Herdaily helps you plan an ideal diet.

Pre Breakfast:
• 2 glasses of water, followed by one fruit.

Breakfast:
• 2 wholegrain tomato-cucumbers, brown bread toast/ a bowl of oats made with water and skimmed milk sweetened with 3 table spoons raisins or Oats.

Between Breakfast and Lunch:
• Three glass of water, if hungry, have a piece of fresh fruit / 20 Pistachio / seven almonds.

Lunch:
• 1 big bowl (250 ml cup) vegetable salad
• 1 big bowl cooked vegetable
• Grain option - 2 brown bread / 1 small bowl cooked brown rice/ 1 small bowl whole wheat pasta
• Protein option: 1 small bowl boiled sprouts/ 1 small bowl of any pulses/ 60 gm light tofu/ 1 bowl low fat yogurt/ 2-3 egg white/ 100 gm chicken breast/ 100 gm fish.

Snacks:
• One or two pieces of fresh fruit/ 4 pieces of any dried fruit/ 1 bowl boiled corn. Have at least five glasses of water between lunch and dinner.

Dinner:
• 1 big bowl of salad / 1 big bowl of vegetables or clear vegetable soup. No oil, butter, cream or milk, 1 portion of grain and 1 portion of protein as lunch.

Must Dos:
• No more than three teaspoons of oil for the whole day.
• Add 1 tablespoon of flax seeds every day. You can mix it in salads.
• Drink at least 2.5 to 3 litres of plain water daily, depending on your exercise levels.
• No fruit juices only fruits.
• Satisfy your sweet tooth with fruits and dried fruit. You can also have a bowl of yogurt with raisins or a 100 calorie of granola bar.
• Exercise daily for at least 40 minutes. Eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full.

Fish is generally a healthy protein choice for everyone.But specially concerning to pregnant women, a new research has found that at least 3 portion of fish a week reduces the risk of the children developing brain disorder.Women consuming seafood while pregnancy tends to boost their children's IQ and fish has proven to be the most beneficial diet out of them.

As per the researchers omega3 fatty acids found in fish known as docosahexaenoicacid is essential for the brain to function properly.

• Omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial for heart and those at high risk of cardiovascular disease.

• Research has shown that omega-3 fatty acids decrease risk of arrhythmias (abnormal heartbeats).

• It also decreases triglyceride levels, slow growth rate of atherosclerotic plaque, and lower blood pressure (slightly).

A balanced and a proper diet should be maintained during the time of pregnancy. But excess of it can harm your body.Go for a safe, low-mercury fish two times per week. Avoid tile fish, swordfish, king mackerel and shark as they contain very high level of mercury.

Some of the recommended fish for pregnant women are:

Haddock:Haddock is considered a mild fish. It has low levels of mercury. Haddock is one of the most popular types of fish commonly us. It is also high in vitamin B6, which is often given as a supplement with other vitamin medicines.

Salmon: Salmon contains a very low level of mercury. This is a red-fleshed and flavourful fish loved by mass. As recommended this can be enjoyed two times per week throughout pregnancy. If you are moving out for a lunch or dinner Salmon is a good choice.

Sardines: Sardines are an excellent source of calcium, which you'll need to support your bone health while and even after pregnant. This also prevents osteoporosis later in life which often occurs due to loss of calcium in women.
You can also go for Mackerel, Herring and lake Trout. They are mild fishes and they contain enough omega3 acids which will be helpful for your child.

Tilapia: If you dislike fish, you can try Tilapia. It is another white and a mild fish. It can be cooked with spices and savoury vegetables and will not give you the smell of fish.Tilapia is a good source of niacin, a vitamin that helps your baby's brain development.

Trout : This is a freshwater fish that is red in colour. If you are a starter of fish, try with this one. Enjoy it baked or grilled with a squeeze of lemon and a generous sprinkle of pepper.

Bless you and your child a healthy life.

Do you also love sleeping? Here comes a good news for you.According to a study,sleep increases memory power. A proper sleephelps to improve prospective memory which makes people remember things easily.
As per the study conducted by the researchers of Washington University, our brain is divided into two parts:

• One part stores the permanent information. These are the kind of information which never disappears from our memory or starts fading after a long time, for eg: names of our friends and relatives, school time experience, our much-loved outfits etc.

• Another part is the one which keeps the temporary information .This part of the memory is called prospective memory. Human beings uses the prospective memory to keep in mind the little things like taking medicine on time, wishing birthdays to their beloved ones, shopping small household things etc. People often tend to forget these kind of little day to day activities.

However, according to Michael Skoolin and Mc Daniel, whether it's a student flubbing multiple choice tests or a senior citizen confusing about his medications, a 6 to 8 hours sleep is needed for everyone.

Following are sometips you can follow:

• Try to maintain a noise-free sleep. Any sounds in your bedroom should be consistent and soft. If you can't do anything about the noise, try earplugs.

• Keep your room dark as the area of brain that controls sleep is close to the optic nerves and thus sensitive to light.

• Keep the room temperature cool but not too cold. The temperature of your body will fall while you sleep.

• Your mattress & pillow should be comfortable enough to keep your body relaxed while you are asleep. It should not be too soft or too hard.

• Do not keep televisions and computers in the bedroom. Reserve the bedroom for sleeping only.

Few more research has also been done earlier in Psychology about the relationship of sleep and memory but they all focussed on the retrospective memory. In this context, such kind of a study proves to be the best medicine for the people who hate to forget but love to sleep!!

Our generation is becoming diet conscious for fitness and that's really good but still we have a group of people who haven't successfully given up the junk food. We have a better reason to give up junk! You must know about heartburn and it can lead to more dangerous situation.

Fried snacks, a pizza or burger, spicy curries and lots of booze, can get that unbearable burning sensation in your chest hours later. That might be normal for you and you may get rid of it by using some home remedies and avoiding rich food for next two days. But have you ever thought of the worst condition? Acidity can lead to a far more serious condition called the Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) or acid reflux, a major digestive disorder.

Recurrent vomiting increased abdominal pressure due to obesity, hiatal hernia, smoking and most importantly reduced LES pressure gives rise to GERD. But over and above, faulty eating habits are the main culprit.

Want to save yourself from GERD? Modify your lifestyle:
• Avoid tight-fighting clothes after a meal or tightening trouser belts.
• Avoid vital activity soon after eating
• Avoid cigarettes and alcohol
• Avoid being on empty stomach or unhealthy snacking
• Try to maintain perfect weight
• Have light meals at night
• Chew properly and eat slowly
• Eat in a calm and stress free environment.
• Avoid irregular and hurried meals and those with high PH acid
• Drink plenty of water
• Practice upright position for at least 45 minutes after eating each meal to enhance digestion.

 Food to avoid:
• Avoid large fat-content meal especially before sleeping.
• Avoid high sugar content
• Avoid having too much chewing gums and mouth fresheners
• Reduce chocolate and caffeine consumption
• Avoid confectionery items, artificial sweeteners, processed food.

Do you exercise regularly? No! then start today. It's better to be late than never. As you save money for your retirement age, in the same manner exercising especially after 30's is like saving for your health for later stage of life. "The game isn't over, even if you haven't been active," said Dr. Angela Smith, past president of the American College of Sports Medicine. "Aerobic fitness, bone health, agility, you may be able to catch up. It's remarkable to see the things people can actually do."

If you are in your 40's and starting exercise now, you must know some important facts:

• You must see your doctor to estimate your ability to tolerate the type of exercise you are planning. You should not over do or stress out your body that may give rise to some difficulties.

• Kind of clothing during workout is also an important deciding factor. Clothing won't make you work out harder or a better athlete but if you are comfortable while working out you may workout longer!

• Choose a proper and relaxed environment for the workout.

• Most of the time women complain that they miss out daily workout routine because they don't have time. That's just an excuse. Remember you are doing exercise to keep yourself active and fit not for any championship. Just devote a regular 20 - 30 minutes and you are done.

• If you are not the gym person, at least try to go for a jog or fast walk in the nearest park. Yoga and Pilates are great at this age as they are not strenuous.

Women who begin an exercise program over 40 reap the benefits of lower cholesterol, lower risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Exercise after 40 is the best reason you'll live longer. Dr. Wojtek Chodzko-Zajko, of the University of Illinois hinks people should revisit their routines just as they do their retirement investments. Chodzko-Zajko urges people to find the activity that makes sense to them. "Even walking the dog or spending time outside. Adopt active choices. Be active in your own way."

After a heavy lunch do you start yawning and feel lazy? It generally happens with most of us. All thanks to modern lifestyle which always keeps us busy and no time for proper rest and healthy timely meal. At work, all around you will notice people sipping coffee and tea just to avoid their tiredness.Let's check out the reason of your laziness:

Lack of sleep: we generally bring home our work and say good bye to our sleep. Or you are busy with television till mid night. Lack of proper sleep is one of the big reasons of your tiredness during day time. Get at least 7-8 hours of undisturbed sleep.

No activity: Due to lack of time we end up with just eating, working and sleeping. No time for any kind of physical activity, no exercise, no games, no jogging. You must take out some time for some physical activity, devote some time for exercise or go for a walk, even better play football with your kid. Be it heavy duty gym-ing or a workout at home.

Anxiousness: Too much stress, tension shoots up our blood pressure and also reduces your attention span. Avoid being restless and edgy, and consciously try to stay happy and hassle-free. Avoid drinking too much coffee or tea after breakfast and before lunch.

Skipping breakfast: While rushing to office we generally skip our breakfast to save time. If you do not take meals in the designated time frame, it'll affect your hormonal secretion and leave you lethargic. No breakfast also results in heavy lunch that makes you lazy. You must plan your time properly and have a routine breakfast. Take a timely and balanced breakfast comprising a bowl of oats, or cereals of your choice, fruits, and toast with some butter or margarine on it. Avoid snacking between breakfast and lunch.Take sprouts instead. You can even carry it in a little box with you to work, and have it when you feel the urge to snack. It keeps you fresh and your body, lighter.

We always take care of our face and forget the important part like hand. Hands are your best companion in day to day life and it's your duty to keep it clean and healthy. Neat and clean hands not only look attractive but are also an indicator of good health. Hand can sometime be the medium for millions of bacteria, virus and fungi to enter your body. That can make you seriously ill. Swine flu, malaria and other contagious diseases spread through dirty hands.

When to wash your hands:
• Always wash your hands before cooking and eating.
• Before treating your wounds and after touching a sick or injured person.
• Also wash after cooking raw meat or poultry.
• After using a toilet
• Once you come back from office, always wash your hand before loving your little one.

Kids must keep their hands clean:
Kids don't listen to you always when you ask them to wash hands before eating. But it's worth repeating the message. So help your child to stay healthy by encouraging them to wash their hands frequently especially before eating.

Place this chart just above the washing sink, so that your child can follow the same process.

Most important: how to wash your hands:
• Washing with ordinary soap won't help. Use anti bacterial liquid hand wash to keep your hands infection free.
• Spend at least 30 seconds to clean the hands.
• Rub your hands properly while washing.
• Dirt mostly resides in your nails, so clean your nails properly.

So now onwards never ignore the power of hand washing. Remember few seconds of hand washing can save you from bigger diseases.

Master rule if you really wan to be healthy, stay away from refined food. Refined foods are highly processed foods that have been stripped of their original nutrient content and fiber, like refined white flour, white pasta, and white sugar.

Let's take an example of loaf of sliced white bread. First, the wheat is stripped of bran and fiber, and then it's pulverized into the finest white flour. The baking process puffs it up into light, airy slices of bread. A slice of white bread hits your bloodstream with the same jerk you'd get by eating a tablespoon of sugar. Now do you want to have white bread?

Even if we speak about whole-wheat or whole-grain bread, the coarse, chewy kind with a thick crust and visible pieces of grain puts your stomach to work. It too is made of wheat, but the grains haven't been processed completely. It contains starches, which are just chains of sugars, but they are bound up with the fiber, this is the reason digestion takes time. Thus, the sugars are released gradually into the bloodstream. If there's no sudden rush in blood sugar, your pancreas won't produce as much insulin, and you won't get the inflated hunger and cravings for more sugary bites.

So now onwards just avoid these food items:

- White bread
- Crackers
- Cookies
- Instant oatmeal
- Rice cakes
- White pasta
- White rice

Eating disorder is a group of conditions considered by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient or excessive food intake. The best-known eating disorders are Anorexia nervosa, Bulimia nervosa, and Pica. Eating disorder is very common among teenagers.

Causes:

• Negative parenting: Parental behaviour and attitude towards child plays an important role. Sometimes mother pressurize daughters to lose weight and this results to insufficient eating disorder.

• Transitions in life such as the onset of puberty, entering high school or college, or major illness or death of someone close to them can engulf individuals and cause them to feel a loss of control.

• Family history of obesity

• Emotional Disorder: parents with alcoholism or unhealthy relation between parents can be the reason of emotional stress that may rise to eating disorder.

• Hormonal abnormalities are common in eating disorders and include chemical abnormalities in the thyroid, the reproductive regions, and areas related to stress, well-being, and appetite.

• Failure in school or college: When parents and society expect a lot from children and teenagers and due to any reason if they are not able to do well, this becomes the reason for excessive stress and pressure that may result to excessive eating.

Symptoms:

• Rigorous weight loss in a relatively short period of time.
• Obsession with calories and fat content of foods.
• Frequent trips to the bathroom immediately following meals to vomit
• Food restriction and self-starvation
• Use of diet pills, laxatives, ipecac syrup
• Flushing uneaten food down the toilet
• Low self-esteem. Feeling worthless
• Mood swings. Depression. Fatigue.
• Insomnia. Poor sleeping habits

Treatment:

• Whenever you feel any of the above symptoms do contact doctor for complete check up.

• Anorexia and bulimia can be deadly-and not just if you're drastically underweight. Your health may be in danger, even if you only occasionally fast, binge, or purge, so it's important to get a full medical evaluation. If you're suffering from any life-threatening problem, you may need to be hospitalized.

• Once the problem is in control, you and your doctor can work on a long-term recovery plan.

• Apart from doctor you should also consult a psychologist, a nutritionist, a social worker, and a psychiatrist.

People suffering from eating disorder not only needs medical treatment but the emotional help and support of family and friends is very important. In case you see anyone around suffering from this disorder please help them and support in all possible way. Proper counselling and monitoring can help anyone to come out of this disorder.

You must be very excited for shopping and eagerly wait to wear them just after buying a fashionable dress or trendy shoes. But do you know the reality? Along with buying these items from a branded shop you also bringing home loads of germs! Do you know how many people are trying these clothes in a trial room and how hygienic they are? Never know where the shopkeeper stored these materials.

You will be surprised or even shocked to know about a research conducted by Dr. Philip Tierno, director of microbiology and immunology at New York University for ABC's television show Good Morning America, found that new clothes stocked away in stores are teeming with germs. Dr Tierno tested 14 designer and regular clothing items for germs and found...(hold your breath)... respiratory, yeast and skin particles. But the worst of all was he found fecal particles and vaginal germs on a blouse! OMG!

Do you know from where these germs come from?

• So many people tried them on before you! And these people may not as hygiene as you.

• It is true that woven clothes retain germs and if they are not stored under proper conditions in the warehouse, they will get contaminated. In a humid climate such as ours, bacteria and germs thrive. So, it becomes all the more important to store clothes properly."

• Even Make-up and shoes are easy breeding grounds for bacteria and germs. Shoes might be carrying germs left by the person who tried on the shoe before you.

• Make up testers carry germs.

Protect yourself:

• Wear adequate underwear and your own clothes underneath while trying on clothes in a trial room.

• Wash your hands after shopping.

• Always wear your socks while trying on new shoes and spray a sanitizer if you brought them home.

• For make-up testers, insist on cleaning it with a sanitizer before trying it.

So next time when you go for shopping take these precautions and the best you can do is washing your new clothes or running them through one cycle in a hot dryer before wearing them.