If you thought bad food affected only your body, then think again. Because eating processed foods,junk foods, fried or sugary stuff and refined foods could affect your mental health apart from causing havoc to one’s physical body. Well it is true. The rising rates of depression could be partly blamed on the high consumption of processed foods in the present era. This should be of concern because of how much children these days turn to such foods from biscuits to fast foods, from fried snacks to soft drinks.

Whole foods:

Researchers at University College, London, found a 58% risk for depression in people who mainly ate processed foods as compared with people who ate whole foods like lots of fruits, vegetables, fish and unprocessed whole grains, legumes and unhomogenised milk. Whole foods are those that are not processed or refined. Whole foods also do not have additives like preservatives or salt, sugar or fat added to it. Much like how our ancestors ate their foods – fresh and wholesome.

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Nutrition and Dietetics expert, Parvathy Radhakrishnan answers readers’ questions on nutrition. Get your doubts cleared and see them featured on our FAQ page every Wednesday.

Hello Mam,
Can you please describe the nutritional details of cracked wheat. we are eating in place of rice for both lunch and dinner with curries.
This will help us a lot.How much amount a day is good ?.
I appreciate your response
Thanks in Advance,
Sirisha

Cracked wheat is highly nutritious because of its fibre, mineral and vitamin content. It provides calories similar to rice. But since it is higher in fibre, you will realise that eating a little lesser quantity sufficiently fills you.

Choose quantities sufficient for your caloric requirements.Since wheat contains gluten, those who are sensitive to gluten need to avoid it.

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Just as decreasing weight is not easy or speedily achieved, so also increasing weight cannot be quick fixed. In fact increasing weight is a longer process. BMI <19 may be considered underweight.

One is underweight when optimal calories are not ingested and excess calories are burnt. There are medical reasons why one may be underweight like hyperthyroidism (with high metabolic rate) or anaemia (whereby there is diminished appetite). If one has been of normal weight and then suddenly reduced, that is a totally different track of clinical investigation and nutrition therapy, into which we will not go. Here we will talk about those who are slimmer and are hoping to gain some weight.

Start with ways to stimulate appetite so that you can manage to eat extra at every meal. Light exercise stimulates appetite. Leisure swimming or water related sports especially up one’s appetite since they are relaxing too. Always eat on time. Keep a schedule where you will eat your main meals and have a high calorie drink or food between these meals. If you delay eating time or skip a meal, the acids that flow cause nausea and kill your hunger.

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Nutrition and Dietetics expert, Parvathy Radhakrishnan answers readers’ questions on nutrition. Get your doubts cleared and see them featured on our FAQ page every Wednesday.

This week’s answers:

1. Hello Mam, I am Harish Shahi, My age is 25 and my height is 5 feet 9 inch and my weight si 80 KG. Mam I got heart attack two years back and I am taking medicines also. My doctor is saying to reduce weight. I am gaining weight progressively however I have reduced my diet 3-4 months back. Presently I take 250 GM milk with an apple in the breakfast some time poha I take.Then in the lunch I take 2-3 chapati with green vegetable and in the night I take 2-3 chapati.
I don’t use gee and any other oily things.
Mam Please suggest how to reduce weight.
Harish Shahi
Harish, please follow the diet given here

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Nutrition and Dietetics expert, Parvathy Radhakrishnan answers readers’ questions on nutrition. Get your doubts cleared and see them featured on our FAQ page every Wednesday.

This week’s answers:

1. Dear Madam, I am suffuring from constipation & suggest give me good diet.
My weight – 67 kgs Height- 5.2 My age – 38 Years
A high fibre diet including whole grains, fruits and lots of vegetables is needed to correct constipation. Also lack of exercise and not enough intake of water can contribute to constipation. So you need to exercise at least 40 minutes a day and drink 2 glasses of water first thing in the morning and a glass before and after each meal. Avoid oily foods, nuts and high starch foods and sweets.

Send in your questions on nutrition to bawarchieditor@sify.com now! And don’t forget to include `Nutrition FAQ` in the subject line. Please provide complete details of your age, sex, height, weight, location and medication if any, if a diet is required for specific ailments.

Drinking sufficient water is one of the best habits to form to lose weight. The calorie free elixir keeps several illnesses at bay.

Not getting enough hydration can cause fatigue, constipation, headaches, impose extra work on kidneys for excreting toxic by-products, cause heartburn, stomach pain, depression etc.

There is no recommendation for drinking water for a healthy human being, but for the smooth functioning of the bodily functions, the rule of the thumb is 8 x 8. That is, 8 cups of fluids (water based) with each cup being of 8 ounce measure.

Athletes, people at altitudes higher than 2500 metres or in humid hot environment including heated indoors, pregnant and lactating women need higher intake of fluids.  Also, anyone exercising or spending time out under the sun will need to drink more fluids.

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Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye and triticale (cross breed of wheat and rye) that causes inflammation of the small intestines in persons with celiac disease.

Eating gluten free gives great relief of symptoms. The symptoms are bloating of the stomach and gas, diarrhoea, weight loss, abdominal cramps, fatigue, iron deficiency anaemia, osteoporosis and canker sores (mouth ulcers).

The difficulty is not in finding substitutes for wheat, barley and rye. For Indians who have a variety of traditional grains to choose from, eating without gluten is not too restrictive. It is just a matter of choices.

But the difficult part lies in identifying products that contain them and avoiding them because gluten is extensively used in commercial products.

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Nutrition and Dietetics expert, Parvathy Radhakrishnan answers readers’ questions on nutrition. Get your doubts cleared and see them featured on our FAQ page every Wednesday.

This week’s answer:
1. Dear Dr. Parvathy R Krishnan Recently lot of people using HERBAL LIFE product to reduce weight drastically.
How far is it good for health in the long run.
Myself aged 41, height is 5.5, weight aprox. 97-98 kg, i know i am over weight
I don’t follow any regular diet, but do not consume sweets, milk products, chocolates, cool drinks, but once in a while 15 days or month consume drinks (beer/whisky), use green Tea/black Tea, black coffee one time daily, try to have fibre food daily at home, non-veg weekly once/twice 1 time at home, no outside food.
nature of work : Sitting
Can i use the product of Herbal Life to reduce weight.
Please suggest, i am from Hyderabad, India
Durga

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We had Navaratri and Bakrid a few weeks ago and here comes Diwali.

In a month’s time, we have Christmas and New Year with Pongal close at its heels and so on, the year long. There are so many festivities and tempting foods to savour as part of the celebrations! It is so easy to get caught in a roller coaster ride of overeating and subsequent dieting (out of guilt) ending up with the yoyo effect.

It is like falling down and then picking yourself up. Every time you fall, you get up. The same way, going back to eating healthy after a bout of festive eating is mandatory for the weight loser.

But, the best way to achieve this is by what I would call taking a pre-emptive or defensive approach. That is to start taking a conscious note of your eating much before a scheduled festival or celebration and immediately after it too.

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Nutrition and Dietetics expert, Parvathy Radhakrishnan answers readers’ questions on nutrition. Get your doubts cleared and see them featured on our FAQ page every Wednesday.

This week’s answer:

1. Does wheat roti in lunch, wheat ravva(Upma) in dinner and neembu paani with honey in the morning and oil less dosa in breakfast and 30 minutes walking in the morning help in reducing LDL ?
my LDL is 149,
HDL-49
Triglyserites-109
Cholesterol-219
No B.P and No Diabetes
Kindly suggest breakfast/ lunch and dinner diet i am an eggarian only.
T.Vijayshankar

You are doing fine, but please also include couple of fruits like guava, apple, pineapple, orange, etc. apart from the diet, if you are smoking stop it and if you are overweight, reduce weight with diet and one hour of exercise.

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