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Explore The Wonderful Health Benefits and Uses of Honey

honeyHoney is a food and medicine which is well-known for its antioxidant, antibacterial and soothing effects. People have used raw honey in traditional medicine for hundreds of years. This sweet, natural substance contains elements that processed honey does not have. Raw honey, which comes straight from the beehive, contains healthy bee pollen, bee propolis, and plenty of antioxidants. Due to processing and pasteurization, there is a loss of many beneficial elements. So, it is important to always choose raw honey instead of regular one for good health. Choosing raw or pure honey over refined sugar is a much healthier option for a diabetic person because it is a natural sweetener which is made with fructose and minerals.

Did You Know?

1 tablespoon (21g) of raw honey contains 64 calories and 16g of sugar with so many vitamins and minerals like calcium, zinc, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, niacin, riboflavin etc. Diabetic patients can also take it, but in lesser amounts and with a strict check on the blood sugar levels at all times.

Health Benefits of Honey

  1. Rich in Antioxidants: It contains compounds like phytochemicals, flavonoids, and ascorbic acid which make it antioxidant-rich and reduces oxidative stress in the body and replenish the health of cells. By including it in the diet, we can reduce the risk of chronic disease like cancer.
  2. Wound Healing: It works well in wound healing because of its antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties. It has an acidic nature which promotes wound healing if applied on minor cuts and burns. Always go for raw honey for the application over the wounds for faster healing.
  3. Antibacterial Properties: It is an antibacterial and antimicrobial agent which kills harmful pathogens and bacteria which cause food poisoning, gastric infection and stomach ulcers.
  4. Digestive Disorders: It contains several enzymes which help in improving digestion and treating digestive disorders like gastritis and GERD.  As we know it is an anti-inflammatory agent and prebiotic which is very effective in reducing diarrhoea, abdominal pain, burning in the lining of the stomach and promotes gut health.
  5. Anti-inflammatory: Due to the anti-inflammatory properties, it reduces inflammation including swelling and lowers irritation on the lining of the stomach and intestines. Honey is effective against IBS in the same way that it is against gastritis by triggering the immune cells into action to fight the infection.
  6. Boosts Immunity: It contains special protein like Apisai which helps in boosting immunity and it also stimulates the immune system to provide a stronger and faster response to the diseases and infections.
  7. Reduce Allergy Symptom: It contains pollen spores which are picked up by the bees from local plants. If these pollen spores introduce a small amount of allergen into our system. This helps to activate the immune system and over time, we can build up natural immunity against it.
  8. Cough and Cold Medicine: Cough and cold are very common among children, especially with change in season. It has antiviral and antibacterial properties that help in treating viral and bacterial infections and give relief from cold and cough, sore throat, runny nose and even mild fever. Using a combination of honey with cinnamon or honey with ginger is a well-known home remedy for hundreds of years.
  9. Energy and Memory Booster: It is an instant energy booster. If you need a quick energy boost before or after a workout, it will surely help you but make sure you have a healthy diet and get proper sleep. Regular consumption of honey helps in preventing cellular damage and loss within the brain as per Ayurveda.

Amazing Uses of Honey 

  • Treating Cough: Mix 1 tsp of honey and 2 tsp of lemon juice. Swallow the mixture at once. You can have it 2-3 times in a day to alleviate coughing. Alternatively, you can also take 1 cup milk, ½ turmeric, ¼ tsp cinnamon, a pinch of black pepper and 2 tsp of Honey. Heat the milk and add turmeric and whisk it well. Then add honey and other ingredients and strain it. Have it twice daily till you get relief from cough.
  • Wound and Burn Treatment: Apply it directly to wound or to the dressing, cover with a bandage and change the dressing every 12 to 48 hrs ( Note: the darker the color, the stronger its antibacterial and antioxidant power but serious burns should be seen by a medical expert immediately).
  • Acid Reflux and Indigestion: Mix 2 tsp of honey and yogurt (small bowl) and have it with your meals. It helps in reducing acid reflux and indigestion.
  • Sunburn Remedy: Take 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp olive oil, ¼ lemon juice. Combine all ingredients and apply on sunburn skin, leave for 10 minutes before rinsing with water.
  • Glowing Skin: 1tsp honey, 1 tsp aloe vera gel. Mix both and gently rub on the face for 15 minutes and rinse with cold water.
  • Perfect Hair Conditioner: Take ½ cup of honey, ¼ cup of olive oil and slightly warm it. Apply on your hair and allow to soak in by wrapping the hair with a towel, then wash your hair with cool water.
  • Face Mask for Acne: Take 2 tsp of fresh milk, 2 tsp of honey, fresh juice of one lemon, one tsp of yoghurt and lukewarm water. Thoroughly mix all ingredients and apply on face, wait for a few minutes, so that it can get dry. After 10 minutes rinse off your face with lukewarm water. Use this mask 2-3 times in a week and need to prepare fresh every time.
  • Strengthen Weak Nails: Mix one tablespoon honey with ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar in some shallow dish. Soak your nails for 10 minutes once in a week to make your nails strong.

Precautions: Always take it in cold or lukewarm water, not with hot water, as the temperature degrades some of the beneficial properties. Children below 12 months should not be made to consume honey due to the fear of botulism poisoning. People suffering from pollen or bee allergy should not consume it.

We hope this article helps you use honey to its optimum purpose! Is there a special way you use honey? Let us know in the comments below. To know more about other foods and nutrition, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to expert nutritionists on GOQii Play.

Stay home, stay safe, eat healthy and #BeTheForce  

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7 Ayurvedic Remedies to Boost Immunity

ayurvedic remediesThe importance of healthy immune function is something we tend to neglect until it’s flu season or we are faced with a pandemic. With the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, you’re probably reaching for vitamin C capsules, but there’s a lot more you can do to strengthen immunity. Vitamin C supplementation is not the most effective immune-boosting strategy, as dietary intake of nutrients is more effective than supplementation. Moreover, there are other nutrients and natural therapeutic ingredients, diet, and lifestyle practices that are important for healthy immune function. Ayurveda emphasizes the importance of such practices at all times because of its focus on disease prevention. It makes sense for us to revisit some of the best Ayurvedic remedies for immunity at this time.

7 Ayurvedic Remedies to Boost Immunity

 

  • Haridra: The best remedies are always the simplest ones and it doesn’t get simpler than this. Haridra, haldi, or turmeric is the most easily available ingredient that we use in every household. Just start adding it to more of your foods and make it a point to drink warm Haldi doodh or golden milk each morning and before bedtime. Studies show that curcumin, the primary organic compound in haridra, has a strong immunomodulatory effect. It enhances antibody responses, which are critical for fighting off pathogens to either prevent or overcome infections.
  • Tulsi: Tulsi is ascribed with divine or spiritual significance in Indian culture and is also revered for its medicinal properties in Ayurveda. You will often find it as an ingredient in herbal Ayurvedic cough syrups and tonics, but it’s not just helpful for relieving colds and coughs. Some research shows that tulsi extracts exhibit immunomodulatory effects, raising lymphocyte levels and enhancing the immune response. This can significantly improve disease-fighting ability and reduce recovery times. Tulsi can be consumed in any form – steeped in water for herbal tea, or by combining the crushed leaves, flowers, and stem with honey and ghee. You can also use tulsi powder or supplements if you can’t get your hands on fresh tulsi.
  • Sunth: Sunth, which is the dried form of ginger, is another effective Ayurvedic remedy for immune function. You can also use fresh ginger if you like as the immune-boosting effects are not very different. Ginger’s potent medicinal properties are attributed to gingerols, which have been found to exert anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. It is protective of lung function, reducing irritation and spasms, making you less vulnerable to respiratory infections. Ginger is also known to possess antimicrobial properties that can help your immune system fight infections. To get these benefits, you can chew on raw ginger slices, drink fresh ginger juice, and add ginger to your tea or meals.
  • Jyeshtimadhu: Known in much of the western world as licorice, Jyesthimadhu is often used in Ayurvedic medicine and remedies to treat respiratory and gastrointestinal ailments. Because of its powerful therapeutic properties, the herb is classified as a rasayana in Ayurveda – the category of rejuvenative herbs. These therapeutic actions are linked to the specific polysaccharides in Jyesthimadhu. Studies suggest that the herb can significantly enhance immune function and antioxidant enzyme activity, providing stronger immune protection against viral and bacterial infections. To consume the herb, you can chew on the twigs known as mulethi sticks or add the herbal powder to ginger tea or juice.
  • Eucalyptus Oil: Known as Nilgiri Taila in Ayurveda, eucalyptus oil is notable for its therapeutic properties, which have been well studied for decades. These benefits are linked to the high content of flavonoids and tannins in eucalyptus. The herbal oil has proven antimicrobial effects that can help fight a variety of infections. A study that appeared in BMC Immunology also indicated that eucalyptus oil could have an immune stimulatory effect, enhancing phagocytic response to better protect against pathogens like viruses and bacteria. You can use eucalyptus oil in your mouth wash or throat gargle or add a few drops to a bowl of steaming water for inhalation.
  • Follow the Dinacharya: Dinacharya or daily routine is one of the fundamental concepts in Ayurveda. It outlines the ideal daily routine, with time scheduled for waking up, exercise, meditation, meals, sleep, and so on. This routine was formulated over thousands of years, based on, and meant to be in harmony with the natural ebb and flow of nature. Although this practice has largely been forgotten and ignored in recent decades, we are now learning about its importance through new scientific investigations of the circadian rhythm. It is clear now that such a routine is vital for the health of the circadian system, which in turn has a huge impact on immune function. 
  • Practice Pranayamas: While exercise in itself is important for healthy immunity and cardiorespiratory function, Pranaymas can be particularly helpful. An integral feature of yoga, these breathing exercises may seem pointless as they do not require any physical activity unlike asanas. However, they are known to strengthen lung function and can significantly lower the risk of respiratory disease, including airborne infections. Some pranayama exercises like kapalabhati, omkara, and brahmari are in fact so effective, that their practice is even recommended for patients who suffer from chronic respiratory conditions like asthma.

 

The above Ayurvedic remedies can give you added immune support during such times of crisis. However, they are not meant as a substitute for healthy living. Try to adopt diet and lifestyle practices on a long term basis for sustainable health and wellbeing so that you are better prepared for the next pandemic, as coronavirus is not the last, but just the latest pandemic to hit us.

We hope this article helps. You can view more Ayurvedic remedies by Dr. Vaidya’s in the GOQii Health Store. For more tips to boost immunity, check out Healthy Reads. 

#BeTheForce 

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3 Best Vitamins To Boost Immunity

vitamins to boost immunity

The food you eat determines your overall health and immunity. Immunity being our body’s first line of defense is much more needed now than ever. While a healthy balanced diet and lifestyle is the need of the hour, few nutrients play a very special role when it comes to boosting our immunity. Among different nutrients, today we will discuss the most potent vitamins to boost immunity.

Essential Vitamins To Boost Immunity 

1. Vitamin C 

Also known as ascorbic acid, Vitamin C is water-soluble. It helps kick start the action of our immune system by encouraging the production of lymphocytes & phagocytes, thus, helping the body protect itself from infections. The body cannot store this vitamin and being water-soluble, it’s easily lost through bodily fluids. Hence, it is important to consume foods rich in Vitamin C on a daily basis. Being heat sensitive, this vitamin is destroyed on heating, so it is better to get it from raw foods.

Food sources: Citrus fruits, kiwi, strawberry, amla, papaya, bell peppers, leafy greens, broccoli, black currants & tomato.

 2. Vitamin D: 

This is definitely one of the most essential vitamins to boost immunity. It is fat-soluble and hence, can be stored in our fat cells. Which means that your body can mobilize its own reserves if your daily intake falters temporarily. Deficiency of this vitamin is highly associated with increased susceptibility to infections. Not widely available in vegetarian foods, it is hard to get enough of it. For most people, the best way to take this vitamin is through supplements.

Food sources: Cod liver oil, salmon, tuna, fortified orange juice, fortified cereals, egg yolk, dairy and plant milk fortified with Vit D, Sardines, swordfish and certain mushrooms.

 3. Vitamin E:

This fat-soluble vitamin is a potent antioxidant and helps reduce cell-damaging oxidative stress in our body. It has the ability to modulate immune functions at the cellular level which usually decreases with age. It helps in the rapid increase of the infection-fighting cells and boosts their infection-fighting capacity too.

Food sources: Sunflower seeds, almonds, peanuts, vegetable oils, spinach, broccoli, avocados, wheat germ oil, hazelnuts, pine nuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds

PLEASE NOTE: Though these vitamins play a crucial role in the functioning of our immune system, a balanced diet and attention to other aspects of good health like exercise, sleep and staying stress-free is also very important. You must take most of your nutrition from natural foods as much as possible rather than being dependent on supplements. Before you switch to any foods you have not consumed before, please consult your doctor or nutritionist in case you have any allergies. 

We hope this article helps. For more tips and to know more about foods and vitamins to boost immunity, tune in to live sessions by experts on GOQii Play.  

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Importance of Vitamin D For Boosting Immunity

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a pro-hormone that is synthesized in the body when exposed to sunlight, and hence, is called the sunshine vitamin. Vitamin D is an extremely important vitamin that has powerful effects on several systems throughout our body.

Health Benefits of Vitamin D 

  • Promoting healthy bones and teeth.
  • Supporting Immune, Brain and Nervous system health.
  • Helps in regulating insulin levels, thus supports Diabetes Management.
  • Helps maintain healthy lung function and cardiovascular health.
  • Has a role in influencing the expression of genes involved in cancer development.

How Does It Improve Immunity Levels?

Human body fights infections using two types of immune systems – the innate system (responsible for quickly fighting infections) and the adaptive system (which produces a slower response but is highly specialised, e.g. responsible for the production of antibodies). Vitamin D seems to modulate both these systems which explains why this hormone has such a wide effect on the immune system. 

Vitamin D deficiency is observed more in people suffering from seasonal nature of cold and flu outbreaks. During winters and seasonal changes, there is less sunlight, and less sunlight means less vitamin D available for absorption, which leads to lower immunity and more illness.

Why Do Immunity Cells Need Vitamin D?

Vitamin D has a “non-classic” role in modulation of the innate and adaptive immune responses of our body towards any illness or infection. What does this mean? Basically, Vit D receptors are found all over our body, including the immune cells. T cells are one of the immune cells known as the killer cells in our immune system which come into action when the body is under attack by an infective agent/invader/foreign pathogen. 

If Vitamin D is not around, these “naïve” T cells will not become active and transform into the required killer cells or helper cells (which are charged with memory of the invaders). Many studies have concluded that T cells first search for Vitamin D in order to get activated and if they cannot find enough of it, will not complete the activation process, remain dormant and not act against the infection, leaving our body vulnerable to an attack.

Hence Vitamin D is very important for activating the T-cells of our immune system! 

How Do You Get Enough Of Vitamin D?

1. Sunlight
Getting sufficient sunlight is the best way to help the body produce enough Vitamin D. Exposing your skin to the sun for 20 to 30 minutes a day would ensure enough UVB rays come in contact with the cholesterol in the skin, thus, providing the energy for Vitamin D synthesis to take place.

However, many factors affect how much Vit D a person gets from the sun, such as:

  • Time of day: The skin produces more vitamin D when one is in the sun during the middle of the day (between 10 am to 1 pm), the time it is at its highest point in the sky.
  • Sunscreen: Applying sunscreen tends to block the sun from hitting your body, thus, limiting the synthesis of the vitamin in your body. It is best to allow the sun’s UVB rays to come in contact with the body, directly in order to allow the production of Vitamin D to take place.
  • Area of skin exposed: The more skin a person exposes, the more Vit D the body will make. So wearing minimum clothing, and exposing most parts of our body, will ensure greater production of the vitamin.
  • Skin colour: People with a light colour skin absorb more UV rays, to produce Vit D more quickly than darker coloured skins, due to the presence of the pigment melanin.
  • Place: Where a person lives in relation to the equator also has a significant impact on how much UV rays are available for absorption and production of Vit D
  • Always Remember: Frequent, moderate exposure to the sun is healthy but prolonged exposure can be dangerous. Besides sunburn, you can be at a higher risk of developing skin cancer.

2. Food Sources
The best way to improve your Vit D levels is exposing yourself to sunlight, however, the consumption of certain foods can surely help increase vitamin levels in the body. These are:

  • Fish (Salmon, trout, mackerel, and tuna)
  • Egg yolks
  • Cheese
  • Mushrooms
  • Fortified milk
  • Fortified cereals and juices

3. Supplements
If you have less exposure to direct sunlight and are observing symptoms of Vit D deficiency which includes frequent illness, fatigue, tiredness, bone & back pain, depression, low bone mineral density, muscle pain, etc. you can start with supplementation but only after consulting a doctor or a certified nutritionist.

In India, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) recommends a daily supplement of 400 IU/day of Vit D, under situations of minimal exposure to sunlight or when symptoms of deficiency are observed.

Hope this article helps you understand the importance of the Sunshine Vitamin, especially to boost immunity. Use this quarantine time to expose yourself to the beautiful soothing sun rays and stay healthy!

For more tips on boosting your immunity, tune in to experts on GOQii Play. 

#BeTheForce 

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