Caution with Carbs!

Does your palate crave for a piece of scrumptious cake with creamy rich chocolate filling after dinner? Do you feel that once you take the first bite of that sugar-loaded piece of heaven that your willpower to say "no" flies out of the window? You are not alone....join the club of millions of people inflicted with sugar addiction. Here are some facts about the most talked about macro-nutrient:
Basic Facts about Carbohydrates:
Carbohydrates are one of the macro-nutrients that are broken down to glucose to provide energy for bodily functions. They are divided into simple, complex carbohydrates and fibers. Simple Carbohydrates are sugars like glucose, fructose, and sucrose, whereas complex carbohydrates are starches that are made up of many sugar molecules, joined together. Fibers are the carbohydrates found in plant-source only.
Functional Facts about Carbohydrates:
1. Natural Vs Added - Carbohydrates that are found naturally in the foods like fructose in fruits or lactose in dairy products are a good source of carbohydrates than added sugars found in sweetened beverages, desserts, and other processed foods.
2. Go with the colors - Green colored kale, orange colored carrots, and red kidney beans not only add color to your plate but also provide you with a healthy source of carbohydrates.
3. Wipe off the whites - Say "no" to the refined carbohydrates found in the white food like white bread, potato, and sugar. Refined carbohydrates get absorbed quickly increasing the sugar level in the body. As Johny rightly said "Eating Sugar, No Papa"!
4. Interpreting the labels - Beware..sugar can go by different names like sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, molasses, agave nectar, fructose sweetener, dextrose etc. Paying attention to these added sugars on the food label will help you to make a healthy decision. Higher the position on the label, larger is the quantity of it in that particular food.
5. Fit in Fiber - Fiber usually comes from the plant source and are not absorbed by the body. Hence they do not increase the sugar levels. Chose your fiber source from legumes, peas, apples and green beans. Daily quota of 25-30 grams of fiber from natural plant-source is essential to maintain digestive health, improve satiety and decrease cholesterol level. The easiest way to get 25-30 grams of fiber/day is to start with whole grain cereal like oatmeal, eat at least 1 whole fruit/day, snack on raw vegetables and substitute meat with legumes, white rice with brown rice or quinoa and white pasta with whole grain pasta.
6. Advice on Artificial sweeteners - Sugar-free may not be completely sugar/carb free. There are 6 FDA approved sugar substitutes in the US. These artificial sweeteners are 100 times sweeter than sugar and must be used in very small amounts only. In my opinion, natural sweeteners like agave or honey are preferable to artificial sweetener.
7. Diabetic diet - If you have diabetes, it is advisable to consult with a Dietitian or Diabetic educator to learn about carb counting and to customize your meal plan.
8. Curbing the cravings - Avoid taking that tempting first bite, if you indulge in one it will soon push you into an avalanche of carb indulgence. Space meals equally during the day so that there is no rapid fluctuation in sugar level, low sugar level itself will cause the cravings. Fool your body with natural sugars in fruits instead of added sugars. A bowl of blueberries or strawberries with a dollop of fat-free whipped cream may satisfy your sweet tooth as good as a bowl of ice cream! Anytime chose water to quench your thirst over sugar-sweetened beverage or soda.
9. Zero-in on the diet -There is nothing called Zero-Carb diet since all foods have some amount of carbohydrate. Instead of avoiding carbs completely, I recommend choosing the right type of carbs found in legumes, fruits, vegetables, dairy, and whole grains.

Carbohydrates are the main source of energy to our body. We all need it for survival. It is not all that bad as it has been portrayed in recent years if it is from right, natural source. So make your choice of carbs wisely, consume in smaller portions, combine it with other macro-nutrients like unsaturated fat and protein, most importantly stay away from the added sugars.

Heart Healthy

As January comes to an end, the excitement of the New Year wanes slowly, we find ourselves struggling with the reality of keeping up with the new commitments and most importantly those resolutions that we made a month ago on New Year's day. Next month is going to be easy since we already have an idea on how to put our resolution into action effectively. The motto for the month of February should be "Focus on your heart". What better month than February to pay attention to the heart. With Valentine's day just around the corner, love is in the air and where does this love emanate from? The Heart of course!
This four-chambered vital organ in the chest that beats rhythmically, pumps blood and love with every beat. It beats more than 3 million times in one's lifetime supplying every cell in the body with the much-needed oxygen for survival. February is Heart Health month for a reason. Heart diseases are the leading cause of death for both men and women around the world. Raising awareness about the preventable causes of heart disease and steps that should be taken to protect the heart will go a long way in improving a person's health and life expectancy.

Here are a few heart-healthy tips:
1. Screening for silent killers: Know your Blood Pressure, Cholesterol, and Blood Sugar numbers. Yearly wellness exams shed light on the silent killers like Hypertension, Hyperlipidemia which will otherwise go unnoticed until a catastrophic event occurs.
2. Weigh in on your weight:  Maintain an ideal weight. If you are overweight, set a goal to bring it to the ideal weight. If you are already there, make sure you maintain it.
3. Say No to Nicotine: Quit smoking! Even second-hand smoking increases the risk of heart disease. According to the CDC, it is estimated that second-hand smoke caused nearly 34,000 heart disease deaths each year from 2005 to 2009 among adult nonsmokers in the United States. If you are a smoker, do your heart and the hearts of your loved ones a favor by putting out your puffing habit for good.

4. Limit the Liquor: Drinking in moderation is helpful to your heart. Health benefits of red wine are well known and well studied. Men should drink no more than 2 glasses/day and women no more than 1 glass/day.

5. Food for Heart: Go low on the salt. Too much salt increases blood pressure and risk of heart disease. Avoid Trans-fat labeled as "Partially hydrogenated oils". Even though Trans-fat was banned by FDA small amount may still be present in the cookie, cake, pizza, and frozen food. Saturated fat found in butter, cream, red meat etc. are also harmful to the heart. Eat plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, whole grains and less of processed food. Add nuts and seeds to your diet at least  4-5 times/week.
6. FIT(T) for Fitness: Get up and move! Start with small steps and aim for 10,000 steps/day. An exercise recommendation that focuses on the following points will be highly beneficial for wellness:
The Frequency of exercise, Intensity of exercise, Type of exercise and Timing. Check with your doctor before starting any exercise regime and get professional help from an exercise therapist or personal trainer when needed.

Take care of your heart and it will take care of you until...the last beat!