IMPORTANCE OF VITAMIN D

Important Information About Vitamin D

Vitamin D prevents osteoporosis, depression, prostate cancer, breast cancer,and even effects diabetes and obesity.

Vitamin D is perhaps the single most underrated nutrient in the world of nutrition. That's probably because it's free: your body makes it when sunlight touches your skin.

Fifteen facts that are important to know about vitamin D and sunlight exposure:

1. Vitamin D is produced by your skin in response to exposure to ultraviolet radiation from natural sunlight.

2. The healing rays of natural sunlight (that generate vitamin D in your skin) cannot penetrate glass. So you don't generate vitamin D when sitting in your car or home.

3. It is nearly impossible to get adequate amounts of vitamin D from your diet. Sunlight exposure is the only reliable way to generate vitamin D in your own body.

4. A person would have to drink ten tall glasses of vitamin D fortified milk each day just to get minimum levels of vitamin D into their diet.

5. The further you live from the equator, the longer exposure you need to the sun in order to generate vitamin D. Canada, the UK and most U.S. States are far from the equator.

6. People with dark skin pigmentation may need 20 - 30 times as much exposure to sunlight as fair-skinned people to generate the same amount of vitamin D. That's why prostate cancer is epidemic among black men - it's a simple, but widespread, sunlight deficiency.

7. Sufficient levels of vitamin D are crucial for calcium absorption in your intestines. Without sufficient vitamin D, your body cannot absorb calcium, rendering calcium supplements useless.

8. Chronic vitamin D deficiency cannot be reversed overnight: it takes months of vitamin D supplementation and sunlight exposure to rebuild the body's bones and nervous system.

9. Even weak sunscreens (SPF=8) block your body's ability to generate vitamin D by 95%. This is how sunscreen products actually cause disease -by creating a critical vitamin deficiency in the body.

10. It is impossible to generate too much vitamin D in your body from sunlight exposure: your body will self-regulate and only generate what it needs.

11. If it hurts to press firmly on your sternum, you may be suffering from chronic vitamin D deficiency right now.

12. Vitamin D is "activated" in your body by your kidneys and liver before it can be used.

13. Having kidney disease or liver damage can greatly impair your body's ability to activate circulating vitamin D.

14. The sunscreen industry doesn't want you to know that your body actually needs sunlight exposure because that realization would mean lower sales of sunscreen products.

15. Even though vitamin D is one of the most powerful healing chemicals in your body, your body makes it absolutely free. No prescription required.

On the issue of sunlight exposure, by the way, it turns out that super antioxidants greatly boost your body's ability to handle sunlight without burning. Astaxanthin is one of the most powerful "internal sunscreens" and can allow you to stay under the sun twice as long without burning.

Other powerful antioxidants with this ability include the super fruits like Acai, Pomegranates (POM Wonderful juice), blueberries, etc.

Diseases and conditions cause by vitamin D deficiency:

* Osteoporosis is commonly caused by a lack of vitamin D, which greatly impairs calcium absorption.

* Sufficient vitamin D prevents prostate cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, depression, colon cancer and schizophrenia.

* "Rickets" is the name of a bone-wasting disease caused by vitamin D deficiency.

* Vitamin D deficiency may exacerbate type 2 diabetes and impair insulin production in the pancreas.

* Obesity impairs vitamin D utilization in the body, meaning obese people need twice as much vitamin D.

* Vitamin D is used around the world to treat Psoriasis.

* Vitamin D deficiency can cause schizophrenia.

* Seasonal Affective Disorder is caused by a melatonin imbalance initiated by lack of exposure to sunlight.

* Chronic vitamin D deficiency is often misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia because its symptoms are so similar: muscle weakness, aches and pains.

* Your risk of developing serious diseases like diabetes and cancer is reduced 50% - 80% through simple, sensible exposure to natural sunlight 2-3 times each week.

* Infants who receive vitamin D supplementation (2000 units daily) have an 80% reduced risk of developing type 1 diabetes over the next twenty years.

Shocking Vitamin D deficiency statistics:

* 32% of doctors and med school students are vitamin D deficient.

* 40% of the U.S. population is vitamin D deficient.

* 42% of African American women of childbearing age are deficient in vitamin D.

* 48% of young girls (9-11 years old) are vitamin D deficient.

* Up to 60% of all hospital patients are vitamin D deficient.

* 76% of pregnant mothers are severely vitamin D deficient, causing widespread vitamin D deficiencies in their unborn children, which predisposes them to type 1 diabetes, arthritis, multiple sclerosis and schizophrenia later in life. 81% of the children born to these mothers were deficient.

* Up to 80% of nursing home patients are vitamin D deficient.

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HEALTH BENEFITS OF LEMON

Eating a Lemon is lot Healthier than eating an Orange ........ LEMON will clean all your INTESTINES.. Which orange don't ..

Institute of Health Sciences, 819 N. L.L.C. Charles Street Baltimore , MD 1201.
This is the latest in medicine, effective for cancer!
Read carefully & you be the judge.
Lemon (Citrus) is a miraculous product to kill cancer cells. It is 10,000 times stronger than chemotherapy.
Why do we not know about that? Because there are laboratories interested in making a synthetic version that will bring them huge profits. You can now help a friend in need by letting him/her know that lemon juice is beneficial in preventing the disease. Its taste is pleasant and it does not produce the horrific effects of chemotherapy. How many people will die while this closely guarded secret is kept, so as not to jeopardize the beneficial multimillionaires large corporations? As you know, the lemon tree is known for its varieties of lemons and limes. You can eat the fruit in different ways: you can eat the pulp, juice press, prepare drinks, sorbets, pastries, etc... It is credited with many virtues, but the most interesting is the effect it produces on cysts and tumors. This plant is a proven remedy against cancers of all types. Some say it is very useful in all variants of cancer. It is considered also as an anti microbial spectrum against bacterial infections and fungi, effective against internal parasites and worms, it regulates blood pressure which is too high and an antidepressant, combats stress and nervous disorders.
The source of this information is fascinating: it comes from one of the largest drug manufacturers in the world, says that after more than 20 laboratory tests since 1970, the extracts revealed that: It destroys the malignant cells in 12 cancers, including colon, breast, prostate, lung and pancreas ... The compounds of this tree showed 10,000 times better than the product Adriamycin, a drug normally used chemotherapeutic in the world, slowing the growth of cancer cells. And what is even more astonishing: this type of therapy with lemon extract only destroys malignant cancer cells and it does not affect healthy cells.

AYURVEDIC HERBS FOR BRAIN POWER

Subject:

 AYURVEDIC HERBS FOR BRAIN POWER

 

Four Ayurvedic Herbs to Enhance Brain Power Naturally.

In this age of day-by-day increasing mental stress, strain and cut-throat competition, we are finding it more and more difficult to cope with the pressures of day to day life. Ayurveda claims at not only increasing the powers of the brain but also at keeping the mental diseases away, along with helping to cure them desirably.

It is believed that a number of the diseases have their root in the brain of an individual. That is one of the reasons why the number of psychological and neurological cases is on the increase.

Ayurveda Dosha Healing and Mental Balance:

According to Ayurveda text, the balance of the three body humors viz. air, fire and phlegm or the Vata, Pitta and Kapha doshas when gets disturbed, tends to manifest itself both in somatic as well as psychic spheres..

Vitiation of the Vata dosha destroys mental sense and gives rise to grief and infatuation.When the Pitta dosha or the fire humour of the body gets aggravated beyond its normal limits, may lead to mental states of fear, lust and grief.

Similarly, imbalance in Kapha causes lethargy and in-discrimination.These dosha imbalances disturb both the body as well as the mind. Although the predominant factor in case of mental disturbances is believed to be an increase and imbalance in the two mental states of the brain viz. Rajas and Tamas. These two states are ascribed to Iccha (Desire) and Dwesha (Repulsion).. It is believed that when these states of mind tend to cross the limits set by social norms and values; they tend to excite the basic humours of the body resulting into degeneration of the brain powers and birth of mental diseases.

Ayurveda Herbs as Brain Tonics:

1. Shankhpushpi

There is a herb named as Shankhpushpi (Convolvulus pluricaulis) which is one of the nature’s precise answers to the brain weakness. It has been used since ages in Ayurveda therapy to sharpen intellect and increase the mental powers, as it has a cooling, calming and subsiding action on the brain. Shankhpushpi is believed to be a Medhya Rasyana (Brain tonic) in Ayurveda and it is a rejuvenator par excellence. One teaspoonful of the powder of this herb is to be taken twice daily along with a cup of milk. It could prove beneficial in maladies like insomnia, anxiety, everyday stress, and loss of memory, anorexia nervosa and lethargy.

2. Brahmi:

Brahmi (Centella asiatica) is another useful brain tonic. It can be taken in powder or paste form along with milk. You could also extract juice by pounding the fresh herb and take it once or twice in a dose of 20-ml approx. Though useful for all ages, it is a boon for students as it increases the intellect and helps undo stress and strain. Powder of this herb taken along with powdered herbs of Shatavari (Asparagus) and Ashwagandha (Winter Cherry) aids in reducing the aggravated Pitta or fire in the system and thus gives a calming effect to the brain. It is also a good cure for bilious headaches.

3. Jatamansi:

Roots of the herb of Jatamansi (Nordostachys jatamansi) helps to tone up the brain and stabilizes mental abilities. It is another excellent restorative as it helps to subside all the three body humors. It thus has a specific action on the nervous system and aids in curing a number of mental diseases like hysteria, depression, insomnia, epilepsy and loss of memory. It has also shown results in hypertension.

4. Shatavari:
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Another herb by the name of Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus) is a body and brain rejuvenator and good for intellect. All the more, it helps undo the everyday strain and induces sound sleep. This can be taken in powder form in a dose of 3 to 5 grams along with milk or mixed into equal amount of honey. Also, some medicinal preparations of the herb are available like Shatavari Gritha, which can be taken a teaspoonful at bedtime along with warm milk. Regular use of the same for sometime helps fight mental stress, exhaustion and fatigue. It aids in increasing the eyesight and mental faculties as well.

Ayurveda Recommends Lifestyle Modifications:

The daily diet intake should be regularised in means of proper timing as well as nutritional balance. Try avoiding oily, heavy and spicy meals in your routine. Fresh juices, fibrous foods, raw green vegetables and garden herbs provide with ample supply of anti oxidants and resistance boosters. A good amount of water intake is also a must.

A sound mind dwells in a sound body. It is therefore essential to keep the body fit and healthy in order to develop better intellect. A regular exercise schedule or walks in fresh air especially in the early sunrise could do wonders.

Sound sleep for eight hours is your daily rest requirement for the proper

 functioning and recharging of your brain powers.

Make a daily work list and try to handle problems one by one, 

as it would be rather difficult to cope up with the accumulation.

It is equally important to stay involved and seek for counselling whenever required.
Massage of the scalp and soles of the feet with sesame seed oil is also suggested.
Cow’s ghee is quite beneficial for the brain. It should be included in daily diet 

Natural Home Remedy For Acidity

Home Remedies For Acidity

Having too much acid in your body can cause you to feel generally not as well as you could, make you more susceptible to illness and cause ailments like irritable bowel  syndrome and acid reflux.

While it's important to have some acid in your body, you can get rid of too much acid by eating more alkalizing foods to help neutralize the pH in your body. Keeping your pH around 7.35 and 7.45 keeps you primed for optimum health, and simply changing your diet to include more alkaline foods can help get you there.

1) Start each morning off with fruit to help balance the acid in your body. Even fruits that seem acidic, like citrus fruits, lemons, oranges and grapefruits, have alkalizing properties once consumed and digested. Other good fruit choices include cherries, avocados, berries and watermelon.

2) Choose leafy green vegetables for lunch. Studies published in a 2008 Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that a diet rich in green vegetables helped to alkalize the body, neutralize acids and result in a decreased chance of osteoporosis. Brightly colored vegetables like carrots, beets, peppers and sweet potatoes are all highly alkalizing and can restore the pH balance in your body and blood to result in less acid in the body.

3) Avoid eating meat with your dinner. While most American meals center around some kind of meat, animal products introduce acid into your body, especially beef and pork products. If you feel like you need an extra boost in your protein level around dinner, try tofu, textured vegetable protein or soy products as a healthy and low-acid substitution.
4) Drink freshly prepared juices and smoothies to get as many alkalizing foods into your system as possible. You can add leafy greens to fruit juice to sweeten them up and make them more enjoyable. This ensures that you get at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day to keep your pH at an optimum level.
5) Utilize spices in your cooking to help perk up otherwise bland eating. Cinnamon, nutmeg and paprika are all examples of spices that won't introduce new acid into your body. Prepare the food in different ways to alter the flavor. Roasting or grilling fruits and vegetables can give them new and interesting flavors so that you're more apt to enjoy them as you get rid of too much acid in your body naturally.

URINE COLOUR INDICATOR

VERY GOOD TO KNOW - URINE COLOUR INDICATORS...

Health - URINE COLOUR INDICATORS

Yellow
“Healthy urine goes from clear to pale yellow, dark yellow to amber,” says consultant urologist Tim Terry. This depends on hydration levels, but if you’re somewhere in the yellow team, you can breathe easy.

Green
“Some antiseptics and anaesthetics give urine a green tinge,” says Terry. This is thanks to methylene blue, a dye which kidneys sometimes struggle with. Nothing too much to worry about though.

Orange
“This is a sign of liver dysfunction,” warns Terry. If your urine is this colour and you notice that your stools are white, it could be obstructive jaundice. Put down that beer – it’s GP time.

Brown
Muddy-looking pee means kidney problems. “This can be a sign of serious renal disease, even a fistula,” says Terry. That’s when your bowel leaks into your bladder. Taxi to casualty now.

Red 
This is really bad. Blood in your urine can mean a haemorrhage or cancer. “In anyone over 40 we assume it’s bladder cancer, unless proven other wise,” says Terry. Get yourself to the doctor, pronto.--

HEALTH BENEFITS OF OAT MEALS

5 Health Benefits Oatmeal Provides

We all know oatmeal is good for us, but do you know how much it can really benefit you? Find out the whys and the hows of this incredibly healthy food by reading these 5 health benefits oatmeal provides!
oatmeal
1. Oatmeal decreases the levels of cholesterol in your blood as well as your risk of cardiac diseases
The FDA approved, in a unique move, a health label on oatmeal packages that explains how soluble fibers from oatmeal, as part of a low trans-fat diet, can decrease your chances of being afflicted with heart conditions. This was based on 30 years of research into oatmeal and its benefits.

2. Oatmeal helps digestion processes
The soluble fibers in oatmeal are taken apart in the lower intestine by resident bacteria. Those fibers that were not taken apart increase the volume of food and hasten bowel movements. This method decreases the likelihood of inflammatory diseases in the lower intestine, including hemorrhoids.

Tip: To enjoy these benefits, drink plenty of water. Consuming these fibers without drinking can cause constipation, stomach ache and gas.

3. Oatmeal and blood sugar levels
Again, we turn to the soluble fibers, which slow down the absorption of carbohydrates, and so prevent sharp increases in blood sugar levels. A 10 year long research was published in the American Journal of Public Health and has showed that consuming about 1 cup of cooked oatmeal a day, 2-4 times a week, will decrease the risk of type II diabetes by 16%. When you bring it up to 5-6 times a week - the risk goes down by 39%.

4. Getting thinner with oatmeal
Oatmeal adds volume to the food by absorbing the liquid around it. In addition, the fibers slow the digestion process and give us a feeling of being full for longer periods of time.

5. Oatmeal improves quality of sleep
People who consumed oatmeal before going to bed have demonstrated better and higher quality sleep than people who didn't. Oatmeal contains the essential amino acid tryptophan (one of the protein building blocks which we only get from food). tryptophan is a source material for creating melatonin (as well as serotonin). A lack in melatonin will cause sleeping problems, while an increase in tryptophan will prolong our deep sleep.

Recommended amount per day:
The general recommendation is about 4-5 spoons a day (can make a porridge of it), so you too can start enjoying the health benefits of oatmeal (at about 25-30 grams a day).

PALM JAGGERY AFTER MEALS

( Palm Jaggery) - Sweet after Meal

Why do people like to eat sweet after meals?

Generally Sugar fits into a category called Neurotoxins. These are substances such as refined sugar, salt etc. that are added to food and are specifically designed to make us addicted to it. It does this by sending messages to the brain that this food is good. So we get a good feeling throughout our bodies just the same is if we smoked, drank alcohol, have sex, or did drugs. It is just another drug that we can become addicted to. Our brain then connects sugar to feeling good.

It’s not a good idea to have sweets after meal though we tend to feel like to have something sweet after meal because of Serotonin hormone secretion. Its secretion amount depends on genes and that’s what decides the cravings for sweets after meal.

So it’s better to take PALM JAGGERY after meal or with the meal.
And after meal a cup of Warm water is recommended for better digestion.

Serotonin is a monoamine neurotransmitter. Biochemically derived from tryptophan, serotonin is primarily found in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, platelets, and in the central nervous system (CNS) of animals including humans. It is a well-known contributor to feelings of well-being; it is also known to contribute to happiness. Approximately 90% of the human body's total serotonin is located in the enterochromaffin cells in the gut, where it is used to regulate intestinal movements.

Importance of Palm Jaggery,

Jaggery is one of the common sweeteners used in the preparation of various dishes in many parts of the world. It is a traditional type of amorphous, unrefined and non-distilled sugar. Although jaggery and sugar are obtained from the same sources, they are much different in their appearance, properties and benefits. Jaggery is prepared from the sap or juice of plants such as sugarcane and date palm.. Jaggery obtained from palm trees is known as palm jaggery and palm jaggery benefits are similar to the benefits of jaggery obtained from sugarcane. It is used to make candies, toffees, jaggery cakes and many other sweet preparations. It is also used in the preparation of alcoholic beverages. Jaggery is a healthy alternative to white sugar and is commonly known as 'medicinal sugar', because of its various health benefits. In this article, we shall discuss in detail, Jaggery benefits.

Benefits of Jaggery

The process of making jaggery from the plant sources, does not involve any chemical agents and hence all the natural mineral salts are retained in Jaggery. Jaggery is known to have various medicinal properties and other health benefits. Let us have a look....

Jaggery as a Cleansing Agent
Jaggery acts as a cleansing agent for our body and effectively cleans the respiratory tracts, food pipe, lungs, stomach and intestines. It helps the body to get rid of the unwanted particles and thus provides relief from constipation.

Jaggery as a Digestive Aid
Jaggery proves as a great digestive aid and speeds up the process of digestion. Eating a few grams of jaggery after a heavy meal is often recommended for those having problems with normal digestion. In the body, jaggery activates the various digestive enzymes and itself gets converted to acetic acid, thus speeding up digestion.

Jaggery as a Mineral Source
Jaggery is a rich source of many vital minerals that are required by the body for normal growth and functioning. It is considered as a storehouse of various important minerals like iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, etc.

Other Health Benefits of Jaggery

Let us have a look at some other jaggery benefits:
Jaggery is used since ancient times to treat problems such as dry cough, common cold and asthma.
It is beneficial in treating conditions like indigestion and constipation.
Jaggery helps in promoting relaxation of muscles, nerves and blood vessels, thus enhancing their functions.
Migraines, the most painful and uncomfortable type of headaches can be relieved to a large extent by jaggery.
Jaggery is a rich source of iron and is therefore, very good for anemic people, as it increases the hemoglobin level in the blood.
Jaggery has strong Antioxidant properties and protects our body cells from the damage caused by free radicals.
Jaggery has the ability to purify blood and helps in regulating the liver function.
A mixture of jaggery and dry ginger powder taken with warm water can stop hiccups.
Jaggery helps in regulating blood pressure and also helps the body to get rid of all the toxins.
Jaggery is loaded with many essential nutrients such as proteins, vitamins and minerals, that play a key role in many life processes.
Jaggery has potassium content that may help in reducing bloating and water retention.
This was all about jaggery benefits. Now, that you know how beneficial jaggery is, try substituting sugar with jaggery in your favorite recipes, and enjoy its benefits. Hope you found this information on jaggery and its benefits useful!

References:
1. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/jaggery-benefits.html
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaggery
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radical_%28chemistry%29
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antioxidant

 

SOUTH INDIAN FOOD SYSTEM

SOUTH INDIAN FOOD SYSTEM

INDIAN FOOD SYSTEM (More precisely, South Indian but more or less applicable to all Indian meal systems) The following are rough translations of the words of Kanchi Paramacharya extracted from the Tamil publication titled Sollin Selvar (The Expert of Words), Sri Kanchi Munivar by Sri Ra. Ganapathy. The different Indian delicacies are explained as follows.

SAMBHAR: Sambar is also known as kuzhambu in Tamil, a term that literally translates to ‘get confused’. Paramacharya explains how these three courses are related to the three gunas of spirituality: the confusion of sambar is tamo guna, the clarified and rarified flow of rasam is rajo guna and the all-white buttermilk is satva guna. Our meal reminds us of our spiritual path from confused inaction to a clear flow of action and finally to the realized bliss of unity.

SADAM: Cooked rice, the main dish of a South Indian meal is called sAdam. That which has sat is sadam, in the same way we call those who are full of sat, sadhus. We can give another explanation for the term: that which is born out of prasannam is prasAdam. What we offer to Swami (God) as nivedanam is given back to us as parasAdam. Since we should not add the root ‘pra’ to the rice we cook for ourselves, we call it sAdam.

RASAM: Rasam means juice, which is also the name of filtered ruchi. We say ‘it was full of rasa’ when a speech or song was tasteful. If something is an extraction of juice, then would it not be clear, diluted and free of sediments? Such is the nature of our rasam, which is clear and dilute. The other one, served earlier to rasam in a meal, is the kuzhambu. Kuzhambu contains dissolved tamarind and cut vegetable pieces, so it looks unclear, its ingredients not easily seen.

BUTTERMILK: A western meal normally ends with a dessert. In a South Indian meal, desserts such as pAyasam are served after the rasam sAdam. Any sweets that were served at the beginning are also taken at this time. After that we take buttermilk rice as our final course. Paramacharya explains that since sweets are harmful to teeth, our sour and salty buttermilk actually strengthens our teeth, and this has been observed and praised by an American dietician. We gargle warm salt water when we get toothache. The buttermilk is the reason for our having strong teeth until the end of our life, unlike the westerners who resort to dentures quite early in their life.

UPPUMA: If the term uppuma is derived from the fact that we add uppu or salt, then we also add salt to iddly, dosa and pongal! Actually, it is not uppuma but ubbuma! The rava used for this dish expands in size to the full vessel where heated up with water and salt. The action of rava getting expanded is the reason for the term ubbuma.

LADDU: Ladanam (in Sanskrit) means to play, to throw. ladakam is the sports goods used to play with. Since the ball games are the most popular, ladakam came to mean a ball. The dish laddu is like a ball, and this term is a shortened form of laddukam, which derived from ladakam. Laddu is also known as kunjaa laadu. This should actually be gunjaa laadu, because the Sanskrit term gunjA refers to the gunjA-berry, used as a measure of weight, specially for gold. Since a laddu is a packed ball of gunjA like berries cooked out of flour and sugar, it got this name. The singer of mUka panca sati on Ambal Kamakshi describes her as Matangi and in that description praises her as ‘gunjA bhUsha’, that is, wearing chains and bangles made of gunjA-berries of gold.

PAYASAM: payas (in Sanskrit) means milk. So pAyasam literally means ‘a delicacy made of milk’. This term does not refer to the rice and jaggery used to make pAyasam. They go with the term without saying. Actually pAyasam is to be made by boiling rice in milk (not water) and adding jaggery. These days we have dhal pAyasam, ravA pAyasam, sEmia pAyasam and so on, using other things in the place of rice. Vaishanavas have a beautiful Tamil term akkaara adisil for pAyasam. The ‘akkaar’ in this term is a corruption of the Sanskrit sharkara. The English term ‘sugar’ is from the Arabian ‘sukkar’, which in turn is from this Sanskrit term. The same term also took the forms ‘saccharine’ and ‘jaggery’. And the name of the dish jangiri is from the term jaggery.

TAMBULAM: It is customary to have tAmbUlam at the end of a South Indian dinner.. In the North, tAambUlam is popularly known as paan, which is usually a wrap of betel nut and other allied items in a calcium-laced pair of betel leaves. In the South, tAmbUlam is usually an elaborate and leisurely after-dinner activity. People sit around a plate of tAmbUlam items, drop a few cut or sliced betel nut pieces in their month, take the betel leaves one by one leisurely, draw a daub of pasty calcium on their back and then stuff them in their mouth, chatting happily all the while. The betel leaf is known by the name vetrilai in Tamil, literally an empty leaf. Paramacharya once asked the people sitting around him the reason for calling it an empty leaf. When none could give the answer, he said that the usually edible plants don’t just stop with leaf; they proceed to blossom, and bear fruits or vegetables. Even in the case of spinach or lettuce, we have to cook them before we can take them. Only in the case of the betel leaf, we take it raw, and this plant just stops with its leaves, hence the name vetrilai or empty leaf.

NATURAL REMEDIES FOR DIABETES

Natural remedies for Diabetes

Diabetic? Not sure what to eat? Then this list is just for you. Read about the many offerings nature has, which will help keep your diabetes in check.

We understand that as a diabetic, your diet is of utmost importance. And that sometimes those sweet cravings are just way too hard to resist! So we bring you a list of natural goodies that tantalize your taste buds, are easy to find and as a bonus, are great for your health!

1. Pears: Rich in potassium and loaded with fiber, a pear is also low in carbohydrates! Add them in your fruit bowl or mix it up with spinach to get an instant fix for your hunger pangs. Despite the fact that fruits and vegetables are good for you, there's no denying the fact that some of them contain sugar and carbohydrates, albeit in small amounts. So keep your portions small and do check with your nutritionist before any major diet changes.

2. Cabbage: Cabbage has a low glycaemic index of 10 which is very diabetes friendly. It is also a rich source of vitamin C and K. However, keep an eye on the fat content if you are including cabbage in your diet.

3. Berries: Tempting red strawberries or indigo colored blueberries or just any berries for that matter. Experts advice that these little colorful fruits are rich in antioxidants, vitamins and fibre and are low-carb! So top off your breakfast with some strawberries or just toss them in your mouth. It adds a pop of color and a dollop of health!

4. Oranges: Despite the fact that an orange contains sugar, it also contains other compounds that help control blood glucose, which makes it good for a diabetes patient. The soluble fibre present in an orange thickens as it's being digested. This in turn slows down the sugar absorption, offering better control of your blood sugar.

5. Beans: Kidney beans, black beans or lentils have been shown to have immense health benefits for a diabetic. They are low fat, low calorie and high protein! They make you feel full, slow down your digestion process and prevent blood sugar from spiking.

6. Spinach: Is there nothing this super food can't do? Research shows that green, leafy and fresh spinach is extremely low in calories and carbohydrates, which is especially good news if you are a diabetic. In fact, spinach is one of the rare things that a diabetic can eat almost freely!

7. Apples: Low in calories and carbohydrate content, this portable fruit can be toted around easily in your bag, making it the perfect snack. Fibrous, with tones of vitamins and antioxidants, this diabetes-friendly fruit will add a crunchy and healthy punch to your diet.

8. Okra (Lady's finger): This vegetable is a sure shot hit with kids and diabetics! Like brinjals and oranges, the presence of soluble fiber in okra makes this humble vegetable one of the best things to eat if you are diabetic.

9. Brinjal: Non-starchy, low carbohydrate and soluble fiber, could a vegetable be more perfect for diabetes? Load up on this easily available vegetable and enjoy the goodness that it offers!

10. Cherries: If you have a sweet tooth, don't worry! Sweet cherries are good for you! The sugar in them is natural. To add to that, they have a low calorie count and a minimal carbohydrate level! But make sure you check the labels before you pick up a can of cherries as many of them are loaded with artificial sweeteners!

Diabetes is among the most debilitating of lifestyle diseases, often the precursor to many other types of health disorders such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases and chronic illnesses of the eye. Most diabetics tend to depend upon taking medications, many of which include hormone supplementation injections and drugs for controlling the sugar levels. Though these aids are often critical for managing cases where diabetes seems to have turned into an incurable condition, it is always better to seek natural cures. These natural remedies don't put forth the kind of side-effects associated with stronger medications and can be resourced from our everyday supplies.

11. Drink water 
Water tends to mobilize the high sugar content in blood and thereby helps in preventing aggravation. Drinking 2.5 liters of water, on a daily basis, will not only regulate physical functions but will also lower chances of cardiovascular and diabetic ailments.

12. Green Tea 
Green tea is nothing less than a miracle cure for ailments. Consuming a cup of unsweetened green tea regularly will rid the body of free radicals and let the antioxidants, contained within, normalize the blood sugar levels. This will aid in reducing diabetes and help keep the chances at bay.

13. Vinegar 
Vinegar is an excellent dietary compound responsible for diluting concentrated sugar-levels in the blood. Studies have shown that two spoonfuls of vinegar before a meal can reduce the glucose influx.

14. Fresh Fruits 
Natural fruit sugars are the best options, as dietary supplements, since they provide all the necessary vitamins and minerals required. Studies have shown that an adequate intake of Vitamin A and C maintains blood and bone health. Include fresh citrus fruits like oranges, apples, pineapples, grapes and lemons in your diet. Consume bananas in moderation, since their sugar structure is more complex than that of citrus fruits.

15. Exercise

16. Soy 
Soy proteins are one of the miracle cures for reducing diabetes among crucial patients. There is flavones contained in them reduce the sugar content in blood and keep the body nourished, while accumulating much fewer calories, when compared to other foods.

17. Sunlight

18. Lean Meat

19. Cinnamon Powder 
Powdered cinnamon, apart from spicing up your foods, has the ability to lower blood sugar levels, as well. Take a pinch of cinnamon with warm water every day and kiss diabetes goodbye.

20. Small, Frequent Meals 
High metabolic rates are highly conducive in maintaining blood-sugar levels and nothing keeps metabolism more fired up than consuming small portions, frequently. Studies have shown that frequent meals result in greater absorption of nutrients and lesser deposition of fat. Without fat deposition, the insulin secretion is normalized.

21. Using Methi Seeds: Fenugreek or Methi seeds are considered the most effective of natural cures that can help alleviate typical symptoms of diabetes. Methi seeds should be soaked in water overnight. The water concentrated with the seeds' juices should be consumed early in the morning on an empty stomach. For making this natural concoction stronger, you can crush the seeds and sieve them through a cloth or filter paper.

22. Using Natural Juices

23. Aloe

- M.D.HEGDE MANGALORE