Immunity Boosting Foods for Winter

Immunity Boosting Foods for Winter

The nerve-chilling season of winter is also called "the flu season" and "the cold season". For all the vices that winter shelters, it is, in fact, the best time to improve one's immunity. All you need to do is be prepared for it. This article brings to you immunity boosting foods for winter that can be easily incorporated by wide range of meals and snacks.

Garlic

A major immunity booster is garlic. It is considered to be a natural wonder drug that has strong antioxidant properties. Furthermore, it has anti-bacterial properties; a good way to avoid catching cold and flu.

Chilli

If you can stand the heat, consume chilli peppers that contain an anti-inflammatory substance called capsaicin, which offers relief from pain that is associated with conditions such as arthritis. Chillies are also believed to protect the heart and fight infection. Thanks to large amounts of vitamin A and C that they are made of. 

Oily Fish

Fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel etc have ample amount of omega-3 fatty acid. They are good at protecting the body from respiratory infections. Try to consume at least 2 portions (140g) of oily fish every week. Omega-3 increases the activity of phagocytes (white blood cells) that help the body to fight infection by destroying bacterium cells.

Salads

Green and colourful vegetable salad is packed with flu-fighting phytonutrients.

Spices and Antiviral herbs

Besides adding flavour to your meal, spices hold therapeutic value. Some of these spices are turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground fennel, powdered dry ginger, ground black pepper and ground cinnamon.

Antiviral herbs are good immunity boosting foods for winters. Antiviral herbs for immunity boosting contain many medical compounds that attack virus without creating resistant viral strains. Andrographis, grapefruit seed extract, olive leaf extract and elderberry extract are some great antivirals.

Probiotics

Probiotic organisms present in yogurt increase the good bacteria present in your gut. They help you to fight infection and prevent serious health conditions such as cancer.

Stay away from sugar and processed food

It is wise to stay away from processed food and sugar. They dramatically decrease the immune function. Processed food is deprived of the essential nutrients and therefore, can never strengthen immunity. Furthermore, the preservatives used in processed food can negatively affect the gastrointestinal lining.

Dance your way to a perfectly toned body

Dance your way to a perfectly toned body

Ever wondered why dancers have perfectly beautiful bodies? The washboard abs, the toned thighs, and the figure you always dreamed of having? It’s because dancing is enough of a workout for the body. And it is fast becoming an alternative to the gym in Indian cities. Not only is dancing fun and beautiful, and can teach you the grace and poise that you always wished you had, it can also be a great way to lose weight and tone your body.

More and more people are opting for what is now being called ‘dancercise’. The burgeoning number of dance schools in Delhi could be some indicator of the trend. Seema Malik, a software professional, took up salsa lessons because a friend of hers wanted to learn the dance form and needed a partner. She was pleasantly surprised to find that she had lost a few kilos during her stint at the course. “I enjoyed it so much more than being in the gym,” she says. She enjoyed it so much, that three years on, she’s still dancing. 

Parul, a trainer and Mentor at one of Delhi’s leading dance schools says, “Clients are very clear that they want to learn dance that can help them lose weight and tone their bodies. Dance is a great way to get into shape – the salsa is great to tone your hips, the twist is great to give you that Scarlett O’Hara waistline, and hip-hop dancing is a great way to gain power and build stamina.” 

Contemporary dancing and Bollywood dance too is becoming more and more popular. These are not fixed or traditional at all. So, with varied amounts of all kinds of dance forms being used, they make for a lot of fun and help lose weight as well! Seema agrees. She has learnt jazz dancing, salsa, and is now hoping to do a module in belly dancing as well. “It’s distressing,” she says, “after a long hard day at work, where I spend most of time peering into a computer monitor, dance is my stress buster.”

 

A magical diet plan for You

A magical diet plan for You

The effectiveness of this seven-day plan is that the food eaten burns more calories than they give to the body in caloric value, but is completely nutritional and gives all vitamins, elements, etc. This plan can be used as often as you like however it is suggested that you rest for a week between each repetition. Abstain from alcohol. Drink 10 glasses of water each day.

o DAY ONE:  All fruits except bananas. Consume lots of melons on the first day. If you limit your fruit consumption to melons, your chances of losing a lot of weight on the first day are very good. 

o DAY TWO:  All vegetables. There is no limit on the amount or type. For your complex carbohydrate, you will start day two with a large boiled potato for breakfast. You may top the potato with one pat of butter. 

o DAY THREE:  A mixture of fruits and vegetables. Any amount, any quantity. No bananas yet. No potatoes today. 

o DAY FOUR:  Bananas and milk. Today you eat as many as eight bananas and drink three glasses of milk. This will be combined with the vegetable soup but in limited quantities. 

o DAY FIVE:  Today is a feast day. You will eat sprouts, paneer and tomatoes. Eat 280 grams of sprouts and paneer. Combine this with six tomatoes. On day five you must increase your water intake. This is to cleanse your system of the uric acid.

o DAY SIX:  Sprouts and paneer and vegetables. Today you may eat an unlimited amount of sprouts and paneer and vegetables. 

o DAY SEVEN:  Today your food intake will consist of brown rice, fruit juices and all the vegetables you like.Vegetables can be taken in the form of salad if desired. No dressing except malt, white vinegar, squeezed lemon, garlic and herbs. No more than one teaspoon of oil. Do keep way from beans.

Beverages 

1. Water flavoured with lemon or lime if desired.

2. Club soda

3. Black coffee, no cream or cream substitute, no sugar or sweeteners.

4. Black tea.

5. No fruit juices before Day7. 

How and why it works:

o DAY ONE:  You are preparing your system for the upcoming programme. 

o DAY TWO:  It starts with a fix of complex carbohydrates coupled with an oil does. This taken in the morning for energy . The rest of Day 2 consists of vegetables, which provide essential nutrients and fibre.

o DAY THREE:  Day 3 eliminates the potato because you are getting your calories from the fruits. Your system is now prepared to start burning the excess pounds.  

o DAY FOUR:  Bananas, milk and soup sound like the least desirable. You will probably not eat all the bananas that you are allowed. But they are there for the potassium and  sodium that you may have missed during the last 3 days. You will notice a definite loss of desire for sweets. 

o DAY FIVE:  Sprouts and tomatoes. The sprouts are for iron and protein. The tomatoes are for digestion and fibre. Lots of water purifies your whole system. 

o DAY SIX:  Iron and proteins from sprouts, vitamins, fibre and iron vegetables. By now your system is a total weight loss inclination. 

o DAY SEVEN:  You have your system under control.

Vitamins for Weight Loss

Vitamins for Weight Loss

Vitamins are essential for the healthy growth of your body. The problem of weight gain can be caused by a lack of these vital ingredients of a balanced diet. In particular, varieties of vitamin B, Vitamin C and vitamin D with calcium improve metabolism, boost immunity and eventually lead to weight loss. Including these vitamins in your diet would help you lose weight more effectively and your body would function at its best too. 

Types of Vitamin B Beneficial for Weight Loss

Vitamins B2, B3, B5 and B6 are very important for boosting metabolism and maintaining thyroid function. Vitamin B2, riboflavin and vitamin B6 (pyrodoxine) are critical for the production of thyroid. Imbalance of the thyroid hormone results in weight gain. Vitamin B3 is essential for the regulation of thyroid hormone production and sugar levels too. Vitamin B5 controls the release of energy from carbohydrates, starches and fats. You should try to include these vitamins through vitamin supplements or better still, through fruits and vegetables that contain these essential nutrients. 

Vitamin C for Weight Loss

In a body functioning normally, the fat burning process is at its optimal level and vitamin C has a role in this. This vitamin reduces the cholesterol level in the body and keeps the heart healthy. Vitamin C helps in burning fat by performing its function in glucose conversion that gives energy to cells. This energy gets used up in burning fat and excess sugars. Absorption of iron in the body is improved with the help of vitamin C. This is important for providing healthier blood supply to the body. Recommended dosage of vitamin C supplement is 60 grams but consult your doctor for advice more specific to your condition. You should also consider those fruits and vegetables that are rich in vitamin C such as oranges and sweet lime. 

Vitamin D or Calcium for Weight Loss

Calcium is needed to prevent the development of insulin-resistance in the body. Your body tends to start storing fat in midlife. Research has shown that having calcium rich diet can help to prevent such weight gain by reducing fat storage. You would only need to include low-fat or skimmed dairy products in your daily diet to include enough calcium for your needs. Those how ignore the intake of calcium expose themselves to the risk of weight gain. 1000 miligrams of calcium is the recommended daily intake.

B-complex vitamins are available in foods such as milk, nuts, dark green leafy vegetables, most fruits, whole grains, avocados and many others. Vitamin C rich fruits and vegetables include broccoli, sprouts, oranges, cabbage, strawberries and green peppers.

Top 5 Cancer Fighting Foods

Top 5 Cancer Fighting Foods

Several studies have shown that cancer is becoming more and more prevalent among people these days. And while no real cure exists for the disease, there are a number of ways in which the chance of cancer can be reduced. And prevention, as we have always been told, is better than cure. One way of preventing cancer is by eating right. Here are five things that we can eat that can fight cancers in our body.

1. Green Tea: Green tea is made from the same leaves that ordinary black tea is made from except that it undergoes far fewer processing measures than black tea and still retain most of their anti oxidants. Two powerful antioxidants, known as epigallocatechingallate (EGCG) and epigallocatechin (EGC) are found in green tea  which bind to a protein found on tumour cells and dramatically slow their growth. Green tea helps prevent and even cure somecancers, such as lung, prostate, liver, skin, pancreas and breast.
2. Cruciferous Vegetables: Vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower are known to be effective agents in the fight against breast cancer due to the presence of a chemical called indole-3-carbinol, which converts a cancer-creating type of estrogen in the body into a more benign form. Sprouts and broccoli also contain a phytochemical called sulforaphane which helps prevent some types of cancer, like colon and rectal cancer.
3. Garlic: The pungent bulb is known to contain chemicals called allium compounds that have immune-enhancing abilities and help increase the activity of immune cells that fight cancer. These chemicals are also effective in slowing down the growth of tumours and block carcinogens in the body.
4. Mushrooms: Tha Japanese have known the benefits of mushrooms for years. Shiitake, maitake, etc are all mushrooms that contain chemicals called polysaccharides, which have been shown to be excellent immunity builders. They also contain a protein called lectin which attacks cancerous cells and controls their growth.
5. Chili peppers: Apart from being tasty, chilli peppers and jalapenos contain capsaicin, a compound that is highly effective in neutralising nitrosamines (a cancer-causing substance). They help prevent cancers of the stomach.

Foods to keep you Young

Foods to keep you Young

You can add years to your life simply by making the right food choices. Of course, leading a healthy lifestyle and staying active would help but for delaying the aging process, nothing beats having a nutrient-packed diet rich in antioxidants. The antioxidants destroy cell damaging free radicals of your body and prevent many diseases. This results in delaying the decaying process of the body. Include the following foods in your diet to stay younger for longer.

Olive Oil

It has high content of polyphenols, powerful antioxidant which help to prevent diseases related to age. The monosaturated fats found in olive oil were responsible for low rates of heart disease and less occurrence of cancer on a Greek island known as Crete. There was study called Seven Country Study 40 years ago which concluded that it was due to the good health impact of olive oil.

Organic Milk

If you start taking organic milk instead of regular pasteurised one, it would be much more conducive to have good health. This is because the antioxidants are more in those cows that have been fed on grass or other organic food items. The milk of these cows show 40 to 50 percent more antioxidants compared to conventionally bred cows. Regardless of whether the grains fed to cows are supplemented or not, the cows raised on grass have much more health benefits.

Yoghurt

Having 1 cup of yoghurt gives you as much riboflavin as you find in a cup of boiled spinach. Riboflaving (also called vitamin B) is essential for acting as a catalyst of antioxidant activity. Without its initiation, the glutathione antioxidant is not able to destroy free radicals in the body. It is important that you replenish the body’s need for riboflavin daily because it is water soluble and stays in the body for only a few hours. Yoghurt is just the right food for it.

Natural Sweeteners

If you remove excess sweeteners from your diet and include natural ones such as brown sugar, maple syrup, honey and molasses, it can help you satisfy your sweet tooth without harming your health. The antioxidant content of molasses in particular was found to be very high by researchers of the Virginia Tech University.

Nuts

These are rich in unsaturated fats and have benefits similar to those of olive oil. Apart from that, they also contain vitamins, minerals and other phytochemicals which bring down the aging process.

Men's Supplements for Sexual Health

Men's Vitamins and Supplements for Sexual Health

Men always long for the vitality of their teenage years and think that popping vitamin supplement pills can help them in that. Recent studies suggest otherwise. According to Howard Sesso, ScD, MPH, associate professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, individual supplements of vitamin C and Vitamin E do not bring down the risk of prostate cancer. It indicates that there is no connection between taking of popular vitamin pills such as those of vitamin E and C for better sexual health and actually noticeable good health. This would also suggest that herbal vitamins are most suitable as sexual health supplements for men. 

Herbal Vitamin Supplements for Men’s Sexual Health

There are some herbs which are effective in dealing with certain specific sexual health problema of men such as low libido, prostate problems and impotency. They are –

• Muira Puama – It is a small tree found in Brazilian rain forests known for its ability to enhance libido in men. This male sexual health supplement has a very beneficial effect on the nervous system in males and acts as its tonic. It is known mostly for its qualities as an aphrodisiac but there are other benefits too such as prevention of erectile dysfunction, stopping hair loss and it even has anti-depressant properties.
• Ginseng – This herb is a very good stimulant of the immune system and is known for its properties of curing male impotence and improving male fertility. Ginseng not only increases sexual desire in men (and women too), but also increases the sperm count and mobility, and raises the level of testosterone in males.
• Saw Palmetto – It helps in preventing the disorder of enlarged prostate. It blocks the production of those hormones that cause an enlarged prostate. Saw Palmetto is a palm tree found on the Atlantic seaboard and is considered one of the inexpensive treatments for this disorder which affects men’s sexual health after the age of 50.
• Rod Clover – Another herbal vitamin for prostate problems. Harmful hormone growth leading to prostate problems is controlled by this herb and its anti-oxidant effects reduce the risk of prostate cancer too. It has a good amount of isoflavones which regulate hormonal fluctuations affecting men’s sexual health and even psoriasis.

It would always be advisable to go herbal when looking for men’s sexual health supplements. This is not only because of the obvious reason that herbal remedies have lesser side-effects but also because the latter have been found to be more effective of late.

5 Ways to Impress Her without Spending a Fortune

If you think the only way to impress your lady is by buying expensive gifts or taking her to fancy restaurants, you might be in for a surprise. These things are important if you can afford them but not indispensable. Women would be much more impressed and happy if you could do those little things such as giving compliments and listening to her when she wants to pour out her emotions. So what are those little things a woman would lover her man to do?

It is not possible to mention everything but such a list would include the following –

Throw compliments

Women want to feel pretty and they like nothing better than their man showering her with praises. Just letting her feel so from time to time would make her much happier than an expensive gift or outing. Keep the compliments coming for her activities at home too, such as cooking and decoration. Saying things like “The dinner was fabulous today!” or “That vase look perfect on the drawing room table!” would make her feel special.

Listen to her

Men often make the mistake of trying to suggest a solution for women. This is not what they look for always. Many times they just want to get it off their chest. So do not offer a solution before she asks for it. It can actually upset her. All she would want to do is to express herself without being interrupted. Many times what they need is a sympathetic ear rather than a problem solving brain.

Plan for special occasions

The special occasions need not be only birthdays or anniversary. Make a list of special days such as the day you met or the day you kissed for the first time. Plan on spending quality time together on these days. It does not have to be expensive. Cooking a special meal or taking home something special as a surprise can do wonders.

The affectionate touch

Women like to be touched as an affectionate gesture rather than a sexually suggestive one. Simple acts like running your hand through her hair or clasping her hand casually would make her feel that you love her. Women would like such touches much more as these show that you care and not lust for her.

Discuss the day at work with her

After coming home from work, relate the experiences of the day with your loved one. She would appreciate this and it would strengthen the bond between the two of you.

This list is not exhaustive by any stretch of the imagination but it does point you in the right direction to impress your girl. Along with the expensive gifts from time to time, these gestures are much more important for keeping her happy.

5 Facts about Female Orgasms

Facts about female orgasms are baffling not just for the man, but also for the medical community. About 20 minutes of clitoral or G-spot stimulation is required by most women to be able to climax. Smoking, emotional disorders, menopause or medications can prolong this time. About 10% of the women suffer from Anorgasmia i.e. the inability to orgasm.

5 Facts about Female Orgasms

1. Women need to be incited to get into the mood with love and passion. She can be turned on by being vocal, touching and giving her plenty of deep kisses. This in turn will make it much easier for her to climax. It has been found that during an orgasm, brain activity decreased in the hippocampus and amygdale, which are centres for alertness and anxiety. So, women need to be relaxed and free from anxiety to be able to climax.
2. Foreplayplays a pivotal role in sexual intercourse. You’ll have a long course ahead if you omit the foreplay. Oral sex can warm the lady without letting her climax.
3. If you can stimulate a woman’s most sensitive areas such as her clitoris, her G-spot (a small spot in the vagina, which when stimulated, produces intense orgasms) and her cervix at the same time, you’ll help her reach orgasm much faster.
4. 5facts about female orgasmsare also related to the size of the penis. A long penis can reach all her sensitive spots much more easily and make her climax faster.
5. Orgasms in females also have other perks. They relieve menstrual cramps, reduce sensitivity to pain and also alleviate stress. This probably happens due to surge in hormones such as oxytocin and dopamine. Orgasms during sex can also increase the chances of conception. Oxytocin, which is released during an orgasm, causes the uterus to contract which pushes the sperm towards the egg.

There are various therapies such as testosterone treatments, cognitive behavioural treatments and nutritional supplements such as ArginMaxto improve sexual satisfaction and hence, a woman can climax faster. According to another study, a woman’s ability to climax also depends on her genes. Some women orgasm but don’t feel their pelvic muscles contracting. However, the feeling of relaxation and contentmentexperienced in an orgasm definitely produces a positive effect, both physically and mentally.

How to lose Weight Without Pills

Losing weight to get a fit and toned body is a dream of many people, and some of them fall prey to the easy weight loss promise of diet pills. Not only are such pills ineffective in what they promise, but also bring about a host of diseases such as high blood pressure, develop dependency, cause heart diseases and seriously disrupt your metabolism. It may not be easy to lose weight but taking diet pills will only worsen the situation, hence the question remains the same how to lose weight without pills?

Guidelines for Weight Loss Without Pills

• Keep calorie intake count – You need to keep a count of your daily calorie intake. Endure the slow process painstakingly because you can be sure of better results than simply resorting to pills. Aim at decreasing your daily calorie intake by 500. You may want to stick 2000 calories daily if you are inactive, even 2500 calories of daily intake can keep you fit.
• Choose healthy foods over Unhealthy Ones – One example of this is having salad with spices rather than French fries. Similarly, whole wheat food items, fruits and vegetables, juices and yoghurts should replace burgers, pizzas, sodas and all foodstuffs loaded with empty calories.
• Burn out your calories – Depending on the amount of calories you want burned, choose the exercise or exercises. If overweight by 100 pounds, half an hour of brisk walk is recommended. If looking to shed 5 pounds, aerobics, weight training or jogging will be needed.
• Your food should get all the nutrients – Fresh fruits and vegetables are the way to go. You may also keep a diet chart with details of the nutrient value in each fruit. Taking calories from fruits give you many vitamins and minerals that help you lose weight by having a positive impact on the metabolism and other body functions.
• Stick to your routine – It is important that you follow suit on your weight loss programme. If you slack for even 2 days, it is going to put you off. In case you have something important to do, include some additional activities the next day to make sure you lose the same amount of calories.
• Change your lifestyle – It is time to live healthy! Take stairs instead of elevators, go for morning or evening walks, enjoy taking a stroll in your garden, ride a bicycle and plan interesting outdoor activities. You may also join a Yoga class to relieve stress as even that is a factor in weight gain.

Do you get enough vitamin D?

It’s dubbed the ‘sunshine vitamin’ but how do we get enough vitamin D when the sun isn’t shining or you avoid sunlight?

Sun exposure is required for the skin to produce vitamin D, as a normal balanced diet contains very little. This has brought about a growing concern for vitamin D deficiency in particular groups: older people or those living in institutional care with little exposure to sunlight, those with darker skin tone, and those who cover themselves because of cultural or religious reasons.

So how do you make sure you get enough? You don’t need to bake yourself in the sun and risk skin cancer to get a good dose of vitamin D.

How much you need depends on your skin colour. If you have fair skin, you may only need approximately 5 minutes of daily exposure in summer sun, whereas if you have darker skin, you may need up to 20 minutes each day.

More exposure is needed over winter to product vitamin D because UV levels are considerably less. But by getting enough sunlight hours over summer, you can build up your stores for winter.

It’s also important to remember that even when it’s cloudy, you are still exposed to UV light, so just because you can’t see the sun, doesn’t mean you’re not getting vitamin D!

Very few foods contain vitamin D: oily fish, eggs and some fortified milks and margarine. It’s a good idea to include these healthy foods in your diet, even if you don’t think you have concern for vitamin D deficiency.

Those over the age of 50 years need almost double the amount of vitamin D than those younger than them. So to make sure you get the recommended amount, try to get about 15 minutes of sensible sunshine each day and eat the healthy foods mentioned above.

Women drawn to men's indifference

A woman is more attracted to a man when she is uncertain about how much he likes her, says a new study.

On the one hand, a lot of psychological research has found that person A usually likes person B about as much as they think person B likes them.

"If we want to know how much Sarah likes Bob, a good predictor is how much she thinks Bob likes her," said the authors of the paper, Erin R. Whitchurch and Timothy D. Wilson of the University of Virginia and Daniel T. Gilbert of Harvard University.

"But what if Sarah is not sure how much Bob likes her?" This might lead Sarah to spend a lot of time thinking about Bob, wondering how he feels, and she might find him more attractive the more she dwells on him.

Forty-seven female undergraduates at the University of Virginia participated in the study. Each student, who believed that the experiment was designed to study whether Facebook could work as an online dating site, was told that male students from two other universities had viewed her profile and those of 15 to 20 other females. Then the women were shown four men's Facebook profiles that they thought were real, but were actually fictitious. Some of the women were told they'd seen the four men who liked them the most; others were told these were four men who rated them about average. A third group were told the men could be either the ones who liked them most or the ones who liked them about average—so those women didn't know about the level of the men's interest in them.

As other research has found, women who believed the men liked them a lot were more attracted to the men than women who thought the men liked them only an average amount. However, the women who found the men most attractive were the ones who weren't sure whether those men were into them or not.

"Numerous popular books advise people not to display their affections too openly to a potential romantic partner and to instead appear choosy and selective," the authors write.

Women in this study made their decisions based on very little information on the men—but in a situation not unlike meeting someone on an internet dating site, which is common these days. "When people first meet, it may be that popular dating advice is correct: Keeping people in the dark about how much we like them will increase how much they think about us and will pique their interest."