Olive can do wonders to your diet

Whether you prefer them green or black, olives are a healthy fruit to add to your meals. For the Greeks, they represent nobility and peace but more than that they know the wonders it does for your health.

Olive oil helps keep cholesterol levels in check and controls the blood sugar. It is one of the easiest to digest as it is monounsaturated. Drizzle some on top of a vegetable salad or dip a slice of whole-grain bread in some and eat as a snack.

Olive oil can also be added to spicy dishes and acidic food items. Try adding them when making sauces and dressings. Make a mix of olive oil with onions, herbs (oregano, thyme etc) and garlic for pasta sauces. Use olive oil to marinate your meat dishes as this allows better penetration ofthe flavour into the food. For sauteing or frying, it's best to use a combination of extra virgin and regular olive oil. Add flavour to olive oil by infusing the oil with sprigs of dried herbs. It's best stored in a dark cool spot and in a tightly covered container. Keeping olive oil in the refrigerator, can make it turn thick.

Table olives can eaten in the pickled form or stuffed with pimentos or even just plain. While they can be used in anything from baked dishes to martinis, they also make a healthy snack eaten on their own.

Healthy snacks in a jiffy

Eating out, eating junk, eating at odd hours and skipping meals due to lack of time are the major reasons for posing health risks amongst people today. And let's face it, working people do not have the luxury of time to spend hours in the kitchen to prepare a proper meal for themselves.

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So what are you hardworking people who are constantly on the move supposed to do? We tell you how you both women and men too, can prepare simple nutritious snacks that one can prepare in jiffy and most importantly they are very healthy.

Smoothies
Fruit smoothies are not only healthy and delicious but are quite filling and are a good alternative to having a snack. Just toss some fruits like apples, bananas, chikoo, strawberries, etc. in your blender. Add some milk. You need to just a little bit of sugar because fruits are already sweet. But if you must, its better to add some honey and give the ingredients of your smoothie a quick spin. Having smoothies will provide you fibre, vitamins, minerals that are important for the optimum functioning of the body. Also, drinking a fruit smoothie will give you a boost of energy.

Corn Salad
Corn is available all throughout the year, at grocery stores. Corn is fun to eat because it tastes sweet and its texture is crunchy. It is a good source of vitamin B especially thiamine and niacin. Yellow corn is a good source of beta carotene, which generates vitamin A in the body. In a bowl, add a handful of corn nibblets, add some chopped olives, tomatoes, capsicum and a little onion. Add the juice of half a lime, a pinch of sugar and salt. Toss the salad well. You can also add a drizzle of olive oil or some french vinaigrette dressing.

Baked beans sandwich
This is one of the easiest sandwiches to prepare. Toast two slices of whole wheat or multi-grain bread. Scoop out some spoonfuls of baked beans from the canned variety that is very easily available in the market. Spread it over your toast and voila! You are ready to eat it. Beans are an excellent source of protein and whole wheat bread provides healthy carbohydrates and fibre that will satisfy your hunger for hours. Also, baked beans contain tomatoes that contain lycopene, and anti-oxidant which help in fighting against cancerous cell formation in the body.

Fruit and yogurt
Roughly chop up some fruits, remember the more the merrier. However, if you have only one variety of fruit available in your kitchen, don't fret as this recipe will still taste yummy nonetheless. In a bowl, mix a cup of yogurt with a little bit of honey. Add your chopped fruits and mix well. Sprinkle a handful of dried fruits like almonds, cashews, walnuts or even dried figs, apricots, or dates over it. This snack will provide you ample of energy that will last for hours. Yogurt is a good source of calcium that is necessary for the strengthening of bones. Also, it contains useful bacteria that aids in better digestion and boosts the body's immunity.

Healthy diet advice

Carbohydrates (Carbs)
Make sure you eat your carbohydrates. Carbs are essential since they provide the energy you need to go through your day-to-day activities. Carbs also play an important role in the synthesis of your DNA and hormones, creating powerful antioxidants and protecting your cells and tissues from damage and ageing. They also help in the functioning of brain cells. When you're low on carbs, your brain cells draw energy from limited reserve fuel supply. And when that is depleted, your brain puts the body into sleep mode and kind of shuts down.

Proteins
Proteins are needed by the body to make antibodies, which are primary defence mechanisms against diseases and infections. Proteins are also essential to contract and relax muscles. Hormonal proteins pick up signals and instructions and carry them to the required destinations. Proteins make up cells and create connective tissues, tendons and ligaments. Proteins also transport nutrients throughout the body.

Fats
Fats are vital to the body - they are the long term slow release reserve energy source in our body. Fats get utilised during times of distress and illness and can metabolise vitamin A, E, K and D, which are also known as fat soluble vitamins. Fats protect vital organs like the heart, kidneys, liver, lungs etc and also insulates the body and prevents heat loss. It also stimulates the flow of bile from the gall bladder.

Water
Water is one of the most important elements that the human body needs to survive. When you don't supply your body with enough water, it cannot utilise the nutrients that come from carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Sodas, juices, caffeine and alcohol tend to make one have lesser water than what is actually required. Not having enough water leads to dehydration, which in turn causes dullness because your body is unable to process the food that you consume.

17 tips for healthy hair and skin

Cosmetologist Dr Rekha Sheth shares her tips for healthy hair and skin.

- Remember that the most important factors that decide the quality of your skin and hair are your genes and family history, your nerves and emotions, and your immune system.

- Use an appropriate face wash meant for your skin type and wash twice a day.

- Use cleansers at night to remove make up and dirt before using a face wash.

- Use sunscreen everyday even if you are indoors - the sun's UVA rays come through windows too and contribute to aging, pigmenting and tanning. Ideally, sunscreen should be applied every three hours.

- Sunscreen should have an SPF of 30 or more. SPF is the degree of protection against UVB rays, hence sunscreen must have UVA protection as well. The usual UVA protection ingredients are Avobenzone, Titanium dioxide, Zinc oxide, Mexoryl and Tinosorb.

- Make up products like foundations, mineral powders and compacts do not have adequate sun protection.

- Indian skin tends to tan and pigment easily and patchily. There is a very thin line between tanning and pigmentation. If your tan hasn't gone in 4-6 weeks, see a dermatologist.

- It is advisable to use mild skin lightening creams as prevention. Look for botanical ingredients like Arbutin, Bearberry, Licorice, Mulberry, Ginseng, Gingko, Emblica, Turmeric - curcuma, Grapeseed and vitamins like C and A, and Niacinamide.

- Aging can be intrinsic, i.e. genetic, and can be delayed by exercise and, to a lesser extent, through diet. Extrinsic factors include increased UV intensity, increased pollution as well as stress. All these factors tend to dry the skin and make it more prone to pigmentation and aging. Hence it is important to start caring for your skin in your teens.

- Extrinsic factors produce Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), which are naughty oxygen molecules that damage the cells and make them age faster. Anti-oxidants neutralise these ROS.

- At night, use a moisturiser with an age-protecting agent.

- For younger skin, look for ingredients with antioxidants like vitamins C, E or a whole range of botanicals like green tea, grapeseed or pomegranate extract, curcumin, etc. You might also like to look out for the following: Genistein, ECGC, Resveratrol, Idebenone and Coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10.

- Kitchen ingredients like fruits do not work.

- For older skin, look for the following ingredients: peptides, vitamin A and derivatives like retinol and other retinoids, Alpha, beta and polyhydroxy acids.

- Exfoliation should be done with extreme caution and only with modern bead exfoliators. Avoid granular scrubs as these tend to damage the skin microscopically, which can lead to slow, insidious and patchy darkening.

- It is advisable to visit a dermatologist at least once a year. There are a lot of nuances in skin colour, texture, smoothness, etc. that we can't see for ourselves. These can be detected by the dermatologist and mild creams/treatments can be recommended.

- Always use a conditioner after you shampoo your hair. It protects your hair and is a better option than oil. Conditioners neutralise electrical charge in the hair shaft and help in detangling. Conditioners also improve shine and to some extent repair minor frays in the hair shaft. Conditioning agents like hydrolized protein or silicons are added to increase manageability and shine in the hair.

Low Vitamin D ups diabetes risk in kids

Low level of Supplement D, which is more rampant in overweight children, may increase the risk of form two diabetic issues mellitus and injections level of resistance in children, a new research has suggested.

High rates of vitamin D lack of have been found in overweight populations and past research have linked low vitamin D amounts to cardiac arrest and form two diabetic issues mellitus.

The mechanisms by which obesity and its comorbidities are related to vitamin D lack of are not fully known. This new research examined associations between vitamin D amounts and eating routines in overweight children, and tested whether there were correlations between vitamin D amounts and markers of abnormal glucose metabolic process and system demand level.

"Our research found that overweight children with cheaper vitamin D amounts had higher degrees of injections level of resistance," said Micah Olson, MD, of The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and lead author of the research.

"Although our research cannot prove causation, it does suggest that low vitamin D amounts may are likely involved in the development of form two diabetic issues mellitus."

In this research, researchers measured vitamin D amounts, glucose levels amounts, serum injections, BMI and system demand level in 411 overweight topics and 87 control non-overweight topics. Study participants were also asked to provide eating information including day-to-day consumption of soda, fruit juice and milk, average day-to-day fruit and vegetable consumption, and whether or not they routinely skipped morning meal.

"Poor eating routines such as skipping morning meal and increased soda and fruit juice consumption were associated with the cheaper vitamin D amounts seen in overweight children."

"Future research are needed to determine the scientific significance of cheaper vitamin D amounts in overweight children, the amount and duration of treatment necessary to replenish vitamin D amounts in these children and whether treatment with vitamin D can improve primary scientific endpoints such as injections level of resistance," Olson added.

This research has been published in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolic rate (JCEM).

Say no to water between meals

Glugging water during foods greatly effects your stomach's digestive function abilities and causes amounts of injections to range considerably, alerts Microboitic counsellor Shonali Sabherwal

To know if you're enjoying enough water, it is often said, just check if you are feeling dehydrated. If you aren't, your material intake is likely to be just about right. But downing associated with water along with your foods may not be local plumber to satisfy your desire.

Macrobiotic counsellor Shonali Sabherwal describes why you should not stay hydrated during your meal. "Most Indians have water along with their foods. The regular concept is cleansing down the meals while having. People have no idea how wrong this practice is and how difficult this can be for their digestive function. For those suffering with digestive function problems, the outcome are numerous. Our bellies have a ability of knowing when you will eat and begins publishing digestive function mindset instantly. If you start water as well, what you are actually doing is water down the digestive function mindset being published to process your meals, thereby blocking them from breaking down meals."

Research shows that having a little water during foods isn't a cause for concern but enjoying a glass or two may intervene with digestive function. It is best to consume liquids before and two hours after foods as this helps in ingestion of vitamins and minerals, scientists have found.

Elaborating on what exactly happens inside you when you glug water during foods, Sabherwal says that it gets consumed by the abdominal tract surfaces of the abdomen. "This ingestion carries on until it becomes powerful enough for the digestive function mindset to begin control your meals. However, due to it getting together with water, this powerful material is now wider than the meals items present in your abdomen. So less stomach juice will be produced to process your meals. The result is, waste meals leaking into your system as it gets consumed through the abdomen surfaces. This will also lead to gerd and heartburn." Drinking water with foods can also cause a rise in your amounts of injections, almost like the way high glycemic meals would impact you, Sabherwal warns. "The more injections is published in to your system, the higher the chances of you saving fat in your body."

To avoid water down your foods, Sabherwal indicates a few do nots. "Make sure your meals is not too high sodium as that would worsen your desire and lead to your need to down more water. Besides, having in a rush will cause you to drink your meals down. Most likely, you would feel the need to clean it down with water while you are at it. Instead, eat, eat and then eat some more. We discharge a lot of digestive function mindset (enzymes) while eating, which makes our stomach's job easier."

Why dates are good for you

Perfectly delightful, schedules are one of the most popular fresh fruit with a incredible list of important nourishment.

Dates are even full of several vitamin supplements. These normal products contain calcium, sulphur, metal, blood potassium, phosphorous, manganese, birdwatcher and magnesium which are valuable for health. It is said that usage of one time frame daily is necessary for a diet. You can have schedules just like that. Or you can add it to those mouth-watering candy. Or you can use schedules to make chutney with either garlic or tamarind. You can store it in the family fridge. It is delightful to have it with treats.

Fresh time frame is made of soft, easily digestible material with simple sugar like fructose and dextrose that when enjoyed creates energy and revitalizes your body instantly. Precisely that's why it is used to break fast.

The fresh fruit is full of fiber, which stops eating LDL cholesterol ingestion. It is also a excellent bulk natural.

Dates are full of Vitamin-A which is known to have anti-oxidants and is important for vision. Supplement A also required maintaining balanced mucous walls and skin. Use of normal fresh fruit full of vitamin A is known to help secure from lung and mouth cancer.

The fresh fruit is very full of free radical cleansing flavonoids such as try out carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin. These anti-oxidants have the ability to help secure cells and other components in your body from fresh air toxins. Dates are full of metal.