Tried and tested ways to keep your mind razor-sharp

 

 

Forget about memory pills and other drugs to keep your mind razor-sharp. These simple yet effective tips will help you in building a smarter and sharper brain which can retain a great amount of names, phone numbers and everything else that is needed in running daily chores.

1.       Sleep- Less than 7 hours of sleep can impair memory and decreases the ability to make judgments. Therefore, you must choose a dark and quite room to ensure that you have a peaceful sleep.

2.       Breathe deeply- It is essential to breathe deeply to have a safe and sound mind. Inhale to the count of 4, hold for a count of 7 and exhale to the count of 8. This exercise is much needed before you start your day.

3.       Eat Healthy- Omega 3 is a vital ingredient which helps improve concentration and increases retention power. It is essential to keep your meals balanced so as to avoid nutritional deficiencies.

4.       Drink Water- Since 2/3^rd of the brain is composed of water, it is essential that you must drink more than 10 glasses of water in a day.

5.       Avoid Alcohol/Smoking- Alcohol and smoking can have drastic impact on your body and mind. While the alcohol shrinks the cerebral cortex, smoking lowers blood and oxygen supply to brain.

Delhities prone to dirty air even inside homes

 

 

Stepping out of homes and heading towards your daily job destination has become a nightmare, thanks to Delhi’s ever increasing air pollution.

And guess what? If you think you can be safe from the ‘pollution menace’ inside homes, then you are absolutely wrong. You are not safe from pollution even within your home.  Also, the air you breathe while doing morning walk in the parks and gardens is also thick and heavy with particulate pollution.

The doctors are of the opinion that rising number of people are becoming prone to deadly asthama attacks and the number has increased manifold in the recent years. Air pollution is taking its toll on a number of people and that’s why it is the need of the hour that people must start taking precautions of the vehicle emissions and other pollution control measures so as to breathe easy and inhale fresh air.

Cook your meals in Coconut Oil

Coconut Oil is a healthy alternative to vegetable oil. Cooking meals in coconut oil isn’t versatile but it also has some good health benefits. The oil tastes great and keeps you fit for long. With coconut oil, you can increase the flavor of your meals. Here are some ways to do so:-

Roast with Coconut Oil- Saute vegetables like bananas, spinach and other green leafy ones in coconut oil. The best way is to melt coconut oil and pour it over vegetables while doing roasting. Add a bit of salt for adding taste. Sweet potatoes and broccoli fit best when cooked in this oil and help you feel good.

Bake in Coconut Oil- Using butter or other such fattening oils can be replaced with goodness of coconut oil. You can melt the coconut oil in a pan and while working on medium-low heat, bake the food. The flavor of this oil will add to the aroma of your baked foods and as well as keep them moisturized.

Avoid the use of Personal listening devices (PLDs):

Today, the danger of early hearing loss is found in one out of four teenagers which is the result of long listening music on their MP3 players and iPods. These devices are a fundamental improvement of the walkman, which provide the users with crystal clear sound at a high volume.

Professor Chava Muchnik of audiology at Tel Aviv University (TAU) faculty of Medicine and of the Sheba Medical Centre, the journal for Audiology report said that teens are in danger of early loss of hearing as a result of direct listening habits. The researchers of TAU marked these personal listening devices (PLDs) as causing serious health problems, especially for the teenagers. Professor Muchnik studied with his colleagues on teenagers ‘habits of music listening, taking acoustic measures of preferred levels of listening, as stated by TAU. The result clearly demonstrate that teens have harmful habits of music listening on iPods and MP3 devices. In the coming 10-20 years, teens will be suffering much early from loss of hearing, than the expected natural age.

Pupils who are misusing the PLDs will definitely understand their faults when their hearing ability will start detoriating while they reach their 30s and 40s. Muchnik took 289 teens of 13 to 17 years of age for his first stage of study. For his second stage, 74 teens took their participation for the measurement of the listening levels in an environment that was both noisy and quiet. The result made Muchnik worrisome.

It depicted that PLDs were regularly used by eighty percent of teens; about 21 percent use these for one to four hours and some about eight percent listen music for more than four hours. The data along with the result of acoustic measurement indicate that almost a quarter of the participants are at the risk for hearing loss.

The Kiwi way to good health

The world has gone gaga over the benefits of fruits. Since the earliest of times, man has been on the quest for diets that are supplemented by fruits that are seen as an aid to great hair, health as well as skin. The new era has discovered a whole lot of advantages of a much popular fruit that reminisces of a bird Down Under. Yes we are talking of the Kiwi fruit! The light olive like color and the serene appearance is actually based on the fact that the fruit is a storehouse of rich Vitamins-namely A, C and E.

How the Vitamins help?
The Vitamin A has been much read about ever since junior school. Besides being great for our eyes, these vitamins boost great skin. The two main vitamins which the tasty and tangy fruit comprises are active radical fighters and also have properties that prevent the onset of a number of disorders or diseases.

Remember, the benefits of a fiber rich diet you read back in school? This lesson is proven by the dietary fiber which the green yummy fruit called the kiwi has stored within. Therefore, with a few slices of Kiwi fruit, you can keep high bold sugar, colon cancer and the like, at bay.

Proven medical benefits of having Kiwi fruit:
• Prevents heart disorders
• Reduces the chances of cardiac arrests
• Low in calories
• Control weight issues in obese people
• Controls cholesterol levels
• Prevents mutations
• Helps children fight cough and cold

The best for the last
However, you need not simply believe that Kiwi fruit is to be eaten to fight such issues. Being juicy and yummy, you can try using the fruit in a number of interesting recipes as well. Use it in mock tails or use slices in homemade ice-cream or cheesecakes. The Kiwi takes away a number of calories with every slice placed in the cake.

Lose kilos by chewing gum

Scientists have revealed a new fact about losing weight by chewing gum. It is a misconception among many of us that gum can be fattening and so you may gain weight by munching on gums. Gum can give you fresh breath, enhance your memory helps you to quit smoking. It can also participate in your weight loss program by helping you in controlling the impulse of hunger.

Chewing gums contain softeners because of which we can hold them in mouth for a longer period. The softeners used in chewing gums are mostly glycerines. Glycerine is not bad for health if consumed in a proportionate manner.

Trying sugar free chewing gums can help you a great way to reduce weight. It has been found through research that if you chew sugar free gum after an hour of the meal you are less likely to have snacks. You don’t feel hungry at all and the urge to eat refreshments habitually minimizes. Consuming snacks between meals can add extra kilos to your weight. If you consume chewing gum 3 times a day in between your meals it will control your hunger and eventually you will not crave for food.


Scientists are also working on developing a chewing gum which can get rid of unwanted fat over your body. It was demonstrated that a hormone can be taken orally which will make feel people “full” after having that. This hormone is called PYY belongs to a system which is responsible for regulating the hunger and stamina of human body. PYY is released in the blood stream when people have meal or do some work out. The more the amount of PYY released in the blood stream, the more is the number of calories consumed. Past medical Studies indicate that obese people have low amount of PYY than people who are thin. Scientists are working hard on finding a way through which they can insert the B12-PYY into chewing gum or any oral tablet which can be eaten with less effort. The gum can be made available in nasal spray or injection form once it hits the market. The biggest advantage of having a chewing gum as your appetite loser is that you can carry it anywhere. Once you replace your purses full of high calorie chocolates and chips with a tiny chewing gum you will be shocked to see the results. No need to have tasteless juices or raw food to lose weight.

Goodness of Garlic

Garlic is an important ingredient used in various cuisines for adding flavour to several dishes. Garlic is rich in sulphur compound, allicin which is beneficial for our health. If you consume garlic daily according to research you can protect yourself from cold and improve your immune system. Taking garlic pills, or drinking garlic soup and tea can be a healthy precaution against cold. Garlic syrup gives relief from sore throat while drinking garlic tea in winter boosts your immune system.

Cooking garlic at low temperature can release many useful sulphur compounds but if the temperature is kept high then the enzymes cannot react to give the sulphur compounds. Garlic helps a great way in reducing cholesterol. It acts as natural antibiotic killing bacteria and other micro-organisms which are harmful for our body. It is equivalent to penicillin and other antibiotic medicines that are usually prescribed by the doctors.


Garlic has a rich content of selenium which acts as defence against cancer and poisoning caused due to metals like lead. When meat is grilled at high temperature some part of it gets blackened which can cause cancer. It is therefore recommended to have garlic in raw form or mixed in a sauce when you are eating meat. Similarly sea food can be dangerous if it is farmed in waste water containing metal residues. It is always good to season your seafood with minced garlic which will diminish the toxic effects.

Garlic reduces triglycerides in the blood and helps in controlling blood pressure. Besides improving circulation it acts against yeast infections and other harmful ailments like urinary infections, asthma and blood vessel blockages. Eating garlic improves the secretion of digestive juices aid the digestion process. It is the best medicine for stomach infections. It helps the body to produce nitric oxide synthase which supports in erections. For pregnant women consuming garlic can be a best way to increase the weight of their babies. It has also been recommended to eat garlic during pregnancy to keep the blood pressure normal.


Most of the skin problems arise due to impurities in blood. Garlic can be a good medicine for treatment of skin disorders as it purifies the blood. It has been used from ancient times to cure worm invasions and low libido. Naturopaths recommend use of garlic for improving eyesight, colour of skin, firming of bones and for regulating gastrointestinal system of the body.