A balanced diet is imperative for good health. Did you know that studies have established a link between food and stress? As we get busy and stressed out, we start making poor nutritional choices that puts our body under further strain.

You can keep yourself fit by eating right and reduce stress levels by following these simple health tips:

- Fresh vegetable juices especially green vegetable juices and homemade soups can prove to be the best options to start your healthy diet plan. Both are helpful in boosting your immune system.

- Remember your mother or your grandmother talking highly of amla, tulsi, ginger? Yes, they were right! These herbs have been proven to be highly effective against stress. Add some of these herbs to your tea everyday and you will feel the difference. Also, do you drink green tea? Try it! It helps detoxify your body and enhances immunity.

- If you are under prolonged stress or are at risk for hypertension, consume foods which are high in potassium such as oranges, potatoes, limes, bananas, tomatoes and peaches. You should also increase your dietary calcium intake which is found in foods like yogurt, cheese, tofu and chick-peas. Potassium and Calcium rich foods alleviate stress.

- Drink lots of water throughout the day and avoid skipping any meals. Also, keep some dry, roasted snacks with you to munch on whenever hunger pangs strike. Curd, raw vegetables and fruits are real stress-busters too.

- Though enough has been said about it, always remember that regular physical exercise plays a pivotal role in the fight against stress.

While saying it is easy, practicing healthy eating habits is another task altogether. It has been widely observed that most people under stress neglect food. So, remember to eat healthy to beat the stress. Without a doubt, following these simple steps will get you thoroughly de-stressed and rejuvenated!

The health of our heart is the single most important point of concern worldwide. And why shouldn’t it be?  Higher stress levels, longer work hours, lack of exercise are some of the challenges that people face on a day-to-day basis. While we can obviously choose to start working on these must do things for a healthy heart, what we can also do is keep a tight check on our food eating habits. Mentioned below are some simple do’s and don’ts to keep you’re eating habits conducive to having a healthy heart.

• The more leafy greens you eat (spinach, chard, salad mixes), the safer you are from cardiac disease.  The benefits of this are many, such as the greens’ (folate, potassium, and potent vitamins) lower your blood pressure.
• Switch to olive oil. Olive oil is known to reduce inflammation, lower LDL cholesterol, and reduce the rate of heart-endangering plaque rupture.

• Reduce intake of salt, sugar and flour and replace with sprouted whole grains.
• Cut intake of overly processed food items. If a product has more ingredients than you can count on your fingers it is most likely to be over processed.

Listed are a few things you could avoid when eating out.

You have heard this several times but we repeat it once again- Avoid cheese and condiments such as mayonnaise and tartar sauce, which can add unnecessary (and unhealthy) calories and fat. Use mustard or vinegar to add flavor as desired.

Yet another oft-repeated suggestion would be to avoid anything deep-fried. From chicken to potatoes to onions. Deep-fried foods contain altered fats that are pro-inflammatory and detrimental to the body.

Start with small steps like these and see the difference. Hope these simple tips will help you to manage your heart and health. Remember a healthy heart is a healthy you. So start from today…

-          Prince Gautam Siddhartha, Founder of Buddhism

It is a well-known fact that if you are a working woman, you are always doing the tightrope walking deftly as you balance your job and family life. Suffering from insomnia, headaches and nerve problems are common issues faced by many working women.  In India a woman tends to look after everyone’s health and well-being except her own. Whether you are a workingwoman or a housewife, it is absolutely important to be healthy. Remember only if you are healthy will you be able to do justice to the well-being of your family.

Considering that International Women’s Day has just passed us by, we thought we should delve into some health issues that plague the women of today.

Thyroid:

Hypothyroidism occurs when there is too little thyroid hormone in the blood (“hypo” means “not enough”). Hypothyroidism affects more than 5 million people, many of whom don’t know they have the disease. Women are more likely than men to have hypothyroidism.

The other type of thyroid related problem is hyperthyroidism. It occurs when there is too much thyroid hormone in the blood (“hyper” means “too much”). Hyperthyroidism is nearly 10 times more frequent in women than in men.

Urinary Tract Infection:

UTI is a bacterial infection that affects any part of the urinary tract (starts from the kidney and ends with the urethra). Infection in the kidney is dangerous and is thankfully very rare, while infection in the urethra is very common and the form that usually affects most women.

Women are disproportionately affected by UTIs due to the short urinary passage (urethra) and bacteria from elsewhere getting lodged in it.

Some of the precautions that could be taken would be to stick to a low-sugar diet and exercise to avoid the risk of diabetes, drink lots of water and reduce your salt intake.

PCOD/PCOS:

Polycystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD) is a common condition affecting women. The disorder appears to be increasing, especially in youngsters and teenagers.

In this condition, the ovary stops cyclic maturation of follicles leading to an ovulation or non-production of mature eggs. This leads to increased production of male hormones and unbalanced production of estrogen, which is the principal female hormone. There is also absence of progesterone, the hormone that comes only after ovulation and balances the side effects of increased estrogen production.

PCOD has a lot of psychological and social impact on a woman’s life. Together with the change in life style such as regularly exercising and changing one’s food habits, help in preventing some of the problems that arise.

Cervical Cancer and Breast Cancer:

While worldwide cervical cancer is the second most common cancer, in India it is the most common woman-related cancer, followed by breast cancer. India accounts for approximately one fourth of the world’s cases of cervical cancer each year, and there is a growing incidence of breast cancer as well. Awareness of the two serious yet curable types of cancer is a must.

Cervical cancer is cancer that starts in the cervix, the lower part of the uterus (womb) that opens at the top of the vagina, while breast cancer is a cancer that starts in the tissues of the breast.

There are some methods, which are projected as measures to prevent the development of cancer.

Though there are many risk factors that cannot be controlled, some experts in the field of diet and cancer agree that changes in diet and lifestyle may reduce the incidence of cancer generally.

Self examination of the breast is one step a woman can take of her own accord to detect for any lumps that might exist. After a woman turns 40 she must get a mammogram done annually to eliminate the chances of cancer going undetected.  Try and avoid alcohol or drink in moderation and exercise daily for at least 30 minutes for a fitter, healthier you.

Exercise is a must to get through all the health issues that we women face. So, make exercise a part of your life. Whatever makes you comfortable whether it is morning walks, yoga, gymnasium or aerobics, just take it up and start a healthier living from today.

A recent research carried out in London shows that a person who sleeps less than six hours a night is at 48% higher risk of developing heart disease. More and more people especially the younger working generation is cutting down on sleep to accommodate more work hours and exercise. Most of us ignore the link between sleep deprivation and heart diseases, in fact, the research goes on to add “ Late to bed and early to rise is a ticking time bomb for health”. Doctors also link sleep deprivation to other non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity.  In a one of its kind research carried out in the UK, the doctors tried to study the relationship between short sleep duration and obesity risk. Of the 696 studies identified from the search, 12 studies on children and 17 studies on adults met the inclusion criteria.

So what can one do to ensure a healthy sleep pattern?  If you fall in the category where you feel sleep is not so important it is time you woke up to the perils that improper sleep pattern can cause. Remember it is never too late to change and a few simple steps can help you sleep better.

• The bedroom must have a good environment to get a sound sleep. It must be dark, clean and with proper ventilation. You can also minimise noise and light when sleeping by the use of earplugs and window blinds.
• Do not eat food right before going to bed. Tea, coffee, soda, chocolate and caffeinated drinks must be avoided.
• Avoid excessive stimulation before you go to sleep. Stimulation could be in the form of exercise, watching television or recounting unhappy memories. These can aggravate sleep disorder.
• If you have a problem in falling asleep, you can try some pre-bed activities to help fall asleep. Activities such as reading a book, writing, planning for the next day, or listening to light music can really help in inducing a good sleep.
• A body always prefers to have proper routine for better functioning. Try to allocate a fixed time for falling asleep and waking up. Once the body gets used to the timings, you will never have to worry about maintaining that schedule.

There is a very interesting Irish proverb   “A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book.” It holds so true for all of us.  Something if we were all to follow we could avoid most of the health issues that face us today!

To ensure your peace of mind while leading a healthy lifestyle we must also prepare ourselves for any health related emergencies. Health insurance helps you stay equipped should any such need arise.

Be prepared for emergencies, problems do not call before coming, so be safe and equip yourself with the right health policy to address your needs, should they arise.

Things to look out for in your company provided health insurance:

• What is the total sum insured available to you when hospitalised?
• Does the coverage also extend to your family? If so, which family members are eligible for coverage, and up to what sum insured?
• What happens to the insurance if you leave the company? Can you still pay for it and utilise it if you change jobs?
• Are you eligible for any continuity benefits?

Based on these answers, you will be able to assess whether you are adequately covered or not.

However, industry experts still recommend opting for a health insurance policy of your own to supplement your company provided insurance policy. The reasons are:

• Company policies, generally do not cover your parents and other members of your family
• The company policy may not be able to secure you completely against the rising cost of quality medical care
• Staying with the same insurance provider over a period of time, entitles you to certain continuity benefits, which you stand to lose should you change employers

If you are still unsure, then use our Health Insurance Guide – a tool specially designed to help you identify how much coverage you actually need, and what kind of insurance products would work best for you. Click here to try it out!

Outdoor Sports can lead to several benefits

Physical Benefits:

Physical Fitness: Adventure sports can contribute significantly to your health as it is accompanied by strenuous body movements, energetic maneuvers, and mental strength to move out of one’s comfort zone.

Reduces Stress: The fact that adventure sports involves a balance between mental and physical abilities and overcoming those challenges, all these factors lead to reduction in stress level.

Skill acquirement: Certain skills are a pre-requisite for adventure sports such as rock climbing, rafting etc. While attempting an adventure sport, different individuals may become aware of a set of skills they never knew they possessed.

Body and mind Coordination: Sync needs to be established between different muscle groups, body parts and one’s mental coordination to accomplish an adventure.

Outdoor Exercise: Adventure sports are a very good form of exercise as it stresses on vigorous body movements, sharp observation, and achievement of mental and emotional balance.

Check out the steps you can take incase of a mishap or accident while attempting outdoor sports. Basic First Aid

Spiritual Development:

Positive Thinking/Self-Esteem: Outdoor sports influences positive thinking as people indulging in such sports compete with themselves, face challenges and overcome them, thus building self-esteem.

Self-Reliance: A sense of self-reliance overtakes anyone who indulges in adventure sports as he is the sole authority for his safety and for overcoming the challenge using the right technique.

Decreases Depression: Facing the extreme sport requires high spirit and self-confidence. So it is not possible that a person indulging in adventure sports can be depressed.

Constructive use of idle time: Outdoor sport allows constructive usage of idle time as a lot of development, mental and physical, happens simultaneously while participating in outdoor activities.

Appreciation for nature: A bond between nature and self is possible by getting involved in adventures, as these kind of sports require an individual to be part of nature to overcome challenges.

Bonding and Balance: Stepping out and engaging in outdoor activities helps adventurers to appreciate the beauty of nature and also move ahead in the path of self-discovery.

Mental Strength:

Outdoor sports can add to your mental strength

Out of comfort zone: Many people are used to the comforts life has gifted them , but adventure sports pushes people out of their comfort zone and teaches them to adjust to their surroundings.

Self-confidence: A large shadow of low self confidence gets lifted once an individual starts venturing out into the open and participating in outdoor adventures.

Communication/ Team Work: A sense of team work and communication develops in a person when he/she has to trust a stranger and participate in adventures that are particularly risky.

Improved problem solving skills: With varied skills required for adventure sports, anyone who participates in adventure sports has to face hurdles and find a solution to come out of it. This in turn develops ones skill set for problem solving in ones daily life as well.

Helps increase focus and concentration:Adventure sports enhances ones sense of focus and concentration as without the two traits, chances of successfully completing the sports reduces. It is only through great focus and concentration that such risky sports should be attempted.

ICICI Lombard has come up with a new face book page called ‘Understanding Insurance’ which covers all the aspects of insurance and related peripherals including how differences in your lifestyle can influence your health and choice of different insurance plans.

Interesting, right? It is indeed a superb way to communicate and share your thoughts and suggestions on day to day events and issues related to health, motor, home, and travel.

Right from sharing daily tips on recent occurrences or important facts, to inquiring about health trends and health tips, you will find everything that can be included under the gambit of
understanding insurance and its peripherals.

Once you join Understanding Insurance page, you can post comments on anything to do with health, travel, home and events, life-changing or not, which can have repercussions on your decisions related to insurance. Why don’t you click here to view the different posts till date and leave a comment

Being a part of this page, will help you gain insight about smart-tips or check-lists to be followed on topics relevant to you, you can check out the notes section where beneficial tips will be posted for your reference including recent facts on health insurance, travel insurance, notes posted by your friends will also be visible and so on.

Joining the ‘Understanding Insurance’ page can release you of your insurance and daily activities related queries and worries and also help you reach out to the people regarding tips or suggestions you want to share. So join the ‘Understanding Insurance’ page and secure yourself and your needs.

How many of us seriously consider walking to be a good form of exercise? There are many who are aware that walking can cure them of health ailments but not everyone is proactive enough to take up that habit. Walking can help in a major way because all the organs of your body are dependent on the sensory points which get triggered while walking. You must be wondering how? Yes, a daily walking program can prevent you from falling in the trap of diseases.

To check how much energy you require for additional physical activity click here: Health Tool

All the organs of your body have their sensory touches at the bottom of the feet. These can be considered as the pressure points which stimulate the internal organs and help them remain active all the time. By walking one can actually trigger these sensory points because of the pressure generated at the bottom of the feet and that in turn will lead to beneficial results for the internal organs. This point itself makes walking a very important exercise.

That is why walking can be considered an easy way out in the place of professional acupressure therapy. Walking triggers the sensory points which in turn relaxes, energizes and stimulates the body, and improves blood circulation. Indeed, God’s artwork works wonders because while walking nerves connected to these sensory organs terminate at the pressure points beneath the feet.

Since this method of triggering the pressure points can cure you of many ailments, why not dedicate a few minutes of the day for walking exercises. Pick up the habit, put on your walking shoes and observe how beneficial it is for you your health.

Acupressure- Professional Message Therapy:

In this technique, the professionals use their fingers to press and trigger the key acupressure points beneath the feet. This is also commonly known as foot acupressure or foot reflexology.
Advice of a professional is a must before initiating any kind of acupressure therapy because a wrong technique can lead to harmful side effects. This form of acupressure can be segregated into two types. The first is known as Shiatsu and the second as Tui-na. These are provided by professional therapists and involve putting pressure on the key points to stimulate the body’s natural healing abilities.

Restrictions for foot reflexology:

• The technique for the acupressure message should be accurate to avoid harmful effects to the muscles.
  Avoid receiving the foot acupressure until one hour after a meal.
  Drink plenty of water after the acupressure treatment to remove toxins and lactic acid generated during the therapy.
  Pregnant women, menstruating women and people who suffer from internal and external bleeding should not be allowed to go for this therapy.
  Do not wash your hair, hands, or have a bath immediately after the foot message to prevent body’s elements to be affected from the coldness.
  The duration of the message for both feet should not exceed 45 minutes.
  For patient’s with a heart problem, the message should not be allowed for more than 10 minutes.

Benefits of Acupressure:

Now the question is what can acupressure help cure? Is it helpful in curing various body ailments? Let’s get an insight. Since, all the major body parts and areas are represented in the feet; walking exercise can trigger the respective points and can help cure the following ailments:

• Acupressure Healing:
  Removing pain like Headache, Joint and Muscle Pain
  It is an effective relaxation therapy and it also energizes
  It can relieve pain and stiffness of muscles
  It can help prevent stress, asthma, constipation, sinusitis and migraine
  It can boost the blood circulation system

 Cardiac Ailments

 Heart disorders continue to be one among the major health disorders in women. While women above the age of 65 years are more prone to cardiac problems, the number of women who succumb to heart diseases between the age of 35 to 54 has been reported to be on the rise. As a woman, if you really want to keep cardiac failures at bay, it is critical that you understand your hereditary ailments in detail. Having a good control over your blood pressure and cholesterol and keeping alcoholic beverages at bay can also help in preventing cardiac ailments in women.

Depression

 Statistics testify that women are twice more prone to depression for reasons unknown. This is often a chemical imbalance that is visible in the brain cells. Brain cells find it tough to communicate with each other due to this imbalance. As a result, you might become a victim of sleeplessness and insomnia. Fatigue, psychological imbalance, instability and hallucinations might also be visible due to persistent depressive feelings that linger for long. Psychotherapy combined with proper medications can aid you in getting your depression treated quickly. The most important aspect of this treatment is to have the psychological initiative and drive to get cured at the earliest.

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is the condition in which the bones become overly brittle. Bones within the human body undergoes periodic renewal with the aid of cells referred to as osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Osteclasts dissolve and reabsorb old bones and create empty spaces while osteoblasts fill these empty spaces with new bones. The major cause of osteoporosis constitute early menopause, lack of exercise, improper dietary plans, smoking, early menopause, irregular menstruation and weight gain. Intake of prescribed dietary supplements and consumption of calcium rich food can really help you in keeping out of this disease.

Anemia

Anemia is the deficiency of iron. Since women happen to loose enormous iron during the menstrual periods, their body tends to become deficient in iron when their daily diet is devoid of iron. Taking adequate folic acid tablets, consuming dates and iron rich cereals can help in the replenishment of iron with your body. Maintaining the levels of iron in your body is important not only to stay healthy but also for keeping infertility at bay.

Weight Gain

Weight gain is one of the major challenges faced by women. While there are innumerous root causes for this health problem in women, the major reason continues to be hormonal imbalance. Irrespective of whether it is cortisol or thyroid hormone imbalance, the most likely consequence is weight gain. Nutritional food intake can really help in keeping this problem in women at bay. Ensure that your diet is filled with whole grain based food, raw veggies and fruits. Adhere to timely food intake to keep this problem at bay.

Thus, it is important for you to know these fundamentals to beat the health blues and stay healthy for long!

Myth 1: One can eat as much fruit as one likes

This is the most commonly heard myth surrounding food that we eat. While fruits normally do not have any adverse effects on the human body, it should be remembered that an excess of anything is harmful. Energy is measured in joules. An average piece of fruit containing as much kilojoules of energy as is contained in a piece of bread. Fruits are good for health as they are laden with fiber, carbohydrates and vitamins. However, an excess of fruit leads to an excess of unabsorbed energy in the body which can be dangerous.

Myth 2: One can consume any amount of “Good Fat”

Food stuffs containing good fat like vegetable oils, avocado oil and nuts can be eaten on a daily basis, but in a limited quantity. An adult needs only a teaspoon of Good fat everyday. Anything in excess of this is harmful to the body.

Myth 3: One cannot consume nuts on a daily basis as they are too high in fat

It is true that nuts have a high fat content. However, the fat contained in the nuts is primarily unsaturated fat. This means that you can enjoy small servings of different nuts on a daily basis without having to worry about any adverse effects on the body.

Myth 4: Intake of excess protein makes one strong

Intake of protein in the body helps in building muscles, and thus making the body stronger. However, an intake of excess protein is not useful for the body. A well built, strong body is a result of a balanced diet. An intake of excess protein will lead to a nutrient imbalance in the body that can affect it adversely.

Myth 5: Eating a lot in the evening increases weight

Weight gain has less to do with the time when one eats. An increased weight is a result of higher calorie intake into the body. A heavy diet at any time of the day increases the calorie intake in the body and thus leads to increased weight gain. However, in the evenings, people are often relaxed and passive and hence tend to eat more, leading to this myth.

Hence, you need to carefully choose the kind of food you’re buying to consume. Keep a variety of options handy before buy and utilize the food items for cooking. Have right amount of food at right time and do a 30 min workout everyday.