Health

WATER RETENTION by Dietitian Sonam Balasaria When our tissues and cells start holding back water in our body, its called water retention. Our body tries to maintain the water and sodium concentration in the right ratio. Sodium is responsible for the blood volume regulation and many other functions. Drinking less amount of water is one of the main cause of Water Retention. Sometimes, it happens because of some medications too, As we grow old, keeping a check on water intake is very important. SYMPTOMS of Water Retention: $ Always feeling bloated $ Not able to complete your meals $ Swollen Legs, Feet, Ankles $ Puffiness of the abdomen, face and hips $ Stiff Joints $ Inflammation in joints $ Weight Fluctuations How to treat water retention? 1- Increase your water intake, this will try to balance sodium levels by flushing, & your body will know it will get more water, so it won’t hold. 2- Increase magnesium and potassium in your diet...

DEHYDRATION by Dietitian Sonam Balasaria Dehydration  is a condition that can occur when the loss of body fluids, mostly water, exceeds the amount of water taken in  (Water IN < OUT).  With  dehydration , more water is moving out of individual cells, the basic functioning of the body is affected. There is a lack of water in the body, which leads to serious conditions.    Our body is very dynamic and always changing. It is true especially with water levels in the body. We lose water in the following routine: When we Breath Sweat Urinate or have a bowel movement Vomiting or Diarrhoea.  To prevent dehydration:  1) Always keep a check on your water intake.  2) Keep sipping water throughout the day. 3) Don't wait for thirst symptoms. 4) If you feel thirsty, remember your body is already dehydrated. 5) You can also drink flavoured water like Lime water, mint water, Fennel Water, etc.  DiD YoU KnoW? D...

CHILDHOOD OBESITY by Dietitian Sonam Balasaria Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition that affects children at their growing age. Children who are obese are above the normal weight for their age and height. Overweight and obese children are likely to stay obese into adulthood and more likely to develop non-communicable diseases like Diabetes, Cholesterol, Heart Diseases, Blood pressure, etc at a very young age.  The causes of childhood obesity:  Genetics, a person's genes do influence their weight and are one of the biggest factors examined as child obesity. It can be hereditary, but less than 5% of the population falls under this category. And it can be reversed if preventive measures are taken timely. Eating disorders & emotional eating.  Offering junk food as rewards to children.  Unhealthy lifestyle and munching unhealthy snacks in front of the TV for long hours. Haywire sleep cycles.  How can yo...

OBESITY by Dietitian Sonam Balasaria OBESITY is a chronic disease it is widely spreading because of imbalanced lifestyle, stress, lack of exercise etc.  50% of the world population is obese, and it is on a rise. Not only men and women, but nowadays Kids also fall under the category of OBESITY.  OBESE kids has a very dangerous future if not controlled timely.  Obesity  means you have too much body fat. It's usually based on your body mass index (BMI), which you can check using a BMI calculator. BMI compares your weight to your height. If your BMI is 25 to 29.9, you're overweight but not  obese .   How to know whether you are obese? Overweight? or Normal?  click on the link below to check your BMI:   https://www.vertex42.com/Calculators/bmi-calculator.html WHAT CAUSES OBESITY?  Obesity  is generally caused by eating too much and moving too little. If you consume high amounts of energy, particularly fat and sug...

SUGAR AND ITS SUBSTITUTES (ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS)  by Dietitian Sonam Balasaria In my previous blog, I have shared good and basic information about sugar & its form, and also focused on, how it is not important to include in our diet, b ut simultaneously, I got many messages asking, "we want to include SUGAR in our diet", what is the best available options? How can we satisfy our sweet cravings but at the same time, also be healthy. So, now in this blog, I will share some information about healthy - "Sugar Substitutes and available Artificial Sweeteners" . Sugar substitutes are compounds, either natural or artificial, that provide you with the sweetness of sugar with very less to almost NO calories, hence its easily adjusted in the diet. Natural sugar substitutes include fruits and vegetable derivatives such as Erythritol, Xylitol, Sorbitol, Stevia etc.  Artificial sweeteners are available much more in numbers and are widely available in the ma...

SUGAR vs HONEY vs JAGGERY By Dietitian Sonam Balasaria Lifestyle changes are associated with many serious diseases including obesity, heart diseases, cancer, etc.  Diabetes is also one of those growing diseases. Many people are suffering from Type II diabetes. Some don’t realise unless the sugar levels shoot up high. Knowingly or unknowingly we are consuming sugar in our food. Sugar occurs naturally in some foods such as fruits, dairy products, processed food etc. Food like rice, pasta, bread, potatoes etc breaks down to glucose. This affects our blood sugar levels. Sugar is just empty calories, it does not have any form of proteins, vitamins or minerals. Consuming it doesn’t give you many benefits, it does harm your body a little more.  Sugar interferes with hormones in your body that regulate hunger and satiety. This leads to weight gain and obesity.  Sugar is addictive, its a reward centre for the brain, it releases DOPAMINE, the brains respon...