Month: January 2015

Top 10 reasons to eat radish or mooli

Radishes, popularly known as mooli in India, might not top the list of your favourite vegetables but when it comes to nutrition and health benefits they definitely secure a top rank among all other vegetables. Eat them raw or add them to your healthy vegetable recipe, these nutrition-loaded root vegetables have numerous benefits to offer. Here are top 10 benefits you’ll be surprised to know.

1# Lowers cancer risk: Radish contains phytochemicals and anthocyanins that have anti-carcinogenic properties. Additionally, they have vitamin C that acts as a powerful antioxidant to prevent free radical damage to the DNA inside the cells, thus helping cancer prevention. A study published by Plants Foods for Human Nutrition offers strong evidence that radish root extract induces cell death by triggering the apoptotic pathways due to the presence of several isothiocyanates (ITCs).

2# Regulates blood pressure: Radish has anti-hypertensive properties that help regulate control high blood pressure. Radish is rich in potassium that helps maintain the sodium-potassium balance in the body, keeping blood pressure under control. A study published in Nutrition Research and Practice found that radish leaves’ lowered blood pressure extract participants having hypertension from 214 mmHg to 166 mmHg and was significantly lower than that of the normotensive and hypertensive controls.

3# Good for diabetics: Insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas is responsible in the absorption of glucose. Diabetics are either unable to absorb the insulin their body produces or unable to produce insulin at all. Because of this, they cannot eat sugary or starchy foods. High in fibre, and with a low glycemic index, diabetics can enjoy radish as it doesn’t cause blood sugar levels to rise.

4# Beats cold and cough: If you’re prone to constant cough and cold, it might be a good idea to include radish in your diet. The vegetable has anti-congestive properties which helps in clearing the mucus formed in your throat. Additionally, radish also improves your immunity which keeps infections that lead to cold and cough at bay! Here are 7 things you should avoid while suffering from cough.

5# Helps you recover from jaundice: Radish is powerful when it comes to eliminating toxins. This helps keep your liver and stomach in mint condition. What makes radish effective in controlling jaundice is that it helps regulate the amount of bilirubin in the blood and increases the oxygen supply within the body. This helps keep a check on the destruction of red blood cells caused by jaundice.

6# Fights constipation: Most people will have battled constipation in their life and it is definitely not a pleasant condition to be in. Radish has a high fibre content which helps clear the food stuck in your colon. Additionally, it helps facilitate the secretion of digestive juices and bile which again is good for your digestive system. Also try these home remedies to relieve constipation.

7# Helps with weight loss: Radish is extremely low in calories, and the fibre content in it promotes satiety. A single 100g serving of raw radish contains just 16 calories, radish can be a part of any weight loss diet.

8# Good for asthma patients: Radish has anti congestive properties that make them extremely beneficial for asthmatic patients. It also fights allergies of the respiratory system and protects the respiratory linings against infections.

9# Keeps you looking younger: Containing vitamin C and antioxidants, radish can be eaten to prevent your skin from free-radical damage. You can even apply crushed, raw radish on your skin as it has cleansing properties.

10# Keeps the kidneys healthy: The natural diurectic property of radishes makes them extremely good for improving kidney health. They help elimination of toxins from the body, acting as a natural cleanser.

All these properties make radish a must-buy next time you go grocery shopping.

Woman Gives Birth An Hour After Learning She’s Pregnant

Katherine Kropas had no idea she was pregnant with a 10-pound baby until an hour before she gave birth.

Kropas, 23, started her day off Tuesday with intense back pain, but at first, doctors couldn’t find anything wrong with her. Then, they did an ultrasound.

“They took one look, and they rushed me off into labor,” she told ABC’s Boston station WCVB. “I found out that I was having a baby at 10:15. She was born at 11:06 p.m.”

She gave birth to a baby girl, Ellie, who weighed 10 pounds and 2 ounces. Kropas told WCVB she felt that she’d put on some weight, but figured maybe it was just typical holiday weight gain.

Ellie’s grandmother, Karen Kropas, told WCVB she’s heard of this happening, but never thought she would see it firsthand.

“You laugh and you say that’s ridiculous,” she told the station. “And then it happens to you, and you’re like, ‘This really does happen.'”

South Shore Hospital in Massachusetts told WCVB that it happens about once or twice a year there. In a Berlin study of 29,462 births published in the British Medical Journal in 2002, researchers determined that a one in 475 women did not realize they were pregnant until about 20 weeks gestation and one in 2,455 didn’t realize it until they went into labor.

Dr. Jennifer Ashton, a senior medical contributor for ABC News and practicing OB/GYN, said she’s seen cases like Kropas’s in her career.

“It tends to happen in women who are overweight or obese to start, may have irregular periods and are less aware of their bodies,” Ashton said. “For most women who have been pregnant, they are aware of multiple physical signs and symptoms, and those signs and symptoms are not subtle.”

She said though this case is incredible, it’s far from desirable.

“It represents a missed opportunity for prenatal care for the baby, which is definitely not ideal,” she said.

Source: abc news

Greater whole grains intake linked with lower mortality

A new research has demonstrated that eating more whole grains seems to be linked with reduced mortality, especially deaths due to cardiovascular disease (CVD), but not cancer deaths.

Hongyu Wu, Ph.D., of the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, and coauthors examined the association between eating whole grains and the risk of death using data from two large studies: 74,341 women from the Nurses’ Health Study (1984-2010) and 43,744 men from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (1986-2010). All the participants were free of cancer and CVD when the studies began.

The authors documented 26,920 deaths. After the data were adjusted for potential confounding factors including age, smoking and body mass index, the study found that eating more whole grains was associated with lower total mortality and lower CVD mortality but not cancer deaths. The authors further estimated that every serving (28 grams/per day) of whole grains was associated with 5 percent lower total mortality or 9 percent lower CVD mortality.

The study concluded that these findings further support current dietary guidelines that recommend increasing whole grain consumption to facilitate primary and secondary prevention of chronic disease and also provide promising evidence that suggests a diet enriched with whole grains may confer benefits toward extended life expectancy.

The study is published online by JAMA Internal Medicine.

Source: zee news

Natural Beauty Tip — Fade stretch marks away with egg white

Stretch marks are those whitish-bluish lines on our skin which often are a result of sudden growth, weight loss or stretching of the skin. Most people have stretch marks on their body, especially around the buttocks, arms and thigh area. After pregnancy, many women also have these marks around their belly region. Though you cannot completely do away with stretch marks, one way to lighten them is by applying egg white.

Egg white helps in fading away those ugly lines as it is rich in protein. Our skin too is made up of protein and when nourished with it, it goes back to its healthy state. Here’s how to use it.

  • Steps:
    Get the white of two eggs (you can take more depending on the areas you wish to apply it on).
    Whip them properly to get a thick paste.
    Now apply it on the stretch marks, make sure it is a thick layer.
    Leave it to dry.
    Later, wash the area with lukewarm water.
    You need to keep the area well-moisturised, so apply olive oil or a good moisturiser.
    Use this paste once a week to see visible results.

Remember, your skin takes time to heal, so do not discontinue it after a week or two. You will start seeing results within a month for sure. If you are not too fond of using egg whites, here are some more home remedies to fade them away. You may also like to read a few myths about stretch marks and these cosmetic options to treat them.

Source: The health site

Winter hair care: Natural oils and remedies to reduce hairfall problem

Do you often face one of those mornings where your bathe drain is blocked because of all the hair you’re shedding? It is true that losing hair is really heart breaking and the sight of seeing yourself going bald during your heydays is really a nightmare.

Hair fall is a common problem that people face these days. Now, hair loss can be due to various reasons. Our hectic schedules do not spare us ample time to maintain a beauty regime. Further, our unhealthy lifestyle and bad food habits add to the problem. Don’t worry much as we bring to you some herbal oils that you can use daily and weekly to reduce hair fall.

Olive oil: Rubbing hot olive oil into your scalp for at least one or two hours can help retain the moisture of your tresses as this will replenish hair roots and provide them intense nourishment

Almond oil: Almond oil is an essential source of vitamins D and E and acts as a natural moisturizer for your hair by preventing them from turning dry, dull and frizzy. Massaging your hair a night before hair wash can actually leave you with healthy, thick and strong hair.

Coconut oil: One can directly apply coconut oil to the roots of your hair by using your fingertips. It actually helps in repairing damaged hair and split ends. Applying warm coconut oil into scalp can effectively improve blood circulation and deliver essential oxygen to your hair.

Castor oil: Castor oil is the answer for almost all of your hair queries. Applying castor oil regularly into your scalp boosts blood circulation and provides necessary oxygen, thereby leading to hair growth. Also, it is a rich source of vitamin E and omega-6 fatty acids that help retain hair moisture and prevent split ends and breakage.

Rosemary with coconut oil: Rosemary can stimulate hair growth. Rosemary herb extractions, when mixed with coconut oil and applied over the scalp, are known to stimulate hair-bulbs and help prevent premature baldness.

Aloe vera gel with coconut oil: Aloe vera contains antibacterial and antifungal properties which help a lot in keeping a check on dandruff. Mix some aloe vera gel in coconut oil and apply it into your scalp for around 30 minutes and later wash it off. It helps in blood circulation and also fights against alopecia.

Amla with coconut oil: Amla works as a hair tonic and is an essential ingredient for hair care. Applying a paste of amla powder mixed with some coconut oil does not just help in strengthening roots of hair but also enrich hair growth. It also prevents dandruff and premature greying of hair.

So, go on, make the most of these tips and banish dry hair and hairfall troubles during winters.

Source: zee news

19-year-old girl wakes up during brain surgery, asks doctors ‘How’s it going?’

A teenage girl in Poland woke up during brain surgery and asked her doctors how the operation was going.

Iga Jasica, 19, had been undergoing the procedure to have a cancerous growth removed from her brain. Doctors say she woke up halfway through the surgery when the anesthetic wore off. Her brain was exposed, but surgeons say the southwest Polish girl’s health was not in jeopardy.

“Despite coming round, she didn’t feel anything and was never in danger,” neurosurgeon Dawid Larysz told The Daily Mirror. He added that Jasica wouldn’t have been able to see or feel anything. Jasica doesn’t remember waking up during the surgery.

Doctors are investigating whether the anesthetic may have been improperly administered. Other experts told The Daily Mirror that the operation itself could have triggered her waking up despite the anesthetic.

While chatting with doctors during the procedure, Jasica reportedly brought up cats. After the surgery, she reflected on the experience The Daily Mirror reported

“I missed Christmas because of this operation, but it is the best present I could have had, as I am now feeling great,” Jasica told The Daily Mirror when the procedure was complete.

Source: fox news

Weight Loss Tip – Get sufficient sleep to lose weight

If you want to lose weight, get enough sleep. Sleep is crucial for weight loss as it allows you to perform physical activities properly and improves metabolism. Sleep also significantly affects the hormones of your body that influence your appetite. When you do not get enough sleep, the
hormone, ghrehlin, can enhance your appetite leading to weight gain. It has also been observed that sleep-deprived people crave for sugary and junk foods and even experience tiredness, dizziness and lack of concentration.

Further, people who work for late night shifts or have irregular sleep patterns have been found more prone to obesity and diabetes. You can follow this weight loss diet by expert dietician.

Sleep for at least 7-8 hours in a day is a must as a proper sleep will make you feel energetic and put a check on cravings for high-calorie food, hence preventing you from being a victim of obesity. Avoid eating anything before going to bed as it may interfere with your sleep. Also avoid watching the television before sleep as you may face difficulty in getting sleeping.  Combining sleep with thirty minutes of exercise and a balanced diet can set you on the path of better health and slimmer waistline.

Source: the health site