World AIDS Day 1st Dec

 World AIDS Day 1st Dec

The 2013 theme for World AIDS Day is “Shared Responsibility: Strengthening Results for an AIDS-Free Generation.”

 
World AIDS Day on 1 December brings together people from around the world to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and demonstrate international solidarity in the face of the pandemic. The day is an opportunity for public and private partners to spread awareness about the status of the pandemic and encourage progress in HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care in high prevalence countries and around the world.

An  HIV-positive person’s body undergoes changes, both from medications and the disease itself, therefore good nutrition can have several benefits. It can:

• Improve your overall quality of life by providing nutrients your body needs.
• Keep your immune system stronger so you can better fight disease.
• Help manage HIV symptoms and complications.
• Process medications and help manage their side effects.

The Basic Principles of Nutrition and HIV

• Eating a diet high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes
• Choosing lean, low-fat sources of protein
• Limiting sweets, soft drinks, and foods with added sugar
• Including proteins, carbohydrates, and a little good fat in all meals and snacks

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

Eat a variety of foods everyday

Eat a variety of foods everyday

Eating a variety of foods is very important for a balanced diet. I keep on stressing this point very often with my clients too, that by eating only one or two kinds of foods, you will not get the proper balance in your diet that you should have. As each food has different nutrients in it like grains are rich in carbs, dals in proteins, fruits and veges in vitamins (as can also be seen in the image).

Also by eating only one kind of food, the aspect of boredom will arise. Say, for instance, you have a banana for a snack every day for a month. You will get bored and tired of eating banans. Instead, try a variety of fruit.

Eating many different foods helps maintain a healthy, well-balanced and interesting diet that provides adequate nutrition, also by getting a variety of foods you will make eating a lot more enjoyable. 

So go ahead try a new fruit like star fruit or introduce a new grain which you haven't tried yet say nachni(ragi), Jav(barley)...do share your experience too.

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

WEIGHT LOSS TIPS

WEIGHT LOSS TIPS

Weight loss tips from Shilpa Mittal

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

Reusing cooking oil

Reusing cooking oil

Reusing cooking oil has been done for ages

When oil is overused, the color darkens, it develops a stale odor and taste which attach to the product. If foods darken too quickly (before they are cooked), it's a sign the oil needs to be changed. With each use, the oil's smoke point drops (the smoke point of an oil is the temperature at which the oil begins to decompose and visible fumes (smoke) are given off) these oil produces some very unhealthy compounds at normal cooking temperatures and becomes rancid. Rancid oils also contain free radicals that are potentially carcinogenic.

consume different kinds of oils

 Consume different kinds of oils

In order to derive maximum benefits from oil, it is beneficial to consume different kinds of oils, especially so that you get a variety of fatty acids.

For eg:-You could have two or more different kinds of oils in your kitchen that you could use for different purposes. For example, you could use olive oil for salads, groundnut oil for frying and soyabean oil for other cooking purposes. This will let you take advantage of the health benefits offered by each oil.

Or for a month you can use groundnut oil/ mustard/rice bran and the next month use soya bean/ sunflower.

My Article in Nov 2013 Homemaker issue

My Article in Nov 2013 Homemaker issue

My Article on Dieting Kahee lene ke dene na padha jhaye (All about fad diet) which generally many of us do as shortcut for weight loss....published in this month's (Nov 2013) Homemaker issue. — in Mumbai.

 

 

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

Healthy mukhwas

Healthy mukhwas

Mukhwas is usually eaten after a meal to aid digestion and freshen the mouth 

Ingredients

1 cup (tea cup) Dill seeds ( suva daal)
1.5 cup Sesame seeds (till)
1/2 cup Fennel seeds (variyali)
2 Lemon (small to medium size)
2 tsp Salt

Method

1) Squeeze one lemon in a big mixing bowl and add one tsp salt in it. mix it well. add sesame seeds in this mixture and mix well so that sesame seeds become wet due to lemon and salt mixture. 

2) Dry sesame seeds on a towel for two to three days until they get real crunchy like they were before applying this mixture

3) Repeat step 1 and 2 for dill seeds.

4) Roast the fennel seed for 3-4 minutes. 

5) Mix sesame seeds, dill seeds and fennel seeds together in big bowl.

6) Fill it in bottle and enjoy it everyday after meal. 

Benefits

 
1) Fennel seeds and dill seeds are high in fiber so they help us digest our daily as well as occasional meals.

2) Fennel seeds are very well known for cleaning the food from the space in between the teeth after meal.

3) Til seeds are rich in calcium and iron.

4) There is no sugar in it, so it is can be had by diabetic people in moderate amounts.

Eat Healthy Exercise and Stay Healthy

     Eat Healthy Exercise and Stay Healthy

Exercise is King, nutrition is Queen, put them together and you’ve got a kingdom.

The food you eat today is walking and talking tomorrow.
So Eat Healthy Exercise and Stay Healthy

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

World Diabetes Day 14th November 2013: The basics of a healthy diet

  World Diabetes Day : The basics of a healthy diet

If you’ve recently been diagnosed with diabetes or diabetes-like symptoms there’s no need to panic. There’s a common misconception that avoiding sugar and other sweets is all diabetics do. That’s grossly inaccurate. The disease can be controlled by simply following a proper diet, taking your medications properly and getting enough exercise.
The basic issue that diabetics face is that the body fails to convert sugars, starches and other foods into energy efficiently and their diet needs to counter that. While there is no ‘diabetes diet’ per se, there are lots of food items that are considered good for diabetics. In fact it would do non-diabetics a world of good to follow these diet rules as well. 
The major components of healthy diet include

1. Carbohydrates
2. Fats
3. Proteins

Carbohydrates in particular have a substantial effect on blood sugar levels. You would also need to monitor your total calories intake, fat consumption which should come from healthy fats like walnuts, flaxseeds, almonds and low fat protein sources like skimmed milk and its products, pulses, sprouts, eggs, chicken without skin, fish. 

Diabetes and obesity is also synonymous and this requires them to monitor how much food they actually end up consuming.
Some quick dietary tips for diabetics:

• Eat smaller meals
• Eat more complex carbs –  brown rice, whole wheat bread, veggies and legumes 
• Overweight diabetics need a dietary regime which allows weight loss
• Regular exercise helps the regulation of sugar levels and insulin.

 Diabetes and Glycaemic Index (GI)
The glycaemic index is the best indicator of how high your blood sugar levels will rise when you eat something. Technically speaking, the GI measures the level of rise of blood sugar levels with a 50-gram portion of food as compared to a base (pure glucose). All carbohydrates are digested and converted in the body to glucose, which causes a temporary rise in blood glucose levels or the glycaemic response.
Foods with glycaemic index more than 70 are rated as high, 56-69 as moderate, and less than 55 are rated as low. People should try to incorporate more low GI food items in their meals. Eating high GI food items can result in a sudden rise in sugar levels which is bad for diabetics. Also low glycaemic goods tend to be healthier, rich in vitamins, minerals and fibres and less refined – whole fruits, vegetables and beans.  It can also help you lose weight and lower body fat levels.
Here is how some common food items fare on the glycaemic index (The lower the glycaemic score, the better it is for diabetcis).

Food item (50g)	Glycaemic score
Glucose	100
Maize chappati	89
Baked potato	85
White bread	85
Bajra (Millet)	82
Multi-grain bread	46
Basmati rice	58
Whole-wheat bread	67
Noodles	47
Pasta	41
Apples	36
Milk	27
Rajmah	27
Baisan	39
Chana dal	16

Source: http://meerasubbarao.wordpress.com
It’s important to note that the glycaemic response is modified by factors such as the quantity of food, the cooking method, degree of processing of food and various other factors. It’s ideal you consult a dietician if you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes. She/he can help you develop a personalised meal plan perfectly suited to your needs.

Living with diabetes is not hard, some exercise, medications and a proper diet can help you maintain a healthy lifestyle.
 
 Source:- http://health.india.com/diseases-conditions/world-diabetes-day-2012-the-basics-of-a-healthy-diet/

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

Quick diet tips for diabetics

 Quick diet tips for diabetics

While there is no ‘diabetes diet’ per se, there are lots of food items that are considered good for diabetics. In fact it would do non-diabetics a world of good to follow these diet rules as well. So here are a few quick tips.

Quick tips for diabetics

Diabetics need to understand  that it’s not just what they eat but what time they eat it. It’s very important to space out meals. Instead of large meals, people should eat five small meals a day. 

Another very important thing is to consume enough carbohydrates. Carbs in fact are very important for diabetics because it gives them control over their blood sugar levels. Most diabetics should eat complex carbs like whole grains- jowar, bajra, jav, brown rice because along with providing enough energy they don’t increase people’s blood sugar levels.

Also know the right method of eating certain foods like a diabetic can eat rice in the form of pulav or briyani wherein lots of vegetables and pulses are added. Similarly oats and soya flour can be added to idli/dosa batter to improve on fibre and proteins.

Intake of fruits ensures good supply of antioxidants and fibre, however fruits should be had as a meal by itself and never combine with main meals like breakfast, dinner.

Adopt healthier cooking methods like baking, grilling, boiling, roasting.

Avoid excessive use of artificial sweeteners.

Use skimmed milk, sprouts, egg white, chicken without skin, fish.

Have fats from healthy sources like walnuts, almonds, flaxseeds.

Overweight diabetics need a dietary regime which allows weight loss

Good exercise helps keep their blood sugar levels in check. 

Living with diabetes is not hard, some exercise, medications and a proper diet can help you maintain a healthy lifestyle.

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

World Diabetes Day 14th November 2013

 World Diabetes Day : The basics of a healthy diet

If you’ve recently been diagnosed with diabetes or diabetes-like symptoms there’s no need to panic. There’s a common misconception that avoiding sugar and other sweets is all diabetics do. That’s grossly inaccurate. The disease can be controlled by simply following a proper diet, taking your medications properly and getting enough exercise.
The basic issue that diabetics face is that the body fails to convert sugars, starches and other foods into energy efficiently and their diet needs to counter that. While there is no ‘diabetes diet’ per se, there are lots of food items that are considered good for diabetics. In fact it would do non-diabetics a world of good to follow these diet rules as well. 
The major components of healthy diet include

1. Carbohydrates
2. Fats
3. Proteins

Carbohydrates in particular have a substantial effect on blood sugar levels. You would also need to monitor your total calories intake, fat consumption which should come from healthy fats like walnuts, flaxseeds, almonds and low fat protein sources like skimmed milk and its products, pulses, sprouts, eggs, chicken without skin, fish. 

Diabetes and obesity is also synonymous and this requires them to monitor how much food they actually end up consuming.
Some quick dietary tips for diabetics:

• Eat smaller meals
• Eat more complex carbs –  brown rice, whole wheat bread, veggies and legumes 
• Overweight diabetics need a dietary regime which allows weight loss
• Regular exercise helps the regulation of sugar levels and insulin.

 Diabetes and Glycaemic Index (GI)
The glycaemic index is the best indicator of how high your blood sugar levels will rise when you eat something. Technically speaking, the GI measures the level of rise of blood sugar levels with a 50-gram portion of food as compared to a base (pure glucose). All carbohydrates are digested and converted in the body to glucose, which causes a temporary rise in blood glucose levels or the glycaemic response.
Foods with glycaemic index more than 70 are rated as high, 56-69 as moderate, and less than 55 are rated as low. People should try to incorporate more low GI food items in their meals. Eating high GI food items can result in a sudden rise in sugar levels which is bad for diabetics. Also low glycaemic goods tend to be healthier, rich in vitamins, minerals and fibres and less refined – whole fruits, vegetables and beans.  It can also help you lose weight and lower body fat levels.
Here is how some common food items fare on the glycaemic index (The lower the glycaemic score, the better it is for diabetcis).

Food item (50g)	Glycaemic score
Glucose	100
Maize chappati	89
Baked potato	85
White bread	85
Bajra (Millet)	82
Multi-grain bread	46
Basmati rice	58
Whole-wheat bread	67
Noodles	47
Pasta	41
Apples	36
Milk	27
Rajmah	27
Baisan	39
Chana dal	16

Source: http://meerasubbarao.wordpress.com
It’s important to note that the glycaemic response is modified by factors such as the quantity of food, the cooking method, degree of processing of food and various other factors. It’s ideal you consult a dietician if you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes. She/he can help you develop a personalised meal plan perfectly suited to your needs.

Living with diabetes is not hard, some exercise, medications and a proper diet can help you maintain a healthy lifestyle.
 
 Source:- http://health.india.com/diseases-conditions/world-diabetes-day-2012-the-basics-of-a-healthy-diet/

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