OUR HEALTH

10 DANGEROUS BRAIN DAMAGING HABITS TO STOP

2017-01-24T09:32:00.001+05:30

The brain is a vital organ with multiple functions, responsibilities and tasks and it works as a main control center. It can easily be damaged due to its delicate structure, and this can cause different health problems. The World Health Organization has discovered that these are the 10 habits that cause brain damage:

Skipping Breakfast

You have probably heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but there are still people who avoid it very often. After spending the night sleeping, without food, avoiding breakfast will deprive your brain from the nutrients it needs, and doing this regularly causes brain degeneration.

Sleep Deprivation

Long term sleep deprivation accelerates brain cell death. Your brain needs to get rest from the stress and responsibilities during the day, so always make sleeping well a priority.

Eating lots of sugar

You cannot always be aware of how much sugar the food and drinks you consume contain. Sugar destroys the ability of the body to absorb nutrients which leads to malnutrition and brain disorders. Therefore, avoiding sugar will provide your body and brain with great health benefits.

Overeating

Overeating can be very dangerous as it leads to weight gain, bloating and most important – hardening of the brain arteries.

Smoking

Smoking is one of the worst habits for the brain. It causes brain shrinkage and dementia-related issues including Alzheimer’s disease.

Covering your head while sleeping

Depriving your brain from oxygen by covering your head while sleeping, increases the risk of inhaling excess carbon dioxide. Since you are sleeping you cannot feel the light-headedness caused by air deprivation.

Air Pollution

Try to avoid spending too much time in polluted areas because constant inhalation of polluted air causes oxygen deprivation for the brain and it affects its normal function.

Working Your Brain During Illness

When you are sick your body is giving you a sign that you need to take some rest and that the brain is desperate for a break from everyday responsibilities. If you force your brain to work while you are sick you can cause brain damage and also reduce the brain efficacy.

Talking Rarely

Talking is an activity that promotes brain growth and development, so engaging in intellectual conversations can be very beneficial for proper brain function.

Lack of Stimulating Thoughts

Like talking, thinking also improves brain function and enhances your mind. The lack of stimulating thoughts causes brain shrinkage, which leads to decrease of your abilities and skills.

The brain truly is a remarkable organ, so instead of damaging it with unhealthy habits, try to learn how to develop it in order to get the most of what its’ capable of.

11 Foods to Increase Your HDL

2016-09-30T13:33:00.001+05:30

When you think of cholesterol, you probably think of bad or high cholesterol. There’s also a good type of cholesterol, though, that your body needs.High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is the good kind of cholesterol and the kind you want. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is the bad kind of cholesterol and the kind you want to keep in check.

Keep reading to learn more about HDL and what foods you should be eating to raise your HDL levels.

What Is HDL?

HDL is like a vacuum cleaner or snowplow for cholesterol in the body. When it’s at healthy levels in your blood, it removes extra cholesterol and plaque buildup in your arteries and then sends it to your liver. Your liver expels it from your body. Ultimately, this will help reduce your risk of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.

What are good HDL levels?

The American Heart Association recommends getting a cholesterol blood test by age 20. It’s a good idea to talk to your doctor about getting one sooner if you’re at risk for heart conditions or you’re overweight or obese.

An ideal HDL level is 60 milligrams/deciliter (mg/dL) or above. Your HDL is considered low if it’s below 40 mg/dL. You should aim to have HDL levels between 40 and 60 mg/dL.

A bagel with cream cheese for breakfast, a piece of fried chicken for lunch, a steak in sautéed in butter for dinner, and a bowl of ice cream at night are not ideal for your cholesterol. These are sources of saturated and trans fat, and they can increase your LDL levels.

Just as some foods can raise your bad cholesterol, certain foods can raise your good cholesterol, too. Start incorporating these HDL-friendly foods into your daily diet:

1. Olive oil

The type of heart-healthy fat found in olives and olive oil can increase your HDL and lower the inflammatory impact of LDL cholesterol on your body.

Swap extra-virgin olive oil for all your other oils and fats when cooking at low temperatures, as extra virgin olive oil breaks down at high temperatures. Use the oil in salad dressings, sauces, and to flavor foods once they’re cooked. Sprinkle chopped olives on salads or add them to soups, like this Sicilian Fish Soup. Just be sure to use this food in moderation because it’s high in calories too.

2. Beans and legumes

Like whole grains, beans and legumes are a great source of soluble fiber. Reach for black beans, black-eyed peas, kidney beans, navy beans, lentils, and others. Canned beans contain about half as much folate as cooked dry beans. Folate is an important B-vitamin that’s healthy for your heart.

Beans and legumes are great in side dishes, like in this Cajun Corn and Beans salad, or in soup, like thisItalian Style White Bean and Kale Soup. You can also whip up this Spicy Black Bean Chili during the week for an easy, family-friendly dinner.

3. Whole grains

Whole grains, including bran, cereals, and brown or wild rice may give your HDL levels a boost. That’s because they contain fiber, specifically soluble fiber.

Have at least two servings of whole grains per day. That could be as simple as a comforting bowl ofoatmeal for breakfast, 100 percent whole-grain bread at lunch, and a side of brown rice at dinner.

4. High-fiber fruit

Fruits with a lot of fiber, such as prunes, apples, and pears, can boost your HDL levels and lower your LDL levels. Slice them up and stir them into cereal or oatmeal, or throw them into your blender and create a delicious smoothie. They’re just as great plain, too, either as a mid-afternoon snack or a treat after dinner.

5. Fatty fish

Omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fish, can lower your LDL and increase your HDL. Look for fattier options, such as salmon, mackerel, albacore tuna, sardines, and rainbow trout.

Aim for two servings of fish per week. If you don’t like fish or can’t eat enough fish to fulfill your omega-3 goals, ask your doctor about fish oil or krill oil supplements. These over-the-counter supplements can deliver more than 1,000 mg of omega-3-rich oil in each pill but still don’t deliver the same benefits as food itself.

6. Flax

Ground flaxseeds and flaxseed oil also contain omega-3 fatty acids. Many vegetarians use flaxseed as a source of omega-3 fatty acids because they’re one of the better plant-based sources of this heart-healthy fat.

Make sure to buy ground flaxseed. Whole flaxseeds are almost impossible for your body to break down, which means they pass through your body largely intact and never leave behind any of their nutrients.

Ground flaxseed can be sprinkled into your morning cereal, oatmeal, salads, dips, or yogurt, or added to baked goods. Flaxseed oil is a welcome addition to salad dressings or smoothies.

7. Nuts

Nuts, including Brazil nuts, almonds, pistachios, peanuts, and others, are filled with heart-healthy fats. They’re also high in fiber and contain a substance called plant sterols. Plant sterols block the absorption of cholesterol in your body.

Eat an ounce or two for a snack or incorporate them into meals. Try this Banana and Walnut Smoothie for a nutritious breakfast, or Sautéed Green Beans and Chopped Almonds for an easy, but elegant side dish. Just remember that if you’re watching your calories, keep your nut portions in check with a measuring cup or scale.

8. Chia

Chia seeds are a good source of plant-based omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, and other healthy nutrients. Adding chia seeds to your diet may help increase HDL levels, lower LDL levels, and decrease blood pressure.

Like flaxseeds, chia seeds are great when added to cereal, oatmeal, dips, salads, yogurt, or smoothies. Unlike flaxseeds, however, chia seeds can develop a somewhat slimy texture when they’re wet due to mucilaginous properties. If that’s a problem for you, consume the chia immediately or try adding chia to your baked goods in place of eggs.

Today, because it’s growing in popularity, chia is available in many food products at the grocery store.

9. Avocado

The food world’s new favorite fruit is also one of the healthiest. Avocados are high in folate, a healthy monounsaturated fat. This type of fat boosts HDL, lowers LDL, and reduces your risk for stroke, heart attack, and heart disease. They’re also filled with fiber, which naturally helps keep cholesterol in check.

Add slices of avocado to salads, soups, chilis, or sandwiches. Guacamole is a great option, too. Just be sure to reach for low-calorie dippers, like carrots, radishes, and tomatoes, instead of high-calorie, high-salt tortilla chips.

10. Soy

An alternative to meat, soy-based products aren’t just for vegetarians. Incorporating this food into your diet is a great way to reduce your meat consumption. When people eat less meat, their LDL levels will most likely decrease and their HDL levels will most likely increase. However, it’s possible that the positive benefit seen between soy and cholesterol levels is the result of eating less meat and eating more heart-healthy food and not because of soy specifically.

Steamed, unsalted edamame makes a great appetizer. This Edamame Spread is a healthier dip option for a party or gathering. Extra-firm tofu grills beautifully, and this Tofu Vegetable Kebab recipe will please even your meat-loving friends.

11. Red wine

Drinking moderate amounts of alcohol, including red wine, has been shown to raise HDL levels. It’s also been shown to lower your risk of heart disease. A moderate amount of alcohol is defined as just one glass per day for women and two glasses per day for men.

However, red wine shouldn’t be consumed if you also have high triglycerides. If you don’t already drink, you shouldn’t start just for the heart-healthy benefits. Talk with your doctor about your drinking habits and whether they put you at an increased risk of any other condition.

Other ways to improve your cholesterol levels

Eating the right foods can help you reduce your bad cholesterol and improve your good cholesterol, but it’s not the only thing you should be doing to reach your desired levels. Here are some steps you can take:

Get moving. Daily exercise is one of the best natural ways to boost your HDL. If you’re new to exercise, start slow. Aim for 10 to 15 minutes of walking a few times a week. Slowly build up to at least 30 minutes of vigorous walking at least five times per week.

Shed some pounds. One of the benefits of exercise could be weight loss. Reducing your weight can help raise your HDL and lower your LDL cholesterol levels.

Analyze your genetics. Sometimes, despite all your efforts, you’ll still struggle with healthy cholesterol levels. Genetics can play a big role in your cholesterol levels, so speak with your doctor about your personal risks and what you can do to overcome them.

Take care of your digestive system. Emergingresearch is finding that your gut flora or microbiome influences your cholesterol levels and heart disease risk. Adding probiotic-rich foods like yogurt and fermented foods to your daily diet is a good idea.

Talk with your doctor

Before you begin dramatically changing your diet or taking any supplements, you should talk with your doctor and dietitian. Food is an outstanding and all-natural way to deliver more heart-healthy vitamins, minerals, and nutrients to your body. However, certain foods and supplements are off limits because of their possible interactions with medications or prescriptions.

Therefore, before you begin loading up on these foods and supplements to boost your HDL and lower your LDL numbers, talk with your doctor. Together, the two of you can strategize healthy, positive ways for you to get your cholesterol numbers headed in the right direction.

Source: www.healthline.com

Know about Probiotics and Prebiotics.

2016-04-16T19:19:00.000+05:30

Two very popular health buzzwords unheard of ten years ago are probiotics and prebiotics. Most of us have associated these two with benefits to our digestion, but we don’t really know much more than that. Fooducate is here to clear up the confusion once and for all.

The short version:

Probiotics are friendly microorganisms inhabiting our digestive tract that aid digestion and may confer additional health benefits.
Prebiotics are non-living, non-digestible carbs that serve as food for Probiotics.
Now the details:

Probiotics are, for the most part, bacteria that reside in our intestinal tract. Other types of probiotics are yeast. Probiotics get into our intestines from foods we eat or supplements. There are many types of probiotics, and each one behaves a bit differently in our gut. Although the term “probiotics” is relatively new, we’ve been ingesting them for thousands of years. Any food that is cultured or fermented has probiotics: yp

Foods with probiotics include:

yogurt, kefir, and buttermilk
aged cheese such as cheddar, Gouda, or Parmesan
sauerkraut, kimchi and other pickled versions of veggies
sourdough bread
miso (fermented barley or soy or rice)
tempeh – fermented soy
kombucha – a fermented tea that is gaining in popularity in the US
beer, wine (yay!)
The health benefits of probiotics are potentially wide and varied, but scientists are only starting to understand the complex symbiosis between the gut, the bacteria, and the rest of our body. Some potential health benefits, aside from keeping us regular, include treatment of diarrhea, reduction of lactose intolerance, improved immune system, lower chances of colon cancer, and reduction of blood pressure and cholesterol.

By the way, when you are sick and take antibiotics, you’re killing off the germs that made you ill, but also the probiotics.

On to prebiotics. Unlike probitoics, these are not alive. Most prebiotics are some form of fiber. Our body does not digest fiber, but the bacteria in our gut, including the probiotics, digest the fiber. Feeding these helpful bacteria keeps them doing what they are supposed to do in order to help our health.

Foods with prebiotics include:

raw chicory root – the top source, with almost 60% fiber
raw Jerusalem artichoke
raw garlic, leeks, and onions
whole wheat
fruits and vegetables
legumes
Since each of us has different bacteria swimming around in her gut, the effects of the consumption of the same exact probiotics and prebiotics may be very different. Experiment with different foods and see what works for you. The best way to consume probiotics and prebiotics is via food, not supplements.

Health Benifits of eating Garlic.

2016-04-16T12:49:00.000+05:30

The medicinal properties of garlic have been known and used as part of natural medicine for thousands of years. For one thing, it’s a powerful antibiotic as well as antioxidant, which effectively fights infections and diseases.

The best time to consume this vegetable is first thing in the morning because your stomach is empty and can fully absorb the nutrients in garlic. Advised to chew garlic first thing in the morning, before breakfast, and even before having water (you might need a glass of water to alleviate the burns, especially if you’re taking more than one clove). This regimen has yielded good results.

Garlic is the best natural medicine for hypertension as it keeps blood pressure under control without incurring any side effects.

Moreover, there’s nothing that prevents inflammation better than garlic, which makes this vegetable extremely beneficial for people suffering from arthritis. Eating garlic on an empty stomach effectively reduces symptoms of arthritis and joint pain.

Garlic also prevents infections of various kinds including fungal, HPV and bacterial infections. Eating garlic on a regular daily basis can help you fight off these infections more easily.

In addition, eating a clove of garlic in the morning will improve your immune system function and make you less susceptible to infection and bacteria, which is especially important if you frequently suffer from colds, nasal allergies or other illnesses.

A single clove of garlic contains 5mg calcium, 12mg potassium, and over 100 sulfuric compounds, which makes this vegetable far superior to any pills or supplements.

Last, but not least, garlic improves your lung function and prevents a number of respiratory diseases including pneumonia, bronchitis, congestion, cough etc.

Man Overcomes Diabetes Without Medicine!

2016-01-23T06:53:00.000+05:30

In 2011, a man was diagnosed with hypertension and diabetes. As a result, the use of insulin and high blood pressure pills was inevitable.

Man Overcomes Diabetes Without Medicine

However, he gave up Medicine and Started Consuming Raw Fruits and Vegetables and Succeeded in the Fight Against Diabetes!

Here is how the story goes. About four and a half years ago, a man went to a doctor because he was thirsty all the time. He was in quite bit of a shock when his doctor told him that his sugar level has risen up to 29.0 mmol/L and that his pancreas was no longer working. The doctor also told him that he wouldn’t be able to live without insulin.

The man accepted reality and started using insulin regularly and was very physically active. However, as the time passed, more medical problems accumulated.

His triglyceride levels raised up to 16 and his blood pressure was increased up to 150/100, resulting in the use of way to many medications that started damaging his body more than helping it.

Fed up with all that’s going on around him, in 2013, on New Year’s Eve, he decided to look for alternative ways to treat his illness. One night, he turned on the TV and saw an episode of the show “The Edge of Science” in which the main guest was Dr. John Zirdum. According to the show’s episode, Dr. Zirdum consumed only raw foods for 12 years.

The episode intrigued him so much that he decided to try that new method on fighting his disease. So, he bought a blender and was ready to begin a new life.

The first week was very difficult due to all the temptations to try other foods, but his persistence and commitment allowed him to overcome them successfully. As a result, his blood sugar level reduced to 5.0 mmol/L!

It was unbelievable. Due to his new blood sugar level, he did not need the use of insulin anymore as long as he kept on with his new diet. He still used regular checkups and kept insulin as a back up plan in case his blood sugar were about to rise again. However, that never happened and he even lost a few pounds.

With his new diet, he started loosing almost two pounds every day. This allowed him to lose 22 pounds in 25 days. The new diet regime transformed him into a completely new man after just four months. By eating raw food, he was able to remove the insulin from his daily routine, set his blood pressure to 120/60, lower his triglycerides level to 1.4 and lose more than 40 pounds. And most importantly, he didn’t use any medicine at all.

Long term usage of the diet allowed him to experiment with different recipes in order to make tasty raw food combinations. Here is the recipe for his favorite juice:

Ingredients:

5 kiwis
A handful of kale
2 bananas
2 apples
Half a liter of water

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend them well. Pour a half a liter of water over the ingredients. Shake well.

Drink half a liter of the juice in the morning and consume the rest of it throughout the day. If you feel hungry, eat fruit regularly. You can make fruit salads, and also add tuna to the mix because vitamin B12 is much needed for the body.

The beauty in all of this is that you will rarely feel hungry, because the brain doesn’t know if the stomach is empty or not. Instead, it receives information from the blood, and the blood contains all the nutrients the body needs.
- See more at: http://www.healthylifebase.com/

Remove Toxins from Your Body And Lose Weight? See Amazing Results in 72 Hours!

2016-01-23T06:44:00.002+05:30

You Want to Speed Up Your Metabolism , Remove Toxins from Your Body And Lose Weight ? Try This Simple and Effective Recipe and See Amazing Results in 72 Hours!

After the holidays many of us probably started to eat fatty and sugary foods that bring a lot of toxins into the body. Big amount of food in combination with the toxins make a big damage to your health and the appearance.

In this article we present you a recipe that will help you to lose weight and successfully will remove all toxins from the body.

You will need:

Juice of ½ lemon
1 cup tomato juice
2 tablespoons grated ginger
2 celery stalks
Hot pepper or chili powder

How to prepare it?
Mix the lemon juice, tomato juice, ginger and chili powder (or finely chopped hot pepper). We recommend you to pour the drink in tall glasses and garnish with the celery. Eat the stalks while you drink this healthy beverage.

Every day drink 3 glasses of the drink between your meals, for best results. You can keep this drink in refrigerator and drink it every day.

This Super Easy 2 Ingredient Way Will Get Rid of Nail Fungus Forever

2016-01-23T06:34:00.000+05:30

How To Get Rid of Nail Fungus?

The fungal deposit in the nails is ungainly sight and if you do not threat it can lead to infection and also may cause Onychomycosis.

The fungus settles in the nail bed so the removing of the nail fungus is very difficult task. The synthetic drugs often are not very effective in reaching the affected area.

In this article we present you simple remedy that will remove nail fungus. The ingredients are natural and we all have in our homes: apple cider vinegar and baking soda.

Almost all microorganisms survive in limited pH range, including the fungi.

Vinegar is acid and the baking soda is basic in nature, so their combination disrupts the fungi’s environment and in that way removes them. With this simple method you will have neat and healthy nails.

This Super Easy 2 Ingredient Way Will Get Rid of Nail Fungus Forever

Ingredients:

Baking soda
Warm water
Apple cider vinegar
A Basin to clean your feet

Preparation and use:

In the basin put apple cider vinegar (enough to submerge the nails) and soak your feet for about 20 minutes. After that wipe your feet until they become completely dry. Next step is to fill the basin with warm water and soak your feet again, for 15 – 20 minutes. Add ½ cup baking soda and soak your feet another 15 – 20 minutes and then wipe your feet.

Repeat this procedure few times a day. Also, regular cleaning and drying your feet is very important.

Read some other tips for prevention of aggregation of nail fungi:

– Wear shoes that are open near the toes. Fungi survives in moist and dark environment

– Trim your nails regularly

– Clean the nails with brush and tea tree oil every day

Continue with this treatment few weeks until the nail fungus disappears completely. The period of treatment depends on the extent of fungus settlement.

Why You Should Give up Drinking for 30 Days

2014-12-20T19:30:00.003+05:30

The holidays are a great time of year, stuffed full of fun, family, friends, and food, and—if you are anything like me—washed down with an abundance of beer, wine, and the occasional cocktail.

When the season is done, I often feel bloated and like I need to do something. I’ve thought about taking January off from drinking and never done it. I have my reasons/excuses (No beer when I’m cooped up inside? During the NFL playoffs?).

So I did a test run this fall. I took a month’s break from drinking (for the most part, qualifier to come). It wasn’t that difficult, and I wanted to share my experience and what I learned with you as an encouragement if you had similar thoughts and resistances. Consider this pre-gaming on abstinence.

Off and Running
I did it after Labor Day. The first couple nights were weird, but I soon settled into a routine, substituting green tea or sparkling lemon water for the beer and occasional wine while watching TV, talking with my family or a friend, or tapping away at a keyboard. I thought weekends would be difficult, but they weren’t really, though I did break with my intentions twice—both times for wine tastings at previously-scheduled social events. Each time I drank about one full glass of wine.

So here were my takeaways from this 30-day experiment:

1. I slept better. I knew this from a slew of studies, and from my own experiences when reviewing an activity tracker from Jawbone, but the month proved it again: alcohol, even a comparatively small amount, messes with my sleep. It tends to wake me in the early morning (between 2 and 4 a.m.) and I don't sleep deeply again till just before dawn. It doesn’t seem like much of a disruption, but once I was aware of it, I could feel it in the morning and see it in my tracker’s overnight report.

2. I didn’t feel that much better. Maybe my expectations were too high. I thought that I'd feel a big increase in energy and function substantially better. That didn’t happen, which was disappointing. On the other hand, it confirmed that my drinking wasn’t a real impediment to my health. And it did make me sharper at both ends of the day: I woke up feeling ready to go (credit #1 above), and it kept me sharper later at night, so I was more engaged socially and able to get more reading, writing, and thinking done in the hour-plus before bedtime. Bonus!

3. I gained weight (at first). This shocked me. I expected that jettisoning 6,000 calories over the course of a month would have me swimming in my pants. No such luck. In fact, after two weeks, I had GAINED 3 pounds! The good thing is once I noticed it, I was able to adjust and ended the month back at 186 pounds.

I spoke to Mike Roussell, a Men’s Health nutrition advisor, and he told me that I might have been making more of the weight gain than I needed to. He pointed out that a normal person’s weight can fluctuate as much as 4 pounds in the course of a day, depending on how one’s kidneys regulate body fluid balance.

And some of it could have more to do with my noble intentions than my stomach. It has to do with what Rousell calls The Good Samaritan Effect.

“When people think about doing good things, they reward themselves,” Roussell said, "even before they do something."

So I might have been sneaking a few extra calories here and there, basically spending my caloric savings as quickly as I collected them. And the fact I couldn’t remember doing this? No surprise, he said.

"We’re terrible as humans at remembering all the caloric high-5s we give ourselves,” Roussell said.

"If you look at research for rewarding effort vs. outcome, it’s better to reward effort. Encourage the behavior rather than the outcome. It matters what you’re rewarding yourself for: If you didn’t have a drink, don’t reward yourself calorically."

4. I thought about drinking pretty much every day. It wasn’t an overbearing compulsion or an urge, but it was a consistent daily feature, a tug on my consciousness, and it made me think aScarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much, authors Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir talk about “tunneling,” which they write is what the mind does when confronted with scarcity.

bout the nature of habit. In their book,

An example: As World War II ended, the U.S. Army sent psychologists into German POW camps where Americans had been held. The U.S. soldiers had basically been starved toward the end of the war when there wasn’t enough food for German soldiers and their captives. The psychologists were shocked by the level to which food dominated the American POWs’ thoughts and even their behavior. They could do very little except think about food, and it affected their ability to think about anything else. They were also willing to do almost anything to get food.

This isn’t a new idea. Many people are captives to their own reactions to scarcity. Tunneling and cravings are powerful roadblocks for people in all sorts of paths to recovery.

And a 2012 study showed that some people's brains are more likely to respond to alcohol with feelings of pleasure and reward. That can lead them to chase the sensation more frequently than those who don't have that disposition. It's not hard to see how this would make moderating drinking difficult for people wired this way.

For me, the thoughts were most prevalent on weekends, in the late morning and early afternoon, when I had a little free time and tasks that didn’t require a lot of concentration. I thought about what kind of beer I’d like, or I would swallow and be reminded of the feelings of a beer in the back of my throat, of a bottle in my hand. What’s weird is that I didn’t have these thoughts at night, only in the day, and I never came close to acting upon them except for the already-mentioned wine tastings.

That said, I was surprised by the persistence of these cravings; I thought they’d subside by the end of the second week or so., but that wasn’t true.

The other surprising thought, though, was an equally stubborn one that settled in during the third week—that I should continue this for another month. Alas, I broke my beer fast on Day 1 of the new month.

5. I have never been so hydrated. Between tea, water, fizzy water, coffee, and soda (my true guilty pleasure, and part of the weight issue, I’m sure), I drank way more fluids than I did previously. I spent roughly one-third of the month, zipper down, dick in hand, peeing into one basin or another, including one overnight trip to the bathroom each night on average. That might have some effect on my weight as I often felt like a large, slightly distended, pink balloon. (Looking to hydrate? Consider these 10 alternatives to water.)

6. It brought me closer to my wife. I didn’t ask her to join me in this little experiment, but she did, on weeknights. I know some people who have done similar experiments say one of the negatives was the loss of “happy hour” time to survey the day or the week. We didn’t experience that; talking over tea worked just fine. And not being quite as dulled at bedtime had other benefits.

So, all in all, it was a positive. After I finished, I committed to maintaining the weeknight ban and holding myself to two beers on (most) weekend nights. I get a passing-though-not-perfect grade on that.

Mostly, I am pleased that a habit that I felt was developing a life of its own felt firmly back in check. I know it can be controlled.

And you can do it. Maybe it’s not a full month off. Roussell says that one of the first things he recommends to people who want to lose weight is to curtail their drinking. "I’ll try to get clients down to 4 drinks a week,” he says. “14 to 4 makes a big difference calorically."

A couple other helpful tips:

Stay active.
Don’t skip social functions to avoid alcohol. That kind of isolation isn’t going to help.
Reward behaviors, not outcomes.
Believe you can do it. “There’s a great quote,” Roussell told me. “People are reluctant to make a change unless they think it’s possible."

It’s possible, and the benefits that come from developing this mental discipline are at least as powerful as those that come from avoiding a couple hundred calories at night. You can do it. Imagine the sense of accomplishment you’ll feel. What a great way to start a new year.

And now, back to the Santa Swap.

Content via - www.menshealth.com

5 Health Benefits of Eating Sprouts

2013-04-30T19:17:00.002+05:30

Sprouts have always been popular as a nutritious food. Sprouts like radish, alfalfa, clover, soybean, and broccoli are excellent sources of protein and a wide range of different nutrients that can help maintain good health. But it was not until recently that they were found to have essential therapeutic benefits. It was discovered that sprouts have the ability to protect us from certain diseases. To find out more about this and the other health benefits of sprouts, read on to the following information below.

1. Rich in Essential Nutrients:
Some of the vitamins that sprouts contain include Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin K. Apart from this, it is also rich in minerals such as Iron, Phosphorous, Magnesium, Potassium, Manganese, and Calcium. As if these are not enough, sprouts also have dietary fiber, Folate, and Omega-3 fatty acids. Sprouting seeds, grains and legumes are found to have higher content of these nutrients. For instance, most beans increase in Vitamin A by eight times after being sprouted.

2. Excellent Source of Enzymes:
Aside from the nutrients, they are also abundant in enzymes, which can keep our bodies healthy and fit. Cooking food under fire results in the loss of some of those enzymes. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables are the best way to get more of these. Eating fresh sprouts is a good way to get access to a powerful source of enzymes.

3. High in Protein:
When you say protein, the first things on people’s minds are meat, chicken, fish, egg, and dairy products. What most people do not know is that sprouts are also very high in protein. In fact, they can contain up to 35 percent protein. Adding sprouts to your diet will give you the necessary protein intake required by your body minus the fat, cholesterol, and calories that typically come with animal meats. Sprouts are also highly recommended for vegans and vegetarians.

4. Easy to Digest:
Another thing you will love about sprouts is how easy it is to digest this food. Its digestibility is rooted from the high amount of enzymes that they contain. Eating sprouts can be very helpful for people with digestive or bloating problems. They are also perfect for younger kids and elderly people.

5. Good for Weight Loss:
Since sprouts are also high in fiber and low in calorie, it can contribute positively to any weight loss diet plan. Eating sprouts will let you enjoy nutrients without the extra calories. It will also make you feel fuller and stave off hunger longer. If you are looking for a way to lose weight, include sprouts in your diet.

Sprouts are beneficial to your health. Apart from that, they are also very delicious. Including them in your diet would be very easy. You can add them to your salads, soups, meat dishes, and pasta to make them more scrumptious and appetizing. Its crisp and flavor make dishes more delicious. Now if you want to maximize their benefits even more, you can also snack on them fresh. Enzymes in most foods are lost during the cooking process.

How to get sprouts for particular seed?

11 Medicinal Drinks in Winter

2012-12-09T21:00:00.002+05:30

In anticipation of the cold winter would like to invite you to adopt a very healthy drinks cold. Outside the window slush and cold, there is a chance to forgive and cold. If you peremerzli, we recommend you use one of the recipes that are tested by our grandmothers.11 medicinal Drinks in Winter

01. Hot tea with honey and lemon

Very useful rather weak black or green tea with 1 tsp honey (honey has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects, and contains a lot of minerals, trace elements and vitamins) and lemon juice.Lemon is important not to add the boiling water, and is already a little iced tea to keep vitamin C.

02. Tea with fruits of raspberry and lime flowers

Raspberry and lime color distinguished by their pronounced diaphoretic and anti-inflammatory properties. Also gives the tea a delicious raspberry flavor and unique taste. The most useful to add dried fruit raspberry tea, but you can use jam and raspberry leaves.

03. Decoction of rose hips

Rosehips – the perfect source of vitamin C. It also has diuretic and choleretic action.

Infusion: chop (you can tolkushkoy) 3 tbsp dried fruit, pour 0.5 liters of boiling water and leave overnight in a thermos. In the morning strain and drink 1/2 cup 4 times a day 30 minutes before meals. In the infusion can add honey or Cahors. Cooking broth: dried fruits (2 tablespoons), pour 2 cups boiling water and let stand over low heat for 10 minutes. Cool, strain.

04. Cranberry

Cranberries and lingonberries are essential for the treatment of colds. It’s just a unique means for its antibacterial properties. They also have a diuretic and anti-inflammatory.Preparation Morse Grind cranberries or cranberry with sugar (3:1). 2 tbsp Pour mixture of 0.5 liters of warm water. Healthy beverage is ready!

05. Hot milk with mineral water

This tool is especially useful for coughs, as it promotes expectoration of sputum. Mineral water must use alkaline (eg, Borjomi).

06. Milk with garlic

Garlic has a strong bactericidal effect. In the warm milk to add 10 drops of garlic juice, and drink better at night.

07. Stewed fruit

Decoction of dried fruit has a tonic and soothing effect with a cold.100 g of dried fruit to sort, cut large fruits. All dried thoroughly with warm water. First, cook the apples and pears until tender for 30 minutes, adding sugar (3 tablespoons to 1 liter of water and then dried apricots and prunes, and at the end of five minutes before the end of cooking, add the raisins and apricots. Compote In ready, you can add lemon juice or orange, honey.

08. Ginger tea with lemon

Warm and cold save this drink: 1 cup of hot water mixed with 1 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 0.5 tsp minced ginger root and a pinch of cinnamon. You can add a little bit of dry tea crushed mint leaves.

09. Mulled wine

Excellent remedy for colds and simply delicious, wholesome, warming drink!1.5 bottles of dry red wine, orange, clove buds 5, 0.25 tsp nutmeg, 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ginger powder, 2-3 tbsp sugar.Mix the spices, add 100 ml of water, bring to a boil, remove from heat, infuse 10 minutes. Drain. Cut orange slices. Stir in wine, broth, sugar, and orange segments. All bring to a boil, but do not boil! In mulled wine, you can add as honey, apples and raisins. Serve hot. Drink better at night once to bed, and put your feet warm grelochku.

10. Chamomile tea

Chamomile – a soft anti-inflammatory. In combination with lime and honey is a good cough remedy.
Tea: Take 1 tsp chamomile and linden flower, boil 1 cup of boiling water for 20 minutes, drain. Drink 1/3 cup 3 times a day before meals. You can add honey.

11. Tea with Echinacea

Echinacea – known immunostimulant, antiviral and anti-inflammatory. Infusion 1 st.l.travy Echinacea pour 1/2 liter of boiling water in a thermos and leave overnight. Strain, drink 1/3 cup 3 times a day for half an hour before meals.

Top 14 Recommended Methods of Cancer Prevention

2012-12-09T20:21:00.002+05:30

01. Drink Red Wine

Drink Red Wine: Red wine is made from skin of grapes which contains resveratrol and other phytochemicals that have antioxidant and anti inflammatory properties. Researches show that a glass of wine a day can prevent a wide range of cancers like leukemia, skin as well as breast cancer.

02. Eat Dark Chocolate

Eat Dark Chocolate: Flavonoids like pentamer, present in cocoa, has cancer-fighting properties. Dark chocolate is rich in cocoa and is certainly one of the tastiest ways to help you stay away from cancer. Pollution, radiations and bad living habits pave the way for various kinds of cancer. To effectively combat cancer, adopt a way of living that is pure and simple

03. Avoid Processed Foods

Avoid Processed Foods: Numerous studies have shown that processed foods and sugar can significantly increase the risk of cancer. Maintaining a healthy diet rich in all nutrients and supplements is one of the basic steps to fight cancer.

04. Steer Clear of Carcinogens

Steer Clear of Carcinogens: It is quite obvious that to prevent cancer, you need to strictly avoid all things that can cause cancer. Alcohol, cigerettes and other recreational drugs are among the top causes of cancer.

05. Get Some Exercise

Get Some Exercise: An inactive lifestyle with no exercise can drastically increase the odds of cancer. Regular exercise strengthens the immune system and helps in the regulation of chemicals, enzymes and hormones in the body.

06. Sleep Soundly

Sleep Soundly: The human body requires a minimum of 8 hours of sleep to regulate all of its functions properly. Regular sleep helps in maintaining a healthy endocrine system and its ability to fight cancer. It is also essential to sleep in complete darkness to promote a healthy endocrine system.

07. Add Garlic to Your Meals

Add Garlic to Your Meals: Garlic has very powerful antioxidant properties. It also strengthens the immune system and helps to prevent cancer. Various studies have shown that garlic can exponentially decrease the odds of stomach cancer.

08. Reduce Hazardous Interactions

Reduce Hazardous Interactions: There are a variety of environmental factors that can cause cancer. Radiation from mobile phones and other electronic devices can increase the chances of cancer. Limit your exposure to the minimum to combat cancer.

09. Eat Broccoli

Eat Broccoli: Broccoli is one of the super-foods which can help you effectively prevent cancer. However, it is not recommended to microwave broccoli as it destroys its anti carcinogenic flavonoids. It is best to boil broccoli or eat it raw as a snack.

10. Pick power fruits

10. Pick power fruits: "I make smoothies with pomegranates and blueberries because my research shows that both these fruits contain compounds that can slow the growth of certain types of cancer cells." -Shuian Chen, PhD., director, Tumor Cell Biology Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope.

11. Keep the scale steady

Keep the scale steady: "More than 90,000 cancer deaths a year occur due to being overweight. Carrying as little as 10 extra pounds may increase your production of sex hormones like estrogen, raising your risk for breast and uterine cancers. I step on the scale every few days. If the number creeps up, I try to exercise a little more or eat a little less to get back on track." -Ann Kulze, M.D., director, Prevent Cancer Foundation.

12. Go Greek!

Go Greek! "My diet is mostly Mediterranean-plenty of fruits, vegetables, fish, olive oil, whole grains, nuts, and legumes. People who eat this way, exercise regularly, and don't smoke cut their odds of getting cancer by at least 60 percent."-Lorenzo Cohen, Ph.D., director, MD Anderson Cancer Center's Integrative Medicine Program.

13. Watch your Mouth

Watch your mouth: "Oral cancers are on the rise among people ages 20 to 40, which we believe is because of HPV spread through oral sex. I always look for unusual changes in my patient's mouth, like sores or blisters on the cheeks, tongue, or lips. It usually takes less than two minutes. If your dentist doesn't already do this, ask her to start." -Gigi Meinecke, D.M.D., a dentist in Potomac, Maryland.

14. Spice things up

Spice things up: "Cooking meat over high temps creates carcinogenic compounds called heterocyclic amines, or HCA. I marinate meat and add herbs before grilling. Our studies show that doing this can slash levels of HCA by 40 percent." -J. Scott Smith, Ph.D., chair, Kansas State University's Food Graduate Program.

Killer Soda? Not-So-Sweet News for Cola Lovers

2012-05-14T15:37:00.000+05:30

A New Zealand woman's extreme soda habit may have had a hand in her death.

SODA

Bad news cola lovers: Soda isn't the healthiest thirst-quencher in the cooler. In fact, health risks surrounding sugary drinks are increasingly well-documented. Rates of heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes are higher among people who sip them regularly.

In one strange case, experts suspect cola overload may have helped to kill a 30-year-old New Zealand woman who died of a heart attack in February 2010. Natasha Harris reportedly drank 8 to 10 liters of cola per day, according to the Associated Press. In addition to all the soda, however, the mother of eight smoked about 30 cigarettes a day and ate little, the AP reports.

Even if your soda habits aren't that extreme, you may want to pay attention to new information from Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute and Harvard University researchers, who found that the more sugar-sweetened and low-calorie sodas a person consumes, the higher her or his stroke risk. This isn't the first research linking soda and stroke. A February 2011 study of older adults living in Manhattan found a greater risk of stroke, heart attack, and vascular-related death among those who regularly drank diet soda. The new Harvard-Cleveland Clinic study, however, examined the effects of both regular and low-calorie varieties on stroke risk.

For the study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers looked at soda consumption among more than 43,371 men and 84,085 women. The men took part of the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study between 1986 and 2008, while the women's data came from the Nurses' Health Study between 1980 and 2008. A total 2,938 strokes were recorded among the women and 1,416 strokes among the men. The Health Professionals and Nurses' Health studies are conducted by a consortium of institutions including Harvard and Brigham and Women's in Boston.

Sugar overload, the researchers hypothesize, may trigger to a series of reactions in the body that can cause atherosclerosis, plaque stability and thrombosis, according to a Mayo Clinic release. All three are ischemic stroke risk factors. And it's a bigger problem for women, whose risk is higher, than men.

Too Much of a Bad Thing:

Harris' case was unusual, but the researchers from Harvard and Cleveland Clinic did find a comparable pattern among heavy soda-drinkers in their study. It seems people who drink soda more often are more prone to making additional unhealthy lifestyle choices, such as working out less and eating more red meat and full-fat dairy.

If all that doesn't convince you to put a cap on soda and start drinking more water, a recent study found students who brought water into exams scored higher than those who didn't, suggesting a little H2O might actually make you smarter. Now that sounds like a reason to hit the water cooler.

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Yogurt that might stop a heart attack

2012-03-14T23:02:00.001+05:30

The human gut is home to 100 trillion micro-organisms of 1,500 species

Yogurt that might stop a heart attack
Our guts are home to a microscopic world – and their contents may be a matter of life or death, reports Roger Highfield.

What does it mean to be human? It’s a deceptively simple question, but the answer is complex. The reason is that most of our cells are not human at all. We depend on a vast army of microbes to stay alive: a friendly “microbiome” that protects us against germs, breaks down food to release energy, and produces vitamins.

Your digestive system alone is home to roughly 100 trillion microbes – about 10 times the number of cells in the major organs. A team co-led by Prof Jeroen Raes of the Flemish Institute of Biotechnology has discovered that we all have one of three basic ecosystems of bugs in our guts – but strangely, the type for each person is unrelated to their race, native country or diet. They label these “enterotypes” the “bacteriodes”, “prevotella” and “ruminococcus”, to reflect the species of bug that dominate in each. People with a bacteriodes ecosystem, for example, have a bias towards bacteria that get most of their energy from carbohydrates and proteins.

This revelation has prompted much interest, because it could explain differences in our ability to digest food. A few years ago, Prof Jeffrey Gordon’s team at Washington University School of Medicine found that the intestines of obese people contain a slightly different repertoire of microbes when compared with slim people. In the Flemish study, researchers found a similar correlation between obesity and the abundance of bacteria that extract energy rapidly from food.

Prof Jeremy Nicholson, of Imperial College London, doubts that the latest find is of huge biological significance, since the three enterotypes probably have similar roles and capabilities. Yet he believes that one day, it might be possible to engineer enterotypes, which could be used (for example) to boost the number of calories extracted from poor diets by children in developing countries.

That is not to say that it will be easy. The human gut contains about 1,500 bacterial species, so tinkering with their ecology in a controlled way may be tricky. Although there are products that claim to manipulate bacteria, such as prebiotics, which fuel certain microbes, and probiotics (such as yogurts) that contain live bacteria, we still understand too little to do this reliably.

Yet recognition of the importance of the microbiome is growing. It has already been linked to our understanding of obesity, allergies, diabetes and cancer – and in the past few days, a study has appeared by Prof John Baker at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee that suggests that the types and levels of bacteria in a person’s gut may be used to predict the likelihood of their having a heart attack, too. The find, Prof Baker believes, “is a revolutionary milestone” in the prevention and treatment of such attacks.

As part of his experiments, he and his colleagues induced heart attacks in three separate groups of rats. The first was fed a standard diet. The second was given the antibiotic vancomycin and the third fed a probiotic supplement containing Lactobacillus plantarum, a bacterium that suppresses the production of a hormone called leptin, which is linked to appetite and metabolism.

It turned out that the group treated with the antibiotic also showed decreased levels of leptin – and that the two groups with lower leptin levels suffered less serious heart attacks, and recovered from them better. “We may not be ready to prescribe yogurt to prevent heart attacks, but this research does give us a much better understanding of how the microbiome affects our response to injury,” says Dr Gerald Weissmann, editor-in-chief of the journal in which the study appeared.

Prof Jeremy Pearson, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, stresses that more research will be required to show whether the dramatic changes in inflammatory molecules seen in the rats would apply to humans, too. But few doubt that, in the not too distant future, we will get dramatic new insights into our health by studying the shadow world of our microbial passengers.

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Warning on wi-fi health risk to children

2012-03-14T22:30:00.000+05:30

According to estimates, half of all primary schools are already using wireless networks

Children should not place computers on their laps while they are using wireless internet connections because of potential health risks, according to a leading Government adviser.

Professor Lawrie Challis, who heads the committee on mobile phone safety research, called yesterday for pupils to be monitored amid mounting public concern over emissions from wi-fi networks.

He is concerned that few studies have been carried out into the level of exposure in classrooms and believes that if health problems do emerge they are likely to be more serious in children.

Prof Challis, is chairman of the Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme, an £8.4 million investigation, funded by the Government and the industry, into the potential health risks of mobile phones.

He said that until more research had been carried out, children who used wi-fi enabled laptops should only do so if they kept a safe distance from their embedded antennas.

Prof Challis said: "With a desktop computer, the transmitter will be in the tower.

"This might be perhaps 20cms from your leg and the exposure would then be around one per cent of that from a mobile phone.

"However if you put a laptop straight on your lap and are using wi-fi, you could be around 2cms from the transmitter, and receiving comparable exposure to that from a mobile phone.

"Children are much more sensitive than adults to a number of other dangers, such as pollutants like lead and UV radiation, so if there should be a problem with mobiles, then it may be a bigger problem for children.

"Since we advise that children should be discouraged from using mobile phones, we should also discourage children from placing their laptop on their lap when they are using wi-fi.

"In view of public concern, I should like to see some measurements of intensities arising from wi-fi made in schools."

Last week it was revealed that Sir William Stewart, the chairman of the Health Protection Agency, told colleagues that he would like to see monitoring of children exposed to wireless technology in schools.

In the past 18 months approximately 1.6 million wi-fi connections have been set up in British homes and offices, and about one in five adults owns a wireless-enabled laptop.

According to estimates, half of all primary schools and four fifths of all secondary schools are using wireless networks.

Wi-fi works through the transmission of radio waves between a router, which is connected to a telephone line, and a small transmitter in a computer.

Under international guidelines the amount of energy absorbed into the body from such radio waves cannot exceed two watts per kilogram when averaged over any 10 grams of tissue.

The maximum signal strength next to the router or computer transmitter is 0.1 watts and the power level falls off very rapidly beyond a few cms from the transmission points.

However it is believed that a classroom containing 20 laptops and two routers could combine and be equivalent to the emission from a mobile phone.

Jeff Hand, professor of imaging physics at Imperial College London, said: "If we are talking about health issues linked to localised heating of tissue then these will be insignificant at the power levels we are talking about here."

But while most scientists only recognise potential health effects from mobile phones linked to heating, others believe there could be "non-thermal" effects.

Alasdair Philips, the director of Powerwatch, the consumer group, said: "We are not talking about problems caused by heating. Our brains and nervous systems work by using electrical signals. I believe these signals are being interfered with by exposure to this wi-fi radiation.

"Based on studies reporting effects experienced by people living near mobile phone masts, I would predict chronic fatigue, memory and concentration problems, irritability and behaviour problems - exactly what we are seeing increasingly in our school pupils. "

Prof Challis has backed Sir William's recommendations in his 2000 report that children under 15 keep mobile phone use to a minimum and be encouraged to text rather than call.

The Health Protection Agency also advises children to limit their use of mobiles.

The Austrian Medical Association is pressing for a ban on wi-fi in schools. Dr Gerd Oberfeld, Salzburg's head of environmental health and medicine, has described wi-fi as "dangerous" to sensitive people.

A Department of Health spokesman said: "Wi-fi devices are of very low power, much lower than mobile phones. The only firm precautionary advice issued by the Health Protection Agency is about children's use of mobile phones."

•A report into the possible link between high-voltage cables and cancer has urged the Government to consider restricting homes and schools within 200 feet.

But the study, commissioned by the Department of Health, stopped short of recommending a specific ban.

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Using WI-Fi on a laptop damages sperms

2012-03-14T22:23:00.000+05:30

Using Wi-Fi on a laptop damages sperms: Report

LONDON: Here's an advice for the tech-savvy generation -- browsing the Net on a laptop computer connected with wireless technology can damage sperm counts, a new study has claimed.

An international team has discovered that a laptop, using Wi-Fi, which is placed near male reproductive organs reduced men's sperm quality and also their chances of experiencing fatherhood, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The study, led by the Nascentis Centre for Reproductive Medicine in Cordoba, Argentina and Eastern Virginia Medical School, found a quarter of the sperm placed next to a laptop for just a few hours were killed.

Evidence of DNA damage was also found. In comparison, sperm that was stored at the same temperature but away from a laptop showed a smaller drop in mobility and a significant reduction in DNA damage.

Meanwhile, semen placed under the computer without the Wi-Fi connected did not experience significant levels of sperm damage, according to the study.

"Our data suggest that the use of a laptop computer wireless connected to the internet and positioned near the male reproductive organs may decrease human sperm quality," said Dr Conrado Avendano, who led the study.

"At present we do not know whether this effect is induced by all laptop computers connected by Wi-Fi to the internet or what use conditions heighten this effect," he added.

In the latest study, researchers took sperm specimens from 29 healthy men, aged 26 to 45. Each donor sample was separated out into two pots and either placed under a laptop using wireless technology or away from the computer.

The researchers then used the laptop to download information from the internet for four hours. They found that 25% of the sperm under the laptop had stopped moving and nine per cent showed DNA damage.

By comparison, just 14% of samples kept away from the Wi-Fi stopped moving while just three per cent suffered DNA damage.

Dr Avendano stressed the results did not necessarily mean the same would occur in a real-life setting, adding that men should not unduly worry. But he recommended more research be undertaken.

Click here to review the article.

DRINK WATER ON EMPTY STOMACH

2012-03-12T20:24:00.002+05:30

It is popular in Japan today to drink water immediately after waking up every morning. Furthermore, scientific tests have proven its value. We publish below a description of use of water for our readers.

For old and serious diseases as well as modern illnesses the water treatment had been found successful by a Japanese medical society as a 100% cure for the following diseases:
Headache, body ache, heart system, arthritis, fast heart beat, epilepsy, excess fatness, bronchitis asthma, TB, meningitis, kidney and urine diseases, vomiting, gastritis, diarrhea, piles, diabetes, constipation, all eye diseases, womb, cancer and menstrual disorders, ear nose and throat diseases.

METHOD OF TREATMENT
1. As you wake up in the morning before brushing teeth, drink 4 x 160ml glasses of water
2. Brush and clean the mouth but do not eat or drink anything for 45 minute
3. After 45 minutes you may eat and drink as normal.
4. After 15 minutes of breakfast, lunch and dinner do not eat or drink anything for 2 hours
5. Those who are old or sick and are unable to drink 4 glasses of water at the beginning may commence by taking little water and gradually increase it to 4 glasses per day.
6. The above method of treatment will cure diseases of the sick and others can enjoy a healthy life.

The following list gives the number of days of treatment required to cure/control/reduce main diseases:
1. High Blood Pressure (30 days)
2. Gastric (10 days)
3. Diabetes (30 days)
4. Constipation (10 days)
5. Cancer (180 days)
6. TB (90 days)
7. Arthritis patients should follow the above treatment only for 3 days in the 1st week, and from 2nd week onwards – daily..

This treatment method has no side effects, however at the commencement of treatment you may have to urinate a few times.

It is better if we continue this and make this procedure as a routine work in our life. Drink Water and Stay healthy and Active.

This makes sense .. The Chinese and Japanese drink hot tea with their meals ..not cold water. Maybe it is time we adopt their drinking habit while eating!!! Nothing to lose, everything to gain...

For those who like to drink cold water, this article is applicable to you.

It is nice to have a cup of cold drink after a meal. However, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion.

Once this 'sludge' reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine.

Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.

A serious note about heart attacks:
· Women should know that not every heart attack symptom is going to be the left arm hurting,
· Be aware of intense pain in the jaw line.
· You may never have the first chest pain during the course of a heart attack.
· Nausea and intense sweating are also common symptoms.
· 60% of people who have a heart attack while they are asleep do not wake up.
· Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware.
The more we know, the better chance we could survive...

A cardiologist says if everyone who knows this information share this to everyone, you can be sure that we'll save at least one life.

12 Changing Needs of Nutrition in Old Age

2011-12-24T21:26:00.001+05:30

When we get older, our needs of nutrition also changes or they get strict. Some Minerals and Vitamin like B12, becomes more important with time.

Helen Rasmussen PhD, a registered Dietitian at the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston says that these suggestions should be carefully applied at different stages of life and it is safe to think about them in 30 years.

Nutrition Foods

Here are some suggestions for eating in your 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond

1. Look for Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is often ignored. It is used for making of Blood Cells and to improve the Mental Cognition, Vitamins B12 go in to the body along with the Proteins gained from the animals like Eggs or Meat.

Mostly young people, who are not Vegetarians, get these Proteins in their diet, for the body to use B12; it should be dissolved form the Protein. This is more challenging with the age when the level of Stomach Acid decreases.

B12 is found in the Fortified Cereal and Supplements; it is quickly absorbed by the body in this way. From the age of 50s, you should start getting these types of Fortified Cereals.

Meat

2. Eat more Bananas

Blood Pressure of an individual normally increases with the age. To fight with this problem and the lower the Stroke and the Heart Attack risk, one should consume less Sodium and more Potassium.

Many medications of Hypertension tend to increase the process of Urination, which lowers the level of Sodium and Potassium in the body.

Rasmussen says that both of these are really important for the body but Potassium is needed more than Sodium.

For attainment of Potassium, go for Fruits and Vegetables. Banana, Broccoli and baked Potatoes are rich in Potassium

3. Burn Calories

Rasmussen says that as we get old, the rate of our metabolic system slows down, so that the Calorie intake should fall accordingly.

We actually don’t need too much things to keep an individual moving. Generally, when people get old, they move less. Extra Calories makes extra Pounds, which increases Heart diseases, Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Diabetes etc

Rasmussen says that every bite you take, should be full of as many Nutrients as possible.

4. Add more Spices

With the increase in age, Saliva and the taste-bud power decreases and lowers pop of food. Don’t try to solve the problem with the problem with the help of Salt shaker. Try to go for other Spices that are free of Sodium. Go for new foods and avoid overcooking of food because it loses flavor. Try to add more Pepper and Spices in food, if you want to have more spices. If you intake excessive spices then try to take more Water and Milk, it lowers the bad effect of excessive spices.

Spicy Food

5. Drink a lot of Water

It is believed that with the passage of time, the sense of taste and sensation of thirst decreases and use of some medicines like that of Antihistamines and Blood Pressure can make you feel dehydrate. People using these medicines should take more Water to fulfill the need of liquids in a human body. Dehydration is the most important reason due to which older people dies.

The Institute of Medicine suggests that women should drink 2.2 Liters or 9 Glasses of Water a day and men should drink 3 Liters or 13 Glasses of Water a day.

Try to restrict the intake of Coffee, Tea and Alcohol. Coffee and Alcohol can also lead to dehydration.

6. Take more Calcium

Calcium is really good for bones and it is found in the dairy products and other products. The expert says that people still take insufficient Calcium. The level of Lactose decreases with the age.

Adults should take 1,000 Milligrams per day; it level should be 1,200 Milligrams for women over 50 and men over 70.

Take supplements of Calcium, if you are not taking enough Calcium in your diet. The maximum intake of Calcium should be 2,500 Milligrams per day for adults or 2,000 Milligrams per day if your age is above 50, more than this, the Calcium can cause stones in Kidney and other diseases.

7. Increase the Intake of Vitamin D

Vitamin D is required for the body to absorb and properly use the Calcium. This Vitamin can be taken directly from Sun. Sometimes it becomes very difficult to get it depending on the time of the year, where you live and what you eat.

Fortified foods can also help but it may not be enough for the body’s requirement. Vitamin D is soluble in Fat, Low-fat Milk. Adults should go for 600 International Units a day and it increase to the 800 units after the age of 70.

Low Fat Milk

8. Get Lutein for Clarity

The vision of older people mostly get blur with age. To save the Eyes from Macular Degeneration or Cataracts, increase the intake of Lutein during middle age.

According to the researchers, the Nutrients related to the Beta-Carotene and Vitamin A can help in increasing the Cognitive ability.

Green Vegetables including leafy vegetables such as Spinach and Broccoli are rich in Leutin. Fruits like Grapes, Oranges and Egg Yolks also contain Leutin.

9. Concentrate on Fiber

Fiber is mostly found in fruits. These Fibers help in the digestive tract to run smoothly.

Intake of Fiber is important for the normal Bowel function and may lower the risk of Gastrointestinal Inflammation. It can also lower the Cholesterol and lower the rise in Blood Sugar that occurs in the eating.

Do not limit your diet to Prunes. Vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains etc will help.

10. Restrict the Saturated Fat

Try to avoid the foods that are high in Saturated Fat, it would be lifelong goal. Try to maximize the Nutrients to Calorie intake.

Low-fat dairy products like rich in nutrients including Protein, Calcium etc without adding Fat or Calories found in full- fat dairy.

The Fats present in the diet of older people should be good Fats including Polyunsaturated and Monosaturated Fats.

It is present in the foods like Soybean and Canola Oil. These Oils are a good source of Vitamin E and K.

11. Restrict the Unhealthy Carbohydrates

It is good to limit the use of foods that are rich in Sugar. This rule should be strictly applied, when we get older to keep healthy weight and maintain the Pancreas. The function of Insulin pumping organs gets affected due to Diabetes. Try to maximize the consumption of good Nutrients per Calorie.

Refined Carbohydrates like White Bread etc are lower in Vitamins and Fibers. Go for healthy Carbohydrates like Fruits. Cake contains fewer amounts of Carbohydrates.

12. Consume Supplements

Food is the best source of Nutrients but it is difficult to get the required amount of all the Nutrients at a time.

The Nutritionists have formulated the food Pyramid for older people. They also suggest that older people should take supplements of different Nutrients to meet the requirements of Calcium.

The supplements of Calcium, VitaminB12 and Vitamin D are really important for health. Overconsumption of these supplements can be dangerous for the human body. So, be careful when you are taking these supplements in the daily routine because the risks can be high otherwise. You can also take advice from your doctor about taking Supplements.

There is a difference in intake of nutrients at different stage of age. Try to plan the intake of nutrients in your life according to the needs of your body. It will really help to make you healthy and fit.

Top 10 Ways to Show Confidence With Body Language

2011-09-20T23:00:00.000+05:30

They say a picture is worth a thousand words; now picture yourself, approaching a woman or a prospective client, walking into a board meeting or a party. How do you look? What message do you communicate the moment you walk into a room? What are your eyes, hands and shoulders saying? What information can people gather about you before you ever say a word? Never thought about it? You should. And you can start by perusing our top 10 tips to show confidence with body language.

People read your body language, often via instinct and without thinking. It’s because our poses and postures are a great source of information. They reflect our mood and our confidence level. We stand and walk a certain way when we’re confident and another way when we’re nervous. In a glance, most people can discern if we’re apprehensive or outgoing, relaxed or aggressive. With a little practice, we can learn the tips to show confidence through body language so that we always appear confident, capable and ready. Top 10 Ways to Show Confidence With Body Language...after the break...

01. Avoid your pockets

The first tip on our list of the top 10 tips to show confidence with body language is to keep your hands out of your pockets. We put our hands in our pockets when we’re uncomfortable or unsure of ourselves. And as long as you have your hands stuffed down your pants, that’s how other people will view you.

Instinctually we tend to hide our hands when we’re nervous; keeping your hands out in the open indicates confidence and shows people you have nothing to hide. Also, recognize that putting your hands in your pockets encourages slouching, which isn’t good. As an alternative, try putting your hands on your hips; it’s a far more confident posture.

02. Don’t fidget

Fidgeting is a clear sign of nervousness. A man who can’t keep still, is a man who is worried, tense and certainly not confident. Your hands can be your worst enemies — fight to keep them still and steady. You can definitely talk with your hands, but keep your gesticulations calm and under control. Also, when seated, avoid that rapid leg-vibration thing that some guys do (you don’t want to look like a dog getting his belly rubbed).

03. Keep your eyes forward

Keeping your eyes level might be one of the trickiest ways to show confidence in body language. When you’re walking anywhere by yourself, it often feels natural to lower your head slightly and watch your step, but this posture communicates to others that you don’t want to engage in conversation or interact. And if you’re not careful, you might get into the habit of doing it all the time. Keep your chin up and your eyes forward, even when you’re walking down the street by yourself.

04. Stand up straight with your shoulders back

Standing up straight is one of the most important of our top 10 tips to project confidence through body language. It can be a challenge especially if you’ve been a sloucher all your life, but get over it. Standing up straight is perhaps the most important means of communicating confidence.

Concentrate on pushing your shoulders back slightly when standing and walking. Nothing major,just a little. That one simple motion does wonders for your posture. Try it in front of the mirror—you’ll be surprised how much more confident it makes you look.

05. Take wide steps

A confident man will never be described as “scurrying,” “creeping” or “sneaking,” so pay attention to the way you walk. If you want to show confidence with body language you want to take large steps. Wide steps make you seem purposeful and suggest a personal tranquility, which denotes confidence in a man.

06. Firm handshakes

Another of our top 10 tips for showing confidence with body language has to do with the firm handshake. There are few things worse than reaching out your hand during an introduction and getting a palm full of dead fish. Don’t be that guy. Instead, grip the other person’s hand firmly and confidently. If shaking hands with someone you’ve already met, you might even consider the two-hand grab: placing your free hand on the other person’s elbow adds warmth and enthusiasm to the handshake. Just don’t get carried away. A handshake is not a contest. Don’t try to crush the other person’s hand and don’t hold on too long.

07. Proper grooming

Imagine yourself walking into a room, maybe there are lots of beautiful women there or maybe the room is filled with respected colleagues. Now consider your appearance: four days’ worth of scruff, bad skin, hair crispy and pointy like a Backstreet Boy’s. The point we’re trying to make is that grooming is an essential component of communicating confidence through body language.

You want your hair, face and even your smell to work for you, not against you. Don’t be afraid to experiment with new products to find the ones that work for you.

08. Smile

Confident people smile because they have nothing to worry about. Try this as an experiment: smile at someone as you pass them on the street or walking around the office. Chances are good that they’ll smile back. Now wouldn’t you like to have that effect on people all the time?

09. Don’t cross your arms when socializing

Crossing your arms is a protective posture. We do it when we’re cold, nervous or on guard. Think of those big, burly nightclub bouncers, crossing their 26-inch pythons while standing guard at the door to a club. Do they look like guys you want to talk to, joke with or work with? No, right? Their job is to look intimidating. Your job is to look likeable, open and confident. So relax a little and keep your arms uncrossed.

10. Use contact to show appreciation

The pat on the back is a lost art. Don’t be afraid to pat a buddy or a colleague on the back when he or she delivers a perfectly timed punch line or nails the big presentation. Most people aren’t freaked out by a hand on the shoulder and they’ll likely be appreciative of your sign of affection and respect.

How To Make Health Mix Powder?

2011-08-27T02:00:00.000+05:30

Healthy Mix

Ingredients:

Ragi – 300 gms
Jowar – 150 gms
Maize - 250 gms
Millet – 250 gms
Groundnuts – 25 gms
Fried Gram – 25 gms
Green Gram – 25 gms
Barley – 25 gms
Red rice – 50 gms
Sago – 25 gms
Wheat – 50 gms
Cashew nuts – 6 gms
Badam – 6 gms
Soya Bean – 10 gms
Green Cardamom – 6 gms

Dry Roast one by one and make it cool .
Grind it in Powder form and fitter it into smooth fine powder .
Store it in a airtight jar (container).

Take enough quanity of health mix powder, Add milk or water(even both you can use) and mix well (250 ml for 2 table spoonfuls of powder ). Boil this mixture Stirring frequently for 2 -3 minutes to make porridge(paste form ) . Sugar or salt can be added to taste and serve warm.

This health MIx is the idle nutritious food for pregnent ladies, kids and week persons.

Oats, Nuts Can Help Reduce Cholesterol

2011-08-27T01:26:00.004+05:30

“Worried about your cholesterol? Make sure you eat plenty of oats and nuts rather than just avoiding fatty foods, scientists say.

Researchers at the University of Toronto in Canada found that a diet rich in foods, such as oats and nuts, was more effective in lowering cholesterol levels than by cutting out saturated fats alone.

The diet that worked best in the study also included soy products such as milk, tofu and meat substitutes, while eating more peas, beans and lentils was encouraged, the Daily Mail reported.

The researchers discovered that a six-month change to the diet could result in a “meaningful” 13 per cent reduction in blood levels of LDL cholesterol, also called bad cholesterol.

Following the diet for longer would give a predicted reduction of almost 11 per cent in heart disease risk over a ten-year period, the researchers claimed.

For the study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the researchers looked at 345 patients suffering from high cholesterol. They were split into three groups, one of which was merely recommended to adopt a low-fat diet that included fruit and vegetables, while the other two were advised on a dietary “portfolio” consisting of specific foods known to lower LDL cholesterol such as nuts, oats, soy products and lentils.

One group was counselled during two clinic visits while the other underwent an “intensive” course of seven visits. After six months the low-fat group had experienced a drop in LDL cholesterol levels of three per cent. "

Boost Up Your Energy Levels

2011-08-14T10:48:00.001+05:30

Do you feel like you’ve lost the spring in your step? Do you worry that your lack of energy means you are growing old? Are you losing your spark?
This Blog gives you ten easy steps to help you regain your spirit.

Sleep
You will feel lethargic if you sleep late, and wake up late, or catch up on lost sleep during the weekends. Everyone knows that eight hours of sleep is ideal and essential, but how many of us get those eight hours? Here is what you can do to get some shut-eye.

Try and get your body used to a specific sleep schedule and stick to it as far as you can. It will greatly improve your energy levels.

Sometimes, a small power nap during your lunch break can work wonders in restoring your stamina to see you through the day. It can be only a 15-minute nap, but it’ll give your mind the required rest and you’ll wake up feeling ready to face the world once again.

Exercise
It could be a dance class, a 15 minute walk to your office, join a gym or run up and down the stairs. It doesn't matter, as long as you get some exercise. It releases mood-enhancing endorphins and gives you that much-needed energy boost. If you don’t have time for a complicated routine, park a little away from your office and walk to it.

Water, Water, Everywhere
Fill a bottle of water and keep it at your desk. Sip from it constantly, to ensure that your daily quota of water. Replacing fluids lost during activities makes sure that your body has enough energy to keep you going through the day.

Eat Your Breakfast
People who eat a regular breakfast will have better energy levels throughout the day. They can concentrate better, not feel drowsy and maintain better body weight.

Have Small Meals
Rather than eating three heavy meals that put your body under sudden, heavy pressure, it’s best to eat small meals spread through the day. Eating a heavy lunch will inevitably cause an afternoon slump in energy. A healthy snack every three hours, along with a light lunch will keep your blood sugar levels from going awry. It also gives your body a constant supply of nutrients and helps decrease energy lost in digesting heavy meals.

Breathe Deep and Relax
Take deep, slow and deliberate breaths for about five to ten minutes. It will improve your stamina and make you feel more energized. You could also practice Pranayama yoga exercise as it is a great way to keep that energy meter in the green! Meditation and yoga bust the stress factor in your life and rejuvenate you to an extent that you feel capable of handling any task – whether big or small.

Soak in a tub of hot water with a few drops of lemon or orange oil sprinkled into it. The aromas rejuvenate you and the hot water eases out your tired body.

Purge Energy Killers From Your Diet
Too much coffee, too much sugar, whether in the form of sweets, doughnuts, and chocolates, and even low-protein diets, are all factors that sap your energy. Sweets give you a sudden energy boost as does coffee, but the oscillating blood sugar levels will eventually send your energy plummeting. Keep these to a minimum! On the other hand, get some protein in the morning to ensure that your brain gets the dose it needs. Also, you might consider adding a multivitamin supplement to your diet if your low energy levels have been continuing for some time. But it is always better to consult a doctor before starting any kind of supplements.

Work That Mind
Stimulate your mind with mind games like sudoku or do the crossword everyday. Take time out to read books, learn new things, do puzzles and utilize your brain to keep your mental energy sharp. Games like Scrabble, Charades and card games will test your memory and improve your problem solving ability.

Laughter is the Best Medicine
Watch your favorite comedy show on TV or relax in the company of funny friends. Laughter is proven to drive the stress away and to lift up your energy levels.

A Cuppa Tea
Tea infused with the right herbs, has been known to increase one’s stamina. Green tea, especially, with a combination of peppermint and ginseng, can lift up flagging energy levels. It is also a good source of antioxidants.

How Yoga can help you?

2011-07-31T02:28:00.001+05:30

Yoga is an ancient Indian practice designed to promote relaxation, health and flexibility. By using a series of poses and breathing techniques, yoga also works on the practitioner’s balance, strength and overall health. It has been shown to reduce blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels, diminish back pain and improve cardiovascular health.

Depending on the type of yoga you do, yoga can be an aerobic, anaerobic or stretching exercise or all three. Essentially, yoga tones and stretches all your joints and muscles. Not only does this unique form of exercise deliver physical benefits, it also reduces stress while promoting relaxation. When it comes to aging well, yoga is one of the best activities you can do.

Yoga is one of the most famous and globally widespread of India’s traditions. It has existed as a system of exercise, breathing, and meditation for over 5,000 years.

The word “Yoga” means “to join or yoke together” – bringing the body and mind together into a harmonious experience. The exercises are designed to apply gentle pressure to the glandular system thereby toning the glands and improving total health. The breathing techniques are based on the principle that the “breath” is the source of life in the body. Meditation calms the mind and body and prepares one to handle stress.

Yoga has increased in popularity in recent years, with an estimated 6 million Americans currently engaging in regular yoga workouts. Part of yoga’s popularity is simply that it provides so many health benefits. Yoga assists a person in becoming more aware of their body: their posture, their alignment and the way they move. Yoga helps people become more relaxed and centered, less prone to stress, more energetic, happier, healthier, and more peaceful.

Most yoga classes consist of performing the asanas (yoga poses) either individually or linked in flows (known as vinyasana). At the end of each yoga class there is a short period of meditation or relaxation in shavasana (the corpse pose) where participants lie on their back in a rest and meditation.

There are several forms of yoga. Generally different forms of yoga produce different benefits. For example, Iyengar yoga is for correct bodily alignment, and often utilizes props (including blocks, straps, or cushions).

Bikram yoga is also known as hot yoga, as it’s performed in a heated room. It generally consists of a set of 26 poses done in a particular order. These are both forms of Hatha yoga and are commonly practiced in the US, as they focus on the use of strengthening and breathing exercises.

What can yoga do for you? Firstly, it is extremely beneficial in the promotion of excellent flexibility, and is also excellent for circulation and development of muscle strength. However, yoga’s benefits extend beyond the physical, by promoting relaxation and calm. One of the basic tenets of yoga is that it helps to balance all areas of a person’s life by improving physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.

Practising yoga through mass media without proper guidance can do more harm than good

2011-07-31T02:11:00.001+05:30

“Do you sit and perform complicated yoga postures day after day at home with only TV as your instructor? It may be time to turn the idiot box off, as experts warn that practising yoga through mass media without proper guidance can do more harm than good.

"Yoga needs very close concentration and two-way communication is essential; so the best way to perform yoga is with an instructor. The asanas (postures) and prakriyas (processes) somebody is imitating from TV may not be suitable for them and can create trouble," said Yogi Shri Ashish Chatterjee, president of Satya Foundation.

Yoga is India's traditional physical and mental discipline which is associated with meditative practices.

Yoga is a Sanskrit word which is derived from the Sanskrit root 'yuj', meaning to control, to yoke or to unite. However, in general yoga is typically associated with hatha yoga and its asanas or as a form of exercise.

Manoj Kumar, consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Moolchand Hospital, New Delhi, said: "There has been quite an increase in the number of people coming with injuries caused by doing yoga in inappropriate postures as they just watch it on TV and try to imitate it."

"At least three to four patients come with such complaints every week," says Kumar.

R.S. Bhogal, principal of prominent meditation and yoga institute Kaivalyadham in Lonavala, said: "Of course, practising yoga through TV or DVD can create lots of problems as the person cannot get proper feedback and he can either overstretch or have too much contraction."

Bhogal added: "The best way to practise yoga is through one-to-one interaction, so that communication can be easy and efficient. However, it is not always possible to conduct a one-to-one yoga programme; so in my opinion the ideal ratio between instructor and student would be of 30:2 (one yoga instructor, one assistant and 30 students)."

Bhogal also feels it would not be right to practise yoga through mass media.

"The reason behind it is that these asanas have spiritual value. Though it looks like simple exercise, it is not. The different asanas lead us towards peace," Bhogal said.

Rachna Rana, an MBA student who has practised yoga through TV, said: "I was thrilled to see yoga on TV and started practising it every morning, but in a few weeks I got my knee sprained and it took long to recover."

Yash Gulati, senior consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, said: "One yoga posture cannot be beneficial for all kinds of people. So it is very important to consult an expert before practising, as the effectiveness of yoga depends on various factors like age, physical condition, etc."

While Chatterjee admitted that the TV has helped yoga gain popularity, he said: "TV is distorting the spiritual aspect of yoga and it is not doing any good to people; rather it is causing complications."

Make Your Own SaMake Your Own Salad Dressings and Sauces.lad Dressings and Sauces.

2011-07-17T12:03:00.001+05:30

Toss those store-bought sauces and dressings, and top your foods with homemade versions instead. That way, you can control the fat — and perfect the taste.

Flavorful salad dressings and sauces can bring healthy eating to a whole new level — they make vegetables, lean meats, whole grain pastas, and other foods taste even better. And since store-bought products can be loaded with fat, calories, and sodium, learning to make your own sauce and salad dressing recipes is an important part of healthy cooking.

6 Secrets of Homemade Salad Dressings and Sauces

Follow these guidelines when whipping up your own healthy recipes:

Cut down on oil. A homemade salad dressing should contain more vinegar, lemon juice, or orange juice than oil to keep calories in check, says registered dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, LDN, author of The Flexitarian Diet and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. You’ll need to adapt standard recipes, which usually call for more oil.

Opt for flavor over fat. When making salad dressing recipes, Blatner recommends varying the vinegars and oils you use to keep your taste buds satisfied without adding a lot of extra fat. "Try balsamic, sherry, or apple cider vinegar, and experiment with olive, walnut, flax, and sesame oils," she suggests. With both dressings and sauces, Blatner says that fresh and finely chopped herbs can add a huge flavor boost, as well as healthy antioxidants.

Choose low-fat ingredients. When using ingredients like sour cream, mayonnaise, or yogurt in your salad dressings and sauces, choose low-fat or non-fat versions to lighten the caloric load. And consider skipping fattening ingredients altogether. "Puree roasted vegetables, such as roasted red peppers, with a splash of broth for quick sauces," says Blatner. (Remove the charred skin before processing.)

Limit the salt. Healthy recipes for salad dressings and sauces should not be loaded with sodium. This means adding little or no salt, and choosing low-sodium or no-salt-added ingredients, like low-sodium tomato paste or sauce.

Skim off fat. When you make a meat-based sauce, cool it in the refrigerator before you use it to separate out the fat. You can then skim the fat from the top of your sauce (where it will often harden) to dramatically reduce the fat content.

Use low-fat thickening agents. Instead of using a butter-based roux to thicken a sauce, cut back on fat by thickening it with a small amount of cornstarch or flour. You can even get more creative. "For creamy dressings and sauces, use silken tofu or pureed cashews and water as the base," says Blatner.

Always have containers of your favorite homemade salad dressings and sauces available when you need them. Blatner says that you can keep a supply in the fridge for up to a week, and many sauces can be frozen. But don’t overdo it: Simply use them to add moisture and flavor to fresh vegetables and cooked dishes.

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Some important tips you must know & follow up this.....

2011-06-26T01:58:00.000+05:30

Health - Very Very Important Tips

Answer the phone by LEFT ear.

Do not drink coffee TWICEa day.

Do not take pills with COOLwater.

Do not have HUGE meals after 5pm.

Reduce the amount of OILY food you consume.

Drink more WATER in the morning, less at night.

Keep your distance from hand phone CHARGERS.

Do not use headphones/earphone for LONG period of time.

Best sleeping time is from 10pm at night to 6am in the morning.

Do not lie down immediately after taking medicinebefore sleeping.

When battery is down to the LAST grid/bar, do not answer the phone as the radiation is 1000 times.