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Author: akshay.pokale@ting.in

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Lifestyle Nutrition

NUTRITION: A METABOLIC TREATMENT FOR MENTAL ILLNESSES

Although medications and psychotherapy provide effective benefits to people with anxiety disorders, it still, often fails to achieve complete symptom resolution.

Anxiety disorders or any other neuropsychiatric disorders for that matter are often interlinked with underlying metabolic pathologies.

Neurological conditions and mental illnesses are characterized by metabolic disturbances such as insulin resistance, inflammation, and disturbance in the microbiome. Here lifestyle factors are key contributors. Thus it would make sense that mental illnesses deserve complementary lifestyle approaches!

This may be achieved through nutritional interventions.

Nutrition is a metabolic medicine indeed!

Microbiome-brain axis is a bidirectional relationship. Negative emotions can shift the gut ecosystem by the release of stress hormones and sympathetic neurotransmitters. Therefore, even if the current state of science does not enable precision medicine, it is still important to consider the role that positive feedback loops between the gut and brain may be playing in anxiety disorders.

Thus, the food you consume plays an important role in your mental health as well!

Chronic inflammation is a feature of almost all neurological and neurodegenerative disorders, including anxiety. Inflammatory markers like cytokines contribute to neurotransmitter imbalances in the brain (including, serotonin, dopamine, glutamate/GABA).

Refined sugars and processed vegetable oils, both can contribute to inflammation through myriad mechanisms.

Processed vegetable oils, such as corn oil and soybean oil, that contain high levels of the omega-6 fatty acids, linoleic acid, are likewise inflammatory. Having been stripped of the antioxidants that protect omega-6 fats in whole foods, the linoleic acid in processed vegetable oils incorporates into cells and tissue throughout the body, gets oxidized, and can initiate a vicious cycle of oxidation, insulin resistance, and inflammation that perpetuates metabolic and inflammatory diseases from the gut to the brain!

This can be treated well by changing the food you consume.

Elimination of refined sugars and processed vegetable oils from the diet, and their replacement with whole foods, is foundational for good physical, cognitive, and mental health.

Nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, particularly the long-chain omega-3s, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are potent anti-inflammatory signaling molecules that support the microbiome and are important in cognition and mental health.

Including more vitamin D in your routine will effectively help. In the brain, vitamin D regulates calcium homeostasis and ion channels, neurotransmitter levels, including dopamine and serotonin and the secretion of nerve growth factors as well. The benefits of vitamin D are also likely mediated by its role in shaping the microbiome and reducing inflammation.

Thus mental illnesses are metabolic diseases as much as they are psychological. Thus deserving a metabolic medicine like good nutrition!

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Lifestyle

BRAIN CHANGING EFFECTS OF EXERCISE

What’s the most transformative thing that you can do for your brain today? Exercise! Apart from its well known benefits, exercise also has amazing benefits for the brain which accelerates information processing and overall brain health!

 

While exercising, oxygen saturation and angiogenesis (blood vessel growth) occur in areas of the brain associated with rational thinking and as well as social, physical and intellectual performance.

Exercise drops stress hormones and increases the number of neurotransmitters like serotonin and norepinephrine, which are known to accelerate information processing.

 

It upregulates neurotrophins (brain-derived neurotrophic factor, insulin-like growth factor, and basic fibroblast growth factor)which support the survival and differentiation of neurons in the brain.

 

Research also suggests that regular exercise can increase the size of the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, both of which are susceptible to neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s.

So while exercising won’t completely prevent or cure normal cognitive decline in aging, doing it consistently can help reduce or delay the onset!

 

Keeping a diet rich in nutrients which also nourishes our neuron in parallel to exercise can produce better results!

 

For nutritional guidance and training consultations, start your journey with the best trainers in Delhi.

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Fitness Lifestyle Nutrition

PRESERVE YOUR MUSCLE MASS WHILE BURNING FAT!

Nothing feels more discouraging than seeing your muscle mass dropping as you lose fat. Here are a few tips to combat the same.

 

1)Try to maintain your training intensity as you cut down. As you cut down it becomes difficult to train at the same intensity. However, you should try to push as hard as possible to ensure that your muscles are working at their maximum potential

 

2)Base your caloric intake on your current body fat levels. The less body fat you have, you are more prone to muscle loss. If you have a high body fat percentage, you can make a larger deficit since you have more energy stores to tap into!

 

3) Avoid excess cardio- Doing excessive cardio while already being in a deficit is going to make it more difficult to maintain muscle during a cut. Added to this, excessive cardio decreases mTOR which is essential for muscle growth and increases AMPK which is catabolic and bad for muscle growth. Stick to low-impact cardio.

 

4) Have enough protein in your diet to ensure muscle protein synthesis!

 

For nutritional guidance and training consultations, start your journey with the best trainers in Delhi.

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Nutrition

THE DILEMMA OF WHITE SALT VS PINK SALT!

Pink-coloured salt has a reputation for being “healthier” as opposed to its white counterpart. But the special seasoning isn’t necessarily better for you than other types of salt.

 

A lack of regular salt in your system, which is high in iodine, could potentially lead to an iodine deficiency which is contraindicated in people with hypothyroidism.

 

On the other hand, consuming too much table salt can increase your risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases since it is high in sodium as well.

 

Both salts have their benefits, however, it’s important to understand which is going to suit you the best!

 

For nutritional guidance and training consultations, start your journey with the best trainers in Delhi.

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Nutrition

Avoid these foods pre-workout!

Your pre-workout intake and food schedule play a significant role in how you perform in the gym or your workout. Consuming the right sort and quantity of food is thus very critical.

1. Cruciferous vegetables- Don’t be shocked. Since they are healthy and low in calories, people tend to think that it is okay to consume them even before a workout. Although they are healthy, they can’t be consumed because they are high in fibre which takes a long time to digest. They contain sugar raffinose which creates gas in our stomach and makes us bloated which can feel very uncomfortable.

2. Acidic foods- They cause heartburn which can create discomfort.

3. High-fat dairy- These take time to digest even if they are fat-free. The stomach uses gastric acid and enzymes that break down protein to digest the milk. This makes the protein unravel and expand the milk into a partially solid substance. Consuming small amounts is fine provided you are consuming within your caloric needs.

4. Alcohol- Being a neurotoxin, this relaxes the sphincter which causes regurgitation and vomiting sensation.

5. Processed foods- They are tough on the stomach and weigh you down and give you a lethargic effect!

For nutritional guidance and training consultations, start your journey with the best trainers in Delhi.

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Lifestyle

OBESITY IN KIDS: ON THE RISE?

Busy schedules can leave little time to make healthier meals or squeeze in some exercise.

 

Plus, modern life is sedentary. Kids often spend more time playing with electronic devices than actively playing outside. It is estimated that kids who spend a lot of time in front of screens are more likely to be overweight. Screen time also interferes with sleep. Kids who don’t get enough sleep are also more likely to be overweight.

 

Preventing kids from becoming overweight means making choices about how your family eats, exercises, and spends time together. Helping kids adopt a healthy lifestyle begins with parents who lead by example.

To keep kids of all ages at a healthy weight, take a whole-family approach. Make healthy eating and exercise a family affair. Get your kids involved by letting them help you plan and prepare healthy meals. Take them along when you go grocery shopping. Teach them how to make good food choices!

 

Change now for the better!

 

For nutritional guidance and training consultations, start your journey with the best personal trainers in Delhi

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Lifestyle

HYPERTHECOSIS: The underestimated cause of hyperandrogenism in women!

Masculinization in women is an undesirable effect of sex hormone diseases.

 

PCOD, being one of the most common causes nowadays, has a lot of attention.

 

One of the most overlooked causes of masculinization in women is hyperthecosis.

The symptoms are similar except that Hyperthecosis has more severe symptoms of virilization compared to PCOS. PCOS is a lifestyle disorder whereas Hyperthecosis is caused due to ovarian tissue growth (hyperplasia).

 

The solution to PCOS is pretty straightforward wherein the female needs to change her lifestyle habits(diet and exercise). Although for Hyperthecosis, this solution will help, it might also require medical/surgical intervention depending on the severity of the pathology.

 

For nutritional guidance and training consultations, start your journey with the best personal trainers in Delhi today!

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Nutrition

GET SOME SUN!

When you think of the sun, your first thought might be about the damage it can do. Too much sun can cause several kinds of serious health issues. But small amounts, especially early in the day before it’s at its brightest, can be good for you in some ways.

  1. The sun’s UV rays help your body make vitamin D, which is important for your bones, blood cells, and immune system.
  2. It boosts a chemical in your brain called serotonin, and that can give you more energy and help keep you calm, positive, and focused.
  3. It also increases the production of melanocyte stimulating hormone which suppresses hunger.

Note that getting too much of sun is also bad for your health. Getting 5 to 15 minutes of sunlight on your arms, hands, and face 2-3 times a week is enough to enjoy the vitamin D-boosting benefits of the sun.

 

Sunlight should penetrate the skin. Wearing sunscreen or clothing over your skin won’t result in vitamin D production.

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Fitness Nutrition

USING NUTRITIONAL SCIENCE AND EXERCISE TO COMBAT PCOS

Since puberty, you often find yourself vacillating between bouts of tears and moments of rage on a dime. When things are in balance, you generally feel good. Problems arise, though, when these hormones are imbalanced. One possible result: polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

  • Living with PCOS raises a lot of questions around exercise and diet. But the good news is, that with the right approach to nutrition and fitness, PCOS doesn’t have to be a barrier to getting lean and feeling awesome.
  • Nutritional science has been proven to be extremely beneficial for PCOS not only in terms of fat loss in general but also by resetting the physiological dysfunction.
  • Since PCOS is a syndrome, it has numerous effects on the body right from symptoms limited to the reproductive sphere till much more broader complications like diabetes.
  • Nutrition and physical activity are the key modulators to reverse PCOS. Many nutritional foods have been proven to have positive effects in combating the inflammatory effects of PCOS as well as controlling the hormonal surge.
  • Foods high in antioxidants can help with the inflammatory effects and high fibre fruits and vegetables improve insulin resistance in women with PCOS. This can assist in restoring ovulation.

Note that eating in an overall caloric deficit for losing fat from the body is essential, regardless of how healthy you eat.

 

All diets should be coupled with regular, moderate exercise(30-40 minutes per day, 3-4 times or more per week). Insulin resistance is often a driving force in the metabolic and reproductive dysfunction, and exercise is a great way to increase insulin sensitivity and to reverse these problems!

Categories
Nutrition

OVERCOMING BINGING CYCLES

Are you one of those people who follow their plans diligently throughout the week but find yourself going on a massive binge on the weekend? If you struggle with blood sugar imbalance through the week this is sure to happen. Here are 4 ways in which you can curb your binging cycle right now.

 

  1. GULP DOWN A PROTEIN SHAKE! Protein is not just an essential macronutrient important for recovery and muscle but it also reduces ghrelin, a hormone responsible for hunger along with boosted levels of peptide YY, a hormone that makes you feel full for a longer period of time.
  2. STAY HYDRATED! Our body sometimes misinterprets thirst for hunger. When you are not drinking enough water, there are chances that you may feel like having food frequently. This adds up to unnecessary extra calories making you gain weight even more.
  3. DO NOT SKIP MEALS! If you plan to have a higher than usual calorie dinner on weekends, still keep some small healthy snacks during the day. This will keep your blood sugar levels balanced and prevent you from over eating at night.
  4. FIND WAYS TO DESTRESS! Stress eating is real. How many times have you found yourself having a tub of ice cream whenever you feel sad? Instead of turning to food to reduce stress, explore activities to beat this stress like exercising, going for a walk in nature and finding a hobby that makes you happy and avoid mindless eating.