3 Rules To Follow For A Lifetime Of Healthier Eating


How many pieces of fruit have rotted away in those big plastic drawers inside your refrigerator, left forgotten and moldy? How many hours have you spent elbow deep into a chip bag mindlessly munching away? According to food scientists, a simple fruit bowl can solve your problems. Researchers from the Cornell Food and Brand Lab published a newstudy in the journal Psychology and Marketing that outlines three easy rules to incorporate into everyday living.


CAN Approach Cartoon Lunchroom
Three principles are helpful to incorporate for people struggling to lose weight. Photo courtesy of Cornell's Food and Brand Lab
"A healthy diet can be as easy as making the healthiest choice the most convenient, attractive, and normal," the study’s lead author Dr. Brian Wansink, author of Slim by Designand director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab, said in a press release. "With these three principles, there are endless changes that can be made to lead people — including ourselves — to eat healthier."
Wansink and his team combed through 112 studies on healthy eating and the behaviors associated with nutritious decisions. They found whether a person is at a restaurant, grocery store, school cafeteria, at home, the chance of them making a healthy choice increases with convenience, attraction, and normalcy. The easier it is to grab the fruit or vegetable, the more enticing it’s displayed, and the more obvious the choice appears to the individual, the more likely they’ll choose good food over bad.
It’s all about manipulating your eating environment to dictate healthy choices as easily as possible. At home, place a bowl of fresh fruit on your counter and watch the diet transformation work just as mindlessly as eating that entire box of Cheez-Its was during your Netflix binge the other night. Put the ice cream in the back of the freezer, the cookies in the cabinet above the fridge, and the candy on the top shelf of your pantry.
If schools want to improve children’s milk intake, all they need to do is make milk more convenient than the chocolate milk, sell it in an attractive bottle that would seem cool to kids, and make it normal by giving it more cooler space than the chocolate milk. Wansink found the simple three-step approach increased white milk consumption by 30 to 60 percent in schools.
Unfortunately, when you leave home you need to arm yourself and become acutely aware of the eating cues hiding in plain sight, Wansink writes in his first book Mindless Eating. For example, when you’re at a restaurant and the waitress points out an appetizer with an enticing name along with an attractive professional photo inside the menu, the food itself becomes more attractive, convenient, and sensibly normal to order the special she’s recommended.  
Source: Wansink B. Change Their Choice! Changing Behavior Using the CAN Approach and Activism Research. Psychology and Marketing. 2015.

World Health Day 2015: Make food safety a shared responsibility

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It is a known fact that good health is intrinsic to human happiness. You may own a sprawling home or expensive clothes, but if your body is not well, all possessions seem worthless. For a good life, the perfect mind-body synchronisation is a must. Of course, the mysteries of the human body are hard to decipher but all the knowledge that medical science has to offer should be taken into consideration.

To ensure well-being of its citizens, organisations and governments across the world strive to provide quality health care and address the issues ailing their people. One such organisation is WHO, a specialised branch of United Nations concerned with international public health.
On 7 April every year,World Health Day is celebrated to mark the anniversary of the founding of WHO in 1948 and disseminate knowledge and awareness about human health.
World Health Day celebration focuses on increasing life expectancy by adding good health to the lives of people and promoting healthier living habits across the globe.
History of World Health Day
WHO held the first World Health Assembly in 1948. The Assembly decided to celebrate 7 April of each year, with effect from 1950, as the World Health Day. It is held to mark WHO’s founding, and is seen as an opportunity by the organization to draw worldwide attention to a subject of major importance to global health each year.
Theme for World Health Day 2015
Each year a particular theme is selected that highlights a priority area of public health.
Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General, announced at ICN2 that food safety would be the focus of World Health Day 2015.
“WHO will dedicate its 2015 World Health Day to food safety to catalyse collective Government and public action to put measures in place that will improve safety of food from farms, factories, street vendors and kitchens. Also in 2015, WHO will, for the first time, publish estimates of the global burden of food-borne disease, finally showing the scale of the problem,” said Dr Chan.
What’s in your plate?
When you eat, do you often wonder how has that particular food item made its way to your plate? When you relish on the sumptuous dishes served at a restaurant or when you gobble up street food, does the safety of the food items cross your mind?
When we eat, we consume parasites, chemicals, contaminates, additives and adulterants along with our food which can seriously mess up our immune system.
Food-borne and water-borne diarrhoeal diseases kill an estimated 2 million people, including children. That’s why food safety is significant to public health as food-borne diseases affect people’s well being, impede socio-economic development by straining health-care systems which in turn adversely influences national economies, tourism and trade.
So this year’s theme focuses on demonstrating the importance of food safety along the whole length of the food chain in a globalised world, from production and transport, to preparation and consumption.
Access to safe food, a challenge?
With the world shrinking and globalisation spreading its wings, the growing consumer demand for a wider variety of foods has resulted in an increasingly complex and longer global food chain.
The global food chain is floundering, and along with it the demands on planet’s food supply are increasing too. In a race to feed the world and producing additional food to satisfy the growing population, the quality of food is slowly degenerating.
Unsafe food starts a vicious cycle of diseases threatening the nutritional status of the poor and underprivileged. With the supply of food items becoming scarce, the poor section of society is often compelled to switch to unhealthy diets which pose many health risks.
Not only the poor, but the rich man’s plate is also not free from such hazards because of the expanding use of additives, preservatives and antibiotics in crops.
The rising number of deaths caused by food-borne diseases has brought the cause of food safety to the fore. This day is a clarion call for every government to partner with civil society, non-governmental organisations, private sector and consumers to ensure that safe food reaches everyone.
Safe food for all, a priority
Nata Menabde, WHO representative for India said: “Food safety is an issue of growing public health concern. To achieve food safety, strong functional links must be built between the public health and other sectors to ensure effective cross-sectoral collaboration.”
So, the World Health Day coerces governments across the world to make food safety a public health priority. The entire objective of this day is to actuate collective government and public action to quantify practices by establishing comprehensive food safety policy, legislation and national food safety programmes. A thorough collaboration by aligning policies in agriculture, trade, health, education and social protection is of utmost concern to provide a safe and healthy diet for all.
Not only the government, it is also an effort to promote awareness among people to practice safe steps in food purchasing, food handling, cooking, and storage which can prevent food-borne illnesses.
The universal ‘five keys’ to food safety should be observed:
  • Maintain cleanliness
  • Separate raw and cooked food
  • Cook thoroughly
  • Keep food at correct temperature
  • Use safe water and raw materials.

Whether as individuals, governments, policy makers, farmers, manufacturers or retailers, we need to understand the pressing issue of food safety and make it an unrelenting concern. For food safety is a shared responsibility and safe food is your right!

World Health Day 2015: 'From Farm to Plate, Make Food Safe' Says WHO

World Health Day 2015: 'From Farm to Plate, Make Food Safe' Says WHO World Health Day is celebrated every year to mark the anniversary of the World Health Organization (WHO) that was founded in 1948. Each year, WHO picks a theme that highlights an important area of public health, initiates discussion and calls for action from countries across the globe. This year, the theme is 'food safety' which focuses on the need of safe food that is 'free from microbes, viruses and chemicals'.

To celebrate this day in India, the Indian Health Ministry joined hands with the World Health Organization (WHO) to urge people to make food safety a priority. Recently, they organized a national consultation on Food Safety which was attended by a number of Indian Ministers and WHO officials to discuss the issue and steps that need to be taken to tackle the problem.

In her opening address, Nata Menabde, WHO Representative to India shared, "About 2.2 million people in the world, including many children, die annually due to food-borne diseases. Unsafe food, containing harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances, causes more than 200 diseases, ranging from diarrhea to cancer."

In the wake of these statistics, it's about time we address the issue of food safety which is a growing public health concern. Therefore, the objective of WHO this year is to drive collective government and public action by taking into consideration all sectors and departments like agriculture, health, education and trade. It stressed on the collaboration of every government with civil societies, non-governmental organizations, the private sector and consumers to ensure safe food, everybody has a role to play.

To do this, the first step was to identify the major challenges posed to production, supply and distribution of food in India.

Food hazards at farm level -"Pesticides and the use of fertilizers in the past 50 years have grown nearly 170 times," said Ms Menabde. Pesticide residues has been the biggest issue regarding food safety. According to Utpal Kumar Singh, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, "A lot of steps have been taken to curb this situation. No pesticide can be registered without risk assessment and knowing about its toxicity. We are working on making labels and leaflets more farmer friendly. Training programs are being organized to make them more aware about the waiting period and the right time to use pesticides. We are also promoting the use of bio-pesticides. In most cases, pesticides may be used just before harvest and this can lead to residues above maximum residue level. Therefore, they need to know how much to use and when to use." The focus is on framing standards and putting in place a system of certification of organic products.

Storage and Distribution - Food adulteration has become very common. These may be chemicals and additives or inferior quality ingredients. Strict vigilance is required at every step. "Our food supply chain is fragmented at every stage. Inspection and certification along with validation is extremely important," says Mr Sudhanshu Pandey, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It is estimated that 20 to 25% of food stocks are lost due to lack of storage facilities. 70% of the items are sold lose in the markets.

(How Safe are Fruits & Veggies Bought from Local Markets?)

"We need to regulate our Public Distribution System. Grains, pulses and cereals should be packaged and sold and for fresh fruits, vegetables and street food standards need to be set for sale and preparation. Statistics reveal that about 42% children in 102 districts suffer from malnutrition. Access to a nutritionally balanced diet for pregnant mothers and children should be the focus," said Mr Keshav Desiraju, Secretary, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Government of India.

Processed Food - Reading your labels has become of utmost importance considering the various scandals and risks surrounding processed food. Most products are loaded with saturated fat, sugar and sodium that are increasing the burden of non communicable diseases more than ever. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India was established in 2006 and has been conforming with WHO standards to ensure proper labeling and licensing. "Food safety is the forefront of policy making. Every penny spent on making food safe is equivalent to a reduction in every penny spent on health care. We need to strengthen our laboratory infrastructure at state level to maintain standards and detect discrepancies earlier," said Mr YS Malik, CEO, FSSAI.

"We've conducted studies which show that most people can't read labels. People may only see the brand name or date of expiry. They need to be informed about the scientific rationale behind the use of certain ingredients or practices. Kids should get this knowledge in schools so that they can make better choices," said Dr G.M Subba Roa, Scientist, National Institute of Nutrition

(Laws to Prevent Food, Milk Adulteration to be Made Stringent)

Food processing is a necessary evil; it drives trade through export of food products. Contamination may occur due to failure of application of appropriate technologies or misuse of chemicals. There need to be stringent regulations regarding quality control. Local contamination can easily enter International markets through trade and cause an outbreak.

FSSAI conforms with standards set by various global instruments like International Health Organization, International Network of Food Safety Authorities and CODEX Alimentarius for import and export of safe food products.

Antibiotic Resistance and Microbial Contamination - With increased consumption of animal products, there is a larger risk of exposure to zoonotic diseases. 60% of all infectious pathogens are of animal origin. In the past there have been issues like unhygienic breeding conditions or use of growth hormones. The collaboration between WHO, FAO and World Organization for Animal Health aims to tighten surveillance. Besides this, how we handle food at home also makes a difference. Clean surfaces and hygienic surroundings are the basics that one should never part with. Inadequate cooking, cross contamination, improper holding temperature are some other risks that we should be careful of.

(Adulteration Alert: How Antibiotic-Fed Chicken May be Harming You)

The WHO Global Action Plan for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases 2013 - 2020 will stress on banning all forms of tobacco and alcohol advertising, replacing trans-fat with polyunsaturated fats and reducing the level of sugar and salt added to food or even consumed on daily basis. "The Government of India has already developed a National NCD Monitoring Framework with the WHO Global Action Plan for prevention and control of NCDs," expressed Ms Menabde.

On the other hand, the consumer needs to be more aware to be able to make informed choices. The World Health Organization recommends the following five keys to safer food.

1. Keep clean: We know the importance of a clean and hygienic environment, but sometimes we tend to overlook the basics. Microorganisms can easily be transferred from dirty hands, wiping cloths and utensils (especially cutting boards) and the slightest contact can cause food borne illnesses. Washing and sanitizing all surfaces and kitchen equipment is highly essential.

2. Keep food at safe temperatures: Do not leave cooked food for more than 2 hours at room temperature. Refrigerate all cooked food below 5 degree Celsius. Keep cooked food piping hot. Do not store food in the refrigerator for too long and avoid thawing at room temperature. Microorganisms can multiply very quickly. By storing food below 5 degree Celsius and above 60 degree Celsius, the growth of bacteria can be controlled.

3. Separate raw and cooked food: This reduces the risk of cross contamination. Juices from raw foods like poultry, meat and seafood can contaminate fresh vegetables and fruits when stored together. Raw meat could carry bacteria and should be stored in plastic bag to prevent juices from dripping on other foods. Cooked meat products, dairy products and egg dishes (high protein foods) should be stored carefully, these can be easily contaminated. Eggs should be refrigerated as soon as possible. Never place or serve cooked food in the same utensils that held raw foods.

4. Cook thoroughly: Cooking kills most of the dangerous microorganisms. Previous studies have shown that cooking food at a temperature of 70 degree Celsius can ensure safe consumption. It is especially important to cook meat, poultry, eggs and seafood thoroughly and also reheat cooked food thoroughly. Cooking reduces the risk of food poisoning. Inadequate cooking is one if the common causes of food poisoning. Cover your dishes as steam promotes cooking. Take extra precaution when using raw eggs in batters, dips or spreads. Cooking in a microwave or oven, may sometimes leave the food partially uncooked. To avoid this, place thicker items towards the edge and stir and rotate while cooking.

(Simple Tricks to Remove Pesticides From Fruits and Vegetables)

5. Use safe water and raw materials: Raw materials like water and ice are some of the most common sources of bacteria. Using clean water, pasteurized milk and checking for expiry dates are simple ways in which we can ensure food safety.

Ms Menabde along with other Ministers echoed the fact that the full burden of food-borne illness is not known as most of the cases are unreported. According to surveillance data in the country from 2011-14, food-borne outbreaks and acute diarrhoeal diseases made up nearly half of all the reported outbreaks during this period. There is an urgent need to collate better statistics and data so as to tackle the problem at the ground level. Food safety is a shared responsibility and it needs multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary action.

الأسرار السبعة لتخفيف الوزن سريعا

   الأسرار السبعة لتخفيف الوزن سريعا



مصراوي



 
© متوفر بواسطة مصراوي
كتبت -أميرة مصطفى:
الحفاظ على الرشاقة ومنع زيادة الوزن اصبح من الامورالاساسية للنساء والرجال، ولكن هاجس الرجيم والحرمان من تناول الطعام السبب فى البعد على برامج انقاص الوزن الصحية، على الرغم من اتباع رجيم والعديد من الوصفات إلا ان الكثير منها لا ينفع ولا ينقص الوزن وقد تحدث نتيجة عكسية ويزيد الوزن، إليك بعض الأطعمة التى تساعد على حرق السعرات وتخفيف الوزن بشكل سريع وآمن.
الجريب فروت : 
الجريب فروت يعد من الفواكه الهامه لإنقاص الوزن، حيث تساعد الجسم على التخلص من الدهون الزائدة، ويعتبر من أشهر الفواكه الحمضيّة التي 
تساهم في تقليل نسبة الكوليسترول في الدم والتي تلعب دورا هامّا في حرق السعرات وتخفيف الوزن
الشاي الأخضر: 
يحد الشاى الأخضر من امتصاص الدهون ويمنعها من الاستقرار فى المعدة. حيث أكدت الابحاث أن الذين يمارسون التمارين الرياضية من أجل 
التخسيس، بمساعدة الشاى الأخضر ينقص وزنهم الضعف عن الذين لا يشربونه مع ممارسة التمارين .
القهوة: 
القهوة أصبحت جزء لا يتجزأ من النظام الغذائي اليومي في حياتنا ولا يمكن الاستغناء عنه بأي حال من الأحول ، ويعمل شرب القهوة على حرق كمية 
اكبر من الدهون، وتساعد زيادة قدرة الإنسان على ممارسة التمارين الرياضية .
الماء: 
شرب الماء وسيلة مهمة لخفض وزن الجسم لتنشيط الجهاز الهضمي وعمليات حرق الدهون. فيجب شرب ما لا يقل عن 2 لتر يوميا من الماء.
عصير الخضراوات: 
يمكنك استبدال عصير الفاكهة الذى لا يخلو منه أى ريجيم بعصير خضروات طازجة، ويمكنك استخدام عصائر الطماطم ،الجرجير،البقدونس، الكرنب، 
البروكلى،الخيار، الكرفس، وكذلك السبانخ، والتى تساعد على الشعور بالشبع السريع لاحتوائها على الألياف وانعدام السكر بها.
الأطعمه الغنية بالألياف: 
هل تشعر ابدا بالجوع بعد تناول وجبة الغداء حتى ولو بعدها بساعات قليلة؟ اذا عليك بتناول الاطعمه الغنية بالالياف مباشرة فهى تحوى على نسبة 
الكلوجوز فى الدم و تعطى احساس بالشبع. مع العلم ان الاطعمه الغنية بالالياف قد تؤدى الى صعوبة الهضم وبعض الالام فى البطن. الاطعمه الفنية 
بالالياف هى البقوليات، الفواكه مثل التفاح والمانجو والكمثرى والتوت والمعجنات وخاصة العيش الاسمر.
الأطعمة الحارة: 
تعتبر الأطعمة الحارة من من الاطعمة الهامة التى تساعد فى حرق السعرات الحرارية والتى تعمل على زيادة سرعة الايض فى الجسم. و لذا يمكنك 
اضافة الاطعمه الحارة الى غدائك اليومى مثل شرائح الفلفل او التوابل الحارة. مع العلم ان زيادة نسبة الاطعمه الحارة قد تؤدى الى مشاكل اخرى مثل 
ظهور البواسير او التهاب فى المعدة، لذا عليك بوضع الكمية المناسبة لك.