When the news of Martina Navratilova suffering from breast cancer was broken, it shocked everyone and all her fans expressed their concern for this tennis star. She herself admitted that she was broken down emotionally when she first came to know about the disease. However, she kept up a brave front and decided to fight the disease. After long term treatment of this disease, Martina Navratilova got completely cured of breast cancer and has become a success story of breast cancer for all the females suffering from this disease.

Martina Navratilova has also helped to create awareness about the disease so that women understand the signs and symptoms of the disease and early diagnosis of the disease is possible. The risk factors of breast cancer are given below –

• Gender – breast cancer is most commonly found in females. Its occurrence in males is very rare.
• Age: risk of this disease increases as the age progresses.
• Race: it is more commonly found in white women than in African-American women in America
• History of Breast cancer: women having a history of breast cancer in one breast are at more risk of developing the same in the other breast. Also, females having a family history of breast cancer are more prone to it.
• Women who have never given birth to a child or never breast fed a child are at higher risk of developing breast cancer.
• Menstrual history: women who had an early start of menses and a delayed menopause are more prone to this disease.

Symptoms of breast cancer

Breast cancer may not show any signs and symptoms at the initial stage. The lump of breast cancer is too small to be felt in the early stage. Usually the lump at this stage is found only in a routine mammography. A lump may enlarge and be felt at a later stage. A lump, which is a hard, painless mass with uneven edges, points to breast cancer. Following changes in the breast can be expected in case of breast cancer:

• Dimpling of the skin over the breast
• Irritation of the skin.
• Swelling of a part or whole of the breast
• Pain in the breast
• Pain in the nipple and inward turning of the nipple
• Abnormal discharge from the nipple
• Lump in armpits

Women are advised to consult a gynecologist at once if they notice any of the above symptoms. These symptoms can also be a result of a less severe disease like breast cyst, but it is important to rule out breast cancer, anyway.

Treatment of breast cancer

Martina Navratilova has set an example for all those who are suffering from breast cancer. It should be borne in mind that there are various forms of treatment available to fight this disease. The modes of treatment for breast cancer are radiation treatment, hormonal therapy, surgical intervention and chemotherapy. Radiation and surgery are forms of local therapy, where the cancerous part of the breast is destroyed or removed. Hormonal therapy and chemotherapy are forms of systemic therapy. In this, the drug is administered via systemic ways through the blood stream and the cancer cells are destroyed or controlled throughout the body of the patient. The choice of treatment depends upon the stage of breast cancer, the expected outcomes and the probable side effects. These issues can be discussed with the physician before making a choice of treatment. In whichever case, the treatment goes on for a long period of time and the patient and her family should fight it bravely and be determined to come out of the illness, like the Wimbledon Champion, Martina Navratilova.

Popeye was strong because he was getting high nutrition values from spinach. Spinach is full of vitamins and minerals which are required for a man to be healthy and strong. Spinach has many benefits for men to build their body fit and fine.

• Strong bones:

Spinach has properties to prevent osteoporosis because it contains plenty of vitamin K. Vitamin K is essential for the bones in order to hold on the calcium properly. For healthy bones calcium and magnesium are very important and these both are available in spinach.

• Strengthening muscles:

Spinach also plays a vital role in strengthening muscles as it has lots of antioxidants and you must be aware that antioxidants work significantly in muscle strengthening. These muscles also include heart muscles and that means spinach ultimately helps your heart to be strong.

• Eye health:

Spinach is the best source of lutein, beta carotene and xantahene which are useful for eye health. All of these can be provided to the eyes through cooked spinach. Deficiency of vitamin A, itchy eyes, eye dryness and eye ulcer – all these diseases can be prevented with regular intake of spinach.

• Blood pressure:

Spinach is low in sodium and has high potassium and this type of composition is perfect for patients of high blood pressure as potassium decreases and sodium increases the blood pressure. Spinach also contains folate which is very useful in controlling hypertension by relaxing blood vessels.

• Anti-Cancer properties:

Spinach has been found to have anti-cancer properties. It can fight against various types of cancers such as: liver, bladder, lung and prostate cancer. Various constituents like tocopherol, folate and chorophyllin in spinach are able to treat and guard cancer patients.

• Maintains weight:

Have you ever wondered why Popeye was not fat? That is because spinach has almost double the fiber content  of any other vegetables and that is why it helps in losing weight. It is low in calories and high in nutrition which is the perfect diet for those who wish to lose weight. The versatility of spinach is an additional benefit as you can use spinach everyday in various recipes.

Guys, now you have many reasons to eat spinach regularly. Was Popeye’s legend true or false; it makes not much difference. A thing we should learn from him is the importance of spinach. He maintained his health and body with a can of spinach; we too should take spinach seriously. Spinach has many vitamins and minerals like: vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, iron, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, folate, manganese, phosphorus, zinc, vitamin E, protein, potassium, copper, selenium and dietary fiber. If you guys can get so many nutrients just by eating spinach then why not eat it? Isn’t that right?

Thrombosis of the jugular vein can occur either in the internal jugular vein or in the external jugular vein. Actually, a clot found in the internal jugular vein is more caused by thrombosis of other veins, or by neck vein line insertion (catheterization). This condition can lead to many complications like systemic sepsis, superior vena cava syndrome, subclavian vein thrombosis, empyema, renal failure, cerebral edema, septic arthritis etc.

• Causes of thrombosis of the jugular vein:

As has already been mentioned above, thrombosis in the jugular vein mostly occurs in patients who are hospitalized and have neck catheterization, that means insertion of neck central line. The main causes behind this condition are deep neck infection, neck and head malignancy, neck massage, trauma, polycythemia or use of intravenous drugs. These are a few of the causes for jugular vein thrombosis to occur.

• Diagnosis of thrombosis in jugular vein:

To diagnose thrombosis of the jugular vein at the earliest stage is difficult as the signs and symptoms of this condition are very subtle. Neck pain and swelling on neck is found in internal jugular thrombosis. The swelling can also be seen in upper extremities. In some cases, pain and swelling could also be absent. As compared to internal jugular vein thrombosis the cases of external jugular vein thrombosis are very few. External jugular vein thrombosis takes place mostly because of neck catheter insertion. External vein thrombosis can transmit to internal jugular vein thrombi.

There are various tests done to diagnose thrombosis of the jugular vein, they are as follows:

• Contrast venography
• Ultra sonography
• Contrast enhanced CT scan
• MRI
• Nuclear medicine scan

By performing these tests, jugular vein thrombosis can be diagnosed.

• Treatment of jugular vein thrombosis:

To treat internal and external jugular vein thrombosis different methods can be applied. Which method is suitable is depended upon the type and severity of the disease. Here are all possible treatment therapies to treat thrombosis in jugular vein.

Thrombosis in the internal jugular vein which has no complications can be treated by surgery. However, in the case of deep neck infections it needs to be drained of the collected fluids and also the debridement of infected tissues is required.

Excision of the Internal jugular vein may be required in cases of intra-luminal abscesses to prevent serious complications. However, most of the times post-anginal sepsis can be cured with medicines and in such cases there is no need of surgery. Antibiotic therapy is effective in such cases; very rarely this therapy is not successful. It is important to note that there can be persisting fever in some cases; particularly, with metastatic infection.

These are the treatments for jugular vein thrombosis. It is important that this disease is diagnosed at the earliest so that further complications can be avoided.

Those who need to insert a neck central line should consult with their health care provider about the precautions they can take to avoid thrombosis in the jugular vein and also any further complications. Take extreme care of yourself and follow all the instructions of your health care provider carefully.

There are various kinds of parasites that infect living beings. Parasites are living beings that need other living beings (hosts) for their survival. They take nutrition from the host and cannot complete their entire life cycle without the host’s help. Many of these parasites can cause severe diseases in humans. There are a large amount of parasites that need human beings for survival, either during a certain stage of their life or throughout. Most of these dreaded cases are found in developing countries especially in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of Asian and African continents, yet their impact can be felt anywhere, for e.g. the U.S. has more than seven million cases of trichomoniasis every year. Almost one and a half million cases of toxoplasma and another two million of giardia can affect Americans every year thus making parasitic infections a considerably serious threat albeit on a smaller scale. So lets understand what kind of parasites affect humans.

Parasites

Parasites that affect humans can be classified into three main categories: helminthes, protozoa and ectoparasites.

• Helminths are wormlike living things that can be seen without the need of external aids. Helminths can survive without their host for certain stages of their life, especially when these multi-cellular beings in their adult form need to reproduce. They are unable to reproduce inside the host and will seek to move out for completing their lifecycle. Helminths are further classified in three main categories: flatworms, thorny-headed worms and roundworms.
• Protozoa are unicellular organisms that thrive within the human body. The internal environment of a human body is ideal for their reproductive activities, although they can survive outside as well. There are two major types of human-detrimental protozoa that are classified on the basis of their transmission from one host to another.

1. One is the infected feces to mouth of new host type in which the protozoa exist in the human intestine. This type of protozoa moves out of the host body through the fecal matter excreted from the intestines. When the infected feces comes in contact with water, food or other humans the protozoa get transferred to it. When this contaminated water, food or the unhygienic items with the protozoa come in contact with the mouth of a suitable host; these protozoa infect the new person.
2. The other mode of transmission is through carriers like mosquitoes, flies, etc. In this mode the parasite is present in the host’s blood. When the carrier bites an infected person, the parasites from the blood get transferred to the carrier. When this infected carrier bites another host, the parasites get transferred, infecting this new host. Malarial parasites are the most prominent parasites in this category.

• The third category of parasites is ectoparasites, which are not always easily visible to the naked eye, but need human hosts for their survival. These organisms survive on human blood by sucking it, usually on the outside or just below the human skin. In most cases they act as germ carriers, increasing the sphere of infection by moving from one infected host to another. Ticks, lice, fleas, etc. are examples of ectoparasites.

Various ways in which parasites reach human hosts

Animals – Animals especially pets are highly conducive grounds for development and spread of parasites that can harm humans. Diseases caused by such sources are termed as zoonotic diseases. Meat of infected animals, when not cooked properly may contain various parasites that can be transferred to the human host eating it. Cows with cryptosporidiosis can transfer the parasite if they contaminate drinking water or fruits watered by the contaminated water that are consumed by humans without washing properly. Household pets too spread quite a few parasites such as hookworms and ascarids.

Insects – Just like animals, insects too play a major part in the spread of parasites. Due to the huge population density and variety of insects in a comparatively small area, the possibility of spreading parasites increases proportionately. Parasite carrying insects are known as vectors. Vectors usually form a very important part of parasite development, usually getting affected by it as well. Malarial and dengue related parasites enter mosquito blood stream through the saliva as the mosquito feeds. The parasites develop within the mosquito and are then transmitted to another host when it feeds again.

Blood – This happens when normal blood comes in contact with blood infected by parasites. There are two most likely conditions in which blood to blood transmission of parasites can occur. One is when users share needles, syringes etc. When a person having parasite infection in the blood shares a syringe with a normal person, the parasite may transfer to the normal person. The other most likely way is blood transfusion in which the blood donor has parasites in their blood and this blood is used for a normal patient. Parasites like toxoplasmosis, malaria, babesiosis, African trypanosomiasis, chagas disease etc. can be spread in this manner. Yet, due to the increasing control in blood donor screening as well as the menace of diseases like HIV being spread through sharing of needles; the likelihood of parasites being passed in this manner has reduced.

Food – This is another primary source of parasite infiltration. Parasites that survive through undercooked meat, fish and vegetables can enter human body system and start their lifecycles. Unhygienic eating conditions, dietary habits, contamination due to unclean food service, etc. can easily contribute to the parasite’s human body entry. Cyclospora cayetanensis, giardia intestinalis, and Cryptosporidium spp. are some of the most common parasites likely to infect hosts through food.

Water – Due to its abundance in the world and its overall importance in human life, human beings cannot resist water. Not only is it used for normal essential activities like drinking, cleaning, bathing, etc. it is also a major factor in human leisure activities. This increases human contact with water. Proportionately possibility of parasites that use water, as method of spreading in humans, is also quite high. Especially untreated water or water in leisure activities or water in natural conditions is the main source of parasitic infiltration in humans.

Precaution for Travelers

One of the most susceptible demographic amongst the U.S. population, most likely to encounter parasitic infiltration, are travelers that visit developing countries. Due to various social, political, economical reasons; developing countries are unable to maintain the required amount of sanitation and public health conditions that will control parasite infections in their citizens. Hence it is essential that travelers visiting these countries understand the overall situation and take as many precautions as possible to avoid contracting the parasites. Apart from the information given above about how parasite infection occurs, travelers should observe the following general precautions (this list is not comprehensive and may need additional precautions based on the travel destination):

1. Travelers should learn about their travel destination and understand all advisories issued against their place of visit.
2. If there are any vaccines or prophylactic treatments, available for possible local infections, then the travelers should take them and learn about their availability at the travel destination.
3. Travelers should discuss with their personal physician for any precautions to be observed to prevent parasite infections that are specific to the travel destination.
4. Travelers should maintain hygienic conditions and consume food & water from trusted sources like municipal water supplies. They should drink water boiled for at least a minute only or else use only bottled water.
5. Travelers should avoid water sports, swimming and other recreational water based activities.
6. Travelers should follow good habits such as cleaning and washing hands regularly.
7. Travelers should use insect repellants even in places where vector borne infection is less likely.
8. Travelers should only use pasteurized milk or dairy products.
9. Travelers should use proper protective clothing and take all care to avoid exposing skin as much as possible.
10. Travelers shouldn’t eat uncooked, raw food or unpeeled, unwashed vegetables and fruits. Users should avoid roadside food.

In this article we are going to discuss about corns, boils and fever blister and home remedies for each of them. First of all let us see corns.

• Home remedies for corns:

A corn is thickened skin which causes irritation and pain. Corns mainly appear on the feet and sometimes also on fingers. You can try the below given home remedies for treating corns.

• Fresh lemon: Take a fresh lemon and make one or two slices. Apply them on the corns and keep them in place for at least 2 hours. Lemons will relieve the pain soon.
• Vinegar: Soak a piece of cloth and wrap it around the toe. The vinegar will start healing the corn. Use this remedy throughout the night and day for better results.
• Papaya: Papaya has great healing properties. Take 1 teaspoon of papaya juice and apply it on the corn. Let it dry for 2 hours or so. This remedy will reduce the pain and will also help in healing the corn.

• Home remedies for boils:

Boils are caused by infections. A red nodule, which is painful, comes out on the skin. As it grows it formulates pus and causes lots of itching and also irritation. It could be a single boil on different parts of body or many boils at one place. To treat boils the home remedies are:

• Garlic with onion:  Take garlic juice together with onion juice in equal quantity. Apply it on the boils in order to ripen them and then break them to expel the pus.
• Cumin seeds: Make a paste of cumin seeds with water. Apply this paste on boils in order to get rid of boils.
• Bitter gourd: Bitter gourd can also be a very effective remedy for boils. Take 1 cup bitter gourd juice, add one teaspoon of lime juice. Now sip it slowly on an empty stomach. It will help in curing boils.

• Home remedies for fever blisters:

Fever blisters can be spread easily with skin to skin contact as they are contagious. Here are a few home remedies to find relief from fever blisters.

• White vinegar: to reduce the irritation caused by fever blisters, soak a cotton ball in white vinegar and apply that on it. You will get fast relief.
• Salt: Make your index finger wet and then put it into some table salt. Place your finger on the fever blister with gentle pressure for a minute. Continue doing this two times per day, for 2 to 3 days.
• Honey: Honey has antibacterial and antifungal properties. Apply honey on fever blisters and it will work wonderfully to heal your fever blisters.

With the help of Grandma’s remedies you can nicely treat corns, boils and also fever blisters at home. These remedies are all easy to apply and also are very effective. So try them out to get relief from all these painful and irritating health problems.

• Definition of ear blockage at high altitude

When altitude changes the air pressure outside your body also changes. So this makes a difference in the air pressure on both sides of the eardrums and it results in a feeling of pressure and ultimately ear blockage takes place.

• Scientific reason for ear blockage at high altitude

Actually, ear blockage does not happen while reaching high altitudes but it takes place when you are descending. The reason behind this is that the Eustachian tube (which is a connection between the nose and the middle ear) gets blocked and is unable to balance the pressure that is put on the ear drum by the added air pressure occurring during descent.

• Another possible reason

The Eustachian tube is empty – that means there is nothing in it for most of the time. When you are ascending or descending the changed air pressure causes this tube to collapse or even engorge and it needs a little help in order to equalize. That help can be provided by pinching the nose and blowing out the breath thus the pressure outside and inside can be equalized.

• Easy methods to prevent ear blockage at high altitude

Generally, yawning as well as swallowing helps in opening the Eustachian tube. With these movements the pressure can be equalized within the ears. While ascending or descending from high altitudes, if you try this your ears will not be blocked. If you keep chewing gum all the time when you are about to change altitudes, it will be helpful, as you will keep swallowing frequently. This will keep your ears from getting blocking.

If someone often has a problem of blocked ears while flying, they can take decongestant medicines around one hour before they get onto the flight.

Avoid sleeping in the flight while descending as this will reduce the chances of ear blockage.

• Remedy for ear blockage at high altitude

When your ears get blocked you can try this; take the breath in and then gently try breathing out holding the nostrils and with mouth closed. You will get your ears open – then you need to open your mouth wide and wiggle the jaw from side to side, this will bring your ears back to normal.

Do this with extreme care and do not use too much of force as it can result in ear infection.

Remember that when you change altitude slowly, as in a car or while mountaineering, the pressure of air is automatically equalized and your ears will not  be blocked.

Mental health problems in men have not been given the importance and attention that they have been silently appealing for. Though, men and women both have mental health problems, the health awareness and research has focused mostly on women. The reason for this women-oriented approach could be because women are more vocal and outspoken about their problems and do not feel inhibited in discussing their problems with friends and relatives. Hence, their problems get highlighted and the search for the solution gains momentum.

Men, on the other hand, rarely acknowledge any mental health problem. They are more concerned and concentrated on the physical aspect of their being, thereby largely ignoring the mental aspect of their health. Normally, men will avoid discussing any emotional issue especially if their health care professional is a female. The reason for not acknowledging and hence not discussing any emotional problem could probably be the notion that men who discuss emotional problems are considered weak. This misplaced concept of manliness often tends to disguise the mental health problems in men which then often remain untreated. This wound in the mind then slowly starts gnawing away at the mental health which may ultimately turn into a major problem of far reaching consequences.

Recognizing these short-comings would be the first step to self-awareness and understanding of the mental problems. Understanding and acceptance of mental health problems in men is vital and it is only then that one seeks the solution to the problem. Greater awareness and shunning age old and often erroneous beliefs will go a long way in helping to arrive at a solution for the problems of mental health in men.

Depression and Suicide – a Major Mental Health Problem in Men:

The number of women who suffer from depression is much larger than men. However, statistically it has been found that the possibility of men succumbing to the eventual consequence of their depression – suicide – is almost four times more than women. This may lead us to believe that the effect of depression in men is comparatively more and far deeper than in women.

The logical reason for this chilling revelation could be that men simply refuse to acknowledge depressive symptoms in them and the same could be said of the physicians who are treating them.

Men readily acknowledge and accept physical problems such as body pain, lethargy, irritability, sleep problems, disinterest in work, lower sexual drive, weakness, etc. Men would walk the extra mile to get their physical problems sorted out.

On the other hand, mental health problems in men such as unexplained sadness, despair, worthlessness, illogical guilt feeling, alcohol or drug dependence, etc. would be swept under the carpet without much ado with the reasoning that it is temporary problem and will sort itself out. Men may not even acknowledge that these symptoms deserve a serious consideration and urgent medical assistance.

Times have changed to the betterment of all. There is more awareness; information is available at the touch of a button. If you feel you are a victim of the symptoms of depression, seek medical assistance immediately. Depression is a common occurrence and most instances can be treated with timely medical help.

The reason for depression may be many:

• Some very distressing events in life

• Chemical imbalances in the brain

• Certain mental problems

The important thing to remember is depression is a common ailment and can be treated.

There is no need to mention that the heart is one of the most important parts of our body. When this heart is weak it leads to heart failure. Weak heart means weak heart muscles and that is referred to by the medical term – Cardiomyopathy. In this condition the heart is unable to circulate blood throughout the body. There are some reasons behind these weakened heart muscles and they are as follows:

• Causes of weak heart muscles:

There are many possible conditions which may lead to weak heart muscles. The main reason is that when blood flow is too slow then it causes more pressure on the heart. This slow blood circulation provides insufficient amount of oxygen and nutrients in the body cells, (which are required for them to function normally.) And when this pressure increases it starts thickening the chambers of the heart, or in order to hold more blood the heart starts expanding. In such conditions the muscles of the heart are weakened.

There are mainly two types of Cardiomyopathy: first is dilated Cardiomyopathy and the other is hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. We are going to talk about both of them one by one.

• Dilated Cardiomyopathy:

Dilated Cardiomyopathy takes place when one of the ventricles (mostly the left one) gets dilated and results in weakening the muscles. This condition causes the pumping action to weaken; that means the blood pumped in each heart beat is low in quantity and this leads to inadequate supply of blood to the body’s organs.

• Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy:

This type of weakness in the heart muscles is generally caused by genetics that run through families. In hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy the ventricular muscles tend to become thick and ultimately result in stiffness. Thus it weakens the function of the heart and leads to serious heart conditions.

• Symptoms of weak heart muscles:

It is easy to recognize the symptoms of weak heart muscles. The body cells which do not receive an adequate amount of blood gradually stop functioning due to lack of oxygen and nutrients. As this happens, the fluid that is in the blood vessels starts seeping into the surrounding tissues. This causes swelling in the legs as well as in the ankles and also it causes water to be retained in the body.  Excessive fluids can accumulate in the digestive track or lungs which will show up as troubled breathing and decreased appetite. As the heart becomes unable to circulate sufficient amounts of blood in the body; you may face fatigue, tiredness and weakness and this will make your daily tasks harder.

In some severe cases symptoms of ‘weak heart muscles’ can result in an enlarged heart, cough with blood, shortness of breath and also irregular heartbeats.

In some people there no symptoms and they might not even know that they are suffering from Cardiomyopathy until it is too late.

Life is full of ups and downs. Especially for women it is very tough to manage the home and career together. While racing in both races you obviously get stressed. Never let stress overcome your happiness. Do not become panicky or get crazy over whatever your life brings to you. Each situation has some solution or other, be calm and serene. Here are some tips to help you to manage your stress in daily life.
•    Have a cup of black tea:
The question may come to your mind – how can tea be helpful in stress? This is not just experienced by many people but also has been proved by researchers. They have concluded that drinking black tea relieves your stress very quickly, rather than any other alternatives for tea. The scientific reason behind it is that black tea has greater influence on the brain by which it reduces the stress hormones known as cortisol.
•    Eat nuts:
‘To stay healthy you must eat healthy’ if you follow this rule you can easily drive stress away. Eat nuts everyday and whenever you feel stressed. Nuts are weapons to fight against stress. If you eat some crunchy almonds they will give you vitamin B & E and zinc and this also is one of the best antioxidants. Come on then it’s the time to have one; get one for yourself.
•    Smelling the scents:
Walk up to a place where you can find a nice scent; that is going to reduce all your stress. This type of therapy is well known as aroma therapy. It has potential properties to heal your stress. You can also go to the garden where there are lots of sweet-scented flowers. The perfume of these flowers will certainly relax you and reduce your feeling of being stressed and tense.
You can also do one more thing – soak a few small cotton balls in your favorite essential oil and place them in your car or bedroom or any place in your home where you go frequently. You will feel refreshed by the smell; whenever a breeze passes over the cotton balls.
•    Make vitamin C a part of your diet:
Research has proved that stress hormones can be reduced by vitamin C. So no need to wait anymore to have vitamin C. You can regularly add in your diet all the foods that contain vitamin C such as: oranges, citrus fruits, papaya, lemon, strawberry and also vegetables like cauliflower, spinach and so many other fruits and vegetables that have vitamin C. From now on, you need to enhance your diet with lots of vitamin C and do not let stress scare you.
With the help of these few stress buster tips you can surely keep stress away. Life is short; do not waste it in being stressed;  rather enjoy it fully as a stress free life.

The vegan diet is a vegetarian diet in which no animal products are included such as: dairy products, gelatin etc. Try the following things in your diet and see the difference in your weight.

• Choose to have variety in your diet:
Make sure that you eat a variety of foods in your diet so that you will get all types of nutrition. Include in your diet: whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Remember that a vegan diet is the fastest method of losing weight.

• Control eating sweets:
You need to control your intake of sugar in order to lose weight. Vegetarian food with high sugar increases the weight rather than decreasing it.

• Take a low calorie diet:
Eat food items that are low in calories if you want to lose weight. This really means, eat more green salads, green vegetables, yellow vegetables, beans and lentils, fruits and starchy vegetables. Avoid eating whole grain bread or flour as it does not help in losing weight rather may cause weight gain. Also avoid white flour, nuts and sodas.

• Day’s diet plan
For your convenience I am giving you here the balanced vegan diet plan. It is for a whole day’s diet which is extremely effective in weight loss.

• Breakfast
➢ Have a bowl filled with 3/4th cup of dry rolled oatmeal; add a few berries and if you like maple syrup add one teaspoon of it.
➢ Eat one apple or one orange.
➢ 2 cups or one cup of coffee or tea as per your likings.

• Snacks
If you feel hungry before lunch time you can have these snack items in between.
➢ One or two fruits and/or
➢ Carrot or snap peas or any other snacking vegetables.

• Lunch
➢ Green salad including cherry tomatoes with vegan dressing which is low in fats.
➢ Steamed broccoli, string beans, asparagus or any such vegetables.
➢ Boiled potatoes or even sweet potatoes with dry seasoning.
➢ One large cup of fruit juice with seltzer that means take 1/4th cup of fruit juice and 3/4th cup of seltzer water.

• Snacks
➢ Anything leftover from lunch.
➢ 1 snack vegetable or fruit
➢ 1 cup of coffee or tea as per your choice.

• Dinner
➢ Green salad with cherry tomatoes.
➢ Steamed vegetables
➢ Low fat vegan dish and
➢ Beer or juice as per your choice.

In vegan diets you can prepare something which is low in fat and can eat it with brown rice. This way you also get to eat rice.
If you strictly follow this diet for one month you will see that you have lost weight miraculously. Even if for any reason you cheat once or twice in the entire month still you will reach your goal. The thing is, small cheats won’t undo everything. Keep in mind that the healthier you eat, the better it is for you.