HEALTHIER EVERYDAY

Introduction How to Read Nutrition Labels Like a Pro: The Smart Shopper’s Guide Walk into any grocery store and you’re surrounded by hundreds of products, each promising something — “high protein,” “low sugar,” “all-natural.” But the truth about what you’re eating isn’t in the marketing… it’s in the nutrition label . If you’ve ever glanced at that little white box and felt overwhelmed by numbers and percentages, you’re not alone. Here’s a step-by-step guide to decoding it with confidence. 1. Start with Serving Size Before you check calories, sugar, or anything else — look at the serving size . It’s listed at the top, often in cups, grams, or pieces. All the other numbers on the label are based on this serving. If you eat twice the serving size, you double everything : calories, fat, sugar, sodium. 💡 Pro Tip: Many “healthy” snacks have unrealistically small serving sizes. A “1 oz” serving of chips might be 10 chips — not the whole bag. 2. Check Calories, but Keep ...

Overview Diabetes is a disorder of carbohydrates metabolism characterized by high blood sugar level (hyperglycemia) and high level of sugar in urine (glycosuria). It is accompanied  in many cases by secondary alterations of fat and protein metabolism, resulting in an array of physical disorders. Diabetes therefore, is a metabolic disease. It can be kept well under control and reasonably managed with proper care though it cannot be cured once it occurs. Diabetes can be divided into two types depending on the insulin status of the body. 1. Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (IDDM) or Type-1- In this type of diabetes mellitus (in order to function normally) body is dependent on insulin doses from an exogeneous sources (outside source). It occurs more frequently in young children and adolescents. 2. Non-insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM) or Type-2- In this type of diabetes mellitus there is a lack or insufficiency of insulin in the body which can be brought under control by ...

 12 SUGGESTIONS FOR REDUCING WEIGHT ARE: 1. Set the goal which is realistic. 2. Adjust the rate of weight loss to one pound per week. 3. Take the help of visible tools( weighing machine) and motivation techniques. 4. Learn the calorie values of your home dishes and control their consumption or exercise substitute. Do not be obsessed by calorie counter. Do not be finicky. 5. Anticipate plateaus. They are common to all. They occur due to accumulation of water as fat is used up. Increase exercise in this period to help get rid of water and restart  weight reduction. 6. Avoid commercially available low calorie foods. They are no better than low calorie home-made meals, besides being exorbitantly priced. 7.  Avoid dietary binges. Your self-determination and mental control will see you through. 8. Avoid a separate menu for yourself. Instead adapt your dietary needs from the regularly prepared family dishes. 9. When eating away from home or in the company of guests take care and...

 Introduction Water is second only to oxygen in its vital importance to the body. One can live without food for a longer time than one does without water. Our body contains about 65% water. An infant's body contains more water than that of an adult. A thin person has a higher percent of water than fat person. Men have more water than women.  Dehydration is nothing but depletion of water in the body. A 10% loss of body water causes very serious symptoms while 20% loss often results in death. Functions of Water 1. Water is more important than food. In the human body it is found as intracellular fluids and also around organs as extracellular fluid and between the cells as intercellular fluids.  2. It acts as a solvent in all stages of digestion. We feel more thirsty after a meal. 3. It keeps nutrients in solution form so that they may be absorbed through the intestinal walls. 4. It transport nutrients through blood to all tissues. 5. It acts as a vehicle for the waste produc...

 What do you mean by choice of food? According to us choice of food is the taste of food. We chooses our food according to taste without knowing the nutrient value of food and even we do not care about its after effect on our health. The basic misconception  about food is that we crave for the food which our body needs. We very often hear 'Let him eat ( whatever food he likes most ). If he likes it so much, may be he needs it more.' We humans are considered to be the most advanced where our intelligence is compared to that of animals, but as far as food selection is concerned, man does not retain this position. Choice of foods relating  to the body's requirement is more accurate in the case of animals. The food choice of a human is influenced by his social life and cultural background as well as learning. Learning profoundly influences our food selection. It is interesting to note that infants show a natural ability to select foods needed by their body. This ability is lo...

 Introduction It is necessary to plan foods needed daily by the family properly in order to ensure good nutrition. Good meal planning is both science and art. Science shows us the way to include nutritious foods in the diet, while art  is involve in combining the needed nutritious foods into meals that are attractive, appetizing and satisfying in all ways. In this blog we will learn about 10 tips to homemaker and working women to improve nutrition for the family. Tips  1. Eating mixed daal is a better wat of combining various daal in every meal. Depending on which daal is consumed more in the family, a mixture can be made and stored for use. 2. A pressure cooker is meant to reduce the cooking time and conserve nutrients. It is not necessary for the cooker to blow whistles. Whistle is just an indicator of off-loading the pressure that is built inside the cooker. To use a pressure cooker optimally, soak the material like grains and daal previously for about half an hour at ...

 Introduction Vitamin is a word which is commonly heard. Advertisers claim that their products contains some vitamins or the other which is good for health, etc. But what is a vitamin? Does it play an important role in our health?  A vitamin is a vital substance. It is needed in a very small quantity for growth and good health. Vitamins are vital regulator. They are present in foods and are in minutes quantities for specific body functions of growth , maintenance and reproduction. Most of them are not synthesized by body and must be supplied through diet, except few whose requirement may be partially met by synthesis in the body, such as folic acid and vitamin D. Vitamin A Functions Vitamin A helps form and maintain healthy teeth, skeletal and soft tissue, mucus membrane and skin. Vitamin A promotes good eyesight, especially in low light. Also helps in healthy pregnancy and breastfeeding. Sources Food items rich in vitamin A are liver, fish, eggs, leafy green vegetables, dair...