Creamy Enchilada Casserole with Spaghetti Squash

Veggies are the star of this creamy healthy enchilada casserole with chicken and spaghetti! Eat as is or use to fill tortillas for a tasty handheld version!

Are you familiar with food guides such as the USDA’s Choose My Plate,  The Plate Method from the Canadian Diabetes Association, or Canada’s Food Guide? In theory, I’m totally onboard with these concepts. The main idea is to fill half your plate with veggies, a quarter with a meat or alternative, and the other quarter with a grain or starch alternative.

This is fine if you are a traditional meat and potatoes type of person and eat segmented meals.

I am not.

As you can see from browsing the recipes on Smart Nutrition, I’m more of a casserole, stew, soup, one pot type of girl.

For the most part, I wouldn’t worry too much about whether half your stew is made up of veggies or not. Try to choose recipes that are primarily plant-based and you’ll be fine. But if you want to check out how some of your go-to favourite recipes compare for food groups, check out EaTracker. On this website, you can enter in the ingredients for your recipes and the software will analyze how many servings of each food group are in each portion.

As an example, here’s the data for this Creamy Enchilada Casserole with Spaghetti Squash:

• Fruits and Veggies: 1.5
• Grains and Alternatives: 0
• Dairy and Alternatives: 0.4
• Meat and Alternatives: 0.6

Neat, eh? Or is that just nerdy fun for a Dietitian?

Why It’s A Smart Choice

Surveys consistently show that most people do not consume enough fruits and vegetables. This survey from Stats Canada conducted in 2014 reveals that less than 40% of the population across all ages and genders eat a minimum of 5 servings a day! In my province only 31% of people make the minimum.

This recipe swaps out tortillas (a grain choice) for spaghetti squash (a veggie choice). This instantly boosts your total veggie intake for the day!

I’m definitely not anti-grain though! Use the leftovers to fill tortilla wraps for a convenient lunch!

If you give this recipe a go, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or snap a photo and tag it with #smartnutritionrecipes on Instagram!  I’d love to see your creations! Knowing someone has enjoyed one of my recipes always makes my day brighter. 

Creamy Enchilada Casserole with Spaghetti Squash

Print Recipe

A complete meal in one dish! Each portion has 1.5 servings of veggies.

Prep Time:30 mins

Cook Time:1 hr 20 mins

Total Time:2 hrs

Ingredients

• 1 medium-large spaghetti squash
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 cup cream cheese softened
• 1 cup salsa
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp chili powder
• ¾ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp cumin
• 1 red pepper chopped
• 1 ½ cups of cooked black beans OR 1 can of black beans drained and rinsed
• 2 cups of cooked and diced chicken I used a rotisserie chicken
• 1 cup frozen corn defrosted
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Slice the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and stringy bits.

• Place cut side down in a 9×13 pan. Fill to about ½ inch with water. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a knife can easily slide all the way through. Using a fork, scrape out the strands from the peel.

• Heat the oil over medium low in a frying pan. Add the onion. Saute until soft. Add the garlic and saute another minute.

• These two steps can be done a day ahead so that the recipe comes together faster.

• In a large bowl, whisk together the softened cream cheese, salsa, eggs, chili powder, salt, and cumin.

• Add in the red pepper, black beans, diced chicken, corn, onion mixture, and spaghetti squash strands.

• Spread even in the 9×13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Turn oven to broil and bake for another 5 minutes, or until the cheese bubbles and starts to turn brown.

Course: dinner

Cuisine: TexMex

Servings: 8 servings

Author: Jessica Penner

Calories: 289, Fat: 18.5g, Carbs: 16g, Fibre: 3g, Sugar: 3g, Protein: 16.5

Love spaghetti squash? Here’s another recipe!

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source https://betterweightloss.info/creamy-enchilada-casserole-with-spaghetti-squash/

The United States Defeated in Afghanistan, Hekmatyar

Former Afghan Prime Minister Hezb-e-Islami Afghanistan chief Engineer Gulbuddin Hekmatyar has said that the United States defeated in Afghanistan, the United States has no option but to leave Afghanistan. Speaking at the Institute of Policy Studies in Islamabad, Engineer Gulbuddin Hekmatyar said…

 

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Enjoy a handful of nuts a day for good health

So many people think eating healthy means they need to cut some
foods, especially desserts, out of their diet. 
But I am a big advocate of adding healthier foods to your diet.  I like my desserts and I am not cutting them
out of my diet.  But I also have a very
healthy diet.  One can add some very
simple healthy habits to their day and start to eat healthier.  One very easy way to eat healthier is to add
a handful of nuts to your day.  Why a
handful?  Because you don’t want to eat
the entire can and a handful provides a lot of nutrients without piling on the
calories.  I always tell the students in
my class that Dr. Oz recommends a handful of nuts a day for good health. What
is so healthy about eating some nuts every day?

• Healthy fats
  – yes, nuts have fat in them.  But the different
  fats in nuts are heart healthy fats.  Nuts
  provide the good omega-3 fats but are low in the saturated fats that are linked
  to heart disease.  In fact, the Mayo
  Clinic notes: “Eating nuts as part of a healthy diet may be good for your
  heart.” Some ways nuts help your heart:

• Lowers your bad LDL cholesterol – this is the cholesterol
  that can build up in your arteries
• Lowers inflammation risk that is linked to heart
  disease
• Reduces your risk of developing blood clots
• Fiber – so many Americans have diets low
  in fiber.  Nuts are a good source of
  fiber.  Fiber is also good for your heart
  as fiber helps lower cholesterol.  And
  fiber may help prevent Type 2 diabetes as it helps you fill full.
• Type 2 diabetes – nuts won’t raise your blood
  sugar levels.  A study
  of 117 people with type 2 diabetes looked at study participants eating 2 ounces
  of nuts or a healthy muffin.  After 3
  months, those who ate the nuts had better blood glucose levels and less LDL cholesterol. 
• Vitamin E – good for many things but one is
  helping keep your arteries
  free of the plaque build up that can lead to blocked arteries and heart disease
  or a heart attack.
  
• Protein – although not a complete
  protein, nuts are a good source of protein.
  
• Magnesium
  – Like fiber, many Americans have diets low in the mineral, magnesium. Almonds,
  cashews and peanuts are especially rich in magnesium.  Peanut butter is also a good source of
  magnesium. 
  
• Weight – some
  people think nuts are fattening.  However,
  studies have found that eating nuts is not linked with weight gain.   Maybe
  because the fiber in the nuts helps us to fill full.  Others even say, the “crunch” in nuts gives
  us a feeling of fullness. 

Which nuts are the healthiest?  All can contribute to your health. If you
enjoy mixed nuts, have a handful of those. If you enjoy peanuts, then eat
peanuts.  I always liked almonds, until I
broke a tooth eating them so I now eat walnuts or peanuts.  Sprinkle some chopped walnuts on your morning
cereal or on some yogurt.  Sprinkle some
chopped walnuts on your salad.  For some
great ideas of how to add walnuts to your day and some recipes using walnuts, visit
walnuts.org. 

Enjoy a handful of nuts a day for good health.

Sources:  fats
, study
, arteries,
Magnesium
, Weight ,
walnuts.org , walnuts.org  Image sources:  Mixed
nuts , Handful
of nuts , crisp

Apple
Walnut Crisp  (adapted from recipe on walnuts.org)

•  4 cups apples, peeled and chopped
•  2 Tablespoons brown sugar 
  
• 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoons nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping

• 2/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped
•  ¾ cup rolled oats
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
•  2 Tablespoons maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
Grease an 8-inch baking pan with canola or sunflower oil.  Combine all filling ingredients in a large
bowl.  Stir until apples are completely and
evenly coated.  Pour apple filling into
prepared baking pan and spread into an even layer.  Combine topping ingredients in a medium bowl
and mix until crumbles form.  Spoon
topping mix on top of apple mixture evenly distributed.  Bake 45 minutes or until the top is a deep
golden brown and juices begin to thicken. 
Serve warm over ice cream, yogurt or on its own. 

 

 

 

 

source https://betterweightloss.info/enjoy-a-handful-of-nuts-a-day-for-good-health/

Infections and Nutrition – A Clear Link!

Without proper nutrition, some infections are not easily fought off by the immune system. So, how might we combat these infections with adequate nutrition? The following will highlight some of the nutritional tools we have to assist in the reduction of infection: Fruit and Vegetables These dietary…

 

source https://betterweightloss.info/infections-and-nutrition-a-clear-link/

Post-birth control recovery essentials

If you recently stopped taking hormonal birth control and are now experiencing acne, mood swings, or digestive issues, and your period seems to come and go with no respect for any sort of schedule whatsoever — possibly for the first…The post Post-birth control recovery essentials appeared first…

 

source https://betterweightloss.info/post-birth-control-recovery-essentials/

What is Creatine, and Why Take It?

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Creatine is stored in the muscles
and used to produce energy

 For athletes who do short, intense bursts of activity, creatine supplements can help provide more quick energy to working muscles.

What is creatine and what does it do?

The proteins you eat and the proteins in your body (like your muscles and organs) are composed of amino acids – the so-called “building blocks” of protein. Creatine is one of those amino acids. Your body naturally produces some creatine, but most people get additional creatine from animal proteins like meat and seafood.

Creatine is stored in your muscles, where it is used to produce energy as part of a compound called phosphocreatine (PCr). The PCr energy system in the body is very specific – PCr helps provide energy during the first few seconds of intense exercise, such as when a runner first darts away from a starting gate, or when a bodybuilder first hefts a heavy barbell. In fact, the muscles only store enough PCr for about 10 seconds of high-intensity activity. For this reason, athletes who are looking to improve their power in short duration, high-intensity exercises are the ones who are most interested in enhancing their body stores of creatine.

How much creatine is needed, and how is it used?

Most athletes use supplemental creatine to help increase levels of PCr in muscle. The goal is to support muscular contractions and, therefore, muscle strength. Creatine monohydrate is considered the most effective form of supplemental creatine.

The body naturally produces about one gram of creatine a day, and a typical mixed diet supplies another gram or two. With these two sources combined, it’s estimated that muscle creatine stores are only about 60 to 80% saturated, which means that supplements could boost levels by anywhere from 20 to 40%.

Many people start by supplementing with a daily dose of 4 to 5 grams of creatine, while others like to begin with a loading dose of 20 to 25 grams daily, divided into four doses, for 5 to 7 days. Once creatine stores are saturated, they can be maintained with 4 to 5 grams per day in most people, although heavily muscled athletes may need more. The muscles retain more creatine when it’s taken with carbohydrates alone or with a combination of carbohydrates and protein, so it’s a good idea to take it with food.

What are the side effects of taking creatine supplements?

The only consistently reported side effect from creatine supplementation is mild water retention – and therefore, some temporary weight gain. Strength athletes who want to look as lean and “cut” as much as possible may object to the effects of fluid retention on their appearance, but it is usually more noticeable during the loading phase and tends to subside. On the upside, the extra bit of fluid within cells can help athletes regulate their body temperature more effectively while exercising in the heat. Other than that, creatine supplementation is considered safe. According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition, short and long-term supplementation (up to 30 g per day for 5 years) is safe and well-tolerated in healthy people.

 

source https://betterweightloss.info/what-is-creatine-and-why-take-it/

Drinking Water During Workout – Indian Weight Loss Blog

Should you or not!

We all get thirsty while doing any physical activity, especially in a hot climate or while doing a very intense work out.

Here we try to answer some questions about Drinking Water During Workout.

• Is it advisable to drink water during our workout?

• If yes, how much water should one drink?
• When should one drink water when on a working out routine?

I remember when I joined gym for the first time during summer break while I was in engineering second year( seems like ages before :P). The trainer said not to drink water during workout. When I look back now, I realise that he showcased water loss during workout as weight loss n fools like me believed it!

Drinking water during workout depends on a lot of factors – the intensity and duration of your workout, temperature etc. All these factors govern how much fluid/water you lose during workout.

Is Drinking Water During Workout good for body ?

It is recommended to drink small to moderate quantity of fluid during a workout. This will help you to keep going. If you are working out, you need to know how to drink water effectively to prevent dehydration. Water is essential while working out because it helps to release toxins from your muscles. Your muscles can be dehydrated and start cramping if you don’t drink enough water.

How much water and when ?

You shouldn’t wait to drink water until you start working out.Ideally you should have water three times –

Before Exercise

Waiting to drink water just before workout is a blunder! Its because the water that time that you drink won’t be effective.You need to be well hydrated before workout. So,drink water two to three hours before workout to hydrate your body properly. This gives your body ample amount of time to get hydrated and prepare for a workout. When you start sweating after a couple of minutes, the water comes from what you drank before workout.

During Exercise

As you sweat, the reserve of water that you drank before workout gets exhausted. Make sure that you drink about 8 ounces of water for every 10 minutes that you work out. You need not take a water break every 10 minutes , you can just keep sipping as and when you get an opportunity ! Avoid taking huge gulps of water, though, and avoid taking in too much water during a single break.

After Exercise

When you finish working out, your body still needs water to replenish the amount of water that you lost during your exercise. Make sure that your muscles heal by staying hydrated later on.

So, drink water to your heart’s content. You will protect your body and especially muscles from dehydration by drinking water.

Will you start Drinking Water During Workout now ?

You may also like reading –

 

source https://betterweightloss.info/drinking-water-during-workout-indian-weight-loss-blog/

Yogurt – a great health food

Yogurt was so popular for many years.  And rightly so as it is a very healthy food to
add to your diet.  However, in the past
year or so, my husband has noted the shelf space for yogurt is getting less and
less.  And the flavors we used to love
are getting harder to find.  This means
the popularity of yogurt is waning but this is not good news for people’s
health.  Not only does yogurt provide a
good source of calcium, it also provides vitamin D, a vitamin so many Americans
are low in.  Recently I was talking to a
health care professional and she stated how many of her patients are deficient
in vitamin D.  Guess those patients aren’t
drinking cow’s milk, eating yogurt and going outside.  Yogurt also provides an excellent quality protein.

Consumer Reports has an excellent article on yogurts. 

Why is yogurt so healthy?

• Calcium – Children and adults need bone-building
  calcium every day.  Easy to do if you
  drink milk at meals or have some real cow’s milk yogurt in place of a glass of
  milk.  Recently, students in my class
  kept 24-hour diet recalls.  They wrote
  down everything they ate or drank for 24 hours. 
  It is always amazing to see the number of students who have no dairy in
  their diets at all.  Guaranteed their
  diets are low in calcium (and low in vitamin D).  Kids 4-8 years need 1,000 mg of calcium a
  day, teenagers 1300 mg a day and adults about 1,000 mg a day.  Yogurt packs in the calcium
  as 8 ounces of yogurt provides over 400 mg of calcium.   Most
  yogurts aren’t in 8-ounce containers but 6 ounces or less.  We try to buy yogurt in at least 6-ounce
  containers, as I want all the calcium I can get from yogurt.
• Vitamin D – like cow’s milk, most yogurts
  are fortified with vitamin D.  We need about
  600 IU a day of D.  An 8-ounce serving of
  yogurt provides from 115 to 127 international
  units.  But check the nutrition label
  as some yogurts provide zero vitamin D.
• Protein – most people know meat
  provides protein.  But did you know that
  cow’s milk yogurt provides a higher quality protein than meat?  The 2 proteins
  in cow’s milk yogurt, casein and whey, are very high-quality proteins.  Muscle builders often buy protein powders
  containing casein and/or whey?  Why?  Because these are 2 proteins of excellent
  quality.  But plant-based yogurts do not
  provide high quality proteins, so choose real yogurt made from cow’s milk, not
  fake milk. To boost the protein in his breakfast, my husband eats yogurt at
  breakfast every day.   

Real yogurt provides a high quality protein.

 

• Probiotics – yogurt provides
  healthy bacteria called probiotics.  Two bacterial
  strains often found in yogurt are Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus
  thermophilus.  One would think bacteria
  are bad.  But not these bacteria.  One thing these bacteria do is convert some of
  the lactose, the natural “sugar” in yogurt to lactic acid.  So many people who are lactose intolerant,
  like some of my relatives, can tolerate eating some yogurt without any GI
  upset.  The healthy bacteria in yogurt
  help populate your GI tract with healthy bacteria.  Some yogurts are now not telling you what probiotics
  are in their yogurt. Not sure why, but I avoid buying those yogurt brands.

Yogurt provides healthy probiotics.

Why do some people call yogurt a “superfood”?

Consumer
Reports quotes Debbie Petitpain, MS, RD, the wellness director at the
Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, as saying: “In its simplest
form, dairy yogurt is almost a ‘superfood’”. 
(Note – she said “dairy yogurt” which means it is made from cow’s milk,
not the plant-based yogurts made from fake milk.) 

• Blood pressure – Yogurt – can help lower
  blood pressure.  Real cow’s milk yogurt is
  high in potassium, and low in sodium. 
  Not only that, but the protein in yogurt helps regulate blood
  pressure.  A study in 2018 found that
  people who ate yogurt 5-6 times a week had a cut in their high blood pressure
  risk by 16%.
• Type 2 diabetes – Eating some yogurt everyday
  can lower one’s risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 14-26%.
  
• Weight loss, weight control – WebMD
  states:  “Adding yogurt to your diet may
  rev up your body’s fat-burning engines, speed weight loss, trim your tummy…”  Guess I need to boost my yogurt intake as people
  in the study ate yogurt 3 times a day.  I
  get at least one serving of yogurt a day. 
  The other good news, is those who lost weight retained their muscle mass
  by eating real yogurt.  Not surprising
  since real yogurt is high in protein and as stated above, real yogurt provides high-quality
  proteins.
• Less inflammation – studies
  have found that “yogurt is associated with decreased inflammation.”   Probably because of the probiotics in
  yogurt. 

Avoid plant-based yogurts

I always encourage students in my nutrition classes to add
yogurt to their diet as yogurt is such a healthy food and so many students have
diets lacking in calcium and vitamin D. 
One student came up to me after class to say she added yogurt to her daily
diet.  I was so pleased but then she said
she added almond milk yogurt.  My heart
sank.  At the time, I didn’t even know you
could buy yogurt made with fake milk.  I
knew there was almond milk but now almond milk yogurt?  Consumer Reports explains why plant-based
yogurts aren’t the best choice.  One reason
customers choose the fake milk yogurts is that they actually think fake milk yogurt
is healthier, but not true.  Many fake milk
yogurts are low in protein and the protein in the fake milk yogurts is not the
high-quality protein in yogurt made from cow’s milk.  Calcium is often lower in fake milk yogurts. Nutrients
like potassium and vitamin B-2 are missing in most plant-based yogurts.  If you do choose a plant-based yogurt, choose
one made from soy milk.  Soy milk and yogurts
made from soy milk are recognized by USDA as “dairy” but none of the other plant-based
yogurts are. 

If you haven’t had yogurt in a while, try some this
week.  If you don’t like a flavor you
try, try another flavor, another brand. 
I like lime and lemon yogurts.  I
put some real whipping cream on top and it is like eating a dessert.  A student was eating yogurt before my nutrition
class started.  She cringed at every
spoonful.  I asked her if something was
wrong.  She said she was trying to eat
some yogurt as I had recommended but she couldn’t stand the taste.  Right away, other students in the class offered
recommendations on good tasting yogurts. 
The next class she came in with a flavored yogurt she liked. This week,
boost your nutrition with some yogurt superfood (but real yogurt, not fake
yogurt.)

Sources:  yogurts
, bone-building
calcium , calcium
, international
units , proteins
, Consumer
Reports , WebMD,
studies
 Image sources:  type
2 diabetes , protein
, probiotics 

 

source https://betterweightloss.info/yogurt-a-great-health-food/

7 days Indian Diet Plan for High Uric Acid and Gout (What to Eat and Avoid to reduce it)

Last Updated on October 18, 2020 | RD, Payal Banka (Registered Dietitian) Leave a Comment

7 days of Indian Diet Plan for High Uric Acid. Uric acid is a natural waste product from the digestion of foods that contain purines. Purines are found mostly in high levels in protein-rich foods such as poultry, meat, beans, and eggs. Normally our body filters out uric acid through your kidneys in urine. Overconsumption of uric acid or failure to excrete from the body increases the blood uric acid levels. A high uric acid level is known as hyperuricemia. This can lead to a disease called gout that causes painful joints that accumulate urate crystals. Here is a food list of What to eat and avoid to reduce the high uric acid levels.

Reasons for high uric acid in your body

• High Purine Diet
• Genetics
• Obesity
• Stress
• Certain metabolic disorders
• Other reasons

How to reduce the uric acid levels in the body? (Simple Tips )

You can limit purine-rich foods like meat, seafood, and vegetables. All of these foods have uric acid as an end product of digestion. Avoid vegetables like cauliflower, green peas, dried beans, and mushrooms. this 7 days Indian Diet Plan for High Uric Acid will really help.  Also, see more details on How to reduce Uric acid levels naturally.

Fructose is a natural sugar found in fruit and honey. When the body breaks down fructose, purines are released. And the breakdown of purines produces uric acid. Within minutes after you drink high fructose corn syrup or fruit juice or sweetened soda, the uric acid levels rise. the list of fruits to avoid is mentioned below. Unlike in diabetes, when you have high uric acid levels, fruits should not be consumed as a separate snack. Rather a small portion should be consumed with your meal. (Research)

With excess insulin circulating in the blood it leads to excess sugar deposition in the body. Insulin also directly leads to excess uric acid in the blood. This can happen in conditions like pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Also, excess sugar intake leads to excess insulin in the body. Along with insulin resistance, there is excess uric acid deposition in the blood. How to deal with hyperinsulinemia?

Uric acid is flushed out of the kidneys via the water we drink. You need at least 3 to 4 liters of water during the day to normalize your blood uric acid levels. Top 10 recipes of Infused water. 

When you consume alcohol, the kidneys will first flush out alcohol and then the uric acid along with other wastes. Thus, there is an accumulation of uric acid in the body. Some types of alcoholic drinks such as beer are also high in purines.

When you are overweight, the content of the fat cells in the body is more than muscle cells. These fat cells produce more uric acid. Along with your diet, extra pounds can raise uric acid levels. Thus losing weight lowers the uric acid levels in the body. Top 10 weight loss tips that can be used in day to day life. 

The fiber in the diet helps to avoid absorption and increases the excretion of excess uric acid. Include at least 5 – 6 servings of fruits and vegetables, whole grain cereals, sprouts, and nuts. Mediterranean diet plan. 

Excess stress increases uric acid levels in the blood. Practicing mindful techniques, yoga, breathing exercise helps keep you calm.

List of foods allowed in High Uric Acid/ List of Low Purine Foods :

Here is a list of foods allowed in high uric acid issues. You can use these foods in your Indian diet plan for high uric acid.

Foods that provide less than 100 mg of purine per 100 gms are considered to be low- purine foods.

• Whole grains:  Most whole grains including oats, brown rice, and jau (barley).
• Legumes: Most legumes are allowed in a low purine diet. Soybeans and tofu are moderate purine foods and can be taken in limitations. (Research)
• Nuts: All nuts and seeds.
• Fruits: Fruits that are low in fructose. ex- Apricot, musk melon, Raspberry, strawberries, blackberry, blueberry, grapefruit, pineapple, orange, plum, peach, as well as cherries. Cherries are especially helpful in lowering uric acid levels and reducing inflammation.
• Vegetables: Most vegetables are allowed. Research shows that high-purine vegetables do not trigger gout attacks (R1). However, if you ar a vegetarian and still have high uric acid levels, then check the vegetables mentioned below in the avoid column.
• Dairy products: All dairy products are safe (Research).
• Eggs
• Beverages: Coffee, tea, and green tea.
• Herbs and spices: All herbs and spices.
• Plant-based oils: Including canola, coconut, olive, and flax oils. Read – Best cooking oil for health.

To check the exact amount of purine a particular food provides, you can check this research.

List of foods to avoid in High Uric Acid/ List of High Purine Foods:

Here is a list of foods to avoid high uric acid issues. You can avoid these foods in your Indian diet plan for high uric acid.

Foods that provide more than 200 mg of purines per 100 grams are considered high purine foods.

• All organ meats: Brain, liver, kidneys, and sweetbreads.
• Game meats: Pheasant, veal, and venison
• Fish: Most fishes like Herring, trout, mackerel, tuna, sardines, as well as anchovies and haddock.
• Seafood: Scallops, crab, shrimp, and roe
• Cereals: Maida / refined flour and its products like cakes, bread, pastries, biscuits, and cookies. (Research)
• Fruits: High fructose fruits like kiwi, raisin, banana, grapes, mango, watermelon, apple, prunes, pear, dried dates, and dried figs.
• Vegetables –  Asparagus, Spinach, Mushrooms, broccoli, etc. They need not be completely eliminated, but use in restriction.
• Sugary beverages: Avoid fruit juices as fructose can increase the risk of developing gout. (Research) and sugary sodas
• Natural Sweetners: Honey, agave nectar, and corn syrup
• Yeasts: Nutritional yeast, brewer’s yeast, and other yeast supplements.

Many clients ask me about are tomatoes and cucumber allowed in uric acid? There is a common myth amongst people that any food that has seeds in it should be avoided in high uric acid or gout condition. However, this is not true. Tomatoes are allowed in your diet plan for high uric acid. But one must consume a homemade tomato preparation and avoid packaged ketchup, curries, and other sauces where there is a good chance of fructose normally added to the recipe.

7 days Indian Diet Plan for High Uric Acid

Here is a 7 days low uric acid diet plan. This Indian diet plan for high uric acid will help in reducing the elevated uric acid levels and reduce the risk of developing Gout.

Day 1: Indian diet plan for high uric acid

Time	Menu	Quantity
Empty Stomach	Jeera Water (Jeera soaked overnight in water)	1 glass
Breakfast	Tomato Oats Chilla	2 no. (small)
	Cucumber Raita	1 cup
	Musk melon	2 small slices
Mid-morning	Green Tea	1 cup
Lunch	Sprout Salad	1 cup (Sprouts 30 gms)
	Multigrain Chapati	2 no.
	Vegetable	1 cup
	Dal	½ cup
	Buttermilk	1 cup/ 1 glass
Snacks	Roasted Makhana	1 cup
Dinner	Dudhi Soup	1 cup
	Boiled Quinoa	¾ cup
	Sambar	1 cup
	Vegetable	1 cup
	Buttermilk/sol kadhi	1 glass
	( dairy items help in decreasing Uric acid)
Bedtime	Milk (no sugar)	1 cup

 

Day 2: Indian diet plan for high uric acid

Time	Menu	Quantity
Empty Stomach	Cinnamon tea	1 Cup
Breakfast	Plain Paratha	1 Medium Size
	Paneer Bhurji with vegetable	½ cup
	strawberry	1-2
Midmorning	Roasted or soaked  Nuts	2 Almonds, 2 walnut halves
Lunch	Veggie Salad	1 cup
	Jowar Roti	1 no. (medium size)
	Leafy Vegetable	1 cup
	Moong dal	½ cup
	Buttermilk	1 cup/ 1 glass
Snacks	Almond milk	1 cup
Dinner	Bottlegourd raita	1 cup
	Chapati	2 no. medium
	Green Leafy Vegetable	1 cup
Bed time	Buttermilk	1 glass

 

Day 3: Indian diet plan for high uric acid

Time	Menu	Quantity
Empty Stomach	Soaked Methi with warm water	1 teaspoon soaked at night in 1/2 cup water
Breakfast	Vegetable Vermicelli Upma	1 cup
	Orange	2-3 slice
Midmorning	Lemongrass mint concoction	1 cup
Lunch	Veggie Salad	1 cup
	Chapati	2 no.
	Vegetable	1 cup
	Curd/ Buttermilk	1 cup/ 1 glass
Snacks	Sukha Bhel	1 cup
	Bottlegourd ginger juice	1 glass
Dinner	Mix Vegetable Salad	1 cup
	Bajra Roti	1 no. (medium size)
	Vegetable	1 cup
Bed time	Milk	1 cup

 

Day 4: Indian diet plan for high uric acid

Time	Menu	Quantity
Empty Stomach	Soaked Sabja seeds with water	1 teaspoon seeds + 1 glass water
Breakfast	Vegetable / egg Paratha	1 no.
	Curd	1 cup
Midmorning	Nuts (Almonds + Walnuts + Pumpkin Seeds	15 grams
Lunch	Mix Vegetable Salad	1 cup
	Chapati	2 no.
	Dudhi Vegetable	1 cup
	Masoor dal	½ cup
	Buttermilk	1 glass
Snacks	wheat khakhra	1 – 2
	curd	1 cup
Dinner	Tomato soup	1 cup
	Brown rice pulao	1 Cup
	Curd	1 cup
Bedtime	Buttermilk	1 Glass

 

Day 5: Indian diet plan for high uric acid

Time	Menu	Quantity
Empty Stomach	Dudhi juice	1 glass
Breakfast	Poha	1 cup
	Green Tea	1 cup
	Musk melon	2 slices
Midmorning	soaked almonds	8 pieces
Lunch	Exotic Salad (Bell peppers + zucchini + broccoli + lettuce)	1 cup
	Jowar Roti	2 no. small
	Vegetable	1 cup
	Sprout Curd raita	1 cup
Snacks	Oats  and Milk Smoothie	1 glass
Dinner	Green Salad	1 cup
	Vegetable Khcihdi	1 cup
	Kadhi	1 cup
	Vegetable	1 cup
Bed time	Buttermilk	1 Glass

 

Day 6: Indian diet plan for high uric acid

Time	Menu	Quantity
Empty Stomach	Soaked overnight chia seeds water	½ teaspoon Chia seeds in 1 cup water
Breakfast	Moong dal dosa	2 – 3 no. (small)/ 1 Big
	Green chutney	2 tablespooons
	berries/cherries	handful
Midmorning	Lemon mint juice (no sugar)	1 glass
Lunch	Cucumber tomato  Salad	1 cup
	Chapati	2 no.medium
	Green Leafy Vegetable	1 cup
Snacks	Roasted Makhana	1 cup
	Cinnamon Tea	1 cup
Dinner	Curd basil dip	¼ cup
	Vegetable Zoodles	1 cup
	Potato Patty	1 no.
	Grilled Exotic Vegetables	1 cup
Bedtime	Buttermilk	1 glass

 

Day 7: Indian diet plan for high uric acid

Time	Menu	Quantity
Empty Stomach	Detox Juice	1 glass
	(Spinach/ cucumber/ ginger/ chia seeds/ cinnamon powder)
Breakfast	Daliya with milk	1 cup
Midmorning	Roasted Almonds and walnuts	8 – 10 no.
	Green Tea	1 cup
Lunch	Paneer Vegetable Salad	1 cup
	Bajra Roti	1 no. (medium size)
	Green Vegetable	1 cup
	Masoor Dal	1 cup
Snacks	Sweet Potato and spinach patty	2 small
	Green Chutney	2 tablespoons
Dinner	Dudhi Tomato Soup	1 cup
	Multigrain Chapati	2 no. medium
	Green Leafy Vegetable	1 cup
Bedtime	Masala Milk	1 cup

 

EndNote:

Keep a list of foods on your shopping list that you should eat. Proper guidance from the professional keeps your life hassle-free. Hope our 7 days Indian Diet Plan for High Uric Acid helps you in attaining good health and reducing the uric acid levels in the blood.

 

source https://betterweightloss.info/7-days-indian-diet-plan-for-high-uric-acid-and-gout-what-to-eat-and-avoid-to-reduce-it/

The Role of Nitrogen Balance in Building Muscle

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Consume enough calories to tip
nitrogen balance in your favor

Proteins – both the ones you eat and the ones in your body (like your muscle tissue) – are made up of building blocks called amino acids, which contain nitrogen.

In order to build muscle, it’s important to balance the protein you eat with the protein your body naturally loses every day in order to reach your goals.

Where does nitrogen in the body come from?

Nitrogen comes from the proteins you eat. When you eat proteins such as meats, eggs or beans, they are broken down during digestion into individual amino acids which can be used by the body to make other body proteins. The structure of all amino acids includes an “amino group” which is the portion of the amino acid that contains nitrogen and supplies nitrogen to the body.

What does nitrogen balance mean?

Every day, nitrogen comes into your body from the proteins in your diet and is lost naturally in waste from your urinary and digestive tracts, sweating and shedding of hair or skin cells.

Nitrogen balance refers to the balance between the nitrogen coming into the body and the nitrogen that is being lost. When you are in nitrogen balance, it means that the amount of nitrogen going in and the amount that is leaving the body are roughly the same. Most healthy adults are in nitrogen equilibrium, which means that the amount of protein they are taking in is enough to maintain and repair body proteins. Any excess nitrogen is simply excreted from the body.

But this balance can be tipped. When someone is in negative nitrogen balance, it means that more nitrogen is leaving the body than is coming in. Therefore, the body is losing protein and does not have adequate nitrogen to build and repair cells and tissues. This may happen when someone suffers serious burns or injuries, but it can also happen on extreme diets where calories, protein or both are in very short supply. Without enough calories or protein to keep the body functioning properly, the body may be forced to break down its own protein sources for fuel (such as your muscle).

On the other hand, there are instances where you can be in positive nitrogen balance. In these situations, the body is growing in some way, so it is retaining more nitrogen than it is losing. A pregnant woman, a growing child or someone who is gaining muscle mass would all be in positive nitrogen balance. When the body is in positive nitrogen balance, the body is retaining nitrogen so it can use it to build and repair tissues, such as muscle, or to manufacture other important body proteins such as hormones.

Muscle Development and Nitrogen Balance

For individuals who are aiming to build muscle mass through a combination of strength training and proper diet, adequate protein is necessary to encourage muscle repair and growth. For strength athletes, protein needs have been estimated to be about 1.5 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (one kilogram = 2.2 pounds). So, for an 80 kg (175 pound) athlete, 120 to 160 grams of protein per day would be recommended.1

Ensuring you get enough protein is only part of the story, though. It’s also important that you spread your protein intake over the course of the day and consume the best types of protein to maximize muscle protein synthesis. Ideally, protein intake should be distributed evenly over meals and snacks, and special attention should be paid to getting adequate protein immediately after training. After a workout, dairy protein sources such as whey and casein are suggested, since they are rich sources of branched chain amino acids – a particular group of amino acids that stimulate muscle growth and recovery* after a workout.

It’s also important to consume enough calories in order to tip nitrogen balance in your favor. Sometimes an athlete may cut too many calories in order to quickly build muscle and lose fat at the same time. But when calories are cut too much, some of the protein that is being eaten might be used for fuel, rather than to build and repair muscle. Rather than “burning the candle at both ends”, it’s important to take in a balanced diet that also provides enough carbs and fats for fuel, so that protein can be used to build lean mass and help you achieve your goals.

1Thomas DT et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc 48:543, 2016.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

 

source https://betterweightloss.info/the-role-of-nitrogen-balance-in-building-muscle/