Blogs - Functional Nutritionist & Health Coach Smiita Krishna

All You Know & Don’t Know About Osteoporosis

Hi friends

Happy Friday everyone! Though I am not sure if I am back to regular Friday blogs but I do know that I wanted to write this one. The short Instagram posts might be able to get more attention but I can’t share much there. It is supposed to be short and precise on Instagram and sometimes for the writer in me, it is not enough!

If you are into regular and concise information on various health and nutrition topics you can join me on Instagram here:

https://www.instagram.com/healthcoach_smita/

So, another one of my very close friend has been diagnosed with Osteoporosis recently. She is not the only one amongst my friends who was caught unaware. After talking to them, I realized that most women do not know much about Osteoporosis and definitely not about the connection between menopause and osteoporosis. Most we know is that osteoporosis is caused by calcium deficiency.

No one ever tells us about why this calcium deficiency happens even when we have been drinking milk, eating curd etc all our lives…or even taking calcium supplements! And when we don’t know about something, when we don’t question the cause…we won’t know what to do about it.

Today, let me tell you about Osteoporosis and a clear-cut connection between menopause and osteoporosis which not many would know. My friends didn’t know and I am sure most of us, don’t either. Do share this post with all your friends and family so that the awareness can be built.

The problem with menopause or even peri-menopause is that with it, osteoporosis becomes a scary reality for most of the women. Surgical menopause has also become so common these days. Surgical menopause happens when rather than natural aging, surgery (removal of ovaries) causes menopause. Ovarian cysts too have been so common these days resulting into surgical menopause often.

First, What is Osteoporosis?

It is a condition that affects bones. Our bones have small spaces inside. In Osteoporosis, these spaces grow big making our bones weak and porous.

Osteoporosis mostly comes with age and in women especially. In this, the affected person becomes prone to fractures even while doing daily activities. The most commonly affected areas for fractures are ribs, wrists, hips and spine.

Symptoms of Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is painless till we suffer from a fracture. No wonder, people never realize they suffer from it till it becomes glaringly obvious. However, if you notice these warning signs, it’s time to act:

Brittle nails
Weak grip strength
Receding gums
Back or neck pain
A fracture with a small movement such as a sneeze or a little fall/step off
Family history of osteoporosis

Left unattended, osteoporosis can become severe and small sudden movements like a sneeze can also cause a fracture. Spine injuries and loss of height can happen. A fall can turn out to be fatal, at worst.

Causes of Osteoporosis

General causes include:

Certain medical conditions e.g. hyperthyroidism, digestive disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes etc
Certain medications such as corticosteroids (prednisone etc)
Nutritional deficiency such as calcium and Vit D etc

Other Risk Factors:

Age – our bones start breaking down faster in our 30s. This leads to loss of density and results in fragile bones and osteoporosis.
Menopause – a big risk factor in women. Menopause occurs around the age of 45-55. With low estrogen levels, absorption of calcium gets affected seriously and women lose bone at a much faster rate. Just being a female at menopause stage is a big risk factor for women!
Being sedentary – if we are not physically active, we are always prone to osteoporosis, men and women both
Low BMI/body weight – being malnourished or underweight is a big risk factor for osteoporosis. Let’s be strong, not skinny!
Low muscle mass – muscles support the bones hence muscle-strength is important
Smoking or alcohol consumption is another risk factor that applies to men and women both

Now combine these risk factors for a women nearing menopause and it is a no-brainer how osteoporosis can cause some serious damage. Do note that men are susceptible to osteoporosis as well, especially in later years!

To confirm osteoporosis, a doc might order a specific blood test . To be more accurate, a DEXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan)/Bone Mineral Density (BMD) is the only option, as of now.

What To Do?

Upon confirmation, the doctor might advise a treatment plan involving bisphosphonates or some other specific therapies. Make sure to always discuss the treatment plan with your doctor thoroughly. Some researches that I have read point to some serious side effects with these treatments, such as cancer and stroke etc, unfortunately.

As for prevention, the factors that we can work with are, Nutrition and engaging in physical activities that strengthen the bones. With both these ticked positive, we can bring down the total risk of Osteoporosis, significantly lower. We can strengthen the bones, in fact! Some tips for that are:

Maintain a healthy weight: not less, not more
Quit smoking, quit alcohol (or at least moderate it)
Have a healthy diet rich in bone-friendly foods such as calcium, zinc, protein, Vitamin K etc
Supplement with Vit D, Calcium supplements if needed and as per your doc/nutritionist’s advice
Have a physically active lifestyle. Regular weight-bearing and muscle-strengthening exercise are very important for new bone tissue formation.
Take care of your muscle-mass for supportive strength to bones and to reduce the chances of falling etc

In the end, do give your bone-health a serious thought and share this blog with your friends and family. Remember, fractures are not just painful and delipidating but can also lead to other serious complications.

Having scared you enough, let me end on a positive note by saying that with enough care, we can strengthen our bones, slow down age-related osteoporosis to a large extent and prevent it from happening in first place. Before the menopause hits, women especially need to be ready to combat the bone-losses that are bound to accelerate in our bodies.

Love, Health & Peace

Your Health/Nutrition Coach

Smiita Krishna

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Diabetes Management

General Health / smiitakrishna

Hi friends!

Happy weekend everyone! Yes, Fridays are still my favorite as they bring the promise of two precious days of weekend. No getting up early and no rushing around. However, this post got delayed and it is Saturday today.

I am writing again this week. It has been a while since I wrote last. I have been putting up small weekly posts on various topics on Instagram however, writing longer blogs still has my heart! To stay updated on Health, Nutrition and Motivation, you can follow me here:

https://www.instagram.com/healthcoach_smita/

I stopped writing because as word-of-mouth and references bring more clients, the time dedicated to writing every week became sparse and I just could not. This time though, I had to. I have been selected for NDEP (National Diabetes Educator Program) and I wanted to share the news with you. Thank you for always sending positive vibes my way

I already have many diabetic and prediabetic clients and it has always been the most rewarding to see these clients lowering their Hb1ac significantly, dropping BP medications, lowering Insulin dosages, losing weight successfully, lowering inflammation and improving their lipid profiles successfully.

This ‘close-to-my heart’ certification would allow me to plan special holistic programs targeted to diabetic and pre-diabetic clients, targeting a wider client base. It would also allow me to prove to them that diabetes can easily be prevented and easily be managed…with some commitment from their side, with diet and with staying active both together.

Unfortunately, most of us do not realize that diabetes does not come alone. Starting with pre-diabetes which is a warning bell/waking call for us, to the progression to diabetes….it never comes alone. If we are not careful, heart diseases, kidney concerns, retinopathy and peripheral neuropathy etc are not too far. What saddens me the most is that we do not realize this until some damage is done already.

We can’t be left unscathed. It is inevitable and definitely preventable. Diabetes is a ‘lifestyle disease’ and just because our parents had it doesn’t mean that we would have it too, no matter what. Genetic is just a risk, a higher risk but a risk only!

With lifestyle corrections and diet modifications, the Diabetes Syndrome (syndrome is many complications/symptoms clubbed together, the Diabetes Package if I may call it) can be managed. People live for years with uncontrolled diabetes and slowly lose the control, without even realizing it.

Please do not ignore the early signs and please do not depend on medications alone for diabetes management. Seek help from a diabetes specialist/Diabetologist and also, enlist nutritional help from a qualified Nutritionist. Someone who can help you with diet as well as guide you through the physical activity part which is also a crucial part in diabetes management. Someone like me, yes. I am not being a show-off here, I am serious.

Just a dietician/nutritionist would not cut it. We need more than someone who would give us a diet plan on paper and call us back next month. We need someone who can keep us accountable, someone who is good with nutrition and staying active part, both.

In the end, please get your HbA1c, fasting and post prandial sugar levels checked at the soonest. Listen closely to your body and seek help so that the disease can be managed effectively or even remitted, if you are that committed!

With this, I wish you a very happy weekend! Maybe, use the free time for an annual blood test too ?

Love, Health & Peace

Smiita Krishna

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Dietary Supplements: The Good & The Bad

General Health, Nutrition / smiitakrishna

Hello friends, Happy Friday!

How are you doing?

The air is festive these days (despite the poor AQI) and most of us are busy planning parties, vacations and new year resolutions. I will not keep you for long and keep this post small because I have plans too

Do join me on Instagram here:

https://www.instagram.com/healthcoach_smita/

As a nutritionist and a health coach, the second most asked question asked to me, is about dietary supplements. Which supplement to boost immunity? Which supplement for PCOS? Which supplement for weight loss? Which supplement for cardiac health and so on.

Dietary supplements do help but they are not a magical wand where one sweep will transform ‘something’ into ‘something more desirable’. Supplements take time and precision too. There are a lot of factors that need consideration before we start one – be it a prebiotic or protein powder or omega-3 or ashwagandha or resveratrol or fibre…

The market is full of various brands and variants, they are readily available over the counter/online and the benefits are advertised everywhere. Supplements could prove to be quite beneficial as long as we know which ones to take. Everything that is promised by a brand/product might not be true, or can even be even misleading, sometimes causing more harm than good.

What Exactly Are Dietary Supplements?

The goal of dietary supplements is always the same – to supplement the diet for optimum health benefits. The keyword here is – DIET. The supplement should just supplement i.e. fill any gaps a well-balanced diet has still left for some reason…definitely not an alternative to a good, well-balanced diet!

Supplements Come In Many Forms

Powder, pills, fizzy drinks, liquid, chewable tablets, gummies…whichever form you take, make sure it is age appropriate, bioavailable and is taken as intended in terms of timing, duration and dosage.

They come as multivitamins and also as a standalone nutrient. In my opinion, all these factors are also highly individualized and vary from person to person.

Supplements: The Good

A good, appropriate and bioavailable supplement can help provided there was a need for it to begin with. Our doctor or nutritionist might prescribe one to us. It could be because:

Of some deficiency in body e.g. Vit D3 or iron or calcium etc
Of some illness/risk of illness – that could be manged better with additional help from a supplement
Of a performance related factor
Of an unhealthy diet pattern
Of correction needed in lifestyle patterns such as a jet lag etc

Supplements: The Bad

There are always concerns for:

Toxicity with overdosage or unmindful consumption
Non bio-availability of a form or variant
Unwanted interaction with other medications/supplements one might already be taking
Contradiction to a medical condition that one might already have
Untested or shady compositions of the supplement
Unwanted fillers etc used in supplements
Contaminated source of the supplement such as heavy metals in fish etc

In The End

Just because the label says ‘completely safe’, ‘super-effective’, ’natural’ or’ proven’….doesn’t necessarily translate into the same. The researches that the supplement-makers give behind these products could have been done on different forms or dosages. Or the supplement could have bioavailability issues (a very common factor).

To ensure our own safety, we should take supplements with following precautions:

Under proper guidance from a healthcare expert
Read the labels properly for dosage and timings etc
Make sure there are no unwanted interactions with your diet, pre-existing medical conditions and other medications
Store supplements properly as indicated

Hope today’s post helped you in understanding the vast world of dietary supplements a bit better. Do share with your family and friends so that they also stay aware and optimise the supplements that they take.

Till next Friday
Love, Health & Peace
Your Health Coach
Smiita Krishna

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Eating For Comfort? A Tool That Can Help

General Health / smiitakrishna

Hi friends, happy Friday!

How is it going?

First of all, a BIG “thank you” for your overwhelming response to my last two posts in Caring for Heart series, part 1 and part 2. Am very happy to know that it has helped so many of you in understanding the signs and symptoms of a heart disease or an impending heart attack. We also discussed how we can keep our heart healthy.

Hope you shared them with your family and friends too. This makes my writing every Friday so worth it, for me!

Join me on Instagram here, for a regular dose of motivation and information relating to health, nutrition & fitness:

https://www.instagram.com/healthcoach_smita/

Now, with those posts done, let us go back to that simple but very important tool that can help many of us in understanding whether we are genuinely hungry or if it is just some sort of comfort that we are seeking from food.

Many of us would benefit from being able to learn to differentiate between real hunger and just a craving for comfort food (also called as psychological hunger). This would help us tremendously in our weight management goals.

As a nutritionist and a health coach, I find many of my clients struggling with binge-eating or comfort-eating for various reasons. Sometimes, these reasons are nutritional and most times, psychological. How can one differentiate? Let’s see:

Do you find yourself snacking too often?
Do you feel most of your snacking is mindless eating?

Here, take an “Apple Test” before you reach out to snacks and other munchies.

What is an Apple Test?

Apple test is nothing but asking ourselves a question before we start munching on mid-meal snacks. The question is:

“Can I eat an apple right now?”

An alternative could also be another fruit or vegetable that you can’t overeat e.g. a mango fruit won’t be an ideal choice if you love mangoes. I personally use a “cucumber test”.

If the answer is “yes, I am hungry and an apple sounds lovely, I can eat it”…go ahead and eat that apple. If the answer is “no, I don’t want an apple right now, I want that piece of cake/bag of chips/some order-in/ice-cream/cookie only…do know that you are not hungry. It is just that snack calling you!

If weight management/weight loss is our goal, it would be best to not listen to that snack. A little willpower comes handy here. It helps to know that we really are not hungry but are just getting tricked by a mere snack!!

This is called emotional hunger or mental hunger. We also call it as comfort-eating. Binge eating is not too far off either.

So What To Do Now?

Alright, so you don’t want an apple, what now? Distract yourself from the idea of eating by:

Drinking water – half the times it is thirst, trust me
Talking to ourselves about why do we feel hungry at the moment. Since it’s not food clearly, what exactly is that we crave for?
Going for a small walk
Getting busy with some other task/activity
Talking to a family member/friend
Playing with a pet

Take this “Apple Test” next time you reach for mid-meal snacks and see if it helped. It has helped me and my clients for sure. I would love to know about that experience.

Till next Friday
Love, Health & Peace
Your Health Coach
Smiita Krishna

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Caring For Heart-Part 2: How To

General Health / smiitakrishna

Hi friends, happy Friday!

How is it going?

I hope you found the last post in this Cardiac Care series (read part 1 here if you missed it) helpful and worth sharing with your family and friends.

Last post dealt with warnings and symptoms of a heart disease or an impending heart attack. It also told us the most common risk factors for a heart disease or CAD (Coronary Artery Disease). I would strongly recommend reading it first.

Join me on Instagram here:

https://www.instagram.com/healthcoach_smita/

So, let’s say someone recognised some signs and warnings from my last post. Now what? Now we can:

Consult a doctor and she/he would most likely run some blood-work, get an ECG (Electrocardiogram) done as a first step. An ECG would tell us what is happening in which part of the heart and any irregular rhythm/rate would be identified. You would be relieved to know that ECG is a simple, painless procedure that takes about 5-10 minutes
The next step would be to make sustainable changes in your lifestyle and this includes diet and physical activity both. Also important is to find some form of stress management e.g. breathwork, meditation, spending relaxed time with self and family/pets/plants, an immersive hobby…anything that helps us relax is good!

How Nutrition Can Help

Nutrition plays a huge role in taking care of one’s heart (and overall health). A normal, healthy weight is important not just for our heart but for the entire body to function smoothly.

High cholesterol, high triglycerides, high BP, diabetes, a diet high on trans & saturated fats are all things that are detrimental to our heart health. A heart-friendly diet would:

include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, fish, poultry, nuts etc
exclude red meat consumption
exclude junk food high on trans fats and saturated fats
exclude excessive consumption of sugar
consume enough fibre. Most of us need 20-30 gms of it a day
speak to your nutritionist about Omega-3 foods and supplements

How Exercise Can Help

A regular exercise routine of 30 minutes, at least 5 days a week that gets our heart pumping is a good way to take care of our heart. Though a structured cardio routine such as Interval Training can do wonders if done consistently, HIIT once or twice a week is a good too but not advised for beginners. Brisk walking, running, cycling, jumping rope and swimming etc are some good options suitable for most of us.

Doing it on and off might not bring the much-desired results. Still, some is better than none. Move!

Other lifestyle Modifications

Stress Management – There is more to life than just running and chasing a particular goal. Sure, goals are important and working hard is taught to us since childhood however, if it brings high levels of stress and leaves no time for us to relax and rejuvenate, it is not worth it, in my opinion. We need to be able to learn to destress on a daily basis and no, it does not just include spending hours on TV or phone.
Quitting Smoking – For those who smoke, it is hard to quit smoking but then there is no easy way out. Everyone knows the harmful impact of smoking. Even the second-hand smoke that people around smokers inhale, is harmful. There is a reason why smoking is banned in public places. And as for looking cool while smoking or bonding over a smoke…well, it just looks uncool playing with your own health and bonding requires a bonding/friendly/caring nature rather than smoking or even drinking. Vaping is harmful too.
Blood Pressure Management – If you suffer from high BP, you are at risk for a heart disease. We can take a simple BP test to measure it. The normal BP value is less than 120 systolic and less than 80 diastolic. Any elevated numbers here, be it systolic or diastolic, mean a higher risk for heart diseases. Eating healthy, staying active, weight management, stress management, avoiding smoking and tobacco, limiting alcohol and caffeine consumption, lowering salt intake is a good way to start if one is trying to manage high BP concerns. A blood pressure monitor also comes handy in BP management.
Diabetes Management – With Diabetes, cardio-vascular diseases are not too far. It would be important to manage blood-sugar levels well, to keep the heart healthy.
Heart Rate – our heart rate while we work hard and while we rest both, are good indicators of our heart health. The lower the resting HR is, the better it is.
Regular health check-ups – to keep a tab on your health in general is a good idea
Prescription medicines etc, as advised by your doctor if it comes to that

Prevention is better than cure any day, for any thing, for any body. Using food and movement as medicine is any day better than reaching to the level of prescription drugs and surgery and that is if, we were lucky. Won’t you agree?

Till next Friday

Love, Health & Peace

Your Health Coach

Smiita Krishna

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Caring For Heart-1: Signs & Symptoms

General Health / smiitakrishna

Hi friends

Hope all is good at your end.

My sabbatical is finally over and I am back to Friday blogging! I have cleared my CPT (Certified Personal Trainer) certification from renowned ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) scoring highest in my batch. On top of being a Nutritionist, am now a certified Fitness Coach also. I have already been giving workout flows to my clients all this while and I feel very, very happy that more and more people are becoming health-conscious these days.

I already am into precise-nutrition. Based on some old and recent queries, I am considering doing a BOOT CAMP for 3-months duration, for a small batch of people interested in starting strength training. Will send out the details soon, hopefully.

Why? Rather than me giving reasons for why women need Strength Training especially around Menopause/Perimenopause…let me just say “one should, one must”. Just like we should eat mindfully. Will do another post on it soon, to explain it better.

This come-back blog today was supposed to be about a tool on recognizing genuine hunger pangs/cues. It has to wait for now because right now, on my mind is, our HEART.

We can be vulnerable to heart attacks and heart failures without even realizing the risks/warnings and understanding the severity of the situation. It can be sudden or it can come with fair warnings. Do we know what to look out for?

As a certified ACSM-CPT, I have done my certification in CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) and AED (automated external defibrillator) also. I am now convinced that every single one of us needs to learn CPR and especially those with family members with cardiac concerns.

Gyms, large housing societies and wellness centres would do well to invest in an AED machine which comes handy when someone suffers from a cardiac arrest and loses consciousness/pulse. It can be a life-saver! The cost of AED machine is quite high so keeping it at home individually is a difficult and unaffordable option for many.

Anyways, let’s come back to topic on hand. I am going to cover this topic in 2-3 posts. Today is part-1. Stay tuned every Friday and if you want to join me on Instagram, here is the link to my profile:

https://www.instagram.com/healthcoach_smita/

What is a Heart Attack?

A heart attack, also called a myocardial infarction, happens when the blood flow and as a result, oxygen supply to heart is blocked. This needs to be treated quickly to avoid death of the heart organ.

The main reason behind a blockage is the Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) – damage of heart’s major blood vessels mostly due to building of plaque inside (atherosclerosis). The blood flow is reduced and pain/shortness of breath may occur. We might not even realize the problem till a complete blockage some day, results in a heart attack. CAD is termed as a “silent killer’ for a reason!

The risk factors for CAD or a heart disease could be any of these:

Being overweight or obese
High blood pressure (BP)
High cholesterol
Diabetes
Smoking
Unhealthy eating
Being physically inactive
High stress levels
Family History
Age related

Some risk factors like age and family history can’t be controlled much. In these cases it is important to follow a healthy diet & lifestyle and get regularly assessed for any complications. The risk could be high for someone with:

a first degree male relative who suffered a heart attack before age 55 years
or a first degree female relative before age 65

Heart attack and heart failure technically, are two different conditions where in ‘heart failure’ the heart weakens and is unable to pump sufficient blood, to put it simply.

Common Symptoms of a Heart Attack

I know there are many other ailments such as indigestion and BP etc that can have similar symptoms. Panicking for every small thing is also not advisable however for awareness’s sake, let’s still know some of the most common warning symptoms of an impending heart attack.

Shortness of breath – This can happen on its own without any other symptom/pain or along with. If it increases when we lie down or do even mild physical activity, it is wise to get it immediately checked
Chest Pain/Discomfort – this discomfort is mostly in left or in centre of chest, can last for a few minutes, comes on and goes off. Many a times, it can feel like heartburn or indigestion. The feeling could be of pressure or fullness or a painful squeeze
Discomfort in upper body – such as ANY of the arms, back, shoulders, neck, jaw, or upper stomach
Cold sweat
Feeling unusually tired for no apparent reasons, for one or many days
Sudden dizziness
Nausea or vomiting

With these symptoms and especially combined with the above-mentioned 10 risks already present, it would be a good idea to get ourselves immediately tested for any heart-related complications, to be on a safer side.

In my next post on next Friday, we will discuss what can be done to manage our risks for heart-related complications, including a healthy diet. Also a quick go-through with what to do in case of a cardiac arrest. Hope this post today helped us in understanding heart attacks in a simpler way. Do share with your family and friends, to spread the awareness. This can save someone’s life someday!

Till next Friday

Love, Health & Peace

Your Health Coach

Smiita Krishna

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Ancient Grains

Nutrition / smiitakrishna

Hi friends, how are you all? All good at my end too, thank you.

If you read on health topics, you might have come across a relatively recent term “ancient grains”. As for me, anything with the word ‘ancient’ about it gets my attention fast.

Ancient history, ancient literature, ancient civilizations and their customs, ancient wisdom…you name it and I find it fascinating. Do you too? Not that I don’t find modern wonders equally enchanting. New discoveries, new science and modern approaches to many things are equally awe-inspiring. But the pull of ancient is too great, for me!

When I first came across the term ‘’ancient grains’’, I was stumped! I even imagined archeologists finding a huge storage of grains dating back to very, very old times and selling it now. When I explored further, I realized that ancient here means something different but equally wonderful. Why wonderful? Just imagine something witnessing and withstanding all the major events our Earth has gone through, and surviving still!

What Are Ancient Grains?

Technically, the ancient grains are grains (or grass or seeds) that have been planted and harvested for thousands of years on Earth, genetically undisturbed.

Not exactly what I originally thought (as a huge grain-store found buried somewhere). There is no official definition available anywhere for ancient grains. Also, many whole grains can be loosely termed as ancient grains!

This could be a fancy marketing word too, to entice people like me! I mean we already know of many of these grains or pseudo-cereals. These grains might have been a new concept for western world but for us Indians (and for those in China, Africa and Middle East etc), many of these grains have always been used a lot. To name a few:

Barley
Amaranth or Rajgira/Ramdana
Quinoa
Buckwheat (Kuttu)
Millets – such as Pearl millet (bajra), foxtail millet (kangni/kakum), sorghum (jowar), finger millet (ragi) etc
Tuff
Chia seeds
A few varieties of wheat e.g. kamut, spelt, farro, freekeh, einkorn etc
Some wild or heirloom varieties of rice, barley and corn etc

Benefits of Ancient Grains

Am not going in detail of each of these, today. Each warrants a post of its own and I might do it as a series some day. Do you want me to, or not needed?

Since these are generally non-processed or less-processed, ancient grains are relatively:

Denser in nutrition values such as vitamins, minerals, protein etc
Higher on antioxidants and flavonoids
Better source of fibre

And hence, these grains, when included in regular diet, can be linked to many health benefits such as better digestion, lower risks of heart diseases and cancer, better blood-sugar level management, reduced inflammation and many more.

Is it Worth It?

No doubt these are very healthy grains. Consumed whole and largely unprocessed still (at least till now), these grains are quite rich in fibre, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals. Many of these grains are also gluten-free which is an added bonus, for people who are gluten-sensitive.

Healthy whole grains don’t have to be exotic. Most of the heirloom varieties are quite expensive too. The common varieties when made a part of well-balanced diet, are good enough for most of us.

Having said that, we can definitely add some of these ‘ancient grains’ to our regular diet. Not the exotic versions but the commonly available ones, for sure.They have always been around, actually!

However, before you do so, make sure the grain suits you. There isn’t a thumb rule. Each of these grains might do wonders or might make situation worse for certain medical conditions or specific goals. Do research the grain properly or consult your nutritionist for more details if you want to add these grains to your daily diet.

Hope you found today’s post useful and interesting. Do share it around if you want and do join me on Instagram for regular stories on Health, Nutrition and Fitness. DM me on Instagram if have a feedback or if you want to consult me on a one-on-one basis.

https://www.instagram.com/healthcoach_smita/

Till next Friday

Love, Health & Peace

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Diabetes 101: Glycemic Index

General Health, Nutrition / smiitakrishna

Hi friends, happy Friday!

How is it going with you these days? Hope all is good.

For my Friday posts, I generally try to pick simple topics or try to simplify complex ones. Topics that help us in staying aware and in making better decisions with our health, nutrition and fitness. If there is something that you want me to write on, do let me know on Instagram DM.

https://www.instagram.com/healthcoach_smita/

A few days back, I have been asked to write more on diabetes and I think it’s a great idea for us to know more about diabetes, pre-diabetes and related terms. Why is it such a good idea?

Did you know that India, unfortunately is also called as ‘Diabetes Capital’ of the world!

Yes, India or Indians are on the top when it comes to diabetes! And the current exponential rise in these cases are mostly lifestyle related which includes our eating patterns. So, please let’s not blame it on our genes and rather look into re-evaluating our diet and lifestyle. Our parents probably did not pass it on to us but we can definitely pass it on to our next generation.

For today, it is about Glycemic Index or GI. Many of us probably have heard about this term. It is an important term when we are trying to manage diabetes or even prediabetes. Let’s understand it better today.

What is GI or Glycemic Index?

GI is basically a scale on which we can measure foods in terms of how fast they raise our blood-sugar levels. Or how fast our body can covert the carbs in food into glucose. An international GI database is maintained by Sydney University Glycemic Index Research Services in Sydney, Australia.

Ideally, sudden and large spikes in blood sugar levels should be avoided. How? This tool called ”Glycemic Index” could help us in managing prediabetes or diabetes very easily.

If used properly, this tool can be of immense help while making better dietary choices. It can also:

Be used as a weight management tool
Be used to plan/have healthier meals
Be an important part of diabetes-management
Be used in Cholesterol management

However, if you are a diabetic, it is always a good idea to check with your diabetes-specialist doctor or nutritionist before you start making huge changes in your diet. With this disclaimer in place, let’s move on to the different categories of GI values:

1-55: Low GI value – mostly foods that get absorbed slowly in our body e.g. green leafy veggies, lentils, chickpeas, beans, raw carrot etc
56-69: Medium GI value e.g. sweet corn, bananas, multigrain bread etc
70 and higher: High GI value – mostly foods that get absorbed in our body quickly e.g. white rice, white bead, potatoes etc

A more detailed GI value table is easily available on internet if we google it. We can search here also:

https://glycemicindex.com/gi-search/

Drawbacks of GI Table

However, there is a slight catch;

GI values do not tell us anything about nutritional values of a food and just because something is of low GI value, doesn’t automatically make it the healthier option for everyone
It doesn’t take into account the portion sizes as well. And portion-size does matter…a lot!
The GI value of a certain food can change due to a few factors such as
- Method of cooking – how you cook, how long you cook etc
- Food combinations
- Ripeness e.g. bananas
- Processing

As a nutritionist, I worry more about Nutritional Value (a regular ice-cream has a GI of 65 and watermelon 72, which do you think is a healthier choice? ) and at most, Glycemic Load of a particular food. This allows for more flexibility when it comes to eating a variety of foods, even those with high GI values. Glycemic Load takes into account the portion-size of the food as well and this is why we find that if the portion size is controlled or right combinations are made, foods with high GI values can be enjoyed too!

It is a great idea to make healthier food choices based on GI values especially for diabetes-management however let us not use the concept in isolation and completely restrict nutrition-dense foods. GI values are carbohydrates-derived but other nutritional factors such calories, protein, fats, vitamins, minerals and fiber are equally important. Well, not to say that carbs are not important because they certainly are.

I hope this post today made the Glycemic Index simpler for you and gave you the bigger picture. Till next Friday

Love, Health & Peace

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Diabetes 101: Prediabetes

General Health, Nutrition / smiitakrishna

Hi friends

Happy Friday and a very auspicious Shri Ganesh Chaturthi to you all!

Today is not the right day for this post or maybe, it is THE perfect day! The wisdom to make informed choices is indeed a boon! The festive season has started and not just in India but all over the world, festivals and celebrations are invariably linked to food especially sweets/desserts. We get/make sweets at home, we gorge on fabulous delicacies when we visit someone and we in turn, feed our guests the same.

And that’s the fun of it all, isn’t it? I do just the same. I mean, festivals without food don’t sound so good, do they? Did I tell you about the big sweet-tooth I have had since childhood? Now, the cravings are mostly gone (thanks to a well-balanced diet) and whatever is left, I have learnt to moderate.

And why go through all this trouble of eating better and learning new habits? Life should not be so complicated and limiting, right? YOLO, right? Live life king-size/queen-size, right?

Right. Now is when I start on today’s topic i.e. Prediabetes ?

“A little disclaimer before we begin – when I say sugar from food, it doesn’t necessarily mean only ‘sugary/sweet’ foods, it can be your ketchup/sauce or the chips or even roti/rice. Almost every food has some sugar in it!”

What Is Prediabetes?

In short, a higher than normal blood sugar level…but not so high as to be termed as type 2 diabetes, is termed as prediabetes.

It also means that the long-term damage associated with diabetes such as arteries, heart, stroke, kidney etc. has already begun in the body. It also means that unless one makes necessary diet and lifestyle changes, it might turn into full-fledged diabetes soon. It also means that you have one last chance to reverse it.

Why one last chance? Because though it IS possible for SOME of us to maintain the level of consistent discipline that can reverse type 2 diabetes and hold it at bay even without medication BUT even that doesn’t mean it gets completely cured. I will come to that also, in my subsequent posts but let’s just say that if one is prediabetic, it is far easier to manage/reverse this stage than a full-fledged type 2 diabetic stage.

Causes Of Prediabetes

People with prediabetes are unable to process sugar properly and hence, the sugar from food gets accumulated in blood instead of providing energy to our cells (which is its true job and we do need sugar for it). Processing sugar from blood and taking it to cells require a hormone called insulin.

In prediabetes, this whole process (which is quite complicated in reality), doesn’t work perfectly. There might not be enough insulin made by pancreas or cells might not allow the sugar to enter in. This results in elevated blood-sugar levels and other signs, indicating prediabetes.

Some other risk factors (or associated conditions) are:

Being overweight
Having a large waist size
Fat deposits around abdomen or a paunch
Unhealthy diet
Lack of physical activity
Family history and genetics
Ethnicity (that includes Indians)
Diabetes during pregnancy or Gestational diabetes
Smoking
PCOS
Irregular lipid profile
Elevated blood pressure levels

Signs Of Prediabetes

Unfortunately, prediabetes doesn’t have any symptoms and that is why many of us fail to notice it. A simple blood test is the only way to know for sure. However there could be some indications:

Darkened skin or dark spots on some parts of body such as neck, armpits, elbow, knuckles, knee etc
Increased thirst
Increased hunger
Increased frequency of urination
Unexplained fatigue or easy exhaustion
Blurry vision

If we notice any of these symptoms, we need to run some bloodwork and get accurate readings from there.

Is It Reversible?

The first question that comes to our mind is, “can prediabetes be reversed?”. Well, it is majorly a lifestyle-related problem so making necessary changes (for life) can reverse it, yes.

But that’s the hard part, isn’t it? This would require huge commitment. If one is willing to work, one can do it. Here are a few pointers, to begin with:

Eat better and healthier – Not advertising myself here but one does require nutritional guidance to reverse prediabetes. Do take the help of a nutritionally-informed doctor/nutritionist if you do not know how and where to start. One can start with reducing processed food consumption and by including more of suitable fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean protein and healthy fats
Quit smoking if you do. This includes passive smoking
Get a regular exercise plan in place even if it means 30 minutes of brisk walking every day
Lose all that extra weight – losing just 5-7% of our excess weight can decrease the risk by a huge 60%, for most of us
Work on the irregular lipid profile – the LDL, HDL and triglycerides etc.
Get adequate sleep – easy said than done but not impossible, 7 hours would do the trick

A slightly long post today but I do hope it helped you somehow. Do share it around and join me on Instagram for any feedback/queries/DMs as well as regular stories on Health, Nutrition and Fitness.

https://www.instagram.com/healthcoach_smita/

Till next Friday

Love, Health & Peace

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Diabetes Reversal/Remission

General Health, Nutrition / smiitakrishna

Hi friends, how is it going? Hope all good.

In this part 3 of Diabetes Series, we have finally come to the question which is on a lot of people’s mind these days. Can diabetes be cured? Can one reverse it? Before we get into that or even along with today’s post, please read the part 1 on Glycemic Index (here) and part 2 on Prediabetes (here) of this series to understand diabetes better, in case you missed them.

The answer is yes, and no. The answer could also have been “that depends”. Depends on what?

As I always say, there are no thumb rules. Neither in nutrition nor when it comes to a human body’s capabilities. The answers always vary from one person to the other. Millets could be good for you or millets could be ‘not’ good for you. Wheat could be good for you or wheat can be ‘not’ good for you…and the list goes on.

Anyways, let’s come back to the topic today.

Remission Is A Better Word

In my opinion, remission is a better word applicable here…rather than curedor reversed. In medical terms, remission means the disease has diminished or disappeared to such a level that the body shows no signs and symptoms of the disease. Without medication.

That is good enough, no! It is like you have reversed the diabetes to such a level where you have no signs/symptoms of it in your body. No medication required anymore either!

However, if one is not careful, it can come back and this ‘coming back’ or the relapse chances remain higher than normal. One requires regular check-ups for diabetes and other associated risks, for life, just to make sure it stays that way.

Complete Remission term is applicable when 1 or more year of normal blood glucose levels is achieved, without any medication
Prolonged Remission term is applicable when 5 or more years of normal blood-glucose levels are achieved, without any medication

Can Remission Be Done?

First of all, whether it can go into remission or not, depends upon a few factors:

Early diagnosis
Weight management
Diet management
Active lifestyle
Genetics could play a part too

Many of us do manage to control diabetes adequately even if not reverse it. The medication/insulin dosage or frequency becomes quite low. That is a great achievement too!

How To Do It?

Diabetes management requires a complete lifestyle evaluation and implementing changes wherever necessary. This includes:

Weight management – Being overweight and carrying excess fat especially around abdomen causes our cells to become resistant to hormone insulin hence, losing that extra weight/fat is super important
Eating foods low in simple carbohydrates and avoiding sugar. A must read post here on glycemic index
Mixing various food groups to create balanced meals/snacks options
Having smaller and more frequent meals might help us too
Exercise regularly – what form one chooses doesn’t matter as long as one moves and stays active. However, it would require a little more than a casual stroll
Move a little post-meals – a little walk post meal would be a great idea
Get tested regularly to keep a track of the variations in the sugar-levels as well as associated risks such as cardiac issues, irregular lipid profile, high BP etc

Last but not the least, listen to your doctor/diabetes-specialist and nutritionist. The problems I face when I work with my clients for prediabetes reversal or even blood-sugar level control/management, are only two:

“I can’t do this”
“I can’t eat this”

The goals that we have in mind need to be in sync with what we can eat and do.If one can’t eat this or do that, keeping the goal realistic is also important. If one is aiming for remission and looking to maintain it life-long, one needs to do whatever needs to be done and eat whatever needs to be eaten.

Hope this post today (and the last two in this series) helped you in some way or the other in understanding diabetes/prediabetes better. It is indeed possible to do a lot of things as our human body has a lot of potential. The question is “are we ready to do it? “.

I wish you best of luck in your journey towards health if you have decided to begin now or if you have already begun. Do join me on Instagram for more and regular updates on various Health, Nutrition, Fitness and Motivation, if you want. DM me on Instagram in case you wish for a personal consultation.

https://www.instagram.com/healthcoach_smita/

Till next Friday

Love, Health and Peace

Diabetes Reversal/Remission Read More »