Monday, 31 March 2014

Health Benefits of Dates


One of the world’s oldest cultivated fruit, dates have been widely known for their high nutritional value. Originating from the desert oases of northern Africa and southwest Asia and the Middle East, this sweet fruit belongs to date palm which has been referred to as a “tree of life”. Rich in several vitamins and minerals, dates are considered to be an integral part of a balanced and healthy diet. Mentioned below are some of the health benefits of dates.
1. Prevent heart problems

If soaked for a night and crushed in the morning and consumed, heart problems could take a back seat. They are proven to be quite helpful in keeping the heart healthy. Have them twice a week and stop worrying about your heart. Dates also reduce LDL cholesterol.
2. Relieve constipation

Known to be a laxative, dates can bring a great amount of relief from constipation. Dates are highly beneficial in eliminating waste. All you need to do is immerse them in water overnight and consume the same in the morning like a syrup.
3. Cure intestinal disorders

Regular consumption of dates could help you get rid of intestinal problems. The growth of pathological organisms in the intestine can be kept in check with a sufficient intake of dates, which promote the growth of good bacteria.
4. Treat abdominal cancer

Serving as natural and nutritional supplements, dates are scientifically proven to be helpful in treating abdominal cancer. They can also be consumed by all age groups. They have no side effects and work as medicines.
5. Treat diarrhea

Dates are rich in potassium which makes them ideal for consumption when suffering from diarrhea. To add to that, dates are easy to digest, making them best foods to be consumed whenever you suffer from diarrhea.
6. Are a rich source of energy

Dates contain good amount of natural food based sugars like glucose, sucrose and fructose, which can supply you enough energy to keep you going. Hence, they are ideal for those who have diabetes.

7. Help to prevent dental cavities

Dried dates can help in reducing tooth decay. The rich content of fluorine in dates helps in enamel formation for the teeth.
8. Ideal for pregnant women

Dates can help to reduce labor pain if a woman consumes dates regularly during pregnancy. This is because dates help in strengthening uterine muscles. Also, the nutrients present in dates enrich the quality of breast milk.
9. Help to deal with sexual weakness

Dates are known to increase sexual stamina. Soak dates in goat’s milk overnight and then grind them with a mixture of honey and cardamom powder. Now add it to the milk you soaked dates in. This tonic can do wonders for boosting your sexual endurance.
10. Ideal for digestive and nervous system

Dates have high amount of fiber along with amino acids. This helps in easy digestion. As stated earlier, it has rich amount of potassium which is very good for the nervous system.
11. Other benefits

Dates can improve eyesight and help in treating night blindness. Dates contain high amount of iron that helps in curing anemia. Dates also provide quick relief in case of alcoholic intoxication.

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Sunday, 30 March 2014

3 Benefits of Grape Seed Oil


1. Acts as an antioxidant
2. Lowers cholesterol
3. Helps to avert diseases

Easy Ways To Help The Environment


Increasing environmental challenges have caused a sudden rise in concerns and efforts to lessen the adverse effects of human activities on environment. Increasing average temperature, rise in sea level, shrinking forests, reducing natural resources and an ever increasing ‘concrete jungle’ are the most visible features of a world moving towards its own destruction. Now the time has gone to sit, think, plan and then act. It’s high time to undertake measures that are effective. Here are several ways to help Mother earth and the environment.
1. Avoid private vehicles unless necessary

A major reason of environmental degradation is pollution and one of the major sources of pollution can be controlled, if we use our vehicles wisely. Use public transport as much as possible.
2. Save energy

Energy conservation is another step to a safer planet, which we seek to achieve. It is not only a pocket-friendly method but it also helps to prevent wastage of the limited natural resources. This includes switching off lights and electric gadgets when they are not in use, not overheating or overcooling your rooms, cleaning and replacing AC filters every second month, insulating your walls and ceilings, etc.
3. Keep your surroundings clean

Make sure that your surroundings are clean in order to protect the environment from pollution.
4. Plant as many trees around your locality as possible

Planting trees can be a blessing, whose benefits can be reaped by one and all. Plant a little garden in your backyard, where you can grow not just fruits and vegetables but also herbs and other useful plants. Also, you can plant shade trees outside your house. It will keep your surroundings fresh and pleasant even during summers.

5. Control the use of plastic

Plastic is an enemy of our planet. By now, we all know about the harm that plastic causes to our environment. Avoid plastic as much as possible. Use paper bags or jute bags for daily chores.
6. Use less fertilizers or other chemicals

Use natural manures that are helpful in improving soil nutrients, instead of chemicals that harm not just the soil but also the crops. Do not burn away the leaves collected in the garden. Instead, let them decompose. Also, use your vegetable scrap for decomposition process, thereby helping earth regain its natural resources.

7. Recycle

Recycle anything possible, like plastic, paper, etc. Reuse packing cartons, newspapers, furniture, etc. These are the things that require wood and destruction of forests for their manufacture. It is an effective way to reduce deforestration.

There are many ways by which you can help in protecting the environment.

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Tricks to Get Kids to Eat Vegetables




How to get kids to eat vegetables is one question that has been troubling most mommies. Are you one of them? How many times have you noticed that your kids are just playing around with the vegetables kept on their plate, or worst, have thrown them into the bin? Yes, making kids eat vegetables can be a tough task. To tackle this problem, all you require is a few tricks and your kids will start eating vegetables soon. Check out the ones mentioned below.
1. Be creative

Add some alphabet noodle shapes while making a vegetable soup. Kids will be so involved in finding those letters that they will hardly notice what they are eating.
2. Make them drink

Many a times, kids avoid vegetables because they find chewing on those veggies too boring. The best way out of such a situation is to make them have vegetables in a different form. How about a drink? Sounds enticing? Then follow this. Make a soup of the veggies you want your kids to eat. Pour the soup in a fancy glass, add a cocktail umbrella in the glass and see your kids drink it all up. Though they won’t get as much fiber as they need, from drinking vegetables, but something is better than nothing. Isn’t it?
3. Give vegetables as appetizers

Mostly kids are hungry when it’s meal time. At such times, it’s the hunger that overpowers them and they don’t care what they eat. So, strike the iron while it is hot. While you are preparing dinner, put some carrots, cucumber and celery on a plate and offer them as appetizers. Chances are they will eat them quietly as they just require something to munch on.
4. Give them a choice

Put out carrots, broccoli, tomatoes and other vegetables in buffet style and let them choose what they like. Kids like to choose and make decisions like adults. When you allow them to make their choice, they’ll be delighted to eat because it’s their pick!
5. Let them create an artwork

Kids love to play with colors. So offer them vegetables in different shapes, sizes and colors and tell them to make a vegetable collage on their plate. In this way, they will also eat the vegetables kept in front of them.

6. Involve them in cooking


Involve them in the kitchen when you are cooking. Make them wash vegetables, stir or anything else that would be appropriate to their age. They will be eager to try out all that they have helped to cook.
7. Hide vegetables in other foods

If all your ideas fail, mash vegetables and add them to other food and unsuspecting kids will consume them.
8. Do some ranch dressing

If you offer kids cooked vegetables with a ranch dressing or any other dip, they will eat it happily as they like anything provided with a saucy dip.
9. Encourage them to grow their vegetable garden

This will not only teach them gardening and to care for the environment, but they will also want to eat what they have cultivated.
10. Educate them

Tell them what vegetable is good for which body part and to make it more interesting, prepare a body chart and let them put stickers on each body part after they have eaten a serving of vegetables. For instance, after eating carrots, they can put a sticker on the eyes.

Did you enjoy these fun ways of making your kids eat vegetables? Better put them to use as soon as you can and see your kids eat vegetables.

Saturday, 29 March 2014

Healthy Foods For Women


 
1. Yogurt2. Fish3. Walnuts4. Red fruits & veggies5. Berries6. Beans7. Milk8. Flaxseed9. Oats10. Avocado11. Olive oil12. Dark chocolate

Top Ways To Improve Vocabulary


Can you think of any bare essentials except food, water and air that you cannot live without? You may not have thought of this but it’s language. Have you noticed how well spoken the Miss World’s and Miss Universe’s are? That’s because of their amazing command over language. Can you think about people who impress you the most in your daily life? One of the primary reasons for that is that they speak well. Don’t you want to speak like them as well? Get an added feather in your cap by improving your vocabulary and speak great English. These are the top 5 ways to improve your vocabulary.
1. Read, read, read to improve your vocabulary
Did you read a book yesterday and skipped a difficult word you didn’t understand? Well, we all do that out of laziness. But you know what – that’s the best way to improve your vocabulary. Make it a habit and you’ll find yourself doing it again and again. Do you feel distracted looking up a word each time you don’t understand it? Simply underline it and look it up when you feel like! Do you have an Amazon Kindle? An iPad? This is the time to put those babies to good use. Wouldn’t you be impressed with someone who said, “Your music collection is eclectic” instead of someone who said, “Your music collection has a lot of variety”? Think about it.
2. Practice word puzzles
“Ugggh – Why can’t I find the answer to this!” is my dialogue every morning when I’m solving the daily crossword in the newspaper. I cherish this habit of mine. You can get into it too – it’s never too late! I love the challenge of finding the answers. If you like a good challenge, try it! It’s great fun doing word ladders, puzzles and crosswords. Okay, let me warn you – you will get addicted!
3. Add a word per day
You’d be thinking, “Okay, I have begun reading books, magazines, Reader’s Digest, word puzzles, etc. What now? I still can’t seem to remember any words that I learn!” I’ve noticed that the key to improve your vocabulary is to put the newly learnt words into practice. Make it compulsory for yourself to use one new word in a sentence each day with friends or family. This will do the trick. Spare a few minutes, put in the effort – it’ll pay off, trust me.
4. Converse with interesting people to enhance your language
Improving vocabulary isn’t just about adding more and more ‘difficult’ words in your brain. Have you noticed that there are very few people who can take up all types of conversations whether its slang, formal, conversational, field specific or a speech? You must interact with as many different people as possible. Do you have an architect neighbor? Go and have a cup of tea with him/her and you’ll learn 5 new words. Go hang around with the janitor of your school and observe his accent. Ever thought what part of the country he comes from? Variety is the spice of life, and your vocabulary!
5. Make visuals to grasp words quickly
Do you remember when you were little, your teachers taught using large pictures and drawings? And you’re wondering why I’m saying this to you. Experts say that the brain remembers visuals more than it remembers words. Why not follow the same principle to improve vocabulary? On the soft board in your study, paste a large sheet with the words written in big fonts and a related image drawn next to it. You’ll be able to see this every time you pass by and the word will eventually get stuck in your head.
I suggest you keep your eyes and ears open to take in all the new words, meanings and contexts that come in your way. Subscribe to the word lists of Reader’s Digest, Dictionary.com, NY times, Wordsmith.org and so on. Have you seen artists and visualizers carry a small notepad with them everywhere they go? Just like them, keep jotting new thoughts and ideas. It’ll take a few moments of your time right now but the effort will go a long way in helping you in your career and your personal life.

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Friday, 28 March 2014

Top 5 Reasons Why You Should Eat Organic Food


Although most people choose conventionally cultivated food over organic food, there are numerous foodies who prefer the latter to the former. What makes these food lovers favor organic food? Read on to explore.
1. It is healthy and safe

Since organic food cultivation does not include chemical fertilizers and pesticides, organic food does not contain any harmful chemicals. As a result, it is healthier and safer. On the contrary, studies reveal, conventional cultivation methods use herbicides, insecticides and fungicides, which affect our body in many negative ways.
2. It is tastier

Organic food comes straight from farms where organic seeds are cultivated in healthy soil. Since, there is no use of chemicals; the original taste of the produce is retained. To add to this, organic food contains vital minerals and vitamins that enhance its flavor. As a result, organic food is high on taste as compared to conventionally produced food.
3. It contains more nutrients

Studies reveal that as compared to non-organic food, organic produce contains 10-200% more minerals and vitamins! It comprises of almost 60% more antioxidants and fatty acids that are beneficial to the body. Organic food is high on essential minerals like iron and zinc. In short, organic food is full of nutrients that keep you healthy.
4. It promotes weight loss

Conventionally produced food is cultivated with synthetic inputs that increase the chances of chemical residue. Most of the times, chemical residues accumulate in the body fat, causing weight gain. Organic food, on the other hand, makes no use of chemical fertilizers or harmful pesticides. As a result, you have no risk of chemical residue. Plus, the nutrients present in organic food, reduces your chances of gaining weight. In other words, consuming organic food facilitates weight loss
5. It is eco-friendly

Organic farming rejects the use of chemicals which facilitate soil erosion. In other words, organic farming not only reduces soil erosion but also preserves the quality of soil. It does not require as much as energy and water as required by a conventional farm. Thus, it reduces water and soil pollution. Organic farming does not emit harmful chemicals in the air, which means it also decreases air pollution. In other words, when you eat organic food, you are actually extending your
support towards Mother Earth!

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