Low-fat dairy foods may help reduce stroke risk

 People who drink lowfat milk and eat lowfat yogurt and cheese are at a lower risk of stroke as compared to those who consume full-fat dairy foods, a new study has claimed. In a Swedish study, among 74,961 adults 45 to 83 years old, those who ate lowfat dairy foods had a 12 percent lower risk of stroke and a 13 per cent lower risk of ischemic stroke than those who ate highfat dairy foods. 

Participants were free of heart disease, stroke and cancer at the start of the study. 

    "From a public health perspective, if people consume more low-fat dairy foods rather than high-fat dairy foods, they will benefit from a reduced risk of stroke and other positive health outcomes," Susanna Larsson, lead researcher said. The benefits of low-fat dairy foods are likely due to the vitamins and minerals they contain calcium, potassium, magnesium and vitamin D. "It is possible that vitamin D in low-fat dairy foods may explain, in part, the observed lowered risk of stroke in this study because of its potential effect on blood pressure," she said. 

Choose healthy, live well

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17 food facts set straight

Clinical nutritionist Dr Nupur Krishnan debunks some common myths regarding everyday diet

 For all those times you wondered about nutrition facts but weren't sure who to ask, here's something that will clear your doubts... 
Myth: Water is fattening. Truth: Water has no calories and so cannot be fattening. 
Myth: Toast is less fattening. 
Truth: Bread has exactly the same number of calories whether toasted or not — it does not alter its caloric value. 
Myth: Honey is less fattening than sugar. 
Truth: Honey is a concentrated food. One teaspoon of honey contains 21 calories. 
Myth: Fruit juices are not fattening. 
Truth: Most fruit juices are high in calories and usually have added sugar. 
Myth: Heart diseases make weight reduction dangerous. 
Truth: Weight reduction is essential to heart patients who are obese. 
Myth: 'Everything turns to fat' for some. 
Truth: An obese person may not eat more than a slim one but is usually less active. Frequent snacking and large proteins are often overlooked as contributory factors to excess weight. 
Myth: Skipping meals is a good way to lose weight. 
Truth: A dieter usually eats more at other meals when a meal is skipped. 
Myth: Rice and dals should be washed until the water used for washing them appears clear. 
Truth: Wash with minimum wsater. If washed too many times, considerable quantity of minerals and vitamins are leached away. 
Myth: Vegetables must be cut into small pieces to facilitate cooking. Truth: No. Nutrients are lost when they are cut into smaller pieces. 
Myth: Water used for cooking vegetables, dals and rice must be thrown. 
Truth: No. This water is rich in minerals and vitamins, so scan be used in soups, dals or curries. 
Myth: Citrus fruits can aggravate common cold. 
Truth: Citrus fruits contain a high content of vitamin C, which is known to have a beneficial effect in the treatment of common cold. 
Myth: Preferably consume the day's quota of fat at any one meal and avoid consumption of fat at all other meals thereafter. 
Truth: Small amounts of fat consumed several times a day are not as harmful as a larger amount of fat consumed at one sitting. 
Myth: Slim is a sign of good health 
Truth: This the biggest misconception about health. Very lean and slim persons carry as muchhealth risk as an obese person. Eating less than your body re q u i re m e n t s deprives vital organs of nutrients, which may lead to complications in the future. 
Myth: To lose weight I will eat less 
Truth: Without reducing the quantity of food you can still lose almost five kgs a month. With regular exercise you can lose upto nine kg per month. 
Myth: I can follow standard diet plans available in newspapers and Internet. 
Truth: Avoid that. One person's food is other person's poison. Your diet plan should be according to your body metabolism and body requirements. Random diet plans might lead to many irreversible health disorders. 
Myth: Fat is dangerous to health. 
Truth: Fat is essential for proper functioning of the body and to absorb certain vitamins. 
Myth: Drinking too much of water is good for health 
Truth: No. Though water is essential, you should drink only according to your body requirements. Too much water will put pressure on your kidneys and other organs to extract excess water from your body, which can lead to complications.

A LEAN LOOK: Eating right can help you get a lean athletic body

Dr Nupur Krishnan

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12 Indian foods that cut fat

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(12 Indian foods that cut fat (IndiaPicture))

You don't have to acquire a taste for olive oil, seaweed or soya to maintain a low-fat, healthy diet. Indian cuisine can be healthy too, if it's cooked with oil and ingredients that take care of your heart and health.

Ayurveda suggests you include all tastes — sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent — in at least one meal each day, to help balance unnatural cravings. Here are 12 foods that can help you lose weight and gain health:

Turmeric : Curcumin, the active component of turmeric, is an object of research owing to its properties that suggest they may help to turn off certain genes that cause scarring and enlargement of the heart. Regular intake may help reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or bad cholesterol and high blood pressure, increase blood circulation and prevent blood clotting, helping to prevent heart attack.

Cardamom : This is a thermogenic herb that increases metabolism and helps burn body fat. Cardamom is considered one of the best digestive aids and is believed to soothe the digestive system and help the body process other foods more efficiently.

Chillies : Foods containing chillies are said to be as foods that burn fat. Chillies contain capsaicin that helps in increasing the metabolism. Capsaicin is a thermogenic food, so it causes the body to burn calories for 20 minutes after you eat the chillies.

Curry leaves : Incorporating curry leaves into your daily diet can help you lose weight. These leaves flush out fat and toxins, reducing fat deposits that are stored in the body, as well as reducing bad cholesterol levels. If you are overweight, incorporate eight to 10 curry leaves into your diet daily. Chop them finely and mix them into a drink, or sprinkle them over a meal.

Garlic : An effective fat-burning food, garlic contains the sulphur compound allicin which has anti-bacterial effects and helps reduce cholesterol and unhealthy fats.

Mustard oil : This has low saturated fat compared to other cooking oils. It has fatty acid, oleic acid, erucic acid and linoleic acid. It contains antioxidants, essential vitamins and reduces cholesterol, which is good for the heart.

Cabbage : Raw or cooked cabbage inhibits the conversion of sugar and other carbohydrates into fat. Hence, it is of great value in weight reduction.

Moong dal : The bean sprouts are rich in Vitamin A, B, C and E and many minerals, such as calcium, iron and potassium. It is recommended as a food replacement in many slimming programmes, as it has a very low fat content. It is a rich source of protein and fibre, which helps lower blood cholesterol level. The high fibre content yields complex carbohydrates, which aid digestion, are effective in stabilising blood sugar and prevent its rapid rise after meal consumption.

Honey : It is a home remedy for obesity. It mobilises the extra fat deposits in the body allowing it to be utilised as energy for normal functions. One should start with about 10 grams or a tablespoon, taken with hot water early in the morning.

Buttermilk : It is the somewhat sour, residual fluid that is left after butter is churned. The probiotic food contains just 2.2 grams of fat and about 99 calories, as compared to whole milk that contains 8.9 grams fat and 157 calories. Regular intake provides the body with all essential nutrients and does not add fats and calories to the body. It is thus helpful in weight loss.

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Tired? A cup of hot tea will perk you up, boost brain power

CUP THAT MATTERS

London: Feeling exhausted? Just sip a cup of hot tea, for a study has claimed that drinking the beverage not only gives human brain a lift, but also reduces tiredness.
    Tea drinking has already been linked with lowering the risk of heart disease, cancer and Parkinson's. Other research has shown that drinking tea on a regular basis for ten or more years may help improve bone density.
    Now, Dutch researchers have carried out the study and found that it's the natural ingredients in tea which improve brain power and increase alertness, the latest edition of the 'Nutritional Neuroscience' journal reported.
    For the study, the researchers looked at the effect of key chemicals found in tea on the mental performance of 44 young volunteers.
    The effects of these ingredients, an amino acid called L-theanine — which is also found in green tea — and caffeine at levels typically found in a cup of tea, were compared with a dummy treatment.
    The active ingredients significantly improved accuracy across a number of switching tasks for those who drank the tea after 20 and 70 minutes, compared with the placebo. The tea drinkers' alertness was also heightened, the study found.
    Tea was also found to reduced tiredness among the subjects, who were aged under 40, say the researchers. "The results suggest the combination helps to focus attention during a demanding cognitive task," they were quoted by the 'Daily Mail' as saying.
    Dr Tim Bond, of the industry-backed Tea Advisory Panel, said the latest findings backed a previous study which showed drinking two cups of black tea "improves the ability to react to stimuli and to focus attention on the task in hand". PTI

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Eat& Burn Try these fat-burning foods to make your wish come true

You live to eat but don't want to pack the pounds either. Sounds redundant?

 So you are foodie and whether you're sad, happy or just tensed, you seek comfort in food. Pizzas, burgers, ice creams, cookies and milkshakes have a very soothing effect on your mood. But deep down in your heart, you know that you are going to put on weight by resorting to such sinful edible indulgences but you somehow manage to give a deaf ear to your inner voice. Some weeks and months later, everyone around comments on how much weight you have gained. You feel depressed by this and desperately wish there were foods, whose consumption whose consumption wouldn't add bulge to your body.
    Well there's some good news. There are certain natural foods known for their fat-burning properties, which boost your metabolism and burn some fat in the process too. The logic here is simple, these fat-burning foods require more calories to digest than they contain. These foods also help in detoxifying the body. One thing to be kept in mind is that you shouldn't make these foods your only diet, rather they should be incorporated in your daily diet.

CELERY
    Celery is an excellent source of vitamin C and fibre. It contains negative calories i.e. you burn calories to digest them and this property of celery is very beneficial for those who want to lose weight.

OATMEAL
    Making oatmeal a regular part of your diet is beneficial because they are loaded with soluble fibre that results in a slower energy release in the body. Because of this process, the metabolism in the body runs at a steady pace which is perfect for losing fat.

BERRIES
    Berries in the form of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, etc. are a good source of natural dietary fibre that is known to lower down the rate of carbohydrate absorption in the body. They prevent the insulin levels in the body to rise, which are known to cause storage of fat in the body.

GREEN TEA
    Green tea is packed with powerful anti-oxidants and contains a compound epigallocatechin gallate that is known to prevent serious health problems. Green tea fires up the body's metabolism thus, aiding the body to burn more calories.

BEANS
    Beans contain a lot of fibre that help reduce the absorption of fat in the body. Also, beans contain high amounts of protein that is beneficial in building body muscle. Body muscle cells are known to burn calories at a much higher rate.

NUTS
Almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, etc. are actually quite healthy as they are packed with vitamins, fibre, protein, minerals and monounsaturated fats that help in controlling blood sugar levels and aiding fat loss. Eat them in moderation.

GRAPEFRUIT
    Grapefruit is one of the best natural foods that helps to kickstart fat loss by increasing the body's metabolism. That's because it contains a good amount of fat-burning enzymes. Also, because it is high in fibre, one feels fuller by eating less.

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