Tuesday, February 14, 2012

SPORTING HEALTH




Physical Exercise in the form of sports is The best way to be fit both mentally as well as physically. Especially for people have sedentary lifestyle.



 Playing sports will make you stay fit and enthusiastic. Another advantage of regular playing is that without your knowledge you will develop athletic body! 



Playing sports is good for brain as it has cerebral benefits. Playing sports will make one learn to tackle and manage problems and also helps in building team spirit, thus making social development. Quick thinking and instant Decision making is one of the best attribute of sports. 


If you are the person suffering from anxiety, depression or any psychological disorder, then there cannot be a best medicine than playing sports. Life's both ends can be BEST learnt from playing sports as it has both win and loss. Sports acts as a confidence booster too.


 Playing sports is a Destresser. Sports imbibes the competitive spirit which keeps us on our toes...

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

6 Awesome Health Benefits Of Bananas

Before we start discussing the health benefits of bananas, here is some nutritional information for a serving of banana :
Serving size = 1 medium sufficiently ripe banana [about 7″ long and 126 grams (0.28 pounds) in weight]
Total Fat = 0 g; Cholesterol = 0 g; Calories = 110
Potassium = 400 mg (10% of daily recommended value)
Dietary Fiber = 4 g (16% of daily recommended value)
Sugar = 14.8 g; Protein = 1 g (2% of daily recommended value)
Vitamin C = 16% of daily recommended value
Vitamin B6 = 20% of daily recommended value
  1. Bananas are good for your heart and nerves: Bananas contain a high dose of potassium - an essential ingredient to keep your heart and nervous system in good shape. Potassium is essential for proper muscle contraction and hence plays an important role in muscle-influenced activities including: the normal rhythmic pumping of the heart, digestion, muscular movements, etc., Some studies have also linked low potassium intake to high blood pressure and increased risk of stroke. Most Americans don’t get enough potassium in their diet (recommended dose is about 4 g per day) - blame it on our fast food culture. Including a banana (or two) in your diet everyday would take you a step closer towards getting your daily recommended dose of potassium.
  2. Bananas are good for your kidneys and bones: Benefits to the kidneys and the bones are again due to the high potassium content of bananas. A normal intake of potassium suppresses calcium excretion in the urine and minimizes the risk of kidney stones. Also, for the same reason (suppressing of calcium excretion), it minimizes the loss of calcium from the body and thereby reduces the risk of osteoporosis .
  3. Bananas can act as mood enhancers or mild sedatives: Bananas contain tryptophan (although it’s not one of the major sources, a medium still contains about 10.6 mg of tryptophan). Tryptophan is one of the 20 amino acids which are building blocks of proteins (btw, an incredible number of articles on the internet call tryptophan as a “mood-enhancing protein” and that is technically not correct). Tryptophan helps the body to produce serotonin - which has a calming effect on the brain (creates a stable mood) and acts as a mild sedative. It should be noted that the only way our our body gets it’s dose of tryptophan is through our diet - it does not produce tryptophan naturally; bananas is one of the easiest ways to get it .
  4. Bananas are good for your blood: Bananas are one of the highest sources of naturally available vitamin B6: Vitamin B6 plays an important role in converting tryptophan to serotonin (read #3 above), and also helps the body to make hemoglobin - a crucial ingredient of your blood. Vitamin B6 is also essential for antibody production and to maintain a healthy immune response. It also helps to convert carbohydrates to glucose and thereby maintains proper blood sugar levels. A medium banana can take care of 1/5th of your daily recommended intake of vitamin B6 and is one of the easiest (and cheapest) ways to increase your dietary intake of the vitamin .
  5. Bananas are good for kids
    Bananas are part of the BRAT diet, a diet many physicians and nurses recommend for children recovering from gastrointestinal problems, particularly diarrhea. BRAT stands for the different components that make up the diet: Bananas, Rice cereal, Applesauce, Toast. These are binding foods that make the stools harder.
  6. Bananas are good source of dietary fiber: A single serving (one medium-sized banana) contains 16% of the daily recommended dietary fiber intake for a normal adult - that’s substantial for a single serving of any food. Fiber improves laxation (smooth bowel movements). Fiber-rich diets have also been linked to lower risk of coronary heart disease and of type 2 diabetes. Also, view this information in light of the following fact.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF DATES

Health benefits of dates are uncountable, as this fruit is affluent in natural fibres. Dates are even rich in several vitamins and minerals. These natural products contain oil, calcium, sulphur, iron, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, copper and magnesium which are advantageous for health. It is said that consumption of one date daily is necessary for a balanced and healthy diet. Dates help in fighting constipation, intestinal disorders, weight gain, heart problems, sexual weakness, diarrhoea and abdominal cancer.

Health benefits of dates have made them the best nourishment for muscles development. People consume dates in several ways, like mixing the paste of the dates with milk, yoghurt or with bread or butter to make the food tasty and healthy. This paste is beneficial for both adults and children, especially during the time of recovery. According to the modern medicine survey, it is known that dates are useful in preventing abdominal cancer. It is also seen that many Muslims break their fast by eating dates and water according to their traditions. Breaking fast with eating dates helps us to avoid overeating of the food after the fast. When the body absorbs the nutritional value of the dates, the feeling of hunger gets pacified.
Dates
Dates are termed as a crownGaining Weight of sweets and ideal food which easily balances and digests food. It gives extra energy to a tired human body within half an hour after taking it. Dates are considered to be the best diet for confinement of the women. American Cancer Society recommends intake of 20-35 grams of dietary fibre in a day, supplied through dates. It is said that taking one date in a day will help you to maintain your healthy eyes for your lifetime. They are quiet effective in guarding the night blindness problems.
Benefits of dates
  • Constipation: Date is termed to be a laxative food. This is the reason that dates are beneficial for people suffering from constipation. For getting the laxative effect from dates, you need to soak dates for one full night in water. You should consume these soaked dates in the morning like syrup to get their actual advantages.
  • Intestinal Disorders: The nicotinic content that is present in the dates is said to be beneficial for curing any kinds of intestinal disorders. Continuous intake of dates helps to maintain a check on the growth of the pathological organisms and thus, helps in the rise of friendly bacteria in the intestines.
  • Weight Gain: Dates are said to be a part of healthy diet. They consist of sugar, fats, proteins as well as many essential vitamins. If the dates are consumed with the paste of cucumber, one can easily come out from the problem of over-slimming. One kilogram of dates contains almost 3,000 calories. These calories alone are sufficient to meet the daily requirements of a human body.
  • Healthy Heart: Dates are quite helpful in maintaining your heart in a healthy condition. When soaked for a night and crushed in the morning and consumed, they prove to be quite advantageous for weak hearts. They help in fortifying the heart, if taken twice in a week.




  • Sexual Weakness: Dates are even beneficial for increasing sexual stamina in the human body. A handful of dates, when soaked in fresh goat's milk for the night and then grinded in the same milk with the mixture of cardamom powder and honey, becomes a very useful tonic for increasing sex endurance and sterility caused due to functional disorders.
  • Diarrhea: Ripe dates contain potassium. Potassium is beneficial for controlling diarrhea. They are easily digestible, which helps to cope up with the problems of diarrhea.
  • Intoxication: Dates are known as an excellent remedy for alcoholic intoxication. Dates provide quick relief in the case of alcoholic intoxication. They should be rubbed and soaked overnight for getting more nutritious values from them.
  • Abdominal Cancer: Dates are beneficial for curing abdominal cancer. They work as useful tonic for all age groups. They work as better as the medicines, and are natural and do not bear any side effects in the body. They can be easily digested and used for supplying extra and needed energy.
Although dates carry tremendous nutritional values, great care should be taken in their selection because they consists of sticky surface which attracts various impurities in them. Hence, you should consume only those dates that are processed and packed properly. Make sure to wash them thoroughly before consuming. This will help remove the impurities present in them.
barley 003
The nutritional benefit of Barley is enormous. I have heard so much about this grain that is hard to ignore its health benefits. I wanted to document some of its health benefits in this post and refereed to this link here.  I looked at it for about 2 minutes and I could already feel my head spin. It is as if nature has created a wonder-grain for us and it is waiting for us to take advantage of it.
 I have highlighted some of the benefits mentioned in the link from that website.
  • Barley’s Fiber can be used to lower Cholesterol & Intestinal Protection
  • Additional Protection Against Atherosclerosis
  • Significant Cardiovascular Benefits for Postmenopausal Women
  • Barley and Other Whole Grains Substantially Lower Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
  • Barley Can Help Prevent Gallstones
  • Whole Grains Highly Protective against Childhood Asthma
  • Lignans Protect against Cancers and Heart Disease
  • Development and Repair of Body Tissue
I got this recipe from my MIL few days ago, it is very easy to prepare and I have been making this ever since. I sometimes even carry barley powder to work and prepare this drink using hot water and salt.
Ingredients:
1 cup whole barley (use barley flour if that is available)
Water
Salt
Pepper
Ginger (optional)
Procedure:
1. If using the whole barley, then lightly roast it on low flame until it turns very light brown. Keep aside to cool and then make fine powder out of this.
2. If using the readily available barley flour then skip step 1.
3. Take 2 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Add 2 tsps of barley powder, salt and let it come to a roaring boil. Stir frequently as it tends to develop lumps.
4. Allow it to cool, add pepper powder and optionally ginger.
5. This can be served hot or cold and can be stored in the fridge for 1-2 days.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

DIET SEIMBANG

Diet seimbang ialah sajian makanan yang mengandungi semua nutrien yang diperlukan oleh tubuh dengan kadar yang betul. Tubuh yang tidak menerima nutrien yang mencukupi dan seimbang akan menghadapi masalah penyakit.
Prinsip Asas Diet Seimbang

  • Tiada satu makanan yang dapat membekalkan semua nutrien yang diperlukan oleh tubuh. Contohnya, beras membekalkan karbohidrat, manakala ikan kaya dengan protein.
  • Piramid makanan merupakan panduan yang berjaya membantu kita merancang makanan harian yang seimbang
Tabiat Makanan Yang Sihat

  • Amalkan tabiat makan sajian makanan yang seimbang, seing mempelbagai makanan yang dimakan, dan tidak memilih makan yang digemari sahaja.
  • Makan mengikut waktu bukan kerap makan atau biarkan perut terlalu kosong
  • Displin diri dalam pengambilan makanan dengan aktiviti supaya sihat dan berat badan dapat dikawal
  • Mengamalkan pengambilan makanan yang terjaga kebersihannya
  • Minum air masak secukupnya kerana tiga perempat tubuh badan manusia terdiri daripada air
  • Jangan mudah dipengaruhi iklan untuk memakan makanan yang manis, tinggi kandungan garam , terlalu berlemak dan berminyak