Sunday, June 16, 2013

The Man Friday of Rains!

Everything about the rains is just so beautiful! The cool weather after the scorching heat, the wind in your hair, the little drops of water trickling down on the cheeks, the trees swaying in happiness, little kids hoping in the puddle, young couples entrenched in the moment of love..everything about the rains makes you fall in love with it. The last thing you ever want to happen is to fall sick and miss all of it, and unfortunately this is the first thing that happens to most of us :) 

What we forget is that while rains bring a lot of relief from the heat, it also makes our body highly susceptible to infections.This is majorly because the air around us becomes moist and humid, which makes the environment very conducive for infectious germs and micro organisms to breed multiply and spread around. The best way to prevent getting bed ridden is to build your immunity and let your body's defense mechanism take care of you.

Ascorbic Acid Or Vitamin C is the easiest way to make sure that your Body is well guarded and Immune to most of these common infections and illnesses. Its the Man Friday of Monsoons! Vitamin C being an anti oxidant, also helps in preventing carcinogenic cells to multiply hence reducing the risk on cancer in your body. And since we are talking about anti oxidants, say hello to a young and beautiful skin too!;)

Recent studies show that a dose of 500 mg per day is required to take care of an adult body requirement. This is way higher than the RDA prescribed 75-90 mg / day. So unless you are having enough portions of raw fruits and vegetables in your diet, It is recommended that you take supplements of Vitamin C. Also, being a water Soluble nutrient, it can very safely be consumed even in a little excess as any additional amount will get passed out from your body in the form of urine. So don't worry, it is the safest nutritional supplement :)

Some quick tips to pump up vitamin C in your diet-
  •  Include a lot of Fruits and vegies in your diet, specially raw. But make sure you clean them well before eating coz hello, its the season of germs. 
  • Include- Indian Gooseberry(amla), Lemon ( you can use the juice to sprinkle over food preparations), orange, bell peppers, Guava, Kiwi, Cabbage family, Papaya and Strawberries.
  • Do not re- heat, over heat and over cook food. This leads to lot of wastage of essential vitamins, especially water soluble vitamins.
  • Do not throw away the water after boiling vegetables. Use the water in the preparations or use it in soups.
  • Try to keep the length of the vegetables in salads as long as possible. Chopping the veggies finely make them loose their vitamins more easily. Also cut them just before you are about to eat them
  • you can opt for Vitamin C supplements if you think you are not doing justice to your dietary consumption.
So stack up on that Vitamin C this monsoon and don't let your sneeze ruin a romantic moment :) Stay healthy, stay happy!

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Drinking is always good!

Now that the tittle got your attention, let me tell you, it's drinking water that we are talking about. Celebrities seem to be carrying a bottle of water everywhere they go. In fact it has become the second most popular drink (after soft drinks). There is an increasing buzz about the benefits of having oodles of water and how it is 'the' solution to all the health problems. While a recent study shows that benefits of water may have been over sold, the hype is still well deserved, and we tell you just how-
  • Helps maintain the water fluids in the body:  75% of the Human Body is composed of water. The functions of these bodily fluids include digestion, absorption, circulation, creation of saliva, transportation of nutrients, and maintenance of body temperature. Every important function in the body needs water. This explains why, your body can stay without food for days together but it cannot survive for more than 3 days without consuming water.
  • Water helps loose fat: If you are on your mission to loose weight, you might want to keep your water intake high. The simple reason is that water plays a very important role in metabolism of fat in the body. So don't forget to sip on water while you sweat it out in the battle of the bulge.
  • Your skin will thank you:Your skin contains plenty of water, and functions as a protective barrier to prevent excess fluid loss.Dehydration makes your skin look more dry and wrinkled, which can be improved with proper hydration. water helps to dilute and flush out toxins out of your systems, thereby minimizing the chances of zits and acne.
  • Helps Your Kidneys:Body fluids transport waste products in and out of cells. The main toxin in the body is blood urea nitrogen, a water-soluble waste that is able to pass through the kidneys to be excreted in the urine. Your kidneys do an amazing job of cleansing and ridding your body of toxins as long as your intake of fluids is adequate.
  • Alcoholics take a note: While 'alcoholics' might be a strong word, the tip goes out to everyone who drinks, even in moderation. Alcohol tends to dehydrate the body, and it is this dehydration that also leads to a more concentrated blood alcohol level thereby causing hangover the next day. So if you want to enjoy your drinks and still be sane the next day, keep sipping water in between your drinks.[might cause you to visit the washroom often, but trust me, its worth it ;) ]
It might not be a magic bullet that cures you instantly, but it is surely your long term companion which will never fail your body if you give your due time and attention  :)





Saturday, March 2, 2013

Want To Keep Your Skin Healthy? The Answer Might Be In Your Fridge!

Do you hate your skin during winter? That stretchy, itchy, dry feel, when even smiling seems like a trouble? If you are done trying all the expensive creams and oils, you might as well check your fridge! Science has it that  certain food stuff when consumed in right proportion can make your skin soft supple and moist even in the rough winters; and yes Nature agrees to it! We make it simpler for you. Here is a bunch of power punch nutrients to eat that can make your journey through winter smooth and supple:)
  • Vitamin E:  Vitamin E is a very powerful antioxidant which means it can scavenge away free radicals that harm your skin via the process of oxidation. These free radical also damage collagen thereby causing skin dryness, fine lines and wrinkles. Also Vitamin E helps protect the lipids (read oil for keeping skin Supple) from breaking down thereby maintains skin oil quotient and glow. Good sources are: Nuts like Avocado, watnut, hazelnut, peanuts. Oilseeds like sesame, flax seeds. Vegetable oil.
  • Vitamin CIt's been centuries since British sailors discovered the key to avoiding scurvy: vitamin C. You probably grew up being told that getting enough vitamin C would ward off colds and other ailments, but now the word is out that vitamin C also plays a big part in maintaining the health of your skin too.  That's because vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is key to the production of collagen, a protein that aids in the growth of cells and blood vessels and gives skin its firmness and strength. Guava and Amla (Indian Gooseberry) are one of the excellent sources of Vitamin C. Bell Peppers, dark green leafy vegetables, Citrus fruits like oranges and sweet lime, Kiwi, Strawberry are amongst others.
  • Omega 3 Fatty Acid: another Amazing thing to consume in abundance during winter. Omega 3 fatty acid has become the Tom Cruise of the food kingdom in the past few years. The popularity is well deserved as well. Omega 3 fatty acid is a very important nutrient when it comes to skin (apart from being great for the heart) It is essentially a good oil that will keep your skin healthy, moist and supple. Fishes like tuna, macarel, and sardine are excellent source of Omega3 fatty Acid.  Flax seeds, walnuts, soybeans, tofu are good vegetarian choices for this.
  • Water Water Water: There is no other great thing as water. No matter how much ever healthy food you eat or creams that you apply, you will not see a great change in the health of your skin if you do not consume water in sufficient. This is specially more important in winters to keep a check on your water intake because we tend to not feel so thirsty in this season as there is no sweating and the weather is cold, hence we end up postponing that glass of milk. One must consume atleast 3 litres of water everyday ( value for a sedentary adult). Water makes your skin moist and also helps in flushing out impure toxins out of your systems thereby giving you a healthy glow and radiant skin in winters.

A word of caution since most of vitamin E and omega 3 fatty acid rich food stuffs are usually also high in fats, you can opt for supplements of vitamin E and omega 3 fatty acids. this way if you are tryng to loose weight, the dietary intake will not affect your weight loss goals. But yes do try to go as Natural as you can :)