Like people, foods too have reputations! Some foods are considered super healthy and bestowed all sorts of complimentary  titles. There are others, however, that develop such notoriety that they find it hard to shake off their bad reputations for generations. We think it’s time for some reputation management!

People everywhere have had an awakening about the need to be healthy, to exercise, to have a healthy and nutritious diet; and there is a huge amount of information available in the form of books, or on the internet about what is healthy and what is unhealthy!

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Healthy eyes and clear vision are a gift to be cherished. Have a look at the top foods you can include in your diet that promote eye health.

With steeply rising numbers of people suffering from macular degeneration, cataract and other eye problems, it has become all the more important to follow a diet plan that includes foods that reduce the risk of these eye conditions. Check out this list of foods that are good for your eyes and find out how they help maintain eye health.

The best foods for your eyes

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Dr. Sonali is a certified fitness specialist from the American College of Sports Medicine.She runs a fitness consultancy, Santulan, providing lifestyle management programs for individuals and groups.Get your doubts cleared and see them featured on our FAQ page every Friday.

This week’s answers:

Hello mam

I am Sinthia Zaman,age 25,Weight 140 pound,Height 5 feet 3.5 inches.I want to be 55 kg.What to do?

Sinthia Zaman

Hi Sinthia,
Thank you for writing to me, The goal you have is an achievable one, but you have not given me any information regarding your current food habits and exercise, so I can only give some guidelines, if you are not doing any exercise, please start with walking for atleast 20 minutes, 5 to 6 days a week, you can add simple stretches and suryanamaskar to your workout,As for food, have 4 to 5 small meals in a day, have plenty of fresh vegetables, fruit , curd, and water along with your meals.
All the best, yours in fitness- sonali

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Here’s why you should be including cheese in your diet:

Great for your teeth: Cheese is extremely rich in calcium, and that’s one important ingredient in making your teeth strong and healthy. Additionally, studies suggest that cheese can reduce plaque and stimulate saliva, thus keeping your mouth clean. Eating certain kinds of cheese such as cheddar, gouda and blue, immediately after a meal is proven to prevent tooth decay. So eat cheese for healthy teeth.  This doesn’t mean you can skip brushing and flossing your teeth!

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You want to lose weight, but you end up overeating every time you’re at the dining table? Our simple tips on portion control come to your rescue.

Easy tips to help in portion control

Eat slowly: Did you know it takes about 20 minutes for your brain to register that your stomach is full? Therefore, the chances of overeating are higher when you eat fast. So chew your food properly and eat slowly, as it will help you realise when you’re full and limit portions.

Make healthy food tasty: Who said healthy food can’t be tasty? Sprinkle some chaat powder or oregano on fruits, or dress your salad with some olive oil. You can make many such simple additions to make healthy food tasty. When you fill yourself up with such foods, you’ll easily limit portions of high-fat foods.

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Getting rid of belly fat is simpler than you might have thought.

With the right plan, it’s actually easier to lose that stubborn lower-body fat or the seemingly impossible to tone back-of-the-arm flab.

Stick to a healthy diet and exercise guidelines, and you’ll be slimmer and healthier by summer.

Obviously, you want to keep your calories in a healthy range and avoid meals that are high in saturated fat.

But research has also shown that eating more of certain foods can help you burn excess visceral fat and pave the way to a smaller middle, the Huffington Post reported.

In addition to helping maintain heart health and keep inflammation levels under control, monounsaturated fatty acids, or MUFAs, may stop belly fat before it starts.

Research in the journal Diabetes Care found that people who got roughly 25 percent of their total daily calories from MUFAs gained no visceral fat over the course of the study, while those who ate less MUFAs and more carbs added fat to their midsections.

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75% of earth’s area is covered by water. Water is the major component of all living beings and it is the

major constituent of human cells. Ayurveda considers water (aap or jala) as one of panchamahabhutas. ( Panchamahabhutas constitute human body). Water provides a good medium for most of the biological processes that happen in living beings. Dehydration or loss of water from body causes dry skin, lowered energy, muscle cramps, reduced alertness and affects vital organs.

Potable water:

Water which is not harmful to health and has all qualities to serve as drinking water is called as potable water. The potable water must be free from heavy metals, suspended particles and pathogens like bacteria.

Ayurveda recommends rain water which is devoid of impurities, microbes as pure potable water. This is called as “Gangambu”. Such rain water is healthy, refreshing, cools body, increases alertness and satiates taste buds. The properties of pure Gangabu or rain water are narrated as follows.

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Microdermabrasion is one of the recent skin-care techniques having crossed over from Hollywood. It is also said that it could be an effective alternative to more expensive and invasive resurfacing treatments such as plastic surgery, chemical peels and Botox.

Microdermabrasion, sometimes known as ‘microderm’ is a procedure for rejuvenating your skin. The procedure uses very unique microcrystals to gently yet intensely exfoliate your face, getting rid of all the dead skin cells and allowing new ones to grow. And this will result in a glowing, healthy looking skin. The procedure itself is painless and non-invasive.

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Increasing the amount of time that elementary schoolchildren spent in gym class reduces the probability of obesity, a new study from Cornell University has found.

The study represents some of the first evidence of a causal effect of physical education (PE) on youth obesity.

The research offers support for the recommendations of organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control, Institute of Medicine, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, all of which have advocated increasing the amount of time that elementary school children spend in gym class, said lead researcher and Cornell professor of policy analysis and management, John Cawley, who conducted the study with Chad Meyerhoefer of Lehigh University (Cornell Ph.D. 2002) and David Frisvold of Emory University.

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While a good detox from a qualified wellness doctor does go a long way in maintaining good health, there are a few things you can do on a day to day basis to help your body detox regularly. It may not be a complete detox, but it certainly helps in the long run and also when you do get a detox done, people who have been following these simple day to day stuff, do experience much better results. And in this month, with the sun beating down and we are all clamoring for water, this simple liquid can do wonders!

It’s not without reason that water is called the elixir of life. And water when consumed the right way, not only quenches thirst, but also helps your body detox. A simple day to day routine is to have a full glass of water, and just water without honey or lime or anything, the first thing in the morning, as soon as you get up (and brush your teeth).

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