In order to maintain a healthy lifestyle, it is imperative to load up on foods that are rich in vital nutrients. While taking care of our body, we often tend to neglect our nails. There is no denying the fact that our nails can reflect our inner health to a great extent. In order to keep them healthy and strong, it is important to look after them. If you've been suffering from the problem of unhealthy, discoloured or chipped nails, then including a few foods in your daily diet might come to great help. Calcium and B vitamins are essential for healthy nails. Here is a list of 5 foods that may help you get stronger nails.

Fish

To attain healthy and stronger nails, it is important to load up on proteins. A diet rich in protein can prove to be beneficial for one's overall health. Rich in omega-3 fatty acids, fish is an excellent source of proteins and sulphur. If you happen to have thin and brittle nails, then this one's for you. Since fish has abundant amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, it will help in moisturising the nail bed. Apart from this, it can also increase their suppleness.

Eggs

A whole, large egg can provide you with a good dose of vitamin D. Not only is it a great source of protein, but its vitamin B12, iron and biotin content are known to increase fingernail thickness. Include this healthy food in your daily diet and watch out for results.

Green Peas

These tiny delights look small but are packed with a host of health benefiting properties. Green peas are abundantly rich in protein, beta-carotene and vitamin C. This nutrient-rich food helps in strengthening the finger nail and may increase its rate of growth as well.

Oats

For healthy fingernail maintenance, it is imperative to load up on micronutrients as well. Oats are rich in copper, zinc, manganese and B vitamins, which are known to promote healthy fingernail growth.

Green Leafy Vegetables

Loaded with calcium, iron and antioxidants, green leafy vegetables are a powerhouse of nutrients. Adding spinach, kale, broccoli etc. to your daily diet may help you keep brittle nails at bay.

So, if you've successfully given up on the habit of biting your nails and are now on the next step of making them strong and healthy, bring these foods to your rescue and get going!

Diet is linked with not just the physical health of our body, but it is also linked with our mental and emotional health. Research has established this link between what we eat and our emotions, proving that consuming certain foods may help us stay chirpy, fresh and alert, while some others may lead to mood swings, depressive symptoms and sluggishness. A new study has said that diet can affect the emotional well-being of a person, especially in women. The study has suggested that women may need to consume a more nutrient-rich diet as compared to men, in order to maintain their emotional health. Health experts have maintained that men and women have different dietary needs.

The study was published in the journal Nutritional Neuroscience and it was conducted by the researchers at Binghamton University. There is evidence to suggest that anatomical differences in the brains of men and women dictate their predisposition to mental illnesses. However, there isn't much research into the connection between dietary patterns and gender-specific psychological well-being. The study looked at the results of an anonymous online survey of 563 participants. The survey was conducted through social media to analyse the issue. And 48 per cent of the participants were men and 52 per cent were women.

The researchers found that while men are more likely to experience emotional well-being until such time as dietary deficiencies may arise, it's the other way round for women. In order to able to maintain themselves in good emotional health, women need to consume a healthy diet. Lead author Lina Begdache, assistant professor of health and wellness studies at Binghamton University said, "The biggest takeaway is that women may need a larger spectrum of nutrients to support mood, compared to men. These findings may explain the reason why women are twice more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety and depression and suffer from longer episodes, compared to men. Today's diet is high in energy but poor in key nutrients that support brain anatomy and functionality."



She added by saying, "Males and females had different physical and emotional responsibilities that may have necessitated different energy requirements and food preference. Gender-based differential food and energy intake may explain the differential brain volumes and connectivity between females and males. Therefore, a potential mismatch is happening between our contemporary diet and the evolved human brain which is disturbing the normal functionality of certain systems in the brain."

A lot of people nowadays go on diets, often times not being able to follow them for a long time. A lot of diets are difficult to follow and tend to be unsustainable for long term. This results in a fluctuation in our diet, diet plans and weight. These frequent ups and downs in your dietary habits is known as yo-yo dieting, a phenomenon that has been discussed a lot by health experts nowadays, but about which a lot of people still remain woefully unaware. It's also known as weight cycling and it describes a pattern of eating that leads to loss of weight for the short time period when the diet is followed and then regaining of weight, when the dieter inadvertently stops following a particular diet for a long period of time.

Although wanting to clean up your meals and going on a diet for the general betterment of your body is considered a good idea, you need to be cautious of falling into the yo-yo dieting pattern. A number of research studies have looked into the impact of the yo-yo dieting on the body and the results have been unanimous in suggesting that we are better off sticking to our respective healthy diets, rather than abandoning them mid-way.

Here are some purported harmful effects of yo-yo dieting on your health:
1. Increased risk of heart diseases
A University of Columbia study said that yo-yo dieting may increase risk of heart diseases in women who lost some 10 pounds after following a diet and then regained the weight within the same year. The researchers said that it was difficult in these female participants to control heart disease risk factors. Weight cycling is also said to be linked with an increased risk of coronary heart disease.

2. Prevents you from reaching weight loss goals
Yo-yo dieting builds a frustrating pattern of weight gain after an encouraging spells of weight loss. This frustration may prevent you from reaching your long term goal of weight loss. Yo-yo dieting essentially involves giving up on the diet once you see sufficient weight loss, which leads to weight gain once again. Your body is not able to maintain a healthy weight or keep your weight off.

3. Increase in body fat percentage
Weight cycling has been linked with an overall increase in body fat percentage, belly fat, as well as increased risk of obesity. Weight Cycling or yo-yo dieting may also increase risk of future weight gain, as per some studies conducted on the impact of this diet on the body. It was, however, found that yo-yo dieting did not increase risk of Type-2 diabetes or high blood sugar levels.

Although there is still more research required to conclusively prove whether yo-yo dieting is definitively bad for the body, the weight cycling pattern can be certainly frustrating for anyone looking at losing weight for good. Yo-yo dieting or Weight Cycling takes place when a dieter follows a fad diet that promises quick weight loss and limited overall health benefits. This is why the effects of these diets last for a short period of time and are easily reversed in the form of weight gain.

Here are some tips to prevent yo-yo dieting pattern or weight cycling and achieve weight loss for the longer term:

1. Eat healthy well-balanced meals and don't starve yourself.

2. Avoid eating out more than two times a week. Compensate for a meal at the restaurant, by cutting down on calories for the rest of the day.

3. Avoid sugary drinks and packaged fruit juices, as well as drinks with artificial sweeteners in them.

4. Set realistic weight loss goals and follow your diet patiently and with discipline.

Also Read: Dopamine Diet For Weight Loss: A Diet That Promises To Make You Happy While Shedding Kilos!

5. Indulge yourselves once in a while in your favourite foods, but make sure you only do that after completing your stipulated hours or workout for the week.

6. Avoid eating too late in the evening or late at night. Eating right before bed can also lead to weight gain.

It's important to make sure you have the right intention for following a healthy diet. Instead of achieving quick weight loss and merely doing it to look good, concentrate on eating healthy for a fit body and healthy mind.

It is always advised that breakfast should be the heaviest meal of the day while dinner should be the lightest. People generally consume high-protein foods in the morning for energy boost and avoid them completely at night. But, a new study claims that consuming protein-rich snacks at bedtime might not be such a bad idea. The study that was published in the journal ‘Nutrition' studied the relationship between night-time eating, weight gain, and metabolism, especially in women who lead an active lifestyle. The findings revealed that consuming proteins at night as compared to taking in proteins during the day does not adversely affect overnight digestion process and belly fat metabolism.

Study author Michael Ormsbee, an associate professor in the College of Human Sciences and the associate director of the FSU Institute of Sports Sciences & Medicine said, "For far too long, people have been led to believe that eating before bed causes metabolic disturbances and will make them gain fat. However, the data simply does not support this when the food we choose to eat before bed is protein-based and small in size."

The team of researchers roped in women weight trainers and studied two different conditions of protein intake. In one condition, the participants were fed casein protein shake 30 minutes after a workout and a taste-matched placebo shake 30 minutes before bed. In the other condition, the women trainers were fed the shakes in the reverse order. The team then assessed overnight fat metabolism in the participants. They tried to determine whether the timing of protein consumption was linked to fat release by fat cells and also studied their bodies' capacity to burn the fat released as energy in the muscles.

Allman, now a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center, stated, "In women who weight train, there are no differences in overnight local belly fat metabolism or whole-body fat burn whether you eat protein in the form of a protein shake during the day post-workout or at night pre-sleep. So, essentially, you can eat protein before bed and not disturb fat metabolism."

Cinnamon (called dalchini in Hindi) is widely used to add a distinct flavour to various dishes. The aromatic spice is not just a part of the culinary world, but is also a popular ingredient in ancient Ayurveda healing practices. Cinnamon offers many medicinal properties and one of the most prominent ones is its ability to deal with the problem of diabetes. Diabetes is a disease that refers to unusually high amount of blood sugar in the body. The body is unable to produce enough insulin and process the glucose consumed, which eventually enters and stays in the bloodstream. This leads to spike in the blood sugar level. Cinnamon has certain qualities that help in maintaining the sugar level.

How Is Cinnamon Useful For Managing Diabetes?
- The spice is known to stimulate cells for glucose consumption. Consuming cinnamon promotes the release of insulin from pancreas and boosts insulin sensitivity that helps in the processing of glucose.

- It contains some anti-diabetic compounds that help lower down the rate at which glucose enters our body. This helps in maintaining the level of fasting blood sugar in people suffering from Type-2 diabetes.

- Cinnamon improves the digestive system, which is directly linked to the problem of diabetes. A healthy digestive tract will process, digest sugar and flush out excess sugar to keep the sugar level in the blood under control.

How To Use Cinnamon To Deal With High Blood Sugar?
1. Drink Cinnamon Water
The best way to consume cinnamon for diabetes is to drink water infused with the spice. Soak a 2-inch piece or bark of cinnamon in a glass of water. Leave it overnight and drink it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.

2. Replace Sugar With Cinnamon
Cinnamon, with its mild sweet flavour, can be used as a natural sweetener and also as a healthy alternative to sugar for all kinds of desserts like cakes and pies, and also traditional Indian sweet dishes like kheer, halwa and barfi.

2. Drink Cinnamon Tea Or Coffee
Make spiced tea (masala chai) with a dash of cinnamon powder or add some of it to the coffee you are brewing. The unique taste of cinnamon, plus its various health benefiting properties will level up your hot cup of beverage in ways more than one.

4. Add Cinnamon To Your Oatmeal
Rev up your nutritious oatmeal with a sprinkling of cinnamon powder. You can also avoid sugar or honey; cinnamon will make your bowlful of fruits and cereals taste great as is.

5. Add It To Indian Curries
Well, this is already a common way to use cinnamon in our kitchens. Saute a small cinnamon stick with other dry spices like cloves and peppercorns to make flavoursome curries.

Consuming cinnamon regularly may be beneficial for managing diabetes. However, it is recommended to exercise moderation while picking up the quantity of the spice. It is believed that 3-6 grams of cinnamon in a day is enough to avail its benefits.