Health Bytes
Being alone or being surrounded with friends largely affects your reasoning skills. A new study has revealed that when people are surrounded by friends have wise reasoning skills as compared to people who stay alone. A team conducted a study recording reflections of participants in everyday challenges. They observed differences in wise reasoning in both the contexts, social and non-social. Hence, to improve your mind’s ability to reason, engage more with people.
Obesity is higher in areas where artificial lights blaze all night compared to places which are in darkness after sunset which is healthy. Artificial lights contribute to overweight in men as well as women as much as eating junk food, says a study. Lights during bedtime might contribute to obesity by suppressing the melatonin production which regulates sleep cycles. They also lead to social jet lag or disruption of body’s natural rhythms where people wake up at odd times during night.
It is a known fact that insufficient sleep hampers with the ability of your brain to perform several important functions. People who do not get enough sleep are at an increased risk of developing high blood pressure, diabetes, heart diseases etc. There is a natural and easy trick to put an end to turning and tossing on the bed. It requires you to consume a mixture of coconut oil, honey and sea salt which can effectively relax your mind and body. Go ahead, give it a try tonight!
Every year several health issues are observed during this festival mostly because of improper diet and lifestyle. Hence, here are some tips to keep this festival a healthy one. Avoid overeating even if you have hunger pangs. Choose your food slowly to avoid indigestion. Have low-calorie items first which will keep you full. Drink abundant water Drink fresh and natural juices with no additives. Opt for low-fat dairy products and lean meats. Walk regularly or exercise Divide your meals into regular intervals.
Fasting during Ramadan can be beneficial to one’s health but only if it is done in the right manner otherwise it may backfire. The very first thing to keep in mind is that you must only eat food items that are prepared in a healthy manner using fresh ingredients. Some tips for Ramadan diet include: Start your meal with dates, always stay hydrated and avoid thirst, break your fast slowly, your iftar must contain a source of grains, fruits, veggies, proteins etc, avoid salty and sugary foods, divide your meals and do regular exercise.
Memory plays a key role in cognitive functions of the brain which includes learning, recognition, skill development, conscience etc. Weak memory results in the lack of brain development functions. A brain needs enough nutrient supply to enhance memory power and the best natural way to do it is this homemade drink. A mixture of 3 tablespoons of fresh tomato juice, 3 tablespoons of spinach juice and 1 tablespoon of olive oil should be consumed regularly to enhance memory.
Vegetables have low caloric value and high nutritional value including vitamins and minerals. Besides, they have high fiber content and are low in carbs. This makes them perfect for low-carb diets. The best vegetables to include in the low-carb diet are bell peppers, broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, zucchini, spinach, avocados, cauliflower, green beans, lettuce, garlic, kale, cucumbers, brussels sprouts, celery, tomatoes, radish, onions, eggplant, cabbage, and artichokes.
A new research suggests that smoking leads to increase in the formation of bacteria in the mouth so much so that they fight against your immune system and make you vulnerable to oral diseases. This bacteria can form biofilms on surfaces of teeth, valves of the heart and respiratory tract. Dental plaque is the most prevalent biofilms which lead to gingivitis and other severe oral diseases.
The potential damage to your hearing is not only caused by a loud burst of noises which are there for short time. Innocuous seeming sounds such as the constant humming of refrigerators, air conditioners or of a loud window can cause cumulative damage. Working in noisy place can also hamper your hearing sense. To avoid this make sure your ears are clear. Besides, use headphones carefully and not at maximum volume.
A study has recently suggested that having a standing desk at your workplace can give you a relief from body discomfort and increase your overall productivity by 50%. It was found that people who work in both the postures, sitting and standing, tend to be active throughout the day and show better performance. People who sit in front of the desktop all day become easily tired and lazy as compared to former ones.
In India, Cayenne Pepper is widely used as a spice to turn a regular dish into a hot and spicy one. It has several names and is available in fresh, canned, powdered or dried form. Some ancestors claim that it aids well in digestion and weight loss. If it is consumed with lemon juice and warm water in the morning, it helps in detoxification. It has antifungal and antibacterial properties. It helps prevent cancer and protects the heart.
Men should wash their face at least twice a day with face wash or products with natural ingredients to fight the pimples. This helps to remove the dust particles and energizes their skin. If shaving is done on a daily or a regular basis, a good quality electric shaver or razor should be used. Before shaving, apply warm soapy water on the skin to soften it. Moreover, experts say that men should keep themselves hydrated and should not touch the pimples.
Whether the fats are good or bad for your health also depends on how you like to have it. For example, sweets, desserts, and other processed foods are all unhealthy sources of fats while eggs, avocados, and dairy products are healthy sources of fats. Besides, ratios, quality and type of fat all make a difference here. Fats should always be consumed from natural sources. Butter, processed meat, olive oil, ghee, yoghurt, red meat, eggs, milk etc should be consumed on a regular basis for healthy fats.
Now a variety of cooking oils have been suggested by the nutritionists and health experts but when it comes to deep frying, experts still seem to vouch for the efficacy of traditional cooking oils even though many urban households switched to olive or sunflower oil. Hence, people who have given up on ghee completely might just want to think about it again. Refined oils should not be used for frying as they degrade easily whereas oils which are in saturated fats such as ghee or coconut oil are stable during frying.
Bread was one of the very common items dieticians asked to avoid long before the CSE report came up. Centre for Science and Environment conducted tests indicating that pre-packaged bread in India may have chemicals causing cancer. Various reports have shown that more than 80% of the branded bread tested positive for two ingredients which are banned abroad but permitted in India. These studies included samples of pizza bases, packs of Britannia and Harvest Gold and fast food chains such as KFc and MacD.
Dogs have an acute sense of smell and scientists have claimed that they may be able to sniff out malaria and save several lives through noninvasive and quick detection. It is a hope that such animals may be helpful in detecting odours which are associated with conditions that are too subtle to be identified by human smell. Previously, several kinds of research have suggested that dogs can be very accurate in detection of cancer in humans.
The liver is one of the vital organs of the body which performs several important functions. If toxins are build-up in the liver, it makes it difficult to perform those functions. People often start experiencing abdominal pain or bloating, heartburn, difficulty in the digestion of fatty food etc which means that there is a need to cleanse the liver. Foods like Beets, Grapefruit, Leafy Green Vegetables, Apples, Carrots, Tomatoes, Garlic, Cabbage, Avocado, Brussel Sprouts etc. are rich sources of essential compounds that help in the elimination of toxins and cleansing the liver.
Biomass fuels refers to the wood and dung cakes which many women use for cooking. A recent study has found that women who still use these fuels over cleaner fuels such as LPG have higher chances of developing a cataract. This relation was not found in men probably because cooking is majorly done by women in India. Moreover, this correlation was only with nuclear cataract. Nuclear cataract is the most common cataract in which the central part of the eye lens is affected first.
A lot of us would by now be aware of the acidifying effect coffee has in our system. This has created a desire among the people to look for a healthier variety of coffee or changing their methods of consumption. Coffee is a rich source of antioxidants, however, some harmful chemicals are produced by naturally occurring fungi that grow on the beans. To maintain your health, what you can do is upgrade your beans, make your own milk and add some immune-booster elements in the coffee.