Why Fruits should always be taken daily?

APPLE:  Protection from cancer to Alzheimer'sApple fruit contains good quantities of vitamin-C& beta-carotene. Vitamin C is a powerful natural antioxidant. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps body develop resistance against infectious agents.

BANANAS: Lower Blood PressureStudies show that the high amounts of potassium in bananas (over 13% of the RDA) can lower one's blood pressure, which in turn lessens the possibility of atherosclerosis, heart attack & stroke.

ALMONDS: Develops stronger bonesSnacking on almonds, which has a fair amount of calcium, is good for the bones & teeth in one's body. Since calcium strengthens these parts of the body, one can prevent osteoporosis.

PEAR: Prevent high blood pressure & strokePears are excellent source of water-soluble fibre. Pears have antioxidant & anti-carcinogen glutathione which help prevent high blood pressure & stroke.

PAPAYA: Avoid Digestion problemsPapaya contains the protein called papain which is a digestive enzyme that helps in natural digestion process. Papaya has anti-inflammatory properties and anti-cancerous properties.

PEACHES: Benefit for Blood, Heart & BonesThey are rich in man/vital minerals such as potassium, fluoride and iron. lron is required for red blood cell formation. Fluoride is a component of bones & teeth & is important for prevention of dental caries. Potassium is an important component of cell & body fluids that help regulate heart rate & blood pressure.

LEMON: Good for treating RheumatoidLemon is also a diuretic & hence lemon water can treat rheumatoid and arthritis. It helps to flush out bacteria & toxins out of the body.

MANGO: Increase your memory powerMango fruit is rich in pro-biotic dietary fibre, vitamins, minerals and rich source of potassium. Consumption of natural fruits rich in carotenes is known to protect body from lung & oral cavity cancers.

PINEAPPLE: Maintain the integrity of blood vessels, skin, organs & bonesFresh pineapple is store house of many health promoting compounds, minerals & vitamins that are essential for optimum health. Fresh ananas is an excellent source of antioxidant & vitamin C.

OLIVE: Helps to fight DiabetesIt has been demonstrated that a diet that is rich in olive oil, low in saturated fats, moderately rich in carbohydrates and soluble fibre from fruit, vegetables, pulses and grains is the most effective approach for diabetics. It helps lower "bad" low-density lipoprotein while improving blood sugar control and enhances insulin sensitivity.

TOMATOES: Keeps Gut HealthyTomato keeps the digestive system healthy by preventing both constipation & diarrhoea, It also prevents jaundice & effectively removes toxins from the body.

CUCUMBER: Good for Treating Fever  Cucumber is rich in silicon and fluorine & low calorie content. Potassium helps the kidneys to remove excess fat deposits & stimulates metabolism. Good for dry skin, sunburned skin, eczema, liver disorders, as well as for healthy hair & nails.

You should give place to 11 Immune Boosting Foods in your Daily Diet

(1) Grapefruit

Grapefruits have a good amount of vitamin C. But science has yet to prove that you can easily get enough vitamin C through foods alone, without supplementation, to help treat cold and flu. However, grapefruit is packed with flavonoids -- natural chemical compounds that have been found to increase immune system activation.  Dislike grapefruits? Try oranges or tangerines.

(2) Almonds

A handful of almonds may shore up your immune system from the effects of stress. A recommended 1/4 cup serving carries nearly 50% of the daily recommended amount of vitamin E, which helps boost the immune system. And they have riboflavin and niacin, B vitamins that may help you bounce back from the effects of stress.

(3) Cabbage

This is a source of immune-strengthening glutamine. And cabbage is easy and inexpensive to find during the winter months when it's in season. Try adding cabbages of any variety (white, red, Chinese) to soups and stews to sneak in extra antioxidants and boost your meal's nutritional value.

(4) Watermelon

Hydrating and refreshing, ripe watermelon also has plenty of a powerful antioxidant, glutathione. Known to help strengthen the immune system so it can fight infection, glutathione is found in the red pulpy flesh near the rind.

 (5) Broccoli

Easy to find at the grocery store and incorporate into meals, broccoli is an immune-boosting basic. One study reported a chemical in broccoli helped stimulate the immune systems of mice. Plus, it's full of nutrients that protect your body from damage.  It has vitamins A, vitamin C, and glutathione.  Add some low-fat cheese to round out a side dish with immune-enhancing B vitamins and vitamin D.

(6) Sweet Potato

Like carrots, sweet potatoes have the antioxidant beta-carotene, which mops up damaging free radicals. Sweet potatoes also boast vitamin A, which is linked to slowing the aging process and may reduce the risk of some cancers.

(7) Tea

Green or black? Both are loaded with disease-fighting polyphenols and flavonoids. These antioxidants seek out cell-damaging free radicals and destroy them. Caffeinated and decaf work equally well.

(8) Spinach

Known as a "super food," spinach is nutrient-rich.  It has folate, which helps your body produce new cells and repair DNA. And it boasts fiber, antioxidants, such as vitamin C, and more. Eat spinach raw or lightly cooked to get the most benefit.

(9) Garlic

Garlic offers several antioxidants that battle immune system invaders. Among garlic's targets are H. pylori, the bacteria associated with some ulcers and stomach cancer. Cooking tip: Peel, chop and let sit 15 to 20 minutes before cooking to activate immune-boosting enzymes.

(10) Low-Fat Yogurt

A daily cup may reduce your chances of getting a cold.  Look for labels listing "live and active cultures." Some researchers believe they may stimulate your immune system to fight disease. Also look for vitamin D. Recent studies have found a link between low vitamin D levels and an increased risk of cold and flu.

(11) Wheat Germ

Wheat germ is the part of a wheat seed that feeds a baby wheat plant, so it is full of nutrients. It has zinc, antioxidants, and B vitamins among other vital vitamins and minerals. Wheat germ also offers a good mix of fiber, protein, and some good fat. Substitute wheat germ for part of the regular flour called for in baked goods and other recipes.

Do You Really Need Supplements?

Dear Health Conscious Reader ,

Let’s assume you’re the ideal person. You eat your vegetables, you don’t smoke, you drink in moderation, you avoid junk food, and you exercise every day. Do you, the role model of healthy living, really need to take vitamins?

Yes!!

Nutritional supplements help make up for some of the foods we don’t eat – and they help compensate for some of the foods we do eat that aren’t so good for us. 

When I look at the latest medical research on this, I find that people who take a daily multivitamin supplement have stronger immune systems and suffer fewer infections than people who don’t take supplements.¹

One study I found in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition was more evidence of what I’ve discovered in my own practice: that multivitamins can keep you younger, longer. People in the clinical trial who took a daily multivitamin had 5.1 % longer telomeres than people who didn’t take a multivitamin. Length of Telomers attached to our DNA is responsible for our Biological Age. That means the biological age of their DNA is almost 10 years younger than people who don’t take vitamins. So daily standard multivitamin supplements help you to protect your telomeres.

In a recent Indian on dietary supplements concluded that only less than 1.5 % Indians were taking the minimum recommended daily allowance (RDA) of their essential vitamins.

On any given day, 97% Indians do not consume the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables, with 75 % not consuming any vitamin-C-rich fruits and 80 % not consuming any carotene-containing vegetables.

Americans often eat the same small number of foods every day, without much variety.
Unless you are the rare exception, you probably don’t get even the most basic, life-preserving requirement of all your important vitamins and minerals. 

Nobel laureate Linus Pauling said, “Recommended daily allowances only give levels of vitamins and minerals that will prevent death or serious illness from vitamin deficiency. To get real health benefits from vitamins, you need to get more than just the minimal recommended amounts.”

I would recommend you take at least these four extra nutrients every day:

CoQ10: In the reduced ubiquinol form: 50 to 100 mg a day.

Cod Liver Oil: In its natural triglyceride form; gives you 3 to 5 grams of omega-3s a day.

Vitamin D3: 1000 to 1500 I.U. a day.

Vitamin C: 1000 to 2,000 mg in divided doses a day.

Dr Minoo Singh
VanityIndia.Com
drminoosingh@live.in

Beating Dry Winter Skin

Our largest organ, the skin, has a surface area of nearly two meters and makes up almost 15 percent of our body weight. It is thinnest at 0.6 millimeters on our eyelids, and thickest at three millimeters on our palms and soles.

Skin becomes dry for a number of reasons. The most oft quoted is dry winter conditions. However, the skin can suffer a number of dehydrating insults in the more humid summertime as well.
Systemic dehydration from summertime heat and the sun’s rays can also contribute to dry skin. Sunburned skin cannot retain moisture as well as healthy skin, and thus becomes dehydrated after repeated exposures.

Surprisingly, a major cause of dry skin is over-cleaning as well. People tend to bathe with excessively hot water and use harsh soaps that strip the skin of its oils, leaving it exposed and dehydrated.
Swimming pools and hot tubs also strip the skin of their oils for two reasons. The first are the chemicals (chlorine and bromine) used in pools are very drying to the skin. Second, the typically prolonged time people spend in contact with the water can also strip oils from the skin, à la excessive bathing.

External Skin Protection

• Avoid extremely hot water while bathing. This strips the oils more readily from the skin surface.
• Limit regular bathing time to less than 10 minutes. Longer exposure further strips oils away.
• Decrease the frequency of bathing. If your skin is excessively dry in the wintertime, decreasing the frequency of bathing may help the skin to retain some of its oils and moisture.
• Avoid using harsh commercial soaps. They also strip more oils than necessary. Choose soap with fewer detergents in it.
• Apply moisturizer immediately after bathing, within a minute or two of toweling off. This helps to trap the moisture from bathing in the skin.
• Use sunscreen when in direct sun. Damaged (sunburned skin) cannot retain moisture as well as healthy skin.
• After spending time in the pool or hot tub, rinse off and apply moisturizer immediately. Chlorine and bromine in pools and hot tubs are extremely drying to the skin.
• Dry, irritated skin can be caused by detergents and perfumes left over in clothes from using harsh cleaning agents in the washing machine.

Topical Skin Treatments

• Honey is gaining acceptance as an excellent topical wound-healing agent with several studies exploring its benefits in infectious skin conditions. It is effective against several types of antibiotic-resistant and antibiotic-susceptible types of bacteria in skin infections.⁵
  Of special note, studies showing its benefit used medical-grade honey, which is free from other forms of bacteria that may inhabit regular store-bought honey. Honey has even been used successfully in treating the dreaded methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), an increasingly common source of skin infections.^6-7
• Dexpanthenol is a derivative of vitamin B5 that has a long history of use in restoring skin health topically. It is used for improving skin hydration, reducing skin water loss, reducing inflammation, itching and pain.^8-9
• Tea tree oil is an essential oil derived from the Australian plant Melaleuca alternifolia. It has long been revered for its effectiveness in treating topical skin infections. In clinical studies, it’s been used with success against MRSA and other chronic infectious skin wounds .^10-11 Its antimicrobial (infection) activity is effective against bacterial, viral, fungal and protozoal (single-celled bugs) infections of the skin and mucosal (mouth) tissues, and has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties as well.¹² Tea tree oil can also be used for chronic gingivitis, acne and seborrheic dermatitis.
• Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan (GAG) found throughout your body, primarily concentrated in the fluids of the eyes and joints. It is also abundant in your skin. In fact, HA is one of the main components of the extracellular matrix, the key component in all of your connective tissues, including collagen and cartilage.
  While HA is involved in many body processes, it is essential for healthy skin. In fact, in our youth, HA is what provides the elasticity for skin, as one of its key roles is to help your skin retain moisture. As we age, HA production diminishes, making topical application particularly critical for older people, who more frequently feel the negative and painful effects of dry skin.

The skin is a complex barrier that protects us from the outside environment, while at the same time maintaining our internal environment. In order to perform its functions, the skin must maintain moisture; otherwise it is susceptible to breakdown and infection. The skin can be treated both internally and externally to keep it healthy.

Dr. Minoo Singh,

VanityIndia.Com

drminoosingh@live.in

http://www.VanityIndia.Com

** For all Skin related problems and queries, please visit Dr. Minoo Singh on her Facebook Page - http://www.Facebook.com/VanityIndia

7 Important New Year's Resolutions for Optimal Wellness

Here are seven very-doable New Year Resolutions for 2013. With any one of these simple steps you could easily get in better shape and slow the aging process THIS year for a younger, more vibrant you. Let's see if one or more of these 2013 resolutions appeals to you.

1. The Chewing-Gum Approach to Cutting Calories
Resolve to take smaller-size bites of food and keep the food in your mouth and chew it until all the flavor is gone. With this little technique and watching your portion sizes, you get to enjoy and savor all the flavor in your favorite foods and satisfy your hunger -- all while consuming substantially fewer calories.

2. The Top 10
Several times each day, such as right before meals, snacks and bedtime, take a minute to mentally list ten things, people, happenings ... you truly appreciate. These can be friends, family members, some quality you like about the individuals, or small things (e.g. that pair of shoes that look particularly good on you AND are comfortable, too); in this case, size really doesn't matter. What does matter is that you experience feelings of gratitude while thinking of the aspects of your life that are worth appreciating. Nothing lowers stress and slows the aging process as do thoughts of appreciation.

3. Exercise Your Mind
Decide that in 2013 you will enjoy a mentally challenging game each day. It could be a crossword puzzle, Sudoku, KenKen or one of several other puzzle choices. If you don't have time to devote to solving one of these time-consuming mental games each day because of your very busy schedule, then take two or more days to complete the game. Just make sure to put in at least five minutes each day in working toward the solution. Your dendrites and axons will thank you with a sharp mind in the decades surely to come.

4. Breathless in Seattle  
Decide that every day you are going to enjoy an aerobic activity that gets you out of breath, or at least breathing deeply at some point. During your walk, for example, make sure there is a hill or steps in the middle of your session that makes you huff and puff as you climb them. When we perform a physical activity for as little as 10 seconds that gets us out of breath, it signals the release of human growth hormone (Hgh) from the pituitary gland into the bloodstream to start the process of repair and regeneration of cells to fight free-radical damage and reverse the general aging of the cells of the body and the brain. IMPORTANT: Always check with your health-care professional to make sure it is safe for you to perform strenuous exercise.

5. Up the Dietary Ante Little By Little
Completely revamping one's diet all at once is seldom sustainable unless the individual is extremely motivated. For most of us, making small changes, one at a time, is more likely to result in a lasting improvement in our diet. Decide on one improvement you are going to make to your diet in 2013. It could be as simple as adding a daily dark leafy green vegetable, putting the salt shaker away or substituting water or tea for your afternoon soda.

6. Keep in Touch
Each day, send a note or an e-mail to an old friend you haven't been in contact with for quite a while, just to say, "Hi!, how are you, I'm thinking of you, remember when we...?" By the end of the year you'll have brought a smile to the face of several friends, acquaintances and family members -- to the tune of 365 re-connections. It is well known that staying socially active is one of the ways to stay youthful and well as we age.

7. Try Something New
Do something new and different each and every day. It could be as simple as driving a new route to the store, visiting and exploring a new website, or trying a new food or recipe. On the other hand, it could be something more comprehensive, like taking up a new sport or hobby or traveling to a country or state you've never visited. In this last scenario, you could plan time each day to learn a little bit more about the places you're about to visit, including the customs and language.

There you have it. Seven simple steps you can take to make 2013 your best year ever. Any one of these resolutions can be easily achieved -- a resolution you can keep for the whole year for a younger, more vital you. Or maybe you have your own idea of an easy-to-do New Year's Resolution that's just right for you in 2013. 

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year !!

Dr. Minoo Singh,

VanityIndia.Com

drminoosingh@live.in