Lose weight by Balancing your Kitchen Lighting :)

Research suggests that dim, warm lighting makes food look more appealing, which causes you to eat more – that could be one reason why so many restaurants have a dark ambiance. Conversely, if your kitchen is too bright, it can raise cortisol levels, which may result in increased fat storage. If you're aiming for weight loss, studies suggest the best lighting for your kitchen is a 13-watt compact white fluorescent bulb: It’s a soft white light that produces a cold feel and inhibits appetite. Ideally you should have one bulb for every 20 square feet of your kitchen – whether it’s overhead lighting or lamps.

Increase Metabolism and Lose Weight with these Superfoods

Fennel Tea
Squash morning hunger pangs by drinking fennel tea before bed. Fennel is known for its cleansing, clarifying flavor that helps reset taste buds and reduce craving
s. It also boosts digestion, facilitating the absorption of nutrients, and reducing fat storage in the body. You can find fennel tea at health food stores or online.

Black Soybeans
Just a 1/2 cup of these beans in your taco contains 7 grams of fiber, as well as a rich source of iron, simultaneously helping you lose weight and fight fatigue.

Red Lentils
Protein-rich and loaded with fiber, these legumes will help you stay fuller for longer. One cup provides about three-quarters of your daily recommendation of fiber. They can be eaten plain or as a substitute for meat.


Pepitas
Pepitas is the Spanish word for pumpkin or squash seeds. High in omega-3 fatty acids, these seeds have been shown to decrease the body’s ability to store fat. They’re also high in protein and magnesium which helps curb cravings and strengthen muscles. Try eating 1 cup of seeds a few times a week either by roasting them or sprinkling them on meals.

Chia Seeds
Chia seeds are super high in soluble fiber -- which, in addition to filling you up, has cholesterol-lowering properties and prevents the absorption of fat. For a hydrating metabolism-boosting beverage, try a chia seed cocktail.

Green Tea
Sip on green tea to feel full between meals. A phytonutrient called EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), green tea increases the hormone responsible for making you feel satiated. Drinking green tea daily has long-term benefits as well. It can help prevent storage of excess fat, improve your appetite-regulating hormones and change how your body handles cravings and metabolizes food.

Cinnamon
This delicious spice slows the passage of food through your stomach. It also lowers your blood sugar levels by stimulating glucose metabolism. You can also sprinkle this spice in your oatmeal, stews or coffee.




Chili Peppers
Capsaicin, the compound that gives these spicy peppers their zing, also curbs your appetite while you eat. Not only that, it raises your body temperature, which may boost your metabolism. Add some chili sauce to your next omelet or burger and see for yourself.

Avocados
Trim your tummy by packing your grocery cart with monounsaturated fats, easily remembered as MUFAs. Found in nuts, olive oil and seeds, MUFAs are healthy sources of energy to keep you going all day long. Other fat burners include avocados, green tea and whole grains.



Apples
Apples are the perfect pre-dinner snack. Soluble fiber in apples, called pectin, reduces the amount of sugar and calories that’s absorbed into the bloodstream after a meal. That’s good news for folks who want to prevent type 2 diabetes, but it also makes apples one of the best snacks for dieters. Apple pectin prevents spikes in blood sugar that lead to increased fat storage. It will help you avoid the blood sugar “crash” that leaves you craving more food and can keep you satiated for up to two hours.

Immunity booster - Kiwi !

Benefits of kiwi for prevent cold and flu
Kiwi is rich in vitamin C ,E and A which boosts the immune system and also it is a natural remedy for cold and flu thus consuming kiwi fruit daily helps in recovering from cold and flu

Kiwi fruits reduces blood clotting
One of the benefits of Kiwi fruits are reducing blood clotting and reduce fat in the blood. Studies proved that people who consume three kiwi fruit per day for 1 month reduce their platelet aggregation response by 18%.

Benefits of kiwi for cancer diseases
Kiwi Fruit contain flavonoids and carotenoids which are antioxidants that prevent DNA from being damaged thus reduces risk of cancer diseases
Also kiwi fruit rich in Vitamin C which is water soluble antioxidant that protect our body from free radicals.

Benefits of kiwi for skin
Kiwi fruit are natural remedy for skin, for women who suffering from dry skin can apply a face mask by mixing Kiwi Juice , olive oil and egg yolk and put it gentely on your face . Leave the mask for 15 minutes and rinse it with warm water .This mixture will smooth and calm the skin.

Kindly share your recipe to good health with Kiwi, if you have tried something exciting with it :)

Weight loss!.. Not Fast, but being Slow and Steady wins the race :)

Start slow and make changes to your eating habits over time. Trying to make your diet healthy overnight isn’t realistic or smart. Changing everything at once usually leads to cheating or giving up on your new eating plan. Make small steps, like adding a salad (full of different color vegetables) to your diet once a day or switching from butter to olive oil when cooking. As your small changes become habit, you can continue to add more healthy choices to your diet.

The slower (rationally slow) the process, the greater the results are sustained!

What is that one step you are getting started with?.. Share it with me, would like to hear from you and motivate you towards your health goal :)

Check your Blood Sugars!.. Diabetes Awareness!

You might not experience the symptoms, but might still have Diabetes, which may go unnoticed for a long time. And one day, when you go for a health check up or simply feel that a wound is not healing, your physician might advise you to check your blood sugars to find out if the blood sugars are high!

A worried client who was overweight asked me "Do I have a risk of developing Diabetes in the future? Should I get my blood tested for Diabetes?"

On this occasion of World Diabetes Day, I would like to share the answers to the above questions.

TESTING FOR DIABETES IN INDIVIDUALS WITH NO SYMPTOMS :-

1. Testing should be considered in all individuals who are overweight (for Asians, BMI > 23.0 kg/m2) and have additional risk factors:

• physical inactivity
• first-degree relative with diabetes
• high-risk race/ethnicity (Asians are at high risk)
• women who delivered a baby weighing >9 lb (4 kg) or were diagnosed with GDM
• hypertension (BP ≥140/90 mmHg or on therapy for hypertension)
• HDL cholesterol level <35 mg/dL (0.90 mmol/L) and/or a triglyceride level >250 mg/dL (2.82 mmol/L)
• women with polycystic ovary syndrome
• HbA1C ≥5.7%, IGT, or IFG on previous testing
• other clinical conditions associated with insulin resistance (e.g., severe obesity, acanthosis nigricans)
• history of Cardiovascular Disease

2. In the absence of the above criteria, testing for diabetes should begin at age 45 years.

3. If results are normal, testing should be repeated at least at 3-year intervals, with consideration of more frequent testing depending on initial results (e.g., those with prediabetes should be tested yearly) and risk status.

Diabetes is a condition which may not cause any symptom or discomfort for a very long duration, inspite of being present in an individual. It slowly but surely affects the heart, kidneys, eyes and the nerves and aptly has been known as the " Silent Killer". 

If you have any queries regarding Diabetes, please feel free to ask.