Benefit of various item for weight loss and PCOS ( from internet)

10 diet foods that can make you fat
You’ve cut back on chocolate, chucked out the biscuits and raided your nearest health food store, so why aren’t you losing those pounds? Unfortunately, even with the best intentions, you could be sabotaging your weight loss with the wrong foods. They might look and seem healthy, but that’s not always the case.

Granola
It’s marketed as a health food, is sold in health food stores and even looks remarkably healthy, so it must be a diet food, right? In the case of granola, sadly the answer is no. While granola is undoubtedly nutritious and full of fibre, it also contains high quantities of sugar and oil, making it extremely high in fat and calories. To help save your waistline, try eating granola in small portions or, better yet, switch to a lower fat sugar-free muesli which will deliver the same health benefits without the calories. Read more on realbuzz.com... Makeover your diet Top 10 worst fat traps Top 10 reasons why you’re not losing weight

Vegetable crisps
Many people view vegetable crisps as the “healthy” alternative to the potato variety. However, while some vegetable crisps contain slightly more fibre and vitamins than potato crisps, this is not always the case and the difference is generally very slight, with most of the vitamins derived from fresh veggies being lost in the process of making them into crisps. On top of this, vegetable crisps are often just as high in fat and calories as potato ones and contain just as much salt.

Dips
Hummus is often perceived as the perfect diet-friendly dip. However, while the healthy snack is undoubtedly nutritious, it is also packed with calories and fat from its principle ingredients of oil and tahini. Another dip for dieters to watch out for is guacamole which, while traditionally packed with nutrients and good fats, often contains calorie-laden double cream. While most dips can be eaten in moderation, if you want to splurge guilt-free go for a homemade tomato salsa which is packed with nutritious ingredients and is almost fat-free.

Diet drinks
Many of us turn to sugar-free versions of our favourite drinks to help stay trim, yet diet drinks may actually be causing you to pile on the pounds. Research by the Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio found that those who consumed diet drinks daily experienced a 70 per cent greater increase in waist circumference than those who drank none, while a previous study showed that obesity risk increased by 41 per cent for each diet drink consumed. A suggested reason for this is that artificial sweeteners trigger appetite, and they may also inhibit the brain cells that make you feel full.

Dried fruit
As with smoothies and juices, dried fruit has many beneficial properties and counts towards your daily intake of fruit. However, due to the concentration of sugars that occurs when fruit is dehydrated, it is also very high in calories and sugar when compared to the same amount of fresh fruit, and is much lower in fibre and nutrients. On top of this, many brands add sugar to dried fruit to improve the flavour, which boosts the calorie content even further.

Salads
When eating out or buying food on the go, salads are generally presented as the “healthy option”. However, often this is not the case. While salads contain vegetables and other healthy ingredients, these are often buried under a layer of oily, sugary dressings which can be high in both fat and calories. Many salads do contain good fats that can help with weight loss (such as in the case of avocados and olive oil), yet this is not always so. Avoid those sneaky calories by drizzling your salads with a light dressing such as balsamic vinegar, or skipping the dressing entirely.

Soup
While soup can be the perfect weight loss food when prepared correctly, not all soups fall into the diet food category. In fact, many soups can rack up a significant amount of fat and calories, particularly those containing dairy products such as cream or cheese. On top of that, many soups are very high in salt, which can lead to bloating. To help stay trim and cut calories, try purchasing (or better yet, making your own) vegetable-based and cream-free soups.

Popcorn
Air-popped popcorn is a great nutritious, high-fibre and diet-friendly snack. However, when butter is added into the equation, the tasty snack can quickly lose its healthy credentials. Store-bought and cinema popcorn can be extremely high in fat and calories due to its liberal coating of butter and/or sugar, and is often also served in large quantities. Furthermore, as the TV-friendly snack is often eaten in front of a screen, we can easily consume far more than we intend to due to mindless snacking.

Juices and smoothies
When totting up our daily intake of calories, many of us forget to take into account those that come in liquid form. However, the drinks you consume throughout the day can vastly contribute to weight gain. While smoothies and juices count towards your daily intake of fruit (and swapping fry-ups for a morning smoothie would certainly do wonders for your waistline!) supplementing meals with these sugary fruit drinks could add hundreds of extra calories on to your daily intake. Smoothies and juices contain more sugar but less fibre than whole fruit, making fresh fruit a much better snacking option.

Cereal bars
Many of us believe that cereal bars are the perfect healthy snack and breakfast-on-the-go. However, most breakfast bars are packed with cane sugar and corn syrup, not to mention high levels of fat. In fact, despite their healthy image, cereal bars can contain as much fat, sugar and calories as an average chocolate bar, and can cause crashes in blood sugar levels which will leave you craving more food.
Cereal bars
Many of us believe that cereal bars are the perfect healthy snack and breakfast-on-the-go. However, most breakfast bars are packed with cane sugar and corn syrup, not to mention high levels of fat. In fact, despite their healthy image, cereal bars can contain as much fat, sugar and calories as an average chocolate bar, and can cause crashes in blood sugar levels which will leave you craving more food.

source ::10 diet foods that can make you fat Photos | Pictures - Yahoo! Lifestyle India

 

Top 11 Health Benefits of Drinking Water

Source ::11 Benefits of Drinking Water

[B]Lose weight: [/B]Drinking water helps you lose weight because it flushes down the by-products of fat breakdown. Drinking water reduces hunger, it’s an effective appetite suppressant so you’ll eat less. Plus, water has zero calories. Here are the further details on how to achieve fat loss by drinking water.

Natural Remedy for Headache: Helps to relieve headache and back pains due to dehydration. Although many reasons contribute to headache, dehydration is the common one.

Look Younger with Healthier Skin: You’ll look younger when your skin is properly hydrated. Water helps to replenish skin tissues, moisturizes skin and increases skin elasticity.

Better Productivity at Work: Your brain is mostly made up of water, thus drinking water helps you think better, be more alert and more concentrated.

Better Exercise: Drinking water regulates your body temperature. That means you’ll feel more energetic when doing exercises. Water also helps to fuel your muscle.

Helps in Digestion and Constipation: Drinking water raises your metabolism because it helps in digestion. Fiber and water goes hand in hand so that you can have your daily bowel movement.

Less Cramps and Sprains: Proper hydration helps keep your joints and muscles lubricated, so you’ll less likely get cramps and sprains.

Less Likely to Get Sick and Feel Healthy: Drinking plenty of water helps fight against flu and other ailments like kidney stones and heart attack. Water adds with lemon is used for ailments like respiratory disease, intestinal problems, rheumatism and arthritis etc. In another words one of the benefits of drinking water is that it can improve your immune system. Follow this link for further information on how lemon water can improve your health.

Relieves Fatigue: Water is used by the body to help flush out toxins and waste products from the body. If your body lacks water, your heart, for instance, needs to work harder to pump out the oxygenated blood to all cells, so are the rest of the vital organs, your organs will be exhausted and so will you.

Good Mood: Your body feels very good and that’s why you feel happy.
Reduce the Risk of Cancer: Related to the digestive system, some studies show that drinking a healthy amount of water may reduce the risks of bladder cancer and colon cancer. Water dilutes the concentration of cancer-causing agents in the urine and shortens the time in which they are in contact with bladder lining.

 

15 health benefits of eating apples

1. Get whiter, healthier teeth
An apple won’t replace your toothbrush, but biting and chewing an apple stimulates the production of saliva in your mouth, reducing tooth decay by lowering the levels of bacteria.

2. Avoid Alzheimer’s
A new study performed on mice shows that drinking apple juice could keep Alzheimer’s away and fight the effects of aging on the brain. Mice in the study that were fed an apple-enhanced diet showed higher levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and did better in maze tests than those on a regular diet.

3. Protect against Parkinson’s
Research has shown that people who eat fruits and other high-fibre foods gain a certain amount of protection against Parkinson’s, a disease characterized by a breakdown of the brain’s dopamine-producing nerve cells. Scientists have linked this to the free radical-fighting power of the antioxidants contained therein.

4. Curb all sorts of cancers
Scientists from the American Association for Cancer Research, among others, agree that the consumption of flavonol-rich apples could help reduce your risk of developing pancreatic cancer by up to 23 per cent. Researchers at Cornell University have identified several compounds—triterpenoids—in apple peel that have potent anti-growth activities against cancer cells in the liver, colon and breast. Their earlier research found that extracts from whole apples can reduce the number and size of mammary tumours in rats. Meanwhile, the National Cancer Institute in the U.S. has recommended a high fibre intake to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.

5. Decrease your risk of diabetes
Women who eat at least one apple a day are 28 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who don’t eat apples. Apples are loaded with soluble fibre, the key to blunting blood sugar swings.

6. Reduce cholesterol
The soluble fibre found in apples binds with fats in the intestine, which translates into lower cholesterol levels and a healthier you.

7. Get a healthier heart
An extensive body of research has linked high soluble fibre intake with a slower buildup of cholesterol-rich plaque in your arteries. The phenolic compound found in apple skins also prevents the cholesterol that gets into your system from solidifying on your artery walls. When plaque builds inside your arteries, it reduces blood flow to your heart, leading to coronary artery disease.

8. Prevent gallstones
Gallstones form when there’s too much cholesterol in your bile for it to remain as a liquid, so it solidifies. They are particularly prevalent in the obese. To prevent gallstones, doctors recommend a diet high in fibre to help you control your weight and cholesterol levels.

9. Beat diarrhea and constipation
Whether you can’t go to the bathroom or you just can’t stop, fibre found in apples can help. Fibre can either pull water out of your colon to keep things moving along when you’re backed up, or absorb excess water from your stool to slow your bowels down.

10. Neutralize irritable bowel syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome is characterized by constipation, diarrhea, and abdominal pain and bloating. To control these symptoms doctors recommend staying away from dairy and fatty foods while including a high intake of fibre in your diet.

11. Avert hemorrhoids
Hemorrhoids are a swollen vein in the anal canal and while not life threatening, these veins can be very painful. They are caused by too much pressure in the pelvic and rectal areas. Part and parcel with controlling constipation, fibre can prevent you from straining too much when going to the bathroom and thereby help alleviate hemorrhoids.

12. Control your weight
Many health problems are associated with being overweight, among them heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea. To manage your weight and improve your overall health, doctors recommend a diet rich in fibre. Foods high in fibre will fill you up without costing you too many calories.

13. Detoxify your liver
We’re constantly consuming toxins, whether it is from drinks or food, and your liver is responsible for clearing these toxins out of your body. Many doctors are skeptical of fad detox diets, saying they have the potential to do more harm than good. Luckily, one of the best—and easiest—things you can eat to help detoxify your liver is fruits—like apples.

14. Boost your immune system
Red apples contain an antioxidant called quercetin. Recent studies have found that quercetin can help boost and fortify your immune system, especially when you're stressed out.

15. Prevent cataracts
Though past studies have been divided on the issue, recent long-term studies suggest that people who have a diet rich in fruits that contain antioxidants—like apples—are 10 to 15 per cent less likely to develop cataracts.

source:15 health benefits of eating apples | Nutrition | Eat Well | Best Health

 

TOP 10 REASONS PEOPLE FAIL TO KEEP WEIGHT OFF
Posted on 18. May, 2012 by Fitaz in Motivation, Weight Loss


1. The number one obstacle is that people don’t have an emotional attachment to their goals. We have to really want to achieve our goals if we’re to succeed, and once that strong emotional attachment is made everything else falls into place.

2. Keep yourself busy. People eat more than they need to when they have nothing else to do. Create and maintain a specific daily eating plan that requires you eat at specific times every day. This will ensure you eat only what you plan to eat and keeps your metabolism going by teaching your body to expect small frequent meals.

3. Unrealistic long and short term goals are a major reason for people failing with their weight loss goals. Ensuring your goals are challenging yet achievable will keep you motivated.

4. Avoid Eating or drinking to reduce stress. Many people use the excuse of having a busy or stressful week to binge. Eating or drinking in this manner will make you feel worse and will give you less energy for the next week. Go for a workout or treat yourself to a health treatment to de-stress instead. Stay away from sugar, put down the candy bar that you think will make you feel better when you are stressed.

5. No accountability measure with rewards and consequences. Make your self accountable. Committ to achieve and you will. It is important to reard yourself for achieving. An example of this would be shouting yourself a spa package or a new outfit for completing all your planned training sessions for the month.

6. Inconvenient or time consuming plan. Exercise doesn’t have to take hours.
Short sharp sessions with high intensity boost your metabolism and make you a fat burning machine! Use full-body strength movements and super high cardio intervals to get the most out of your training sessions in a short amount of time.

7. Injury from incorrect exercise technique is a common excuse for not training. Get a trainer to help teach you how to correctly do your exercises and also to come up with a program to help you achieve your goals. Good trainers have helped others achieve the same goals you are after. Trainers are also a great way to make you accountable.

8. Make your weightless plan a habit. Implement and plan what exercise you are going to do, what you are going to eat and when you are going to train.

9. Try cooking your meals at a specific time during the week. If you plan to eat healthy you will. If you don’t you are likely to choose the unhealthy option.

10. People being too stressed or busy to exercise and eat well. As a business owner I understand how one’s work/life balance can easily get out of wack. Time management and prioritizing are the key. Learn to manage your time so you are only doing one task at a time, don’t try to do everything at once but instead chunk and delegate your time. It is also important to factor in half to one hour of downtime or personal time each day for relaxation. This is a big key toward having a positive, stress-free mindset. Remember: healthy body, healthy mind.

People often start out with good intentions. Initially they get great results but this only lasts for a month or so. The novelty begins to wear off and attaining their health goals becomes more of a chore than a way of life. They start to miss a night or two of exercise or deviate from their eating plan. One day’s missed exercise can quickly turn into a week and then into a month. Eating plans can also slip in the same way.

Source :: TOP 10 REASONS PEOPLE FAIL TO KEEP WEIGHT OFF | http://www.fitaz.com.au

 

Health Benefits of Bitter Gourd (Karela)

Diabetes: The bitter gourd is particularly used as a remedy for diabetes because of its hypoglycemic action. It contains insulin-like peptides, alkaloids and charantin, all of which act together to lower blood and urine sugar levels without increasing blood insulin levels. These compounds activate a protein called AMPK, which is well known for regulating fuel metabolism and enabling glucose uptake, processes which are impaired in diabetics. You can take the juice of 4-5 bitter gourds every morning on an empty stomach, add seeds in powdered form to food or prepare a decoction by boiling the pieces of this fruit in water. If you are taking medications to lower your blood sugar, adding bitter gourd might make your blood sugar drop too low. Monitor your blood sugar carefully.

Blood Purification: It has blood-purifying properties. As a result, the juice is used in the treatment of blood disorders like blood boils and itching due to blood poisoning. Have it little by little on an empty stomach daily, in 4-6 months you will see enhancement in your state.

Piles: Fresh juice of bitter gourd is good for patients suffering from piles. Take a mixture of bitter melon juice and buttermilk every morning for about a month and you will see an improvement. A paste of the roots of bitter gourd plant can also be applied over piles to get a favorable result.

Good for stomach: It contains cellulose which is a very good source of fiber thus preventing constipation. It also good digestive agent and helps in stimulating the secretion of gastric juices. This can be very helpful for people with dyspepsia. However, sometimes it may worsen heartburn and ulcers.

Aids weight loss: It stimulates liver for secretion of bile juices that are very essential for metabolism of fats. Thus, if you want to have a perfect, slim figure, then bitter gourd can help you.

Eye care: It has high amount of beta-carotene that helps alleviate eye problems and improving eyesight.

Alcoholism: It is an antidote for alcohol intoxication, and helps purify, restore and nourish liver. Its juice is also beneficial in the treatment of a bad hangover.

Cholera: Fresh juice of leaves of bitter gourd is also a useful medication in early stages of cholera.

Immune booster: A glass of bitter gourd juice in the morning can help to strengthen your immune system and increase your body's fighting power against infection. Researchers hypothesize that bitter melon is as an immunomodulator. One clinical trial found limited evidence that bitter melon might improve immune cell function in people with cancer.

Skin care: Bitter gourd is also effective in treating skin diseases or skin infections, eczema and psoriasis. It also helps in keeping the skin free from blemishes and keeps the skin glowing. The blood purifying properties make sure that you don't get acne.

HIV: Laboratory tests suggest that compounds in bitter melon might be effective for treating HIV infection. In one preliminary clinical trial, an enema form of a bitter melon extract showed some benefits in people infected with HIV. However, more research is necessary before this could be recommended.



Source :Health Benefits of Bitter Gourd (Karela)

 

10 Easy Ways to Eat Less and Lose Weight


When you’re trying to lose weight, it’s important to come up with ways to eat less. Obviously you don’t want to reduce your caloric intake too low because you’ll only slow down your metabolism, but you definitely want to avoid overeating too.

Below is a list of 10 easy ways to eat less and lose weight:

#1 Way to Eat Less – Drink More Water
The more water you drink, the less hungry you’ll feel. Drinking one glass of water right before each meal has been proven to help you eat less and still feel just as satisfied after the meal. Of course, drinking water between meals is a good idea too, because it helps you feel fuller and avoid unnecessary snacking.

#2 Way to Eat Less – Reduce Sugar
The more sugar you eat, the hungrier you will feel. That’s because eating refined white sugar creates upward spikes and downward dips in your blood sugar levels. When your blood sugar dips down, you get hungry – sometimes really hungry!
Cutting out sugar as much as possible will immediately make you feel less hungry so you can eat less without suffering.

#3 Way to Eat Less – Exercise
Studies have shown that exercise releases a flood of hormones that suppress your appetite, while also reducing the production of other hormones that stimulate appetite. Even better, a good workout releases stress and floods your brain with feel-good endorphins that boost your mood, calm anxiety, and ease feelings of depression; things that could otherwise be triggers for emotional eating.

#4 Way to Eat Less – Eat More Frequently
A great way to eat less overall is to spread your daily calorie intake over five or six small meals rather than eating two or three large meals. It will feel like you are eating more, but you will actually be eating less and taking in fewer calories than it seems.

#5 Way to Eat Less – Smaller Portions
Nine times out of ten, your eyes are bigger than your stomach when it comes to filling your plate. A good way to start eating less is by cutting your portion sizes down by half. Even if you think you can eat more, start with half of what you would normally take. After 20 minutes or so, if you are still hungry, have a little more. It will still be less than what you would have consumed initially.

#6 Way to Eat Less – Eat Slowly
Eating quickly virtually guarantees that you’ll eat more because your stomach doesn’t have time to let you know it’s had enough. When you eat slowly, taking at least 20 minutes to eat a meal, you can feel the progression from hungry to satisfied much more easily.

#7 Way to Eat Less – Protein First
When eating a meal, start with the protein first. Protein helps stabilize your blood sugar levels and makes you feel fuller so that you are less tempted to eat more fattening fare like high-calorie side dishes, bread, and dessert. Lean protein like chicken or turkey breast, lean beef or pork, fish like salmon and trout, and of course beans are all great sources of protein that will fill you up so you eat less.

#8 Way to Eat Less – Fiber
Speaking of beans, they are awesome sources of both protein and fiber. Fiber can also be found in most vegetables (especially green leafy vegetables), and whole grains. Fiber also helps balance blood glucose levels and makes you feel fuller so you eat less.

#9 Way to Eat Less – Stay Calm
Stress is a big cause of overeating, and learning how to manage it effectively can help keep your eating under control. Techniques like deep breathing, meditation, and creative visualization are all great helpers in finding healthier ways to manage stress so you aren’t tempted to muffle uncomfortable feelings with food.

#10 Way to Eat Less – Keep Your Hands Busy
Nighttime eating while watching television is a challenge for many people. Even if they kept their eating under control all day long, sitting in a comfortable chair or sofa and turning on their favorite television shows is often a trigger to start munching. Keeping your hands busy is a good way to break this habit. Activities like knitting, crocheting, needlework, painting, or even playing solitaire can help take the edge off. If those don’t appeal to you, try playing a small hand-held game, building a toy model, or working on a puzzle.

Source:10 Easy Ways to Eat Less and Lose Weight | FitWatch

 

The top 10 tricks to lose excess weight!

1. Set realistic goals

You didn't put on extra weight overnight so it is equally unrealistic to take it off quickly. Set a goal that you can reach in one month, which is four to eight pounds less than you weigh now. It's a target you know you can achieve.

2. Spread your calories around
Divide your calorie goal by the number of meals (at least three), so that you eat about the same amount of calories at each meal.

If meals are more than 500 calories, save some calories for snacks between meals.

Make sure you eat at least 1,200 calories each day or you will lose muscle.


3. Diet foods not required
Eat regular foods rather than the "sugar-free", "lite" or "fat free" versions (except soda beverages and milk) because the calories in these "diet" foods still count towards your total calories each day.

Diet foods are usually not as satisfying or filling, so you may eat more of them.

Drink fat-free or skim milk so you can add some fat at meals. If you only drink one percent milk, then cut added fat in half at meals. If you drink 2 percent (low fat) milk, then don't add any fat to food at meals.

Eat the basic food groups at meals -- lean meat, legumes, dairy, fruits and vegetables. Then add one or two servings of grains or starch to each meal to reach your calorie goal. Include eight ounces of milk and one serving of grains, fruits and vegetables at each meal to provide carbohydrate fuel for your brain and muscles. You need at least 100 grams of carbohydrate each day.

4. Drastic changes not recommended
The plan you follow to lose weight should be built on the how you eat, now modified by these ten changes.

A weightloss plan should be a plan you can follow for a lifetime, by making small changes in the portion sizes you eat once you reach your goal weight, so that you can maintain a healthy weight.

Try the Healthy Body Calculator to calculate your basal calorie (don't include activity) needs at your current weight and your goal weight. There may be as little as a five calorie increase for each pound of body weight you gain over your goal weight.

5. Portion control
Control meal portions to a piece of lean meat as big as the back of your hand, from your knuckles to where your wrist bends and as thick as your little finger or about the size of a deck of cards.

Other foods like grains, vegetables and fruits can be portioned to two heaping serving tablespoons or approximately half a cup each per meal.

Measure how many ounces are in your beverage glass or mug so that you pour four or eight ounces portions.


6. Cook it yourself
Bake, broil or steam food rather than frying. Consider cooking from scratch more often, so you know what is in the food you eat.

7. Some fat is okay
Limit added fat to one teaspoon (margarine or mayonnaise or oil) or one tablespoon of salad dressing per meal, if this doesn't exceed your calorie goal.

You can choose to put margarine on your potato or salad dressing on your salad, but not both.

To limit salad dressing and make it go farther, serve your salad dressing on the side of your salad and then dip your fork in the dressing before spearing your salad for each mouthful.

8. Sugar is best avoided
You just can't afford the calories. Sugar only contains carbohydrate, so use an artificial sweetener in beverages or drink sugar-free soda in reasonable amounts.

9. Alcohol in moderation
Alcoholic beverages are just as empty of nutrients as sugar, but your liver processes them like fat. If you drink, limit yourself to one drink per day (12 ounce of beer, or four ounces of wine, or one and a half ounces of distilled liquor) and then only add fat to one meal that day.

10. Have your cake too?
Probably not. Desserts are mostly fat and sugar, which will put you over your calorie goal for the day.


Source:The top 10 tricks to lose excess weight! - Rediff Getahead

 

Health Benefit of Cumin Seeds (Jeera)

1.Improves Digestion and Increases Metabolism: People in parts of South Asia commonly believe that cumin seeds help with digestion. Research suggests that cumin stimulates the production of enzymes that break down fat, sugar, and starch. It also increases metabolism slightly.

2.Boosts Immune System: Cumin seeds are a very good source of iron. Just one teaspoon of cumin seeds provides around 7 percent (around 1.3 mg) of the daily value for iron. Iron is a mineral that makes up an important part of hemoglobin, the substance in blood that carries oxygen throughout the body. Additionally, the human body uses iron to enhance the immune system functioning, thus helping the body to fight against contagious diseases.

3.Fights Anemia: Add cumin to your food to fight anemia due to iron deficiency. Cumin is high in iron content, which aids in the red blood cell formation.

4.Common Cold, Asthma, Bronchitis: Cumin has been found to be very effective in the treatment of common cold, asthma, and bronchitis. Cumin helps in diluting the phlegm in the chest, thereby helping the body in easy expulsion of it. It is a disinfectant that kills the virus of common cold. The large iron content in cumin strengthens the immune system.

5.Cures Digestive Disorders: The oil present in cumin stimulates the salivary glands. The thymol present in cumin improves the sluggish digestive process. Taking cumin with a little lukewarm water greatly helps in banishing stomach aches. Additionally, Soaking cumin seeds in water overnight and consuming the water is beneficial while having acidity. It also helps in relieving bloated feeling.

6.Carminative Property: Cumin helps relieve or reduce flatulence (abdominal gas), thus increasing appetite and aiding in digestion. A cup of tea made from cumin seeds taken thrice a day after a meal will provide relief. To prepare the tea, add one teaspoon of cumin seeds in 1.5 liters of boiling water and allow it to simmer on slow fire for 15 minutes. Strain and sip hot to get best of results.

7.Anti-carcinogenic: Cumin has been proven to help the body fight cancer cells. An animal study found that cumin protects the laboratory animals from developing stomach or liver tumors. This cancer-fighting capability and cancer-protective effect may be due to cumin's potent free radical scavenging abilities.

8.Pregnancy and Childbirth: Boil water with one tablespoon of cumin seeds. Take this solution daily. This gives good relief from morning sickness. Cumin seeds, taken along with milk and honey, is helpful in the healthy development of fetus, helps with easy childbirth, as well as increases the quantity of breast milk.

9.Hypoglycemic Properties: A review of various scientific studies published in the International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition in 2005 goes on to confirm that cumin, as well as a number of other spices, does have beneficial effect in treating diabetes. Previously, a 1998 study on rats conducted by researchers at Mysore University, India, and published in the journal Nutrition Research suggests found that the diabetes-induced rats fed with a diet of ground cumin experienced a reduction in hypoglycemia -- a condition of low blood sugar, common in diabetics.

10.Stimulates the Liver:
Cumin is believed to stimulate the liver to produce more bile, which helps with digestion. According to a study conducted on rats, cumin increased bile secretion in rats by 71 percent.

11.Skin Soother: Cumin is very effective in curing insect bites, healing boils, as well as preventing infection in minor wounds. Grind cumin with enough water to make a smooth paste and apply to the affected area. Wash off once it dries. Cumin is also rich in vitamin E, which makes the skin glow.

12.Natural Laxative: Cumin powder acts as a laxative because of the presence of cuminaldehyde and certain pyrazines in the essential oils. These have carminative, stimulating, antifungal, antibacterial properties. Cumin is also rich in dietary fiber content.


Source :Health Benefit of Cumin Seeds (Jeera)

 

Three benefits of dark chocolate that will help you lose weight

1. Reduce insulin resistance with dark chocolate

Insulin, which is released by the pancreas when blood sugar rises, has the job of escorting blood glucose into the cells. Repeated release of insulin due to too much sugary food causes the cells to develop resistance to insulin preventing it from doing its job and depriving the cells of needed nutrition. Now the body fears starvation, calls for more food and signals a need to store fat to protect against starvation. The result? Weight gain.

Substituting dark chocolate for some of the sugary foods may help reduce insulin resistance. A 2005 study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported on research in which 15 healthy individuals ate either white or dark chocolate for 15 days. At the end of this time those who ate the dark chocolate experienced significantly higher insulin sensitivity and significantly lower insulin resistance compared to the white chocolate group. As a nice bonus, the dark chocolate group also experienced lower blood pressure.

This is not an isolated study. Research published in 2012 in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and based on a meta-analysis of 42 studies of chocolate and cocoa, supported the connection between dark chocolate consumption and significant reductions in serum insulin which caused resistance to insulin to decrease. They also found chocolate associated with consistent reductions in blood pressure.

2. Chocolate helps stop food cravings

Reductions in food cravings between meals can help prevent overeating and this means foods that promote feelings of fullness can be important for weight loss. Once again healthy dark chocolate may be part of the answer. A study from Denmark reviewed in a 2008 edition of Science Daily found that dark chocolate, compared to milk chocolate, was more filling and also lessened cravings for unhealthy foods.

Sixteen lucky study subjects ate either dark or milk chocolate and then gave feedback on how hungry they felt over the next several hours. At the two and a half hour mark they were given as much pizza as they could eat. Researchers recorded calorie intake for each individual and found that it was 15 percent less for those who had previously eaten dark chocolate. The same group also noted lower cravings for snack foods (sweet, salty or fatty) compared to the milk chocolate group.

3. Chocolate reduces stress and cortisol levels

Stress triggers release of cortisol which causes the body to secrete more insulin leading to overeating. In a 2009 study published in the Journal of Proteome Research, 30 subjects who suffered from anxiety consumed 1.4 ounces of dark chocolate daily for two weeks. Urinalysis showed a resulting reduction in the excretion of cortisol prompting the scientists to conclude chocolate can alter human metabolism.

Learn more: Three benefits of dark chocolate that will help you lose weight