Quick! What day of the week is it? When is your best friend’s birthday? How many times did you answer the phone yesterday? Where have you parked your car?

Got you stumped, eh?

Does your brain buzz and hum along like a power saw? Or do you feel like your life resembles the memoirs of the absent-minded professor?

Not to worry, you’re about to learn some easy ways to boost your brain into hyper-drive.

Don’t take your body for granted, especially not your brain. This super organ will see you through life and needs to be juiced up and kept running all the time. Here’s what you can do to rev up your brain, today.

Enlist Your Eyes

Visualize your plan for the day. Say, you have to pay the phone bill and pick up pineapples for a fruit salad and meet your colleague for lunch at 2. Make a story. Imagine you’re holding a pineapple shaped phone and calling your colleague while standing under a huge clock that is chiming two ‘o clock. Or, whatever!

Before you move on to a new task, take a look at what you have achieved. This means… You take a look at the place where your car is parked before you walk away. You pause for a second and see where you’ve placed you key. You turn back and see that the geyser is really switched off, before you get out of the bathroom.

When you enter a room full of people you have to talk with, let your eyes move across their face, from left to right, then right to left. Moving your eyes horizontally activates the brain, and British researchers have found that this exercise even helps you retain information you’ll hear. The secret is in the horizontal movement that spurs the brain’s hemispheres to interact, which also helps in memory retrieval.

Recharge With Meditation

Got an important and long meeting lined up right after lunch, can’t keep from drifting off? Well, first, it’s a good idea not to eat rice for lunch. Second, snatch a few minutes before the meeting, shut yourself in your cubicle, and meditate. Sit still, close you eyes and focus on your breathing. You will feel your tiredness lift off you.

With as little as 20 minutes of meditation, you’ll feel as if you have slept for eight refreshing hours. Once you are alert, you’ll be better able to commit information to your memory.

Challenge Your Brain

Brush your teeth with your left hand. Take a new route to your office. Try to remember the phone numbers you are supposed to dial.

Once you slip into a routine, you stop thinking about simple tasks, and spend time worrying about the day ahead. This time will be more productively spent, by challenging your brain.

Change the way you normally do things, pick up new tasks or hobbies, multi task. By pushing your brain, you’ll create new pathways to carry information that will help you later in life.

Recharge It With Oxygen

Your brain needs to breathe too. The more oxygen you give it, the easier it will be for you to stave off age-related memory loss. Exercise is the best way to do this. If you can’t go to the gym, walk briskly for at least 30 minutes, as often in the week as you can.

Eat Brain Super-Foods

The Journal of Neuroscience published a report recently that spinach, strawberries and blueberries are literally food for thought. Research by the USDA has found that eating blueberries every day dramatically slows the impairment of memory associated with old age. Polyphenols in blueberries prompt the signals that help brain cells communicate with each other.

Spinach is a storehouse of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds that also slow brain aging and protect your memory. Spinach is also well known as one of the very few food sources of alpha lipoic acid - a powerful antioxidant.

Ginkgo is another super food. Not only does ginkgo extract reduce the progress of dementia, but it also helps you retain your memories for longer and boosts the speed of thinking. It does this is by increasing circulation to the brain. And because it’s an antioxidant it protects the brain from cell damage.

There you have it, five ways to boost your memory. Can you remember what they are?

Photo credit: Axel Rouvin

Related article: 5 Ways to Sharpen Your Mind

Is there really a connection between religion and health; between going to church and enjoying a longer than average life; between spending Sunday at home and celebrating your 101st birthday with your great-grandchildren?

Several studies seem to indicate this is so. Here is what the jury has found so far:

Time Well Spent

What most studies have found is that people belonging to all faiths across the globe, spend lots of time socializing with like-minded people, helping the community, and carrying out rituals that mostly emphasize a healthy, austere kind of life.

Support

Although it may seem like an endless chore sometimes, spending time with family members results in a stronger support system to rely on should you ever need help. Just knowing support is there relieves unnecessary stress. Plus, older family members tend to insist on balanced meals and eating on time, thus improving the health of the younger ones at home.

Shouldering Responsibilities

Studies show that marriage improves the health of most men. This is because the emphasis on cooking meals at home gets stronger. And having a partner to take care of chores around the house reduces stress.

However, the modern day story is changing a little. Working women, single or married, tend to skip cooking meals sometimes, opting for ready-to-eat foods. Working women also need partners who are willing to share responsibilities such as cooking and cleaning.

Hope As An Antidepressant

Those who are spiritual or practice religion have an abiding faith in love and divine justice. This hope for goodness is enough to function as a powerful antidepressant. The body feels less stress, thus reducing chances of high blood pressure, various heart diseases and even cancer. In fact, some researchers have found that very few senior citizens who regularly attend religious gatherings suffer from cognitive decline, an essential feature of Alzheimer’s disease.

Discipline Your Mind

Meditation makes you happy. Not just because you spend some quality time calming yourself, but because the act of meditating disciplines the amygdala (the area in the brain that is activated in fearful situations). The amygdala plays an important role in motivation and emotional behavior. Regular meditation can help you keep your temper in check, ensure that you do not get flustered too easily and thus include self-control in its list of life-long benefits.

Being Involved, Being Important

Studies have found that having faith is associated with a constructive outlook. This includes taking part in community efforts, maintaining relationships with others of the same community, and having a more positive attitude about life.

Editor’s Comment

I’m not suggesting you go out and join your local church, synagogue, mosque, or temple if you don’t already belong to one. If that works for you at this time, fine.

Religion is about belief in the Supreme Creator and a life beyond this mortal body. How you choose to acknowledge that has nothing to do with a building or belonging to a group. The scriptures of every major religion in the world are available to read and study without depending on someone else to interpret them and interject their own prejudices.

Of course religion & family ties alone will not bring you longevity, but they go a long way to improving the quality of life.

Photo credit: mudpig

Although the exact origin of the date palm is lost in antiquity, it is known to have been used in construction of the temple of the moon god near Ur in Southern Iraq (Mesopotamia) as early a 4000 BC.

Dates were considered very important in both the Jewish and Islamic religions, and were believed to be a curative for many ailments.

Ancient Phoenicia was known as “the land of palms” and no doubt dates sustained them as they sailed around the Mediterranean and became the predominate maritime trading culture of the time.

Nutritional Powerhouse

Dates are one of the most nourishing natural foods. Containing 3,000 calories per kilogram (2.2 lbs.), just a handful taken with a glass of milk, can provide all the nutrition a person needs for the entire day. And because the natural sugars in dates are fructose and glucose, diabetics can safely consume them.

Dates are also high in dietary fiber and low in sodium and fat. They are also a valuable source of antioxidants (ranked #11 out of 100 fruits and vegetables in ORAC score).

100 grams (about 3 ½ oz.) of dates contains

• Carbohydrates 75 gm (including 63 gm sugar)

• Dietary fiber 8 gm

• Protein 2.5 gm

Full to the brim with super-healthy benefits this dry fruit is a must-have in your kitchen.

Cancer Fighter

Fresh, dried, or semi-dry dates pack a nutritious punch when it comes to getting your daily requirement of potassium, calcium, phosphorus, and especially magnesium.

One study indicates that 64% of men and 67% of women fail to get enough of this important mineral. Bone density, blood pressure and insulin activity are just some of the things affected by magnesium levels.

A Swedish study, conducted over 14.8 years among 61,433 women showed that a diet high in magnesium rich foods cut the risk of colon cancer by 34%. And the evidence is clear that a high fiber diet is very important in the prevention of colon cancer.

It is known that date consumers in Saharan areas have the lowest incidence of cancer, which is attributed to the high magnesium content of dates.

Top 5 Things to Know About Dates

• Fresh dates are a useful source of Vitamin C and when dried, they are richer in potassium than bananas.

• Dates can have a mild laxative effect, making them ideal for children and convalescing adults who need to clean up their intestines.

• Dried dates are a rich source of niacin, copper, iron and magnesium. Just drinking a juice made of dates soaked overnight in water will strengthen the heart and purify the blood.

• Certain cultures use dates to provide all the body’s necessary nourishment by stuffing dry dates with nuts and raisins to use as a snack during fasts. This is an easily made treat for those suffering from low blood sugar. Eating just two stuffed dates can quickly raise your blood sugar to normal levels.

• Dates are also rich in calcium, and date syrup added to milk strengthens bones. Even breast-feeding mothers can benefit from dates, because it is known to enrich the milk and boost the child’s immune system.

Caution: Use moderation. Eating too many dates at a time could lead to dental caries and gum disease as the sugar in the dates is fermented in the mouth and forms plaque. Dates are also known to trigger migraines in some people.

Quick and Easy Ways to Use Dates

• Chop and add to the dough when you are making cookies or brownies

• Put some in your milkshake instead of sugar or honey

• Dice and serve with ice cream or yogurt

• Blend with milk and use as syrup

• Stuff with nuts and a chunk of cheddar cheese

• Add to hot cereal to punch up the nutritional value

• Dice and put in your pancake or waffle batter

• For a super healthy snack, stuff with raw chocolate nibs

More exotic dishes include Moroccan tajines (a slow-cooked spicy stew) and ka’ak bi ajwa (an Arab cookie filled with ground dates). In Manila, a cake similar to fruitcake made with nuts and dates is called “Food for the Gods”.

It is estimated that there are 100 million date palm trees growing today. And because of that, you can easily enjoy one of the most nutritious and sustainable fruits in the world without traveling to Mesopotamia.

Photo credit: kspoddar

What are Probiotics?

The word probiotic (from the Greek) means “for life”.

Probiotic: (1) A beneficial bacterium found in the intestinal tract of healthy mammals or (2) Live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host.

Probiotics are “friendly bacteria”. Yogurt with live cultures is one natural food that has become mainstream in society, but there are others…

Fermented foods are part of nearly every traditional culture. As far back as Roman times, people ate sauerkraut because of its taste and benefits to overall health. In Asian cultures, pickled fermentations of cabbage, turnips, eggplant, cucumbers, onions, squash and carrots still exist today.

Probiotics Promote Health

Probiotics are thought to promote health by:

• Suppressing the growth of potentially harmful bacteria

• Improving immune function

• Enhancing the protective barrier of the digestive tract

• Helping to produce vitamin K

• Helping replace the good bacteria that have been destroyed by medicines or illness

An analysis of studies in the journal of Alternative Medicine Review found that chronic conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome and Rheumatoid arthritis may be associated with fewer friendly bacteria in the gut.

Sauerkraut: A Probiotic Food You Can Enjoy All Winter

The best, most hypoallergenic and digestible form of probiotics is sauerkraut. It’s loaded with extra B vitamins and vitamin C.

Make it using ancient sea salt like Redmond’s Real Salt and you’ll have a food product loaded with trace minerals like phosphorus, sulfur, magnesium, zinc, iodine and others… Trace minerals missing from many of our foods today due to depleted soils.

Cancer Fighter

One study done by Michigan State University and Warsaw’s National Food and Nutrition Institute found women who eat at least three servings per week of sauerkraut or raw cabbage are significantly less likely to develop breast cancer than those who have only one serving.

One possible explanation for how cabbage could reduce breast cancer risk… Researchers at the University of Illinois identified compounds in cabbage and sauerkraut that block the action of estrogen.

And a study from Finland found that fermenting cabbage produces isothiocyanates, compounds with recognized anti-cancer properties.

“We are finding that fermented cabbage could be healthier than raw or cooked cabbage, especially for fighting cancer,” says Eeva-Liisa Ryhanen, Ph.D., research manager of MTT Agrifood Research Finland.

Sexy Food

To make matters even better, sauerkraut may give your libido a boost.

Bestselling author of You Are What You Eat, Dr Gillian McKeith says, “The sexiest food of all is raw sauerkraut. Honestly! Research carried out in the US found that 90 percent of men were more ‘up for it’ after eating the pickled cabbage.”

Fun and Easy to Make Your Own

Most commercially available brands of sauerkraut have been pasteurized to allow for easier transport and shelf stability. But pasteurization destroys any probiotics within the vegetables. So, too, does the use of sodium benzoate, a common preservative.

While there are sources for non-pasteurized kraut, they are quite expensive, and it’s fun and easy to make your own. Since I’m about ready to make my yearly batch, I decided to share my thoughts with you. An Internet search will turn up a variety of recipes, but some of them are complicated (and a few are in error).

The recipe I’ve used successfully for the last 2 years is from Purdue University Extension. It’s a simple pdf download, which you can print out for your recipe book or save on your computer.

Good sources to find the right cabbage for kraut are your local farmer’s market, a roadside stand or a local fruit and vegetable market. I’d avoid buying your cabbage in the grocery store, as it likely won’t be the right kind for kraut.

So, gather the family and spend the afternoon making your own probiotic you can enjoy all winter. When you’re ready to start eating it, Great Lakes Kraut Company has dozens of mouth watering recipes from appetizers to desserts. They even have one for kraut pizza!

Photo credit: mpich3

Cheaper Than a Spa

What’s cheaper than a spa, tastes good, doesn’t smell too bad and can rejuvenate your skin in less than 10 minutes? Fruits are natural and effective skin restoratives. The best thing you could ever do to keep looking good, is to understand the healing properties of fruits.

Most fruits are low in calories, sweet, and a good source of vitamins, fiber and antioxidants. Used as a face pack or mask, they hydrate your skin, smooth away wrinkles, lighten it, and even heal various skin conditions.

• Banana mask:

  Bananas have lots of magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, iodine, and vitamins A, B, E, and F. Their anti-aging powers make them a great skin restorative for anyone over 35. If you make this banana mask at home, you could store it in the refrigerator for about 5 days and use it at least twice in a week.

  Mash a banana and add to it milk or cream, honey, and oat flour. Apply it to your face, arms, and neck, and rinse it off after ten minutes (longer, if you can stand the smell). If you have oily skin, add a few drops of lemon juice to the banana and milk mixture.

• Mixed fruit pack I:

  The enzyme papain in papayas is a natural exfoliator and is especially good for those with damaged skin. Papaya juice can also lighten freckles and brown spots, and soften the skin.

  Don’t throw away the peel; it has antibacterial and wound healing abilities. Cucumbers act as a toner and strawberries condition and tone the skin.

  Blend strawberries, cucumber or papaya with a little yogurt and clay. Apply it to your face and leave it on for a while. This face mask moisturizes the skin, lightens it, and removes dead skin.

• Mixed fruit pack II:

  The fruits in this pack are excellent for hydrating tanned and dry skin. It’ll also nourish and protect the delicate skin around the eyes. You could also add clay to the pack since it absorbs oil from oily skin.

  Apply a thin film of honey on your face and then apply a mixture of strawberries, pear, grapes, apples and oranges. Wash it off with warm water after 10-15 minutes.

• Apricot mask:

  Apricots are best for extremely dry skin. The Vitamin A in the fruit rejuvenates the skin instantly, it smooths wrinkles and tightens the skin.

  The oils in the fruit and especially in the kernel, are utilized by the skin to make enriched sebum that protects your skin.

  Take two apricots and some yogurt; blend them and apply it to your face. Wash it off after 10 minutes.

  Add a tablespoon of honey to apricot pulp for an invigorating mask that clears the skin and moisturizes.

• Orange and yogurt mask:

  Oranges aren’t just for eating. The Vitamin C in them also works wonders when applied to the skin. Sunburned or extremely dry skin will benefit from this face mask.

  Take orange pulp, or the rind and blend it with some yogurt. Apply it to the face and massage it in. Wash it off after 10 minutes with lukewarm water.

7 More Tips for Naturally Healthy Skin

• Aloe Vera gel: It soothes, moisturizes and protects the skin from extreme weather

• Tea tree oil: Its antiseptic and antifungal properties make it invaluable for those with sensitive acne-prone skin

• Rose hip oil: Revitalizes the skin, halts the formation of wrinkles, and nourishes the tender skin under your eyes

• Yogurt: A natural cleanser… and if you don’t happen to like its smell, use it in combination with fresh fruits. Wash it off with warm water and the skin will be soft for a long time

• Honey: Undoubtedly the best moisturizer. For oily skin, use it with egg white. And if you have dry skin, add it to milk or cream.

• Tomato: Lightens and softens the skin. Cut off a slice and apply it all over your face and neck.

• For Soft, Blemish-free Skin Forever… Add fruits to your diet to remove toxins from your body. Try it for 7 days by eliminating caffeine, alcohol, junk food and sweets from your diet and eating only fruits and vegetables. This will clear up your blood making your skin glow like a fresh peach.

Photo credit: tuey

How a fatty acid can be good for you

The word ‘fat’ has the power to evoke great fear and anxiety. Not surprisingly, it is also one of the most misunderstood words.

Fats, found in oil, meat, veggies, and dairy products are what make food yummy and there is no denying the role they play in infusing the most heady aromas and flavors into all kinds of cuisines.

But more than that, some fats are very important for your healthy physical development. So, worry not that Omega-3 is called a fatty acid, that’s a good thing and our body needs it.

There are two kinds of fatty acids – saturated and unsaturated. Saturated fats stay solid at room temperature whereas unsaturated fats are liquid and are further divided into two types - monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.

Our body cannot make a few essential polyunsaturated fatty acids such as omega 3 and omega 6 and therefore needs to get them from food.

As compared to Omega-6, which is found in vegetable oils, egg yolk, meats in general (particularly organ meats), and other animal-based foods, we need very little Omega-3 for the overall development of our body.

A good source for omega 3 is not just oily fish like salmon and mackerel, but also soy beans, pumpkin seeds, hemp & flax oil, walnuts, and green leafy veggies including parsley, spinach, cabbage and broccoli.

The Omega effect

• Essential for development of the brain and eyes

• Reduces inflammation and blood clotting

• Treats heart diseases, psoriasis and arthritis

• May prevent breast and pancreatic cancer and inhibit growth of tumors

• May be helpful in cases of depression and anxiety

• Women who consume enough Omega-3 have very little menstrual discomfort

• Flax seed oil, which is very rich in Omega 3 brings life back to dry and lifeless hair and treats itchy scalps and dandruff

How Omega-3 works

This fatty acid regulates blood sugar levels, so you do not feel hungry as often. It also increases your metabolic rate, so you can burn away more calories.

Once started in earnest, an Omega-3 rich diet can reduce the risk of diabetes and obesity. However, diabetics are warned that too much oily fish may increase their blood glucose levels. Easy does it.

(Although inconclusive, some studies have shown people who are obese can lose weight by consuming evening primrose oil, an Omega-6 fatty acid.)

How much should you eat?

Those who can incorporate fish in their diet are recommended eating it thrice a week. The alternative is fish oil supplements. Because of the potential for side effects and interactions with medications, dietary supplements should be taken only under the supervision of a knowledgeable health care provider.

The only word of caution when it comes to consuming fish for their Omega-3 content is that a lot of pollutants remain in the fish’s body if it is only lightly steamed or grilled, so make sure that the fish you buy is fresh and cooked well.

Or you may wish to consume flax seed oil or cod liver oil on a regular basis. Note: For best absorption, flax seed oil should be followed by a half cup of plain yogurt or cottage cheese.

Note that doctors recommend the overall fat in your diet should be less than 30 percent of your total consumption. And a healthy diet should consist of roughly one omega-3 fatty acid to four omega-6 fatty acids.

It may seem ironic — incorporating a fatty acid to burn away more calories, but rest assured there’s nothing fishy about Omega-3.

Photo credit: Laurel Fan

Head to Toe Remedy

Aromatic, pungent, therapeutic, and flavorful — ginger’s claim to fame is but natural.

An old Indian folk song sums it up perfectly: “Ginger’s curative properties have no restrictions, one cannot say that it can only cure this and not that. From a migraine or a blocked nose right down to aching feet and sprains, you could never go wrong with a bit of ginger.”

This spice has been used for thousands of years to treat many ailments and one pound of it was once worth the price of a sheep.

Digestive Spice

The brown knobby-shaped root of ginger is used as a spice in many Asian countries and is becoming indispensable in several western cuisines as well. But this condiment shouldn’t be limited to just making food taste better. It’s quite effective in making you feel better.

Not only does it aid digestion, ginger also gets rid of such nasty stomach disorders such as constipation, diarrhea, bloating and flatulence. My father introduced me to ginger tea for diarrhea at an early age, and it’s never failed me. There is even evidence it can reduce food cravings by helping to maintain consistent blood sugar levels.

Because ginger works its wonders in the stomach it is considered to be a great alternative to all those allopathic tablets that are meant to ward off nausea, dizziness and to some extent even altitude sickness.

Ginger’s Arsenal

Closely related to turmeric, ginger owes its awesome powers to chemicals called volatile oils, especially zingerone, gingerols and shogaols. These oils stimulate your body’s production of saliva and digestive juices that counteract stomach acids, which may be causing cramps, nausea, or other disorders. As a decongestant, ginger is best administered in hot soups.

7 Ways to Use Ginger

Get your daily dose of ginger by munching on some gingerbread or sipping some ginger soda, tea, or soup. For those with painful ailments, here is what you can do:

• Backaches: Apply ginger paste on the area, followed by eucalyptus oil

• Muscle pain: Massage a few drops of ginger oil that has been mixed with almond oil

• Headaches: Heat up a little ginger paste and apply it on the forehead. Be warned, the skin will burn a little

• Sore throats: Chew a small piece of ginger slowly or crush it and add a spoonful of honey to it

• Flatulence: Make a paste of ginger and asafoetida to apply on the navel

• Motion sickness: Eat some ginger about 3-4 hours before you leave home and at regular four hour intervals as needed (if you can handle the spicy flavor)

• Earaches: A few drops of ginger juice in the affected ear

Cautions: Studies warn that those with gallbladder stones should not eat ginger and those undergoing chemotherapy should not take ginger on an empty stomach. Heartburn is inevitable if you eat too much ginger.

We should all be thankful this useful spice is now much cheaper than a sheep. The last time I checked it was even cheaper than a coffee at Starbucks.

Photo credit: JimReeves

Food of the Incas

First cultivated by the Incas, the potato has thousands of edible varieties. Over 12,000 species have been preserved.

Most finicky eaters have no problems with eating hot potatoes. There is something comforting about their pleasant taste and the ease of combining them with other foods that has made them a favorite in kitchens the world over. Unfortunately, potato chips and fries are the worst way of eating this healthy tuber.

Most people regularly include potatoes in their diet. So, the next time you reach for some, boil, or better yet, bake them. Boiled potatoes lose 50 percent of the potassium they contain, while steamed potatoes lose less than 6 percent. Baked potatoes are a very good low calorie, high fiber alternative for those who require protection against heart disease and cancer.

Instead of smothering potatoes with butter or cheese, consider a topping of olive or coconut oil combined with steamed vegetables like carrots, cauliflower, or broccoli. Yogurt (or even cottage cheese) also makes a healthier low calorie topping than sour cream. .

Adding some finely chopped raw potato to your salad is not only nutritious, it will reduce your desire to eat too much of the main course.

Potatoes contain vitamin C, vitamin B6, copper, potassium, manganese, and dietary fiber.

Why Potatoes Are a Good for You

• Potatoes are a good source of copper which is essential for preventing heart disease and an important nutrient to maintain healthy skin and hair. Copper is also an essential element in the prevention of osteoporosis.

• Raw potato slices can be used to soothe burns. Put several thinly cut slices of raw potato on the affected area and replace them every five minutes. The starch soothes the pain.

• Unpeeled potatoes are a good source of potassium that controls blood pressure and decreases the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

• Inflammation of the intestine can be alleviated with potatoes. You’ll feel better because the potato is soft, easy to digest and has a lot of vitamin C (an anti-oxidant that helps repair and heal the body). Just one baked potato has close to half of the daily recommended requirement of vitamin C.

• Potatoes also contain essential compounds such as carotenoids, flavonoids, and caffeic acid, and patatin that protect against free radicals.

• For those exercising regularly, the Vitamin B6 content in potatoes helps in the breakdown of glycogen (a sugar stored in muscle cells and the liver).

• Raw potato juice encourages the growth of friendly bacteria in the intestine, and offers relief to those suffering from constipation or piles (hemorrhoids). Eczema can also be treated if the juice is consumed or applied on the affected area.

Since raw potato juice isn’t very palatable to drink, you might want to mix it with carrot, lemon or apple juice. A little honey will add extra benefits. The easiest way to get the juice is to grate the potato and squeeze it out.

Cautions:

Excessive doses of Potato juice can be toxic.

Avoid eating potatoes that have turned green as the skin contains the toxin solanine, an alkaloid. This could lead to a headache or drowsiness in some people. Try to buy organically grown potatoes since pesticides sprayed on the crops seep through the skin. Organic potatoes should be consumed with the jacket since it contains a lot of fiber and nutrients.

Because microwaves literally rip molecules apart, making the recombined result unrecognizable as food to our own digestive system, we strongly recommend you avoid microwaving potatoes or any food.

Try Something New

Although your grocer is not likely to carry more than 3 or 4 varieties, you can usually find a larger selection at your local farmer’s market. If you’d like to try more of the thousands of varieties, I suggest you grow a few yourself. Potatoes are not hard to grow, and you can delight your friends and family with variety and freshness you’ll never get at the market. One source which I’ve personally used and recommend is Ronniger Potato Farm

Photo credit: ramyo

Do You Love Your Hair?

Nearly every time I go in for a haircut, the stylist says, “I love your hair. What kind of products (hair stylist lingo for shampoos and conditioners) do you use on it?” I always smile, thank them, and tell them I don’t use any special products, just water and shampoo.

Contrary to popular belief, the health of your hair does not solely depend on the shampoos and conditioners you use. Your diet can literally make or break your hair.

Tortures and Stressors

Women especially, tend to subject their hair and scalp to voluntary tortures such as – perms, dyes, hot iron rods and hot air driers. Little wonder then that these days, hair fall, discoloration, and baldness can affect anyone at anytime in their life.

Stress, an under-active thyroid gland, hormonal changes and environmental factors can all negatively affect your hair.

How to Fight Back & Win

A nourishing and balanced diet can bring about a dramatic turnaround in the health of your crowning glory. Here’s how:

1. Your hair needs Vitamin A, so incorporate fish, eggs and liver in your diet. Vegetarians could benefit from apricots, rock melon (cantaloupe), green leafy vegetables and beetroot.

2. Beta Carotene can bring lustre back to your hair. Yellow, orange, red and green fruits and vegetables including carrots, broccoli and sweet potatoes can boost the beta carotene content in your diet.

3. Zinc promotes health of the hair as well as of the scalp. It improves thinning and brittle hair by increasing the function of the thyroid gland. .It can be found in seafood, meat, wheat germ, nuts, beans, and pumpkin seeds.

4. Copper supplements help reverse the discoloration or graying process since the coloring pigment melanin requires this mineral. Seafood, liver, legumes, pasta, nuts, seeds, peas, avocados, garlic, mushrooms and bananas are a good source of copper.

5. Essential fatty acids such as flax seed oil or evening primrose oil resurrect dry and lifeless hair. Flax seed oil can also treat dandruff and eczema or psoriasis of the scalp.

6. Massage your scalp with warm oil to increase blood circulation to the scalp. Olive oil helps rejuvenate and nourish the hair and scalp. For an added treat add 5 drops of frankincense essential oil to a half cup of olive oil (enough for a couple treatments). Leave the oil on for about 30 minutes covered with a shower cap. Then rinse thoroughly and shampoo.

7. Studies have found that smokers tend to suffer from premature graying and early hair loss. So, kicking the habit will (in time) lead to a better head of hair.

Begin using these tips for healthy hair, and soon, your hair stylist could be telling you, “I love your hair.”

Photo credit:pronatali

Keeping Time

Why you should repair your body clock

All ye who work on night shifts pay heed. And all those who have been binging on high-calorie food on weekends, here’s a word of caution: when your body clock is out of whack, expect some serious trouble.

About time

The biological marvel that is the circadian rhythm regulates the body’s temperature and pressure according to the time of day – this means we feel alert after a good rest and feel tired and sleepy towards the end of the day or after a huge meal. The 24-hour circadian cycle is deeply ingrained in our body and is in charge of switching on and off various biological functions, such as oxygen requirements, waking up, being active, feeling hungry, hormone production and even feeling sleepy.

Alarm bells

Those who consistently defy this rhythm and set their own pace of waking, sleeping, eating at irregular intervals or drinking a lot of alcohol, eventually experience problems with their body’s functions. Studies show that a faulty body clock stops correctly regulating your hunger and metabolic rate, which increases your chances of obesity and diabetes. Other studies prove that alcoholics tend to suffer from poor sleep, depression, low immunity and disrupted neuroendocrine functions, because the alcohol interferes with those physiologic functions that depend on the circadian rhythm.

On time

One of the latest branches of medicine is called chronotherapy, which uses cues from the body’s own clock to treat illnesses and get into shape. So there are best times for taking medicines, exercising, studying, trying for a baby (sperm production is highest in the morning), eating, cleaning the house and even taking a bath. One study has found that the clock can be shifted an hour back or forward after exposure to bright pulses of light.

Top 5 Signs
Your Clock’s Going Cuckoo

1. Sleeping all the time or not sleeping at all

2. Depression that is related to the weather; such as feeling low during winter

3. Hallucinations, exhaustion or paranoia due to lack of sleep

4. Putting on weight despite eating healthy foods and exercising regularly

5. Waking up feeling tired with stiff joints and muscles

Winding up

One way of getting your clock right is to get plenty of sunlight. This will aid the production of melatonin, a powerful anti-aging hormone that is manufactured by the pineal gland and helps set the body’s internal clock. The biorhythms are set by light cues - therefore melatonin is produced each evening after sunset and before dawn. Melatonin also affects the body’s reproductive functions, metabolic rate, hunger and other bodily processes. Little wonder then that it is prescribed as a supplement to those suffering from sleep disorders due to long night shifts.

Setting your clock right

1. Set a fixed time for waking, sleeping, and eating. Start with a good breakfast followed by a light lunch and dinner to regulate your weight. The body converts food into heat and energy in the morning, but in the evening, food is stored as fat.

2. Don’t binge on high calorie foods for two or more days in a row. This disrupts the clock by slowing down the stomach and in turn affects your metabolism, leading to obesity or diabetes.

3. Get at least half an hour of early daylight to give your body clock the necessary light cues to regulate your body temperature, energy levels, etc

4. Your threshold of pain is higher in the afternoon, so if you need to do some really heavy work or visit the doctor for a shot - after your lunch break is a good time.

5. Your heart, blood vessels, lungs, ovaries, muscles, liver, and kidneys have their own clock and achieve their peak performance at certain times in the day. So if you have problems staying alert when you should, or a tendency to put on weight, eat when your stomach will function at its best.

6. Those who have to cope with jet lag or shift work should gradually shift the time of eating and resting to their normal routine

Photo credit:col_adamson