Walnut season... Eat them to Beat breast cancer...»

They are hard to crack, but walnuts
have a handful of medicinal values
from curing headache and
preventing baldness to having some
influence on fertility.
Now, a new research has found that
eating a modest amount of walnuts
as a regular part of the diet might
reduce a woman's chance of
developing breast cancer.
The researchers at the Marshall
University found that a daily dose
of walnuts - equal to 2 ounces a day
in humans - reduces the growth of
breast cancer tumors in mice.
Lead researcher Elaine Hardman,
Ph.D., of Marshall's Joan C. Edwards
School of Medicine, and colleagues
studied the mice from the mother,
through conception and throughout
life. They then compared mice given
walnuts to those fed a regular diet.
They found that the group whose
diet included walnut at both stages
developed breast cancer at less than
half the rate of the group with the
typical diet.
In addition, the number of tumors
and their sizes were significantly
smaller.
"These reductions are particularly
important when you consider that
the mice were genetically
programmed to develop cancer at a
high rate," Hardman said.
"We were able to reduce the risk for
cancer even in the presence of a
preexisting genetic mutation," she
added.
Using genetic analysis, they
researchers found that the walnut-
containing diet changed the activity
of multiple genes that are relevant
to breast cancer in both mice and
humans.
Walnuts are rich in omega-3 fatty
acids, antioxidants and phytosterols
that may all reduce the risk of the
disease.
"The results of this study indicate
that increased consumption of
walnut could be part of a healthy
diet and reduce risk for cancer in
future generations," she said.
The study was funded by grants
from the American Institute for
Cancer Research and the California
Walnut Commission.
The study appears in the journal
Nutrition and Cancer .

Tomatoes prevents vascular diseases...»

Scientists in Japan
have discovered
that tomatoes
contain a nutrient,
which could tackle
the onset of
vascular diseases.
The research has
revealed that an
extracted compound,
9-oxo-
octadecadienoic, has anti-
dyslipidemic affects.
The team led by Dr Teruo Kawada,
from Kyoto University, Japan,
focused their research on extracts,
which tackle dyslipidemia, a
condition that is caused by an
abnormal amount of lipids, such as
cholesterol or fat, in the blood
stream.
"Dyslipidemia itself usually causes
no symptoms," said Kawada,
"however; it can lead to
symptomatic vascular diseases, such
as arteriosclerosis and cirrhosis. In
order to prevent these diseases it is
important to prevent an increased
build up of lipids."
Tomato is already known to contain
many compounds beneficial to
health. In this study the team
analyzed 9-oxo-octadecadienoic
acid, to test its potential anti-
dyslipidemia properties.
The compound was found to enhance
fatty acid oxidation and contributed
to the regulation of hepatic lipid
metabolism. These findings suggest
that 9-oxo-octadecadienoic acid has
anti- dyslipidemia affects and can
therefore help prevent vascular
diseases.
"Finding a compound which helps the
prevention of obesity-related
chronic diseases in foodstuffs is a
great advantage to tackling these
diseases", concluded Kawada. "It
means that the tomato allows people
to easily manage the onset of
dyslipidemia through their daily
diet."
The study has been published in the
journal Molecular Nutrition and Food
Research .

Breakfast is generally
considered as the most
important meal of the
day. At breakfast time,
most of us put some
calories in our body
and we are preparing
to
start the most active
part of our day.
But the
always-famous combination of
breakfast cereals with
fruit juice and toast has now become a taboo with the
nutritional inventions. With the 'low-
carb, low-glycemic index' food choices,
cereals as wheat flakes are
preferred
over cornflakes, white bread is
substituted by whole wheat bread with
low-cal butter, and fruit juices by
whole fruits.
So what happens to our
all-timefavourite breakfast?
Well, it may just have to get little
healthy. The logical
answer for the consumption of a couple of glasses of
fruit juice is that fruits are healthy,
therefore fruit juices are healthy. But
the logic doesn't apply to nutrition.
Even with no sugar added, zero
preservatives, unstrained fruit juice
would have the same amount of sugar
as a cola beverage, because fruit is full
of
sugar!
The sugar is from fructose that's
naturally present in fruit; if it's '10
per cent juice', most of the sugar is in
the form of high-fructose corn syrup.
When a fruit juice is 'without added
sugar', it means
sucrose or table sugar
is not added. But the sugar of the fruit
obviously
remains. Sugar in 340 ml of
fruit juice (no added sugar) is
equivalent to calories in 340 ml (one
can) of
Coca-Cola.
All the above basically tells us that no
matter which juice you choose, they all
have more calories than the same
amount of Coke. It tells us that juice -
100 per cent juice, no sugar added -
contains about the same amount of
sugar (or even more - 50 per cent more
for grape juice) as the same volume of
Coke. It tells us that, freshly-squeezed
fruit juice without straining, is no
different in ca

Healthy Food Guide...

Healthy lifestyle can be achieved
with a suitable combination of
exercises and good food habits.
Instead of following diet plans at
random, opt for a scientific yet
natural approach towards foods
which are healthy for you to eat.
The cue lies in the fact that the
closer a food is to its natural state,
the better it is for you. For
instance, l Fresh fruits and berries
are great and will satisfy a craving
for sweets.
Whole vegetables have lots of
vitamins and minerals, so eat more
green, orange and yellow vegetables.
Steam them to retain the most
nutritional value and be careful with
sauces, they may be high in calories
and fats that aren't good for you.
Avoid sugary snacks and pastries as
well. An apple is good for you, an
apple pie really isn't, at most times.
Stick to water, milk and 100 per cent
fruit and vegetable juices as your
main beverages and limit sugary
soft drinks. Here's how you can get
started by sorting out unhealthy and
healthy foods.
Avoid unhealthy foods
- Battered and deep fried foods
- Sugary sodas
- Processed lunch meats
- Greasy snack chips
- White bread and refined pasta
- Most canned spaghetti and ravioli
- Sugary breakfast cereals
Go for healthy foods
- Green and brightly coloured
vegetables
- Dark leafy greens and lettuce
- Fresh fruits and berries
- Nuts, dried fruits and healthy
snacks
- Whole grain and brown breads and
pasta
- Healthy cooking oils like canola
and olive oils
- Low fat milk or soy beverages
- Nuts, seeds, and legumes.
- Large portions of fresh green
foods in your daily meals can go a
long way into keeping you fit.

Tips to reduce menstrual discomfort»

For
women,
menstrual
cycles
or
periods
as
it
commonly
called
is
one
of
most
painful
experiences
every
month. While some are fortunate
enough to have a pain-free periods,
a good number of others suffer
from various symptoms.
These symptoms may include
excessive bleeding, nausea,
headache, diarrhea, dizziness and
most importantly pain in the lower
abdomen, legs or even thighs known
as cramps. The pain may at times be
unbearable and might
prevent the
person affected from performing
normal activities. A cramp basically
happens due to contractions in the
uterus while disposing off unwanted
waste. And if you are one of those
who hasn't cared to be physically
active during your normal
days, it
might simply
aggravate.
Ways to reduce menstrual
pain
- Use a heating pad on your
abdomen and back which will provide
a soothing effect and also reduce
the pain to some extent.
- Avoid oily food, meat, caffeine at
all costs during the menstrual cycle.
- Banana is known to reduce the
cramp sensation. So make sure you
eat one.
- Boil three spoons of coriander
seeds in water. Filter and have the
decoction. This will help lessen the
bleeding.
- There are some who crave for
food during their
menstrual cycle.
So even while you binge on all your
favourite foods, avoid junk food.
- Make walking everyday a habit,
this would improve blood circulation
and ensure less pain during the
periods.
- There are certain asanas in Yoga
specifically to reduce
the menstrual
pain..

Tips to reduce menstrual discomfort»

For
women,
menstrual
cycles or
periods
as
it
commonly
called
is
one
of
most
painful
experiences
every
month. While some are fortunate
enough to have a pain-free periods,
a good number of others suffer
from various symptoms.
These symptoms may include
excessive bleeding, nausea,
headache, diarrhea, dizziness and
most importantly pain in the lower
abdomen, legs or even thighs known
as cramps. The pain may at times be
unbearable and might prevent the
person affected from performing
normal activities. A cramp basically
happens due to contractions in the
uterus while disposing off unwanted
waste. And if you are one of those
who hasn't cared to be physically
active during your normal
days, it
might simply
aggravate.
Ways to reduce menstrual
pain
- Use a heating pad on your
abdomen and back which will provide
a soothing effect and also reduce
the pain to some extent.
- Avoid oily food, meat, caffeine at
all costs during the menstrual cycle.
- Banana is known to reduce the
cramp sensation. So make sure you
eat one.
- Boil three spoons of coriander
seeds in water. Filter and have the
decoction. This will help lessen the
bleeding.
- There are some who crave for
food during their
menstrual cycle.
So even while you binge on all your
favourite foods, avoid junk food.
- Make walking everyday a habit,
this would improve blood circulation
and ensure less pain during the
periods.
- There are certain asanas in Yoga
specifically to reduce the menstrual
pain..

PABA Healthcare Centre: Plan your diet as per your blood group..»

PABA Healthcare Centre: Plan your diet as per your blood group..»: "Each blood group evolved at different point in history, so we should adopt diet similar to those of our ancestors had when our blood groups ..."