Keratin protein in your hair, nail and skin

 Keratin protein in your hair, nail and skin

 

The human body is chock-full of proteins. Proteins are present in the outer and inner membranes of every living cell. Your hair, your nails, and the outer layers of your skin are made of the protein keratin. Keratin is a scleroprotein, or a protein resistant to digestive enzymes. So if you bite your nails, you can’t digest them.

Walking after a meal

 Walking after a meal

Do not walk immediately after a meal even though you have heard people say so. Walking immediately after a meal will make it difficult for the digestive system to absorb nutrition from the food we eat, as blood supply will be directed to leg muscles instead of stomach, wait for atleast an hour after your meals and then walk if u want to.

Balanced Digestive System is Your Key to Good Health

 Balanced Digestive System is Your Key to Good Health

The real reason your body develops painful symptoms can be pin-pointed to one area – Your Digestive System.

Most of us have an unbalanced digestive system and because of it, suffer from a number of digestive disorders and diseases.

When your food is poorly digested, you absorb nutrients that aren't fully broken down or usable. Therefore eating foods containing digestive enzymes will be of great help.

Having a Balanced Digestive System is Your Key to Good Health

Jaggery or Gud

Jaggery or Gud

Jaggery is prepared from sugarcane molasses; it’s the unrefined brown sugar. Better known as the medicinal sugar. It’s available in many forms like blocks, liquid, powder or small random pieces.

Lets first see what is the difference between  jaggery and sugar, and why should we replace sugar with jaggery.

JAGGERY	SUGAR
It is far complex than sugar, as it is made up of longer chains of sucrose.	It is simplest available forms of sucrose
It is digested slower than sugar and releases energy slowly	It is instantly absorbed in blood and releases a burst of energy
It is rather a tastemaker and colour maker	It is just a sweetner
It contains iron, cacium, potassium, phoshorus	It is source of empty calories
Jaggery helps in calcium absorption	Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium
Jaggery  is ecofriendly	Sugar industry pollutes air, water and soil.
Jaggery aids in digestion, as jaggery breaks and becomes alkaline in the digestive system.	Sugar becomes acidic.

Following are the benefits of jaggery
Energy Food: Carbohydrate being the main nutrient supplied by jaggery, foods  high in carbohydrates  fuels  our body  to  produce  sustainable  energy  through  oxidation. Jaggery has  more complex form of carbohydrate than plain sugar. So, it is digested and absorbed gradually and releases energy gradually. This provides with warmth and energy for a longer period, without harming the internal organs. This could be a good food supplement for fitness lovers. However it provides roughly around the same amount of energy and carbohydrate as sugar. So excess intake of jaggery is not advocated.

Cleansing Agent Jaggery effectively cleans the respiratory tracts, lungs, food pipe, stomach and intestines. It pulls out dust and unwanted particles from the body. It also helps in giving relief from constipation, perhaps due to presence of fiber in it.Jaggery has strong antioxidant properties and protects our body cells from the damage caused by free radicals. Apart from this, the presence of mineral potassium  helps to assists kidneys to remove waste by the process of excretion.

Digestive Agent: This may sound strange but it is true and it has sufficient scientific explanation behind this. In India, it is recommended to take a few grams of jaggery after a heavy meal of after eating meat. This facilitates digesting. What happens is that jaggery activates the digestive enzymes this speeds up digestion.

Jaggery helps in bile disorder - According to ayurveda, jaggery helps in treating bile disorders thus is useful in treating jaundice. It  strengthens the liver.

Jaggery helps in maintaining acid balance - Jaggery is high in Potassium and low in Sodium helps to maintain blood pressure and reduces water retention.. This also helps in maintaining balance in your body. Infact, jaggery, when taken along with dry ginger is a known cure for acidity and gas.

Jaggery is eco-friendly - According to World Wildlife Fund (WWF), sugar industry pollutes air, water and soil. While jaggery is produced by cooking sugarcane juice in an iron vessel, sugar undergoes various treatments, purification, crystallisation which not only wastes several gallons water, but also pollutes natural water source, where the wastewater is dumped! Jaggery is healthier and greener.

Jaggery helps to treat Cramps: due to the presence of magnesium and potassium. Muscle cramps result due to low level of potassium in the blood, a condition called as hypokalemia, also due to magnesium deficiency symptoms of cramps in leg as well as fatigue are normally visible.

Keeps bone healthy – due to the presence of magnesium, which is directly related to the bone density. Inadequacy of this mineral could be a cause of osteoporosis. Magnesium helps in regulation of calcium levels in the body along with vitamin D, copper, zinc etc.

May help to prevent Stroke: due to the presence of Potassium, which plays an important role in keeping the working of brain in normal state. It is of great importance in preventing the occurrence of stroke in human brain.

Prevents Asthma - Chronic asthma patients may be able to normalize their breathing with help of jaggery due to magnesium present in it  that aids in relaxing bronchial muscles and normalize breathing. Even wheezing and breathlessness can be relieved through.

Increases haemoglobin - Jaggery is rich in iron and thus is highly recommended for anaemic people, helps in increasing haemoglobin., most of the iron in it comes through processing in iron vessels.

Culinary Uses

- In Maharashtra most vegetables curries and dals contain jaggery, also a pinch of jaggery is sometimes added to sambar, rasam and other gravies.

 
-Jaggery is specially used during Makar Sankranti for making sweetmeat called tilgul. 

-It is regularly consumed as a sweetener and is a part of many sweet delicacies such as gur ka chawal (rice with gur) which is a traditional Rajasthani dish.
- Jaggery is also added to lentil soups to add sweetness to balance the spicy, salty and sour components, particularly in Gujarati cuisine
- Many sweet dishes are made by mixing jaggery with milk and coconut or with nuts like cashew.

- can be added to porridges esp in weaning food, can replace sugar in milk with jaggery for young children’s and adults.

-can be used as a preservative.

-can be added to lemon water, tea.

-Minimize your sugar intake and replace with jaggery when you prepeare sweet dishes at home.

So r u still thinking …..go Go ahead make a start replace white poison,sugar with jaggery.

Dill seeds (Suva Dana)

Dill seeds (Suva Dana)

Dill is a unique plant in that both its leaves and seeds are used as a seasoning. Dill's green leaves are wispy and fernlike and have a soft, sweet taste. Dried dill seeds are light brown in color and oval in shape, featuring one flat side and one convex ridged side.

The seeds contain so much calcium that 1 tablespoon contains 100 milligrams -- more than in 1/3 cup of milk.
Dill seed is a very good source of calcium, dietary fiber, as well as the minerals manganese, iron, and magnesium

Digestion: · Dill weed contains the carminative agent and aids with digestion by relieving intestinal gas, diarrhea and dysentery.  Gripe water is made with dill seed specifically as a remedy for colic in infants Dill Weed and Health Teas made with dill seed relieve indigestion and nausea, and produce a lulling effect.

Insomnia: Drinking dill tea is recommended for those suffering from insomnia.

Also helps in Hiccups, Menstrual Disorders, Oral Care Cancer

Respiratory Disorders help clear congestion in the respiratory system due to histamine, allergies or cough.

Dill is said to promote lactation in nursing mothers

Uses

Dill Seed is good sprinkled over casseroles before baking and used in salad dressings, mukhwas

These can be used in breads, stews, rices, root vegetable dishes and most notably, the making of pickles.
These seed heads, when combined with vinegars, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper produce the dilled pickles that have that wonderfully puckery quality

Nutritious Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

2 cups roughly chopped red pumpkin (bhopla / kaddu)
1 cup roughly chopped carrots
1/2 cup roughly chopped onions
1 tsp dill seeds (suva dana)
1/4 cup low fat milk
1 tsp oil
1/4 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper to serve

Method

Heat the oil in a pressure-cooker; add the dill seeds and sauté for about 30 seconds.

Add the onions and sauté for a few minutes till they turn translucent.

Add the pumpkin and carrot and sauté for a few more minutes.

Add 4 cups of water and pressure cook for 2 whistles.

Purée the mixture in a blender till smooth.

Pour into a saucepan, add the milk and salt and bring to a boil. Keep aside.

Just before serving, reheat, add a little pepper and serve hot.

ALL ABOUT METABOLISM

Want to build muscle and burn fat? Read below to learn how metabolism affects fitness level, and how to give it a boost.

"Metabolism" refers to your body's systems for using energy. This includes breathing, digestion, the building of muscle, and the storage of fat, circulation of blood -- anything that's part of your body's systems for converting energy into... an activity you need to live

Your metabolic rate is the rate at which you burn calories

People with more muscle and less fat generally have a faster metabolic rate.

As you age, you tend to lose muscle. This results in a metabolic rate that begins declining as early as your twenties -- about 2% per decade.

Genetics & lifestyle affect your metabolism. You cant do much about your genes and age, but you can make lifestyle changes to increase your metabolism.

Strength training can indeed help you lose weight by changing your metabolic rate.

Studies have shown that people who do extreme dieting or eat less than 1,200 calories per day are likely to wind up with a slower metabolic rate.

  Even going too long between meals can slow metabolic rate. Its recommended to eat a small healthy meal or snack every 2 to 3 hours. Also, never skip breakfast.

Studies have shown that the body requires more energy to digest high-protein foods, hence your metabolic rate increases.

Caffeine is a stimulant -- and so by definition, it increases your metabolic rate. This is why it is often an ingredient in weight loss diet supplements and acts as a thermogenic. Studies have shown that one cup of American coffee can increase metabolism by about 3% to 4% for a short period of time.

65% to 75% of the calories you burn in a day are burned by your metabolism in the process of maintaining your body's basic vital processes. Physical activity contributes up to 30% of your total daily calorie burn and is still one of the best ways to boost your metabolic rate.

Happy Pumping!