Importance of Hydration

Water makes up 75% of the human body. Water is essential for the survival of life on Earth. Animals, plants, and humans would all expire swiftly if they did not have access to water. Even though people are largely made up of water, they must continue to drink it in order to exist. Keeping your body hydrated and healthy is as simple as drinking water. Proper hydration is required to support regular living functions. Here are few benefits of hydration explained to you by the diet consultant – Siddhi Takalkar.

Promotes cardiovascular health

Your heart is a large muscle that is constantly pounding to ensure that all of your cells receive enough oxygen. Dehydration, or your body not retaining enough water to operate properly, is a common cause of overworking your heart. Dehydration reduces blood volume, forcing your heart to work harder and faster to keep the rest of your body supplied with oxygen.

Increases energy and brain function

According to studies, hydration has a significant impact on how well the brain performs. Mild dehydration, which causes mood, concentration, headaches, memory, tiredness, anxiety, and overall brain performance in people of all ages, causes issues with mood, concentration, headaches, memory, tiredness, anxiety, and overall brain performance. Because everyday activities can lead to dehydration, many doctors advise bringing a water bottle with you wherever you go.

Helps joints and muscles function correctly

Have you ever had a charley horse-like muscle cramp? If you have, dehydration could be the source of your discomfort. Without the proper amount of fluid, your muscles and joints stiffen up. It is for this reason that orthopaedic specialists advise all patients, particularly active patients who engage in sports or strenuous exercise, to drink enough of water throughout the day.

Maximizes physical performance

Maintaining a healthy level of hydration improves your overall physical performance. If you drink enough water, whether for sports or everyday activities, your body will function at its best. When you start to cut back on your water consumption, your body begins to lose energy. People who engage in high-intensity activities should bring adequate water and electrolyte-containing fluids to drink.

Cleanses your body

Your body absorbs toxins from food, beverages, the air, and other environmental contaminants on a daily basis. These poisons disrupt your body’s natural balance, making you feel tired and odd. Drinking water cleanses your body by assisting organs such as your kidneys in filtering and disposing of waste from your blood. The more water you drink, the more toxins your body produces both internally and externally.

Treats ailments

Staying hydrated can also help with a variety of symptoms and illnesses. It’s critical to keep drinking liquids when you’re unwell. Drinking adequate liquids will help you recover faster because your body is working hard to fight off viruses or germs that enter the body. Headaches, kidney stones, colds, flus, and seizures are all common health problems that hydration can help with.

3 Immunity boosting Teas for Rainy Season

Tea has piqued the interest of academics in the West, who are uncovering the many health advantages of various varieties of teas. Tea has been regarded as a key to good health, happiness, and knowledge in the East for thousands of years. Some teas have been shown in studies to help with cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, as well as weight loss, cholesterol reduction, and mental sharpness.

• Turmeric Tea:

Ingredients:

o 1 cup warm water
o 1/4 tsp Haldi powder
o 1 pinch Pepper powder
o 1 tsp Ginger juice
o 1 tsp Lemon Juice
o 1 tsp Amla Juice
o 1/2 tsp Apple cider vinegar
o 1 pinch Dalchini powder
o 2 strands Saffron
o 1 Clove

Procedure:

Add Turmeric (Haldi) to simmering water, then add all the ingredients one after the other, bring the Tea to boil, strain and serve.

Benefits:

o Eases arthritis symptoms.
o Helps prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
o Helps prevent cancer.
o Maintains ulcerative colitis remission.
o Boosts the immune system.
o Lowers cholesterol.
o Can help treat uveitis.

• Hibiscus Tea:
o 2 large Dried hibiscus petals
o 2 cups Water
o 1 inch Ginger chopped
o 2 tsp Honey

Procedure:

o Bring water and ginger to a rolling boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Turn the heat off.
o Toss in the dried hibiscus petals and steep for 5 minutes (or longer if you want a stronger flavor).
o In a glass, pour hot hibiscus tea, stir in honey, and serve.
o Allow the tea to cool to room temperature before refrigerating for a few hours or until ready to serve.

Benefits:

o Hibiscus flower tea has a long list of health advantages.
o High blood pressure and high cholesterol sufferers will benefit from this supplement.
o It is beneficial to both the digestive and immunological systems.
o It aids in the regulation of the body’s blood sugar levels.
o Weight loss can also be aided by hibiscus flower tea.
o It’s high in vitamin C, minerals, and antioxidants, and it’s good for hypertension and anxiety.

• Ginger Tulsi Tea:

Ingredients:

o Basil leaves, 10-12 no.
o Lemon (medium), 1/2
o Ginger, 2 inch
o Honey, 4 tsp
o Water, 2 cup

Procedure:

o Thoroughly wash and clean the ginger. Then, without peeling it, grind it. Ginger has a lot of nutrients in its peel.
o Fill a pot halfway with water and bring to a boil.
o Boil for another 2-3 minutes after adding the grated ginger. Continue to cook for another 3 minutes.
o Tear the tulsi (holy basil) leaves into small pieces and place them in the simmering ginger water.
o Turn off the heat, cover the saucepan, and set aside for 2-3 minutes to allow the ginger-holy basil tisane to steep.
o After that, strain the mixture into serving cups. Pour in the honey, squeeze in the lemon juice, and whisk quickly. Serve immediately.
o On an empty stomach, drink Adrak Tulsi Chai Recipe Ginger-Holy Basil tea.

Benefits:

o Tulsi tea is also great for arthritis patients
o Tulsi tea helps maintain dental & oral health
o Regulates Blood Sugar Levels
o Helps reduce stress
o Tulsi will help prevent respiratory disorders

Healthy Tea are always a better option whenever you are craving a drink. They are great to build up your immunity. Contact Siddhi Deshpande-Takalkar, one of the best nutritionist in Pune, for more such amazing recipes and health tips.

Importance of seasonal fruits in summer

Summer means scorching sun, sweat and sitting at home but taking proper care and enjoying some delicious fruits would make the summer go a lot better. The benefits of the fruit is that these juicy delicacies are not only great in taste but also have amazing health benefits. Here is Nutriworks, the best diet consultant in Pune, explaining benefits of seasonal fruits in summer.

Watermelon:

This is the ultimate summer fruit. Watermelon is not only full of vitamins A, B6 and C it is also fat free in nature. Watermelons also keeps you hydrated, it lowers inflammation and oxidative stress.

Mango:

Everyone keeps waiting all year long. Mango is extremely delicious, juicy and full of good nutrients. Vitamins A and Vitamin C in mango help you build your immune system. Raw mango juice can help you prevent your body from heat.

Papaya:

It’s not a secret that papaya is good for skin. It reduces the tan. Eating or applying papaya to the skin can help you soothe the sunburn. It helps with digestion and lowers blood pressure. You know what’s better? It also makes great fruit in weight loss diet.

Sweet lime:

Sweet lime also known as Mosambi, is full of Vitamin C. Mosambi aka sweet lime also helps you with constipation and it helps you remove toxins from your bowel system. It is full of dietary fibre. It is also helpful in cooling your body down.

Grapes:

These small juicy fruits, have said to help your body against cancer, eye problems, cardiovascular diseases and many other health conditions. They are also a good source of fiber, potassium, minerals and vitamins. They are also full of antioxidants, making them a great fruit for summer. These and many more fruits like lychee, pear, pineapple, honeydew melon are also beneficial in summer. For more such health tips contact best dietician in Pune.

Increase Haemoglobin Naturally

Low haemoglobin called anemia is a most common condition in majority of population especially in females. Recently I volunteered a blood donation camp in which I observed many healthy people who were eager to donate blood were unfit for blood donation just because of a low haemoglobin count. Low haemoglobin levels without any underlying conditions like in pregnancy, liver or kidney diseases, absorptive disorders, thalassemia, cancers, bleeding wounds etc. can be usually due to improper eating habits, low nutritional content of foods, inadequate nutrient intake or improper cooking methods which can lead to deficiency of nutrients like iron, folic acid, vitamin B12, vitamin C and proteins together responsible for low levels of haemoglobin.

When you have blood haemoglobin levels below 12.5g% it is termed as anemia. Adequate haemoglobin is required for transport of oxygen to your body cells. It also transports carbon-dioxide to lungs to be exhaled. Our body uses dynamic mechanism to maintain its haemoglobin. It tries to maintain normal haemoglobin by using these stores of nutrients like iron. Once the stores are depleted, slowly the haemoglobin levels start decreasing below normal showing various symptoms. Low haemoglobin gives you general fatigue, paleness, weakness, pale skin, shortness of breath, dizziness, cold extremities (hand and feet), tingling sensation in legs, fast or irregular heartbeat, cravings to items that are not foods (mud, clay, chalk etc.), brittle nails, headaches, etc.

Donating blood for a social cause is a good initiative for which we should keep ourselves fit not only from health point of view but also to maintain your haemoglobin count. To maintain haemoglobin throughout the year we need to have a balanced diet rich in various nutrients. Haemoglobin is made up of heme and globin which requires iron, vitamin C, folic acid, vitamin B12 and proteins. To improve your haemoglobin, you need all these nutrients in your diet in correct amount. Iron deficiency anemia is most common and is seen in majority of females than males.

Improve your iron intake by increasing following iron rich foods in your diet:

Non – veg : Meat and fish
Eggs
Pulses and Beans, peas and lentils.
Nuts – Walnuts, Roasted almonds, peanuts
Seeds – Garden cress (Aliv seeds), Pumpkin, Sesame and flax seeds
Whole grains
Most dark green leafy vegetables – Spinach, Shepu, Cauliflower leaves, Broccoli, Rajgeera.
Iron fortified breakfast cereals and breads

Usually the vegetarian varieties contain non-heme iron and require vitamin C rich foods consumed along with iron rich foods for better absorption. These foods include:

Amla and Guava
Sweet lime, orange
Fermented products
Tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, peas
Green leafy vegetables

Diet should contain a considerable amount of good quality protein to improve your hemoglobin levels. They include:

Egg
Lean Chicken
Meat and Fish
Milk and milk products
Pulses
Legumes

If you have a anemia due to folic acid and vitamin b12 deficiency, you need to incorporate following foods in your diet.

Egg yolk
Curd
Spinach
Gingelly seeds
Sorrel (Ambat Chuka), Ladies finger, Cluster beans (Gavar), Tomatoes
Whole Wheat

Some Important Tips to improve your haemoglobin:

Avoid intake of tea and coffee along with meals to improve iron absorption.
Cook at least 1 to 2 dishes in cast iron pan to provide two to three times more iron content than the one cooked in any other pan.
Consume foods rich in vitamin C and iron together to improve absorption of iron.
Soak, Sprout and ferment foods to improve bioavailability of iron. It reduces amount of phytates and improves iron absorption.
Consume minimum of processed foods which lack iron. Consume plenty of natural foods to improve overall intake of nutrients.

Improve your haemoglobin levels… Maintain it all the time…

Take a balanced diet…

Maintain your nutrition and be fit for blood donation…

As one of the few Registered Dietitians in Pune, I feel that everyone should focus on staying healthy, instead of later finding ways to fight off the diseases. I have been working as a diet consultant in Pune and I find that even common illnesses take weeks and months to get better. That’s why, “prevention is better than cure!” If you are looking for a nutritionist in Pune for such preventive diets, Nutriworks is the right place for you.

Improve brainpower of your kids with these diet tips

The kind of stress and competition that our kids face is increasing and getting tougher day after day. It is important that we prepare our kids and make them strong and capable enough to face it.

One way to do that is helping them to focus, concentrate and excel at what they do by boosting their brain power. A proper diet and adequate nutrients are extremely essential in brain health. Here are some tips to make sure that your kids eat healthy-

Include whole grains

Like everything else in our body, the brain requires energy (glucose) to function well. Your child can concentrate and focus better when there is a steady and adequate supply of energy. Whole grains like wheat, brown rice, jowar, bajra, etc. help to release glucose slowly in the body, thereby ensuring a sustained supply.

Don’t forget the Proteins

Proteins are the building blocks of our body. They are essential for the formation of neurotransmitters which send messages across the brain and nervous system. According to research, the healthiest sources of proteins include lean meats, fish, poultry, dairy and plant based sources such as nuts and legumes.

Animal sources of protein are also rich in B complex vitamins such as thiamin, niacin, B6, B12 and folic acid and choline. These vitamins, especially choline has been linked with boosting memory. If you are vegetarian or vegan, look for fortified foods or opt for supplements.

Fats are good

Did you know that almost 70% of our brain is made of fat? It is but natural then that it requires fat for adequate functioning. However, the type and quantity are important. Omega-3 fatty acids such as DHA, are essential components for learning and memory. They are found in fatty fish such as salmon and sardines. Plant sources include flaxseeds, chia seeds, almonds, walnuts, etc.

Saturated fat such as ghee, coconut oil, full fat dairy products are also essential.

However, it is important to remember that trans-fat, hydrogenated fat, found in deep fried, bakery and processed foods are harmful, since they cause oxidation and damage to the cells.

Include fruits and veggies

Most Indian parents complain that their kids don’t like vegetables or they hate eating fruits. However, apart from being high in fibre, this food group contains loads of antioxidants which are beneficial for preventing oxidative stress, thereby preventing fatigue, drowsiness, irritability, etc.

Make interesting recipes and get them interested in what they are eating.

Ensure that they are hydrated well

Dehydration can cause a decrease in brain function by affecting the concentration, causing irritability and a generalised lethargy. Avoid this by making sure that they have enough fluids throughout the day. Water, smoothies, milkshakes, soups will provide adequate hydration. Of course, avoid sugary, packaged, caffeinated beverages, since they do more harm than good.

Make them go out to play

Exercise in any form helps to boost the brain function by releasing substances that boost memory, cognitive function and help to process information effectively. It also increases the heart rate, which pumps more oxygen to the brain.

So let them run, skip, hop, jump, play cricket, football-whatever they wish!

A balanced diet with ample play time and less of screen time is beneficial in improving your child’s cognitive development. ‘Practice what you preach’! Incorporating healthy habits yourself will provide a good example to your children and make the implementation easier. Happy eating!

Siddhi Takalkar is a child nutrition specialist in Pune. She is also the founder of NutriWorks and is a Registered Dietitian in Kothrud, Pune with a Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics. She has a vast experience in advising diets for various age groups. She is the best diet consultant for all your Nutritional needs.

Super foods for sankrant

Makar sankranti is a festival dedicated to the Sun God. It falls in January and is the beginning of the Sun’s journey into the Makar (Capricorn) sign. It is celebrated all over India and is known by various names such as lohri, bihu, pongal, etc. It celebrates the harvest season and as is the case with all celebrations, food forms a central part of it!

The beauty of this festival is that it is celebrated with food that has various benefits in the winter season. Some of these super foods include-

Til-also known as gingelly seeds. These are basically oil seeds which provide 563 kilocalories, 18.3 gm protein, 43.3 gm fat per 100 gm of seeds. They are rich in various B complex vitamins and minerals such as copper, magnesium, calcium and zinc. Various studies have shown that til seeds provide relief in Rheumatoid arthritis, help in respiratory disorders, promote bone health, improve hair and skin and are a great stress buster.

Jaggery-you might think of the humble jaggery as just a sweetener, but it is a lot more than that. It is rich in antioxidants and minerals like selenium and zinc, which help in scavenging the free radicals in the body. It aids in digestion by activating the various digestive enzymes in the stomach. It can help alleviate the symptoms of PMS in women.

Groundnuts-are also oil seeds. They provide 567 kilocalories, 25.3 gm of protein and 40.1 gm of fat per 100 gm of seeds. They also contain magnesium, niacin, copper, oleic acid, and antioxidants such as resveratrol. Eating peanuts in optimum quantities can help in weight loss, healthy heart and prevention of gallstones.

Ghee-ghee is a powerhouse of nutrients. It provides energy and contains various minerals and fat soluble vitamins like A, D, E and K. It has anti-inflammatory properties, helps in keeping the heart healthy and also helps to flush out toxins from the body.

Seasonal vegetables-contain more nutrients, antioxidants and nutrients which are essential for the body. Seasonal vegetables are allowed to develop fully on the plant itself, thereby enhancing their nutrient value.

Leafy vegetables-these are grown abundantly in winters and have various health benefits. They are a great source of antioxidants, minerals and fibre. They help to improve the metabolism, relieve constipation, and have cancer-preventing agents like lutein and zeaxanthin.

Bajra-it comes from the family of millets. It contains 361 kilocalories, 12 gm protein and 5 gm fat per 100 gm of the millet. Additionally, it contains complex carbohydrates, resistant starch, magnesium, polyphenols like flavonoids and omega 3 fatty acids. It is beneficial for gut health, diabetes, healthy heart and helps protect against ageing, cancer and metabolic disorders.

Indian festival foods are often those which are grown in abundance during that time and Sankrant foods are no exception. Enjoy these foods, but be aware of the quantity and portion sizes, because ultimately, moderation is the key!

Siddhi Takalkar-founder of NutriWorks is a Registered Dietitian in Pune with a Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics. She has a vast experience in advising diets for various health conditions and is the best Dietitian and Nutritionist in Pune for all your Nutritional needs.

TOP 10 THINGS U NEED TO FOCUS ON THIS WINTER

The cold season is here! Season change generally has ill effects on your immunity, skin, and overall health. Follow these tips to stay fit this season.

Stay hydrated- During winters, it is easy to miss out on drinking water because of the cold. However, ensure that you have at least 2.5-3 litres of water consciously, everyday.
Include warming spices- Spices such as cinnamon, ginger, garlic, pepper, etc. are known for warming up the body from inside. Include these in your food preparations to beat the cold.
Avoid too much tea/coffee– Although it is extremely comforting to sip hot beverages during cold days, excess of caffeinated once can cause dehydration. Instead, opt for soups, broths, thin porridges, which are equally soothing.
Limit your alcohol intake- There are a lot of parties happening in this season, where you might be tempted to go out of your ‘comfort zone’. However, like caffeine, too much alcohol can also cause dehydration.
Include root vegetables- Vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes are a great source of energy and help you remain full for long. Include these vegetables in proportion for a hearty meal. However, don’t over-indulge.
Include vitamin C rich foods- A change in temperature is sure to wreak havoc in the body, leading to lowered immunity. Vitamin C rich fruits and vegetables will help to greatly improve the immunity and help you withstand the long winter. These include lemon, oranges, sweet lime, berries, capsicum, green chillies etc.
Increase the intake of anti oxidants- Apart from Vitamin C, antioxidants will also help to build a strong immunity and fight the free radical damage caused as a result of normal body processes and also due to pollution. Zinc, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Selenium are all potent antioxidants. Including spinach and other leafy vegetables, carrots, berries like strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, nuts like almonds, walnuts, etc, will ensure a good intake of these nutrients.
Have healthy snacking options ready- Winter can be quite gloomy, making you crave for sugary comfort foods to lift your mood. For such times, keep healthier options easily accessible, which can include sprouts, dry fruits like dates, figs, raisins. At times, even a small piece of dark chocolate can instantly cheer you up!
Don’t skip your exercise- As the temperature drops, so does your BMR, leading to a slow and sluggish metabolism. This means that you are more prone to putting on extra kilos during winter. Minimum 30-40 minutes of daily exercise will ensure that your weight remains in check.
Include healthy fats- Dry and cold weather can adversely affect the skin and hair, making it dry and rough. Including healthy fats such as ghee, unsalted butter, nuts, avocado etc. helps in maintaining a healthy skin. Seeds such as sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds etc. are rich in Vitamin E, which is also a great antioxidant.