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Healthy Eating Habits

There are two types of people on earth, those who ‘ live in order to eat’ and others who ‘ eat in order to live’. The choice of type put the people under the category of a healthy or unhealthy lifestyle and leads them towards either negative or positive consequences, the outcome of the choices they made.

Does ‘healthy eating habits’ really make any difference in our lives?

Let’s go step-by-step to understand the topic of concern affecting one and all, through the importance of food, advantages, and disadvantages of healthy and unhealthy eating habits respectively.

Why does human being require to eat food?

The human body requires energy to perform all the basic functions of the body like; breathing, digesting food, keeping it warm, helping repair the body, inducing growth and maintaining a healthy immune system. The energy substances are already there in the form of nutrients in a variety of food. A calorie is a basic unit of energy that we get from the food we eat. In other words, you can say that calorie is a fuel which is stored and burnt by our body as per requirement or habit we have cultivated.

Disadvantages of unhealthy eating habits

  • Following unhealthy habits like; eating junk food regularly leads to the risks of obesity, Cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, liver disease and certain types of cancers too!
  • Poor diet habits can compromise the capacity to work and gradually develop tiredness and stress which contribute further to the risk of being overweight, high blood pressure, tooth decay, and some other illnesses.
  • Processed or packed foods which are frozen or canned contain much extra sugar, salt, oil, calories and preservatives which increases the food’s shelf life but collectively all these increases the risks of hypertension, high sugar levels, heart disease etc.

Advantages of healthy eating habits

  • By following healthy eating habits, The first advantage you can see is lowering the risk of heart diseases.
  • It will help you to boost your mood and reduce the stress levels, and also will help you to perform all daily physical activities well.
  • Food with good nutrition combined with physical activity will help you to lead a healthy weight and lifestyle and reduces the risk of chronic diseases like cancer.
  • Diets rich in fibre such as vegetables and fruits may reduce the risk of obesity, health problems and type 2 diabetes.
  • Healthy eating habits, overall, helps you gain the benefit of weight loss, stroke prevention, building better mood, efficiency, and better memory.

So by this time, you understood the importance of healthy eating habits type of food intake and the disadvantages of unhealthy food habits. Sometimes even unconsciously you follow such unhealthy habits under certain circumstances.

Environment or conditions that foster unhealthy eating habits, you need to avoid

  • In a corporate culture or such meetings, people never pay attention or are not aware of which types of low fibre calories or bad fat foods they consume. Even during the functions or party, people over tend to overlook the amount of food they consume.
  • People working late night, the majority of times fall into the habit of nighttime noshing, the habit of eating late night just to keep them awake. This habit contributes to more weight gain significantly.
  • Working mothers, sometimes in the absence of time, often send their children to school with junk foods like salty potato chips, bread or sandwiches, cookies or fruit juices available as tetra packs.
  • Generally, the people or children who work continuously on computers, watching TV or playing a video game, they often follow the habit of mindless snacking or consuming food more, which results in weight gain very easily.
  • People who are always in rush hours conditions are used to finish their breakfast, lunch or dinner in hardly 10 or 15 minutes. This habit doesn’t allow your brain to signal that you are full and you gradually, following such habits, gain more weight.
  • Extreme emotions whether good or bad and in stressed out conditions, people eat more and over the period, gain more weight unconsciously.

Steps to healthy eating habits

  • First, you need to understand, how much calories your body needs to perform basic metabolic functions and daily physical activities using online calorie calculators.
  • You need to understand and know the type of food and how many calories per gram, it contains.
  • Apart from Calorie concern, it would help if you even focused on the portion control and choosing nutrient-rich foods which are of prime importance. Your food should be the mixture of carbohydrates, protein, fat, minerals and vitamins. You need to choose the portion very wisely and as per your body’s essential requirement only.
  • Have the habit of keeping more fruits, low-fat dairy products, fresh vegetables, whole-grain foods in your diet plan.
  • Cultivate the habit of having home-made food at home or work.
  • Don’t skip or delay your meals, as later on you will end up eating too much or choosing an unhealthy snack.
  • Take a small plate and serving in the beginning, chew your food well; this time, consuming process will help you eat the right amount of food your body requires.
  • Drink water instead of high-sugar drinks.
  • Resins or fibre-rich foods will help you feel full and achieve satiety value so you would eat less and consume fewer calories.

These are the few points or steps you can follow to plan out your balanced diet, however, if you are still not sure about this calculations and pattern of developing a healthy eating habit, consult a good dietician. If you are really over-weight and failed to follow healthy habits or not succeeded in stopping the weight gain with related health issues, you should consult a good obesity expert.

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Written By : Dr. Apurva Vyas

Want to know why you must get laparoscopic surgery over open surgery? Laparoscopy is a medical advancement that has taken a leap into the future. It has transformed the way we see surgeries. Gone are the days of cutting open the body to perform surgery. It can be done by small holes just an inch or two long. Advanced laparoscopic surgery is called minimally invasive surgery because of this. Whole surgery can be done without leaving any scar or damage to skin.

A surgeon uses laparoscope to diagnose the problem and then to treat it. A laparoscope is a thin and long tube which has a camera attached to the tip. It is inserted into the abdomen after making a small incision on it. The camera allows the surgeon to see what the problem is on a display. He can then perform a surgery watching the insides of the abdomen on a screen. The whole surgery can be done from a single site. Let’s see the benefits of laparoscopic surgery.

Laparoscopic surgical procedure benefits

  • Lower pain
  • Quicker recovery
  • Low chances of infection
  • Less cutting of tissues and skin
  • Leaves smaller scars
  • Less hospitalization
  • Less internal scarring
  • Less post recovery care

How it is better than open surgery.

With open surgery, you need to be admitted in a hospital for a week or more. And your total recovery period might take around 6-8 weeks. With laparoscopic surgery, you can be discharged from the hospital within 2 to 3 days ( depends upon type and severity of disease). You might spend less time in the hospital than even that. Your recovery period might range from 2-3 weeks. Shorter hospital stay saves money and time.

In open surgery, the surgeon has to cut open your abdomen to perform surgery. It takes a significant amount of time during the surgery and to complete it. Long incision ( cut) through skin and muscle which induces more pain than laparoscopic surgery. Blood loss is also substantially higher than laparoscopic surgery. It also makes the patient susceptible to infections. This large incision on the abdomen takes more time to heal compared to a small one inch incision. Laparoscopy is done more efficiently and leads to less pain and less infection. Open surgery also leaves a huge scar on the abdomen.

Laparoscopic surgeries are the way forward. They are minimally invasive and leave little to no scar. It has become a go to procedure for everyone with its benefits. It is time you get on it as well. Get your laparoscopic surgery with Radiance Hospitals. It has highly experienced surgeons who make use of the state of the art equipment to perform highly successful surgeries. Connect with the best laparoscopic surgeon in ahmedabad at Radiance Hospitals.

Written By : Radiance Hospital

Have you been grinding yourself in the gym and following a strict diet in the hopes of losing weight and getting fit? If it is all working out, good for you. If it isn’t, there isn’t a single more frustrating thing in the world. It seems more like no matter what you do, you’re not able to lose weight. This might come as a relief to you that you’re not alone. Losing weight is difficult and it is especially difficult when your genetic structure doesn’t allow it. But when it poses a threat to your health, you need to lose weight. But the solution might not be that simple.

You need to understand what is keeping you from losing weight. Reasons for not being able to lose weight are based completely on scientific evidence. There are biological factors which come in your way to become fit. You need to understand that obesity itself occurs because of biological reasons also. Let’s understand what they are and how they affect your weight.

Biological reasons affecting your weight

You need to understand that obesity is primarily based on biological issues in the body. You can’t just blatantly blame diet. People having obesity are very different from other people of the same age and sex. When they put on a restrictive diet to lose weight, they eat less but their instinct pushes them to eat high calorie foods. This biological response of their body might trigger because the body wants more energy to be stored as fat. Lifestyle modifications also allow a person to lose weight but it only happens initially. Majority of the people gain the same weight as soon as they revert to the earlier diet. Because of this, you’re not able to lose weight even after exercise.

The other biological factors include genes of the person. If he has inherited a genetic structure that doesn’t allow weight loss, they can’t lose weight. They eat little and gain a lot of weight. They skip a meal and merely lose a few grams. This problem persists for a lot of people. Another one is having a disease such as diabetes or thyroid. With diseases like this, it is very difficult to lose weight.

An effective solution for obesity

So when diet and exercise aren’t working, what will? The solution is simple: bariatric surgery. Bariatric surgery is a process of limiting the diet be it high or low calories. It is a proven method of losing weight with a long term success ratio. It is especially helpful for people with diseases like diabetes. Majority of the people losing weight by bariatric surgery maintain their low weight. It doesn’t require a huge lifestyle change and following certain post-operative care for bariatric surgery can sustain the effects for a long time. Bariatric surgery has been termed as one of the most effective and longest-lasting treatments for obesity.

Bariatric surgery has changed a lot of lives till now. People who are unable to lose weight by traditional methods have greatly enjoyed the success of it. It is about time you take the benefits of this revolutionary treatment. Schedule an appointment with one of the best weight loss surgeons in ahmedabad at Radiance Hospitals.

Written By : Radiance Hospital

Do you get tired often? Want to know why? If you’re overweight, there is a pretty good chance that it is behind your fatigue. Ask yourself: are you obese and tired all the time? Being overweight and tiredness has a deep relationship. Your body is structured to carry a certain amount of weight. When that specific threshold is exceeded, you put too much strain on your body. Your knees and back have to carry that extra weight making them wear out. And by carrying that weight, you also expend your body’s energy too quickly. It seems like there is a direct relationship between obesity and tiredness. But the link is much more complex than you imagine.

First thing to understand is what obesity is. A concept called body mass index (BMI) calculation comes into picture at this stage. When this index is over 30, you are considered obese and it brings a lot of problems with it. They can be type 2 diabetes, high BP, heart disease, arthritis, depression, etc. So what is the exact relationship between bodyweight and getting tired? Let’s see how higher bodyweight contributes to fatigue.

1) Having a bad sleep cycle 

One of the prominent links between obesity and fatigue is an uneven sleep cycle. When you’re carrying excess body weight, your physical activity decreases. This contributes to lower daytime energy levels. And this ultimately leads to improper sleep. It is not about low sleep. It is about sleeping at odd times. One more thing that happens because of this is sleep apnea. Higher bodyweight creates a blockage in the airway contributing to this problem.

2) Feeling low throughout the day

Excess bodyweight also leads to feeling low and goes up to clinical depression. There are many reasons behind it, social pressure being the prominent one. It causes lower self-esteem in the person. It also affects the mood of the person which ultimately leads to higher consumption of food. This makes a vicious cycle which is harder to get out of. When you feel low, you feel tired. You crave isolation and sleep. This is how it contributes to fatigue.

3) Getting Inflammation on the body

Many people don’t know that obesity can also be a leading cause of inflammation. Increased bodyweight is responsible for chronic inflammation. It doesn’t work directly towards making you feel fatigued. It rather takes time to set in and after a while the effects show up. This inflammation impacts your cardiovascular and pulmonary health. It is harder to measure the direct effect on fatigue but it does do so evidently. It damages organs and this damage takes energy to repair.

4) Having a prolonged bad diet

It is quite an obvious reason behind getting fatigued. Your lifestyle and diet contributes gravely towards your fatigue. The kind of food you have is very crucial for you. High carb diet leads to lowered quality of sleep. This diet also increases weight substantially. Having a bigger portion size at a time can also increase blood sugar level which contributes to lower energy after the effect wears down. When you have food right before bed, it makes it higher to digest the food and the energy drains because of it.

Conclusion:

These are some of the biggest reasons why you get tired because of bodyweight. Weight loss is the only solution for you to feel fit and full of energy. One of the most sought after solution for losing weight is bariatric surgery. Radiance Hospitals has experienced surgeons and state of the art tech for surgery. Contact Radiance Hospitals for bariatric surgery in Ahmedabad now.

Written By : Radiance Hospital

Do you feel an occasional joint pain when you walk more than usual? Do you feel strain on your joints when you climb stairs? It obviously makes you worried. Your mind races and you might think this is the onset of something worse. One of the most prominent reasons for this pain is your weight. There are two major ways your weight induces pain and raises risk for osteoarthritis. One is, it puts additional stress on your knees. The other is the inflammatory factors associated with obesity can contribute to swelling in joints.

Being overweight or obese can increase the chances of having osteoarthritis. As osteoarthritis is the wear and tear of the joints, being overweight just makes the situation worse. It starts with mild strain or pain in the knees and gradually a time comes when you can’t even walk properly. There is an important relationship that your knees share with your weight. Let’s have a look at it.

Relationship between weight and knees

Imagine walking on a plain level field. The amount of force your knees are getting might be around 1.5 times your body weight. When you’re standing it is only your body weight but while walking the force increases. So an average 70 kg person is putting more than 100 kg weight on his knees when he’s walking. Now if the ground is inclined, the force increases. With the angle of the slope, it might go 2-3 times of the body weight or more. When you do leg exercises like squats or lunges, the force might be around 4-5 times of the body weight.

This is the kind of strain you’re putting on your knees during different activities. Now a healthy person has his weight in the normal range of BMI. His knees are made to absorb and tolerate the force he’s putting on his knees. When your weight exceeds the normal range, the strain on the knees also increases. When a person whose weight should be 70 kg weighs 100 kg, the force on his knees goes upto 150 kg. The knees might take it for a little time. But when you put your knees through this for a long time, they aren’t able to put up.

This is when the pain starts. And this pain leads to complications. Osteoarthritis is not very far away after this. Your knees are made to withstand the normal pressure. Not exceeding pressure. This excess weight shortens its lifespan. They are worn out way earlier than they should. In addition to this, the inflammatory factors also make the joints swollen and contribute to trouble in joints.

The simplest solution is maintaining a proper weight. If you do that, you are saved from a lifetime of pain. If your knees have started troubling you, you need to consult the experts in the field to guide you and treat you properly. At Radiance Hospitals, we have specialized doctors who have helped many patients with their knee pain. Contact us for knee pain now.

Written By : Radiance Hospital