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We all look forward to a bit of indulgence at parties and get-togethers, but after that,  most of us want to shift the kilos we piled on. So we head for the health food aisles in the supermarket and load up our trolleys with foods we think are lighter, leaner and diet-friendly. But are we just wasting our cash? Yes, according to nutrition scientist Professor Michael Lean, of the University of Glasgow, who has called for tighter food regulations to stop gullible shoppers wasting lot of money on ‘quack’ health foods that are useless.

Don’t Believe Hype

Although direct food claims such as ‘low-fat’ or ‘high-fibre’ must be proven, there are no controls on the use of vague terms such as ‘light’ or ‘lean’ or over using pictures of skinny-looking models on packets. Unfortunately, many of us are so desperate to be trim that we happily buy into a product’s weight-loss myth. Research by the Consumers’ Association found that nearly half of all shoppers say they’re prepared to pay extra for diet or healthy foods — so it’s no wonder some unscrupulous manufacturers are cashing in. (more…)

An unpleasant but not serious infection in adults can be fatal for a very young baby… Get to know how to protect babies from whooping cough…

A group of paediatric doctors have suggested that parents of new babies should have booster vaccinations for whooping cough to protect their newborns. In an article in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), they say evidence is growing that whooping cough is on the rise in teens and adults, putting at risk the lives of babies who haven’t even received their first whooping cough jab. These babies account for most whooping cough-related complications, hospitalisations and deaths from the disease. And most catch it from other household members — more than half the time from their parents.

What’s particularly worrying is that because whooping cough symptoms are different in adults than in children. Parents are unlikely to realise they have the infection and could pass it on to their baby.
Here’s why whooping cough is such a danger and how best to protect a baby…

THE REAL THREAT

While official figures are low, it’s thought many are undiagnosed. Older children and adults tend not to be so ill or develop the distinctive whooping sound, so it’s likely for people to think they’ve just got a bad cough. (more…)

As refined and fast foods flood our markets, television screens and bodies, the natural, the raw and the fibre seem to have disappeared.  Fast foods have more disadvantages than advantages .Most parents complain that their children don’t eat fruits, salads or vegetables. The question is, do we eat them? Are they a part of our homes, diets or dining tables?

Trouble is that the answer to all these is ‘No’. Everyone’s buying and consuming what’s convenient, fast and tasty. It sure is easier to eat a chocolate or desert after dinner than wash and cut an apple or fruit. At the end of a long working day, there’s just no time or inclination to prepare a salad. Making rice or pasta or just ordering a pizza, is anyday easier than slogging out in a kitchen to make atta rotis.
But then, man was meant to eat both cooked and raw food, whole fruits and salads, and natural foods like grains of wheat, ragi, jowar, bajra, corn, oats and whole beans like channa , rajma, moong, mote, lobia, etc. These raw fruits and vegetables and unrefined grains and beans are packed with vitamins and minerals that help us keep well and fit and boost immunity. Also, the common question of  ‘how o lose weight with natural diet’ can be well found here.

Adults and children who follow a healthy diet regularly tend to fall ill less often. Moreover, the extra vitamins and minerals help the body processes to function more efficiently and smoothly giving a feeling of wellness, high energy levels and fitness that no tonic or pill can supply. (more…)

A record number of people have HIV in India, with many unaware they’ve contracted the virus. And don’t assume this affects only gay men and intravenous drug users — several heterosexuals are currently being treated for HIV. Most worryingly, a report reveals that almost a third of HIV-positive people are being diagnosed late, when their immune systems have already been compromised. It’s possible to be infected for around 10 years without realizing it.

Late diagnosis danger

The virus attacks the immune system, leaving the sufferer open to infections and vulnerable to potentially fatal pneumonia and certain cancers. How quickly you get treatment can mean the difference between life and death. Research by UKs National AIDS Trust charity shows that those diagnosed late are 10 times more likely to die within the first year of being diagnosed than those treated early. Treatment helps the body suppress the virus, and those who get treated early can have a normal life expectancy and a reasonably normal lifestyle. (more…)

Most of us are familiar with lifestyle diseases like diabetes, heart disease and hypertension and have equipped ourselves to deal with them by adopting a more healthy lifestyle that includes a well-balanced diet and exercise. Of  late, however, there have also been reports of an increase in kidney disorders among people.Therefore, it is best to know about the various kidney problems, how they are caused, who is most likely to get them and how best to prevent kidney trouble. And if there’s a hereditary link to a disease, one should learn to delay its onset or manage it wisely if it has already set in.

In kidney disorders, the kidneys cease to function normally and waste products and excess water build up in the body, disrupting the chemical balance of the blood. The condition may take two forms:  acute kidney failure or chronic kidney failure.The first form of preventive defense is asking for blood urea and uric acid levels during routine blood tests as part of the general health check-up. Blood urea should be below 25 mg/dl, creatinine below 1.0 mg/dl, and uric acid below 5.0 mg/dl for women and below 6.0 mg/dl for men.

The treatment for kidney failure involves first reversing or slowing the damage, and then with treatment and diet control restoring the balance of the chemicals in the blood. And if the disorder is an offshoot of an existing condition like hypertension or diabetes, getting these conditions under control also stems the progression of the kidney disorder. (more…)