The basic principles of healthy eating

Healthy eating is one of the most important things you can do to improve your general health.

Nutritious, balanced meals and healthy snacks may reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke by helping you increase your intake of heart-healthy nutrients, manage your weight, keep your blood pressure down, control your blood sugar levels and lower your cholesterol.

A healthy eating plan may also boost your overall feeling of well-being, giving you more energy and vitality. It may make you look better and feel good about yourself, inside and out.

How to make heart-healthy choices

With the vast array of food choices available today, it’s difficult to know where to begin. You may wish to start by aiming to include items from the four food groups: vegetables and fruit, whole-grain products, lower-fat milk products and alternatives, and lower-fat meat and alternatives. Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide provides direction on the types and amount of food we should eat for overall health. It makes it easier than ever to plan your meals and snacks around a wide variety of delicious and heart-healthy foods.

When you’re grocery shopping, look for the Health Check symbol on food packaging, the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s food information program, based on Canada’s Food Guide. It’s your assurance that the product contributes to an overall healthy diet.

Source: Heart & stroke foundation


The Healthiest Chocolate Mousse

choc

Everyone who knows me can vouch for my obsession with my raw brownies, I’m totally addicted! They’re just amazing, and taste absolutely divine. However, these heavenly flavours aren’t really the main reason why I’m so in love them, as I think all of my desserts taste heavenly – it’s the fact that they only take 3 minutes to make and require absolutely no effort whatsoever. I have to admit though that since they’re so easy and I’m so addicted I’ve definitely eaten a lifetimes worth in the past year! I was about to make them for the trillionth time a few weeks ago when I stopped myself and decided that as a chef I should really be a little more inventive and branch out a little to find another 3 minute treat, so I did and these little bowls of insanely creamy, totally chocolatey goodness were the result. Definitely a lesson in why I should branch out more!

I just can’t tell you how awesome these are. I made six pots in my first batch thinking I’d stock of on a week’s worth of treats end guess what… I ate them all in a row! Pot by pot. They were just too good, I simply could not resist. The combination of banana and avocado creates the creamiest consistency that just melts-in-your-mouth, which is enhanced the the almond butter’s nutty goodness. The avocado’s savoury nature is totally masked though by the sweet, caramel-esq nature of the medjool dates and the deeply rich, smooth cacao powder. So you’ll get all of the avocado’s goodness without making the dessert taste like salad! Trust me on this one, it’s amazing even if it sounds a little weird! No one that’s tried it yet has come close to guessing the creamy ingredients, so I promise you won’t taste it either!

Of course you’ll be getting buckets of goodness from each little dessert pot too – lots of fantastic plant protein form the almond butter, wonderfully anti-inflammatory fats and vitamins from the avocado, tons of heart healthy potassium from the banana, toxin preventing anti-oxidants from the super food cacao and all-important fibre from the dates. So you can eat as much dessert as you like knowing you’re only eating spoonful after spoonful of goodness. A totally guilt-free pudding! How great is that?

The healthiest chocolate mousse: vegan, gluten free, dairy free, sugar free
Serves 2

– 2 really ripe bananas

– 1 ripe avocado

– 6 medjool dates

– 4 tablespoons of water

– 2 heaped teaspoons of almond butter

– 2 heaped teaspoons of raw cacao powder

choc2

 

Optional

– a squeeze of agave

– a teaspoon of hemp protein powder

– a sprinkling of chia seeds

– a sprinkling of flax seeds

Simply put all the ingredients into a food processor – pit the dates first though – then blend into a smooth delicious mixture.

A blender will work for this but a food processor is a lot easier and quicker!

Keep chilled in the fridge until you’re ready to enjoy!

Source: Deliciously Ella

 

 


4 Reasons You Should Drink Lemon Water

Lemon water, warm or cooled, can be one of the most rewarding things you do for your body every morning. Among brushing your teeth and getting dressed, this morning detox ritual is one you definitely don’t want to leave behind.

Why is lemon water so good for you?

Detoxifying Cure- Lemon is a natural antiseptic and helps the liver by flushing the toxins and bacteria out of your body. The high amounts of Vitamin C in the lemon act as a potent antioxidant to clean out the system, especially when taken on an empty stomach.

Weight Loss– Believe it or not, the cleansing properties of lemon get rid of extra internal waste in your colon. Think of lemon water as a stream going through your body. Unlike a pancake or muffin that requires chewing, digestion, absorption, etc., lemon juice goes straight to the liver, colon, and GI tract to cleanse your body. An added bonus is the pectin fibers in lemon, which help keep you fuller longer.

Restores pH– Everything you eat either contains an acidifying or alkalizing affect, based on its pH. The pH of your body is crucial because all of your body systems depend on it. The more alkaline you are, the better your body will function and the longer you will live. Lemon juice does the job by gently alkalizing the body!

Aids Digestion– The warm water works to get your body’s digestive juices flowing by stimulating peristalsis in your gastrointestinal tract, while the lemon loosens the toxins in your digestive tract.

Source: Feed box


South Korea: Fastest Growing Medical Tourism Market in Asia

The medical tourism industry of South Korea has been growing at a fast pace from past few years. Global reputation of Korea in plastic surgery attracts foreigners, as it provides them better treatment at low cost. Korean doctors have got the required expertise and skills in various surgical procedures, such as aesthetic and cosmetic treatments, thereby, boosting country’s worldwide reputation.

Apart from the skilled medical workforce, another factor which helps Korean medical tourism to prosper is technologically advanced treatments and medical procedures. Moreover, areas like biotechnology and stem cell research are considered as core competency of the country and with rising government investments in the sector, the country is poised to become a leading player in medical technologies and treatments. The country is further backed by strong government support and initiatives, which is also boosting the growth and development of Korean medical tourism.

Thus, supported by the factors, such as cost-efficacy, high level promotion by the authorities, and good healthcare infrastructure, the number of medical tourists is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of more than 52% during 2013-2015, which is the fastest growth rate among all Asian nations, says “Asian Medical Tourism Market Forecast to 2015”, a recent report by RNCOS.

Apart from South Korea, we have also analyzed medical tourism market of other major countries such as India, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore. Our comprehensive report provides detailed analysis and future forecast for the medical tourism market, and medical tourist arrivals till 2015 in these Asian countries. Our report has also provided a brief overview of the drivers and trends prevailing in the Asian medical tourism industry. We have also included the prominent industry players such as Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd., Bumrungrad International Hospital, and so on, to provide a balanced research outlook of the industry. Overall, the report is designed to facilitate our clients towards devising the rightful strategies, and make sound investment decisions.
Source: SB wire


Shocking – 2 year old gives birth to own twin

boy gives birth

A two-year-old Chinese boy named Xiao Feng was admitted to hospital to undergo an operation to “give birth” to his twin. The boy was suffering from breathing difficulties and his stomach was extremely swollen.

Following X-rays and MRI scans, doctors at the hospital confirmed that Feng was in fact carrying the undeveloped fetus of his twin inside his stomach. He was rushed to the operating room for emergency surgery to remove it.

The case known as cryptodidymus, or conjoined twins, is extremely rare, if not unprecedented in the world of medicine. the unborn fetus measured around 10 inches in width and was fully formed in terms of its spine and limbs.

It is just as well that the boy was admitted to the hospital. The parasitic twin growing inside him took up as much as two thirds of Feng’s stomach and if left untreated could have lead to his death.

Twins are formed when an egg splits following fertilization. Conjoined twins are formed when the egg itself fails to fully separate.

The foetus was 20cm wide and had developed a spine, fingers and toes. It had grown so much that it was taking up almost two-thirds of the boy’s stomach, doctors said.

The rare case of conjoined twins, known as cryptodidymus, is the case is extremely rare and possibly unprecedented in medicine, the Inquisitr reports. Conjoined twins form when the fertilised egg fails to separate completely.

Source: hi5 buzz


Don’t ignore dental problems

Most people don’t give their oral health much importance, which later leads to painful dental ailments, reports TOI.

Common bacterial infections Says aesthetic dental surgeon Dr Shantanu Jaradi, “The human mouth contains around 500 to 1,000 types of bacteria, which perform various functions. While some are harmful, most oral bacteria help prevent diseases.

Gingivitis and periodontitis are the most common types of bacterial infection. These affect the gums and tooth-supporting structures. Adds dental surgeon Dr Karishma, “There are various types of oral infections, which can be bacterial, viral or fungal.”

The triggers Dental caries is mainly caused by a bacteria, which produces an acid that affects the enamel of the teeth. This happens due to improper or insufficient oral hygiene or wrong food habits. For example, excessive intake of sugar, etc.

“Gingivitis and periodontitis are caused by the build-up of plaque and calculus (hardened plaque), poor oral hygiene, genetic factors, underlying systemic conditions like diabetes, smoking, or a poor immune system. In Pericoronitis, gums around an erupting wisdom tooth may get infected due to bacterial colonisation in that region. Infection around an implant is known as peri implantitis and it’s causes are similar to those of periodontitis.

Traumatic tooth extraction or failure to follow post-extraction instructions may lead to it. It may also be triggered when the extraction site is unclean. Dry socket happens when the blood clot dislodges from the extraction socket,” says Dr Karishma.

Symptoms – Teeth sensitivity, lodging of food particles in the teeth and toothache are the most common symptoms of dental caries. – Periodontitis and gingivitis result in bleeding gums, soreness, bad breath, loose teeth, difficulty in chewing, etc. – Pericoronitis can be suspected when there is swelling of gums around the last molar in the lower jaw, pain and difficulty while opening and closing the mouth. In some cases, the pain extends to the ear. – Peri implantitis results in pain, loose implants, difficulty in chewing, etc. – Post-extraction infection or dry socket causes swelling, delayed healing, foul smell and severe pain.

How to avoid it “Regular brushing and flossing are the basic precautions. They will help get rid of the bacteria, which try to stick to the surface of our teeth to form plaque. Diet also influences oral health,” says Dr Shantanu. Adds Dr Karishma, “Avoid foods that have excessive sugar, use a fluoridated toothpaste, visit your dentist regularly, floss, use a waterpik (water flossers), maintain optimum blood sugar levels, quit smoking, get professional clean-ups done regularly and go for the extraction of an impacted wisdom tooth if it is causing you repeated episodes of pericoronitis.”

Common oral bacterial infections are:
– Dental caries
– Periodontitis
– Gingivitis
– Pericoronitis
– Peri implantitis
– Post extraction infection/dry socket

Source: Viral News chart


Top 12 foods for brain and nervous system

Your brain ages with time, it is important to improve the functioning and health of the brain along with the nervous system. These top 12 foods can prevent brain deterioration, blood pressure, mental disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, and prevents nerve damage.

Spinach: Spinach is a magical vegetable, that has innumerable health benefits.

No matter the disease or health problem, spinach is a power house of nutrients. Besides, the antioxidants present in spinach gives slows down the aging of the brain and nervous system, hence improves cognitive functioning. Cognition simply means mental functioning – concentration, decision making, problem solving abilities, reasoning and learning.

Dark green leafy vegetables: Homocysteines is a chemical responsible for dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease, and break down of arterial walls, when present in high amounts. But dark leafy vegetables break down homocysteines with the help of folate and vitamin B and B6.

Whole grains: Whole grains and brown rice contains vitamin B6 which can break down high levels of homocysteines that is responsible for mental deterioration. Whole grains also contain magnesium that enhances cognitive functioning.

Cocoa: Cocoa is a powerful antioxidant that prevents the brain from oxidative stress that can cause Parkinson’s Disease, atherosclerosis, heart failure, Alzheimer’s Disease and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Nuts: Nuts like almond and walnuts are a great ingredient for maintaining blood vessels. The Omega 3 fatty acids present in walnut also enhance the mind and the antioxidants present in nuts lowers cholesterol.

Garlic: Garlic can prevent aging of the mind and improves the cardio vascular system too. Garlic too contains antioxidants that fight infections.

Olive oil: Olive oil contains antioxidant polyphenols that lowers high blood pressure and reduces cholesterol. This oil is perfect for maintaining the health of the nervous sytem.

Red wine: Red wine is a potent source of antioxidants that improves the brain and clears the cholesterol too. Red wine can increase longevity but drink red wine in moderation to reap the health benefits.

Tea: Tea not only increases metabolism but also spikes your mind and cognitive abilities. Tea contains antioxidant, catechines that enhances blood flow.

Sardines and herrings: Omega 3 fatty acids is the key component in the fish that improves the functioning on the brain and nervous system. These fishes are known to prevent mental disorders and beneficial for heart health.

Blueberries: If you get your hand on blueberries that’s great! It is loaded with antioxidants that fight free radicals. It is the ingredient to enhance your cognitive skills.

Pomegranate juice: Pomegranate is available all year round and we should reap the benefits to keep our minds active. Antioxidants present in pomegranate fights free radicals.
source: UNB Connect


10 tips to manage high BP without pills

Hypertension on the high? Here are top 10 tips to get it down and keep it down.

Seven in 10 adults are at a greater risk of stroke or heart attack because their blood pressure is too high. Desk jobs, lack of exercise and eating salty fast foods have contributed to the problem, even among the young. If your level is consistently at or above 140mmHg/ 90mmHg (referred to as 140 over 90). The 140 figure is the systolic pressure — the pressure reached when the heart forces the blood around the body — and 90 is the diastolic pressure — the lowest pressure that occurs between heartbeats when the heart relaxes.

In India, experts say, the prevalence of hypertension ranges from 20-40 per cent in urban adults and 12-17 per cent among rural adults. But there’s no reason to worry. Simple measures will help to cut your risk.

1. Go for a weekly jog
Jogging for just an hour a week can increase your life expectancy by six years, according to a Copenhagen City Heart cardiovascular study of around 20,000 men and women aged from 20 to 93.

Researchers believe jogging delivers multiple health benefits, improving oxygen uptake and lowering blood pressure, as well as many more benefits. However, any physical activity can help lower blood pressure by strengthening the heart so it can pump more blood with less effort, thereby decreasing the force on the arteries. Power walking can be just as effective as jogging.

2. Enjoy yoghurt
Just one small pot a day can reduce your chances of developing high blood pressure by a third, according to a study presented at the University of Minnesota in the US. Scientists think naturally occurring calcium can make blood vessels more supple, enabling them to expand slightly and keep pressure low.

They found those who ate a 120g pot daily were 31 per cent less likely to develop high blood pressure over a 15-year period than those who did not.

3. Go bananas
Eating potassium-rich foods, such as bananas, and reducing salt intake could save thousands of lives every year, according to a new study published in the British Medical Journal online.
Potassium is an important mineral that controls the balance of fluids in the body and helps to lower blood pressure. Making sure you eat five.

4. Down with salt
Salt draws in fluid, raising the volume and pressure of blood in your arteries. But it’s not just the salt cellar you have to worry about — processed foods such as biscuits, breakfast cereals, takeaways and ready meals contain 80 per cent of the salt we consume, says the Blood Pressure Association. Check labels: more than 1.5g salt per 100g is a lot, but less than 0.3mg per 100g is a little.

5. Lose weight
Research has shown that dropping just a few kilos can have a substantial impact on your blood pressure. Excess weight makes your heart work harder and this strain can lead to high blood pressure.

6. Don’t smoke
The nicotine in cigarettes stimulates your body to produce adrenaline, making your heart beat faster and raises your blood pressure, making your heart work harder.

7. Work less
Regularly putting in 40 hours per week at the office raises your risk of hypertension by 14 per cent, the University of California, US, found.The risk rises with overtime. Compared with those who worked fewer than 40 hours a week, workers who clocked up more than 51 hours were 29 per cent more likely to have high blood pressure. Overtime makes it hard to exercise and eat healthily, say researchers. So try to down tools with enough time to relax in the evening and eat a healthy supper. Set a message on your computer as a reminder to go home.

8. Seek help for snoring
Loud, incessant snoring is a symptom of obstructive sleep apnea. And more than half of those with this have blood pressure significantly higher than expected for their age and general health.

Cutting out cigarettes and alcohol and losing weight will help.

9. Switch to decaf
Duke University Medical Center, North Carolina, US, found caffeine consumption of 500mg, roughly three cups, increased blood pressure by three points. Effects lasted until bedtime.

Scientists say that caffeine can raise blood pressure by tightening blood vessels and magnifying the effects of stress.

10. Think beetroot
A study published in the journal Hypertension found drink ing a 250ml cup of the juice can cut blood pressure readings in those with high blood pressure by around seven per cent. It’s thought the effect is produced by beetroot’s naturally high levels of nitrate. Eating other-rich foods — cab bage and spinach — might also help

Source: Viral news chart


Strict parenting may reduce teen smoking

Parents who set limits are less likely to have kids who smoke, regardless of their ethnic and racial backgrounds, according to a new U.S. study.

Researchers surveyed middle schoolers from diverse backgrounds and found those whose parents had an “authoritative” and “structured” parenting style were also more likely to be discouraged from smoking by their parents and less likely to become smokers.

“Many past studies have examined broad parenting styles, however this study looked at how specific parenting strategies may help protect youth from cigarette smoking initiation,” said Cassandra Stanton, an assistant professor in the oncology department at Georgetown University, who led the study.

“We also note that unlike many studies in the area that are conducted in largely white middle class samples, this study was conducted in an urban multi-ethnic low-income school district,” Stanton told Reuters Health.

It’s important to identify ways of helping parents prevent kids from starting to smoke, Stanton’s team writes in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology, because the majority of lifetime smokers begin before the age of 18.

Although the number of teenage smokers has declined significantly, one in three young adults reports smoking at least once in the past 30 days, according to a 2012 report by the U.S. Surgeon General.

Past research has found links between low discipline, parental disengagement and increased risk of smoking, Stanton’s team notes. Rates of smoking vary among ethnic groups, with white students smoking daily at a rate twice that of African American and Latino students. However, African Americans and Latinos experience significantly higher rates of smoking-related health complications later in life compared with whites.

To delve deeper into which parenting strategies are effective among a diverse set of families, the researchers recruited 459 eighth graders from two low-income inner-city schools in the Northeast. The students averaged 13-years-old, with 29 percent identifying themselves as Hispanic, 34 percent as African American, 17 percent as non-Hispanic white and 20 percent as other/mixed ethnicity.

The students took a comprehensive survey in class with parental consent. The survey asked about the student’s smoking history and whether the student’s parents smoked. It also asked questions about parenting styles, such as discipline and warmth, and whether the student would receive punishments and discussion of the dangers of tobacco if caught smoking.

The researchers then followed up four years later to assess whether students had smoked.

Stanton’s group found that what they called controlling parenting, which was associated with rule enforcement, curfews and set bedtimes, was more likely than a less strict, more understanding parenting style to go hand in hand with so-called anti-tobacco parenting strategies.

Those anti-tobacco strategies include punishing a child if he or she has been caught smoking and discussing with the child the motivations behind smoking and why smoking is so dangerous. Being on the receiving end of such anti-tobacco strategies was in turn linked to a lower likelihood of lifetime smoking for the student.

The association held regardless of race or ethnicity, which the researchers say should be reassuring because other cultural differences don’t seem to alter the effectiveness of this approach.

It is important for parents to take an active role in protecting their children from developing an addiction to tobacco, Stanton said.

“Setting and enforcing clear standards of behavior and actively monitoring and supervising a teen’s activities are important strategies for protecting youth from risky behavior,” she said.

“To protect youth from experimenting with tobacco and ultimately developing an addiction to tobacco, it is important to talk about the risks of tobacco, as well as set and enforce clear rules and consequences that are specific to tobacco.”

Heather Patrick at the Health Behaviors Research Branch of the National Cancer Institute, who was not involved in this study, believes structure and authority in parenting is an important tool in preventing teens from smoking. However, she cautions, “heavy-handed” parenting can often cause stress and strain in the relationship.

Patrick said smoking cessation interventions should be tailored to different groups to be more effective. “It’s helpful for intervention materials to have images that show a diversity of racial and ethnic groups,” she wrote in an email.

It’s also helpful, she said, for anti-smoking messages to provide examples, “like how to deal with cravings, how to be smoke free when all of your friends are smoking, or how to deal with conflict at home, to connect with the kinds of experiences real teen smokers face.”

Source: US web daily


Health benefits of apple juice

We’ve all heard the old adage, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”, but does apple juice hold the same miraculous benefits?

We decided to find out and viola, listed below are the top 6 health benefits offered by apple juice.

 1: Reduces heart risk

Drinking a glass of apple juice helps prevent cholesterol formation in your blood vessels and arteries. This further helps in reducing the risk of developing two major causes of heart diseases-high cholesterol and plaques in the arteries.

2: Improves digestion

A glass of raw apple juice helps to clean the liver and kidneys by removing harmful toxins. Due to its cleansing properties, it helps you achieve a cleaner digestive system and you are better protected against liver and kidney diseases.

3: Helps in weight loss

If you are trying to shed some weight, then add apple juice to your diet. Apple juice is completely free of calories and fat and can lower cholesterol.

4: Provides energy

A glass of apple juice is packed with various essential nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin C, Vitamin E, vitamin K and folate. Due to their richness in all these nutrients, it helps to pack your body with lots of energy.

5. Lowers the risk of dementia

Various studies have showed that drinking apple juice regularly helps lower the risk of dementia in older people. Apple juice also slows down brain aging and helps keep it sharp for a longer time.

6: Improves vision

Apple juice is rich in vitamin A, which helps in improve eye health. Vitamin A helps protect your eyes from eye diseases and keeps your vision sharp.

Source; Times of India