World Smile Day

World Smile Day

World Smile Day is celebrated on the first Friday in the month of October every year. The message of the World Smile Day  is "Do an act of kindness. Help one person smile."

The idea of World Smile Day was coined and initiated by Harvey Ball, a commercial artist from Worcester, Massachusetts. He is known to have created the yellow Smiley Face in 1963. The World's first World Smile Day was held in the year 1999 and has been held annually since.

After Harvey died in 2001, the "Harvey Ball World Smile Foundation" was created to honour his name and memory.

The slogan of the Smile Foundation is "improving this world, one smile at a time."

So Stop what you are doing
Take a break and “SMILE”

#WorldSmileDay #shilpsnutrilife

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi

Wishing you all a very Happy Ganesh Chaturthi

Ganapati festival feast is synonymous with Modak. Lord Ganesha’s favourite food…Taste it and you know why!!!

A modak is a sweet dumpling popular in Western and Southern India. It is called modak in Marathi and Konkani, modhaka or kadubu in Kannada, modhaka or kozhakkattai in Tamil, and kudumu in Telugu.

The sweet filling inside a modak is made up of fresh grated coconut and jaggery, while the soft shell is made from rice flour, or wheat flour mixed with khava or maida flour. The dumpling can be fried or steamed. The steamed version, called ukdiche modak, is eaten hot with ghee. Nutritionally Modak is good source of carbs, proteins and easily digestable fats which come from coconuts.

Modak has a special importance in the worship of the Hindu god Ganesh; modak is believed to be his favorite food, hence is also known as modakapriya (the one who likes modak) in Sanskrit. During the Ganesh worship ceremony, known in India as Ganesh Chaturthi the puja always concludes with an offering of modaks to the deity and as prasad.

Wishing you all a very Happy Ganesh Chaturthi

Healthy Fasting during festive

Healthy fasting during festive season

Fasting is an art and science of food abstinence for a certain period of time. Fast is undertaken by us during religious festivals like shravan, ekadhasi,navratri and various such occassions.

“Instead of fasting, most of us end up feasting on high-calorie food. A lot of people who have just one meal a day tend to overeat. If one eats one heavy meal in the entire day, it doesn’t get converted into energy instantly but accumulates as fat in the body,” so here we bring to you a few tips which will help you get the maximum benefit.
1.Power up your protein, which will help you stay alert and mentally energised. Have Milk and its products like curd, panir, nuts, dry fruits.

2.It is important to eat small meals at regular intervals like fruits, nuts, dry fruits, coconut, makhanna, to maintain normal blood glucose levels.

3.Instead of sago (sabudana) use Singhare ka atta, kottu ka atta, rajgiri ka atta, arrowroot and samak which will provide energy.

4.Have good amounts of fresh fruits and root veges (that are allowed).

5.Hydrate well with lots of water, coconut water, lemon water, herbal tea.

6.Instead of fasting, most of us end up binging on fried foods and sweets, avoid that.

7.Keep the portion sizes moderate. Overeating is a greatest risk.

8.If you eat one meal it should contain a balance of whole grain sources of complex carbohydrates as well as some protein like dals, pulses, small amounts of heart healthy fats, limit added sugars.

9.Foods eaten during fasting

10.Diabetes and fasting

11. Summary

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

DEALNG WITH POST PREGNANCY WEIGHT GAIN

DEALNG WITH POST PREGNANCY WEIGHT GAIN

Some pointers to help you lose your post pregnancy weight.
Motherhood on one hand brings joy and on other a feeling of being fat and tired at times …RIGHT

Besides having a healthy baby, each and every mother dreams of getting back into the pre pregnancy weight, getting rid of that spongy belly, or get back into skinny jeans; all this is possible… you can, and you will – but you can’t rush it.
Most women want to know how long it will take to lose the baby weight, but there’s no simple answer.  Certainly in the first few weeks, you should be focusing on adjusting to motherhood and bonding with your baby, eating well, staying hydrated and getting enough rest.
So here are a few tips to help you lose the baby weight and get your energy back.

Breast feeding and weight loss

Breastfeeding doesn't make you gain weight - in fact, you use up calories when you nurse, and helps you get rid of extra weight more quickly while you are nursing. You might not realize that you already began your weight-loss efforts the moment you put your baby to your breast. 

A good rule of thumb is to take in 200-500 calories in excess of what you needed to maintain your weight before you were pregnant while you are nursing. 500 calories need to provide nutrients like protein, calcium and iron.  Nursing isn’t an excuse to chow down on fats and sweets and that will just lead to weight gain rather than helping you to lose baby weight.

Breastfeeding burns around 300 calories per day, so it can help you begin to lose some of your excess baby weight. What's more, breastfeeding can help stimulate contractions in your uterus that help your belly shrink back to its regular size after pregnancy to help you regain your old shape, too.

Your body stores up fat during your pregnancy to provide the extra calories needed for milk production. It is easier to lose lower body fat (hips, buns, and thighs) when you are breastfeeding compared to the mom who is formula feeding. So goahead and enjoy feeding your baby.

Eat Balanced diet

Focuss on eating healthy,feeling energetic and pay less attention to your calorie intake. At this point don’t think about weight loss, atleast for the first 3months. Your goals must be to get good complex carbs, lean proteins, good fats and lot of fibre through fruits and vegetable intake. This will ensure that your body gets the nutrients it needs such as protein to repair body tissues, and important minerals such as calcium and iron that are much-needed by new moms.   Your body is going through a lot of changes and your focus should be on eating well, getting lean and fit.  Don’t expect the baby weight to fall off.
If you don’t eat well your baby will suffer and even you will have to bear the effects in latter life.

Go ahead and eat those laddoos or sheera as per your culture atleast for the first month to 45 days, they all contain galactogues that will increase milk production, just remember not to gorge on it for all the 4 meals, have them preferably during the earlier part of the day like for breakfast.

Stay hydrated and curb the caffeine

Dehydration can lead to fatigue, so adequate fluids are important.  Whenever you sit down to feed your baby, make a point to have a glass of water or a cup of herbal tea.  If you’re nursing your baby, avoid caffeine;  if you’re bottle-feeding, curb your caffeine intake by afternoon so as not to disrupt your sleep at night.

Snack at frequent intervals

Snacking is important, but don’t stuff yourself with too much of fried or sweet foods during this filler time snacking. You can opt for fruits, salads, raitas, sprouts chat, puff of jowar, nachni, wheat, roasted channa, groundnuts, dryfruits.

Watch the sweets or energy drinks like glucose water or sherbets

Some new moms rely on frequent sugar shots like biscuits, sherbets, glucose water throughout the day to fight fatigue – a practice that usually backfires.  Blood sugar spikes are often followed by a crash, and the cycle starts all over again.  And, obviously, sugary foods or drinks don’t provide high quality nutrition.
Try to remain active

During the nursing stage there isn’t any need to keep lying on the bed. Try to be as active as possible, which will help you keep up the metabolic rate. Begin your weight loss program slowly when you are breastfeeding. Increase your activity level.

Stay positive and focus on what’s important

Your health and the health of your baby come first.  It took you nine months to gain that weight, so don’t expect it to fall off overnight.  Focus on your achievements – especially the biggest one of all… You’re a mom!

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

Monsoon offer

Get Monsoon ready
Monsoon brings relief from the scorching summer heat, but this is also a season for many diseases, infections and health problems, like food poisoning, dysentery and cholera.

Shilpsnutrilifebrings to you  “Healthy monsoon plan” develop good immunity, stay away from monsoon  infections, enjoy monsoon delicacy, healthy monsoon snacks, enjoy the rains.

Shilpsnutrilife (Diet and life style Makeover) offers customized diet solutions be it illness or wellness, either through one to one consultation, online through email, skype, phone, whatsapp or through shilpsnutrilife android app.

Note:- Monsoon plan include single diet consultation based on clients detailed general, medical and diet history, also assessment of fat%, BMR,BMI, muscle weight is taken into account and blood test as per medical history.

Key features

-support to eat healthy during Monsoon.

-No pills, powders or supplements given.

-no starvation

-24/7 support

-Nutritional updates through android app

-Recipe support

Price Rs 1000
So if you really want to enjoy the monsoon season join the plan.

If you are interested in enrolling in this offer kindly call or message me at 9870404042 or  drop a mail to shilpsnutrilife@gmail.com with the subject "Monsoon offer"

#eathealthy #monsoonspecialplan #infections #immunity #shilpsnutrilife 

"HEALTH BHI TASTE BHI"

This world health day shilpsnutrilife brings you "HEALTH BHI TASTE BHI"

Join in for a monthly package of customized diet consultation and get 2 week's supply (10 packets) of shilpsnutrilife healthy munchies free anywhere in India.

ONLY FOR RS 2100 INSTEAD OF RS 2550

Shilpsnutrilife consultations available either through one to one consultation, online through email, skype, phone, whatsapp or through shilpsnutrilife android app.

Note:- Monthly package include 4 diets consultations spaced as 1 every week. Diets are planned based on clients detailed general, medical and diet history.

Key features
-No pills, powders or supplements given.

Enroll now. ...to join message, call me at 09870404042 or mail at shilpsnutrilife@gmail.com

#worldhealthday #shilpsnutrilife #healthymunchies

Shilpsnutrilife nutrisnacks

Shilpsnutrilife nutrisnacks,  rich in complex carbs,  proteins and fibre to attack your prime time hunger pangs between 5pm to 7pm.

Choose from a range of snacks like
Wheat puff
Jowari puff
Nachni puff
Wheat chivda
Mutligŕain bhel

Key features
Ready to eat
Easy to carry
Available in one serving pack just for Rs 20/- each.

Eat smart snack smart

To place an order call or message @ 09870404042

Cucumber

Have atleast 2 cucumber a day….to cool urself in such a hot weather. Cucumber is very cooling, can provide relief from heartburn, acidity, gastritis and even ulcer. The potassium in cucumber makes it useful for the problem of high and low blood pressure. U can have cucumber as salad, as raita in grated form or can have a tomato cucumber juice.

Exercise

Did you to have your dose of exercise today. ...If not go now. ...The day is yet not over. .......start. ....

#exercise #dailyexercise #exerciseforfitness #healthy
#shilpsnutrilife

FAMILY DINNER - the secret of happy families

FAMILY DINNER - the secret of happy families
Do you all remember when was the last time you all ate as a family together at home, without the idot box shouting inbetween.

Having family meals can help reduce your family's risk for becoming overweight or obese. When families eat together, they tend to eat healthier meals -- less fried foods and more vegetables. The good news is that many families are already practicing this tip, this is partiularly very helpful for overweight kids when a child is overweight or obese, it's a family problem and, while not a solution in itself.

A study published in the March 2010 issue of "Pediatrics" found that about 56 percent of American families have dinner together at least six evenings per week, and when families ate dinner together more than five times a week, there was a 23 to 25 percent reduction in the number of kids with weight problems.

When families watch TV while eating, even if you're all sitting together at the dinner table, the nutritional quality of the meal takes a nosedive, so turn off the tube and spend time with each other.

Weight loss challenge

Weight loss challenge

Once you have made up your mind to lose weight, you should make that commitment and go into it with a positive attitude. We all know that losing weight can be quite a challenge.

Think like a winner, and not a loser - - remember that emotions are like muscles and the ones you use most grow the strongest. If you always look at the negative side of things, you'll become a downbeat, pessimistic person. Even slightly negative thoughts have a greater impact on you and last longer than powerful positive thoughts.

maternal obesity leads to obesity in children

Studies have shown that maternal obesity leads to obesity in children. But the way we shape the lifestyle of all children could help to keep the cycle of inactivity and obesity from perpetuating itself.

“We drive our kids to school; they sit at a desk all day long; then they sit at tutions, classes, home playing video games, then they go to sleep,” “Unfortunately, we live most of our life going from chair to chair to chair. And if we can change that, just a little bit, we can have a massive impact on our healthcare costs.”

Friends please think over this.....atleast don't introduce your laziness to your kids....be active and let your kids follow you

Valentine’s day scheme

This valentine’s day join in for a monthly package of customized diet consultation and get an introductory session worth Rs 500/- absolutely free for your valentine.

Shilpsnutrilife (Diet and life style Makeover) offers customized diet solutions be it illness or wellness, either through one to one consultation or online through email, skype, phone, whatsapp or through shilpsnutrilife android app.

Note:- Monthly package include 4 diets consultations spaced as 1 every week. Diets are planned based on clients detailed general, medical and diet history, also assessment of fat%, BMR,BMI, muscle weight is taken in account and blood test as per medical history.

Rates for monthly package Rs 2250/- Comment below if want to join or email at shilpsnutrilife@gmail.com

Heart or pulse rate

Your heart rate or pulse is the rate at which your heart beats, pumping blood through your body.

• To check your heart rate during exercise, stop in the middle of your exercise program to check and then adjust your activity level accordingly.
• Certain medications can interfere with your heart rate, talk to your doctor about monitoring your heart rate and what is normal for you.

Never use your thumb to check your heart rate as it has a pulse of its own

February is National Heart Month

February is National Heart Month

You’re thin, your cholesterol and blood pressure are good, and nobody in your family has ever had a heart attack – so you figure you must be safe from heart disease. New research suggests you could be dead wrong.A new study shows that a large proportion of normal weight, and apparently healthy, young people already have some thickening in their blood vessel walls.

One in Five Indians has cardiovascular disease, but not all of them are senior citizens. In fact, too much of stress, too much fast food, too much alcohol, smoking and too many sugary drinks are putting people aged 18 to 24 at increased risk forheart disease and stroke, say experts at the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

Apart from this  young and middle-aged people with  Obesity , Hypertension , Type 2 diabetes ,High Cholesterol Level other risk factors are definitely at risk of developing heart problems.

For these young people, there’s still a chance to diffuse the time bomb. Lifestyle changes, healthy diet n especially exercise, can yield dramatic improvements.
“That doesn’t mean you have to become a marathon runner,”. “If you just exercise three- five  times a week, that visceral fat will literally melt away.”

"The real message here is that we’ve got to start early in life if we really want to impact cardiovascular disease.”

So what are you feeding your heart..... to find out how your diet is affecting your heart contact us

Slow n steady wins the race

I have been repeating this very often and am again with the same thing.

Extreme calorie restricting diets – don’t work in the long term. Especially when it comes to losing fat, and especially the last few pounds of belly fat, the motto is: Slow and steady wins the race. If you rush, you fail. It as simple as that.
So have PATIENCE...PATIENCE and lots of it......

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

Healthy meal makeovers

Healthy Meal Makeovers

We all want our family to be healthy and enjoy nutritious and delicious meals.We all have the best intentions of eating healthier but the realities of life like limited time, picky eaters and tight budgets creates challenges and get in the way.But if you give it a thought, it is not very difficult also you just need to plan it.

Some suggestions worked out for you all:-
-use greens like leafy veges, different coloured capscium as much as possible add to your rotis, chutneys, soup, gravies, pancakes,dals, sandwiches, pasta, pulav
-try out whole wheat bread rather than regular white bread, moreover if possible switching to rotis.
-Boost fiber by 50% simply by substituting refined flour with multi grain or wholegrain flour.
-incorporate seasonal veges and fruits wherever you can.

This way using your creativity in making a healthy meal for family favorites may take no more than 5 minutes and when you use seasonal stuff it fits your budget also well. And adding fresh vegetables is the easiest way to improve any meal, since most are low in calories but high in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

By adding more fruits, veggies, and wholegrains, to traditional recipes, the calories per serving can be dramatically reduced, which can be an added advantage to your weight loss attempt.

Why not give it a try.... go build healthy meals

Image source:-http://blogs.extension.iastate.edu/foodsavings/tag/healthy-meal/

Honey Is Sweeter Than Sugar So You Use less

Honey Is Sweeter Than Sugar So You Use less

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

Turmeric

Turmeric (kacchi haldi)

Also known as Amba Haldi (mango ginger) which can be seen in this season especially in india.Turmeric is an Indian spice that contains curcumin, a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound. Due to this it acts as a natural pain killer and can be used to treat both internal and external inflammations.

It was recently reported that curcumin has been shown to have anti-cancer properties as well as helpful in providing relief from the pain of digestive diseases, such as Crohn’s. And now, you may be able to add alleviating post-operative pain to the list of curcumin’s wondrous abilities.

Generally the turmeric root is between 3 to 5 percent curcumin. This means that to ingest 500 mg of curcumin, you need to eat around 10g of turmeric or 1.5 tbsp. of the spice.

Not sure how to do this? Try this

• Sprinkle turmeric into homemade vinaigrettes for a curry, salad dressing.
• Add it to your omelet, chilla or scrambled eggs in the morning.
• Add spice to your favorite condiment by throwing in a dash of turmeric.
• Turmeric adds richness to dishes containing hearty vegetables such as cauliflower or broccoli or even on grilled meats.
• Add generous amounts to your soup, milk.

Package soup vs homemade soup …...what is really a Healthy Choice?

Package soup vs homemade soup …...what is really a Healthy Choice?
   
A bowl of piping hot soup is one of the favourite choices to keep you warm in winter. There are a variety of ready to prepare soups available in the market today. As I see all the flavours/types of these packaged soups, I wonder - whether it is health or just taste... Let us dig into the health part of this soup bowl...

A look at its….. label states - corn flour, refined wheat flour (maida!), dehydrated vegetables or chicken shreds, vegetable fat, salt, sugar, glucose syrup, spices & condiments, (some varieties also contain certain vegetable powder, soy sauce powder, yeast extracts and milk in some form), as well as emulsifiers, acidity regulators, flavour enhancers, and thickeners.

Now compare it with the ingredients we all use in the homemade soups... The homemade soups contains fresh veggies or chicken, spices and condiments of your choice, salt, sugar, a little maida or whole wheat flour or corn flour or potato starch, and lots of water or veg broth or chicken broth. The list will be much shorter (than the commercial soups), but surprisingly, the taste would be yummier!

Have you ever given a thought to how much nutrition you will get from those dried vegetables? The process of dehydrating can significantly reduce vitamin A and C, as well as certain B complex vitamins. Lesser the processing done on a food, the better it is for nutritive value.

Do you think it is worth the price?
Be intelligent just don’t go by what is shown take efforts to read the label right!!!
Choose Natural

Ber fruit benefits

BER FRUIT
Benefits of BER Fruit!!!!!ABUNDANTLY SEEN IN THIS SEASON

BER FRUIT- Also known as Ziziphus, Bor, Ranbor, Indian Jujube

The Ber fruit is also associated with Sabari, an old woman who is mentioned in the Hindu epic Ramayana. She is believed to have tasted the fruits first, and then offered only the sweet and ripe ones to Lord Rama and His brother Lakshmana.

Ber is a tropical fruit. You will find it being sold by street cart vendors outside schools, beaches etc since it’s a hit amongst all ages.

Medical researchers have found a “new” flavonoid in ber called zivulgarin and trials are underway to discover how it might benefit us. Oleamide found in an extract of Zizyphus jujube has been found to help fight Alzheimer’s disease, and help the cognitive processes.

Ber contains vitamin C in the form of ascorbic acid , as well as the B-complex vitamins, thiamin, riboflavin and pectin. It has immunostimulant, antioxidant and wound healing properties, and pectin is known to be useful in cases of diarrhoea. The fruit also helps lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Some of the triterpenoic acids isolated from the fruit are also believed to be useful in fighting cancer and HIV.

Packed lunch a step towards healthier you

Packed lunch a step towards healthier you

Many people go out for lunch to fast food places, coffee shops or restaurants that serve less-than-optimally-healthy fare. While this does save a bit of time, you can save money and usually eat much healthier if you take a few extra minutes to pack and bring a lunch from home.

Even if you do this only a few days a week, it would be an improvement over eating every lunch out.