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The healthy kitchen: Use these 6 Indian ingredients to boost your health

Agencies
June 29, 2017

New Delhi, Jun 29: Most of us cringe at the thought of going on a diet. But who said healthy eating has to be boring and bland? Better health may be only a dash and sprinkle away as it turns out, you can add sizzle to your diet and still stay fit. It is interesting how spices such as ginger and turmeric were used as early as 4,000 years ago in the Indus Valley civilisation and now many studies point out their potential benefits.garlic

According to a Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry study, herbs have higher antioxidant activity than fruits, vegetables and some spices, including garlic. Speaking about the same, Mahesh Jayaraman, co-founder of Sepalika, a content platform that supports those looking to reverse chronic health conditions through guidance on diet, lifestyle, dietary supplements and exercise, told ANI, “There is no doubt that spices and herbs make our food aromatic, tasty and flavourful. Be it the delicate smell of cinnamon, spicy and sweet taste of ginger or the deeply aromatic rosemary, herbs and spices do a lot more than satiating our taste buds.”

“They make food easier to digest and bring a unique taste to the every dish. Most of the herbs and spices found in the kitchen also have other unique properties, which if incorporated in the right manner, can promote good health,” he added. He lists herbs and spices with their health benefits, as per traditional wisdom:

1.Cinnamon:

This brown-coloured stick obtained from the bark of the Cinnamomum tree is a nutritional powerhouse with antioxidant properties. The distinctly sweet, warm taste of cinnamon not only enhances the flavour of a chocolate cake, but also helps to support people suffering from diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Type 2 diabetes, and Parkinson’s. Regular use of the popular Indian spice for 8 weeks has improved fasting blood glucose levels and lipid profiles in type 2 diabetic patients in a research study.

2. Rosemary:

This deeply fragrant perennial herb is commonly used to add flavour and aroma to food items, especially soups, stews, roasts and stuffing. Both the leaves and stem of the plant are used in cooking. The herb has abundant medicinal properties and can be used to reduce inflammation, relieve pain, boost memory, improve mood, stimulate circulation, protect the immune system, detoxify the body, protect the body from bacterial infections, prevent premature aging, and heal skin conditions.

3. Curry leaves:

While cooking in the Indian subcontinent, the process of tempering is usually incomplete unless a bunch of curry leaves are added to the dish. Be it in your dal fry or upma, curry leaves give a distinct flavour and aroma to a variety of preparations. Often, people throw away the curry leaves they find in dishes, but chewing these leaves helps to prevent stomach disorders, diabetes, premature greying of hair and eyesight problems. Curry leaves can help support diabetics by influencing carbohydrate metabolism and preventing liver and kidney damage.

4. Garlic:

The pearly white pods are one of the most popular ingredients used in cooking. The strong smell and delicious taste of garlic is comforting in hot chicken soup or spicy pickles. Consuming garlic on a regular basis has several health benefits. It helps to support people suffering from a variety of medical conditions such as high and low blood pressures, high cholesterol, coronary heart disease, cancers, fibrosis, etc. It also helps to decrease serum glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, urea, uric acid, creatinine, AST and ALT levels. Allicin is the sulphur-containing compound found in garlic that helps in immune enhancement and cancer prevention.

5. Ginger:

One of the most common spices found in every kitchen is ginger. A dash of ginger has the power to instantly liven up your tea. The spice has several therapeutic and medicinal properties that help to boost immunity, prevent cancer, heal ulcers, control weight gain and relieve digestive problems. Ginger can also be used to alleviate pain and inflammation, headaches and menstrual cramps. Making ginger a part of daily diet and avail the myriad health benefits.

6. Fenugreek:

Commonly known as methi in India, the brownish yellow seeds of fenugreek are slightly bitter in taste. They are roasted and ground, to be used in curries. Several studies have shown that fenugreek seeds aid lower blood sugar levels by slowing down the process of digestion and absorption of carbohydrates in the small intestine. These seeds can also help reduce menstrual discomfort and decrease cardiovascular disease risk.

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News Network
February 4,2020

Boston, Feb 4: Practising yoga may increase levels of a messenger molecule involved in regulating brain activity, and completing one yoga class per week may maintain elevated levels of this chemical, according to a study which may lead to better ways of mitigating depressive symptoms.

The study, published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, assessed a group of 30 clinically depressed patients who were randomly divided into two groups.

According to the researchers, including those from Boston University in the US, both groups engaged in coherent breathing, and Iyengar yoga -- a form of hatha yoga, developed by B. K. S. Iyengar, emphasising on detail, precision, and alignment in the performance of yoga postures.

The only difference between the groups, the scientists said, was the number of 90 minute yoga sessions, and home sessions in which each group participated.

Over three months, they said, the high-dose group (HDG) was assigned three sessions per week, while the low-intensity group (LIG) engaged in two sessions per week.

The participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of their brain before the first and after the last yoga session, and also completed a clinical depression scale to monitor their symptoms, the study noted.

Results of the study revealed that both groups had improvement in depressive symptoms after three months.

Their MRI analysis showed that levels of the brain messenger molecule GABA were elevated after three months of yoga, as compared to the levels before starting yoga.

According to the study, this increase was found for approximately four days after the last yoga session, but the rise was no longer observed after about eight days.

"The study suggests that the associated increase in GABA levels after a yoga session are 'time-limited' similar to that of pharmacologic treatments such that completing one session of yoga per week may maintain elevated levels of GABA," explained study co-author Chris Streeter from Boston University.

Providing evidence-based data may help in getting more individuals to try yoga as a strategy for improving their health and well-being, the scientists said.

"A unique strength of this study is that pairing the yoga intervention with brain imaging provides important neurobiological insight as to the 'how' yoga may help to alleviate depression and anxiety," said study co-author Marisa Silveri from Harvard University.

In this study, we found that an important neurochemical, GABA, which is related to mood, anxiety, and sleep, is significantly increased in association with a yoga intervention," Silveri said.

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Agencies
June 23,2020

The record levels of new daily COVID-19 cases are due to the fact that the pandemic is peaking in a number of big countries at the same time and reflect a change in the virus' global activity, the World Health Organisation said.

At a media briefing on Monday, WHO's emergencies chief Dr Michael Ryan said that the numbers are increasing because the epidemic is developing in a number of populous countries at the same time.

Some countries have attributed their increased caseload to more testing, including India and the US But Ryan dismissed that explanation.

We do not believe this is a testing phenomenon, he said, noting that numerous countries have also noted marked increases in hospital admissions and deaths neither of which cannot be explained by increased testing.

There definitely is a shift in that the virus is now very well established, Ryan said. The epidemic is now peaking or moving towards a peak in a number of large countries.

He added the situation was definitely accelerating in a number of countries, including the US and others in South Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

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Agencies
July 7,2020

The World Health Organization (WHO) is reviewing a report that suggested its advice on the novel coronavirus needs updating after some scientists told the New York Times there was evidence the virus could be spread by tiny particles in the air.

The WHO says the Covid-19 disease spreads primarily through small droplets, which are expelled from the nose and mouth when an infected person breaths them out in coughs, sneezes, speech or laughter and quickly sink to the ground.

In an open letter to the Geneva-based agency, 239 scientists in 32 countries outlined the evidence they say shows that smaller exhaled particles can infect people who inhale them, the newspaper said on Saturday.

Because those smaller particles can linger in the air longer, the scientists - who plan to publish their findings in a scientific journal this week - are urging WHO to update its guidance, the Times said.

"We are aware of the article and are reviewing its contents with our technical experts," WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said in an email reply on Monday to a Reuters request for comment.

The extent to which the coronavirus can be spread by the so-called airborne or aerosol route - as opposed to by larger droplets in coughs and sneezes - remains disputed.

Any change in the WHO's assessment of the risk of transmission could affect its current advice on keeping one-metre physical distancing. Governments, which also rely on the agency for guidance policy, may also have to adjust public health measures aimed at curbing the spread of the virus.

"Especially in the last couple of months, we have been stating several times that we consider airborne transmission as possible but certainly not supported by solid or even clear evidence," Benedetta Allegranzi, the WHO's technical lead for infection prevention and control, was quoted as saying in the New York Times.

WHO guidance to health workers, dated June 29, says that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, is primarily transmitted between people through respiratory droplets and on surfaces.

But airborne transmission via smaller particles is possible in some circumstances, such as when performing intubation and aerosol-generating procedures, it says.

Medical workers performing such procedures should wear heavy-duty N95 respiratory masks and other protective equipment in an adequately ventilated room, the WHO says.

Officials at South Korea's Centers for Disease Control said on Monday they were continuing to discuss various issues about Covid-19, including the possible airborne transmission. They said more investigations and evidence were needed.

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