Monday, August 21, 2023

Dietary Fiber and their Benefits

Healthy Eating with Dietary Fiber


Healthy food supports a healthy body and mind. Healthy food can be nutrient-rich, packing all the goodness a food can provide to the body. But for good health do we need different types of food components only? No, we need something which besides boosting our health can also make our body function better. One such food component that has the goodness of nutrition and can be taken without thinking about calories or side effects is dietary fibre. It is no wonder that nature has bestowed us with various types of fibrous food or dietary fibers that improve health and everyday body functions like digestion. They can provide long-term health benefits if taken regularly in our diet.

Dietary fibers


Dietary fiber is a group of compounds found in plants that cannot be completely digested. They are mainly carbohydrate and their analogs that pass relatively unchanged through our stomach and intestines during the process of digestion. As they are made up of the indigestible parts or compounds of plants their main role is to keep the digestive system healthy. Dietary fiber is found in wholegrain, cereals, fruits and vegetables as they are beneficial to our health and reduce our risk of disease.

Dietary fiber is now recognized as the sixth major nutrient after protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals principally composed of plant cell walls. It also includes components obtained from cell walls like cellulose, pectin, and lignin.

They are resistant to digestion and absorption in the human small intestine but have complete or partial fermentation in the large intestine.

Role of Dietary Fibers

Digestion:


Dietary fibers are also known as Roughage and have a great role in health, well-being and relief from some common ailments. They help our body to get rid of undigested food and provide ease from constipation. They do not provide any nutrients to our bodies. We get dietary fiber from vegetables, fresh fruits, whole grains and Pulses.

Dietary fiber adds bulk to your diet and acts as tummy filler food and in the process makes you feel fuller faster. It helps in speeding the passage of food through the digestive system and provides relief from irritable bowel syndrome.

Heart health:


 An inverse association has been found between fiber intake and heart attack, and research shows that those eating a high-fiber diet have a 40% lower risk of heart disease. Increased fiber intake can lower blood cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. Eating roughage can also help you to regulate your blood pressure.

Weight management:


Fiber supplements have been shown to enhance weight loss among obese people. This is due to certain types of fiber increases feelings of fullness. Anything that reduces your appetite can decrease your calorie intake. With less appetite, you may lose weight without even having to think about it. Dietary fibers prevent obesity through the reduction of hunger and prolongation of satiety. Fiber is often believed to suppress your appetite. Dietary fiber helps promote weight loss because it's filling while also being low in calories. And when you eat more high-fiber foods, you have less room in your diet for foods that are not as nutrient-dense, such as refined carbohydrates

Blood sugar control:


Certain types of dietary fiber may help to slow the body’s breakdown of carbohydrates and the absorption of sugar, helping with blood sugar control. This aspect could be particularly important for those people suffering from diabetes. It controls your blood sugar as the body is unable to absorb and break down fiber, it doesn't cause a spike in blood sugar the way other carbohydrates can.

Protection against colon cancer:


Fiber-rich food cleans your colon, acting like a scrub brush. The scrub-brush effect of fiber helps clean out bacteria and other buildup in your intestines, and reduces your risk for colon cancer. Even for those who are going through cancer treatment, there are certain medications for nausea and pain that cause constipation. Eating a fiber-rich diet helps in overcoming intestinal ailments, food whole wheat, whole grains, wheat bran, nuts, seeds, barley, couscous, zucchini, broccoli, cabbage, dark leafy greens, grapes, root vegetable skins, brown rice, tomatoes and green beans are good sources of insoluble fiber.

Side effects of dietary fibers

Eating too much fiber can cause bloating, gas, and constipation. These side effects may occur if a person consumes more than 70 grams of fiber a day. This is uncommon but may happen if someone is following a vegan, raw, or whole-food diet. Dietary fibers can be consumed no more than 25-35 grams per day.

Source of Dietary Fibers

Fiber comes in two varieties, both beneficial to health:

Soluble fiber, which dissolves in water, can help lower glucose levels as well as help lower blood cholesterol. Foods with soluble fiber include oatmeals, chia seeds nuts, beans, lentils, apples, bananas and blueberries.

Insoluble fiber, which does not dissolve in water, can help food move through your digestive system, promoting regularity and helping prevent constipation. Foods with insoluble fibers include whole wheat products (especially wheat bran), quinoa, brown rice, legumes, leafy greens like kale, almonds, walnuts, seeds, and fruits with edible skins like pears and apples.

Whole grain food


The dietary fiber content of whole grains is very different from other grains. Whole grains of cereals and pseudo-cereals are rich in both soluble and insoluble functional dietary fiber. Whole wheat, whole oats, rye, millets and corn can all be consumed as a rich source of dietary fiber. Whole grains provide fiber, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Whole-grain foods are best to help control cholesterol levels, weight and blood pressure. These foods also help lower the risk of diabetes, heart disease and other conditions.

Fresh fruits and vegetable


A diet rich in vegetables and fruits is a great source of fiber. It can lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, prevent some types of cancer, and lower the risk of eye and digestive problems. It also has a positive effect on blood sugar, which can help keep appetite in check.

Pears and apples with their skin, kiwi, blueberries, strawberries, raspberry and avocado are great fibrous fruits and a good source of vitamins and minerals. Banana is full of fiber and vitamins and is a go-to fruit if you have digestion-related problems. Similarly, vegetables like cauliflower, bitter gourd, carrot, beetroot and broccoli are always helpful for your health and provide wholesome nutrients and fiber.

Leafy vegetable


Leafy green vegetables like spinach, lettuce and microgreens are an important part of a healthy diet. They are full of nutrients like vitamins, minerals and fiber but low in calories. Eating a diet rich in leafy greens can bring multiple health benefits including reduced risk of obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and mental decline.

Legumes and Pulses


Beans and legumes are rich in plant protein, fiber, B vitamins, iron, folate, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and zinc. Most beans are also low in fat. Legumes are similar to meat in nutrients but with lower iron levels and no saturated fats. Beans like white beans, kidney beans, lentils, peas and black gram are nutrition-rich and can be satiating due to their fiber content.

How to add fiber to your diet


You need at least 30 grams of fiber a day to get its positive effect. You can boost your daily fiber intake by making a variety of small changes:

1, For breakfast choose a high-fiber breakfast cereal, remember to eat one banana in the morning.

2, Eat fruits and vegetables with the skins on, as the skins contain lots of fiber. Try to eat 4.5 cups of vegetables and 4.5 cups of fruit each day.

3, Add beans or lentils to salads, soups, and side dishes.

4, Replace white breads, white rice and pastas for whole wheat grains like barley, millet, amaranth and brown rice. Use multigrain brown bread instead.

5, Snack on crunchy raw vegetables or a handful of almonds, walnuts and pistachios instead of chips and crackers.

6, If unable to meet the daily requirements of fiber, consider using fiber supplements like psyllium husk.

Eating a wide variety of plant foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds will help you reach the fiber recommendation of 25-35 grams daily. Start caring for your health and enjoy life,

 

Saturday, August 19, 2023

Motivations to Stay Happy

Looking for Motivation?


You rise and fall many times in your life, but what encourages you to rise again after every failure or barrier in your life is Motivation. In fact, motivation is the real happiness in your life as it makes you dream, desire, achieve, fight and rise above obstacles.

Motivation works hand in hand with your happiness giving you inner strength, stamina, willpower, courage and determination. So, you need to develop a sense of purpose in life, keep yourself happy and stay motivated.

Do I need motivation?


·        Yes, motivation is extremely important because it provides you with a goal to work on, sense of purpose, helps you solve your problems, and change your old habits.

·        Each of us is unique and motivation helps us reflect on that uniqueness and shape it. Something which results in improved performance, enhanced well-being, personal growth, or a sense of purpose.

·        Motivation is a path to change the way you think, feel, believe and behave.

·        It is crucial to find ways to increase motivation at an early age as it allows you to change your attitude, develop competencies, be creative, set goals, grow interests, make plans, develop talents, and gain success.

·        Motivation makes you present your best self in whatever task you do.

Low motivation issues


Often, we call people lazy who do nothing, but that can be a case of low motivation. But low motivation can be a common symptom of depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues.

 If there are such problems then seek help from a professional counselor can be sought. It can easily be recognized in someone if he/she is easily overwhelmed, have no idea what is needed from life, loses control of physical health, lacks ambition, procrastinates all the time and feels lost.

Positives of motivation


Among many other effects, motivation brings many positives to your life, such as

·        Improved self-confidence.

·        Enhanced self-discipline.

·        Courage to challenge ourselves to reach the desired goal.

·        Desire to stretch beyond our perceived limits.

Who can motivate you?


It will sound strange that you are not only the best person to motivate you, but you are also the only one who can motivate you. You are the best person to read your mind and your thoughts.

How you are going to respond to a particular situation is also up to you. You have far more power to control your mind, body and actions than you realize, and it starts with motivating yourself.

How to stay motivated?


You need to simplify the ambiguous task of motivating yourself by following some basic rules and believe me you will find yourself highly motivated.

·        Put aside some me-time, for the things you love to do most whether it is a music session or a daily walk. The idea is to free your mind from all kinds of chores and pressures you face in your daily routine and create some happy moments daily. A happy and tension-free mind will keep you motivated always.

·        Reward yourself for every single achievement with gifts, treats or anything you like. You will definitely look forward to achieving more and plan for every single achievement.

·        Keep the company of positive people around you, for they will encourage and motivate you and help you realize your goal.

·        Help needy people, helping and empathizing with the needy will develop a sense of fulfillment in you. It will ultimately make you understand that you can do more for others if you are in a better position to do so.

·        Imagine your successful persona, often imaginations and dreams help you in your journey to achieve something. It can also help you set your goal and steps to achieve that.

·        Stay away from distractions, as distractions like social media, and mobile games are something that makes you lose focus and make you an entertainment seeker. To stay motivated, you should always look to your goal and the ways to achieve it.

·        spend time with the people you love, it will relax your mind and you will realize that these people are always there to cushion you from all negative situations of life.

To stay happy and joyful, it is very important that your dreams are fulfilled. To get what you desire you need to motivate yourself a lot so that you work hard for it. Whether you are a student or professional our dreams and the desire to achieve them keeps us going. Keep your mind which is an immense energy source motivated always to achieve success.

Take Care of Yourself

 Take care


Our daily life is full of stress, tensions and pressures. Each one of us is racing to achieve a target or do something relevant. It sometimes looks like a never-ending race that is continuously going on and on. That’s why, if somebody suggests you to slow down take care of your health, go out and look for health goals, it turns into an avoidable advice or a weekend ritual for many.

 But as we eat, sleep and work daily our body is aging, degenerating and slowing down. Many of you might be suffering from lifestyle diseases but where is the time to slow down. So, forget about slowing down, as we all want to achieve and enjoy the sweet fruits of the hard work that we daily put in our careers, jobs, study or whatever path undertaken.

Here are some activities that will help you to come out of the daily rigors of life easily and at the same time will make you feel fresh and happy again. To apply these tricks you need to be mindful of the wellness of your mind, body and soul which will help you stay happy, healthy and positive.

If Tired take a nap


A hard day of work at the office, school, college or even at home can leave you tired. In fact, tiredness is the signal of your body to prevent you from experiencing severe stress. So, the best thing is if you are tired and your mind and body feel exhausted don’t feel shy to take a small nap.

 In fact, a small power nap will never let you feel exhausted and keep your mind fresh. Keep on taking a short nap for energizing yourself and you will definitely observe the positive effects, 

If Sad then music is a must


Since music is something that can truly understand a person’s mind and soul, there is no other thing to fill happiness in a sad heart. So if you are sad for whatever reason, don’t let it pass sadly because music can pump you up. A good piece of music depending on your mood and choice can definitely uplift your mood.

 Try this most recommended therapy while walking, jogging or doing whatever work you like and see its benefits. I am sure many of you practice it and swear by it. If you can sing then singing can also lose the tense mood and make you feel happy and invigorated.

If Stressed then go for a walk


Many sources are there to provide stress relief to a perturbed mind. Playing with pets, talking to loved ones but if you want a daily stress-busting activity that can gradually keep the stress away then going for a walk is what you need. 

Walking increases blood flow and oxygen to the brain, triggering the release of endorphins and serotonin which are feel-good hormones. Besides relieving stress walking can also increase mental alertness, energy and positive mood.

If Angry then work out


Anger for whatever reason can fill us with all the negative emotions that should be controlled immediately. But keeping your anger within yourself can also make you feel like bursting out. It is better to channel the negative emotions and destructive abilities generated due to them. 

Instead, you can direct all the negative energy generated to better use by going for a workout. You can exercise vigorously, dance or jog to train the negative energies generated due to anger.

Otherwise, if you want to calm yourself down from anger then better do breathing exercises, meditation or yoga. Counting from 1 to 10 or journaling your anger episodes can help in better management.

If feeling Burnt out-read


Burnout is a state which can overwhelm and exhaust a person physically and emotionally. It can make you feel sluggish, exhausted and frustrated sometimes. One of the best ways to tackle the burnout problem is to nurture yourself and listen to your mind and body. You can rest at home, go on vacation or pull out a good book to read.

Reading can relax your body by lowering your heart rate and easing the tension of muscles. But reading should not be confused as studying. Studying will be loads of school/college/extensive syllabus work, lack of sleep and poor time management. But reading is the easiest way to change your wellness, entertain and relax you.

If Feeling lost then pray


Different situations in life make us feel differently like the end of a relationship, some kind of missed opportunity or certain awareness that life is not moving in the right direction makes us feel lost. You might feel helpless, emotionally numb not knowing what to do next.

Acceptance should be the first step to come out when you feel lost or alone. You can focus on what things going good for you. As things can be frustrating, lonely and confusing but you can focus on the energy that is holding you that can be simplified as prayers. Pray, meditate and serve others and connect with like-minded people to find your inner self again

If Overthinking then write


Overthinking is an endless loop where you keep on worrying and thinking again and again. It leads to inaction and makes you overwhelmed with fear. It can be depression or it can be anxiety or it can be your fear of failure but you need to stop doing this as this can wreak havoc on your mental peace.

To control overthinking you will be needing something to stop you from thinking too much. you can write down your thoughts to self-assess the situation which led to overthinking sprees. Writing or journaling can be a great help to reduce intrusive thoughts and help you organize good memories. Journaling can make you concentrate better and think positively.

Take things easily and live for the moment, your well-being should always come first

Friday, August 4, 2023

Teenage Problems

Teenage Problems

 Teenage is a very sensitive and important part of life that all of us go through. Usually many have happy moments to cherish about that part of life but I bet along with that most of us also have some bad, awkward and stressful memories of it.

 Hormonal changes make the voice harsh, the body fuller with fresh growth of hair all over the body but a pressures is there today to look good always. A teenager no longer remains your cute and cuddly kid but wants to be loved and cuddled as he is your child after all. 

There are many problems that arise during the teenage but a parent must be there to acknowledge, guide and make things comfortable for the kid and help him overcome this phase of life. 

 Problems faced by teenagers

 Though if we delve deep we can find innumerable problems, pressures and hassles that are being faced daily by teenagers. I am keeping crime, violence and sexual abuse out of it but still many young developing minds at a tender age are dealing with many difficulties. Let’s find out what are the problems that a teenager usually faces: 

Friends or lack of them

While growing up some of our friends are left behind and we keep on making new friends. But the teenage brings out different aspects of friends and friendships. Sometimes a teenager might not have many or any friends. It may be due to a lack of social skills or having a persona that puts off others of his own age. 
Friendlessness might also be possible due to a lack of common interests with his classmates and peer groups. Sometimes teens find it hard to make new friends because they are not sure who is trustworthy.

 But it is important to make the teenage kid understand to make friends of all kinds as it is better to have friends with varied interests than being a loner. Being alone all the time decreases your social skills and is unhealthy for the mental and physical development of a kid.

 Change of school or sections within a school sometimes leads to the withering of previous close friendships due to lack of time. But you can maintain your old friendship even if you are too busy with your studies or activities. You only need to communicate regularly, commit to meeting on special occasions like birthdays and accept that friendships evolve and change with time and space.

 Stress and depression 

Stress and depression are common these days among teenagers, if your child is feeling stressed, their body will clearly show the symptoms. There might be a heart rate going up or breathing getter faster and their muscles might tense up.
 It is for people of all age groups especially teenagers to accept that stress is part of life. Everyone experiences stress, and little stress is OK for getting motivated enough. But these days teenagers are feeling stressed out as they are worried a lot about themselves — their performance in school or sports, grades, how people behave toward them, other’s perceptions about them, and the changes happening in their bodies. 

Many teenagers acknowledge that low grades, balancing school with extra activities causes stress. They are sometimes irritable or feel overwhelmed due to stress. Stress can be easily identified in teenagers when there are difficulties with sleep, unexplained fatigue, feeling depressed, disengaged, anxious or panicky, having headaches or stomach aches, irritable behavior along with difficulties with concentration and focus. 

Teen depression is a serious problem that causes a continuous feeling of sadness and loss of interest in activities. Sometimes peer pressure, academic expectations of others especially parents and changing bodies can bring a lot of ups and downs for teens. 

 Body image 

Children in this age group are more concerned and conscious about their body image, looks, and clothes. Their focus on themselves sometimes oscillates between high expectations and a lack of confidence. Some young kids experience more moodiness and irritating behavior.

 But kids cannot be blamed alone as sometimes grownups and society, in general, make them conscious of the changes happening in their bodies. They were looked down on for their height, hair color, skin color and sometimes body shamed for being too thin or fat.

 The least we can do is to understand the changes they are experiencing in their bodies and make them understand the changes they should expect internally and externally while growing up. 

Cyber addiction 

 Cyber addiction is the bane of this young generation as this addiction has robbed their childhood and active lifestyle. Sometimes more than the adolescents their elders are responsible for their plight. Instead of talking or having any activity with their elders, they waste hours with their digital devices. This can be harmful to their mental and physical and take away precious study time.
 Sometimes forceful confiscating of digital devices by elders can result in rude and defiant behavior. They needed to be handled tenderly but firmly to make them understand the difference between, time management and time waste.

Other common problems

Peer pressure, competition and rivalries, lack of time management, absence of motivation, bullying, low grades, pressures of assignments, hurt ego and self-esteem due to over interference of elders and frequent arguments with parents and siblings are some other problems that make things bad for already stressed out kid. 
These days young kids are facing all sorts of problems and pressures at home, school/college and all sorts of comparisons and nudging to be better than their peers. Every one of them is made to be a part of this race to achieve excellence and choose a distinguished career path. Are we making their life stressful? It is better to choose their life path according to their choice and the best of their abilities.

 How to make your teenage child feel better

 You need to understand that this is your teenage kid's transition phase where they need your love and support in abundance. Impart your knowledge and guide them with full trust, rapport, respect and acceptance of their skills and abilities.
 As a parent, you need to be more patient and a very good listener. It would be better if you teach your kids problem-solving skills and a positive attitude. They should learn to listen without engaging in arguments and be mindful of their behavior and responsibilities too.
 They need to focus on conflict management at home and outside. The focus should always be on problem-solving then people or emotions. Let them search for practical solutions to the problems

Showing empathy and understanding, and showering them with lots of love and hugs can keep things stress-free for your teenage kid.  Try to be a less fussy parent/teacher or mentor.

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