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- SOME MORE DARK SECRETS REVEALED
- AFTER THE BUMP...
- Importance of High Breakfast
- Develop healthy habits to manage your diabetes
- Training like Rocky!
- More Recent Articles
- Search Health is Wealth
A recent study talks about added effects of dark chocolate. Read onDark chocolate is not just a sinful indulgence, it also has certain medical benefits which you may have read about. But now there are more. A recent study have revealed new medical benefits of this dark delight — a few added reasons to indulge your sweet tooth.
PROTECTION AGAINST THE SUN'S AGEING EFFECTS
Dark chocolate can protect the skin against the ageing effects influenced by the sun, says a new research. According to scientists who carried out the study at European Dermatology London, UK, a daily portion of dark chocolate may also lower the risk of skin cancer. But it only works with dark chocolate that is very high in flavanols, the antioxidants that occur naturally in cocoa beans, reports a daily.
In the research, scientists found that participants who ate flavanol-rich chocolate could tolerate more wrinkle-causing UV light on their skin than those who ate a lower-flavanol chocolate. The researchers said, "The main mechanism is likely to be anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. But conventional chocolate had no such effect."
GOOD STRESS BUSTER
An Indian-origin researcher has provided people worldwide the perfect excuse to grab a bar of chocolate: eating dark chocolate every day can reduce stress. The study, published online in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research claims that an ounce and a half of dark chocolate (just a little over 40 gm) a day for two weeks reduces levels of stress hormones. Also, it was noted that chocolates partially corrected other stress-related biochemical imbalances.
The researcher and his team took into account the scientific evidence of the benefits of chocolate consumption for their study. Their special focus was on antioxidants and other beneficial substances in dark chocolate. The scientists identified reductions in stress hormones and other stressrelated biochemical changes in volunteers, who rated themselves as highly stressed and ate dark chocolate for two weeks. The researchers said, "The study provides strong evidence that a daily consumption of 40 gm of chocolate during a period of two weeks is sufficient to modify the metabolism of healthy human volunteers."
EAT UP: Dark chocolate is as much medically beneficial as it is a sinful indulgence
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Now that your bundle of joy has arrived, it's time to get back into shape. BT tells you how you can do this and have fun tooMotherhood is a special experience, but the entire process often leaves a woman feeling drained out. However, it doesn't have to be so. Enrich your life after having a baby, by leading a healthy lifestyle, eating the right foods, getting enough rest and pampering yourself. You can enjoy motherhood without compromising on the much needed 'me time'.
TAKE UP A DANCE CLASS:
Letting your hair down can be a great stress buster. Music perks you up and the moves will help burn off those calories. Flamenco, jive, salsa or kathak... choose whatever catches your fancy. Else, just dim the lights and groove to your favourite tune.
INDULGE IN TEL MALISH:
The body naturally assists pregnancy by releasing a hormone, relaxin, which makes the joints more flexible. Since relaxin remains in the body for several months after delivery, don't overstretch your muscles and joints. Pamper yourself with a relaxing oil massage everyday. Warm mustard oil is great for the hormonal changes that the body undergoes during this phase.
BECOME A WATER BABY:
Once the doctor agrees, find an hour to go swimming. Water has a destressing effect on the mind. It's a full body, low-impact exercise that does not harm the joints. If you are adventurous, take up an aqua aerobics class that strengthens muscles and tones the abs.
TAKE A STROLL WITH THE BABY:
This one can be done only after the baby is three months old. Take him or her to a garden and get some help to handle the baby while you walk around. The smell of wet mud and green grass has a soothing effect. Talking to him/her about the trees, flowers and grass can also be a bonding exercise.
MUNCH ON GARDEN CRESS SEEDS:
High in iron and low on fat, garden cress seeds are a must-have to get back in shape. The iron makes up for the loss of blood that is common during childbirth. Have them as breakfast, with milk and jaggery. Garden cress is commonly known as halim or asalio.
ENJOY SOME PILATES:
This is another one that needs the go ahead from a doctor. Mat work pilates strengthens and de-stresses the pelvic and deep abdominal muscles. Also, it is a good workout to relieve lower-back pain, common among new mothers.
READ UP, LISTEN UP:
What you read and listen to has a direct impact on the baby's mind. Pick up some suitable audio CDs. Also, soothing chants and mantras work well for new mothers. Read feelgood novels. Whether it is Robin Sharma or Deepak Chopra's words for the soul, or PG Wodehouse's charming novels, read anything that makes you feel good and positive.
NEW BEGINNINGS: Motherhood doesn't have to drain you out. Take time out for yourself
JUST FOR YOU: It's a good habit to indulge in activities like Pilates or (below) an oil massage
Breakfast can help prevent strokes, heart attack and sudden death. Advice on not to skip breakfast!
Healthy Lving
For those who always skip breakfast, you should stop that habit now! You've heard many times that "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day." Now, recent research confirms that one of the worst practices you can develop may be avoiding breakfast.
Why?
Because the frequency of heart attack, sudden death, and stroke peaks between 6: 00a.m. and noon, with the highest incidence being between 8: 00a.m. and 10:00a.m.What mechanism within the body could account for this significant jump in sudden death in the early morning hours?
We may have an Answer
Platelet, tiny elements in the blood that keep us from bleeding to Death if we get a cut, can clump together inside our arteries due to cholesterol or laque buildup in the artery lining. It is in the morning hours that platelets become the most activated and tend to form these internal blood clots at the greatest frequency.
However, eating even a very light breakfast prevents the morning platelet activation that is associated with heart attacks and strokes. Studies performed at Memorial University in St. Johns, Newfoundland found that eating a light, very low-fat breakfast was critical in modifying the morning platelet activation. Subjects in the study consumed either low-fat or fat-free yogurt, orange juice, fruit, and a source of protein coming from yogurt or fat-free milk. So if you skip breakfast, it's important that you change this practice immediately in light of this research. Develop a simple plan to eat cereal, such as oatmeal or Bran Flakes, along with six ounces of grape juice or orange juice, and perhaps a piece of fruit. This simple plan will keep your platelets from sticking together, keep blood clots from forming, and perhaps head off a potential Heart Attack or stroke. So never ever skip breakfast. 
Source; Theismaili.org World Diabetes Day is observed every year on 14 November to raise awareness of diabetes. This year's theme focuses on diabetes education and prevention. Type 2 diabetes is at least five times more common in South Asians than in the wider population. While there is currently no cure for it, people with diabetes can still live a full life by carefully managing their condition. If you are affected by diabetes, it's important to avoid swings in your blood glucose (sugar), so it doesn't go too high or too low. What you eat and how often you eat has a direct impact on your blood glucose. Also, people with diabetes are more prone to developing heart disease, but that doesn't mean you need to switch to eating boiled curries and Western foods. If you look after your diet and lifestyle habits, then you can significantly reduce your risks. Eat regular meals. Eating regularly helps to keep your blood glucose levels steady throughout the day. It can also help you to maintain good energy levels as the day progresses. Get in the habit of creating a balanced plate. Choose starchy carbohydrate foods, especially those which have a low glycaemic index (GI). Eating medium or low GI foods at mealtimes can help you manage your diabetes. Examples include dhals, beans, basmati rice, pasta, grainy or seeded breads (such as granary), bulgur wheat, sweet potato, cassava (mogo) porridge, and fruit and vegetables. Starchy foods will fill you up, often provide fibre, and tend to be lower in calories than fatty foods, but you also need to watch portion sizes. We probably eat too much of the wrong type of carbohydrate. There's no need to have rice, chapati and potato in the same meal. And frying mogo is not a good idea! Instead, try boiling it and sprinkling with chilli and lemon. Cut down on fried and fatty foods such as butter, ghee, full-fat cheese (like paneer), fatty meats, skin on chicken, chevda, ganthia, sev, samosas, crisps and pastries. Animal orsaturated fat (from fatty meat and full-fat dairy products) can raise your bad (LDL) cholesterol level, and lead to a build-up of fatty streaks in your arteries, which can in turn reduce blood flow to your heart. Instead, choose monounsaturated fats, like the fat found in olive and rapeseed oil, avocado, nuts, or polyunsaturated fats such as corn oil, sunflower oil, and spreads made from these oils. Of course this isn't a licence to smother your salad in olive oil or deep fry your kebabs in rapeseed oil! It is still important not to eat too much of these healthier fats, as weight for weight, they contain the same calories as unhealthy fats. Find out more about healthy cooking. 
Photo: Mansur Rupshi Eat more fruit and vegetables. These foods are rich in valuable antioxidants which can help prevent damage to your arteries. Enjoy a variety of colours so you get a good range of nutrients. For example, beta-carotene comes from orange and yellow coloured vegetables like carrots and yellow peppers, and anthocyanins (a powerful anti-oxidant) are found in purple plums, red cabbage and beetroot. South Asian cuisine is packed with brightly coloured vegetables, from bhindito brinjal, so enjoy at your leisure. Try the healthy okra recipe. Enjoy fish and choose oily fish once a week. Scientific studies suggest that regularly eating oily fish can protect you from developing heart problems. The special omega-3 oils found in oily fish have been shown to lower a type of fat in your blood called triglyceride. They may also help to reduce blood stickiness, making your blood less likely to clot and cause a blockage in your arteries. Examples of oily fish include salmon, fresh tuna, mackerel, trout, sardines and herring. Swap high sugar foods for low sugar foods. Cut back on tinned fruit in syrup, sugar, andmithai, and consider tinned fruit in natural juice, artificial sweeteners, and dried fruit instead. Be especially careful with sugary drinks, since they tend to get into your blood stream more quickly. Choose unsweetened fruit juice and have it with a meal so you slow down the rise in your blood glucose (because the juice mixes with other foods in your gut). Or choose diet drinks and use an artificial sweetener for hot drinks. Note that many sugary foods tend to also be high in fat (think of cakes, biscuits, kheer,kulfi) and are generally unhealthy, so it's best to save them for special occasions. 
Photo: Nazma Lakhani Choose foods which are low in salt. We don't usually measure salt in traditional cooking — it's often a generous pouring straight from the salt container, and we don't think twice about it. However, there is now solid research showing that eating too much salt makes you more at risk of raised blood pressure and strokes. As you try out some of the healthier recipes on this site, you'll notice that they are low in salt yet high in flavour. It is possible to eat healthily and still enjoy traditional foods. Get down to a healthy weight and stay there. Just by losing 5 – 10 per cent of your weight can make a significant difference to your blood pressure, blood fats and blood glucose control. Adopt a healthier lifestyle by choosing balanced meals and being more active. 
A revolutionary new weight-loss program makes you workout and sweat at 15,000 feet in a High Altitude Chamber...
Hey, all obese people... disheartened by diets whose weight-loss promises bounce back? Desperately considering liposuction or bariatric surgery next? Take heart, you can now lose weight in 21 days by training like world class athletes at high altitude in South Mumbai with Qi Train 21 — a revolutionary new weight-loss program conducted in a specialised High Altitude Chamber at Qi Lifecare, the gym and wellness centre at Eros Cinema building, Churchgate.
The chamber is located on the first floor, but the altitude within is that of a mountain, you could be training at 15,000 feet or 5,000 metres above sea level… where the oxygen content is significantly low, and where even mild exercise leads to increased cardiovascular fitness and accelerated fat loss. The condition is known as hypoxia. Even simple living at high altitude has been exploited by champion athletes (Muhammad Ali did it in his time and Sylvester Stallone for Rocky IV) to enhance their performances.
The program involves 21 halfhour sessions over five weeks. The training is not strenuous. And theworkouts, based on individual heart rate parameters, are created after an extensive pre-program physical evaluation. The sessions are fun. They are supervised by a young team certified by the prestigious American College of Sports Medicine. And include an exciting combination of technologies including the internationally-renowned Vibrogym. This is a vibrating platform that helps conserve and build muscle mass even as it promotes fat reduction. It is being successfully used by fitness conscious celebrities around the world ranging from rockstars to astronauts!
How does Qi Train 21 work? Very simply, the reduced oxygen in the chamber makes it difficult to exercise at the same intensity as you would in a regular gym, and you are forced to use more muscle fibres to workout... thereby burning more calories in the same time. The heart and lungs are encouraged to work harder. And the body's SAO2, that is the saturation of oxygen in the arteries — which is 97-98% at sea level, drops because in hypoxic conditions the body utilises oxygen more efficiently. This program substantially increases your caloric burn even after the session. In 30 minutes, you would burn double the number of calories than a conventional workout. The hypoxic air enhances the body's respiratory, cardiovascular and oxygen utilization systems, apart from stimulating the fat-burning process.
"The High Altitude Chamber is an amazing fat burner with no compromise on safety because the pressure within is not changed, only the oxygen is reduced, and this combination of mainstream science and exercise acts as a catalyst to a longterm weight loss fix," said Qi Train 21 programme director Ketan Ashar. "The results achieved have been incredible; our highest weight loss was 12 kg in five weeks, but most importantly, this 39-year-old gentleman today is far stronger and fitter than ever before. It's a 21-day kickstart into healthy living. Conducted at an altitude of 15,000 feet in South Mumbai... and you're just minutes away from home at the end of it."
Qi Train 21, Eros Cinema Building, 1st Floor, Churchgate, Mumbai 400020. Tel: 9833300100 or 9819860713
A Qi Train 21 training session in the High Altitude Chamber where the display monitor shows the altitude as being 2,397 metres (9,000 feet) above sea level
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