Food and balanced diet
Food and a balanced diet
Food is important
Food gives us the energy to work
and play. When you do anything, you use up energy. While you are sleeping, it
seems as if you are doing nothing. However your stomach is digesting food, your
brain is working, your lungs are breathing and your heart is beating. All of
them need energy to work properly. All foods have different food values. Some
foods help you to grow. Some foods give you energy. Other foods build up the
facts in your body. Some foods help to prevent infections. If you eat only one
kind of food, it cannot do all these jobs. So you need to eat a variety of
foods.
Why is honey important
Why is
honey important?
Pollen is not used to make honey but is a nutritious food
source for honey bees
because it contains protein, lipids, vitamins, and minerals. ... Honey bees may moisten stored
pollen with nectar to produce bee bread, a fermented bee food that is an important protein source,
especially for developing bees.
Honey Appreciation
Did you know that
honey is not only a tasty treat for people but is also necessary for healthy
honey bee hives to function and survive? The complete process of honey
production is complex and requires a great deal of cooperative effort among
many worker bees. Without honey storage, honey bee colonies would starve during
the cold winter months and during nectar shortages.
1.
Nectar
Collection and Pollination
Nectar AvailabilityAs you may know, the raw material for honey is nectar, a sugary liquid produced by flowering plants. The amount of nectar available for collection by bees is directly affected by environmental conditions such as precipitation and temperature. For example, in a wet spring, honey bees can starve because nectar gets washed out of the flowers; it often takes several days for plants to recover typical nectar yields. Alternatively, a stretch of hot days in the summer may lead to peaks in nectar levels.
Foraging and Bee Communication
Most honey bee workers begin foraging for nectar approximately three weeks after emerging as adults (Adult Life Cycle). They typically travel up to 2 miles from their hive and may spend up to 3 hours foraging at a time. They may visit up to 100 flowers per trip and make up to 50 trips per day, although this varies depending on plant availability or quality, weather, and physical barriers. If a foraging bee discovers a good source of nectar (or pollen), she is able to communicate this information with other bees when she returns to the hive. Depending on how far the source is from the hive, she will perform the round dance or the waggle dance. These dances are an advanced behavior unique to honey bees, composed of motions and buzzing vibrations, that informs other workers about the food source. For example, the intensity and the orientation of the waggle dance indicate the quality, distance, and direction of the source. Besides motion and sound, these bees may also share regurgitated nectar with recruits or use odor to direct others to help collect the food.
Pollen
Collection
It is also important to note that foraging honey bees may also collect pollen while visiting flowers. Pollen is not used to make honey but is a nutritious food source for honey bees because it contains protein, lipids, vitamins, and minerals. It is carried to the hive and stored in cells, but not in large amounts like honey. Honey bees may moisten stored pollen with nectar to produce bee bread, a fermented bee food that is an important protein source, especially for developing bees. Although the majority of a colony’s foraging bees collect nectar, many of them also collect pollen. Worker bees can store pollen in a special pollen basket, a structure on the outer surface of each hind leg. Additionally, pollen becomes stuck in hairs of a bee’s legs and body and is then transferred from flower to flower as the bee forages. This is a very important mechanism of pollination for many plant species and ensures the growth of future flowers, which is vital for the survival of the bee colony. This symbiotic relationship between bees and plants is called mutualism, a biological interaction between individuals of two different species, where both individuals benefit.
It is also important to note that foraging honey bees may also collect pollen while visiting flowers. Pollen is not used to make honey but is a nutritious food source for honey bees because it contains protein, lipids, vitamins, and minerals. It is carried to the hive and stored in cells, but not in large amounts like honey. Honey bees may moisten stored pollen with nectar to produce bee bread, a fermented bee food that is an important protein source, especially for developing bees. Although the majority of a colony’s foraging bees collect nectar, many of them also collect pollen. Worker bees can store pollen in a special pollen basket, a structure on the outer surface of each hind leg. Additionally, pollen becomes stuck in hairs of a bee’s legs and body and is then transferred from flower to flower as the bee forages. This is a very important mechanism of pollination for many plant species and ensures the growth of future flowers, which is vital for the survival of the bee colony. This symbiotic relationship between bees and plants is called mutualism, a biological interaction between individuals of two different species, where both individuals benefit.
2.The
Honey Making Process
Once the nectar has been collected, it is taken to the hive where
it can be transferred, manipulated, and then finally stored as honey.
When a foraging bee returns to the hive with the nectar she has collected, she
distributes it among three or four house bees. She forms a droplet of
nectar solution at the base of her mouth which is then ingested by the house
bees and stored in their honey stomachs, an expandable sac which holds honey
ingested in the hive along with nectar and water collected by foraging
workers.
Once a house bee has
received a full load of nectar, which is composed of about 90% water, she
manipulates it with her mouthparts to promote moisture evaporation. At
the same time she uses enzymes to break down the sugars to more digestible
forms and to protect the honey from bacteria during storage. After this
process, she regurgitates the nectar solution into a droplet that hangs from
her mouth in the air for as long as 20 minutes to further evaporate moisture.
Finally, she deposits the un-ripened honey into a cell. Bees may fan the cells
to continue removing moisture from partially filled uncapped cells. Workers
will seal cells with a thin layer of wax once the honey moisture content drops
to 20%.
3
How
Bees Use Honey
The amount of honey
produced by each colony varies from year to year but it is estimated that a
honey bee colony, typically consisting of around 30,000 individuals, will use
around 130-175 lbs of honey annually. (Honey weighs about 12 pounds to a
gallon). Honey is a vital carbohydrate or energy source for adult honey
bees, especially the workers who are always on the go. Furthermore, it is
also necessary for normal growth and development in larvae. When nectar
is scarce and larvae are underfed, developmental failure is high and dwarf
adults are produced. In addition, honey also provides the energy adult
drones need for mating flights. Queens do not directly eat honey but are
instead fed a substance called royal jelly, a complex
mixture of protein, lipids, sugars, and vitamins produced primarily by young
worker honey bees.
Perhaps one of the
greatest uses of stored honey is that it provides the food or energy that a
colony needs to survive the winter. During the winter, workers and the
queen form a tight cluster and metabolize the honey to generate heat.
This keeps the bees warm and protects them from the cold. The temperature
of the winter cluster typically stays around 85 °F. However, the colony
will perish if the honey supply runs short and the bees are unable to produce
adequate heat.
4 Surplus
Honey
Honey bee colonies often produce a surplus of honey but the amount
can vary from 0 to as much as 200 pounds depending on the quality of the hive’s
foraging area. In this region, each colony typically averages about 50
pounds (4 gallons) of surplus honey each year. Beekeepers in this area
can safely remove surplus honey for human consumption without harming the
colony as long as they leave enough honey (50-60 pounds) for the colony to
survive. For thousands of years people have kept honey bees and used
honey as a food product, for its medicinal qualities, and even in
cosmetics. Modern beekeeping, or apiculture, developed in the United States U.S.
what is first aid
What is First Aid?
First aid is
the assistance given to any person suffering a serious illness or injury, with
care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to
promote recovery.
· What are the main aims and
objectives of first aid?
First aid is the immediate treatment
or care given to someone suffering from an injury or illness until more
advanced care is accessed or they recover. The aims of first aid are to:
- preserve life
- prevent illness or injury from
becoming worse
- relieve pain, if possible
- promote recovery
- Protect the unconscious.
Swimming benefits
Child Swimming
·
Physical health
Swimming can offer your child a whole host of physical benefits such as
improving your child’s overall strength as well as flexibility, providing him
with a great cardiovascular workout thus promoting good heart and lung health,
and increasing stamina. In addition, it also helps to improve balance and
posture as well as prevent childhood obesity.
·
Safety
When your child gains experience in being in the water, such as when he
engages in swimming, he will gain confidence and not be afraid of or
intimidated by water. This will lower your risk of an emergency should your
child accidently fall into the water.
·
Emotional benefits
Swimming can aid your child’s mental as well as emotional health by
helping to combat depression and improve overall mood.
Chat to your child’s paediatrician about the benefits of swimming and what
a suitable age will be for your child to start swimming, especially if he or
she suffers from any medical condition.
Source: livestrong.com
While All4Women endeavours to ensure health articles are based on
scientific research, health articles should not be considered as a replacement
for professional medical advice. Should you have concerns related to this
content, it is advised that you discuss them with your personal heBeing healthy and
active is so important for children, and swimming is an excellent way for children of all abilities to stay active and
learn valuable skills. Children can typically start taking formal swim
lessons around age 4, but prior to that they can still benefit from just being
in the water with adult supervision. The following are some benefits of
swimming for youth:
BENEFITS OF SWIMMING
- Can be either an individual or
a team sport
- Something that children can
continue to do for the rest of their lives
- Very few injuries sustained
from swimming when compared to other youth sports
- Provides a fun and challenging
way to help children stay fit
- Teaches important safety skills
to prevent drowning, which is the second leading cause of unintentional
injury death among youth
- Provides cardiovascular
activity that promotes heart and lung health
- Improves stamina, flexibility,
strength, balance and posture
- Helps prevent childhood obesity, which is an increasing health
problem, and that in turn can help prevent juvenile diabetes
- It is a mental exercise that
can help improve emotional health and well-being
- It is easier for children with
disabilities or medical conditions that might prevent them from
participating in other youth sports
Height growth exercises
Hanging
exercises
Exercises are very important
for Height growth. if you follow some exercises you can increase your height
Hanging exercises are the best when
your agenda is to get taller. The main principle involved here is subjecting
your body to the gravitational pull. To a large extent, your vertical growth is
opposed by the downward gravitational pull. When you do hanging exercises, your
body, in that free suspended state, uses gravity in its favor. The
downward gravitational pull and the weight of the body, work on the spine
allowing the joints to open up. It has been observed that hanging exercises can
give you an increase of 1 to 2 inches in height. However, this would be a very
slow process. You need to be vigilant and regular in your efforts.
Monkey
Bar Hanging: You
need to have a strong hanging bar that can support your body’s weight on a
regular basis. Place this bar at a height such that you can hang from it freely
i.e. when you hang from it, your feet should be significantly above the ground.
Method: Hold the bar such that your
palms are facing outwards. Now, let yourself hang freely from this bar in a
relaxed position. Being relaxed is important as a stressed body will oppose the
gravity. If you have a space issue and you are not able to have enough room to
hang, then try bending your knees a little so that your feet is not touching
the ground. Keep your hands, legs, pelvic muscles relaxed and hold this
position for 20 to 30 seconds. Do this 10 times. To get even more vigorous, you
can add some weight to your ankles so that the gravity acting on you is even
more intense. For optimum results, ensure that you hang for at least 30 to 40
minutes in a week.
It will definitely take some time
for you to get used to this routine as your hand should support your entire
weight. However, eventually your arms and shoulders would grow strong. Once
that happens, you can try hanging from the bar and take your legs forward such
that they are at 90 degree to your upper torso (forming an L). In the start you
may simply hang.
Stretching Exercises
Stretching seems like the most
logical solution when we want increase the dimension of something. However,
your body is different from a rubber band. It won’t just stretch instantly.
Stretching exercises subject your body to different postures that allow it to
move beyond its current limits, in this case – make it taller. This is a very
gradual change and it will take time to see a visible increase in height. Here
are a few stretching exercises that you can try:
·
Standing toe touch This
exercise focuses on your spine and the long muscles of the leg. The exercise
stretches the spine, the back and the pelvic muscles completely. It helps in
straightening of the spine and thus, might help you in opening up the joints
allowing them to grow more. This forward bend also works on your abdomen and
thus, this will also help you to get a lean waist and stomach.
Method: Stand with your legs
slightly apart such that they are in width with your hips. Now bend over and
try to touch your toes or the floor with your palm or fingers. Make sure that
when you do that, you knees are not bent. Hold this position for 5 to 10
seconds. Now stand straight up. Repeat this for 10 to 15 times. Initially try
to touch the toes with your fingers. When you get used to this, try to touch
the floor with your complete palm.
·
Seated toe touch:
This exercise follows the same principle as the one above. It allows your spine
and the legs muscles to stretch. Likewise, it also helps to tone your abdomen
and thighs.
Method: Sit with your back straight
and legs spread forward with your toes facing ahead. Make sure that your legs
and knees are touching the ground. Now try to touch the toes with your fingers.
Make sure you do not bend your back and do not bend or knees. Do not lift your
legs from the ground. Go as far as you can without bending. Hold this position
for 5 to 10 seconds. Now sit back straight and repeat for 10 to 15 times. It is
okay if you are not able to touch the toes initially. Gradually you will.
- Cobra stretch: This is a very popular yoga stretch that works on the spine, and the abdomen. The cobra stretch is very ideal for allowing your spine to get more flexible and thus, it helps it to grow. This pose also helps in improving digestion and thus, lets you gain better nutrition from the food that you have. Hence, it overall does a great job in helping you increase your height.
Method: Lie down straight on a
floor mat or yoga mat with your face facing the floor. Make sure that your legs
are joined and the toes are facing the floor. Keep your hands on the side. Now
bring your hands in line with your shoulders. Exhale as much as you can. Then,
start raising your upper body from the floor as much as you can with the help
of your shoulders. Do not let your legs leave the ground. Keep your knees in
touch with the ground and stretch your upper body as much as you can. Hold this
position for 30 seconds. Now start lowering your body slowly bringing it back
the resting position. Repeat it 5 times in the start then slowly increase the
repetitions.
·
Cat
and Crow stretch: This is yet another exercise that allows your spine
to reach its maximum stretching capacity. This particular stretching exercise
subjects your spine to both inward and outward pull that increase its
flexibility and growth.
Method: Get on the ground such that
only your knees and your palms are on the floor just like how babies crawl. Now
breathe in and pull your spine inwards as much as you can. While doing so, lift
your head as well as your pelvis outwards. This will make your spine arch. Now
breathe out and do the opposite of what you just did. Push your spine outwards
and bring your head and pelvis inwards. This will cause your body to arch again
but in the opposite direction. Repeat this for around 5 to 10 times.
·
Pelvic Shift: This exercise works on the lower
body muscles and bones allowing complete stretching of the pelvic and the
spine. This is effective and easy to follow.
Method: Lie down on the floor with
your legs folded and face the ceiling. Place your hands straight on the floor.
Make sure that your feet are pointing ahead. Now putting pressure on your feet,
lift your lower body off the ground such that your entire back and hips are raised
above the ground. The entire weight would be supported by your feet. Hold this
position for 30 seconds and then slowly take your body back to its original
position. Repeat this 5 to 10 times.
·
Triangle
Pose: This is yet another Yoga pose that does wonders when it comes to
increasing height. This single pose acts on the muscles in the calves, hips,
and spine. It not only helps to stretch the spine and aid in increasing height,
it also helps to improve metabolism, back pain and even stress
Method: Stand with your back
straight. Keep your feet wide as you can. Now move your right leg straight out
i.e. at 90 degrees. Move the left leg slightly out but towards the side i.e. at
15 degrees. Now breathe out and completely bend your body on the right, down
from your hips. Touch your ankle with your right hand and raise your left hand
straight upward. Do not bend your knees in doing so. Keep your muscles
stretched. Hold this position for 30 seconds. Come back to the original
position and repeal the same by bending on the left side. Repeat the complete
set 5 times.
·
Mountain
Pose: This is also a yoga pose and it too focuses on the well being of
your back muscles and spine. It helps in stretching the spine thus, increasing
its length. It also works on the muscles of the arms, legs, shoulders, abdomen
increasing your body’s efficiency and strength.
Method: Sit on the ground on your
palms and knees. Now, lift your body up such that only your palms and feet are
on the ground. The entire body is raised up forming an inverted V like arch.
Make sure your legs and palms are apart. The entire pressure should be on your
shoulders and feet. Hold this arches position for 30 seconds. Now come back to
the original position. Repeat this 10 to 15 times.
Apart from these exercises, subject
your body to different physical activities. Outdoor activities like cycling,
swimming, running etc. help you in a lot of healthy ways. Skipping or any kind
of jumping activity is very useful for increasing height.
We hope that with a combination of
a good diet and good exercise you will be able to get the desired results. Let
us be very frank in telling you that trying to increase your height with
exercise and food is a slow process. It will take a good amount of time but if
you do it with dedication, then you will definitely see results. With this, we
wish you all the best and hope that you walk taller soon!
IDEAL BODY WEIGHT
How Much Should I Weigh?
What's
the best way to determine a healthy weight? You can find out what your body
mass index is by using the interactive BMI calculator, or you can look at your
height and weight in the chartbelow.
Determining
your body mass index
What is body mass index?
Determining
how much you should weigh is not a simple matter of looking at a height-weight
chart, but includes considering the amount of bone, muscle and fat in your
body's composition.
The
amount of fat is the critical measurement. A good indicator of how much fat you
carry is the body mass index (BMI). Although it is not a perfect measure, it
gives a fairly accurate assessment of how much of your body is composed of fat.
How can I tell if I'm overweight?
Use the
tool at right to calculate your BMI. Having a BMI higher than 24.9 may mean you
are overweight. Note that these are approximate values, and they are intended
to be used only as a rough guide.
If you
are worried about your BMI or are trying to lose weight, talk to your primary care
doctor. You may also wish to contact the Rush Center for
Weight Loss and Lifestyle Medicine, which offers individualized
weight loss and wellness programs for people of all ages. You may also contact
the Rush Nutrition
and Wellness Center or the Rush University Prevention Center.
These programs offer nutrition counseling and help with making lifestyle
changes.
Doctors
at Rush offer bariatric
surgery for some people who are morbidly obese (those
with a BMI of at least 40, or a BMI of at least 35 plus an obesity-related
disease such as diabetes or high blood
pressure).
Height and Weight Chart
|
Height
|
Weight
|
||
|
|
|
Overweight
|
Obese
|
|
4'
10"
|
91 to
118 lbs.
|
119
to 142 lbs.
|
143
to 186 lbs.
|
|
4'
11"
|
94 to
123 lbs.
|
124
to 147 lbs.
|
148
to 193 lbs.
|
|
5'
|
97 to
127 lbs.
|
128
to 152 lbs.
|
153
to 199 lbs.
|
|
5'
1"
|
100
to 131 lbs.
|
132
to 157 lbs.
|
158
to 206 lbs.
|
|
5'
2"
|
104
to 135 lbs.
|
136
to 163 lbs.
|
164
to 213 lbs.
|
|
5'
3"
|
107
to 140 lbs.
|
141
to 168 lbs.
|
169
to 220 lbs.
|
|
5'
4"
|
110
to 144 lbs.
|
145
to 173 lbs.
|
174
to 227 lbs.
|
|
5'
5"
|
114
to 149 lbs.
|
150
to 179 lbs.
|
180
to 234 lbs.
|
|
5'
6"
|
118
to 154 lbs.
|
155
to 185 lbs.
|
186
to 241 lbs.
|
|
5'
7"
|
121
to 158 lbs.
|
159
to 190 lbs.
|
191
to 249 lbs.
|
|
5'
8"
|
125
to 163 lbs.
|
164
to 196 lbs.
|
197
to 256 lbs.
|
|
5'
9"
|
128
to 168 lbs.
|
169
to 202 lbs.
|
203
to 263 lbs.
|
|
5'
10"
|
132
to 173 lbs.
|
174
to 208 lbs.
|
209
to 271 lbs.
|
|
5'
11"
|
136
to 178 lbs.
|
179
to 214 lbs.
|
215
to 279 lbs.
|
|
6'
|
140
to 183 lbs.
|
184
to 220 lbs.
|
221
to 287 lbs.
|
|
6'
1"
|
144
to 188 lbs.
|
189
to 226 lbs.
|
227
to 295 lbs.
|
|
6'
2"
|
148
to 193 lbs.
|
194
to 232 lbs.
|
233
to 303 lbs.
|
|
6'
3"
|
152
to 199 lbs.
|
200
to 239 lbs.
|
240
to 311 lbs.
|
|
6'
4"
|
156
to 204 lbs.
|
205
to 245 lbs.
|
246
to 320 lbs.
|
|
BMI
|
19 to
24
|
25 to
29
|
30 to
39
|
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