Second Thought

Garlic   is one of the most popular cooking ingredients all over the world, adding flavor to almost any dish. Garlic is in the same family as onions, has also been known for its potent medicinal qualities, thanks to its high levels of antioxidants, enzymes and anti-bacterial properties. Eating garlic daily can improve your health and help prevent many health problems. Here’s a few goodies: Garlic is low in calories and rich in vitamin C, vitamin B6 and manganese. It also contains trace amounts of various other nutrients. Garlic prevents and reduce the severity of common illnesses like the flu and common cold. Garlic appear to improve blood pressure for those with known high blood pressure Garlic has known beneficial effects on common causes of chronic disease. Garlic contains antioxidants that protect against cell damage and aging. It may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Garlic, rich in the allicin compound, effectively prevents LDL (bad) cholester

Different colours indicate different nutrients. Try to get a little of each colour in your diet. So without any further delay let's get started. Red fruits such as pomegranate,watermelon and strawberries are rich in antioxidants, anthocyanins and lycopene. Green fruits like kiwi i t's also full of nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin E, folate and potassium. They also have a lot of antioxidants and are a good source of fiber. Orange and yellow fruits  are rich in beta carotene, which your body converts to vitamin A, which improves your eye sight and keep your skin, teeth and bones healthy. Oranges are rich in vitamin C that helps to maintain weight, blood pressure, diabetes and also good for skin. White fruits like pineapples, apples, bananas and pears are high in dietary fibre, flavanoids and antioxidants. These fruits protect you against high cholesterol and lower the risk of stroke. Blue and purple fruits  like blueberries, jamun and falsa cont

Empty calorie beverages or sweetened sodas generally provide no nutritional benefit at all. Even fruit-flavored sodas are full of empty calories. Diet sodas may contain fewer calories, but they still provide no nutritional benefit. These beverages are so popular these days, they are seen everywhere – in vending machines, grocery store and of course in your refrigerator too. When we’re watching what we eat, what we drink, sometimes we don’t think about it.  If we aren’t careful, a large amount of calories can come from the beverages we drink with meals or as snacks. The majority of these excess calories come in the form of sugar-sweetened beverages. Some beverages, such as fruit juices may already have naturally occurring sugar in them. But many more have added sugars in the form of corn syrup or other sweeteners. The added sugars have no nutritional value other than calories. There are many negative effects of these empty calorie beverages on our health. The consumption of these

Vegetables help your body in a variety of ways, which just doesn’t leave you room to say “no thanks” . To begin, they contain many vital vitamins and minerals that your body needs for proper functioning. Vitamin A, which keeps your eyes healthy and helps your body prevent infection, is abundant in many veggies. In addition, Potassium, which can help to keep your blood pressure within a normal, healthy range, is also common. Other nutrients like Vitamin C, Vitamin E, fiber, and folate are rich in vegetables. Veggies help you in more ways than just providing vitamins and minerals, as they also provide protection from certain cancers, decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease, and help to maintain your weight.  The fiber in vegetables is broken down into short chain fatty acids by gut bacteria, which then nourishes   your gut and beneficial bacteria. Vegetables like cauliflower, cabbage, and broccoli have been shown to have cancer fighting abilities. Leafy greens like kale

Referred to by the ancient Incas as 'chisoya mama' or the 'mother of all grains', quinoa has been in existence for hundreds of years and it's edible seeds have recently made their way back to our plates. Packed with goodness and health, quinoa looks like couscous when boiled and can be used in place of the rice. It can also be used to make upma, dalia or poha. Roast  it, grind it and  make quinoa flour out of it to make nutritious rotis or chappatis. There are many surprising  benefits of quinoa , such as being high  in  antioxidants, vitamins and minerals ( manganese, phosphorus, copper, folate, iron, magnesium and zinc).  It's also considered a gluten-free complete protein that contains all nine essential amino acids, including an abundance of lysine.  Quinoa is also a good source of   fiber that helps to maintain weight, blood sugar level and cholesterol. Quinoa may be a good start to increase of your nutrient content of your diet. 

If you became a mother recently and you think drinking lots of milk helps you produce good quality of milk, this is for you: you don’t need milk to make milk. What you eat in general contributes to the functioning of your mammary glands and allows you to breastfeed your baby. To make milk you need protein, sugar and water. So, whether you eat spinach, eggs, meat, nuts or anything else, they are all broken down inside your body. Your body extracts what it needs from the food you eat to make milk. If you see a correlation between drinking and making milk, it is only because of the lactose and protein in milk. It’s not the milk itself that makes milk. There are three ways to produce good, nutrient-rich milk. First, you need to have a diet rich in protein (pulses and sprouts, paneer, milk, meat and curd) which will enhance both milk production and quality. Second, you need to drink enough water. Water is a crucial element of lactation; it’s so important that nursing mothers need t

Good Morning  Readers..!! Eating a healthy breakfast has numerous benefits. As there is an old saying “Eat Breakfast Like a King, Lunch Like a Prince, and Dinner Like a Pauper .” Breakfast provides the body and brain with fuel after an overnight fast - that's where its name originates, breaking the fast! Without breakfast, you are effectively running on empty, like trying to start the car with no petrol! Breakfast should be eaten within two hours of waking up. A healthy breakfast should provide calories in the range of 25-35% of your recommended daily allowance. Regular breakfast consumption seems to increase satiety, reduce total energy intake, improve overall dietary quality, reduce blood lipid, and improve insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance. Many studies have linked eating breakfast to good health, including better memory and concentration, lower levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol, and lower chances of getting diabetes, heart disease, and being overweight.

Going to a restaurant shouldn't be your excuse to eat unhealthy foods. Follow these tips and not only you will enjoy your meal more, but you'll also feel satisfied and happy when you're done. Check the menu before you leave home: Most of the restaurants post their menus on their websites. You can decide before ordering the food and if you don’t see anything that’s healthy, pick another restaurant. Order a salad before ordering anything else on the menu: Eat raw salads and avoid the cheesy, oily dressings. Beware of the low-carb options:   These days many restaurants have jumped on the low-carbohydrate foods, offering numerous low-carb options on their menu. But low-carb doesn’t mean low-calories. Skip the carbonated drinks: They include sugary additions that only add calories. So say bye-bye to cola or other exotic mixed drinks. Skip the dessert:   You can always have a small piece of chocolate at home. That is much better health-wise than the Triple Chocolate Meltdo

Hello Readers !!🌻 My name is Chitra Vishal Gupta and  I’m really excited to have the opportunity to write blogs for you.  Being a dietitian is a wonderful career. I love it. But I don't think it's quite what I expected it to be... Some things were harder than I expected and some things exceeded my expectations. As you all know blogging is the best way to express yourself.  So, here I am to talk about food, health, and nutrition. Hope you people love reading my blogs. Let's get started. Fooducate yourself and t rack what you eat & your activities to see your progress and achieve your goals.  Have a great time. Stay healthy.💪 Thank You.!! 🌻