Orange is known to have several health benefits and is among the most popular fruits around the world.
Oranges can be had not only as a snack but also as a major recipe ingredient in various dishes. Nowadays orange juice is an integral part of a healthy breakfast thus promoting a healthy start to the day. They're mainly available in two categories — sweet and bitter, with the former being the type most commonly consumed. Generally an orange should have smoothly textured skin and be firm and heavy for its size. These will have higher juice content than those that are either spongy or lighter in weight.
Benefits of eating oranges
High in Vitamin C
Oranges are an excellent source of vitamin C. One orange offers 116.2 per cent of the daily value for vitamin C. Good intake of vitamin C is associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer as it helps to get of free radicals that cause damage to our DNA.
Healthy immune system
Vitamin C, which is also vital for the proper function of a healthy immune system, is good for preventing colds and preventing recurrent ear infections.
Prevents skin damage
Anti-oxidants in oranges help protect skin from free radical damage known to cause signs of aging. An orange a day can help you look young even at 50!
Keeps blood pressure under check
Oranges, being rich in Vitamins B6, help support the production of haemoglobin and also help keep blood pressure under check due to the presence of magnesium.
According to a study by US and Canadian researchers, a class of compounds found in citrus fruit peels called Polymethoxylated Flavones (PMFs) have the potential to lower cholesterol more effectively than some prescription drugs without side effects.
Controls blood sugar level
Fibre in oranges help by keeping blood sugar levels under control thereby making oranges a healthy snack for people with diabetes. Moreover, oranges have simple sugars. The natural fruit sugar in oranges, fructose, can help keep blood sugar levels from rising too high after eating. Its glycemic index is 40 and normally whatever foods fall under 50 are considered to be low in sugar. However, that does not mean you go about eating too many oranges in one go. Eating too much can spike insulin and may even lead to weight gain.
Lowers the risk of cancer
Oranges contain D- limonene, a compound that is touted to prevent cancers like lung cancer, skin cancer and even breast cancer. Vitamin C and antioxidants present in oranges are both important to build body’s immunity – they help in fighting cancer. The fibrous nature of the fruit also makes it cancer protective. According to a study, up to 15 per cent of cancer cases happen because of mutations in the DNA, which can be prevented with Vitamin C.
Alkalizes the body
While the basic nature of oranges is acidic before you actually digest them, they have a lot of alkaline minerals that play a role in the process of digestion. This property of oranges is similar to that of lemons, which are without doubt among the most alkaline foods.
Good eye health
Oranges are a rich source of carotenoid. The Vitamin A present in them play an important role in keeping the mucus membranes in the eyes healthy. Vitamin A is also responsible to prevent age-related mascular degeneration, which in extreme cases can lead to blindness. It also helps eyes to absorb the light.
Safeguards against constipation
Oranges have both soluble and insoluble fibre. This helps in keeping your intestines and stomach function smooth, preventing irritable bowel syndrome. Additionally, the fibre helps treat constipation to a greater extent.
Oranges like most citrus fruits, produce more juice when warmer — juice them when they are at room temperature. Rolling the orange under the palm of your hand on a flat surface will also help to extract more juice. Vitamin C gets destroyed fast when exposed to air, so eat an orange quickly once cut up.
Eggplants are a heavenly delight for vegetarians. Apart from being a popular choice in different cuisines, they offer a multitude of benefits as well.The nutritious eggplant, also called brinjal or aubergine, hails from the nightshade family of fruits and vegetables that includes potatoes, peppers, and tomatoes. Botanically, the brinjal is a fruit, not a vegetable and the brinjal plant grows just like tomatoes as vines. For its utility in the kitchen or rather, for cooking purposes, it is considered a vegetable. Just like other colorful veggies, this vegetable has a host of health benefits.
1. HELPS KEEPING DIABETES IN CONTROL:
The eggplants are a very rich source of fiber and low soluble carbohydrates. Thus they are highly beneficial for regulation of blood sugar levels and also to control the absorption of glucose. This makes them the best option for people suffering from type 2 diabetes.
2. HELPFUL TO THE HEART:
The cholesterol levels are brought down to a great extent by the eggplant. It also helps stabilize the level of blood pressure. All this, in turn, lowers the risk of heart diseases. The body is also kept well-hydrated thanks to the potassium content present in this vegetable. This ensures that there is no retention of fluids which prevents coronary heart diseases.
3.HELPFUL TO THE BRAIN:
Eggplant contains phytonutrients which keep the cell membranes protected from any kind of damage and facilitates the message transfer from one part to another, thus preserving the memory function.
4.HELPS IN IRON PRODUCTION:
We all require iron for proper functioning in our day to day life. However, too much iron in the body is not a good sign. The content of nasunin that is present in eggplant helps remove excess iron from the body. This brings down the risk of getting heart attacks as it damages the existence of the free radicals in one’s system.
5.FACILITATES WEIGHT LOSS:
Eggplant is considered to be high in water content yet low in calorie count. This feature makes it very ideal as a healthy diet for people who want to reduce weight. The spongy texture of the vegetable is what facilitates these characteristics, hence one must consume in its natural form as much as possible.
6. HELPS INDIGESTION:
The digestive system is kept healthy and safe because of the good content of fiber in brinjals. This prevents constipation as well. The risk of colon cancer is also eliminated.
7. KEEPS CHRONIC DISEASES AT BAY:
Eggplant reduces the chance of cardiovascular diseases and strokes.
8. HELPS QUIT SMOKING:
Eggplant has a small amount of nicotine which helps those who want to gradually quit smoking.
9. ANTIBACTERIAL PROPERTIES:
The eggplant has good amounts of vitamin C which makes it an effective anti-viral and anti-bacterial source.
Skin Benefits of Eggplant/Brinjal:
10. FLAWLESS SKIN:
Eggplants are very rich in minerals, vitamins, and dietary fiber. This helps keep the system clean from within which reflects in the form of flawless skin outside.
11. GLOWING SKIN:
Eggplants have a good amount of water content. This helps in keeping your body and skin well hydrated. The minerals and vitamins also help give a clear and smooth tone.
12. SOFT AND SUPPLE SKIN:
The water content found in eggplants helps keep your skin soft and supple.
The skin of eggplants has a lot of anthocyanins. These antioxidants act as anti-aging agents.
14. PREVENTS SKIN CANCER:
A particular antioxidant found in eggplant helps prevent skin cancer. HAIR BENEFITS OF EGGPLANT/BRINJAL:
15. STRONG HAIR:
The water content of eggplants nourishes your hair roots from within. This, in turn, helps keep your hair stronger.
16. HYDRATED SCALP:
Eggplants come with a good amount of minerals and vitamins which give nourishment to your scalp and keep it healthy. Hence it keeps scalp-related problems at bay.
17. HAIR GROWTH:
Eggplants come with enzymes that help stimulate the follicles of your hair. This generates good hair growth and makes your hair healthier.
18. HAIR TEXTURE:
People with rough and dry hair should eat more eggplants. It helps give a healthy shine to your hair while improving its overall texture.
Do you cringe every time you are asked to have tomato soup? Well, tomatoes are filled with nutrients and antioxidants that help combat several diseases as well as keep your health in good shape.
Improves vision: Vitamin A, present in tomatoes, helps to improve your eyesight as well as prevent night-blindness and macular degeneration.
Helps fight cancer: According to studies, tomatoes contain large amounts of the antioxidant lycopene, that is effective in lowering the risk of cancer, especially lung, stomach and prostrate cancers.
Maintaining blood health: Research suggests that a single tomato can provide about 40% of the daily vitamin C requirement and also contains vitamin A, potassium, and iron that is essential for maintaining normal blood health. Vitamin K, which is controls bleeding and blood clotting, tomatoes help in blood circulation.
Reduces risk of heart disease: The lycopene in tomatoes can protect you against cardiovascular diseases. Consuming tomatoes regularly helps decrease the levels of cholesterol and triglyceride in the blood, reducing the deposition of fats in the blood vessels.
Good for digestion: Eating tomatoes daily can keep your digestive system healthy as it prevents both, constipation and diarrhoea. It also prevents jaundice and effectively removes toxins from the body.
Skin: Collagen is an essential component of the skin, hair, nails, and connective tissue.
The production of collagen in the body is reliant on vitamin C. A deficiency of vitamin C can lead to scurvy. As vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, a low intake is associated with increased damage from sunlight, pollution, and smoke.
This can lead to wrinkles, sagging skin, blemishes, and other adverse health effects of the skin.
Pregnancy: Adequate folate intake is essential before and during pregnancy to protect against neural tube defects in infants.
Folic acid is the synthetic form of folate. It is available in supplements but can also be boosted through dietary measures.
While it is recommended that women who are pregnant take a folic acid supplement, tomatoes are a great source of naturally-occurring folate. This applies equally for women who may become pregnant in the near future.
The pancreas is an essential part of our digestive system. It works to convert our food into energy. It is a powerful organ that plays a significant role in controlling diabetes and making digestion better. It also works to produce insulin in the body. With weak pancreas, it is not new to know that we will undoubtedly end up in the toilet with disturbed digestion and even with upset sugar levels in the body. This is so because the pancreas is considered beneficial in making digestive enzymes in our body, which is required to break down fat in the body. If this does not happen in the system, we may end up feeling sluggish, heavy, constipated and acidic. Hence, it is essential to understand how important it is for us to keep our pancreas healthy.
Keep a check on your caffeine intake
It is essential to keep the body hydrated. Lack of water in the body can lead to many digestive problems. This can directly damage the pancreas. The problem can increase if you start consuming more quantity of tea or coffee. This is because caffeine leads to dehydration, which can further lead to inflammation in the pancreas. Get into the habit of drinking 8 to 10 glasses of water a day. Make it a point that you are not gulping down caffeine while working in the office as it can slowly damage your pancreas leading to several health concerns.
Do not eat junk food
Eating junk food can not only cause stomach problems but can lead to obesity and food poisoning. Regular intake of junk food can cause problems in the production of digestive enzymes in the pancreas. In such a situation, distance should be kept from the consumption of junk food for the healthy pancreas.
Do not let gas form in the stomach
Whenever our stomach is heavy, or gas starts forming, there is a risk several other digestive related problems to happen. Also, stomach gas can be extremely unpleasing, uncomfortable and challenging to handle as you never know what can happen the next second if you sneeze or anything. You certainly don't want to get into a situation like this. So to avoid stomach gas to form, do not sit for long hours, keep having water and take a high-fibre diet for the digestive system to function correctly. We say this because stomach acid reflux can have a negative effect on the pancreas. Some remedies like lemon, ginger and celery can help reduce the chances of stomach gas.
Eat these vegetables for sure
Our food has positive and negative effects on our body. In such a situation, to keep the pancreas healthy, we should take vegetables, which can help to improve gut health. For this, you can include vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and radish in your diet. Garlic has anti-inflammatory properties, which can be very beneficial for the pancreas.
Sweet potato is a versatile root vegetable thatis great for weight loss. Unlike the regular starchy potato, it is loaded with proteins, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It can easily be usedas a substitute for normal potatoes. This vegetable witha high satiety indexis scientifically proven to aid weight loss . Wondering what makes the sweet potato diet so good for weight loss? Read on to find out.
The sweet potato diet, as the name suggests, requires you to incorporate sweet potatoes into your diet. It also includes other fat-burning foods – like yogurt and vegetables- and high-fiber foods.
How Sweet Potatoes Aid Weight Loss
Low In Calories
Sweet potatoes are surprisingly low in calories. One sweet potato (5”, 130 g) contains only 112 calories. One of the main factors that affect weight loss is maintaining a negative energy balance. This means you need to consume fewer calories and burn more. Two sweet potatoes have around 250 calories. Therefore, they will fill you up and keep your hunger pangs at bay.
High In Dietary Fiber
Sweet potatoes are rich in dietary fiber. One sweet potato (130g) provides around 4 g of fiber. Dietary fiber aids weight loss by forming a gel-like mesh in the stomach. This makes you feel full, curbs hunger, and prevents you from overeating.
Purple sweet potato starch can be used to produce resistant starch (RS) . A study conducted on rats found that resistant starch escapes digestion and gets fermented in the gut. This releases short-chain fatty acids that stimulate the secretion of peptide hormones that regulate satiety and help you cut down on your calorie intake, thus aiding weight loss.
Energy-Rich Good Carbs
Carbohydrates should not be ignored totally. They provide the energy to do various functions (5). To expend the calories you consume, you should have enough energy to walk around, take the stairs instead of the elevator, and work out regularly. If your body is deprived of carbs, you will not have the energy to keep yourself active and healthy.
Low Glycemic Index
Glycemic index is a number given to food depending on the glucose spike it causes in the body after a meal. If a particular food causes a high blood glucose spike, it means it has a high glycemic index. This indicates that consuming too much of that food can cause type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance.
Though sweet potatoes are sweet, they have a low glycemic index. The glycemic index of boiled sweet potato ranges from 44 to 61, of baked sweet potato is 94, and of roasted sweet potato is 82. So, you can consume them without worrying about blood glucose spikes.
High Water Content
Sweet potatoes have high water content. This is another reason they can aid in effective weight loss. Dehydration slows down your metabolism. Consuming sweet potatoes helps rehydrate your cells and kick-start metabolism.
Lastly, a randomized control trial study showed a positive relationship between white sweet potato intake and improvement in anthropometric measurements (body weight, BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, etc.).