Now, it can be really confusing when it comes to healthy habits because often, even qualified experts seem to hold opposing opinions sometimes. Yet, despite all the disagreements that exist among the medical community, a number of health tips are backed up by research.

For instance, to determine which healthy habits contribute to a longer and healthier life, researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health analysed data from nearly 73,000 women and more than 38,000 men. All the respondents who were part of the study have been enrolled in previous studies, so, data for women was followed for 34 years, and the men were followed for 28 years. The results of the study concluded that the more of these five healthy habits the respondents had, the longer they lived. Plus, the study suggests that even if they had only one of these habits, the participants lived two years longer compared to those that had none. And, if by the age of 50, the participants practised all of the five habits regularly, women lived an extra 14 years, and men lived an extra 12 years.

Here are five healthy habits based on good science that will help you live a longer, happier and healthier life.

5 healthy habits for a longer, healthier, happier life

1. Eat mostly plants

You’ve definitely heard it before, but that’s because it’s true: you are what you eat! Proper nutrition is the top wellness habit that contributes to a healthy and longer life. Now, good nutrition is often misunderstood by many people who think that following a fad diet is the key to maintaining good health. Yet, adequate nutrition actually means choosing only diverse nutrient-dense foods regularly.

Eating mostly plant-based foods such as freshly cooked vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains has been found to be the best diet for longevity.

Nutrition specialists recommend a healthy diet to contain the following: a full plate should be two-thirds low-glycemic vegetables, and maybe a small amount of starchy vegetables such as potatoes, corn, peas, etc., and one-third protein. On the flip note, you should avoid processed junk food at all costs. These foods are low in fiber, protein, and micronutrients and usually contain high levels of unhealthy ingredients such as added sugar and refined grains. Moreover, these foods are projected to trigger our pleasure centers, which tricks our brains into overeating. That is why we often see food addiction in people who eat junk food consistently.

2. Exercise regularly

Exercising is another key habit of maintaining a healthy life. It can help you avoid numerous health conditions, and it is essential for maintaining bone and muscle health. Now, you don’t have to be a fitness junkie or a superstar athlete to have a healthy physical activity level. In fact, the study from Harvard mentioned above, suggests that at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity every day can have a significant impact on keeping you healthy longer.

However, specialists recommend focusing on variety and diversity when exercising. To be more precise, when working out, you shouldn’t focus entirely on a type of movement or a muscle group. Experts believe that since the body doesn’t work in isolation, and every bone, muscle, and body part has its contribution to movement, the more varied the types of movement and stimuli in your body, the deeper the fitness will be.

So, when exercising, include all types of movements in your workout, including pushing, pulling, walking, and twisting.

3. Maintain the ideal body weight

Weight management is a wellness habit that is strongly backed up by basic science. Another study from Harvard suggests that maintaining a healthy weight is essential for lowering the risk of several health conditions, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and even the risk of different types of cancer. Now, weight management is obviously connected with regular exercising and healthy nutrition, especially since weight gain is caused not just by how much you eat but what you eat too. Yet, some people are also genetically predisposed to gain weight more easily than others. So, while being physically active and eating healthy foods remains important , they could try intermittent fasting as a way to lose weight.

4. Manage stress

Dealing with stress is inevitable. We all have stressful deadlines at work or personal problems that affect our mental health quality. Chronic stress can really take a toll on your health from affecting your sleep quality to affecting your immune system, physical health, and, obviously, mental and emotional wellbeing. Now, although it is impossible to live a completely stress-free life, there are a few strategies that can help you manage it. Unfortunately, even with a healthy diet and a habit of exercising regularly, you just can’t avoid stress. Yet, proper nutrition and being physically active can help you manage stress more efficiently.

Moreover, you can also learn to manage stress with mindfulness meditation. It is believed that meditation has plenty of benefits on the human body, from reducing blood pressure and heart rate to reduced brain activity, all thanks to the body’s response to relaxation. You don’t have to be a spiritual guru to manage stress through meditation. All you have to do is find a quiet space, close your eyes to disconnect from what surrounds you, and do some breathing exercises while gently focusing your attention on anything other than what caused you to feel stressed. You can think of a beautiful place where you feel safe, focus on your belly’s movements as you breathe, or even notice the sounds or smells in your environment without passing judgment. With time and practice, it will become a lot easier to manage stressful thoughts and get clarity. [Read How to ease into a daily routine of meditation]

5. Quit smoking now

Smoking is one of the worst habits. Every cigarette reduces your lifespan by 11 minutes. Studies have estimated that smokers die ten years sooner than non-smokers. The chance that someone will live to be 80 is only about 35% for smokers as compared to about 70% for nonsmokers. In other words, a smoker loses about 11 to 12 years of life compared to nonsmokers. Heavy smokers cut their lifespan by 13 years on average. On the other hand, those who kick the habit before age 40 reduce the excess risk of death associated with continued smoking by about 90%, according to the study in New England Journal of Medicine.

In conclusion

Our lifespan is strongly linked to our lifestyle and habits. You may live 100 years, but if you don’t enjoy good health, you are very unlikely to enjoy all this extra time. Indeed, you might actually spend your last decade or so suffering from one or more illnesses. Practising these five habits will not only help you live longer but also minimise the risks of disease as you grow older.

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If you want to have strong teeth and bones, you must drink milk

You don’t need to drink milk (or consume any dairy at all for that matter) to obtain all of the calcium you need.

When I was a child, milk was considered so essential, a few children in my neighbourhood were given “soda milk” at dinner. The recipe? Easy. Mix together one part milk with one part Coke. This bribe-in-a-glass was intended to provide an adequate supply of calcium to growing children. I wasn’t a milk fan, even sweetened neighbourhood-style with sugar and bubbles. I did love cheese though, so no one worried about my calcium consumption.

Is this your experience too? Have you too been led to believe that dairy is essential for obtaining calcium? If so, here are four facts you should know about plant-powered sources of calcium.

4 facts about vegan calcium sources

1. We can obtain all of the calcium that we need from vegan sources

Here are some of my favourite vegan calcium sources and suggestions for enjoying them.

Kale and collard greens: Add them by the handful to soups, stir-fries, curries, salads, and smoothies.

Almond Butter: Spread it on a sliced apple or banana, stir it into warm oatmeal, or blend some into a smoothie.

Fortified Plant Milks: Whenever a recipe calls for dairy milk, replace it with a plant-based milk. Enjoy it on cereal, add it to your tea and coffee and use it as a base for a smoothie.

Calcium Set Tofu: Add it to curries, tacos, salads, stir fries or even desserts.

Other rich vegan sources of calcium are

• Sesame seeds
• Legumes
• Dried fruit—raisins, prunes, figs and dried apricots
• Veggies—broccoli, cabbage and okra

Don’t miss the calcium-packed Sweet Green Smoothie recipe at the end of this post

2. Plant-based sources of calcium are as good as dairy

As you can see from this table, plant milks, kale and collard greens, almond butter, and calcium set tofu provide excellent sources of calcium.

*calcium quantities are for fortified milks

3. Why vegan calcium is better than calcium from dairy foods

You might wonder—isn’t it better to obtain calcium from dairy products? The answer is— NO! Here’s why.

Dairy products are high in saturated fat and cholesterol and may be associated with an increased risk of heart disease. High intakes of dairy may also increase the risk of prostate cancer. Additionally, many people suffer from lactose intolerance.

Non-dairy products allow us to obtain calcium without the digestive upset that so often comes after consuming dairy products. Dairy is often contaminated with hormones, pesticides and antibiotics. Lastly, choosing plant-based sources of calcium helps to alleviate the suffering of cows in the dairy industry as well.

4. Some things for you to consider along with calcium consumption for bone health

In order to build and maintain strong bones and reduce your risk for osteoporosis, along with calcium ensure adequate supplies of vitamin D, protein, vitamin C and B12. Refer to these guidelines for recommended quantities.

You can meet your nutrient needs for vitamin D either through adequate sun-exposure, supplementation or the consumption of fortified foods. Beans and legumes such as chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans and soy products provide a rich source of protein, and fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of vitamin C. Ensure an adequate intake of vitamin B12 either from fortified foods and/or supplementation. Finally, for healthy bones, exercise on a regular basis and include some weight-bearing activities into your routine.

Calcium-rich green smoothie

I am sharing the recipe for one of my all-time favourite, thirst quenching, calcium-rich green smoothie.

Serves 2 – 4 people

Ingredients

• 4 cups raw kale, roughly chopped
• 2 cups diced pineapple
• 1 banana, sliced
• 1 tablespoon almond butter
• 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1 cup plant-based milk of your choice
• 1 cup ice cubes

Procedure
To a blender, add all of the ingredients. Blend until smooth. Enjoy!

The post 4 facts about vegan calcium sources appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

Most of the nutrition is lost

Take the example of this chart from Food Revolution by John Robbins, which shows the percentage of nutrients lost when whole-wheat flour is refined into white flour. During this process that removes the outer skin, we lose 25 per cent of protein and 90 per cent of fibre, but also more than 50 per cent of most other nutrients.

Remember that nutrients help in healing, while fibre cleanses. Eating whole foods helps keeps the nutrition in our body intact. The fibre helps us feel satiated longer and cleans the digestive tract. When we refine our food, we strip it of nutrients and fibre. As a result, we are forced to consume more.

No fibre and hence less filling

Have you noticed that when you eat whole foods you feel full faster? For example, two slices of real whole-wheat bread may fill you as much as four slices of white bread, though each of the slices contain the same amount of calories. So you end up consuming more calories when you eat white bread because you need to eat twice the amount to feel full. The same is true of rice. A bowl of whole rice is about as filling as two bowls of white rice. But one bowl of whole rice contains almost the same amount of calories as a bowl of white rice.

For manufacturers, this spells profits, because you are consuming twice the amount of food when it is refined or processed. For you, it translates into calories and weight gain without the benefit of good health. It’s also important to note that when you eat whole foods, say whole rice instead of white rice, you stay full longer. This translates into reducing your urge to snack, making your daily calorie intake even lower.

Fibre provides bulk without calories. In our bodies, fibre also has a specific function. It creates bulk in the intestines, preventing constipation and maintaining smooth movements of the bowels. Constipation is very common today because of the high consumption of refined and animal-based foods, but it’s almost impossible to be constipated on a whole-food, plant-based diet.

Sometimes we refine food in ways that may not be as damaging but these are not as healthy as the whole food from which they are derived. For example, fruit juice. It has a distinct flavour, which means many nutrients are still available, and it’s tasty. But the problem is that we may be able to drink large amounts of it, because the fibre is removed and it is now easier to consume. Thus we get more calories than we would if we stuck to eating the whole fruit. This may be useful in a situation where it’s difficult to eat or when we need a large amount of nutrients quickly, as in the case of cancer, but is especially detrimental for diabetics because of its high caloric values.

Refined foods become tasteless

Nutrition and palatability go hand-in-hand. Nutrients have flavours of their own. Whole rice, whole wheat, beetroot, sugar cane and fruit and oilseeds like peanuts, sesame and coconut have their own distinct flavours. The refined products that come from them are stripped of these flavours. This is also one of the reasons they are so popular. White rice provides a good base, because it hardly has a taste of its own, so it doesn’t alter the taste of the gravy that it is served with. Compare this with the rich wholesome taste of brown rice. Similarly white bread serves as a packaging for the filling of the sandwich. Unlike whole bread, it hardly has a flavour. Sugar added to anything only increases the sweetness and does not change the taste. But dates, raisins or beetroot have their own flavours. Foods fried in refined oil bear no resemblance to the oilseeds from which the oil was derived. You cannot tell which oil a food has been fried in just by tasting it. You cannot even differentiate one refined oil from another by its taste.

Refined foods last longer

Sugar, oil, white flour and white rice have a much longer shelf life than do the plants from which they have been manufactured. But we should not be interested in this. We should rather be interested in increasing our own lifespan, which these foods do not help with because of their high caloric content and lack of nutrients.

In nature, no animal will eat stale food. Even insects are not interested in food without nutritional value. But for businesses, this means additional profit because stocks can be preserved much longer. The implications of eating whole foods are twofold:

• Until our body’s nutritional needs are met, we will remain hungry. If we eat nutrient-dense foods, we need to eat less to get satiated.
• Our stomachs have a fixed capacity. If we consume more fibre, we will feel full while consuming fewer calories.

Think about it. There may have been a time when you had a bag of potato chips for lunch. Although these give you a large number of calories, when you finished one bag, you may have opened another. But if on another day you had a large salad for lunch, it is highly unlikely that you would order a second one. Although the salad may give you less calories than the bag of potato chips, it gives you many more nutrients and fibre and so it’s more satisfying. It’s also not addictive like fried food.

In south India, I often see people eating large quantities of white rice accompanied by small amounts of sambhar or vegetables. Because white rice is nutritionally deficient, they make up for it by eating it in large quantities. But if they were to increase their intake of vegetables and lentils while substituting white rice with whole rice (i.e., unpolished rice), the quantity needed by the body would reduce considerably.

Peeling

One of the most difficult things to change is the habit of peeling fruits and vegetables even though we lose a lot of nutrients when we do so. Almost no vegetable, except perhaps onions and garlic, should be peeled. Rather, nothing that needs a tool to peel should be peeled. Vegetables like knol khol [ganth gobi], where the skin is thick and fibrous and sometimes not edible, can be peeled with our teeth and fingers. Our body does have the tools to peel even these. Pineapple is one fruit that does need peeling. Jackfruit may be another. Interestingly, both these fruits have a higher glycaemic index than most fruits.

 What if the produce is not organic?

A question that often arises when we talk about peeling is, ‘What if the fruits and vegetables are not organic? Should they be peeled then?’ There is a misconception that pesticides only reside in the skin of the produce when, in fact, the opposite is true. For example, when pesticides are sprayed at the bottom of a coconut tree, you will find it in the water of the coconuts as well. You are not escaping the pesticides by peeling, but you may just be under the false perception that you are. Although it’s much better to use organic produce, in case you don’t, it’s still better to not peel and wash it well instead.

Wash before you chop

Another important rule is to wash the produce well before chopping in order to not lose nutrients. Chopping followed by washing leaches nutrients out. Here is an experiment that demonstrates this well. Take a fresh organic carrot and wash it well. Divide it into three parts. Now grate the first part without peeling. Taste it. Now peel the second part, grate it and taste it. Finally peel the last part, grate it and drop it into a glass of drinking water. Leave it there for a minute and take it out and taste it. You will find that the taste and therefore, the nutritional value, reduces at every step.

The post The real reasons why refined foods are bad for you appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

Here I am sharing a few ways to make your own plant-based vegan mylk.

Coconut mylk (raw)

This mylk has been used traditionally in Indian and Thai cooking.  It is the easiest to make.

Ingredients

• 1 scrapped coconut
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 date, deseeded if required for sweetening

Procedure

1. Blend the scrapped coconut with the hot water in a blender. Hot water helps remove more mylk.
2. Squeeze the mylk out. This is the first extract. It is thicker and cannot be heated directly. This can be used to make coconut butter or cream.
3. Blend the residue with warm water.
4. Once again squeeze the mylk out. You can do this once or twice to get the thinner, second and third extract. This can be heated directly without risking curdling.
5. Mix both mylk [thick and thin] together or use it separately

Best used for

• Curries, hot and cold beverages, baking, desserts.
• It does not heat well over direct heat.  So a double cooker is advisable.  Also to avoid splitting add a pinch of corn flour, and mix in well, and then heat/boil.
• Can ferment with yogurt starter to make delicious curd.

Soya  mylk

This is the most commonly available mylk.  You can buy it off the shelf but if you want to make it, here’s the recipe

Ingredients

• 100 g soy bean, soaked over night
• Water
• Couple of dates
• A pinch of rock salt

Procedure

1. Blend the soy beans and other ingredients to a smooth paste with enough water to create a thick milk consistency.
2. Strain with a muslin cloth or very fine sieve.
3. Boil over low flame while stirring constantly.

Best used for

• Coffee, hot chocolate, cold coffee, tea, baking, breakfast etc.
• Can be made into curd, but makes for a bland curd.
• There are soy milk maker machines available with select dealers which take care of the whole process.  But this is worth it only if you drink soy mylk regularly.

Almond mylk (raw)

This mylk is slowly gaining popularity and is easily available over the counter.

Ingredients

• 1 cup almonds, soaked for 5 hours
• Water to blend

Procedure

1. Blend to a smooth consistency.  Add water as required.  Strain and use.
2. This mylk can also be boiled, or had just as it is!

Best used for

Tea coffee, hot and cold beverages, cooking baking etc.

Sesame mylk (raw)

This is for those well into plant based since some time. This mylk has 10 times more calcium than 1 big cup of cows milk.

Ingredients

• 1 cup sesame seeds—preferably white-soaked for about 3 hours
• Water as needed
• 2 deseeded dates

Procedure

Blend with water and strain.

Best used for

Curries, cold beverages

Rice mylk

This is a tedious process and not my favorite.

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice soaked for four hours—brown is better
• 3 cups of water
• 1 date

Procedure

1. Grind the soaked rice with date into smooth consistency.
2. Strain it if you want smooth milk for beverages.  Do not strain if you are using for cooking purposes or making curd.
3. Put in a double boiler and boil slowly with constant stirring.  Keep adding more water if required.  Be careful that lumps are not formed.

Best used for

Curds, baking, thickening curries, maybe in coffees.

Peanut mylk

This is a popular plant-based alternative especially for making curds

Ingredients

• 1 cup soaked peanuts
• Water

Procedure

1. Blend the peanuts with enough water to make milk consistency.  Sieve if smooth milk is required.
2. Boil over low flame with constant stirring.
3. If making curd, add a little bit of rice milk at the end of boiling and let simmer for a minute.  Cool and add starter.  Keep aside for 8 hours, lightly covered

Best used for

Curds, mylkshakes, coffee and tea, baking.

Cashew mylk (raw)

Simplest to make and tastes very similar to cow’s milk.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw cashews
• Water

Procedure

1. Soak for two hours
2. Blend into milk consistency.

Best used for

Tea, coffee, cooking, baking, curds, etc

Sunflower mylk (raw)

Ingredients

• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• Water

Procedure

1. Soak seeds overnight.
2. Blend into milk consistency.

Best used for

Over cereals, cold drinks, baking.

The post Eight vegan alternatives to milk appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

Carotenoids are good

“Carotenoids reduce oxidative stress, oestrogen levels, and help in inflammation,” says Dr Cynthia Thomson, PhD, RD, associate professor, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Arizona. This makes them useful bioactive compounds in cancer prevention.

Carotenoids are primarily found in the colourful portion of the plants. So, having a colourful diet will ensure that you get all the carotenoids you need. Natural sources of carotenoids include orange coloured fruits and vegetables like carrots, apricots, mangoes, and sweet potatoes.

Types

The most popular carotenoids are lycopene, lutein, and beta-carotene. German researchers say that carotenoids like lutein, lycopene and beta-carotene improve skin health and reduce effects of skin ageing.

Further, natural carotenoids, including beta carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, may help decrease the risk and even reverse the development of age-related macular degeneration [AMD], the leading cause of blindness, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association [JAMA].

Let us now discuss the two most important carotenoids that benefit women.

Lycopene

The antioxidant property of lycopene protects our DNA [our genetic material] inside the white blood cells, playing an important role in preventing heart disease.

According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, women with the highest plasma levels of the antioxidant lycopene had a 34 per cent reduced risk of cardiovascular disease [CVD], compared to women with lower plasma levels of the nutrient.

Red fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, watermelons, figs, pink-grapefruits, apricots and pink-guavas are common sources of lycopene.

Beta-carotene

Beta-carotene is helpful in treating unpleasant menopausal symptoms of vaginal dryness and frigidity. Research shows that a combination of beta-carotene and evening primrose oil is effective in reducing the itchy, crawling sensation in the skin that often occurs during menopause. It also reduces the risk of ovarian cancer in women after menopause.

Some natural sources include sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach, broccoli, fresh thyme, and lettuce.

Bioflavanoids work best

Bioflavonoids act as antioxidants and are found in citrus fruits, berries, green tea, soy products, herbs, and spices. Bioflavonoids affect blood vessel strength and permeability and have an anti-inflammatory effect—important to women with allergies, menstrual cramps, or arthritis. They are useful in lifting mood and increasing energy levels in women with PMS or menopause.

“Giving women vitamin C with bioflavonoids has shown to help reduce hot flashes,” says Dr Marilyn Glenville, author of The New Natural Alternatives to HRT.

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