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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Agencies
July 8,2020

Scientists have designed a “catch and kill” air filter which they say can trap the novel coronavirus and neutralise it instantly, an invention that may reduce the spread of COVID-19 in closed spaces such as schools, hospitals and health care facilities, as well as public transit environments like airplanes.

According to the study, published in the journal Materials Today Physics, the device killed 99.8 per cent of the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, in a single pass through its filter. It said the device, made from commercially available nickel foam heated to 200 degrees Celsius, also killed 99.9 per cent of the spores of the deadly bacterium Bacillus anthracis which causes the anthrax disease.

“This filter could be useful in airports and in airplanes, in office buildings, schools, and cruise ships to stop the spread of COVID-19,” said Zhifeng Ren, a co-author of the study from the University of Houston (UH) in the US.

“Its ability to help control the spread of the virus could be very useful for society,” Ren added.

The researchers said they are also developing a desk-top model for the device which is capable of purifying the air in an office worker’s immediate surroundings. According to the scientists, since the virus can remain in the air for about three hours, a filter that could remove it quickly was a viable plan, and with businesses reopening across the world, they believe controlling the spread in air conditioned spaces was urgent.

The study noted that the novel coronavirus cannot survive temperatures above 70 degrees Celsius, so by making the filter temperature far hotter — about 200 degree Celsius, the researchers said they were able to kill the virus almost instantly.

Ren said the nickel foam met several key requirements. “It is porous, allowing the flow of air, and electrically conductive, which allowed it to be heated. It is also flexible,” the researchers noted in a statement.But they added that nickel foam also had low resistivity, making it difficult to raise the temperature high enough to quickly kill the virus.

The researchers said they solved this problem by folding the foam, connecting multiple compartments with electrical wires to increase the resistance high enough to raise the temperature as high as 250 degrees Celsius. By making the filter electrically heated, rather than heating it from an external source, they said the the amount of heat that escaped from the filter is minimised, allowing air conditioning to function with very low strain.

When the scientists built and tested a prototype for the relationship between voltage/current and temperature, they said it satisfies the requirements for conventional heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, and could kill the coronavirus.

“This novel biodefense indoor air protection technology offers the first-in-line prevention against environmentally mediated transmission of airborne SARS-CoV-2, and will be on the forefront of technologies available to combat the current pandemic and any future airborne biothreats in indoor environments,” said Faisal Cheema, another co-author of the study from UH.

The researchers have called for a phased roll-out of the device, “beginning with high-priority venues, where essential workers are at elevated risk of exposure.” They believe the novel device will both improve safety for frontline workers in essential industries and allow nonessential workers to return to public work spaces.

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Agencies
July 8,2020

Probiotics that broaden the mix of helpful bacteria in the gut may help to ease depression, say researchers.

Foods that broaden the profile of helpful bacteria in the gut are collectively known as probiotics. These "good bacteria" can be taken as supplements, or found naturally in yoghurts or fermented foods.

For the findings, the research team from the University of Brighton in the UK searched for relevant studies published in English between 2003 and 2019, which looked at the potential therapeutic contribution of pre-and probiotics in adults with depression and/or anxiety disorders.

Out of an initial haul of 71 studies, just seven met all the criteria for inclusion. All 7 investigated at least one probiotic strain; four looked at the effect of combinations of multiple strains.In all, 12 probiotic strains featured in the selected studies, primarily Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, and Bifidobacterium bifidium.

One study looked at combined pre-probiotic treatment, while one looked at prebiotic therapy by itself. The studies varied considerably in their design, methods used, and clinical considerations, but all of them concluded that probiotic supplements either alone or in combination with prebiotics may be linked to measurable reductions in depression.

And every study showed a significant fall or improvement in anxiety symptoms and clinically relevant changes in biochemical measures of anxiety or depression with probiotic or combined pre-probiotic use.

Of the 12 different probiotics investigated, 11 were potentially useful, the findings showed.'Probiotics may help reduce the production of inflammatory chemicals, such as cytokines, as is the case in inflammatory bowel disease, the researchers suggested.

"They may help direct the action of tryptophan, a chemical thought to be important in the gut-brain axis in psychiatric disorders," they added.

In this way, with a better understanding of the mechanisms, probiotics may prove to be a useful tool across a wide range of conditions," the authors wrote.

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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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