|
|
|
| SPORTS & WELLNESS |
|
Advantage AGE Sachin Tendulkar, who has voluntarily not played any Twenty20 international games except the one in South Africa in 2006, has been among the top scorers in IPL 3. Photo: Pradeep Tewari Slim chance Fitness
mantra
|
|
|
|
It is the senior brigade that’s been making a mark in IPL 3,
a format meant essentially for young players, writes Abhijit Chatterjee
In March 2007, India performed miserably in the cricket World Cup in the West Indies. The one-time world champions who, prior to the tournament, were said to be among the most formidable squads were unable to even get past the league stage. Back home, still nursing their wounds, the senior players, including Sachin Tendulkar, then captain Saurav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, took the conscious decision that they would not play in the inaugural ICC Twenty20 World Cup to be held in South Africa in September the same year. And the result is there for all to see. A new-look Indian team under the leadership of Mahender Singh Dhoni and including all youngsters went on to win the World Cup, getting past arch rivals Pakistan in the final. The Twenty20 format has always been touted as a game tailor-made for young players with strong arms and legs. But IPL 3, as it enters its final phase, has broken this fallacy and most of the top scorers are batsmen who either have given up playing international cricket altogether or are players like Sachin Tendulkar who have voluntarily opted out of international Twenty20 matches. Also, it had been said, again wrongly, that this format of cricket was simply not suited for spinners and only the medium pacers would be able to hold fort. How wrong can pundits get! Of the top five bowlers in this tournament, only one is a new ball bowler, Lasith Malinga of Sri Lanka, while the rest are spinners. And the best economy rate of a bowler this IPL season has been that of Anil Kumble (a surprising 6.30), a player who does not play any competitive cricket nowadays except IPL. Leading the pack of top scorers, after 42 matches, in IPL 3 was Jacques Kallis of South Africa (the only player of foreign origin in the top five) with a total of 493 runs from 10 games. This South African all-rounder, who was born in 1975, has shaped the destiny of Royal Challengers Bangalore led by Anil Kumble. Kallis has so far hit 61 fours and eight sixes and has a strike rate of 127.39. His highest score so far has been an unbeaten 89. Following him closely is Sachin Tendulkar, who has voluntarily not played any Twenty20 international except the one game he played in South Africa during India’s tour in December, 2006. Sachin has scored 423 runs from 10 games at a strike rate of 137.33. It has been primarily on his batting that the fortunes of Mumbai Indians have been made. The day Sachin gets going, there is nothing to stop the squad. And the day he fails, as was the case at the PCA Stadium against Kings XI Punjab, the team has been unable get past the opposition. India’s former skipper Saurav Ganguly, another player who has never played any international Twenty20 game, is also among the top five run getters of IPL 3. Ganguly, who does not play any competitive cricket nowadays barring the occasional Ranji Trophy tie, has so far scored 333 runs in 10 games at the strike rate 115.22, with 88 being his highest knock in the tournament so far. Removed as skipper of Kolkata Knight Riders last year, Ganguly is back in the saddle this season and is playing as he did in the prime of his career. A very combative cricketer, he has helped his team climb the points tally after last year’s miserable show when the team finished at the bottom. The other top scorer in the tournament so far has been Delhi’s Virender Sehwag. The Delhi Daredevil opener has till now scored 324 runs from 10 games at a strike rate of 171.42, an area where he outshines all the other top scorers of the tournament. The other batsman in the top five is Naman Ojha from Madhya Pradesh, who plays for Rajasthan Royals, with a tally of 352 runs at a strike rate of 141.36. In the bowling department, the top wicket-taker so far is Hyderabad’s Pragyan Ojha with 15 wickets from 10 games at an economy rate of 7.97. And strangely enough, this slow left-arm orthodox bowler, who has almost single-handedly kept the Deccan Chargers in the reckoning for a semi-final berth, has not been included in the Indian Twenty20 World Cup squad. At second place is Amit Mishra with 14 wickets from 10 games at an economy rate of 7.28. Punjab’s Harbhajan Singh, who plays for Mumbai Indians and has been able to keen his temper in check in this tournament, has so far taken 11wickets in 10 games at an economy of 6.86, just marginally better than Muttiah Muralitharan, who also has said goodbye to international cricket and only plays in the IPL. Muralitharan has taken 12 wickets in nine games at an economy of 6.91. The only fast bowler among the top five wicket-takers is Lasith Malinga, who has a haul of 13 wickets from 10 games at an economy of 7.13.
|
|
People able to taste fat are likely to remain slim as they tend to eat less fatty food: study
Deakin University (DU) researcher Russell Keast and doctoral student Jessica Stewart, working with colleagues at the University of Adelaide, CSIRO and Massey University (New Zealand), have found that humans can detect a sixth taste — fat. "Our findings are based on previous research in the United States that used animal models to discover fat taste," Keast said. "We know that the human tongue can detect five tastes — sweet, salt, sour, bitter and umami (a taste for identifying protein-rich foods). Through our study we can conclude that humans have a sixth taste — fat." The research team developed a screening procedure to test the ability of people to taste a range of fatty acids commonly found in foods. They found that people have a taste threshold for fat and that these thresholds vary from person to person; some people have a high sensitivity to the taste while others do not.
"Interestingly, we also found that those with a high sensitivity to the taste of fat consumed less fatty foods and had lower body mass index (BMIs, height to weight ratio) than those with lower sensitivity," Keast said. "With fats being easily accessible and commonly consumed in diets today, this suggests that our taste system may become desensitised to the taste of fat over time, leaving some people more susceptible to overeating fatty foods," says a DU release. These results have been published in a recent issue of the British Journal of Nutrition.. Another related study said a Vitamin D deficiency could be an unwitting invitation to obesity, weight gain or stunted growth among girls. The ground-breaking research by McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) found an astonishing 59 per cent of those who were studied had too little Vitamin D in their blood. Nearly a quarter had more serious deficiencies of the vitamin. "Vitamin D insufficiency is a risk factor for other diseases," explained principal investigator and study author Richard Kremer, co-director of the Musculoskeletal Axis of the Research Institute of MUHC. "Since it is linked to increased body fat, it may affect many different parts of the body. Abnormal levels of Vitamin D are associated with cancer, osteoporosis and diabetes as well as cardiovascular and autoimmune disorders." The study by Kremer and co-investigator Vincente Gilsanz, head of musculoskeletal imaging at the Children's Hospital in Los Angeles, is the first to show a clear link between Vitamin D levels and the accumulation of fat in muscle tissue — a factor in muscle strength and
overall health. The study results are especially surprising because study subjects — all healthy young women living in California — could logically be expected to benefit from a good diet, outdoor activities and ample exposure to sunshine — the trigger that causes the body to produce
Vitamin D. The results extend those of an earlier study by Kremer and Gilsanz, which linked low levels of Vitamin D to increased visceral fat in a young population, said an MUHC release. "In the present study, we found an inverse relationship between Vitamin D and muscle fat," Kremer says. "The lower the levels of Vitamin D the more fat in subjects' muscles." These findings were published in the latest Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
— IANS |
|
Fitness
mantra When a baby is born, the mother is born.” This is a very special period in both the mother and baby’s life. While it is exciting to be a new mother, there is also a sense of responsibility for bringing up your baby the right way. You are physically exhausted after the trauma of childbirth but you want to make sure your baby is well looked after. Relax; maternal instinct is one of the strongest instincts in nature. There are some special requirements for the new mother. Calories: During this unique phase in the childbearing cycle, a mother needs extra energy for proper healing. An exclusively breastfeeding mother needs to consume an extra of 500 calories for enough milk production for her baby. Protein: A lactating mother needs to consume an additional 15 gm of protein during first six months of lactation. Fat: A lactating mother should avoid fried foods. To get quality fat, eat 30 gm nuts a day. Calcium: It is important to get enough calcium for you and your baby. If you don’t consume enough calcium, your body gives your baby the calcium that is available in your bones to meet the needs. So, the lack of calcium may lead to osteoporosis later in life. The requirement of calcium for lactating mother is 1000 mg/day. Water: Eight to 10 glasses of water are recommended for adequate milk supply. Consume a variety of foods in as natural form as possible to obtain the vitamins, minerals, and fibre you need for optimal health. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grain cereals and pulses. Galactogogues herbs (fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, aniseed) have especial properties that have been used for hundreds of years to help in the production of milk supply and other health benefits. These galactogogues herbs can be consumed by adding these to the panjeeri, which can be made from whole wheat flour, almonds, walnuts, til, gur, some amount of pure ghee and all the herbs mentioned above. This panjeeri can be eaten in between the main meals as it will nourish you with sufficient calories, protein, calcium and iron. The traditional panjeeris had a lot of fat and sugar which was useful in olden times when women did a lot of work. In today’s context, panjeeri can be made by using very little fat and sugar/gur as the rest of ingredients are very nourishing. They provide all essential nutrients as well as the DHAs. For the baby: Start the breastfeeding as soon as possible as the “colostrum” (mother’s first milk) is highly nutritious and contains anti-infective substances. The anti-infective substances protect the baby from infections. Exclusive breastfeeding: This means that babies are given only breast milk and nothing else. During the first six months exclusive breastfeeding should be given to the child. Breast milk provides best & complete nourishment to the baby during first six months. Breast milk alone is adequate to meet the hydration requirements even under the extremely hot and dry summer conditions. Breastfeeding is very beneficial for baby as well as for a mother also especially who is undergoing postpartum depression as oxytocin is a hormone which is released during breastfeeding acts as a powerful anti-depressant. A mother should expect a slow, gradual weight loss during the first six months after the birth of baby. Allow your body time to recover from your delivery. To fulfill nutritional requirements a mother can look forward for a sample menu that provides energy-2300 calories, protein-75 gm and adequate amount of calcium, iron and vitamins. Morning: Milk -1 cup with 5 soaked almonds Breakfast: 2 Stuffed chapattis (stuffed with paneer/soybean granules/ methi/ chana dal) Curd -1 bowl/ egg bhurji Any fruit (seasonal) Mid-day: Panjeeri - 1 small bowl /almond fruit shake - 1 glass/ vegetable cutlets Lunch/ dinner: Chapattis - 2 Rice - 1 bowl Vegetable - 1 bowl Paneer curry/dal-1 bowl Raita Salad Sweet dish - fruit custard/rice kheer/phirni Tea time: Milk - 1 glass/ any milk shake Besan chilla/ poha with peanuts/ paneer sandwich Bed time: Milk - 1 cup Mothering myths
The writer is a dietician, Department of Dietetics, PGI
|
In March 2007, India performed miserably in the cricket World Cup in the West Indies. The one-time world champions who, prior to the tournament, were said to be among the most formidable squads were unable to even get past the league stage. Back home, still nursing their wounds, the senior players, including Sachin
Tendulkar, then captain Saurav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, took the conscious decision that they would not play in the inaugural ICC Twenty20 World Cup to be held in South Africa in September the same year.
‘Don’t eat rajmah, it’s going to give a stomach ache to the baby’, ‘Don’t eat
palak, it’s going to give loose motions to the baby!’ These are the common myths which are faced by the new mother. It’s advisable to eat a normal balanced diet and avoid highly spiced or fried foods as the mother is still recovering. Nutritious food will help her do so early.