Here are super foods to boost immunity:

 Here are super foods to boost immunity:

1. Garlic
Garlic is one of best immune-boosting foods. It contains powerful antibiotic, antiviral, and antifungal properties that help the body ward off and fight infections.
Regular consumption of garlic helps your body fight infections and inflammatory diseases like the common cold, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and multiple sclerosis.
Plus, it can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and aid in preventing various types of cancer. To stay healthy, eat one or two raw garlic cloves daily.
2. Honey
Daily consumption of honey has been found to strengthen the immune system. Its antioxidant, antimicrobial and antibacterial properties help fight infections from viruses, bacteria, and fungi.
Honey also can improve your digestive system, treat acid reflux, soothe a sore throat, treat a nasty cough, improve blood sugar control and insulin sensitivity, and heal wounds and scars quickly.
Start each day with one teaspoon of honey along with a glass of lukewarm water to enjoy its numerous health benefits.
Note: Honey should never be given to children under age 1.
3. Ginger
This pungent herb has been used for ages to boost the immune system and treat many health problems. Apart from being a strong antioxidant, ginger has antimicrobial, antiseptic, antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties.
4. Green Tea
Green tea is the best drink known to boost the immune system.
It also has many powerful antioxidants that help protect against viruses, bacteria and other micro-organisms that can cause health problems.
Regular consumption of green tea also will help prevent cardiovascular disease, cancer, stroke, periodontal disease, and osteoporosis. Enjoy a soothing cup of green tea several times a day. Do not add milk, as it will make the tea less effective for this purpose.
5. Yogurt
To boost your immune system, include yogurt with active cultures in your diet. The strains of ‘good’ bacteria such as Bifidobacterium lactis in yogurt boost the activity of immune system cells to destroy viruses and ‘bad’ bacteria. The friendly bacteria also help the body absorb many essential nutrients.
Eating yogurt on daily basis can reduce the incidence of intestinal infections, fight different types of viral infections, improve digestion, reduce the length of the common cold, and treat dysentery and various types of diarrhea.
6. Oranges
Oranges are rich in vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that helps boost your immune system. Vitamin C promotes the production of white blood cells, which are key to fighting infections.
Oranges are also a good source of vitamin A, vitamin B9 or folate, and copper that are important for immune functions. Also, they help lower both cholesterol and blood pressure levels. To improve your immune system, drink a glass of fresh orange juice in the morning and one glass later in the day.
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How to reduce Sugar / Salt?

How to reduce Sugar / Salt?

Sugar is empty kilojoules, so keep portions small, while enjoying the occasional treat. If you do have a sweet tooth, try these healthier, less kilojoule-laden options;-

·         Choose fresh fruits for desserts and snacks.

·         Beware of hidden sugar in cordials, soft drinks, cakes, pasteries and sweet biscuits.

·         Limit your intake of chocolate, lollies and other sweets.

·         Check the labels of your favourite foods – if sugar or sucrose is the first ingredient listed, the food is high in sugar.

·         Do you have sugar in your tea or coffee?

       This can add up over a day. Try to cut back or eliminate sugar, or switch to artificial sweeteners.

Do you have a more savoury taste?

 You should not over indulge in salt, because it can put you at risk of high blood pressure, stroke, cardiovascular disease or kidney disease. It can be difficult to know the quantity of added salt you are consuming because there is a lot hidden salt in processed foods such as bread, cheese, crackers, soups, stock cubes, yeast extract spreads and soy sauce, so check the labels. Salt is probably a habit you have acquired over a lifetime; if you cut back gradually, you will lose your taste for it. When preparing your food, consider the following tips.

·         Do not add the salt when cooking.

·         Do not put the saltshaker on the table.

·         Reduce your intake of processed, convenience and snack foods.

·         Avoid very salty foods such as anchovies, salami, olives and potato crisps.

·         Choose low salt or ‘no added salt’ products at the supermarket.

·         Use other condiments to enhance the flavour of foods.

How to reduce FAT?

How to reduce FAT?

You should not eliminate fat completely.

FAT in small quantities is essential for your body to absorb certain vitamins.

However, in excess it will rapidly escalate your kilojoule intake. Fat in processed foods is generally unhealthy saturated or trans fat. Remember that gram for gram, fat contains almost twice the kilojoule content of carbohydrates and proteins, so treat yourself to small portions of only the very best products. Enjoy your small portion of chocolate. Cake or ice-cream. 

Be aware of what you are consuming, and savour every morsel. Attempt to reduce the hidden fat in your diet without losing the pleasure in your meals;-

1.  ·         Choose lean meats and trim all visible fat.
2. ·         Avoid frying your food; instead try grilling, poaching, microwaving, braising or baking, if you do fry, use a non-stick pan and spray with a light mist of olive oil. Avoid deep-frying.
3. ·         Do not baste baked meat with fat or pan drippings; basting with wine or broth will kepp the meat moist.
4. ·         Make soups or stwes ahead of time and refrigerate overnights, then skim off the fat that hardens on top.
5. ·         When serving dips, swap high-fat potato chips and corn chips for julienne vegetables (carrots, capsicum and celery), for all the crunch without the kilojoules.
6. ·         Do you enjoy stair-fries? To reduce the quantity of oil required for stir-frying, use stock instead of oil or a non-stock work.
7. ·         Spread butter or margarine thinly – it is easier if it is soft. Condiments(mustard, chutney, pickles) often make butter unnecessary for yummy sandwiches.
8. ·         A healthy alternative to sour cream on jacket potatoes is a dollop or two of plain low-fat yoghurt, cottage cheese or ricotta cheese.
9. ·         Avoid using breadcrumbs and flour, because they absorb more fat than if you simply sprayed the pan or used just a little oil. Schnitzels are loaded with fat.
10. ·         Use low/reduced-fat milk products.
11. ·         Do not slather cooked vegetables in butter – moisten them with homemade tomato sauce or lemon juice, and then garnish them with chopped parsleys or chives. Use sauces to add extra flavour.
12. ·         Slim down you salads. Salads will put you on the path to a tablespoons of full-fat dressing over your greens you may as well have consumed a cheeseburger. Use fat dressings, or dress your salad with balsamic vinegar, black pepper, lemon juice or a teaspoon of virgin olive oil and vinegar. Be careful of high-fat additions such as bacon bits, grated cheese and croutons.

WATER FOR WEIGHT LOSS?

WATER FOR WEIGHT LOSS?

Drinking lots of Water – will help you lose weight?

Drinking water 5-8 glasses a day in itself does not cause you to lose weight.  

However, water will definitely fill your stomach and consequently you will feel less hungry and might eat less. Your body doesn’t treat water as food so it won’t have any longterm effect n your appetite. It is a good idea to stay well hydrated, both for general health and so  you do not mistake thirst for hunger, and overeat. (No one is forcing you to drink too much water) The fluid your body needs is present is numerous sources – including fruit, vegetables, tea and other beverages, soup and jelly – which should be included in a healthy, balanced diet.

Television Makes You FAT:

Television Makes You FAT:

·         Don’t eat in front of the television.

·         When your attention is distracted from your food intake, your enjoyment of your meal will decrease and the volume you consume will increase.

·         A Particular problem can arise; you begin to associate eating with watching television, so simply switching on becomes a subconscious trigger to eat.

·         The Advertisements for fatty, high-kilojoule foods – pizzas, hamburgers, chocolates and the like;

·         Seldom fruit or vegetables – give you extra stimulus to eat more. So watch television before or after, but never during a meal.

·         Organize other activities, such as knitting, to keep your hands busy while you are watching television.

·         Make every meal an occasion so that you are aware that you have eaten and will feel more satisfied.

·         Serve yourself the same way as you would a guest.

·         Make mealtimes relaxed occasions during which you talk over the day’s events.

Eating slowly helps you control your intake. It takes 20 minutes from the time you begin eating to the time your brain receives the message from your stomach that food has been consumed.

Eating Habits

Eating Habits:

Food is one of life’s great pleasures, but it must be given the attention and respect it deserves. Do not graze and snack all day, guzzle junk food straight from the packet or nibble food directly from the fridge, Sit down to eat, relax and enjoy your meal, instead of rushing and devouring good as you are walking down as fast as possible before containing with the next activity. This kind of consumption invariably results in you overeating without even savouring the food – what a pity you haven’t taken the time to take pleasure in the meal. In addition, the extra kilojoules you are unaware of consuming are causing you to gain weight.

You are not even enjoying the food. Most of the time, you are scarcely aware that you have eaten, because you are not focusing your attention on the food. This is mindless eating, and mindless eating piles on the kilos. If you don’t know or care what you are putting in your mouth, you are not in control of your eating. And that, as we have seen, will not help you reach and maintain a healthy weight.

Remember the days when the family would congregate at the end of the day to share the evening meal and discuss the day’s events? Some families do not have set mealtimes – everyone just grabs something from the fridge and heads off to work, school or a social event. This is not nutritionally bad it also impacts family life because we are missing out on the daily contact.

NEVER EAT STANDING:- Always sit down at a table to eat, even if you are only having a snack. Never eat standing up; if you sit down you will focus more on your food and are more likely to notice what  and how much you are eating, yet almost everywhere you look in the street you can see people walking around with ice creams or packets of chips. Typically these people do not see such items as ‘food’. So they are oblivious to the kilojoules that they are consuming as they rush about their business. It’s easy to munch through copious kilojoules in the kitchen while preparing meals, serving the family or tidying up; I have to exercise self-control to not pick while I clear the table. If, however, you stop and sit down every time you eat, you are actually aware of what you put into your mouth.