APRIL
Relationship with
HEALTHY food
WIN a total makeover
TEEN VOGUE
MISCON CEPTION
THE CLASH
Difficult to priorities between health and taste?
HEALTH
GRAPH
About healthy food
OBESITY Lifestyle or Genetic
NUTRITION is Important
EDITORIAL PLEASE TEENS, BE PATIENT
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eens today, see a junk food outlet and point towards them and make the parents stop there and then. This is not just India’s condition, but all over the world. If China is ahead of all in technology and population, then China does not fail to shock us with this scenario too! This month, the magazine is full of facts and articles on Obesity and also with some help for the parents/doctors related to the teens.
In our modern world with increasingly cheap, high calorie food, prepared food that are high in things like salt, sugars or fat, combined with our increasingly sedentary lifestyles, increasing urbanization has led to a poor lifestyle. It is no wonder obesity has rapidly increased in the last few decades around the world as said. For the first time in human History, the number of overweight people rivals the number of underweight people! The best person to determine whether your child is obese or not is your doctor. It is also important to talk to your children about their weight, allowing them to share their concerns with you. There are many ways to involve the entire family in healthy habits. Read and share it with you close ones before you need to see the doctors.
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In our modern world with increasingly cheap, high calorie food, prepared food that are high in things like salt, sugars or fat, combined with our increasingly sedentary lifestyles, increasing urbanization has led to a poor lifestyle.
Aishwarya Prakash
Picture courtesy obesity.org
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BESITY
‘‘
Because
BIGGER BETTER AINT
Fight against
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Aim to drink six-seven glasses of water and fluids all day. Even unsweetened fruit juice is full of sugar, so try to drink not more than one glass (150ml) per day.
As a teenager, your body is going through lot of physical changes-changes that need to be supported by a healthy diet/food. Eating healthily does not mean to give up your favourites. It simply means eating a variety of foods and cutting down on food and drinks that are high on fat and sugar, such as, wait you know what all will come under these.
Teenage girls are especially at risk because they lose iron during their periods. Some good sources of iron are red meat, cereals fortified with iron and bread. Diets that promise quick weight loss are often not nutritionally balanced. They also tend to focus on short term results, so you might gain the weight back once you leave this way.
If you are watching your weight, a healthy balanced diet is the way to go. But listen, starving or skipping meals won’t help you ever. In fact it will leave you with a tummy which you of course don’t want if you want to maintain yourself. For your information, skipping breakfast is ideally not a good idea to start your day with. Having breakfast will help you get some vitamins and minerals you need for good health and also a fresh day. Fruits and vegetables are good sources of many of the vitamins and minerals your body needs during your teenage years. Anna, a teen who digs a lot on chocolate and red meat every day, “I wake up late in the mornings, so my breakfast is skipped this way and then my lunch is really heavy which makes me feel drowsy every afternoon and gradually moving towards the dinner, I eat my dinner very late because of the slow digestion, leading to a small tummy protruding. Can’t think of anything other than chocolates every day!’’
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Picture courtesy obesity.org
WHY
NUTRITION
IMPORTANT
U
nhealthy eating habits have contributed to the obesity epidemic in the United States: about one-third of U.S. adults (33.8) are obese and approximately 17 (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2—19 years are obese. Even for people at a healthy weight, a poor diet is associated with major health risks that can cause illness and even death. These include heart disease, hypertension (high blood pressure), type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and certain types of cancer. By making smart food choices, you can help protect yourself from these health problems. Dietary habits established in childhood often carry into adulthood, so teaching children how to eat healthy at a young age will help them stay healthy throughout their life. The link between good nutrition and healthy weight, reduced chronic disease risk, and overall health is too important to ignore. By taking steps to eat healthy, you’ll be on your way to getting the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy, active, and strong. As with physical activity, making small changes in your diet can go a long way, and it’s easier than you think! Now that you know all the benefits, its time to start healthy and think healthy.
Picture courtesy obesity.org
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picturecourtesyobesity.org
Lifestyle or Genetics?
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enes influence every aspect of human physiology, development, and adaptation. There’s a growing debate about whether obesity is fuelled by lifestyle or simply by genetics. Obese people are often branded overeaters who don't exercise. But many obesity experts argue that being heavily overweight is a common genetic disorder – and in evolutionary terms, it is much more natural than being thin. Yet relatively little is known regarding the specific genes that contribute to obesity. A 2014 study found that consumption of fried food could interact with genes related to obesity, underscoring the importance of reducing fried food consumption in individuals genetically predisposed to obesity. The search for human obesity genes began several decades ago. This work has illuminated several genetic factors that are responsible for very rare, single-gene forms of obesity.
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OBESITY
It can be argued that people predisposed to store fat are the lucky ones and the others have defective genes. People who today may become obese were built to survive times of famine, to ensure the survival of the human race’’, a family doctor when interviewed.
It is believed that the vast majority of people – some researchers estimate as many as 80 per cent – have inherited genes that predispose them to storing fat for a possible upcoming famine. Society must stop being so judgmental without even knowing a person's background. Assuming someone is fat because they're lazy or eat too much is not correct. If we talk about lifestyle, then many need to exercise excessively and hardly eat at all to manage their weight. Picture courtesy: fooddrama
ARE YOU STILL LIVING IN THESE
MISCONCEPTIONS
F
MISCONCEPTIONS
Picture courtesy: fooddrama
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ancy packaging and convincing advertising makes it tricky for hungry customers when it comes to eating well. In fact, 64 percent of customers are influenced by healthy food products according to the Institute of Food Technologists. But with so many options and so little time, it’s hard to tell what’s actually good for you and what just a health fad is.
So a little sneak peek to what you are thinking is healthy and what we think is healthy. A.Granola: Those bits of crunchy goodness that make your yogurt more interesting. People in US think of granola as healthy because they think whole grain, but the problem is that it tends to also have a lot of sugar and its cooked with oil or butter and some kind of fat. A normal serving of Oats and Honey granola is half a cup and will make you run for 210 calories! Re-think peeps! B.Juice: Shocked? Yes, you should read this. One of the biggest fads going on in liquid form is juice. When you juice a fruit, you strip out the fiber causing a rapid spike in blood sugars and insulin levels. Instead you should come down to salads or a pear or an apple with its skin still on. C.Chicken cooked in restaurants: Trust me, I had to research on this a lot before breaking the teen-hearts. When we think of healthy protein, chicken often comes to mind. When eating out at restaurants that those chicken dishes could possibly be loaded with calories from being cooked in large amounts of butter and oil and accessorized with lots of salt and cream. You should rather ask your mom to cook chicken at home, which keeps the health level under control and then makes chicken a great source of protein. D.Energy/Snack bar: When you’re in a rush, you’re probably tempted to grab one of the many varieties of energy bars. They often have a chocolate or yogurt coating (think Special K) and contain a ton of chemicals and artificial sweeteners. Granola bars for example contain about 20 ingredients, some including corn syrup, sugar, food dyes, and palm oil. Instead, the best snack options are fresh fruits, raw nuts and natural nut butters.
source: foodepedia 11
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