Top 5 Benefits Of Eating Healthy, Well Balanced, Nutritious Diet

A healthy diet is one that can provide you with nutrients. A balanced food plate includes proteins, whole grains, good fat,  fruits and vegetables. It also involves not consuming tobacco in any form, and reducing alcohol intake. A healthy diet makes your bones stronger, prevents chronic illnesses, and boosts immunity.

Read this article to understand the importance of a healthy diet, and how it affects your body.

Helps you in managing your body weight

Obesity or being overweight can result in chronic health issues like heart disease, diabetes, bone issues, and cancers. Maintaining a moderate BMI can help in reducing the likelihood of these diseases. Having plenty of dietary fiber, vegetables  and fruits instead of processed foods can help you manage your weight.

Improves your heart health

Conditions like high blood pressure can lead to heart attack, and stroke. However, you can prevent premature heart diseases with simple lifestyle modifications like eating healthy, being physically active and by doing preventive health checkup . Consume plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains,  low fat dairy products, fish, and nuts. Apart from that, restrict  your sugar and sodium intake and increase the consumption of potassium, magnesium and calcium.

Reduces your risk of cancer

Antioxidants protect cells from damage thus they help to lower the risk of developing cancer. Phytochemicals in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes are good sources of antioxidants. Eat berries, dark leafy greens, nuts and seeds for your antioxidant needs.

Helps you to manage diabetes / prevent its onset

Eating a healthy diet can help you in - managing and preventing or delaying diabetes, depending on your condition. Consuming healthy foods can help you in controlling your blood glucose levels, cholesterol, and blood pressure.

Strengthens your teeth and bones

Consume a diet rich in calcium and magnesium to keep your bones and teeth strong. Keeping your bones in good health lowers the risk of bone issues in your advanced ages. Low fat dairy products, broccoli, legumes, and cabbage are good sources of calcium; and green  leafy vegetables, seeds, nuts, and whole grains are high in magnesium.

Take small steps at a time to improve your dietary habits - follow these tips:

• Drink water or herbal tea instead of soft or fizzy drinks

• Ensuring you eat fresh meals

• Eat whole fruits instead of juices

• Avoid processed foods

• Lower the intake of salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats

• Know your health status with regular full body checkups to understand what foods you should avoid or consume more.

You Should Get Your Health Checkup Done Annually Even If Think You Are Healthy

Does the thought of visiting a health centre for a regular checkup make you feel uneasy? Do you think health checkups are needed for only those people who are sick? Well it is time to know the facts about full body health checkups.

 

Health checkups find diseases that may have started developing without any obvious symptoms - irrespective of your age

Because there are no signs and symptoms, you might think you are in good health but many times that is not the case. Cancer, heart disease and diabetes do not show any symptoms in their early stages. Cure becomes complex and at the stage when symptoms appear.   

 

They assess the impact of your daily lifestyle on your body

Your body’s health is affected by your lifestyle which is a combination of everything you do - like what you eat, your habits, addictions, sleep cycles, stress, etc. Hence, with annual health screenings you can understand the impact your daily activities are having on your body.

 

You can modify your lifestyle to prevent the health conditions that you are susceptible to

Based on your health screening report, your family’s medical history, and physician’s consultation, you can customize your food, fitness, and lifestyle activities to prevent the diseases that you are at risk of developing. Not being aware of your health’s status makes you continue following the same lifestyle and thereby worsen the disease.

 

You can get an income tax rebate on your taxable income

You get the opportunity to avail a rebate of INR 5000 for the cost spent on preventive health checkups for yourself, and your immediate family members.

 

You save out of pocket expenses and mental trauma

Chronic health conditions like cancer are curable if detected early. But if the disease progresses in stages, cure and survival rates become low. Regular health screenings are important to keep a check on your health. The cost incurred on treatment in the advanced stages of the disease is very high with lesser successful outcomes. Regular health checkups are an investment for a healthy body. It helps you in saving your out of pocket expenditures.

Become acquainted with your body’s health status. Book your full body health checkup today.

 

Regular Health Checkups - The Secret To A Healthy Heart

Heart ailment like coronary heart disease is an underlying cause of heart attack, one of the leading causes of death. It is caused when the arteries going to the heart become hardened. Such heart related conditions along with their risk factors do not show any signs and often go undetected without regular health screenings. Hence, it is important to be regular with your health checkups - they help in detecting abnormalities and problems with your heart health. 

 

How does regular health checkups help in keeping your heart healthy?

• They aid in your heart health by:

• Understanding your body’s health 

• Detecting cardiovascular conditions at an early stage

• Reducing your likelihood of suffering because of heart conditions

• Getting the correct treatment at the right time so that the condition can be cured

• Helping you to plan your lifestyle to improve your overall health

• Reducing your healthcare costs and out of pocket expenses

 important screening tests that are the basics of your health checkup package for understanding your overall cardiovascular health

• Blood Pressure: High blood pressure cannot be detected without measuring it, and it  increases your risk for heart diseases and stroke. 

• Weight or BMI: Being overweight or obese increases your risk for conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes.

• Blood Glucose Level: High levels of blood glucose levels also puts you at higher risk of developing insulin resistance. This untreated condition can lead to many chronic medical issues like heart disease and stroke. 

What increases your risk for cardiovascular diseases?

• Existing conditions like high blood pressure, cholesterol, or diabetes

• Addiction to smoking

• Being obese 

• Sedentary lifestyle without any physical activity

• Unhealthy diet 

• Age and family medical history

Ways to keep your heart healthy

• Consume a nutritious and healthy diet

• Be physically active; exercise daily

• Manage your weight

• Quit first-hand and passive smoking 

• Keep your cholesterol and blood pressure in control

• Be regular with your full body health checkup

Complete body health checkups and consultation with a doctor are important for keeping your heart and body in good health - make it a priority.  Book your health checkup at the best diagnostic center near you.

The Genetics Of Your Height

Have you noticed that not everyone in the family has the same height?

What can be the reason behind it? Read ahead to know.

A person's height is not totally dependent on their genetics - that is why not everyone is as tall (or short) as their parents. There are many factors that influence the height of a person, such as:

• Hormonal deficiencies

• Health conditions

• Nutrition

• Genetic disorders

Apart from these determinants, a person’s height is also controlled by environmental influences. Mother’s nutrition during pregnancy, her smoking habits, and exposure to unsafe substances have adverse effects on the child’s height.

Increase in height during the growing age

A child who is adequately nourished with a balanced and nutritious diet is healthy and active. Chances of growing taller for such a child is likely. On the other hand, a substandard diet, and diseases can inhibit the growth of a child.

Can height be increased after growing age?

The answer is no - there is no way to increase the height of a person after the growth age passes. Although one's genetics dictates the height of a person, factors like nutrition, hormones and medical conditions determine how tall they will become. A lack of thyroid hormones during childhood has effects on height. 

Healthy and balanced nutrition during childhood, and caring for overall health while stepping into adulthood and after is important. You can improve your height by paying attention to your posture - poor posture and a sedentary life makes your height seem less - correcting these can help in increasing the appearance of your height.

While you can not do anything to increase your height, you can always have ways to keep your body healthy. Understanding your DNA can help you discover a lot of new information about yourself. This information can empower you to live a healthy, and better quality of life. Know your genetic tendencies with a genetic test now.

Why Family Medical History Is Important For Genetic Testing ?

 What does family’s health or medical history mean?

It is the record of your health information along with your closest family members - it includes the medical history of parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and grandparents.

 

Why is family history important in healthcare?

DNA is passed through family members therefore they tend to have similar genetics. Important point to note is - each family member's genetics is similar but not same. Hence, even the same environment and lifestyle will have different effects on each of them. Keeping a track of the patterns of health conditions in your family can help you in determining if you are at an increased risk of developing any of those conditions.

 

What are the health conditions that run through the family through genetics?

• Heart ailments

• Stroke

• High blood pressure

• Type 2 diabetes

• Cancers

• Cystic fibrosis 

 

Benefits of knowing one’s family health history

Knowing your family’s health history empowers you to reduce your risk of developing the diseases running in your family. You can modify your lifestyle, personalize health checkups, and plan preventive care in consultation with your doctor.

 

Know your predisposition to the health conditions running in your family with a genetic test

A genetic test analyses your DNA to give you a report on your susceptibility towards multiple health conditions, traits and habits. In case you have a high risk towards a particular disease, you can consult your physician about the frequency of screenings. Along with that you can personalize your lifestyle like eating a healthier diet, exercising regularly, avoiding alcohol, and quitting smoking/tobacco.

 

It is imperative to be updated with critical health information like your family medical history and your own genetic predispositions. Such information enables you to live a happier, healthier and longer life. Book your genetic test now, and know 70+ parameters related to your health, nutrition, fitness, and habits.

Healthcare Tips To Prevent Ear, Nose, And Throat Infections

 

The rains and humid conditions during the monsoon season can cause common ENT infections. Follow these easy ways to prevent infections of the ear, nose and throat.

Washing your hands frequently is an important way to prevent infections of any kind.  Overall prevention can be in the form of avoiding exposure to communicable infections, and practicing good hygiene habits.

How to prevent infections of the ear

• Avoid smoking and also exposure to second hand cigarette smoke

• Identify your allergies and get treatment for them

• Do not remove earwax without a proper Q tip

Ways to prevent nose disorders or sinus infections

• Use saline nasal spray to ease nose blockage due to common cold

• Long term sinusitis is caused by allergies. Identify the causes behind your cold, and get treatment for these allergies

• Avoid flying in an airplane when you have a cold. If you cannot avoid it, use a decongestant nasal spray 30 minutes before the flight takes off

 

Prevent soreness because of throat infection

Sore throat or throat infection can be caused by acid reflux, sleep apnea or even cancer. 

• Boost your immunity by getting plenty of rest 

• Exercise everyday to strengthen your immune system

• Quit smoking and avoid passive smoking if you don’t smoke

• Avoid spending a long time outside if the air quality in the area is not good

 

Maintain the health of your ENT area with regular checkups

Your checkup will include inspection of your face, ears, nose, neck and throat. The screening tests of your ear, nose and throat are not painful. They will usually check for the functions of your nasal pathways, airway resistance and sense of smell to detect inflammation, sinusitis, etc. If any abnormality is detected, an otolaryngologist who focuses on the treatment of ears, nose, and throat can plan a cure for it.

 

Find the best full body checkup packages near you that includes screening for your ENT health.

Can Yoga Help You Control Anxiety And Panic Attacks?

Anxiety and panic disorders can have some harmful impact on your life - they affect your mind, body, mood and wellness. These causes that trigger these attacks are difficult to manage and can adversely influence the quality of living.

 Self help techniques, breathing exercises, affirmations and positive visualization can help you in dealing and alleviating the symptoms of panic and anxiety attacks. 

 

Exercise and the role of endorphins in calming you down

Exercising releases endorphins - hormones that develop a happy feeling. Endorphins act as analgesics, which means they diminish the perception of pain. They are manufactured majorly in the brain and spinal cord and released in response to certain brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. They act as sedatives but do not lead to addictive dependence.

 

Ease your stress and manifest mindfulness with daily yoga

Yoga involves your complete  body, mind, and spirit through specific breathing techniques, and movements. Yoga helps you in restoring a sense of balance. It also helps you in developing the strength of your body, improves balance, and enhances your body’s flexibility. 

 

How does yoga help with easing anxiety and panic attacks?

Yoga eases the physical discomforts caused by these attacks, like tension and pain sensitivity. The various yoga poses stretch and balance your muscles, and release the muscular tension and stiffness in your body.

It also helps you in appreciating the stillness after you unplug from the world and devices around you. As yoga is all about controlling your breathing, it enables you to control anxiety and panic attacks. Yoga makes you conscious of your breathing.  

Try these yoga poses to alleviate stress, depression, panic and anxiety 

• Ustrasana (Camel pose)

• Paschimottanasana (Seating forward bends pose)

• Marjariasana (Cat cow pose)

• Balasana (Child's pose)

• Shavasana (Corpse pose)

Remember, it is important to get help from an expert if your symptoms are severe and persistent. Although yoga can help you with lowering stress and keeping your body healthy, you should also go for regular full body checkups. Checkups can find out any physical disorders that might have developed as a side effect to anxiety and panic attacks, or a depressive episode. Early detection leads to successful treatment and cure.

How To Recognize The Early Signs Of Mental Health Disorders?

Knowing how to recognize the early signs of mental health problems can help you in taking action to reduce the severity of their development. Mental health disorders tend to make one desolate and reduce the quality of daily lives. By identifying the signs at an early stage, it is possible to delay or prevent it from growing into some major illness with medication and therapy.

 

Possible warning signs of mental health problems in adults

• Feeling of sadness that is unexplained

• Major changes in appetite and sleep

• Declining interest in personal care

• Diminished functioning at work, social activities, and familiar tasks

• Feeling of being disconnected from reality

• Reduced ability to concentrate; memory and speech issues

• Excessive fear and feeling of guilt

• Exceeding mood changes

• Increased suspiciousness 

• alcoholism and drug abuse

 

Possible warning signs of mental health problems in teenagers

• Thinking confusedly

• Long periods of sadness or irritability

• Mood swings; feeling of emotional highs and lows

• Being disconnected from social surroundings

• Inability to manage daily activities

• Uncharacteristic behavior

• Unexplained physical illnesses

 

Mental health disorders can range from a wide range of conditions, like anxiety, panic attacks, depression, schizophrenia, and eating disorders. They mostly begin with mood fluctuations, and changes in thinking and behavior. Understanding the difference from normal and expected behavior can be possible early signs of such mental illnesses.

 

Helping a loved one struggling with a mental health disorder with an open-mind is essential. As they are suffering, they can be equally confused about their behavior. Work with your healthcare expert about these behaviors and plan the treatment through therapy and medication.

Mental health problems also have links to developing chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular and respiratory conditions. That is why regular full body health checkup becomes an important factor in maintaining a healthy body and mind.