Good nutrition and a well-balanced diet can go a long way in nurturing our bodies and giving that extra boost to the immune system. In fact, our body derives the strength to fight off infection from the food that we eat. Research has shown that poor diet can make us more susceptible to illness. A study lists yoghurt, tea, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, and beef as the five most important foods to boost the immune system.

Tips To Boost Immune System

Here are some tips to boost your immune system:

• Include lemons in your daily diet to fight off infections. Since it can restore the acid-alkali balance, it is considered the ideal food for boosting the immune system. Add freshly-squeezed lemon juice to water, add a dash of it to tea, use some in salad dressing, and use some to add flavor to your cooking. Lemon, you see, can maintain the body’s optimum pH level to support healthy bacteria.
• How about adding fresh herbs to your food to give your immune system that boost? Grow your own little herb garden as fresh herbs is any day better than their packaged cousins or supplements. Alternatively, use dried herbs to flavor food. The essential oils in the herbs can not only make food tastier, but the medicinal properties can do a world of good for your immune system.
• Include a lot of proteins in your food as proteins can boost the immune system, and build a healthy body and mind. Eat legumes, lentils, eggs, lean meat, and chicken to get your protein needs.
• Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. Packed with vitamins and minerals, these are extremely essential to help the immune system fight off those unhealthy bacteria and viruses. Grow your own, or buy far-fresh for a healthy pesticide-free meal. Raw fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamin C that are antioxidants and can protect the immune system and the other cells of the body.
• We don’t need to tell you this, but drink a lot of water. Water can flush out the toxins and help you remain healthy and fit.
• Apart from eating the right foods, you must also get a good night’s sleep. Sleep can balance your hormonal level, keep your weight down, make your healthy, boost your immune system, and help you think clearly.
• And, reduce the amount of coffee you drink as caffeine is said to rob your body of vitamins and minerals. You must also substitute refined sugars with natural sweeteners.

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I m a 26 years old housewife, my height is 5 feet 2 inches and weight is 48 kgs. I need a Perfect Balanced Diet Chart. Can you help me out with the same?

A balanced diet as the name suggests, is one that contains all the essential components of a diet in correct proportions. These include complex carbohydrates, proteins, essential fats, vitamins, trace minerals, and dietary fiber. Complex carbohydrates are an essential source of energy and are mainly found in foods such as potatoes, rice, spaghetti, brown breads, whole grains and cereals. Carbohydrate derived from these foods is in the form of starch which is then converted into glucose by the digestive system. Glucose is used by the body and the cells as a source of energy. Complex carbohydrates usually form the main component of any diet. Proteins are also used as a source of energy but are mainly required by the body for growth and repair. These large molecules are converted into amino acids by the digestive system which is then absorbed by the cells from the blood.

Choosing Healthy Foods For Good Health

Essential fats are also like complex carbohydrates and are used as a source of energy.  Fat cells are usually stored underneath the skin and help the body to insulate against the cold during winter.  It is a great misconception to avoid fats in a weight loss diet. Fats are essential in a diet due to the high content of fat soluble vitamins, which the body requires as part of a healthy diet. However certain types of fats such as saturated fats and unhealthy fats such as trans-fatty acids or hydrogenated fats are unhealthy and must be avoided completely or as far as possible.

Although vitamins are taken by the body in very tiny quantities, the various forms of vitamins have specific duties with regards to the proper functioning of the different organs in the body. For example, vitamin A is essential for the well-being of the eyes, vitamin B complex which is composed software different chemicals is extremely important in the upkeep of the central nervous system etc. Mineral salts or trace minerals on the other hand are also needed in small quantities but are essential in the production of various fluids in the body. Iron is necessary to make hemoglobin in the blood, while calcium is an essential component for the growth of healthy bones, and sodium is an integral component of every cell in the body.  Dietary fiber on the other hand is not digested by the body but is important for the proper maintenance and movement of the digestive system. Dietary fiber which is largely composed of cellulose is also known as roughage and is important in pushing to food along the intestines.

Balanced Diet Chart

The daily food chart of an individual basically refers to the type of food and the quantity of food that is being consumed by that individual. A perfect balanced diet is required by the body of an individual so as to get the required amount of nutrition for conducting the various body processes. Food nutrition and health levels of the individual go hand in hand because the body does not only require a certain amount of calories but also requires a variety of nutrition that provides the body with minerals, vitamins and so on. A balanced diet chart for women and for men is required because there are so many carbohydrates and proteins that are required by the individual that it may get difficult to estimate exactly how much food is required by a particular individual. The perfect balanced diet chart enables the individual to understand and accordingly decide what they are required to do in order to consume a wholesome and healthy diet. A balanced diet chart for adults and even a balanced diet chart for kids or children would primarily be based on the basic principle of moderation. Any perfect diet chart for women, men and children will take into consideration that if the body of the individual is fed in moderation and the individual also undertakes some form of exercise then that individual will be fit and healthy on the whole. While planning a daily food chart to lose weight, one should avoid considering taking up crash diets. This is because crash diets tend to result in excessive loss of weight which in turn results in toxins from the dying body cells to be released into the body.

A healthy diet for women or a balanced diet for women is one which includes all the major food groups, namely, dairy products, vegetables, fruits, grains, meat products and so on. A healthy diet chart for vegetarians may avoid the intake of meat products and instead they would have to rely more on fruits and vegetables. While preparing the daily food chart for good health one should also set a target calorie intake. This range of calorie intake is usually between 1800 to almost 2400 calories in the case of adults. While preparing a healthy diet for women over 30 or a healthy diet for women over 40 one should also keep their lifestyle in mind. Those who have a sedentary lifestyle should ideally have a lower intake of calories whereas those who are working in a physically intensive job should increase their calorie intake during the working days and should minimize the intake of calories on their non working days. A balanced diet for men and even a balanced diet for weight loss should be rich in pulses, fiber, whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables. Fiber rich foods should be consumed by those who want to lose weight as the fiber is known to keep an individual feeling satiated and full for a longer period of time thereby resulting in a reduction in the frequency of food consumed. Moreover the fiber also helps in trapping the bad cholesterol in the body and thus regulates the blood pressure of the individual as well. A daily food chart for children should strictly restrict or minimize the intake of sugar or oil as they do not have any health benefits but instead increase the calorie intake and the cholesterol level in the body of the children. Similarly a balanced diet chart should also control the intake of foods that have a high salt content, saturated fats, artificial additives, processed foods and so on as they are known to be harmful to the body in the long run.

A balanced diet chart should be maintained by individuals because it helps in the individual in maintaining a healthy BMI or Body Mass Index and also reduces the risk of various diseases such as cardiovascular ailments, stroke, osteoporosis, cancer and so on. Personalized diet charts can also be prepared for those who suffer from specific medical conditions such as anaemia. A balanced diet for anemia should be rich in green leafy vegetables that have very high iron content. While deciding on a daily food chart to gain weight one should also take into consideration other factors such as body size, gender, activity level, age and so on and then prepare a balanced diet chart for a week. One should ensure that the daily food chart includes foods from all the food groups as this will ensure that one is able to get the maximum amount of nutrition from each and every food group. Those people who are in the habit of consuming snacks between meals should also include healthy snacks in their balanced diet chart. Healthy snacks can be in the form of fruits or even grilled or boiled vegetables. A balanced diet chart should also suggest the method of cooking the food and as far as possible one should boil, steam, grill or bake the food. This ensures that the food retains the maximum nutrients and also avoids the use of harmful saturated fats and cooking oils. A balanced diet to lose weight should not completely eliminate fats as some amounts of fats are required by the body to insulate the body against the cold in winter.

Additionally fats are also known to be rich in fat soluble vitamins which are required by the body for optimum functioning. A balanced diet for women over 50 should include plenty of calcium which can be obtained through dairy products or even calcium supplements so as to rejuvenate their depleting calcium reserves which occurs as age advances and also after pregnancy and childbirth.  Along with fiber rich foods, a balanced diet for weight loss and any other  health diet chart should include the consumption of plenty of water which is required to keep the individual hydrated and feeling fresh at all times. Those individuals who are looking at losing weight should not starve themselves as this will result in them bingeing later on and thereby defeat the purpose. Instead they should have small healthy meals during the day.

Women who are pregnant or who have just delivered babies need to take extreme care of their diet. One may approach their doctor and seek a diet chart after delivery if unsure about the foods one could eat.

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Muscle gain is one of the best and healthy methods to gain weight. Involve heavy weights in your exercise regimen, for gaining extra muscles. Repetitions are good, provided you do not exceed the level. Avoid more than ten repetitions, during heavy workouts, as it has adverse effects on the muscle fibers. Opt for heavy weights, in addition to aerobics. Aerobic exercises alone fail to bring improvement in the muscle. It proves beneficial in weight loss. Change the routine of use of weights. The muscles of men and women have the capacity to manage stress. Allow them to grow by putting certain amount of stress on them. The place of muscle development determines the degree of stress.

Larger muscle group involves the leg and back muscles, whereas the biceps and triceps are smaller muscles. Increase the intensity of the exercises by five per cent, once in two weeks. Always consider one exercise per group of muscle. The maximum effort in each set should increase. Increase the rate of work and decrease the time, well within the comfort zone. Increase the density of your muscles by working out for short span. It is better to work out five times a week for thirty minutes. Always have an objective in mind! It is easy to achieve goals, by setting a target.

Body Building Physique Exercises  and Diet for Physique

You are well within your ideal body weight limit. A healthy and balanced diet is of great help to keep a healthy structure, devoid of diseases. Eat a six meal pattern, instead of the regular three meal pattern. This ensures frequent and limited eating. Eat a lot of fresh veggies and fruits that are fresh. Canned foods are less preferred, due to its high content of salts and other additives. Whole and fresh foods are better substitutes for refined and processed foods. The best way to avoid refined and processed foods is to stop stacking them in the pantry. Include whole grains and cereals with legumes and pulses. Avoid starchy vegetables in excess and opt for fibrous ones.

Avoid junk foods as they provide calories, without any nutrients. Burgers, pizzas, chips and other fried foods are some of them. Carbonated beverages are a rich source of calories, which provides a feeling of satiety. They do not contribute to any nutrients. Weight maintenance is important for keeping healthy. Replace fresh juices with their fruit counterparts, as this provides some amount of extra fiber. The risk of additional sugar in juice, also decreases with the consumption of fruits.

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