A superfruit to detox your body, boost metabolism

Halloween Trick the Treats| Poshan

Trick the Halloween Treat Junk | Poshan

Zesty Buckwheat Salad | Poshan

Zesty Buckwheat Salad | Poshan

PROBIOTICS TO HEAL YOUR GUT, IMPROVE IMMUNITY AND BRAIN POWER | Poshan

PROBIOTICS TO HEAL YOUR GUT, IMPROVE IMMUNITY AND BRAIN POWER | Poshan

Valentine's Day Guilt Free, Vegan, No Bake Brownies | Poshan

Valentine's Day Guilt Free, Vegan, No Bake Brownies | Poshan

Quick Weight Loss Chocolate Avacado Smoothie | Poshan

I generally make this kind of smoothie for myself with a little different set of ingredients. Today I tried making it with Avacado and the result was amazing. I felt more fuller and no cravings and hunger pangs for the next 4 hours. Planning to make it more often to have the guilt free chocolate burst.

Quick Weight Loss Chocolate Avacado Smoothie | Poshan

Lotus Seeds or Makhanas - Anti aging and diarrhoea home remedy

                                                        As Calming as the Lotus Flower!

Have you heard about Lotus seeds or fox nuts or Makhanas (hindi)? Do you picture a mouth watering snack or something else?

While I was a shopping at a grocery store, my little one came across these cute looking lotus seeds (fresh ones). He was taken by their appearance and wished to savour them then and there. Well, I did not know how to use the fresh lotus seeds, but little that I knew was that they might need to be cooked. Also, I had always tried the dry or the puffed version, the makhanas.

Fresh lotus seeds have been extensively used by Chinese, in their foods like soups, desserts for its health benefits as well as the appealing taste. Whereas, Indians use more of the puffed lotus seeds known to us as Makhanas, as a quick snack, curries and desserts.

Here are some of its health benefits :-

It is high in fiber, so it helps to maintain good gut health.
It is digestive for age groups and due to its astringent property, Chinese use it to treat diarrhea and in improving appetite.
Its anti - inflammatory properties helps prevent many degenerative diseases like diabetes mellitus, heart problems and even cancers.
As Makhana are powerful antioxidants they also known as anti aging foods. Aging is also a result of adverse effects of free radicals in the body.
Makhana acts as an aphrodisiac. It increases quality and quantity of semen, prevents premature ejaculation, increases libido and helps in female infertility.
Regulates blood pressure as they are low in sodium and high in potassium. Hence, a very beneficial food for the hypertensive people.
It can also treat insomnia, palpitations and irritability.
It strengthens the heart.
It strengthens the body and reduces burning sensation and quenches thirst.
According to the Chinese medicine, fox nut or Makhana is used to strengthen spleen and kidneys.
Herbalists foind it helpful in preventing early discharge of semen and restores sexual vigor in older men.
It is also recommended for the women during pregnancy and post natal weaknesses.

They are low in calories, fat and high in fiber and proteins. Hence, can be a good food for diabetics as well as for weight watchers.

A small but logical tip :-

Because they help maintain the moisture levels of our body cells, and due to their highly beneficial nutrition profile, one can just roast a bag of makhanas, or popped lotus seeds and slightly season it with salt and spices and can use it as a travel food. That's what I do when I am out on a sunny day.

If you are running short of time, you can simply munch on them without roasting to suit yourself.

( Left - Fresh Lotus seeds, Right - Seasoned Puffed Lotus seeds / Makhanas)

Parboiled (Converted) Rice.. a nutritious, yet tasty option!

I have been extensively studying researches about parboiled rice. And to my amazement, its nutrition profile matches 80% to that of brown rice. The only thing it scores lower than brown rice is its fibre content, and antioxidants which impart brown rice its respective colour.

What is Parboiled Rice
Rice produced by the process of parboiling or partially boiling. During this process, the harvested paddy (rice with husk) is hydrated and then steamed, before drying. Once dried completely, the husk is removed. 

Advantage of parboiled rice
The process of steaming or heating the hydrated paddy, forces the nutrients (especially, vitamin B1) in the husk to get absorbed into the grains, making the rice nutritious.
While parboiling, the cracked kernels inside the husk may get glued together, thereby reducing the number of broken grains.
Parboiling process also helps in the sterilization of harvested rice, which may contain impurities and insect eggs.

Ease of Cooking
When compared to white rice, parboiled version takes longer to cook and is not sticky. Once cooked, the rice will be firmer and retains its shape too. But, it takes lesser time for parboiled rice to get cooked, if you compare it with brown rice. Parboiled type is easily digestible and delicious.

Nutrition profile
This rice is rich in B vitamins, folate, potassium, phosphorous, calcium and selenium. In fact, parboiled rice contains more folate and B vitamins, as compared to brown rice. It is also very low in fat, as 100 grams of this rice contain only 0.4 gram of fat. Compared to white rice, both parboiled and brown rice have low GI (glycemic index).

So those who want to control their sugar levels, and find it difficult to change from white rice to brown, opting for parboiled rice can be a better option.

For those, who do not want to compromise on the fibre content and want to reap the benefits of both types, can look for Parboiled Brown Rice or simply soak the brown rice in advance and then cook it alongwith parboiled white rice which does not take much time to cook.

In the picture along, you see parboiled rice on the top, brown rice on the bottom left corner and white rice on the bottom right.

Increase Iron levels in Vegetarians

Are you low on Iron, and blame it on your Vegetarianism? Think twice next time ! 

Probably the best known nutrition fact about iron is that meats—particularly red meats—are rich in iron. While this is true, it is also true that a number of plant foods are also rich in iron. 
It may come as a surprise that researchers have found that people eating plant-based diets eat as much or more iron as people who regularly rely on animal foods. And, you'll see that our list of excellent iron sources is largely dominated by plant foods.

Foods to fight the Haze effect :)

Haze is in the Air! ... but do not let your immune system be hazed !

Singapore and Malaysia are hazed with forest fire smoke blowing in from Indonesia. The result is, many people are facing irrtiability in the eyes, nose, throat, and seriously affecting those with lung disorders like asthma, COPD etc. I am feeling irritability in the throat too since last evening

 :(

It was when I had already decided to resort to dietary and other health related measures, when one of my client called up to ask what she can do to prevent her family from haze health hazards.

Here are some simple, foods list and tips that can help build ones immune system strong enough to resist haze effects.

Cook some food in coconut oil or simply drink it, just 1 tsp for the whole day is enough to work wonders ;)

Drink atleast a glass of carotene rich vegetable juice per day - like Spinach, carrot, tomato juice.

Eat yellow and orange squash, dark greens, carrots, yams, sweet potatoes, red peppers and tomatoes. Cabbage family foods (Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, radish and turnip) help prevent low immunity.

Check your protein intake and increase it if consuming less than 2 servings a day. Fresh Sprouts can help increase proteins as well as vitamin C.

Flavonoids rich berries, garlic, yogurt and artichoke also help boost immunity.

Vitamin C is an essential vitamin in maintaining the lung tissue integrity. So eat citrus fruits (avoid juices), squeeze lemon juice, add fresh corriander leaves in your food.

Consume 2 cups of green tea per day. It helps production of immune cells.

Drink 2.5 - 3 litres of water, warm if possible.

Go high on these herbs - turmeric, ginger, gingko bilabo, ginseng, ecinaceae, dandelion, licorice root.
The simplest tip that I always practice whenever there is somebody with cough, cold, fever (rarely) in my family, is put a pinch or two of turmeric powder, black pepper powder, cardamom powder in hot milk.

Try having hot Indian Masala Milk - with a tsp of dry fruits (almonds, pistachios, cardamom, cashews) powder, kesar (saffron) in it and drink hot. You can feel the difference immediately.

Incorporate barley pearls in your diet as they do boost immunity.

Go low on rice, and other starchy items.

Have timely meals, every 3 hourly.

Avoid coffee.

Hope you find the tips helpful and benefit from them. I have already started with the foods I have at home. Planning to shop in the evening for the specific herbs in the evening!

Prevent weight gain in children in summer vacation

Did you know that Summer vacation itself can contribute to significant weight gain and thereby decreased performance in school for the coming year?

Improve your child's Academic Performance for the coming year by learning some effective, day to day nutrition tips. Practical tips on how you and your child can incorporate healthy eating tips together in a fun way :)

Here is a link of researches, showing why feeding your child balanced diet is important in vacation.

http://www.californiahealthykids.org/articles/NPA_3.pdf

We are organising Nutrifuntastic events of 2 hours for parents and their children to learn about Balanced Diet in a fun way through games, puzzles, quiz etc.

Email for more details - ujjwalabaxi@rediffmail.com

Lets crack the buzz about Healthy Cooking Oils

All about Healthy Cooking Oils :)

It is important to note that all oils (cooking and dressing) are similar as per their calorie content, (each tablespoon contains approx. 120 cal) and should be used only sparingly, as part of an otherwise healthy diet, the oils do differ in parameters like methods used for oil extraction, composition and heat tolerance.The methods used for extraction would determine whether an oil is refined (extracted from oil cakes involving solvent extraction) or unrefined (cold pressed).
Unrefined oils are considered better and recommended due to the presence of a wide range of bioactive compounds, flavors and Vitamin E content, which tend to prevent rancidity in them.

Oils containing greater proportion of MUFA should be preferred over those containing PUFA. Mono Unsaturated Fatty Acids have heart protective effect. Some oils and solid fats containing Saturated Fatty Acids should also be consumed in small amounts for the effective functioning of the brain.

The nutritional properties and the usage in cooking of a few readily available cooking oils are discussed here and are listed in no specific order :-

Rice bran oil
A relatively new addition to commercial cooking oils segment, the rice bran oil (extracted from rice bran) has quite a few nutritional benefits. It contains a component called oryzanol, which has been shown to have cholesterol-lowering properties. Being rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (about 47%) and natural vitamin E, this oil qualifies as a good cooking oil, especially for high temperature cooking.

Canola Oil
This oil makes for an excellent cooking medium because of its very low saturated fat content (only 7 %- the least among all commercially available oils) and high mono unsaturated fat content along with a beneficial omega 3 fatty acids profile. It possesses a mild flavor and is quite stable, even at high temperatures, thus an ideal cooking medium with heart protecting properties.

Ground nut
Groundnut oil is a popular cooking oil, containing a balance of MUFA and PUFA with good stability at high temperatures.

Sunflower Oil
Among the most abundantly used oils, sunflower oil holds a high smoking point of around 460 degree F and is considerably high in PUFA (68%) and MUFA (21%), whilst being low in saturated fat (11%). This oil can be used for deep frying (if you must) and regular cooking as well, though only in combination with other MUFA rich oils like canola, rice bran or olive oil.

Coconut oil
It contains a high percentage of saturated fats but it is imperative to note that these saturated fats are much different from those found in animal fats like dairy products, eggs and meat. Coconut oil is rich in fatty acids such as lauric acid, which has anti- bacterial and anti- inflammatory properties. If you have been using these oils for cooking, you may continue doing so but try reducing the quantity used or use them only for select preparations.

Soybean oil
Soybean oil is rich in PUFA, containing both linoleic acid and alpha linolenic acid in the right balance. It is comparatively lower in its MUFA content (24%) and being rich in PUFA makes it unsuitable for deep frying (as PUFA gets oxidized at higher temperatures).

Mustard oil
A common cooking oil used predominantly in West Bengal has a high proportion of heart friendly MUFA and also of PUFA. However, if consumed in large amounts may have undesirable effect on our health due to their erucic cid content. Mustard oil is suitable for all kinds of cooking but again preferably in combination with other cooking oils.

Olive Oil
Though a bit more expensive than other cooking oils, olive oil has been shown to have many health benefits, especially so in the prevention of heart diseases and cancer. FDA recommends consuming at least 2 tbsp of olive oil (extra virgin and unrefined) per day to reduce risk to heart diseases. It contains a whopping 77% of MUFA (the best among all oils) and is even low in saturated fats (about 14%). However, the best benefit may be derived by replacing sources of saturated fat in the diet with olive oil, rather than just adding olive oil to your diet.
Since extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil has comparatively lower smoking point, it is best used as salad dressings or for light sautéing and stir frying.
The bottom line, which can be derived from the afore mentioned information, is that the right cooking oil would be the one that is unrefined and rich in monounsaturated fats, whilst being low in saturated fats.

I would suggest using a combination of cooking oils for different cooking preparation such as perhaps using olive oil for salads and light sautéing, canola, rice bran or groundnut oil for high temperature cooking and soybean and mustard oil for other preparations. It is best to limit your visible fat intake to around 2 tbsp per day and get a bit oil wise while oil shopping.

Make Wise Food Choices For your Growing Child!

USE IT...THAT WHEY !

Don't Throw that Whey in your Kitchen.. Instead Use it :)

Most of the Indian ladies, make paneer (cottage cheese) at home and discard its water, thinking that its of no use.

Paneer water and the liquid that separates from the curds when milk or yogurt ferments; contain highly nutritious Whey protein. Yes, its the same protein for which people are ready to spend thousands of rupees / dollars unknowingly. The Whey Protein Supplements that are available at health shops are very highly priced. Nearly a Rupee for each gram !

Whey Protein Nutritive Value
It is high in calcium, B vitamins, digestive aids and is totally lactose and carbohydrate free. Hence, it can be consumed for weight loss too. its high antioxidants profile makes it a strong immunobooster.

How to use liquid Whey (cottage cheese water)

Simply replace plain water with liquid whey and use it for kneading the dough. The breads, rotis, parathas will be much softer with a classic irresistible flavour.

Cook Rice with this water, and you will simply love the colour texture and flavour of cooked rice.


Use it to soak your grains. A few tablespoons added to your soaking water will help make your whole grains and legumes more digestible.

Use it for flavouring soups or mix with vegetable stock to enhance flavour.

Can drink it directly too, with some black salt, lemon juice and pepper powder.

Give it to your children  and drink it yourself and improve immunity and brain power.

Nourish your hair by rinsing it with liquid whey after shampooing.

So use your brain, not your money to nourish your diet :)

what's their in your child's tiffin today?

Participate to Win a Chance of a FREE NUTRITION CONSULTATION for your KID :)

You must be coming up with this question every morning while packing lunch for your picky, little eaters. What do I give my kid to eat in school today? And in order to make sure that kids consume adequately and not starve during the long day in school, the foods that finally find place in that cute boxes are chips, sweet buns, biscuits, bread butter, chocos and everything else apart from what your child should be eating : (
Every parent wants to see their children hail and hearty all throughout their life. But how is that possible? when you yourselves are pushing them in the depths of ill health!
Think over it.

At Poshan -  Cure thru Diet, we thought of helping you out with this.

We want you to think and come up with a simple, easy to make vegetarian tiffin box recipe for kids. Recipes will be rated on their nutritional value, taste and eye appeal. Also, write a short note on why you chose that particular recipe, its health benefits. 

Kindly submit your entries below this post as comment. Last day of Submission - 30th April, 2013

The winners of best 3 recipes shall be awarded a free consultation for Improving their Child's Nutrition for free, which is otherwise worth  $80 (worldwide) or INR 1200/- (India). The consultation will be provided through e - mail and on phone conducted by Poshan - Cure thru Diet Clinic, Mumbai. The Clinic is run by a professional Dietitian, Mrs. Ujjwala Baxi.

So what are you waiting for. You have nothing to lose. Everything to win. Participate and find out new recipes from your fellow participants. Who knows, they might get to learn from you ; )

Nutritional colours of Blueberries!

 

 Blueberry is very low in calories. 100 g fresh berries provide only 57 calories. However, the berries contain health benefiting soluble dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins, and pigment anti-oxidants that contribute immensely for optimum health and wellness.

Blueberries are among the highest anti-oxidant value fruits, which help rid off harmful oxygen-derived free radicals from the body, and thereby, protect the body from cancers, aging, degenerative diseases, and infections.

In addition, research studies suggest that chlorogenic acid in these berries help lower blood sugar levels and control blood glucose levels in type-II diabetes mellitus condition.

Fresh berries contain small amount of vitamin C, vitamin A and vitamin E and good amount of minerals like potassium, manganese, copper, iron and zinc.

No more Calcium Supplements needed.. Thanks to Fingermillet/ Ragi

Fingermillet known as Ragi or Nachni in different Indian languages, is a wonder food to strengthen the bones. We all know that Calcium is the mineral that is required for building bones, and fingermillet is loaded with it. Pearl and little millet are higher in fat, while finger millet contains the lowest fat. 

 With Calcium as high as 294 to 390 mg per 100 g, it stands on the top of the list of grains. Studies conducted in nine- to ten-year-old girls showed that replacement of rice in a rice-based diet with finger millet not only provided greater energy balance and prevented muscle loss,  but also improved calcium retention. Thus finger millet could be used to overcome the calcium deficiency of a rice diet.


As all the millets are gluten free and are not like wheat, they are suitable foods for those with celiac disease or other forms of allergies/intolerance of wheat. Also, finger millet has greater amounts of Fibre than wheat. However, millets are also a mild thyroid peroxidase inhibitor and probably should not be consumed in great quantities by those with thyroid disease.

Fermentation, soaking, malting are the various procedure to increase the assimilation of its varied nutrients.

In India, dieticians and pediatricians suggest weaning toddlers with finger millet porridge due to their high nutrition profile and easy digestibilty. Infact, I would highly recommend this grain for weight loss too, as researches have proven that high dietary calcium intake does lead to weight loss.

One can use Finger millet to make sweet or savoury items like porridge or simply use the ground flour to make pancakes, flat breads, cakes, (cake recipe - http://litebite.in/eggless-finger-millet-ragi-chocolate-cake-recipe/ ) cutlets, tortillas, drinks etc. 





Here is the recipe of an easy to make, filling and a cool drink for summers!

Finger millet Cooler

2 tbsp Ragi (nachni flour)

3 cups Water

¼ cup Sour buttermilk

2 tbsp finely chopped Onion (optional)

1 clove of garlic, grated (optional)

Sour buttermilk as required

Salt to taste

How do we do it:-

1 Soak the ragi flour in the buttermilk overnight.

2 In the morning keep the 3 cups of water on flame to come to a boil.

3 Add 1 tsp salt in the water.

4 when the water starts to boil slow the flame and slowly pour the ragi and buttermilk mixture with continuous stirring so that lumps do not form.

5 let it come to boil on a very low flame and with continuous stirring.

6 After it boils remove it from flame and keep it to cool.

7 while serving add the finely chopped onion and garlic and mix with buttermilk to dilute it as required and serve.

Note:- If you cannot soak the ragi for overnight at least soak it for 2 hours.

So change the regular food grains and try out something more nutritious for stronger bones :)

EAT HEALTHY, STAY HAPPY :)

Ujjwala Baxi,

Medical Nutrition Therapist @Poshan - Cure thru Diet

Registered Dietitian

Certified Diabetes Educator

Oregano - the appealing herb!

The herb is rich in poly-phenolic flavonoid anti-oxidants (vitamin A, carotenes, lutein, zea-xanthin and cryptoxanthin) and has been rated as one of the plant source with highest anti-oxidant activities. These compounds help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging and various disease process.

The active principles in the herb may increase the motility of the gastro-intestinal tract as well as increase the digestion power by increasing gastro-intestinal secretions.

This exotic herb is an excellent source of minerals like potassium, calcium, manganese, iron, and magnesium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps control heart rate and blood pressure caused by high sodium. Manganese and copper are used by the body as co-factors for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Iron helps prevent anemia. Magnesium and calcium are important minerals for bone metabolism.

Fresh herb is an excellent source of antioxidant vitamin, vitamin-C. Vitamin C helps body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful, pro-inflammatory free radicals.

Oregano is a proven super "functional food". This herb is one of the foundation bases of healthy Mediterranean diet in addition to olive oil, fish and lots of greens, herbs and vegetables.

No added preservatives, healthy and cheap cereal mixes!

Do you feel the pinch of expensive cereal mixes for kids? Try this!

When u want to feed your toddler with the best, nutrition packed, quick & easy to make item, the one thing that strikes one as a parent is formula feed, available in 100's of brands with a higher end price tag.

Now, what if I suggest something that fulfills all the above requirements without hurting your pocket.

When you shop for baby foods, lookout for malted cereal (multigrain) flours, or a protein + cereal mixed flours known as Sattu in India. These mixes are prepared by small scale industries and therefore do not contain no preservatives and artificial colours. Hey are also very cheap and easy to prepare. Just add a tbsp or two in a 150 - 200 Ll milk and boil. Switch off the dame and add sugar and nuts powder (optional) and serve.
Yes! It is that instant. So, do give it a try [:)]

Can't Stop Eating!!

 Let’s find out how each one of the factors mentioned in my previous blog cause overeating.

1.      Cold Weather

I have deliberately mentioned Cold Weather on the top because winter season is on, and I would like you to take preventive measures of overeating in this season as soon as possible.

 It is this time of year we are eagerly waiting for, “the Winter Season” and the mood is set right to celebrate the much awaited Christmas. Celebrations are directly related to sweets, cookies, candies, cakes, champagnes, desserts; aren’t they?

 But have you ever thought why do we overeat and specifically gorge on sweets in this season? The answer is simple - Since the weather is cold outside, many people cannot resist the temptation of eating more to keep themselves warm. It is a fact that more fat is needed in the body during the winter to keep the body warm. So, people take recourse to having foods high in fat content and this leads them in gaining weight during the winter months.

And mind you, if you are over stuffing yourself with sweet items,specifically carbohydrate rich foods, then might be you are suffering with S.A.D. Seasonal affective disorder, "S.A.D", is a form of depression that occurs only during certain periods of the year. In some cases, an existing depression may become more severe during certain times of year. By far the most common and recognized form of seasonal affective disorder is "winter depression". This is characterized by recurrent episodes of depressed mood, over-sleeping or the urge to "hibernate", cravings for carbohydrate rich foods, and associated overeating and weight gain.

                                                   

Women suffering from SAD outnumber men by 4 to 1 and the risk of been affected by SAD appears to decrease with age.

2. Lack of sleep increases overeating

A relevant study appeared in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in which young men were given access to set foods after being allowed to sleep for about 8 hours (normal sleep) on one occasion, and 4 hours (sleep restriction) on another. In reality, individuals slept for an average of about 3 hrs 45 mins and 7 hours 15 mins respectively. Hormone levels were not monitored, but food intake was.

After the night of sleep restriction, caloric intake was an average of about 560 calories (22 per cent) higher.

This was a small study and only tested the effect of one night of quite extreme sleep deprivation. However, it is possible that milder forms of sleep deprivation in the long term may also stimulate appetite in a way that could encourage overeating.

Researchers from several separate studies ¹ have found a link between sleep and the hormones that influence our eating behavior. Two specific hormones are involved. Ghrelin is responsible for feelings of hunger. Leptin tells the brain when it’s time to stop.

 When you’re sleep deprived, your ghrelin levels increase at the same time that your leptin levels decrease. The result is an increased craving for food and not feeling full. Add the fact that sleep deprived people tend to chose different foods to snack on—mainly high calorie sweets and salty and starchy foods—and it’s easy to see how these small changes can lead to long-term weight gain.                                                                                                                            

Optimal sleep for weight loss

Most people need between seven and nine hours of sleep a night. Some more, some less. Very few of us actually get the minimum of seven. How do you know how much sleep you really need? Experts say to sleep as long as you want for several days (best done on vacation). Then, your sleep should stabilize and you’ll find yourself waking up after the same number of hours daily, within 15 minutes or so. Once you know about how much sleep you need, start getting into a steady routine. Set a regular time for sleep. Start getting ready ahead of time. And experts say, avoid using the bed for watching TV or doing work.

Sleep + exercise + a healthy diet = weight loss

Don’t think snoozing a few hours longer each night will solve a weight problem. It won’t. Exercising and eating healthfully is still the way to go. But, lack of shut-eye may soon be considered another risk factor for obesity. Interestingly, many of those who are overweight also don’t sleep enough.

One thing does seem to be clear. When your body is not hungry for sleep, it won’t be so hungry for food either.

3. Physical Stress

Who does not aspire to be Mr. Bill Gates and bathe in the luxury, day and night? But money is always earned the hard way, which calls for overtime hours at the job, be it in call centres or in your own private office. Sometimes you might even need to skip your meals and some sleepless nights in order to meet the deadlines of your assignments.  This poses physical stress, which if   prolonged, can cause the body to produce too much cortisol which can play a role in craving "comfort" foods, overeating, feeling fatigued, and storing excess body fat.

Roles of cortisol in the body
Cortisol is often linked closely to stress, but in reality it holds several essential functions in the body. The adrenal glands release cortisol to assist in the regulation of blood pressure, the immune system and many other roles. Simply speaking, cortisol is beneficial in low quantities but high cortisol levels may result in an increase of abdominal fat or weight gain, which contribute to heart attacks, strokes and can raise the amount of bad cholesterol and reduce the production of good cholesterol in the body as well.
Moreover, excessive amount of cortisol may reduce bone density, contributing to osteoporosis and deprivation of muscle masses, and in turn decelerate one metabolic rate. It also may accelerate the blood pressure together with other problems.

Can stress cause weight gain?
Every individual responses differently to stress; some will release more cortisol to a specific situation of stress while others do not affected. In addition, high levels of cortisol often cause the affected individual to eat more food, especially carbohydrates. And this eventually will cause weight gain.
In order to prevent your body from releasing excess amount of cortisol, you must find a suitable some way to help you relax and also try to change your lifestyle or learn to live a healthy lifestyle.
                                 

                                          

Exercising, mediation, yoga, or breathing will help to relax your body and mind.

To be continued...