Have a snack but make sure it’s a smart & nutritious one

CONTRARY to what you may imagine, having little snacks between meals is a healthy habit that can help counter health issues ranging from obesity and diabetes to high blood pressure.

From a health standpoint, snacking is both healthy and essential. It can help lower cholesterol levels and regulate blood sugar; keeps the energy levels up and mind alert. What really matters, however, is your choice of snacks.

granola bar

Make choices packed with high nutrient value such as a small bowl of channa or roast chicken sandwich made with wholewheat bread instead of the white kind. Teenagers especially need more nutrients between school, homework, sports, and hanging out with friends as their bodies are still developing.

Women also need to eat more during pregnancy and during their monthly menstrual period as their bodies need extra nutrition at these times.

Those recovering from an illness also need to eat more protein to speed up the healing process. Snacks are a boon for diabetics, too, as they stabilise the blood sugar level. Additional nutrients are provided by snacks that may be missing in our meals. Three meals a day must be intermingled with snacks, so that the total number of times you eat in a day becomes five.

TIPS ON SMART SNACKING

• MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICES

Also, prepare snacks well in advance. Create a variety, for munching, nibbling or simply mitigating that afternoon hunger. Once you have made a list of snacking options that appeal to you, stock up on the ingredients. If you work in an office, buy some little boxes based on portion size, and fill these up with chopped fruit, nuts, or whatever else you feel would constitute a good snack for you. Since variety is the spice of life for most of us, change the snack menu often to ensure that boredom doesn’t set in and drive you to that forbidden packet.

Healthy snacking doesn’t have to be boring as long as you give yourself a variety of choices. A peanut and dry rice mixture, or cereal mix made with roasted oats, almonds and raisins can be kept in small pouches in your handbag or the drawer in the desk. Keep plenty of fresh fruit and veggies in your fridge too, ready to grab and go. Half a cheese or peanut butter sandwich, or a handful of nuts or berries, or rice crackers are other healthy snack options.

• CHOOSE ALL FOOD GROUPS

Smart snacks are those that are trans- fat free, low in calories and in cholesterol. All the five food groups in the food pyramid should be included. To keep energy levels high and avoid weight gain, steer clear of food with lots of simple carbohydrates (sugars) like candy bars or sodas.

Look for foods that contain complex carbohydrates like whole grain breads and cereals and combine them with protein rich snacks such as peanut butter or low fat yoghurt or cheese. The base should be rice, corn, dals, gram and wheatflour instead of white flour.

• READ THE LABELS

A granola bar is a good example of a snack that people think is healthy, but it certainly isn’t useful for anyone trying to bring down their cholesterol. Although these can be a good source of certain vitamins and nutrients, many also contain a great deal of fat, including the harmful trans fat. On average, about 35 per cent of the calories in a regular granola bar come from fat. And there can be a lot of sugar in granola cereals and bars. So check the nutrition facts label on the package to be sure.

News from - http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/have-a-snack-but-make-sure-it%E2%80%99s-a-smart---nutritious-one.html

Honda to launch small car Brio this month

The car is expected to be priced at Rs 4.2 lakh to Rs 4.5 lakh to compete with Maruti's Swift, Volkswagen's Polo, Ford's Figo, Hyundai’s i10 and Toyota Liva.

It has been reported that Honda's first small car for the mass market, Brio will be launched this month.

The car is expected to be priced at Rs 4.2 lakh to Rs 4.5 lakh to compete with Maruti's Swift, Volkswagen's Polo, Ford's Figo, Hyundai’s i10 and Toyota Liva.

The car has a 1200cc petrol engine which generates power to the tune of 90 BHP. Cars with less than 4-metres of length and 1200 cc petrol and 1500 cc diesel engines are considered small cars.

Honda wants to tap the huge potential in smaller cities to ensure the Brio takes on competitors and revive its flattening sales.

Auto companies have been focusing more on smaller cities, which have given huge incremental volumes and helped car sales to zoom over 30 percent in 2010.

It was reported that the car accommodates five adults, but falls in Indian government's small car category that is taxed 10 percent compared to 22 percent for bigger vehicles.

According to a report in The Economic Times, Honda has developed Brio after five years of painstaking research of the Indian market, keeping in view the local conditions and specifically catering the car to typical Indian families.

News from - http://in.news.yahoo.com/photos/honda-to-launch-small-car-brio-this-month-1315455055-slideshow/i30-photo-1315454914.html

Amitabh Bachchan signs first Hollywood film

New Delhi, Sep 7 (IANS) After over four decades of contribution to Hindi cinema, Amitabh Bachchan is finally stepping out! At 68, he is ready to make his Hollywood debut with Baz Luhrmann's 'The Great Gatsby', which has 'Titanic' star Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead.

Amitabh, who is lovingly called Big B in the Indian film industry, is the latest to join the cast of the romantic drama, along with Scottish-Australian actress Isla Fisher. He will play the role of Meyer Wolfsheim, said an official statement from Warner Bros Pictures.

The $125 million project is a 3D adaptation of the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald novel of the same name. The principal photography of the movie began this week in Sydney.

'Fitzgerald loved the movies and was a passionate believer in the power of cinema. 'The Great Gatsby' has been adapted for the screen no less than four times. Fitzgerald's story defies time and geography. The vision and the goal of our remarkable cast and creatives is to do justice to the deftness of Fitzgerald's telling, and illuminate its big ideas and humanity. This is our challenge and our adventure,' said Luhrmann, who made 'Moulin Rouge', and used Hindi song 'Chhamma chhamma' in it.

Other cast members for 'The Great Gatsby' include Tobey Maguire, Joel Edgerton and Carey Mulligan. The film also features newcomer Elizabeth Debicki. Luhrmann is happy to shoot in his native Australia.

'The opportunity to make the film in Australia with the Bazmark creative team is very important to us; the assistance from Screen Australia and the NSW Government has made that possible,' he added.

The film will be distributed in 3D and 2D by Warner Bros Pictures and in certain territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.

News from - http://in.movies.yahoo.com/news/amitabh-bachchan-signs-first-hollywood-film-084906091.html

4.2 intensity quake shakes Delhi out of its sleep

New Delhi, Sep 8 (IANS) An earthquake measuring 4.2 on the Richter Scale shook the Indian capital for 5-6 seconds at around 11.30 p.m. Wednesday, the Met department said, scaling down its intensity from the initial 6.6. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage to property.

The epicentre of the quake was in Sonepat in Haryana, about 90 km from Delhi, and its aftershocks were also felt in northern states like Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir.

'It is not 6.6 intensity, it is 4.2 on the Richter,' an IMD official told IANS.

The IMD website described the quake as 'slight' and the timing as 23:28:18 hours.

Fire officials and Delhi Police said they had not received any report of damage or building collapse.

The temblor was particularly felt in east Delhi where thousands of people left their homes and came out on the streets.

'All the furniture in my house started shaking just as we finished dinner,' said Vinod Kapoor, a resident of east Delhi.

In other parts of the capital too, people ran out of their homes in fright when their furniture started rattling alarmingly and cupboards and fans started swaying.

'A lot of panic here... my network is gone. People came out of their homes. Children started crying and everyone was on the roads,' said an IANS correspondent who lives in a women's hostel in south Delhi.

Throughout the city, people called up relatives and friends, and asked after their well-being.

'At first I heard a muffled sound - like a subdued explosion in a tin - and then felt the quake for about 10 seconds,' said Gurgaon resident Gulshan Luthra.

The quake had residents in Faridabad running out of their homes too.

News from - http://in.news.yahoo.com/4-2-intensity-quake-shakes-delhi-sleep-185149123.html

Sachin Tendulkar - Profile

Batting style: Right Handed bat

Bowling style: Off break

Played for: India, Mumbai Indians

Ex Skipper-Test,ODI | Batsman

Born: April 24, 1973, Bombay

Sachin Tendulkar can unquestionably be called the 'face of modern cricket'. He follows Don Bradman and Viv Richards as his generation's most successful batsman. The only close competitors Tendulkar faced were Brian Lara and, in more recent times, Ricky Ponting. Statistically, while Bradman scaled unreachable heights, Tendulkar, by his sheer consistency in longevity, marked his area with expansive width that shall, like the Australian great, probably never be conquered.

By the turn of the century, watching Tendulkar as India's lone warrior staging single-handed fights, - while carrying the hopes of a billion hearts, - was cricket's grandest spectacle. Too often his achievements would be let down by lack of support from teammates. Yet, his ability to continue to live to fight another day, shoulder blame unfairly and always delve into positives, transcends Tendulkar beyond a cricketing icon to a role model and a prized treasure for the oft-tarnished image of the sport. By the end of it all, through each seemingly-effortless, technically-perfect shot, that made batting an art form rather than a laborious effort, Tendulkar went on to be the game's leading run-getter, half-centurion and centurion in the two most pre-dominant forms of the game.

It is paradoxical that at the start of all these achievements was performance of nothingness - a debut ODI duck and an unflattering debut Test 15 against Pakistan as a 16-year-old. It underlines the old adage of attitude over talent, reminding everyone that even legends have to struggle to find their feet. He did make it big, of course, one small step at a time. First replacing Sanjay Manjrekar as India's most formidable batsman of the time and then becoming the only contender to Sunil Gavaskar's stature in Indian batting history. Finally, even the great Don Bradman drew parallels between himself and Tendulkar. In between, captaincy called on a few occasions, but it was one thing he wasn't cut out for. The "Little master" was also one of the very few who came out with his head held high as always, following the match-fixing scandal.

Following the turn of the century came India's ascendency after disappointing pasts during Tendulkar's foray in the peak of his career. He was now provided with the long-awaited support crew. But he still remained the mainstay while guiding his nation towards the summit of Test rankings. If Bradman started high and ended low, Tendulkar started low to rise unfathomably even miles before his end.

Tendulkar's long-awaited dream was finally fulfilled when he, as part of Team India, emerged victorious in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. Throughout the tournament, he was a consistent performer with the bat. In an enormous acknowledgment to his batting genius, his teammates paid the Master Blaster rich tributes for his service to Indian cricket. Post-victory, Virat Kohli perfectly summed up the sentiment of many when he famously said that it was time that they carried Sachin Tendulkar on their shoulders after he had carried the burden of the nation's expectations for 21 years. This World Cup win was the most special moment of Tendulkar’s life.

Fast Facts

• Sachin Tendulkar was the ICC Player of the Year 2010, Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1997 and also Wisden Leading Cricketer, 2011.
• Tendulkar became the first sportsperson without an aviation background to be awarded the honorary rank of Group Captain by the Indian Air Force.
• He wanted to become a fast bowler but could not impress Dennis Lillee who suggested him to focus on his batting.
• In 1988, in an inter-school game, Tendulkar's 664-run stand with Vinod Kambli reduced an opposition bowler to tears and the rest were so frustrated that they refused to continue the game.
• He is the leading run-getter and centurion in Tests and ODIs.
• Tendulkar became the first batsman to score a double century in ODI cricket.
• He also became the first to score 90 International centuries.
• He was the first batsman in Tests to record 12,000 runs and later the first to reach 13,000 as well.
• “The Little Master” was the first batsman in ODIs to reach the 10,000 run milestone.
• He holds the record as the youngest Indian to make a debut in international cricket.
• Crossing and unprecedented milestone of 17,000 ODI runs in 2009, Tendulkar stretched his lead as the highest run-scorer in ODIs.

Career

Span:

Test:

1989-2011

ODI:

1989-2011

T20:

2006-2006

IPL:

2008-2011

CLT20:

2010-2010

Test

Debut:

India Vs Pakistan at National Stadium, Karachi - Nov 15, 1989

Last played:

India Vs England at The Oval, London - Aug 18, 2011

ODI

Debut:

India Vs Pakistan at Jinnah Stadium, Gujranwala - Dec 18, 1989

Last played:

India Vs Sri Lanka at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai - Apr 02, 2011

T20

Debut:

India Vs South Africa at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg - Dec 01, 2006

Last played:

India Vs South Africa at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg - Dec 01, 2006

IPL

Debut:

Mumbai Indians Vs Chennai Super Kings at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai (Bombay) - May 14, 2008

Last played:

Mumbai Indians Vs Royal Challengers Bangalore at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai - May 27, 2011

CLT20

Debut:

Mumbai Indians Vs Highveld Lions at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg - Sep 10, 2010

Last played:

Mumbai Indians Vs Royal Challengers Bangalore at Kingsmead, Durban - Sep 19, 2010

News from - http://cricket.yahoo.com/player-profile/Sachin-Tendulkar_2962