Give it a thought!   

Do you think you have gained these 10 kilos in just 2 weeks’ time?

You must have gained 10 kg of weight in weeks & months of cumulative wrong lifestyle & food habits; then how can you even think of losing this weight in just 2 weeks’ time?

Don’t you think it’s unfair on our part to try to take short-cuts and start behaving responsibly towards our body irrespective of the situation and control our intake in terms of quality & quantity on a daily basis?

Well let me reveal the biggest and mostly a known secret, which we all are aware but hardly few of us stick to it. You have guessed it right, its simply “Consistency”. 

Consistency may sound like a simple word, but trust me it isn’t. 

As some day we have wedding function in our family, and birthdays on some other day, someday it’s our spouse’s birthday or a friend’s anniversary. Oh man, out of 365 days 200 days might be some or the other celebration going on and we have to be a part of. 

By now if you are still reading my blog I’m sure you are here to find a solution and not stick to the FAD diets going around on internet, so I have broken down this blog in 2 simple steps  

Step-1: Simple Thumb Rules 

• Always remain present and MINDFUL in your choices: Remaining present and mindful implies, taking care of each meal we consume every single day irrespective of where you are, which season is ongoing, always try to choose the wisest option. Example if you are traveling and just have an option of bread omelet & cornflakes milk, its ideal to have a bread omelet combo by personalizing your omelet to a double/triple whole egg omelet than just cornflakes milk as quality protein are in eggs compared to milk. 
• In every meal ensure to add Lean Protein: Ensure to keep up your muscles, by ensuring to add in lean protein in every meal of the day. As a thumb rule follow to add your palm size of lean. Meat & if you want to add in plant –based protein choose from mushrooms, quinoa, peas, broccoli, oats, pulses, nuts, edamame, amaranth etc. 
• Ensure to cover at least 1/3 of your plate with non-starchy vegetables: As a part of routine ensure to consume at least 3-5 portions of colorful & non-starchy veggies like cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, zucchini, lettuces, asparagus, and lots of other delicious foods that can all be prepared in many different ways so you won’t get bored of them. 
• Replace refined carbs with whole lentils & whole cereals: Instead of eliminating all carbs, however, you can focus on cutting out refined carbs and processed sugars and eating whole grains and plenty of fiber. This category of food should make up the smallest portion of every meal, just one serving or about 1/4 of the plate. These are found in all types of grains, lentils, legumes & beans. 
• Always stick to quality Fats: Quality fats aren’t the refined oil/ butter per se. But quality fat is any fat occurring in its most natural form, unprocessed and cold pressed like White butter, Ghee, coconut oil, mustard oil or olive oil. Even nuts, avocado & egg yolks are also a part of naturally occurring fats so never skip eating them. 

Step-2: Practice these healthy Habits 

• Masticate each bite 28-30times: As we are all joining the rat race of modernization, we have completely forgotten our culture of eating, with focus & concentration. Now a days we multi-task, try to bring in all your 5 senses at the table to sit down, give yourself 15 min break and eat, that will help in better digestion, absorption, assimilation & metabolism, because the 1st step of chewing & breaking down each food particle & mixing it with the saliva is very important step. 
• Out of sight out of mind: Always follow this rule at home & at your workplace. Any junk foods/fast foods shouldn’t be stocked up to avoid their temptation. Also try to add in healthier snacks/food options in your pantry like in place of chips/wafers stock up nuts/trail mix. In place of milk chocolates stock up 85-90% cacao dark chocolates, so that you only lay your hands on best possible options when you have cravings. 
• Avoid consuming fruit juices/beverages/alcohol: Easiest ways to lower your calorie consumption for the day is to start with liquids because we often forget just how many calories the beverages contain. To lose weight fast, you’ll need to eliminate these drinks from your daily life. 
• Hydrate yourself with 4 litre of water daily: Hydration is the key element to help us get rid of toxins, hence if we ensure to replace all the fluids we drink with just plain, unflavoured water then 60% of our digestive issues & weight loss struggles will be solved automatically. 
• Follow your Circadian Rhythm: Very important tip we must maintain is rest & recovery. We all go through an array of stress & strain throughout the day- physical, mental, social, financial & intellectual hassles, and all these can be handled well and we can stay fit if we ensure to follow a quality sleep cycle every day, irrespective of weekends. Quality is always important along with quantity hence ensure to go to bed an hour before 12 midnight & 2 hours post dinner, then you will always maintain a consistency & rhythm your body can be happy about. 

So by now you know the little secrets of maintaining CONSISTENCY, the little thumb rule that will take you long way. 

Do remind yourself that the short-cuts available on internet-” The Fad Diets” are not the simple answer to your weight loss struggle but actually “Habit Formation” or re-wiring your brain of the wrong habits is what is going to show you results. 

So next time you hear this statement anywhere around the globe- “Lose 10 kg in 2 weeks” you must & should know how untrue that is. Do share these tips & tricks with your loved ones too, so that no one falls prey of these wrong statements. 

Happiness comes with Consistency:) 

Written by Ananya Bhattacharya, ENHAPP Wellness Coach & Nutritionist 

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The New York Times ran with “Cutting Salt Has Little Effect on Heart Risk” and the UK’s Daily Mail used, “Cutting back on salt ‘does not make you healthier.'”
In the study, researchers from the United Kingdom and the U.S. looked at seven studies with a total of 6,489 participants and the impacts of lowering salt intake on their health. The conclusion was that eating less salt or following a low-salt diet did not prevent heart attacks, strokes, or early death.

So, are the headlines to be believed? Did the results of this study turn decades of advice about lowering salt intake on its head? Let’s find out:

-Of the seven research trials that were included, the study participants, on average, made only modest reductions in their salt intakes resulting in relatively small reductions in blood pressure. So even though the participants were not very successful at lowering their sodium intake, the researchers pushed ahead anyway trying to determine if salt reduction only reduced blood pressure but also lowered heart disease and death.

-Because the researchers analyzed the data from study participants with normal blood pressure separately from those with high blood pressure, they lacked the number of subjects needed to show statistical significance. In other words, because of the small changes in blood pressure, they needed more people to show any benefits on the ultimate outcomes of heart disease and death.

-Two scientists from the London School of Medicine and Dentistry reanalyzed the data combining all the subjects and found a 20 percent reduction in heart disease and stroke despite the small reductions in salt intake.

In light of all this, the major question that arises : Is salt good for your health – what should you do?

Solution – You can retrain your taste buds to enjoy food with reduced amount of salt in it.

TIPS

1. Keep the salt shaker off the table and while cooking, season your foods with a variety of low-sodium herbs and spices. It’s easy to cook with less salt when you use the right ingredients.

2. Read food labels and steer away from high-sodium processed foods, such as cured meats (ham, salami, hot dogs, bacon, etc.), pickled and fermented foods (dill pickles, soy sauce, sauerkraut), salty snacks (potato chips, pretzels, cheese puffs) and most canned soups.

3. Work toward achieving the AHA recommendation of consuming a maximum of 1,500 mg of sodium a day.

4. Put the pressure on food suppliers. Buy low-sodium foods and request that no salt be added in the kitchen at your favourite restaurants.

Copyright@2019, distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.

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Increase in the levels of cholesterol in the blood can cause it to combine with other substances in the blood to form plaque. Plaque sticks to the walls of your arteries, slowly building up. The gradual accumulation of plaque in artery walls is known as atherosclerosis, and it can further lead to coronary artery disease, resulting in your coronary arteries becoming narrowed or even blocked in severe cases. 

HDL, LDL, and VLDL – A Brief Description 

HDL, LDL, and VLDL are a combination of fats (lipids) and proteins, and are termed as “lipoproteins”. The lipids attached to the proteins enable them to move through the blood. Different types of lipoproteins have different purposes: 

•  High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL), is usually called the “good” cholesterol since it transports cholesterol from other parts of your body back to your liver by binding with it. Your liver then removes the cholesterol from your body. 
• Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL), is termed as the “bad” cholesterol since an increase in LDL levels leads to the accumulation of plaque in your arteries. 

• Very Low-Density lipoprotein (VLDL) is stated by some people to be a “bad” cholesterol because it too contributes to the accumulation of plaque in your arteries. But VLDL and LDL function differently; VLDL mainly carries triglycerides and LDL mainly carries cholesterol. 

Whenever we decide to observe the impact of cholesterol on health, the focus is always on the “good” high density lipoprotein (HDL) and the “bad” low density lipoprotein (LDL). But there’s much more to cholesterol than just two simple numbers, researchers say. 

While HDL and LDL are still lipids that your health professional will continue to monitor, scientists now understand that those two major lipoprotein measurements can be broken down into many smaller measurements. And it’s those subgroups that now provide a far more accurate picture of your cardiovascular disease risk. 

Looking at HDL in Detail 

We already know that it is good to have high levels of HDL cholesterol in blood, because it helps transport LDL cholesterol out of the body. But you probably don’t know that 14 different subgroups of HDL have been identified, like HDL 2a, HDL 2b, HDL 3a, and so on. 

The HDLs with a “3” in their name are very small particles, while the ones with a “2” are larger and full of cholesterol. The larger HDLs, especially the 2b, are intriguing because they appear to be responsible for eliminating of 80 percent of LDL cholesterol from your body. There are no set guidelines for ideal levels of HDL 2b yet, however, studies suggest that cardiovascular benefits are noticeable when HDL 2b in blood levels stands at least 20 percent of total HDL in men and at least 30 percent in women. 

The Impact of LDL 

There are also several subclasses of “bad” LDL. Those labelled I, IIa, and IIb don’t appear to be much of a concern because they’re very big particles and can’t fit into crevices in arteries, leading to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. However, those labelled IIIa, IIIb, IVa, and IVb are much smaller and can fit into the tiny arterial crevices, possibly increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Scientists are not yet able to specify a lipoprotein level for these subclasses that would be considered harmful. 

You can find out your cholesterol subgroup numbers through a simple blood test, though not all doctors regularly include this screening. Still, we need to keep in mind that specific treatments for improving these subgroup numbers don’t yet exist beyond what already could be done to raise total HDL and lower total LDL. 

 Here are some strategies to raise “good” HDL and lower “bad” LDL levels and promote heart health: 

•  Aerobic activity. Aim for at least 30 minutes almost every day. 
• Healthy fats. Replace unhealthy saturated and hydrogenated fats found in butter, stick margarine and animal fat, with healthy unsaturated and omega-3 fats found in canola oil, olive oil, nuts and salmon. 
• Moderate alcohol. Keep it to no more than one drink a day for women and no more than two for men. 
• Opt for a fiber-rich, plant-based diet to reduce cholesterol.
• Enjoy lots of whole grains, fruits, veggies, legumes, nuts and seeds every day. 
• Maintain a healthy weight. Extra weight can wreak havoc on your lipid levels.

High Cholesterol and Obesity 

Understanding why some people have high cholesterol and some do not, corresponds a lot with the interplay of your genes along with the environment you’re exposed to. What you eat and how much you exercise combine to form a baseline risk for developing high cholesterol. If you eat a diet that is high in fat, like high-fat meats, fried foods and high-fat cheeses, you are increasing your risk of both obesity and high cholesterol. 

High Cholesterol and Weight Loss 

Some people who reportedly have high cholesterol are observed to be at a healthy weight. But, changing your diet to include healthier alternatives and following a routine exercise program can help you lower your cholesterol. In the face of obesity and high cholesterol, losing weight should help lower cholesterol levels, and additionally lower your risk for other obesity-related conditions including diabetes and cardiovascular disease. 

Some Diet Tips for Lower Cholesterol 

Lowering cholesterol levels requires much more than just changing your food habits, it is also heavily dependent on how much you eat. Being overweight increases your risk of having high levels of LDL (bad cholesterol), and low levels of HDL (good cholesterol). Usually, just the process of losing weight can help you lower your cholesterol. Here are some tips to help you on your weight loss journey: 

•  Follow a strict dietary routine to lower your cholesterol levels. ENHAPP provides you with custom-designed health and wellness packages to help you maintain a healthy weight.
• Carefully monitor your calorie intake. A single packet of pasta contains only 330 calories a serving, but it is also important to notice that there are three servings in a pasta package.
• Take a ‘snacks between meals’ approach to your diet. As a matter of fact, eating five or six small meals a day instead of three large ones can help you avoid feeling hungry between meals and overeating. Stock up on healthy snacks like carrots, apples, and blueberries, which are considered as ‘superfoods’ for health.
• Move away from white breads, bagels, and regular pastas, towards whole wheat varieties on your diet to lower cholesterol. They tend to be lower in calories, and they have more heart-healthy fiber.
• Cut back on soda, juice, and alcohol. Hydrate with water instead. If you must drink soda, a switch to diet soda will save you hundreds of calories.
• Inconsiderately snacking after dinner adds many ‘empty calories’ to your dieting regime. Refrain from snacking in the kitchen – say, two to three hours before you go to bed, and don’t be tempted to open the fridge or the cupboards post-dinner. 

ENHAPP implements an approach to lower cholesterol that includes making small changes to your diet and exercise habits. Instead of changing your total intake of calories, suggestions are made about changes you can adopt to regarding the types of foods you eat, which contributes to healthier cholesterol levels. However, if you do have extra body fat, studies suggest that weight loss helps reduce LDL and triglyceride levels, while increasing HDL levels. Exercise can also help in increasing HDL levels, as well as consuming more omega-3s, the good kind of fat. 

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