Health Benefits Of Honey

Honey is considered to be an elixir of life. This lustrous brown liquid works wonders for your health in more than one ways.

 

Honey is considered to be an elixir of life. This lustrous brown liquid works wonders for your health in more than one ways.

1. Immunity booster

The antioxidants and anti bacterial properties that honey contains, aids the improvement of the digestive system. Consuming this liquid can help boost your immune system and keep you healthy and fit in life.

2. Skin Care

Variety of beauty products available in the market contains honey as their prime ingredient. Honey not only helps to smoothen your skin but also keeps acne at bay. The anti-bacterial properties of this liquid can give your skin a nourishing look and feel.

3. Aids Weight Loss

Experts recommend eating honey mixed with warm water every morning. This unique combination helps you digest the fat in your body and aid the weight loss process.

4. Cancer preventive properties

Honey contains a number of antioxidants and flavanoids that help diminish the risk of a few types of cancer. These antioxidants kill the collagen in the body.

5. Vitamins and Minerals

Honey is rich in a number of vitamins and minerals too. Vitamin C, Calcium and Iron are primarily derived from this golden ingredient.

6. Relaxes the throat

A commonly known benefit of eating honey is the soothing effect it provides to the throat. You must consume it or gargle with a honey and water mixture when you have a sore throat. It is known to kill the infection causing bacteria, reliving you of the irritation.

7. Healing Properties

Honey is considered to be a natural healer when applied to wounds. It cures the wound by killing the bacteria and cleans the infection too. The antibacterial property it contains does this magic to any kind of injury.

8. Induces Sleep

Enjoying a sound sleep is a problem for many especially amongst the older people. Drinking a glass of warm milk mixed with honey can solve your problem. This mixture is known to soothe you and induces sleep too.
Consuming a spoonful of honey on a daily basis can help you extract a number of golden benefits from this thick liquid. Making this tad bit effort can shower your body with miraculous benefits and promise a healthy life too.

Drink Red Wine: Red wine is made from skin of grapes which contains resveratrol and other phytochemicals that have antioxidant and anti inflammatory properties. Researches show that a glass of wine a day can prevent a wide range of cancers like leukaemia, skin as well as breast cancer. 

 

Eat Dark Chocolate: Flavonoids like pentamer, present in cocoa, has cancer-fighting properties. Dark chocolate is rich in cocoa and is certainly one of the tastiest ways to help you stay away from cancer. Pollution, radiations and bad living habits pave the way for various kinds of cancer. To effectively combat cancer, adopt a way of living that is pure and simple

 

Avoid Processed Foods: Numerous studies have shown that processed foods and sugar can significantly increase the risk of cancer. Maintaining a healthy diet rich in all nutrients and supplements is one of the basic steps to fight cancer.

 

Get Some Exercise: An inactive lifestyle with no exercise can drastically increase the odds of cancer. Regular exercise strengthens the immune system and helps in the regulation of chemicals, enzymes and hormones in the body.

 

Sleep Soundly: The human body requires a minimum of 8 hours of sleep to regulate all of its functions properly. Regular sleep helps in maintaining a healthy endocrine system and its ability to fight cancer. It is also essential to sleep in complete darkness to promote a healthy endocrine system.

 

Add Garlic to Your Meals: Garlic has very powerful antioxidant properties. It also strengthens the immune system and helps to prevent cancer. Various studies have shown that garlic can exponentially decrease the odds of stomach cancer.

 

Reduce Hazardous Interactions: There are a variety of environmental factors that can cause cancer. Radiation from mobile phones and other electronic devices can increase the chances of cancer. Limit your exposure to the minimum to combat cancer

 

Eat Broccoli: Broccoli is one of the superfoods which can help you effectively prevent cancer. However, it is not recommended to microwave broccoli as it destroys its anticarcinogenic flavonoids. It is best to boil broccoli or eat it raw as a snack. 

 

Pick power fruits: "I make smoothies with pomegranates and blueberries because my research shows that both these fruits contain compounds that can slow the growth of certain types of cancer cells." -Shuian Chen, Ph.D., director, Tumor Cell Biology Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope

 

Keep the scale steady: "More than 90,000 cancer deaths a year occur due to being overweight. Carrying as little as 10 extra pounds may increase your production of sex hormones like estrogen, raising your risk for breast and uterine cancers. I step on the scale every few days. If the number creeps up, I try to exercise a little more or eat a little less to get back on track." -Ann Kulze, M.D., director, Prevent Cancer Foundation

Go Greek! "My diet is mostly Mediterranean-plenty of fruits, vegetables, fish, olive oil, whole grains, nuts, and legumes. People who eat this way, exercise regularly, and don't smoke cut their odds of getting cancer by at least 60 percent."-Lorenzo Cohen, Ph.D., director, MD Anderson Cancer Center's Integrative Medicine Program

 

Watch your mouth: "Oral cancers are on the rise among people ages 20 to 40, which we believe is because of HPV spread through oral sex. I always look for unusual changes in my patient's mouth, like sores or blisters on the cheeks, tongue, or lips. It usually takes less than two minutes. If your dentist doesn't already do this, ask her to start." -Gigi Meinecke, D.M.D., a dentist in Potomac, Maryland

 

Spice things up: "Cooking meat over high temps creates carcinogenic compounds called heterocyclic amines, or HCA. I marinate meat and add herbs before grilling. Our studies show that doing this can slash levels of HCA by 40 percent." -J. Scott Smith, Ph.D., chair, Kansas State University's Food Graduate Program 

 

 

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Drink ‘natural’ this summer

Ditch the colas and cold coffees, beat the heat with these natural drinks!

Drink healthy this summer!

Yes, it’s heating up. You are sweating, dehydrated and tired. Do not reach for that cola yet. We have some refreshing, natural options for you!

 

Drink ‘natural’ this summer

Ditch the colas and cold coffees, beat the heat with these natural drinks!

Drink healthy this summer!

Yes, it’s heating up. You are sweating, dehydrated and tired. Do not reach for that cola yet. We have some refreshing, natural options for you!

Say NO to cola/aerated drinksWell, all those cold colas stacked up in the corner shop looks tempting. Skip it! It’s loaded with sugar and is bad for you in so many ways.

 

Say YES to Fresh fruit smoothies
Try fresh fruit smoothies instead. Buy some strawberries, bananas, mangoes or any other fruit you like. Wash, cut and blend in a mixer with cold milk/yoghurt. Keep some ice handy, add and drink.

 

Say NO to ice-creamWhile ice-cream or ice-candy can bring you temporary relief from the pains of soaring heat, they do no good for your body.

 

Say YES to Butter milk Packaged buttermilk is available aplenty today. Ditch the sugar-loaded packaged fruit juice and grab that masaledar buttermilk or chaas, as we call it!

 

Say NO to packaged juice Packaged juice might not be that bad after all. But why go there when you have better options at hand.

 

Say YES to Kokum juice
Give kokum juice or kokum sherbet, as it is referred to colloquially a shot this summer. It is easily available in powder and decoction form. And kokum can do you a lot of good. It helps prevent dehydration, improves digestion and appetite. What more? It is known to fight infection, cleanse the blood and is good for your cardiovascular health.

 

Say NO to soft drinksJuice concentrates have a host of preservatives and are loaded with sugar.

 

Say YES to Chamomile tea
Try chamomile tea instead. Brew a kettle full of chamomile, and put in the refrigerator. Pour some in a cup, add a spoonful of honey and slurp! It will hydrate you instantly, and also soothe your nerves! 

 

Say NO to Coffee Hot or cold, doesn’t matter. Coffee can be really bad for you during the summer. It increases body heat and will further dehydrate you.

 

Say YES to Barley water
Barley has cooling properties, which is why barley water helps bring down body heat. It’s an excellent substitute for chai or any other drink for that matter. It cleanses your kidney and keeps it free of toxins.
If you don’t enjoy the tatse, add a dash of lime to the drink like the English do. Or add a spoonful of jeera while you’re boiling barley. This can add a welcome zing to your drink.
We suggest you drink while its warm like you would have your kadak chai… yes, even in this weather.

 

Say NO to Kadak ChaiKadak chai in summer does you no good. In summer, your favourite chai will leave you feeling tired instead of pepping you up.

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15 Things You Didn't Know About Fruits

Fruits are indispensable. Its fiber, water, minerals, vitamins, phytonutrients, antioxidants keep us well. But did you know these 15 uncommon facts?

 

Watermelon beats the scorching summer heat with 95% water and its electrolytes. It wards off unwanted pesticides with its think rind and harbours enormous vitamin A, lycopene and an antioxidant - glutathione preroxidase present at the red pulpy area close to the rind. The white rind which we commonly discard as tasteless contains Citrulline, an amino acid that produces the vasodilator - nitric oxide.  The ability of citrulline to convert to L-arginine promotes heart health. It is worthy to note the edible watermelon seeds hide tryptophan, B vitamins and are relatively rich in proteins and lipids. 

 

Cantaloupe/muskmelon is an excellent source of phytochemicals – vitamin A and C. Lesser known is it being rich in an enzymatic antioxidant known as superoxide dismutase (SOD) which is essential for maintaining strong defence with enhanced reactive oxygen species scavenging capacity to combat stress in the human body.

 

Kiwi fruit with vitamin C, vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids from its numerous edible seeds have potential properties of a natural blood thinner. It also has a protein-dissolving enzyme actinidin that digests proteins. Skip Kiwi in desserts containing milk or dairy  as it will dissolve milk.

 

Pomegranate an exotic fruit is an antidote for heart ailments due to its polyphenolic anti-oxidant compound - punicalagin. Pomegranate seeds are high in inflammatory fighting elagitannins, quercetin and anthocyanins. Pomegranate tea is known to lower cholesterol and reduce LDL oxidation. What you may have not known is Pomegranate rind or peel extract which is a decoction, is packed with phenolics, flavonoids and proanthocyanidines that is traditionally used to treat diarrhoea, dysentery or intestinal parasites. 

 

Citrus fruits are synonymous to vitamin C and vitality. Well you may be allured with vitamin C loaded orange juice but ascorbic acid on exposure to light and air gets oxidized to dehydroascorbic acid, highly unstable and further breaks down to 2,3-diketo-L-gulonic acid. It is wise to eat citrus fruits whole.

Star fruit, Bilimbi or Carambola with its high vitamin A, vitamin C and zinc content is used as a cure for acne and oily skin. The extract of the fruit possesses antibacterial and antifungal properties. The scientists were awed with high total oxidizing activity or TAA of Star fruit due to proanythocyanidin compound epicatechin.

 

Rope in raw Papaya as meat tenderizer, as it has a powerful digestive enzyme papain/papinase that breaks down tough meat fibres. Marinating meat with chunks of raw papaya, especially the deeply pared skin yields a sumptuous and soft texture to the meat. Papain is also anti-inflammatory.  Unripe papaya in large amounts can be an effective abortant.

 

Amla is a powerhouse of vitamin C, harbouring 20 times more that of an Orange. Many are averse to the pungent - astringent¬ taste of Amla. The vitamin C in Amla is present in a complex form. What is intriguing is Amla retains substantial vitamin C, unlike other sources in spite of drying, powdering or even when boiled for a few minutes. Traditionally, Amla murabba ( Amla soaked in honey) was used early morning for its health benefits.

 

Our own berry of India – Zizyphus, commonly known as Ber or Jujuba is under-utilized. It is very high in vitamin C. The extract of boiled fruit is used medicinally as tea, to treat sore throat. Jujuboside A – a chemical found in Ber is used to treat insomnia and anxiety as the saponins of the extract mimic sedation.

 

Avocado, the only fruit with high fat content of 25% is high in mono-unsaturated fats. It is an antioxidant that increases the good cholesterol - HDL. The seed or pit of the Avocado is rich in nutrition and has a long history of medicinal use in traditional culture. The ground Avocado seed can be used in smoothies and other foods. The aqueous extract of the seed is known to control hyperglycemia(high blood sugar).

 

Pineapple, an excellent source of vitamin C is a natural digestive aid and a meat tenderizer as it contains a proteolytic enzyme - bromelain. It has potent anti-inflammatory properties and significantly alleviates symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, sinusitis, gout, sore throat or inflammation due to surgery or physical injury. It also helps in fat burning and weight loss due to its thermic effect.

 

Guava, a powerhouse of vitamin C, protects us from cold and flu with 4 - 10 times more vitamin C than citrus fruits.. Some are dissuaded from consuming this marvellous fruit due to its seedy core.  Those may seek solace in the rind that contains exceptionally higher levels of vitamin C than the seedy central pulp.

 

Apples contain quercetin an antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties. It also has considerable amounts of pectin, a soluble dietary fibre, known to reduce blood cholesterol level, help burn body fat, improve gut flora and help in binding loose stools, typically therefore used in diarrhoea.

 

Grapes have garnered attention due to its polyphenol - resveratrol that promotes longevity and several antioxidants shielding cardiovascular system. Grapes contain ellagic acid. Anthocyanins, found abundantly in red grapes and Catechins, a type of flavonoid found in green varieties also have health promoting effects. Grapes seeds also offer essential fatty acids and tocopherol.

 

Tamarind pulp is commonly used in Asian cuisine and Worcestershire sauce due to its pleasing sour flavor. It aids constipation due to its laxative effect and is anti-helmintic, antibacterial and hypolipidemic. The fruit may promote eye health as it moistens cornea and researchers are investigating its chemical content similar to mucin that is known to wet the eye.
Some fruits like apple, banana, when cut turn brown on exposure to air. This unappealing browning can be avoided by coating the sliced fruit with a layer of sugar, salt or lime juice.
Fruits in rainbow colors synergistically boost immunity, revive and rejuvenate health and well-being.

 

 

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NASA probes reach moon for gravity-mapping mission

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Two robotic probes began orbiting the moon Sunday in preparation for an unprecedented mission to map the lunar interior.
NASA's twin Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory, or GRAIL, spacecraft wrapped up 2.6-million-mile journey to put themselves into lunar orbit on Saturday and Sunday.
Over the next two months, the probes' 34-mile-high orbits will be adjusted to get them into optimal position to measure the pushes and pulls of the moon's gravity, data that scientists can use to model what is inside the moon.
"Pop the bubbly and toast the moon," NASA wrote on its Twitter feed after the first GRAIL spacecraft finished a 40-minute braking maneuver at 5 p.m. EST (2200 GMT) on New Year's Eve.
The second spacecraft followed suit 25 hours later. Both are needed for the intricate gravity-mapping mission scheduled to begin in March.
"Everything is looking good," NASA wrote as ground control teams received radio signals Sunday confirming the second spacecraft's arrival. "It's going to be a great 2012."
Over the next two months, the probes' orbits will be tweaked until they are flying in formation low over the lunar poles. As the spacecraft fly over denser regions of the moon, they will speed up slightly in response to the extra gravitational tugs.
By constantly measuring changes in the distance between the two craft, scientists can create a gravity map of the moon. The changes in speed will be as subtle as a fraction of a micron per second. A micron is about the width of a red blood cell.

The data will be used to model the moon's interior, a key piece of information still missing despite more than 100 previous missions to the moon, including six human expeditions during NASA's 1969-1972 Apollo program.
Scientists believe the moon formed when an object about the size of Mars smashed into Earth shortly after the formation of the solar system about 4.5 billion years ago. But questions about how the moon evolved remain.
One longstanding question is why the far side of the moon is so different from the side that permanently faces Earth. The near side is filled with large, dark plains formed by ancient volcanic eruptions, while the far side is virtually all highlands.
The mission is scheduled to last 82 days, but if the solar-powered probes, built by Lockheed Martin Corp , survive beyond the next lunar eclipse in June, the $496 million mission could be extended for a more detailed mapping survey.

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At New Delhi's SlutWalk, Women Protest Sexual Violence

On a bright Sunday morning, young women walked the streets of New Delhi without the fear of being ogled or groped. For yesterday's female participants in SlutWalk Delhi, one of a series of marches around the world protesting sexual violence against women, the atmosphere of safety was an exception to daily life in the Indian capital. "People stare at you, they make you feel uncomfortable, and in places where it's very crowded, people take advantage of the crowd and try to molest you," says Trishla Singh, a college student and a coordinator at the event. "On public transportation, going out on the streets, anything that has to do with going out of the house is problematic."
The SlutWalk movement, which started in Toronto in April to protest police indifference to victims of rape, spurred similar marches in the U.S., the U.K. and Australia. In these earlier versions of the event, protesters' clothes were skimpy, the lipstick flaming red and the large crowds exhibitionist in an effort to make their point. In conservative India, the message was the same, but the march through the streets of the capital took a slightly less risquÉ form. "It had to be a little bit toned down because we're talking about a different sociocultural context," says Singh. "If you talk about societal time frame, we are not in the same time as Toronto or the U.S." (Read about women in Saudi Arabia's universities.)
To keep the focus on the message of protesting sexual violence, the name of the march was tweaked in Hindi to "Shameless Front." Armed with placards drawn in marker with slogans like "Stop Staring: This Is Not an Invitation to Rape Me" and "I Have Nothing to Be Ashamed of," the hundreds of protesters hoped to draw attention to the growing problem of harassment and violence that women in India are facing. The number of rape cases reported has grown 678% since the country began keeping statistics 30 years ago; rape is now considered the fastest-growing crime in the country. "There was the feeling that something really needs to be done because we all know that Delhi is highly unsafe for women," says Umang Sabarwal, a college student in New Delhi and chief organizer of the event.
A series of high-profile incidents in the capital in the past year has increased the urgency of the call to action. When a 30-year-old woman was raped going home late at night from her job at an Indian outsourcing company, the public outrage that ensued compelled the police to take action. The employee was gang-raped after being dropped off several hundred yards from her home by a hired-car service. To try to protect women going to and from work late at night in shared cabs, the New Delhi police force required companies to drop female employees at their doorsteps and to install GPS units to ensure that the rule was followed.
Incidents of sexual harassment are, in fact, so frequent on the New Delhi metro that certain cars are restricted to female passengers. Earlier this month, when New Delhi's police commissioner advised women not to travel late at night by themselves, he was criticized by women's groups and the media for not taking women's safety seriously enough. "You hear stories, and there are things that happen that are so normal because they happen to everybody," says Sabarwal. "It's very important for women to assert themselves and reclaim what is rightfully theirs."
The heightened sense that women are at risk is in part due to the increasing friction between old cultural norms and new economic realities, says Sunita Kaistha, head of the Women Work & Health Initiative, a nonprofit based in New Delhi. The economic boom that has encompassed the country has brought more women out of their traditional roles in the home and into the workforce, particularly in urban areas. In New Delhi, Kaistha sees the rise in sexual violence as linked to the rise of women in the workforce. "The culture is very patriarchal, and it's still very difficult for people to accept girls working, traveling, going out at night," she says.
The increasing number of women in the workplace has also put a spotlight on behavior in the office. A survey conducted last year by the Centre for Transforming India, a nonprofit organization in New Delhi, found that a startling 88% of female workers in the country's growing IT and outsourcing industry experienced sexual harassment on the job.
The alarming rise in violence may not mean that there are necessarily more incidents of harassment and rape but that they are finally being reported, says Urvashi Butalia, the founder of the first feminist publishing company in India. "Violence against women has always been prevalent, but it never makes it to the papers," she says. "The changing reality is women are out more, accessing the public space more, so on all fronts it's a much more public phenomenon than it was earlier."
For the participants at the New Delhi SlutWalk, taking what was once an individual struggle for Indian women to the streets was an important first step. "People are talking about it. That's a start," says Singh. "People never used to mention rape or molestation as a problem. It used to be a crime, just like stealing someone's car."

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'I expect a bravery award'

"Madam ke saath saath, controversies ki vajah se mujhe bhi log jaan gaye hain (Thanks to controversies surrounding Madam, I, too, am a known name now)," quips Sohail Rashid over the phone from Lahore. "I typed my name with that of hers on Google and found 10-12 results," he adds. Rashid is PRO to popular Pakistani actor-model Veena Malik, who is now a household name in India.

It is widely perceived in Pakistan that Veena thrives on controversies and scandals. She became the talk of the town courtesy the match-fixing scandal involving her ex-boyfriend and Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Asif.


Try telling her that and she aggressively refutes the charge: "I am already a well-known actor. Why would I employ some tainted person's name to my advantage? If I were a mere babbler, the ICC wouldn't have accepted the evidence I provided against Asif."

She continues: "I seriously expected a bravery award after what I have done. My life isn't secure anymore after these revelations. This is a male-dominated world and they try to cut to size all bold women. In Pakistan, it is a crime to be bold, beautiful and young. And I am all three."

Veena instantly reminds one of the brazen and vocal Rakhi Sawant.



She speaks flawless English, albeit the Punjabi accent (born in Rawalpindi, resides in Lahore). She holds a BA degree in Sociology, Psychology and Persian, unlike most in Pakistani filmdom.

There were reports that she maligned Asif because she wanted to call it even with him as he didn't treat her well. Pat comes the reply: "Rubbish! Did I get him caught on doping allegations earlier in Dubai and the IPL? He is a habitual offender and a wayward vagabond. He has fooled around with many other girls, but I remained silent throughout. I am a 'journalistic' actor, I get my facts right before doing anything."

Born as Zahida Malik, she has earned rude sobriquets like "poor man's Meera" (Pakistani actor who had also acted in Indian movies) and "Viagra Malik".


Her reportedly topless pictures were allegedly uploaded on the Internet by Wasim Akram's fashion shutterbug brother, Naeem Akram. She has recently worked in an Indian Punjabi film, Pind Di Kuri. Veena is also a comedian and mimic artiste of repute. Her political satire, Hum Sab Umeed Say Hain, roughly translated, bears what is known as "double meaning" in India and Pakistan. While it means 'we are hopeful,' it is also a colloquial expression for: 'we are pregnant'. This show, aired on Pakistan's Geo TV, grabbed the highest ratings till she quit it to act in Miss Dunya on another news channel, Dunya TV.

Her parodies of Sherry Rehman, Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice got her loud applause.

Regarding her favourite politician, she says, "The current leadership is a disappointment. The Sharif camp's ratings have declined. If there is any hope for Pakistan, it's Imran Khan. We must give him a chance. He told a conservative Pakistan that partying and having relationships don't have a bearing on one's work." She can't stop praising Pervez Musharraf for his "contribution in foreign policy". "He handled the US tactfully, he started Pakistan's war against terror, and above all, he improved relations with India," she counts.

Amongst Indian political icons her favourite is Mahatma Gandhi. And in cinema, it's Aamir Khan.


"Shah Rukh and Salman are not actors but 'over-actors'. If there's an actor in India today, it is Aamir. And the guy I swoon for is John Abraham. Oh God, he's so good looking!" she gushes.

Her favourite Indian cricketer is Sachin Tendulkar, who, she says, has overshadowed every other cricketer in India. "But if there's a cricketer I deeply admire, it is Brett Lee."

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