Friday, 31 January 2014

Panchamruth the health booster

Panchamruth the health booster

Panchamrutham is a divine prasadam made for many pujas or festive occasions. Panch meaning five and amruth meaning a nectar for immorality. It means five amruthams such as cow's milk, curd/yogurt, banana, ghee, and sugar, mixed together, which are all  good for your health!

Panchamruth – five health boosting ingredients:
COW’s MILK rich in calcium, proteins, carbohydrates, fats and minerals is super healthy.
It is from Kamdhenu (the wish-fulfilling heavenly cow).

CURD OR YOGHURT again a dairy product is a good source of calcium, vitamins, protein, magnesium, zinc and potassium and is extremely good for stomach aids digestion. It represents the white, smooth and cool lustre of the moon.

HONEY a natural sweetener rich in antioxidants and has antimicrobial properties too.
Also honey - the extract of all herbs, is the essence of life with herbal healing powers.

SUGAR
too much of it can be bad for you, taken in small quantities – sugar – is an excellent energy booster.
Also it is the extract of sugarcane, a representation and the epitome of sweetness

GHEE too much of this again is not good but small amounts is essential, ghee is high in vitamin-A and D.
Ghee is the food of the gods themselves with a long Vedic past.


Mrs Shilpa Mittal
Nutritionist and Diet Consultant
Founder Shilpsnutrilife - Diet and lifestylemakeover

Wednesday, 29 January 2014

Some activities that can be included in day to day life

 Some activities that can be included in 
day to day life

You don’t have to set aside lots of extra time to work walking into your busy schedule. Here are some ways to add more steps each day: 
  • Take a walk with your spouse, child, or friend 
  • Walk the dog 
  • Better yet, walk to the store.
  • Get up to change the channel.
  • Do a little gardening
  • Window shop
  • Walk over to visit a neighbour. 
  • Playing with kids is good way to add some fitness and it’s fun too.
  • Walk while you talk :-walk while you chat on your cell phones.
  • For the ones with desk jobs-choose the desk farthest from the printer and loo.
  • Try skipping rope or on-the-spot jogging (during a TV commercial break) 
  • Shun the elevator. Take the stairs. These more challenging steps will help to build muscle too. 
  • Park farther away. You can add hundreds of steps each day by parking farther from (rather than closer to) entrances. 
  • Clean your house, Housework is a fantastic form of exercise! Get the kids involved and challenge them to see who can finish their tasks first. 
  • Go for a family cycle ride on a Saturday morning.
  • On the weekends, try something adventurous like hiking,indoor rock-climbing, paddle boarding or bushwalking. 
  • Get involved in the kids’ team sports. There are many ways for parents to get involved from coaching to bringing healthy snacks.
  • Join your local soccer, netball or tennis club and practice your skills together as a family.
  • A day trip to a zoo, aquarium, fun park or museum is not only great fun, but will also guarantee your family a solid day of walking (great for your heart’s health) 
  • And the last one which is my favourite - Don’t Stand Around.It sounds dumb but it’s true!like standing in place waiting for a kid to get done with something,  like tying his shoe or waiting for the bus or  you in the kitchen chopping vegetables? March in place while you slice and dice or do leg raises. A great way to burn calories atleast a few.
It is all about convenience; if you try, you can fit exercise into your schedule no matter where you are. Do it at home or at work, outside or in the living room. Start building exercise spurts into your daily routine and you’ll start feeling better.

So with so many ideas are you still thinking or waiting for tommorrow...START START NOW.

Mrs Shilpa Mittal
Nutritionist and Diet Consultant
Founder Shilpsnutrilife - Diet and lifestylemakeover

Tuesday, 28 January 2014

10-10-10 = 30 minutes exercise a day is easy

 10-10-10 = 30 minutes exercise a day is easy

Its practically difficult for you to take out 30-40minutes at a stretch daily for walk or any exercise and do you also think exercising in breaks of 10-10-10mins wouldn't help much...Right...then please read this....


Research has proven that a little bit of exercise makes a big difference. And even if you have a jampacked day, take heart. Three 10-minute segments of moderate-intensity exercise throughout the day is acceptable.
"If we do 30 minutes in a day thats approximately 200minutes in a week, that's better than zero.


So here also we’re not talking about giving up 30 or 60 minutes either; all you need is 10.

Just 10?
Forget the "all or nothing" mentality when it comes to exercise. Fitness does not live or die by 30-60-minute workouts; there is middle ground. Short spurts of exercise, when they accumulate, have been shown to share similar benefits of longer workouts.

30 minutes a day, broken up into manageable chunks of 10. Start with a quick exercise when you wake up. The second session? A lunch break is possibly the perfect time to re-energize and get the blood flowing again. The last 10-minute blitz could come in the evening, even while you are watching TV. It’s an ideal way to involve the family as well. Go for a power walk after dinner with your spouse or ride bikes with the kids.

Just 30 minutes of moderate exercise per day for adults and 60 minutes of physical activity per day for children is a must which can be built up with a variety of activities like going for a jog, a brisk walk, or playing team sports, and also incidental exercise. Incidental exercise is any activity built up in small amounts over the day, for example, taking the stairs instead of the lift, walking to the bus stop, and even housework and gardening. Incidental exercise keeps our bodies moving and burning energy.

Especially for sedentary individuals, the immediate health benefits are huge.

Go ahead  start with your 10-10-10 = 30 minutes of exercise today



Mrs Shilpa Mittal
Nutritionist and Diet Consultant
Founder Shilpsnutrilife - Diet and lifestylemakeover

Sunday, 26 January 2014

Cooking Increases Nutrient Availability in certain veges

Cooking Increases Nutrient Availability in certain veges

We know we’re supposed to eat our vegetables.They provide us with many vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, and fiber which are all essential to our health.Interestingly enough, some sorts of produce have higher nutrient counts when cooked.Cooking vegetables helps to soften their tough fibrous exteriors and loosen up all the nutritional good stuff that lies inside. 


Tomatoes and carrot
Some vegetables, such as tomatoes, carrots, are actually more healthful if you eat them cooked, because the process of cooking  boosts their levels of the potent antioxidant lycopene and beta-carotene. They are three to four times more available for absorption when cooked.


These antioxidants are known to help fight against cancer and heart disease by reducing inflammation in the body.

Onion and garlic
The cooking of onions or the roasting of garlic help increase the variety of sulfur-containing substances found in them which help protect our heart.

Asparagus
Similarly asparagus, when cooked, their is an increase in cancer fighting nutrients present, and cooked asparagus make such a nice side dish.  


Mushroom
Cooking mushrooms will boost their potassium, which is very important for our muscular health.  


Spinach
Leafy greens such as spinach are also healthier when cooked.  You will absorb more calcium, iron, and magnesium this way.  

Zucchini and broccoli
Zucchini and broccoli all contain carotenoids that are released when these foods are cooked, particularly when they are steamed or boiled.  


Cruciferous vegetables
In addition, broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables like kale, collard greens, cauliflower, arugula, bok choy, brussel sprouts, and radishes contain chemicals when eaten raw that block the production of the thyroid hormone in the body. 


Hypothyroidism can lead to many issues including weight gain, fatigue, low libido, and constipation.

The only problem is, not all cooking methods are the same. Some boost nutrient content; some take it away. Some add unwanted fat, while others add the crucial amount for your body to absorb all the nutrients in vegetables

The most are a pretty safe route to take with the exception of deep frying.  Sauteing, stir frying or any form of pan frying are quick and easy methods that allow for the vegetables to retain great flavor.  Be mindful of your cooking fat when doing this and cook with slow to medium heat. Of course boiling and steaming vegetables is a good way to make them softer and easy to digest. Again remember heat and water content is important.

So go ahead get more out of your vegetables

Mrs Shilpa Mittal
Nutritionist and Diet Consultant
Founder Shilpsnutrilife - Diet and lifestylemakeover

Sunday, 19 January 2014

Fresh Green Chickpeas (Hara Channa)

 Fresh Green Chickpeas

Fresh green chickpeas are the winter food that tastes super good, Popular seasonal treat of India.

Also Known as
Fresh Green Chickpeas,garbanzo beans, choliya, hara Channa, in Mumbai, these are known as Harbara. They are tender, juicy and a great snack to nibble, specially fresh ones are a true delight.  Eat them raw or steam them with kala namak (Indian rock salt). 



Health Benefits
The green chick peas have a wealth of nutrients like energy, protein, calcium and iron
Fresh green chickpeas or choliya contain vitamins C, E, K and B-complex vitamins, folate, and the minerals magnesium, zinc and pantothenic acid. Fresh chick peas are high in dietary fibres too.
  
Culinary Uses

· Hara Chana is best eaten raw or roasted or boiled.
· Sauté some in olive oil, which softened them, put sea salt on them, and enjoy the taste.
· Can be tossed into stir-fries, sautés, and salads.
· Combined with sweetcorn and some green or red bell pepper also makes an awesome chat.

So What are you waiting for go have a cup of fresh hara channa today.....

Mrs Shilpa Mittal
Nutritionist and Diet Consultant
Founder Shilpsnutrilife - Diet and lifestylemakeover

Saturday, 18 January 2014

Exercise and diet

 Exercise and diet
Anyone can workout for an hour but to control what goes on your plate the other 23 hours..that’s hard work. Self Control! That’s Strength.



The combination of exercise and nutrition is not only imperative to good health but one with out the other is like trying to drive a  car without fuel. It doesn’t work

Mrs Shilpa Mittal
Nutritionist and Diet Consultant
Founder Shilpsnutrilife - Diet and lifestylemakeover

Friday, 17 January 2014

My Seminar at Utpal Sanghavi High school


My Seminar at Utpal Sanghavi High school












Mrs Shilpa Mittal
Nutritionist and Diet Consultant
Founder Shilpsnutrilife - Diet and lifestylemakeover

Friday, 10 January 2014

Til and Calcium

 Til and Calcium

Eating sweets like til revri, gajjak, laddu, chikki (candy) and patti., along with other good source of calcium like milk and its products can help you in reducing your dosage of calcium supplements for the time being (keeping any medical problem in mind if any) as til is an important source of calcium.


Thursday, 9 January 2014

10th Jan Dietetics Day

10th Jan Dietetics Day
 
Please get your myths cleared.....
Dietician is not the one who puts you on the so called DIET (starvation,less food, mono diet etc)....But makes all the effort to help you eat healthy, infact many a times you just can't eat so much.......HAVE BETTER HEALTH THROUGH BETTER NUTRITION

Mrs Shilpa Mittal
Nutritionist and Diet Consultant
Founder Shilpsnutrilife - Diet and lifestylemakeover

WHY YOU NEED TO VISIT A DIETICIAN

WHY YOU NEED TO VISIT A DIETICIAN

Do i really need to see a dietician, is the question that arises many atimes...which keeps on delaying those visits....RIGHT
For many of us, a visit to the dietitian comes because either we are obese or because we suffer from a particular health condition, which calls for strict eating habits and rules. Many end up with a dietitian, because they have tried all kind of fad diets and are now looking for a long-term solution to weight loss. Of course, a dietition can help you with much more than that! Essentially, a dietitian should be visited much before a health problem starts troubling you. 
No two individuals are alike, hence there are different diets for different people based on their age, sex, body type and disease condition, if any and hence a customised diet plans are needed. Again for the same person also the requirements are different according to various phases of life. Like women during pregnancy and lactation have different needs as compared to other times.

According to me, if one wants to lose weight, maintain or control a particular health condition their diet should be as close to their normal diet as possible; only then will they be able to stick to it. Otherwise one tends to discontinue the diet or does not follow it regularly. So, if you are a south Indian who enjoys his rice, dosas and idlis, the diet should include these.

 "A HEALTHY FOUNDATION FOR A HEALTHY TOMORROW"
Still thinking.....take an appointment today.

Tuesday, 7 January 2014

Honey Is Sweeter Than Sugar So You Use Less


Honey Is Sweeter Than Sugar So You Use Less



On the average honey is 1 to 1.5 times sweeter than sugar.
Honey is very rich, sweet and delicious, so you use about half of what you would use in sugar to sweeten your food and drinks.

Both Honey and sugar have almost the same calorie content and both contain glucose and fructose. However, for sugar, in the process of manufacturing, the organic acids, protein, enzymes and vitamins in the sugar cane are destroyed, whereas honey, a natural sweetener, subjects only to minimal heating. Also, honey has certain beneficial antioxidant and antimicrobial properties which are not present in table sugar.

Try using a small amount in your coffee or tea during the day to help satisfy you and your sweet tooth, thereby avoiding sugar binges



Mrs Shilpa Mittal
Nutritionist and Diet Consultant
Founder Shilpsnutrilife - Diet and lifestylemakeover