It’s summer! And its that time of the year again when cotton clothes, cool drinks and chilled foods make an appearance everywhere. Following a good summer diet is very much important now.

You can beat the heat to some extent by including plenty of green, leafy vegetables, fruits, sprouts, juices and other healthy fluids. A tall glass of chilled lassi or buttermilk, fresh fruit juice or lemon juice from a hygienic source is ideal. Use more of the moisture-loaded varieties in vegetables and fruits.

Melons which have high moisture content can be very refreshing in the hot summer months and make a great summer diet. Make a juice with melons, a chickoo milkshake or a banana smoothie, and enjoy them. Eat cucumbers, bottle gourds, ridge gourds, ash gourds, spinach, mint, lettuce, cabbage, mushroom, tomatoes and other veggies regularly that have plenty of water in them.

Avoid foods that increase your thirst and weight. Excess body weight can be more uncomfortable in summer and can be eased to a great extent by following this summer diet. Some foods that might increase your discomfort during summer are high fat foods, fried foods, fatty meats, sugary eats or beverages, high-caffeine drinks and alcohol.

Get more fluids

Don’t ignore thirst signs. In your two-liter fluid requirement, make sure you include healthy beverages as a part of your summer diet. Try something different like green tea, herbal tea, herbal juice, or vegetable juice. Ask your grandma for recipes for traditional summer diet and drinks. They are not only refreshing but also nutritious. Make a smoothie with soy milk, honey and fresh fruit.

Fluid requirement

Approximately, 30 ml of liquid for every kg of body weight that you carry should be the norm everyday. Fluid requirement increases with increase in physical activity, and varies in disease conditions. Consult a qualified dietitian for details. If you take alcohol or caffeinated beverages, make sure you drink some water before or after the beverage.

Even if you work in an air conditioned office, you still need adequate hydration to prevent dry skin.

Safe summer diet

When you make raw foods a part of your summer diet, be sure that they are hygienically prepared and served. Bacterial activity is pretty high in summer and uncooked foods are good storehouses of bacteria. Bacteria can multiply in cooked foods too, placed between temperatures of four and 70 degrees.  If your immune system is not strong, such food can make you sick.

To prevent food-borne illnesses, wash hands before handling food, drink clean water, refrigerate foods properly, and eat freshly-cut or cooked foods as far as possible. If you have to consume leftovers, make sure you heat them well before eating.

Meal plan for summer

On rising: Two glasses of water, followed by a cup of tea
Breakfast: Cornflakes with unsweetened soymilk and fruit
Mid-morning: Fresh lime juice
Lunch: Sprouts and greens salad, brown rice with rasam, veg curry, curd
Evening: Mango juice
Dinner: Clear vegetable soup, whole wheat bread, lean sandwich, fruit and nut salad

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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.

Recommendation: All those above 35 years of age must have a blood test done regularly, at least once a year, to check blood and lipid levels (sugar, cholesterol and triglyceride, etc). This must be done at least 12 hours after your last meal. Ideally, a blood sample should be provided early in the morning on an empty stomach. This is very much important if  you are obese and have to lose weight in order to stay healthy even after 40 years of age.

If your fasting blood sugar is just above 120, you could have borderline diabetes. Then you have to eliminate refined sugar from the diet. Otherwise at any age you don’t have to eliminate sugar in coffee, tea, milk, etc. to lose weight.

Thus, giving up sugar does not actually help you to lose weight. In order to lose weight effectively, you should engage in physical exercises.

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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.

It is very harmful to have an empty stomach which may result in formation of acids and other digestive juices leading to a more sickening feel. To avoid this, nibbling on light eatables like dry toast, bread, breadsticks and biscuits can help.

Toast or porridge along with milk or egg is a good choice for breakfast. Rich, oily, fried and spicy foods should be avoided at lunch. Rice kanji, curd rice or kichdi without ghee is another good option. Boiled vegetables and thin dal can also be had. Fruits or fruit juice can be taken in the evening alternated by plain custard. Dinner may consists of vegetable or chicken soup or rice. Having some fruits or a glass of milk before going to bed is also good.

The strong smell from sliced onions or garlic may also trigger vomiting tendency. A solution for this is drinking lot of water throughout the day. Vomiting can cause dehydration and loss of vitamins and minerals as well.
Light movement like walking around the house will help improve blood circulation and improves digestion as well.

These are some very useful list of foods to be taken during pergnancy. i hope this article really helps all the pregnant women out these. Do leave your comments and feedback about this article.

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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.

ORGAN FAILURE: Kidney or lung problems may develop

HELLP SYNDROME: A combined liver and blood disorder, it affects up to 12 in 100 women with pre-eclampsia, and can also develop before the classic preeclampsia symptoms appear

SLOW GROWTH OF THE BABY AND PREMATURE BIRTH: Preeclampsia affects the blood vessels in the placenta, so babies don’t get as much oxygen and nourishment, which is why they may end up smaller or be born premature.

FIVE TIPS FOR PROTECTION

1. Keep antenatal appointments — it’s vital to be tested for preeclampsia regularly as the condition can progress rapidly.
2. Follow a healthy diet, with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, to help keep blood pressure in check. Also avoid salty, blood pressure- raising foods and cut out alcohol entirely.
3. Lower your risk of preeclampsia by doing moderate exercise, such as walking and swimming, to help keep your blood pressure in check.
4. If you’re diagnosed with preeclampsia and your doctor advises you to rest, follow his or her instructions, even if you feel fine. It’s important to keep the condition under control.
5. Be aware of your personal risk and, if you get any strange symptoms, seek medical advice as soon as possible.

WHO’S AT RISK?

You may have a higher risk of developing pre- eclampsia if:

• You’ve had pre-eclampsia before. If it was before the last three months of the pregnancy, the risk is greater of getting it again
• It’s your first pregnancy You suffer from chronic high blood pressure, diabetes, a kidney disorder or migraine
• You have a close relative — for instance a mother, sister or aunt — who’s suffered from it
• You’re obese — that is, you have a body mass index (BMI) that’s 30 or above.
• You’re having more than one baby at the same time
• You’re older than 40 or younger than 18
• You suffer from polycystic ovarian syndrome, a hormonal imbalance that leads to multiple cysts on your ovaries
• You suffer from auto-immune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, MS, lupus or sarcoidosis

LOOK OUT FOR

Symptoms you might notice include:

• Swelling of feet, ankles, face and hands, and excessive weight gain because of fluid retention
• Severe headache
• Blurred vision
• Stomach or shoulder pain
• Nausea

Preeclampsia or elevated blood pressure during pregnancy can be tricky to spot and needs regular monitoring. Do not neglect it as it might lead to further complications. I hope that this article has you some information which might prove to be very useful. Please provide your feedback and leave your comments on how useful this has been to you.

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