The number one reason

Melatonin hormone gets your body ready to sleep. It starts shutting down the internal organs one by one leaving some of them awake for the night. The process begins four hours after sunset, well before the first wave of sleep hitting the body which is 11 pm.

If melatonin is the sleep hormone then the opposite of melatonin is insulin which is the day hormone or the energy hormone. Insulin pushes excess blood sugar into the cells so that it can be converted into energy. This process roughly begins in the morning during sunrise where the first rays of sun resets the circadian rhythm of the body. This reset of body clock also helps you to sleep better.

The first organ in the body that melatonin shuts down is pancreas which secretes insulin. So imagine after you eat a meal and there is less insulin in your body what is going to happen. The glucose in your blood cannot enter the cells. The liver then recalls this extra glucose and converts it into visceral fat. Not to mention, sleeping with high blood sugar levels in your body. So during your sleep time when you are supposed to burn body fat, it goes the other way round.

Melatonin also puts other things to sleep, like your digestive system and metabolic system.

If you are having any kind of meal at 9 pm, this is bad news for you. But if you are an Indian then the situation is even worse.

Indians are managing to put on belly fat with wild nights

We cannot pin point the exact time when we transitioned, but today Indians plan virtually everything late into the night. The big fat wedding goes late into the night. A friends or family get together again goes late into the night. Heck even regular dinners go late into the night. Women are specially at the receiving end because they are supposed to wait for the male members to finish their dinner and then make the most of their turn. Having dinner at 7 pm is unimaginable.

A difficult but possible remedy

We as women must need to first explain the bad effects of eating late meals. The toll is heavy especially on children who have to sleep early so that they can go to school in the morning. Insufficient sleep for school going children will affect their concentration in school. Studies will make them tired.

To set the body hunger clock of every member in the family, encourage the practise of getting up early and going out to see the sun. This will help with early dinner.

If things are under your control then start will dinner at 7 pm. This will be the most significant life changing moment ever.

The post The number one reason for belly fat and how Indians do it beautifully first appeared on Healthy life with Manju Mohan.

Protein synthesis is a complex mechanism of our body. All the protein which we eat is digested and broken down into amino acids and then rebuilt into protein. For each protein molecule, you require a string of different types of amino acids. This is called amino acid profile. Foods like eggs, red meat, poultry, dairy and fermented dairy contain all the nine essential amino acids which cannot be made by the body and has to be taken from food. That is why these foods are called whole protein foods. In case of vegetarians, you have to combine various foods to get the complete profile. Best example in this is sambar which is a mix of dals and vegetables and gives a complete protein profile.

How to build that beautiful hair

This is a fight on several fronts. It is also going to be a lifelong thing, so be ready for a lifestyle change. The number one protein destroyer is stress. Cortisol is released by stress and if you are in chronic stressful situation throughout the day then till the time you don’t take care of stress you can say good bye to good hair and better weight management. Stress has to potential to take down all the efforts you put in your hair combined together.

Cover your hair

While going out cover your hair with something. If you are going to be out for extended period of time, always plan for a headgear. It can be a cap or hat or even a scarf will do. Same applies while taking a shower. Do not wash hair so frequently. Plan for a wash and choose a shampoo which is of good quality. Do not go for cheap products. Tap water is worst for hair. Make sure you install a fluoride filter within the shower-head.

It is a good idea to tie your hair in a knot or bun if you are going to spend time outdoors. Flowing hair in the wind is only good for the influencers and reel makers.

Mind what you apply to your hair and scalp

We have born with the concept of applying hair oil of one particular brand. But if it is refined oil, stop applying it to your hair immediately. Use a serum instead. Here are a few alternatives and remedies to apply to your hair.

Green tea, Rosemary oil and onion juice have ability to suppress a particular protein which interferes with hair growth. Apply these to your scalp regularly. In fact you have apply rosemary oil to your hair and leave it overnight.

Apple cider vinegar creates an acidic environment on the scalp which helps certain bacteria to grow which enhances your hair. It also gives that good lustre. But remember to dilute apple cider vinegar with water, else it will burn your scalp.

The food guide

Protein synthesis needs trace minerals like Iron, Zinc, Magnesium, Cobalt, etc. The best way to ensure that you are getting enough of trace minerals is to follow the healthy version of keto diet which caters for such requirements on a daily basis. In fact keto diet is the only diet which ensure food is the source of all essential vitamins and minerals.

Zinc is an important mineral which promotes hair growth. Red meat and dark chocolate is the best source of zinc. If you are able to eat oysters then go for it. Else even eggs can do.

Women get high levels of estrogen during menstruation, which is why you shall have noticeable hair loss during periods. Cruciferous vegetables like gobi, muli, shalajam and broccoli regulates estrogen.

Deficiency of Vitamin B will lead to hair loss and among other things like anxiety, fatigue, depression and fear. The best way to get instant relief is taking unfortified nutritional yeast.

Unchecked thyroid levels also lead to hair loss. The most critical part of thyroid is the T4 to T3 conversion which involves iodine and selenium. At the same time you should be careful of certain foods which destroy the liver, fructose, refined oils, ethanol, preservatives in processed food and so on. Another food which helps in iodine is sea kelp. You can get it in powder form from online sources. Sea kelp is also a good source of selenium and so is Brazilian nuts which are gaining popularity these days.

Finally just like all muscles and tissues, Vitamin D is crucial for healthy hair. Get up in the morning with the sunrise and let the first rays of the sun soak your skin. Go out for a walk at least for half an hour after sunrise and follow it up with suryanamaskar.

Gut bacteria is an important source of biotin made within the body. Eating the wrong food end up killing the good bacteria in your gut. A prolonged fast like the one Indian women do on Ekadashi gives a chance to reset the gut bacteria. But you should do the traditional version of ekdashi fasting which prohibits everything except water. Once the fast is over, you can take healthy fermented products like curd, yoghurt and paneer.

There are two things that directly affect protein synthesis, smoking and drinking any kind of alcohol. Smoking in fact dries and discolours your hair along with skin too.

Take care of stress

All the above steps which you take to get healthy hair will get undone by just one factor, stress. Cortisol will also directly interfere with protein synthesis. Cortisol is a catabolic hormone which means the one which breaks down things inside your body.

The morning walk during sunrise is a good stress burster. Every evening you should start a de-stressing routine of your choice. Reading a book, playing with pet, dancing to music, family time, playing a musical instrument and so on. Start this routine at 6pm in the evening and finish off your dinner by 8pm so that you can catch with the first wave of deep sleep.

The nature of stressful conditions is that you cannot run away from it. Accept whatever comes your way, but evening time has to be yours.

The post Take care of your hair by eating the right food first appeared on Healthy life with Manju Mohan.

Three levels of mind

Sigmund Fred proposed the model of three levels of mind to explain deeper levels of information processing.

Conscious mind defines all the actions we do while being aware of the surroundings. Like reading this article is a conscious decision.

Subconscious mind controls all action which we have become used to. While reading this article, the scrolling action by your finger is done by the subconscious mind while the conscious mind is busy reading the article and assimilating the facts.

Unconscious mind contains all our memories. What’s interesting about unconscious mind is that some memories are sharp and crisp as they happened yesterday, while at times you struggle to remember others. Scientists believe that the memories are there. It is only your ability to recollect them which is a problem. Humans has always experimented how to get access to those memories with limited success.

Subconscious mind is the bridge between conscious and unconscious. Mind is bombarded with lot of data every second. It is the subconscious mind which filters out relevant information to send it to the unconscious mind. It is the job of subconscious mind to retrieve memories and create patterns. These patterns become a template for your actions. It is your subconscious mind guiding you. If you read motivational quotes, it is your subconscious mind which creates a positive thinking pattern for you.

Subconscious mind is also the book keeper, your accountant. It has memorized all your wishes and desires, your comfort zones. Whatever you feed you subconscious mind, it creates cozy and relaxing patterns for you.

Why are habits difficult to break

The moment you try to do anything different from an established pattern, subconscious mind will cause you discomfort. It is a warning system that you have deviated from a set pattern. If you feel fear or heightened alertness, it is part of you subconscious. If you have been partying the whole semester and all of a sudden with exams coming closer, you wakeup with a bad dream and a churning feeling in the gut. That is the subconscious mind. Doing something new is venturing into uncharted territory which your mind does not like. Fear is a natural reaction.

There is however a certain type of people around whom we call achievers. They seemingly do super human things. That is because they are able to push themselves out of their comfort zone. They are the same people who as students will party throughout the semester and still score top marks.

But what about the remaining majority like you and me. We are driven by a burning desire to do something. Unfortunately the mind cannot distinguish between the desire to do right or wrong. In such a situation we need an external force to correct our direction. This can be your friend, mentor, guide or soulmate, a person with whom you can confide with anything without being judged. Only such a person can push you in the right direction by taking over the task of your subconscious mind.

Eating the wrong food is a subconscious thing

You enter into a comfort zone by choosing which foods gratify your mind the maximum. Eventually you get addicted to those foods only. Nutrition takes a back seat. A metabolic consultant becomes your guide. It is the program of the guide which will take you out of your comfort zone. It will break those burning desires into bits and replace them with purpose and aim. A client places his or her trust in the metabolic consultant and then it becomes easy to accept instructions. There is no fear.

How does your soulmate build up confidence in you? Because he takes away your fears. Once we have faith, we are sure of the outcome.

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