Lemon

NUTRITIONAL VALUES OF LEMON(100gm)

100gm of lemon provides

Energy ---29kcals

Carbohydrates --9.32gm

Fiber --2.8gm

Fat -- 0.3gm

Protein -- 1.1gm

Vitamin- C(Ascorbic acid) -- 53mg

Magnesium -- 8mg

Calcium  --26mg

Phosphorous -- 16mg

Potassium - 138mg

Zinc - 0.06mg



Lemon or lime is a fruit which is widely used in many foods for enhancing their  taste.

Lemon juice is either used in the preparatin of sweets or
used in pickles also
Lemon juice is added at the end of many food preparations to enhance their taste.
Adding lemon juice in chicken, fish  preparation helps in increasing the taste of them..The fiber present in chicken and mutton will somewhat dissolve the fiber.So will be digestd quickly.Lemon juice is applied on the raw chicken and mutton

Lemon juice is also added  to chicken and mutton before cooking. By adding to fish it helps in the conversion of amines to ammonium.

Summer special

Lemon sharbath also called lemonade without icecubes.

Lemon flavoured soft drinks and chocolates are coming in the market.

The outer covering layer is used in bakery products and puddings preparation.

Lemon juice is used as a temporary preservative.

Also when they are available in large amounts they are used in preparing jams, squashes.

And finally if you  have more lemons in your  house just put the lemon juice in the  ice trays and store it in the fridge whenever you  want you can add water to the ice cube add some sugar and have lemonade instantly.

Many people use lemon to prevent vomiting during  the journeys.

USE OF LEMON OIL

Cleaner.

• To count large number of papers people use lemon juice itself.
• The oil obtained from the outer shell of lemon is used in cleaning wood and polishing the wood.
• Salt mixed with lemon shells helps in the easy cleaning of copper and brass vessels.
• The detergents and utensils cleaning liquids are prepared using lemon .
• Lime is used in  sanitary kitchen deodorants.
• Grease and other spots can be removed  using lime juice.

Lemon and Lime are different from each other.

The fully ripe and yellow colored one is lemon.

And the one which is half ripe and green in color is lime.

Cantaloupe

Cantaloupe

Cantaloupe is also called muskmelon and rockmelon. It belongs to the same family as gourds ,squashes,cucumber and pumpkins.

Cantaloupe is one of the fruits which should be included in the diet of obese people.

People who want to lose weight must have cantaloupe in their menu.This is because this fruit

contains more water and no cholesterol and even provides less calories .It helps in the retension of water in the body and prevents dehydration.

The provitamin present in it promotes lung health.

A cup of cantaloupe pieces provide only 56kcals.

This  fruit has high content of Beta-carotene in it when consumed gets converted to Vitamin -A .
This Vitamin -A is  good for eyes.Regular consumption of this fruit reduces the occurence of cataract in the older age and helps in providing good eye site.

And more over this fruit has high Vitamin- C (Ascorbic acid(water soluble vitamin)).
Cantaloupe is an excellent source of vitamin -B6, niacin, folic acid and potassium.
1 Cup of cantaloupe provides



Cals     - 56kcals

Protein -1.41gm

Carbohydrates  -13.38gm

Fiber    - 1.28gm

Cholesterol- 0gm

Vitamin-A - 5158International units

Niacin       -  1.13mg

Vitamin-C - 67.52mg

Folate        -27.20mg

Breastfeeding Women nutrition

                                              The Diet of a lactating/nursing/breastfeeding mother must be rich in all the essential nutrients ,calories and fiber.The diet must mainly contain foods that enhances/increases the production of breastmilk. It is known that feeding the newborns with breastmilk until their first birthday provides good resistance power through out their life.The children fed with breast milk will be more resistant to diseases/infections than children fed with bottle/formula milk. I knew this fact by looking at my sisters two daughters.Her first daughter was fed with breastmilk for the first 2 months only.But her second daughter was fed with her milk for 1 to 11/2 years.The second daughter was so stronger and immune to infections than the first one.The breastmlik supplies all the essential nutrients required for the healthy  growth of the baby.


                                                The more frequently you feed the  baby , the more will be the milk production.

Pomegranate

Pomegranate

Pomegranate is one of the most nutritious fruit among all fruits.

Pomegranate is a very good source of vitamin -C, pantothenic acid ,vitamin B5 ,potassium and poly phenols such as tannins and flavonoids.

They are very rich in fiber The poly phenols in this juice are hydrolyzabletannins called ellagitannins.

Another phytochemicals found in this fruit are catechins,gallocatechinsand anthocyanins such as prodephinidns ,delphinidin ,cyanidin and pelargonidin.

The antioxidant capacity of this juice is measured as 286- units per 100gms.

Juice of pomegranate is effective in reducing heart disease.

Extract of fruit can inhibit the proliferation of human breast cancer cells.

Juice of Pomegranate consumption may also inhibit viral infections.

Overall this fruit also has some traditional importance through out the world.

This fruit is considered as a sign of prosperity and fertility in some Asian countries.

Pomegranate

It is advised to eat pomegranate during pregnancy since it is rich in Folic acid.Folic acid helps in the healthy  growth of the foetus both physically and mentally .It helps in keeping the skin healthy.It is rich in water. The calories obtained from this fruit come mainly from carbohydrates.

Importance of Dates in your Daily life

Dates are one type of dry fruits which contains lots of essential nutrients .Dates

GARLIC AND ITS MEDICINAL VALUES

GARLIC

Garlic  belongs to the  family Allicaceae. Its scientific name is Allium sativum.It leading producer in the world is China followed by India.It contains many medicinal values. It has many anti bacterial and antiviral properties.Garlic which is more pungent is known to contain more sulphur content which has more medicinal values than garlic which is less pungent.It is known to prevent cold and flu.

Health benefits of garlic can be increased if we start using it for cooking after it reaches the room temperature.If the chopped garlic is left for sometime before cooking its anti cancerous properties get improved.Allicin (one of the garlics highly valued sulphur compound stays intact in tact for 2 -16hrs at room temp.but chopped garlic it stays for 2-1/2 days.

Garlic is a very good a source of manganese, vitamin-C ,Selenium and vitamin-B6.

The antioxidant property of Garlic is due to the presence of Selenium in it.

Vitamin B6 present in it  helps prevent heart disease.

Garlic is also known to increase the milk production in lactating women.This is the reason why in India the lactating women are given more garlic for 3 to 6 months after giving birth.

 

Garlic has more antibacterial and anti viral properties.

It  is also effective against fungus, worms and yeast.

The disulphide in garlic ajoene, has been successfully used to prevent infection caused by yeast Candida albicans.
It also prevents the bacterial infections which are not cured by prescription antibiotics due to the resistance built by their excessive use.

Garlic is known to improve the iron metabolism in our body.
Garlic improves the production of  ferroportin a protein which helps keep iron in circulation as it is needed.

BASIL

BASIL(Tulasi)

                                            The scientific name of Basil is Ocimum basilicum. It is a small herb which was first seen in asian countries.This plant has many medicinal values as well as nutritional values.This herb is known to have many anti-microbial , anti-cancerous and  antioxidant properties. This herb is widely used in ayurvedic medicine (most famous in India).

In ayurvedic medicine it is used in treating stress, asthma and diabetes.

the leaves of basil  contains some essential oils namely eugenol, citronellol, linalool, citral ,limonene and terpinol.

These oils also inbihit various microbial strains of bacteria like Staphylococcus, Enterococcus and Pseudomonas which are mainly responsible for causing various infections.Nowadays these strains have become resistant to all the antibiotics used against them. Basil acts very well against them.

The eugenol present in the leaves acts as an anti-inflammatory agent.

This herb also contains some antioxidants like beta-carotene and poly phenols like orientin and vicenin.

the leaves  are also used in the treatment of pimples.

The juice obtained by crushing these leaves is mixed with honey and taken to reduce flum and cold.It also reduces cough also.

Nutritionally Basil has many vitamins ,minerals in it. As it is a herb it is free from cholesterol and provides  more fiber.

This herb is rich in vitamin- A, vitamin- K and has some vitamin-C .

This herb is also rich in minerals like calcium, iron , manganese and magnesium.

Basil is also used in sesasoning many food preparations due to its wonderful flavor.

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Like Mint and Cilantro ,it is added at the end of all food preparations.

In India , Basil is considered as a goddess and they worship this herb .  

PEANUTS ( GROUNDNUTS)

PEANUTS


Peanuts ??!!!Peanuts ah! Peanuts oh? Peanuts mmmm yummy!!Peanuts no!!Be careful.

So many people have many doubts about peanuts.Are they good? Are they healthy? Do they cause any allergy?How much nutritious are they?The below article clears all your doubts about peanuts.

OVERVIEW

                                                           Peanuts are very nutritious at the same time they cause many allergies in some countries. These peanut allergies are one kind of food allergies mostly seen in North America. But these allergies are not found in Asian countries like India and China.

                                                          Peanut is a kind of nut which has many nutrients in it.Since it is grown under the soil it is also called groundnut. It is the cheapest  among all the nuts(cashewnuts , pistachios etc).Peru situated in South America is its place of origin.It is cultivated in many countries and is also widely used by everyone.

                                                         It is used in preparing many dishes. In  America, it is used in peanut butter, cookies, cakes and burgers . Peruvian and Spanish dishes also contain more peanuts .In India it is used in many sweet preparations and its flour is used in many curry preparations.An oil is obtained from this nuts called peanut oil.It is used in many food preparations.

              
CONSUMPTION

Peanuts are consumed by boiling them in water or sometimes they are fried and eaten .Salt is added to them.

Peanut is also consumed as peanut butter.
Soak some peanuts in water in the night and in the morning just drain all the water and if  consumed it is considered so healthy.This procedure can be followed for any nuts.
Peanuts are mixed with jaggery or sugar and is consumed .This preparation tastes yummy.They are consumed as snacks.
Boiled peanuts are mixed with onions, red chilly powder and salt and lemon juice and eaten .This tastes a little spicy but tastes good.

The peanuts are soaked in water and later grinded and a milk is extracted from it this milk with added sugar is consumed and is considered to be healthy.
Curd is also prepared with this peanut milk (some cow milk is added).
European union doesn't produce these peanuts but stood first in its consumption.

INDUSTRIAL USE

1. It is used in the manufacture of soaps , varnishes  etc.
2. The outer shell is used in the manufacture of plastic boards and paper cellulogen.


THE NUTRITIONAL IMPORTANCE OF PEANUTS

 Peanuts is strength giving food.
1. Peanuts provide energy, protein, thiamine, phosphorous and niacin which are required to maintaining good health.
2. Peanuts contain  13 vitamins along with vitamin- A, vitamin- B,vitamin- C and vitamin-E .
3. Peanuts also contain 26 minerals and  are rich in  iron, calcium ,zinc and boron .
4. Peanuts contain more monounsaturated fatty acids which are good for heart .
5. It has more  protein content than eggs and meat.
6. Its consumption  prevents tuberculosis and hepatitis.
7. Peanut consumption is good for people suffering from hemophilia.Bleeding from the nose is cured by eating fried peanuts.
8. Excessive bleeding during the menstrual period is prevented by eating peanuts.
9. Fried Peanuts contain more antioxidants than strawberries and blackberries.
10. They also provide more protein than egg and meat.
 For growing children, pregnant ladies and lactating mothers it is very good .If the freshly fried peanuts are taken with jaggery and goat milk it improves ones resistance power it seems.

ALLERGIES

Consumption of peanuts is known to cause several allergic reactions in people living in United States of America.
They are known to cause hyper acidity.
Unlimited intake of peanuts may increase the acidity of stomach which leads to hyper acidity.
People suffering with asthma should not consume peanuts.
In the growing stage these seeds are more prone to a fungus called  Aspergillus flavus .This fungus releases a toxin called aflatoxin which may cause cancer.
People suffering with Gastritis and Jaundice should not consume Peanuts.
They are known to cause anaphylactic shock in some people.



NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF PEANUTS

100gms of Peanuts provide

Energy   - 570kcals .
Fat        - 48gms
(Monounsaturated  -24gms
Polyunsaturated      -16gms).
Proteins   -25gms.
Fiber       -9gms.
Calcium   -62mgs.

Raisins

                                                   Raisins are nothing but dried grapes.They are sweet in taste. The raisins are best known for their anti-oxidant property. They are known to contain a rare and less required but essential mineral boron. This is  useful for maintaining the bone strength in old age (to prevent osteoporosis).The consumption of 3 or more serving so f raisins prevents the old age vision problems .

                                              They are dried under the sun or in an oven. They can be stored easily and for a long time. But it is best to consume them within 6months after purchase. Raisins are one of the dried fruits used in several food preparations. The raisins can also be carried to places where ever you go. This is the speciality of all dried fruits.They do not get spoiled at any weather conditions. For better storage raisins should be stored in refrigerator in an air tight bag or container.

                                                     They are used in several food preparations. They are used in the preparation of kheer(payasam) and some sweet preparations.

Sesame Seeds and thier nutritional importance.

                             

Sesame seed is an important condiment  which should be included in our daily diet. They are rich in vitamin -B1(thiamine) and vitamin -E and contains several minerals like iron ,manganese, magnesium ,copper and  calcium.They contain phytosterols which lower bad cholesterol levels.It is also good fo colon.

These seeds have the highest antioxidant property then any other oil seeds. They also have some anti cancerous properties.There are two types of sesame seeds.

           They are;

           White sesame seeds .
            Black sesame seeds.

                                 The white sesame seeds are used in several food preparations in asian countries.     These seeds are  widely used in many countries around the globe. These seeds are used by ancient women to protect their beauty and to look younger. . A preparation made with jaggery and sesame seed powder(or just sesame seed ) is given to the girls during the start of their menstrual period.This is known to provide strength to the young girls.It is also known that consumption of this one laddu for a day makes ones menstrual cycle regular. It also prevents unwanted pregnancy if consumed everyday.It is also helpful during the menopause stage.The Zinc present int hese seeds prevents the bone damage.So overall it  is helpful for both men and women during their andropause and menopause stages.

                                  The oil obtained by grinding these seeds is used in several ayurvedic massage treatments to treat several pains (diseases).This oil is used in oil pulling .

                                   The black sesame seeds are not used used much in any food preparations.

Oats - Their Importance

                                                                           Oats  is a cereal crop  .It is mainly used as a cattle feed(especially for  horses, cat,  etc).They provide carbohydrates , proteins and fiber. They are very source of protein and fibre.

Half cup of oats contain only 80kcals.

Oats  are a very good source   of Selenium, Zinc and Vitamin -A (Thiamine)
 Oats contain both soluble and insoluble fiber in it. The soluble fiber has a gummy nature which helps in the seperation of cholesterol from blood.Since oats is a protein and fiber rich food they provide strength to the body. oats are known to reduce bad cholesterol so it automatically reduces the risk of heart diseases.

Due to the presence of fiber the digestion  process takes place slowly.Due to this the blood sugar level is maintained and thus helps in the prevention of diabetes.


Oats digest slowly and thus prevents the sudden increase in blood glucose level.

People who want to reduce their weight( obesity) generally prefer oats.They create the feeling of fullness to the stomach .

 They are also prevents  dysmenorrhea(heavy bleeding accompanied by severe stomach ache during the menstrual cycle), osteoporosis and several urinary tract infections.


                                                                   They are used in porridge's , rolled as rotis (flour), added in dosa preparation ,oatmeal preparation and is also used in beers.
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Citrus Fruit - Amla

                                          Among the citrus fruits Amla is one the fruit with high vitamin-c percentage. Amla also called the Indian gooseberry.It tastes sour, bitter and astringent .It has a lots of medicinal values. It has both antiviral and antibacterial values. It is also used in  inks, hair oils and shampoos especially for greying the hair and nourishing the scalp.

                                       It is good for persons suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis.It is an antioxidant and it has a  high density of tannins and  poly phenols which prevent premature greying of hair.It is used as a mordant for fixing dyes in fabrics.


                                       It is consumed as raw and many sweet and spicy preparations are made .Sherbets and pickles  are prepared and stored  and used through out the year.It is known to improve the resistance power and digestion .Amla is used in several ayurvedic medicines due to its high medicinal values.

Importance of Ragi

Like rice, ragi is also a cereal crop but it is a small seeded variety. Ragi is a millet (like sorghum ,bajra etc). It is a very nutritious and healthy food. Especially it is a very healthy food for infants. It contains more calcium which is required for the bone growth in infants.

Ragi malt preparation for infants :  Ragi should first be washed and soaked in water for a night . Then dry them so that sprouts come out and now grind them into fine flour and store it in a air tight container.Everyday take 2 spoons of this fine powder add required water and cook it.Add jaggery to it and feed the baby with this . Many children love the sweet taste so they eat it happily and moreover jaggery is rich in iron so it is tasty as well as healthy for them.


According to the tastes of the baby just add salt some times ( not jaggery since they may get bored of it ) .
Studies show that 100gm of ragi provides ;
370kcals of energy
88gm of carbohydrates.
7.6gm of protein.
1.5gm of fat.


Ragi preparation For Adult: First  the ingredients required in this preparation are :
Coconut milk
Ragi powder
Sugar
Add water to the Ragi powder and place it on the stove. After it gets cooked add the coconut milk to it and add required amount of sugar .Later you can consume this preparation either hot or cool .Its according to your tastes.
The reason why i gave the recipe with coconut milk is that coconut milk is very nutritious.
Ragi is also consumed  by adding buttermilk and salt  to the ragi powder.People who dont like sweets can have ragi in this way.

The above preparation was made using coconut milk. If you dont have the coconut milk you can prepare this using normal milk.It tastes like payasam(kheer) and is even very much nutritious than normal kheer.


Ragi can also be consumed in several other ways like preparing ragi rounds(ragi undalu) and adding ragi flour in chapati flour and in many other dosa batters.

You can even prepare ragi laddu using either jaggery or sugar and ghee.This will be a very healthy food for snacks .

ROLE OF WATERMELON IN WEIGHT LOSS


WATERMELON is a good selection to obese people
1.It contains high percentage of water and less fat but provides more energy . It prevents dehydration and helps in rehydrating in hot summer.It is a good alternative for cool drinks.
2. It helps prevent prostate cancer. The antioxidant carotene helps in the prevention of prostate cancer.
3. It is rich in vitamins like vit A, vit C, and vit B1(thiamine), and minerals like sodium and pottasium.

Some tips that help you improve your resistance power

1. Take half glass of hot water and add 2 spoons of honey and little lemon juice and try to have this everyday early morning .This helps you improve your resistance power.

Dry Fruits and their Importance

Dry Fruits .They are the store houses of energy.
The Dry fruits are
1. Raisins 2.Dates 3.Pistachios 4.cashewnuts 5.Almonds

To lose weight

Many people think that to lose weight they must reduce their food intake. This thought is known to be wrong because you can reduce your food intake to a few days only.In some or the other time (like for instance in parties), you may get tempted and eat the food more than required. So , to lose weight you must consume a wide varieties of foods ( less quantity of each) .


I will explain you about this in detail now.
The dieticians in America suggest that eating 15 to 20 varieties of foods a week can reduce your weight.This variety includes adding all the food groups in to your diet.That is your food must contain various varieties of fruits, vegetables etc.there are a innumerable varieties of fruits.Consume a different fruit every week .There are many varieties of recipes that can be prepared from different vegetables.
Make a note of the number of fruits and vegetables available to you and how many varieties of recipes you can prepare from them.Plan according to that and start eating.
These variety foods should be prepared by adding little oil, butter etc. There are thousands of low calorie variety foods that can be prepared.

1. Due to the consumption of a variety of foods you receive all the essential nutrients required for your body.
2. You don't feel bored of eating food during the course of your weight loss trials.
3. You enjoy eating food and lose weight constantly.

Note:Here, wide variety of foods include food from food groups like fruits and vegetables but not high calorie foods.

Nutritional Value of onions and its role in weight loss

The scientific name of onion is Allium cepa . Shallots and Garlic also belong to the same family. There are two types of onions ; they are
Spring Onions and Globe Onions. Most people use Globe Onions for cooking in their daily life.These onions consist of following nutritional values. Now just let us have a look at the nutritional value of onions.

Nutrients	Nutritive value
Energy	40kcals
Sugars	4.24gm
fat	0.1gm
Protein	1.1gm
Water	89.11gm
Vit-A	0.1microgm
Thiamine	0.046mg
Potassium	146mg
Sodium	4mg
Calcium	23mg
Iron	0.2mg
Vit-C	7.4mg

Advantages:
Onions have very good medicinal values.In the olden days, the syrup made from onions and honey is used to cure cough.
Due to the high potassium content in it it is known to prevent high blood pressure.It is also known to prevent cancer.
Moreover, it is cholesterol free and fat free.
It is rich in fiber, potassium, Vitamin-C and water. It adds a lot of taste and flavor to the foods.

Disadvantage: The raw onions are known to produce some flatulence gas in the stomach but cooked onions do not produce any flatulence .
The pungent smell from the mouth after eating raw onions .
The other disadvantage is that all the calories that we receive from onions come from sugars.

CALORIC NEED EVERYDAY

Calorie: Calorie in scientific sense is defined as the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1gram of water to 1 degree centigrade.

But in nutrition sense,it is defined as a unit of energy produced which is equal to amount of heat contained in food and released upon oxidation by the body.


Daily caloric Need: The daily caloric requirment for normal people ranges from 1800-2400calories.But people become obese due to the consumption of more calories than required.Obesity also results due to lack of exercise which ultimately leads to the conversion of these calories into fat.The daily caloric requirement varies from age and gender also.This is shown in the table below.

Daily Caloric requirement:

Name	Calories
Children	1200kcals
Teens girls and boys	1400-1800kcals
Adult women	1800kcals
Adult men	2200-2400kcals

If we consume more calories and do not spend all them then it is called positive energy balance.This is good for people who suffer with underweight. Who want to maintain their weight is spend as many calories as you consume.The other thing is spending more calories than that we consumed.This is called negative energy balance.

We can lose weight healthily by consuming the same number of calories as required normally by spending more calories than consumed.It means that if we consume 1800cals we must spend 2300cals.This is in another words also called negative energy balance.This is the best range .If anyone goes beyond that range(i.e spending 2500cals and consuming only 1800kcals) may suffer from lots of problems like aneroxia etc.This must be the aim to lose weight safely without any side effects.

Tasty and Nutritious Fruit Salad

Today i want to tell you about a recipe which is low in calories and provides all the essential nutrients to the body.This recipe is very easy to prepare and very tasty.

Ingredients: Apple and Orange Juices=200ml
Papaya-small
Cantoloupe -small
Apricots-5
Pineapple
Mint and Almonds for decoration

Method of preparation: Take a vessel and pour the apple and orange juice in it.Now cut all the fruits into small pieces.Add all the pieces of the above listed fruits into the juice and mix it well .Mix the fruit pieces very well so that all the pieces get covered by the juice.Add mint and almonds on it.Keep this preparation aside for 2 hours so that each and every piece absorbs the juice evenly. If you wanna add any other fruits you can add that is your choice.

Note.If anyone feels like adding some sugar add honey instead of it.It gives sweetness and even good for health.

Nutritive value:This salad contains all the fruits (like pineapple) that provide lots of fiber in them.It is said that children should have atleast 2.5 to 5 cups of fruit pieces everyday and teens and adults should have 3.5 to 6 cups of fruit pieces everyday.This is very much useful to obese people.The fiber in the fruits act like a sponge and absorbs more water consumed by us.This brings the feeling of fullness earlier than normal food.