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Dear Nitisha janghela,

Thank you for your question.

Constipation can be due to inadequate fiber and water intake, it may also be a symptom of gastrointestinal digestive issues such as indigestion, IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), intolerances etc., and/or due to an underlying health condition which requires medical attention.

Some other causes that can lead to constipation include neglecting urge to defecate, irregular meals, excess stress etc.  For further diagnosis and assistance kindly contact your specialized health care professional.

Here are a few tips to help manage constipation

• Include adequate amount of fiber to your daily balanced diet. Some of the good sources of fiber include Whole grains, millets, Psyllium, fruits such as apples, banana, citrus fruits, vegetables like green beans, peas, potato, cauliflower, nuts and soybean etc. 
  
• An intake of at least 2 litres of water per day. 
  
• A glass of hot water, preferably taken with lemon juice taken early in the morning, stimulates gastro colic reflex and helps ease constipation. 
  
• Regular abdominal pain
  

Regular Stomach pain also referred to as Stomach ache, abdominal pain or stomach cramps is the discomfort felt near the abdominal region. It can range from mild to severe with varied frequency overtime. Different causes of stomach pain include constipation, indigestion, lactose intolerance, GERD, bowel obstruction, appendicitis, and/or underlying health condition that may require medical attention. For further diagnosis and assistance please contact your healthcare professional. 

A few guidelines for general digestive health to be considered:

• Do not skip your meals, have small frequent meals at regular intervals. 
  
• Eat a well-balanced diet including minimum 5 serving of vegetables and 1 serving of fruit in a day as they are good sources of fiber and essential nutrients such as vitamin A, Vitamin B, iron, zinc etc. 
  
• Include prebiotics such as banana, soyabean, garlic etc., good sources of probiotics like yogurt, buttermilk etc., to maintain a healthy gut.
  
• Avoid large, heavy meals, and practice portion guidance. 
  
• Deep fried foods to be restricted. Method of cooking like baking, grilling, boiling, steaming is preferable over deep frying with excess fat/ oil.
  
• Food should be eaten slowly and chewed well as fast eating provokes gastric feeding reflex. 
  
• Avoid lying down immediately after your meal consumption
  
• Drink at least 8-10 glasses of water per day
  
• Have a gap of minimum 2-3 hours between bedtime and your last meal
  
• Engage in physical activity for a minimum of 30-45 minutes for at least 5 days a week. 
  
• Try to follow a good sleep regimen in terms of both quantity and quality.
  

For a customised and personalised meal plan for specific conditions, please contact your Health care professional.

Hope we have answered your query.

Dear Romi,

Thank you for your question.

Dietary fiber also known as roughage is a type of carbohydrate, It’s a component of the plant which is resistant to digestion by the enzymes in the human system. It is considered to be an essential component of your daily balanced diet.

There are two types of fibers like soluble (from in oats, apple), insoluble (from whole grain), foods like multigrain will aid the benefit of providing both the types of fibre. Another classification is prebiotic fibres (ex: onion, green banana, chicory), which occur naturally in various foods we eat in our daily diet.

Diets with a high content of fibre tend to have a positive effect on health like-

• Improves bowel function

• Adds bulk to stool and promotes regularity

• Helps reduce calorie intake due to the feeling of satiety (as fiber promotes a feeling of fullness).

• Regulates blood sugar level

• Regulates blood pressure

• Helps lowers total and LDL cholesterol thereby reducing the risk of heart diseases.

• Helps support growth of healthy gut bacteria and overall digestive health.

Some of the good sources of fiber are as follows:

• Vegetables such as green beans, peas, cauliflower, garlic, carrot, tomato etc.

• Fruits including banana, apple, and citrus fruits like orange & sweet lime.

• Whole grains- whole wheat, millets, multigrain, wheat bran, oats etc.

• Dried beans, Legumes, Nuts & Seed

Daily RDA for fiber as per NIN, ICMR is: 25g per day for females & 30g per day for male

In packaged food product read their labels to look for “source of fiber” “rich in fiber”, “high fiber” etc., to be included as a part of your overall diversified daily balanced diet.

Hope we have answered your query.

Wishing you a great day ahead!

Dear Shravani,

Thank you for your question.

Adolescence or teen age is a critical period of our lives in which our body undergoes rapid changes, growth and development. It is very essential to consume a healthy balanced diet with adequate amount of protein and other nutrients such as calcium, iron, vitamin D etc., which will help support growth, development, pubertal changes and strong bones.

An adolescent girl should take enough calcium rich foods in her diet to support the increase of bone density and maintain healthy strong bones. Some of the calcium sources include milk, cheese, paneer, Ragi, curd, yougurt.

Reference ideal body weight and height for 18-year-old female can be considered as 53.8kg and 161.1cm height.

The causes of underweight or unintended weight loss can be due to genetics, inadequate food intake, stress, hormonal imbalance, malabsorption or other underlying health condition.

In any weight management programme, it is very essential to consume a healthy diversified balanced diet with few dietary modifications and regular physical activity. For weight gain it is essential to focus on your daily balanced diet with high calorie, high protein and regular meals. With any weight gain diet, changes take time to reflect as your body requires sufficient time to adapt to the changes in order to show results.

A high calorie and high protein diet is recommended for weight gain. Daily protein requirement should ideally be followed as 46.2g per day. Some of the sources of high protein include pulses, lentils, milk, paneer, soybean, eggs, lean meat, nuts & seeds etc.

Here are few guidelines that can be considered

-        Having a Healthy Diversified Balanced Diet that includes all the food groups in the right quantity which thereby provides you with all the essential macro and micro nutrients that your body requires daily for proper functioning. Include energy dense foods, keeping in mind the daily needs.

-        Maintain a positive energy balance where the calorie intake should be more than the energy expenditure.

-        Include energy dense foods, keeping in mind the daily needs. Some of the energy dense foods include Whole wheat, Multigrain, millets, dairy products, nuts, colocasia leaves, banana, raisins, pulses/lentils etc.

-        Do not skip meals. Eat small frequent meals.

-        Three major meals a day with healthy nutritious snacks in between is preferred.

-        Try to increase the serving size and portion size gradually and systematically

-        Include healthy fats from nuts and seeds.

-        Drink at least 8 glasses of water per day to maintain hydration

-        Indulging in physical activity can help in increasing the appetite and give a feeling of hunger.

-        Try to follow a good sleep regimen in terms of both quantity and quality.

For a customised and personalised meal plan for specific conditions, please contact your Health care professional.

Hope we have answered your query.

Wishing you a great day ahead!

Hi Bhavya Garg,

Thank you for the question.

Adolescence or teenage is a critical period of our lives in which our body undergoes rapid changes, growth and development. It is very essential to consume a healthy balanced diet with an adequate amount of protein and other nutrients such as calcium, iron, vitamin D, etc., which will help support growth, development, pubertal changes and strong bones.

Gaining muscle mass requires specific exercise regimen followed by appropriate dietary changes, especially in terms of good quality proteins balanced with appropriate calories, which should be done under professional guidance.

Some of the nutrients that support healthy muscles include protein, calcium, Vitamin D, Magnesium, Vitamin B6 & B12. Some of the food sources rich in these nutrients include milk and milk products, green leafy vegetables, lentils, chickpeas, whole grains, nuts, etc. Include these foods in your daily balanced diet.

Reference ideal body weight for a 15-year-old male can be considered as 51.5 kg with 166.3 cm height.

A high-calorie and high-protein diet is recommended for weight gain. Daily protein requirement should ideally be followed as 45g per day with 2860 kcal per day. Some of the sources of high protein include pulses, lentils, milk, paneer, soybean, eggs, lean meat, nuts & seeds etc.

Here are few guidelines that can be considered

- Having a Healthy Diversified Balanced Diet that includes all the food groups in the right quantity which thereby provides you with all the essential macro and micro nutrients that your body requires daily for proper functioning. Include energy dense foods, keeping in mind the daily needs.

- Maintain a positive energy balance where the calorie intake should be more than the energy expenditure.

- Include energy dense foods, keeping in mind the daily needs. Some of the energy dense foods include Whole wheat, Multigrain, millets, dairy products, nuts, colocasia leaves, banana, raisins, pulses/lentils etc.

- Do not skip meals. Eat small frequent meals.

- Three major meals a day with healthy nutritious snacks in between is preferred.

- Try to increase the serving size and portion size gradually and systematically

- Include healthy fats from nuts and seeds.

- Drink at least 8 glasses of water per day to maintain hydration

- Indulging in physical activity can help in increasing the appetite and give a feeling of hunger.

- Try to follow a good sleep regimen in terms of both quantity and quality.

For a customised and personalised meal plan for specific conditions, please contact your Health care professional.

Hope we have answered your query.

Wishing you a great day ahead

Hi Prathviraj Meena,

Thank you for the question.

WHO has given different BMI (Body mass index) classifications to categorise adults into different weight categories. BMI is a simple index of weight-for-height. It can be considered as a 2nd level indicator of overall health.

It can be calculated using a simple formula of BMI = Weight (kg) / Height (m²)

Following is the WHO BMI Classification

18.5 to 24.9 - Normal

Less than 18.5 - Underweight

25 to 29 - Overweight

Above 30 - Obese 

As per WHO BMI (Body Mass Index) classification, a person weighing less than 18.5 kg/m2 is considered underweight.

The causes of underweight or unintended weight loss can be due to genetics, inadequate food intake, stress, hormonal imbalance, malabsorption or other underlying health condition.

A high calorie and high protein diet is recommended for weight gain. Daily protein requirement should ideally be followed as 0.8-1g protein per kg body weight. Some of the sources of high protein include pulses, lentils, milk, paneer, soybean, eggs, lean meat, nuts & seeds etc.

Here are few guidelines that can be considered

-        Having a Healthy Diversified Balanced Diet that includes all the food groups in the right quantity which thereby provides you with all the essential macro and micro nutrients that your body requires daily for proper functioning. Include energy dense foods, keeping in mind the daily needs.

-        Maintain a positive energy balance where the calorie intake should be more than the energy expenditure.

-        Include energy dense foods, keeping in mind the daily needs. Some of the energy dense foods include Whole wheat, Multigrain, millets, dairy products, nuts, colocasia leaves, banana, raisins, pulses/lentils etc.

-        Do not skip meals. Eat small frequent meals.

-        Three major meals a day with healthy nutritious snacks in between is preferred.

-        Try to increase the serving size and portion size gradually and systematically

-        Include healthy fats from nuts and seeds.

-        Drink at least 8 glasses of water per day to maintain hydration

-        Indulging in physical activity can help in increasing the appetite and give a feeling of hunger.

-        Try to follow a good sleep regimen in terms of both quantity and quality.

For a customised and personalised meal plan for specific conditions, please contact your Health care professional.

Hope we have answered your query.

Wishing you a great day ahead.