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Vitamin D is both a nutrient we eat and a hormone our bodies make. It is a fat-soluble vitamin that helps in the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, promoting growth and mineralization of our bones. It helps control infections and reduces inflammation. Vitamin D is also known as the sunshine vitamin because our bodies can make and absorb Vitamin D from sun exposure. Sun exposure of 5-30 minutes up to 3pm twice a week to the face, arms, legs, or back without sunscreen is usually enough to help Vitamin D intake. This process varies widely depending on the season, time of day, cloud cover, skin color (darker skin needs more exposure), and sunscreen use, so eating food sources of vitamin D is also important.   There are two forms of vitamin D in the diet: ·          Vitamin D2 – found in a plant source, mainly in mushrooms ·          Vitamin D3 – found in oily fish, fish liver oils and egg yolks....

Today, everyone knows that to be healthy we should lead a healthy lifestyle. But at times, we get confused about what is healthy lifestyle. The way we are living is our lifestyle. Now, how can we make it healthy? People in our society can be categorized like bachelors/single women, married men, married working women, homemakers etc. who may need to think to bring some changes in their lifestyle. Working bachelors can be either staying at home with their family( parents and siblings) or have to shift to other city and are staying with friends or in hostel/ PG. Healthy lifestyle broadly can be classified in four steps: 1) Eat healthy 2) Exercise regularly 3) Reduce stress 4) Drink plenty of water The key is to be consistent. Whatever changes you bring to your lifestyle should be exercised regularly. It may seem difficult at first, but please make a start. Like first you may be able to do it twice or thrice in a week. Let it be. We cannot expect to change our lives in a day. ...

In the past, the common health problems were the infectious diseases that spread rapidly and affected a large number of people. To control these diseases a number of steps have been taken like mass vaccination, improving quality of drinking water, providing better sanitation and drainage. Many diseases are controlled but still diseases like malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS are a problem. In recent years new type of health problems have become far more common. Non-infectious diseases are now becoming the main cause of death and are affecting the quality of people’s lives. Non-infectious diseases include: §   heart diseases; §     cancers; §     brain strokes; §   Injuries; §     loss of hearing and sight; §     Diabetes; §     joint problems caused by arthritis; §     bone diseases that cause bones to break easily; and §     Mental diseases such as depression. These...

Immunity is the ability of an organism to resist a particular infection by the action of specific antibodies. It is the body’s resistance power against disease-causing organisms or harmful substances. It provides defense against pathogens like viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites. The immune system is the body’s defense against infections. The immune system attacks germs and helps keep us healthy. Our immune system is essential for our survival. Without an immune system, our bodies would be open to attack from viruses, bacteria, parasites, and more. The immune system is spread throughout the body and involves many types of cells, organs, proteins, and tissues. The immune system keeps a record of every microbe it has ever defeated, in white blood cells. This means it can recognize and destroy the microbe quickly if it enters the body again before it can multiply and make you feel sick. Some infections, like flu and the common cold, have to be fought many times because so many d...

The first meal of the day is commonly known as breakfast. If you divide this compound word into two parts, you will see it is made up of ‘break’ and ‘fast’. To fast means to go without food. So “breakfast” means to break the fast you have been observing since you went to sleep the night before. The body’s energy source is glucose, which is broken down and absorbed from the food you eat. Most of the energy is stored as fat in the body but is also stored in the form of glycogen in the liver and muscles. During times of fasting, like, overnight, the liver breaks down the glycogen and releases it into your bloodstream as glucose to keep your blood sugar levels stable. This is also important for the brain, which relies on glucose for energy. In the morning, after you have gone without food for as long as 8-12 hours, your glycogen levels are low. Eating breakfast boosts your energy levels and restores your glycogen levels ready to keep your metabolism up for...

Most of us who are concerned about our health and weight are familiar with the term metabolism. We often blame our “slow metabolism” for being overweight. Let us learn more about metabolism and the steps which can be taken to manage our weight in a better way. Metabolism refers to the chemical processes that occur within an individual in order to maintain life. This includes breathing, pumping blood, brain functioning and extracting energy from your food. In other words we can say, it refers to the number of calories your body at rest uses each day, just to keep all your vital organs functioning- this is called resting metabolic rate . Your daily activities and exercise add on to the calories burnt. The number of calories that you burn every day is directly related to your body composition. Think of your body divided into two compartments. One is all body fat while other is fat-free which includes e.g. bone, fluid, tissue, muscle etc. The size of fat-free compartment determin...

It is not unusual to get hungry between meals. Snacking doesn’t have to be an unhealthy habit. Snacking is often mindless, autopilot eating. When we feel hungry, we munch on mostly unhealthy snacks which are mostly easily available, and after eating regret of eating high calories and unhealthy snacks which can result in weight gain. Often, snacks are not eaten because you are hungry, but because you are bored or are simply used to munching while you engage in certain activities. The key is planning ahead to make sure you have some healthy foods available. A better way to snack is to optimize the timing of healthy snacks between your meals. Intentional small snacks help you regulate your blood sugar throughout the day. Here are some healthy snack options which may help you in guilt free munching: Ø   1 cup strawberries Ø   1 hardboiled egg Ø   A handful of almonds (10-15 ) Ø   ¼ cup of dried cranberries Ø   2-3 carrots’ sticks with 1 tablespoon of...

The next time you eat a piece of chocolate, you may not have to feel so guilty about it. Despite its bad reputation for causing weight gain, a number of health benefits are associated with it. Chocolates are widely categorized into 3 types – white, milk and dark chocolates. Before knowing which one is healthier, let us know how are chocolates made? Chocolate is made from cacao beans from the Theobroma cacao tree. The contents of the bean provide the basis for chocolate products. There are 2 terms “cacao” and “cocoa”, which are confused when to be used. Use of “cacao” is for the pods, beans and ground-up contents of the beans, while “cocoa” is used for the powder left pressing the fat out of the ground beans. Makers of raw (unroasted) or less processed cacao bean products often use the word cacao rather than cocoa, which may imply they’re more natural products. Once cacao beans are harvested, they go through several processing steps like fermentation, drying, roasting, crushing an...