Heart Healthy Food

Hi Friends! Heart diseases are the no.1 killer across the world. The foods which help us keep our heart in good should be in our diet & today my topic will be the same. The risk of heart attacks & strokes (cardiovascular diseases) can be reduced by healthy eating & healthy living. Find the below list to make a difference in your diet.

Nuts: They are a source of plant Omega-3 fatty acids, mono & poly unsaturated fatty acids favorable for the heart, magnesium, Vitamin E, phytosterols, which prove an excellent combination for the heart, especially walnuts & almonds.

Salmon or Other Fatty Fish: The most important source of Omega-3 fatty acids. They also have good amount of folate & Niacin & have shown excellent food to keep your heart healthy.

Black or Kidney Beans:  They are a source of healthy protein without unhealthy fats. They are also rich in Vitamin B complex, niacin, calcium & soluble fiber. They help fight diabetes as well which has shown a big role in connection to cardiovascular diseases.

Tofu: Soy products like Tofu & soy milk are excellent source of protein & have no unhealthy fats. They are rich sources of polyunsaturated fats, potassium, niacin, folate, & magnesium. It also reduces blood pressure & LDL levels.

Broccoli & Spinach: They are high in dietary fibers which help cleanse your system. Other nutrients like Vitamin A, B complex, Vitamin C magnesium, potassium & calcium make it a power packed food for salads & veggies.

Red Bell Peppers: They are rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin B complex, betacarotene & lutein along with folate, potassium & fiber, also tasty to add in your veggies & salads.

Oranges & other citrus fruits: These fruits are rich source of Vitamin C which is a super antioxidant in fighting free radicals in the body responsible for damage. Also they have Beta-cryptoxanthins, beta & alpha carotenes & lutein and folate, potassium & fiber.

Tomatoes: Mentioned in my previous posts as well, they are rich in potassium healthy for blood pressure levels. Vitamin C, Alpha & Beta Carotene lycopene, lutein, folate & fiber are the other nutrients present in tomatoes like citrus fruits. Due to their low calories & sugar level they are a very good source of dietary nutrients.

Papaya: They are rich in a variety of Vitamins & minerals. They contain Vitamin C & E, beta carotene, lutein & beta cryptoxanthin, calcium, magnesium & potassium. High in soluble fiber as well makes it an excellent choice for heart patients.

Tea: It is rich in catechin & flavonols (antioxidants), a much preferred beverage in Asian countries. It helps reduce the risk of heart attack & stroke by around 20% as suggested in research.

Oatmeal: High in soluble fiber which help in fighting cholesterol. They also are a source of calcium, folate, niacin, magnesium & potassium. Other whole grain meals are also considered to be great foods for heart health.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Olives both green & black are great for health & a source of good fat for the body. The presence of Monounsaturated fats which help reduce blood cholesterol & blood sugar levels.

Pomegranates: Numerous antioxidants like polyphenols & anthocyanins have shown to help improved flow of blood to the heart. It helps prevent the stiffening of arteries.

Dark Chocolates: My favorite addition to the list as usual high in antioxidants have been known to fight bad cholesterol in the body with the help of flavonoids present. This can only be seen in chocolates with content of 60-70% minimum  cocoa & not milk chocolates.

Water: Last but not the least water, it helps your system by acting as a cleaning agent. Drinking lots of water helps you excrete toxins from the body.

Eat Healthy & Stay Happy! Thank You Friends...

Foods for Depression

Hi Friends! First of all thank you all for providing continuous support.
This post is in continuation to my previous post on Deal with Depression. I would list down some foods which have been linked to help fight depression. In research it has been shown that diet has an important role to play in fighting depression.
Before writing about foods which have a good effect I would like to write particularly about sweets or sugary confectionery. Mind you this has a very negative effect on your mood, due to spikes in blood sugar level which is directly related to the functioning of the brain. Please ensure to avoid this food from the list.

Now coming to foods which will help you overcome depression:

1. Dark Chocolates: They are not only great into fight excess kilos you put on but also the antioxidants polyphenols & flavonols which help fight high blood pressure & makes you calmer. This has shown improved results in fighting depression.

2. Poultry: Poultry meat like chicken & turkey are high in tryptophan an amino acid which helps increase the production of Serotonin production. This chemical is a feel good chemical your body produces naturally.

3. Fatty Fish: As we all know they are rich of Omega-3 fatty acids which help fight heart disease & reduces inflammation, it also fights depression by inducing Serotonin levels by the brain. A partial study has proved that it helps the movement of serotonin across cells. Fishes like Tuna, Salmon, Cod, Hilsa are best in the category, other fishes like rohu, catla are good but the level of Omega-3 fatty acids might be lower & vary from each species.

4. Walnuts: They are source of monounsaturated fatty acids as well as proteins like other nuts. Along with this walnuts is the only source of Omega-3 from plant sources & has a similar effect on the serotonin as mentioned above.

5. Whole Grain: They are complex carbohydrates which helps fight depression. They help the moods improve quickly & are good for serotonin secretion by the body. This is also good for controlling the blood sugar levels. So whole wheat, whole pasta, oatmeal etc. are good choice of food for this case.

Diet is an important factor for fighting depression and you are asked to take special care for your diet. Hope the above article will help you make & your close ones make good choices for diet. Thank You!

Have a Safe Holi

Hi Friends!! Wish you all a very Happy Holi in advance. Holi is a festival of colors & a tradition we love to indulge in, follow some pre & post tips to have a safe Holi.

1. Colors: Use organic colors instead of chemical colors as they can cause severe irritation on the skin & have been associated with carcinogenic effects. If allergic to dust & pollution avoid playing with dry colors as they enter your lungs & cause allergic problems.

2. Cover your body: You cannot choose what your neighbor & friends buy for Holi , you can still be exposed to chemicals. Wear clothes which cover you the most. Additionally oil your body & hair to minimize the contact with colors. Use a lip balm to keep your lips soft. Avoid make-up as these colors might have unwanted reaction with the make-up. Apply thick coating of nail lacquer to avoid multi-colored nails. :)

3. Wear glasses or goggles: Do not wear contact lenses as they do not protect your eyes from any irritation rather might increase any irritate on contact with any irritant. Wear glasses or goggles instead to avoid chemical contact with eyes.

4. After playing Holi: Instead of using soap to clean your face use a cleanser to avoid drying up of the skin. Use a mild shampoo to wash your hair, if still colors don't go, oil at night wash your hair the next day.

Have a Happy & Safe Holi! Enjoy Friends!!

Deal with Depression

Hi Friends! We live in a fast paced world today & if we do not run equally fast we tend to lose the race. With amazing technology revolution we have made our lives easy. But in this rat race we have lost one important thing in our life happiness & peace. We have so much in our head that we do not have space for happiness. There are times of ups & downs in our lives but if you are constantly feeling low & not feeling to do anything it is a sign of depression. It makes life very difficult to deal with, you don't find any interest in anything around you, even things which matter to you do not make you happy. Things can get better with help, we need to understand what it is, why it happens & how to overcome it.

What is Depression?

We hear in day-to-day conversation about people being depressed, though literally they just might be sad about something. Sadness & depression are not one and the same. A person might not be sad if depressed, there are different feelings experienced by different individuals which can be from sadness, hollowness, emptiness, apathy, anger, aggression, or restlessness. It is a psychiatric syndrome which eats up your happiness & interest towards life. It makes your life look pathetic without any sense of relief. The symptoms can vary like insomnia or oversleeping, hopeless & helpless, things seem impossible or difficult to do, you don't find interest in things you loved, either you lose appetite or eat without stopping, you find small things irritable, and become more short tempered or aggressive. Also there are tendencies of suicide as you don't find any reason to live.

What causes Depression?

The causes of depression may vary from life events to genetics. The some commonly understood causes of depression can be:

Past life events like problems in family, physical or sexual abuse, unequal treatment by parents, neglect which can cause troubles in later life. 

Events like job loss, divorce, death in family, emotional troubles & also sometimes happy events like new relationship, new job. Isolation from society or family.

Certain medications have shown negative effects on depression & taking such medication should be done under supervision of medical practitioners only.

Prolonged illness like diabetes, chronic pain, sleep apnea, cancer etc can trigger depression.

Genetic inheritance can increase the risk of depression, it has been seen as a complex function of genes.

Substance abuse like drugs & alcohol are a large percentage.

How to Overcome Depression or Treatment?

Seek Professional Help: There are effective treatments like therapy and medication which can help you recover, and it is important to understand the options & seek help as this is a medical condition and you might not recover from it naturally.

Talk to Trusted People: These people know you & understand you, they will lend a listening ear. Share your feelings with them, they might not be able to help but you will have a strong support system.

Join Support groups: There might be many like you who are suffering from depression this will help you with advice from each other & experience from each other. It will help reduce your feeling of isolation.

Start Healthy changes: Eat healthy & opt for regular exercise in your routine. Make conscious efforts to reduce stress & challenge negative thinking.

Build Relationships: This will help you cope up adverse situations, it will allow an outlet of emotions. Socializing will help you come out of the shell you had built around you. To balance emotional balance is one key to overcome depression.

Life is very beautiful enjoy it & do not wait for things to change & stand up for yourself and make the changes yourself. Do not neglect yourself while doing other things because you are important.

Thanks alot!!

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!

Healthy Vegan Snack: Chickpea or Chhole Chaat

Hi Friends! We find it very difficult to think of a healthy evening snack. Most of us find it very difficult to find healthy options for evening snacks & finally eat some unwanted calories like a cake, chips, mixtures etc. Today I will write a simple vegan snack, tasty & healthy.

Indie-Chickpea Trailmix (Chhole chat)

Ingredients
Chickpea (Chhole): 1 cup
Onion: 1 large
Tomato: 1
Cucumber: 1
Corriander or Cilantro leaves: few springs
Green chili: 1
Lemon juice: 2 teaspoons
Red chili powder: 1/4 teaspoon
Black Pepper: 1/2 teaspoon
Sweet tamarind sauce: 1 tablespoon
Dried mango powder (Amchur): 1/2 teaspoon
Dried Pomegranate powder (Anardana): 1/4 teaspoon
Salt as per taste
Ginger: 5-6 thin pieces for garnishing

Preparation:
1. Wash & Soak the chickpeas overnight in water 12 hrs, you will see the chickpeas swell up. Pressure cook them in the morning till soft in the same water so that all nutrients remain intact, add a little bit of salt while doing so. Leave it to cool.
2. Chop the onion, tomato, cucumber, chili finely & make a mix. Mix it well with the cooled chickpeas and add the lemon juice as well.
3. Add the spices black pepper, red pepper, amchur, anardana and salt with the already made chickpea mix.
4. Now your Indie trail mix is ready. Now you just need to garnish it with the tamarind sauce, Cilantro leaves, Ginger pieces. It will be a lip smacking snack for the evening.

Chickpeas are great source of vegan protein, gluten free with a low Glycemic index so excellent for diabetic patients as well. Await a complete article on health benefits of chickpea or bengal gram. Please let me know your suggestions to this. Thanks!

Some More Tips to Lose Weight

Hi Friends! Welcome back after the weekend. Hope you all had a great one. I want to start your week with maintaining weight or losing unwanted weight. Again these are just a few simple tips which are not very difficult to follow. This is in continuation to my previous post 10 tips to lose weight

1. Work out in short intervals: If you walk for 10 min in 4 slots a day rather than walking 40 min at one shot you will have a better workout. This will ensure that the calories you take are burnt out at regular interval & does not let it add up. Also the hunger you feel after a long work out will also not be there.

2. Ditch the juice, rather have the fruit: This will help you to avoid the calories added from the sugar added to the drinks & also the fruit has fibers which help your digestive system.

3. Do not eat till you are hungry: You must have seen that kids are very choosy & avoid food at times, this is the natural instinct of the human body which we tend to lose as we grow up. We eat at regular intervals whether hungry or not. We eat any time if we are sad stressed or anything else. This is the reason why we put on extra calories.

4. Drink Water before meals: It will suppress your appetite so you will restrict your eating. This will also count your calories & eventually weight loss on your way.

5. Take your Multivitamins regularly: It has been seen that a regular dose of multivitamins help you maintain weight & helps reduce your appetite when on a weight loss plan. This has been proved in research taken place.

I hope this would help you plan your week ahead well. Friends these points are the things which can be followed very easily. If these points are there on your mind you can follow them more consciously. Our motive is to live a normal life & remain healthy. Enjoy your day friends!