Cashew Nut 'A Healthy Snack'

Cashew nuts are a delicious snack and have many health benefits. 

They are high in calories,100 g of nuts provide 553 calories. They are packed with soluble dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals and numerous health-promoting phyto-chemicals that help protect from diseases and cancers.

Cashew nut contains polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat, which is high. Both of these fats can increase your body's health. Cashew nuts also contain phosphorus, magnesium, copper, and high amounts of tryptophan. In addition, nuts are a source of vitamin B, potassium, and folic acid.

Cashew nut contains more than 80 nutrients, Cashew nuts have no cholesterol, so it is good for people with heart problems. In addition, there are also monounsaturated fat content that helps produce good cholesterol and improve blood circulation.

Cashews contain less saturated fat than other nuts such as almonds and walnuts.

Iron and calcium is also found in cashew nuts, although in small quantities.

Cashews contain 5 g of protein for every ounce. In addition, cashew nuts also contain 82.5 mg (21 percent of the daily intake) of magnesium, which is protective against high blood pressure and works with calcium to promote strong bone structure. Cashew nuts can increase blood pressure, but this only occurs in cashew nuts that contain sodium (salt) in high numbers. So, for people who have high blood pressure, you should look for cashew nuts that contain little or no salt at all.

Cashew nuts also contain high fiber so good for digestion and help you lose weight if consumed in moderation (too much eating cashew nuts actually cause weight gain).

Cashew’s has high copper content is vital in energy production, greater flexibility in blood vessels, bones and joints.

Cashew nut consumption helps the body utilize iron, eliminate free radicals, develop bone and connective tissue, and produce the skin and hair pigment melanin.

Cashews may help increase oxygen to the brain. Cashew nuts play an important role in enhancing memory. This is because of polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats for the production of brain cells. The brain relies on two types of fat, and cashews have a high content of both fat.

Coconut Water Improves Blood Flow

The liquid contained in young coconuts is called coconut water. This juice is delicious and very nutritious but it is a natural energy beverage with tremendous benefits for our health. Coconut water nutrition facts prove the benefits of this tropical liquid. Its caloric value is 17.4 per 100 gm.

The most essential thing about coconut water is low content of carbohydrates and sugar, 99% free from fats. These qualities of the juice determine its first position among dietary drinks. As a natural isotonic drink coconut water has the same level of the electrolyte balance, as plasma of blood has. Thus, it is proven to be a universal natural donor.

It contains a lot of vitamins and minerals that are necessary for healthy human nutrition. Its composition is high in Thiamine, Magnesium,  Niacin, Phosphorus, Vitamin B12, Iron, Vitamin B6, Potassium, Folate, Zinc, Pantothenic acid, Sodium, Riboflavin, Calcium Manganese.

Natural coconut water contains five key electrolytes: sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus . The minerals potassium and magnesium are known to help reduce high blood pressure. Coconut water is packed with potassium, more than found in one banana.

Coconut water help dilate blood vessels, improves blood flow, and reduces plaque formation, it is of benefit to diabetics.

This beverage is recommended to drink as a preventive means against a number of diseases.  Coconut water can help increase good cholesterol, regulates blood pressure and cholesterol levels perfectly, maintaining in good condition the cardiovascular system. 

Coconut water is the richest natural source of cytokinins, research have suggested the possibility that consuming a rich source of cytokinins such as coconut water may produce anti-aging effect on the body, reducing risk of developing degenerative and age related disease.

Coconut water has a therapeutic effect on the urinary and reproductive systems, it is reported to clear up bladder infection, remove kidney stones and improve sexual vitality.

Coconut water is promoted as a natural sports drink that can be consumed before, during, or after a workout to provide optimal replenishment and rehydration applicable for all levels of activity. 

It is considered not only a refreshing beverage but a health tonic.

It is important to know that benefits of this liquid are numerous and they ought to be a part of any healthy lifestyle.
 

Cucumber 'Cleanses and Beautifies The Skin'

Eating a cucumber is like drinking a glass of water. Fresh cucumbers are available throughout the season and can be eaten raw as is or in vegetable salads or juicing.

It is one of the very low calorie vegetables; provide just 15 calories per 100 g. It contains no saturated fats or cholesterol.

Cucumber peel is a good source of dietary fiber that helps digestive problems like heartburn, acidity, gastritis and even ulcers can be cured by the daily consumption of fresh cucumber juice. These benefits of cucumber are availed due to its Dietary fibers which drive away the toxins from the digestive system and hence promote the digestive process. Daily consumption of cucumbers can be regarded as a remedy for constipation.

It is a very good source of potassium,  a heart friendly electrolyte helps bring a reduction in total blood pressure and heart rates by countering effects of sodium.

Cucumbers contains unique anti-oxidants in moderate ratios such as ß-carotene and α-carotene, vitamin-C, vitamin-A, zea-xanthin and lutein. These compounds help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging and various disease processes.

They surprisingly have a high amount of vitamin K.  Vitamin-K has been found to have a potential role in bone strength by promoting osteotrophic (bone mass building) activity. It also has established role in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease patients by limiting neuronal damage in their brain.

Keeps you hydrated,  If you are too busy to drink enough water, munch on the cool cucumber, which is 96 percent water. It will cheerfully compensate!

Fights heat, both inside and out. Apply cucumber on your skin, and you get relief from sunburn.

All that water in cucumber acts as a virtual broom, sweeping waste products out of your system, flushes out toxins. With regular use, cucumber is known to dissolve kidney stones. Keeps kidneys in shape. Cucumber lowers uric acid levels in your system, keeping the kidneys happy.

Lavishes you with vitamins. A, B and C, which boost immunity, give you energy, and keep you radiant. Give it more power by juicing cucumber with carrot and spinach.

Supplies skin-friendly minerals: magnesium, potassium, silicon. That’s why cucumber-based treatments abound in spas.

Aids in weight loss. Enjoy cucumbers in your salads and soups.

Revives the eyes. Placing chilled slices of cucumber on the eyes is a clichéd beauty visual, but it really helps reduce under-eye bags and puffiness.

Refreshes the mouth. Cucumber juice refreshes and heals diseased gums, leaving your mouth smelling good.

Smooths hair and nails. Silica, the wonder mineral in cucumber makes your hair and nails stronger and shinier.

Good for diabetics. Patients of diabetes can enjoy cucumber while also reaping its health benefits: cucumber contains a hormone needed by the cells of the pancreas for producing insulin.

Reduces cholesterol. A compound called sterols in cucumber helps reduce bad cholesterol.

It turns out many of the benefits of cucumber. Let's always keep in the kitchen and then reap the benefits every day.

Cabbage 'An Excellent Food to Prevent Cancer'

 Cabbage is a healthy and inexpensive vegetable choice. It also tastes great and can be used in many different ways. You can enjoy the spicy taste and crunchy texture of raw cabbage or the sweetness of cooked cabbage. If cooked, it is best to do so just slightly. Prolonged cooking destroys most of the nutrients. When eaten raw, it delivers plenty of nutrients into the body. It can be used in raw form in various salad mixes.

Vitamins in the vegetable are C, E, A, B1, B2, B6, K and folic acid. Mineral content includes calcium, sulfur, iron, magnesium, phosphorous and potassium. It also contains trace amounts of iron, copper, manganese, selenium and zinc. It has several beneficial effects when integrated in the diet.

Cabbage is widely regarded as an excellent food to help prevent cancer. It has been established that fresh cabbage juice has beneficial effects in the treatment of various cancers. When taken daily, it helps to treat colon, stomach, lung, breast and ovarian cancers.  Cabbage has a compound called sulforaphane that protects cells from carcinogenic attacks. It has also been proven to be an effective treatment for ulcers within the digestive tract.

Due to the presence of high water contents, it is very low in fat, calories and rich source of dietary fiber, so it is the best food for weight loss and health conscious people. It also stimulates the digestive system and prevent constipation.

Cabbage is rich in various phytonutrients, which helps support the immune system. They reduce the harmful activities of free radicals and toxins.

The presence of potassium helps to control heart beat rate and blood pressure and iron is necessary for the formation of red blood cells. It also contains manganese, which is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase.

Cabbage is widely recognized as a rich source of antioxidants. It is  rich in vitamin C, which has anti-oxidation properties. Antioxidants enhance the body’s capacity to fight infections and diseases and capture free radicals that can be harmful to healthy cells.                                                              

Cabbage has many other health benefits like to treat acne, eczema or psoriasis, mastitis, reduce the risk of gestational diabetes, helps in detoxification of the body, treatment of fungus infection and gastritis, rheumatism, gout, renal calculi, useful in headache, asthma, bronchitis and prevention of anemia.

 

Tips for cooking

• Remove outer leaves and rinse cabbage well.

• To keep cabbage fresh, don’t cut it until just before you use it. 

• To shred cabbage, cut the head into four quarters and cut out the hard stalk in the middle. Cut each quarter into fine shreds.

• You can  shred, pickle, bake, steam, stir-fry or boil cabbage 

So start eating cabbage to get all these amazing above said health benefits

BEAUTY AND DIET ‘WITHIN AND OUTSIDE’

The best way to glow is from within – and that means eating right. So think twice about filling up that beauty drawer with ever more cosmetics and spend the money on these delicious foods instead. Beauty has a lot to do with your diet.

Here’s what to add to your diet to improve the health of your skin

Eat your vegetables! Think of interesting ways of getting your five a day, perhaps a fruit smoothie at breakfast, or eating raw vegetable sticks with dips for your snacks. Delicious and good for you. Eating any tomato-based foods such as sauce and tomato juice may help clear up acne. “Lycopene [the phytochemical that makes tomatoes red] may lower an acne-promoting hormone,” Lycopene and other carotenoids found in orange to reddish-coloured fruits and vegetables can help improve the skin’s antioxidant status

Drink plenty of water! It flushes out the toxins, and makes your skin glow. The cheapest yet most effective skincare product! If you’re thirsty, so is your skin! It’s essential to drink plenty of water (filtered or spring water) every day, but juicy fruits and vegetables (like apples, strawberries, watermelons and celery) help with your hydration needs. Eat for great skin

Get plenty of sleep! Get about 8 hours or more per night of proper, uninterupted sleep. This can be difficult if you're a shift worker or have young children

Antioxidants! These protect your skin from the damaging effects of UV radiation and may help prevent skin cancer. Foods high in antioxidants include green tea, citrus fruits,  blueberries, prunes and leafy green vegetables like kale and spinach

Selenium! This mineral is used by your body to create a protein with antioxidant properties. The absolute best source for selenium is a handful of brazil nuts. If you can’t find those, other nuts will do. Fish, turkey, whole wheat pasta and brown rice will also help, but nothing compares to nuts!

Omega-3 Fatty Acids! Omega-3′s maintain healthy cell membranes to keep your cells hydrated and free of toxins. Fish, walnut, and flax seed oil are among the best sources.

Everything you eat becomes a part of not only your inner being, but the outer fabric of your body as well. The healthier the foods are that you consume, the better your skin will look.

The reverse is true as well,  The less attention we pay to what goes in our mouth, the more problems we may see cropping up with our skin