Top 10 Power Foods

The Top 10 Power Foods 

The top power foods around us might look humble, ordinary and nothing special, but they are packed with abundant nutritional value. These power foods contain high doses of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, among other nutrients. They help prevent illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes, and they also help boost the immune system, improve memory and concentration; all this while slowing down the ageing process. So let's get to know these power foods...

Almonds

Almonds contain a very large number of antioxidants that help fight skin wrinkles, aging, cancer, heart disease and stroke. A cup of almonds contains more potassium than a whole banana and more calcium than milk. They also contain magnesium and phosphorus to build healthy bones. Almonds are good sources of vitamin E, zinc, proteins and fiber for healthy skin and a strong immune system.

Beans

Beans such as kidney beans, chickpeas, and lentils are low in fat and rich sources of iron, manganese, antioxidants, B-complex vitamins and protein. The high level of fiber in beans also helps to reduce cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

Cabbage

Cabbage contains large amounts of glutamine, an amino acid that has anti-inflammatory properties and is beneficial to the heart and circulatory system as well as for treating stomach, skin and intestinal ulcers. The purple cabbage gets its bright color from the antioxidant lycopene, which reduces the risk of prostate problems in men and helps to repair aged and sun-damaged skin.

Garlic

Garlic is rich in phytochemicals called allylic sulphides that decrease the risk of certain cancers in the body. It also has natural antibiotic and antioxidant effects in the body; this fights colds and flus. Along with this, garlic has heart-healthy benefits such as decreasing blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and preventing blood clots in the arteries.

Oats

Oats contain abundant vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants. They are rich in silica, a mineral that is important for bone, muscle and joint health. Oats also contain complex carbohydrates, fats and iron, and are an excellent source of long lasting energy.

Pumpkin

Pumpkins are packed with carotenoids, a potent antioxidant that gives them their bright color and helps to protect the body's cells. Pumpkin is also rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, which are important for eye health and reduce the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration, a serious eye disease that can cause blindness.

Berries

Berries, including blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, cranberries and red currants, are especially rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Eat a handful of berries every day. You can include them in cereals and salads, eat berries instead of calorie-heavy desserts and use them to make smoothies for breakfast or a snack.

Spinach

Spinach contains abundant calcium, iron, fiber and the vitamins A, C, E and K. it also contains five times more beta-carotene than broccoli and also has natural cancer-fighting phytochemicals called indoles and sulphoraphane.

Whole grains

Whole grains such as wheat and barley contains significant amounts of the soluble fiber beta-glucan that helps to lower cholesterol and balance blood glucose level. This prevents the risk of heart disease and adult onset diabetes.

The Secret of Why Diets Don’t Work

Revealed! The secret of why Diets don’t work

IF YOU are on a diet and are frustrated that it is not working well, here is some food for thought. The reason behind difficulty in sticking to a diet plan may lie in strange behaviour of brain cells that regulate appetite, latest research has revealed.

"When we don’t eat, hunger-inducing neurons in the brain start eating bits of themselves. This act of self-cannibalism turns up a hunger signal to prompt eating,” says research to be published in the August issue of journal Cell Metabolism.

The process uncovered by scientists in neurons of the brain’s hypothalamus region is known as autophagy or self-eating. It occurs in other parts of the body as a way of providing energy in times of starvation but scientists so far had believed the brain to be relatively resistant to starvation-induced autophagy.

The new finding means that it may be possible in future to develop a drug that blocks this process, enabling people to diet as they wish.

Self-eating generates free fatty acids in brain cells called agouti-related peptide.

These fatty acids in turn boost levels of these neurons which are a hunger signal themselves, explained Dr Rajat Singh, an Indiaborn and educated scientist who led the research team at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. When the process of self- eating is blocked in the neurons, their levels fail to rise in response to starvation.

“ We have shown that starvation activates autophagy in hypothalamic neurons. This process breaks down fat stores in brain cells, liberating free fatty acids. The increased availability of free fatty acids inside these brain cells increases levels of a hunger- generating molecule, agouti-related peptide,” Singh said.

The findings were tested in transgenic mice engineered to lack hypothalamic neurons.

These transgenic mice ate less food in response to a fasting challenge, and were leaner with less abdominal fat when compared to mice with functional autophagy.

"Decreased body weights of transgenic mice occurred in part from decreased food intake, and in part from increased physical activity,” Singh explained.

Chronic overeating contributes to obesity, and its typical effects like diabetes.

"We found that blocking autophagy in agouti- related peptide neurons decreases the amount of food consumed, as well as increases physical activity — all of which contribute to preventing obesity and inappropriate fat accumulation in the body,” Singh said.

Strict Diet could Save Brain from Aging

Eating Less may keep the Mind Young

Eating less may keep the mind young, according to Italian scientists who reported Monday they have discovered the molecular process by which a strict diet may save the brain from the ravages of age.

The research, published in the US journal the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is based on a study of mice that were fed a diet of about 70 percent of the food they normally consumed.

Scientists found the calorie-restricted diet triggered a protein molecule, CREB1, that activates a host of genes linked to longevity and good brain function.

"Our hope is to find a way to activate CREB1, for example through new drugs, so to keep the brain young without the need of a strict diet," said lead author Giovambattista Pani, researcher at the Institute of General Pathology, Faculty of Medicine at the Catholic University of Sacred Heart in Rome.

Researchers have previously discovered that mice on diets showed better cognitive abilities and memory, less aggression, and tended to avoid or delay Alzheimer's disease. But they have not known exactly why.

"CREB1 is known to regulate important brain functions as memory, learning and anxiety control, and its activity is reduced or physiologically compromised by aging," said the study.

Mice that were genetically altered to lack CREB1 showed none of the same memory benefits if they were on a low-calorie diet as mice that had the molecule, and showed the same brain disabilities as mice that were overfed.

"Thus, our findings identify for the first time an important mediator of the effects of diet on the brain," Pani said.

"This discovery has important implications to develop future therapies to keep our brain young and prevent brain degeneration and the aging process."

According to Marc Gordon, chief of neurology at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks, New York, the findings could shed new light on why some people who are obese in middle age encounter cognitive problems later in life.

"Mid-life obesity has been associated with late-life dementia. However, the physiological basis for this association remains unclear," said Gordon, who was not part of the study.

"These investigators have studied the effects of limiting caloric intake in mice, and have identified a biochemical pathway that may mediate at least some of the brain's responses to dietary restriction."

Benefits of Exercising with Dog

Benefits of Exercising with Dog

Lack of physical activity is a fact of modern life for both the humans as well as the canines. Both need to exercise, below mentions are some reasons why you should exercise with your dog.

Why to Exercise With Your Dog

Some recent studies have come up with link between pet ownership and better health. According to researchers pet (such as dogs) become stimulus for exercise. As a result pet owners tend to have better cardiovascular fitness level than individuals without pets. Walking or running with your dog can also:

• give you a thorough cardiovascular workout.
• help you to be in shape.
• help to boost your mood.
• lowers your blood pressure.
• strengthen bond with your pet.
• The best part of exercising with your dog is that, you will be motivated to exercise regularly. Your dog will constantly bug you to stay on your to stay on routine. Can you say no to your adorable pug!

Your dog can add fun element to your exercise regime. Even on the days when you are not feeling to exercise you can play with your dog. Simple games and adventurous walks with your dog can burn many calories.

Keep Your Abs Sexy

Tips to Keep Your Abs Sexy

Each one of us wants to have sexy abdominals. Owning a pair of brawny abs is more than just looking good; it keeps you healthy and helps build a good posture. Follow these steps to keep your abs sexy all round the year.

Eat Healthy

To get a lean mid-section, you must include whole, fresh, minimally processed natural food in your diet. Furthermore, try to acquire your daily calorie intake from healthy food instead of sugar-packed beverages.

Don’t Feast at Breakfast

Make sure you give a healthy start to your day. Have a nutritious breakfast that includes a good amount of protein in the form of fish or whole wheat. Many people prefer consuming a breakfast that includes an assortment of coffee, orange juice and cheese sandwich, to name a few.

Be Mindful at every Bite

Experts are of the view that people, who eat full stomach during lunch often, feel the urge to take a nap soon after. One should eat until he/she is 80 percent full. Eating moderately is more satisfying and energy boosting. Follow this simple tip and you'll be much more vital and happier.

Include waist-slimming food in your diet. Food that is high in fiber such as berries and beans can help you get rid of belly fat and assume that sexy flat stomach you have been wishing for.

Say no to ‘Liquid Calories’

Make sure that you don’t depend on unhealthy calories. Beverages that are sold today are packed with high sugar. Even a glass of sugar chalked drink or artificial junk can add fat to your abs.

Exercises

Some of the exercises that can help you to get sexy abs include:
•    Bicycle Exercise.
•    Chair Leg Raise.
•    Ball Crunch.
•    Vertical Leg Crunch.
•    Long Arm Crunch.
•    Reverse Crunch.
•    Crunch with Heel Push.
•    Plank on Elbows and Toes.

Any combination of the above mentioned exercises will help you get the abs of your dream, but make sure that you consult an expert before commencing with your workout regime.

Cardio

If your aim is to get flat and sexy abs, you must never forget cardio exercises. Invest at least 30 to 40 minutes to work out and get rid of your body fat, especially abdominal fat. To add some fun to your workout, try to be creative with the cardio exercises.