Author Archives: Lily Kiswani

About Lily Kiswani

I am an Integrative medicine practitioner. I transitioned into Integrative medicine after three decades of Gynecology practice and Endoscopic surgery. I was the first female Laparoscopic surgeon in India. I have co-authored a textbook, Endoscopic Gynecologic Surgery, available on Amazon. Now, after all these years, with the realisation that I can help people regain their lost health, I find myself inordinately excited and blessed to have this opportunity.

Protein requirement chart

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Protein is an essential component of a healthy balanced diet. When aiming for weight loss, for those are very active, for women who may be pregnant or lactating, the requirement is higher, often considerably higher.

It is very challenging to meet the need through a vegetarian diet, though, and supplementation may be the only answer. How do you know if you need supplementation?

Check out the chart below to see how much protein you should be eating each day. If you don’t see your weight, just use this formula to calculate your daily protein: Your weight in kilograms, multiplied by 0.8 (not very active), 1.3 (active or pregnant), or 1.8 (extremely active), depending on how much exercise you get.

Weight (kg)

 Protein per day (not very active) Protein per day (active or pregnant) Protein per day (extremely active)
45.5 36.4 g 59.2 g 81.9 g
47.7 38.2 g 62 g 85.9 g
50 40 g 65 g 90 g
52.3 41.8 g 68 g 94.1 g
54.5 43.6 g 70.9 g 98.1 g
56.8 45.4 g 73.8 g 102.2 g
59.1 47.3 g 76.8 g 106.4 g
61.4 49.1 g 79.8 g 110.5 g
63.6 50.9 g 82.7 g 114.5 g
65.9 52.7 g 85.7 g 118.6 g
68.2 54.7 g 88.7 g 122.8 g
70.5 56.4 g 91.7 g 126.9 g
72.7 58.2 g 94.5 g 130.8 g
75 60 g 97.5 g 135 g

Based on these numbers, do you get enough protein per day? If not, consider supplementing with a high quality supplement. Your body will thank you.

To calculate – not estimate – how much protein you’re actually getting, it helps to use a food diary such as MyFitnessPal. It is only when we have accurate numbers about intake, can we take remedial measures.

So stay informed and stay healthy.

 

Our Thoughts …..doorways to illness or wellness – Guest post: Reshma Gulati

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Hi,

I am Reshma Gulati and I have been Dr Lily’s patient for 2 years ago. Her treatment helped me correct my physiological illness and given me new perspective towards life. I have re-invented my career as a CCA accredited Excellence & Wellness Coach & NLP Practitioner (certified by Dr. Richard Bandler). My life journey is from illness to wellness!!.

 

Our Thoughts …..doorways to illness or wellness

I would like to share my experience and the various studies shown how mere thoughts can generate various diseases in our body.

Studies show that happy people are less likely to experience chronic illness or pain. They also tend to live longer. Wow isn’t it great and yet so simple!!

On the other hand, people who worry, have a hard time dealing with stress, and/or have pent-up anger and other negative emotions, are more likely to have illnesses like high blood pressure, allergies, constipation, indigestion, and body pain( well the list is limitless)

Negative emotions, much like bad eating habits, upset the acid-base balance of the body. A highly acidic environment in the body leads to sickness. And unhappiness causes toxins to flow and brings up acid levels in the body. Yes, it is that bad. We can’t imagine how the heck something like being happy or worried can make such a huge impact on our health.

Since unexpressed anger and resentment in particular do not have emotional outlets, the body instead manifests these through illness. Often, we experience chronic respiratory allergy or back pain, hair fall, blood pressure either high or low actually it may not be due to you physical ailment at all the root cause may be some emotions which is stored needs outlet.

Well, but the good news is that people with illnesses if find ways to release their negative emotions in healthy ways find that their symptoms disappear almost instantly. Isn’t that amazing!!!

6 steps to release your negative emotions and welcome wellness in your life:

• Release anger in healthy ways. If you need to scream, scream. But do it privately. Screaming into a pillow is advisable especially when there are people outside the room.

You can also write a letter to the person who hurt you. Release all your anger in it. Afterwards, tear up or burn the letter. Do not send it to the person. Talk to the person only once you are calm and can express your feelings in a constructive manner.

• Forgive. As the saying goes, “Unforgiveness is like drinking a poison and waiting for the other person to die.” Once you forgive, you will feel lighter, as though you have just been unburdened of a heavy load.

• Understand that you have no control over everything. Control only what you can, and leave the rest to the universe. Trust that everything will work out for the best.

• Be grateful for the things you have now. Make it a point to think of at least one thing you are grateful for everyday. Express your gratitude towards it. This will put you in a positive frame of mind and bring good or better things to you.

• Do positive self-talk. Understanding that good food nourishes the body, feed your mind with positive thoughts. Do this everyday, believe, and be amazed with the results.

• Surround yourself with positive people. Talk with people who believe in you and encourage you. Minimize contact with people who make you feel negative or deplete your energy.


Reshma Gulati

Excellence & Wellness Coach
(certified coach through CCA)

Omega 3 and DHA

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Adapted from Adda Bjarnadottir, MS |

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Image courtesy fanaticcook.blogspot.com

DHA has many, many health benefits.

It is a part of every single cell in the body, is vital for the brain and is absolutely crucial during pregnancy and infancy. DHA makes up over 90% of the omega-3 fatty acids in the brain and up to 25% of its total fat content.

What is DHA?

DHA is a long-chain omega-3 fatty acid and is mainly found in seafood, such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring, shellfish, fish oils and some types of algae.

It can be synthesized from another plant-based omega-3 fatty acid called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), found in flaxseeds and walnuts. However, this process is very inefficient, and only 0.1–0.5% of ALA is converted into DHA in your body. What’s more, the conversion also relies on adequate levels of other vitamins and minerals, as well as the amount of omega-6 fatty acids in the diet. This is why a vegetarian source for DHA is inadequate.

How Does it Work?

DHA is mainly located in cell membranes, where it makes the membranes and gaps between cells more fluid. This makes it easier for cells to send and receive electrical signals, which is their way of communicating. Therefore, adequate levels of DHA seem to make it easier, quicker and more efficient for cells to communicate.

Low levels in the brain or eyes may slow the signaling between cells, resulting in poor eyesight or altered brain function.

Effects on the Brain

DHA is essential for brain and eye development. A deficiency in early life is linked to learning disabilities, ADHD and other disorders.

A DHA deficiency may disrupt brain function. Supplements may improve memory, learning and verbal fluency in the elderly.Low Levels are also linked to mental health conditions.

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Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia in older people. Low DHA levels are linked to an increased risk of developing memory complaints, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

DHA is important for vision and various functions inside the eye. A deficiency may cause vision problems in children.

Effects on Heart Health

Their intake can improve many risk factors for heart disease, including:

  • Triglycerides: Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids may reduce blood triglycerides by up to 30%.
  • Blood pressure: They may help reduce high blood pressure.
  • Cholesterol levels: They may lower total cholesterol and increase HDL cholesterol.
  • Endothelial function: DHA may protect against endothelial dysfunction, which is a leading driver of heart disease.

Other Health Benefits

DHA may also protect against the development of other diseases, including:

  • Arthritis: It reduces inflammation in the body and may alleviate the pain and inflammation in the joints of people with arthritis.
  • Cancer: It may make it more difficult for cancer cells to survive. It may also cause them to die via programmed cell death.
  • Asthma: It may reduce asthma symptoms, possibly by blocking mucus secretion and reducing allergic reaction.

DHA is Especially Important During Pregnancy, Lactation and Childhood

fetus

DHA is critical during the last months of pregnancy and early in a baby’s life.

Babies up to the age of two have a greater need for it than older children and adults. Their brains are growing rapidly, and need high amounts of DHA to form vital cell membrane structures in the brain and eyes. Therefore, DHA intake can dramatically affect brain development.

Animal studies show that DHA-deficient diets during pregnancy, lactation and weaning limit the supply to the infant’s brain to only about 20% of normal levels. Deficiency is associated with changes in brain function, including learning disabilities, changes in gene expression and impaired vision.

How Much DHA Do You Need?

Most guidelines for healthy adults recommend at least 250–500 mg of combined EPA and DHA per day.

Children up to the age of two may need 10–12 mg/kg of body weight, while older children may need up to 250 mg per day.

Pregnant or breastfeeding mothers are advised to get at least 200 mg of DHA, or 300–900 mg of combined EPA and DHA, per day.

People with mild memory complaints or cognitive impairments need 500–1,700 mg of DHA per day to improve brain function.

Vegetarians and vegans are often lacking in DHA and should consider taking microalgae supplements that contain DHA.

Possible  Adverse Effects

DHA supplements are usually well tolerated, even in large doses. However, omega-3s are generally anti-inflammatory and may thin the blood. If you are planning surgery, you should stop supplementing with omega-3 fatty acids a week or two beforehand.

TREATING DIABETES

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Your Diabetes didn’t just show up one fine day as Diabetes.

Your illness is your body trying to communicate to you that something is really wrong!

Your Diabetes is like a big, blinking NEON SIGN warning you – LOOK HERE. THERE’S SOMETHING WRONG HERE. This is a WARNING that there is an imbalance or a deficiency in your body that needs to be identified and serviced – just like that red, blinking light on your car’s dashboard when it too needs to be serviced.

In fact, your DIABETES once started as an imbalance or a deficiency which was left unidentified or untreated, and eventually progressed to DIABETES.

Now, here’s the big aha! moment:

Your DIABETES is being treated as a “symptom”. Meaning, the prescription medication, regular insulin injections, constant daily monitoring, etc. are all superficial treatments that treat the symptom itself, and mask the underlying cause which created the symptom, to begin with.

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And, if left untreated, without identifying the underlying imbalance or deficiency, your DIABETES will eventually progress into a disease more acute and damaging than the DIABETES itself. Such as heart disease. Or kidney disease.

The reason I’m clearing this up with you is so you can start to pay attention to these big, blinking NEON SIGNS.

  1. YOUR NUTRITION: Most of us are just throwing junk food into our bodies because we don’t have the time for anything else, or we’re driven by taste and convenience. But our bodies are paying the price.
  2. SLEEP: One day of inadequate sleep is more damaging than six months of inadequate diet.
  3. EXERCISE: Prolonged sitting – which we are all subject to at work – and couch potato-ism at home affects the body’s metabolism and leaves it unable to utilise glucose properly.
  4. STRESS: the stress hormones raise sugar levels. Chronic stress leads to chronically raised sugar levels.
  5. TOXINS: environmental pollution, food additives and even mental pollution damage your systems.

A systematic approach to all these factors, including mind body balance, is the only way the body can achieve balance and regain its lost health.

Natural Ways to Control Your Blood Sugar

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It’s Ramzan, time for fasting and also for feasting! Sadly, often time to gain weight!

What if you’re diabetic? Here’s how to eat and still control blood sugar levels.

1.Increase Your Fiber Intake

Try to include both soluble and insoluble fiber in your daily diet. Berries, nuts, vegetables and beans like rajma and chowli are a great way to slip in the fiber daily. Aim to include 40 to 50 grams of fiber in your daily regimen for every 1,000 calories you eat. You may want to start measuring the foods you eat each day until you are able to estimate how much fiber and carbohydrates you are eating.

2.Reduce Your Net Carbs

A low-net-carbohydrate diet reduces the stress on your body, reduces inflammation and reduces the amount insulin required to use the energy from the food you eat. You’ll want to reduce the number of net carbs you eat, for most people this ranges between 50 and 80 grams per day.This is calculated by taking the grams of carbs you’ve eaten and subtracting the number of grams of fiber. In this way a high-fiber diet also helps you to lower the amount of insulin you need to utilize your food for fuel.

3.High-Quality Fats

When you reduce your carbohydrates, what are you going to replace them with? Your best alternative is high quality, healthy fats necessary for heart health, feeding your brain and to modulate genetic regulation and prevent cancer. The idea that fats are bad for you, is OUTDATED.

Healthy fats include:

Avocados Coconut oil Organic butter from organic grass-fed milk
Organic raw nuts Olives and Olive oil Grass-fed meat
Organic pastured eggs Palm oil

4.Exercise

Exercise helps your cells become  sensitive to leptin. This reduces your potential resistance to insulin and therefore your risk of diabetes.

5.Hydration

When you become dehydrated, your liver will secrete a hormone that increases your blood sugar. As you hydrate blood sugar levels lower naturally.

Stay well hydrated by monitoring the color of your urine during the day. The color should be light yellow. Sometimes your first indication your body requires more water is the sensation of being hungry. Drink a large glass of water first and wait 20 minutes to determine if you’re really hungry or you were thirsty.

6.Reduce Your Stress

When you become stressed your body secretes cortisol and glucagon, both of which affect your blood sugar levels. Control your stress levels using exercise, meditation, yoga, prayer or relaxation techniques. These techniques may reduce your stress and correct insulin secretion problems. Combined with strategies that reduce your insulin resistance, you may help to prevent diabetes.

7.Sleep

Enough quality sleep is necessary to feel good and experience good health. Poor sleeping habits may reduce insulin sensitivity and promote weight gain.

Diabetes is not a sentence! It’s easily reversed.