Health Benefits of Lentils

 

Lentils are one of the world's oldest health foods.

Health Benefits

Lentils are rich in protein. Protein is a building block of bones, muscles and skin. It can also curb your appetite because it keeps you feeling full longer than other nutrients do.

Fiber also fills you up. Lentils have plenty of it. A single serving meets 32% of the fiber you need each day. It can lower cholesterol and protect against diabetes and colon cancer. A daily dose of fiber pushes waste through your digestive system and prevents constipation, too.

The potassium, folate, and iron in lentils also provide lots of benefits. Potassium counters the bad effects of salt and lowers blood pressure. Folate protects your heart and supports your body in forming red blood cells.

WHO Declares Loneliness as a Global Health Threat

 

Loneliness has been officially recognized as a global public health concern by the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO has initiated an international commission on loneliness, emphasizing its adverse effects on health, which can be as severe as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

This 15-cigarette equivalency arose from observations that experiencing chronic loneliness can increase the risk of a suffering a range of different chronic medical conditions. Studies that have found poor or insufficient social connection to be associated with a 29% increase in the risk of heart disease, a 32% increase in the risk of stroke, and increases in the risk of anxiety, depression, dementia, respiratory illness, and viral infections.

The COVID-19 pandemic, with its disruptions to economic and social activities, has exacerbated loneliness levels. Now, one in four older people globally experiences social isolation.

The consequences of loneliness are far-reaching, affecting both older adults and young people. In older adults, loneliness is linked to a 50% increased risk of developing dementia and a 30% increased risk of coronary artery disease or stroke.

What Is Konjac?

 

Konjac is a plant that has been used for centuries in Asia as food. It is known for its starchy corm, a tuber-like part of the stem that grows underground. The corm is used to make a rich source of soluble dietary fiber known as glucomannan.

The high fiber content of konjac has many health benefits:

Its soluble fiber helps lower cholesterol and blood glucose levels. A 2008 systematic review found that konjac may help lower total cholesterol, LDL (or “bad”) cholesterol and triglycerides.

Konjac has been shown to lower blood sugar levels. It may slow the absorption of sugar, so people with diabetes can monitor their blood sugar.

Researchers thus concluded that glucomannan could be an adjuvant (additional) therapy for people with diabetes and high cholesterol.

As konjac lowered LDL cholesterol and so it was recommended to use to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

A 2008 study also found that glucomannan may help prevent constipation.  Moreover, as fiber is filling. Eating it regularly helps keep you fuller longer, so you are less likely to overeat or snack between meals. Konjac also expands in the stomach to help keep you full, hence it can be used to reduce body weight.

However, as with any high fiber product, it may cause digestive problems such as bloating. Consult a qualified natural health practitioner or your doctor for advice especially if you take glucomannan fiber as a food supplement.

Does the alkaline diet work?

The alkaline diet, also called the alkaline-ash diet or alkaline-acid diet, which is based on the unproven claim that eating foods with a higher pH (i.e. more alkaline such as fruit, unsweetened fruit juices, nonstarchy vegetables, almond milk, mineral soda water, soy foods and almonds) will help reduce the risk of chronic diseases like cancer.

Proponents of the alkaline diet believe that diets high in certain foods, such as meat and grains, and low in others, such as potassium-rich vegetables and fruits, can cause imbalances in blood pH that lead to a variety of health problems, known as the acid-ash hypothesis.

But the alkaline diet has not been scientifically proven to have any effect on the body’s pH, but its focus on plant-based foods can be good for health in general as it reduces a person’s consumption of fatty and processed meats, red meat and refined grains while encourage people to eat more fruits and vegetables, unprocessed plant-based foods.

An alkaline diet tends to be low in calories and so the foods that people eat on this diet can help lose weight and maintain a healthy body weight. Doing so can help prevent weight-related health issues such as diabetes.

As it also reduces or eliminates red and processed meats, removing a major contributor to heart disease from the diet.

Myth: Lemon water can cure cancer

 

Some sources claim that lemon water could help prevent cancer.

Lemons are a rich source of vitamin C and rich in flavonoids that help boost health and fight disease. Thus it may prevent or combat some types of cancer. But there is currently no research that suggests lemon water will prevent or treat cancer.

Dr Golam Mohiuddin Faruque, a cancer specialist and project director at Bangladesh Cancer Society Hospital, said the idea that lemons could cure cancer was "unsubstantiated".

"No one can say hot lemon water or any other particular food can cure cancer and such claims have no scientific basis. There are different types of cancers and many of these have their own ways of treatment but drinking hot lemon water is definitely not among them," he said.

"Citrus fruits including lemon sometimes can have some positive impact in preventing certain types of cancers but that's not a treatment."

Professor Nicolas Boissel, a specialist in blood cancer at the Saint-Louis hospital in Paris, has similar views.

Benefits Of Winter Melon

Winter melon is actually a large vine vegetable.  Every part of the winter melon plant can be used for culinary or medicinal purposes. It is used widely in Asia, particularly in China.

Health benefits of winter melon include the following:

Boost Vision

A significant amount of research has linked vision problems to a deficiency in riboflavin, more commonly known as vitamin B2. Winter melon has very high levels of vitamin B2 while the antioxidants found in winter melon may help reduce oxidative stress in the retina and macular degeneration.

Protect the Heart

With high levels of potassium and vitamin C, winter melon is perhaps a tried and true protector of cardiovascular health. Potassium can function as a vasodilator, i.e. it helps lower blood pressure by releasing tension in the blood vessels and arteries, letting blood flow more freely. This can make it more difficult to develop atherosclerosis, which can compound heart issues and may increase the risk of coronary heart disease. Furthermore, vitamin C has been directly linked to possible reduced chances of a stroke. 

Boost Immunity

With more than 19% of the daily vitamin C requirements in a single serving, winter melon can be called a powerful immune system booster. Beside protecting the heart, vitamin C can stimulate the production of white blood cells, and can also act as an antioxidant to neutralize free radicals and prevent the mutation of healthy cells. Winter melon also boasts a possibly decent amount of zinc, which is another critical component of immune system health. 

Stimulate Growth & Development

Vitamin C is also a component in the possible production of collagen, which is one of the basic building blocks of cells, tissues, muscles, bones and blood vessels.

Help in Digestion

Dietary fiber is an important part of any healthy diet, as it can optimize digestion and prevent many gastrointestinal issues, which include constipation, bloating, cramping, hemorrhoids and general stomach upset. Dietary fiber can also improve the nutrient uptake efficiency of the gut, along with reducing cholesterol levels in the cardiovascular system. 

Improve Cognitive Function

The significant level of iron found in winter melon can make it an ideal solution for increasing circulation to the extremities of the body. Iron is a key component in the production of red blood cells, so when you have more iron, you have a better circulation of fresh, healthy, and oxygenated blood. This means that winter melon can not only protect against the symptoms of anemia but it may also ensure proper blood flow to the brain, which can increase concentration, focus and memory.

Detoxify the Body

In traditional medicine, winter melon is often used as a diuretic, which can help to detoxify the body. Urination eliminates excess toxins, fats, salts and water from the body, so help the liver and kidney perform at optimal levels. 

Aid in Weight Loss

Because it is high in fiber and relatively low in calories, it can act as a weight-loss tool, to make you feel full and reducing between-meal snacking and overeating. The rich blend of minerals and nutrients can also promote muscle growth and a stronger metabolism, thereby compounding the possible weight loss effects. 

Myth about eating eggs

 

As egg yolks contain lots of cholesterol, so, logically, eating cholesterol leads to high cholesterol.

The reality is most of the cholesterol in the body is made by the liver, not delivered through diet. And while diet does matter, research has found that cholesterol levels have more to do with the fat you eat, namely saturated and trans fats, than cholesterol.

And eggs contain healthy nutrients, including vitamins A and D, as well as protein. Long-term population studies show that eating an egg a day has not been linked to higher rates of heart attack or stroke.

Dr. Stephen Devries, a preventive cardiologist and executive director of the educational nonprofit Gaples Institute in Deerfield, Illinois recommended sticking to no more than four full eggs a week — that is, including the yolk, where almost all the cholesterol is, along with about half the protein. 

As a matter of fact, one large egg contains 1.6 grams of saturated fat and a whopping 187 milligrams of cholesterol.