Ketogenic diet that excludes a wide array of essential food groups, can take a toll on our overall health if people are not able to sustain such a drastic change in eating habits that too in a safe manner. As a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet known as the Ketogenic diet, has been touted as one of the best weight loss programmes, at the same time been dismissed by many.

Out of the total daily caloric intake, nearly 70 to 80 per cent comes from fat, 20 per cent from protein and the remaining 5 per cent or so are derived from carbohydrates. The carbohydrate deprivation pushes the body into ketosis, which is a state where fat becomes its primary fuel source.

Despite its ability to cause rapid weight loss, this dieting approach doesn’t find many supporters among medical professionals. The Keto diet is usually not recommended by doctors for the reason that it excludes a wide array of essential food groups that are imperative for optimal health, such as grains, fruits, and some vegetables.

Medical professionals caution people to be aware of the difference between weight loss and overall health. Jeffrey Mechanick a medical director at Mount Sinai Heart’s Marie-Josee and Henry R Kravis Center for Clinical Cardiovascular Health quite frankly stated to USA Today that “I wouldn’t recommend the keto diet to anybody.” Vasanti Malik, an adjunct assistant professor of Nutrition at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, expressed her concern regarding this extreme system of eating.

“You want to be mindful because these foods — whole grains, fruits, and vegetables — carry a number of beneficial nutrients — vitamins, polyphenols, fibre — that have been shown time and time again to be beneficial for cardiometabolic health,” Malik told USA Today.

According to Mechanick, depletion of carbohydrates compels the body to scavenge upon its fat and muscle tissue to keep everything up and running. “In theory, the Keto diet basically mimics starvation. If you don’t eat carbohydrates but you eat an excessive amount of fat and protein, you’re still going to waste tissue. The tissue is still going to burn off,” explained Mechanick.

Fad diets such as keto also lead to weight rebound issues with people who are not able to stick to them after losing weight. The answer for sustainable weight loss hence lies with emphasising on the quality of food and not exclusively the number of calories that are consumed.

Mechanik suggests the minimisation of sugars and starches and an increased intake of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and beans.

Malik recommends people to include more grains, fruits, vegetables, and nuts, while limiting saturated fat, added sugar and added sodium. Tidying up your menu, in conjunction with daily physical exercise would be enough to create a solid foundation for health.

The post Keto diet has its own cons appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition that is affecting adolescents and children alike across the globe and is common in India to. Obese children have bigger builds for their age. Among the reasons for the condition heredity/genes, developmental influences and environmental factors top the list.

According to a study, India has the second highest number of obese children in the world with 14.4 million reported cases. Some factors that have contributed to this is the replacement of home-cooked tiffins with canteen food, aggressive advertising by processed food and beverage brands, as well as a societal shift to screen time instead of actual physical play time.

If not controlled, childhood obesity can increase the risk of hypertension, osteoarthritis, elevated cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, coronary disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, respiratory problems, and so on. Beyond this, obesity also hampers a child’s overall development and contributes to lowered self-esteem and depression. Every two in three obese children will remain obese as adults and are at a greater risk of developing adult lifestyle diseases.

Children do what they see and adapt very quickly to their environment. So it’s important for parents to take the lead and help children incorporate healthier habits at the onset itself, when their child’s malleability scale is comparatively higher. Here are a few tips that will help parents manage a child’s obesity.

Promote nutritious and well-portioned meals

Children are often attracted to processed food, which have refined sugar, fats (especially trans fats) and salt. The consumption of this type of food can have side effects on weight and growth in the long run. It’s important for you to keep an eye on your child’s daily diet, both at home and outside.

A good way to start this is by ensuring that your child enjoys his/her meals and that it’s portioned appropriately for a single person. Incorporating food that is rich in protein and energy in the diet of a growing child is essential. Healthy eating includes consuming more fruit, vegetables, meat, wholegrains, eggs, and nuts like almonds.

It is also advised to limit the consumption of saturated fats and bad cholesterol and instead shift to unsaturated fats and energy-giving food. Timely meals also streamline the routine of the kids to eat when they are hungry and not bored.

Teach your child to snack right

Growing children tend to develop a higher appetite that makes them hungry frequently through the day. In a scenario like this, mothers can incorporate healthy snacking in their dietary habits instead of curbing hunger, which can hamper growth. Nuts, such as almonds, are a great replacement for unhealthy snacks as they may have satiating properties that promote feelings of fullness, which will help keep your kid full between meals and limit their appetite for fried, unhealthy snacks. You can also opt for fruits, oats, makhanas or fresh juices, and inculcate conscious snacking habits in your child from early on, as he/she is likely to follow it forever. This will not just help control weight, but also help in leading a more nutritious and healthy lifestyle.

Let your child choose a form of exercise

Due to academic pressure and distractions caused by TV, mobile phones and video games, maintaining your child’s physical activity can be a challenge. However, a minimum of 60 minutes of physical activity a day is vital in leading a healthy and fit lifestyle. This need not be by making them jog every day or enrolling them at a gym — you can instead work with your child to understand his/her interests and accordingly choose a form of exercise that he/she is likely to enjoy. Whether it’s mandatory playtime for 60 minutes in the park, choosing to learn a form of classical or modern dance, learning to play a sport or cycling — by making your kid join something he/she enjoys, physical activity will be something the child will be looking forward to. These activities will also help build strength and stamina.

Replace ‘screen time’ with ‘family time’

In the past two decades we have seen the influence and hold that technology has on us and how it impacts our daily choices. Television advertisements are aggressively used by brands to attract and persuade consumers for their commercial interests. These days, brands are actively directing marketing tools towards kids since they have the ability to drive indirect sales. In the process, kids are observing these products and developing a drive to own them.

Televisions, gaming rigs and smartphones collectively form roadblocks in the holistic development of children as they drive them away from physical activities and encourage a lazy ecosystem.

Children who spend more than four hours on these tools are more likely to be overweight, develop bad habits, show aggressive behaviour and fear that the world is scary and that something bad would happen to them. A good way to counter this is by setting limits on daily screen time, and instead replacing it with quality family time where parents and kids can come together and play games, talk about themselves, their day and also important news around them. Not only will this help restrict engagement and dependence on the screen, but it will also help kids to become more aware, alert and strengthen the parent-child relationship.

Avoid using food as a punishment or reward

For a lot of parents, food, especially sweets or snacks, become a form of punishment or reward for children. By positioning food as reward for a good deed, we set wrong expectations and unknowingly contribute in building an unhealthy emotional connection with food and feeling good. Beyond this, it also interferes with a child’s natural ability to regulate their eating which can have a negative impact over time. If you do this with your son/daughter, stop right away and instead reward them with things that would help in their growth, like a visit to the zoo, a play date with a friend or a special learning toy.

Support your child, no matter what

Your child’s obesity shouldn’t be a reason for you to feel embarrassed and what you feel or how you treat the issue will have a large impact on how they perceive themselves in the future. While you help them on their journey to a healthier lifestyle, do it for the right reasons — and try not to let materialistic nuances like beauty, or fitting into the ‘cooler’ types of clothes be the motivator here. How you deal with your child’s weight issues will define how he/she perceives himself/herself. Maintaining a positive and supportive approach is the most important and effective way to drive good results.

The post Take a tough line on implementing ways to tackle childhood obesity, writes Madhuri Ruia appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

Gaining traction all over the years from people while being frowned upon by some number of health experts, the ketogenic, or keto diet is one of the most unique diet trends out there. And one can’t deny this whether you agree with it or not.

This is because the diet itself combines the power of calorie restriction with the benefits that you can get from putting your body in nutritional ketosis, which when done properly, can provide a number of health benefits while also helping you achieve weight loss at the same time.

Still, many people get it wrong and oftentimes misunderstood how keto is supposed to work, thanks in part to some common myths that people throw around.

In any case, here are a few “keto strategies” that will hopefully get rid of these common misconceptions and help you achieve the results that you’re aiming for.

Only eat keto food and ingredients

These are foods that are very low in carbohydrates. However, what’s low for you is determined by your daily carb limit. This means that you need to be more vigilant with your food choices because even healthier food like fruits and veggies can still pack a lot of carbs. With keto, however, do eat low-carb vegetables, meats, nuts and seeds, high fat dairy, sweeteners, avocado and berries.

Know what to focus on

And what you should focus on is being in a calorie deficit because it’s the key to burning off your own fat. To do this, you need to focus on two things: eat protein-dense and fiber-rich foods and eliminating all calorically-dense processed foods from your diet.

Track your macros

People usually tend to underestimate how many calories they really eat. Tracking yours can help you be more aware of where you are in the diet. Thankfully, there are many keto calculators that you can find on the internet.

Change your food environment

Of course, this can be hard for some people since changing your environment for one diet can be a bit much. Still, you can do this by only allowing keto-friendly food in your house, planning your meals ahead of time (stops you from overeating as well), only eating foods that you track and avoiding unhealthy foods you can binge on.

Prepare for keto concerns

Unfortunately, putting your body through ketosis isn’t that common, and so your body might have some adjusting to do. This “adjusting” comes in the form of the so-called “keto flu,” which may have symptoms like sugar cravings, dizziness, cramping, poor focus and insomnia. Luckily, drinking lots of water can help clear these symptoms. They would disappear as your body adapts more.

The post Best Keto Diet 2020 Secrets To Successful Weight Loss appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

New Delhi: Weight loss is part diet and part exercise. Other factors that play a crucial role in determining weight loss are lifestyle choices like smoking, alcohol and drug use, etc. Various diets for weight loss have come into the picture in recent times. While some have been hailed by medical professionals and dietitians as a “healthy lifestyle”, others have been declared fads, or unhealthy, even when they help you lose weight.

Another diet plan or pattern is now being explored is the Dubrow diet. The diet was developed by a reality TV couple and follows the method of intermittent fasting. Here is what you need to know about the Dubrow diet. 

The Dubrow Diet for Weight Loss

The Dubrow diet sounds like a mix of the Keto diet and Intermittent Fasting. Low-carb food is consumed, in time-restricted intervals, to boost weight loss. The creators of the diet also claim that it can improve blood sugar control, improve energy levels, and slow signs of ageing.  

What food is consumed on the Dubrow diet?

It is a low-carb diet, where one consumes food that is low on calories. Foods consumed on the Dubrow Diet are lean proteins, healthy fats, non-starchy vegetables and fruits.

How does the Dubrow diet work?

Dubrow diet’s emphasis on healthy eating will definitely help you lose weight in the process. When you cut out processed and oily food from your diet, your body naturally feels healthy and fit. 

Foods consumed on the Dubrow diet are rich in fibre, nutrients, protein, etc. which can help your body become healthier. The foods consumed on the Dubrow diet can also make you feel fuller since they are high in protein and fibre, and help curb appetite, which can restrict the amount of food you eat. Feeling fuller with the healthy food you eat is very essential, especially with time-restricted eating, as you may feel hungry during the fasting hours. 

The Dubrow diet is low in carbs, which can also help improve metabolism and help you lose weight, especially from the abdomen. Intermittent fasting has been hailed as one of the best diets for weight loss and health, which is also a part of the Dubrow diet.

The post What is the Dubrow diet for weight loss? Here is all you need to know appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

New Delhi: 2019 is over, and 2020 has begun a few days ago. Various diet trends and shifts were seen in 2019 as people became more health-conscious and tried different diets, exercises and lifestyle changes to become healthier. Since the diet we eat plays a key role in keeping us healthy, various diet forms were seen during 2019. While some of these were old, those that have been around for years, some were relatively new. 

The Mediterranean diet was once again, declared the best diet for the New Year 2020. It was also claimed as the best diet for the New Year 2019, at the end of the year 2018. The Keto diet, however, which is very popular in practice for quick weight loss was reported as one of the worst eating plans. Here are the many differences between the two diets, understanding which can help you choose the better one for yourself.

Some dietitians do not even believe that the Mediterranean diet is actually a diet, in the real sense. It is seen more as a healthy lifestyle. However, the Keto diet on the other hand definitely is a diet. 

The most important difference between the two is that of the nutrient content of the diets. The keto diet involves eating a low-carb, high-fat diet, with moderate amounts of proteins. The diet tricks the body in the process of ketosis, leading to burning fats and ketones for energy, instead of carbohydrates, which leads to weight loss. 

The Mediterranean diet, on the other hand, involves eating a healthy diet that includes mostly plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, etc. The Mediterranean diet is known as a lifestyle, more than a diet, because it focuses on eating more traditionally and removing modern foods like processed and packaged foods, from one’s diet. 

Another significant difference between the two diets is that of the restrictive nature. While the keto diet is extremely restrictive in nature, the Mediterranean diet is not so much. The latter only focuses on healthy eating, while the keto diet removes sources of carbs from the diet, which can prove harmful for the body in the long run. 

When it comes to the factor of sustainability, there is again a difference between the two, with the Mediterranean diet having an upper hand again. The Mediterranean diet focuses on healthy eating, which is sustainable. However, due to the restrictive nature of the keto diet, it may not be sustainable. It is also not advisable to follow the Keto diet for years to keep your weight managed, as it can lead to other health problems.

The post Mediterranean diet is ‘the best diet for 2020’, Keto among worst eating plans – Know how they are different appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

The ketogenic diet is notoriously tough to stick with and, as a result, many people who were once all-in with the low-carb eating plan have stopped following it. But not everyone who was once big into keto wants to completely cut ties with it—they just want something that’s a little more approachable. Enter keto 2.0.

It’s hard to say where, exactly, the term keto 2.0 came from, but it seems to be a growing movement—and many keto fans are now tagging their Instagram posts with #keto2.0.

So what is keto 2.0 and why are so many people into it? And is it even keto if the diet is tweaked? We asked dietitians to weigh in.

What is keto 2.0—and how is it different from the original keto diet?

To understand keto 2.0, let’s quickly refresh your understanding of the original ketogenic diet plan. Keto is an ultra low-carb diet that focuses on increasing your fat intake to the point where your body uses fat for energy, explains Scott Keatley, R.D., of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy.

Everyone’s body and approach to the diet is slightly different, but that usually means you strive to get 60 to 75% of your calories from fat, 15 to 30% of your calories from protein, and 5 to 10% of your calories from carbohydrates.

As a result, using a 2,000-calorie diet as an example, keto fans usually try to have no more than 50 grams of carbs a day, with some aiming for an even lower amount. (To put that in perspective, a medium-sized apple has 25 grams of carbs.)

The goal of all of this is to go into a state of ketosis, where your body doesn’t have enough carbs to use as energy, Keatley says, so it starts burning through fat instead. At this point, that breakdown of fat also produces compounds called ketones (which is ultimately where the diet got its name from). This high fat intake is also highly satiating, so people who follow keto to lose weight are able to do so without feeling hungry.

But keto 2.0 takes a more laidback approach.

There are no “rules” with this modified version of keto, but one dietitian points out that keto 2.0 followers would generally try to get 50% of their calories from fat, 30% of their calories from protein, and 20% of their calories from carbs. As a result, you could have 100 grams of carbs daily on a 2,000 calorie keto 2.0 diet, Keatley says, or double the amount.

There’s another huge aspect of keto 2.0 that needs mentioning: If you increase your carb intake to 20% of your calories, it would no longer be considered a ketogenic diet, because “it’s impossible to reach ketosis anymore,” says Karen Ansel, R.D.N., co-author of Healthy in a Hurry.

What kind of foods can you eat on keto 2.0?

As with regular keto, you can technically eat anything you like within the parameters of the diet, but things like sugar, fruits, beans, legumes, and grains are typically severely limited.

A huge issue many nutrition pros have with keto is that it tends to pack in a lot of saturated fats or, at least, many people fall into the trap of eating lots of foods loaded with saturated fats, like bacon and butter. While these foods can ~technically~ help you lose weight on keto when you stay within your macros, they’re not exactly great for your heart health or overall well-being.

But keto 2.0 seems to be big on achieving a well-rounded diet, with more fruits, vegetables, and leaner proteins thrown into the mix. Sure, you can have these in limited quantities on regular keto, but keto 2.0 gives you more wiggle room for them, along with healthier, complex carbs like beans and oats.

Another big perk, per Ansel: You’ll get more fiber in your diet on keto 2.0 (compared to regular keto, which has not much at all)—and that can help keep you satiated, lower your disease risk, and improve overall digestion.

So, is keto 2.0 healthy?

It’s definitely healthier than traditional keto, given that it focuses on eating more heart-healthy unsaturated fats, leaner proteins, and more plant-based foods high in nutrients, Ansel says.

Ultimately, keto 2.0 is “really a low carbohydrate diet,” Keatley says. “It is much more similar to the traditional Mediterranean diet than a keto diet and that’s a good thing,” he says, since experts agree that the Mediterranean way of eating can improve overall health. “By incorporating more lean proteins, especially fish and shellfish, as well as more fruits and vegetables, you’re increasing nutrient diversity which is the key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.”

Keatley warns that the approach matters here—it’s easy to just add pasta to the mix to get more carbs in keto 2.0 but “this will not be as good of a change as it could be,” he says. Instead, he recommends getting your carbs from fiber-rich sources like beans, legumes, fruits, and whole grains.

…but can keto 2.0 still help you lose weight?

If you do it right, yes. “It’s not that carbs are bad, it’s that we as Americans are consuming too many high-calorie carbs such as potatoes, bananas, rice, pasta, and other refined grains,” Keatley says. “Shifting the keto diet away from fat and towards non-starchy fruits and vegetables is a great way to improve fiber intake, which can help you feel fuller longer, improve gut health, and help prevent some cancers.”

Add naturally lean meats like fish and shellfish to the diet and “you’ve got a recipe for healthy weight loss,” Keatley says.

Just keep in mind that you might not drop weight as drastically as you would on the original keto diet, given that you’re not going into ketosis with a higher carb intake, Ansel says. But, if you weren’t on the healthiest of diets before trying keto 2.0, it can definitely make a difference in the number on the scale.

Should you try keto 2.0, even if you hated regular keto?

It’s ultimately up to you, but experts don’t hate these modifications. If regular keto wasn’t for you, it’s definitely worth trying this approach if you think it might work for you, Keatley says.

There are still healthier, more sustainable diets out there, though, Ansel says. “The Mediterranean or flexitarian diets are much better bets,” she says.

Ultimately, the best diet for you is the one you will actually enjoy and stick with consistently—that way, you make a lifestyle change that is actually sustainable.

The post Keto 2.0 Is Here to Make the Low-Carb Diet Way Better for You—And Easier to Follow appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

In the case of our brain health, preventing brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s is always better than trying to cure it.

You can exercise your brain by keeping it busy making new acquaintances, doing crosswords, solving math problems or taking up a hobby. There is something more we can do in the fight to keep our brains healthy as we age, however.

Try the ketogenic or keto diet.

Dr. Georgia Ede, a nutritional psychiatrist, supports the keto diet as a way of trying to ward off dementia and Alzheimer’s.

“You don’t want to wait until you get Alzheimer’s. You want to start now,” on the keto diet, she said. “I actually work with patients who have early Alzheimer’s (and) who are on a ketogenic diet. And we actually see improvements in their mental clarity when they eat a ketogenic diet.”

During her talk on the mindbodygreen podcast, Dr. Ede pointed out a ketogenic diet can stabilize insulin and blood glucose levels. She stated insulin resistance actually paves the way for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and it’s one of the highest risk factors.

“If you don’t have enough insulin in the brain, your brain cells cannot use sugar for energy. So they die,” she emphasized.

Diabetes is characterized by high blood sugar, impaired insulin function and changes in metabolism. A keto diet can help a person lose excess fat, which is closely linked to type 2 diabetes, prediabetes and metabolic syndrome.

One study found the keto diet improved insulin sensitivity by 75 percent. A person that is insulin sensitive (or who has high insulin sensitivity) will require smaller amounts of insulin to lower blood glucose levels compared to a person with low insulin sensitivity, which is also called insulin resistance.

Another study in people with type 2 diabetes found that 7 of the 21 participants were able to stop using all diabetes medications after following a keto diet.

Yet another study found a keto diet is an effective form of therapy for patients with neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s.

“A ketogenic diet is a therapeutic tool that I use in my practice every day,” Dr. Ede added.

Developed in the 1920s to treat difficult-to-control epilepsy in children, the keto diet has become one of today’s most popular weight loss and control diets. It consists of a diet of high fat foods, an adequate amount of protein and a very low amount of carbs.

The keto diet deprives the body of glucose and induces a state called “ketosis.” In ketosis, the body is forced to use stored fat in the kidneys instead of sugar to produce an alternative source of energy. The keto diet, which might include meat, poultry, fish and non-starchy vegetables, forces the body to burn fat rather than carbohydrates.

The post Can Alzheimer’s Patients Benefit From The Keto Diet? appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

It’s December and Christmas is right around the corner. For many, and most especially kids, this means lots of food and eating in between spending time with the family and joining the holiday rush to get some gifts. However, for others, this means planning their current diet around the holiday and how their lifestyle can help them safely navigate the Christmas season.

The Keto Diet

The diet in question is called the Keto diet, which is one of, if not the most famous diet strategy that people are jumping aboard onto these days. As an ultra-high fat, low-carb diet, it will have you eating steak, vegetables, eggs, bacons and avocados while making sure you avoid pizza, birthday cake, fruits, bread and pasta.

And for what reason? To achieve ketosis of course, which is more or less the holy grail of fat-burning states that people following the diet hope to reach. A natural metabolic state, ketosis involves the body producing ketone bodies out of fat, and then proceeding to use them for energy instead of the usual carbohydrates. As a result, people can easily lose weight while in ketosis. In addition, it  has also other possible health benefits, such as lowering the risk of heart disease, acne, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, cancer, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s, although all of these are still being studied.

The post Keto Diet: Experts Discuss Extreme Eating Plan appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

A higher consumption of phytoestrogens — plant-derived estrogens found in soy and other foods that are similar to the female hormone estrogen — is associated with a reduced risk of endometriosis, an Iranian case-control study suggests.

However, due to the important role of hormones on endometriosis development and progression, these results need to be confirmed in future studies.

The study, titled “Dietary Phytoestrogen Intake and The Risk of Endometriosis in Iranian Women: A Case-Control Study,” was published in the International Journal of Fertility & Sterility.

Phytoestrogens are naturally-occurring plant compounds that share a similar chemical structure and function to the estrogens found in the human body. Foods rich in phytoestrogens include soy, fruits, vegetables, spinach, sprouts, beans, cabbages, and grains.

The effect of diet on hormonal activity, inflammatory markers, and the immune system means that the food choices women make might play a key role in the development of endometriosis. Further, endometriosis has been shown to be related to prolonged exposure to the hormone estrogen in the absence of progesterone.

The main classes of phytoestrogens include isoflavones, coumestans, lignans, and flavonoids. Isoflavones, produced almost exclusively by the members of the bean family, are found in soy. Coumestans may have anticancer effects, while lignans have antitumor and antioxidant effects in mammals. Flavonoids, which also have antioxidant effects, are plant pigments that help give fruits and vegetables their color.

In women with endometriosis, phytoestrogens have an anti-estrogenic effect, meaning they can counter the activity of estrogen. Lignan and isoflavones can be converted in the gut into hormone-like structures.

By binding to estrogen receptors, phytoestrogens can stimulate the production of sex hormone-binding globulin, reducing the ability of the natural free estrogen to interact with estrogen receptors. Further, phytoestrogens can reduce inflammation through many mechanisms, including decreasing the production of inflammatory molecules.

In this study, the researchers assessed the link between phytoestrogen intake and endometriosis risk. The team studied 78 women with endometriosis and 78 with a normal pelvis (control group), all infertile, recruited at the Arash Hospital, in Tehran, Iran. The two groups were matched for multiple parameters, including age, body mass index (BMI), education, marital status, occupation, and income.

The participants’ diets were recorded using a 147-item validated food frequency questionnaire, between May 2016 and February 2017. The type of phytoestrogen in each dietary item was then analyzed using data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The results showed that a higher intake of phytoestrogens was associated with a reduced risk of endometriosis. A greater intake of total isoflavones — specifically the sub-groups formononetin and glycitein — was associated with a decreased endometriosis risk, as was an increased intake of coumestrol. Similar results were found with a higher intake of lignan, specifically the sub-groups secoisolariciresinol, lariciresinol, and matairesinol.

Among food groups, only isoflavin, lignan, coumestrol, and phytoestrogen in dairy products, and coumestral in fruits were related to a reduced endometriosis risk.

“The phytoestrogen content in diet is dependent on environmental and genetic factors for example variety, harvest, food processing, cooking and growth locations,” the researchers noted. “Up to now, Iranian dietary phytoestrogen has not been measured.”

The researchers said that the results, overall, suggest that the impact of phytoestrogens on the level of hormones, and immune and inflammatory markers, is likely to “play an important role in the control and prevention of many diseases.”

“Due to the inflammatory nature of endometriosis and the effect of hormones on the progression of the disease, the role of phytoestrogens consumption in the progression and regression of the disease should be assessed in future works,” they concluded.

The post Diet Rich in Phytoestrogens, Found in Plants, May Reduce Risk of Endometriosis, Iranian Study Suggests appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

Weight loss: Keto diet is a popular weight loss diet. It is is a diet which involves eating high fat, moderate protein and extremely low carbohydrates. When followed in the right way, keto diet can help you lose weight quickly. For those looking forward to short-term weight loss goals, keto diet can be the perfect choice for you. However, you need to be very careful about carb intake and make sure that you consume as less carbs as possible. In this article, we are going to talk about low-carb vegetables that you can eat as part of keto diet. These vegetables are rich in nutrients and low in carbs and calories.

Weight loss diet: Low-carb vegetables you can have on keto diet

1. Lettuce

Lettuce is commonly consumed as salad leaves. Iceberg lettuce can bring some delightful crunch to sandwiches, burgers and salads. Lettuce provides you with dietary fibre and also hydrates you. The salad leaf is also a rich source of Vitamin C, which can help in building your immunity. Lettuce is a low-carb vegetable and you can have it guilt-free and worry-free in keto diet. 

2. Zucchini

Like lettuce, zucchini is also a hydrating low-carb vegetable you can have guilt-free on a keto diet. It is delicious to taste and can be added to salads, sandwiches and can even be consumed raw. Zucchini noodles have been quite a range off late and they make for a perfect, delicious low-carb meal you can have on keto diet. The veggie is a rich source of Vitamin C, A and calcium.

3. Mushrooms

With a creamy texture, mushrooms are one of the healthiest vegetables you can consume on a keto diet. They are low in carbs, calories and fat. They contain a modest amount of fibre and is rich in potassium, magnesium, zinc and folate. You can add mushrooms to your salads, prepare a delicious cream of mushroom soup and also add mushrooms to sautee vegetables. Mushrooms are indeed one of the perfect, low-carb vegetable you can have on keto diet for quick weight loss.

4. Aspragus

Asparagus is a good source folate, Vitamin K and fibre among other nutrients. One cup of asparagus contains lesser than 30 calories. Asparagus is usually consumed on the side of grilled vegetables or grilled meat. You can also add asparagus to sautee vegetables or omelettes.

5. Cauliflower

Delicious, low in calories and low-carb, cauliflower is a great vegetable you can have as part of keto diet for quick weight loss. Cauliflower is high in fibre and B-vitamins. It also provides beneficial antioxidants that can reduce damage caused by free radicals in the body. You can grill cauliflower, prepare cauliflower rice, cauliflower sabzi and even prepare a pizza base out of cauliflower.

6. Green beans

One cup of green beans contain no more than 30 calories. They are low in carbs as well. Including green beans in your diet can provide you with fibre, Vitamin C, K, A, beta-carotene, folate and potassium. Saute vegetables, salads and sabzis are a few of the many ways you can include green beans in your diet.

7. Broccoli

Broccoli is low in carbs and calories and is a popular a keto vegetable. You will be surprised to know that broccoli is also a hydrating food with nearly 89% water content. Broccoli contains traces of protein as well. From sautee vegetables to soups and salads, there are numerous ways to include broccoli in your diet.

The post Keto Diet: 7 Low-Carb Veggies That Can Help You With Quick Weight Loss And How To Include Them In Your Diet appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

The post Keto diet: Effective but risky appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

Indian cuisine is rightly called ‘extensive’. A whole range of vegetables, lentils, pulses, roti and rice varieties adorn our dining table for almost every meal. Some vegetables or sabzis are like staple Indian dishes and made repeatedly in our households. One of them is cabbage or patta gobhi ki sabzi. It is mostly paired with dal, raita, pickle and roti. Cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable that is low in calories, low in carbohydrates and rich in fibre, vitamins and antioxidants. It was always a great food for weight loss diet. But, if you are following the Keto diet, this recipe adds in some variations to make it suit your diet.

The multi-layered vegetable of cabbage contains almost all important vitamins  – A, B1, B2, B6, E, C, K, and minerals like iron, calcium, iron, iodine, potassium, folate, sulphur and phosphorus. This vegetable may be dense with nutrients but is super light and airy to eat. It doesn’t weigh down your tummy yet it satiates with its high amount of fibre.

To make it Keto-friendly, this sabzi is cooked in clarified butter (ghee) instead of regular cooking oil. Unlike many other Indian meals, this recipe is easy, not complex, doesn’t contain too many ingredients and dispenses with the overkill of spices. The recipe is shared by food vlogger Sahil Makhija through a video posted on his YouTube channel ‘Headbanger’s Kitchen’.

The post Weight Loss: Turn Simple Patta Gobhi (Cabbage) Ki Sabzi Into Keto-Friendly Dish appeared first on MyMedicPlus.