Don't overeat and don't encourage your family members and friends to overeat - unless you wish to shorten their healthy living and perhaps die younger!
An interesting article about eating too full....
In Today's Dr Lee Newsletter Issue:
"What's wrong with eating too full?"
"The more you eat, the sooner you die. The lesser you eat, the longer you live." This is what Dr Lee always says in his health talk. He also mentions, "Eating too full causes all sort of health problems such as hypertension, diabetes, stroke, etc."
Why eating too full is so harmful to your health? What can you do about it?
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Mice experiment
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To see how eating habit affects life span, a professor from University of Texas did an experiment on mice.
For the first group of 100 mice, he let them eat without any restriction, just like a buffet meal. The second group was fed only 60% full. And the third group was given food without restriction too. But this time, he reduced protein content to half. After 2.5 years, guess how many mice were still alive out of 100?
* First group (eat without restriction) - only 13 mice was alive. Opsss...
* Second group (eat 60% full) - 97 mice was still alive. Only 3 mice died.
* Third group (eat without restriction with protein cut half) - 50 mice still alive.
What can we learn from these results?
Firstly, eating too full is really harmful to your body. Secondly, eat 60% full if you want to live longer and healthier. Thirdly, taking too much protein is harmful to your body too. We don't need so much protein after all.
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Overworking body
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Imagine having a small family car. Instead of using it for short travel between home and office, you use it for long distance travel between different cities every day. Instead of using it 1 hour a day, you use it for 10 hours a day. Instead of driving at 70 km/h, you always speed up to 170 km/h, hitting engine's red line.
Can you estimate your car life span? Do you expect having various problems with your car after a short time?
Driving your car at high speed for a long time is like always eating too full. You force your body to always work at its red line.
Do you know digestion is the most demanding work for your body? Think about the organs involved such as your mouth, stomach, liver, pancreas, duodenum and intestine. Think about the length of digestive tract from your mouth to intestine.
Eating too full zaps up much of your body energy for digestion. Otherwise, this energy may be used for other purpose such as enhancing your immune system.
Do you realize you become very tired easily after a big meal?That is the sign of your body working hard to digest all the food you take in.
If you eat an extra bowl of noodle, your pancreas has to produce extra insulin hormone to process the extra carbohydrates you take.
Your liver, stomach and intestine also have to produce extra enzymes to digest and process specific nutrients from that bowl of noodle.
Therefore the more you eat, the harder your body has to work to process it. Of course, we must eat to survive. But we don't have to eat that much!
If you drive your car slowly and handle it gently, you can use it for a long time. But if you always floor the accelerator and drive like a rally driver, you know the consequence on your car life span.
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Side effect of eating
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Your car engine burns fuel to move your car and bring you to anywhere you like to go. As a result, the engine produces exhaust smoke which is toxic. It must be dispersed out from your car. Similarly, your body cell burns nutrient for energy to survive. In the process, it produces free radicals. Since free radical is toxic to your body, it has to be neutralized and expelled.
"Just metabolizing food especially fatty and carbohydrate- rich fare causes the body to produce free radicals, which attack cells and can promote the development of chronic conditions including heart disease, diabetes and cancer," says Ronald L. Prior, Ph.D.
Of course, your body can control free radicals in small quantity. But the more you eat, the more free radicals your body produces. Without adequate control, these free radicals easily attack your body cells and eventually cause all sort of diseases.
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Good eating habit
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After knowing the harmful effect of eating too full, what's your choice? Do you want to live longer, just like the second group mice in the experiment? Or do you want to risk ending your life earlier, just like the first group mice? If you wish to live longer, here are some tips you can follow:
1.. Always eat until 70% full. Do not exceed 80% full. You may want to stop eating when you feel slightly full.
2. Avoid having buffet style meal which makes it harder to control how much you eat. Instead, prepare the food you want to eat in a plate. After finishing it, don't add anymore food.
3. Leaving the dining table earlier may prevent you from picking some extra food to eat.
4. It is always a good idea to prepare lesser food in the first place. Some people are afraid of having not enough food for everyone. Actually, lesser food is beneficial for everyone..In a restaurant, order in small amount first. You can always add in some extra order if necessary. But if you can get by with the original smaller order, that's great.
Remember this: You have higher chance of overeating if you serve more food on the table. You have better chance of not overeating if you serve less food
5. Avoid stuffing your fridge with ice cream, chocolate or other dessert. You cannot eat what you do not have.
6. When someone prepares a big plate of food for you, look at it first. Ask yourself, "Do I want to stuff it all into my stomach?"
If your answer is no, just put aside some food to another empty plate first. After finishing your food, look back at the extra food on that new plate. Say to yourself, "Phew! Luckily I didn't stuff that portion into my stomach."
7. When you get too hungry before your meal time, just take some fruit instead of heavy meal. The tendency to overeat is very high for modern people. Do you know most monks only eat twice a day?
They wake up at 4am, meditate and say their prayer. Later they have their simple breakfast at 7am. Before 12pm, they have their lunch. That's all for them. They eat no more after that. No tea break. No dinner. No supper. They still look strong and energetic.
Of course, we don't have to eat like them. But it reminds us we can eat less and stay healthy. So remember to eat only 70% full if you want to stay healthy.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
The World's Healthiest Diets
Rebecca Ruiz, 03.02.10, 04:00 PM EST
Stealing a few eating tips from abroad may keep you healthy into a ripe old age.
In Pictures: The World's Healthiest Diets
Is the American diet really so bad that it's time to look to other countries for help?
That's the premise behind a spate of recent books and Web sites touting plant-heavy diets of various far-away places. Looking at traditional diets has become something of a fad in recent years. Numerous books, including The Jungle Effectand The China Study, have tried to document the link between diet and great health in various countries and regions. Researchers, for example, are still trying to understand how a sweet-potato-based diet may boost longevity on the Japanese island of Okinawa, home to a large population of centenarians. But you don't have to wait for the definitive answer--The Okinawa Diet Plan can be bought right now.
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The latest entrant is The Five Factor World Diet by celebrity trainer and author Harley Pasternak. During his far-flung travels with stars like Jessica Simpson and Hillary Duff, Pasternak noticed that people in many of the countries he visited were slimmer and ate a more nutritious diet than most Americans. The experience left Pasternak (who has a master's degree in exercise physiology and nutrition) convinced that Americans have a lot to learn from the rest of the world.
His book lists countries with healthy diets that also have long life expectancies and low obesity rates. These metrics best capture the effects of a lifetime of good eating and exercise habits, he argues. Japan tops his list because it has a 1.5% obesity rate (for men) and an 82-year life expectancy, vs. a 36.5% obesity rate and a 78-year life expectancy in the United States. South Korea, China and Singapore also do well. France makes the list with a 6.6% obesity rate and an 81-year life expectancy, as do Italy, Spain and Greece. Pasternak's rankings aren't scientifically rigorous, but they may shed light on how other countries eat well and manage to stay healthy.
In Pictures: The World's Healthiest Diets
What virtually all these countries have in common are low-fat diets rich in fish, lean protein, vegetables, fruits and beans. Plant-based diets can reduce cholesterol levels, while fruits and vegetables also contain antioxidants that may protect against cancer. Consumption of certain omega-3 fatty acids found in fish may reduce heart disease risk. Many of the traditional diets only include small amounts of red and processed and salt-cured meats, whose consumption may increase risk of colorectal and stomach cancers.
Most of the countries in question practice portion control. Although they indulge in high-fat cheeses, cured pork and condensed milk coffee drinks, they rarely pig out like Americans. "Whether you adopt one or multiple things [from these countries] and bring them into your life," says Pasternak, "you'll be healthier and lose weight and keep it off."
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Beyond this common-sense message, science doesn't have much to say about which traditional cuisines are the healthiest. It's impossible to tell whether the long life expectancies of some countries are actually the result of better health care systems, not better eating habits. No researcher has developed a method to accurately measure the comparative health benefits of one country's diet vs. another, says Harvard epidemiologist Dimitrios Trichopoulos. "We have no evidence because we don't have a yardstick," he says. There are indications that Japanese and Chinese diets, for example, are protective against chronic diseases and improve longevity, but Trichopoulos says that they haven't been studied enough to say that conclusively.
The one exception, he says, is the Mediterranean diet, high in olive oil, fruits and vegetables, and whole grains. A 2008 meta-analysis of 12 studies of 1.6 million subjects found that people who stick closely to the Mediterranean diet had a 9% lower death rate than people who ate the same diet less stringently, according to the results published in the British Medical Journal. Numerous other studies show it can protect against heart disease.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Five ways to look after your heart
Photo: sxc/lusi
Whether it's Valentine's Day or not, looking after your heart is especially important for South Asians — particularly men — who are more at risk of heart disease than the wider population. However, there are many ways you can protect your heart whilst still enjoying delicious traditional home cooking.
The Portfolio Diet, which was designed by researchers at the University of Toronto and published in 2003, combined what was already known about heart healthy diets with additional research. It offers some useful tips:
1. Have a handful of almonds (badaam) every day.
It sounds like Ma (grandma) was right when she used to force you to eat your badaam in the morning! There is good research to show that eating 30 grams of almonds (around 20) every day as part of a balanced diet can help to reduce your risk. There is also research on walnuts and peanuts, but remember — only have a handful each day, since they are also high in fat and calories.
Photo: Nazma Lakhani
2. Eat 20 grams of soluble fibre every day.
Soluble fibre is found in foods such as porridge oats / oatmeal, muesli, beans, dhal (lentils) and fruits. Aim to have a couple of servings a day. This could mean eating porridge for breakfast and channa (chickpea) curry for your evening meal. Or try the delicious pea and bean salad recipe as an accompaniment to your lunch.
3. Include foods which provide soya protein.
Soya is a low fat vegetable protein which has been shown to help reduce blood cholesterol and the risk of heart disease. Start with 25 grams and gradually work up to 50 grams per day.
Try swapping your usual milk for soya milk. Maybe you could start by making this swap only in hot drinks and using it for cereal once you get used to the taste. One pint will give you around 20 grams of soy protein.
A great snack is roasted soya beans, sometimes called soya nuts. And you could try substituting tofu instead of paneer in stir fries and curries.
You may not like the taste of soya mince, but perhaps you could try mixing lean minced beef with a little soya mince when you're cooking so that you gradually introduce more soya products into your meals.
4. Take a plant sterol or stanol drink daily.
You will find these little drinks in the supermarket, possibly next to the probiotic drinks or milk. Some companies also make yogurts and spreads with plant sterols or stanols.
You need 2 grams per day (check the label). Studies show that this amount can reduce your blood cholesterol by up to 15 per cent, when eaten regularly as part of a balanced diet.
Photo: Nazma Lakhani
5. Take up the usual heart healthy lifestyle advice.
Be wise with your fats, have at least five fruits and vegetablesevery day, eat oily fish once or twice a week, use less salt, eat more whole grains and be more active. Most of all, if you smoke — stop!
Remember, taking on all of these Portfolio Eating Plan tips could help you to reduce your blood cholesterol by up to 25 per cent! Is it worth the effort for you?
Herbs and spices have a lot of health benefits. Sanaya Chavda lists a few
Herbal magic
Considering they are so easily available today, it's hard to believe that at one point there were wars fought over it. Full of antioxidants, minerals, vitamins and free of calories, spices and herbs can be liberally added to dishes. In fact, when substituted for salt, they can help in reducing bloating, water retention and cravings. Recently, turmeric powder was in the news for evidence that it contains curcumin which can fight Alzheimer's and Dementia, as well as for having anticancer properties. While it has been a staple in Indian cooking for decades, the West is only recently awakening to its benefits. Indian cuisine contains a vast number of important spices which are not present in processed or fast foods. If you've been going for bland food thinking it might be a healthier option, think again!
Deepshikha Agarwal, sports physician and dietician says people don't know about the important properties of spices. "Due to the frantic pace of everyday life, most women don't get time to cook and order in or buy readymade meals which lack essential herbs. Even the most basic ginger and garlic is good for digestion, blood purification and releases acidity and curbs gastro problems. Saffron has vital anti-bacterial properties and is a cooling agent as well. Cloves can be used to kill oral bacteria and aid in the digestive process; the list can go on," says Deepshikha.The condiments in our Indian food stimulates the gastric juices, which is why you get constipated eating bland food abroad, says nutritionist Naini Setalvad. "Very few people know, but coriander is the best possible form of calcium. The leaves are an excellent stimulant and it is known to reverse and retard digestive disorders, high cholesterol levels, conjunctivitis, heavy menstrual flow, skin disorders, and most importantly, to 'clean up' the mess caused by years of smoking. Turmeric has been called the 'holy powder' for it's ability to prevent Alzheimer's and cancer cells from multiplying as well as helping with cystic fibroids and sclerosis. The yellow coloured powerful beta carotene can also help reduce your stones, cardiac problems, mouth infections and dental problems. Dill leaves have a stimulating effect. They help cure diarrhoea, dysentery, bad breath, colds, bronchitis, swellings and are good for pregnant women and lactating mothers.
Health expert Madhuri Ruia says simple everyday ingredients like cinnamon help regulate blood sugar levels because it contains chromium and zinc and acts as a blood thinner while preventing fungal infections. "Fenugreek or methi relieves sinus and asthma while reducing inflammation and constipation. Even simple adrak chai contains ginger which has volatile eye number," explains Naini. Similarly basil or tulsi has antioxidant properties. It keeps the blood pure and makes your hair and skin to glow. Basil leaves also aid in diabetic treatments, fevers, respiratory problems, kidney oils and pungent phenol compounds like gingerol that help with rheumatoid arthritis," adds Madhuri who feels one shouldn't skip out on these vital herbs and spices when cooking.
sanaya.chavda@timesgroup.com
EAT HEALTHY: Indian cuisine contains a vast number of important spices which are not present in processed foods
Sunday, February 7, 2010
REDUCE BLOOD PRESSURE NATURALLY
BT suggests simple steps to keep your blood pressure under control
High blood pressure contributes to an alarming number of deaths each year. Although it may not have apparent symptoms, high blood pressure leads to heart attacks and strokes aside from also causing kidney failure. You can reduce your blood pressure by reducing your weight (if you're obese) and making a few small changes in your life, say doctors.
• Walk it out — Walking at a brisk pace can help lower your pressure. A good workout will ensure the heart uses oxygen more efficiently. Getting a rigorous cardio workout 4 to 5 times a week can make a huge difference. Start by incorporating about 15 minutes of exercise in your daily routine and slowly increase the time and difficulty level.
• Deep Breathing — Learning some slow breathing and meditation techniques can do you wonders. It will help reduce stress drastically and keep your blood pressure in check. Try taking out 10 minutes every morning and at night. Inhale and exhale deeply. If you can, join a yoga class for some time so that you can learn the proper method.
• Go for potassium-rich foods — You have probably heard of the negative effects of sodium on the body and potassium is an essential mineral to counter the effects of sodium on blood pressure. Fruits and vegetables are rich in potassium. Try adding sweet potatoes, tomatoes, orange juice, potatoes, bananas, peas, and prunes and raisins to your regular diet.
• Go slow on the salt — Whether you have a family history of high blood pressure or not, reducing your intake of salt can make a huge difference to your health. Before adding that extra pinch of salt to your food, think if you really need it. Try substituting salt with lime, garlic, pepper or other herbs and spices. Go slow on processed and packaged foods. Potato chips, frozen chicken nuggets, bacon etc are high in sodium. Try calculating your daily sodium consumption. Keep a food diary and you may be surprised at how much you're taking in.
• Dark chocolate benefits — The darker variety of chocolate has flavonols that make blood vessels more elastic. Choose one that has at least 70 per cent cocoa to really reap the benefits.
• Alcohol alert — While it does provide some health benefits, alcohol can also be bad for yourhealth. If consumed in small amounts, it can help prevent heart attacks and coronary artery disease. But, more than one or two drinks and the benefits are gone. Keep a check on your drinking patterns and if you're a heavy drinker, start reducing slowly. Never indulge in binge drinking. Consuming four or five drinks in a row can cause a sudden increase in blood pressure.
• Tea benefits — Herbal teas are the way to go. In a study conducted, those who sipped on hibiscus tea daily
lowered their blood pressure. Many herbal teas contain hibiscus or you can always opt for green tea. The effects of caffeine are still debatable. Drinking caffeinated beverages can temporarily increase pressure. The solution is to check your pressure within 30 minutes of drinking a cup of coffee to determine if it works for your body.
• Reduce work and relax — Reducing the number of hours you spend in office can help lower hypertension. Working overtime makes it hard to exercise and eat healthy. Ensure that you get out of office at a decent hour. Learning to relax by listening to soothing music (Classical, Oriental or Indian instrumental ) can help.
FIGHT IT: Take a brisk walk daily and drink herbal tea to help keep your body healthy and fit
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y'all are 2 funny--thanks for the laughs!
