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Most people who plan to lose weight and start a weight-loss regime (including diet), wonder whether they need to cut out all added sugar from their food intake in order to lose weight.

Sugar by itself does not contain fat in its chemical composition. And when it is consumed along with coffee or tea, and milk and curd, it does not register as fat in the body and thus is irrelevant to the ‘lose weight, quit sugar’ stuff . It comes in as carbohydrate food, which is immediately used as energy. Similarly, if you have a couple of teaspoons of jam, jelly or honey, the sugar is used up as energy. However, if you eat candies, with sugar content equivalent to about 3-4 teaspoons of sugar or take 300 ml of a soft drink (roughly 7 tsp of sugar) the excess sugar is converted to fat.

In short, as long as you are not diabetic you may safely consume 3-4 teaspoons of sugar every day, distributed through the entire day, and still lose weight. Moreover, giving up sugar completely and substituting it with a sweetener is not recommended, as they can have harmful side effects even though they say that such artificial sweeteners help to lose weight. What you could do, though, is give up sweet treats like cakes, ice cream, candies, pastries and other sweets instead. (more…)

The growth of a baby inside the mother’s womb is directly related to the baby’s health after birth. Hence, a good diet for the mother during the nine months of pregnancy is essential to ensure healthy life of the child. So young mothers-to-be must take special care about their diet and ensure proper nutrition during pregnancy, for their unborn baby.

For the formation of new cells, tissues and bones of the baby, the most important nutrients to be provided and supplied are sufficient amounts of protein, vitamins (especially vitamin B), calcium and minerals.

Milk or curd is a must as it is a rich source of protein, vitamin A, B, D, E and calcium. Other foods rich in protein, vitamins and minerals are dal and pulses. Non-vegetarian food like eggs are also high in protein. At least three glasses of milk should be consumed in a day. Avoiding milk can have adverse effect on the baby resulting in bow legs, knocked knees and poor teeth. Plenty of fruits and vegetables also are good source of vitamins and minerals. Green leafy vegetables (palak, keerai, etc) are rich in calcium and vitamins A, B and C.
Many pregnant women suffer from nausea and vomiting. To cope with this, they tend to avoid food completely. This condition usually starts in the second or third month and continues till the fifth or sixth. This is a very important period in the growth and the development of the baby. So, it becomes important to have a proper nutritious diet. (more…)

Preeclampsia happens in pregnancy, or just after the baby’s birth, and affects around one in 14 women, usually after the 20th week. Sometimes, there are no symptoms but often there is raised blood pressure, a high level of protein in urine, leaked from the kidneys, and possible swelling, especially around the hands and face. Don’t panic if you’re diagnosed with this as most cases are mild but they all need monitoring because serious, potentially life-threatening complications can develop. No one knows for sure what causes it but theories put forward include insufficient blood flow to the womb, undiagnosed high blood pressure or other problems such as diabetes in the mother and disruption of the balance of hormones that control blood vessels.

THE COMPLICATIONS

STROKE: This is a major risk of uncontrolled high blood pressure

ECLAMPSIA: One in 100 cases of preeclampsia turn into a condition called eclampsia, which usually develops later in pregnancy or just after the birth However, occasionally it can happen with no previous pre-eclampsia symptoms. Eclampsia can cause seizures, leading to a coma, and is potentially fatal for both mother and baby — the cure is to have an emergency Caesarean and deliver the baby. (more…)