5 Surprising Health Benefits of Calcium

Calcium has been identified as a very important mineral for human beings and has several proven health benefits. In fact calcium has been recognized as the most abundant mineral that is available in the human body. A wide range of biological roles have been linked to this abundant mineral. Calcium has been known to account for almost 1.5 % of total body weight of a human being. The maximum amount of calcium is present in the bones and teeth and in fact, in these parts of the body, almost 99 % of the calcium is stored. The remaining 1 % of the calcium remains distributed in the different parts of the body.

A chemical element, calcium is an essential nutrient for all living organisms. A soft gray alkaline metal, Calcium is the fifth most abundant element in the Earth’s crust. As the element is found in a variety of healthy foods, most individuals consume the nutrient daily; however, the majority of individuals do not get the recommended amount, which can lead to a variety of health benefits concerns.A vital nutrient, calcium is important for maintaining bone health benefits as well as a range of other bodily functions. The nutrient functions to control levels of other nutrients including magnesium, phosphorus and potassium. Likewise, the element is also effective at regulating blood flow and nerve function.    

               
Dairy Products

The dairy products like milk, cheese, yogurt and cream are rich in calcium. Milk, alone, has enough calcium and proteins that it is considered a complete diet. You should let your children enjoy the calcium-rich dairy products, but their excessive use can lead us to suffer from obesity.

Blood Circulation

The diets containing calcium are responsible to regulate your blood circulation. They also help you get rid of abnormalities of blood like high blood pressure and low blood pressure. Also they are responsible to keep a control over the production of red blood cells in the body and control the amount of hemoglobin to much extent.

Bone health

It's common knowledge that calcium aids bone health benefits, but here is a quick review of the basic science: Ninety-nine percent of the calcium you take in is stored in your bones, which is mostly why calcium is so critical to bone health. People reach peak bone mass at age 30, and the higher it is at that point, the longer problems like osteoporosis can be delayed. This is why calcium is so important minerals for young people.

Cardiovascular disease

Adequate dietary calcium intake can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and hypertension. The heart and blood vessels are interconnected by the nervous system. A deficiency of calcium can lead to heart problems and high blood pressure.

Kidney Stones

Some say calcium leads to kidney stone, but it is a myth. Research now proves that calcium intake protects against extremely painful kidney stones that damage the lining of the body.

The Best Foods to Help You Sleep Better

Eating the right foods in the hours before you hit the hay may help you fall asleep faster, say experts, and even improve the quality of your sleep. Keep reading for your get-sleepy grocery list, and remember to stop noshing two hours before bedtime to give your body enough time to properly digest.

Sometimes there’s no reason for it and sometimes it’s hard to shut your mind off and unwind enough to sleep.  If you’re like me, your head hits the pillow and you suddenly remember the ten million other things you need to get done.  But the good news is that certain foods can help you fall asleep faster. Add some of these foods into your healthy diet and stop tossing and turning.        

           
Banana

Banana contains several nutrients that help in promoting sleep. It contains tryptophan and has enough sugar to improve availability of tryptophan in the brain. Moreover, sugar helps to suppress the neurotransmitter orexin that makes you alert. In addition, banana is a good source of potassium and magnesium that helps in relaxing the muscles.

Cherries

Cherries contain a good amount of melatonin, the chemical that helps control the body’s internal clock. According to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Botany, eating a handful of cherries, especially food tart cherries, a few hours before going to bed will help you sleep better. If fresh cherries are not available, you can opt for cherry juice or even dried or frozen cherries. According to researchers from the universities of Pennsylvania and Rochester, people with chronic insomnia must drink a cup of cherry juice twice daily until their condition improves.

Honey

Honey Just a little taste of honey is all that is needed to signal your brain to start shutting down.  Add a tablespoon to your chamomile tea and you’ll be headed to dream land soon.

Fresh herbs

Fresh herbs can have a calming effect on the body. For example, sage and basil contain chemicals that reduce tension and promote sleep. Trymaking your own homemade pasta sauce with sage and basil. It’s easy to do, and homemade sauces tend to be lower in sugar than store-bought versions. However, avoid herbs such as red pepper or black pepper at night, as they have a stimulatory effect.

Walnuts

To enjoy a good night’s sleep, snack on walnuts. Walnut is an excellent source of natural melatonin. Moreover, it also contains tryptophan, a precursor to melatonin. Hence, eating walnuts helps to boost the melatonin level in the brain, helping you to sleep better. 

Best Foods To Help Improve Your Brain Memory Power

Eating well is good for your mental as well as your physical health. The brain requires nutrients just like your heart, lungs or muscles do. But which foods are particularly important to keep the grey matter happy. A strong memory depends on the health and vitality of your brain. Whether you're a student studying for final exams, a working professional interested in doing all you can to stay mentally sharp, or a senior looking to preserve and enhance your grey matter as you age, there are lots of things you can do to improve your memory power and mental performance.

Super foods are packed with nutrients that have health-enhancing properties ranging from prevention of heart disease and cancer to improving skin tone and boosting memory power and brain function. Their health benefits may be overstated but they do provide the recommended nutrients when included as part of balanced diet. Here are the super foods that help boost brain function and improve memory power.            

   
Rosemary

Rosemary has been shown to improve memory and cognitive function with its scent alone. It improves blood flow to the brain, improves mood, and acts as an antioxidant. Rosemary is also a powerful detoxifier, fights cancer, boosts energy, and combats aging of the skin.

Avocados

According to WebMD, “every organ in the body depends on blood flow, especially the heart and brain”, and avocados “[enhance] blood flow, offering a simple, tasty way to fire up brain cells”.6 Avocados are also “loaded with fiber (11 to 17 grams per avocado), which helps keep hunger pangs at bay”.7

Flax seeds

The foods listed already, flax seeds are high in magnesium, B-vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and fiber, all of which aid with mental clarity, weight loss, and ultimately, focus.14 Flax is no doubt a healthy diet. Just make sure you grind them after you buy them (so your body can digest them). Unlike the other items on this list, flax seeds can’t be eaten alone, but they’re great sprinkled on cereal, yogurt, oatmeal, salad, and more.

Celery

Celery is a rich source of luteolin, a plant compounds that may calm inflammation in your brain, which is a primary cause of neurodegeneration. Luteolin has also been linked with lower rates of age-related memory loss in mice.2 In addition to celery, peppers and carrots are also good sources of luteolin.

Nuts

A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology suggests that a good intake of vitamin E might help to prevent cognitive decline, particularly in the elderly. Nuts are a great source of vitamin E along with leafy green vegetables, asparagus, olives, seeds, eggs, brown rice and wholegrains.

The Best Foods To Fight Common Cold

Common cold normally occurs due to seasonal changes, allergies, intake of cold foods and sometimes viral and bacterial infections. Cold normally subsides within seven days and there is no need of antibiotics but if it is a viral or bacterial origin then you need to have medications. Many people frequently suffer from common cold, the reason is that their immunity is weak or they don't maintain proper hygiene. If you suffer from common cold every now and then, you need to boost your immunity and maintain proper hygiene.

From the common cold. Some 200 viruses can cause common colds foods , with the rhinoviruses being the most widespread culprit. This highly contagious viral infection primarily affects the upper part of the respiratory system including the nose and throat. It spreads mostly through coughing and sneezing. winter getting underway throughout the US, humanity’s oldest enemy the common cold foods is likely to make itself known again. Of course, the common cold can hit us at any time of the year, but people for weight gain are usually more susceptible to illness during the winter months.                                                        

             
Garlic

Garlic is high in a compound called allicin, which helps your body fight off infections. Unfortunately, this compound is destroyed when the garlic is cooked, so you’ll need to eat it raw in order to harness its amazing healing power. Chop it up and put it in a salad, eat it with cheese on a cracker, or swallow small cloves whole with a glass of water. Eat 3 – 4 cloves per day until you are feeling better.

Zinc-Rich 

Zinc is a vital mineral known to prevent or reduce the intensity or endurance of the common cold foods when consumed at the onset of the virus. Zinc-rich healthy foods include oysters, beef shanks, crab, pork, lobster, baked beans, cashews, yogurt, chickpeas, almonds and milk. According to the National Institute of Health Office of Dietary Supplements, many adults in the United States are deficient in zinc and most adults require 40 mg daily. Since excessive intake of zinc through supplements may cause serious side effects, zinc-rich foods may be preferable.

Cinnamon

innamon has a long history. Since ancient times, it has been used as a spice as well as a medicine, and at one point it was considered more precious than gold. In traditional Chinese and Indian medicine, cinnamon is used to treat colds and flu.

Blueberries

A compound called quercetin present in blueberries can help reduce the likelihood of getting a cold. Also, blueberries are packed with various antioxidants and disease-fighting nutrients like vitamin C that boost your immune system and help your body fight infections.Frozen and fresh blueberries have equal nutrition, so you can use either to fight common colds.

Anise Seeds

Anise is sweet and very aromatic; it is also very useful because of its antibacterial properties. Therefore, we can use it for soothing coughs and for relieving the upper respiratory tract congestion. One of the best recipes to take advantage of is to add crushed anise seeds to one cup of boiling water with mint leaves and cumin.

What Are The Health Benefits of Cucumbers

Because cucumbers are mostly water, they are low in calories even a large cucumber contains less than 100 calories  but they still come loaded with nutritional value. Eaten either fresh or as a pickle, cucumbers have numerous health benefits, even though they may not be full of flavor. Add them to salads or slice them in spears to eat alone or with a low-fat dip.

Cucumbers are considered a healthy addition to any diet because they are low in calories and fat. Plus, the nutritional profile of cucumbers is very impressive. Cucumbers are an excellent source of vitamins K, C and different B vitamins. They are also a good for healthy food source of sodium, copper, amino acids, carbohydrates, sugar, soluble and insoluble fiber, potassium, manganese, fatty acids, phosphorus, magnesium, biotin and silica.

Fight cancers 

Cucumber are known to contain lariciresinol, pinoresinol, and secoisolariciresinol. These three lignans have a strong history of research in connection with reduced risk of several cancer types, including breast cancer, ovarian cancer, uterine cancer and prostate cancer.                        

           
Skin care

The presence of several vitamins like A, B and C, high water content and various minerals like potassium, magnesium or silicon makes it a substantial part of skin care. Putting a slice of cucumber on eyes helps in reducing puffiness and swelling under the eyes due to the presence of ascorbic acid and caffeic acid. Cucumber juice is sometimes mixed with facial packs for skin tightening. It is also used to prevent sunburns, windburns or skin irritations. The presence of silicon or sulphur helps in reducing hair loss and simulates hair growth.

Digestion

The high water content and dietary fiber in cucumbers work together to get rid of harmful toxins from the digestive system, aiding digestion. Plus, the enzyme erepsin present in cucumbers helps the body absorb protein and improves digestion.Many digestive disorders, such as acidity, constipation, heartburn, gastritis and even ulcers, can be easily treated at home by drinking a glass of cucumber juice daily.

Blood pressure

They contain good source of potassium, magnesium, and fiber which helps in regulating blood pressure. Like celery, this colorless drink is found to be very good in treatment of both low and high blood pressure.  The presence of sterols in this vegetable helps to lower cholesterol level and thus regulating blood pressure. Additionally they are found to act as natural diuretic which means they helps to lower the pressure in the arteries.

Weight loss

If you need to lose some weight, cucumbers are a must. They’re about 97 percent water, have fiber, and just 3/4 of a cup has approximately 11 calories. Both water and fiber help create a feeling of fullness, so for those days when I’m feeling like I need to lose a couple of pounds to maintain my weight, they’re perfect. Heck, even if you’ve got a ways to go in the weight loss department, they’re perfect.

Top 5 Benefits of Watermelon Juice

Watermelon juice is great from all points of view: not only is it very easy to obtain and highly nutritious, but it is also very fresh and cool, which makes it particularly desirable during the hot summer months. In addition to this, watermelon juice is mostly water, which means that it is a great way to stay hydrated and to replace the lost electrolytes and minerals, especially after an intense workout.

They are excellent source of many vitamins that include Vitamins A for eyes health, vitamin C for stronger immunity and vitamin B6 for better brain functioning and conversion of protein to body energy. The best time to take fresh, juicy watermelon is during hot summer. The following is a complied the top health benefits of watermelon juice.                                                                  

                     
Weight Loss

The same amino acid citrulline that watermelon juice is so rich in, has also been shown in animal studies (due to its conversion to arginine) to interfere with the accumulation of fat in fat cells. It does this by blocking the effects of an enzyme called TNAP involved in fat storage. Animal studies are hardly conclusive, but drinking a glass of watermelon juice before a meal is great for hydration, high in nutrition and very low in calories all helpful for losing weight.

Hydration

Watermelons are the perfect example of a food that can help you stay hydrated," said Jarzabkowski. Their water content can help keep you hydrated, and their juice is full of good electrolytes. This can even help prevent heat stroke.

Blood Cholesterol Levels

The second most dangerous condition after high blood pressure is high cholesterol, which can clog your arteries and result in long-term heart disease. Once again, the regular consumption of watermelon juice can help you achieve a low cholesterol and low fat diet, which will certainly benefit you in the long run. There are numerous supplements and drugs on the market which have the same effect, but watermelon juice is equally efficient and it does not have any dangerous adverse reactions either.

Prevents Cancer

Prevents Cancer The red watermelon is the healthful class because it contains lycopene. Lycopene is known to be very essential in cancer prevention. Aside from watermelon, tomatoes are rich in lycopene.

Rich in antioxidants

Watermelon juice is surely a storehouse of antioxidants which helps you stay healthy juice and free from diseases. It is even a good source of vitamin C as well as flavonoids such as beta carotene, lutein, lycopene, cryptoxanthin and zeaxanthin. These antioxidants are capable of protecting you from free radicals which causes heart strokes, arthritis, asthma, rheumatoid, inflammation and osteoarthritis. Even the vitamin C present in the juice improves your immune system and protects you from common infections and seasonal allergies.