Hi, my name is Deepthi Harkar. I'm a nutrition professional with experience in clinical nutritional assessments, nutrition education, enteral and parenteral nutrition, research and health promotion program planning. I worked as a nutritionist for several years in hospitals, community organizations and research institutes which allowed me to demonstrate my strength in nutritional assessments, analysis and health strategy formulations. My other assets include excellent communication, public relation skills, and double masters in Health Promotion and Foods & nutrition with impressive academic record. Currently, i'm in the process of getting my Registered Dietitian (RD) credential.

I am a Nutrition Editor at http://FOODPICKER.org- a website designed
to help people with diabetes.

I will be updating my blog regularly with new findings related diabestes and nutrition. You can post your questions, comments and experiences related to diabetes and nutrition in general.

Healthy Eating Habits

• Choose salads, fruits or vegetables instead of fries.
• Choose water, low-fat or fat-free milk, or diet soda instead of a regular soft drink.
• Choose lowfat toppings on pizza, such as chicken or ham, and add lots of vegetables.
  
• Enjoy the taste of comfort-food favorites like fried chicken without the added fat.
• Try to make most of your cereal serves whole grain and reduced in salt.
• Along with choosing and eating more healthy foods, begin to exercise each day for at least 10 to 15 minutes.

Eat Right - Stay Fit

Your body needs balanced nutrition which can be obtained by eating various nutrient packed foods. Here's how:

• Include fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products.
• Include lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs and nuts.
• Include foods low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium) and added sugars

Importance of dietary fiber

Dietary fiber has been shown to protect us from cancer (especially colon cancer) , heart disease, bowel disease, including constipation and diverticulosis, and obesity. It may also help to reduce blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.

Fiber is found only in plant foods. Fruits and vegetables are a good source of fiber, especially if you eat them fresh with the skin on. Fiber is also found in whole-grain breads and cereals. You must read the ingredient list on the food label to make sure it says "whole grain". Otherwise, you may be consuming brown coloring without any additional fiber.

Beans and other legumes are an excellent and inexpensive source of fiber. Foods with more than 4 grams of fiber are considered to be good sources.

The easiest way for most of us to get more fiber in our diets is to eat a high-fiber cereal for breakfast each morning.

Nutrition transition

Deficiencies of essential micronutrients are now recognized as the most widespread nutritional problem facing the world today, especially among women and children. Micronutrient malnutrition is a major contributor to child mortality and continues to stunt the growth, development, and learning potential of many millions of surviving children. As a result of the “nutrition transition”, hunger among the poor also manifests itself in over-consumption of cheap, energy-rich, but nutrient-poor, foods, leading to obesity in populations still affected by high rates of micronutrient deficiency. This nutrition transition, which is rooted in the processes of globalization, is not just affecting the affluent: obesity and related diseases are now problems for poor countries and poor people. It is emerging as a particular problem for women, even those with inadequate micronutrient intake and stunted children. These nutritional problems provide further health challenges: under-nutrition is linked with diarrheal diseases; micronutrient deficiencies increase the risk of infections; obesity leads to diet-related chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. Developing countries thus now face a double burden of malnutrition (under- and over-) and associated diseases (infectious and chronic). Policies are needed to address both micronutrient deficiency and obesity, sometimes in very different communities, sometimes in the same. This is a serious nutritional and public health challenge.