• Rich in healthy fats- These nuts are very rich in healthy monounsaturated fat which are said to be cardioprotective by reducing cholesterol levels and are great for clearing your arteries. Macadamia nuts are rich in palmitoleic acid, an omega-7 fatty oil that provides the building blocks for the enzymes that control the burning of fat and curb your appetite.
• They are rich in antioxidants such as vitamin E, selenium and flavonoids which are known to prevent cancers.
• They are rich in minerals such as potassium and magnesium.
• They provide our daily requirements of thiamine or vitamin B1, one of the vitamin which many of us are deficient in or do not get enough in their diets.
• Although it is healthier than olive oil, it also has high smoke point and hence can tolerate high temperatures unlike olive oil and hence is a healthy oil for all cooking purposes. It can be used for baking purposes too and can replace oils and butter in baking.

Be careful of overeating these tiny dynamos, as these are rich in calories. One serving of macadamia nuts are about 10-12 nuts. They can work well as midday snack or can be sprinkled over salads. Go ahead indulge in moderation and enjoy its benefits!!!

Skipping meals have never helped in weight loss. Skipping dinner has become very common assuming, that it is one of the best ways to lose weight. This ends up being a short lived stint for few days, and end up getting back to eating dinner and maybe eating more calories. This only hampers the metabolism.

Dinner just like breakfast and lunch is an important meal and it is required to eat enough so that we cover our daily requirements, inclusive of energy requirements. There is no substantial proof that eating a very low calorie meal such as soup and salad will suffice. It can only trigger late night hunger pangs and refrigerator raids.

How can you not gain weight by eating in the evening?

• Divide your meals through out the day. See that you do not more than 1/3rd of your daily energy requirements. Eat the same amount of calories spread throughout the day.
• Plan your dinner timings better. If you want to eat your dinner at 6pm, plan for a healthy bedtime snack, so that you do not binge.
• Late dinners, later than 10pm too is not recommended.  The ideal time to eat dinner is between 8–9 pm. This aids digestion and helps to sleep better. Sleep controls our hormones such as leptin which suppresses hunger, while ghrelin stimulates hunger and fat production. When there is sleep deprivation, ghrelin levels increase and this pushes you to uncontrolled snacking and binging. Sleeping on time as well as waking up on time can help yo keep weight in check.
• Plan your meals in advance so that you are not tempted to order home delivery. Being mentally prepared on what to cook can help you make healthy meals at home.
• Eat your dinner atleast 2 hours before bedtime
• Keep healthy snacks in stock such as fruits, nuts, diet soda etc
• Read books, listen to music, keep the television out of the bedroom so as to keep a cool environment.
• Exercise can be scheduled in the evening. I have client who prefers to eat dinner by 7pm, hits the gym after 9pm and after a post exercise snack, hits the sack at 11pm. Talk about discipline.
• Exercising daily too help you to sleep earlier and better.
• It is always best to stay away from a night cap as alcohol can add on to the calories and hamper sleep as well.

Lastly, It is important to eat 3 meals and 2-3 snacks within your calories requirements.So it is very safe to eat dinner in the evening. No more pained lookd at the dinner table!! Eat healthy and exercise daily!!

There was a time when mother used to tell me that they would not waste sunshine and they spent a lot of time outdoors.

Causes for Vitamin D deficiency

• Less or no exposure to sunlight
• Poor intake of vitamin D rich food
• Excessive use of sunscreen
• Following fad diets with zero oil intake
• Minimal exposure of skin to sunlight such as wearing full sleeves, covering oneself in totality.
• Staying indoors all the time in airconditioned offices; offices executives, software engineers, night duty workers
• Darker skin
• Chronic illness where one is bedridden

Consequences of Vitamin D deficiency

• Poor bone health with conditions such as osteopenia and osteoporosis
• Increased risks of fractures in post menopausal women
• Poor teeth health
• Poor calcium absorption due lack of the precursor ie. sunlight
• Weight gain; Studies have shown calcium and vitamin D deficiency can cause weight gain.
• Depression
• Poor insulin secretion, hence can be prone to develop diabetes
• Poor immunity
• Increased cancer risk
• Increased risk of Alzhiemers and Rheumatoid arthritis
• Increased blood pressure and many more

How can you prevent Vitamin D deficiency

Our requirements are about 600-1000 IU/day. Now before you get up and run to the nearest pharmacy to pick up supplements, firstly add Vitamin D to your diet with naturally as well as fortified food sources.

• Sources are Milk and all other milk products, Oily fish such as salmon, sardines and tuna are naturally rich in D. Other foods are fortified with Vitamin D such as orange juice, soy milk, butter substitutes, oils and some yogurts and cereals, egg yolk, organ meats etc
• Spend atleast 15-20 minutes in the sunlight without sunscreen. preferable opt to stay out before 9 am and after 3 pm to avoid UV radiation which can damage skin. I meet my Vitamin D requirements by swimming in the morning.
• Supplement only under a physicians guidance as there can be chances of hypervitaminosis and toxicity.

Feeling cranky? Get outdoors and this will definitely lift your mood and get a good dose of this feel good vitamin and make your immunity stronger, healthier bones and a stronger you.

Food additives are a common part of our food products. One of the most common food additive is monosodium glutamate. We commonly call it as Ajinomoto. Ajinomoto actually is a brand name while the compound is known as MSG. Various studies have been conducted to see how MSG or ajinomoto affects our body, but a lot of conflicting debates have risen.

The most common debate is about MSG or ajinomoto and Chinese restaurant syndrome. Many have experienced various symptoms such as headaches, chest pain, sweating, flushing while some even develop breathing problems, swelling of the throat etc. Now you know why you get the stuffy, icky feeling after eating out regularly.

Where is MSG commonly added?

• Added in soups, broths,stocks, sauces, canned foods, chips and in almost all processed food etc
• Used widely in chinese and other asian cuisines.

I remember a client asking me whether MSG can cause weight gain. Hmmm, MSG or ajinomoto can make food tasty and tasty food can make you eat more. Of course, this is not a practicle answer and it does not make you gain weight. But most of the cooks add it to make the food to enhance flavour. Tastemaker powders are used by almost all restaurants and these powders contain MSG or ajinomoto as it enhances the flavour. This shows whenever we need soul food, we call for a chinese takeout and they do tantalize our tastebuds. This can be the same case as in Instant Noodles such as Maggi, which we reach out while we are hungry.

MSG has been linked to obesity, degenerative disease such as Alzheimers, tumours, headaches, allergies, asthma etc. Contrary to popular belief, MSG or ajinomoto is not high in sodium content. MSG only contains 1/3 the amount of sodium as table salt. But when used with table salt it can increase the sodium content of the food.

The bottom line is to play safe and avoid MSG while cooking and to check labels for “No added MSG“. If you are eating out in asian restaurants, request them not to add it in the food.

Gout or gouty arthritis is a disease mainly due to high uric acid levels in the blood. Uric acid is one of the end products of protein metabolism. It has been categorised into acute, where it affects one joint mostly the large toe and chronic where it can affect more than one joint. Uric acid accumulates whenever there is an excessive breakdown of protein in our body or in our diets.

The kidneys are unable to eliminate the excess uric acid, which then form crystals which build up in the joints causing inflammation and can be highly painful as my clients say. High uric acid levels can also cause kidney stones over a period of time.

Risk factors to develop gout

• Hereditary-Genetics can play a role in patients developing gout.
• Overweight/obese conditions- mainly due to more tissue or protein available for breakdown
• Gender- Risk is higher in males than females
• High intake of purine rich food
• Excessive alcohol intake
• Poor water intake
• Exposure to cold weather conditions

How can you prevent/manage gout-

• Avoid foods rich in purines such as organ meats, meat extracts, fish such as mackerel, sardines, herring and mussels, yeasts and limit those foods that contain moderate amount of purines such as whole grains, cauliflower, spinach, legumes such as beans, peas etc, mushrooms, meat soups, broths, asparagus, oats, chicken, wheat germ etc.
• Lose weight and try maintain ideal body weight.
• Eat a balanced diet of 55-65% of carbohydrates, 10-15% protein and 25-30% of fats in our diets.
• Restrict/ eliminate alcohol.
• Hydrate well. Drink at least 2-4 litres of water and other fluids daily.
• Exercise daily.

There has always been a debate that eating less protein can control gout and many blindly follow very low protein diets, but studies show that eating the right amount of protein per day can help. A qualified dietitian can help you to determine your daily protein requirements and help you to eat better and maintain an ideal body weight.