A Mood Boosting, Ailment - Busting
guide to munching your way to Good Health
Food is really medicine in disguise.
It's what nature always intended us to shove in our mouths when
calamities happen.
Although serious condition should
always be handled by a physician, for minor problems, food is a natural
remedy that's often less expensive and has fewer side effects
To know exactly what to cook for what
crisis, Indiadiets.com has compiled a list of the most common reasons
you'd find yourself dialling the doctor, and matched the food to your
particular misery. Yes, popping a supplement may be more convenient, but
it isn't as effective. With foods, you get the combined effects of
dozens of nutrients rather than just one or two. Pick your symptom and
start eating.
BUILD MUSCLE
Eat a meal containing the perfect
ratio of nutrients for building muscle - six parts carbohydrate to one
part protein. In a University of Texas study, subjects who downed a
carbohydrates and protein drink, a few hours after resistance training
experienced 50% more muscle growth than those given only protein. The
extra insulin released by eating carbohydrates intensifies the ability
of the essential amino acids to promote optional muscle growth.
COMMON COLD
At least one laboratory study suggests
that chicken soup may fight colds by reducing inflammation, while
peppermint tea, which contains methnol, may clear congestion. The jury's
still out on vitamin C, but it can't hurt to consume foods high in C,
such as orange juice, mosambi, hot lemon tea.
FATIGUE
Eat more iron rich foods such as
fortified cereals, spinach, beans, chicken and red meat. (Lack of iron
can make you tired and unfocused). Boost your intake of fruits and
vegetables, too; their vitamin C will help your body use the iron in
plant foods. Fatigue may also signal that you're mildly dehydrated, so
drinking a few glasses of water during mid-afternoon slumps could help.
PMS
Is your calcium intake shamefully low?
This could be the cause of your PMS symptoms. In one study, women who
supplemented their diet with 1200 mg. of calcium a day (roughly the
equivalent of 4 glasses of milk or fortified orange juice) for three
menstrual cycles reported relief from crankiness, water retention, food
cravings, and pain.
URINARY
TRACT INFECTION
If you have got it bad, your best bet
is antibiotics. But to prevent a UTI from striking again try black and
blue berries (eg. jambools, karvandha). Studies at Rutgers University in
Chatsworth, NJ, have shown that these berries can protect against
UTI's by preventing bacteria from sticking to urinary tract tissues. A
handful a day should do it.
PAIN RELIEF
Tart red cherries may offer relief.
About 20 cherries have anti-inflammatory capability comparable to that
of Aspirin or Ibuprofen, according to research from Michigan Stat
University. If the fresh kind is not available near you, then try the
canned variety.
CONSTIPATION
Boosting your intake of insoluble
fibre (bran cereal, whole grain bread) is the key to keeping your system
humming. Flax seed (linseed), praised for it's potential to protect
against disease, beans and banana are also loaded with fibre. Drink
plenty of water - at least 8 glasses every day - and try eating a few
slices of pineapple after meals; it contains bromelain, an enzyme that
promotes regularity.
ENLARGED
PROSTATE
Make a habit of guavas, or melon. It
doesn't matter. Increased intake of fructose, the sugar found in fruit,
may combat benign prostatic hyperplasia (an enlarged prostate - BPH, for
short). Here's the theory: Fructose helps reduce phosphate levels in
your body, and too much phosphate may raise your levels of 1,25-(OH)2D,a
chemical that's been linked to both BPH and prostate cancer.
Any fibre is good fibre, but soluble
fibre - the kind found in oats and beans - is the best for your
prostate. A recent study published in the Journal of Urology noted that
men who ate more soluble fibre had lower prostate specific antigen (PSA)
levels. Soluble fibre may help lower PSA by clearing out harmful
steroids that are involved in both BPH and prostate cancer.
MUSCLE
INJURY
Peanuts contain medicine for your
muscle: vitamin E. According to researches the extra Vitamin E present
in peanuts may speed immune cells to the site of an injuty and help
fight the inflammation that interferes with muscle healing. Grapes can
also help out with flavonoids that increase the flow of blood to your
sore spot.
DEPRESSION
Research has shown that, over the long
haul, omega 3 fatty acids ( found in fish oils) may stave off
depression. Carbo - rich snacks, e.g., a banana, could also be a good
bet for combatting crankiness in a pinch. Eating carbohydrates boosts
your levels of tryptophan and serotonin - to feel - good brain chemicals
(for the same reason this diet is also good for the stressed out).
Another important nutrient you need to
fight depression is Vitamin B6, found in meat, liver, whole grains and
veggies like potatoes. Serious B6 deficiencies can result in dementia
and paranoia. But even border - line levels can make a case of the blues
worse. You could also increase the intake of Dahi - which is high in
Riboflavin, another mood-boosting B.
Beans are rich in folate, a hard
disease fighting vitamin that may also help mend broken hearts. A
Harvard study that examined blood levels of Vitamins in 213 depressed
subjects found that low folate levels translated into higher levels of
depression and a poorer response to medication.
HEART ATTACK
A daily dose of berries. Black or
blue, they're sky high in Vitamin C. A guava or a few amlas will also
do. Research shows that high blood levels of C may help improve the
functioning of your blood vessels in a way that would help prevent a
heart attack.
COLD SORES
A glass of red wine. According to a
study published in Antiviral Research, resveratrol, a compound found in
grapes, stopped the herpes simplex-1 virus from multiplying. Researchers
aren't sure if this works in humans, but red wine isn't exactly castor
oil, so give it a try.
YEAST
INFECTION
Eating a cup of yoghurt or dahi daily
may help prevent infections. The lactobacillus acidophilus - cultures
present in dahi can help replenish the helpful bacteria that are
necessary for controlling yeast levels.
KIDNEY
STONES
Beer. Or a few porters. Both are high
in hops, a beer ingredient that's believed to keep stone - forming
calcium from accumulating in your kidneys. Finnish researchers studied
approximately 27000 men and estimated that each glass of beer drank in a
day lowered their kidney stone risk by 40%. Just don't binge; what's
good for your kidney's isn't necessarily good for your liver.
If your doctor tells you to cut back
on coffee because it contains compounds that may bind with calcium to
form stones, he isn't up on his research. A study review published in
the American Journal of Kidney disease found that those who drank coffee
had a lower risk of kidney stones.
But since caffeine is a diuretic, and
dehydration is known to increase your risk of stones, drink plenty of
water.
BROKEN BONES
Mix up some oil and vinegar for your
salad dressing, using soyabean or mustard oil, both of which are rich in
Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids create a friendly environment
for bone cells to do the job of building a new bone. Other sources that
are high in omega-3s include fatty fish like tuna, sardines, and
mackeral and walnuts.
TOOTH
TROUBLES
Vitamin K. It helps your blood clot,
which in turn will help close that hole left in your gums after a root
canal. Leafy green vegetables are high in K, but since your chompers are
on strike, drink vegetable juice instead.
Soya can also help dampen your post
surgical pain. Researchers found that when soy protein was fed to rats
who later underwent surgery, their pain responses were suppressed.
INSOMNIA
Compulsively shell peanuts or
pistachios. It's the fat, not the monotony of shelling the nuts, that
may help you doze off. Researchers in England found that when subjects
were given a little fat, they fell asleep faster than when they were
given salt or sugar. While peanuts and pistachios may not be any better
than ice cream at knocking you out, the mono-saturated fat in them will
improve your cholesterol levels.
LUNG CANCER
Grapefruit (paphanas). In a study
published in tha Journal of the national Cancer Institute, subjects who
frequently ate the tart fruit cut their lung cancer risk in half.
Grapefruit, especially the white kind, contains naringin, a
phytochemical that may help lower levels of a cancer causing
enzyme.
But if you are simply trying to quit
smoking, go for more protein. There's a chemical reason why kicking the
butt makes you feel like kicking the dog. Levels of cortisol, a mood
lifting brain chemical, spike when you smoke but drop during withdrawal.
In one study, people who ate a high protein lunch had a higher cortisol
levels - and improvements in mood - then when they ate nothing.
