Tips for Good Digestion

1. Eat in order of digestibility.
You should eat the easiest to digest foods first in each meal and slowly move towards the more complex. Think of a highway, if the slowest cars are in front they'll hold up the faster cars behind them, causing a traffic jam. The same goes for your food. Eat those fastest to digest first and save the tougher to digest foods for the second half of your meal.
Here are the time sequences for different food groups:
Water & Juices: 20-30 minutes
Fruits, Smoothies, Soups: 30-45 minutes
Vegetables: 30-45 minutes
Beans, Grains, Starches: 2-3 hours
Meat, Fish, Poultry: 3 or more hours


2. Drink warm or hot liquids with your meal.
Ice cold drinks can slow down the digestive process, think of it as putting ice on a muscle. The muscle stiffens and does not function as well. Warm or room temperature water, juice, or decaf tea will encourage proper digestion. (Just remember the traffic jam – drink liquids prior to meals)


3. Eat at regular meals times.
It is important to be regular with what you eat and the times of day you eat. Eating similar food groups and at similar times each day has a regulating effect on your digestive system. Regular in means regular out.


4. Be conscious of what you eat and your portion sizes.
Over consumption is the number one cause of indigestion. Our brain signals the feeling of fullness about ten minutes after we're actually full. So stop eating before you are full. Odds are you'll feel full ten minutes later!


5. Chew your food completely and don't talk while eating.
Incomplete chewing and talking while eating can cause premature swallowing. Our digestive systems are not designed to digest large pieces of food, when we put large pieces in our stomachs it can lead to incomplete digestion (aka: digestive discomfort).


6. Relax while eating your meal.
Eating when you are rushed increases your stress and slows down the digestive process. Create a nice calming atmosphere when eating and make sure you can devote time to eating.


7. Practice good posture.
When you slouch or hunch over extra pressure is put on the digestive organs in your abdomen. This extra pressure can cause poor digestion. You should practice sitting with your shoulders back and your chin tucked in. This will allow more room for the digestive organs and will help improve digestion.


8. Don't eat late at night.
Our bodies, including our digestive system, slow down in the evening hours as it gets ready to rest and rejuvenate. When we put food into our stomachs at these late hours there are not enough digestive enzymes to properly digest it. This undigested food sits in your stomach and will often disturb your sleep.



9. Take a brisk walk after eating.
Forget about not be active for 30 minutes after each meal. Increased physical activity actually helps jumpstart your digestive system and increases the production of digestive enzymes. This will lead to more complete digestion of your food and less digestive discomfort!


10. Try a spinal twist.
Spinal twists allow excess toxins in the digestive system to be released, which has a calming effect. While in a cross legged sitting position, slowly turn to the right and hold while taking 5 deep breathes then repeat this process on the left side.

Home Remedies for Anemia

Many diseases may cause general weakness. Anemia is the main cause of general weakness.

The patient complains of weakness, easy fatigue, and irritability. Other symptoms may include heartburn, flatulence, abdominal pains, soreness in the mouth, numbness and tingling in the extremities and palpitation of the heart.

The skin and mucous membranes are pale, the nails are brittle, and there are fissures or sores at the corners of the mouth.

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder affecting mainly girls or women, although boys or men can also suffer from it. It usually starts in the teenage years. On account of any mental depression or a fanciful idea (especially for reducing obesity), she takes less food than normal. The appetite gradually lessens.

Puberty, deaths in the family and other life stresses are all believed to be the main causes of anorexia. Self-induced weight loss includes fasting, low food intake, excessive exercise, diuretic medicines (medicines that make you urinate more) laxatives, diet pills or vomiting.
All the above causes can produce weakness.

HOME REMEDIES FOR WEAKNESS

Take 1 Cup beetroot juice, 1 cup of apple juice, mixed with either sugar or honey once a day to prevent anemia.
Take a ripe banana with 1 tbsp of honey 2 times a day for treatment of weakness.
A mixture of apple and tomato juice also helps to fight against the weakness.
Eating a lot of salad also helps to prevent anemia.
Honey is very good for an anemic person because it helps increase the hemoglobin in the blood. It is rich in iron, copper and manganese. rtant for the absorption of iron. It is recommended to take two any citrus fruits daily.
Beets are very important in the cure of anemia. Its juice contains potassium, phosphorus, calcium, sulphur, iodine, iron, copper, carbohydrates, protein, fat, and vitamins B1, B2, B6, C and P.
Drink peppermint tea to increase appetite.
Oranges stimulate the flow of digestive juices, thereby improving digestion and increasing appetite.
The juice of sour grapes is another effective home remedy for anorexia. The juice of these grapes should be used in kneading the flour before preparing chapattis. Chapattis made in this manner should be eaten continuously for two to three weeks.
About one teaspoon of the juice of lime should be mixed with an equal quantity of the juice of ginger. One gram of rock salt should be added to this mixture. It should then be placed in sunlight for three days. A teaspoon taken after each meal will tone up the digestive system and improve the appetite.
Apples help in digestion by stimulating the flow of pepsin, a protein-digesting enzyme, in the stomach.
Three or four cloves of raw garlic should be boiled in a cup of water. This soup can be reinforced with the juice of half a lemon and taken twice daily.
About five grams of ginger should be ground and licked with a little salt once a day for the treatment of weakness.
The application of an ice bag over the stomach for half an hour before meals, and a cool hipbath once or twice daily, will help in curing anorexia.
An early morning sunbath, taken one day, should be alternated with an early morning cool air bath the next day.
Supplements of vitamins and minerals should be taken to increase the appetite.
Drink lots of water by adding some water or salt to it. This is an effective home remedy for weakness.
Prepare a mixture by ading 1 Tbsp poppy seeds, 1 tsp edible gum, 1 tsp cardamom powder, 1/2 tsp nutmeg (jaiphal) powder, and2 tbs sugar, and grind to a powder. Take this powder every 2 hours.
Prepare a mixture by adding 1/2 tsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp ginger juice, and 1/4 tsp pepper powder and drink it. This is an effective home remedy for weakness.
Small, frequent feeds of energy-rich local foods familiar to the child should be given. A little vegetable oil can be added to foods such as millet or rice to increase the energy content.
Take yogurt, buttermilk, mint, apple, pomegranate, papaya, banana, carrot, potato, etc.

Home Remedies to Quit Smoking

Many thousands of people today are heavy smokers, not by choice, but due to the circumstances for which they have found no way of escape. They are caught in the grip of a habit developed during their teen-age years when so many young people think it is ‘smart ‘ to smoke.

The strange thing is that most of these people never wanted to smoke in the first place. There was only doing what they thought everyone else was doing at the time. Yet there is another odd thing. Smoking in not a normal habit. A person has to learn to smoke.

Smoking is by and large, an acquired habit. People start smoking because they think it is fashionable to do so or because their friends and companions are able to persuade them to start smoking. Some smokers feel that they look more attractive to the opposite sex when they are smoking. Others hold that a social gathering becomes more intimate if people are smoking. In reality all this is a product of smokers imagination. Because he wants to justify his habit, he invents enough reasons for it. Millions of deaths are caused every year around the world by the smoking of cigarettes, pipes and cigars. Smoking causes coronary heart disease, lung cancer and skin cancer.

Every cigarette a person smoke leaves him a little weaker and less able to carry on. Then why don’t they stop? Because they are addicted to nicotine, a powerful drug that is present in the tobacco leaves. Some people seem to have little difficulty in giving up the habit, but most people have a real struggle. The majority continues to smoke because they get a temporary lift from the tobacco. However, this is always followed by a letdown, which then calls for another smoke.

Those who smoke pipes and cigars run the risk of developing lip and mouth cancer. The social impact of smoking is no less evil than its effect on the heart and the lungs. By way of personal hygiene, the smoker is at a disadvantage. His fingers turn yellow. His teeth and gums are stained. No mouthwash is enough to freshen his mouth.

HOME REMEDIES FOR SMOKING

Stay awayfrom other smokers as much as possible, particularly the next few weeks. This will reduce temptation and strengthen to resolve not to start again.

Take two hot baths every dayand follow them with stimulating cold showers. This will help you physically and strengthen your will to succeed.

For smoking treatment, take plenty of exerciseincluding deep breathing and long walks in the open air several times each day. This will clean out the lungs and improve your sense of well-being.

Watch your diet.Be sure to take large quantities of fresh fruits and vegetables. These are an excellent antidote against the poisons of tobacco. Infact, if you were to eat little except fruit and vegetables for the next few weeks you would soon lose your desire to smoke. If necessary take small meals more frequently to stabilize your blood sugar. This will also help to calm your nerves during this time of stress.

Don’t go hungry for long. Eat regularly and do not attempt to lose weight while you are trying to break the tobacco habit. You may gain a few pounds, but don’t worry about this just now. You can lose it later if need be.

Avoid highly seasoned foods, alcohol, tea and coffee. These have probably encouraged your craving for tobacco. They have spoiled your appetite for normal foods that build the body. Omit such things as pepper, mustard, spices, and all hot condiments from your diet. For the present you should even be careful about taking excessive amounts of salt.

Drink at least ten glasses of water a day the first week. Taking a drink helps to reduce the craving for tobacco. This is an effective home remedy for smoking. If you will follow these instructions you will soon be surprised at the new flavors you are discovering in your foods.
Get rid of all your cigarettes and every vestige of tobacco you possess. It is not safe to keep any smoking materials handy just now. The temptation to start using the stuff may prove too great.
Coenzyme Q10 is a powerful antioxidant that protects the lungs, the heart and increases oxygen to the brain. Take 200 mg. twice a day.

Take grape seed extract to repair lung damage. This is an effective home remedy for smoking.
Smoking breaks down vitamin C therefore it is very important to take 5,000-20,000 mg. of vitamin C a day.

Vitamin E is a very important antioxidant needed to repair cell damage cause by smoking.

Vitamin A helps to repair the mucus membranes, which are damaged by smoking.

Ginger and lobelia prevent nausea and helps to get rid of anxiety. Ginger produces perspiration, which helps to shed toxins generated from smoking. Lobelia Relieves withdrawal, including irritability, hunger, poor concentration. It contains alkaloids similar to those in nicotine, occupies same brain receptor sites and exerts nicotine like effects without the damage that nicotine causes; this reduces cravings, and creates aversion.

Oats decreases or eliminate tobacco cravings; also, they reduce number of cigarettes desired even in those people who do not want to quit.

Include fenugreek tea to support your lymphatics. Take 2 teaspoons of the seeds into a cup of boiling water steep, strain, and drink.

Reduce your alcohol, caffeine intake & include plenty of fresh air, fresh unprocessed food & exercise.

Commit yourself to God every day and every hour, asking Divine help whenever you feel the craving to smoke. Power from above is always available to those in need.

Do not falter in your resolveto conquer this habit, for it is well worth all the effort you will be forced to make

Are your snacks making you fat?

Those ‘timepass’ snacks might be the culprit for your flab. Identify your ‘snack type’ and take action now

stress snacker

You reach for that crunchy chocolate when a deadline is looming• You crave for sweets and crisps when the kids are driving you mad• In the past you've put on weight if you're struggling in a job or relationship.It’s because when we’re anxious our body releases the stress hormone ‘cortisol’ which upsets our blood sugar levels, making us hungry.Stress-related snacking goes back to childhood. If your parents gave you sugary treats when you were upset, you might now associate food with lifting your mood. However, if you’re regularly stress-snacking, the brief ‘high’ you get is probably quickly replaced by guilt for eating too much.
Instead of turning to food, try deep breathing. Inhale deeply through your nose for eight seconds, then exhale.

social snacker

You say yes to a piece of a colleague’s birthday cake even though you’ve just had a big lunch.• You feel like having salad but order pizza in a restaurant because everybody else is having one.• You’re easily persuaded to have a chocolate bar just because the person you’re with wants one.A recent study suggested that being fat was “socially contagious”. Another study suggests that, in restaurants, the person who orders first orders healthiest because they haven't had a chance to be swayed by other people’s fatty choices. Peer pressure can be a dieter’s downfall.

drunk snacker

As soon as you take a sip of wine, you eye up the crisp selection behind the bar.• You’ve missed a train after you went off-way to get a burger.• You reach home and raid the fridge – and scoff anything vaguely edible.A glass of wine or two can send all our good intentions out of the window, because alcohol is very sugary and sends blood sugar levels soaring. This leads to the 'I have to eat now' feeling. Pub snacks are fattening but if you choose wisely you can limit some of the damage. If you're in a wine bar-style pub, go for some brown bread or olives. If you’re hungry when you get home, make some toast using wheat bread – the slow-release carbs will steady your blood sugar levels and satisfy your hunger.

bored snacker

You can polish off a whole packet of crispy chips while watching TV.• You tend to eat less when you’re very busy.• You go to the hangouts near work for a softy ice-cream, just to make the afternoon go quicker.To avoid mindless munching, try to keep your hands as busy as possible. Call a friend or, even better, paint your nails – you’ll be less likely to eat with clean, manicured fingers! If you’re still feeling peckish, avoid anything that’s easy and quick to eat. That means chips, chocolates or ice-cream! Instead, take an anaar (they're packed with health-boosting antioxidants) and cut it in half. Then tear apart each half, picking out all the juicy seeds and put them into a bowl to eat with a spoon – it’ll take at least 10 minutes. You can also try eating with smaller cutlery. If you often have a bowl of cereal as a snack, eat it with a teaspoon so it takes longer. Mindless snacking is more about boredom than real hunger, so if you know you're doing it, make every bit of food last as long as possible.

routine snacker

Every evening at around 4 is “treat” time, which means your daily bag of those kurmura chips.• The dudes at the café have your latte and muffin ready when you walk through their door.• You can’t have chai without biscuits, even if you’re not hungry.You’re suffering from ‘strawberries and cream syndrome’. You associate one food with the other, when just having one of them would satisfy you. For example, a cup of tea contains few calories and is pretty filling. You don't need a biscuit but reach for one anyway. Tell yourself that you’ll only have a biscuit five minutes after your tea. Chances are you’ll feel full from the tea and won't fancy it so much. A regular 4pm treat is fine if your diet is generally healthy. However, don’t just eat it because its 4pm!

SNACKS NOT TO FEEL GUILTY ABOUT...

ALMONDS: Studies show they suppress appetite. They’re also a great source of vitamin A but don’t eat more than eight a day as they are high in calories.
Dahi: A daily dose of calcium helps our bodies burn fat faster. Small pots contain fewer calories and now there are probiotic ones too,
FRUITS: Try to snack on a piece after every meal. Grab an apple (good for digestion), a banana (boosts energy) or a pear (in season at the moment).

Magic Remedies at your Fingertips

INSOMNIA

Do you have a thandai mix at home? If not, just crush about 10 almonds and mix this powder in your milk and drink it warm just before hitting the pillow. Even plain warm milk is known to induce a good night's rest. You could also apply pure cow's ghee to the soles of your feet just before bedtime. Or mix coconut oil with water and apply on your head, palms and soles before going to bed. It ensures good sleep.

CRAMPS

You must do a self-massage using mustard oil every morning. Just take a little oil between your palms and rub it all over your body. Then take a shower. This is especially beneficial during winter. You could also mix a little mustard powder with water to make a paste and apply this on your palms and soles of your feet.

SUNSTROKE

The best remedy for sunstroke is a little juice of raw mango along with salt and sugar. Have this twice or thrice a day. You could also apply onion slices on your head and forehead as this has a cooling effect. Drink lot of fluids.

HEADACHE

If you have a regular migraine problem, include five almonds along with hot milk in your daily diet. You could also have a gram of black pepper along with honey or milk, twice or thrice a day. There are also a lot of external applications that have proved to be beneficial. Make an almond paste by rubbing wet almonds against a stone. This can be applied to your forehead. Alternatively neem powder applied gently on the forehead is known to make you feel good. Or a wet cloth bandage dipped in water with a few drops of eau-de-cologne is also known to be very effective.

BACKACHE

If you have a chronic back problem, keep yourself warm and eat hot items. Include garlic in your daily diet. A self-massage with eucalyptus oil is known to be beneficial. You could also use mustard oil with some boiled fennel seeds. You could take a mixture of five black pepper corns, five cloves and one-gram dry ginger powder in your tea at least twice a day.

ASTHMA

Always avoid cold and sour things in your diet. Boil a teaspoon of Bishop's weed seeds (ajwain) in a cup of water. Add a little salt to this decoction and take it at least once a day for quick relief.
EPISTAXIS (Nose bleeding)

If it is a chronic problem, a daily intake of gulkand is extremely beneficial. Or make a murabba out of amla and have it every morning. For immediate relief, apply a bandage dipped in ice water on your forehead and nose.

Remedies for Food Poisoning

Food poisoning, also known as acute gastroenteritis, is an acute inflammation of the lining of the stomach and small bowel. It is caused in various ways, one of which is excessive indulgence in alcohol. Some people are allergic to certain items of food, which may act poison to them.
Food poisoning usually begins suddenly with a feeling of nausea and abdominal cramps, followed by vomiting, diarrhea, and weakness. Rectal burning may be intense, and the stools may contain blood and mucus. All of this loss of fluid from the bowel may result in severe dehydration and shock. There is pain in the abdomen, with some distension, especially in the lower area.
Germs cause the worst attacks of food poisoning. Foods used at picnics, in restaurants, and at home are easily contaminated by toxins or poisonous substances, produced by staphylococcus bacteria. Foods most commonly that cause food poisoning are various meats, fish, pastes, custards, cream filled pastry, milk, ad many different kinds of deserts.

The trouble seems to arise from skin infections on the hands of those who handle food. Within two or three hours after taking this type of contaminated food, the patient suffers from severe abdominal cramps, followed by nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, often resulting in severe prostration and shock. Most of these attacks only last a few hours and are followed by complete recovery. Severe poisoning may be caused by different types of fish.

HOME REMEDIES FOR FOOD POISONING

Keep the patient in bed and give nothing by mouth as long as the nausea and vomiting persist.
As the vomiting subsides, give sips of some warm drink, such as tea, barley or rice water.
Gentle heat may be applied to the stomach to relieve spasm or pain and also the tendency to vomit.

Wash your hands before preparing food to avoid passing on bacteria such as staphylococcus (commonly found on the skin and in the throat) or shigella (passed from fecal matter). Wash again after handling raw meat and eggs.

Don't eat raw protein food like fish, fowl, meat, milk, or eggs. Avoid sushi, oysters on the half shell, Caesar salad made with raw eggs, and unpasteurized eggnog. Don't use cracked eggs.

Don't taste test the raw pork sausage stew, the fish chowder, or even the cookie batter before it's done.

Don't let raw meat juice drip onto other food. It can taint otherwise harmless food.

Don't leave food at room temperature for more than two hours, and avoid eating anything that you suspect may have been unrefrigerated for that long.

Don't taste any food that doesn't smell or look right.

For food poisoning treatment drink fluids as much you can to combat the loss of fluids.
Scrub counters with warm, soapy water and bleach to combat countertop bacteria.

Use a plastic cutting board instead of a wooden one. Be sure to thoroughly clean the cutting board after you've finished using it.

Avoid foods that are fried, smoked or salty as well as raw vegetables, pastries, preserves, candies, alcohol and spices and condiments.

Mix a tablespoon of lemon juice or cider vinegar in a cup of hot water before a meal to prevent acid indigestion.

Add three drops of garlic oil to half a cup of Soya oil and rub onto the stomach after food.

For food poisoning treatment drink a herbal tea of mint, raspberry, chamomile and blackberry.

Drink one cup of ginger tea after meals to promote a good digestion and for heartburn, nausea, etc.

Cooking utensils and plates, as well as sponges and dishcloths that were used in the food preparation process, should also be cleaned appropriately.

Grind a lemon along with seeds and make a paste. Add some salt. Take 1 tsp of this paste 2-3 times.

Drink 1/2 tsp of dry ginger (saunth powder in 1 cup buttermilk (chhachh) 3 - 4 times a day.

Chew a few pieces of the inner lining of pomegranate with salt, and/or drink pomegranate juice.

Prepare a mixture by ading 1 Tbsp poppy seeds, 1 tsp edible gum, 1 tsp cardamom powder, 1/2 tsp nutmeg (jaiphal) powder, and2 tbs sugar, and grind to a powder. Take this powder every 2 hours.

Prepare a mixture by adding 1/2 tsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp ginger juice, and 1/4 tsp pepper powder and drink it.

Mix 5-6 chopped basil (tulsi) leaves, 1/4 tsp sea salt, and some black pepper in 3 Tbsp of curd, and eat it. Repeat this 4 times a day for one week. This is very useful home remedy for food pisoning treatment.

Roast 1/2 tsp cumin (jeera) seeds and 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds (dana methi). Mix and powder it, add to 4 tsp of yogurt (curd). Take thrice a day. This is also very useful home remedy for food pisoning.

Grate one raw papaya. Add 3 cups water, boil for 10 mins, strain and finish the water in one day.