How Many Calories Should I Eat

A healthy diet which consists of all the necessary nutrients, can provide you sufficient calories required by your body for normal metabolism. Calories need to be taken into consideration while thinking about health, fitness, weight, etc, if you want to keep yourself fit and active. Calorie is a unit of energy. Calories are wrongly considered as enemies, as if they are responsible for the excess weight. Calories are nothing but ENERGY that fuel your body, much like gasoline fuels your car. Adequate number of calories are essential for proper working of the lungs, normal beating of the heart, prompt functioning of the brain, efficient processing of the food, etc. Most of us have no idea how many calories our body needs just to exist. Before answering the question, ' how many calories should I eat ', here is some important information about what a calorie is.

Calorie Count
By definition, "a calorie is the energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius." The number of calories required to maintain health, may vary from person to person, owing to various factors. But in general, it can be estimated that an adult body requires at least 1000 to 1400 calories to have sufficient energy for the proper functioning of important organs like the brain, heart, and lungs. This minimum number of calories which you need to survive, is known as your resting metabolic rate (RMR). Resting metabolic rate varies greatly, depending upon age, sex, weight and muscle mass. For day to day activities, you need more number of calories than your resting metabolic rate (RMR). This extra energy required can be about 400 to 600 additional calories per day. These numbers are general averages and a dietitian can help you determine exactly how many calories your body needs. You may get an exact answer for your question ' how many calories should I eat ' after the physical examination of your body. Dietitians usually recommend an increase or decrease of about 500 calories per day according to the need. There are 3500 calories in one pound. Five hundred calories a day amounts to one pound per week. The amount of calories required by a person to be fit and active, may vary according to the basal metabolic rate and the body mass index.

How Many Calories Should I Eat to Gain Weight
Each day, if you consume more number of calories than those required by your body, you will eventually gain weight. An excess of 3500 calories is required to gain 1 lb of fat. For example, if your body needs 2000 calories a day to maintain its current weight and every day you consume 2500, in one week you would gain 1 lb. Remember, one day of overindulging does not result in instant weight gain. Read more on weight gain diet chart.

How Many Calories Should I Eat to Lose Weight
Obesity is a constant concern today as maximum percentage of the population consumes extra calories, than the amount actually required by the body. If these extra calories are not burnt with proper exercises, they are converted into fats. This leads to increase in weight and other health problems. People who are facing the problem of obesity, are always in search of weight loss diets. As seen above, if you reduce 500 calories from your daily diet, you can lose one pound per week. Both losing and gaining weight is not easy. There are no shortcuts, you should have patience. Consistency in exercising, control over mind while following a balanced diet, lifestyle changes are expected from you. Burning calories without exercising is also possible. Read more on how many calories should I eat to lose weight.

How Many Calories Should I Eat a Day
The following information about the daily calorie intake may provide you answer for your question, how many calories should I eat a day. The recommended calories per day for people in the age group between 19-50 years are almost the same. For women belonging to this age group, the recommended calorie intake is about 1,940 calories per day. Of course, this depends upon the age, lifestyle, health and activity level of the woman. The recommended calorie intake for men is about 2,550 calories per day while for children in the age group of 4 to 10 years, it is around 1,500 calories per day.

The daily calorie intake drastically increases in the age group 11-14, as the body undergoes some changes. The daily calorie intake of boys increases to a gigantic 2,220 calories per day and for the girls it increases to 1,845 calories per day. A similar increase is again observed for the age group of 15-19 where the daily calorie intake for boys is about 2,755 and for girls it is about 2,110.

If a pregnant woman asks me the question, 'how many calories should I eat while pregnant ', I would tell her that on an average, a pregnant woman needs to increase the amount she eats daily, by about 300 calories. Generally, it is noticed that a pregnant woman gains about 25 to 35 pounds by the time her due date rolls around. Read more on normal calorie intake for females.

If you ask me the question, 'how many calories should i eat for breakfast ', I would like to tell you that, for breakfast, you should eat about 20-25% of your total day's caloric intake. Read more on zero calorie foods.

Read more on:

• Average Daily Calorie Requirements
• Daily Calorie Intake for Women to Lose Weight
• Recommended Calorie Intake for Women

Through this article, I have tried to answer the question ' how many calories should I eat '. Remember, you are supposed to choose healthy foods to make sure your calories are packed with disease fighting nutrients to keep you healthy and young!

By Leena Palande

Diagnose Yourself

There are different reasons why you may want to diagnose and treat yourself. Sometimes it may be an embarrassing health problem that you are not comfortable confronting, or perhaps the lack of finances that may prevent you from visiting a professional to find the root cause of the problem. Another reason why you tend to diagnose yourself is because you may fear visiting a doctor, and for the fear of discovering something that may be more serious than you can imagine. Whatever the reasons, you must know that diagnosing yourself can do you more harm than good. In some cases, you may be right, but in some, what you may assume is the problem, may actually be something else. In any case, if you are looking for information on how to diagnose yourself, there are some ways to do it.

How to Diagnose Yourself

Before you read this method of diagnosing yourself, you must understand that it is not a sure shot way of putting a finger on the problem. Secondly, these methods might work for smaller conditions such as allergy breakouts. It cannot be used to diagnose more serious health conditions. However, if you still think it is something you need to do, here are the basic rules that are involved in diagnosing yourself.

• Understand the Symptoms: Check for your normal vital signs before you attempt to diagnose yourself with symptoms of the problem you think you may be suffering from. This could take some time. For instance, if you break out into allergies suddenly, you have to take time to understand the triggers of the symptoms. What is it that is causing an allergy? Is it food, or something you are exposed to? This is going to take a couple of days to understand. This will probably help you come up with an answer to your problem.
• Understanding Family History: In some cases, a gene that runs in the family may be the reason why you are facing a particular problem. For instance, a condition such as a back problem may be one that your mother or father's side is prone to. This however, does not mean that the condition cannot be controlled. Though you may be prone to it, you can definitely reduce the intensity with which it affects you.

Diagnosing yourself will take some time. You must diligently maintain a diary and note the changes that are taking place as and when you are trying to treat it. This will help you get to the bottom of the problem.

The Dangers of Diagnosing Yourself

As mentioned before, this is not a sure shot way of diagnosing yourself. In many cases, what you consider to be a small problem may be a symptom of a bigger problem. For instance, a headache could be a symptom of a condition of the brain, mild pain in the left arm may be the symptom of a heart condition or heart disease, and a rash on the skin may also be a symptom of the development of skin cancer. The point here is not to scare you, but to make you realize the potential dangers of diagnosing yourself.

When you ignore certain symptoms, or take medication to eliminate them, you are not treating the root cause of the problem. This problem can further go ahead and become severe, and if you don't prevent it, curing it may become difficult. For instance, one of the common symptoms of diabetes is tiredness and exhaustion. When you diagnose yourself, you may assume that the exhaustion is from not getting enough sleep, not eating right, stress, etc. You will try to correct all of these, but you are not aware of the fact that you 'may' be diabetic. This will cause the condition to worsen, and diabetes has the ability of slowly affecting all other organs of the body such as the eyes, the kidneys, the brain, etc. Though a lot of websites enable you to diagnose yourself online, it should be avoided for the reasons mentioned here.

It is now up to you to keep these considerations in mind when you try to diagnose yourself. Do keep in mind that this article is not an attempt to replace the diagnosis of a professional. In any case, getting a professional consultation is extremely essential, so that relevant tests can be conducted and the actual condition identified. Do not take your health lightly. Good health is the only way you enable you to enjoy the little things in life.

By Puja Lalwani

What do We Need to Survive

In this modern world, having enough food, clothing and shelter is not sufficient to lead a happy life. We need much much more than this. No, I am not talking about materialistic needs. There is no end if you go on adding items like modern cars, bikes, luxurious homes, designer clothes, latest security systems, five star holidays, and so on... will you be able to enjoy all these things if you don't have anybody to share your thoughts, anybody to love and anybody who takes care of you? Will you be able to enjoy life with deteriorating physical and mental health? So, let us try to find out the answer to the question 'what do we need to survive'.

What Do We Need to Live?

Love and Relationship Need
Apart from physiological needs like healthy and balanced diet, regular exercises, clothes, shelter, sex, heat, water, air, medical facilities and security, all living things, especially human beings want to be loved and want to be related to others. Healthy living involves enjoying social life, having healthy relationships, taking care of parents, raising children, having a life partner of matching wavelength, and so on. We are social animals and cannot live alone. We all want to be recognized by our loved ones. A new born infant also feels safe in the arms of mom and dad. But as we grow up, only 'love' cannot help us lead a happy life. For inner fulfillment, we want others to give us importance. We cannot survive if we are neglected or being humiliated by our family members, neighbors, friends, colleagues, etc. Self esteem is as important as love when answering the question 'what do we need to live?'

Self Realization Need
Human beings need to understand themselves and see the value in themselves. Finding oneself through religion and through spiritual guidance is very very essential. This is the area which makes our life meaningful. As the world famous serenity prayer says, we need to have serenity to accept things we cannot change, courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference. We need to have patience for the things that take time, appreciation for all that we have, and tolerance for those with different struggles. We need to learn and improve through our past failures. We need strength to get up and try again even when things don't work out as expected. We need to admit the existence of a crisis and we need to deal with it successfully. Religion should bring all together, religion should not be the cause of terrorism.

Gratitude Towards Nature
Drinking, sanitation and hygiene are some of the main basic human survival needs for water. We eat fish, algae which need water to survive. Nature provides us food, air, water and heat. Conservation of nature is our responsibility. We need wood for housing, fuel, furniture, etc. We get most of our medicines from the forests. Rainforests are the biggest source of oxygen and medicines. Deforestation is the main reason behind extinct of some of the plant and animal species. Endangered animals, plants, birds, fish etc. can lead to imbalance in nature which can seriously affect human life. Air, water and noise pollution can make our life miserable. Frugal living can help conserve nature. We should often ask ourselves, "what do we need to survive?" We should often check whether we are wasting what nature has offered us. We need to take proper action to save our earth from severe effects of global warming.

Everybody knows about the rule which tells us about the survival of the fittest. If you want to be one among the fittest, flexibility of mind is very important. If the question 'what do we need to survive' is lingering in your mind, then you should keep it in mind that understanding the changing needs of the modern world, fitting yourself in the changed circumstances can make a lot of difference. Education can create awareness about world problems and can help lead a healthy and peaceful life on this green earth.

By Leena Palande

Cold Shower Benefits

Some of us find it hard enough to get up in the morning and push ourselves to go and take a nice long bath. And if someone were to tell you that at six in the morning you're supposed to take a cold shower, surely, you'll jump out of your skin! Well, look on the bright side, it will wake you up like nothing else! Jokes apart, there are many cold shower benefits that exist and reading on them, may just make you change your mind about your taste in your water's temperature.

Benefits of Cold Shower

Pumps Up Circulatory System
Many people claim that cold water works wonders for them. When cold water falls on our skin, it leads to cutaneous vasoconstriction, which means, one of the effects of cold shower is to make the blood vessels on the surface of the skin contract and push blood to the inner organs. This helps improve circulation to vital organs. This circulation rate then helps to push toxins out from the body and then, makes the heart work more efficiently. Some people say that alternating between hot and cold water helps to maintain circulation in both inner organs as well as on the skin.

Healthy Skin and Hair
Very hot water tends to dry up the skin and hair. The hair and skin is protected by excessive drying by a layer of sebum, which is secreted by glands on the skin. When we take a bath with hot water, we tend to strip the skin of sebum. This makes the skin dry and the hair brittle and dandruff prone, and if you continue with this habit, you can kiss your dreams of perfecthealthy hair goodbye. Also, when hot water directly falls on the skin, then the pores on the skin open up. There are higher chances of landing with clogged pores if these open pores are exposed to air and dust without closing. Clogged pores are a far cry from healthy skin and you may even end up getting acne because of this.

Wake up Call
The chill of the cold water will initially wake you, especially when you are new to this practice. Thanks to the increased circulation in the body, you are bound to feel energetic and ready to set out for the day once you take a cold shower.

Improve Fertility
Did you know that one of the cold shower benefits is that it increases fertility in men? Well, as you know, the testes are outside the body for the reason that the sperms cannot stand the heat of the body temperature. So, when a person takes a hot bath on a regular basis, it leads to a decrease in the number of sperms and their motility rate. Thus, if you've been having problems with your sperm count, you may want to try taking a cold shower on a regular basis, as this is said to be one of the most important cold shower benefits for men.

This was all about the various cold shower benefits. This may seem a bit uncomfortable and in fact, a very strange proposition for you initially, however, once you get used to it, you'll find it hard to switch back to warm baths. If you can't directly start with a cold shower, then start with warm water and then, slowly, at least for the last few minutes that you are bathing, stand under cold water. There are some conditions where you may not want to take cold showers, like if you live in a cold surrounding, you should never take a cold shower and then step into a cold room. Also, if you happen to be a heart patient or suffer from arteriosclerosis, then do not opt for cold showers. Well, the cold shower vs hot shower debate is an endless one. However, if you are hale and hearty and wish to be yet more healthier, then these cold shower benefits will definitely help to convince you to make this small change, which could change your health in a big way!

By Dr. Sumaiya Khan

Cold Shower vs Hot Shower

On a hot summer day all you want to do is have a cold, cold shower and when the winter makes way, the prospect of taking a steaming hot shower is definitely quite appealing. Now while most of us follow this phenomenon of switching over to different temperatures of water according to how the weather is or how one is feeling, it is said that a cold shower is a much healthier choice to make. Is that true? And if so, how and why? To understand this factor in totality and to reach a consensus of the same, there needs to be a proper analysis done of the cold shower vs hot shower factor. Only then will one be able to deduce whether there are more cold shower benefits than a hot shower. In order to learn more on the same then, continue reading the following article on cold shower vs hot shower.

Hot Shower - Advantages

There are many advantages to taking a hot shower, and I mean other than the fact that having streams and jets of hot water traveling down your body makes you feel so, so good. Here are the main advantages that a hot shower has to offer.

Chest Congestion and Respiratory Problems
A hot shower will help to clear out nasal blocks, chest congestions and other respiratory problems. The hot steam, especially if mixed with eucalyptus or any other essential oil, has the capacity to soften the mucus and help get it out.

Sore Muscles
A hot shower helps to relieve sore muscles instantly. It acts as a hot pack over the painful areas and helps to relive the tension and knots. It also helps to increase the circulation in the body and thereby makes you more healthy.

Sleep Inducing
A hot shower will help to ebb away the stress and tension and calm your frazzled nerves. It brings the heart rate to a slow pace and therefore leads to calm and peace. That is the reason why that hot showers are known to induce sleep.

Skin Care
Hot showers help to open out the pores of the skin and therefore help in softening the skin and leading to healthy skin. It is usually recommended that one takes a hot shower to open the pores of the body such that moisturizing becomes more effective. This also lends to deep cleansing because the clogged pores are open.

Increases Libido
Hot water over the body can have a very sensuous effect on a person. It has been seen that an aromatic hot shower can increase the libido of a person tremendously.

Hot Shower - Disadvantages

While there are some advantages that a hot shower offers, there are also some disadvantages. Here are some of them:

Affects Cardiovascular System
For people suffering from any cardiovascular diseases, a hot shower can prove to be very detrimental. It has been found that a hot shower can lead to hypertension, arrhythmia and other problems.

Depresses Physiological Systems
It has been studied that a hot shower can increase the heat in the body (and therefore the acidity level) and bring the varied physiological systems of the body down. Therefore there is a compromise in the health.

Effects on Skin and Hair
A hot shower will open out the pores and if they aren't closed, they can attract dirt and dust to enter the body and cause acne. Along with that, having a hot shower can lead to making the hair very brittle and weak. Thus the hair can break very easily.

Cold Shower - Advantages

Ayurveda, the ancient science of India, strongly urges the usage of cold showers in place of hot showers. Over the years, the benefits of cold showers have been duly found and studied. Here are some of the benefits of the same. These have been given keeping in mind the cold shower vs hot shower debate.

Improves Circulation
Cold water improves circulation in the body by taking the blood to your organs. And in that way it is different from a hot shower, because a hot shower will rush the blood merely to the skin. A good circulation helps to combat several problems of the skin and heart and allows for overall health. A cold shower will bring the temperature of the body down and therefore help combat the heat.

Heart Health
Since there is improved circulation, the blood is reached throughout the body and the arteries pump out the blood better thus increasing heart health. This helps to keep the heart health in a great condition. It lowers the blood pressure, clears blocked arteries and helps to stabilize the circulatory system as well. As a result it improves the immune system in the body.

Skin and Hair
Cold water allows to close the pores on the skin and scalp and thereby prevents the dirt from getting in and leads to effective skin care. It increases the capacity of the hair follicles to grip the scalp and thereby makes the hair stronger, cleaner and shinier and leads to healthy hair. It also soothes sunburned and inflamed skin, thereby providing relief.

Cleanses the Body
Not only does a cold shower lead to cleansing the external body of dirt and grime, but it also cleanses the internal organs. This it does by contracting all the muscles, which then leads to the elimination of all the toxins and wastes.

Cold Shower - Disadvantages

There aren't many negative effects of cold showers. The only instance when cold showers are not recommended is when a woman is menstruating. This is because, her system is already weakened and under duress. At such a time, the organs and muscles need to be relaxed.

And that is all that the topic cold shower vs hot shower includes. Even though it might not be possible to switch over to a cold shower completely, it has been seen that alternating between a cold and hot shower over finishing the bath with a cold shower also helps remarkably to provide all the benefits that have been mentioned above. Here's to great health and wellness then.

By Rujuta Borkar