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!!