healthy body tips

Black berry fruits are soft and juicy. Black berry is the main source of antioxidants and some additional presence of vitamins just adds to the list of health benefits of black berries. What we find in black berries is water, fats, carbohydrates, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, potassium and copper. This list is almost the nutrition which is required by our body to maintain good health. Apart from the nutritional health benefits of black berries they are used as a weapon to prevent the various types of cancers specially the breast cancer. Black berries are one of the best source of Vitamin A and Vitamin C.

Black Berry Fruits are used as an ingredient in preparing jams, juices, syrups and even wine. Most of the children are fond of the taste for black berries. Black berries also aid the health by increasing the immune system. Not only the black berry fruit has benefits but the leaves of black berries are also used in preparing a healthy tea which when consumed can help people who suffer from infections like sore throat and mouth irritation. Fibrous contents of the blackberries will help in maintaining the digestive health and blood sugar level in control. Vitamin C and the antioxidants can give one a younger look and make our skin glow. Most of the beauty creams have blackberries as content because of above health benefits. Same reason makes them the ingredient of different medicines.

Some other health benefits of black berries are
1) Black berry leaves is used to make the tea which is important to stomach cancer.
2) Black berry is the rich sources of fiber which plays a vital role in weight loss and lowering the cholesterol level.
3) Almost all the prescribed medicines for weakness in the form of syrup has blackberry in some quantity. Blackberries when taken along with diet can recover a sick person quickly because of its highly nutritious nature.

Spirulina is one of the blue green algae and and is considered as a super food. Spirulina has recieved a lot of recommendation from FAO and FDA to be included in daily diet. Spirulina found in single cell form ranges from 0.3 mm to 1 mm. These cell forms capture energy from the sun. The photosynthetic reaction in the watery environment produces minerals, vitamins, proteins, fatty acids and sugars needed by our body.

How we stay away from balanced diet
Human body is made up of almost 60 trillion cells. Our health depend on how healthy these cells are. In order to keep us healthy we require quality water and balanced nutrition. Like water and oxygen are necessary for survival, nutrition is required for maintaining good health. Balanced nutrion is considered to be a blend of acidic and alkaline food.

Balance Nutrition = 80% alkaline + 20% acidic food

However in today's hectic life one is always on a run. This leads a person into getting addicted to fast food which are highly processed and acidic in nature. Continuation of such foods is like inviting a lot of diseases such as stress, chronic indigestion, loss of concentration, rheumatic and arthritic conditions, sometimes irritability as well. Without balanced nutrition the body cannot perform the work of repairing the non functional tissues or producing the new ones and absorption of essential nutrients greatly reduces. The digestive environments become more acidic as a result of unbalanced nutrition leading to health related disorders in future.

What spirulina has to offer for balanced diet
Spirulina is a great source of nutrition and in addition has an exceptional quality to increase the absorption power of the digestive system. This gives a boost to the immune system promoting good health. Spirulina is a 100% alkaline food which adds to the balance nutrition. 5 nutrients which are present in Spirulina are carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals, vitamins. The 4 natural pigments which are present in spirulina are Chlorophyll, Beta Carotene, Phycocyanin and Xanthephyll which has their own health benefits ranging from blood purification to preventing cancer. It is preferred for the anemic patients. Spirulina is a complete food source. 65% of spirulina is proteins and too in an easy to digest form.

Recommendations of Spirulina
In 1974 the Food and Agriculture organization of United Stated announced that spirulina is best food for tommorow. In 1981 Food and drug administration declared spirulina to be the best supplement for nutritional benefits. And finally in 1983 spirulina received the best natural food award in West Germany International food exhibition.

Tip: A teaspoon of spirulina can keep you healthy throughout life. If you want to dig deeper into spirulina benefits please read the below site which is dedicated to spirulina antennaindia.org.

Importance of Fibre

1. A recent study published its finding saying that for ladies it is important to get 5 grams of fibre for every 1,000 calories they consume. You can find how to get those calories here. This can reduce the risk of endometrial cancer in ladies by approximately 20%.
2. Fibre plays a important role in controlling blood sugar level and cholesterol.
3. 25-30 Grams of fibre can avoid strokes.
4. Another study says that 27 grams of fibre can make your lungs more stronger in terms of capacity than people who doesn't consume sufficient amount of fibre.
5. Fibre controls blood pressure.
6. Fibre is very much essentials to keep you regular in term of bowel.

Sources that are rich in fibre

• Wholemeal, granary, softgrain varieties of bread.
• potatoes
• Cereals like weetabix, branflakes, unsweetened muesli, Shreddies and porridge oats
• Wholemeal pasta and brown rice
• Beans, lentils and peas
• Fresh and dried fruits with skin
  
• Vegetables with skin
  
• Nuts and seeds
• Wholemeal flour

Everyone wonders how many calories are they taking in, while having a breakfast, meal or dinner. I too am of the same league and have kept wondering about the calorie count which I might be consuming while having my food. Well, today's post will answer at least some of your questions regarding the consumption of calories through food. I will try to built up a chart of calories in different foods that we consume, so that you guys can refer it when you think like.
I would mostly concentrate on our day to day diet ingredients.

Here we go.

• 1 Mixed Fruit Cup will give you 60 calories.
• 1 Cup of Oatmeal Cereal will give you 240 calories.
• 1 boiled egg is equivalent to 77 calories.
• 1 banana 75 calories.
• 6 almonds 45 calories.
• 1 walnut 20 calories.
• 10 - 20 raisin will provide 60 calories.
• 1 serving of vegetable gives 80 calories.
• 1 serving of vegetable proteins like beans is worthy of 145 calories.
• 1 serving of non veg protein like fish or chicken has 200 calories.
• 1 apple/orange/gauva has 60 calories.
• Orange juice or Apple juice 140 calories.
• 35 gms of granola bar can lend you 140 calories.
• 1 bowl veg soup 110 calories.
• 1 cup salad 150 calories.
• 1 cup gelato 178 calories.
• 1 cup of low fat milk 100-160 calories.
  

Related posts.
Activities that burn calories
Physical activity can reduce calories

We all drink tea but we drink it as if we are addicted? Is it really an addiction or is it healthier for our body? Well there are a lot of advantages or health benefits of drinking black tea. All the following health benefits are inherited from various articles and are based on study of pro advice.

Health Benefits of Black Tea
1) Almost everyone thinks of tea when they first wake up in the morning. This is because black tea has rejuvenating and stimulating effect.
2) Lessens the risk of heart attack.
3) A study showed 20 % increase in cortisol ( Body's stress fighting hormone).

Effects of Milk on Tea:
It is found in India and some other countries that milk is added to the tea. Though milk has it's own health benefits, it spoils or nullifies the health benefits of black tea. The proper way to prepare tea is to boil the tea first and if someone wants milk with it can pour it externally.
However nutritionist's suggest that plain black tea without adding milk to it is good for health.

It has been found that relaxing effect of the black tea was completely vanished when milk was added to it.

Bottom line: Have a black tea without milk.

Related Posts:
Health Benefits of Green Tea
Tea After Meal
Effects of Caffeine

So tea as in my previous post here has its own advantages. Today we will concentrate on Green tea which has its own health benefits. Before we go into health benefits of green tea, let me run you through some of the ill effects of green tea and then we can discuss if they are worth ignoring the positive effects of green tea on health.

Less Amount of Caffeine and Tannin : Tea has a couple of harmful ingredients caffeine which is considered to be a addictive drug and Tannin which is considered as a risk for oesophagal and nasal cancer. Now when it comes to green tea. Green tea actually reduces the quantity of caffeine as well as tannin present in it. In comparison to a normal tea, green tea has 50% less amount of caffeine and tannin. To be specific and statistical, every 150 ml of green tea will have just12 to 60 mg of caffeine and tannin. Green tea helps in bringing down cholesterol levels and maintain desired ratio between good cholesterol and bad cholesterol levels.

Green tea is also a very good source of quercetin which helps body in boosting the immune system and fighting against flu, Alzheimer's, pancreatic cancer and other cardiovascular diseases.

Related Posts:
Tea After a Meal
Effects of Caffeine
Healthy Fruits

What are whole grains?

Whole grains form an important part of healthy diet and may lead to following health benefits

Tip: When you whole grain look for a note on the food package which says "100% Whole Grain

While indeed some of the aptly named "superfoods" like alfalfa sprouts, asparagus, ginger, spirulina, almonds, hazelnuts and many leafy green vegetables have been fairly successfull at making the news and are therefore well known by many observent people, there also happen to be a few other key superfoods which are likewise very important. Some of these may assist in reducing bad cholesterol levels, reducing the possibility for heart disease & stroke, limititing high blood pressure and even improving one's overall mental state. One superfood in particular that you may be glad to hear about is ever-popular chocolate. Made from the cacao bean, it is really chock full of antioxidant power and can even lower blood pressure in some specific instances. It is important that you search for for chocolate that has at least a 60% cocoa content. Broadly speaking, the darker the better. You may have noticed a pattern of the darker colored foods such blueberries being particularly rich in the free radical destroying antioxidants. On top of all that, the darker the chocolate is, the lower the fat and sugar ratio is. Salmon, and especially wild salmon is another superlative superfood which has many amino acids and other nutrients.

But the apsect of salmon that sets it apart from many other nutricious foods is it's fatty acids. Salmon, like some other fish but better than most, is extremely high in the long chain omega-3 fatty acids known as dha and epa. Studies in greenland during the 70's showed that native greenlanders had a remarkably low incidence of various forms of hear disease despite a diet that was quite high in fat. The researchers attributed this low incidence to a diet which was rich in marine oils. Additional, Icelanders were rated as having the longest life span of any people on earth in the latest recorded statistics. Iceland is famous for having a diet that is very high in fish. Another superlative superfood happens to be the modest little red goji berry, from which goji juice is actually made from in general.

Goji juice may actually be the best possible option for getting the most benefit from this unique food item, since it is wholly active with a high concentration of essential polysaccharides, which are basically the "master molecules" your system requires to rejuvenate each day for optimal health. In addition, these particular polysaccharides are only found in goji You can find all the relevant information about goji juice at goji juice and they have a movie on this juice, telling about all the wellness benefits. You don’t need to search for Goji juice in the market, it is online available for you at Goji-planet.com.

Information wrote by primeryder of goji-planet.

I would like to dedicate this post to sources of vitamins. I will keep updating the sources whenever I get to know them. If you know vitamin sources let it be any vitamin, please make an effort to post it in a comment. I will try to research the source and add them to the chart of vitamin sources.

Sources of Vitamin A

1) Brocolli
2) Sweet Potato
3) Dark Green Leafy Vegetables

Sources of Vitamin B1 ( thiamine)

1) Watermelon

Sources of Vitamin B2 ( riboflavin)

1) Kiwi

Sources of Vitamin B3 ( niacin)

1) Banana
2) Watermelon

Sources of Vitamin B5 ( pantothenic acid)

1) Oranges
2) Bananas

Sources of Vitamin B6 ( pryidoxine)

1) Watermelon

Sources of Vitamin B9 ( thiamine)

1) Spinach
2) Corn

Sources of Vitamin B12 ( folic acid)

1) Fish

Sources of Vitamin C

1) Brocolli
2) Oranges
3) Sweet Potato
4) Dark Green Vegetables
5) Grapefruit

Sources of Vitamin D

1) Mushroom

Sources of Vitamin E

1) Bananas
2) Apples
3) Vegetable oils
4) Green vegetables
5) Cereals
6) Wheat germ
7) Whole-grain products and nuts

Sources of Vitamin K

1) Brocolli
2) Dark Green Leafy Vegetables

Let us know if you are aware of the vitamin sources not mentioned above by placing a comment here.

The taste of fruits and vegetables from the nature seems to be overshadowed in the glamorous setting of the food centers these days. Our body desperately needs vitamins and minerals along with enzymes to keep fit. Herbal juices have no alternative to level the reducing enzymes with the age. Herbal juice is the best healthy drink.

The place where I go jogging was distributing a brochure, which had importance of different types of herbal juices. I will present it without any changes to the brochure.

1) Herbal Neem Juice : Effective in diabetes, skin diseases, purifies blood and reduces heat and pimples.
2) Herbal Bitter Gourd Juice : Its amazing quality reduces the blood sugar level. The bitter juice is very effective with lemonade in curing many ailments such as whitening of hair, jaundice, increased fat, skin diseases, urinal diseases and many other. Regular consumption of this juice cures leucoderma and psoriasis.
3) Herbal Basil And Menthol Juice : Improves digestion, nervous system and helps in improving conditions in case of fever, cough, asthma, colitis, kidney functions, cholesterol levels, improves memory and effective in skin diseases.
4) Herbal Lemon Juice : Herbal lemon juice is effective in digestion, cold, cough, heart diseases, stomach diseases, swelling, urinal ailments, jaundice, piles, asthma, dropsy, etc.
5) Herbal Ginger Juice : Functions similar to lemon juice.
6) Herbal Amla Juice : Improves hair quality, eyesight, healthy, improves blood, effective against oral diseases, anaemia, arthritis, gum problems, recurring cold, cough, tonsils, urinal diseases, infertility, blood problems, jaundice, asthma, T.B., memory problems, old age problems, etc.
7) Herbal Kokam Juice : Effective for acidity, high quality thirst quencher, good for heart, effective in heat and cures diarrhea.
8) Herbal Carrot Juice : Beta Carotene's treasure, improves resistance power. Improves eye health, controls the oral and lungs cancer. Kids should consume this juice as it has iron and calcium.
9 ) Herbal Beetroot Juice : Enriched food, improves and calms blood, good appetizer by improving digestion. It increases power and enthusiasm.
10) Herbal Jamun Juice : Effective for burns, acidity and improves urinal flow, level diseases, diabetes, anaemia, spleen problems, burns in arethra, etc.
11) Herbal Bel Leaf Juice : Effective in urine stone, arthritis, joint pains and for diabetes upto some extent.
12) Herbal Gourd Juice : Best for heart, blood circulation and cholesterol control.

If you know of any other juice, it's benefits do post a comment on it.

Related posts :
Beetroot Juice Benefits.
Minerals required by the body.

Minerals are not produced by body so we have to take them externally in form of food. If you don't know minerals form 4% of the body mass. Since women loosed much more minerals than men, women requires a larger intake of minerals.


Here is a list of some important minerals the body needs and there functions,
1) Calcium : Body needs the calcium mineral for proper development of bones and teeth, nerve functioning, blood clotting and muscle contraction.
2) Magnesium : Instead of writing down where magnesium is used by body, I would just mention, it is required by almost every process that our body performs.
3) Phosphorus : Phosphorus is one of the mineral needs of the body as it constitutes to the bones, teeth, formation of enzyme which is used in energy conversion reaction. It also maintains a balance of the acids in the body.
4) Zinc : Zinc is vital mineral for strong immune system.
5) Chromium : Chromium is used by body to maintain a balance of sugar in human blood and thus is used to treat a diabetic patient.
6) Cobalt : Cobalt is required for maintaining the number of RBC's in body and to build a healthy nervous system.
7) Copper : RBC's production, maintaining healthy skin, cartilage and bones, promotion of skin color, hair color, maintain cholesterol levels and utilizes the vitamin C are some of the functions of copper.
8) Iodine : Iodine is required by body to prevent Goiter (swelling under the neck [my mother has it but it is under control and the swelling has decrease gradually in years from medications]).
9) Iron : Iron helps in transportation of oxygen through out the body.
10) Manganese : Helps in normal functioning of brain.
Some other minerals required by the body are Molybdenum, Selenium, Vanadium and Boron.

If you want to read each of the element in detail, there is a great site dedicated to minerals and deficiency.

Related Posts:
Tuna fish, a rich source of selenium

After reading the article in a newspaper I decided to test the beetroot juice for the first time. (There are stalls of all types of juices where I go for jogging). So I ordered one and it was so truly mentioned in the article that beetroot juice is oily and somewhat hard to digest. But hey hold on, thats not the only thing. Let me jot down some of the benefits of beetroot juice.

Benefits Of Beetroot Juice
1) Controls Bile : Google defines bile to be a digestive juice, which is secreted by the liver and is stored in gall bladder and aids in digestion of fat.
2) It also aids in absorption of iron : Iron is required for oxidation - reduction reaction and oxygen transport in the body.
3) Provides betaine : Betaine is required by body to clean the intestine and stomach.
4) It is believed to be a powerful recovery agent in case of malignancy ( cancers) .
5) Beetroot juice is also effective in overall recovery process after being sick or injured to get normal again.
6) Reddens and vitalizes the body and improves the quality of blood.

Every fruit has its own role in healthy living. Certain fruits can give you required vitamins, while some can give you required enzymes. There is a lot, which I will posting subsequently in future. For today lets concentrate on what a pineapple can do?

Pineapple! Yes you heard it right. Pineapple though my favourite fruit, I never knew what positive effect it had on one's health. Fresh Pineapple is a good source of Bromelain, a enzyme which helps in digestion and acts as an anti-inflammatory agent. Bromelain is used in many experiments on cancer people to reduce the inflammation of cells and has proved to be a good agent at doing it's job in reducing swelling and inflammation. As a fact, pineapple will help reduce inflammatory conditions like acute sinusitis, arthritis. gout and sour throat.

When should one consume Pineapple? Pineapple consumption best effects when taken between two meals. The fact behind it is, the bromelain enzyme may only be used for digestive purpose than reducing the inflammatory condition if we consume it at meals. Also another fact is heat deactives the enzyme in pineapple. So canned pineapple or pineapple juice are not good sources of the enzyme. One should always try and consume fresh pineapple.

Proteins are the most necessary ingredient of diet and especially required when one is having his breakfast. Therefore a morning dose of skimmed or low-fat milk or yoghurt will give your breakfast a protein boost. A boiled egg, the egg white especially can do wonders to the protein level in body. A lot of people also feel that yoghurt is one of the satisfying snack option which also helps you to manage weight.

Fibre is another important diet entity. Fibre plays a pivotal role in slowing down the rate at which food travel through the digestive system, which helps one from being hungry for a long time. Fibre take up space in your belly but doesn't add too much calories to it. So if you are looking for fibre start your day with bowl of oatmeal, if not you can have whole grain cereal topped with fruit.

So your breakfast must constitute atleast of Milk, Yoghurt, Oatmeal, Whole Grain Cereal, a Fruit and you can consider yourself to be having a healthy breakfast food. I hope this post helps all the bed breakfast lovers to eat healthy.