When you are eating food, especially foods that you like, it is very difficult to not stuff yourself with it completely. Many people also experience the urge to eat food again even if they had a full course meal before, and most of the time they give into the cravings. However, this is not a healthy practice as you are not only overeating but also overworking your body.

When you over consume food, your body ends up storing the excess fat and energy, causing weight gain and other health issues. Here is where this Japanese eating habit comes in. Have you ever heard about ‘Hara Hachi Bu’?

The Cleveland Clinic explains "Hara hachi bu" is a Japanese phrase translating to "eat until you are 80% full." This dietary practice originates from Okinawa, Japan, where it's a cornerstone of healthy eating. Remarkably, Okinawans exhibit some of the world's lowest rates of heart disease, cancer, and stroke, coupled with exceptional longevity.

Also Read: The Blue Zones: What We Can Learn from the World’s Longest-Lived People

Experts highlight the value of this approach, particularly for those prone to overeating. It encourages stopping consumption when feeling slightly satisfied, offering a practical method for gauging appropriate portion sizes.

Why Should You Practice ‘Hara Hachi Bu’?

Eat like you have had enough, not like you cannot have another bite: When you have food on your plate, try to guess how much of it would make you feel full. Then, think about what 80% of that amount would look like. Maybe it's a little less than you usually eat, like leaving a small part of your meal. The idea is to feel like you've had enough, not like you can't eat another bite.

Also, how fast you eat matters a lot. Your stomach needs about 20 minutes to tell your brain you're full. If you eat too fast, you might eat too much before your brain gets the message. Experts suggest eating slowly, so your body has time to realize when you've had enough. This trick also helps people who don't eat enough, because they can eat smaller meals more often, which is easier on their stomachs.

"Minus One Bite" Strategy

Many of us feel like we have to finish everything on our plates, even when we know we're not really hungry anymore. It's hard to leave food behind. It's okay to not eat it all. If you often eat too much without thinking, try this, leave just one bite of food on your plate. It's a small step, but it can make a big difference. After you get used to that, you can try leaving two bites. The important thing is to take it slow. Don't try to change too much at once. Listen to your body and how it feels. Pay attention to your thoughts about food. This way, you can slowly learn to eat just the right amount, and feel better about your meals.

Some Other Mindful Eating Habits You Should Incorporate

Mindful eating is the key to healthy living, it helps you become more aware of your feelings and physical sensations. According to Diabetes Spectrum, this practice is used to help people deal with various challenges, including eating problems, sadness, worry, and unhealthy eating habits. Here are some habits you should incorporate in your life for better eating:

• Take your time and don't rush through meals.
• Pay attention to the texture and break it down thoroughly.
• Turn off the TV, put away your phone, and focus solely on your food.
• Try eating in silence to heighten your awareness of the food.
• Pay attention to how the food makes you feel physically and emotionally.
• Listen to your body and stop eating when you're no longer hungry.
• Ask yourself why you're eating, if you're truly hungry, and if your food choices are healthy.

Hemophilia is a rare genetic bleeding disorder, usually inherited, wherein blood cannot clot properly due to low levels of clotting factors, causing prolonged bleeding or spontaneous internal hemorrhages.

Symptoms include easy bruising, joint pain/swelling, and excessive bleeding. While not curable, it is treated with factor replacement therapy and gene therapy.

India has the world's second-largest population of hemophilia patients, with estimates suggesting over 70,000 to over 1,36,000 cases of Hemophilia A and B. However, while around 13,000 to 19,000+ patients are registered, many remain undiagnosed.

This World Hemophilia Day, Dr. Sheikh Bilal, Head of Department, Pathology, Government Medical College, Srinagar, Kashmir, exclusively told Healthandme that the primary reason why thousands of Indians remain undiagnosed and unable to access proper care is due to budget constraints, lack of awareness among policymakers, and the need for technocrats to advocate boldly for regular replacement therapy.

Despite having the second-largest hemophilia population, only 9-10 percent receive treatment as compared to 80-100 percent in some European countries.

The expert explained: "Money plays an important role. Every center in India has, at their own level, their own policymakers and the people who are at the helm of affairs. We are the second home for the hemophilia and we can change the lives of these people by having the regular replacement but it is all depending upon the perception of individual centers."

He also noted that the government needed to introduce policy reforms endorsing regular replacement therapy as the gold standard to help ensure equitable access to patients.

The median age at diagnosis for severe hemophilia in India stands at 60 months—five full years—compared to under 12 months in high-income countries. This delay is not just a matter of time but one that poses a risk of serious clinical consequences. Late diagnosis often means repeated, unmanaged bleeding episodes during early childhood, particularly into joints, before appropriate treatment begins.

Early Warning Signs

The three types of this condition include :

• Hemophilia A: This is the most common type. You may develop this condition because you have low levels of clotting factor 8 (factor VIII).
• Hemophilia B: You may have this type if you don’t have enough clotting factor 9 (factor IX).
• Hemophilia C: Hemophilia C is also known as factor 11 (factor XI) deficiency. It’s the least common type of hemophilia.

• Bleeding into the joints. This can cause swelling and pain or tightness in the joints. It often affects the knees, elbows, and ankles.
• Bleeding into the skin (which is bruising).
• Bleeding into the muscle and soft tissue, which can cause a build-up of blood in the area (called a hematoma).
• Bleeding of the mouth and gums, including bleeding that is hard to stop after you lose a tooth.
• Bleeding after circumcision.
• Bleeding after having shots, such as vaccinations.
• Bleeding in the head of an infant after a difficult delivery.
• Blood in the urine or stool.
• Frequent and hard-to-stop nosebleeds.

Treatment Options

The treatments for haemophilia have never been more effective, but they work only for patients who have been diagnosed. In a condition where every missed bleed moves a joint closer to permanent damage, the most important clinical act is also the most basic one: recognition.

The main treatment for severe hemophilia involves replacing the clotting factor you need through a tube in a vein. This replacement therapy can be given to treat a bleeding episode in progress. It can also be given on a regular schedule at home to help prevent bleeding episodes. Some people receive continuous replacement therapy.

Replacement clotting factor can be made from donated blood. Similar products, called recombinant clotting factors, are made in a laboratory, not from human blood.

For many people, a normal weight brings a sense of reassurance. If the weighing scale looks fine, health is assumed to be in check. However, in clinical practice, we are increasingly seeing individuals who are not overweight yet show clear signs of fatty liver. This condition, often called lean fatty liver, is quietly becoming more common in India and is a major public health concern.

Dr Harshavardhan Rao B, HOD & Consultant, Department of Gastroenterology, Ramaiah Memorial Hospital, while talking about the possibility of people suffering from a lean fatty liver, despite normal body weight, answered all FAQs regarding the condition.

What is Lean Fatty Liver?

When fat accumulates in the liver of individuals who have a normal body mass index (BMI), it is referred to as "lean fatty liver." It falls under the broader category of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), but it occurs in people who do not fit the prototypical profile of being overweight with high sugar levels and uncontrolled blood pressure. It is also more common in younger age groups compared to the typical MASLD patient. This contradicts the general belief that a normal body weight and BMI are indicators of good metabolic health and, by extension, optimal liver function.

Why Are We Seeing More of It in India?

Metabolic diseases are presenting differently in the Indian population. Even individuals who appear lean may carry underlying metabolic risk. Several patterns are worth noting:

1. Diets high in refined carbohydrates—polished white rice, bakery products, packaged snacks
2. Low physical activity, particularly in urban, desk-bound settings (exacerbated in the post-COVID era)
3. Visceral abdominal fat accumulation (fat deposited around the internal organs) despite a normal overall weight
4. Diet quality and meal patterns tend to matter more than total intake
5. Abnormal sleep patterns (night shifts, doom-scrolling at night, Netflix marathon trends)
6. Chronic high-stress environments

Lean fatty liver produces no obvious symptoms in the early stages. Most individuals feel entirely well. The diagnosis is typically incidental—picked up during routine health check-ups when liver enzymes are mildly elevated or when an ultrasound shows fatty changes.

The absence of warning signs has two potentially serious downstream effects. Firstly, most cases are diagnosed at a later stage when liver damage has already set in, and secondly, it makes it easy to defer action since the patient perceives no discomfort and does not feel the need to prioritise this over routine work and personal stresses.

Why Normal Weight Can Be Misleading

Body weight does not give the full picture of metabolic health. A normal BMI can coexist with:

1. High visceral fat around internal organs
2. Reduced skeletal muscle mass
3. Borderline or elevated fasting blood glucose
4. Dyslipidaemia or abnormal cholesterol metrics

This forms the basis for the clinical category of “metabolically unhealthy, normal weight."

Less Talked About Contributors

Beyond the standard risk factors, several contributors tend to be underappreciated:

1. Irregular meal timing, including skipped meals and late-night eating
2. Poor sleep and sustained stress, both of which affect hormonal and metabolic regulation
3. Long-term use of certain medications
4. Low dietary protein, which can reduce muscle mass and impair metabolism
5. Vitamin D and B12 deficiencies, which are common in this population

Together, these factors can have profound effects on metabolic health and eventually lead to fatty liver and even long-term liver damage.

What Should Be Done?

The management of lean fatty liver focuses on metabolic improvement rather than weight reduction.

1. Balanced meals over calorie restriction
2. Reduced intake of refined carbohydrates and added sugars
3. Adequate dietary protein to preserve muscle mass
4. Regular physical activity — both aerobic and resistance-based (40%–60%)
5. Consistent meal timings; avoiding heavy meals late at night
6. Routine monitoring of blood glucose, lipid profile, and liver enzymes, not just body weight

Failure to conceive using IVF can be devastating, but one should realise that one failed attempt does not determine a couple’s fertility journey. The success of IVF is determined by various factors such as age, egg and sperm quality, and the uterine environment, as well as underlying medical conditions. An unsuccessful attempt can also be a valuable source of clinical information that can be used to guide future treatment procedures. It should be seen not as an ending but as a starting point for more individualised and effective care in future cycles.

What happens after an unsuccessful IVF attempt?

It is necessary to conduct a careful assessment after an unsuccessful IVF cycle. This involves a review of the stimulation protocol, the response of the ovaries, the quality of the retrieved eggs, fertilisation rates, and embryo growth. In some instances, issues with embryo quality, implantation, or hormonal imbalances may be identified. Further tests such as genetic testing of embryos, evaluation of the receptivity of the uterine lining, or screening for conditions such as endometriosis or thyroid disorders may be recommended. These insights can be used to make the subsequent cycle more precise.

Mental health

Emotional health is highly significant in the healing process. A failed IVF cycle may have a considerable psychological impact, leading to stress, anxiety, and self-doubt. Such feelings should not be disregarded, and appropriate support should be sought, whether through counselling, support groups, or simply by talking to a partner. Addressing emotional health not only aids coping but also has a beneficial effect on overall treatment outcomes.

Lifestyle changes to make

Lifestyle changes can also play a role in improving outcomes in future attempts. Maintaining a healthy weight, following a balanced diet, managing stress, and avoiding smoking or excessive alcohol consumption are important factors. Hormonal balance and reproductive health may also be supported through adequate sleep and moderate exercise. Small yet consistent lifestyle adjustments may help prepare the body for another cycle.

Treatment options

Treatment plans can be modified based on previous results. This might include changes in medication regimens or the use of advanced procedures such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), assisted hatching, or preimplantation genetic testing (PGT). In some instances, the use of donor eggs or sperm, or options such as frozen embryo transfer, may be considered. All approaches are personalised, taking into account the medical history of the couple and their previous response to treatment.

How to time the next IVF attempt properly?

The timing of the next attempt is another important aspect. While some individuals may be physically ready to proceed soon after a failed cycle, others may benefit from taking time to rest and recover both physically and emotionally. Such a break also allows for further evaluation and optimisation of health parameters before resuming treatment.

In the end, persistence combined with a personalised, evidence-based approach tends to increase the likelihood of success. Advancements in reproductive medicine continue to offer new hope, even after setbacks in IVF. With careful assessment, emotional support, and appropriate adjustments in treatment, many couples achieve successful pregnancies in subsequent cycles.