An apple a day keeps cholesterol away(HEALTH +)

"Apples are truly a miracle fruit that convey benefits beyond fiber content," said Bahram H. Arjmandi, Margaret A. Sitton Professor and Chair, Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences at The Florida State University, who led the study.





Animal studies have shown that apple pectin and polyphenols in apple improve lipid metabolism and lower the production of pro-inflammatory molecules.

Arjmandi's research is the first to evaluate the long-term cardio-protective effects of daily consumption of apple in postmenopausal women.

The study randomly assigned 160 women ages 45-65 to one of two dietary intervention groups: one received dried apples daily (75g/day for 1 year) and the other group ate dried prunes every day for a year.

Blood samples were taken at 3, 6 and 12-months.

The results surprised Arjmandi, who stated that incredible changes in the apple-eating women happened by 6 months - they experienced a 23 per cent decrease in LDL cholesterol.

The daily apple consumption also led to a lowering of lipid hydroperoxide levels and C-reactive protein in those women.

"I never expected apple consumption to reduce bad cholesterol to this extent while increasing HDL cholesterol or good cholesterol by about 4 per cent," said Arjmandi.

Yet another advantage is that the extra 240 calories per day consumed from the dried apple did not lead to weight gain in the women; in fact, they lost on average 3.3 lbs.

"Reducing body weight is an added benefit to daily apple intake" he said.


Part of the reason for the weight loss could be the fruit's pectin, which is known to have a satiety effect.


The results were presented at Experimental Biology 2011 in Washington, DC.

A mouthful of curd for good health(HEALTH +)

Curd has lots of nutritional properties


Curd or yogurt is used since ages to gain its nutritional and health benefits or as a beauty product. According to Ayurveda, curd should not be consumed at night. Though it provides lot of health benefits, over consumption should be avoided. Make sure that you consume curd when it is fresh.


Apart from providing nutritional and health benefits, curd is also used as a beauty product. If curd is massaged on facial skin, it acts as skin bleach. It also brings softness in skin. It also acts as an excellent hair conditioner and can be used for treating sunburns.



Nutritional and health benefits provided by curd or yogurt


- Helps improve the digestion


- Helps strengthen the immune system


- Consuming curd increases the capacity to absorb the nutrients and minerals form other food stuffs


- Especially helpful for those who are lactose intolerant


- Helps get strong bones and teeth as its calcium content is high. It helps fight against osteoporosis.


- Helps minimize the risk of high blood pressure


- If you have high cholesterol, then consuming curd can help you

How to consume curd?

There are many ways to consume curd apart from having a cup of it regularly with your lunch. Curd rice which is quite popular in South India is quite wholesome and tasty too. You can also have curd (instead of milk) and museli for breakfast. You can use curd when you do not like spicy food.


For example; if you do not like to eat spicy gravy you can add a spoonful of curd. Having buttermilk prepared out of curd after the meals proves beneficial for digestion of food. If you find it difficult to consume curd regularly you can have it occasionally in form of Indian preparations like lassi, shrikhand etc. Or just make a tadka of adding mustard seeds, red chilly, curry leaves and then add it to a bowl of curd. 

5 Vegetables for good health(HEALTH +)

While everyone knows that green vegetables are good for the body, most of us tend to still avoid eating them.


Consuming veggies need not be a chore. With the wide variety available, you can easily find one to suit your tastes. Here we suggest some top green vegetables that can do your health wonders.


Broccoli
Broccoli is considered a wonder food for its ability to help prevent cancer. The vegetable is recommended for those suffering from heart disorders and strokes. Being packed with iron its ideal for anaemia patients as well. Boil or steam your broccoli flowers lightly and eat so that they don't lose all the nutrients.


Cabbage
Whether consumed raw or cooked in a dish, cabbage has many benefits. It is said to be great for the skin and eyes as its full of vitamin A. The phytonutrients present in this vegetable help the body fight against the free radicals. It also helps with lung, stomach and colon prostate cancer. Those interested in body building may want to eat cabbage as its full
of iodine that is needed for muscle development.


Bean sprouts
Sprinkled on salads or eaten as a between meals snack, sprouts are a great way of getting some nutrients. They are rich in vitamin C and a handful of fresh sprouts can provide you with three-quarters of your daily vitamin C requirement. In addition they also contain vitamins A, B and E as well as calcium, iron, and potassium.


Spinach
You can be sure if Popeye loved this food, you should be consuming it too. The vegetable contains carotenoid that help prevent cancer. It's also loaded with vitamins like C and A that helps with god eyesight and glowing skin. The high level of potassium makes it very beneficial for high blood pressure patients. Further it strengthens muscles and helps those suffering from anaemia.


Lettuce
Depending on the variety, the nutrients in lettuce vary. Romaine lettuce is said to be the most healthy one boasting of vitamins A, B, and C, folic acid, manganese and chromium. It makes for an excellent salad as it is low in calories. Lettuce is also a good source of iron which helps with blood formation. It also has magnesium, vital for the brain and the nerves. 

Youngsters prefer yoga over gym

Youngsters are preferring yoga over other methods to keep fit like joining gymnasiums or attending aerobic classes.


"Yoga has caught up the fancy of the GenNext in a big way", says Dr Anju Sand, yoga expert.


"Today the majority of the students in yoga classes are youngsters, which was not there earlier. The changing lifestyle and eating habits has led to a lot of problems including stress and other health related issues. In such a situation this ancient technique is proving to be really helpful for the youngsters who go through the various asanas and Pranayam to manage these problems".


"Doing fast exercises in gym could help then to control their weight but does not help in handling stress which affects them due to the fast paced life. Since meditation is an integral part of yoga, it helps them de-stress themselves. The biggest advantage with yoga is when the youngsters cannot practice it due to examination or other constrains they do not tend to gain weight fast which normally happens if they discontinue their pushups at the gym," says the yoga expert.


"Several health related problems like irregular menstruation creep up due to their eating habits. Fast food and consumption of soft drinks which leads to such problems in girls are being managed by them through yoga exercises. A large number of girls join yoga to find solutions for this problem," she says. 

5 Foods every woman must eat

We bring to you five nutritional eats that every woman should include in her diet. Happy eating!


Leafy vegetables
It is not possible to meet your nutritional needs without having leafy vegetables in your diet. Spinach, legumes, asparagus, lettuce, fenugreek leaves, broccoli are available in abundance and are huge sources of fibre, Vitamin C and K, folic acid. It is also a vision protector and provides four essential minerals, i.e. calcium, magnesium, iron and potassium. Try to have it daily in your diet and darker the better.

Whole grains
Whole grains have up to 96 per cent more fibre and essential nutrients and vitamins than refined grains. Advises diet expert Honey Shah, "I advise my clients to have whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, and brown rice as they are high in essential nutrients and do not contribute to weight gain. You can start your day with whole wheat cereal or a whole wheat bread toast."


Nuts
Make nuts an essential ingredient in your diet. Sprinkle it on salads or breakfast cereals or stir them into yoghurt because they are an excellent source of protein, magnesium and B & E vitamins. They are useful in fighting heart disease and cancer. Nuts are high in fat calories, but their fat is the heart-healthy kind. You can also eat them as an evening snack. But make sure you don't overdo them. About a quarter cup or about 15-20 almonds, cashews, walnuts are good enough a week.


Yoghurt
Low fat or plain yoghurt is a great source of vitamins, protein and calcium. It also has healthy bacteria which can fight diseases. "Three to four cups a week is good enough for your diet. But make sure you don't add sugar to it. Instead choose plain yoghurt and add fruits or berries to it," suggests dietician Pinky.

Berries
Ever wondered why most of the diet fibre products have berries in them? Reason being berries are high in fill-you-up fibre and also helps curb weight. Berries have more protective plant antioxidants than almost any other food. These antioxidants not only lower your disease risks, but also help prevent memory loss. You can have a bowl full of them thrice a week. It could be fresh or frozen, benefits stay!

Health benefits of capsicum( HEALTH +)

Capsicum has been cultivated for thousands of years now. Available in a variety of colours like red, yellow and green, it's also known as bell pepper, jalapeno and chilli. Rich in vitamins, it's an effective cure for many diseases. Along with the various medicinal properties, capsicum is also a great ingredient for some yummy recipes. Here are some of its health benefits:


Eyes and skin
Eating capsicum helps in keeping the skin clear, prevents rashes and pimples. It contains vitamin A, which is good for eyes and helps prevent eye diseases.


Cancer prevention
Capsicum contains compounds known as capsaicins that prevent carcinogen from binding with DNA and provide some protection from cancer.


Pain relief
Capsaicins also block the transmission of pain from the skin to the spinal cord and prevents the sensation of pain. It's helpful in treating pain-related diseases.


Burns calories
Eating capsicum speeds up the metabolism and helps burn more calories. It reduces weight gained due to a high fat diet. It also leads to the secretion of digestive juices and prevents indigestion. As a cardiovascular stimulant, it regulates blood pressure. and lowers cholesterol and triglyceride in the body.


Hair
Capsicum extract is one of the best hair growth boosting product. It prevents hairfall and helps you maintain thicker and fuller hair. But it's burning in nature, so be careful while using it.

Cherry juice helps sleep better(HEALTH +)

We all know of the benefits fruit juices provide us with.

They are tasty and give us abundant energy apart from fulfilling our daily body need of water, vitamins and nutrients. But now here is a fruit whose juice induces more sleep!

 A new research says that cherries produce melatonin- a natural hormone that positively affects our sleep. Affirming this bit of news homeopath Satish Mankani says, "Melatonin is produced in the pineal gland located at the base of the brain.

These glands are more active during the night time as compared to the day when they are passive. Melatonin contains antioxidants which are responsible for increasing the sleep time in significant quantities that are enough to produce positive results for the body. This makes cherry juice an ideal sleeping dose.



 Drinking two glasses of cherry juice daily can stretch our sleeping time by a good 45 minutes!"

 This hormone is multi-beneficial wonder. It also performs another important function of destroying free radicals in the body which cause ageing. Some other foods in which it is found are almonds, peanuts, milk and chicken.