What to Eat And Drink in order to Stay Hydrated

     Think of the health travails of a summer day and sweat and dehydration will be the first things to pop up in your thoughts. Dehydration is the loss of water and salts from the body. It occurs when more liquids and salts are lost than consumed. Young children and older people are at greater risk of suffering dehydration than the age groups in between.

Preserving Food In Summer

• Keep raw and cooked food separate: Meat, poultry and seafood should be wrapped separately and kept away from cooked foods or foods meant to be eaten raw such as fruits and vegetables.
• Throw away perishable leftovers that have been kept out for over two hours.
• Pre-cooked food should always be refrigerated and consumed preferably on the same day.
• Always wash raw fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water.

  

Get Summer Fit!

• Quench your thirst with water.
• Adults need to drink at least 1½ to 2 litres of water every day.
• Drink lemon juice, coconut water and buttermilk to replenish the fluids that are lost with perspiration.
• Avoid high protein diets. If on a highprotein diet, you need to drink at least 8 to 12 glasses of water every day.
• Avoid alcohol including beer and wine.
• Drink water before you go out to play or exercise. Drink in between intervals of every 15 to 20 minutes.
•  Source: ApolloLife

Check for the foods that improve Vision

     Our lifestyle choices and the foods that we choose to put on our plates can have a crucial impact on our overall health, including the health of our eyes.

While a diet high in saturated fat and sugar may increase the risk to many eye diseases; including healthy foods such as whole grains, dark greens and brightly coloured fruits and vegetables help in promoting good eyesight and preventing age related eye damage.

Foods that improve VISION:

Dark green leafy vegetables: Lutein, found in dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach and broccoli is one of the best known eye-protecting antioxidants.

Carrots, pumpkins and berries: The brightly coloured, especially red and yellow fruits and vegetables are rich in beta carotenoids (vitamin A), antioxidants and Vitamin C, which are essential for good eye health. It is recommended that people choose a variety of fruits and vegetables in their daily diet to take advantage of the myriad nutrients that each has to offer. The best vegetables for the eyes would be carrots, methi (fenugreek leaves), spinach, sweet potatoes, lettuce leaves and fruits like mangoes, papaya, cherries, peach, and watermelon.

Our online portal ApolloLife will guide you more on this.
 

Pranic Healing: Heart of the Matter

Have you ever gotten irritated with your spouse, while your spouse may not even know that you were angry until you exploded? This shows lack of sensitivity. When a woman says that a man is sensitive, it does not mean that the man is a cry baby.

It means that the man is aware of the woman's needs and feelings, so he tries to behave and act in a certain way to make the woman happy.

These conditions apply to both men and women. Some can be insensitive to the feelings and needs of their partners. Sensitivity is connected with the heart chakra.

The body has many energy centres called chakras which have various psychological and spiritual functions. One of the important centres is the heart center, also known as the anahata chakra in Sanskrit. In the Hebrew Kabbalah, chesed (meaning mercy and loving-kindness) corresponds to the heart chakra. In acupuncture, a hysterical person can be calmed down by stimulating certain acupuncture points, which activate the heart chakra.

The heart chakra is the 'emotional heart'. When we love our parents, partner, children or relatives, it is the heart chakra manifesting. By activating the heart, the lower emotional energies like anger, hate, irritation, resentment, worry, anxiety, tension, stress, fear, selfishness, aggressiveness, abrasiveness, addiction etc can be transmuted into higher forms of emotional energies. The heart chakra is the center of higher emotions like love, compassion, devotion, peace, serenity, joy, compassion, kindness, gentleness, tenderness, caring, considerateness, patience, sensitivity etc.

For most people, the other chakras are quite activated. The basic, sex and solar plexus chakras are activated in practically all persons. Their instincts for self survival, sex drive and tendency to react with their lower emotions are very active. With the pervasiveness of modern education and work that require the use of the mental faculty (development of the concrete and abstract mind) the ajna and throat chakras are developed in a lot of people. The heart and the crown chakras, however, are not developed in most people.

As a result, we often encounter persons who are quite intelligent but very abrasive. They have not matured emotionally or, have quite underdeveloped heart chakras. Although they may be intelligent and quite successful, their human relationships may be very poor, hardly having any friends and may have no family. The activation of the heart chakra ensures that the enhanced intellectual faculty and the increased will power will be used properly and harmlessly.

Source: ApolloLife

Rice Milk And Its Pros And Cons

A lot of people are lactose intolerant or vegan and are constantly looking for dairy-free options of food and beverages. Thus, almond milk, soy milk, tofu etc. have become extremely popular choices. One other such alternative option that has recently taken the health world by storm is rice milk.

It is prepared by processing the rice grains and can be bought from stores or even made at home. But before adding something new to your diet, it’s essential to know everything about it. So here is a list of pros and cons of rice milk to make your decision easier.

Pro: It is a very safe alternative to milk
Rice milk is hypoallergenic. Since it is not made using nuts or any other allergy inducing ingredients, it is very safe to drink for those who are lactose intolerant as well as those who have nuts allergies. It also has sufficient nutrients to be consumed as a healthy alternative.

Con: It is not suitable for diabetics
Like rice, rice milk is high in starch and a single cupful has more carbohydrates than regular or soy milk. In case of diabetes, rice milk may cause a sudden sugar spike which can cause problems. Hence, it is best to avoid rice milk if you are a diabetic.

Pro: It does not contain saturated fats or unhealthy cholesterol
When compared to other milk based products or alternatives, rice milk has the least amount of fats and is considered the healthiest option. It contains minimal fats which are unsaturated and hence it is an excellent option for those who have to follow dietary restrictions due to cholesterol problems.

Con: It is low in protein
Dieticians recommend that we need to consume milk daily to get the essential intake of protein. Rice milk only has two grams of protein per cup, as compared to regular or soy milk which has seven to eight grams. Protein helps with the taste and also leads to a feeling of fullness. However, due to its low protein content, rice milk may not lead to a feeling of satiety and appetite control.

Source: Bpositive Magazine

Curry Leaves : Freshness In Every Splutter

Curry leaves are loaded with potential for use in food and medicine. The next time you see it floating in your dal, just chew it and enjoy the benefits.

I am one of those who always recommend a garden patch or a green balcony spot around the house. The cook that I am, I may even say make it only beds or pots of tulsi and kadipatta! Cleaner air, lesser insects and a mild appealing fragrance are all yours to enjoy. The kadipatta or meetha neem or curry leaves plant, for that matter, is easy to maintain; just water it daily and enjoy fresh leaves whenever you need them.

Our cook of many years is a grand old lady from Andhra, who is still emphatic about using only tender fresh kadipatta in dal and sambhar. No stale leaves will do – that for her are not kadipatta but kadva patta (bitter leaf)! Thanks to her stand, a few stalks of fresh kadipatta, as compliments from the vendor, have for long been a part of every batch of fresh vegetables delivered to our house. If at all they are stored in the refrigerator the whole stalk goes into a ziplock bag (shelf life two days).

I confess that kadipatta does not play a big role in a North Indian household. We are used to fresh coriander in everything! But in South Indian cuisine kadipatta is a vital ingredient. In recipes for chicken, mutton, fish, chutneys, vegetables, dals, rice dishes, rasams, poha, wadas, aloo wadas, sambhars – you name them and all the other great dishes – and the kadipatta is there. Dried kadipatta is also an essential ingredient in certain spice mixtures.

Source: Apollo Life

A Brief Note On Water Related Diseases and Its Prevention

Water-borne diseases are illnesses caused and transmitted by the use and consumption of contaminated water. Irrespective of the Old Issues & New Risks In Clean Water Dr Suneetha Narreddy cause and point of water contamination, infections are picked up in the course of basic everyday activities like drinking water, preparation and consumption of food, bathing and washing.

The long list of water related diseases and conditions include Anaemia, Ascariasis, Botulism, Diarrhoea, Dracunculiasis, Fluorosis, Hookworm infection, Japanese encephalitis, Lymphatic filariasis, Malaria, Malnutrition, Polio, Ring Worm, Tinea, Scabies, Schistomiasis. But prevalently, the most common and the most troublesome of water-related diseases, in terms of public health or health of a community are:

• Typhoid fever
• Cholera
• Leptospirosis
• Hepatitis A

There is also the increased risk of infection or water-borne diseases contracted through direct contact with polluted waters.
Among them are:

• Wound infections
• Dermatitis
• Conjunctivitis
• Ear, nose and throat infections

 Go to our online portal Apollo Life to know the prevention process of the same.

Effectiveness of Liquid Diets

In today’s context and lifestyle, liquid diets not only help a lot by detoxifying your system, but are almost imperative to maintaining good health.

 Naturopathists are of the opinion that if you follow a liquid diet once a week, not only will this help the digestive system to rest but also allow it to get rid of toxins accumulated over time. In all, it energizes you, helps in rectifying water retention problems as well as it contributes to weight loss leading to a general overall feeling of well being.

A sample of a liquid diet that I have seen working with people I know is as follows:

You can kick start your day at, lets say, 7 a.m. by taking a glass of water and then every one hour, you can consume some form of a liquid diet alternating it with a glass of water, the next hour. The options are in plenty ranging from tea, coffee, juice (fruit/vegetable), buttermilk, soup and finally a cup of milk at 10 p.m. if you are hungry.

A Reiki master once told me about several juices that enhance a person’s well being. For example carrot and celery juice, chaal kurunda/white pumpkin juice, pomegranate juice and sweet-lime juice. All these juices should be combined with 6—8 glasses of water taken at various intervals.

Source: Apollo Life