@thrifty_indian wrote:
…
There was a guy who was very thin and wanted to gain mass ‘quickly’. I recommended him a ‘mass gainer’. He went gym for a couple of months then gave up exercise but hadn’t left eating the mass gainer. Result: he has a bludgeoning tummy. Which looks ugly. So, if you want to go that route you know what to do.

Ha haa. So true for so many people who start taking non-lean protein powders or mass gainers.

BCC: Reminder for you people to lift heavy weights so that your body utilizes that extra protein to make muscle, not store fat.

@thrifty_indian wrote:

@Dealfinder wrote:

You guys are talking about losing weight but I want to gain some weight I eat a healthy diet never eaten pizza burgers from long time eating samosa once in a month only roti sabzi eating and I m too weak

You have high metabolism (transalation: your body burns more energy). First list all the healthy foods you can eat into two catagories. 1.carb 2.protein (if you are non-veg try more meat)

Now schedule your meals in smaller proportions at a interval of 3 hours. And follow it very seriously. What you have to do is mix the food you categorized into 2:1 proportion i.e., twice carb for each gram of protein you eat. Throw in veggies and some extras.

If you want a good and healthy body exercise or play an outdoor sport atleast for 45 mins everyday.

There was a guy who was very thin and wanted to gain mass ‘quickly’. I recommended him a ‘mass gainer’. He went gym for a couple of months then gave up exercise but hadn’t left eating the mass gainer. Result: he has a bludgeoning tummy. Which looks ugly. So, if you want to go that route you know what to do.

Any idea how to look like zyzz [specifically zyzz only ; not arnold or salman or anything else] in the next 12 months ?
Read a lot of stuff and ebooks online par no improvement still

@ishandon wrote:

@thrifty_indian wrote:

@Dealfinder wrote:

You guys are talking about losing weight but I want to gain some weight I eat a healthy diet never eaten pizza burgers from long time eating samosa once in a month only roti sabzi eating and I m too weak

You have high metabolism (transalation: your body burns more energy). First list all the healthy foods you can eat into two catagories. 1.carb 2.protein (if you are non-veg try more meat)

Now schedule your meals in smaller proportions at a interval of 3 hours. And follow it very seriously. What you have to do is mix the food you categorized into 2:1 proportion i.e., twice carb for each gram of protein you eat. Throw in veggies and some extras.

If you want a good and healthy body exercise or play an outdoor sport atleast for 45 mins everyday.

There was a guy who was very thin and wanted to gain mass ‘quickly’. I recommended him a ‘mass gainer’. He went gym for a couple of months then gave up exercise but hadn’t left eating the mass gainer. Result: he has a bludgeoning tummy. Which looks ugly. So, if you want to go that route you know what to do.

Any idea how to look like zyzz [specifically zyzz only ; not arnold or salman or anything else] in the next 12 months ?
Read a lot of stuff and ebooks online par no improvement still

You mean ‘ripped’. First there is no shortcut so it depends upon what stage you are right now. The key to getting ripped is eating properly. Abs are made in kitchen not gym. Your abs will pop up when you will be able to cut you body fat down to 10% or less. In the process you would gain muscles too. So make a journal of what you eat and how much carb/protein/fat and calories from these you take. Then see how can you improve on it.

Early days are always tough especially without a guidance. Don’t loose hope. I had same problem, I used to read a lot of Men’s health and Ironman etc. There is too much info and half of it is not useful for you but still you would gain some precious knowledge. I used to go to a gym where I saw a lot of guys doing ‘one rep max’ only and they were not muscular at all. So I think they read that in some magazine and went on in hope of making more muscle which ofcourse they didn’t. So keep reading and make your plan. Just remember you are what you eat!

Sometimes you are doing everything right but there is something very little that you miss which makes a difference. Like most people say do a 12 or 20 rep set. I would not feel that it worked well but when I started pushing myself beyond that on last sets. That maybe just a couple of more reps but it did make a difference so knowing your body and observing and adapting your routine is important too.

P.S. there is so much that it can’t be written or said or mean right for everyone. So, I am just making a list of a few general things that might help. Like make a partner at gym who is at the same stage as you are (looks like you). It helps too.

@thrifty_indian wrote:

@Dealfinder wrote:

You guys are talking about losing weight but I want to gain some weight I eat a healthy diet never eaten pizza burgers from long time eating samosa once in a month only roti sabzi eating and I m too weak

You have high metabolism (transalation: your body burns more energy). First list all the healthy foods you can eat into two catagories. 1.carb 2.protein (if you are non-veg try more meat)

Now schedule your meals in smaller proportions at a interval of 3 hours. And follow it very seriously. What you have to do is mix the food you categorized into 2:1 proportion i.e., twice carb for each gram of protein you eat. Throw in veggies and some extras.

If you want a good and healthy body exercise or play an outdoor sport atleast for 45 mins everyday.

There was a guy who was very thin and wanted to gain mass ‘quickly’. I recommended him a ‘mass gainer’. He went gym for a couple of months then gave up exercise but hadn’t left eating the mass gainer. Result: he has a bludgeoning tummy. Which looks ugly. So, if you want to go that route you know what to do.

Yes you are right I started eating a lot and never went to gym as a result I got a fat tummy now from last 1 month I m playing cricket for 2-3 hrs daily and 5-6 hours on Sunday and holidays (because of college) and now I am fit I am doing light exercises too and sometimes push ups and pull ups with friends when they challenge

@Dealfinder wrote:

@thrifty_indian wrote:

@Dealfinder wrote:

You guys are talking about losing weight but I want to gain some weight I eat a healthy diet never eaten pizza burgers from long time eating samosa once in a month only roti sabzi eating and I m too weak

You have high metabolism (transalation: your body burns more energy). First list all the healthy foods you can eat into two catagories. 1.carb 2.protein (if you are non-veg try more meat)

Now schedule your meals in smaller proportions at a interval of 3 hours. And follow it very seriously. What you have to do is mix the food you categorized into 2:1 proportion i.e., twice carb for each gram of protein you eat. Throw in veggies and some extras.

If you want a good and healthy body exercise or play an outdoor sport atleast for 45 mins everyday.

There was a guy who was very thin and wanted to gain mass ‘quickly’. I recommended him a ‘mass gainer’. He went gym for a couple of months then gave up exercise but hadn’t left eating the mass gainer. Result: he has a bludgeoning tummy. Which looks ugly. So, if you want to go that route you know what to do.

Yes you are right I started eating a lot and never went to gym as a result I got a fat tummy now from last 1 month I m playing cricket for 2-3 hrs daily and 5-6 hours on Sunday and holidays (because of college) and now I am fit I am doing light exercises too and sometimes push ups and pull ups with friends when they challenge

Ummm…cricket is not exactly an active or rather very active sport. But glad you are fit now.

@thrifty_indian wrote:

@Dealfinder wrote:

@thrifty_indian wrote:

@Dealfinder wrote:

You guys are talking about losing weight but I want to gain some weight I eat a healthy diet never eaten pizza burgers from long time eating samosa once in a month only roti sabzi eating and I m too weak

You have high metabolism (transalation: your body burns more energy). First list all the healthy foods you can eat into two catagories. 1.carb 2.protein (if you are non-veg try more meat)

Now schedule your meals in smaller proportions at a interval of 3 hours. And follow it very seriously. What you have to do is mix the food you categorized into 2:1 proportion i.e., twice carb for each gram of protein you eat. Throw in veggies and some extras.

If you want a good and healthy body exercise or play an outdoor sport atleast for 45 mins everyday.

There was a guy who was very thin and wanted to gain mass ‘quickly’. I recommended him a ‘mass gainer’. He went gym for a couple of months then gave up exercise but hadn’t left eating the mass gainer. Result: he has a bludgeoning tummy. Which looks ugly. So, if you want to go that route you know what to do.

Yes you are right I started eating a lot and never went to gym as a result I got a fat tummy now from last 1 month I m playing cricket for 2-3 hrs daily and 5-6 hours on Sunday and holidays (because of college) and now I am fit I am doing light exercises too and sometimes push ups and pull ups with friends when they challenge

Ummm…cricket is not exactly an active or rather very active sport. But glad you are fit now.

But fast bowling in cricket takes effort

Foods that Help and Foods that Disrupt Sleep

Night time is a very tempting time to eat. We often get little cravings and feel like having a little snack or a small meal between dinner and brushing out teeth. In essence, there is nothing wrong with eating a small something before going to bed, but in so doing, it pays to know what we should and what we shouldn’t eat to get a good night’s sleep.

Foods that help you sleep:

Cherries

Cherries are some of the only foods naturally containing the chemical melatonin, which is responsible for configuring our ‘internal clock’. A study has found that adults suffering from insomnia and drank cherry juice before bed reported a marked improvement in the quality and length of their sleep time.

Jasmine Rice

Although rice has a high glycemic value, the body slowly digests it, slowly releasing glucose into the bloodstream. This prevents a sugar spike that can destroy your sleep. Researchers have found that eating rice a few hours before going to bed lowered the amount of time it takes to fall asleep by half.

Enriched Cereals

As a rule, carbs are a pretty good food option before going to sleep, but a box of cookies before bed isn’t recommended. Instead, try a bowl of cereal with complex carbohydrates. If you make a habit of eating cereal with milk, you’re twice the winner, because milk is also considered a food that promotes good sleep. Quinoa, buckwheat and barley are also recommended carbs to eat before going to bed.

Bananas

Bananas are rich in magnesium and potassium, minerals known to be muscle relaxants. They are also a good source of carbs, which, as we’ve mentioned, promote a better quality of sleep. If you choose to eat a banana you also earn a few more healthy advantages, such as helping your heart and blood vessels, as well as your cognitive functioning.

Turkey

Turkey meat contains an essential amino acid called tryptophan, which is one of the most powerful materials your body uses to get you to sleep. That’s why you always feel like napping after eating a good amount of turkey.

Sweet Potato

Like the banana, the sweet potato also contains carbs combined with potassium that relaxes your muscles. As a food belonging to the orange family, sweet potatoes also contains carotenoids and powerful antioxidants that will promote your general health.

Valerian Root Tea

The root of the valerian plant has been proven by several studies to be a high-quality sleep promoter, shortening the length of time it takes to fall asleep. You can drink the mixture with chamomile, a plant known to relax the body as well.

Important: Only drink chamomile or valerian root tea without caffeine.

Foods you should avoid before sleep:

Hamburger

The large amount of fat found in hamburgers is a known ‘sleep killer’. The fat encourages the stomach to pump more acid out, which can cause heartburn. Of course, these heartburns may really get in the way of falling asleep, not to mention the stomach needs to work extra hours to digest this heavy meal, which will also harm the quality of your sleep.

Alcohol

Although it may put us to sleep faster, all types of alcohol go through a fast metabolic process in our digestive system, causing us to wake up several times during the night, even if we don’t remember it the next day. A study has found that women who drank alcohol before going to sleep were up 15 minutes more (in little mini-breaks) in the middle of the night, as well as sleeping 20 minutes less than average. That may not sound like a lot, but the study found that the quality of the sleep is damaged. In addition, alcohol may cause snoring, causing disruptions in your sleep as well as your spouse’s.

Coffee

I bet you knew this one already. Coffee is meant to wake us up in the morning. It doesn’t actually make us more alert, it works as an antagonist to sleep hormones, and so is, of course, one of the worst things you can put in your body in the hours before you go to bed. Of course, people have a radically different reaction to caffeine, and so the length of time you should keep between drinking coffee and going to sleep may change from person to person.

Chocolate

Other than the vast amounts of sugar, causing your blood sugar levels to spike, chocolate also contains caffeine and is considered a food that keeps you awake. Chocolate also contains a substance called theobromine, which can elevate the heart rate and interfere with our sleep.

Spice is not nice

Any spicy food will detract from the quality of our sleep. A recent Australian study found that men who consumed tabasco sauce or mustard before sleep had trouble falling asleep as well as experiencing a low quality of sleep. Hot food can also cause heartburn, which, as we’ve explained, is terrible for a good night’s sleep.

Coffee makes subtle changes in your brain
- Oneindia

Do you know having a cup of coffee makes small changes in your brain just like skipping breakfast does? Now, MRI scans taken by a researcher of his own brain over the last 18 months reveal brain changes not observed before.

Studying the behaviour of his brain over a year and a half — with a frequency of twice a week — professor Poldrack from Stanford University was able to notice the changes in ‘connectome’ — the way different parts of the brain communicate.

On the days he fasted, Poldrack’s brain showed different levels of connectivity from the lack of caffeine, the Daily Mail reported.

‘Easily the biggest factor we found in terms of affecting my brain connectivity was whether I had had breakfast and caffeine or not,’ Poldrack was quoted as saying.

‘That was totally unexpected, but it shows that being caffeinated radically changes the connectivity of your brain,’ he added.

With low levels of caffeine, the connection between the somatosensory motor network and higher vision grew tighter.

‘We don’t really know if it’s better or worse, but it’s interesting that these are relatively low-level areas. It may well be that I’m more fatigued on those days, and that drives the brain into this state that’s focused on integrating those basic processes more,’ Poldrack said.

Researchers now want to study the phenomenon in patients with neurological disorders, who may suffer from disrupted connectivity.

IANS

Source: www.oneind...om

Himalayan salt is rock salt or halite from a mine in the Punjab region of Pakistan, which rises from the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It is mined in the Khewra Salt Mine, located in Khewra, Jhelum District, Punjab region, Pakistan. The foothills of the Salt Range are located 300 km from the Himalayas, 298 km fromAmritsar, India and 260 km from Lahore. The salt sometimes occurs in a reddish or pink color, with some crystals having an off-white to transparent color ( see Wikipedia )

While table salt has little nutritional value and it’s highly refined and processed, Himalayan Pink Salt has a lot of health benefits. It varies significantly from regular table salt and sea salt.

For starters, this remarkable salt has over 80 essential minerals and elements including, sulphate, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and chloride. Himalayan pink salt also contains far less sodium than other traditional table salts because it is less refined. And the health benefits don’t stop there. Pink Himalayan salt can do incredible things for you and your family’s health.

When commercial table salt is processed, it is completely stripped of its natural nutrients.In the manufacturing process, sodium remains in Table salt and bleach is added during sterilization. Table salt is also treated with an anti caking agent that inhibits absorption if the salt comes in contact with water. When we eat table salt, these agents do not allow the Salt to absorb naturally into your body., leading to accumulation and build up in tissues and organs.

Benefits of Himalayan Salt

1. Balance Electrolytes

2. Stay Hydrated

3. Support Digestion

4. Soothe tired Muscles

5. Detoxify the body

6. Purify the Air naturally

(Source : http://eatlocalgrown.com/article/14415-benefits...)

Over and over again we’re reminded to keep ourselves well hydrated by drinking plenty of water. It’s an important message – not just during a heat wave, but also throughout the year because water serves so many critical functions in the body.

I’m sure you will agree that there’s nothing more refreshing than a nice ice-cold glass of water. Despite this, most of us don’t drink enough water on a daily basis. By depriving ourselves of the world’s most natural resource, we are continuously damaging our bodies. If you experience any of the following, you can improve your situation with a refreshing glass of water.

1. Your Mouth is Dry

This seems pretty obvious, but the ramifications might not be so. Of course, any time you feel that sticky, nasty feeling in your mouth, you’d obviously reach for some sort of liquid. But sugary drinks are only a temporary solution to a larger problem. Drinking water lubricates the mucus membranes in your mouth and throat, which will continue to keep your mouth moist with saliva long after that first sip.

2. Your Skin is Dry

Your skin is your body’s largest organ, so of course it needs to stay hydrated. In fact, dry skin is one of the earliest signs of full-on dehydration, which can lead to much larger problems. A lack of water means a lack of sweat, which leads to a body’s inability to wash away excess dirt and oil accumulated throughout the day. If you want to stave off breakouts, your first recourse should be to drink more water.

3. You’re Overly Thirsty

We went over dry mouth already, but thirst goes beyond a desert-like tongue. Anyone who’s ever had a hangover can tell you that, upon waking up, your body just can’t get enough water. Alcohol dehydrates the entire body, and drinking water sends “YES PLEASE!” signals to the brain until your fluid levels get back to baseline. Listen to what your body is telling you; it knows what it’s talking about!

4. Your Eyes Are Dry

By now it should be clear that drinking water affects more than just your mouth and throat. A lack of water intake leads to dry, bloodshot eyes (again, think of that last pounding hangover). Without water in the body, your tear ducts dry up. If you’re thinking “So what if I can’t cry?” realize that this could cause much more harm to your eyes, especially if you wear contacts on a daily basis.

5. You Experience Joint Pain

Our cartilage and spinal discs are made up of about 80% water. This is an absolute necessity to keep our bones from grinding against each other with every step we take. By keeping your body hydrated, you ensure that your joints can absorb the shock of sudden movements, such as running, jumping, or falling awkwardly.

6. Your Muscle Mass Decreases

Your muscles, also, are comprised mostly of water. Obviously, less water in the body means less muscle mass. Drinking water before, during, and after a workout not only keeps you hydrated and comfortable, it also brings water to the right places in your body, and decreases the chance of developing inflammation and soreness related to exercise and weightlifting.

7. You Stay Sick Longer

Drinking water allows your body to continuously flush out toxins. Your organs work to filter our certain waste products like a machine, but if you don’t fuel the machine with water, it cannot work properly. What ends up happening in a dehydrated body is organs start to pull water from stored areas like your blood, which leads to a whole new set of problems.

8. You Feel Fatigued and Lethargic

As we just mentioned, when a body is dehydrated it “borrows” water from your blood. A lack of properly hydrated blood leads to a lack of oxygen being brought throughout the body. Of course, a lack of oxygen leads to sleepiness and outright fatigue. A lack of stamina means you’ll start to experience that 2PM crash earlier and earlier in your day (and remember, coffee won’t help in the long run).

9. You Experience Hunger Pangs

When you’re dehydrated, your body might start to think it needs some food. This happens throughout the day, and overnight when you wake up craving that midnight snack. However, eating food creates more work for your body, whereas drinking water purifies and your organs and supplies it with the fuel it needs to go through the other processes a body goes through.

10. You Experience Digestive Problems

We spoke before about the mucus in our mouth and throat, and how keeping hydrated allows the membrane to function correctly. This also applies to the entire digestive system. Without proper hydration, the amount and strength of mucus in the stomach lessens, allowing stomach acid to do some major damage to your insides. This leads to what we commonly refer to as heartburn and indigestion.

11. You Experience Constipation

Staying hydrated helps lubricate the digestive system. During the process of dehydration, the colon uses up the water that would have been used by the intestines in the next step of the digestive process. Without going into too much detail, I’ll let you figure out what a lack of lubricant in the intestines leads to.

12. You Experience Reduced Urination

Believe it or not, if you’re not taking a trip to the restroom 4-7 times a day, you’re probably not drinking enough water. And when you do go #1, it should be a light yellow or clear color. If it’s a darker yellow, your body is telling you it’s lacking proper hydration. In extreme cases, dehydration can lead to urinary tract infections, in which case you should consult a doctor right away.

13. You Experience Premature Aging

The amount of water our bodies retain naturally decreases as we age. Obviously, what this means is that, as we get older, we should consciously increase our water intake. While premature aging is more evident on the outside, the damage it does to our insides will ultimately be felt over time. To decrease the risk of running your body raw, it’s important to continue to drink water throughout your lifetime.

14. You’re reading this and have got this far

If you clicked on this article, chances are you thought to yourself “I don’t think I drink enough water.” The European Food Safety Authority and many others recommend that women should drink about 1.6 litres of fluid and men should drink about 2.0 litres of fluid per day. That’s about eight glasses of 200ml each for a woman, and 10 glasses of 200ml each for a man. However, the amount a person needs to drink to avoid getting dehydrated will vary depending on a range of factors, including their size, the temperature and how active they are. So, for example, if you’re exercising hard in hot weather you’ll need to drink more.

All drinks count, including hot drinks such as tea and coffee, but water, milk and fruit juices are the healthiest. It is best to avoid alcoholic drinks.

Also, try to avoid sugary, soft and fizzy drinks that can be high in added sugars. These can be high in calories and bad for teeth.

Lemon vs Lime

Lemons and limes are highly acidic citrus fruits. Limes are green, small, and generally more acidic than lemons. Lemons are yellow and larger than limes. Both fruits have good nutritional qualities.

How Lemons and Limes Are Used
Lemons and limes are both very acidic but have slightly different flavors and scents. Lemons have a sour, acidic taste, while a lime has a bitter, acidic taste. Both citrus fruits are frequently used in cooking and cocktails, as well a variety of household products.

In Cooking
Lemon juice is added to salads and pasta dishes and squeezed over fish fillets and meats; it is even used in many jams and preserves. Similarly, lime juice is often used in pastas and rices and on fish and meats. Lemon (and occasionally lime) zest — thin shavings of the fruit’s outermost peel — adds tangy citrus oil to dishes.

Desserts also make frequent use of the lemon’s flavor, with lemon juice, pulp, and zest often found in ice creams and gelatos, pies and their meringues, cookies, cheesecakes, pastries, and cakes. Lime juice, pulp, and zest appear less commonly in desserts but may on occasion be found in many of the same dessert foods that lemons are. However, the key lime, which is even more acidic than lemons and limes, is often preferred, with its most well-known use being for the key lime pie.

These fruits are also sometimes used to add slight coloring to foods and are many times found in candies (e.g., Lifesavers, gummy bears, Starburst).

In Drinks and Cocktails

The juice from lemons and limes appears in many drinks, from lemonade and limeade to Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Lemon juice and lime juice are also popular in cocktails with alcohol. Their subtly different flavors mean that pairing them with the same alcohol can create different drinks. For example, lemon juice in vodka is known as a lemon drop, while lime juice in vodka is known as a gimlet.

Other Uses
Lime is somewhat less commonly used outside of food and drink, but it can be found in some perfumes and aromatherapies. Lemon-scented cleaning products are common, however, as are slices of dried lemon in potpourri and other air fresheners. Lemon is also one of the most popular flavors for throat lozenges.

Lemon and Lime pH
Lemons and limes are similarly acidic, with certain varieties of the fruits being more or less acidic than others. However, lemon juice generally registers between 2.00 and 2.60 on the pH scale, while lime juice registers between 2.00 and 2.35.

This means lime juice may often be more acidic than lemon juice. This is on top of the fact that lemons, which have a slightly higher sugar content, are sweeter.

It is worth noting that juice becomes more acidic with time, a fact which some chefs and bartenders now consider when cooking or mixing drinks.

Nutritional Content

According to the USDA Nutrient Database, lemons are a richer source of vitamin C and folate than limes, with 39mg of vitamin C and 20ug of folate found in 100g of raw lemon juice, compared to 30mg of vitamin C and 10ug of folate in 100g of juice from a lime. Limes, however, offer much more vitamin A — 50IU compared to 6IU.

Coffee or Tea? A Nutritionist Weighs in on Which Is Healthier

It seems like every day there’s news about the amazing health benefits of one or the other, but which one reigns supreme? (Photo: Getty Images)

A colleague recently came to me asking what’s better: coffee or tea? She told me that she (a coffee drinker) and her boyfriend (more of a tea guy) were debating which beverage is healthier, each believing their own personal preference was the more virtuous option.

It’s a good question because it seems like every day there’s news about the health benefits of one or the other, but you never see the two compared.

The truth: there isn’t a clear standout. Both of these uniquely healthy pick-me-ups have their own long list of health pros—and cons. Below, I go over the reasons to sip one or the other, along with tips for getting the most out of each one.

Tea

The pros: Tea boasts a long list of health benefits. The rich antioxidants in tea fight inflammation, and have been shown to help prevent blood vessels from hardening. Tea drinkers have a significantly lower risk of stroke and heart disease, and tea is known to boost brain health. One study, for example, found that compared with older adults who drank less than three cups a week, those who drank more than two cups of green tea a day had a significantly lower risk of age-related declines in memory.

Regular tea drinkers also have higher bone density levels and slower rates of bone loss.

Overall it’s associated with anti-aging: research shows that the cells of regular tea drinkers have a younger biological age than non-drinkers. Pretty potent stuff!

The cons: The first one is purely cosmetic—stained teeth.

Another is the potential impact on your iron levels due to tanins, a type of antioxidant that interferes with the absorption of non-heme, or plant-based iron from foods like greens and beans. In one classic 1982 study drinking tea with a meal resulted in a 62% reduction in iron absorption compared to 35% for coffee.

Finally, if you’re sensitive to it, the caffeine in tea may also be a con, although the levels are lower than coffee. One cup or eight ounces of black tea contains 14-70 mg of caffeine, and green tea 24-45 mg, compared to 95-200 mg in the same sized portion of coffee.

Healthy prep tips

The most important tip for tea is to limit or avoid adding sweetener. Enjoy it hot or iced, and if you need a little sweetness add a splash of 100% fruit juice. You can also add flavor with a bit of natural seasoning, like fresh grated ginger, or fresh mint. Each of these also boosts the antioxidant potency in your mug.

As for the iron issue, if you’re an omnivore this is less of a concern since tannins do not impact the uptake of animal-based heme iron found in meat, fish, and poultry. But if you are vegetarian or vegan the best way to offset the impact is to consume your iron-rich plant foods with a source of vitamin C. In the same study, OJ upped iron absorption by 85%. Other top vitamin C sources include bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kiwi, and strawberries.

Coffee

Pros: The good news about coffee just keeps on coming. A brand new Harvard study found that those who drink about three to five cups of coffee a day may be less likely to die prematurely from some diseases than those who drink less or no coffee. A rich source of antioxidants, regular coffee consumption has also been linked to protection against type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s, and certain cancers.

Cons: Natural substances in unfiltered coffee (meaning boiled or espresso) have been shown to raise cholesterol levels slightly. Also coffee is more acidic than tea, so if you have stomach or digestive issues you may tolerate tea better.

Coffee has long had a reputation for bone issues, but it remains unclear how significant the effects are. One study found that a high intake of coffee—four or more cups a day—reduced bone density by 2-4%, but the effect didn’t translate to an increased risk of fracture. However, if you already have low bone density coffee consumption is something you should discuss with your physician.

The remaining cons of coffee are primarily tied to its caffeine content, which again is higher than in tea. Caffeine is a stimulant, so if you’re sensitive to it coffee may leave you feeling overly stimulated, jittery, and anxious. If you have high blood pressure, you should limit your caffeine intake because caffeine can cause a short, but dramatic spike in blood pressure.

@Aarya
@Achilles
@prinkle

3 cravings that are a sign of a health problem

We’ve all been there: That moment when you just need to have a burger (or a milkshake, or a bag of potato chips) and nothing else on earth will do.

But why exactly do we have food cravings? And what do they mean?

First, let’s clear up a big myth. It’s a popular belief that cravings are the result of nutritional shortfalls. Chocolate cravings are often blamed on low levels of magnesium, for example. But most experts say there’s just not enough research to support this idea.

“There is very little science-based evidence on food cravings linked to nutritional deficiencies,” said Sharon Palmer, RDN, author of The Plant-Powered Life. “And if food cravings were related to something you need, then wouldn’t you be craving kale or apples, not ice cream and French fries? Instead, people tend to crave foods that are rich in fats, carbs, and sugar.”

(Especially sugar, according to a new study.) Even the popular chocolate theory falls pretty flat when you find out that an ounce of dried pumpkin seeds has more than twice the magnesium of an ounce of chocolate. But you don’t see anyone hankering for pumpkin seeds. Plus, one study found that, even on a nutritionally complete diet, people still get cravings.

This doesn’t mean that food cravings aren’t real. It’s just that your hankering for pizza is probably linked to emotional needs—seeking a comfort food that releases feel-good chemicals in the brain during a time of stress, for example—not nutritional ones.Other studies show that cravings can crop up simply because you’re on a restrictive or monotonous diet and want what you can’t have.

That said, there are some cravings that really do signal health problems. Here are three to look out for:

Craving: Water

Could be: Diabetes

Excessive thirst is an early symptom of diabetes—but this isn’t just the craving for water that hits when you finish a workout. This is far more pronounced thirst that’s also typically coupled with excessive urination. If you have diabetes, extra sugar builds up in the blood, and your kidneys have to work extra hard to filter and absorb that sugar. But sometimes they can’t keep up, so the extra sweet stuff is diverted into the urine. This means frequent pee breaks, which in turn leave you thirsty for more water.

Craving: Salt

Could be: Addison’s disease

We don’t crave salt because we need more of it—in fact, most Americans are getting more than enough salt from their diets. (The only exception? Endurance athletes who can lose too much salt by sweating profusely.) For the rest of us, intense salt cravings could point to Addison’s disease, in which the adrenal glands (the ones that sit on top of the kidneys) don’t produce enough hormones. And these hormones are important: They include cortisol, which helps the body respond to stress, and aldosterone, which keeps blood pressure balanced. Left untreated, Addison’s disease can make your blood pressure drop dangerously low—so see a doctor if you have a new, persistent, excessive craving for salty foods, especially if you’re experiencing any of the other Addison’s disease symptoms.

Craving: Ice

Could be: Iron deficiency

Craving things with no nutritional value—ice, paper, clay, dirt—is a phenomenon known as pica. And although these cravings aren’t totally well understood by scientists, some studies have linked the desires with an insufficient supply of iron. One recent paper in Medical Hypotheses suggests that compulsive ice chewing increases blood flow to the brain, combatting the sluggishness caused by an iron deficiency.

5 Foods That Are Making You Sleepy

Forget turkey and crash-inducing candy—these surprising foods could be the reason you’re counting the hours until bedtime.

Your Sad Desk Salads
“I worry when a client comes in and says that she just has a salad for lunch,” says Elisabetta Politi, RD, MPH, Nutrition Director at the Duke Diet and Fitness Center in Durham, North Carolina. Why? Because a salad could just mean a helping of iceberg lettuce, some shaved carrots and Ranch dressing. And loading your bowl with veggies and skimping on protein and carbs means you’re not getting enough calories to power you through the rest of your day. “If you’re eating a 200-calorie pile of broccoli and lettuce, it’s no wonder you feel hungry and tired at 4 p.m.,” Politi says. Your dressing of choice could be adding to the problem. “You might think you’re doing the right thing by eating a salad, but if you add a dressing like honey mustard or raspberry vinaigrette, both of which are usually high in added sugar, that’ll probably lead to an energy crash later,” says Marisa Moore, RD, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Pick Yourself Up: Make a base of non-starchy vegetables like mushrooms, cauliflower or peppers and leafy greens like kale, then add protein like chicken or chickpeas and complex carbohydrates like quinoa or edamame that’ll give you slow-burning energy. As for dressing, try extra virgin olive oil and vinegar or lemon juice.

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String Cheese and Yogurt
Sad but true: Dairy could be behind your fatigue. You may have digested it just fine when you were younger, but intolerances to the proteins in dairy (casein and whey) can develop as we age, and tiredness is a hallmark symptom. “At least 50 to 60 percent of my patients complain of fatigue, and I would estimate that 20 to 30 percent of those people feel better off dairy,” says Lyla Blake-Gumbs, MD, from the Center for Integrative Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. (The mechanism isn’t entirely clear, but it’s believed that the body mistakenly develops an immunological reaction to the proteins, building an army of antibodies to mobilize against the proteins whenever they show up, resulting in fatigue.) Fatigue isn’t usually the only symptom, but it’s possible for it to present without GI problems, says Blake-Gumbs, which is why few people connect the dots to their diet. “Dairy is ubiquitous in our food supply,” she says. “And a lot of processed foods that you wouldn’t think of as dairy have milk solids and proteins in them. For example, anything with caramel flavoring likely has dairy additives in it.”

Pick Yourself Up: If you notice an energy lag after you eat dairy, talk to your doctor about going on an elimination diet, a method that Blake-Gumbs often uses with patients in which all potential culprits are removed from your diet, then reintroduced one at a time to see which one is causing the problem.

Bananas or Nuts
There’s a reason bananas are often presented as a fix for muscle cramps: They’re high in magnesium, a mineral that helps relax muscle cells. “We give people magnesium at night to help them sleep,” says Blake-Gumbs. Another magnesium source? Nuts, particularly almonds, cashews and peanuts. The dosage that’ll make someone tired is different for everyone, but you’re more likely to feel the effects if you’re too low on magnesium to start with.

Pick Yourself Up: As long as you’re not deficient in magnesium, you should be fine to eat either bananas or nuts on their own. Symptoms of a magnesium deficiency (according to the most recent National Health And Nutrition Survey that examined magnesium intake, nearly half of all Americans aren’t meeting recommended levels) include loss of appetite, nausea and fatigue, and those with type 2 diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders or celiac disease are at particularly high risk.

Last Night’s Late Dinner
Sometimes crazy days mean that your last meal comes right before bedtime. But just as the right foods can help you drift off into deep, restorative slumber, the wrong ones can result in a poor night’s sleep, leaving you dragging the next day. Among the culprits: acidic foods like meat, eggs and dairy that can lead to nighttime acid reflux. “If you eat something acidic within two hours of going to bed, it’ll probably still be in your stomach and could cause some gastroesophageal reflux,” says Blake-Gumbs. “If you’re someone who deals with acid reflux often, you shouldn’t be eating those foods even four hours before you go to bed.”

Pick Yourself Up: When you just can’t avoid eating close to bedtime, stick with non-acidic, or alkaline, foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts like almonds, which won’t cause sleep-disrupting GI.

That Occasional Sugary or Fatty Indulgence
Here’s one downside to a super-nutritious diet—when you decide to treat yourself, your body likely won’t handle it very well. “Research indicates that our gastro-intestinal tract adjusts to what we eat,” Politi says. “If you’re sticking to a low-fat, low-sugar diet, you start to produce less of the gastric juices and enzymes that help digest sugar and fat easily.” And that doesn’t just spell digestive trouble; it can lower your energy afterward, too, likely more so than if you’d been eating less-than-superbly all along. Politi knows this firsthand. As a nutritionist, her own diet is the kind we all aspire to, and when she occasionally has a slice of cake at her office’s monthly employee birthday parties, “I feel so lousy, like I need to take a nap immediately,” she says.

Pick Yourself Up: No one’s advocating total treat deprivation, but when you decide it’s time for something more sugary or fattening than you typically eat, just be prepared for the slump that may follow.

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@DealSeeker wrote:

@goyal.dkg wrote:

i am not IIN graduates , it depend on fruit to fruit ,
like papaya is sweet and sweet thing do causes constipation but papaya do opposite it cures constipation .
so on any point we must be clear before point out anyone .
and anything eaten in high quanity whether it is fruit or veg will be harmful but still fruits frutcose is much better than any glucose .

@goyal.dkg wrote:

you means table sugar = honey or gud + vitamin + minerals . right ?
Honey is Unrefined sweetener with protein, vitamins, minerals, organic acids, nitrogen elements with antimicrobial and antioxidant properties .
and in books it may be slight or little much different from sugar but in practical life it is totally opposite to refined sugar if we see the affect on human body .
this can be written in medical books but if you do practical use then you will feel .
as i seen many people in villages who eat gud and honey with every meal to live healthy . and they also achieve the same .
btw i just posted my opinion as i experienced .

if you talk about GI then it says Whole grain breads (not talking about indian roti) contains low GI so eating bread is good ? its causes constipation even with low GI .

Your statements show how disconnected you are from the real science and how you are making statements based on your incomplete observations. At this point, I should clarify that I am certified in Nutrition from a major Canadian university. I took the courses and underwent the certification because of my interest in Health and Nutrition that started in 2007. My goal was simply to cut through the often conflicting and biased information that is propagated by IIN graduates. It’s not my profession.

Now let me tell you where you are flawed.

(1) Papaya has one of the lowest glycemic loads (not glycemic index — lookup the difference) among all the fruits and is one of the few fruits that diabetics are allowed to eat. You should also know that the available “sugar content” (to make it easier for you to understand) of any fruit depends on how ripe it is.

(2) I have visited villages near Delhi border where people still sit with a lota (tumbler) of freshly made cow ghee for each meal. And they are all still pretty lean and fit. The reason is their lifestyle. If someone is going to be physically active for 8-10 hours every day, they can virtually eat whatever they want and their bodies will use all that energy. But the lifestyles of people living in the cities (i.e. us dimers) is so different from the lifestyles of our brethren living in the villages. We sit idly for pretty much the entire day with the only physical activity being of our fingers tapping on our keyboards. Heck, we get even our groceries and food delivered at our doorsteps!

To put things into perspective for you, Michael Phelps (the Olympic gold medalist) consumed 12,000 calories a day to fuel his intensive 5-hour a day, six days a week training regimen. That’s a whopping six times as much as a regular person! Hope this will be enough to make you realize the incompleteness of your observations. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-21776...

(3) As for your last point about whole wheat bread, you are wrong about so many things. (i) I never even mentioned GI. I mentioned Glycemic Load (not the same thing; lookup the difference) and that too in reference to sugar, honey, and jaggery, not bread! (ii) I told @B@R_0_0_D to avoid using carb rich grains like wheat altogether and suggested him some books to read. (iii) I never talked about any relation between glycemic loads and constipation. But since you have repeatedly made the classic mistake of equating correlation with causation, let me tell you that ripe yellow bananas are one of the popular natural remedies for constipation, despite having a high GI and GL value. Go figure!

If you are going to reply to this, please have the decency to read some scholarly papers to verify your intuitions and observations before making any further statements.

BCC: Some people who I have discussed health issues with in the past.

Can you help me out in deciding a proper diet plan to improve overall health ?

I

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