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An apple a day keeps the doctor away

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One of the most popular adages is “An apple a day keeps the Doctor away”. But, on second thoughts I have always wondered why is it said so? Do we really know what makes an apple so special? Why is it that we never hear an orange or a banana a day keeps the doctor away? Does apple really have any value? Could an apple honestly help a person to maintain perfect health?

In the 19th century, a publication printed this adage saying: “Eat an apple on going to bed, and you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread.” Nearly, 150 years later, variations of this adage is still quoted. It’s unlikely that the saying would have maintained such popularity if there wasn’t some truth to it, right? With that in mind, let’s consider some of the apple’s components and their effects on our health.

Apples have properties that no other fruits have and its benefits have been proven overtime. We will be able to get the benefits of these properties individually with other fruits, but an apple combines everything and makes it simpler. It has been shown over and over that if it’s not simple, easy and fast, people won’t take care of their health.

Apples have a good claim to promote health. They contain Vitamin C, which aids the immune system. A lot of people who lack Vitamin C in their diet have poor healing, bruise easily and have bleeding gums. It can prevent both coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease because apples are rich in flavonoid. Flavonoids are also known for their antioxidant effects. Apples contain phenols, which have a double effect on cholesterol. It reduces bad cholesterol and increases good cholesterol. They prevent LDL cholesterol from turning into oxidized LDL, a very dangerous form of bad cholesterol which can be deadly.

Apple protects your brain from brain disease. This is something that many people don’t know, and when you consider that your brain makes the person you are, it gives a whole new perspective. Apple has substances called phytonutrients, and these phytonutrients prevents neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinsons.

We are all aware that cancer comes in several forms and in different places. Apples target multiple cancers such as colon cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer in women. A research at the University of Nottingham Research shows that people who eat 5 apples or more per week have lower respiratory problems, including asthma.

The best thing about apples are that they are low in calories. A regular size apple has between 70-100 calories. Eating an apple when craving for candy or chocolate can make the desire disappear since Apple in itself contains sugar, but gives you only ¼ of the calories. They taste great too! Not only that, they also come in many flavours and colours. Not in a mood for a red apple? Why not get a green one. Their taste can vary greatly, but still give you all the apple benefits. Variety is an important element to maintain your health.

An Apple can also prevent tooth decay. Tooth decay is an infection that seriously damages the structure of your teeth, which is caused primarily because of bacteria. The juice of the apples has properties that can kill up to 80% of bacteria. So there you go, ‘an apple a day also keeps the dentist away too’!

With all these benefits that Apples bring with it I would say an Apple a day does not just keep the doctor away but does a Lot More Than That!

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CAN FOODs HELP PREVENT PREMATURE GREYING OF HAIR??

 

grey-hair

“Grey hair” – I am sure is one of the most distressing night mares for all of us!

Greying of the hair is an ultimate and irreversible reality of life and is often associated with growing old. Black turns into white when our hair lacks the pigment called “melanin”. Melanin is produced by pigment cells of hair follicles which surrounds the root of each hair strand. With the increasing age of the person, there is gradual reduction in melanin pigment of the hairs and this is what causes greying of hair.

A number of medical conditions as well as lifestyle choices have been related to premature greying of hair. Some of them include Thyroid, Vitamin B12 deficiency, Vitiligo, Smoking, Stress, Faulty diet, Excessive use of electric dryers and hair irons. Of all the factors responsible, lack of proper diet and genetic factors are the major contributors.

Diet plays a very important role and if a person’s diet is faulty then he is likely to face premature greying of hair. Though one cannot prevent the natural cycle of whitening of hair, but one can always prevent their hair from premature greying by choosing right kind of foods.

Few hair-friendly foods which help delay whitening of hair include:

  • Curry leaves: Curry leaves are beneficial in not only preventing premature greying of hair but also in providing strength to hair roots. Apart from adding curry leaves to the diet, these leaves can also be boiled in coconut oil. This is a popular home remedy, an excellent hair tonic to stimulate hair growth and increase hair pigmentation.

 

  • Amla: Also known as Gooseberries, they are the best remedy for premature greying. Gooseberries are known to be beneficial in the prevention and treatment of grey hair. This is a valuable hair tonic for enriching hair growth and hair pigmentation.

 

  • Fresh Veggies: Simply incorporate green vegetables into your diet for two or three of your daily meals. They are naturally rich in Vitamins B6 and B12, which keep hair healthy.

 

  • Chocolate: Chocolate is naturally rich in copper, a nutrient which is vital for melanin production. Choose dark chocolate, which contains fewer calories than milk chocolate, and enjoy it in moderation.

 

  • Berries: Berries like strawberries, raspberries and cranberries have abundant amount of Vitamin C. They promote healthy hair as well as prevent premature greying.

 

  • Salmon: Salmon is a great food for fighting grey hair. Salmon is a natural source of selenium, which regulates hormone production that keeps your hair colourful.

 

  • Almonds: Get rid of grey hair and have a healthy flowing hair with almonds
    Almonds are rich in both Vitamin E and copper. Try incorporating almonds into your meals and start loading up on hair-healthy nutrients.

 

  • Sunflower seeds: Sunflower seeds have high amount of mineral content which helps in producing and retaining the melanin content thus playing an important role in maintaining healthy hair.

Lastly, when you’re eating hair-friendly foods, ensure water intake is optimal because   nutrients need water to flow through your body. Thus, If you’re not well-hydrated, you won’t get the maximum benefits from all those special, grey hair colour-fighting foods!

So all these foods and information will help you prevent grey hair and will make you look much younger even when you grow old..

 

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Five Foods that help to Lower Blood pressure

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Blood Pressure (BP) has now become a common ailment. Be it young or old almost everyone has BP issues. Infact, BP issues among young adults is on the rise thanks to the lifestyle that most lead! Some have low blood pressure and some high blood pressure issues.

High blood pressure is often considered harmful as it tends to have a negative effect on the heart and may increase the risk of stroke. It’s difficult to manage those BP pills to ensure maintenance of the pressure once diagnosed with elevated pressure levels.

A healthy change in lifestyle may prove beneficial in lowering the pressure levels as well as in maintaining them. Eating right is important during lifestyle modification and when managing pressure levels. This further may help in maintaining or reducing or even curbing the dosage of medicines!

Here are five foods that will help you lower your pressure levels:

  1. Bananas: These are a rich source of potassium, cheap and available throughout the year. Have them as a on- the- go- snack. The potassium helps to curb the imbalance of electrolytes during high pressure.

 

  1. Low fat or Skim Milk: The combination of Vitamin D and Calcium not only helps in reducing the pressure levels but also maintain the bone health. A glass a day is all what you need!

 

  1. Whole Grain: Kick start your day with whole grain cereals as they not only provide you with nutrients and fibre that help in maintaining consistent energy levels but also lower the pressure levels.

 

  1. Beet Juice: A glass of beetroot juice is proven to reduce pressure levels within few hours according to research. The nitrate present in it is known to lower the levels.

 

  1. Dark chocolate: It is high in compounds that cause dilation of blood vessels i.e. flavonoids thus lowering the pressure. One small square piece is what one needs!

**Tip: Along with this lower the intake of salt and processed/packaged foods, exercise regularly and achieve a healthy stress free lifestyle!!

 

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Myth about Spot Reduction

Myth about Spot Reduction
One of the common questions as a fitness trainer I have encountered is if spot reduction- reducing fat from a particular area is possible or not?

If a gym client has a problem collecting more fat around the abdominal area or generally a woman collecting more fat around the lower body they always request the trainers to give them more exercises for the abs or the lower body. But, is spot reduction actually possible? or is it a myth?

As a teenager we collect less amount of fat despite eating all the junk food. One major reason for this is while in the youth, the amount of muscle mass that we carry is more as compared to an elderly person. Hence, the BMR of a youth is quite high when as a teenager and it remains high up to the age of 24 or 25 years of age. Post 25, the degeneration sets in and the muscle mass starts to decline. Muscle being a metabolically active tissue contributes towards increasing the BMR. With the muscle mass degenerating, the BMR also drops and the individual starts collecting fat all over the body. But, in every individual there is a spot where he/she collects more fat then the other parts of the body.

The collection of fat in particular spots is dictated by an individual’s genetics. When, I say pre-decided by genetics, it means that it runs in the family. It is now important to understand how this happens?

Here we need to understand the role of 2 important hormones in our body

1)      Insulin and 2) Glucagon.

Insulin acts like a transporter of micro and macro nutrients into the liver and muscle cells. Insulin also plays a role of maintaining the blood sugar levels after a high carbohydrate meal by lowering the blood sugar levels and avoids a person from going into Hyperglycemia (high blood sugar levels).

Glucagon on the other hand is a hormone that again maintains blood sugar levels by increasing the blood sugar level during long hours of starvation or when an individual lowers the carbohydrate intake in his meals. Here, glucagon plays the role of raising the blood sugar levels and avoids the state of hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar levels).

After having simple carbohydrates such as sugar, chocolates, white rice, white bread, some fruits with high glycemic index, potatoes and other starch, the conversion of these foods into sugar is very fast and it increases the blood sugar levels.

Please note the sugar that is stored within the muscle as muscle glycogen is preserved by the body for any high intense anaerobic activity that we perform in our day to day activity (like running fast or lifting some heavy object etc)

In order to loose fat, a person needs to cut down on simple carbohydrates and keep complex carbohydrate in a reduced quantity (as and when required) as well as start in taking good amount of fibres and protien.When carbohydrates are reduced,
the body is deprived of energy so it starts surviving on the blood sugar for energy. The blood sugar levels drop then to normal thereby leading to hypoglycemia. This activates the pancreas to release Glucagon.

Glucagon starts to maintain the blood sugar levels by raising it. Since the sugar inflex is reduced from outside, the glucagon has no option but to use liver glycogen to raise the blood sugar levels. Once, the liver storage of glycogen is over, it moves to the muscle glycogen. Muscle glycogen is not released by the body as it is reserved for a high intense activity. Now glucagon has no other option but to move towards the fat cell to get energy for survival. Here, one more enzyme known as the HSL (Hormone sensitive lipase) which is on the fat cell allows the triglycerides to exit from the fat cell in the form of free fatty acid into the blood stream and it is used up by the tissues as a source of energy.

This is already programmed by our genetics and cannot be changed through any exercise or spot reduction techniques.

Performing abdominal exercises will definitely strengthen the abdominal muscles which will help an individual to increase his or her functionality in day to day activities as well as it will also help in lifting a decent poundage in functional movements like squats, Lunges, Bendover rows, Overhead presses and Regular deadlifts. But, abdominal exercises DO NOT give you a spot reduction. Hence, the intention of abdominal workout is increasing strength of the abdomen and not spot reduction.

Fat loss is all throughout the body because it catogorized as BODY FAT and not fat of the abdomen, arms, back, chest or legs.

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