occur.
• Disease:Diseases related to thyroid and liver and GI can considerably decrease the absorption of calcium.They create an imbalance of calcium in blood plasma. Kidney diseases can lead to changes in phosphate levels which impair the remodeling process in bone malformation.
• Drug therapy:Some medicines can accelerate the loss of bone density .Some of them are anti-convulsants, corticosteroids used in treating arthritis and thyroid hormones used in treating thyroid also may have an effect on bone density.

What do we do?  Increase Vitamin D synthesis:

Keep yourself physically active always:(Useful for both Anemia and Calcium Deficiency)

                                                                Black power from Iron

Sita had this tiredness and fatigue always.She felt sleepy even when her enthusiasm was at peak.Her menstrual  periods were irregularand painful. So I suggested a hemoglobin test that confirmed her Aneamia.

The possible nutrients she might be lacking is Iron, Apart from that Folic acid and Vitamin B12  help to fix iron.Their  deficiencies also could lead to Anemia.Let us know more about that.Iron cannot be synthesized in your body it can only fixed from the food you eat.

 Reasons for Iron Deficiency: 

 Heme versus Non-heme iron:The bioavailability of iron depends on several factors. People who are iron-replete absorb iron less easily than people who are iron-deficient.In addition, absorption depends on the specific form that iron takes.

Heme Iron:Heme iron is the most readily absorbed form of iron present in most non-vegetarian foods such as  in shellfish, red meat, poultry, and fish. On average, people absorb between 15-35% of the heme iron they consume.But these sources are rich sources of fat,hence we need to limit their consumption.

Non-heme iron: Non-heme iron is found in plant foods, as well as in eggs, milk, and meat. Compared with heme iron, it’s less easily absorbed by the body. Moreover, sources of non-heme iron often contain phytates, which bind to iron and carry it through the digestive tract unabsorbed. As a result, the foods with high iron content aren’t necessarily the best sources of iron. By weight, soybeans have roughly twice the iron of beef. But only about 7% of the iron in soybeans is absorbed. Spinach is also high in iron, but less than 2% of the iron in cooked spinach is absorbed.But the problem can be solved adding some iron absorption enhancers like

• Vitamin C may be particularly effective. 
• One study reported that adding just 63 mg of vitamin C to a meal rich in nonheme iron yielded a 2.9-fold increase in iron absorption .
• Meat can also make a big difference. Experiments suggest that adding 50 to 85 grams of meat to a meal results in a 1.5- to 4-fold increase in iron absorption.
• Beef may more effective than other meats. 
• In one experiment, beef protein enhanced iron absorption 80% better than did chicken protein . 
• Also follow the below the image to strike the right combination of iron in your diet!
• I am very happy for Sita and Minu who took some steps towards positive health They considered themselves important.

So women..please gift yourself with power of black and white for a healthier future!  

( Disclaimer: Both are my friends who were happy to share their stories.Name being changed for privacy purposes)

The Big Fat Lies

You want to lose weight to stay  healthy? Just re-frame the question..do you want to gain health to stay happy? Most people today  Google  for the former issue more!

                              If it was just this easy to lose weight 'online',then believe me nutrition and dietary sciences will never have any existence.But when the weight-loss bug bites in the battle begins with a lot of homework on what to eat and not, then a series of exercise routines. There are also some great believable crash diets that promise more than they can in reducing the extra flab. All continue until, they hit a road block with  a point of no return. 

                     Most of them gain more weight than before.Some just have fallen off the cart with more burden on their health.So let us see some 'Big' fat lies that seems to be cheating all. 

Crash Dieting:

Simple, a crash diet is nutritionally imbalanced. It will lead you into troubles more than one. Eating one of those diets with only fruits, vegetables or juices can be detrimental to your health. You might lose some kilos here and there but it drains you of all the reserved energy and nourishment.

Missing meals:

The most common myth is that missing meals can reduce weight. But it is actually other way round. It puts on weight and leads to you into obesity. If you miss one meal you then you tend to binge the next but might not burn the food you ate that is converted in to more fat. Always remember break-fast is a must. Every big meal should comprise at least 2 servings of complex carbs.

Dieting with ‘Sugar-free’ foods:

The most dangerous myth about dieting is to go on Sugar-free beverages, sweets and artificial sweeteners  for weight loss.But all these contain Aspartame which can kill your heart’s health and in the long run invite Lifestyle disorders affecting you. It is better if you could use healthier sweeteners like Palm sugar, Agave sugar or honey instead .

Going without fat:

A little fat is good for you. A total fat-free diet cannot reduce kilos in a big way. It is important to have foods with good fats like omega fatty acids and MUFA. Nuts like walnut, Avocado and olive oil are sources of good fats.

Curbing cravings

Another weight loss myth is to resist cravings .Whenever you are tempted to eat your favourite food, just go for it. But have small portion of the same. If cravings exceed too much then it will surely have a bad effect on your weight loss program.

Eating Diet pills/One meal supplements:

There is no single food or magic potions that will lead you to weight loss. All are either gimmicks or quacks setting you up. Never go on them. A healthy lifestyle with sensible eating can do the wonder! Food supplements are very dangerous in the long run. They can lead to hormonal complications in your body. Never go for short –cuts.

Keeping yourself away from favorite fast foods:

Well not works always.But fortunately most fast foods are not part of our culture.So the only threat is o of craving for these foods as an alternative or a change.Just learn to make wise choice on menu cards and share a plate with your friend.

All carbs are bad:

Never think that all carbs are bad.Unrefined cereals and legumes are best form of healthy carbs.But it seen that people avoiding all types of carbs to reduce weight.It is importnat to note that when a diet is devoid of carbs you lose some amazing nutrients that help you  to lead a healthy life.

Magic foods to burn the calories:

There is no magic bullet foods that can burn extra calories.Nothing works best other than exercises.

So never fall prey to such products.

So don’t just go ga-ga about fad-diets and get carried away by quick-fix solutions. What you need is a weight-loss plan that is sustainable and gives you the desirable results on a long-term basis.

 Always remember the 3 Ps-Prepare, Perspire and Persevere.

 Prepare yourself well, work-out is a must and be patient in achieving your weight loss goals.

Try to strike a balance between your food style and lifestyle.So gain health not just lose weight.

My Chips to Cherries Story

                                                       

                 Once upon a time in the early nineties when meeting a friend was not over phone and junk food was not known,I was slogging out my 12th standard to become a doctor.I knew the dream was as distant as it could get.And nothing changed it.A time had come I became weak of health and was greatly  stressed out.I  had to be supplemented with all sorts of vitamin pills to keep me going till the exams.Exams got over and marks awarded I was nowhere near my destination. I had changed 2 schools in 3 years due to dad's nature of job.So,I had to continue my college in an altogether new place .
           A new place ,a new goal and an eye-opener article in Reader's Digest set me thinking to  join  nutrition field. At least I could take care of my health better.Thus at 18,I started dreaming of me being a nutritionist and first thing I wanted to do was to improve my own health. It was a journey I started with a thousand ideas in my mind with most people around me almost ridiculing me for my choice.The course was mostly meant to churn out dietitians to prescribe healthy food for clinical purposes with very less scope for any innovation. But my inspiration for the subject was greater than anything else.I was blessed to have a great role model ,my professor who taught the basics,the 3 years were fun and I improved my health too.I stopped stressing and started living.

                       Another place change for my dad brought me to my next challenge. I could not pursue my further studies in Nutrition yet continued to  read a lot about the field and always kept  me inspired all through the period as though I knew what I wanted to do.My passion was waiting for a second chance.But always there was a continuous flow of encouragement from my family to be I want to be ..

               
                           After my marriage I refueled my passion for the subject with my daughter just 3 years old I went on to do a Fellowship in Applied Nutrition with the encouragement of my family.With an internship  with Apollo hospitals,I was ready to take on the world.Soon I was a corporate dietitian and was also into kids diet counselling. Those days when I landed in Chennai it was already an IT hub.The worst part it was becoming India's number 1 Diabetic capital and youngest population with lifestyle disorders. During my brief stints as a home maker and a mother I continuously  applied most nutrition principles into practice.I was always the person to be something more than what is meant to be. To keep myself engaged in my small breaks from work I  conducted summer camps and classes for kids which involved atleast something about healthy food and eating.My friends and my parents were always my pillars of strength.
                        In the next few years, what came up were some highs and lows in my personal and professional life . But I kept reminding myself that I only wanted to live and not stress and marched towards my goal.After 9 long years of satisfying career in clinical and preventive nutrition with great organisations I was now a mom of two kids my little son still needing my attention.I  quit a rewarding job and decided to start off on my own and thus chips to cherries was born. Even before the idea was conceived, with all my counseling experience I inferred that people need a proper guide in making their life disease free and happy.What they needed was a food style and life style makeover!It worked wonders with my husband too who at a point of time had to deal with depression and acute acidity at the same time.
                    Together we drafted a change that could transform his life for good.Once this was done he was back on track enjoying his life.I understood stress was his key enemy .A conscious effort to turn around stress through right eating and living was need of the hour.

                              I was more affected by the attitude of people towards health,diet and nutrition than anything else.All they wanted was to post pone or manage the diseases ,none wanted to prevent it.None wanted to change themselves for good. Also all these were transferred to next generation too. I totally abhor the westernization of solutions that are offered for Indian eating and living problems.This made me more determined to raise my voice against nutrition
malpractices,misconceptions and myths.I thought reaching out to people personally was best.A humble start up now my baby-chips to cherries as a consultancy is just 2 years old. There have been testing times when I felt lonely and lost in my pursuit. Most time it was Facebook has been my anchor and I have been extremely fortunate to have had great friends who kept encouraging and trusting me.Most friends are foodies and I love being in their neighbourhood.I have learnt more about real food form them.
                             I derive a lot of strength from my kids and with His grace I am happy to see that many people are changing to health through my efforts. I am proud that the movement has begun . A positive change towards health by balancing food style and life style is all that is required.

                     Dreams are never about preparing oneself for it but it is about preparing the world for it. Chips to cherries is just about  making it happen,the change you want to be.