Eating out – choosing healthier options

Your weight Expert advice to help you maintain a healthy weight Dissatisfied with your weight? We’re bombarded with scare stories about weight, from size zero to the obesity ‘epidemic’. But a healthy weight is determined by different factors for each of us. Our expert advice is designed to help you achieve and maintain a healthy, life-enhancing weight. Overweight or underweight? Being the right weight has a positive effect on well being but also on our health, as being the wrong weight can cause a range of medical problems. More and more of us are eating out on a regular basis, whether it’s for a business lunch, a girls’ get together, or for a family meal. The 2006 Family Food Survey found that households where the head of the household was under 30 years old were spending more than 40 per cent of their food budget on eating out. Eating out usually means that we have little control over how the food is prepared or how large the portion is. Foods eaten out tend to be higher in fat and research has shown that those who eat out regularly generally have higher intakes of fat, salt and calories. Studies have also shown that eating with friends can tempt us to overeat. Meals with multiple courses eaten over longer periods and with alcohol are all associated with overindulgence. Large serving bowls and spoons increase the likelihood of piling more food on your plate than you usually eat. Unlike packaged food, foods bought from cafes, restaurants etc don’t have to carry nutritional information and so opting for the healthiest option might not always be obvious, or easy. However, with some knowledge and thought, eating out can be enjoyable and healthy! General tips If you’re unsure as to what something is, or what it contains – ask! If the waiter/waitress doesn’t know, then the chef will. Think ahead, if you know you’re eating out later and it could be a lavish affair, choose wisely earlier in the day to keep calories, fat, sugar and salt intakes under control. Don’t eat an extra course just to be polite. Only order a sweet after the main course, and only if still hungry. Opt for sorbets, or fruit dishes to balance out a heavy main course. Think about sharing a course with a companion if the portions look large. Speak up about how you’d like a dish prepared egg ask for no mayonnaise, dressing on the side. You’re more likely to overeat at an ‘all you can eat’ style buffet. Choose side orders of salad or vegetables to fill up on. Cut off any visible fat from meat to keep saturated fat intake down. Look out for smaller portions i.e a main meal option as a starter size. Opt for dishes which are grilled, baked, steamed, poached or cooked in own juice rather than fried. Check the menu for dressings on salads and ask for it to be served separately. An otherwise healthy and nutritious salad could be drowned in a high fat sauce, bumping up its calorie content. Avoid cheese, cream or butter-based sauces If you’re a cheese lover, think about sharing the cheese board option to keep saturated fat, salt and calorie intakes in check.

Role Of Nutrients In Hair Growth

Hormones and Vitamins play an important role in the Hair growth. Hair consists of a pigment called “Melanin” which also occurs in the skin of human beings. This pigment is responsible for the dark nature of the skin and hair. In Young people, hair has large number of melanin pigments which leads to Dark nature of the hair and with the increase of the age, the no. of melanin pigments decreases, leading to whitening of the hair in old People. In older people, the follicles produce thin and long hair, and also sometimes also do not produce any hair. This is the cause for the Baldness in old people.

Alcohol effects hair growth, i.e. Alcoholics have poor hair growth or they experience hair loss due to malnutrition.

The Essential mineral for the growth hair is – Zinc (Zn) which is responsible for hair growth and also prevents hair from becoming Greyish in nature. Hormones and vitamins also have an essential role in hair growth – Androgens are helpful in hair growth and also helps in Strengthening of Hair Shaft but are present in different ratio in men and women.

The Female hormones called Oestrogens decreases the growth of hair during the growth of the individual. During Pregnancy there is difference in hair growth as blood cntains more amount of Oestrogens at that time.

The effect of Androgens in male is different in many people, that is the reason some people do not get beard and hair on the chest upto a certain age of above 25 and a few get at an age of near 20.
Vitamin B – Panthenol Helps in maintaining the growth of hair and also contributes to the elastic nature and strength of the hair. Steroids taken by Asthma patients through inhalation does not effect the hair growth, but if taken orally, will slow down the hair growth.

Using natural methods are a great way to avoid hair transplant cost, although if simple nutrients do not work, a trusted hair restoration surgeon can take over.

Finally, Hormones are genetically produced and are determined and they help in growth of the hair.

Skin Care Treatments

Skin makes the major part of the human body which is exposed to the external environment. This exposure to air, water and dust may cause serious skin problems. To avoid these skin problems, proper skin care treatment should be carried out in a routine manner. These skin care treatments keep the skin healthy and glowing, using skin care treatment for longer time will not let your skin look old.

Before going for skin care treatment, you should do proper homework to know about the skin type and tone. There are certain treatments designed for special types of skin. They can only work for the specific skins, other skins can not use it otherwise they will affect the skin adversely. Dry skins and oily skins are the two basic types of the skin. In case you have dry skin, then applying oily skin care treatments will make your skin drier.

However it is advised to use natural skin care treatments. It uses natural ingredients like roots, flowers, herbs and oil. Usually honey, milk and butters are used to make the skin healthy and sleek. These natural ingredients are mixed in different proportion to give the desired affect to the skin.

However it requires huge time to devise such skin care treatment in home. Therefore there are companies providing skin care treatments. These treatments are designed on the basis of skin types and the desired look of the skin. Skin lotions are the most used product for the skin care treatment. They are the most important part of every girl’s bag. They are simple to apply and use. Hand lotions, body lotions and bath lotions are used to keep the skin healthy.

Examples of skin conditions and problems include acne, moles, skin tags, and psoriasis. In some cases, skin problems can be easily remedied: skin tag removal can be performed with natural medication. Other conditions, like severe psoriasis or acne, may require more sophisticated treatment techniques.

There are skin care treatments which are not natural and need surgery. To get wrinkle free skins or hairs removed, girls normally go for laser surgery. That can be effective, however it demands huge amount and due unnatural nature of the treatment, it also has its side effects. Therefore it is advisable to cure the skin using natural ingredients and products made up of natural in gradients.

Children (five to 12 years) Weight

Your weight
Expert advice to help you maintain a healthy weight

Dissatisfied with your weight?
We’re bombarded with scare stories about weight, from size zero to the obesity ‘epidemic’. But a healthy weight is determined by different factors for each of us. Our expert advice is designed to help you achieve and maintain a healthy, life-enhancing weight.

Overweight or underweight?
Being the right weight has a positive effect on wellbeing but also on our health, as being the wrong weight can cause a range of medical problems.

As children get older, they have an increasing amount of freedom over food choice and often eat outside the home. Peer pressure and advertising also start to play their part in your children’s food preferences.

Nutrition and children
Although their growth is slower than in infancy, school-aged children still have high nutritional needs but fairly small appetites. So it’s crucial all meals and snacks continue to be rich in nutrients and energy. The food choices children make during the crucial years of development can influence their future health risk and can also influence food habits in later life.

A structured eating plan with regular meals and snacks is important to establish good eating habits. Ensure there’s also plenty of variety – burgers and chips are fine occasionally, but not for every meal.

A limited number of foods makes it difficult to obtain the full range of nutrients. Make sure your child has a range of foods based on each of the main food groups.

Energy
School children still have a high energy requirement for growth and activity, but increasing numbers are becoming overweight. This is because they’re eating too many calories and not being active enough to use up the extra energy they’ve eaten.

If you think your child is putting on too much weight, don’t make a big issue of it. Instead, encourage physical activity in whatever form (football, netball, walking the dog, cycling, swimming and so on).

Base meals and snacks on the five main food groups, but limit fatty and sugary snacks.

An overweight child still needs a nutrient-packed diet that provides all the essential building blocks for growth and development. Encouraging healthy eating should ensure children maintain a healthy weight. Make sure the whole family is eating healthily to provide good role models.

Calcium
This mineral is important for healthy bone development. Good sources include dairy products such as milk, cheese, yoghurt and fromage frais, as well as fortified orange juice, green leafy vegetables, cereals, sesame seeds and tofu.

Your child should ideally aim for three servings of calcium-rich food a day – for example, a 150ml glass of milk, a small pot of yoghurt and a small matchbox-sized piece of cheese.

Folate
This vitamin is important for growth, but intake is low in some children, especially those who skip breakfast because fortified cereals are a good source of folate. Other sources include bread, green leafy vegetables and pulses.

Iron
This mineral helps to keep red blood cells healthy. Insufficient iron intake can lead to iron-deficiency anaemia, but this is much less common in primary school–aged children than their younger and older siblings.

Good sources of iron include red meat, liver, fortified breakfast cereals, beans and pulses.

To help absorb the iron more effectively from non-meat sources, combine it with vitamin C-rich foods such as citrus fruits and fruit juice.

Fatty and sugary foods
This group includes spreading fats (such as butter), cooking oils, sugar, biscuits, cakes, crisps, sweets, cream and ice cream, chocolate and sugary drinks. These foods shouldn’t be eaten too often and, when they are, should only be consumed in small amounts.

They’re loaded with calories, fat and sugar, and don’t necessarily contain many vitamins and minerals. Also, sugary foods and drinks (including fruit juice) can increase the risk of dental decay.

Limit the amount of sugar and sweets eaten, and offer them at the end of meals, rather than in-between.

Some sugar-free or diet drinks can also cause decay because of their acidity. Milk or water is the best drink between meals.

Tackling nutritional problems for older people

Your weight
Expert advice to help you maintain a healthy weight

Dissatisfied with your weight?
We’re bombarded with scare stories about weight, from size zero to the obesity ‘epidemic’. But a healthy weight is determined by different factors for each of us. Our expert advice is designed to help you achieve and maintain a healthy, life-enhancing weight.

Overweight or underweight?
Being the right weight has a positive effect on wellbeing but also on our health, as being the wrong weight can cause a range of medical problems.

Maintaining health as we age can be challenging, so a diet rich in nutrients is increasingly important as we grow older.

Factors that affect nutrition
There are many factors that influence nutritional status in older adults, and they can be broadly grouped into four main areas:

Those that naturally occur during the ageing process, such as a reduced ability to absorb nutrients efficiently, or a sore mouth due to dentures
Disease-specific conditions such as cancer, which place greater nutritional demands on people
Some drugs that interact with nutrients and prevent absorption, for example aspirin, which can interfere with the absorption of vitamin C
Social influences, such as not being able to get to shops, or social isolation

Continuing to enjoy food and to eat a diet that maintains nutritional status is key to coping with illness. Poor nutrition has been shown to increase the risk of infections, bed sores, chest infections and poor wound healing. Good nutritional status will help ensure a quicker recovery.

Other common problems:

Loss of taste
The ability to taste flavours declines as we age. Food can often taste bland to older people so try:

Using herbs and spices, tomatoes and other flavouring such as lemon juice to flavour food, but avoid using too much salt
Choosing foods with a strong taste – go for strong-flavoured meats, sauces, dressings, mustards and pickles

Loss of interest in food
Older people can lose interest in food for a variety of reasons. Depression due to loss of independence or bereavement, or simply eating alone can reduce appetite.

Explore the possibility of lunch clubs in your area
Eat with company when you can
Make meal times special by laying the table and presenting food in an attractive way
Choose a variety of foods where possible to keep the experience interesting

Poor appetite
If you’re unable to eat much, try small appetising meals and calorie-rich snacks in between meals to boost nutrient intake. To increase your calorie intake, try the following tips:

Fats and sugars provide energy and help food to taste good, so use these generously. Add extra cheese to sauces or grate on potatoes, add butter or margarine to vegetables, or enrich full-fat milk by adding dried milk powder. Try using sugar or honey on breakfast cereals.
Eat pudding once or twice a day, such as yoghurt, milky puddings, ice cream, trifle, cake, fruit pie, sponge puddings with custard and ready prepared desserts. Cakes, biscuits, chocolate and crisps provide extra energy when eaten with meals, but ensure they don’t spoil the appetite for more nourishing foods.
Enriched-nourishment drinks, available from pharmacies and supermarkets, may be taken between meals to increase calorie intake, but shouldn’t replace meals.
Alcohol in small amounts can actually stimulate the appetite, but check with your GP first, especially if you’re taking medication.

Plastic Surgery vs. Anti Aging Products

Nowadays consumers have tons of options when it comes to anti aging. There are countless anti-wrinkle treatments and remedies on the market that can help with the signs of aging. There are surgical options, like face lifts and fillers. But which treatment is best for your circumstances? This advice should help your decide:

Plastic Surgery
According to the cosmetic surgery message board PlasticSurgerySpot.com, cosmetic surgery should be reserved for problems that cannot be corrected through the use of skin care products. For example, moderate to severe wrinkles probably can’t be helped much by anti-wrinkle creams. Then of course there problems like a crooked nose or small breasts, which obviously can’t be fixed simply be using some cream.

Anti Aging Products
Whether it’s anti wrinkle creams, muscle toning devices, or just good ol’ diet and exercise products, there are a lot of things on the market that can help you look younger. For wrinkles, there are plenty of topical products like aloe vera to moisturize and retinol A to reduce wrinkles. For age spots, there are skin lightening ingredients like kojic acid available. Whatever the skin problem may be, the odds are that there is something on the market that can help it. That being said, we all need to have realistic expectations with how well they actually work. For example, if you’ve had a dark blemish on your face for decades, kojic acid probably won’t lighten it very much. The same can be said about retinol A; if you have deep wrinkles it probably won’t be that effective.

Making Your Decision
The first step is to research your options. With so many available, it’s important to know them all before you spend your hard earned money. Secondly, you should check plenty of consumer reviews to see how others feel. For example, if you are thinking about a nose job, visit a cosmetic surgery message board to see if former patients are satisfied with a given surgeon. Last but not least, you will need to have realistic expectations of what’s possible.

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