Fitness Secrets - Diet and Health

Watch before you eat: They maybe healthy or delicious, but these top 10 foods carry a high risk of contamination 1. EGGS One of the healthiest foods is also among the most unsafe. The salmonella bacteria, nurtured in the intestinal tracts of animals and birds, contaminates the eggs. The best way to ensure you don’t ingest that bacteria is to buy fresh eggs from a daily vendor. Do not buy ones that have been sitting in the heat for a while. Store eggs in the fridge, but no more than a week. If in doubt, test freshness by placing an egg in a bowl filled with water. If it sinks, it is fresh. Always cook the eggs and avoid using them raw in a recipe. 2. LEAFY GREENS Though they boast of immeasurable benefits, leafy veggies such as spinach, coriander, cabbage, chauli leaves and cauliflower can pose health risks. They may have been grown near rail tracks with dubious irrigation, and can be contaminated by E. coli, norovirus and salmonella. Sprayed by pesticides, the best way to eat such veg...

Men and women as young as 19-years-old are falling prey to heart ailments. Their stress filled lifestyle is the culprit, say doctors Acute mental stress is one of the primary reasons for heart problems in youngsters Be it heart attacks or clogging of arteries, what is surprising is the emergence of a new profile of people between 25 - 35 years with heart conditions, typically seen in an older age group. Dr C N Manjunath, Director of Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology, says, “Youngsters in India are more vulnerable to heart problems as compared to youngsters from other countries including the US. And this holds true even for Indians who live abroad. In our hospital alone, out of the 1500 cases that were admitted last year, 25 per cent were below 40. Our youngest patient last year was a 19-year-old. And it is happening in this age group across economic backgrounds, be it a techie or a coolie or a garment factory worker. Acute mental stress is one of the predominant reasons.” WAKE UP CA...

Five factor diet plan Katy Perry’s trimmer than ever ahead of her wedding, thanks to Harley Pasternak. The US trainer explains how you too can eat more, work out less and get your dream body Katy Perry Pop star Katy Perry may like to wear cream cakes, but from the looks of her enviable figure, she certainly hasn’t been eating them. In fact, the 25-year-old has embarked on a strict diet ahead of her upcoming wedding to the tamed lothario Russell Brand, 35. The pair are set to tie the knot in India this October. And Katy’s keen to look picture perfect on her big day, so she’s turned to the one man that — Hollywood’s leading ladies swear by — Harley Pasternak. “She’s getting in shape for everything — wedding, music videos, touring, etc,” says trainer Harley. Singer Katy Perry’s eating plan is an example of how you might want to structure your own diet to increase your chances of losing weight in one month “She works out as often as she can — she’s a busy woman — but her goal is five times...

Even those oh-so-slim celebs over-indulge to beat stress, boredom and depression. Here are their secret Hollywood diet tips to help whisk away evidence of those extra helpings of, well, everything 41-year-old Jennifer Aniston owes her svelte figure to healthy diet A IS FOR... All-new Atkins Diet A decade ago, the no carb/high protein Atkins was the most popular diet in Hollywood, with celebrity followers including Jennifer Aniston and Renee Zellweger. The theory is if carbohydrates are restricted the body turns to fat to burn as its main energy source, resulting in a rapid and dramatic weight loss. But its popularity dived after heart disease and high-cholesterol scares. But now Atkins is back, new and improved and with more varied foods (wholegrain bread, brown rice, pasta, fruit grilled chicken, lean meats and fish) on the menu. B IS FOR... Baby food Reese Witherspoon believes in baby food to keep her trim. Yes, A-listers such as Reese Witherspoon and Desperate Housewives...

"I love my sleep and get cranky if I don’t doze off for eight to nine hours every day. And I suffer from sleepwalking. It began at the age of six. I remember my parents telling me that I kept circling the dining table holding my pillow, dazedly. Thereafter it became a regular occurrence — I walked in my sleep twice or thrice a week", Says Sameera Reddy • Unwelcome habit I’d have no memory of my nocturnal adventures though my family and friends had a rollicking time narrating them. Apparently, I used to have long conversations, at times even shout out loud. These conversations weren’t gibberish, but clear dialogue about a subject. Also there wasn’t any fixed time for my sleepwalking. It could be within a few minutes of hitting the sack or an hour or two. It would last from a few seconds to 30 minutes. I’d wake up, walk around and talk, then snap out of it and get back to bed! There were occasions when I sleep-walked about six times in a night! When these stints became more fre...