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Do you know: Good nutrition will prevent 95% of all diseases.
Health trends- Health is not about the weight you lose, but about the life you gain!
Nutrition trends- Nutrition isn’t just about eating, it’s about learning to live!

Nutrition is a critical part of health and development. Better nutrition is related to improved infant,
child and maternal health, stronger immune systems, safer pregnancy and childbirth,
lower risk of non-communicable diseases (such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease), and longevity.

Nutrition and Health Importance: Nutrition is about eating healthy food and a balanced diet.
Food and drink provide the energy and nutrients you need to be healthy.

Healthy eating features a variety of health and nutritional trends now-a -days. Fad diets may promise fast results, but such diets limit your nutritional intake, can be unhealthy, and tend to fail in the long run.

An eating plan that helps manage your weight includes a variety of healthy foods. Add an array of colours to your plate and think of it as eating the rainbow. Dark, leafy greens, oranges, and tomatoes—even fresh herbs—are loaded with vitamins, fiber, and minerals. Avoid junk food and start a healthy diet. Adding frozen peppers, broccoli, or onions to stews and omelettes gives them a quick and convenient boost of colour and nutrients.

Please find below the diagrammatic representation of Healthy Eating Pyramid:

Below is the diagrammatic representation of how your plate should look like:

Nutrition and Heart Health:

According to various studies, there is an ​​intimate relationship between nutrition and CVD. The evidence favours consumption of healthy dietary patterns, such as the Mediterranean diet or DASH diet, against other unhealthy dietary patterns, such as the Western diet, based on a high consumption of salt, added sugars, and saturated and trans-fats.

Top 10 Foods important for Heart Health:
Although there is no one ‘magic’ food to lower our risk of developing heart disease, there is some evidence that some foods are important for heart health. These include:

Try these steps to reduce your risk of developing heart disease:

• Oily fish – such as mackerel, sardines, tuna and salmon which contain omega-3 fatty acids. This type of fat has been shown to decrease triglycerides (a type of fat) and increase HDL-cholesterol levels, improve blood vessel elasticity and thin the blood, making it less likely to clot and block blood flow.
• Some vegetable oils – such as corn, soy and safflower (which contain omega-6 fatty acids), and those containing omega-3 fatty acids (such as canola and olive oil). All of these can help to lower LDL cholesterol when used instead of saturated fats such as butter.
• Fruit and vegetables – fibre, potassium and other micronutrients (such as antioxidants) in fruit and vegetables offer protection against heart disease. They are also an important source of folate – which helps lower the blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine, which appears to be linked to an increased risk of heart disease.
• Wholegrains – a diet high in fibre from wholegrain cereals is linked to reduced LDL cholesterol and lowered heart disease risk. Foods with high levels of soluble fibre (for example, oats, legumes and barley) are great for lowering total cholesterol levels.
• Unrefined carbohydrate sources with a low glycaemic load – such as wholegrain breads and cereals, legumes, certain types of rice and pasta, and most fruits and vegetables also help to lower blood triglycerides and glucose (sugar) levels, help manage diabetes and reduce heart disease risk.
• Legumes, nuts and seeds – are good sources of plant proteins, fibre, healthy fats and micronutrients to help lower your cardiovascular risk.
• Tea – some research suggests antioxidants in tea can help prevent the build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries. They may also act as an anti-blood clotting agent and improve blood vessel dilation to allow increased blood flow.
• Foods containing vitamin E – some studies indicate that vitamin E acts as an antioxidant, helping to protect against LDL cholesterol.
• Sources of vitamin E include – avocados, dark green vegetables, vegetable oils and wholegrain products. Eat foods containing vitamin E rather than supplements, which have not been shown to have the same protective effects.
• Garlic – a compound in fresh garlic (called allicin) has been found to lower total and LDL cholesterol in the blood, thereby reducing the risk of heart disease.

How to reduce your risk of heart disease with healthy eating:
Healthy eating includes a variety of protein foods such as: seafood, lean meat, legumes (beans and peas), eggs, soy, nuts and seeds. Healthy eating should stay within your daily calorie needs.

Try these steps to reduce your risk of developing heart disease:

• Limit fried fast food and processed foods.
• Replace energy from saturated fats (such as butter, coconut oil and cream) with healthy unsaturated fats from seeds and plants (such as extra virgin olive oil, avocado, sunflower, canola, safflower, peanut, soybean and sesame) and foods such as nuts, seeds, avocado, olives and soy.
• Increase the amount and variety of plant foods – eat more vegetables, fruits and wholegrain cereals.
• Reduce intake of refined sources of carbohydrates with higher glycaemic indices (including foods with added sugars).
• Limit unprocessed red meats (such as beef, veal, mutton, lamb, pork, kangaroo, rabbit, and other game meats) to a maximum of 350 g (cooked weight) per week and avoid processed meat (such as sausages, ham, salami and prosciutto).
• Trim all visible fat from meat and remove skin from poultry.
• Eat legumes regularly – like baked beans (reduced salt), soybeans, lentils and tofu.
• Snack on a handful of raw, unsalted nuts on most days of the week (especially walnuts and almonds).
• Eat oily fish at least once per week.
• Reduce your salt intake – avoid packaged and processed foods, limit fast foods and salty foods. Replace salt at the table and in cooking, with herbs and spices for flavour.
• Check the sodium content of foods and choose the lowest sodium products.
• Check the sodium content of foods and choose the lowest sodium products.
• Check the sodium content of foods and choose the lowest sodium products.

Nutrition during Pregnancy:
Demand for nutritious diet is high during pregnancy. Extra food is required to meet the needs of the foetus and the pregnant women. In India, it is observed that diets of women belonging to the poorer groups are similar to non-pregnant and non-lactating women even during pregnancy and lactation. Maternal malnutrition leads to high prevalence of low birth weight infants and high maternal and infant mortality. Additional foods are required to improve the birth weight and to increase mother’s body fat deposits. Lactating women need more nutritious food for optimum milk output.

Top 10 ways of how to reduce weight effectively?

• Eat less fried foods.
• Eat more fruits and vegetables.
• Eat more fibre-rich food items like whole grains, grams and sprouts.
• Do regular exercise to keep the body weight within normal limits.
• Slow and steady reduction in body weight is advised.
• Severe fasting may lead to health hazards. Enjoy a variety of foods needed to balance your physical activity.
• Eat small meals regularly at frequent intervals.
• Cut down sugar, fatty foods and alcohol.
• Use low-fat milk.
• Weight reducing diet must be rich in protein and low in carbohydrates and fat.