Guide For Fast Foods

Its very difficult to resist the delicious mouth watering fast foods. Here are some tips for the healthy way for fast foods:

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1. For breakfast avoid croissants or muffins stuffed with eggs or meat. They pack as many as 700 calories. Better options are plain scrambled eggs ( 150-180 calories), pancakes without butter or syrup and English muffins.
2. For lunch or dinner if you want meat go for plain hamburgers (no cheese), which average 275-350 calories. Roasted beef which is lower in fat and calories is even better.
3. Be wary of fast food fish. With frying oil trapped in the breading and creamy tartar sauce on the top, fried fish sandwiches supply more calories (425-500) and fat than regular hamburgers.
4. Avoid fried chicken, the coatings tend to retain the oil. Select bites from chicken breast.
5. Ask for unsalted items. They are available.
6. If you sample the salad bar, steer clear of mayonnaise, oily vegetable salads and rich dressings.

Read more:   Top 10 ideas to eat smart

 

Top 10 Tips For Nutrition Of 1 Year Old Baby

As Parents we are always very anxious and eager and excited with all mixed kind of feelings for our baby. What the child would love eating? what should we serve? Would that be healthy and many more questions we get.

Annaprasana, getting the first solid food (cereals)

Here are few tips that will help you to choose right:

1. After 1 year the child should be started on variety of foods so that they develop a taste for healthy food.

2. Your job is to introduce new flavors and textures.

3. Babies have little tummies so serve food that are packed with nutrients required to grow healthy and strong. Limit the intake of sweets and chocolates.

4. Always remember you decide what variety of food to offer at a meal and your child decides which of those to eat and how much to eat!!

5. Milk: 

Smarties and Milk (Photo credit: MrMoaks)

• Give milk 2-3 times a day either cows or buffaloes milk
• If your child doesn’t like milk make milk preparations like flavored milk using various fruits.

6. Fruits:

• Give fruits in abundance
• Do not peel the skin of fruits as they are nutritious in vitamins and minerals
• Encourage to have fresh fruit juice but avoid adding sweeteners to it
• Avoid canned fruits and juices as they contain sugar and preservatives

7. Rice & Chapati:

• Use whole wheat ( don’t throw away the bran)
• Rice will give your child plenty of vitamin B.

8. Vegetables:

English: vegetables (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

• Green , orange, red, yellow all these vegetables are important
• Use water boiled for these vegetables in making various soups for the child
• Do not overcook. You can smash the vegetables using a spoon for the child.

9. Dals:

• Make sure you include foods like pulses, dal, grams , peanuts , peas, beans, eggs etc in diet.
• Sprouted grams or moong is good for digestion and overall health.

10. Chocolates / Cold drinks:

• Avoid chocolates as far as possible
• Do not give your child tea or coffee or cold drinks as they contain caffeine and it might ruin your child’s appetite.

read more:

7 Easy Stretching Exercises For Children

Benefits Of Making Your Child A Veggie

Top 10 Ways To Eat Smart

“I would rather die young than live on a diet of lettuce and boiled fish.” Is there anybody who wouldn’t say that?

We are designed to enjoy food, so why not to enjoy it in a proper way.

Fresh vegetables are important components of a healthy diet. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Here are top 10 ways for eating smart:

1. Eat 5 servings of vegetables and fruits per day: For breakfast have 100% juice or add raisins , berries, or sliced fruit to cereal, pancakes etc. For lunch have vegetable salad or soup with your meal or pile vegetables on your sandwich. For dinner choose vegetables that are green, orange( eg orange, squash) and red(eg tomato or bell peppers).

2. Include 3 servings of whole grain foods everyday: To identify whole grain products check the ingredients list. The first ingredient should be a whole grain such as “whole grain oats” or “whole grain wheat” or “whole wheat”.

3.Consume a calcium rich food at each meal: Good options include low-fat and non-fat milk, cheese or yogurt, tofu, broccoli, dried beans, spinach or fortified soya milk.

4.Eat less meat: Rather than making meat the heart of your meal, think of it as a flavoring ingredient.

5. Avoid high fat fast foods: Hot dogs, fried foods, packaged snacks, pastries are most likely to be laden with fat.

6. Check the numbers: When buying prepared foods, choose items that contain no more than 3 grams of fat per 100 calories.

7. Think small: Remember that a dinner size serving of meat should be about a size of a deck of cards, half a cup is a woman’s fist, a pancake is the diameter of a CD.

8.Read labels carefully: Remember that “cholesterol free” doesn’t necessarily mean fat free. Avoid products that contain saturated coconut oil, palm oil, lard or hydrogenated fats.

9. Switch to low-fat and no-fat dairy products: Rather than buying whole fat dairy products, choose skim milk, fat-free sour cream and low- or non-fat yogurt.

10. The brighter the better: When selecting fruits and vegetables choose the most intense colors. A bright orange carrot has more beta carotene than a pale one. Dark green lettuce has more vitamins than lighter ones. Orange sweet potatoes pack more vitamin A than yellow ones.

With all the above tips wish you a lot of good health!!

Can Coffee Cause Overdose?

Coffee and work often go hand in hand, but too much caffeine can lead to dependence and many other problems.

Lets try and understand what is coffee overdose.

The characteristic symptoms of caffeine intoxication are:

• restlessness
• nervousness
• insomnia
• flushed face
• increased urination
• muscle twitching
• digestive complaints
• rapid heart rate etc

Some people develop these symptoms after 250mg of caffeine a day.

Higher doses may produce ringing in ears, flashes of light, potentially fatal respiratory failure etc.

Limit your coffee intake to 2-3 cups a day, it will show its all good health benefits.

Stay away from caffeine misuse!!

White Bread Vs Brown Bread

There always has been a debate between which bread is good for health. Is it the White bread or the Brown bread? Since our childhood we are used to eat white bread and that may be the reason we have more affection towards it.

WHITE BREAD:

1. Appearance: Its white in colour because it is made up of wheat flour from which bran and germ is removed.
2. Taste: Its tasteir than brown bread.
3. Nutritional Value: Its low in zinc, fiber, thiamine, niacin & trace elements.
4. Calories: 100 gms of white bread gives you 240 Kcal.
5. Shelf life: White bread has more shelf life as compared to brown because of its moisture content.
6. Health Benefits: Its not so good for heart health & increases the cholesterol levels.

BROWN BREAD:

1. Appearance: Brown bread is made of unprocessed whole wheat hence it retains the brown colour.
2. Taste: You will find it less tasteir because since years we are acustomed to eat white bread.
3. Nutritional value: Brown bread is rich in vitamins, minerals, vit E, B6, zinc, riboflavin, copper, manganese, potassium, calcium, iron, niacin & folic acid.
4. Calories: 100 gms of brown bread gives you 200 Kcal.
5. Shelf life: Brown bread has low shelf life when compared to white bread.
6. Health Benefits: Its very good for overall health.

Top 10 Benefits of Being Vegetarian

Many times we have heard the debate between vegetarian and non-vegetarians. We always are left with what is good / bad for me!!

As per our study both the diets are good. Lets first understand few terms:

Lact-ovo-pesco-vegetarians: They eat dairy products, eggs, chicken, fish but not read meat.

Lact-o-veg: Eat dairy products as well as grains , fruits and vegetables.

Ovo-Lacto-Veg: They eat eggs.

Vegans: Pure vegetarians

If you eat vegetarian diet with balancing all the nutrients in it. It has a lot of benefits like:

1. Vegetarian food keeps your cholesterol on low levels.
2. Very few times you see vegetarian people fat.
3. They have less risk for heart disease.
4. They have lower risk of cancer of stomach, breast, colon, prostate etc
5. They usually do not suffer from gastrointestinal diseases, constipation ,acidity, hemorrhoids.
6. Vegetarian food is the best anti-ageing food.
7. It helps in detoxification of the body.
8. Vegetarian food is rich in fibre which helps in increasing the HDL (high density lipoproteins) ie. good cholesterol.
9. Vegetarian diet helps in maintaining the blood sugar levels.
10. It overall boosts your immunity helping you fight various infections.

GO GREEN!! BE HEALTHY…