Do you want quick andhealthy meals? Well, you’ll find solutions here. Below are some 5-easy steps recipes that you can cook. They’re easy, they’re healthy. Brown Scrambled Eggs Good for 6 persons 6 eggs, beaten 3 tablespoons soy sauce 3 tablespoons butter or oil Salt to taste 1. In a bowl, mix eggs, soy sauce, and salt thoroughly. 2. Heat butter in skillet until melted. You may also use oil if butter is not available. 3. When the heat is okay, add eggs, reduce heat, and cook over low fire to avoid charring. 4. Stir constantly from the bottom until firm and cooked. 5. Garnish with whatever you like. Breaded Mushrooms Good for 6 persons ¾ kilo whole mushrooms (abalone) 2 eggs ½ cup water 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1 tablespoon four Vegetable oil or butter Salt to taste 1. Beat the eggs and mix it with cornstarch, flour and water in a bowl. 2. Season it with salt and stir it carefully. 3. Dip mushrooms one at a time in the egg mixture. 4. Fry until golden brown. 5. Serve right after frying. You may drain it with tissue paper. Fried rice Ala Vegetarian. Good for 8 persons. 4 - 5 cups day-old cooked rice 2 cup broccoli flowerets ½ cup carrots, shredded 1 ½ tablespoon soy sauce ¼ cup red bell pepper, chopped 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1. In a skillet or pan, heat vegetable oil. 2. Add the broccoli and bell pepper and stir-fry for 1 ½ minutes or until crisp-tender. 3. Season it with soy sauce, add rice and fry for 2 minutes more. 4. Add carrots and stir until well mixed. 5. Serve hot and enjoy. Banana Foam 2 ripe bananas, sliced 6 sweet strawberries, whole Vanilla 1 ½ cup of milk, partially frozen 2 teaspoons honey 1 ½ cup of whipping cream Purée bananas in blender. Add the remaining ingredients, except strawberries. Blend until smooth and foamy or until desired. Put sweet strawberry on rim of each glass for decoration. Put whipped cream on tom and serve immediately. Macaroni Soup 2 cups shell macaroni, boiled 1 egg, beaten 1 cup meat, cut into thin strips ½ cup spring onion, cut into 2” ½ clove garlic, minced ½ evaporated milk 3 ½ cups water 2 tablespoon vegetable oil Salt to taste 1. Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan and sauté garlic until golden brown. Set aside. 2. Boil water then add meat and egg and boil for 3 minutes. 3. Add the spring onions, macaroni, and evaporated milk. 4. Season with salt and remove from fire then add the garlic and its oil. 5. Serve immediately. See? They’re easy to cook and nutritious. Enjoy!
The Los Angeles, California’s Unified School District, the second largest public school system in the United States, failed to make the grades when they attempted to provide more healthy lunches for their student bodies. The LA Unified School District has led the way in trying to provide more nutritional fare. This time, in trying to comply with the mandates of the National School Lunch Program and First Lady Michelle Obama’s campaign against obesity, they failed to make the grade. According to an article in the December 17th issue of the Los Angeles Times, the new menu, with items such as beef jambalaya, vegetable currie, pad Thai, lentil and brown rice cutlets, and black-eyed pea salads, proved to be quite unpopular with the students. The Los Angeles Unified cafeteria system is geared to feed 650,000 student every school day but the more nutritional fare being offered drove those students away from the cafeterias by the thousands. The same article in the LA Times went on to say that the food waste is rampant with entire entries and full cartons of milk going into the trash. Mid-school Year Diet Revision Dennis Barret, the LA food services director is turning to the tried and true. Hamburgers and whole wheat, low-fat pizzas will be returning to the daily menu. Barret told an LA Times reporter that the new, more nutritional menu was a disaster that resulted in a 13 percent reduction in the number of students signing up for the lunch program. Students, Barret said, were “Brown Bagging” it, bringing their own junk foods and sodas to school with them. Listen and Learn David Binkle, the deputy director of food service for the LA Unified School District said that, “We are trying to put healthier foods in place and make food that kids like, and that is a challenge.” he went on to say, “But we want to be responsive and listen and learn.” Before the new menu was introduced, extensive community taste testing was done over the summer. Of the 300,000 comments received on the new foods, 75 percent were favorable, but even those students who liked the food during the taste testing did not eat it once it was being served in the cafeterias. The students, according to Binkle, were only embracing half the fare being served. The salads and the vegetarian tamales were particularly popular. Andre Jahchan, a 16-year-old sophomore at Esteban Torres High School, said the food was "super good" at the summer tasting at L.A. Unified’s central kitchen. But on campus, he said, the chicken pozole was watery, the vegetable tamale was burned and hard, and noodles were soggy. "It’s nasty, nasty," said Andre, a member of Inner City Struggle, an East L.A. nonprofit working to improve school lunch access and quality. "No matter how healthy it is, if it’s not appetizing, people won’t eat it."
You Can Eat More and Continue to Lose Weight By Being Aware of How Many Calories You Burn During Exercise
You’re on your way. You’ve made up your mind to lose the weight, and you’ve found a food plan that works for you. You’re making healthier food choices, and the pounds are coming off. http://factoidz.com/making-healthier-food-choices-to-lose-weight-as-you-age-or-at-any-age/ http://factoidz.com/losing-weight-as-you-age-or-at-any-age/ http://factoidz.com/exercise-and-healthy-aging/ You want a cookie, chocolate, cake or other treat, or you may just want an extra portion at a meal but you’re at or over your calorie budget for the day, As I’ve written, keeping track of how many calories you need to maintain the weight you want to be is important. Eating healthy is important, and exercise is important. But did you know that by being aware of how many calories you’re burning during exercise will allow you to eat more and still maintain your desired weight or continue to allow you to lose weight? As I mentioned in Making healthier Food Choices to Lose Weight as You Age or at Any Age, an active woman weighing 150 lbs. should consume no more than 1,800 calories a day. However, if you exercise, you can add more calories to your daily food budget depending on the type of exercise you do and the length of time you do the exercise. When you’re 155 lbs. and decide to take an hour walk at a moderate pace, you can burn 230 calories, and if you do that three times a week, that adds up to 690 calories. If you’re on an 1,800 calorie a day diet to lose or maintain weight, and you’re keeping to that calorie budget daily and you do nothing but take that one hour walk 3 times a week, you can treat yourself to a dessert or take a day where you can go over your calorie budget by the amount you exercise daily. In addition, for 155 lb. person, one hour of: = Calories Running (12 minute mile) 563 Cycling (moderate) 493 Gardening 281 Fishing while sitting 176 Playing piano 176 Mowing the lawn 387 Water aerobics 281 (If you do the exercise for ½ hour, just divide the above calories by two.) http://www.nutristrategy.com/activitylist.htm http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/SM00109 I think what motivated me to take an exercise class at least once a week, or walk that 30 minutes or one hour, was that I could add that dessert or extra food to my daily food budget and not worry about gaining weight or going over my daily food budget. Being able to eat more and yet still maintain or lose weight can motivate us to take that extra walk, mow the lawn, walk up a flight of stairs instead of taking the elevator, walk that mile to the store instead of driving, or take an exercise class with a friend.
Some people become a vegetarian or a vegan for different reasons. For health reasons, animal rights, environmental or religious reasons. I became a strict vegetarian or actually a vegan for health reasons in 1990. A strict vegetarian or vegan eats no animal foods. Why I Became a Vegetarian During my teens and early 20s, I was very athletic, playing all kinds of sports, running, jumping on a trampoline and working in jobs that were physical, then I stopped being as active and sat at a desk. Even though I was no longer as active as I used to be, I continued to eat the same foods and amounts. During this time I ate the normal diet of red meat, BBQ, white potatoes and sugary deserts. By the time I was 30, my knees, shoulders and back ached and hurt to the point it was miserable to get out of bed. A friend who was a vegan gave me two books to read. One book was called “12 Days to Dynamic Health” By Dr. John McDougall and the second book was “Confessions of a Kamikaze Cowboy” by Dirk Benedict the macrobiotic diet. Confessions of a Kamikaze Cowboy was written by the actor Dirk Benedict, who played Starbuck on the original Battlestar Galactica and Face on The A-Team, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer and turned to macrobiotics to heal. His book is about his journey of how a macrobiotic diet cured him of this cancer. 12 Days to Dynamic Health was written by Dr. John McDougall who is a renowned doctor, author, vegetarian and has his own health and weight loss clinic. This diet is a strict vegetarian or vegan meal plan you do for 12 days. It will detoxify and clean out all of the past chemicals, meat and poisons you have been eating. His book has real life examples of people who went on this diet and lowered their high blood pressure, got rid of arthritis and were able to either reduce or completely eliminate certain medications for a number of health problems. What I Learned Being a Vegetarian I continued to read other books about a vegetarian diet and macrobiotics and I did believe that the types of food I ate affected how I felt and my health. From the macrobiotic books I learned how healthy miso and brown rice were. From the Dr. McDougall book, I learned how to eat the right foods and feel healthier. Changing to a vegetarian diet wasn’t easy. The McDougal plan allows no animal foods, no caffeine, no sugar and no dairy or cheese. Giving up coffee was hard and the caffeine withdrawal was miserable with the headaches for about a week. Giving up cheese and meat wasn’t easy either. The first week of the McDougall plan was not easy, since getting rid of toxins from your body can actually make you feel worse than before. Some people reported their face breaking out, stomach aches and feeling sick like the flu or a cold. This is normal as your body cleanses out the toxins. I remember stomach aches and being light headed. After 12 days, I did notice my knees didn’t ache anymore and my head was clear. My energy levels climbed dramatically, this could have been because I no longer drank coffee with sugar. Caffeine and sugar can cause your energy levels to surge and then drop back in the afternoon. A vegetarian diet or vegan diet if done healthy and properly will also lower the amount of sodium in your diet, there is not a lot of sodium in healthy food. I checked my blood pressure before I started this diet and throughout the 12 days. I did not have high pressure that would require medication, but it wasn’t perfect either. By the end of two weeks, my blood pressure was a perfect 110/70. I lost body fat, had much more energy and my knees and joints didn’t ache anymore. Continuing the Vegetarian Diet Experiment After several months of this strict vegetarian or vegan diet, I wanted a pizza. I ordered one and the first thing I noticed was how salty it tasted. So salty, it reminded me of a time I was in the ocean and got the salt water in my mouth. The next thing I noticed was how greasy and fatty it tasted. The first couple of bites tasted good and after that I didn’t want anymore. I learned that by changing my diet to a vegan diet, I actually changed my tastes and taste buds. I wondered if adding anything to my diet would make me feel bad again. I started to drink coffee again with sugar and my energy levels dropped dramatically in the afternoon and my knees and body started to ache again. I believe the sugar was a main cause of my aching body. Cheese can also cause inflammation and knees and other joints to ache. I went back to my vegetarian diet and again felt better. Switching Foods to a Vegetarian Diet In 1990, there was not the huge amount of vegan foods that there is today, so eating a vegetarian diet was just beans, grains and a lot of vegetables. Some examples of vegan foods that I ate on a regular basis: Pasta and today whole grain pasta and the pasta sauce had a lot of vegetables and mushrooms. Onion, lettuce and tomato sandwich on whole grain toast with Dijon mustard. Chili without meat, lots of vegetables and different kinds of beans Instead of coffee I drank herbal teas, bancha tea, Teeceno and Postum. Unfortunately, they don’t make Postum anymore. Brown rice and Quinoa Sweet potatoes Bean burritos Cold pasta salads in the summer There are many different foods and combinations you can have and once you change your taste buds, you will enjoy these foods and will not miss the overly salty and fatty foods. Unlike 1990, today there are all kinds of fake hamburgers, sausage, ham and so-called vegan or vegetarian foods. But read the ingredients as many of these foods are becoming more and more like unhealthy processed foods. Adding Meat to my Diet After years of eating a vegetarian or vegan diet, I started reading about omega-3 fatty acids and I realized I might not be getting enough. The macrobiotic diet allows some fish in their diet, so I did start to eat fish again once in a while. Not farmed fish, but wild caught fish. During the winter, I now add some grass-fed beef or buffalo to chili and burritos. What I Learned about Healthy Food and Being a Vegetarian You can change your body, health and how you feel simply by changing your diet. Here is what I learned about being a vegetarian. Eating a vegetarian diet amazingly got rid of my knee pains and all other arthritic joint pains. Eliminating chemical laden processed food and high sodium foods helped me feel much better. My blood pressure lowered to 110/70 My energy level was even and good all day long without the ups and downs. My digestive system worked great If you are trying to lose weight quickly, too many carbs, even healthy carbs can hinder weight loss. Cheese, feedlot red meat, deli meat and sugar can really make you feel terrible. By changing your diet to a vegetarian diet and then modifying your diet slightly can drastically help your feel better, heal medical problems and reduce or eliminate medications you take.
Staying on track when you are trying to lose weight can prove to be a challenging experience. In some cases, you may be sabotaging your diet without even knowing it. In order to ensure that you don’t inadvertently wreck your own diet, you have to be on the lookout for these hidden diet saboteurs. Since it is very difficult to remember how much of each of these you have eaten, you should keep a food journal to keep track of these hidden dangers, as well as other aspects of your diet. Sugar With 15 calories per teaspoon, sugar is definitely a hidden diet danger. It can also be a diet danger that is in plain sight. Even if you only use one teaspoon in your coffee, the calories can really add up if you drink coffee all day. Four cups and you have already consumed 60 calories, not including creamer. If you use three teaspoons of sugar per cup, you have amassed 180 calories in sugar alone. You don’t have to only watch the sugar you add to your food, you have to check the amount of sugar that is in your food. Sugar is one of the items that must be included in the nutrition label of packaged foods. A 16-oz. bottled orange juice, for example, contains 48 grams of sugar, which equals 192 calories. That is a significant amount if you are on a diet that limits you to no more than 1,500 calories per day. Salt Salt is one of those tricky little diet killers. Your body needs salt every day to function properly; however, if you eat too much salt, you aren’t going to notice the results of your dieting for a while. Finding the right balance is very important. You need around 1,500 mgs of salt per day in order for your muscles to function properly, your nerves to transmit signals and your fluid level to stay balanced. In order to keep your salt level in check, you have to look at the nutrition label on packaged food. On these labels, salt is classified as sodium. Keep a food diary that includes the amount of salt you eat per day so you can ensure that you get around 1,500 mgs per day. It is possible to eat as much as 2,300 mgs per day if you are a healthy adult. Be sure to look at labels on condiments, beverages and processed foods. Additionally, many seasonings contain salt, so try salt-free options, such as Mrs. Dash to spice up your meals.
Mexican Wild Yam, also known as Dioscorea villosa, is a tuberous Vine plant that is used medicinally to treat a several ailments, but is most commonly used for treating high cholesterol and menopausal symptoms. .
Mexican yam root is said to provide relief for inflammation caused by rheumatoid arthritis. The steroidal saponin chemicals that are found in wild yan root have anti-inflammatory properties, which help to relieve arthritis and other inflammatory conditions..
According to the National Institutes of Health, The Mexican yam root may be very helpful in reducing night sweats and hot flashes, However, it may not be as effective as treating menopausal symptoms with hormonal drugs because it does not actually have an effect on hormone levels. Mexican Yam root is also believed to be helpful in preventing miscarriage, There has been research that indicates that wild yam root is effective in preventing osteoporosis.
There is currently some interesting research into the possibility that Mexican wild yam may be useful for reducing the risk of breast cancer and cardiovascular diseases in postmenopausal women.
There is a possibility that this interesting plant may be effective in lowering blood sugar. More research is needed in this area to know exactly how effective it may be.
Many Naturopaths and Herbalist recommend that dried Mexican yam root be taken three times per day in a measured dose to raise HDL and lower bad cholesterol. It is also believed to help lower triglyceride levels. This would point to the possibility of cardiac benefits.
Mexican wild yam is known to be an antispasmodic that provides relief from spasms or muscle cramps. This makes it beneficial in relieving menstrual cramps, soothing abdominal and intestinal cramps. It is also helpful to provide relief from colic and flatulence caused by muscle spasms.
This Mexican wild Yam is available in many forms. It can purcased as a tincture, liquid extract, powder extract, and topical cream or in tablet or capsule form.
It is important to speak with your Health care provider before taking this or any other herbal remedies. There are some serious contraindications if you are taking certain pharmaceuticals. The combination of Mexican yam root and some particular drugs may be dangerous to your health.
There is, as with all medicinal substances, the possibility of side effects that you should be aware of. Some people have experienced severe nausea when taking large doses so it is important not to exceed the recommended doses when taking Mexican wild yam. It is known that this root contains dioscorin, which can be quite toxic in large amounts. If you have a medical condition, or are taking other drugs, herbs, or supplements, you should speak with a qualified health care provider before taking Mexican wild yam. Contact your health care provider immediately if you experience any type of side effects.
Have you watched tennis? If yes, you must have definitely seen some tennis players eating bananas when they get a break; do you know why they take bananas when there are lots of other fruits available? It is because bananas contain high amount of carbohydrates that will help the players to get the energy they require to play the match. We shall look at more health benefits of bananas.
1. Bananas regulate the bowel system: Are you suffering from constipation? The best solution to constipation is eating a banana a day. This is one of the major health benefits of bananas. Bananas are rich in fiber that helps in regulating the bowel functions.
2. Bananas reduce the risk of heart diseases and blood pressure: You might be surprised to hear this health benefit of bananas; yes, bananas reduce the risk of heart diseases as well as lowers blood pressure levels. How? Bananas are rich in potassium, which is very vital for the muscle contraction and proper functioning of the heart and nervous system. Do you know how much of potassium is required a day? It is just 4g and you get this by eating a banana. Isn’t this health benefit of banana amazing?
3. Bananas reduce depression: Tryptophan acids are present in bananas and these help in reducing depression and thereby improve your mood. Studies show that bananas are also helpful in reducing stress levels. In this age of stress, this health benefit of banana is truly great.
4. Eat bananas for healthy bones: What do you require for healthy bones? One requires calcium for healthy bones, am I right? Probiotic bacteria help in absorbing calcium and increasing the digestive ability. This helpful bacterium is present in bananas. Green bananas are especially helpful in absorbing calcium.
5. Reduce menstrual pains with bananas: Do you get menstrual pains? Majority of the women folk take pills to reduce menstrual pains. Rather taking these pain killers eat a banana. Bananas are rich in vitamin B6 that helps in regulating blood glucose levels. This helps in balancing your overall mood and hence reduces menstrual pains. I found this health benefit of banana very useful. How about you?
6. Bananas help ulcer patients: Another major health benefit of bananas is their capability of fighting intestinal disorders. Eating a raw banana reduces irritation in the stomach and reduces the effect of over acidity.
7. Bananas and anemia: Bananas are not only rich in potassium but also rich in iron; therefore, eating a banana increases iron and thereby high hemoglobin. When hemoglobin content is increased, naturally anemic conditions decreases. Forgot those pills for anemia and take a banana. Wow…yet another amazing health benefit of banana.
8. Quit smoking by eating bananas: Another amazing health benefit of banana is that it helps people who wish to quit smoking. Smokers have a high level of nicotine; minerals in banana like potassium and magnesium and vitamins B6 and B12 help in reducing nicotine. Smokers, take a note of this and quit smoking by taking bananas.
9. Bananas increase brain power: A survey was conducted very recently among 200 students at a school in Middlesex. They were given bananas along with their normal diet for their breakfast, break and lunch. Research proved that potassium in bananas helped to increase their mental alertness and boost brain power. Remember this health benefit of banana and make your child eat a banana everyday to score high in studies.
10. Reduce itching of mosquito bites with bananas: What do you normally do when there is an itching or swelling due to mosquito bites? We go in for creams that reduce itching and swelling. Rather using these creams, use banana peels. Rub the itching or swelling area with the inside of banana peels and see for yourself how soon you get relief from mosquito bite itching or swelling.
With these health benefits of bananas, I am sure everybody will now start to grab bananas and there will be acute shortage of bananas.
Definition:
In migraine, pain is located in one part of the head. It appears periodically and lasts from two weeks to two months. Before migraine starts there is defect in the eyesight, tireness, constipation, vomiting, nausea. It is a disease of nerves. It is caused by the acculumation of foreign matter around the brain and nerves in the neck.
Treatment:
Keep fast for three days and live on fruit juices.
Take enema to keep the stomach and intestines clean.
Take hot water bath once a week. Take hip bath or sitz bath
till the disease is cured.
Before the attack of migraine, take enema with lukewarm
water, drink luke warm water and after some time take
Hot Foot bath.
Exercises for arthritis
Here are four types of exercises that can reduce pain, say experts
Experts claim that people with arthritis who exercise have less pain, more energy, improved sleep, and better day-to-day function. Still, they tend to avoid exercising. "People with arthritis avoid exercise for a number of reasons," explained Donna Everix of the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals.
"Some avoid it due to fear of pain or injury, and others avoid if for the same reason many people without arthritis do - not wanting to make a lifestyle change."
Inactivity, in addition to arthritis related problems, can result in a variety of health risks, including Type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In addition, decreased pain tolerance, weak muscles, stiff joints and poor balance common to many forms of arthritis can be made worse by inactivity.
Following are the four types of exercises that can have a positive effect on reducing pain related to arthritis and other rheumatic diseases:
Flexibility
Flexibility exercises help to maintain or improve the flexibility in affected joints and surrounding muscles. Benefits include better posture, reduced risk of injuries and improved function. When focusing on flexibility exercises, range of motion exercises should be performed five to 10 times on a daily basis while stretching exercises can be performed at least three days a week with each stretch being held for 30 seconds.
Strengthening
Strengthening exercises are designed to work muscles. Strong muscles improve function and help to reduce bone loss related to inactivity. For people with arthritis, one set of eight to 10 exercises for the major muscle groups of the body two to three times a week is recommended. However, older individuals may find that 10-15 repetitions with less resistance are more effective. The resistance or weight should challenge the muscles without increasing joint pain.
Aerobic
Aerobic exercises include activities that use the large muscles of the body in a repetitive and rhythmic manner. Aerobic exercise improves heart, lung and muscle function. For people with arthritis, this type of exercise has benefits for weight control, mood, sleep and general health. Safe forms of aerobic exercise include walking, aerobic dance, aquatic exercise, bicycling or exercising on equipment such as stationary bikes, treadmills or elliptical trainers. Current recommendations for aerobic activity are 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise a week, preferably spread out over several days.
Body awareness
Body awareness exercises include activities to improve posture, balance, joint position sense, coordination and relaxation. Tai chi and yoga are examples of recreational exercises that incorporate elements of body awareness and can be a very useful part of an arthritis exercise plan
New Delhi: A sedentary lifestyle, bad posture, stress and overdependence on technology could leave you with a constant backache. But experts say sometimes the problem can be easily sorted out with the right diagnosis and a little care.
Experts point out that the problem of lower back pain is fairly common. About 80 per cent experience pain at some point in life.
"The major culprits of back pain, especially in young adults, is stressful and long working hours stretching up to 12 hours and more, lack of proper physical activity, bad habits such as reading while lying down, slouching in front of the TV, etc, coupled with weight issues," B.K. Dhaon, head of the department of orthopaedics at Sharda Hospital, said.
What comes as a surprise is that fitness-conscious youngsters, who are regulars at gyms, also suffer from it. In such cases, bad sitting posture is often to be blamed, says Amit Kumar Mishra, an orthopaedic surgeon.
"Abnormal sitting posture is the main culprit in youngsters who are otherwise fit and fine. These people have everything, including a healthy diet and nutrition, but the back is overstressed due to a non-compliant posture for long durations," he added.
Some example of bad posture are slouching or bending forward while working on the computer or reading in a lying position.
But there are some medical reasons too for constant backaches.
"Acute back strain, sprain due to injury, lifting of heavy weights. In old age, osteoporosis and fracture due to lack of calcium in the body can also lead to backache," said Dhaon.
"Back pain also occurs during and after pregnancy. This is because of two reasons: there is extra weight and hence extra pressure on the lower back and due to the hormonal changes during this time, the ligaments of the lower spine get relaxed and become more prone to pain," he added.
Under normal circumstances, Rajesh Verma, consultant orthopaedic at Artemis Health Institute, says one can keep the problem away by taking care of his or her sitting postures.
"Sit with your back straight and your shoulders back. Your buttocks should touch the back of your chair. Bend your knees at a right angle. Do not sit with your knees crossed. Keep your knees even with or slightly higher than your hips," he said.
"Keep your feet flat on the floor. Try to avoid sitting in the same position for more than 30 minutes. At work, adjust your chair height and work station so you can sit up close to your work. Rest your elbows and arms on your chair or desk, keeping your shoulders relaxed," he added.
A healthy diet and better lifestyle can help as well.
"It is important to get up and become active if one has a sedentary lifestyle. Also, maintaining a healthy weight is required. Paying attention to how much calories you take and burn and making a habit of choosing healthier foods coupled with regular exercise help in maintaining a healthy back," said Dhaon.
Experts also suggest it is important not to ignore back pain and identify the exact reason behind it at the right time.
"Back pain should not be taken lightly when the following red flag signs are present - night pain, radiating pain down to the legs, numbness, sensory deficit or weakness," said Mishra.
"The problem of sciatica which is caused by the irritation of the sciatic nerve is very common and is often misdiagnosed. Hence getting to the root of your backache is a prerequisite for speedy recovery," he added.
Dhaon also suggests if the back pain persists for a week or more, it is time to consult a doctor who can help you in identifying whether your backache is due to an irritated nerve, muscle injury, a slip disc, some other underlying disease or bad posture.
Yoga and meditation on a daily basis also help to relieve the problem. Asanas like shawasana and naukaasana too can help, says Verma.
Reports suggest that psycho-social factors such as stress, anxiety, depression and mental stress also cause back pain.
Foods aren`t good or bad - A healthy eating style is like a puzzle with many parts. Each part -- or food -- is different. Some foods may have more fat, sugar or salt while others may have more vitamins or fiber. There is a place for all these foods. What makes a diet good or bad is how foods fit together. Balancing your choices is important. Fit in a higher-fat food, like pepperoni pizza, at dinner by choosing lower-fat foods at other meals. And don`t forget about moderation. If two pieces of pizza fill you up, you don`t need a third.
Eat well. Combined with physical activity, eating nutritious foods in the right amounts can help keep you healthy. Many illnesses, such as heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis, can be prevented or controlled with dietary changes and exercise. Calcium and vitamin D supplements can help women prevent osteoporosis.
Start your day with breakfast. - Breakfast fills your "empty tank" to get you going after a long night without food. And it can help you do better in school. Easy to prepare breakfasts include cold cereal with fruit and low-fat milk, whole-wheat toast with peanut butter, yogurt with fruit, whole-grain waffles or even last night`s pizza!
Snack smart. - Snacks are a great way to refuel. Choose snacks from different food groups - a glass of low-fat milk and a few graham crackers, an apple or celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins, or some dry cereal. If you eat smart at other meals, cookies, chips and candy are OK for occasional snacking.
Balance your food choices - don`t eat too much of any one thing. - You don`t have to give up foods like hamburgers, french fries and ice cream to eat healthy. You just have to be smart about how often and how much of them you eat. Your body needs nutrients like protein, carbohydrates, fat and many different vitamins and minerals such as vitamins C and A, iron and calcium from a variety of foods. Balancing food choices from the Food Guide Pyramid and checking out the Nutrition Facts Panel on food labels will help you get all these nutrients.
Eat more grains, fruits and vegetables.- These foods give you carbohydrates for energy, plus vitamins, minerals and fiber. Besides, they taste good! Try breads such as whole-wheat, bagels and pita. Spaghetti and oatmeal are also in the grain group.
Bananas, strawberries and melons are some great tasting fruits. Try vegetables raw, on a sandwich or salad.
Foods aren`t good or bad - A healthy eating style is like a puzzle with many parts. Each part -- or food -- is different. Some foods may have more fat, sugar or salt while others may have more vitamins or fiber. There is a place for all these foods. What makes a diet good or bad is how foods fit together. Balancing your choices is important. Fit in a higher-fat food, like pepperoni pizza, at dinner by choosing lower-fat foods at other meals. And don`t forget about moderation. If two pieces of pizza fill you up, you don`t need a third.
Eat well. Combined with physical activity, eating nutritious foods in the right amounts can help keep you healthy. Many illnesses, such as heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis, can be prevented or controlled with dietary changes and exercise. Calcium and vitamin D supplements can help women prevent osteoporosis.
Start your day with breakfast. - Breakfast fills your "empty tank" to get you going after a long night without food. And it can help you do better in school. Easy to prepare breakfasts include cold cereal with fruit and low-fat milk, whole-wheat toast with peanut butter, yogurt with fruit, whole-grain waffles or even last night`s pizza!
Snack smart. - Snacks are a great way to refuel. Choose snacks from different food groups - a glass of low-fat milk and a few graham crackers, an apple or celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins, or some dry cereal. If you eat smart at other meals, cookies, chips and candy are OK for occasional snacking.
Balance your food choices - don`t eat too much of any one thing. - You don`t have to give up foods like hamburgers, french fries and ice cream to eat healthy. You just have to be smart about how often and how much of them you eat. Your body needs nutrients like protein, carbohydrates, fat and many different vitamins and minerals such as vitamins C and A, iron and calcium from a variety of foods. Balancing food choices from the Food Guide Pyramid and checking out the Nutrition Facts Panel on food labels will help you get all these nutrients.
Eat more grains, fruits and vegetables.- These foods give you carbohydrates for energy, plus vitamins, minerals and fiber. Besides, they taste good! Try breads such as whole-wheat, bagels and pita. Spaghetti and oatmeal are also in the grain group.
Bananas, strawberries and melons are some great tasting fruits. Try vegetables raw, on a sandwich or salad.
Healthier bones contribute a great deal to a healthy body. Building strong bones now may protect you from osteoporosis later. Here are some quick tips for keeping your bones strong and healthy.
Vitamin D and Calcium: Lactose from the milk is important. For those with Lactose intolerance, Vitamin D and calcium can be obtained from soy milk that is fortified with 30% of the daily value of calcium and vitamin D. Fortified cereals, broccoli and fortified juices also are a good source of calcium.
Nuts and Seeds: Apart from dairy products, eating nuts and seeds is also beneficial as they are a good source of minerals. For example, one ounce of almonds contains 75mg of calcium while 1 ounce of sesame seeds contains 37mg of calcium.
Vegetables: Eating a variety of beta-carotene rich vegetables helps in meeting the bones vitamin A requirement. Beta-carotene rich vegetables include carrots, sweet potatoes and cantaloupe.
Vitamin-K: A serving of spinach or two servings of broccoli help meet the requirement. Vitamin K is also essential for healthier bones.
Exercise Regularly: Apart from eating well it is also important to exercise. Weight-bearing exercises such as walking, aerobics, basketball and weightlifting also help keep the bones strong.
Vital at every age for healthy bones, exercise is important for treating and preventing osteoporosis. Not only does exercise improve your bone health, it also increases muscle strength, coordination, and balance, and it leads to better overall health.
For those eating calcium supplements and suffer from gastrointestinal issues after starting supplements, first try eating more fibre and drinking more fluids.
Chances are you've heard that many expert groups say cancer screening is overused, too, from mammograms given too early or too often to prostate cancer tests that may not save lives. It's not just cancer. Now some of the nuts-and-bolts tests given during checkups or hospital visits are getting a second look, too — things like routine EKGs to check heart health, or chest X-rays before elective surgery. Next under the microscope may be women's dreaded yearly pelvic exams.
The worry: If given too often, these tests can waste time and money, and sometimes even do harm if false alarms spur unneeded follow-up care.
It begs the question: Just what should be part of my doctor's visit?
If you're 65 or older, Medicare offers a list of screenings to print out and discuss during the new annual wellness visit, a benefit that began last year. As of November, more than 1.9 million seniors had taken advantage of the free checkup.
For younger adults, figuring out what's necessary and what's overkill is tougher. Whatever your age, some major campaigns are under way to help. They're compiling lists of tests that your doctor might be ordering more out of habit, or fear of lawsuits, than based on scientific evidence that they are really needed.
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