Good nutrition and an active lifestyle are fundamentals to good health and a healthy living. However, in today’s increasingly rapid pace of life, it becomes very difficult to stick to an ideal routine diet. On the contrary, chances are very high that majority of the population binge on junk food which is an unhealthy supplement. It is only good to attract your taste buds. Youngsters, especially, fall in this category and health issues such as obesity, heart ailments, blood pressure and diabetes have become synonymous with their generation.

A research conducted by AC Nielsen in 2010 reveals that 64 % of men in the age group of 40-50 in cities like Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Pune and Kolkata cannot stay away from unhealthy food. This is a major cause of heart disease and diabetes. Adding to this, a busy and highly stressed life-style is forcibly driving people towards a diet of convenience which is devoid of vitamins and minerals, overloaded with fat, sugar and high calories.

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The memory of having eaten a large meal can make people feel less hungry hours after tucking into food, according to new research.

Researchers from the University of Bristol found that people who think they have eaten more – but have actually eaten an average-sized or smaller portion – are less likely to experience hunger pangs hours later.

The discovery may help those struggling to lose weight.

Jeffrey Brunstorm and colleagues from the University showed volunteers either a small or large portion of soup just before lunch, and then manipulated the amount of soup they actually consumed by means of a covert pump that could refill or empty a soup bowl without the eater noticing.

Immediately after they ate, the level of hunger reported by the volunteers was proportionate to the amount of food they had eaten, not the amount they had seen just before eating.

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Researchers have found that subtle reminders of platonic love rather than sexual love may help foster healthy food choices.

Symbols of platonic love evoke feelings of commitment and caring that are long-term, whereas sexual love tends to evoke feelings of passion and romance that have a relatively short life span, said David Raska, a Northern Kentucky marketing professor who was lead author of the study.

And those feelings can affect food choices. Subtle signals of commitment may lead consumers to unwittingly choose healthier snack foods, according to the researchers at Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights, who tested their hypothesis on college students.

Between 45 and 97 students completed three experiments. In the first, they were randomly assigned to view one of three snack menus on a computer screen. Each menu had one of three possible backgrounds: hearts, kisses or a blank white screen.

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Carrot can offer prevention against different ailments, say health experts.

The vegetable-cum-fruit contains rich vitamin and mineral contents, besides other valuable nutrients.

Considering the effectiveness of carrot, doctors and health experts have declared it ‘apple’ for the people having meagre resources, the News reported.

Dr. Mian Iftikhar, a Medical Specialist, said that carrot especially its juice, is better for stomach and gastrointestinal health, which also solves a variety of digestive problems.

He said carrot is useful in different cases like stomach disorder, peptic ulcers, gastritis, crohn’s disease (chronic inflammatory disease affecting the whole of the alimentary tract), diarrhoea, celiac disease (defective digestion found in children).

Carrot juice, combined with spinach and a little lemon juice, is very effective in the treatment of constipation, he added.

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It’s that time of the year again. Time to celebrate, party, and gorge on sweets! Excitement is in the air. But once the festive mood is over, tension starts mounting. The after-effects of every delicacy that you indulged in start showing up in the form of extra pounds on the body.

Now you can enjoy the festive spirit to your heart’s content while keeping a check on your weight as well.

Yoga practices, which comprise asanas (body postures), pranayama (breathing techniques), and meditation, will help you stay fit and healthy this festive season.

Follow these simple tips to remain in good shape:

1. Keep up with your yoga practices - This is extremely important, more so during the festive season when chances of putting on weight are higher. There’s no stopping yourself from enjoying delectable recipes but let the festivity not be an excuse to postpone your yoga routine. Make sure you do a few yoga postures every morning, some pranayamas and a few minutes of meditation. Even if you are busy with the preparations and don’t have too much time, Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation) is a complete body workout and the best exercise that can be done in short time.

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