Health Auxiliary

Health nutrition from food you eat and drink is your health and strength. What you eat is part of what you are and what you will become. What you choose for a meal has an impact on our body either positively or negatively. The quality of food you take affects the length and quality of your life. Many life threatening diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancers, are often, at least in part, linked to poor nutrition. Much of these diseases could be prevented with sufficient health nutrition intake.

We are often told that we must eat a balanced diet to obtain health nutrition for our wellbeing. However, what is a balanced diet? How do you know you are achieving the correct balance? Many of us do not eat enough healthy carbohydrates. Many of us are unaware of a diet which is very low in fat can cause as much harm to our body as a high-fat diet. Many of us do not know that we eat more protein than we really need, and that too much can be bad for us. Many of us fall short on the daily requirement of vitamins and minerals that our body need.

A perfect diet should contain all needed health nutrition such as carbohydrates, fat, protein, vitamins, minerals, fibre, in the right quantities. The WHO suggests at least fifty per cent of calories in our diet should come from complex carbohydrates, no more than thirty five per cent comes from fat and up to fifteen per cent comes from protein. The allowance for alcohol consumption is no more than five per cent.

To get fifty per cent or so of carbohydrates you need to ensure that at every meal you have a good portion of starchy carbohydrates food such as rice, pasta, potatoes, or bread. At most meals, you need good portion of vegetables and/or fruits. You should also include small portion of low- or moderate-fat protein such as fish, poultry, pulses and lean meat in our diets. High-fat protein such cheese, dairy product and fatty meats should be eaten less frequently and in even smaller portions. As all fat is a calorie-dense food, ideally you should include only small quantities of oil such as olive or corn oil in your meals. The majority part of your daily calorie needs have been taken up. There is only little room for alcohol and for the sugars. So, add these to your diet in moderation, if at all.

A variety and a balance intake of health nutrition is the most important element of a healthy diet for life. To ensure adequate amounts of all necessary vitamins, minerals, fat, protein, carbohydrates and fibre, eat as wide a variety of foods as you can. You should eat different sources of carbohydrates, varying types of protein, lots of different vegetables, salads and fruits.

There is no need to worry too much about the exact nutritional content of every morsel of food you eat. The fact is that almost any kind of meal can be adapted to form part of a healthy diet if you follow the abovementioned guidelines.

If you have been trying to lose some weight, and have done any research at all, you have no doubt read that dieting is best…or exercise is best. So which one really is the ‘best’ way to lose weight?

The short answer is that both ways may help you to lose weight, but neither one will work unless you understand some basic principles of how the body uses and stores calories.

We are all subject to what is called the Basal Metabolic Rate. This is the number of calories every living person needs to survive. It is based on the amount of calories needed to keep our organs functioning. Even walking to the fridge for some tempting snack or a cold one, and then back to the sofa for the next TV show would be considered ‘exercise’ when computing your BMR. It is the amount of calories you will burn if you stay in bed all day and do nothing.

The Basal Metabolic Rate is a clinical formula developed by countless measurements on countless people of both sexes and different ages. Your BMR decreases with both age and the loss of muscle mass. You will increase your BMR by adding muscle mass. Women and men have different formulas to compute their BMR.

A very precise BMR will factor in gender, age, weight, genetics, diet, body surface area, body fat percentage , body temperature, external temperature, glands, and the amount of exercise done on a regular basis. We can get a very accurate number without all this by using the following formula;

For women: BMR = 655 + (9.6 x weight in kilos) + (1.8 x height in cm) – (4.7 x age in years)

For men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 x weight in kilos) = 5 x height in cm) – (6.8 x age in years)

Note: 1 inch = 2.54 cm.

1 kilogram = 2.2 lbs.

As an example…a woman who is 30 years old…5′ 6″ tall (167.6 cm)…and weighs 120 lbs. (54.5 kilos)

BMR = 655 + 523 + 302 – 141 = 1339 calories a day

To find the numbers of calories we actually burn in a day we need to multiply our BMR by our activity. This is determined by the following types of physical activity;

Sedentary = BMR x 1.2 (little or no exercise, working at a desk all day)

Lightly active = BMR x 1.375 (light exercise 1 to 3 times a week)

Moderately active = BMR x 1.55 (moderate exercise 3 to 5 times a week)

Very active = BMR x 1.725 (hard exercise 6 to 7 times a week)

Extremely active = BMR x 1.9 (hard daily exercise + physical job)

Our 30 year old woman who is moderately active will need 2075 calories a day

This number is also referred to as ‘total daily energy expenditure’ or TDEE. This is the number that we have to know in order to plan a program to lose weight…no matter if we choose diet or exercise as the method.

Now back to our original question…which method is the best? Dieting all by itself will lower the BMR, making it more difficult to lose weight by simply reducing calories. Extreme dieting may actually have negative side-effects like hormone disruption (thyroid output).

Exercise without also reducing calories will result in very slow weight loss as we will not burn enough calories without very rigorous exercise…which usually results in an increase in food consumption. The recommended reduction for safe weight loss is between 500 and 1000 calories a day.

The bottom line concerning calories and weight loss is very simple. If we burn more calories then we consume we will lose weight. If we consume more calories then we burn we will gain weight. The trick is to find the balance using both diet and exercise.

Adding a moderately active to very active amount of exercise to your weight loss program also boosts your muscle mass which will increase your BMR. To keep the weight off it is necessary to lose it gradually…’crash’ or fad diets are not recommended.

Reducing your calories by just 500 a day off your TDEE will result in a loss of one lb. a week. This is an excellent rate to insure you will keep the weight off and you should not exceed 1000 calories a day, or 2 lb. a week. The combination of exercise and calorie reduction will give you the results you are looking for with the added benefit of becoming much more fit in the process.

A little effort will go a long way…happy weight loss.

The golden key to good health the natural way, lies in the consumption of fruits and vegetables. The statement definitely sounds clichéd but there’s nothing denying its truth. Out of the amazing range of exotic fruits and vegetables available, there is one vegetable family that is consumed by all and sundry in various forms- as breakfast, lunch or snack item. Melon is one such natural food item that qualifies itself as the perfect food for all seasons. The reason behind this is the amazing range of melon varieties available. In fact, different regions savor their own varieties of melons and even serve as the staple dish.

It’s interesting to know how melons became popular all over the world. Originating in Middle East, the popularity of melons gradually spread across Europe. It’s believed that ancient Romans and Egyptians savored the taste of cantaloupes and honeydew melons. There’s another interesting account, which says that Columbus was the first to bring watermelon seeds to America, which was cultivated by Spanish cultivators in California.

Most of us are unaware that melons belong to the same gourd family as cucumbers and squashes. In fact, there is a very subtle difference between melons and squashes. The difference lies in way both of them are used. Squashes are consumed as vegetables, whereas melon is chiefly relished for as fruit for its juicy flavor. Melons combine within themselves the goodness of vitamin C and potassium. They are cholesterol free and low in calories, thus forming an essential part of a well-balanced diet. This might even account for the ever-growing popularity of melons amongst the fitness freaks throughout the world.

Another chief factor accounting for the increasing melon consumption is the wide variety of melons cultivated across the world. An important point to be noted in this respect is the popularity of a certain melon variety in a particular region. For instance, cantaloupe melons are chiefly popular in Italy and has been named after a city, Cantalupa, in Rome. This melon variety is commercially very popular for its aroma and flavor. Commonly known as “French breakfast” melon, the Charantais melon is consumed largely in France. There are around thirty-five melon varieties cultivated across the world. Some of the popular melon varieties are listed below:

Cantaloupe: Popularly known as muskmelon, this melon variety with orange flesh and netted skin offers abundant beta-carotene.

Casaba: This melon does not carry any aroma unlike other melons. It’s pale yellow when ripe, along with a white flesh and sweet taste.

Crenshaw: A synthesis of Casaba and Persian melons, Crenshaw melons have a sweet and spicy taste.

Honeydew: These melons have a creamy yellow rind with a pale green flesh and serve as a perfect snack item for its sweet taste.

Persian: Quite similar to Cantaloupe melons, Persian melons have a finer netting.

Santa Claus: Popularly known as Christmas melons, this melon variety has green and gold stripes but is not as sweet as other melons.

Sharlyn: This melon shares the combined tastes of cantaloupe and honeydew.

Watermelon: This melon is now available in both the seeded and seedless varieties. Containing approximately 95% water, watermelons are an excellent source of essential vitamins. Watermelon juice serves as a refreshing drink to remove any imbalance of body fluids.

The above-mentioned names are just a few of the numerous varieties cultivated throughout the world. Out of them, watermelon is possibly consumed widely on account of the numerous health benefits offered by this red succulent fruit.