Don't let the winter blues get to you - Try these effective winter weight management diet tips

The winter season is here, and so has the time to lose any motivation of carrying out common outdoor activities. Weight gain is a common issue among people that gains prominence in seasons like winters. With a global pandemic still in motion, the requirement and urge to stay indoors has increased tenfold. However, this has also led to an increase in complaints about unhealthy weight gain due to reduced physical activities. Weight management is important as an unhealthy weight can lead to several issues such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and unhealthy blood pressure levels. The need for an effective weight management plan is most necessary now than ever.

Diet tips for winter weight loss

The most common method one can opt for to aid weight management is diet control. Here are some tips that you can follow to make alterations in your diet to facilitate healthy weight loss:

1. Eat fibers: Consumption of a fibrous diet can help improve the digestive system of the body. This can contribute greatly to weight loss as it also promotes a healthy metabolism. Fibre-rich vegetables such as kale, cauliflower, and broccoli are available in abundance during the winter season. Include these in your diet for a healthy outcome.
2. Go slow on calories: Try to cut back on calories as much as possible as an unmoderated intake of calories can lead to unhealthy weight gain. Follow a particular diet plan and include foods in your diet that are low in calories.
3. Soup over salad: Salads, however healthy they may be, might end up making you feel hungry. Instead of eating salads as an appetizer, go for low-calorie soups. Soups are more filling food as compared to salads and will help you control the calorie intake, thereby promoting weight loss.
4. Avoid sugar: Sugar is often referred to as the white poison. This is because of its unhealthy characteristic of promoting unhealthy weight gain and increased risk of development of chronic diseases such as diabetes. Try avoiding consuming too much sugar and opting for alternatives such as honey and stevia.
5. Incorporate protein: Maintaining a healthy weight is as important as losing weight. During the process, to avoid unhealthy weight loss, make sure to have a consistent intake of protein in your diet. This will help you maintain weight by building muscle.

Bottom line

Apart from consuming a balanced diet, make sure you that are keeping your body hydrated. Reducing outdoor activity may be inevitable but one must try to not make it negligible. Furthermore, you can opt for alternatives such as indoor exercising to lose weight as well.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

Do You Have SAD or Just the Winter Blues?

If you find that when temperatures start dropping, your mood does too, then you're not alone. This is because experts believe that as many as 20% of Americans experience the so-called winter blues every year. Typically, winter blues amount to some minor social withdrawal and mood swings, which reverse themselves as our planet rotates back towards the sun.


However, for millions of people around the world, these depressive symptoms are severe and long-lasting, which end up affecting how they sleep, eat, think, and live their lives. One such person was Diana Lillo, 55. Despite her symptoms changing from one year to the next, every winter she found that she had “depression for no apparent reason—a generalized feeling of ‘doom and gloom’ even when nothing, in particular, was wrong.”

When it started to affect her marriage, Lillo sought help and was diagnosed with SAD. “Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is clinical depression that follows a seasonal pattern,” says Kelly Rohan, Ph.D., Professor of Psychological Science and Director of Clinical Training at the University of Vermont.

Health professionals are not entirely sure why it occurs, but they agree that a lack of sunlight plays a key role. One theory is it messes with your biological clock, which can lead to symptoms of depression. Another theory is that the lack of light interferes with brain chemicals, such as serotonin and melatonin, which affect sleep and mood.


If you have the usual winter blues, your symptoms will most probably be rather mild. “Perhaps you feel a little less energetic than you do in the summertime and have some food cravings that are unusual, like wanting to eat more carbohydrate-rich foods, or you sleep a little more, but not substantially more,” says Rohan. Such feelings will typically leave of their own accord, possibly just after a few days.

On the other hand, SAD typically causes more serious oversleeping, weight gain, appetite changes, lethargy, and social isolation. You could also end up experiencing intense sadness, irritability, problems concentrating, feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness, or even suicidal thoughts.

What's more, if you are diagnosed with SAD, these symptoms will stick around “for at least two weeks, if not longer, most of the day, nearly every day,” according to Rohan. They will interfere with your daily functioning and ability to do things, causing a lot of distress.

That’s precisely what happened to Lillo, who found that she was “going deeper and deeper into depression until suicidal thoughts appeared every winter.” This “every winter” part is key: If the symptoms of depression have appeared for at least two years in a row, and haven’t turned up during other seasons, there’s a high chance that SAD is the cause.

If you think you might suffer from SAD, it’s important that you talk to your doctor about it. They might recommend antidepressants or therapy, in addition to some strategies you can try at home. One of the best things you could do is to maximize the amount of daylight that you're exposed to. Rohan suggests taking morning walks which "gets the light that is available to your retina, which can help reset a biological clock. And it gets you moving in terms of physical activity.”

Light therapy is also very useful when it comes to treating SAD. Your doctor can prescribe this form of therapy, which entails spending some time every morning sitting next to a box that emits very bright light. This will simulate the effect of sunlight and has been proven to work for approximately 70% of SAD patients.

When suffering from SAD, you would also do very well to avoid being alone. “Go meet up with that group you belong to or go to the gym or go see that movie, see friends for coffee,” says Rohan. “Withdrawing from those routines sets you up for what I call going into hibernation mode, which really breeds depression.”

All in all, people with SAD need to be prepared for the future. This may involve anticipating “down” times, watching out for worsening symptoms, and planning activities ahead. It may also mean beginning treatments before allowing any symptoms to kick in since the best defense is a good offense.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

Do You Have SAD or Just the Winter Blues?

If you find that when temperatures start dropping, your mood does too, then you're not alone. This is because experts believe that as many as 20% of Americans experience the so-called winter blues every year. Typically, winter blues amount to some minor social withdrawal and mood swings, which reverse themselves as our planet rotates back towards the sun.

However, for millions of people around the world, these depressive symptoms are severe and long-lasting, which end up affecting how they sleep, eat, think, and live their lives. One such person was a 55 year old lady. Despite her symptoms changing from one year to the next, every winter she found that she had “depression for no apparent reason—a generalized feeling of ‘doom and gloom’ even when nothing, in particular, was wrong.”

When it started to affect her marriage, she sought help and was diagnosed with SAD. “Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is clinical depression that follows a seasonal pattern,” says a Dr.

Health professionals are not entirely sure why it occurs, but they agree that a lack of sunlight plays a key role. One theory is it messes with your biological clock, which can lead to symptoms of depression. Another theory is that the lack of light interferes with brain chemicals, such as serotonin and melatonin, which affect sleep and mood.

If you have the usual winter blues, your symptoms will most probably be rather mild. “Perhaps you feel a little less energetic than you do in the summertime and have some food cravings that are unusual, like wanting to eat more carbohydrate-rich foods, or you sleep a little more, but not substantially more,” says a Dr. Such feelings will typically leave of their own accord, possibly just after a few days.

On the other hand, SAD typically causes more serious oversleeping, weight gain, appetite changes, lethargy, and social isolation. You could also end up experiencing intense sadness, irritability, problems concentrating, feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness, or even suicidal thoughts.

What's more, if you are diagnosed with SAD, these symptoms will stick around “for at least two weeks, if not longer, most of the day, nearly every day,” according to the Dr. They will interfere with your daily functioning and ability to do things, causing a lot of distress.

That’s precisely what happened to the lady, who found that she was “going deeper and deeper into depression until suicidal thoughts appeared every winter.” This “every winter” part is key: If the symptoms of depression have appeared for at least two years in a row, and haven’t turned up during other seasons, there’s a high chance that SAD is the cause.

If you think you might suffer from SAD, it’s important that you talk to your doctor about it. They might recommend antidepressants or therapy, in addition to some strategies you can try at home. One of the best things you could do is to maximize the amount of daylight that you're exposed to. The Dr. suggests taking morning walks which "gets the light that is available to your retina, which can help reset a biological clock. And it gets you moving in terms of physical activity.”

Light therapy is also very useful when it comes to treating SAD. Your doctor can prescribe this form of therapy, which entails spending some time every morning sitting next to a box that emits very bright light. This will simulate the effect of sunlight and has been proven to work for approximately 70% of SAD patients.
When suffering from SAD, you would also do very well to avoid being alone. “Go meet up with that group you belong to or go to the gym or go see that movie, see friends for coffee,” says Rohan. “Withdrawing from those routines sets you up for what I call going into hibernation mode, which really breeds depression.”

All in all, people with SAD need to be prepared for the future. This may involve anticipating “down” times, watching out for worsening symptoms, and planning activities ahead. It may also mean beginning treatments before allowing any symptoms to kick in since the best defense is a good offense.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                                             FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                                                             https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                                                                                       FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com

10 Indian spices to ward off common respiratory infections during winter

Now that the winter season has arrived, and getting sick during this time of the year can be awful. But the fact is that the cold weather can trigger or worsen a host of health problems, particularly respiratory infections such as a cough, cold, sore throat, asthma, etc. Moreover, your immune system may be more sluggish when it's cold and thus making you more vulnerable to become sick. The cold virus, once acquired, attaches itself to the lining of the nasal passages and sinuses, causing the infected cells to release histamine - a chemical that gives rise to many symptoms of allergies like a runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, etc. In some cases, allergies, if left untreated, can lead to respiratory infections.

But, the good news is that there are many things you can do to deal with cold weather ailments. By including the right spices, foods in your daily diet, you are less likely to fall ill and more likely to recover faster if you do. Here are 10 amazing spices that not only emit tantalizing aromas and make your meals delicious but also protect you from infections:

Ginger

Packed with nutrients and bioactive compounds that have powerful benefits for your body, ginger is one of the healthiest spices on the planet. Besides treating common cold and cough effectively, ginger is also helpful for settling upset stomachs, dizziness, nausea, vomiting. You can add ginger to your daily diet or treat yourself to a cup fresh ginger tea every morning.

Star anise

Rich in antioxidants and vitamins A and C, star anise can help you fight a sore throat and colds effectively. Its antifungal and antibacterial abilities can keep you away from flu and other viral infections in this season.

If you are suffering from a sore throat or a bad cough, drink tea made with this star-shaped spice. Add two anise seed pods in boiling water for over 15 minutes. Strain the tea and add a few drops of honey. Drink this tea thrice daily to avail immunity-boosting benefits. 

Saffron

Not just saffron adds a vibrant colour to your dishes, it has several health benefits too. If you're looking for an instant relief from cold, mix a few strands of milk and apply the same on your forehead. This technique is a sure-shot one to treat colds due to seasonal change.

Turmeric

Turns out a glass of turmeric milk gulped down every day in the winter months will boost your immunity system and keep you away from various infections. Loaded with antioxidants, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties, turmeric will help prevent and tackle a number of diseases.

Fenugreek

If you like laddoos, try including fenugreek seeds, ginger, fennel seeds and jaggery as ingredients in it. Fenugreek seeds are packed with antiviral properties and have the ability to kill viruses that cause sniffles and sore throats.

Nutmeg

Nutmeg has strong antibacterial properties that help boost the immune system. This is a warm spice and can be added in your sweet and savoury food items to boost their flavours. A cup of hot milk with nutmeg powder, a few drops of honey and crushed cardamom is sure to keep your winter blues away.

Black pepper

Black pepper contains various antioxidants that accelerate the body's metabolism. With a distinctive taste and pungent aroma, this spice can be added to any cuisine or used it as a condiment.

Cloves

Cloves are rich in antioxidant and widely recognised the world over for its medicinal and culinary qualities. They also contain anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and dental-soothing properties. These dried flower buds have a distinct flavour and intense aroma. You can add cloves to your salad dressings, meats and desserts and relish the bursts of flavours.

Cardamom

Cardamom's small green pods are rich sources of minerals and antioxidants that aid in blood detoxification and resolve digestive issues. Also known as elaichi, the aromatic spice also contains vitamin C and other essential nutrients.

Just drink a cup of cardamon tea in the winter months to ward off any symptoms of a cold and enhance your mood in the grey months.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon has several health benefits, including weight loss. The spice is rich in antioxidants and has several healing properties. The spice has immunity-boosting abilities and can protect you from various bacteria. A pinch of ground cinnamon and a teaspoon of honey in warm water in the morning can be a perfect winter elixir. Cinnamon can also be teamed with ginger to keep common cold at bay during winter months.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.   

PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO VIEW MY BLOG-                      

HTTP:GSEASYRECIPES.BLOGSPOT.COM/
FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                       

HTTP://KNEE REPLACEMENT-STICK CLUB.BLOGSPOT.COM/
FOR CROCHET DESIGNS
HTTP://MY CROCHET CREATIONS.BLOGSPOT.COM

Cold Weather Affects Diabetic Patients

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder characterized by Hyperglycemia (elevated blood glucose level) due to either reduced production of insulin or the inability of the body to utilize the insulin produced. Today management of diabetes has become a prime concern. Over the winter months, diabetic patients are likely to suffer from higher blood glucose levels than during the warmer months. As the temperature drops and the sugar levels rises, thus, diabetic patients should be extra careful about the temperature fluctuations or seasonal changes.The cold weather makes diabetics experience many health problems, besides creating a major change in their sugar levels.

Following are the most harmful effects that diabetic patients may suffer from during the cold weather

1. Change in hemoglobin level: There is a great change in their glycated hemoglobin levels. Whatever the type of diabetes an individual has, the freezing temperature can increase the level of HbA1c or glycated hemoglobin. This is most likely because of decreased physical activity. Cold weather makes it difficult for some people to go out. A little activity each day can help with insulin sensitivity (in all types of diabetes) which can help the body to regulate sugar level in a better way.
2. Prone to diseases: Since the immune system is also not at its best strength in winters, there are increased incidences of microbial infections like cold and flu or in some cases pneumonia. As a result, the body produces counter-regulatory hormones (Cortisol, Adrenaline, and Glucagon) to counteract the situation. These hormones affect the utilization of insulin by the body thereby elevating the blood glucose level. Also, conditions like flu and cold tend to make them feel lethargic and stress and can prevent them from taking the diet which is required, which eventually can lead to an increase in the blood sugar level.
3. Winter blues: It is often seen that people feel low during winters, as they tend to go out less and prefer to stay indoors. Less outdoor activity during winters can sometimes trigger mood swings or in some cases depression, which in turn can shoot up the level of blood sugar in their body. Thus it is advisable that one should spend more time with friends and family, in order to keep these blues at bay. 
4. Other problems: Most diabetic people are unaware of their nerve functions, and are unable to feel the difference between the cold and hot water, which can lead to burn injury. Also, during the winter season, most diabetic patients tend to lose feeling in their toes and feet due to vascular changes. Therefore, it is advisable that people should check their feet frequently, so as to ensure that there is no open wound or pressure area in their feet. One must take very good care of their feet, keep them moisturized, inner fingers clean and dry, prevent any type of fungal growth in toes, etc. By taking required preventive measures before the onset of winters diabetic patients can control their blood sugar level, which enables them to stay away from associated problems.         
   

   THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.   
   

   PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO VIEW MY BLOG-                      

   HTTP:GSEASYRECIPES.BLOGSPOT.COM/
   FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                       
   
   
   
   HTTP://KNEE REPLACEMENT-STICK CLUB.BLOGSPOT.COM/
   FOR CROCHET DESIGNS
   HTTP://MY CROCHET CREATIONS.BLOGSPOT.COM