Coconut Water- Health Benefits

It is summers & what best other than cool drinks to quench your thirst. Making some healthy choices in the drinks is extremely important. Coconut water is a drink which is widely recognized for its health values. I will just try to point down a few so, there is more reason to include in your diet. Coconut water is the water which is present in the tender or green coconut & not to be confused with coconut milk or oil which are very high is fats & carbohydrates. Rich in natural vitamins (especially the B vitamins), minerals, and trace elements (including zinc, selenium, iodine, and manganese). Full of amino acids, organic acids, enzymes, antioxidants and phytonutrients. Rich source of electrolytes and natural salts, especially potassium and magnesium. 

Let's count the benefits:

1. Weight Loss: As the fruit's water is light, low-calorie and nearly fat-free, as well as low in sugars as well as containing a little fiber to moderate absorption, it can play an important part in weight loss. As water is important part of diet & the calorific value & other benefits makes you feel full, suppresses the appetite.

2. Improves Digestion: Coconut water claims to be a cure for all digestive problems. If you face problem of acid reflux, definitely you will be benefited drinking coconut water. Other problems like stomach flu, indigestion, constipation are also treated by drinking coconut water regularly. Also urinary problems & kidney problems are also taken care with this.

3. Isotonic drink or Refresher: The composition of coconut matches our blood plasma, so it is also known to use instead of blood for transfusion in third world countries during emergencies. So, drinking this drink helps your body also gain good vitamins & minerals apart from water.

4. Reduces Blood Pressure: Coconut water is known to have more potassium than 4 bananas. It helps lower elevated blood pressure and reduce risks of heart attacks & strokes. Also it is known to regulate blood sugar levels due to low calorific value and also moderate sugar absorption in the blood stream.

5. Flawless Skin: Not only drinking but applying it on the skin helps repair the wear & tear of the skin. It is known to reduce the blemishes & helps treat acne due to its purifying powers of antioxidants. It moisturizes the skin when you drink eliminating excess oils from the skin.

6. Anti-ageing properties: It's a natural source of cytokinins, a group of plant hormones known to affect the cell growth & ageing. Rich in antioxidants, potassium & cytokinins balance the pH levels, & strengthens tissues & cells to become firmer, also help fight ageing related diseases.

Luckily this drink has no known side effects, if you are allergic to nuts please check with your doctor.  It is also known for stronger bones, reduces muscle cramps, manage stress & many more. It is great for children & pregnant women. Pregnant women are advised to drink coconut water especially to avoid heart burns & digestion related problems. Drink fresh coconut water only, the more its is exposed to air it gets oxidized & rapidly loses its nutritional value. This drink is also called the fruit of God for this reason. Thanks Friends!

Benefits of Walking

Hi Friends! Mid of the week & missing your daily routine of exercise. Add a twist start walking, it is the simplest of all to add to your routine.

The benefits of walking can be listed as below:
1. Improved cardiovascular & lung fitness.
2. Better management of hypertension, high cholesterol, joint & muscular pain, stiffness, and diabetes
3. Reduce body fat
4. Increased muscle strength
5. Strong bones & improved balance

These are the health benefits which should be on your mind while planning for that walk. Well other than that the benefits which can be mentioned are available to everyone, and best there is no cost for this exercise. It is also good for beginners, no pain which is generally associated with work out. It does not give you results in a week but the long term effects are worth noticing.

When you walk 30 mins a day your body becomes active & it really does not pose any health risk. You can make walking a part of your life easily & add it to your routine. The time of the day doesn't make any difference on the amount of calories burnt.

Walk 10000 steps a day & you will keep your heart fit. Wear a pedometer while walking to count your steps, this will help you motivate. Be comfortable while walking, whether you run or walk the same distance you lose the same amount of calories. Only when you walk you take more time to cover the distance. Once you become comfortable while walking, you can increase the intensity by walking uphill, walking longer, increase the speed etc.

To enjoy walking the footwear you wear has to be perfect else it can give you blisters or sores, comfortable shoes are a must. What else we can do to increase our pleasure while walking is simple like listening to music, walking with friends, taking your pets for a walk. Go explore new places while walking, make your walk more interesting. If you want to stick near your residence, take rounds around your complex. You will not get this comfort with any other form of exercise.

So, friends how about a walk right now. Because there is no correct or right time to start. Start early to be healthy. Thanks!

Chickpeas or Bengal Gram

Hi Friends! As promised my today's topic is related to the benefits associated with chickpeas or bengal gram commonly eaten across India. It is a great source of vegan protein & also gluten-free.
Let's list it down:

1. Weight Loss: It is an important ingredient of the weight loss diet. It has a low glycemic index makes it digested slowly thus while consuming a chickpea preparation will keep you full for longer & control your appetite. Apart from it has high fiber content thus makes the bile to be forced out & prevent constipation.

2. Diabetes: This is a high fiber diet & as well a low GI food of around 28-31 which makes the digestion slow & release of sugar is delayed people with insulin resistance, hypoglycemia, diabetes are benefited by this. Also as it is gluten-free it is better for digestion.

3. Heart & Blood Health: It has high potassium content which is necessary for keeping blood pressure under control. Alongwith this it has fibers, Vitamin C, & Vitamin B-6 content which makes ita n excellent food for the heart. It also doesn't have any cholesterol. Also the fibers present help clean your system of cholesterol in the blood reducing risk of heart stroke. And in addition to this it contains iron which is important for you to prevent anemia, especially menstruating women & pregnant women are greatly benefited.

4. Bone health: The presence of micro-nutrients makes it important for bone health also. Calcium & phosphorus balance is required for the building of bone minerals, whereas manganese, zinc & iron play crucial role in formation of collagen. Vitamin K has been proved to improve the absorption of calcium & improving proteins of bone matrix. Lesser intake of Vit K has shown higher risk of bone fractures.

5. Cancers: Selenium is present in chickpeas has shown role in liver enzyme function & reduces inflammation & growth rate of tumors. Also it has folates which are known for good DNA health and protects from mutations. Also a compound called saponin is present in chickpeas which prevents cancer cells to grow & multiply throughout the body. Additionally Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant which fight against free radical damage.

You can see how power packed a bowl of chickpeas or chhole is. Including it in the daily diet is a very good option, or you can have atleast 2-3 times a week. Enjoy it in salads, curries etc.
Hope you had a good insight on the health benefits. Thanks!

Hypertension: High Blood Pressure

Hi! Today's topic is about Hypertension after discussing the counter part Hypotension yesterday. We know lot of people who would be suffering from this condition. The causes for hypertension listed out have been obesity, stress, sleep apnea, alcohol consumption, diet etc. Now, if you analyse the reasons carefully you will see that the reason accounting to Hypertension is mainly due to the lifestyle we indulge in. These conditions are known as lifestyle disorders or diseases & seen frequently in today's youth, though you can say there are factors which cannot be removed or changed from our daily life but we can still ensure certain corrective actions.

What to do?

Reduce your salt intake, it will reduce the sodium intake in your diet which has been considered to be one of the major reasons for increase in blood pressure. It takes extra fluid to flush out the salt from the system & thus pressurizing the heart to increase the blood pressure. Avoid packaged & processed foods, because they account for maximum salt intake in the body. You can also limit your intake if you cook yourself.

Drinking Coconut water has shown good effects on working of the heart. It has good amount of potassium and magnesium which helps in well being of the muscles & heart. Also the Sodium Potassium pump responsible for the smooth movement of fluid across the plasma membrane will create a less pressure on the heart.

Avoid Alcohol as it has shown negative effects on the blood pressure, also has shown negative effects on the medication for high blood pressure. It also has unwanted calories which add to your waistline & cause more trouble. It has been seen that losing 4-5 kg (10 pounds) can effect your blood pressure positively & not only weight but the waistline has shown correlation with blood pressure. Read my post on how to reduce waistline for help http://healthyyumfood.blogspot.in/2015/02/why-cant-i-fit-in-my-old-jeans-after.html

Introduce Garlic to food, this is an easy home remedy known for years to reduce the blood pressure. Allicin has shown positive effects on production of nitric oxide which helps reduce the diastolic & systolic pressure. Eat it raw in 1 large clove in the morning empty stomach to get best results alongwith addition to your food.

Sesame or til has shown good effects on hypertension, It relieves the oxidative stress in the body & also shows anti-inflammatory effect on the arterial walls thus lowering the blood pressure. It can be had in form of oil or also in food directly.

These are a few tips you can follow to help your hypertension & aid with your medication. Our lifestyle today is making us more & more prone to these lifestyle disorders. Try to live a happy & healthy life, because without these two life is meaningless. Thanks!!