Reasons why you MUST eat garlic

Reasons garlic is good for you

- Garlic is antiviral and antifungal. It has been used for centuries for its antibacterial properties. The chemical component of garlic, allicin, has been shown to prevent the growth of the candida albicans fungus.

- Garlic can reduce cholesterol. Its powerful antioxidant properties prevent free radical damage to the arterial lining and stop the formation of scar tissue.

- Eat garlic to lower your blood pressure. Garlic has the ability to decrease platelet stickiness, which will help in making your blood thinner.

- Garlic can help to regulate blood sugar levels, which is good for people with type 2 diabetes.

- Baked potatoes and baked garlic with cress salad — this is a simple way to eat garlic and tastes great

- Fight colds and flu by eating garlic whenever you can in soups and salads. It's also delicious as a roasted vegetable

Right way to eat fruits!

Follow these tips and get the maximum benefit from the fruit you eat... 

For the best nutritional value  
Make most of your choices — whole or cut-up fruit rather than juice, for the benefits dietary fibre provides. 
Select fruits with more potassium often, such as bananas, prunes and prune juice, dried peaches and apricots, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, and orange juice. 

At meals 
At breakfast, top your cereal with bananas or peaches; add blueberries to pancakes; drink 100 per cent orange or grapefruit juice. 
At dinner, add crushed pineapple to coleslaw, or include mandarin oranges or grapes in a tossed salad. 

As snacks  
Cut-up fruit makes a great snack. Either cut them yourself, or buy pre-cut packages of fruit pieces like pineapples or melons. Or, try whole fresh berries or grapes. 
Dried fruits also make a great snack. They are easy to carry and store well. Because they are dried, ¼ cup is equivalent to ½ cup of other fruits. 

Fruit tips for children 
Set a good example for children by eating fruit everyday with meals or as snacks. 
Offer children a choice of fruits for lunch. 
Depending on their age, children can help shop for, clean, peel, or cut up fruits. 
While shopping, allow children to pick out a new fruit to try later at home. 
Decorate plates or serving dishes with fruit slices. 
Top off a bowl of cereal with some berries. Or, make a smiley face with sliced bananas for eyes, raisins for a nose, and an orange slice for a mouth. 
Offer raisins or other dried fruits instead of candy. 

For questions specific to your health conditions, please write down in the comments section and we will answer it as soon as possible. Thanks

4 reasons why you shouldn’t eat bread

Whether its sandwiches or subs, a lot of us love eating bread and do so, on a daily basis. But it isn't exactly the most healthy foods that there are. Here's why you should stay away from bread!

It doesn't have many nutrients:

Unlike other food items, bread, especially white bread and items made from it lack nutrients. You're not getting any fiber, you're not getting the wholesomeness of grains — you're basically getting nothing important out of it. While bread made of wheat is a little better, if you're looking for nutrients, bread made out of whole grains are what you must opt for.

It contains too much salt:

Most bread varieties, especially the processed kind that you buy from the supermarket, contain lots of salt. So if you eat lesser bread, the amount of sodium in your body is significantly reduced. Of course, one slice of bread, every now and then won't do any damage. In fact, you can bake your own bread at home, without adding too much salt.

It makes you gain weight

If you eat too much of bread, because of all carbs, salt, refined sugar and preservatives that it contains, it can make you put on pounds! Eating it in moderation is fine; especially when you take the time to make sure it's as healthy as possible.

It's not a wholesome, filling meal

Since certain kinds of bread lack nutrients, when you eat them, you might not feel satiated, because it's not filling!

For questions specific to your health conditions, please write down in the comments section and we will answer it as soon as possible. Thanks

Strawberries for a healthy skin

Fruits have innumerable benefits when it comes to skin care. Not only eating them is beneficial but applying them as scrub, mask or facial has remarkable effects on any skin type.

One of the most effective fruits one can find in an orchard is the luscious red wonder berry — strawberry. Delectable and yummy, it is a favourite of both grown-ups and kids. If used regularly, strawberries can work wonders in giving your face a shine and healthy glow. Here are a few methods in which you can use strawberries to get the most out of it:

Boost your complexion
Beauticians have found out that the juice of this berry is rich in skin lightening and also cures blemishes and acne marks effectively. Mash three to four strawberries in a bowl and filter the juice with a clean muslin cloth. Apply the juice all over he face. Leave it on for 20 minutes and wash off with cold water. Use this mask thrice a week to reap the best benefits. It also reduces sun damage and minimizes the effects of ultraviolet rays on the skin.

Treat acne
Mix half a cup of sliced strawberries with a spoon of sour cream. Mix it well. Apply the mixture as a mask and leave it on for 10 minutes. Since this berry has cleansing properties and contains salicylic acid, it helps in removing dead cells from the skin. It also tightens the pores and prevents further break outs. Strawberries have been hailed for their effectiveness in removing impurities and are thus, used in a lot of face washes as an active ingredient.

A great toner
Grind a handful of strawberries and extract the juice. Add two tablespoon of this juice to 100 ml of cold rose water. Apply it with a cotton ball all over your face before going to bed. This is a great toner for every skin type. For best results, do it daily and do not follow it with any night cream. The best thing about this homemade mix is that you can store it for 15 days in the refrigerator.

A strawberry scrub for a youthful skin
Take five to six strawberries and add two tablespoon of honey to the mixture. Mash the strawberries in a way that the seeds remain. Do not do off with the seeds. Add around three drops of warm water to the mixture. Massage your skin with the mixture for 10 minutes in circular and semi-circular motion. Then wash off with cold water. If done thrice a week, this scrub results in a youthful and glowing skin.

Strawberry milk mania
Two great ingredients come together to gift you flawless skin. Take three strawberries and add seven spoons of milk. Crush them in a blender and use the mixture on your face as a mask first thing in the morning. You will not need any cream to pull you through the day. An easy-to-do mask, this is helpful for people with a dull and tired-looking skin.

Strawberry and carrot juice cleanser
Mix a cup of strawberry juice with a cup of fresh carrot juice. You can replace your usual cleanser with this excellent homemade one. For people with oily skin, this cleanser can be a saviour.

Get rid of wrinkles and ageing with these food

When it comes to beauty, Indian consumers are more conscious than ever

Ageing, dark spots, wrinkles, and fine lines... these are the last things that a person would like to see on his or her skin.

No wonder, both men and women are willing to shell out a lumpsum to look good and are going all natural in the process. According to experts, the secret lies in the plate and that's precisely why what you eat matters the most.

Food experts recommend people to opt for natural products to maintain a youthful look in a healthy way. And when it comes to these natural products, there are umpteen varieties to choose from.

We give you a list of products that one could choose from to delay the ageing process and to maintain that youthful look.

Leafy greens: Like eggs, leafy greens such as spinach, kale, turnip greens, and romaine lettuce, are great sources of lutein and zeaxanthin. Studies have shown eating foods rich in these antioxidants can significantly reduce risk of AMD (age-related macular degeneration), as well as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Spinach has a very high ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) score. It is a measurement of a food's ability to destroy the free radicals that cause damage in your body. The higher the ORAC score, the better a food is for you.

Blueberries: These tiny berries are powerhouses of nutrition. They are loaded with antioxidants, which stops premature ageing and help prevent cancer. Wild blueberries also boost your health. A study suggests that anthocyanins in blueberries appear to combat oxidative stress, which is one of the main causes of ageing.

Yellow and orange root vegetables: Put plenty of beta-carotene on your plate. These super-antioxidants are good for your skin and eyes. Good choices include carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and squash.

Broccoli: Quercetin is a powerful antioxidant that is found in broccoli, along with other foods including cranberries, onions, and apples. It is a natural anti-inflammatory agent as well, fighting the number two cause of aging. Broccoli sprouts have 30 times more isothiocyanates (yet another antioxidant) than regular broccoli.

Raw, organic eggs: A single egg contains, nine essential amino acids. It's rich in proteins and has naturally occurring Vitamin D. Consuming your eggs raw is the best thing to do as cooking destroys some of the highly perishable nutrients.

Aloe vera: Aloe vera's anti-ageing properties have been known for ages. Scientific evidence suggests that Aloe Vera juice can heal skin and reverse skin ageing. Skin ages because of UV light damage and loss of collagen in the skin. Collagen helps in keeping the skin firm and elastic. Ageing breaks down the collagen matrix in your skin which leads to wrinkles. Drinking aloe vera juice is known to reduce the wrinkle depth and improve skin elasticity due to increased collagen production.

Garlic: Allium is an antioxidant that packs a punch. Garlic, onions, and scallions are loaded with this free-radical fighter that is good for your skin and your immune system

Eat blueberries for healthy love life

Eating a cupfull of blueberries once a day may help spice up your love life, says an expert.

According to nutritionist Dora Walsh, the berries contain proanthocyanidins, a plant chemicals that is believed to keep blood vessels flexible and blood flowing around the body that could work wonders in your romantic life, reports contactmusic.com.

"Blueberries can easily be incorporated into what we eat every week. Blueberries are a great source of the nutrient manganese which helps us get energy from food - all important for Valentine's night.

"Blueberries not only make you feel great, many of my clients eat them for healthy skin and their nutrient content could hold the key to giving our skin a Valentine's glow, which makes us more attractive to the opposite sex," said Walsh.

Blueberries are also packed full of soluble fibre which many people consume to help push excess cholesterol through the digestive system before it can be broken down, and deposited along the walls of the arteries.

Clear arteries are important for a healthy heart.