#_author:Dr. Renu Garg

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How the Size of Your Plate Impacts Your Waistline!

When it comes to nutrition, weight loss, and weight management, two of the most important factors to consider are portion sizes and food choices. People consistently consume more food and drink (i.e., more calories) when offered larger-sized portions compared to when smaller-sized portions are offered. In fact, researchers found that adults, on an average, consume about 15% more, or about 250 calories, when offered larger serving sizes. An excess of such calorie equals to about 5 kgs of weight gain over the course of a year!So its obvious, size matters, and one way to influence your portion sizes is by using smaller plates. People tend to over-serve on larger plates, and on average, people eat about 92% of what they put on their plates. Simply put, larger plates mean greater food intake. Controlling portion sizes at home is the easiest. Choose a medium size plate for your meals. Imagine a mid section line dividing the plate in two halves. Half should be covered with vegetables, a quarter with serving of protein and a quarter with brown rice. Check your utensils too, use a smaller spoon. Another productive way of controlling portion size at home would be to serve foods directly from the kitchen itself onto the plates and not from the dining table as this encourages a second serving. At restaurants, deliberately ask for half portions, as sometimes their portions can suffice for more than two people. If you are still in doubt, take your portion size by the judgement of your palm size. Avoid eating at buffets. The more we are served, the more we eat, and the effect can be tough on your body. A'la carte would be easier on the wallet as well as on your stomach. Do not eat directly from the bag or box, people tend to eat 50% more chips / pretzels when they eat directly from bag. For cocktails / mocktail, use tall and thin glasses. Turn off the TV and put your smart phone away while you eat. Control portion and feel full on fewer calories. Again, it seems simple, but its true, and by reducing from 12-inch to 10-inch plates, you could reduce the number of calories served by over 20%. If the average dinner is 800 calories, that little change could result in a weight loss of more than 1.5 Kgs in just 3 months.--

This article was originally published on Practo Health Feed by Dr. Renu Garg, Homeopath

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Get Back to the Track After Holi

We are bound to give in to the goodies and cheat a little or in fact cheat a lot. It becomes difficult to stay within our calorie budgets when there is so much good food around us amidst all the Holi celebrations. Here's looking at what you can do after Holi to ensure that you get back on to the health and fitness track and recover from all the eating and drinking. It is usually observed that many people who suddenly gain a kilo or two after festivities and celebrations end up feeling defeated. Don't be frustrated. Focus on what you eat for a few days right after Holi. Come back to your sensible eating habits without starving yourself. Don't try to skip meals as it leads to binge eating later on. Consider eating well portioned, well balanced, healthy meals which are packed with protein, dietary fibre, fruits and vegetables. Set a short time calorie goal for yourself and stick to it. Stop checking the weighing scale again and again even if you don't put on any weight during Holi, your body will experience some 'false' weight gain as it might be undergoing water retention due to extra salt and preservatives consumed in all the rich food consumed during Holi. So don't weigh yourself next day of any festival, try after 3-4 days and you might even be surprised to see that you didn't put on any weight at all. Since consumption of sweets during Holi is common, ensure you have lots of salads and sprouts so that it keeps you healthy and curb your appetite adding essential nutrients to your body. It's a good idea if you undertake a detoxification diet after Holi where you should be eating some food to reduce the high levels of accumulated toxins and increased glucose levels. Include lots of garlic, carrots, tomatoes, grapes and avocados in your diet which are good source of antioxidants and contain glutathione which is prime component for detoxification of liver. Believe in the simple calculation of more calorie ingested, more calories to be burnt. Yes! You need to burn those calories that you have consumed but don't go overboard. Working out 2-3 times a day or exercising more than regular or doing more weights just to escalate the weight loss plan is not going to help. In your worry to burn the calories you may end up injuring yourself. Nothing in excess is good. Stick to your regular routine of exercise. A healthy diet to adjust to your short term calorie deficit and regular exercise is what you need. Eat smart and enjoy the festive spirit.

This article was originally published on Practo Health Feed by Dr. Renu Garg, Homeopath

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Here's How You Make Eating Momos Healthier

Momos (dumplings) are believed to be of Tibetan origin and since had spread to other neighbouring countries. Momos are of two types: fried and steamed. Most of non-veg momos usually contain chicken pieces, veg momos contain cabbage, carrots and onion. How healthy is it to eat momos? Most of us think they are healthy, particularly if not fried.

Let us count the calories we consume in veg/non veg momo -- 6 pieces veg steamed momos (90 gm): 270 Cal, 6 pieces non-veg steamed momos (150 gm): 390 cal and 2 tbsp (30 gm) Chilli sauce 30 cal.

The overall calorie count is not too bad (45 kcal per piece) as long as you don't go wild with your quantities, and if you don't have any heavy side dishes in the meal. Momos have no specific health benefits in them. Here are tips to cut down calories while relishing momos at roadside and make it healthier.

Try to cultivate a taste for veg momos, instead of the chicken ones. If you prefer chicken, mix them up. Have three each of veg and chicken momos.

Always eat steamed momos instead of the fried ones. You will save 20 cal. per piece.

Avoid the regular chilli sauce as it is high in sodium and has oil as its base. Instead go for mint chutney if possible.

While cooking at home, mix whole wheat atta with maida to make healthier momos.

While cooking at home, mix soybean along with chopped vegetables as filling in veg momos.

Take a good helping of salads with momos. This will help you digest the refined flour (maida)

Eating on a daily basis is not a good option as it is nutritionally low in value. If you are too fond of eating momos, then try home cooked with different fillings inside it which are healthy and hygienically safe too.

This article was originally published on Practo Health Feed by Dr. Renu Garg, Homeopath

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Time to Clean Up Your Body

The festivities are over now and you find yourself a few kilos heavier along with lethargic feeling. We all tend to overload our systems during this season. Indulgence has been at its peak and what we probably need right now is to detox and clean up with right nutrition to spring back to normal.

Try to follow following tips so that we will feel more energetic and can improve our overall health:

Start your day by drinking warm water with a lemon squeezed in it.

Keep yourself hydrated with plain water, coconut water, green tea. Fluids flush out all the toxins. Add a little mint, cinnamon, lemon or apple slices for flavour.

Post-Diwali cut down on packaged foods, sugar, refined flour and baked items. Instead take jaggery, whole grain atta, brown rice in your diet.

Have more fruits and veggies which leave you a feeling fuller for long and make a point of eating different types and colours.

Don't give longer gaps in between two meals (not more than four hours) and take some kind of protein in every meal which will keep blood sugar levels stable and curb unwanted cravings.

Chew each mouthful slowly, focusing on your food and eat until only about three quarters of the stomach is full.

Some breakfast options are oats with milk/wholegrain porridge/vegetable daliya/fruit platter.

Some lunch options are salads and yogurt, brown rice khichdi or brown rice with lots of vegetables/ whole grain rotis with lightly cooked vegetables.

Some dinner options are spinach soup/dal soup and salad with some protein

Some snacking options are steamed lentils/ smoothies/ green tea and fruits / buttermilk/ tofu snacks/ nuts etc.

This article was originally published on Practo Health Feed by Dr. Renu Garg, Homeopath

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Navratri Diet

Each year Hindus all over the world religiously fast for nine days twice in a year. This fasting period is recognized as Navratri Vrat by North Indians. The perception that substituting roti (carbohydrate) with endless servings of vrat ka khana, characterized by fried potatoes, sabudana papads, crispies, sweets, fruits etc will help in losing weight is a myth. Apart from eating wrong stuff, another common crime is 'not eating at all'. In the greed of knocking down a few kilos, people usually go for just one big meal in the evening, which is an absolute no-no. It is detrimental to metabolism and in the bargain you only get fat, a bloated feeling and constipation. Navratri food is generally starchy and needs a lot of oil to be cooked, which leads to constipation since the body is not used to so much of starch. So, the solution lies in changing the way you cook. For instance, a potato can be taken as a mash rather than in fried form.

In case, you intend to fast this month of Navratra, it is important that you keep certain recommendations in mind:

Avoid eating fried food.

Limit your sugar intake. Avoid sweets.

Eat one cooked meal and the rest fruits and dairy.

Drink plenty of water. Remain hydrated with water in different forms like soups, nariyal pani, butter milk, nimbu pani and fruit shakes.

Limit portion size.

Follow these simple steps and enjoy the benefits of the nine days of detoxification!

DietPlan For Navratra

Day 1

Potato Plan you may eat 4-6 boiled potatoes throughout the day in form of raita, tikkis (not deep fried) or subji. Have two meals of potatoes and curd, two of fruits and one snack of low-fat milk. Substitute fried potatoes and chips with grilled potato cutlets, potato mash, and aloo chaat. One can add veggies like cucumber, tomato, mint and coriander to add taste and volume. Sweet potato can be roasted and eaten as chaat.

Day 2

Paneer Plan On this protein plan you may eat paneer in a light preparation as two meals, papaya, oranges, pineapple, cucumber salad in one meal and a glass of low-fat milk as a snack.

Day 3

Sago/Sabudana Plan Sago or sabudana is relished as khichdi and kheer during Navratari fast. This is a high glycemic food and calorie dense so have one meal of sago/sabudana and rest of the meals as fruits and dairy.

Day 4

Repeat Paneer Plan

Soups can be prepared out of vegetables allowed during the fasts and taken as a small mid-meal. Soups are considered to be natural diuretics so they'll help you ward off constipation

Day 5

Kuttu Atta (Buckwheat Flour) As Navratra fasting is not complete without a kuttu relish, have one favorite meal prepared with kuttu atta. Rest of the day keep your day light with fruits and dairy products. Rather than having it in the form of those oil dripping puris, make vegetable chillas (pancakes) out of the same. This will require a far lesser amount of oil.

Day 6

Repeat Paneer Plan

Day 7

Samakia Chawal you may enjoy one meal of the starchy preparation but again to ensure calorie balance have fruits and milk rest of the meals. If made in desi ghee tastes yummy but is a big source of calories. Instead, try eating them cold with curd and they can be an oil free treat for the season. One can also powder them to make pancakes.

Depending on whether you keep Ashthami or Navmi you can repeat anyone of these favorite plans again. Remember not to feast after fasting as all that you lose will bounce back...

This article was originally published on Practo Health Feed by Dr. Renu Garg, Homeopath

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How Can Homoeopathy Help in Chikungunya Outbreak

Are you living under a constant fear of getting bitten by mosquitoes this season, that are ever so prevalent in the environment due to the degrading civic sense among us citizens and the apathetic authorities?Dont panic! Every case doesnt need to be hospitalized or treated with very strong medication. Homoeopathy can help!

With monsoon, there has been an increase in mosquito-borne illnesses including Dengue and Chikungunya. Delhi in particular is witnessing an unprecedented rise in the number of chikungunya cases this year. Though most patients recovered and serious complications are rare. Generally one should feel better within a week but in some cases the joint pains may persist for weeks or months together. People at risk for a more severe illness include newborns infected around the time of birth, older adults 65 or above and people with medical conditions like high blood pressure,diabetes or heart disease.

There is no specific vaccine or antiviral medicines to prevent/treat chikungunya virus. So the rule is to treat the symptoms like get plenty of rest, drink fluids to maintain hydration,dont contribute to the transmission cycle: If you get infected, protect yourself from further mosquito bites in the first week of your illness.

During the first week, chikungunya virus can be found in the blood and passed from an infected person to a mosquito through bite and an infected mosquito can then spread the virus to the other people. Its safer to take analgesics and antipyretics such as paracetamol to bring down high fever and pain. The symptoms are often difficult to differentiate from dengue, hence it is important not to take any NSAIDs (Non steroidal Anti inflammatory Drugs) like aspirin, ibuprofen till dengue is ruled out as these medicines can cause platelets to fall, increasing risk of bleeding in case of dengue.

HOMOEOPATHYis undoubtedly effective option to tackle all kind of viral fevers including the monsoon maladies like chikungunya and Dengue, as it offers a gentler and a faster cure. There are number of medicines ( viz. Rhustox, Bryonia, Eupatoreum Perf, Pyrogenum, Gelsemium, MercSol, Ipecac, Arnica, Belladonna etc) that not only help bring down the active fever,they cut it short too. Also, they come with an added advantage of no side effects/a drop in your platelet counts causing bleeding!

The terrible joint pains one experiences in Chikungunya, which may get disabling for weeks or months even after the recovery from fever, are very effectively controlled with homoeopathic medicines. Among many, Polyporous pinicola (Polyporous officinalis) is one of the specific medicines for these lingering pain in joints. Single dose of this medicine is enough to cure chikungunya pains. One more medicine which is helpful in completely alleviating joint pains even if the fever subsides is Kali mur, 1m, single dose which should be taken at least after one week of the first medicine. In higher doses it acts as a preventive.

Some medicines like Phosphoric acid, Cinchona, Arsenic can take good care of weakness and fatigue making you up and about in just a couple of days. Euphrasia can very well take care of the conjunctivitis or any other eye symptoms if you develop them. I have personally used Eupt, Bry, RhusTox as preventives for the disease, so far it has helped the families in not contracting the disease and also cut short the intensity and duration of the disease.

Homoeopathy has a very good scope in the treatment of chikungunya. Initially indicated acute remedies may give relief which may be followed by constitutional remedy in order to get rid of post fever arthralgias.

Usually, one attack confers life long immunity.

Note: Please do not self medicate. Consult your physician if you have high fever, joint pains or any other signs that point towards the infection.

This article was originally published on Practo Health Feed by Dr. Renu Garg, Homeopath

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Diet Motivation Tips

Staying motivated may be the hardest part of any diet plan. And now that the New Year is here, youre trying to start from new and do the things in a right way. So one should probably use a little extra push. Here are 5 powerful diet motivation tips to help you see your diet plans through to success!

Diet Motivation Tip #1 Set Realistic GoalsBefore you even start your diet and weight loss efforts, you need to be realistic about things. Not only is it important to set specific goals in the beginning, but its also important to set realistic goals which can be achieved.One of the biggest predictors of diet and weight loss success is having a plan that you can realistically accomplish. This means setting goals that are practical and attainable in a given time period. So dont overreach! Generally speaking, healthy weight loss using natural methods is going to produce about 2-3 kilos of weight loss per month.And write things down. You should put your goals on paper and track your progress. This will help keep your goals in check and ensure that you are being realistic about the things.

Diet Motivation Tip #2 Go SlowSlow and Steady wins the race.The truth is, the best diet is one that is incorporated into your lifestyle for the long-term. A healthy, balanced diet high in protein and low in fats and sugars is the best way to go. Fad diets often ask you to make extreme changes right off the bat, and thats why they fail. They cant be maintained for any extended period of time. So whats the best way to do things? Take things slow, dont put too much pressure on yourself, and make changes that can last longer. Making lifestyle changes will lead to the most success and the best results, without the rebound!

Diet Motivation Tip #3 Expect SetbacksThis may not sound very motivating at first glance, but the more realistic you are about diets and weight loss the more successful youll be. And setbacks are a reality of any diet program. Expecting setbacks can help you keep the right mindset during your efforts and stay motivated to move past them. And plan right for the setbacks. Dont let one little slip-up lead to an all-day binge. Forgive yourself, and move past it by making the right choices next time.

Diet Motivation Tip #4 Dont Do It AloneOne of the biggest motivators throughout any diet or weight loss program is a friend. Having a friend doing the same program with you can really help you stay on track. And by the way you dont have to take this all so seriously. Go grocery shopping with your friend and see who can find the healthiest foods and spend the least money. Pre-plan with this strategy so you have a kitchen full of healthy foods and are not lead to temptations. I whole-heartedly believe this is the best strategy to stay on track and way better than any cleanse that is supposed to clean out your digestive system. The biggest factor here is accountability. Checking up with each other on a regular basis might just give you the motivation youre looking for.

Diet Motivation Tip #5 Reward youBelieve it or not, rewarding yourself can be incredibly motivating. And rewards can be anything from a cheat meal to a new pair of shoes or a cool gadget. Having something to look forward to can help get you through the tough days!

ConclusionSo there you have it, 5 powerful diet motivation tips to see you through to success. If youre looking for that extra little boost to get you going, All-natural weight loss supplement like NOW Green TeaExtract are recommended. It can help give you that extra little push.

This article was originally published on Practo Health Feed by Dr. Renu Garg, Homeopath

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Here's the Truth behind Ketchup

Does tomato ketchup contain all the goodness of tomatoes?The answer is NO.

Do have a look at the bottle of tomato sauce & you will usually read the list of ingredients as "tomatoes, sugar, salt, preservatives, spices, onion, garlic & coloring agents." It means that a tablespoon of tomato ketchup contains a lot of other things besides tomatoes, sugar & salt which are bad for diseases like diabetes & high B.P.

Use of tomato ketchup is more common among youngsters who eat fast foods. Once they see the bottle in the fridge they are tempted to eat it, sometimes mothers complain that their children want to eat parantha with ketchup only, they don't like to have any vegetables which is very harmful for them. Let's see how...

Some manufacturers use cheaper substitutes like white melon and papaya instead of tomatoes. The ketchup served at roadside sandwich sellers is usually of this kind , because it is available at much cheaper rate.

The quality and the hygiene maintained during manufacturing and bottling is certainly poor. Coloring agents used can cause allergy.

One of the main ingredients is high fructose corn syrup which is highly processed and highly unhealthy sugar sweetener. Even if the best of tomato ketchup is used, you need to keep in mind the fact that a tablespoon gives approx 30 cal which is mainly derived from sugar.

The goodness of tomatoes lies in their carotene (Vitamin A), vitamin C and fibre content. During the manufacturing process, the tomatoes are subjected to high temperature so the vitamin content is affected. Secondly, the fibre is also removed during the process of straining. So when you are consuming tomato ketchup, you are actually consuming empty calories along with preservatives.

It should be avoided by those who are obese, people with a history of allergies & asthma and also those suffering from high blood pressure & diabetes.

TIP- Tomato ketchup should be use only for occasions & parties. Instead, opt for homemade coriander chutney & date chutney which are very healthy and can be consumed on a daily basis even .

This article was originally published on Practo Health Feed by Dr. Renu Garg, Homeopath

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