MENOPAUSE-THE COMING OF AGE FOR WOMEN

Due to hormonal changes, women tend to gain weight during this time especially around the tummy area.But there are other factors which contribute to the weight gain like genetic factors,ageing & our lifestyle.

With age,the muscle mass decreases& consequently the fat increases.Loss of muscle mass decreases the rate at which body burns the calories,so the calorie requirement decreases with age.Thus,if  u don't reduce the intake of calories weight gain is inevitable.

During menopause levels of hormone oestrogen falls.This causes the metabolism to slow down & weight loss becomes difficult.

STRATEGIES TO LOSE WEIGHT DURING MENOPAUSE-

Stop dieting
Starving diets cause weight gain as they don't provide the amount of calories required by the body & this slows down the metabolism.Eat more fruits,veggies& whole grains.Reduce the intake of sweets.sugary drinks, cheeses & meats.
Eat more of lean proteins.You can also supplement your diet with whey proteins.

Physical activity
Exercise can help to maintain the muscle mass that we tend to lose during menopause.Aerobic exercises can help u shed the excess kilos.Swimming & walking are excellent options.You can also join a group exercise class.Taking a walk in open air increases your energy & decreases tension,anger & stress.

Think positive always
Allow free flow of your emotions.Menopause is a time of self discovery, so enjoy it.

Hormone replacement therapy(HRT)
It helps to increase the bone density.HRT also helps in decreasing levels of LDL(bad cholesterol) & increasing the levels of HDL(good cholesterol). 

SOME PRACTICAL TIPS-

SOY PRODUCTS

• HOT FLUSHES can be reduced by taking vitamin E rich foods like nuts, eggs, olive oil.
• Cut down on tea, coffee which promote excretion of calcium from the bones.
• Plants have certain substances called PHYTOESTROGENS  which may help to reduce severity of hot flushes & other menopausal symptoms.They are found in soyabean & alfa alfa sprouts.Soy products that can be consumed are soyabean flour, soymilk, tofu & soy sauce.
• Carrot & beet root juice is very useful in menopausal disorders.

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THE 4 GOLDEN STEPS OF THE WEIGHT LOSS LADDER

We curse our body for not being perfect but have you ever thought that by making few small changes in your lifestyle, you can actually do a favour to your body & yourself.

So here i go, the 4 golden rules that can change the way u look forever are-

Eat something within half an hour of waking up-
Never & i mean never start your day with that precious cup of tea or coffee.I know you can't chuck that cup but have it after u eat something.
Tea & coffee have caffeine in them which cause the blood pressure to increase & makes us feel stressed out.So have a fruit as your first meal &then sit & enjoy your tea/ coffee.

Don't have long meal gaps-
Eat every 2-3 hours.This way your metabolism stays up& more calories are burnt.So your weight will go down.
See if there is a curfew outside, you will store food at home as you don't know when you will be able to go out next.Similarly our brain works.If we don't eat something at regular intervals,the brain thinks"I don't know when will i get the next meal", so it starts storing that food as it needs energy 24 hours a day.Now the only form in which our body can store food is FAT.

THEREFORE YOU ACTUALLY INCREASE YOUR BODY FAT BY EATING LESS.
So people eat every 2-3 hours for a flatter stomach.

Eat more during the day& less in the evening-
Our metabolism is higher in the morning than the evenings.It is highest between 7-9 am.
GO WITH THE SUN-eat more during the day & less as the sun sets.
We work during the day & sleep at night.Therefore,our energy requirements areare higher during the day & decrease as the sun sets.This will help you lose fat more effectively.

Have your last meal atleast 2 hrs before sleeping-
When you eat too late  at night, the food remains undigested in your intestines & is converted into toxins.This results in bloating,flatulance,acidity,constipation,increase in body fat levels & stretch marks in long terms.

DRINK YOUR COFFEE & LOSE WEIGHT TOO!!!!!

Reading paper & drinking your favourite cup of coffee seems like a perfect start to a good morning.But have you ever thought that a cup of coffee might actually help u shed those kilos !!
Studies have shown that coffee contains certain antioxidants called chlorogenic acids.These acids help the body to lower the rate of production of glucose in the body after a meal.They also help in reducing the production of new fat cells in the body.

Black coffee,espresso& green bean coffee help in weight loss.They also help in reducing the rate of diabetes.

Now coffee can both increase & decrease your weight depending on how you consume it.So remember the following points & move on the path to weight loss without skipping your favourite cup of coffee.

Reduce coffee intake- No food Is bad if consumed in moderate amounts.So is the case with coffee.Drink only 1-2 cups in a day as excess coffee can cause sleep loss & increase your stress levels.

Say no to flavoured coffee-Flavoured coffee contains lots of sugar, flavoured syrups.So the overall calories that you consume increases.Stick to black coffee or espresso if you really want the benefits.

For 1 glass of coffee have 1 glass of water-Coffee can act as diuretic meaning your body loses more water in the form of urine.Thus having water can prevent body from dehydration.

Have coffee after dinner-Having coffee after dinner can help to reduce craving for sweets & late night snacking.

Eat what's in season

Eat what is in season is a simple way to beat the disease."Follow nature for perfection ." If we follow its cycle and eat foods according to season, then it's easy to be healthy.
Food tastes better when they are in season and are much cooler .
When you choose the food that is grown at the local level, it is also supporting the community, the local economy, the environment and local farmers.
The changing of the seasons gives us the unique opportunity to purchase a variety of fantastic foods that are available only during that season. Seasonal foods offer a natural diversity that we should take advantage of when you eat holistic for both our health and the health of our planet.
Research has shown that natural foods are nutritionally richer when they are collected in season.
For example, if you eat melons in winter, you are inviting the fever as they have cooling properties. They have a high water content, and are packed with potassium, vitamins A and C. "Eat in the warm months, when they are in season, refreshes instantly. Similarly, when the mangoes are eaten on an empty stomach in the summer, they break down the body temperature, buy what is available in abundance in his avatar to your freshest local market which is the best indicator of what is in season.

Benefits of Eating Seasonal Food
Easy on the Wallet

Let’s begin with cost. When produce is in season locally, the relative abundance of the crop usually makes it less expensive It’s the basic law of supply and demand, and when crops are in season you’ll be rewarded financially by purchasing what’s growing now.

It’s the Taste That Counts
For most of us, the taste of the food we buy is every bit as important as the cost, if not more so. When the food is not grown locally, then it is transported from other countries, they must be harvested early and refrigerated so they don’t rot during transportation. They may not ripen as effectively as they would in their natural environment and as a result they don’t develop their full flavor.“Foods that are chilled and shipped lose flavor at every step of the way – chilling cuts their flavor, transport cuts their flavor, being held in warehouses cuts their flavor shipped in from other parts of the world, and both affect the taste.

Save Nutrients, Save Flavor, and Save Gas Too!

According to Brian Halweil, author of “Eat Here: Homegrown Pleasures in a Global Supermarket,” “If you harvest something early so that it can endure a long distance shipping experience, it’s not going to have the full complement of nutrients it might have had.” In addition, transporting produce sometimes requires irradiation (zapping the produce with a burst of radiation to kill germs) and preservatives (such as wax) to protect the produce which is subsequently refrigerated during the trip. vegetables picked and frozen when in season are actually higher in nutrients than those flown in out of season from abroad. "Vitamins degrade over time and with storage, so the fresher the better. Also, if things have been in transit for a long time, vitamin C levels go down. And the longer the shelf life of produce, the more preservatives you have got to add to it."

Be Careful when eating apples. Please check skin of the apples before eating because it's may be coated with wax. Check before you eat many of the fruits. Wax is being used for preservation purposes and cold storage. You might be surprised especially apples from USA and other parts are more than one year old, though it would look fresh. Because wax is coated, preventing bacteria to enter. So it does not get dry. Please Eat Apples after removing the wax.

Variety is the spice of life

Bored to bits with lady finger on your plate every night of the year? Sticking to nature's bounty, rather than the supermarket's, will ensure more variety and the chance to get nutrients tailor-made for the time of year.
"If you eat with the seasons rather than eating the same 15 things all year round, the variety will mean you end up with a greater range of nutrients in the body,"

Economic Benefits

When you buy organic, seasonal, locally grown foods you help provide financial support to the farmers in your area which helps to grow your local economy. Seasonal foods are priced much more economically than out of season foods which will save you money on your grocery bills.

List Of Seasonal Foods Produced in India  (Month Wise )

January vegetables
Brinjal, palak, tendli, tomatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, carrot, radish, beetroot, peas, broccoli, capsicum.
Fruits
Strawberries, grapes, guava, papaya, pomegranate, pineapple

February vegetables
Cabbage, methi, carrot, radish, spring onion, capsicum
Fruits
Chickoo, musk melon, grapes, oranges, guava, papaya, pomegranate, pineapple, strawberries.

March vegetables
Spinach, fenugreek, capsicum, carrot, parwal (pointed gourd), tindora (ivy gourd), pumpkin.
Fruits
Watermelon, Mango Totapuri, grapes, orange, pineapple, banana, muskmelon, strawberries.

April vegetables
Lady's finger, cucumber, karela, chawli, beans, parwal, pumpkin.
Fruits
Same as March + jackfruit.

May vegetables
Spinach, cucumber, doodhi, karela, beans.
Fruits
Mango Alphonso, Kesar, Raw papaya, black jamuns, litchis, jackfruit, watermelon, muskmelon.

June vegetables
Spinach, lady's finger, cucumber, chawli, gawar, corn, capsicum, sweet potato.
Fruits
Mango Alphonso, Kesar.

July vegetables Same as June + round gourd, doodhi, snake gourd, karela.
Fruits
Mangoes, cherries, peach, plum.


August vegetables
Same as June.
Fruits
Same as June + custard apple.

September vegetables
Same as June.
Fruits
Guava, papaya, pomegranate, custard apple, passion fruit.

October vegetables
Brinjal, tomatoes, spring onions.
Fruits
Same as September.

November vegetables
Same as October + French beans.
Fruits
Orange, dates, guava, papaya, pomegranate, custard apple.

December vegetables Same as October + radish, beetroot, yam.
Fruits
Strawberries, orange, sweet lime, fig, guava, custard apple, pineapple.