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Beat the Heat with cool drinks

coconut-waterIts summer and the heat have already started to sap us out. The heat starts creeping in, finding its way to draw fluids from our body cells as we sweat while playing, travelling or even just sitting around in the sun. Keeping the body hydrated helps the heart pump blood easily through the blood vessels to the muscles. Hence, the muscles work efficiently.

Dehydration can be a serious condition that can lead to problems ranging from swollen feet, lack of concentration, lethargy, headache to heat stroke.

Let’s beat the heat by ensuring optimum hydration through adequate water intake throughout the day and grabbing some hydrators like:Lemon Water* Coconut water This has natural electrolytes to replenish lost minerals in perspiration

* Buttermilk­ it is a blend of curd with water and dash of Cumin powder, asafoetida, coriander leaves, rock salt, ginger all of which aid in improving digestion.

* Lemon water/Lemonade: Lemon a citrus fruit has a good amount of vitamin C, it turns our body alkaline.

* Jaljeera water:­ It a mixture of rock salt, cumin powder and is known to reduce indigestions.

* Soya milk ­Flavoured/plain soya milk as it provides a good amount of proteins apart from hydrating the body.

* Berry/seasonal fruit sorbet: Blending any berry like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries (which has a lot of antioxidants to increase immunity) with ice is good.

* Mint Mojito: ­blend of water + mint leaves and few drops of lemon for flavour. Mint leaves are extremely good body coolant.

* Green tea lemonade: a bunch of antioxidants and vitamin C from lemon to increase immunity.

* Peach ginger ice tea:­ Mash 6 canned peach halves with 1 and 1/2 cups of the juice, raw honey and 1 tablespoon grated ginger in a pitcher. This aids in good digestion.soya milk

* Peanut butter frappe­: A glass of cold milk blended with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter. In summer our food intake drops down drastically, apart from hydration this drink also provides a good amount of proteins and required fats.

* Honeydew ice: 1 cup each frozen honeydew melon and frozen diced cucumber with the juice of 1 lime and some raw honey.

* Any fruit or dry fruit milkshakes. (which will be a good substitute for evening snack)

* Subja (chia seeds) soaked overnight in water is a natural coolant, it can be had with milk

* Vegetable juice ( leafy vegetables/beets/cucumber) + citrus fruits + ginger + garlic + lemon

* Solkadi (a blend of coconut milk+kokum+ginger+corriander leaves) known for reducing acidity and is a body coolant.

* Kokum Sharbat: Kokum extract (after soaking in water) blended it with water, Cumin seed powder and rock salt. Kokum is again known for reducing acidity

* Aam (Mango) Pannah is raw mango drink mostly available in Maharashtra region of India. It has heat resistant properties. It is also rich in Vitamin B1, B2, niacin and vitamin C.

* Aloe Vera juice: This is ­natural coolant. It is available in the market in a concentrated form. It needs to be mixed with water. It has anti-­bacterial, anti­fungal properties too.

* Bottle guard + 1 cup of black basil ( mint optional) is an excellent cooling agent.

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Coconut-The super fruit and its many benefits

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“Why are you eating coconut? It’s so fattening??” This comment was directed at me once and I couldn’t hold myself back and burst in to laughter. But, at the same time I was not surprised when this question was thrown at me. People believe certain myths on hearsay and decide what is good and what is bad for them. They seldom want to learn and understand the real facts.

Most people consider Coconut to be fatty fruit. But, if that is the case then by that logic all those who include coconut in their daily food intake should all be fat. This should be the case not only in India but in many other countries like Srilanka, Thailand, Philippines where coconut is one of the main ingredients used in cooking.

Coconut can be consumed in various ways -fresh, dry form, coconut water, coconut oil, coconut milk etc. Interestingly each form has its own significance. Coconut does have saturated fats (which is not harmful as vegetable oil) but, it also has unsaturated fats (like polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids), polyphenols, vitamin K, vitamin E and minerals like calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, manganese, zinc also dietary fibre.

Let’s learn more about the benefits of coconut and how it should be an important aspect of our diet

  1. Coconut oil helps in healthy growth of hair and gives shine.
  2. It helps to control high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and atherosclerosis as it has 50 % lauric acid.
  3. It helps in moisturising all skin types, it does not have an adverse effect.
  4. It increases immunity as it has anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal properties because of lauric acid, capric acid. These properties also help in digestion and irritable bowel syndrome.
  5. It improves the secretion of insulin hence controls blood sugar levels.
  6. It is good for the bones as it has Calcium and Magnesium.
  7. Coconut oil can be used for cooking, coconut slices can be used as a snacking option, dry coconut is used for making sweets.
  8. It helps in healing damaged issues and infections.
  9. MCT’S (medium chain triglycerides) present in coconut reduces appetite.

Coconut is not only a fruit that can be eaten but, it also has water which can be drunk. Just like the fruit, Coconut water also has many benefits.

All we know about Coconut water is that it is a refreshing drink. Most like it …true…but, let’s delve a little deep in to know more about it and its benefits. Often a thought has crossed my mind as to from where does the coconut get the water that is so sweet and drinkable and so nutritious.

Besides less sugar, coconut water is packed with sodium, potassium, folic acid, B complex vitamins, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, iron minerals…so many nutrients in just 200ml of water..

On drinking Coconut water not only does our body get these above mentioned nutrients, but it also helps in many ways to conquer health issues…lets now understand how?

Benefits of Coconut water

  1. It slows down ageing process and also can be applied on eczema, acne.
  2. It is good for digestion as it has anti-fungal, anti-bacterial properties.
  3. It hydrates our body faster than normal water as it has natural electrolytes.
  4. It is definitely healthier than fruit juices because it has fewer calories.
  5. It has anti-carcinogenic and anti-thrombotic properties to reduce cholesterol levels.
  6. It helps in UTI, kidney stones as it acts a diuretic.

Coconut water has 40-60 calories per 200ml. So start consuming coconut and make it part of your diet. Why wait…?

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Seasonal fruits and vegetables

Seasonal fruits and vegetables

Nature has given us all the possible amenities to keep ourselves healthy. Interestingly, our body responds according to the change in season say summer, spring, monsoon, autumn and winter depending on particular weather patterns and daylight hours.

It is important for us to know the seasonal fruits and vegetables to get accustomed to the climate. The food list may vary according to the hemisphere.

There are three main seasons Summer, Monsoon and winter.

 

During Winter: The temperature drops down compared to our body temperature thus, we face cold, cough. Building immunity becomes very necessary during this season. Availability of papaya, all citrus fruits like oranges, sweet lime, strawberries, apples, guava, lemons, mushrooms, cabbages, turnip, winter squash, potatoes, beets, carrots, leafy vegetables, pomegranates, pineapples, custard apple, asparagus, green beans, radish, cauliflowers, spinach and mustard greens are good for the consumer during Winters.

During Summer it is common to lose our appetite which makes us stay away from the heavy foods. Our body tends to maintain temperature by perspiring heavily, thus we need more amount of water to keep our body well hydrated.

Seasonal food has the naturally cooling effect on the body so we can rely completely on them such as watermelon, tomatoes, Cantaloupe, plums, peaches, raspberries, grapefruits, mangoes, kiwi, mushrooms, eggplant, corn, cucumbers, bell peppers, green peas, pumpkin, bottle guard, celery, bitter guard, apricots, bananas, zucchini, asparagus, artichokes, lettuce etc.

During Monsoon our body becomes vulnerable to infection, water born diseases. Hence our health takes a toll. Fruits and vegetables like pumpkins, broccoli, spinach, lettuce, sweet potatoes, corn, eggplant, cauliflower, cranberries, blueberries, apples, beets, ginger, garlic, Brussel sprouts etc. are good during this seasons.

Here are some amazing benefits of having seasonal fruits and vegetables:

  • It is affordable to buy them as it is more abundant and you can stock for future use.
  • It is tastier as it is fully, naturally ripened and they have significantly delicious taste than the artificial one.
  • They are grown in the season under appropriate conditions for the particular fruit or vegetables.
  • They retain the most natural colour and flavour.
  • We are more likely to get vitamins, other micronutrients and antioxidants from them.

While variety is important nutritionally, it is also important in terms of flavour and texture.

 

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Hypertension: Cause for all heart issues

heart-failure2

Heart is one of the most important organs of our body and keeping it healthy is important. Heart connects the entire body through its vital functions.

What does the heart exactly do? Why is it related to blood pressure?

This small fist like structure works hard to maintain blood flow to our body day and night. Fundamentally it takes all the impure blood from the body makes it pure with lots of Oxygen (fresh air) and sends it back. While doing this it also contracts and relaxes (medically termed it as systolic and diastolic respectively) in between a single beat. In normal course if the person is healthy this happens smoothly without much pressure on it. Normal blood pressure levels should be 120/80 mm/hg.

Blood pressure is the culprit to heart issues. It’s natural to increase our blood pressure due to certain unpleasant situations but, if the blood pressure stays elevated for longer periods then it turns into hypertension.

Causes for increased blood pressure:

  • Stress
  • Smoking
  • Alcohol
  • Obesity
  • Less water intake
  • High salt intake
  • Intake of more processed or bakery food.
  • Junk food or less fibrous food Intake
  • Less activity
  • Less sleep
  • Kidney disorders
  • Heredity
  • High fat food intake

All of these lead to plaque formation in the tiny blood vessels due to which heart has to put more pressure than usual for a smooth blood flow. When it goes beyond the heart’s limit (it has muscles after all) it stops pumping blood (which carries water, nutrients and oxygen) thus it results in heart attack.

Good news is that one can avoid high blood pressure and avert heart attacks by just taking care of our daily meals, activities, water, sleep, stress etc. in short keeping a check on our lifestyle.

We need to improve all micro habits which set into our routine. Once you set yourself a routine, it’s difficult to break it.

Salt is the crucial factor that can lead to high blood pressure. Salt is a combination of sodium and chloride. Daily requirement of sodium is 1500mg to 2300mg that means we can include approximately 1 TSP of salt. Sodium is also found in baking soda, monosodium glutamate (MSG), various seasonings, additives, condiments, meat, fish, poultry, dairy foods, eggs, smoked meats, olives, and pickled foods. High sodium directly contributes to high blood pressure.

Here are some heart friendly food options I have listed down for you

Antioxidants ( green tea, red wine)

Fiber and Vitamin K( green leafy vegetables, whole grains, beans, whole pulses)

Whole Fruits

Omega 3 and Omega 6 fats (Almonds, walnuts, flax seeds, fish like salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring, tuna, avocado)

Ample amount of water intake.

Doing regular breathing exercises help us increase our Oxygen uptake.

Yoga or meditation or giving time to your hobbies keeps stress at bay.

Staying active through the entire day or indulging in any type of activity or game you enjoy can keep stress levels under check.

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