Wellness Search

Sunday, March 29, 2009

What transpires beneath? – Part 2

Previously on wellness and I – We spoke about oxygen as an essential to our body and how to get it other than just breathe?
Today we will know why it’s more important to absorb right than eat right? Yes, its not only important that the right food in the right amount reaches your gut but also the same passes beyond it into the blood stream. Many people eat right food, at the right time but fail in getting their health to reflect it and the reason is they eat two good foods which are wrong for each other in the body at the same time. Confused? Let me explain.

Our body has millions of cells they in turn are made up of bio molecules which react differently to different molecules of the other cells which is how our body processes every action, thought, and reaction to whatever we do. Similar logic applies to different nutrients in the food we eat that react differently with the nutrients of other foods when in the digestive system. It’s called nutrient – nutrient interaction. Every nutrient has a supporter and a detractor when it is in the small intestine trying to get absorbed in the blood. If the supporters out number the detractors the nutrient wins and passes through the intestinal membrane smoothly but if the detractors are equal or more than the supporters the nutrient is flushed out of the body as easily as it entered. I know what your thinking it is almost like the elections.

When you want to get an iron rich meal in a day don’t mix it up with a calcium rich food at the same time. Inside the intestine the calcium takes a better preference to iron. In order to make sure your iron intake has not been wasted add a tangy tasty Vitamin C food item along with the iron rich food item. For instance when you have your leafy greens rich in iron or egg yolk, or any lean meat or rice flakes or iron enriched grain or figs make sure you add in with it a generous helping of vitamin C rich foods like berries, lettuce, lime juice, kiwi, sprouted beans, raw mango and avocado salad with beans. Calcium usually reduces the absorption of zinc, iron and manganese, similarly zinc reduces absorption of copper. Calcium in turn is hampered by oxalates or oxalic acids present in leafy vegetables, a classic example is that of spinach, rhubarb which are rich sources of calcium but also of oxalic acids which when taken in after digestion forms calcium oxalates in the gut and do not get absorbed in the blood as calcium. The leafy source of calcium is raddish greens, fenugreek leaves which aren’t a oxalate risk factor. Coupling oxalic acids sources with that of non oxalic acid sources like dairy is also a good option to combat the effect.

Now one wonders it is hard enough to eat right at the right time so now we need to adjust good food with another good food. Well if you see it the hard way it will be difficult, but understand the taste compatibility and you’ll be fine. It needs to be understood however that for a nutrient to be bioavailable (that means sufficient enough to be absorbed in the intestine) it has to be sufficiently eaten and should not be mixed with its antagonist nutrients. Sometimes to save the body from toxicity of a nutrient (yes nutrients also can be responsible for an overdose like our drugs) the lumen or the line of the intestine has other organic or inorganic molecules like proteins, lipids, minerals which get bonded to these excessive nutrients such as iron or ferrous get bonded to intestinal ferritin, calcium to calbidin, or phosphates in high quantity into calcium phosphates, zinc to metallothiocin in the gut, which then get excreted out of the body. Now let me throw some light on glucose – the god of energy source. Sodium as in the salt and other foods is the transporter for glucose into the blood stream. Don’t get me wrong and think about increasing your sodium intake.
All in all your diet need not only depend on how many calories you intake but on all the above factors and that truly can’t be learnt by an amateur it requires a trained and certified professional with a clinical education of the human body.

Wish you wellness.
Regards,
Neha.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

What transpires beneath ?

Skin – blood vessels – ligaments- tendon- muscle – bone, what is common in all? Apart from many other things they breathe on oxygen and feed on nutrients. However simply that might have been put it gets a lot more complicated as it happens but beneath it all its as simple as breathe and eat to survive. Oxygen, which we all know is the most essential element for existence can be provided in some astonishing form other than breathing air.
Oxygen cannot independently carry itself in our body it is carried by haemoglobin – a protein molecule in the blood specifically the red blood cells. Each haemoglobin molecule can carry four oxygen molecules. We will come to the protein at a later stage in the blog, but the means and ways in which we can intake oxygen needs to be addressed.

Apart from the air, oxygen is carried in water and the food we eat. How? Water is formed of oxygen to begin with but the oxygen that the body could assimilate into the blood could also be factored from water. It is mandatory that we drink around 10 – 12 glasses or 2 litres water everyday on an average but drinking oxygenated or purified water is also of importance. Every solvent has its biological oxygen demand or B.O.D and chemical oxygen demand or C. O. D which is putting it simply as how much of oxygen is carried in the liquid to be utilized after drinking it. Let me explain very practically, like all living beings oxygen is requird by microorganisms and chemical present in the water. Microbes need it for their survival and breakdown of organic matter in water and chemicals need it to react with other elements. If the water that we consume has a high B.O.D level that means the organic matter in the water is high and therefore requires more oxygen and same is applicable for the chemical agents.

Apart from ample supply of pure water to our body that not only cleanses it but also supplies oxygen the food we eat can also determine if it can enhance oxygen supply or deprive the body of it. Like for example foods rich in anti oxidants help busting the free radicals which are nothing but elements having extra electrons causing stress and damage to tissues in the body on the outside as well as inside. These antioxidants such as Vitamin A, C , E, anthocyanin, polyphenols, lutein, zeaxanthine, quercetin, ellagic acid, alacin, flavanols etc are known to reduce stress by reducing the free radicals of their electrons and thus busting stress caused by them. The reaction depends on the oxygen as well and thus consumption of these foods is necessary especially in these times where the stress levels are escalating. Berries, apple, guava, oranges, lemon, garlic, turmeric, thyme, chives, onion greens, raddish greens, beetroot, carrot, pink raddish, olive, bell peppers, parsley, spinach, fenugreek, red shallots, oregano, chocolate, walnuts, cashews, almond, pine nuts, apricots, figs, soya, all these basic ingredients of our daily diet can make a hugh difference if cooked well i.e without being bathe in oil or butter. To live correctly isn’t so much of a hassle our body is well equipped for it but to continue is an art in today’s day and age.

Wish you wellness.
Regards,
Neha Wasnik
R.D
Related Articles -
http://wellnessandi.blogspot.com/2009/03/what-transpires-beneath-part-2.html

Saturday, March 21, 2009

A Change Is Going To Come

How many of your parents or seniors have hammered onto you about the fact that when they were in their 20's and 30's they were twice as energetic and enthusiastic than you are ? I don't even need to know that answer I know that you've gasped a breath of dismay already. While you wonder why is it that they can't fathom your lifestyle and pressures, assured that they too are wondering the same. The truth or harsh reality is we have chosen our frustrated, low energy and even weary lifestyle and they didn't, well they have indeed paved some way for us though.

To say the least they never had a more polluted environment to live in. What isn't contaminated in our lives, the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, the surroundings we happily live in, the family ties and bonding, the work culture, or the lack of personal time? Now with so much negative environment its one great job we do to stay positive as much as we can. However our body undergoes aging faster internally even though we have access to better cosmetic quick fixes on the outer side. This change which should begin by the mid 30's has been preponed by a decade atleast, not to mention children at the age of 8 and 12 are also facing major fatigue and depression problems. We ought to chose a better life as we and our children are on the edge of a Now or Never situation. And how do we chose ? What is it that we actually do ? For starters lets prioritise our lives around our happiness, our aim, our loved ones, our leisure and our soltitude as well; then lets start acting responsibly towards our environment, and our physical wellbeing. I know what your thinking, 'Like we as if we are averse it all?' But wanting something and making it happen are completely different, one is a thought whereas the other is a commited deed.
Getting started on what you really desire and need has never been this difficult because what you need and should have requires courage, confidence, and commitment. Here is what I do inorder to create a positive environment or think there should exist one, I wake up to a tablespoon of Aloe Vera juice in 100 ml or half a cup of water, to regulate and cleanse the system. I avoid fat ladden cookies at work and keep my tea intake to 3 times in a day with 1/2 tsp of sugar or if it exceeds then sugar free. I guzzle down 2 litres of fluids in form of plain water, juices or barley water everyday. I try and keep my fat content in a day at minimal, chose two spoons of steam rice over buttered rotis, eat chicken pieces instead of gravy or double the amount of dal over rice and avoid desserts at lunch hour. Fruits being my favorite if I am at home I make it point to eat up 3 fruits a day or carry fruit when possible or drink fruit juices. A couple of roasted almonds and walnuts a day can actually do a world of good for the stressed eyes and muscles in the long run especially the skin. But the best bet is keeping your caffeine and fat down and ganging up with fruits. I can vouch my life on the wonders fruits can conjure on your health, mood, and reactions to tackle situation. Its like a magic potion in each one of them plus you end up feeling satiated and cleansed from within. People often ask me what are the choices of fruits they should go for? Well as long as you can eat all colours of fruit not restricting to just your favorites its fine. Daily doses of fruits and also dry fruits like almonds, walnut, apricot, unsalted cashews and pistachio help slowing of ageing, regulate mood swings and hormonal secretion, boost immunity, combats any internal and external stress in the body (including infection, artherosclerosis, insulin resistance, hyperlipidaemia, calcium resorption (demineralization), etc).
While this is just the begining of how you can get started to be prepared for a change that is going to come around your early 30's I shall keep posting information on every aspect of the choices you need to make to combat an early change.
Wish you Wellness.
Regards,
Neha.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

There is no 'I' in a team

Hello one and all its been a long sabatical of 10 days from imparting something new to my blog. In my last post I wrote about the 3 essentials or paramaters that women need to keep a check on as indicators of wellness. How about one parameter going 100 % and the rest as average ? 'No can do' will be what your body would communicate to you through certain abnormalities in the normal functioning. As common knowledge would tell us that when an organisation or an association has to succeed it has to function as a team. The same is applicable for the day to day normal wellbeing of our body and therefore the mind.

Physiologically everything we eat or consume has a role to play in the ultimate state of wellbeing or otherwise. Its not just about fat , carbohydrates and protein anymore or ever. Water - the very reason for our existence and necessity to survive, lubricates, acts as solvent, shock absorbant, nutrient transport from gut to the cells and what have you. Likewise sodium, potassium, phosphate, flourine, calcium, zinc, copper, iron, essential fatty acids, sugars, oxygen, amino acids, are but just cogs in the entire machinery of our body. Even a single loose end and the cranking, slowing, sluggish nature takes a role to play in our system. Wellness and the crux of the matter lays in the intricacies of our diet that not only are overlooked but are also unknown to many.
Our body always communicates to us with the slightest of pit fall. Again it also saves us the sheer pain of what we put it through with our nasty eating habbits and the more it saves us in the beginning the worse the outburst is towards the end. Its at these times that a heart attack or a liver failure or kidney failure comes into limelight and then all of us including our family members wonder what on earth went wrong? What went wrong was that 3 fruits of the season a day were missing, 8 glasses of water and 12 glasses of fluids were missing, a few roasted nuts a day were missing, no fat dairy and whole vegetables were missing, lean meat that isn't fried had been missing, and to keep it to the least a 30 minute exercise a day was not missed but never occurred ever.
Bottomline is health and wellness are a result of feeling well and happy, inorder to make your mind feel good it needs to reside in a well maintained body, inorder that the body is healthy we need to take care of ourselves just as we would take care of our beloved ones.
Wish you wellness.
Neha Wasnik

Sunday, March 8, 2009

What Women Want...

Wish all the female readers a Happy Woman's Day from wellness and I.
Its a celebration of womanhood, being a woman but do women and I mean all educated women really know what they really want out of their health and life in totality? Do they understand what they should be wanting in order to be correct or lead a good life enriched with wellness? Hmmmm...I say no, not all do !!
How do I come to this conclusion? Well its easy because 'everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die', to put it simply if you are a woman you want to be appreciated for who you are - period. There are no two ways about whether you want to be appreciated for how you look or what personality you hold, because you do want to be appreciated for both and equally. I know I want it. I 'd be upset if I wasnt looking good and feeling good about myself and my health. So what is the key to this combination lock? As always the solution to our puzzles are always simpler than we expect them to be. How many of you want to look gorgeous but don't want to sweat it out the right way ? If I earn a nickle for everyone who would answer a yes to that question I would have earned a fortune. What women want and what women should want is really a different question all together. The key to this combination lock is a diet loaded with antioxidants and weight training thrice a week for not more than 40 min a day. Ahh!! if only it was easier said than done.
What women should get right is their bone density, hair luster and skin tone. Its not because it makes them more desirable but because these are key parameters to basics of their health. Let me take you through this one at a time.
BONE - Density of your bones is vital as it signifies rate of calcium - phosphorous deposition to erosion, density of the bone also keeps a check on hormonal balance such as thyroid, parathyroid, vitamin D response, oestrogen, enzymes that help in digestion and mineral absorption in the gut. In totality it also shows how sturdy or weak your body is and how long can it survive in supple manner. So basically almost all female body functions are checked just through bone density.
Hair luster - Your hair are subjected to harsh environment, strain and stress and above all to internal stress due to free radicals in the blood system or body. Losing its colour or luster or thickness or strand uniformity depends on how well your body protects itself from all the above hazards. Internal enironment is primary matter of concern if the hair are dull and dry. Hair are made of keratin - a protein, together with vitamin A and Vitamin B complex are vital for its supple condition. It so turns out that Vitamin A & B along with Vitamin C & E are also responsible to fight away the internal stress caused by the free radicals. All these vitamins are sourced from fresh coloured fruits, vegetables and oily fish or nuts. Wait I didnt say have ample of them because they are good sources of these vitamins. Have correct quantities of each for a better balance together. Yes the correct balance is achieved only by getting a customized diet from a correct proffesional trained to do so - A Dietitian.
Skin tone - Skin is a reflection to what lies beneath it. Skin tone speaks a lot more than just fair or blemished skin, it says what are you going through inside. The stress that we get involved into daily life has an impact on the skin. Dark spots, blemishes, acne, uneven complexion and even fine lines are a result of how much stress has been deeloped within due to free radicals and there by also causing hormonal imbalance. Again all Vitamins play a role in keeping the skin and its supple look intact.

Fresh and colourfull plate of fruits and vegies and of course water can go a long way in fighting all the stress that a woman is built to fight against. Not only does it protect from visible beauty tarnish but also helps protect from internal hazards like osteoporosis, diabetes, gynaecological problems, hormonal imbalance.

Wish you wellness.

Regards,
Neha

Monday, March 2, 2009

Fat loss or Weight loss ???

Enough was explained about metabolism, its uniqueness and body fat v/s lean body mass, now let me throw some light on the practical ways to check if your losing the desired weight or not. Ideally when we desire a particular weight and shape it isn't rocket science to figure out that it's fat loss that we desire. But in reality many people and women specifically forget about losing fat but instead opt for losing any kind of weight from their body. What about the desired shape / figure/ physique etc. ? Well, isn't it convenient to forget all about fat loss when all we want is to appear good looking? Once and for all let me give you a secret formula which isn't as I said earlier rocket science or secret at all and that is:

Great looking body = Correct Fat loss and Good muscle tone.

Weight loss can be anything muscle loss (which is not only bad but dangerous for the survival too), water loss (again fatal if exceed beyong a point), and fat loss which is the ultimate key to all the desirable fantasies about looking like a greek god / goddess. How about getting another secret for fat loss ...fat loss = adequate resistance / weight training = no excessive cardio = adhering to the correct eating habits at regular intervals. It seems very run off the mill but what can one do about the way human body works ? We all know the KISS formula Keep it simple and stupid. Well it isn't a shortcut but the right path to health will get you to a fab body.

Wish you wellness.
Regards,
Neha
Related Posts with Thumbnails