How many meals one should have daily?

Healthy eating and healthy living revolves around having sufficient balanced diet. 

But how many meals should you have per day? Healthy eating is a key component of weight loss and muscle building for those who want to maintain a healthy weight. Our strength and conditioning expert, Arnav Sarkar lays out the benefits of three meals versus six meals. He also tells you when you should have three meals and six meals for optimal health benefits.

As per popular belief "going more than three hours without eating anything would lead to a drop in energy levels, loss of lean muscle tissue, increased fat storing, etc," says Arnav. Hence it was always important to eat every three hours. So, three good meals in a day is a good option since fasting experts reveal that six meals is responsible for body fat and poor hormones.

"One of the major claims for three meals a day being better for fat loss is that it helps to keep insulin and blood sugar levels low and thus bodyfat is lower. In my personal opinion, however, this is where most people make a major mistake. They do not take the total caloric intake into calculation," explains Arnav.

Arnav Sarkar elaborates the benefits of eating 3 meals a day:

Easy to follow in the long term - All offices, schools and colleges give people time to have breakfast, lunch and dinner — meals that you can eat at home. There are also those who do not feel like eating first thing in the morning, and generally do not feel like eating till lunch. If this is the case, then do keep in mind that breakfast does not have be eaten immediately upon waking up. You can eat your breakfast even a couple of hours after waking up. So no need to miss breakfast altogether.

Allows you to eat bigger meals - This is where six meals a day becomes a problem for those who love to eat big and are trying to lose weight. Six small meals never make one mentally feel like they have eaten a meal, they always feel that they are snacking, and thus mentally are always craving for a meal.

Teaches you to control hunger better - In most cases, eating six times a day tends to make one eat more, since they tend to mentally crave food every 2-3 hours whether they are actually hungry or not. So when they decide to eat only three times a day, they slowly start to control their hunger better as they now go longer without food and develop better mental control.

Arnav Sarkar elaborates the benefits of eating 6 meals a day:

Ideal for eating a lot of calories - If you need to eat a lot of calories to gain weight or because you are an athlete who burns a lot of calories, then frequent meals is ideal for you.

Great to follow when trying to consume high amounts of protein - Our bodies were not designed to be able to digest 70-80 gms or more of protein in one meal easily. It's always best for most people to keep protein to about 15-40 gms at each serving, and maybe a bit more for really big guys who exercise a lot.

Great to follow when trying to consume large amounts of carbs.

Helps avoid drops in energy/sugar levels - Some people truly cannot go on for more than 3-4 hours without eating anything and still be able to perform well. For these people, smaller frequent servings work well and help to keep their energy/sugar levels stable.

Arnav has chalked out and elaborated the importance of three meals and six meals; it is up to you to decide what are your needs and which meal will supplement it.

Read more Personal Health, Diet & Fitness stories on www.healthmeup.com

Is Soy Bad For You or Good?

Soy is one of the largest cultivated crops in the US and used as the main protein source by most vegetarians or vegans. There seems to be a lot of confusion whether soy is good for your health or not. For decades the mainstream media has been telling us how healthy soy products are. But have those million dollar campaigns tricked us into believing something that’s not true?
Well the answers is YES. Soy is not healthy. It causes major health problems and its production is destroying our planet. There are hundreds of research studies linking soy to malnutrition, allergic reactions, thyroid disorders, immune issues, digestive disorders, infertility, cancer, and heart diseases.

So if you think soy is a health food, just like I thought, then you have been the victim of smart marketing campaigns over the past years.

But What About Asian People? They Eat Tons Of Soy And Are In Good Health.

We all assume Asian people eat tons of soy, and since they are thin and in good health, soy must be the super-food the media claims it to be. Or is this just an illusion?

To be honest I have been to Asia a few times and they are not the big soy-eaters we think they are. Soy based foods are served as a condiment and never as a main meal or replacement for animal protein. And another big difference, all their soy products are fermented in contrary to what you get on your plate in the West.

Soy’s History

Originally soy was an inedible plant used as a rotating crop to fix nitrogen in the soil. Ancient Asian people were aware that soy contained many toxins (such as saponines, goitrogens, hemagglutinin, oxalates, phytates, protease, estrogens, etc.), making it unsafe for consumption. Only after discovering that soy’s toxins could be neutralized through fermentation they started to use fermented soy products in small amounts for cooking.
The soy industry made massive investments in marketing campaigns, and that’s how unfermented and overly processed soy products like soymilk, tofu, soy cheese, burgers, and ice cream ended up on our kitchen tables.
So in contrary to what we think, Asians do not use soy (as we know it) as their main source of protein and all soy is fermented.

The Hidden Dangers Of Soy

Our western market is flooded with unfermented soy products that we should avoid at all cost. Before going into detail about the risks, I want to share with you my personal experience with soy.
3 years ago I decided to eat less meat, and soy became my main source of protein. After 2 months all my breast glands where painfully swollen, my hormones were a total mess, and they found calcifications in both breasts. These calcifications can be the onset for breast cancer. Luckily it didn’t come so far, but the thought scared the hell out of me. I stopped all soy intake and everything went back to normal in less than a week or 2.

Health Risk Of Soy Products

Although soybeans are complete proteins with moderate amounts of fat and considered a good alternative for animal protein, these 8 reasons will definitely change your mind, if my personal story didn’t give you enough proof to stay as far as possible from unfermented soy like tofu, edamame, soy milk and soy burger.

1.      Estrogen-like Phytochemicals

Soybeans contain phytoestrogens, which act like natural estrogen and can seriously mess up your hormones. And not only women are affected. Men, children and newborns as well.
For men, raised estrogen levels mess up testosterone levels and may cause infertility, low libido, low sperm count, man boobs, fat accumulation around the waist, energy loss, and it increases the risk of cancer (especially prostate cancer).
For women, raised estrogen levels cause estrogen dominance which is linked to infertility, disrupt endocrine system, menstrual issues, and increased risk of cancer (especially breast cancer).
Newborns who are consuming soy formula are daily consuming an amount of estrogens that equals the amount of 4 to 5 birth control pills! Your baby needs a balanced hormonal system for its normal development. Especially baby boys are affected. Too much estrogens can mess up the development of the testicles and other issues may appear when they grow older (lack of facial hair, prostate cancer, thyroid malfunctions, and emasculation).

2.      Affects Absorption Of Essential Minerals And Vitamins

Soy has very high levels of phytic acids. These inhibit the absorption of essential minerals like zinc, calcium, magnesium, iron and copper. Soy also contains protease inhibitors, which block the function of important enzymes necessary for the digestion of proteins.
Eating soy regularly will increase your body’s need for vitamin D and B12. People who often eat soy make their B12 deficiency much worse. And that is bad news for the vegetarians and vegans who are already at higher risk of vitamin B12 deficiency. Just as with the estrogens, soy contains vitamin B12-like compounds that can’t be used by our body.

3.      Thyroid Disruptor

Soy contains high levels of goitogens. These compounds slow down thyroid function and disturb the thyroids ability to use iodine. This can lead to hypothyroidism, or and under-performing thyroid gland. Especially women are at risk.
Goitrogens can also be found in cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kale, cabbage), but in smaller amounts and these are removed when vegetables are cooked, which is not the case for soy-products.

4.      Free Glutamic Acid (MSG)

MSG is potentially neurotoxic and is formed during the processing of soybeans. And if that isn’t bad enough, they add more to mask soy’s natural bad flavor. MSG can change the normal activity of the nervous system and damage nerve tissue.

5.      High Levels Of Aluminum

MSGs are not the only thing found in final soy products. When soybeans are processed they are washed with acids in aluminum tanks. During the process high levels of aluminum end up in the final product.

6.      Almost All Soy Is GMO

More than 80% of all soy grown in the US is genetically modified to make the plants resistant to a toxic herbicide (Roundup). GM soy has often been associated with allergies and an increased risk of infertility.

7.      Not A Good Alternative For Celiac and Gluten Intolerant People

Although soy does not contain gluten, its lectins can damage your intestines and prevent your gut from healing.

8.      Not Good For our Planet

And soy is not only wreaking havoc on our bodies, it is ruining our planet and poisoning our livestock as well. Actually they see the same issues appearing in animals that are fed with soy.
And one last thing, soy is a very destructive crop. It depletes the soil from its essential nutrients and the crops are heavenly sprayed and processed afterwards.

Take-home message

Personally I don’t eat any soy products anymore since all the trouble it caused in my body. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have it either. Keep in mind only fermented (preferably traditionally fermented) soy in moderation is safe. Natto, miso, tempeh and fermented soy sauce are a few safe examples. Soy milk, tofu, edamame, soy burgers are definitely not a health food.
Make sure to read your food labels and watch out for phrases that contain the word soy. You will be surprised how many soy you are actually consuming. Even if you’re off tofu and soy milk. Almost all processed foods are packed with some form of soy.

This article taken from:
http://www.healthyandnaturalworld.com/is-soy-bad-for-you-or-good/

Milk Vs. Yogurt: Which is Healthier?

Since centuries it has been said that a person should have a glass of milk everyday. Health experts say that milk has many important nutrients which are good for growth and maintenance of the body. However, many people today have lactose intolerance, such people simply can't have milk and milk products. But, there is one milk product which seems healthier and easier to digest than milk itself. This product doesn't give a stomach upset to people with lactose intolerance. 

Here is a comparison between milk benefits and yogurt benefits:

Easier to digest than milk: Many people who cannot tolerate milk, either because of a protein allergy or lactose intolerance, can enjoy yogurt. The culturing process makes yogurt more digestible than milk. 



Contributes to colon health: There's a medical truism that states: "You're only as healthy as your colon." When eating yogurt, you care for your colon in two ways. First, yogurt contains lactobacteria, intestines-friendly bacterial cultures that foster a healthy colon, and even lower the risk of colon cancer. Secondly, yogurt is a rich source of calcium - a mineral that contributes to colon health and decreases the risk of colon cancer. Calcium discourages excess growth of the cells lining the colon



Improves the bio-availability of other nutrients: Culturing of yogurt increases the absorption of calcium and B-vitamins. The lactic acid in the yogurt aids in the digestion of the milk calcium, making it easier to absorb. 

Boost immunity: Researchers who studied 68 people who ate two cups of live-culture yogurt daily for three months found that these persons produced higher levels of immunity boosting interferon.

Aids healing after intestinal infections: Some viral and allergic gastrointestinal disorders injure the lining of the intestines, especially the cells that produce lactose.  

Decrease yeast infections: Research has shown that eating eight ounces of yogurt that contains live and active cultures daily reduces the amount of yeast colonies in the vagina and decreases the incidence of vaginal yeast infections. 

Rich source of calcium: An 8-ounce serving of most yogurts provides 450 mg. of calcium, one-half of a child's RDA and 30 to 40 percent of the adult RDA for calcium. Because the live-active cultures in yogurt increase the absorption of calcium, an 8-ounce serving of yogurt gets more calcium into the body than the same volume of milk can.  

Excellent source of protein: Plain yogurt contains around ten to fourteen grams of protein per eight ounces, which amounts to twenty percent of the daily protein requirement for most persons. 



Lowers cholesterol: There are a few studies that have shown that yogurt can reduce the blood cholesterol. This may be because the live cultures in yogurt can assimilate the cholesterol or because yogurt binds bile acids, (which has also been shown to lower cholesterol), or both.

Yogurt is a "grow food.": Two nutritional properties of yogurt may help children with intestinal absorption problems grow: the easier digestibility of the proteins and the fact that the lactic acid in yogurt increases the absorption of minerals.

Yogurt & Curd
There is a lot of confusion about yogurt and curd. These two milk items might seem similar, but are not. They are produced by two different methods. Curd is liquid milk, which gets transformed into solid form by adding an acidic substance to it like, lemon juice or vinegar. While yogurt is produced by adding live bacteria to milk and the lactose part gets metabolized. Also, yogurt is more liquid form, compared to curd.

Why Digestive System Doesn’t Function Properly: Reasons & Solutions

Your digestive system plays a major role in the overall health of your body. Digestive problems are particularly common in Western society and have become part of the daily routine of many of us, but in normal condition they are not supposed to appear at all. Too many people have become accustomed to living with digestive disorders such as abdominal pain and bloating, irritable bowel and constipation.

Here I would like to show you 5 factors that can affect your digestive system and cause it to function improperly. I will also suggest you solutions to overcome these factors:

1. Stress


You don’t need a doctor to know that stress plays a major role in the health of our gut. The biochemical changes that occur when we are stressed have significant and immediate impact on our gut function. When the brain feels very stressed, it releases  various hormones that cause changes to the digestive system in the short term, such as lack of appetite, heartburn, nausea, diarrhea and stomach pain. In the long term, prolonged stress can worsen chronic diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and heartburn.



It not only affects existing chronic diseases, but may also lead to the development of a variety of gastrointestinal diseases such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), peptic ulcer disease, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and even food allergies. Stress can cause inflammation of the gastrointestinal system, and makes you more susceptible to infection. A healthy lifestyle should include stress reduction techniques that will improve not only your digestive system, but your overall well-being.

2. Enzyme Deficiency

There are many factors that can affect your body’s ability to produce a high enough enzyme level to maintain good health. These can be: unhealthy diet, air pollution, emotional stress, lack of sleep and more. Enzyme deficiency is the root of many digestion problems in our society. Your digestive enzymes, which are mostly produced in your pancreas, help you break down the food into nutrients so that your body can absorb them. Enzyme deficiency results in poor digestion and poor nutrient absorption,  and this creates a variety of gastrointestinal problems, including: constipation, bloating, cramping and heartburn.

We get many enzymes from the foods we eat, especially raw foods that directly help with our digestive process. To maintain a healthy enzyme levels it’s important to eat raw foods that are enzyme-rich. Consuming them helps your body’s to produce its own enzymes and reduces the burden on your body to produce the enzymes it needs. In addition to raw foods, read my article how to make digestive enzyme detox smoothie which contains digestive enzymes that help to ease the burden of the complicated process of digestion.

3. Magnesium Deficiency

Magnesium deficiency causes, among many other things, constipation and digestive-related disorders. Your body uses this important mineral to aid in the digestion process. Without magnesium, your body cannot properly digest foods, as it activates enzymes that let the body digest and break down food into smaller pieces for energy, and it also works to produce and transport energy during digestion.

You may not get enough magnesium in your diet. Having the right amount of magnesium in your body is important to your digestive and overall health, so make sure to include magnesium-rich foods, such as dark green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, beans, lentils, avocados, bananas and dried fruits. Magnesium is also available as a supplement, but you should not take magnesium supplement without a physician’s approval as it can interfere with current medications that you take.

4. Intestinal Flora Imbalance

Our intestinal tract is full of various species of bacteria and yeasts that help digestion, kill harmful and pathogenic infections as well as helping to produce many vitamins and other chemical substances needed for our health.  These organisms that live in our intestines are called the intestinal flora. When the good or friendly flora are missing or in low concentration, it allows other harmful pathogens to multiply in the intestine. This affects the digestion of food, and can cause many other symptoms, since the pathogens create toxins that are absorbed into the body.

The causes for intestinal flora imbalance can be due to illnesses, improper diet, antibiotic use,  other medications, food chemicals and more. In these cases you may want to consider taking probiotics. You can refer in this matter to my article 9 reasons to take probiotics and why it’s so good for you. Or you can eat live-culture yogurt that often provides plenty of probiotics and is the simplest way to get them.  Make sure that the label states that it is live culture yogurt, as some companies pasteurize or kill the probiotic organisms after they have fermented the milk to make yogurt.

5. Heavy Metal Toxicity

The presence of toxic metals, such as too much mercury, aluminum, cadmium, arsenic, lead and nickel, has a damaging effect on the intestinal flora for some people. These metals flood the environment and can be found in cookware, household cleaners, cosmetics, air pollution, insecticides, herbicides and smoking that causes cadmium poisoning. They invade our body and cause or contribute to a long list of diseases.

To help fight heavy metal toxicity you can use clay to detox your body, or consume foods rich in pectin fibers (such as apples). Those fibers bind cholesterol and heavy metals to cleanse blood and intestines. Cilantro or coriander also aids our body to get rid of mercury and other heavy metals that end up in our bloodstream. Also chlorophyll rich-foods are food in this case. Chlorophyll is the green color in green leaves ,fruits and veges. It is not just a pigment, it connects with the toxins and free radicals and turns them into neutral materials. Studies have shown that chlorophyll helps in cleaning heavy metals that tend to accumulate in our body in different places, and has anti cancer properties, that specifically affect the liver. Read more about it in my article how to detoxify your body using chlorophyll. Also the green algae chlorella has been shown to help remove heavy metals, such as cadmium and mercury, pesticides and industrial pollutants from the body, thus helping to detoxify it. You can find more information in my article how to boost your health by eating seaweeds and algae. You can also prepare herbal infusion from red clover blossoms that also cleanse heavy metals and chemical toxicity, include those caused by the use of drugs.

Source of article:
http://www.healthyandnaturalworld.com/reasons-your-digestive-system-doesnt-function-properly/