Milk - top source of vitamin D

22. July 2011
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Milk is the primary source of vitamin D in the American diet, supplying nearly half of all of the much-needed vitamin, a new research says.

Using the latest national data on what more than 16,000 Americans aged two and older eat, researchers investigated the contribution of each food group to the total vitamin D intake.

No other food item came close to the vitamin D contribution of milk. In fact, for kids aged two to 18, milk provided nearly two-thirds of all vitamin D in the diet.

"There are few true replacements for the nutrient package you find in one glass of fat free or low fat milk," said Keith Ayoob, registered dietitian and paediatric nutrition expert.

"Without milk in the diet, it's hard to meet a number of nutrient needs - most notably vitamin D," he added.

Well known for its role in keeping bones strong, vitamin D is now being hailed for so much more.

Emerging evidence suggests vitamin D may also help protect against diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and certain cancers. It also supports a healthy immune system.

Despite a potential upside of boosting vitamin D levels, Americans of all ages still fall short of their vitamin D needs and this deficiency may put their health at risk.

Experts recommend 400 IU of vitamin D each day - the amount in four glasses of fat free or low fat milk, a release of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) said.

It's one more reason to grab another glass of milk, according to new research presented at the Experimental Biology conference in Anaheim, California.

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Foods that fight cholesterol

19. July 2011
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Take to healthy foods that fight cholesterol and keep the heart healthy, urges dietician Ishi Khosla

Oats:
Dietary fibre plays an important role in maintaining our health and protecting us against many diseases like diabetes, heart disease. Oats, oat bran, and oatmeal contain a specific type of fibre known as beta-glucan. It is a soluble fibre that helps in decreasing LDL (bad cholesterol). One of the special things about the way oats work unlike other fibres is that it lowers only bad cholesterol while levels of good cholesterol (HDL) remain unchanged. This means an even better ratio between total cholesterol and HDL, ensuring increased protection against heart disease. Oatmeal is the only wholegrain food recognised by the FDA to lower cholesterol and the risk of heart disease, thereby allows its claim as a heart protective ingredient in food labels. Studies also show that in individuals with high cholesterol (above 220 mg/dl), consuming just 3 grams of soluble oat fibre per day (an amount found in a bowl of oatmeal) typically lowers total cholesterol.

Soyabean:
Soy protein protects against various heart diseases and hypercholesterolemia as it decreases LDL (bad cholesterol) significantly, increases HDL (good cholesterol) and prevents oxidation of bad cholesterol to prevent oxidation in blood vessels.

Green tea:
Several studies have suggested that drinking either green or black tea may lower blood cholesterol concentration, blood pressure and inhibit clotting of blood, providing some protection against cardiovascular disease. While green tea benefits arise from catechins, black tea benefits arise from theaflavins, both of which inhibit oxidation of bad cholesterol LDL. Tea contains significant amounts of folic acid. Folic acid helps reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. A person could obtain up to 25 per cent of RDA for folic acid by drinking five cups a day.

Barley ('jau'):
Several scientific researches have found that barley has some unique health-promoting effects, particularly for the heart. Its cholesterol fighting effects seem to be even more promising than oats. Studies suggest that barley can lower cholesterol levels as much as 15 per cent in individuals with elevated cholesterol levels.
Like oats, barley too is a good source of "beta glucan", a water soluble form of fibre, which seems to retard fat and cholesterol absorption by the intestine. The fibre tends to bind bile salts, thus increasing cholesterol removal from the body, and fat soluble substances, tocotrienols (vitamin E) appear to suppress cholesterol synthesis by the liver.

Psyllium husk:
The good old 'Isabgol' is high in insoluble fiber (hemi-cellulose) and soluble fibre. Psyllium has also been known to exhibit cardio-protective role as it helps in lowering blood cholesterol, especially the undesirable fraction of serum cholesterol, lowdensity lipoprotein (LDL), triglycerides, apo-lipoprotein B and reducing inflammation. Cholesterol lowering properties of psyllium can be attributed to its high fibre content and presence of beta-sitosterol (a phyto-chemical).

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Onion skins reduce diabetes, cancer risk

16. July 2011
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Next time around while you're in the kitchen don't throw away the dry onion skin, as it are rich in compounds that are beneficial for human health', according to scientists.

According to the researchers, the brown skin and external layers are rich in fibre and flavonoids, while the discarded bulbs contain sulphurous compounds and fructans.

"One solution could be to use onion waste as a natural source of ingredients with high functional value, because this vegetable is rich in compounds that provide benefits for human health", said Vanesa Benitez, a researcher at the Department of Agricultural Chemistry at the Autonomous University of Madrid (Spain).

Benitez''s research group worked with scientists from Cranfield University ( United Kingdom) to carry out laboratory experiments to identify the substances and possible uses of each part of the onion.

According to the study, the brown skin could be used as a functional ingredient high in dietary fibre (principally the non-soluble type) and phenolic compounds, such as quercetin and other flavonoids (plant metabolites with medicinal properties). The two outer fleshy layers of the onion also contain fibre and flavonoids.

"Eating fibre reduces the risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal complaints, colon cancer, type-2 diabetes and obesity", added the researcher.

Phenolic compounds, meanwhile, help to prevent coronary disease and have anti-carcinogenic properties. The high levels of these compounds in the dry skin and the outer layers of the bulbs also give them high antioxidant capacity.

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Veg diet can help keep toxins away

15. July 2011
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Sticking to vegetables for five days a week can significantly reduce the body's amount of antibiotics and phthalates – a common chemical added to plastics – says a new research.

To come up with the conclusion, researchers in Korea quizzed participants to stay at a Buddhist temple for five days, during which time they ate a vegetarian diet.

The researchers analyzed urine samples before and after the stay, and found that levels of the chemicals dropped dramatically by the end of the experiment, reports Discovery News.

The boffins also measured the participants' diets before the study and found that what they ate 48 hours prior to the study was related to the amount of the chemicals found in their urine.

"A significant correlation was found between food consumption and the urinary levels of several antibiotics and phthalates," they said. "Although the exposure to target compounds might be influenced by other behavioral patterns, these results suggest that even short-term changes in dietary behavior may significantly decrease inadvertent exposure to antibiotics and phthalates and hence may reduce oxidative stress levels."

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Health benefits of corn

8. July 2011
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With bhuttawalas putting up makeshift stalls at almost every corner in the neighbourhood during the rains, most people love to have this healthy snack.

Corn is high in nutrients, which are extremely beneficial for you. Rich in Vitamin B1, which is used in the metabolism of carbohydrates, Vitamin B5, which helps with physiological functions, folate, that helps generating new cells and Vitamin C, which helps fight diseases, corn should be a must in your diet.

Corn is also high in fibre, which helps you fight digestive problems like constipation. Fibre also helps lower cholesterol levels, reduces the risk of colon cancer and is also useful in helping to lower blood sugar levels in diabetics. Folic acid present in corn is known to prevent neural-tube birth defects. Experts also recommend corn for people who suffer from Anaemia. Make a delicious and easy side dish — corn sauteed with green chillies and onions not only tastes good but is healthy, too!

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Lemongrass, a bounty of health

7. July 2011
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Lemongrass is a herb cherished for its aroma and citrus-cum-ginger taste. It is also known as citronella and its botanical name is cymbopogon ciatrus. It is widely used in Asian cuisines, especially Thai, Malaysian and Vietnamese. Besides culinary purposes, lemongrass possesses a lot of medical and health benefits. Some of them are as follows:

Lemongrass contains anti-microbial and anti-bacterial properties. It is useful in treating infections of the stomach, colon, urinary tract and wounds.

It helps to cure diseases like typhoid, skin infections, food poisoning and body odour.

Because it contains analgesic properties, lemongrass oil helps in relieving pain from headaches, joint pains and muscle pains.

Lemongrass possesses anti-pyretic properties that is beneficial in bringing down fever. Therefore, lemongrass is administered to people having fever.

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