All posts by Sumana Rao

Don't worry about the people in your past; There's a reason they didn't make it to your future.
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam: Former President of India

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam: Former President of India

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam – The most loved President of India. The Missile Man, recipient of the Bharata Ratna (India’s highest civilian honor). Known for his motivating speeches, quotes and books. He is really loved by young children and has been an inspiration to millions of Indian youth…&…He is a Vegetarian! R. Aravamudan, former director ISRO’s Satellite Centre , Bengaluru who was closely associated with Prof Kalam, in an interview quoted that “We (Prof. Kalama and others) lived in Indira Bhavan Lodge in Thiruvananthapuram. People there called him Kalam Iyer because he moved around with vegetarians and had similar eating habit”!

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: July 22, 2015
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HEART FULL SUGGESTIONS

HEART FULL SUGGESTIONS

Humans work hard and so is their heart.  In fact, our human heart never stops working. If heart stops working then we stop. Keeping a healthy heart is very important. It is like maintaining a machine for life long.  Little lifestyle choices are a big deal when it comes to taking care of your heart. From food to physical activity, daily decisions add up. Here are some words that will remind us how to take care of this living machine.

H: Healthy food and Happiness: Healthy and balanced diet can cure many conditions related to Heart. In order to keep healthy heart; consume fresh vegetables like fresh amaranthus, spinach, kale, fenugreek leaves and fresh fruits -grapes, pomegranate, Indian gooseberry, lemon, and jamboo. Include oatmeal, avocado, dry fruits, soy and flax seeds in your diet for better heart. Always stay calm, maintain mental balance by doing meditation, and learn to be happy with what you have.

E: Exercise: Cultivate a habit of exercising minimum 5 days a week. Make time for walk, go to gym, and join yoga, pilates classes. If you like dancing,  join zumba, ballet, bharatanatyam classes. Exercise increases calorie burn rate and keeps heart healthy.

A: Active: Always be active in life. Move around. Do not be a couch potato. If it is summer go out, meet people. In office instead of using lift, take steps to reach your office.  Park the car far away in parking lot and walk that much distance. Instead of continuously sitting on chair in office move around to give papers, copy and printing documents. Being active helps heart to be active and heart likes it.

R: Rest, Refreshing and Routine check up: After an active day get good amount of sleep. Adults need at least 7 hours of sleep. Good sleep reduces hypertension and heart feels refreshed.  If you are above 35 make a habit of going for routine cholesterol level and heart check up.

T: Tomato and treat yourself: Consuming tomato is good for heart. Tomato has an antioxidant namely lycopene. Lycopene is good for heart (hardening of arteries).   Once you start practicing healthy habits for heart then you can treat yourself with dark chocolates! Evidence is building that products of the cacao plant, especially dark chocolate, are good for your heart.  Cardiologist and Everyday Health columnist T. Jared Bunch, MD, recommends that “Dark chocolate should be included in a life plan that includes exercise, eating healthy foods that are largely plant-based, getting adequate sleep, stress reduction, and maintenance of weight “.

Image courtesy: Image by silviarita from Pixabay

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: July 21, 2015
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Care about your Hair: Grandma's way

Care about your Hair: Grandma’s way

Hair on the scalp grows about 0.3 to 0.4 mm/day or about 6 inches per year. Unlike other mammals, human hair growth and shedding is random and not seasonal or cyclical. The typical cycle of hair growth lasts for two to three years, where each strand grows about one centimeter per month. At any one time, approximately 90% of hair is growing and the other 10% of your hair is enjoying ‘resting phase.’ After three to four months, the resting hair falls out and new hair begins to take its place. However, some people suffer disruptions in the hair cycle that lead to hair loss, which affects males and females of all ages.

Few reasons for hair falling are:

  • Hormonal Issues: An imbalance of male or female hormones
  • Overactive or Underactive Thyroid Gland
  • Pregnancy: Due to high levels of certain hormones
  • Medications: Such as blood thinners and high blood pressure meds
  • Infection: Including fungal infections of the scalp
  • Medical Conditions: Such as diabetes or lupus

Below are some of Traditional Indian Grandma remedies that help in keeping hair healthy.

Hot oil massage

When you oil your hair, you are giving it the nutrients and vitamins that it needs. Many people do not enjoy the feeling of constantly rubbing oil into their hair and it can cause skin issues. Instead of applying it multiple times day, you can simply give your scalp a hot oil massage. Use oils like coconut oil, castor oil, and even olive oil can work on some types of hair. This will help nourish your hair and strengthen it. In turn, your hair will begin to grow at a much faster rate because of these hair growth oils.

Hibiscus care

You can also use raw Hibiscus leaves to wash hair. We just have to get some fresh leaves and grind it thoroughly. If you want, you can extract the juice alone. Instant hibiscus shampoo is ready. It will be easy while washing the hair. If you have gray hair this shampoo on continuous usage will turn grey hair into brown and then into black. It also adds shine to hair and promotes faster hair growth.

Take the leaves of a red Hibiscus flower plant. Soak in hot water for half an hour. Squeeze the leaves and add apply the liquid (will be slimy) on hair. Wash the hair using herbal shampoo. This improves the texture of the hair, especially if you have chemically treated your hair (colouring, straightening etc.)

 Beautifying Castor Oil

Castor oil is rich in fatty acids and anti-microbial ricinoleic acid and is good for hair. In India, ancestors to keep hair black and healthy were using black, thick crude castor oil. The clear, less thick purified castor oil also serves almost same purpose.

Massaging your scalp regularly with cold-pressed castor oil is one of the easiest ways to get thicker hair naturally. Due to its high viscosity, it coats the hair thoroughly and protects against hair fall. Moreover, being high in vitamin E and fatty acids, it promotes hair growth. One can mix red hibiscus leaves with castor oil and apply on hair followed by washing in warm water. Another way to use castor oil is mixing equal parts of castor oil and coconut oil. Simply using castor oil will also work but it tends to be too thick.

One can follow following instructions to keep hair healthy.

  • Apply it on your head and scalp and massage in circular motions.
  • Comb your hair to distribute the oil throughout your hair and remove tangles.
  • Cover your hair with a towel moistened with warm water.
  • Leave it on for at least one hour and then shampoo your hair as usual.
  • Follow this remedy once a week to enjoy lustrous and thick hair.

Indian Gooseberry

The anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial and exfoliating properties present in Indian gooseberry can help a lot in maintaining a healthy scalp and better hair growth rate. Mix one tablespoon of Indian gooseberry or amla powder in two tablespoons of coconut oil and heat until boiling. Strain the oil and massage it onto your scalp before going to bed. The next morning, shampoo your hair as usual. Do this on a weekly basis. Another option is to mix one-quarter cup of warm water in one-half cup of Indian gooseberry powder and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Apply the paste on your hair and leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes before rinsing it off. Follow this remedy every few weeks.

Fenugreek (Methi)

Methi is known as a common natural ingredient that can delay the graying of hair and is the perfect antidote against stubborn dandruff. Soak methi seeds overnight in water and then grind them into a paste. Apply this on scalp, leave it for a few hours, and then wash your hair with shampoo. Another way to use methi is, prepare methi powder (dry fry and powder it) and mix in sesame oil and apply on hair for an hour followed by washing hair.

Coconut oil, Sesame oil and herbs

Coconut oil or sesame oil or mixture of both oil with hibiscus and curry leaves makes hair real healthy, strong, and black. They take care of pre-mature graying of the hair and keep them deep rooted. For a quick recipe: Add few curry leaves, hibiscus leaves into oil mixture and heat under low flame. When the oil color starts turning green, turn of the flame and leave the oil overnight in room temperature. One applies this for couple of hours before bath or overnight soak hair in this oil and wash hair.
One can mix coconut oil or sesame oil with a teaspoon of lemon juice and apply on hair followed by washing in warm water.

Oil sealing

In India Kerala, state women follow oil-sealing method from centuries to keep their hair black, long and healthy.  They seal the moisture in their hair with oil. Oil sealing is a method where oil is used as a sealant over wet moisturized hair. Preconditioned hair is with coconut oil, herbal oil, hair is washed with shikakai or Areetha nuts or mild shampoo and then 2 to 3 drops of oil is applied immediately over hair. Then allow hair to dry naturally.

Image courtesy

1) https://www.pinterest.com/anushaswt24/hair/
2) https://farm4.staticflickr.com

References:

1) Indian folk medicines
2) http://www.mmg.mpg.de/
3) http://makeupandbeauty.com/

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: July 17, 2015
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Hypertension from your body

Get rid of that Hypertension from your body

Lifestyle plays an important role in treating your high blood pressure. If you successfully control your blood pressure with a healthy lifestyle, you might avoid, delay or reduce the need for medication. High blood pressure-also, known as hypertension or “the silent killer”-affects 1 in 3 adult Americans, or roughly 67 million people, and that number only continues to grow. 90-95% of cases are known as primary hypertension, which is hypertension with no underlying medical cause. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a serious health problem that can lead to heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure. A blood pressure reading of 140/90 mm Hg or above is considered high.

Do you know?

  • Normal blood pressure is less than 120/80 mmHg.
  • Pre-hypertension is systolic pressure that’s between 120 to 139 or diastolic pressure between 80 and 89.
  • Stage 1 hypertension is systolic pressure between 140 to 159 or diastolic pressure between 90 and 99 mmHg or higher.
  • Stage 2 hypertension is systolic pressure higher than 160 or diastolic pressure of 100 or higher.

 To reduce hypertension what should we do?

  1. Lose extra pounds and watch your waistline Blood pressure often increases as weight increases. Being overweight also can cause disrupted breathing while you sleep (sleep apnea), which further raises your blood pressure. Obesity and diabetes can cause secondary hyper tension.
  2. Exercise regularly Regular physical activity — at least 30 minutes most days of the week — can lower your blood pressure by 4 to 9 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). It’s important to be consistent because if you stop exercising, your blood pressure can rise again.
  3. Eat a healthy diet Eating a diet that is rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products and skimps on saturated fat and cholesterol can lower your blood pressure by up to 14 mm Hg. This eating plan is known as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet.
  4. Reduce sodium in your diet Even a small reduction in the sodium in your diet can reduce blood pressure by 2 to 8 mm Hg. When you buy packed food items and snacks read label to understand salt amount in the package and understand how much salt goes per serving.
  5. Limit the amount of alcohol you drink Alcohol can be both good and bad for your health. In small amounts, it can potentially lower your blood pressure by 2 to 4 mm Hg (Mercury)
  6. Practice Yoga & Meditation To keep mind calm one need to practice and be ready for any situations in life. Yoga and meditation helps our body and mind to be prepared for various life situations.

Common Home remedies that are in practice for Hypertension:

  • Add 1 teaspoon of honey in 1 glass of boiled and cooled water. Drink it in the early morning regularly.
  • Drink watermelon juice with pinch of cardamom and coriander powder.
  • Eat cucumber with all your meals.
  • Prepare moong dal soup with pinch of turmeric, cumin seeds and coriander. Drink this regularly before dinner.
  • Drink freshly prepared peach juice with pinch of cardamom and 1 tsp of coriander powder twice a day.
  • Soak 1 or 2 rudraksha beads in a glass of water overnight and drink in early morning.
  • Include more garlic and ginger in your cooking.
  • Boil 1 tsp of coriander seeds in 1 glass of water and drink instead of normal tea.
  • Lemons: Lemons help keep blood vessels soft and pliable and by removing any rigidity, high blood pressure will be reduced. In addition, you can help lower your chance of heart failure by consuming lemon juice regularly, due to its vitamin C content. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps neutralize the harmful effects of free radicals.
  • Garlic: Several studies have demonstrated blood pressure lowering effects of garlic. Both raw and cooked garlic help control high blood pressure and at the same time reduce cholesterol levels. Garlic helps relax blood vessels by stimulating the production of nitric oxide and hydrogen sulfide.
  • Banana : Bananas are one fruit that people with high blood pressure can eat regularly to control it. Bananas are a rich source of potassium, which lessens the effect of sodium.
  • Coconut Water: People with high blood pressure must keep their bodies well hydrated. It is a good idea to drink eight to 10 glasses of water daily. Coconut water is particularly beneficial for lowering blood pressure.

This article is for educational purpose only. If you and your near ones have hypertension please contact your physician and get proceed with treatment as suggested by your physician.

Imagecourtesy: Image by Antonio Corigliano from Pixabay

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: July 14, 2015
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Some Nutrition Facts

SOME FACTS ABOUT NUTRITION

How much we know about nutrition and nutrients? Sometimes we think we know everything about foods that consume and at one point we all will realize that it is not true. Simple food facts are very important to know for the benefit of our health.

Image credit: Photo by Calum Lewis on Unsplash (Free for commercial use)

Vitamin D from Sun?

Sun & Vitamin D

Our skin is able to synthesize vitamin D with exposure to ultraviolet-B rays from the sun. The form of vitamin D produced by the sun is not biologically available until it undergoes two changes. The first, which takes place in the liver, converts vitamin D to 25-hydroxyvitamin D or calcidiol. The second, which takes place in the kidney, converts calcidiol to 1,2,5-dihydroxyvitamin D or calcitriol, which is the biologically active form.  several factors such as sunscreen with a sun protection factor above 8, age, darker skin pigmentation, northern latitude greater than 40 degrees and the winter season reduce the production of vitamin D in the skin. Most vulnerable to low vitamin D status are breast fed infants, elderly and institutionalized individuals, obese individuals and African Americans of all ages.

Why we do add lemon to tea?

lemon in tea

Adding lemon juice or vitamin C to green tea increases the amount of antioxidants available for the body to absorb by more than five times. According to studies, antioxidants in green tea may help combat atherosclerosis and heart disease and lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Several studies have shown that both green and black teas help protect against many forms of cancer. And animal studies suggest that green tea may help prevent or slow the development of type 1 diabetes. And, Purdue University researchers found that adding lemon juice, other citrus juice, or vitamin C helped the body absorb as much as 13 times the healthy catechins that is present in green tea. The addition of lemon juice caused 80 percent of the catechins to remain.

 Is Coconut good fat?

Good fat cocount

Despite its saturated fat content, coconut oil considered as a healthy fat that enhances the healthy heart and weight loss. It contains 50% of medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) in the form of lauric acid that boosts immunity, sparks metabolism and burns in the body fast. Did you know that Indian curry leaves boiled in coconut oil applied to hair reduces hair loss and give healthy hair?

Ginger as anti-inflammatory agent?

ginger

Did you know? Research conducted by Journal of pain from Science direct in 2010 found that ginger can reduce exercise induced pain by up to 25%.  Ginger is in use medicinally for thousands of years in Ayurvedic medicine in India as a natural anti-inflammatory food. So how you use ginger? Take 5 grams of fresh ginger or 1 tsp of dried ginger, in divided doses throughout the day. Fresh or dried ginger can be added to vegetable fries, curries, soups or made into tea.

 Is there a perfect diet?

Is there a perfect diet?

We are all unique… and subtle differences in genetics, body type, culture and environment can affect which type of diet we should eat. Some people do best on a low-carb diet while others may do fine on a vegetarian high-carb diet. The fact is, what works for one person may not work for the next. To figure out what you should do, a little self experimentation may be needed. Try a few different things until you find something that you enjoy and that you think you can stick to. Different strokes for different folks!

Bottom Line: The best diet for YOU is the one you get results with and that you can stick to in the long term http://authoritynutrition.com

Soda and osteoporosis linked?

Soda and osteoporosis linked

Did you know? Drinking soda leaches calcium from bones. This result in a condition called osteoporosis that is nothing but lower mineral density in the bones. In addition similar to cigarettes they discolor the teeth and destroy tooth enamel.

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: July 10, 2015
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Soda and osteoporosis linked

Soda and osteoporosis linked?

Did you know? Drinking soda leaches calcium from bones. This result in a condition called osteoporosis that is nothing but lower mineral density in the bones. In addition similar to cigarettes they discolor the teeth and destroy tooth enamel.

Image credit: https://www.scientificanimations.com/wiki-images/ (Bone image) & franchise opportunities https://www.flickr.com/photos/150276478@N03/34294546290

 

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Is there a perfect diet?

Is there a perfect diet?

We are all unique… and subtle differences in genetics, body type, culture and environment can affect which type of diet  we should eat. Some people do best on a low-carb diet while others may do fine on a vegetarian high-carb diet. The fact is, what works for one person may not work for the next. To figure out what you should do, a little self experimentation may be needed. Try a few different things until you find something that you enjoy and that you think you can stick to. Different strokes for different folks!

Bottom Line: The best diet for YOU is the one you get results with and that you can stick to in the long term

http://authoritynutrition.com

Image by: Photo by Jannis Brandt on Unsplash (Free for commercial use)

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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ginger

Ginger as anti-inflammatory agent?

Did you know? Research conducted by Journal of pain from Science direct in 2010 found that ginger can reduce exercise induced pain by up to 25%.  Ginger is in use medicinally for thousands of years in Ayurvedic medicine in India as a natural anti-inflammatory food. So how you use ginger? Take 5 grams of fresh ginger or 1 tsp of dried ginger, in divided doses throughout the day. Fresh or dried ginger can be added to vegetable fries, curries, soups or made into tea.

Image credit: Image by Couleur from Pixabay (Free for commercial use)

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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