We often seek a magic portion that could peel the extra flab on consumption.
We all have heard that drinking adequate water is beneficial to health and in shedding excess weight. This advice is often over looked or under estimated.
All functions within the body require the presence of water. A well hydrated body enables these functions to occur quickly and efficiently. All bodily processes of metabolism involve expenditure of energy and drinking plenty of water will make us feel more energetic and boost our metabolic rate.
A well hydrated body will burn calories 3 to 5% faster.
Thirst and hunger sensations are triggered together. If there is a slight dehydration the thirst mechanism is triggered and it may be mistaken for hunger and one may eat when the body is actually craving fluid.
Drinking water and eating after 15 minutes greatly aid in controlling the hunger thus enabling us to control our calorie intake.
Consuming 1.5 to 2 liters of water daily helps to reduce blood pressure and Cholesterol, clears the toxic waste products released in the blood stream and improves skin texture.
I am a 31 years old male. I smoke 7 - 8 cigarettes a day. Can this affect the health of my 5 years old son? I do smoke in my room. Can second hand smoke cause cancer? How can I quit smoking?
A. Smoking is a health hazard for you and for people around you. There are ways to stop smoking.
Chantix 0.5 mg twice a day x 7 days then 1 mg twice a day x 2 months. You can take this while you are smoking and it makes you not want to smoke any more.
Also zyban, nicotrol inhaler, gum, nicotine patch are helpful. For some one who likes the ritual of smoking chantix or nicotrol inhaler are the best options.
Talk to your doctor and see what works best for you.
Now, here’s a piece of breaking news! Eating a slice of bread without butter or with a little jam is more fattening than a slice of bread with a dollop of butter or a cup of ice cream. SURPRISED?
The sugar from a slice of bread is very easily released and the pancreas releases a corresponding amount of insulin to remove it from the blood stream, either to be taken to the organs for immediate use or to be stored for future use. Invariably, it is taken to the store, as the organs are not able to utilise such a large quantity of sugar when it is released too quickly. The sugar level dips in the blood stream, creating a further craving, which is again usually fixed by a refined snack, and the vicious cycle is set off.
Though a simple logical calculation might suggest that a slice of bread has fewer calories and hence that it is less fattening, pondering on this suggests otherwise. If you observe your craving and eating pattern for the next 5–7 hours, after the ingestion of a refined (fibre-free) carbohydrate you will be surprised to find that you load yourself will an extra 500 kcal than you would, after eating a fibre-rich complex carbohydrate, protein or a fatty food. Hence what appeared to be a low-calorie ingestion is actually FATTENING! On the other hand, sugar stoppers help your body optimise the use of sugar, by slowing down the process of sugar release. FAT, PROTEIN, FIBRE, all of these are SUGAR STOPPERS. They delay the release of sugar.
It would be no exaggeration if it is said that fibers are Super Sugar Stoppers!
They are very useful in controlling and utilising your blood sugar better, which is very essential to keep your weight under check and also manage your diabetes.
We are told that a stitch in time saves Nine, but sometimes we fail to apply this, when advised by a doctor to come for regular follow ups .Many neglect it and fail to understand the importance.
Chandrasekar aged 45 came to consult Dr JS Rajkumar for severe acid reflux a year ago. Tests revealed that the acid reflux that he had endured for more than two decades had led to the formation of Barrett’s esophagus (wherein the cells of the esophagus become precancerous) . A laparoscopic fundoplication to prevent the reflux as well as the abnormal cells of the esophagus were burnt ,requesting him to come back for periodic follow ups explaining the importance of the same for the patients with Barrett’s esophagus. Chandrasekar never came for his follow up treatment, until a few days ago he was finding it difficult to swallow which severe pain the abdomen. It was discovered that he had Esophageal Cancer, luckily it was in the initial stage and it has be removed
It was done using a simultaneous thoraco-laparoscopic access route and he is recovering very well. Indeed, this case report has been sent for publication due to its rarity.
Dietary fibers are the indigestible portion of the plant foods that move through the digestive system, absorbing water and easing defecation. They are commonly referred as “Roughages”
A catalyst is defined as a substance that increases the rate of the reaction without itself undergoing any change. Indeed Dietary Fiber acts as a negative catalyst in our digestion.
It acts as a shield and makes it difficult for the digestive juices to reach the food, thus making our body work harder to get the food. In other words you expend more calories to digest a Fiber rich food, as it increases your metabolic rate. Since more is demanded from the body, to digest a fiber rich food, it takes longer time to assimilate and absorb the food. So the next benefit is, you don’t feel hungry for a fairly long time after you consume a fiber rich food.
The end product of digestion Glucose is released slowly into the blood stream so there is no stress on the Pancreas to produce large quantity of Insulin as in the case of consuming a refined food.
It also reduces the Cholesterol level by reducing the fat absorption. As we said earlier the fiber only acts as a catalyst and the body is incapable of assimilating the Fiber. So it leaves the system unchanged and you don’t get any calories from Fiber. It also improves the bowel movement.