Category: Food, Nutrition & Health

Sprouts are considered the healthiest snack and are liked by all age groups and as people are looking for healthy, inexpensive, and convenient food, it fits best in this category. Doing sprouting at home requires long hours but in this high-paced world, people have a very hectic schedule and lack time for themselves so they end up going to the supermarket and buy raw sprouts from there. Therefore, it becomes essential to check the safety of fresh sprouts to prevent the large masses from being infected. 

What are sprouts? 

Sprouts are germinated seeds that by time become very young plants. The natural process through which germination occurs is called sprouting. Initially, the seeds are soaked for a longer duration (20 minutes to 12 hours or more), then the required combination of temperature and moisture (35°C and relative humidity of 80%) is provided to the soaked seeds, and are permitted to grow for two to seven days. Lately, the product obtained is a fresh sprout. The optimum conditions required for the sprouting are also ideal for the rapid growth of several bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella, listeria, and molds. There are chances of pre-harvest and post-harvest contamination. Pre-harvest contamination sources include the type of fertilizer used, irrigation water, or soil quality. Post-harvest contamination of sprouts may occur during storage, handling, and transportation of the sprouts.  

There are several foodborne outbreaks associated with sprouts. The first outbreak recorded due to the consumption of sprouts was in 1973. In a recent population-based survey, most of the patients who were diagnosed with foodborne diseases had consumed alfalfa sprouts. There are several physicals, chemical, and biological treatments that can be given to sprouts to reduce the risk of foodborne diseases. Let’s check out the processing of sprouts. 

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Today, we are facing a host of health problems that require the action of every individual. To bring about that action, education is required. Due to the insidious nature of chronic diseases, the task is made unusually difficult. Now there is a need of modification of some of our value systems and cultural patterns.

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“We need a new definition of malnutrition. Malnutrition means under- and over-nutrition. Malnutrition means emaciated and obese.” – Catherine Bertini

In the present generation economies and countries varying from low-income to middle-income has been struggling with a major phenomenon which perceives the coexistence of over nutrition and under nutrition simultaneously known as “The double burden of malnutrition”. The double burden of malnutrition is characterized by the coexistence of under nutrition i.e. stunting and wasting, along with overweight and obesity, or diet-related non communicable diseases, within individuals, households and populations, and across the life course.

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Just like other external factors, what we eat also leaves an impact on how we feel. Some foods can make us feel lethargic, which directly leads to an unproductive day. Many times a heavy dinner acts as a solution to our stressful day which might eliminate the possibility of a good night’s sleep. And a healthy, good breakfast is a major factor to kick start our day. Hence, slight variations in our food habits can produce good, positive results in the long run. 

Now, this article is not to be confused with any kind of medical solution to your restless soul but rather a platform where you can find foods that make you feel better, by providing you energy and refreshing vibes.

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The latest buzz words that seems to have taken over the diet word is- ketogenic diet, often referred to as keto diet. A Ketogenic Diet is a diet characterized by a stark reduction in carbohydrate intakes (usually <50 grams/ day) and an increase in the proportions of proteins and fat in the food. Two of the most extensively used variants of the dietary system are:

1. Standard Keto Diet: The form of the popular system includes low carbohydrate, moderate protein and high fat intake. Their percentage-wise divisions in the diet are 70%, 20% and 10% respectively.
2. High-Protein Keto Diet: This version includes more protein, making the division constitute 60% fat, 35% proteins and only 5% carbohydrates. The fat intake still remains higher as compared to normal diets.

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Vitamin-D is specifically a steroid hormone. It is required by our body for performing numerous functions. It is either synthesized in our body by the absorption of sunlight, which labelled it as “Sunshine Vitamin” or is furnished by some foods. Vitamin-D is present in some foods innately and some are fortified with it, available as a dietary supplement. It is a fat-soluble Vitamin biologically knew as calciferol.

Biology of Vitamin-D.

Vitamin-D absorbed from the exposure to sunlight and various other sources are inactive. So to get converted into the active form, it has to go through hydroxylation. Hydroxylation occurs at two sites in the body, liver and kidney. In the liver, it transforms into 25-hydroxy vitamins [25(OH)D], labelled as calcidiol. In the kidney, it revamps to the anatomically active form 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin-D [1,25(OH)2D] named as calcitriol. There are numerous forms of Vitamin-D. D1 is a cholesterol molecule.

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If you were baffled when you learned that bananas and brinjals are berries while strawberries and raspberries are not ( makes no sense right!) or that Aztecs and Mayans used cacao beans (chocolate) as currency, you will be whiplashed after reading the below mentioned common postulations that are nothing but misconstructions. So next time your grandmother or mother tells you to not ingurgitate food during the odd hours of the day, do show her this article!

Let’s start with something sweet.

• Honey is better than sugar.

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Luscious and mouthwatering, delectable and enchanting – when it comes to Indian food, a little child wakes up in everyone with a smile of ecstasy. The pleasant aroma and enticing taste leave us spellbound in every soulful tryst. Having literally no end to variety, our native cuisine never fails to mesmerize us with its delightful flavor. We Indians are well-known for adding our own ‘desi tadka’ to food dishes that we encounter every day. Our chefs even excel in recreating foreign dishes with all necessary lip-smacking ingredients that promises a lasting impression in our minds.

Taking the time machine to explore the food culture existent in the medieval era, we stumble upon a lot of bizarre anecdotes that led to the amazing birth of many famous Indian food dishes. Being a crazy foodie myself, I tried to list down some of the most intriguing origins of our delicacies. 

The Rumali Roti: The first item on my list is the ultra-thin flatbread that goes well with almost every gravy. Dating back to the Mughal period, the rumali roti was made by royal chefs not for the Mughal nawabs to eat, but for them to wipe their hands after eating! After a heavy ‘daawat’ of Biriyani and meat, the nawabs needed something to remove the oil and fats from their hands after rinsing; so, the chefs decided to step in with a solution and created Rumali Roti. “Rumal” is the Urdu-Persian word for “handkerchief” and hence the name was given to it keeping in mind that it was to be used as a Rumal, owing to its heavy starch content capable of removing excess fats. Who would have known that one day people will be eating something so lovingly that was never meant to be eaten?!

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Sprouts are considered the healthiest snack and are liked by all age groups and as people are looking for healthy, inexpensive, and convenient food, it fits best in this category. Doing sprouting at home requires long hours but in this high-paced world, people have a very hectic schedule and lack time for themselves so they end up going to the supermarket and buy raw sprouts from there. Therefore, it becomes essential to check the safety of fresh sprouts to prevent the large masses from being infected. 

Read More

Prostate Cancer is the most common cancer detected in men of all the other cancers. It is third on the scale for the cause of death in men. Prostate cancer affects the person and spouse and causes various psychological and emotional issues. Some common issues include anxiety, depression, intimacy issues and sexual dysfunction. It is uncommon in younger people of age less than 45 but becomes more common with advancing age. Men with high blood pressure have more chances of developing prostate cancer. Prostate cancer arises when the semen-secreting gland cells mutate into cancer cells. Over time these cells multiply and spread to the surrounding prostate tissue-stroma, forming a tumour. The tumour may grow in size to affect the surrounding organs or may evolve to travel in the bloodstream and lymphatic system. Following factors may result in prostate cancer: Genetics- the risks are higher when a family member has prostate cancer, Diet- low levels of Vitamin D may increase risk, Medication, Infection- infection with Sexually Transmitted Infections Chlamydia, gonorrhoea or syphilis tend to increase risk, Environment- a study showed that war veterans exposed to Agent Orange had increased rate of 48% and Sex. Not every prostate cancer is lethal and many men survived the disease. Life expectancy predicted changes with medical and lifestyle factors. An overweight person will lose 3.1 years and if he is a smoker he will lose 6.7 years. If the person is obese he will lose 5.8 years and if he is a smoker he will lose 13.7 years compared to a person with a healthy lifestyle. 

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Food wastage is the tossed-out food which is either discarded due to inappropriate traits or surplus quantity. The notion, food wastage can be inferred by two terms, food loss and food waste.

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Gluten-free diets have received tremendous attention for quite some time now. People misinterpret it as a healthy diet and incorporate it into their day-to-day lifestyle without knowing its repercussions. There are detrimental effects of going gluten-free. It is not recommended by health experts until and unless the person is gluten-intolerant. But before diving deep into this, let’s discuss Gluten and Gluten Intolerance.

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Fasting has been practiced all over the world since primeval times. Either it’s a ritual or it’s out of necessity. Thus, it is not something that humans are completely unaware of. Dieting is also a form of fasting, being practiced lately to gain a perfect figure. Owning a flawless and slim body has been a major concern for most people. Be it celebs, sportspersons, or even common people like us, everyone wants to look better. Hence, individuals have been ensuing and experts have been signifying several methods and procedures to lose weight. Amongst them all, intermittent fasting, which has recently come back into trend is one of the most effortless and manageable ways to lose weight. It was discovered around 1945 and has hit the headlines again when Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey claimed to eat only one meal in a day. Conferring to the reports, IF is 2019’s most prevalent diet trend.

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