Triglycerides can harm your body. – By Dr Harold Gunatillake Transcript: Triglycerides are a type of fat (lipid) found in the blood. When you eat, your body converts any calories it doesn’t need to be used immediately into triglycerides, which are stored in your fat cells. High levels of triglycerides in the blood can be caused by a few factors, with obesity and poorly controlled diabetes is the most common ones. If you have excess weight and are not physically active, your triglyceride levels maybe high, mainly if your diet is high in carbohydrates, sugary foods, or alcohol. “You are concerned about cholesterol levels in your blood, including bad LDL and good HDL. It is also essential to consider your triglyceride levels, as they play an important role in your health but can also cause harm if they are too high. Triglyceride levels usually fall into the following categories: Healthy: ...

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A Failing Heart – Dr harold Gunatillake Website: www.Doctoharold.com Heart failure occurs when the heart is too weak or stiff to pump blood adequately throughout the body. Promoting good health for Sri Lankans, globally When we’re born, we have a healthy heart that works well. But if we’re born with a heart problem, it can cause issues later in life. Today, we’re talking about how to keep our hearts healthy. One important thing is to stay healthy, as being overweight can put extra pressure on the heart and weaken it over time. Being overweight also increases the risk of heart problems like heart failure. This happens because fatty tissue can build up in the heart and cause it not to work correctly. Further, the heart must pump more force to distribute blood to the extra tissues formed due to obesity. What happens if obesity is left untreated? Carrying extra fat ...

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Obesity and potbelly issues – By Dr Harold Gunatillake Website: www.Doctorharold.com Transcript: Inactive lifestyles and over-eating are becoming more prominent worldwide, leading to ill health and chronic diseases. Individuals who suffer from obesity can understand how difficult it is to lose weight through physical activity and diet only. Obesity and pot belly are both common health issues that can lead to serious health consequences. Being overweight or obese can increase the risk of developing various health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. A pot belly, also known as abdominal obesity, can be particularly dangerous as it is linked to an increased risk of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. It is important to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle to prevent these health problems and improve overall health and well-being. Obesity and abdominal pot belly are both complex diseases, most people are unaware of, and they feel ...

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Between chicken and meat, what is the preference? – By Dr harold Gunatillake Website: www.Doctorharold.com Much of the pro-vegetarian research out there will try to convince you that humans are natural herbivores, that we’re not meant to eat meat. In reality, our digestive characteristics show we’re omnivorous, according to a talk for the Vegetarian Research Group by John McArdle. Most Sri Lankans other than vegetarians and vegans eat chicken or red meat once or twice a week with rice and curry. In Sri Lanka, people eat more chicken than beef or mutton due to the price difference. So, the question is how often should you eat chicken? Can you eat chicken every day without affecting your health? Grilled or baked chicken throughout the week is the suggested way to prepare chicken. You can make simple, healthy chicken dinners, served as a curry, and enjoy them with your rice or bread. ...

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Keeping your gut clean to prevent chronic diseases. – By Dr harold Gunatillake Website: www.Doctorharold.com How does Gut bacteria (microbiome) control your health? Having a diverse range of “good” bacteria are the cornerstone of a healthy gut. In fact, having a thriving, varied gut microbiome is important for overall health — not just gut health. Just like taking precautionary steps to prevent heart disease, liver, and kidney disease, among others, you need to take steps to keep your gut clean for the benefit of your daily life. If you have any gut disorder, your brain also will not function normally because of the gut-brain connection. In fact, the gut is also referred to as the second brain. The earliest symptoms of gut disorders are abdominal discomfort, colicky pains, nausea, and vomiting if it involved the upper intestines, or change of bowel habits if the large gut is involved, such as ...

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The dietary fiber you need for better health.- By Dr Harold Gunatillake Website: www.Doctorharold.com The socioeconomic crisis in Sri Lanka has enabled the people to go on a plant-based diet and become healthier as a nation, as meat and fish are out of reach of the common person. Dietary fibre is that part of plant material in the diet which is resistant to enzymatic digestion and includes cellulose, noncellulosic polysaccharides such as hemicellulose, pectic substances, gums, mucilages, and non-carbohydrate component lignin. Fibre is found in Carbs. Now what is fiber? Dietary fibre is found in wholegrain cereals and fruit and vegetables. Fibre is made up of the indigestible parts or compounds of plants, which pass relatively unchanged through our https://youtu.be/a0Dc3WAiJ2s Website: www.Doctorharold.com stomach and intestines. Fibre is mainly a carbohydrate. The main role of fibre is to keep the digestive system healthy. High protein-containing foods also have high fiber. Lentils ...

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Your Belly & Fat Heart Attackts ! – By Dr Gotabhaya Ranasinghe Source : Dr Gotabhaya Ranasinghe facebook Did you know belly fat raises the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart attacks? Over the years, I’ve noticed that the majority of Sri Lankans, men and women alike, carry belly fat. It has now become a fairly common sight. Most Sri Lankans start gaining belly fat after they are past their mid-twenties. However, it is disappointing to learn that the majority of them are ignorant of the dangers that belly fat can cause. Some people believe that belly fat is common as people age, while others believe that having a big belly enhances a person’s personality.! People gain belly fat primarily because of sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy diets that contain large amounts of sugar, bad fats, carbohydrates, and rice in practically all 3 meals. Did you know that in Sri ...

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How much are too much-added sugars affect your health? – By Dr harold Gunatillake Website: www.Doctorharold.com Today, people are aware that sugar causes more health issues than saturated fats in foods. In the US, 8 out of 10 adults try reducing sugar. This refers to added sugars. Almost half of the added sugars in our daily diet come from one source- sugary drinks. Other sources include baked goods, candy, cereals, dairy products and desserts. The American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugar to 9 teaspoons daily for most men and six teaspoons for most women and children over 2. What is the meaning of added sugars? Added sugars are sugars, and syrups added to foods or beverages when processed or prepared. Naturally occurring sugars, such as those in fruit or milk, are not added sugars. Now let us find out the difference between natural sugar and added sugars. Naturally occurring ...

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Guided Loving Kindness Meditation… – by Joe Paiva People are caught in this epicentre. Resulting in many social issues ie mental health, loneliness, isolation, Aged Care, dependence on social drugs, domestic problems, intergenerational issues, etc. Let us solely consider the meditation aspect,  a very ancient lifestyle when humans were were forest dwellers..then farmers. Village dwellers…Urban busy hectic lifestyle…Concrete Jungles and rapid transport systems. The 20th Century world is in turmoil. We have unconsciously become a product of our environment. People are caught in this epicentre. What does one seek peace and solace? Meditation.  5, 10, or 15 minutes a day. Anytime convenient. Please consider publishing in Elanka. I leave it to your discretion. Please refer to the 160 comments. It is testimony of how much it has been valued. Joe Paiva 14 October 22   ...

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Salt, how much is too much – By Dr Harold Gunatillake Website: www.Doctorharold.com Transcript: Salt is sodium chloride, the white crystals left over when seawater evaporates. Experts have been arguing about this for decades. One side says everyone needs to cut back on salt and that doing so would substantially reduce heart disease. The other side says universal salt reduction would have little effect on public health and would be a needless deprivation for most people. In Japan, the daily intake is a whopping 26,000 mg (more than 11 teaspoons of salt). But their lifespan seems to be more than in most other countries. How salt affects your blood pressure and health depends on your genes, age, and medical conditions. The human body requires a small amount of sodium to conduct nerve impulses, contract  and relax muscles, and maintain the proper water balance and minerals. It is estimated that we need ...

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