The cool showers of Monsoon provide the much needed break from the summer heat. However, this season is also characterized by long queues at the ENTs and gastroenterologists as people fall prey to many infections such as typhoid, malaria, diarrhoea, jaundice , etc.
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International day of yoga or World Yoga day is celebrated on June 21st . In Sanskrit, the word yoga comes from the root yuj which means “to add”, “to join”, “to unite”, or “to attach”. Read More »
Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are a range of complex lifelong developmental disabilities that affect the way a person communicates and relates to people around them. No single cause or cure has been found for autism.
Feeding and meeting nutritional requirements remains a challenge for parents of autistic children as they have certain obsessive behaviour regarding meals . Read More »
Palm seeds are obtained from the palmyra trees. Palmyra trees are found in the dry, tropical regions of mid and southern India -Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa, and Kerala. The ripened pulp of the sugar palm is jelly-like tender, flat and round with a light brown skin.
Nungu is a low calorie fruit with 87% moisture and fairly good amounts ofRead More »
Pregnant women need to pay special attention to vitamin C intake, especially during the first trimester. Although the fetus draws required nutrients from the mother, insufficient intake of vitamin C by the mother herself can lead to deficiency in both. Read More »
According to Ayurveda, one must start meals with something sweet, eat something sour and salty in the middle and end with bitter or astringent flavours. Following this order can help alleviate health issues and promote wellbeing. Sweetness is a quality that has a generally positive effect on the expression of appetite, and this can lead to a facilitation of eating.
The taste buds to recognize sweetness is at the tip of the tongue. Sweet foods or desserts stimulate acid secretion. Acid secretion in the stomach facilitates release of hormones and enzymes that helps in breakdown of food. It is helpful to ignite the digestive fire at the beginning of the meal which is facilitated by eating something sweet. However, if this acid secretion occurs at the end of meal (for e.g. having dessert at the end of meal) it is likely to cause indigestion or bloating
When we are hungry, eating sweet helps overpower the vayu (wind) in the stomach, then sour and salty foods in the middle of the meal help stimulate the absorption in the small intestine. Finally, the pungent, bitter, and astringent taste helps subdue kapha dosh (earth).
Use jaggery, raw cane sugar or unheated honey as sweeteners for preparing desserts and traditional mithai. Excess of anything is bad, so moderation is needed while choosing sweets as well. But we are proposing that starting your meal with sweet foods is more likely to help regulate food intake and also improve digestibility of the food consumed.
References:
https://vedichealing.com/sweet-taste-ayurveda/
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0007996008715554?via%3Dihub
Nuts are nature’s best power-packed foods. Not only do they provide immense energy but also a plethora of other beneficial nutrients thereby making each calorie more meaningful. However, many individuals who can afford a variety of nuts and oilseeds shy away from them thinking that they can lead to weight gain and also produce excessive heat in the body. Read More »
