Healthy Diet with Veggies

Vegetables are a healthy part of any diet. Whether you're interested in sculpting your body, or just want to tone it that extra bit, vegetables help in improving your overall health by maximizing your weight loss efforts. 
 
It is said that just eating 8-9 servings of vegetables in a day, you can improve your body's immunity against diseases such as diabetes, cancer and heart ailments. But which vegetables are better disease-fighters than others? Here are top 10 vegetables for a healthy diet, that definitely set the ball rolling. 
 
Tomatoes. Technically called a fruit, tomatoes are mostly eaten as a well-liked vegetable. Tomatoes have lycopene and red orbs which are well known for their cancer-defending properties. They are full of Vitamin A and Vitamin K which help in keeping your blood pressure levels under control. 
 
Broccoli. When one talks about vegetables which can fight diseases effectively, broccoli ranks amongst the highest. They are a storehouse of antioxidants which help in fighting rectal, lungs and stomach cancers. They are also rich in folate, Vitamin C and beta-carotene which help in boosting your immunity to fight against colds and flus. 
 
Brussels sprouts. Excellent for pregnant women, these little veggies are full of B-vitamin and folic acid which keeps women away from uteral tube defects. They are also quite rich in omega 3 fatty acids, potassium, fiber and Vitamin C and K. 
 
Carrots. Carrots are full of nourishing properties for eyes, hair and skin. They are the best source of pro-vitamin and A carotenes. Known for improving night vision, carrots are rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin A which helps in regulating healthy blood sugar levels - good for the heart. 
 
Asparagus. Again, an excellent food for pregnant women, asparagus is full of fiber, folate and Vitamin B6 qualities which help in maximizing heart's health. These long veggie sticks are also pretty low in sodium and high in potassium content, which makes them ideal for the healthy working of our large intestine. 
 
Sweet potatoes. Grown under earth, sweet potatoes are full of ant-defending qualities as they are rich in manganese, Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Good for our digestive system, they are full of iron and fiber which helps in giving us good amounts of energy. 
 
Eggplants. Eggplants have a unique antioxidant in them like nasunin (a complex compound which defends your brain cells against damage). Many studies have proved that they are good for lessening your risk of stroke and dementia as they are packed with fiber and potassium. The best quality about eggplants is that they are pretty low in calories, thus they have a positive effect on one's heart health. 
 
Bell peppers. Whichever colour of bell peppers you may go for - red, orange or yellow- they are full of heart-healthy properties because of folic acid and lycopene present in them. Again, they have been substantially proved to lower your risk again cancer too. 
   
Spinach. Popeye the sailor was quite right when crediting his muscle power to this green leafy vegetable. It is believed that spinach contains around 13 flavonoid compounds which keep us away from cancer, heart diseases and osteoporosis. 
 
Onions. Including onions in your daily food intake, gives your body's immunity levels a royal boost. They are full of peptide known as GPCS which helps in keeping your body's calcium level under control. Packed with Vitamin C and folate, onions promote good cardiovascular and gastrointestinal health.  

CC kills more people than cervical cancer.....“cholangiocarcinoma”

There is a disease, a cancer, that kills more people than cervical cancer and whose incidence is rising in the UK and most of the industrialised world. However, most people have never heard of this cancer, and even amongst most doctors, the rising death toll from this disease is unknown. This disease is called “cholangiocarcinoma”, or CC, and unless you or someone you care about has been affected by this cancer, it is unlikely you’ll have come across this term before. I believe this is a disease whose profile needs to be raised and I would like to take this opportunity to tell you about CC.

As a liver specialist, I am continually amazed at the liver’s incredible diversity. It has, literally, hundreds of different functions in the body. One of these is to make bile, a green to yellowish fluid, which aids the digestion of fats and also carries away potentially harmful toxins into the gut for excretion from the body. The bile ducts are a system of tube like structures which carry this bile from the liver to the gut. Cholangiocarcinoma is a fatal cancer arising in these bile ducts. This particular form of cancer kills almost 2000 people per year in this country, and affects both men and women. Most people who get CC will die from the disease. Moreover, studies from around the world suggest that CC is increasing. The reasons for this are unknown.

So what causes CC and why might it be increasing? CC is believed to occur due to a combination of factors, including other illnesses that damage the liver and/or bile ducts over a prolonged period of time. Some chemical toxins have also been linked to CC and there may be a small genetic predisposition, although CC is not a directly inherited disease. In Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia, CC is relatively common and this is thought to be due to liver flukes which are endemic in that part of the world. However, in the Western world, the majority of cases of CC have no known risk factor. Studying the cause(s) of CC is an important area of on-going research in this field, as only by understanding the underlying mechanisms can effective treatments be developed.

CC is a difficult cancer to treat as the only cure currently available is to surgically remove the whole cancer. It is also difficult to diagnose this disease in the early stages and by the time most patients present with symptoms, the cancer has spread too far for surgery to be effective.

So how does CC present itself and how do we go about diagnosing it? CC, as with several other diseases in and around the liver, typically causes blockage to the flow of bile, leading to the symptoms of jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), pale stools and dark urine. Patients may also complain of malaise, fatigue and weight loss. Severe pain is not a typical feature. As many other diseases can present in a similar way, it can be difficult to confirm the diagnosis of CC. There is no single test that proves a diagnosis of CC. Specialists rely on a combination of the patient’s history, a clinical examination, blood tests for cancer “markers”, imaging scans (ultrasound, CT and MRI), and endoscopy techniques (to get bile and tumour samples from within the bile ducts) to investigate a case of possible CC. An important area of CC research is the development of new techniques to get an accurate and early diagnosis of CC.

Aside from surgery, there are other treatments which, although not curative, can help control symptoms such as jaundice and may delay progression of the cancer and/or its fatal effects. These treatments include placing “stents” into the bile duct to allow bile to flow again, and combinations of chemotherapy drugs. Several new treatments are being researched and developed to tackle CC. These include new cancer drugs; better stents and ways to directly visualise and kill cancer cells inside the bile ducts.

CC is a devastating cancer. It presents late in its course, is difficult to diagnose accurately and early, and in most cases cannot be cured. Furthermore, CC seems to be increasing and we don’t know why. Most of us haven’t even heard of it. This is a disease about which we need to raise awareness, and it’s essential we find out the causes of CC so we can develop better diagnostic tests and more effective treatments for the future.

Dr Shahid A Khan is a Consultant Physician & Senior Lecturer at Imperial College London; &advisor to AMMF, the UK’s only Cholangiocarcinoma Charity

Benefits of Spring Onion

Spring onions add great nutritive and taste value to a dish and can be used in different ways.

Spring onions were grown in Chinese gardens 5000 years ago! Do you know the onion bulb was worshipped as the symbol of the universe by ancient Egyptians? Nutritionally, green onions have a combination of the benefits of onions and greens. They are an excellent source of vitamin K and vitamin C, and a very good source of vitamin A too.

Spring onions can be added to dal and make it a much tastier dish. Similarly, you can add it to vegetables like cauliflower and potatoes and it will make an excellent dish. Mushrooms go very well with spring onions and interestingly spring onions can be added to soy nuggets while making a Chinese dish. Spring onions are used in salads as the flavor tends to be milder than other onions. It is used widely in oriental food both as an ingredient and as a garnish.

Spring onion is a nutritious plant, and therefore it provides a host of health benefits to us. It is a rich source of vitamins and minerals which aids in curing the various ailments. It is seen to have helped in reducing the harmful impacts of various diseases.

Some of the health benefits of spring onions are as follows:
- Spring onion lowers the blood sugar level.
- It is a support against gastrointestinal problems.
- It is often used as a medicine for common cold.
- It is used as an appetizer as it helps digestion.
- It speeds up the level of blood circulation in the body.

Prolong veggies ....in the times of inflation...

Fruits and veggies
According to a study, more than a third of oranges and apples you buy for consumption get thrown away every year because they are past their best.

But fruits will last up to two weeks longer if you remember to keep it in the fridge, instead of the fruit bowl, as many of us do, at room temperature.

Even if fruit and vegetables have started to shrivel up inside the refrigerator, it is not always too late to save them. You can revive produce, like carrots or cucumbers, simply by putting it in a bowl of ice-cold water. Just because it's shrivelled doesn't mean it's lost its nutritional value.



Milk & Diary
To save electricity many people keep their refrigerators at a very high temperature of about seven degrees. This temperature does not always preserve the food for longer durations. By turning the temperature down by two degrees to five degrees, food will stay fresher for long, without having much effect on your electricity bill. Lowering the temperature could improve the shelf life of milk by a quarter and meat by half


.
Petrol
With the cost of fuel rising, we dread a visit to the petrol pump. But there are ways of making those trips to the pump fewer and farther between.

Cars use the most fuel when the A/C is switched on and you are waiting at a signal which has a countdown time of three minutes. Make a habit to switch off the A/C at the signal to save fuel. But there is nothing better than turning down the engine.

Also if you don't speed on empty roads, you probably won't have to fill up your tank so often. Driving at 60 kmph, you car will give much better average than driving at 80 kmph. You can use up to about 20-50 per cent less fuel by keeping these points in mind and without affecting you journey time





Printer ink
While the cost of printers has gone down, ink cartridges can cost up to Rs 2000-3000 each.

To cut back, try using smaller, slimmer fonts in typefaces such as Garamond and Courier - and try setting your print quality to draft. Do not use colour print outs when not necessary.



Clothes
Taking more care when washing and drying clothes will keep them looking good for longer. Using very hot water with lots of detergent speeds up the breakdown of fibres of your clothes and fades colour. Air dry as much as you possibly can because less heat is involved and use only half a spoon of detergent when possible



Make up
Women typically spend more than Rs five lakh on make-up during their lifetime. One of the best ways to preserve cosmetics is to apply products like lipstick and foundations with a brush. For example, using a special foundation brush rather than your fingers, or a sponge, will help you to use less. Use a little bit at a time and press and roll into the skin so you don't waste it.

It's also essential to seal bottles and lipsticks every time after they are used in order to stop them drying out and letting in bacteria



Fresh flowers
Cut flowers should last around five to seven days. But to make them survive for even longer, pick flowers while they are still buds and keep them out of bright sunlight. As soon as you get them home cut the stems, which will have sealed over, to help give the flowers more moisture. Take off any leaves that will be under the water line. The leaves will rot away, which will in turn pollute the water and flowers need fresh water to survive. They will also take up valuable water and nutrients that should be going to the flowers to keep them alive.

Common Cold ...Prevention

The human rhino virus, as it is clinically known, is an air borne virus, which makes chances of its transmission from person to person quite high. How, then, does one avoid a common cold, especially in the fast approaching winter months? Here are a few tried and tested methods of preventing the common cold that could reduce the number of visits it makes to you in a year.


Maintain basic hygiene
We were taught hygiene as kids, so we maintain it in adulthood - or do we? Those basics are very useful in preventing a cold. Wash your hands at regular intervals, specially after being in public places, like at the gym or mall. Carrying a bottle of hand sanitizer along is quite helpful too, moreso if there are kids around. At the risk of being paranoid, maintain a safe distance from an infected person.


No touching!
Since the virus spreads through the air, it is also present on the surfaces around an infected person in the form of small mucus droplets, which the eyes cannot see. The virus can be transmitted through accidentally touching the surface and then touching facial features like the nose and the mouth. Touching or rubbing the eyes constantly should be avoided.


Stub the cigarette
Smoking is injurious in more than one way, not just to you but also to people around you. The smoke causes irritation in the airway, making it prone to the rhinovirus attack. Also susceptibility to other kind of viral infections increases. Inhaling smoke passively could also lead to throat infections.


Load up on vitamin C
The debate between whether vitamin C really prevents cold or not has been long on. But drinking a glass of orange juice will certainly do no harm on either side. Some doctors even prescribe chewable vitamin C supplements for curing the common cold.


Reduce stress
While your mind is stressing over issues, the body is busy backing it up. Therefore, the immune system is weakened with large stress loads. That makes it prone to virus attacks. Sleep for at least 8 hours in a day. Relax and unwind whenever you get a chance.


Keep fit
A fit body is usually capable of countering a lot of ailments. Maintain a regular fitness routine, and a healthy lifestyle. Drink a lot of water and eat right. Building a strong immune system is the best prevention against the common cold.