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Happy Tummy Expert

6 months ago

Dear Farha, thank you for the question

Being Mindful while eating is necessary to have a control over food habits. Mindfulness is an intentional focus on one’s thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations in the present moment. Eating mindfully is when you are using all your physical and emotional senses to experience and enjoy the food choices you make. Mindful eating encourages one to make choices that will be satisfying and nourishing to the body.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age, which may potentially affect the reproductive, hormonal and metabolic functions. There is no one particular diet or food dish that can stop or cure PCOS. Management of PCOS involves multiple factors such as Dietary intake, physical activity, lifestyle pattern, metabolic conditions, genetics, stress etc. However, it is necessary to follow a healthy balanced diet with low fat intake, good amount of protein and fibre for ideal weight management.

We request you to kindly contact your gynaecologist for further assistance, diagnosis and management.

Here are a few tips to help manage PCOD/ PCOS

• Eat regular meals with balanced diets including all food groups
• Low Glycaemic Index (GI) foods have proven to be effective when managing PCOS/PCOD. Some of the Low GI include green leafy vegetables, carrots, green beans, apples, orange, pear, millets, lentils etc.
• Limit intake of deep fried and high fat foods.
• Engage in regular physical activity

Thyroid disorders including hyper or hypothyroidism requires further diagnosis from specific medical experts. It is suggested to contact your health care professional for further assistance and management for thyroid disorders.

Here are few tips to manage Hypothyroidism 

• Iodised salt, seafood (such as fish and prawns), grains and breads are common dietary sources of iodine. Include iodized salt in your diet and food preparation.
• Try to limit the intake of Cruciferous vegetables like kale, turnips, cabbage, cauliflower etc., as they are known as goitrogens which can inhibit the synthesis of thyroid hormones.
• Limit the intake of soy products as they contain Goitrogens. They may also be found in soy products like soy chunks, soy granules, tofu, etc.

• Along with iodine, Selenium also helps in improving the thyroid functioning. Seafood, organ meats, cereals, poultry, red meat, and eggs are a good source of selenium. Include these foods in your daily balanced diet. 

Hyperthyroidism is a pathological disorder in which excess thyroid hormone is synthesised and secreted by the thyroid gland. It is characterised by normal or high thyroid radioactive iodine uptake (thyrotoxicosis with hyperthyroidism or true hyperthyroidism). It is usually associated with weight loss and underweight.

Here are a few tips to help manage Hyperthyroidism

• limited intake of iodised salt is recommended.
• Avoid consuming large amounts of soy and cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts, turnips etc. Include them as a part of your daily balanced diet in limited amounts.
• Maintain an ideal body weight as hyperthyroidism can lead to underweight.

Fat in the liver can come from diet, increased fat production in the liver, or decreased ability of the liver to clear the fat. Genetics can affect all of these processes. Diets that contain high amounts of carbohydrates and sugars  can stimulate fat production in the liver cells.

Lifestyle alteration, including dietary modifications plays an important role in the management of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). 

Sustainable weight management requires a holistic approach which involves lifestyle management which includes Dietary modification, Physical activity, hydration, and stress management. With any weight loss plan changes take time to reflect as your body requires sufficient time to adapt to the changes in order to show results.

An ideal weight loss meal plan should include calorie deficit diet with appropriate exercise regime followed under professional guidance.

However here are few objectives to be considered when planning to start with a weight loss program.

Count Your Daily Calories

• It is recommended to consume 500kcal less than your average, daily, current dietary intake of calories to target on 2-3kg weight loss per month (ideally 0.5kg per week).
• This target is a healthy& sustainable way of reducing and then maintaining the weight loss.
• The first step hence is “counting your daily calorie intakes”. Counting your daily calorie intake is proven to be effective when on a weight loss diet. You can use applications/apps freely available, that will help you count your calories to keep a track on your daily calorie intake and physical activity levels.
• These apps will also help you to track your hydration & sleep patterns which also impact your weight.
• Ideal body weight for an individual can be calculated using the Broca Index (BI) which is: Ideal Standard Weight (kg) = Ht (cm) – 100
• 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

General Dietary Guidelines that can be considered to manage fatty liver and  weight loss

• Have a 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.
• Consume minimum 5 servings of vegetables and 1 serving of fruit as they are rich in Fiber, essential minerals & Vitamins.
• Fiber in your meals can potentiate the satiating property, suppress excess hunger and control food intake. All fruits and vegetables, whole grains, multigrains, millets, nuts & seeds etc., are a good source of fiber.
• Choose healthy snacking options in between your meals.
• Monitor your portion size.
• Include protein in your diet. Some of the sources include pulses, lentils, milk, paneer, soybean, eggs, lean meat, nuts & seeds, etc. 
• Limit intake of deep-fried foods. Method of cooking like baking, grilling, boiling, steaming is preferable over deep frying with excess fat/ oil.
• Try switching from saturated fats and trans fats to MUFA (mono-unsaturated fatty acids) & PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acids) as they are essential fatty acids and are good for your health.
• Consume fresh, seasonal fruits as they contain many essential nutrients and are good sources of fiber.
• Deep Fried foods to be restricted. Method of cooking like baking, grilling, boiling, steaming is preferable over deep frying with excess fat/ oil.
• Carbonated and alcoholic beverages to be limited or preferably avoided.
• Minimum of 8 glasses of water should be consumed to keep yourself hydrated.
• Have your last meal at least 2-3 hours before Bed time.
• Try to follow a good sleep regimen in terms of both quantity and quality.

Some Physical Activity Tips:

Engage in at least 30-45 minutes of physical activity of moderate intensity such as walking for at least five days a week.

For further assistance you can book a call for free dietitian consultation on our website. https://www.callr.live/aashirvaadexperts/Book-Appointment

For a customised and personalised meal plan for specific conditions please contact your Health care professional or any registered dietician.

Hope we have answered your query.

Wishing you a great day ahead

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