After reading this, you’ll never look at a banana in the same way again

This is interesting. After reading this, you’ll never look at a banana in the same way again.

Bananas contain three natural sugars – sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.
Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world’s leading athletes.
But energy isn’t the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

DEPRESSION
According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.
PMS:
Forget the pills – eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

ANEMIA
High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.
BLOOD PRESSURE:
This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit’s ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

BRAIN POWER
200 students at a Twickenham school ( England ) were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

CONSTIPATION
High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

HANGOVERS
One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

HEARTBURN
Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

MORNING SICKNESS
Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.
MOSQUITO BITES:
Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

NERVES
Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system..
Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort foodlike chocolate and chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

ULCERS
The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chroniclercases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

TEMPERATURE CONTROL
Many other cultures see bananas as a ‘cooling’ fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.
So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has FOUR TIMES the protein, TWICE the carbohydrate, THREE TIMES the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals.. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, ‘A BANANA a day keeps the doctor away!

Practical Uses for Coca Cola

Coke is the most valuable brand in history, and “Coca-Cola” is the world’s second-most recognized word after “hello.” However, the beverage itself is an absolute poison to the human metabolism. Coke is very close to the acidity level of battery acid and consequently it can clean surfaces equivalent to and often better than many toxic household cleaners.

It’s cheaper and easier to buy Coke in some third world countries than it is to access clean water. Coke uses “public relations propaganda” to convince consumers and entire nations that it is an “environmental company” when really it is linked to pollution, water shortages, and disease.

People who consume soft drinks such as Coke have a 48% increase in heart attack and stroke risk, compared to people who did not drink the sodas at all or did not drink them every day. A study published in the journal Respirology reveals that soft drink consumption is also associated with lung and breathing disorders including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The carbonation in Coke causes calcium loss in the bones through a 3-stage process:

1. The carbonation irritates the stomach.
2. The stomach “cures” the irritation the only way it knows how. It adds the only antacid at its disposal: calcium. It gets this from the blood.
3. The blood, now low on calcium, replenishes its supply from the bones. If it did not do this, muscular and brain function would be severely impaired.

But, the story doesn’t end there. Another problem with most Coke is it also contain phosphoric acid (not the same as the carbonation, which is carbon dioxide mixed with the water). Phosphoric acid also causes a draw-down on the body’s store of calcium.

So Coke softens your bones (actually, makes them weak and brittle) in 3 ways:

1. Carbonation reduces the calcium in the bones.
2. Phosphoric acid reduces the calcium in the bones.
3. The beverage replaces a calcium-containing alternative, such as milk or water. Milk and water are not excellent calcium sources, but they are sources.

Esophageal cancer was very rare two generations ago — now, it’s common. The basic mechanism works as follows:

1. Mechanical damage to cells is a huge risk factor for cancer. It’s why asbestos particles, for example, cause lung cancer.
2. All soft drinks cause acid reflux (stomach acid rising up past the esophageal valve). This is more pronounced when the body is horizontal (as in sleeping), but the sheer volume of Coke and soft drinks consumed in the USA means the acid reflux is well past the danger point. Any time you ingest a gassy drink, you are going to get belching–and acid into the esophagus. How much is too much? The research doesn’t say where the limit is–it only shows that most of us are far, far, far past it.
3. tomach acid dissolves tissue — that’s its purpose. The stomach lining does not extend into the esophagus, so the lower esophagus gets damaged by acid far more frequently in soft drink users than in non soft drink users. This results in a radical increase in cell mutations, along with a far higher level of free radicals.

20 Practical Uses For Coke

Coke acts as an acidic cleaner. The amount of acid in soda is enough to wear away at the enamel of your teeth, making them more susceptible to decay. In tests done on the acidity levels of soda, certain ones were found to have PH levels as low as 2.5. To put that into perspective, consider that battery acid has a pH of 1 and pure water has a pH of 7.

To prove Coke does not belong in the human body, here are 20 practical ways you can use Coke as a domestic cleaner:

1. Removes grease stains from clothing and fabric
2. Removes rust; methods include using fabric dipped in Coke, a sponge or even aluminum foil. Also loosens rusty bolts
3. Removes blood stains from clothing and fabric.
4. Cleans oil stains from a garage floor; let the stain soak, hose off.
5. Kills slugs and snails; the acids kills them.
6. Cleans burnt pans; let the pan soak in the Coke, then rinse.
7. Descales a kettle (same method as with burnt pans)
8. Cleans car battery terminals by pouring a small amount of Coke over each one.
9. Cleans your engine; Coke distributors have been using this technique for decades.
10. Makes pennies shine; soaking old pennies in Coke will remove the tarnish.
11. Cleans tile grout; pour onto kitchen floor, leave for a few minutes, wipe up.
12. Dissolves a tooth; Use a sealed container…takes a while but it does work.
13. Removes gum from hair; dip into a small bowl of Coke, leave a few minutes. Gum will wipe off.
14. Removes stains from vitreous china.
15. Got a dirty pool? Adding two 2-liter bottles of Coke clears up rust.
16. You can remove (or fade) dye from hair by pouring diet Coke over it.
17. Remove marker stains from carpet. Applying Coke, scrubbing and then clean with soapy water will remove marker stains.
18. Cleans a toilet; pour around bowl, leave for a while, flush clean.
19. Coke and aluminum foil will bring Chrome to a high shine.
20. Strips paint off metal furniture. Soak a towel in Coke and lay it on the paint surface.

Now can you imagine what is does to your stomach lining? 

Who needs the ‘household and cleaning’ section at the hardware store when we have Coke

5 tips to deal with cough while travelling

Travelling is fun! And most people would love to simply embark on a journey without a strict plan in place. But there are a few things that can put a dent in your adventure, one of them is the sudden onset of cough. A condition that often strikes when the weather changes abruptly or when you move to a more polluted place, cough can be persistent and be a downer!  So, in order to help you stay on your journey, here are some quick tips to keep cough at bay while travelling.

Warm water for instant relief

Warm water is very soothing to an irritated throat. It reduces the itching feeling, pain and irritation that you might feel . Apart from that it prevents the back of your throat from getting dry and prevents bouts of coughing. While this is the simplest method, you could go one step further by opting to have some green tea.

All you need to do is ask for hot water, dip a green tea bag in it for a few minutes and sip on the warm tea. Remember not to allow the tea bag to remain in the water for too long as strong tea can irritate the throat. Avoid having tea with lemon infused in it as it can lead to more coughing. Read more about how you can get instant relief from cough.

Toffee can help

Cough is usually felt as an itch in the throat, and this itch can be quite annoying. In order to beat these symptoms and reduce the amount you cough, suck on a toffee. Make sure that the toffee is sugar based and not creamy. Keep it at the back of your mouth and let your saliva do the rest of the work. The toffee makes you secrete more saliva which gently trickles into your throat and beats that itchy feeling. You can pick any flavor except lemon and coffee.

Moist cloth can go a long way

When we cough it is often because our throat tends to get dry and the air we breathe in through our nose worsens this dryness. So if you can’t find a toffee or some warm water that is drinkable, this remedy is for you. Take a handkerchief (big or small size), or a small hand towel. Now wet it well with some water (preferably clean water that does not have an odour), and place this hanky open on your nose. The moisture in the hanky helps moisten the air you breath in; and reduces the itchiness at the back of the throat. It also reduces the amount of dust and pollutants you inhale making it much easier for you to breathe. Make sure you don’t breathe through your mouth while doing this.

If you feel suffocated use the hanky for some time, move it away from your nose for a while and breathe normally. You can alternate between these methods.

If you have access to some eucalyptus oil, add a few drops of it onto the hanky. This will not only help you breathe easy but also open up your airways allowing you to feel less suffocated. Read about some common cough myths. 

A blanket to keep you warm

If you suffer from wet cough or have chest congestion, a great and handy remedy is to use a blanket. Wrap the blanket around your chest, back and neck. This will help keep the area warm and help in reducing the amount you cough. It will also reduce the suffocation you might feel due to phlegm build up.

To better this method, either apply some vaporub or add a few drops of eucalyptus oil to the oil/cream. It will not only help in relieving some of the congestion but will also help in reducing the constriction you feel while breathing. 

Don’t forget your OTC cough syrup

While embarking on travel, you always need to carry some medicine with you in case of emergencies. Some first aid, paracetamol, medicines for diarrhea and vomiting is what everyone carries. But don’t forget to carry some OTC medication for cough as well. Relief from cough is even faster if you use over the counter (OTC) cough medications along with home remedies. Besides medicated lozenges, you could also try cough suppressants that contain ingredients like dextromethorphan. These are particularly useful if you have a hacking or dry cough. If you have productive cough, an OTC product with ingredients that have expectorant properties can help to clear out the mucus in the airways. Read more aboutwhat’s in a cough syrup.

A cup of hot chai for good health

What is the one solution to all problems? Tea. Long day at work; nothing beats it like a cuttingchai on the way back home. Sick day blues; what better than cozying up on the couch with a good book and a steaming cuppa? Stuck at home while it pours cats and dogs outside? Chai and bhajiyas, isn’t it obvious? As Willian Ewart Gladstone succinctly puts it, ‘If you are cold, tea will warm you; if you are too heated, it will cool you; If you are depressed, it will cheer you; If you are excited, it will calm you.’

After water, tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world. Originating in China, tea has made its way around the world since the 16th century and managed to capture the attention and admiration of doctors and poets alike. 

Technically speaking, tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by steeping the leaves of the plant Camellia Sinensis in hot water. It has a slightly bitter and astringent taste with a cooling sensation. There are only four varieties of this plant – Black, White, Green and Oolong. Other adaptations like chamomile and lavender tea are prepared without the use of this particular plant and labeled as Herbal Teas or tisanes.

A beverage loved and appreciated the world over; tea does deliver on the health front in all aspects. Tea contains catechins that have anti-inflammatory and neuro-protective properties. An amino acid, L-theanine known to promote a calm, alert and focused mental state in humans is the reason tea produces a soothing effect on consumption. People with a history of consuming green tea were found to report lower rates and risks of cardiovascular diseases, some forms of cancer, reduction of blood pressure and osteoporosis. Thanks to the ample presence of anti-oxidants, consumption of tea is said to result in improved resistance to bacteria and viruses and fortification of the immune system. Caffeine, quite evidently, improves alertness and stimulates nervous activity. 

According to the amount of processing the tea leaf undergoes, tea can be classified into:

White Tea – This is the least processed tea. The leaves and buds are carefully picked while they are still young. The fine silver hair on the yet to mature buds gives the tea its name. Drying in the natural sunlight prevents them from oxidation which is sometimes supplemented by lightly baking them in ovens. On being steeped, the tea imparts a pale-yellow appearance and a slight sweet taste to the beverage. White tea contains the same health benefits as the other types but it is particularly rich in anti-oxidants. The Silver Needle and the Darjeeling tea are the most loved (and expensive) varieties amongst White teas.

Green Tea – The leaves are harvested in three installments in a year. Known as ‘flushes’, the first flush delivers the best quality among all. Mature leaves are plucked and sorted according to their size and steamed or pan-fried. Care is taken to ensure that the leaves go through minimal oxidation to retain maximum polyphenols and anti-oxidants. The level of caffeine is also less pronounced than it is in Black Tea. This is followed by rolling the leaves in different shapes by hand or machines before they are left to dry and be packed. Green Tea is a particular favorite amongst dieticians and fitness expert as it helps in increasing the metabolism, resulting in weight-loss. It is continually being incorporated into diets, cuisines as well as cosmetics in the recent past. 

Oolong Tea – The leaves are allowed to undergo oxidation from levels ranging from 8% to 85%. Oxidation is then suppresed by allowing the leaves to wither and dry under the strong sun or by directly firing them before being curled and rolled. The colour of the leaves can differ from almost black to dark green. The taste of Oolong teas cover a wide spectrum based on the level of oxidation of the leaves. Ranging from sweet with fruity aromas, to woody with grassy under-notes, the style of production and processing influences the taste. High quality Oolong can be steeped more than once. In fact, it has been found that the taste improves significantly by the 3rd or 4th iteration. Oolong is especially popular among connoisseurs because of its varied taste palate. (Read: Health benefits of drinking tea)

Black Tea – Over 90% of all tea sold worldwide, is black. This is primarily because of its ability to retain flavor for years as opposed to green which has a shelf life of a year. This tea goes through the most processing. After picking, the leaves are dried in the sun till they wilt. The leaves are then crushed to expose the tissues to air. The compounds therein react with the air and are allowed to ferment till they are completely oxidized. During this time, the leaves gain their black colour.  The temperature and humidity are rigidly controlled according to standardized parameters. After a final bout of drying, the leaves are sorted with respect to leaf size into whole leaves, fannings and dust. Darjeeling, fondly called the ‘Champagne of Teas’ produces the world’s finest black tea, followed by the Anhui province in China.

Herbal Tea – Also known as tisanes, they are concoctions of herbs, spices, roots, flowers and fruits in hot water, for the medicinal properties of each ingredient. Although, they are referred to as teas, what sets them apart is the absence of Camellia Sinensis or tea leaves in the beverage. They may have a low anti-oxidant level than real teas, but according to the ingredients used, tisanes can have several fragrant, therapeutic and stimulating effects.

Chamomile is a popular herb that’s used in teas worldwide. Chamomile soothes the stomach and relieves bloating and indigestion. Chamomile also calms the mind and helps people relax and deal better with their stresses. Chamomile is known to fight insomnia by relaxing the body and the mind, enabling the person to fall asleep naturally.

Ginger tea both stimulates and soothes the digestive system. Ginger has been known to aid people experiencing nausea. Arthritic people have found ginger tea helpful since it has anti-inflammatory properties. Probably that’s why, Adrak wali chai is the most used phrase in Indian households.

Lavender tea is made out of the dried purple, pink and white colored flowers that grow on lavender shrubs. A cup of lavender tea can soothe your mind and body, inducing sleep. It helps soothe and treat flatulence, colic, bowel infections and an upset stomach.

Dried Hibiscus flowers are made into a tea that is known to lower blood pressure, reduce high cholesterol and strengthen the immune system (it’s rich in Vitamin C). Hibiscus flower infusions have known to reduce hypertension as well.  A recent study reveals that hibiscus tea is rich in antioxidants, which protect the body against cell-damaging free radicals.

PS: Marijuana is a herb too and they make weed tea!

Exam diet: Foods to boost your brain power

 During the dreaded exam season, everyone struggles to find time to eat, study, sleep and even squeeze in a few moments for a break. After the exams, we look at ourselves and realise how much weight we put on. Here’s a simple dietary tips that will help you avoid the ‘exam weight’ and also boost your brain power with food.

 Start with a glass of water

 Start the day early. Have a glass of water on waking up. This will hydrate you and keep you refreshed. Since the body has had no intake over several hours, you are dehydrated on waking up. Drinking water ‘switches on’ your brain and your body to start the day afresh. It is also a nice, gentle way to ease your digestive system into the rest of the day. Water is the best way to prevent and chase away fatigue – be it physical or mental.

 Grab a fruit

 The very next thing to eat in your day is a fruit. They are high in fibre, and contain natural sugar. This way, they provide consistent energy over a long period of time. Take a banana for instance. It stimulates the release of certain neurochemicals which not only boost the mood, but also makes you more alert and improves your concentration levels. Fruits, in general, contain negligible fat and are great energy suppliers over a long period of time. Always remember that natural sugars are far better for you than synthetic or artificial sugar. Dried fruits (prunes, raisins, apricots, dry figs and dates) are also great and can be carried around as a great on-the-go snack, especially for children who are at tuitions all day.

 Drink lots of fluids

 In between, keep yourself revived with a drink of nimbu paani and rock salt. You could also have coconut water which due to its high potassium and mineral content replenishes your mineral levels. Both these will keep you refreshed and energised over a long period of time. Coconut flesh or malai is also another great food for the brain, so don’t discard it.

Switch to ‘healthy’ caffeine

 Those wishing for a caffeine kick, switch to herbal tea or green tea – both are rich in nutrients and antioxidants. While caffeine does help improve concentration, the effect usually doesn’t last long. Caffeine drinks and even, to a certain degree, coffee, do more harm than good as they have excessive caffeine content. While you may think that energy drinks and caffeine can help you stay awake, you need to realise that it actually affects your brain by slowing down the neurotransmitters that carry message from one cell to another. It causes the nerve cell to raise the level of stress hormone and makes one anxious, scared, angry or nervous and increases palpitations (irregular heartbeats) and increases your blood pressure. This causes a vicious cycle which increases acidity, loss of Vitamin B, calcium, sleeps disturbances, affects the heart, and raises cholesterol.

 On the other hand tea – green, white or black – contains antioxidants and flavonoids which are excellent for the health and also tend to be lower in caffeine content. However, do not overdo it. Instead of caffeine you can chase off your sleep by taking a walk for a few minutes which also increases the blood flow to the brain, keeping you active and awake longer.

 Go green

 During meal times, remember to have at least one leafy vegetable daily. They contain iron, protein, fibre and calcium. All of these are essential for the brain function. B complex vitamins are also essential for the brain’s health.

 Eat a variety of grains

 Also eat a variety of whole grains. Have bajra roti in one meal, and have nachani roti in the next. Alternatives like barley, whole wheat and even basmati rice can be used. Whole grains also sustain you with steady energy over a long period of time. Start your meal with a salad. This will include uncooked vegetables. These have more vitamins than their cooked versions, as sometimes some nutrients are lost in cooking. Salads will ensure that you get your antioxidants, which maintain your health and keep your immunity up, as we don’t want people falling sick just a few days before their exams! Protein foods enhance the brain’s production of dopamine, a natural brain chemical that helps one to feel alert. Therefore, it’s vital to have a pulse, beans, sprouts or even the occasional oily fish with your meals.

 Quit gum and eat some dry fruits

 Skip the chewing gum as a mouth freshener and opt for something more traditional. Chew on a mix of sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds and sunflower seeds. You will be feeding yourself a mix of various fats, as well as proteins. On a similar note, an excellent snack option is nuts. By consuming pistachios, almonds, cashew nuts and walnuts you will consume a mix of omega 3 fatty acids, omega 6 fatty acids, and a range of monounsaturated fatty acids. Almonds do indeed help boost the brain’s power, as they contain vitamin E. Cashew nuts contain zinc, whereas the omega 3 in walnuts and flax seeds is essential for the brain. Your brain is composed mainly of fat. Therefore, by eating a mix of all these fats, you will be literally feeding your brain and boost its power while improving its functioning.

 Foods to avoid

 There are foods which are to be avoided as well. White flour and white sugar are both atrocious for the brain and the entire body. They result in drowsiness because Vitamin B the energy-giving vitamin is leeched from the body. Unfortunately people land up eating more of these foods thinking they will get energy but they end up getting a sugar low which leaves them drained, depressed, tired and fatigued.

 And lastly get proper sleep

 It’s also important to get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation can result in poorer language ability and also decreases your attention levels. Sleep early because every hour of sleep before midnight equals two hours of sleep after. This will make your sure your memory and concentration levels are fired up in the morning. Basically, make a schedule. Include your study timings, your sleep timings and your food timings. This way, you will know beforehand what you’re going to do with your day. Regulating your food habits and making sure you stick by it will reduce stress and help you ace the exams

10 reasons to eat an orange a day

Sweet and juicy to taste, orange is one of the most popular fruits in India as well as the world. Belonging to a group of citrus fruits called hesperedium, oranges have more health benefits than one. Here are the top 10 health benefits of the fruit.

1. Boosts your immunity

A single orange can meet more than 100% of your daily requirement of Vitamin C. This vital nutrient helps improve your immunity, keeping you free from diseases and infections. (Read: Immunity-boosting foods that are available in India and easy on the pocket!)

2. Good for your skin

As we grow older, our skin along with other body parts suffers from free radical damage. This process is similar to how metals rust after exposure to air.  Even though it is inevitable, oranges are packed with antioxidants and Vitamin C which slows down the process and makes you look younger than your age! (Read: 10 fruits and vegetables that can give you glowing skin)

3. Great for your eyes

Along with our skin, our eyes too suffers from damage as we grow older. Oranges are rich in nutrients like Vitamin A, Vitamin C and potassium which are great for your eyes. So, if you want your vision to be just as good as it is now, eat an orange every day! 

4. Prevents heart disease

One of the reasons why people get heart disease is because their arteries are blocked due to unhealthy lifestyles and consumption of junk food. Oranges have flavonoids like hesperidin which reduces cholesterol and prevents your arteries from getting blocked. This, in turn protects you from heart attack and various other cardiovascular diseases. (Read: 8 natural cholesterol busters)

5. Helps in brain development

Folate and folic acid present in oranges promote brain development and keep the vital organ in mint condition. In fact, these nutrients also make orange a healthy fruit for pregnant woman as it prevents the baby from having neurological disorders later.

6. Prevents cancer

Having cancer can be a tough and harrowing experience for both the patient and the caregiver. Research has shown that a compound called D – limonene present in oranges can prevent various types of cancer like lung cancer, breast cancer, skin cancer, etc. Additionally, the antioxidants and Vitamin C help promote the body’s immunity which helps in fighting cancer cells. (Read: Top 10 food habits to prevent cancer)

7. Keeps you free from stomach ulcers

Oranges are a very good source of fibre which helps keep your stomach and intestines healthy. A diet rich in fibre will ensure that you are not affected with ailments like stomach ulcers and constipation.

8. Improves the quality of your sperm

Death is inevitable, but our legacy may live on through our offspring. The antioxidants and Vitamin C present in most fruits, including oranges improves the quality and motility of your sperm thus keeping you fertile. (Read: Carrots, oranges and other veggies can make your sperm a champion swimmer!)

9. Great for diabetics

People who have diabetes are unable to absorb glucose since the beta-cells present in their pancreas either fail to produce insulin or the body’s cells are unable to respond to the insulin produced. Oranges are high in fibre and have a high glycaemic index which makes it a good food option for diabetics. Also worth mentioning is that good oranges have a sweet taste, and since diabetics aren’t allowed to eat sweets or other sugary foods, they can eat oranges to tingle their taste buds.

10. Prevents hair loss

Orange has high Vitamin C content which is required for producing collagen which, in turn, is responsible for keeping the tissues in your hair together. Nobody likes bald patches on their head, and eating oranges can ensure that you do not have to part with your lovely hair as you grow older.

Tip: When you cut an orange, make sure you do it in a way that the inner peel doesn’t come off since it is very nutritious and has higher amounts of hesperidin than the flesh itsel

Juicing fruits and vegetables – is it healthy?

Eating 1 large cucumber, a bowlful of spinach, 2 apples and 2 medium carrots in one sitting can be the definition of impossible. But now, thanks to juicing, all of this can fit into one glass which can be gulped in less than 10 seconds.

Juice diets are the latest fad endorsed by the western world in the recent age. Miranda Kerr and Nicole Ritchie swear by the health benefits of the juice diet. Remember the sinister, gooey stuff Tony Stark kept drinking in Iron Man 2? It was supposed to be a chlorophyll detox to counter balance the radio-poisoning, which basically means a mashed up juice of all things green. In times when sitting down for a long dinner seems like a luxury, a tall glass of juice tends to make up for time as well as nourishment.

In regards to the machinery required, your usual blender should do the trick just fine. However, if you are serious about your juicing ambitions and want to extract the best out of the ingredients – with a significant punch to your credit card – it would be beneficial to invest in a masticating cold press. The press slowly crushes the fruit or vegetable and prevents the application of heat as is the case in blades and blenders. Thus, you end up with healthier and highly-enriched juices, with preserved colour and nutrients as compared to juices from blenders.

You absorb all the nutrients – Cooking, frying and boiling the ingredients, many-a-times, lead to the destruction of a majority of the vital anti-oxidants and amino acids. Juicing helps prevent this loss and fortifies your dietary intake with a well rounded ingestion of all necessary nutrients.

You end up eating many vegetables you never thought you would – Let’s face it, on any regular day, you wouldn’t even dream of eating a bowl of boiled and sautéed spinach or broccoli; no matter how nutritious it’ll prove to be. But now, all you got to do is throw together all of the infamous leafy veggies into the blender, add in the juice of half a lemon for zing or an apple for sweetness, and you won’t even recognize the ‘rabbit food’ anymore (as long as you ignore the slimy, gunky colour of the liquid).

Make sure you don’t waste the fiber – After you have extracted the juice from the blender, don’t simply throw away the pulp. You can incorporate this leftover fiber into muffins, soups and gravies. Juicing does increase your anti-oxidant intake, but you lose out on natural fibers which aid digestion.  A completely juice-based diet will do more harm than good. It is meant to supplement your nutrition, not hamper it. So, unless you are working on a detox plan, make sure you fortify your diet with solid food too.

Eat the fruit, juice the veg – The one thing you need to keep in mind when it comes to juicing is to minimize your usage of fruit in juicing. It would seem absurd, but there is a sound reason behind it. Fruits are loaded with natural sugars like fructose linked to high blood sugar and weight gain. Hence, you have to be careful when you include fruits in your juicing recipes. Use them only to counter-act or enhance the taste of your recipe, not center the recipe on fruits. Fruit is best eaten whole where the natural fibers in them nullify, or atleast, balance the effect of fructose. Coconut water and lemon/lime juice are safe options as these are virtually void of any fat or excessive sugars.

Drink your juice right away – It is a very bad idea to juice large quantities at once and store it for consequent use. Under highly monitored conditions, vegetable juice can stay fresh for a maximum of 24 hours due to its unpasteurized nature. After this time span, the nutritional value declines steadily and the taste will also suffer. It is best consumed immediately.

Thus we see that, exploited in the right amount, juicing has many benefits on offer. These recipes can help you get started:

The ABC juice
1 apple
2 beets
3 large carrots
1 (1-inch) piece of ginger
Spinach or kale (optional)

Romaine Apple Juice
2 cups romaine lettuce hearts
2 green apples
1 orange
2 celery stalks
1/2 cucumber

Green Juice
6 kale leaves
2 cups spinach
1/2 cucumber
4 celery stalks
2 apples
1 (1-inch) piece of ginger

How To Enhance Your Health With Juices And Juice Fasting

I'm often asked to name one thing that can be done right away to get healthier. With respect to food choices, the best suggestion I have is to begin drinking freshly pressed vegetable juices. Drinking just one freshly pressed juice each day is a reliable way of infusing your body with a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients that can protect your cells against premature aging and disease.

Making time to drink vegetable juices isn’t a problem for most people. It’s the time that's needed to wash fresh vegetables, feed them through a good juicer, and clean the juicer afterward that prevents most people from making fresh juices a regular part of their lives.

But if you understand how beneficial freshly pressed juices are to your health, it becomes easier to make the time to juice several times a week.

The Right Ingredients

The key to creating healthy vegetable juices is to make green vegetables the bulk of every batch. Green vegetables won’t spike your blood sugar and insulin like fruits and sweet vegetables like carrots and red beets will.

This isn't to say that you can’t juice fruits, carrots, and red beets. Fruits and sweet root vegetables can be healthy additions to your drinks, and they'll definitely add sweetness and flavour. You just want to make sure that they never make up more than one-third of each glass that you drink.

And if your blood sugar level tends to be high, you’ll want to use a blood sugar monitor to determine how much is acceptable for you. I’ve worked with many diabetics over the years who haven’t been able to handle even an ounce of fruit, carrot, or red beet juice in their drinks without negative health consequences, so please consider this point before you select your ingredients for juicing.

Romaine lettuce is one of the best green vegetables that you can juice. You can also juice other types of leafy lettuce like red or green leaf lettuce.

For variety, try adding large handfuls of kale, Swiss chard, collard greens, Bok Choy, and other dark green vegetables that you might steam before eating.

For another layer of flavour, you can add a tiny slice of lemon (including the rind for its flavonoids) to your vegetable juices.

Some people enjoy adding a clove of raw garlic for even more bite.

Be creative and add any vegetables you crave. You really can’t go wrong as long as you make sure not to use too many carrots, red beets, or fruits.

Clearly, organic vegetables are better than non-organic vegetables. But my experiences have led me to believe that the health benefits of drinking juices made with well washed, non-organic vegetables far outweigh not juicing at all. If you're only able to juice non-organic vegetables due to financial or other life circumstances, it’s still well worth doing.

Preparing to Juice

We like to fill up the kitchen sink with cold water and dunk all of our vegetables for a good five minutes. Before we pull all the vegetables out to sit in a colander to dry off a bit, we shake them around in the cold water to make sure that we’ve removed any dirt or even bugs that may be hiding in the vegetables, particularly in heads of celery and lettuce.

If we know that we need to make a few gallons of vegetable juice over several days, we store washed carrots and ribs of celery in containers full of water in the refrigerator.

We store leaves of lettuce spread out and stacked vertically in a container with layers of paper towel in between each layer of lettuce to help absorb excess moisture. Fresh lettuce can last a whole week or more when stored in this fashion.

If you’re really pressed for time and want to make enough juice to last three to four days, you can make a big batch and store it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator - not as good as drinking right after pressing, but still likely better than drinking store-bought fruit juices or even vegetable cocktails like V8.

The Art of Juicing

Juicing is, for the most part, quite easy to do. You make sure that your vegetables are small or crunch-able enough to fit through the feeding mechanism of your juicer, and you push them in one at a time.

It's best to juice soft vegetables like leafy greens first, as they're a bit harder to push through the extraction mechanism than firmer vegetables like carrots and celery. Firmer vegetables like carrots and celery can actually help push through any bits of softer vegetables that are deep within the feeding tube of your juicer but not yet
completely through the extraction mechanism.

With leafy greens, we like to roll them up into small balls before feeding them through the juicer. This helps prevent a single leaf from getting stuck between the feeding tube of the juicer and the plunger that you use to push the vegetables down.

Fruits, like firmer vegetables, can be added near the end, as you're unlikely to have a problem pushing them down and through the extraction mechanism with the plunger.

Healthy Juice Recipes

Vegetable-based juices:

2 carrots
2 ribs of celery
8 leaves of romaine lettuce

2 carrots
Handful of parsley
6 leaves of romaine lettuce
Squeeze of lemon

2 tomatoes
3 ribs of celery
1 carrot
Squeeze of lemon

6 leaves of romaine lettuce
1 tomato
1 rib of celery
1 carrot

Big bunch of kale
2 carrots
2 ribs of celery

Big bunch of Swiss chard
2 carrots
2 ribs of celery

6 leaves of romaine lettuce
2 cups of green cabbage
2 carrots

6 leaves of romaine lettuce
2 ribs of celery
1 apple, whatever is in season

4 ribs of celery
2 carrots
1 apple

Fruit-based Juices (only for special occasions and if you don’t have high blood glucose and insulin levels):

3 ribs of celery
2 apples

Small handful of strawberries
Watermelon (cut into strips, rind included if you wash it well before cutting)

Honeydew (cut into strips)
Squeeze of lemon

1 apple
1 pear
3 ribs of celery

2 apples
8-10 strawberries

1 cup of pineapple
1 cup of grapes
Small handful of strawberries

How To Experience An Effective Juice Fast

Now that we've reviewed the fundamentals of how to make healthy vegetable-based juices, let’s take a look at how to carry out an effective juice fast.

Some people call juice fasting juice dieting, preferring to reserve the word "fasting" for water-only fasting. Juice fasting and juice dieting are the same thing.

Why consider doing a juice fast?

Drinking only freshly pressed vegetable-based juices for a day or two or even a week at a time can give your body much needed rest and time to heal itself of chronic health problems.

Because vegetable juices are extremely easy to digest, your body can spend much of its resources on healing damaged or exhausted tissues instead of spending its energy on digesting heavy meals.

You should only do a juice fast after consulting with your health care provider and confirming that your current health status should allow for a safe and effective juice fast.

A properly conducted juice fast may help you experience:

• More energy
• Healthier skin
• Better quality sleep
• Improved cardiovascular health
• Reduction or elimination of aches and pains in muscles and joints
• Decrease or elimination of headaches
• Stabilization of blood pressure
• More efficient digestion
• Stabilization of bowel movements
• Loss of excess weight
• Elimination of stored toxins
• Improvement with a wide variety of chronic degenerative health
  conditions, including autoimmune disorders

What’s the difference between a juice fast and a water fast?

People detoxify and heal more quickly with a water fast than with a juice fast. This is because with a water fast, your digestive passageway and organs are able to rest completely, which allows almost all of your energy to be used for cleansing and repair of damaged tissues.

With a juice fast or a cleansing diet of fruits and vegetables, your body must use energy (a minimal amount compared to when you are eating heavier meals) to digest nutrients, leaving less available energy for detoxification and healing.

Another significant difference is that more fat tissue is burned during a water fast, as your body must rely exclusively on fat reserves to supply its energy needs after the first one to three days of water fasting. Your body stores the bulk of incoming toxins in your fat reserves. As these reserves are burned for energy during a fast, any stored toxins will be released into your circulation, to be eliminated from your body through channels like your urine and respiratory tract. This mechanism of detoxification also occurs with juice fasting, but at a slower pace.

All of this considered, both types of fasting can be helpful to your health. The choice you make should take into consideration your circumstances and goals.

Generally, juice fasting allows for more gentle detoxification than water fasting. Juice fasting also allows you to have enough energy to keep up with most of your activities of daily living while you detoxify your tissues, whereas an effective water fast requires almost complete physical rest.

Another significant difference is that juice fasting is much easier for most people to stick with. Water fasting is best carried out in a supervised setting while juice fasting is relatively easy to do from your own home.

How long should you juice fast for?

It really depends on your health status and goals. If you’re looking to give your body a short but beneficial break, it can be helpful to do a juice fast for 48-72 hours over a weekend.

If you’re looking to experience significant detoxification and improvement in your overall health, you might consider doing a longer juice fast, somewhere in the ball park of one to two weeks.

Although it’s optimal to prepare for a juice fast by eating raw fruits and vegetables for 24 hours prior to beginning with juices only, most people do just fine in starting with juices without a pre-fasting routine.

You can drink however many juices your appetite calls for throughout the day. I have found that most people do well with an average of five freshly pressed juices per day.

You can use any of the juice recipes that are listed above, or any similar recipes that you create following your tastes.

While I generally recommend that people use fruit-based juices early on in the day and turn to vegetable-based juices as the day goes on, there’s really no requirement to stick to a specific order of juices.

A typical day of juice fasting might look like this:

Honeydew (cut into strips)
Lemon wedge

2 carrots
2 ribs of celery
8 leaves of romaine lettuce

3 ribs of celery
2 apples
Small handful of strawberries

2 tomatoes
3 ribs of celery
1 carrot
Lemon wedge

Large bunch of kale
2 carrots
2 ribs of celery

If necessary, it’s fine to make all of your juices for the day in the morning and to carry a few with you to work in air-tight bottles.

If you take a green food supplement, it would be an added bonus to include a tablespoon of such a product to one of your vegetable-based juices. The only caveat is that your green food product should not contain any fillers like lecithin, apple pectin, whole grains, or ground flax seeds. Any green food powder that is used during a juice fast should be composed of 100 percent green vegetables if you are looking for optimal results.

I have found that it's best not to take supplements that provide concentrated amounts of high quality fat during a juice fast, such as fish oil, cod liver oil, or flax seed oil.

The key guiding principle with juice fasting is to follow your instincts. Your body will tell you how many drinks you need per day and what types of vegetables and fruits you need to incorporate into your juices.

Ending Your Juice Fast

You should end your juice fast by eating whole fruits and vegetables. Good examples include:

• Small bowl of watermelon
• Small bowl of honeydew
• 1 apple
• 1 pear
• Handful of grapes
• Cucumber
• Tomato
• Celery sticks

Be sure to chew your food until liquid. This is critical to maintaining the positive changes that you will have created in your GI tract with your juice fast.

You can have another similar meal about two hours after the first one, and continue to eat small portions of fruits or vegetables for the rest of the day.

The second day of eating whole foods can include some steamed vegetables along with raw fruits and vegetables.

On the third day, you can add a cooked starch, such as a steamed potato or sweet potato. You can also add a grain dish if your appetite calls for it.

Beginning on the fourth day of re-feeding, you can add legumes, such as chickpeas or black beans.

Beginning on day five, you can add small portions of clean animal foods, such as organic eggs or wild salmon.

Beginning on day six, you can return to eating a well balanced diet that includes any healthy plant and animal foods that your body craves.

Over the long term, I've found that it is best for most people to follow a diet that consists of approximately 80 percent plant-based foods and 20 percent animal-based foods. But again, I always recommend listening to your own instincts and cravings.

Please keep in mind that this re-feeding schedule should take into account the length of your juice fast.

If you do a three-day juice fast, you probably won’t have any problems following this re-feeding schedule.

If you fast for more than a week, you may find that you won’t want to add cooked foods or animal foods back to your regimen until after you spend a few weeks eating raw fruits and vegetables.

One last time, the guiding principle is to follow your instincts.

If you don’t do a juice fast, you can still experience significant health benefits by including vegetables juices in your daily routine on top of your regular food choices.

Enough reading about the benefits of drinking freshly pressed vegetable juices.

Please consider giving it a go and experience the benefits. And if you'd like to share your experience with others, please feel free to use our comments section below.

If you don't have a juicer, two that I can recommend are:

The Champion Juicer

The L'Equip Pulp Ejector Juicer

If you prefer stainless steel appliances, here's an excellent choice at Amazon:

Breville 800JEXL Juice Fountain Elite 1000-Watt Juice Extractor

To close, here are a few photos that I took the other day as I juiced up a favorite blend of lettuce, celery, peppers, red beet, and lemon:

When you're finished juicing, you'll find a layer of bubbles at the top of your bowl - you can drink these right up with your juice, or if you prefer, you can skim them away with a spoon.

This is some serious, life-sustaining stuff, so drink with gratitude and enjoy knowing that you're taking great care of yourself.