"LIFE IS LIKE AN ONION. YOU PEEL IT OFF ONE LAYER AT A TIME, AND SOMETIMES YOU WEEP."

          About Onions…Onion is another one of those foods that surprise one, in terms of its qualities. Onions can be used in almost every type of food, including cooked foods and fresh salads and as a spicy garnish. Usually chopped or sliced, they are found in a large number of recipes and preparations spanning almost the totality of the world's cultures. Depending on the variety, an onion can be sharp, spicy, tangy, pungent, mild or sweet.

             The whole plant is edible and is used as food in some form or another. While it is quite pungent in taste, it is not warming to the digestive tract the way most pungent in taste, it is not warming to the digestive tract the way most pungent foods are. It’s unusual or prabhav is its cooling virya. This means it has a cooling effect on the digestive tract, thereby inhibiting digestion. Those who have difficulty consuming raw onions will attest to this. And this why raw onions are not on Vatas most recommended list. Cooking onions sweetens and lightens them, thereby making them balancing for both Pitta and Vata in gentle qualities. The pungency of onion in all forms makes it well suited for Kapha.

              Wide-ranging claims have been made for the effectiveness of onions against conditions ranging from the common cold to heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and other diseases. They contain chemical compounds believed to have anti-inflammatory, anticholesterol, anticancer, and antioxidant properties, such as quercetin. Preliminary studies have shown increased consumption of onions reduces the risk of head and neck cancers. Onions may be beneficial for women, who are at increased risk for osteoporosis as they go through menopause, by destroying osteoclasts so they do not break down bone. As onions are sliced or eaten, cells are broken, allowing enzymes called alliinases to break down amino acid sulphoxides and generate sulphenic acids. Tear glands produce tears to dilute and flush out the irritant

HOW TO BUILD STRONG BONES ????

How to build strong bones…don’t wait for that dreaded bone- weakening disease to strike. The good news: you can reverse bone losses with diet, exercise and medication.

People neglect the back pain…Even after rubbing balm when it didn’t help you, then you visit to doctor. After lot of investigation you get your diagnosis..That’s what is shocking for you. It is always believed that osteoporosis – a disease where bones weaken and porous & brittle –afflicted only elderly. If all of you remembered that when we’re young our bones get longer & denser until we reach full height. Even as we grow our bones tissue is constantly being broken down and rebuilt. Then (in your early 30s if you’re women and at about 40 if you are man), your skeleton naturally begins to slowly lose bone faster than your body can replace it and very gradually your bones thin and becomes less dense as you age.
 Osteoporosis is usually not detected until you suffer a nasty fracture of the wrist or hip, often in very minor accident, or in some cases, even spontaneously. By the time you’re diagnosed with osteoporosis, your bones will already have lost significant density making them fragile.


An overwhelming majority of sufferers will be women, because hormone oestrogen play crucial role in a women’s ability to use dietary calcium to build new bone. So when women approaches menopause, the reduction in the body’s oestrogen production deprives her bones of vital calcium. Some 20 to 30 % of bone loss in women occurs in the first five years after menopause, when precondition osteopenia often develops. So women in the age 46 to 50 age group are at the greatest risk of developing osteopenia. Patients with this, usally have pain in back, and in severe cases may suffer from fractures after trivial injury.


Men too are at risk. A decline in testosterone, which occurs naturally after age 60, result in reduced ability to use dietary calcium to build new bone.(Men also produce small amounts of oestrogen and fluctuation in this also play a role.

A sedentary lifestyle too can contribute to osteoporosis in men as can the long term use of medications such as anticonvulsants or corticosteroids by asthmatic or those suffering from skin disorders. Younger Indians, too especially those who work regular night shifts, or have adopted a sedentary indoor life style, or smoke, or drink excessively are more likely to develop osteoporosis. Bone loss can also occur in women whose oestrogen levels have dropped due to the removal of their ovaries, and in athletes whose ability to produce oestrogen may be inhibited by low levels of body fat.


SYMPTOMS AND INDICATORS
• Constant back pain and, less commonly, pain in the chest, hip, wrist and pelvic area.
• Developing hunched back, or loss of height (due to compression of spinal column)
• Tendency to suffer fractures after relatively minor falls.
• Amenorrhea (absence of menstrual periods) is associated with reduced oestrogen levels and, possibly, osteoporosis.


TREATMENTS: Is focus on to slow bone loss and to reduce the risk of fractures. Also some lifestyle changes. For severe cases of fractures surgery could be option. Keep your diet with calcium supplements; include lots of banans, sesame seeds, exposure to sunlight. Indeed adults up to age 50 require 1000mg of calcium daily, post menopausal women (and men over age 65) should get 1200 to 1500mg a day. You will find variety of calcium compounds at the chemist; the two with highest level are calcium carbonate & calcium citrate. For the best absorption calcium supplements should be taken an hour before or after meals in doses of 500 to 600mg at a time. Calcium needs a partner in its bone-protection work: Vitamin D. Most adults need 400IU.

PREVENTION: WHAT YOU CAN DO…Lifestyle changes can make big difference, even if you’ve already been diagnosed with osteoporosis. Keep these bones building and safety tips in mind…


SUPPLY CALCIUM: Calcium rich foods include soyabeans, sesame seeds, nuts, broccoli, turnip greens, sardines, clams, shrimp, and dairy products like milk cheese, paneer, curd. Reduce your salt intake.


AVOID INACTIVITY: Walk regularly or work out. “When it comes to bones, function determines form, exercise develops bone. Inactivity causes bone loss. So you can choose to use it or to lose it.”


GET SOME SUN: Try to get 30 min of exposure to gentle sunlight every day. Avoid the harsh sunlight.

WATCH WHAT YOU DRINK: Limit beverages, especially soft drinks. Drink water instead. Restrict alcoholic drinks to a day. Stop at two cups of tea or coffee per day. Tobacco use contributes to osteoporosis.


HERBAL HELPERS: Ayurveda prescribes supplements in combination with various ingredients like, Godanti bhasma, Kukutandtwak bhasma, a natural form of calcium help in healthy bone formation, improves bone mineral density and relieving bone and joint pains. Using some condiments in right quantities also beneficial also like Ashwagandha. Before starting any medication consult a health professional.

AYURVEDA PRINCIPLES OF DIET....!!!!

In various Ayurveda texts, description has been given regarding wholesome and unwholesome food items. These criteria of selection & rejection of food substances is based on certain principles. All the text has described these principles by two methods. (1) General guideline and (2) Particular qualities of each food-substance. If you see the original description, now a day’s everyday and occasional diet have changed not only India but most places of world. The general guidelines therefore are more useful for application.

All food items can be tested by following methods-

·        Pentadic or primordial dominance ( Panchabhautik),

·        Taste & acceptability,

·        By examining chemical or organic means,

·        Animal examination regarding maturity of its tissues, feeding & excretory products etc.

·        Prepared food examination regarding its contact with water, fermentative factors used, preservatives added and the qualities of combined ingredients.

·        Evolvement of biological products.

 While consuming one have to pay attention to avoid VIRUDHA or opposite: this technical term means various combination of food which is not useful for nourishment. If proper attention is not paid then even, wholesome food becomes opposite and may prove harmful to person. The food which is otherwise wholesome in a cold region may not prove the same in a hot region. Also seasonal variations are to be considered.

Every individual possesses a specific capacity to digest & convert food to body tissues. This capacity varies from individual to individual. Certain people maintain well by avoiding heavy food while others can be healthy by consuming that. This difference due to individual’s specific capacity to convert quantum and qualities to raw to fine. Life will become unhealthy and unhappy, if digestive capacity/JATHARAGNI is ignored and only nutritive value is considered. The same is true for a proportion of main nutritive items of diet and spicy which digestion promoting items, if the proportion is not maintained; the consumer will suffer from harmful effects.

While advising diet, a tolerance to particular food must be taken into account, because people residing in different geographical regions have different tolerance to various food items. The doshic dominance in the body demands a particular type of food. It is observed that some maintain their health by repeated fasting while some require more food but do not tolerate the delay in eating even for short span. This happens due to dominance of DOSHAS/ biological body humors.

The process of preparation of a diet is also very important, similarly, if opposite qualities food mixed together while preparing, then useful ingredients lose their potential, and the diet may become harmful. The Gastro Intestinal Tract Lumina is going to receive food and the difference in acceptability is due to the different pattern of G. I. Tract of the recipient. Hence harmful effects in this example can be avoided.

The method and source of heat for cooking the food is also very important. Because it may add subtracts the total beneficial effect of food. Slow and fast heating, direct or indirect heating, or either baking, roasting etc. have different effects on various food items & consequently the nourishing capacity of food changes accordingly. Many food substances have their best utility for a particular short span. If these items are used before or after this span, they lose their nutritive value. Premature, over preserved or even hybrid food substances may appear like wholesome but they lack in optimal quantities that are expected from them.

From this you can get idea, of what depth the ultimate nourishability of food is considered by Ayurvedic scientists. It is not the ingredient analysis alone is responsible for nourishment, but that the building up of body tissues is dependent upon so many other contexts along with the proper substances. The substances, which have maximum beneficial effects, have certain common characters. These are easy for digestion, homologous to tissues, are easily absorbed and provide optimal roughage required for excretory products. Hence these food items can be consumed in all seasons.

It is common observation that at present we do not consume these. This might be the cause for disease occurrence and drug dependence.

              

Crash and Burn.. Fad diets are exactly just that- a fad.

Crash and Burn... Stick to scientifically proven methods of weight loss, which means a healthy diet and plenty of exercise...


We all want to lose weight fast. It might be because there is party around the corner & you want to squeeze into that great dress you bought. Or maybe you are getting married soon & you want to look fantastic in your wedding photos.
Most likely though, it’s because you find it hard to maintain a long –term diet and exercise plan, so it seems easier to go on a crash diet whenever you find your clothes getting too tight…If this method sounds too good to be true- using words like “guaranteed” and “secret” and promises fantastic results, it’s probably just hot air. You may wonder why they don’t work. After all they all result in reduction in calories, which is what causes weight loss. Slashing your daily calories to below 1,000 can make the scales drops, but it will also backfire you later.
When u doesn’t have enough calories, you are not able to exercise effectively because burning your muscle, which weakens you. As you burn muscles you are slowing your metabolism. Once you stop dieting, you will find that your metabolism remains at that pace and you burn calories slower than before. This is why you gain your weight back even faster when you come off a crash diet.
You can’t escape exercise.. You can lose weight rapidly, but you have to do it safely and be absolutely committed to sticking to it in the long term. It’s very simple: simply burn more calories than you eat. You cannot achieve this just by dieting alone, but with combination of increasing physical activities and eating fever calories. You will need almost an hour a day of moderate exercise in order to lose weight. The most effective calorie burning exercise is Cardiac exercise such as running, cycling, swimming, aerobics, brisk walking and any thing that gets your heart rate ups. Doing an hour may be easy, but its more important to increase the intensity of your exercise so that you sweat for the entire hour. You also need to include few hours in muscle strengthening. Which ll also increases your flexibility n strengthens muscles as Yoga.
Smart Eating.. When it comes to your diet, what you eat is as much as important as how much you eat. Don’t just blindly reduce your total food intake- it’s smarter to cut down certain types of food that contribute the most calories to your daily diet.
1)Reduce Carbohydrates likes Rice, noodles, breads, potatoes, and cereals, However do not encourage to cutting them out altogether, as they provide you with daily energy. Try to choose whole grain versions.
2) Cut down on high-sugar stuff & avoid adding sugar into your meals or drinks. As much as possible, trim the fat from meats and dairy food.
3) Include vegetable, egg whites, soy products, fish, low fat dairy products & lean meat (without the skin, or the breast portion). Protein will give you energy with fewer fat calories minimize muscles loss and maximize fat loss.

You should be able to comfortably achieve cutting back on 500 calories a day with a moderate exercise regime and healthier eating habits. The minimum level of calories you need a day is 1,200Kcal, but do not go down to less than 1,500calories a day.

By being disciplined and sticking to moderate intense-but safe plan, you can lose at least one-and-a-half kgs a week.

Just try it.. :)

Ayurveda Diet

AYURVEDA DIET  :-

Its is imporatant to choose a suitable diet for balance, harmony and health in your life based on ayurvediy principles. Diet can play good role in healing and norishment and in maintaining health. Proper food .

The ayurvedic tradition offers much insight in to what food will suit and balance each individual, how to  prepare and cook  the food properly.how to avoid food combinations that will create  toxins in the body, and what eating habits  to cultivate and –which to avoid  in order to recievde most  nourishment  from what you eat.

’’ AYURVEDA greatly emphasises diet,  both for its direct effects on physiological state and on drug action. Proper digestion is essential for good health.

Ø  Avoid drinking milk with meat, fish , eggs, citrus fruits, radishes , tomatoes and alcoholic drinks, yoghurt. (As this are opposite in qualities  which creates toxinds in the body.)

Ø  Eat high protein and fat foods seperatly from light foods ( vegetables, starch)

Ø  Eat fresh fruits seperate from other meals.

Ø  Eat cooked and raw foods seperately.

General Guidelines :-

Ø  Eat only when hungry , at moderate pace , chewing food.

Ø  Eat freshly cooked meals . Eat fresh and Satvic food of the best quality  you can offord.

Ø  Interval  of 2-4 hrs between light meals and 4-6 hrs between heavy meals.

Ø  Fill one third of your stomach with food , one third with water ,  and Leave one-third  to tone quarter of the stomach empty for aiding digestion.

Ø  During meals , dont drink iced drinks  or fruits juice, sip a little warm water between mouthfuls of food.

Ø  Choose food according to your  body constitution. It will nourish you and will not aggrevate your body componenet ( DOSHAS )

Ø  Choose food according to season .

Ø  When eating eat . That is dont  read , watch TV, or be distracted too much conversation. Focus on the food.

Ø  Honey should never be cooked . If it is cooked , the molecules becomes like a glue that adheres to mucus membranes and clogs the subltle channels, producing toxins.

Unheathy Eating habits :-

Ø  Overeating, eating too soon after a full meal.

Ø  Drinking too much water, or no water during meal. Drinking chilled water during a meal, or indeed at any time.

Ø  Eating at the wrong time of the day, either too early  or too late.

Ø  Eating too much heavy food or too little light food.

Ø  Eating fruit or drinking fruit juice with a meal.

Ø  Eating without real hunger. Emotional eating.