Health Bytes
Makar Sankranti is celebrated across the country as a festival of new harvest where people make sweets at home from freshly harvested grains and organic produce. One common component in the sweets is jaggery which is rich in vitamins, minerals and nutrients. Food specialist Sadhana Ganti from Kharghar, Navi Mumbai said that Sankranti sweets can be a part of a balanced diet as the concoction of ghee, jaggery, seeds and grains transform sweets into health food.
City doctors are forced to make themselves available when a VIP (Very important person) demands it. These doctors certify the food by tasting them and checking if the food given to the visiting dignitaries is safe and hygienic. Irritated with this colonial practice the doctors have made it clear that they will not be treated as guinea pigs for certifying food. A letter has been sent to the government by the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) asking them to abolish this practice immediately.
A new study suggests eating potato chips might be linked to higher risk of developing diabetes in pregnant women. Known as gestational diabetes, it can have various health consequences on both the mother and the child which include heart diseases and other types of diabetes. Although potatoes contain important nutrients like Vit C and potassium, it also contains excess starch which is associated with the increase in blood sugar levels.
People at Udaipur are considering 'edible terraces' as a solution to pesticide contaminated food available in the markets. The practice of cultivating food on rooftops, also known as rooftop farming is gaining popularity among people where they are cultivating veggies for their day-to-day needs. As this practice is extremely beneficial to the health of the people district administration and Maharana Bhupal hospital authorities have taken up the proposal of rooftop farming on hospital buildings.
Health experts have scrutinised the use of sugary drinks and its adverse effects on human health. Recent medical studies have shown a positive correlation of consumption of sugary drinks with the risk of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and even death. A new study published in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation says adults in their middle age who consume sugary drinks like soda and coke constantly show an increase in visceral fat which increases the risk of diabetes and heart diseases.
A new study by researchers at the university of Michigan US found that food preservatives that grow in milk can be used to treat cancer and antibiotic bacteria. They fed rats 'nisin milkshake' and checked its activity on tumours and microbial growth. After nine weeks of nisin treatment, 70-80% of tumour cells were removed and there was a substantial decrease in antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The findings are to be published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.
Central board of Secondary Education recently issued a circular warning school about junk food high on fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) post which many schools in the industrial town have stopped the sale of junk food in their cafeterias. The circular was issued after a ministry of women and child development report cited the health hazards of HFSS and promoted healthy snacks and the use of health food chart.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) informed schools affiliated to it to stop consuming and serving junk food within the school premises and to examine whether or not children bring junk food in their lunch boxes. The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) committee urged that junk food is replaced by healthy food to curb obesity and other related problems in children and teenagers.
We tend to avoid seeing a doctor when we suffer from something trivial as far as our health is concerned but these signs may be due to something that we should worry about. Conditions as trivial as unexpected weight loss, bleeding after menopause, discomfort in the jaw, tenderness, constipation, sore throat, tingling fingertips and dizziness can be signs for greater health complications.
Dietary guidelines issued by the US encouraged Americans to reduce their Saturated Fat and sugar intake to less than 10% of their daily calories. Customer advocates said that the guidelines did not mention reducing the intake of meat. These guidelines are issues every five years for the US citizen for their well being but this time, it did not incorporate WHO's views on processed meat and how it can cause cancer.
Snacking is generally associated with extra calories and weight gain. We tend to resist snacking which may have an effect on our overall metabolism in the long run. Nutrition is a key to a healthy lifestyle with enhanced immunity. Snacking healthy food is a good way to provide the body with necessary nutrients. Hence, it is necessary to choose the right kind of snacks.
Siang Tea Industries Ltd from Arunachal Pradesh as a part of its ongoing effort to promote organic farming organised a workshop for farmers. Dr. Vandana Shiva, founder of Navdanya, a network for organic farming and biodiversity conservation encouraged, addressed the workshop and encouraged the farmers to switch to organic farming. Dr. Vandana believes that organic farming produces more nutritious food while maintaining the soil health.
Maryland Healthy Vending Act" has been proposed in the state of Maryland, the USA to make more choices of healthy foods and drinks available in vending machines across the state. With childhood obesity and diabetes on the rise, this act could eradicate health problems from unhealthy eating habits. This Act could decrease the problems related to obesity if implemented. 75% of all snacks will have to meet the trans-fat and sodium content standards provided.
‘Healthy’ is leading to ‘unhealthy’ obesity. People are overeating healthy foods keeping them less full but increasing their waistline. We have an extreme gap in differentiating healthy and unhealthy foods that alter our eating habits. People associate ‘nourishing’ with keeping full. Research shows that the term ‘healthy’ to describe food has a negative impact on people and a more positive term like ‘nourishing’ should be used thus making it appear to people that the food is more filling.
Sale of ice used for ice delicacies and drinks at beach tourist destinations in the city in Kozhikode, Kerala will be curbed to reduce the danger of illness and communicable diseases. Sale of marinated fruits will also be under check. Health Department squads conducted flash searches recently after wich it prepared a strict action plan noticing the unhealthy practices by few vendors.
If you are one of the billion who took 'reducing stress' as this year's resolution, the first thing you should be doing is to turn off the e-mail app on your phone, as per recent research. E-mail can simultaneously be a great communication tool and a source of frustration and stress, the findings showed. In a survey of around 2,000 people, London-based Future Work Centre found that people who automatically receive e-mail on their devices are more likely to report higher levels of e-mail pressure. The study also pointed out that checking e-mail earlier in the morning or later at night is associated with higher levels of email pressure.
In a recent study, researchers found that high amounts of dietary sugar in the typical Western diet might increase the risk of breast cancer and metastasis to the lungs. They demonstrated the dietary sugar's effect on an enzymatic signaling pathway known as 12-LOX (12-lipoxygenase) and found that sucrose intake in mice comparable to levels of Western diets led to increased tumor growth and metastasis, when compared to a non-sugar starch diet.
2015 had various findings on health that made us think twice. Some of them took us closer to understanding our health better while other just left us in awe. Some of these included; Farting frequently is a sign of good health, 9-hour sleep and sitting for long will kill you early, Dogs can smell cancers, Spending extra time in office reduces diabetes and many more.
A crowd-sourcing web group on facebook called Forever Fit provides people the inspiration to shed extra kilos & remain fit. The new year will begin with numerous new year resolutions for being fitter and leading a healthier lifestyle. Though people have not been successful in sticking to their resolution in 2015, Forever Fit has become the fastest growing communities in the fitness space with more than 45,000 members dedicated to improving their lifestyles.
A few of the notable reason for the rising obesity statistics are eating unhealthy food and over eating. Experts now say that eating healthy food can be risky! According to a recent study, most people tend to overeat healthy food as they consider it less filling. The recent study also suggests that labeling food as healthy maybe a reason for increasing obesity rather than reducing it.