What are the good foods in hot summer?

It is extremely hot in some parts of the world and we suffer much. It is easy to select the right foods during hot summer.

The right foods include:

• Enough fluid intake – water is the best. Fruit juices are good. Avoid sport and other drinks which contain excess of salt, caffeine and sugar. Chronic dehydration is mostly the reason for fatigue, dizziness and lack of concentration in summer.
• Fruits with high water content – Water melon, apple, oranges, lemon, grapes, grapefruit, honey dew melon, cantaloupe, berries, cherries, apricots, peaches, plums, papaya and mangoes
• Vegetables – All leafy vegetables, cucumber, tomatoes, radishes, lettuce, spinach and bell pepper are very good. Herbs such as mint is also good.
• Spices – It ins good to eat spicy foods. Chillies, ginger, turmeric, black pepper or cayenne pepper are good. Spicy foods warm your body in the beginning but ultimately they cool the body. Sweating regulates the body temperature.
• Yogurt
• Salted peanuts. It makes you to drink more water.

Raw fruits and vegetables are good. Do not eat too much and avoid food rich in protein. Less protein intake reduces the metabolic heat of the body.

Last summer when I was in Chennai, India I drank lot of coconut water, fresh lemon juice with little salt added and water melon. I had many of the available local fresh fruits and vegetables and almost avoided meat and meat-products.

Think of your dress and sunscreen in Summer always.

What are the right foods for a pregnant?

There is no need to eat for two during the pregnancy. It is recommended that for the first trimester the food intake should remain about the same as it was prior to the pregnancy. During the second and third trimesters the food intake should be increased upto 30%. It is easy to achieve this with more fruits intake.

It is important to eat variety of foods to ensure the nutritional needs of both mother and the baby. The recommendations include:

• Fruits and vegetables very generously
• Whole grain products and cereals, but not milled grain products
• Milk and dairy products should not be eaten in excess
• Lean meat, chicken and fish in moderate amounts
• Avoid excess intake of fats, sugar and salt
• Beans, pulses, nuts and seeds
• Drink enough water

Do not diet if you are a pregnant. This bad for you as well as to your baby. Green leafy vegetables are very important for the intake of folic acid. Folic acid supplement is recommended for the health of your baby. It is better to consult your doctor before you take a supplement.

With proper food it is possible to manage the iron content of your body also. Iron supplement could be taken only if your doctor recommends it.

Avoid excess of vitamin A intake and vitamin A supplements are not required. The excessive intake of vitamin A may cause birth deformities.

Is drinking water during or after meal good or bad?

First of all you must drink enough water, 2 to 3 litres everyday. If you sweat much or do hard physical work you have to drink more.

Drinking water during or after a meal will not make any problems for digestion. Indeed, water helps digestion. They will not dilute digestive juices or interfere with digestion. Water and other fluids help to break down the food in your stomach. It keeps also the digestive system healthy.

Eat enough fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables and whole grain products. Healthy life style and enough physical activity will keep your digestion good. Try to live a stress free life.

Do not drink water or eat your food very quickly. If you gulp lot of air with that you may get stomach problems.

So the direct answer is drinking water during or after meal is good.

What is traveller’s diarrhoea?

Traveller’s diarrhoea is the diarrhoea of developed country people getting in developing countries and it is mostly because of bacteria which may come from food or water.

To prevent traveller’s diarrhoea drink only bottled water and other beverages, eat only cooked food, fruits which are peeled and avoid tap water, ice cubes, ice cream, food from street vendors and unpasteurized milk and milk products.

Carbonated water can also be taken to drink or to wash the mouth. Carbonated water is acidic enough to kill the bacteria including those that cause diarrhoea. You must eat and drink normally if you have traveller’s diarrhoea.

If necessary go to a local doctor and get medicine with antibiotic which help immediately. Most of the medicines which they bring with them are useless because they are always without antibiotics.

Male Infertility

More than 16 hours away from home to work, tension, tiredness, poor water and fluid intake, processed or junk or fast food consumption regularly, environmental poisons, less physical work, almost no antioxidants in the food are reasons enough for the infertility in men. The expectation makes a man also psychologically in a bad position which is not also advantageous for the reproduction.

Are there more factors which affect the power of reproduction in a man? Yes, there are many and they include:

• diabetes
• undescended testicles
• hormone imbalances (hypothyroidism, hypogonadism)
• obesity
• hereditary
• sexually transmitted diseases – infection
• mumps
• autoimmune diseases
• liver, kidney diseases
• abuse of anabolic steroids
• certain medicines
• abuse of narcotic drugs and designer or party drugs
• chemotherapy
• diet low in antioxidants
• exposure to toxic metals
• exposure to xenoestrogens like pesticides
• erection problems
• premature ejaculation
• excessive exercise or physical activity
• wearing tight pants and underwear
• hot bath
• prolonged sitting work
• radiation and radiation therapy
• poor sperm quality
• poor movement of sperm
• low sperm count

If you want to avoid infertility the above conditions must be changed. For many men it helps to make the wife pregnant. It is easy with a counseling to change this. The medical provider, dietician and counselor must be good to solve these problems.

If there are other reasons, the necessary hormones and other estimations must be done in the blood. The medical history is also important here.

Do not forget, in infertility the problem lies on 30% with men, 30% with women and 40% on both.

The risks are completely avoided, the hormone therapy is also done, still no success, what to do? The other treatments considered may be:

1. Artificial insemination - placing sperm directly in the cervix or uterus.
2. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection - placing individual sperm cells directly inside the woman's eggs.
3. In vitro fertilization - fertilizing the egg outside the womb and then returning it to the uterus.

Next: Female Infertility