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Cashew Nuts & it’s benefits

cashew-nuts

Cashew nuts are favourites of all. It’s a nut that is easily available and used for all occasions. It can be carried in your pocket and popped into the mouth as and when you feel hungry as the fat content in it keeps you full for a longer time and refrain you from snacking on unhealthy refined foods.

A fruit that is native to Brazil was brought to India by Portugal explorers and today it’s widely grown in the coastal areas.

Despite it being a healthy food, people are often scared of consuming cashew nuts because it is considered to be high on fats and hence not to be eaten often. Especially those suffering from any kind of heart ailment keep cashews away.

I would say these are all myths and would like to clarify that Cashews are safe to consume from a health perspective. It consists of healthy mono unsaturated fatty acid, Oleic acid which helps to lower bad cholesterol LDL and increase the good cholesterol HDL.

Cashew nuts also consists of some of the B complex Vitamins like Pyridoxine, Pantothenic Acid, Riboflavin& Niacin. All these play a major role in the metabolism of Carbohydrates, Proteins & Fats. Alongside it has individual health benefits such as Pyridoxine helps to protect the heart by inhibiting cholesterol deposit.

Niacin helps against Dermatitis- a skin infection, Pantothenic acid helps relieve your stress and gives you good skin & hair. Riboflavin prevents acne and gives you healthy eyes.

Cashew nuts have benefits in abundance so why would you want to keep it aside? It is high on calories but, as one should work on the quantity and timing and you will gain a healthy heart, good skin, healthy eyes and anti-stress properties.

Cashews are best to be had as a snack. Roast them and have about a fistful in between the meals, pre or post workout, during or after a trek or game.

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Fatty fruit Avocado is an all-star Nutrient

 

AvocadoA tree native to Mexico, Avocado is one fruit that is nutrient packed as well as has healthy fats thus making it a unique fruit.

Initially, one does get averse to this fruit due to its hard texture but, it is known for its high nutrient value. It has a hard black green outer skin and is extremely creamy inside. Avacados have become an incredibly popular food among health conscious people. And, this does not come as a surprise to me as it does have lots of health properties.

Infact, today, this fruit is easily available in supermarkets. One has a choice to choose either the ripe fruit that is ready to be eaten or buy raw then ripe them and refrigerate it for a week. One should take care it should not be cut because, once cut it gets exposed to air and turns brown and with that the fruit’s nutrient properties get oxidised. Avacados can be consumed daily but, in moderation.

Let’s take a peek into the benefits of Avocado:

  1. Avocados are rich in phytochemicals, hence helps in increasing immunity.
  2. It has 4gms of protein higher than any other fruit.
  3. It has monounsaturated fats (oleic acid) which helps in lowering bad cholesterol.
  4. The sugar content (fructose) is also less compared to other fruits.
  5. Avocados are an excellent source of vitamin K, Vitamin B complex, vitamin C, and vitamin E, and viatamin A.
  6. It contains copper, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium. Potassium is an important mineral that most people do get enough of. Avacados are very high in potassium which supports healthy blood pressure levels.
  7. A medium avocado contains 11 grams of fiber, which is close to half of the daily recommended fibre intake. Fiber can have various important benefits for weight loss and metabolic health.
  8. It slows down the digestion hence controls the blood sugar level.

As they say all good things come with some bad points. Avacados also has its disadvantages. These are

  1. One can develop an allergy with this fruit.
  2. It has saturated fats along with monounsaturated fats which can lead to weight gain.

Avocado can be eaten as it is or in the form of milkshakes, salad, soups and sandwiches. Avocado oil is available in the market and can be used for cooking.

Given all the positive health benefits that Avacado has, it is an excellent reason to always include this healthy fat source when you eat fruits. Without it, a lot of the beneficial plant nutrients will go waste. So do include it to make your diet healthy.

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8 Yoga poses to do before going to bed

Have you had a hectic day at work? Or is it too much of travel? Or tension in studies? When in such situations we generally end up sleeping less. It takes a long time and then we start counting the sheep (childhood memories!) to fall asleep.

Now, forget counting the Sheep or numbers. Ease your way into dreamland with these 8 yoga asanas. These yoga poses will relax your body and mind, both!

1) Supported child pose:

Holding supported child’s pose with your head rested on some pillows will help your brain and body to rest after long day. One can repeat it as many times as he wish. It is a good option for resting and relaxing.

supported child pose yoga

2) Supported downward facing dog:

It is a great yoga pose for people who are glued to their desk for all day. This position stretches out your back part of the body, particularly the hamstring group (muscles at the back of your thighs)

downward_facing_dog

3) Triangle pose:

This posture creates smooth blood flow and space in the spine. This standing pose releases the hamstring and allows extension in the spine. Using a wall will help you to hold this position with better timings.

Triangle-pose-Trikonasana1

4) Wide­ legged forward fold:

This pose is absolutely useful to calm the body and nervous system after a tiring day at work. This pose will also help open and stretch the back of the body.

Wide legged forward fold

 

 

 

5) Low lunge:

This pose stretches out the hip flexor group, which tend to get tight due to long periods of sitting.

Yoga-LowLunge

 

6) Supine bound angel pose:

This pose helps open the upper back, chest and shoulders though a mid backbend. Lying on the pillow will help with increasing the openness.

Supine bound angel pose

7) Legs up the wall:

This position tones and settles the nervous system while reducing the gravitational pressure on the heart and the legs. Hip: Use pillow under the lumbar curve to release the lower back.

Legs up the wall

8) Savasana:

To wrap up your yoga practice, finish your sequence with traditional savasana. It is a simple pose that brings total relaxation. This should be performed at the end of the yoga session, to relax your muscles.

savasana

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Bone health for life and ways to make them strong

yoga-and-fitness

I am not sure how many in India have watched this ad commercial on television which shows a woman asking her friend “what do you do for calcium” and other answers “Milk”…the friend repeats her question again and says “I understand Milk but, what do you do for calcium”, the second lady repeats ‘Milk’ again…

Basically, the first woman was trying to find out for the absorption of calcium from milk what does she do? The answer to this question is plain and simple-Vitamin D. Vitamin D is essential for the absorption of calcium. If Vitamin D level drops from the blood, calcium will not get absorbed. Therefore it is imperative that an individual always checks vitamin D level before popping in calcium tablets.

What is the bone made up of? Calcium is the answer that most people would give. Agreed but, along with that phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, folic acid, vitamin c, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin K, vitamin B complex, fats, proteins are also necessary for healthy bones. Foods sources are milk and milk products, dark leafy vegetables, soyabean, oil seeds, carrot juice etc

Bones are an integral part of the weight of the human body. They are the substance which forms our skeleton…and because of the skeleton our body looks well structured. Bone formation starts from the womb itself and continues till the age of puberty. When we are young bone growth is faster and as we Age it becomes slow and in the latter stages of life age it becomes brittle (the condition is called osteoporosis). We have to look after our bone health from early stages of life. Here are the factors which affects bones.

  1. Calcium and vitamin D in your diet- Less of this will not form a good bone density so early bone loss and there is an increased risk of fractures.
  2. Physically inactive: Our body is meant to move and be active in order to developing in terms of healthy bones.
  3. Tobacco and alcohol (You might want to explain here how tobacco and alcohol lead to weak bone)
  4. Age: Bones become thinner and weaker as you age.
  5. Family history will put it on higher risk.
  6. Gender and Hormone levels: In women, bone loss increases during menopause due to low estrogen levels. In men, bone loss increases due to low testosterone.
  7. Eating disorders and other conditions: People who have anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa they are at higher risk of bone loss. Also, bariatric surgery and conditions like Crohn’s disease, celiac disease and Cushing’s disease can affect body’s ability to absorb calcium.
  8. Smoking and tobacco leads to low bone mineral density, increased levels of the hormone (cortisol) leads to a bone break down and bone fractures.
  9. Long term alcohol consumption interferes with bone growth and replacement of bone tissue.Alcohol consumption during adolescence reduces peak bone mass and can result in relatively weak adult bones that are more susceptible to fracture. In adults, alcohol consumption can disrupt the ongoing balance between the erosion and the remodelling of bone tissue, contributing to alcoholic bone disease. 

This week we are celebrating International Yoga week. Bone health can further be strengthened with the help of Yoga.

Yoga strengthens the areas which are most likely to suffer such as the hips, spine, and wrists. Yoga can help maintain bone density of these body parts. Poses that focus on the spine can also help improve posture, preventing the stooping of the back.

Finally let’s not ignore the fact that healthy bones starts with early age. Take step towards being active and having good food to make your bones stronger. It’s never too late to start.

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