Radish comes packed with antioxidants, dietary fiber, iron, protein, calcium, potassium, vitamin A, and C and a lot more. This root vegetable has been found beneficial in cleansing the liver and stomach, purifying the blood, keeping hypothyroidism in check, preventing cardiovascular diseases, and boosting immunity.

When topically applied, this vegetable that is commonly added to salads can provide nutrients that benefit our hair and skin.

Removing Dandruff

Due to its antibacterial properties, radish can help maintain a healthy scalp by keeping the dandruff-causing bacteria at bay.

Grate a medium size radish and strain its juice. Apply the juice into the scalp using a cotton ball. Wrap the head using a towel and leave the juice on for 30 minutes. Rinse it off later.

Fights Hair Fall

Regular consumption of radish can help fight hair fall problems. Applying its juice on the scalp can help strengthen the roots from within, stimulate hair growth, and prevent hair loss.

For Acne

Radish possesses antioxidants and antibacterial properties that can help get rid of dirt and impurities and protect the skin from radical damage.

Grind 1 tsp of radish seeds to get a powder. Create a paste by adding a few drops of water into it and apply it on the face. Leave it on until it dries. Rinse it off using cold water and pat dry.

Fewer Clogged Pores

Radish juice is one of the best solutions for clogged pores. A radish juice or pulp in a homemade mask can provide positive results because of its cleansing properties which can help reduce the appearance of pores.

Mix radish juice with a few drops of citrus juice to cleanse the skin and clogged pores.

To Exfoliate The Skin

For this, we need other ingredients such as oats and egg whites. Oats have anti-inflammatory properties that soothe irritated skin and can exfoliate the skin to remove dead skin cells and impurities. On the other hand, egg white is significantly rich in proteins that can help replenish the skin and prevent the production of excess oil.

In a bowl, mix 1 tbsp each of radish juice and oatmeal powder. Add 1 egg white to it and whisk everything. Apply the mixture on the face and gently rub it in circular motions for a few seconds. Leave it on for 10-15 minutes. Rinse the face with cold water and pat dry.

Better Hydrated Skin

Radish has a high water content that is good for our skin and other body organs. In addition to this, it also contains omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which are important for pumping moisture down in the deeper levels of the skin.

Looking for more ways to get radishes into our daily diet? Try these tips:

1. Roast them
2. Add them salad
3. Add them to tacos
4. Put them in coleslaw
5. Pickle them
6. Snack on them with cream cheese and chives

Original article can be found here: https://www.drfarrahmd.com/2020/06/radish-source-of-nutrients-for-healthy.html

 

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Lead author Dr. Lucinda Black, from the School of Public Health at Curtin University who completed the research as part of her MSWA Postdoctoral Fellowship, said the number of people being diagnosed with MS was increasing globally, suggesting that environmental factors such as low sun exposure, low vitamin D, and poor diet may be contributing factors.

“Previous research suggests that a Mediterranean diet can help to reduce the risk of certain health issues, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia and improve overall life expectancy. However, there is inconclusive evidence to suggest a Mediterranean diet also reduces the risk of developing MS,” Dr. Black said.

“Our research found that consuming one daily serving (65 g) of unprocessed red meat as part of a healthy Mediterranean diet may be beneficial for those at high risk of developing MS.

“It is unclear why consuming red meat combined with a healthy diet may lower the risk of MS, but red meat contains important macro and micronutrients including protein, iron, zinc, selenium, potassium, vitamin D, and a range of B-vitamins, many of which are important for healthy neurological function.”

To ensure that the risks do not outweigh the benefits, Cancer Council WA recommends eating only a moderate amount of unprocessed lean red meat, which equates to no more than one daily serving, where a serving is 65 grams of cooked meat.

Co-author Professor Robyn Lucas, from The Australian National University in Canberra, said the research highlighted the importance of educating people who are at a higher risk of MS about the impact of their diet and other environmental factors.

“We know very little about how people can reduce their risk of developing MS, but previous research has shown that not smoking and ensuring people get sufficient sun exposure to maintain adequate vitamin D levels may contribute to this,” Professor Lucas said.

“This new work provides valuable information on another way that people at high risk of MS might reduce that risk, which includes eating a healthy, Mediterranean diet that includes moderate amounts of unprocessed red meat.”

The Ausimmune Study, funded by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society of the United States of America, the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, and Multiple Sclerosis Research Australia, was conducted during 2003 and 2006 in four regions of Australia, including Brisbane, Newcastle, western Victoria, and Tasmania. The study investigated the link between environmental risk factors and early symptoms of MS.

The original article can be found here: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-05-red-meat-healthy-diet-linked.html

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Indeed, it’s interesting that there appears to be little difference between diet and regular soda. Diet soft drinks seem to be just as deadly as sweet, sugar-laden beverages.

In this article, we’re going to break down the results of the study. Why and how does soda contribute to an early death? Are the results significant? Does the study accurately and truthfully demonstrate the potential harm of soft drinks? Of course, we will answer these questions and others here.

A quick note. Researchers included the following beverages under the umbrella of “soft drinks”: cola, pop, soda, fruit punch, lemonade, energy, and sports drinks (e.g., Monster and Gatorade, respectively), powdered sugar drinks (e.g., Kool-Aid), and “ades” such as lemonade.

So let’s get to it!

STUDY BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study is one of the largest cohort (“group”) studies in the world. Traditionally, cohort studies are a type of research-based study that’s designed to investigate the cause(s) of disease. Besides investigating the correlation between soft drinks and early mortality, EPIC also researches various issues surrounding the topic of disease acquisition.

According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), this EPIC study was conceived in order to “investigate the relationships between diet, nutritional status, lifestyle and environmental” factors and their relationship to cancer and disease.

In the paper, the authors note the lack of scholarship focusing on a potential link between disease and soft drinks. This gap in research is rather striking when one considers the proven link between sugary-drink consumption and obesity.

In a massive, oft-cited 88-study analysis published in the American Journal of Public Health, researchers directly demonstrate “clear associations between soft drink consumption and nutrition and health outcomes.” Including increased calorie intake, heavier body weight, and increased risk of “several medical problems.”

It is on the former note that this study comes out at a dubious time in U.S. history. The number of overweight and obese children and adults have reached epidemic proportions. Consider the below statistics from a huge, multi-state study.

SEVEN U.S. STATES – ALABAMA, ARKANSAS, IOWA, LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI, OKLAHOMA, AND WEST VIRGINIA – RECORD OBESITY RATES EXCEEDING 35 PERCENT.

According to data in the report The State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America 2018, the U.S. obesity rate is now hovering around 40 percent. Roughly 19 percent of children are now obese. Just two decades ago, these numbers were at 30 percent and 14 percent, respectively.

This writer’s sincere thanks go to the authors of the work.

Elio Riboli, a Professor and Director of Public Health at Imperial College London in the United Kingdom, coordinated this EPIC study. Assisting Professor Riboli in coordination efforts were two esteemed cancer researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (Lyon, France), Dr. Marc Gunter and Dr. Paul Brennan.

STUDY DESIGN

“Consumption of artificially sweetened soft drinks was positively associated with deaths from circulatory diseases, and sugar-sweetened soft drinks were associated with deaths from digestive diseases.”

~ Mullee, A., et al. (source)

The EPIC program consists of 521,000 citizens across 10 European countries. Following participant recruitment and initial data gathering, study subjects were followed up after an average of 16 years. The large, multinational cohort consisted of participants from Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

RESEARCHERS COLLECTED THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION FROM STUDY PARTICIPANTS:

DIET:

Participants were administered some version of the quantitative dietary questionnaire, containing over 250 food items. Using this document, participants reported types of food consumed and estimated individual portion sizes.

LIFESTYLE FACTORS:

Questionnaire data were collected on several variables known to impact health. Among the information recorded: job history, current employment status, illness history, education, socioeconomic status, known disorders, history of tobacco use, history of alcoholic beverage consumption, physical activity level, and reproductive history.

BODY MEASUREMENTS & DIMENSIONS

height, weight, waist, hip circumference, body mass index (BMI), and sitting height.

BLOOD SAMPLES:

Measurements for red blood cells, hemoglobin, hematocrit, white blood cells, and platelet count.

Using this information, researchers excluded individuals reporting a history of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, or stroke. They also left out data they perceived to be inaccurate or incomplete details. Finally, they also disregarded data collected from individuals at-risk for certain diseases.

HERE ARE SOME STATISTICS FROM THE CHOSEN PARTICIPANT GROUP:

– Number of participants: 451,743 (86.7% of the cohort group)

– Gender: Female ~ 71% of total (321,081)

– The average age at study commencement: ? 51 year

– Average follow-up period (from initial data measurement): ? 16.4 years

– Number of deaths: 41,693 (~ 9.2% of cohort)

STUDY RESULTS

“The results of this study are significant. It reinforces a fact that won’t surprise anyone in the nutrition field: Processed foods loaded with artificial ingredients will never be the magic bullet to better health, no matter how low they are in sugar. Our bodies are smarter than that.”   ~ Sarah Reinhardt, the Union of Concerned Scientists (source)

The EPIC research team analyzed the experimental data from both regular and diet soda users. The key measurement was the total consumption of sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened soft drinks.

The team reached the following conclusions:

– Individuals who consumed two or more glasses of soda per day had a 17 percent higher chance of early death.

– Drinkers of artificially sweetened soft drinks run a 26 percent higher chance of premature death.

– Science proves a relationship between sweetened soft drinks and death from circulatory diseases.

– Sugary drinks were tied to higher rates of death from digestive diseases. Other disorders correlating with sugar-sweetened beverages include appendix, intestines, liver, and pancreas disease.

The team factored another interesting finding out of the analysis. people who drank more soda tended to be higher in body mass index (BMI). Soda drinkers were also more likely to be tobacco smokers. However, says the study’s lead author, Neil Murphy, these findings did not influence the results. “We made statistical adjustments in our analyses for BI, smoking habits, and other mortality factors,” says Murphy.

So after adjusting for such factors, the research team concludes that smoking habits and BMI do not strongly influence the correlation between soft drinks and mortality rates.

FINAL THOUGHTS: SOFT DRINKS ARE PLAIN BAD

“There are 4.2 grams of sugar in a single teaspoon. Now, imagine scooping up 7 to 10 teaspoons full of sugar and dumping it into your 12-ounce glass of water. Does that sound too sweet? You may be surprised to learn that’s how much added sugar is in the typical can of soda.” ~ Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (source)

Study after study, scientist after scientist, and parent after parent continue to rail against the health effects of soft drinks. In fact,  thousands of academic studies over the past fifteen years reach the same conclusion: soft drinks cause weight gain, increase the risk of chronic diseases, and complicate underlying health problems.

WHAT ABOUT OTHER NATIONS?

According to Harvard University, soft drinks are the top source of added calories and sugar in the U.S. diet. But what about other countries? Do these places also experience the same adverse health issues from soda and soft drink consumption?

In countries where soft drink consumption has risen, so has the incidence of disease. Such describes the rather recent phenomenon of soft drink consumption and an increase in diabetes cases in Asia.

In a 2010 study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, researchers cite a direct correlation between “epidemic proportions” of type 2 diabetes in Asia and “increased consumption of soft drinks, juice … and other sweetened drinks.”

Moreover, the research team cites the proven correlation between poor health outcomes and soft drink consumption in the U.S. as ample evidence. One of the statistics included in the study worthy of pause: Type 2 diabetes mellitus in Asia is 3-5 times higher than it was just 30 years ago.

WHY?

Because this increase in diabetes prevalence is very similar to that experienced in the United States between 1980 and 2010. In fact, around 2.5 percent of the population had a diabetes diagnosis in 1980. However, this number rose to around 7 percent by 2010.

The evidence is rather overwhelming. Soda and other soft drinks adversely affect health. Continuous and excessive consumption of soft drinks also certainly contributes to chronic disease, obesity, and early death.

In other words, soft drinks are just plain bad.

The original article can be found here: https://www.powerofpositivity.com/soda-causes-early-death-research/

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A new study published Monday in the BMJ journal Gut found that eating the Mediterranean diet for just one year altered the microbiome of elderly people in ways that improved brain function and would aid in longevity.

The study found the diet can inhibit production of inflammatory chemicals that can lead to loss of cognitive function, and prevent the development of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer and atherosclerosis.

“Our findings support the feasibility of changing the habitual diet to modulate the gut microbiota which in turn has the potential to promote healthier aging,” the study authors said.

Role of the microbiome

About 60 tons of food pass through the average human’s digestive tract in a lifetime, science says, exposing our insides to billions of different bacteria in addition to those we were born with. Many of those miniscule creatures play important roles — good and bad — in how well we absorb nutrients; the functionality of our immune response; and our energy and metabolism levels.

Science has shown that as we age, the types and amount of microbes found in the gut are reduced. A poor diet is especially common among the elderly in long-term residential care and those who live alone. Health and dental issues can also make it difficult for the elderly to eat a well-balanced diet.

As the diversity of bacteria diminishes, “inflamm-aging” occurs, contributing to age-related inflammatory processes that can lead to cancer, neurological disorders and other diseases.

Change occurred within 12 months

The study analyzed the gut microbiome of 612 elderly people from France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and the United Kingdom before putting 323 of them on a special diet for a year.

While the diet was designed for the elderly, it was based on the Mediterranean principles of eating lots of fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, olive oil and fish, and little red meat, sugar and saturated fats.

The rest of the 65- to 79-year-olds in the study were asked to continue to eat as they always did for the same 12 months.

After the year was over, those who had followed the Mediterranean diet saw beneficial changes to the microbiome in their digestive system. The loss of bacterial diversity was slowed, and the production of potentially harmful inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein and interleukin-17 were reduced.

At the same time, there was a growth of beneficial bacteria linked to improved memory and brain function, the study said. The diet also appeared to boost “keystone” species, critical for a stable “gut ecosystem” and which also slowed signs of frailty, such as walking speed and hand grip strength.

Nationality did not appear to matter. The findings were similar and consistent no matter where the people lived and no matter their age or weight, both of which influence the unique makeup of a person’s microbiome.

The study is part of a larger randomized controlled trial of 1,200 people called the European Project on Nutrition in Elderly People or NU-AGE that began in 2012. Previous publications from the ongoing study found those who followed the diet closely had improved episodic memory and overall cognitive ability. Higher adherence to the diet also reduced the rate of bone loss in people with osteoporosis and improved blood pressure and arterial stiffness.

Benefits of the Mediterranean diet

Discovering that the Mediterranean diet could affect the microbiome in a positive way isn’t really surprising; the diet already has a stuffed shelf of scientific trophies. It’s won gold medals in reducing the risk for diabetes, high cholesterol, dementia, memory loss, depression and breast cancer. Meals from the sunny Mediterranean region have also been linked to stronger bones, a healthier heart and longer life. Oh, and weight loss, too.

The diet features simple, plant-based cooking, with the majority of each meal focused on fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans and seeds, with a few nuts and a heavy emphasis on extra virgin olive oil. Say goodbye to refined sugar and flour except on rare occasions. Fats other than olive oil, such as butter, are consumed rarely, if at all.

Meat can make a rare appearance, usually only to flavor a dish. Instead, meals may include eggs, dairy and poultry, but in much smaller portions than in the traditional Western diet. Fish, however, are a staple.

“It’s more than a diet, it’s a lifestyle,” said Atlanta registered dietitian Rahaf Al Bochi in an earlier interview.

“It also encourages eating with friends and family, socializing over meals, mindfully eating your favorite foods, as well as mindful movement and exercise,” said Al Bochi.

The Mediterranean diet has won first place in the US News and World Report’s “best diet” rankings for three years in a row. Anyone wanting to start the diet can do so in a few easy steps, say experts, by just adding healthy choices to their daily diet.

The original article can be found here:

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/17/health/mediterranean-diet-microbiome-wellness/index.html

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• The ketogenic diet works by tricking your body into thinking its in starvation mode — with very few carbohydrates to turn into glucose, your body instead burns fat to use as energy.
• While most go on the diet to lose weight, evidence suggests a whole host of additional benefits to mental and physical health, though these findings still need to be confirmed.
• Recent research has added another potential benefit to the keto diet: It could help you defend against flu infections.

The low-carb, high-fat ketogenic diet might not just be good for your waistline; it could also keep you healthy this flu season. Yale University researchers discovered that mice who were fed a ketogenic diet were better at fighting off flu infections that those fed a high-carb diet instead.

How does the keto diet work?

People can use the keto diet to quickly lose weight by capitalizing on a metabolic state called ketosis. Normally, the human body gets most of its energy from glucose (i.e., blood sugar) derived from carbohydrates, but the body doesn’t have a good way of storing glucose. Because of this, the humans need an alternative energy source to get them through periods when they can’t get access to any food. Once the body is deprived of glucose, the liver begins to break down fat into an alternative energy source called ketones that can keep the body going long after it last ate.

Luckily, we can jump into this metabolic state without having to actually starve ourselves by simply eating no or very little carbohydrates — eating more fats and proteins keeps us feeling full while our bodies still burn fat to make ketones.

Interestingly, the keto diet seems to have a lot more effects other than weight loss. Ketosis appears to have wide-ranging effects throughout the body, with potential beneficial outcomes for diabetics and epileptics. There’s also some evidence suggesting a correlation between the keto diet and improved mental health and better outcomes in cancer treatments — though the research is still far from conclusive.

Now, it appears that the keto diet could offer another benefit: an improved defense against the flu. Researchers administered a lethal dose of the influenza A virus to two groups of mice: one group that was fed a keto diet and another that was fed a more standard diet. The keto mice consistently survived and fared better overall.

A thinner waistline and a stronger immune system

The researchers discovered that a keto diet appeared to activate genes that produce a specialized type of immune cells called gamma delta T cells. Tissue samples from the lungs of mice in the keto group confirmed that they had higher levels of these cells. The researchers suspected that these elevated levels of gamma delta T cells killed infected cells in the mice’s lungs, and they also appeared to increase mucus production in the lungs, helping to trap more of the virus.

Furthermore, when the researchers fed a keto diet to mice specially bred to lack the genes that code for gamma delta T cells, the diet had no effect on their survivability, confirming that ketosis was somehow upregulating these genes.

Further experiments confirmed that ketosis itself, rather than just a low-carb diet, seemed to be the triggering factor. The researchers fed some mice a high-fat diet with less carbs than the standard diet but more than the keto one. Specifically, the keto diet contained less than 1 percent carbs, the standard diet contained 58 percent carbs, and the high-fat, high-carb diet contained 20 percent carbs. While the high-fat, high-carb diet did elevate gamma delta T cell levels, it did not appear to do so to the degree where any benefit could be gained.

Remember to take your bacon-avocado omelet with a grain of salt

While this exciting finding does suggest that the keto diet may help you power through flu season, it’s important to remain realistic. For one, this study was conducted on mice, not humans. Animals respond differently to both treatments and diseases than humans do, and some researchers have found that animal trials tend to be conducted under different circumstances than human trials and can be less rigorous as well, sometimes resulting in biased findings.

What’s more, the keto diet may come with many health benefits, but its also not without its risks. The high meat component of the keto diet can damage your kidneys and cause gout, and the diet’s restrictive nature can lead to vitamin deficiencies. It ought not need to be said, but pregnant women and young children shouldn’t be put on the keto diet — the diet tricks your body into thinking it’s starving, which is not ideal for development.

Ironically, quickly switching from your normal diet to a keto one can actually give you flu-like symptoms. The “keto flu” is a temporary side effect of rapidly removing carbs from your diet that can cause nausea, headaches, weakness, issues with concentration, and other symptoms. Hardly ideal if you’re trying to stay ahead of the flu bug!

Fortunately, most of these negative effects can be mitigated or avoided by building a healthy keto meal plan and transitioning gradually into a keto diet. Undertaking any diet with the goal of improving your health will require doing some homework to figure out what works, and the keto diet is no exception. It’s also important to remember that the keto diet probably works best as a short-term diet. Few people can stick with the diet over the long term, so hard evidence on its long-term impacts is scant, but it’s unlikely that excluding healthy components of a normal diet (like fruit) would be sustainable. That being said, if these findings are verified, then it might not be a bad idea to try the keto diet once flu season rears its ugly head once again.

The original article can be found here: https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/keto-diet-immune-system?rebelltitem=4#rebelltitem4

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Holistic medical practitioner Datuk Dr Rajen Manicka (pic) said the type of food and supplements consumed affects one’s immune system.

“We believe that a high intake of turmeric, which Indians take daily, and onions, which is rich in quercetin, are foods that boost your immune system, ” he explained.

Rajen said a high sugar intake will be detrimental to one’s health, adding that people should consume more protein and water daily.

“It is important to also take a lot of protein, it doesn’t matter what type, be it fish or eggs, because protein is a very important component in the immune system, ” he said.

After water, glutathione – small protein molecules produced by every single living cell – is the second most important component that the human body needs.

Rajen said people who are low in glutathione have low immune system.

“Older people suffer more because they don’t have enough glutathione. You can take supplements that supply the body with glutathione or one that allows the body to make more glutathione.

“We’ve also done clinical trials, where glutathione is shown to have been able to boost the immune system against the Zika virus, ” he said.

However, nutritionist Dr Tee E Seong does not recommend taking supplements for the average healthy individual but encourages the practice of traditional dietary guidelines of the food pyramid.

“For people who are sick and have undergone surgery, or old people who cannot eat well, supplements will help.

“But for the average person, the 35-year-olds who are physically active or young children, there is no evidence to say supplements will help, ” he said.

Tee said should a person need to take supplements, it is best to seek the advice of a nutritionist.

“For vitamins, it does not mean that if we consume more, it will be better for us.

“There are limits of intake for vitamins and minerals, so if you want to take supplements at these times, it is better to talk to a nutritionist, ” he said.

Commenting on claims of turmeric and garlic intake as a combatant for viruses, Tee said although the spices may be an important source of antioxidants, singling out one food item alone is not going to help fight viruses.

“To boost the immune system, we need to eat more fruits and vegetables.

“The immune system should have been built up over the years, not just now, but we need more antioxidants now, and fruits and vegetables are the best source.

“Colourful vegetables and fruits such as carrot, tomato, colourful grapes and cabbage have a lot of antioxidants, ” he said.

Tee also noted that antioxidants in vegetables are not destroyed in the process of cooking, unlike the vitamins in them.

Drinking a lot of water, at least eight glasses a day and a balanced diet, is a must to build up the immune system, Tee advised.

University Putra Malaysia Food Science and Technology’s Prof Dr Azizah Haji Hamid said another important factor is to reduce stress as it causes poor immunity.

“Everyone has a different approach to dealing with stress.

“We can each do what works for us and it can be as easy as taking a walk, sightseeing or prostration, ” she said.

Original article can be found:

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/03/16/experts-advise-healthy-eating-to-boost-immune-system

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When it comes to a Diabetic Diet, people think it’s all about avoiding table sugar and white rice. Even after avoiding this, many do not see a significant, rather no change in their blood glucose levels. Dietary management in Diabetes is much more complex than just controlling table sugar and White Rice.

Why wait till you become a victim of this? Work on ‘Diabetes prevention’ as soon as possible:

1. Be in your Ideal Body Weight Zone: Insulin is a Fat storage hormone, make every effort to lose those extra kilos in order to control the spikes in blood sugar levels. Excess belly fat causes chronic inflammation which might alter insulin’s action and cause the disease. Obesity, high waist to hip ratio (excess abdominal fat) is directly linked to Diabetes.

2. Stress Management: Chronic stress has direct connection again. High amount of circulating blood Cortisol (one of the stress hormone) demands more comfort foods, increases the sugar cravings. Again, we are in that vicious cycle of wrong food choices, weight gain and lifestyle related disorders.

Manage it well with whatever it takes: Counselling, regular exercise, reading positive books, spending time with nature, taking enough self-recovery breaks, yoga, meditation, pranayama etc. to deal with everyday stress.

3. Regular Exercise, Recover and Repeat: Most important mantra for Diabetes Prevention. Sitting for long hours, sedentary lifestyle means invitation to many diseases and not just the diabetes.

4. Clean Eating: Over-consumption of processed foods, sugar laden sweets and drinks is related to weight gain and thus related to Diabetes. Clean eating is about cooking from natural ingredients and not from processed ingredients. Stay away from highly processed and junk foods such as packet of chips, ready to eat noodles, pizza, burgers and so on. Homemade meals with right ingredients in right combinations must be preferred at all times.

Diabetes Prevention is easily possible with above tips. Implement one small change until it becomes a habit and then try a new change. The process must continue.

Is Diabetes reversible with Healthy Habits? 

Yes 100%. It’s a lifestyle related disease, hence if we make right lifestyle changes, we will surely experience the magic happening in our blood glucose levels.

Understand the Basics:

Glycemic Load (GL):This talks about how many grams of carbohydrates are present in the meal which affects blood glucose concentration and insulin response. Foods with GL<10 is usually considered good for Diabetes management. GL is probably more important than GI which varies due to many factors.

Glycemic Index (GI): This is about the rate at which glucose gets available to the cells. Every food has its own GI and we should mainly focus on foods or meal combinations with GI <50-55. E.g. GI of Glucose is 100, Boiled Potato is 82 and Apple is 38. Food texture, viscosity, ripeness, food processing, cooking method affects the GI too. For example: Soft rice and ripened banana would have higher GI than Basmati Rice or Raw Banana.

It is recommended to work with a qualified dietitian on a customized diabetic meal plan and learn how to get the GI index down of an overall meal. Adding ghee (or any fat), peanuts, nuts, acid (lemon/vinegar), fibre helps to reduce the Glycemic Index.

Remember the Game of Carb Portions: No matter how healthy and diabetic friendly Carbohydrate you choose with perfect GL and GI, portions are extremely important. Simply limit the consumption of carbs in your meal to control the blood glucose level efficiently.

Here is a brief list of foods to avoid with Diabetes:

1. Highly processed foods: Breakfast cereals (such as corn flakes, granola, Muesli). These easy breakfast options are usually coated with simple sugars such as honey or fructose corn syrup. You may use Rolled Oats, Puffed Rajgeera as a quick breakfast cereal option to be mixed in Cow milk along with fresh fruit and nuts.

2. Sugar laden drinks: squashes, mock-tails, soft drinks, any flavoured drinks, fruit juices.

3. Over-consumption of White Bread White Rice, White Pasta, White Suji, White Poha: Switch to unpolished rice, whole wheat or durum wheat pasta, Ragi or Jowar Suji, Red poha (which is processed from fibre rich red rice)

4. Simple Sugars: White sugar, brown sugar, honey, Jaggery, Molasses. Some of these are definitely healthy but it can spike the blood sugar level if not taken with low GI combinations or if eaten in excess. Moderate use of honey, jaggery is absolutely fine.

The list of foods to avoid with Diabetes can be elaborate but if you follow the main rules of Diabetes prevention even after you are being diagnosed with it, it shall help to manage the disease well.

Final Take Home Practical Tips:

1. Think Herbs: make good use of Methi seeds, Jamun powder, Unsweetened Jamun Juice and other Indian Home remedies. Our ancestors knew much more than current modern trends and science.

2.Less carbs: more proteins and fibre in all the meals and snacks

3. Add variety in grains: switch to low gluten, fibre rich Emmer wheat variety instead of Sihori, Sharbati or Lokwan, introduce millets, barley, raw banana flour as one of the carbohydrate sources. Do not stick to wheat and rice for all the three meals.

4. Do not fast and do not feast: space out your meals and eat smaller portions

5. Cook with less salt: use cold pressed oils for cooking, avoid sugar or jaggery in cooking

6. Read the Nutrition Label: many foods have hidden sugars even if the packet says no additional sugar. ‘Clean Eating’ is what we need to remind ourselv

Original article can be found here: https://calizen.co.in/health-wellness/basics-of-healthy-eating-for-diabetes-prevention/

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When you hear the word ‘detox’, a range of ideas may come to mind. Perhaps immediately your thoughts wander to strange herbal concoctions or pungent wheatgrass shots! Perhaps you’ve tried a detox program before and found the initial symptoms to be unpleasant. Or perhaps you have experience with detoxing on a frequent basis and are aware of the incredible physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits of a deep cleanse. Either way, it’s important to dispel common myths around what a detox is, and to truly understand why it’s important to give your body a break from time to time.

So, Why Should I Detox?

Our body is constantly working to dispel toxins and unwanted matter from its various systems. Over time, the body gets run down from unhealthy food choices, alcohol, caffeine, drugs, stress, and environmental toxins that are a part of modern day life. No matter how healthy your diet or lifestyle may be, external factors still require us to give the body a chance to recharge and dispel anything that may be holding us back from experiencing superior health and long lasting vitality. When our vital organs are placed under too much pressure and unable to work efficiently, this is when illness and disease can appear. Taking time to cleanse the body and nurture these vital organs goes a long way in prevention, and also has immediate effects – greater energy, clearer skin, better digestion, mental clarity, and so much more.

Is your body screaming out for a detox?! Here are 11 tell-tale signs:

1. You constantly feel fatigued, stressed and overwhelmed
   
   
2. You experience frequent headaches and/or lack of mental clarity
   
   
3. You often have skin breakouts and blemishes and/or a tired, dull and lack-luster complexion
   
   
4. You seem to pick up colds, flus, bugs and viruses easily and are often on medication
   
   
5. Your digestion is troublesome, uncomfortable and irregular
   
   
6. You slip into making less-healthy food choices and often have fried foods, processed meat, dairy, gluten, processed foods, refined sugar or fast food
   
   
7. You frequently have coffee, alcohol, drugs (prescription or otherwise) or cigarettes
   
   
8. You are exposed to common environmental toxins such as carbon emissions, cigarette smoke, herbicides, pesticides, artificial fragrances and household chemicals
   
   
9. You are carrying excess body weight
   
   
10. You often feel emotionally unstable, depressed, unmotivated and lacking energy and enthusiasm for life
    
    
11. Your breath and BO seem to have an alarming stink, no matter how much deodorant or toothpaste you use 

A detox is your opportunity to give your body a break and allow your own self-cleansing and self-healing processes to kick into gear. Your body is innately intelligent and a period of cleansing is the perfect way to hit the reset button and start on a path to a healthier, happier, more vibrant you!

Here are just some of the benefits of a holistic, natural detox:

• Prevention of chronic diseases
• Stronger immunity
• Assistance in losing stagnant weight
• Improved quality of life
• Increased energy
• Radiant, glowing skin
• Bright, clear eyes
• Mental clarity
• Balanced emotions
• Improved self-confidence and empowerment
• New healthy habits and routines
• Improved longevity

What Is A Detox?

Most of us tend to agree that detoxification or ‘detox’ diets are short-term interventions designed to eliminate toxins from the body, promote health and assist with weight loss. 

But in essence, it is really just creating the perfect conditions to support our body in doing the job it was already made to do… “Detox”. 

Here are some great tips to help you out when doing a total body detox and why these tips are so important for your overall, long-term health:

Hydration 

Importance: Elimination of toxic particles and the rejuvenation of cells. 

Tip: Aim to drink between 1-3 L of water per day.  
How to make this happen:  

• Use meal times as a reminder to hydrate. Drink 500ml water (with lemon juice if you prefer) upon rising, and repeat half an hour before lunch and dinner. Carry a water bottle with you throughout the day. 
• Replace your 3pm coffee with herbal tea.

Exercise 

Importance: Strengthen your lung capacity/ability. 
 
Tip: Aim to move your body regularly throughout the day 
How to make this happen:  

• Break exercise into smaller chunks of time. Take 10 minutes in the morning to stretch, go for a half hour walk before heading to work, or take the stairs instead of the elevator in your building.
• Incorporate being active into your social life; catch up with friends for a walk, run or gym session instead of a coffee or cocktails.

Real, Live FOOD!

Importance: Specific foods assist with deactivating toxins and removing them from the body (specifically heavy metal build-up).
 
Tip: Aim to incorporate as many fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet as possible.
How to make this happen:  

• Juices, smoothies and salads are a perfect place to start. Incorporate chlorophyll-rich foods such as wheat grass and barley grass, as well as herbal teas and sea plants such as nori. 
• Coriander, and foods containing citric and malic acid (grapes, oranges, lemons and other citrus fruits) as well as selenium-rich foods (such as Brazil nuts, mushrooms and sunflower seeds), have been shown to assist with the removal of heavy metal build up within the body. 

Sleep

Importance: Sleep assists with the rejuvenation of cells and helps with the healing and repair of your heart, muscles and blood vessels.
 
Tip: Aim to sleep 7-8 hours per night 
How to make this happen:  

• Be aware of the importance of sleep hygiene (avoid caffeine before bed, allow 2 hours between your last meal and bedtime, use dim lighting).  
• Make a conscious effort to wind down before rolling into bed. Put your phone down, turn off the TV, free yourself from distractions and make your sleep space as comfortable as possible.

Get Outside

Importance: Breathe fresh air into your lungs; receive your daily dose of vitamin D and boost your mood. 
 
Tip: Eat more meals outdoors; every once in awhile, exercise outdoors instead of in a gym or studio.  
How to make this happen: 

• If you’re going to be inside all day, take your breakfast outside to a sunny place.  
• Instead of eating lunch at your desk, go for a walk outside and sit in a comfortable, relaxing space.  
• Breathing in fresh air and feeling the sun’s warmth on your skin can help to both clear your lungs and boost your mood.  

So there you have it! Detoxing is not as confusing or restrictive as you may have thought. By assisting your body’s natural detoxification system, chances are a little boost of self-care will be a relaxing and enjoyable experience for you! Plus, the benefits of feeling amazing afterwards make it all so worthwhile.

 

The post 11 Signs Your Body Is Screaming for a Detox first appeared on Healthy Gab.

The post 11 Signs Your Body Is Screaming for a Detox appeared first on Healthy Gab.

I understand your pain. Everything around you turns grey. You are standing in front of a door and your steps instead of taking you further slow you down. It is not like you don’t want to get out of your bed, but every breath you take seems so heavy on your chest.

Depression isn’t just a phase of life that will pass away on its own. It needs to be addressed and helped, and you know how you can do that? By changing your diet a bit. Try eating these foods which might help in your journey to battle Depression.

Green Leafy Vegetables

One cause of severe depression is brain inflammation says a study published in 2015. And this is directly helped by green leafy vegetables like kale, spinach, etc., shared Everyday Health. They contain Vitamins A, C, E and K, and minerals. Leafy vegetables are called ‘A Nutrient-Dense Inflammation Fighter’. 

Turkey

Proteins act helpful when it comes to fighting depression especially turkey! According to Everyday Health, “It has the edge due to its relatively higher levels of a chemical called tryptophan.”

A life coach and behaviourist Robin says, “Turkey is the best food we know of because of its tryptophan content, this chemical stimulates serotonin production, which is a natural feel-good chemical your body produces.”

Walnuts

Did you know that Omega-3 fatty acid also helps in curing depression and walnuts are the richest sources of it? The oh-so-tasty walnuts also support the overall health of the brain.  

Dark chocolate

Sweet Potato

Bananas

Oyster

Are you a fan of seafood? Well, turns out that eating oysters can improve your mood because it has zinc that is linked to enhancing one’s mood. But it is still unclear whether lower levels of zinc can lead to depression or depression leads to a deficiency in zinc level. Whichever be the case, what’s the harm in trying, right?

Mushrooms

Tomatoes

Beans

Beans are digested by our body in a slow manner, because of this, our blood sugar level becomes even, thus enhancing our moods. So, what are you waiting for? Get yourself some good comfy beans today!

The post 10 Foods to Bravely Fight Your Depression first appeared on Healthy Gab.

The post 10 Foods to Bravely Fight Your Depression appeared first on Healthy Gab.

Unfortunately there are times when you are simply going to overindulge. Too many drinks in too short a time or just that overly extended night out with the girls or boys are going to result in a morning after that will lead to a swearing off of alcohol for the rest of our lives – and the search for that ever elusive hangover cure that actually works.

Of course we’re advised (and it’s true) that the only way to avoid a hangover is to drink in moderation. But that doesn’t really help unless you own a time machine and the damage has already been done. But there are certain approaches that will reduce the terrible effects of the out of control night out.

It’s estimated that more than 75 percent of people who’ve had an alcoholic drink have experienced a hangover and even missed work due to one, so it’s essential to know how to tackle the morning after. To avoid hangover-related poor job performance, it’s best to get back to a state of bushy tailed sobriety in a clever way.

These scientifically-proven cures can help you get over the challenges of a throbbing headache and whole body pain that are the result of over indulging.

Click NEXT to See The Top 6 Hangover Cures

The post 6 Hangover Cures That Really Work first appeared on Healthy Gab.

The post 6 Hangover Cures That Really Work appeared first on Healthy Gab.