Can You Improve Your Heart Health With Soy Protein?

Our heart is the busiest organ of the body, every second pumping millions of gallons of blood to every cell, ensuring a steady flow of oxygen, fuel, hormones and other vital compounds that are essential for our overall wellbeing. With the immense work-load that it endures for such a consistently long time, there are chances that it may suffer greatly, in case of instances of a poor diet, absence of exercise, substance abuse, other underlying conditions and sometimes even genes. So to ensure that the heart is in a happy healthy status, one must make healthy changes in the lifestyle which essentially involves - an eating plan that is based on natural whole foods and daily exercise that comprises of cardiovascular conditioning.

Research shows that foods rich in fatty acids and protein, especially the ones that are plant-based; are most likely to help reduce the risk of heart diseases due to their low saturated fat content and high fibre content. One of the most prominent plant-based protein that I know of, is Soy Protein. As per the Protein Digestibility-Corrected Amino Acid Score, soy protein is pegged to be a complete source of protein — rich in omega-3 fatty acids, rich in minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium and selenium and low in saturated fat content.

As per the American Heart Association food containing soy protein help reduce the level of Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol while help raise the level of High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol. Scientific history shows a low LDL and high HDL improves blood pressure and arterial health which in turn aids heart health. Additionally, soy protein is rich in fibre, vitamins and minerals that provides cardiovascular benefits, which is invaluable for heart health. 

Soy from both a culinary and a nutritional standpoint is critical to those consuming plant-based diets. Soybeans and food items made from it — soy milk, tofu, edamame, tempeh, etc have been important and continue to play an essential role in not only traditional food but also modern cuisine. A cup of soy-rich food provides approximately 15 grams of protein, which is twice the content found in other legumes and much higher compared to other plant protein. Many people are still very new to incorporating soy in their diets, so we chalked out a few ways of consuming soy that you could check in our article here and we also cooked up a range of delectable dishes that you could check in our article here to see how you can bring soy home. 

Even though the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that 25 grams of soy protein a day, may reduce the risk of heart disease and numerous research finding of soy and heart health by brands like DuPont are encouraging,  I believe that only soy in itself is not the answer. A healthy heart requires a more comprehensive approach which includes a balanced diet, exercise, and cessation of substances like smoking, alcohol and drugs. 

Until next time, 
~ Heena

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Lets End The HIV Epidemic In India, Ask IRA

In 2018, World Health Organisation launched the ‘Know Your Status’ initiative on World AIDS day to celebrate 30 years of the global health campaign started in 1988. WHO advocates and urges people to know their HIV status through testing, while pushing countries to make healthcare accessible to all via prevention, treatment and care services.


According to the United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS, there are more than 2.01 million people in India who live with HIV; an additional 88,000 people get infected every year and about 69,000 who pass away in AIDS-related deaths. Apart from the grim statistics, the overall stigma and prejudice associated with the condition marginalises the infected people, pushing them to withdraw and curl into their shells. With the ostracisation and shame, the lack of information perpetuates the issue. That's bad news, indeed. 

However, the good news is that HIV is preventable and manageable by the dissemination of relevant and timely information; with sensitivity and tact. 

And who better to do it than IRA.

#HIVFreeIndia #HIV #AIDS #ReThinkHIV #SpeakOutHIV #EndAIDS

IRA - a conversational platform which provides people with relevant, factually correct and apt information to all the queries and concerns about HIV and AIDS. IRA has been created to assist people gather information and engage with HIV services, including risk screening and referrals to know more about and further combat the condition. Another important aspect of the platform is to motivate individuals to manage their HIV status with personal responsibility and take corrective steps to lead a better life. IRA is a friendly, non-judgemental ally; available 24/7 on yes4me.com in your fight against HIV. 

Since the site launch last year, IRA has been exceptionally busy helping many Indians in their fight against HIV-AIDS, with a virtual support group that encourages risk assessment, positive prevention, ART services, adherence and viral load testing. Let’s not leave IRA alone, join hands to offer support to make India HIV/AIDS-free or in the least guide people to https://yes4me.net/IRA who can help at the click of a button.

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How To Avoid Telltale Signs Of A Facelift

Are you considering a facelift to make you look decades younger? Then, lifting your face should be a priority. Plastic surgery is arguably the best way to make you appear more youthful and used by thousands of beauty and fashion icons worldwide. However, you need to be careful when selecting surgery to lift your face as there is a possibility that it may not go as desired and leaves signs for everyone to see. And then to attempt to correct such mistakes is a daunting task, and the results are not guaranteed to be favourable.

Why is a facelift necessary?
People age differently. You might realise that you look younger or older than your age and people of similar ages. A problem can arise when you feel that your body, especially your face has aged more than the rest of your body. Sometimes your career or your genetic predisposition can make you age uncomfortably faster which may misconstrue your facial expressions. For example; a sag in your mid-face can make you look droopy even when you are smiling. A facelift in such a case will make you look and feel younger.

There are various reasons people seek surgical intervention to improve their facial appearance, some of which are as follows: 
• To minimise creases along the nose which proceed along the mouth that are the major signs of ageing. 
• To reduce the mid-face sagging which makes you look unhappy at all times.
• To make the jowls in the jawline smooth which will make you look much younger. 
• To remove the double chin which just looks ugly making you look older. 

How is a successful aesthetic facial surgery done?
Generally, a hairline incision is made from the temple area all the way to just behind the temples for a simple facelift. If you want to reduce a double chin, a similar incision is made in the naturally occurring crease below the chin. Hiding the scars in these ares are pretty easy; in fact, it will be extremely hard even for you to pinpoint the exact incisions. However, this requires a surgeon with enough experience and technique.

What are the telltale signs of facial surgery?
Firstly, you shouldn't know the signs of facial surgery because they should not be there in the first place. Face surgery should lift your spirit, making you feel younger and happy. Unfortunately, if this procedure is not done properly, the following signs can give you away:

• Distorted and stretched face skin due to overdoing the reconstruction.
• An altered hairline if the incision is not symmetrical on either side of the face. 
• Conspicuously high brows  especially if exaggerated, will make the face look odd. 
• Distorted ears if there is loss of symmetry during the surgery.
• Deformity in the neck if the lifting of the chin skin is done poorly. 

These signs are frightful and should never happen. However, this is not to discourage you from going for surgery as it is quite a routine procedure and many surgeons can uplift your face beautifully and leave no traces whatsoever.

How to avoid the telltale signs of a facial surgery?
When it comes to avoiding the signs of facial surgery, there are two approaches, one that is the surgery that is the onus of the surgeon and second that is the care which is the requirement by the patient.

An experienced surgeon will not have trouble making the surgery as conspicuous as possible with two key skills, namely making incisions in areas where they cannot be easily seen and avoiding stretching the skin more than required and of course the incision symmetry.

A patient needs to ensure that the surgeon selected is adequately experienced for the kind of surgery needed. Also the outcome depends on the condition of the face, which in a way limits the results. Align the expectations with the pre-mediated result so as to not put unnecessary pressure on the surgeon.

Conclusion
A facelift should make you happy, however, if it is not done well it can make you look weird. Distorted earlobes, scars in your face, misaligned hairlines can make you regret the procedure. As it is both an expensive and time-consuming procedure, pick the right surgeon to make you face. A good plastic surgery should leave no sign behind after the surgery is over and healed. At the same time, you should not be over ambitious since there is a limit on what can be done to make you look younger and pretty.

Dr. Miller heads one of the leading anti-ageing centres in England. This board-certified surgeon specialises in plastic surgery especially facelifts His experience in this field can be affirmed by the fact that he is a member of ‘The American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons’, ‘The American Society of Plastic Surgeons’ and ‘The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh’. You can learn more about him here.

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Fat Grafting for Breast Augmentation: Pros and Cons

A cosmetic surgery is the simple technique to transfer body fat to breasts in order improve the size and shape of the breast. This technique is known as breast augmentation through which the surgeon enhances the natural proportions of the breast while improving the symmetry and aesthetics of the breasts.

There are a number of reasons women opt to undergo the procedure, however one of the biggest reasons is to accentuate breast size and shape. The procedure is also effective to rectify prominent asymmetries in breasts and deformities. However some other reasons women choose breast augmentation are:
• Recovering from the effects of pregnancy and breastfeeding. 
• Achieving a balanced shape that complements curvy hips.
• Improving self-confidence and self-image.
• Restoring swimsuit confidence.

What makes a patient an ideal candidate for the surgery?
A lot of people get fantastic results by undergoing fat transfer procedure to enhance their buttocks, face, hands or cheeks. The best parameters to get the procedure done is age between 30 and 65, good body fat to harvest from and overall good health. Other pre-requirements to be an ideal candidate are as follows: 
• Should have realistic expectations and be informed about the procedure
• Should be healthy and have a stable weight 
• Should not be pregnant or be breastfeeding 
• Should not be a smoker 

What are the pre-requirements for the procedure?
There is a chance your consultant or their staff might give you a list of precaution, however, following are the main instructions to be considered: 
• Avoid smoking for a specified amount of time 
• No alcohol intake and limited eating the night before 
• Do not drive post-surgery; have someone to accompany you while driving home 

The patient is generally given general anaesthesia or injected for conscious sedation, hence the patient is either asleep or is sedated during the procedure. During surgery, small incisions are used in order to create space for the implant. After properly positioning the implant, the surgeon closes the incisions and bandages them. Generally, it takes around two hours to complete the entire procedure and then patients are discharged to go home.

What are the benefits associated with augmentation?
Although the benefits differ from patient to patient, ever individual opting the procedure should know the benefits as below:
• No allergic reactions as patient’s own body fat is used for the procedure 
• The procedure can done along with other procedures like liposuction. 
• A natural result as patient’s own body fat is used for the procedure
• The rest time is generally less, however if done with another procedure it may require a few more days. 
• No infections as fat transfer does not include any use of synthetic material.
• The results are immediate which improve over a period of few weeks and are long-lasting. 

What are the risks associated with augmentation?
All surgeries generally have some risks which the patients should be made aware beforehand. Augmentation poses the following risks: 
• A rare chance of leaks in the implant. 
• Pain and tenderness in the area. 
• Prominence in scar tissue causing dissatisfaction. 
• A rare chance of asymmetrical results. 

An incision always leaves a permanent scar, however, in this procedure the scars heal well and the prominence goes away with time. It is a general practice to leave minimalistic scar underneath the breast so they are not visible however one should be informed about the placement and size of the scar by the consultant before the surgery. 

What to expect after the procedure?
Breast augmentation is typically an outpatient procedure performed under general anaesthesia. Patients can expect to walk around on their own after the surgery and even leave the house within a couple of days. In the first week, patients may feel a bit sore and will be advised to avoid exercising. A surgical or a sports bra might also be prescribed by the surgeon for a certain period. The patient should religiously follow the surgeon’s instructions to be able to heal quickly. 

It is beneath the pectoral muscle where the breast implant is placed which makes it feel as if the breasts are sitting high on the chest however it is a normal stage in the process as your implants will eventually settle in the optimal position over the next few weeks. After the breast implants settle, the following after care is recommended:
• Maintain regular screening.
• Undergo corrective surgery incase of weight fluctuations.
• Wear a bra with appropriate support to prevent sagging.

Dr. Donald Roland is a New York City-based board-certified plastic surgeon with extensive knowledge in body procedures. Dr. Roland specialises in breast treatments and can do a variety of surgeries, to know more visit one of the best centres of breast augmentation in New York City.

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Travel Bag Packing Tips to Hold You Together

Vacations are my life, but family vacations are getting stressful as they now mean planning and packing for a huge group. Our vacations are now overwhelming as we travel in a group of six, with two kids…one under the age of one. Of course, over the years I have accumulated a great deal of packing experience and my travel bags are ready almost two days prior to our travel date. But are they really? 

Yes, they are! That was a moment of truth when I decided it was time to make a check-list with my packing wisdom, and separate the dos from the do not's. I am not going to detail out what you need to pack or with a list of must-have items, as that would be extremely individualistic. Instead, I’m going to share some packing tips that have helped me hold things together and I’m guessing they are going to help you do the same.

Make Lists
The easiest way to ensure you are getting everything you need is to make an essentials checklist for travelling with a child, then go on to make separate lists for everyone. Once the lists are ready, pick out the things and keep adding them to individual piles while crossing the same off the list. This will help you not to forget knee socks for your dad and a favourite blanket for your baby.

Use Cubes
The best way to keep your bags organised is to pack using packing cubes. Either you can keep organised by putting together daily outfits or by clubbing clothing you will need at a particular destination (assuming you are travelling to multiple places). This method also helps as you need not unpack everything when travelling and just need to pull out a particular cube and be sorted. 

Emergency Set
The convenient way to be ready for any emergencies or delays is to have an emergency set at hand, tugged safely in a piece of hand luggage. An emergency set should contain a set of spare clothes and a cosy blanket or sweater for each of the family members and some toiletries and a few toys for everyone to share.

Individual Bags
The most tempting thought would be to pack all your kids things in one bag but that would be the most inconvenient and a sure shot way to get disorganised. Instead, have medium sized travel bags for each child, in which all their items go, making them partly responsible for their own stuff. If you do not have enough bags, you can check out travel bags online.

Keep Space
The simple method of packing will push you to fill your travel bags as best as you can, but I prefer to differ. Leave some room in every bag for ease of finding as well as for things that you may want to bring back from your holiday. More times than not you may have to otherwise pack in an extra bag for your souvenir shopping.

Is there something, in particular, you do when packing? Share your tips with me in the comments section and I shall have them added to the article. 

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