It is necessary for one to maintain his body weight nowadays if they want to contain the many diseases that plague humankind. One must maintain his Body Mass Index that we discussed in the last topic. Therefore one must plan one’s food intake. The following calculation will make it easier to calculate ones calorie intake that will help to maintain one’s BMI.
It is found that calorie requirement of an individual is about 1600 Calories, not more, not less.
It is divided for various times as follows;
Breakfast 25 % --- 400 Cals.
Lunch 35% --- 560 Cals.
Evening Snacks 10% --- 160 Cals.
Dinner 30% --- 480 Cals.
We eat three kinds of food everyday. They are carbohydrates, Proteins and fats. These break down to give energy, which is measured in calories. If these calories are not spent then they accumulate in the body tissues and that is how one tends to put on more weight. The energy giving capacity of these three types of food are;
Carbohydrates --- 4 Cals / gm.
Proteins --- 4 Cals / gm
Fats --- 9 Cals / gm.
Food like rice, wheat and flour are sources of carbohydrates.
Food like Dals, soya and meat are sources of Proteins.
Food like Ghee, Butter, oils are sources of fats.
Vegetables and fruits contain fewer calories. They are sources of vitamins and minerals.
The food intake can be calculated as follows;
If one chapatti weighs 75 grams, it gives 75 calories energy.
100 gms of rice give 100 calories.
A gulab Jamun that weighs 50 grams gives 450 calories.
100 gms of vegetables or fruits give 30 – 40 calories only. Therefore more intakes of vegetables and fruits are preferred. Exceptions are potatoes (100 gms give 100 cals, Banana 100 cals.)
If one eats 4 chapattis and 200gms of vegetables, he gets 380 cals. A cup of Curd/Dahi made from toned (30 gms ) milk will give approximately 150 cals.
The calorie intake depends on one’s physical efforts. If one is doing strenuous physical work he may require more calories accordingly.
( The above information sourced from Dr. Bimal Chajjer’s SAAOL Foundation, New Delhi ).
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
BODY MASS INDEX (BMI)
If one is fat or not is determined by their Body Mass Index. The BMI is calculated by the following method.
Body Mass Index = Weight in Kgs / Sq. of (Height in Meters )
for Eg. Consider that the weight of a person is 70 Kgs and his height is 172 cms.
( i.e 1.72 Meters ). His Body Mass Index is :
BMI = 70 / (1.72 X 1.72) = 23.66
If the BMI is greater than 25 an individual is overweight and if it more than 30 he or she is obese.
Ideal BMI is between 20 and 25.
Body Mass Index = Weight in Kgs / Sq. of (Height in Meters )
for Eg. Consider that the weight of a person is 70 Kgs and his height is 172 cms.
( i.e 1.72 Meters ). His Body Mass Index is :
BMI = 70 / (1.72 X 1.72) = 23.66
If the BMI is greater than 25 an individual is overweight and if it more than 30 he or she is obese.
Ideal BMI is between 20 and 25.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
COMMON PROBLEMS IN TODAY'S WORLD
There are some problems in the world which affect the health of the people.
POLLUTION : Today’s environment is not the same what it was 25 years ago. That time it was not the same it was 50 years ago. Today there are more factories producing various goods. There are more vehicles on the roads. While one may argue that they have made life more comfortable, these have created their own problems also. Factories have contributed a great deal to air & water pollution, which have affected the quality of air we breathe and the water we consume. Vehicle exhausts have increased the level of toxicity in the air and affected our atmosphere. Affected parts are our lungs and respiratory system.
STRESS : Our work atmosphere has become more fast-paced and complicated thereby contributing to the stress, both physically and mentally. This stress has given rise to lot of health problems such as hypertension, heart disease, stroke, spondilytis, gastric disorders etc.
Stress is basically a resistance of our mind to something. Our expectations are many and if the happenings are different from our expectations we develop stress. Some amount of stress is actually good for us as it makes us to pursue something in life. But in today’s complicated world there are many stress producers. Stress can be tackled by meditation. Meditation is the single biggest remedy for stress. Other stress busters are change in lifestyle, walking, exercising etc.
Cacophony of noises through television also produces stress particularly in Children. Adults too can get affected by it in a passive way though they may not be watching children’s programmes.
IMPURE FARM OUTPUTS: Due to indiscriminate use of fertilizers and pesticides by some farmers the vegetables and fruits have high level of toxicity which when consumed can created disorders. Often we find colour variations in vegetables, their tastes etc. which are a result of pesticides/fertilizers misuse or overuse.
LACK OF GENERAL HYGIENE: People in some places do not follow hygiene. They throw garbage onto the roads. They spit, urinate and defecate at all places. Water is allowed to accumulate in open grounds which breed mosquitoes and other insects which cause deadly diseases. In some places the gutters and sewers are open causing bad breath and harmful bacteria that can spread many types of diseases.
VANISHING NATURE: Nature is being repeatedly abused instead of being preserved. Forests are destroyed to satisfy the greed of a few individuals. Animals are shot for their skins and their body parts again for money, thereby making some species extinct. All these play havoc with the cycle of nature. Trees in cities are felled to make way for roads, but not enough are planted to compensate their loss. Rivers are drying up causing water scarcity and killing aquatic life.
CHANGING SOCIAL ORDERS: There are a lot of things changing socially. There is materialism all around with money as the chief ambition in life. Joint family system is breaking down to give way for smaller families. The cases of divorces between husband and wife are increasing. Good age-old values are becoming obsolete and there are no takers for these values among today’s younger generation. It is as if people enter into this kind of life though they know that it spells doom for them. Violence and crimes are on the rise. People are self-centered and do not care for their neighbours or the fellow citizens. Drinking and drug abuse are on the rise and young are becoming victims of these vices.
One mention here has to be made about smoking. There has been such a widespread campaign against smoking that probably has reduced this phenomenon among the people. Otherwise smoking has lead to innumerable problems affecting health. Similarly successful campaign is the one against HIV and AIDS which did produce appreciable results.
POLLUTION : Today’s environment is not the same what it was 25 years ago. That time it was not the same it was 50 years ago. Today there are more factories producing various goods. There are more vehicles on the roads. While one may argue that they have made life more comfortable, these have created their own problems also. Factories have contributed a great deal to air & water pollution, which have affected the quality of air we breathe and the water we consume. Vehicle exhausts have increased the level of toxicity in the air and affected our atmosphere. Affected parts are our lungs and respiratory system.
STRESS : Our work atmosphere has become more fast-paced and complicated thereby contributing to the stress, both physically and mentally. This stress has given rise to lot of health problems such as hypertension, heart disease, stroke, spondilytis, gastric disorders etc.
Stress is basically a resistance of our mind to something. Our expectations are many and if the happenings are different from our expectations we develop stress. Some amount of stress is actually good for us as it makes us to pursue something in life. But in today’s complicated world there are many stress producers. Stress can be tackled by meditation. Meditation is the single biggest remedy for stress. Other stress busters are change in lifestyle, walking, exercising etc.
Cacophony of noises through television also produces stress particularly in Children. Adults too can get affected by it in a passive way though they may not be watching children’s programmes.
IMPURE FARM OUTPUTS: Due to indiscriminate use of fertilizers and pesticides by some farmers the vegetables and fruits have high level of toxicity which when consumed can created disorders. Often we find colour variations in vegetables, their tastes etc. which are a result of pesticides/fertilizers misuse or overuse.
LACK OF GENERAL HYGIENE: People in some places do not follow hygiene. They throw garbage onto the roads. They spit, urinate and defecate at all places. Water is allowed to accumulate in open grounds which breed mosquitoes and other insects which cause deadly diseases. In some places the gutters and sewers are open causing bad breath and harmful bacteria that can spread many types of diseases.
VANISHING NATURE: Nature is being repeatedly abused instead of being preserved. Forests are destroyed to satisfy the greed of a few individuals. Animals are shot for their skins and their body parts again for money, thereby making some species extinct. All these play havoc with the cycle of nature. Trees in cities are felled to make way for roads, but not enough are planted to compensate their loss. Rivers are drying up causing water scarcity and killing aquatic life.
CHANGING SOCIAL ORDERS: There are a lot of things changing socially. There is materialism all around with money as the chief ambition in life. Joint family system is breaking down to give way for smaller families. The cases of divorces between husband and wife are increasing. Good age-old values are becoming obsolete and there are no takers for these values among today’s younger generation. It is as if people enter into this kind of life though they know that it spells doom for them. Violence and crimes are on the rise. People are self-centered and do not care for their neighbours or the fellow citizens. Drinking and drug abuse are on the rise and young are becoming victims of these vices.
One mention here has to be made about smoking. There has been such a widespread campaign against smoking that probably has reduced this phenomenon among the people. Otherwise smoking has lead to innumerable problems affecting health. Similarly successful campaign is the one against HIV and AIDS which did produce appreciable results.
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