Suffering From Vision Problems? These Eye Nutrients Can Help!

Carrots have long been touted as the one and only vegetable that can prevent the onset of vision deterioration. Most of us can recall hearing about the presumably strong connection between regular consumption of carrots and unparalleled eye health. Is there any scientific truth to this claim? Yes there is! Research has confirmed that this age old dietary advice has a solid nutritional background to support it. Though the humble carrot has been pushed into the limelight as a matchless savior of eye vision, there are other natural foods that offer a similar combination of eye nutrients. So for all those who don’t classify carrots as their cup of tea, there’s a whole list of alternative options for you to pick and choose from.

That list however, will be disclosed later. For now, let’s take a little time to explore the realm of eye nutrients and what role they play in keeping your eyes healthy, and your vision strong.

Lutein and Zeaxanthin: An Introduction

According to experts, the role of good nutrition for eye health cannot be emphasized enough.  In the domain of eye nutrients, lutein and zeaxanthin stand out as two essential constituents for optimal eye health. Research has shown that this powerful duo has the potential to reduce the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration. Lutein and zeaxanthin are xanthophylls by nature, a term used to describe yellow pigment based compounds that occur naturally in plants and vegetables. Keep in mind that pigments are chemical compounds which reflect only certain wavelengths of visible light. The pigment will appear to be a particular color depending upon the specific wavelength that it reflects. Xanthophylls belong to a class of organic compounds called carotenoids (organic pigments found in plants), which also include orange and red plant pigments.

Though lutein is considered a yellow pigment, in high concentrations it appears orange-red.
You may be wondering about the exact function of these eye nutrients. In nature, lutein and zeaxanthin appear to absorb excess light energy to prevent damage to plants from too much sunlight, especially from high energy light rays called blue light. This coveted pair is found in many green leafy plants and colorful fruits and vegetables, in addition to being present in high concentrations in the macula of the eye. This is what gives the macula its yellowish color.

Lutein and Zeaxanthin: Eye Health

Age related macular degeneration, often called AMD, is the leading cause of vision loss and blindness among individuals aged 65 years and above. We covered earlier that the macula is the hub, so to speak, of lutein and zeaxanthin reserves in the body. Why is the macula considered to be such a critical component of the retina? Largely because the clear, sharp vision required to read or to drive is the responsibility of the macula. AMD is a growing concern because firstly, the disease causes a gradual deterioration of the macula, and second, an increasingly large proportion of the population falls within the age bracket that is susceptible to vision loss through macular degeneration.

It is believed that the lutein and zeaxanthin reserves in the macula block blue light from reaching the underlying structures in the retina, reducing the risk of light induced oxidative damage that could lead to AMD. A number of studies have shown that these two eye nutrients either help prevent AMD or slow the progression of the disease.

The primary function of the eye’s natural lens is to collect and focus light on the retina. To properly provide this function throughout life, the lens must remain clear. Oxidation of the lens is a major cause of cataracts, the clouding of the natural lens. Cataracts are the most common cause of vision loss in individuals age 40 and above and are the principal cause of blindness in the world. Given their function as antioxidant nutrients which neutralize the free radicals associated with oxidative damage, lutein and zeaxanthin play a role in cataract prevention.

Lutein and Zeaxanthin: Benefits to the Body

Research suggests that lutein and zeaxanthin fulfill key antioxidant roles within the body. Coupled with a bevy of potent antioxidants (such as vitamin C, beta carotene, and vitamin E), these xanthophylls guar d the system from the detrimental effects of free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that, if left unchecked, have the potential to destroy body cells and pave the way for several debilitating diseases. In addition to significant eye health benefits, research has linked these nutrients to protection against atherosclerosis (buildup of fatty deposits in the arteries), the disease that leads to heart attacks.

Foods Containing These Nutrients

If the human eye contains natural deposits of lutein and zeaxanthin, why is additional intake considered to be so essential? Simply because research suggests that without adequate consumption, the amount of lutein and zeaxanthin may deplete with age. Since your body isn’t wired to produce these nutrients on its own, you must constantly replace it with the foods you eat.
Nutritional experts recommend the following daily intake:

• 10 mg of lutein
• 2 mg of zeaxanthin

To meet this requirement, it is advisable to make a conscious effort to include the following natural foods in your regular diet:

• Dark leafy green vegetables like spinach and kale
• Collards
• Turnip greens
• Green peas
• Corn
• Broccoli
• Romaine lettuce
• Carrots
• Green beans
• Eggs

Conclusion

It is never too late to take a step towards a healthier dietary plan. Incorporating these nutrient rich foods into your regular meal plans will not only prevent the onset of eye diseases that can compromise your vision, but will also slow down and potentially halt the progress of existing eye diseases, if there are any.   Remember that it is always a good idea to visit an ophthalmologist if you are concerned about eye health. Consult him/her on your proposed dietary plan and take his feedback into account.

Dangerous Food: Dried Fruits

The truth about Dried Fruits

Before we reveal the truth, let's get one thing cleared, to qualify as naturally dry, normal fruits need to be dried, by the most direct means with no artificial additives. Dried fruits have their advantages and disadvantages, let's take a look at some of them;

Advantages

• Drying fruits helps prolong the fruit's shelf life altogether, so when a particular fruit goes out of season, the substitute is the dried version
• Sometimes, being smaller than most fruits, they are relatively easy to carry around in packets, making them a perfect on-the-go snack idea
• They are sweeter sometimes, the added sugar makes them even more tastier than normal fruits
• They are known to be high in calcium, vitamins and minerals
• Naturally dried fruits are known as great energy boosters
• They are a replacement for regular sugar
• They are high in fiber, help lower blood pressure in some cases, keep your stomach satisfied

Disadvantages

• If they are processed, they increase the amount of sugar, which isn't healthy
• After they are dried, the applied heat is known to reduce heat sensitive substances like Vitamin C
• They are known to increase the overall calorie count, if you are someone who wants to limit calories, you will have to stay away from dried fruits
• They tend to go through a lot of processes that are not as healthy as they sound
• The dehydration process tends to rob these fruits of their nutritional value

So how are they prepared?

• The fruit, when picked up from farms is then taken up by the companies who process and then distribute dried fruit.
• The fruit in bulk cannot be dried so easily with mere dehydration quickly, so a few companies add sulphur dioxide in order to prevent discoloration of the fruit and to preserve them. This chemical addition ends up with the dried fruit containing traces of acrylamide too.

Can I dry them out myself without adding sulphur to the equation?

Yes you can, here's how;

• Find the fruit first, you can choose between apricots, apples, bananas, berries, coconuts and plums
• Slice them' up and wash them thoroughly, remove any sign of dirt too
• Dip the fruit slices in an ascorbic acid dip made by combining 2 tbsp. ascorbic acid or, another method is to blanch the fruit by putting slices in a steamer for five minutes then transferring them to an ice water bath to stop the cooking.
• You can choose to dry them up using the Sun, the most convenient way, but be sure the weather stays hot enough for around 3-4 days. You can also use the oven for a longer period of time if that is feasible, provided the oven is left at its lowest
• That's it.

So the truth is

Very simple, be moderate in this scenario. Take in dried fruits only occasionally, especially if you want to keep your calorie count in the healthy range.  It's better to dry these fruits up your way through the steps provided, stay away from packed ones that you find in the market, because they use more additives to increase the shelf life of the product. Overall, we suggest you use dried fruits as a snack, don't overdo it.

Dengue: Don't fear it, face it!

What is Dengue?

Dengue fever is a painful, debilitating mosquito borne disease caused by a rather different kind of mosquito, but indeed a mosquito you don't want to mess around with.

OK, so how does it spread?

Dengue is transmitted by a species of mosquito within the genus Aedes, principally A. Aegypti.

What does it look like?

Well it is a striped version of the normal mosquitoes we see around, but this one is different. It is larger, and has peculiar timings. It is known to deliver its bite from dawn. Yes, this particular breed does not shy away from heat, in fact, it welcomes it. It lays its eggs on stagnant fresh water, which means it can easily lay eggs inside your house, in a bowl of water, inside your refrigerator's water compartment, fish bowls and shady places. What's more is that these mosquitoes grow up very fast, just 3 weeks from being born, to adult and then reproduction.

Right, what happens when someone is infected with Dengue, and who is at risk?

Everyone. Children are more at risk because of severe bleeding, vomiting with blood, pain behind the eyes and extremely high fever that goes up to 103-104. It is worrying because Dengue is now one of the fastest growing epidemics in the world, in Pakistan the rate has climbed exponentially since 2011, killing around 300 with another 14,000 infected. Mainly the province of Punjab seems to have been effected by it, because in 2010 more than 21, 204 people were infected.

Looks and sounds serious, how can I be safe from the striped menace

You need to be aware of the fact that there is no vaccine for Dengue and that Pakistan is one of the hardest hit countries where such a deadly disease resides. Dengue is increasingly becoming an epidemic in Pakistan. Mostly in the Punjab province, Dengue is spreading rapidly with several cases being reported in Karachi now too. Since there is no vaccine, the only way is to eliminate the carriers, the mosquitoes to be precise. We have outlined a few more tips that might help reduce the chances of this disease spreading further;

• Change water in your vases every alternate day
• Also remove water from flowerpots every alternate day, this will prevent the Aedes mosquito from laying eggs in the shade provided by the plants.
• Turn over pails and water storage containers
• Clear water blockages and use insecticide in roof gutters monthly.
• Please do not litter, this is one of the most important steps needed to prevent this disease overall, littering causes shade and ideal conditions for these mosquitoes to breed freely and easily.
• Cover all toilet bowls in your home
• Turn over all water storage containers to help prevent the Aedes mosquito from laying its eggs.
• Use mosquito repellent products, they help

"I think I have been bitten during the day, I have severe headache and nausea"

Get yourself checked up for Dengue infections as soon as you can, the sooner the disease is diagnosed, the better.

"So all we have to do is to be safe from this striped mosquito by preventing water from being clogged"

Not so fast. You need to be aware and spread it as well. Spreading awareness helps people understand just how dangerous dengue actually is. Most people do not realize the magnitude of this disease and don't take proper measure which leads towards the breeding of the mosquito. As mentioned earlier we need to eliminate the carriers and the source, the mosquitos. Adopt the mentioned guidelines and spread it around as well so people know what they are up against.

Benefits of milk in your diet

Fresh milk is rich source of essential nutrients including protein, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin A, vitamin D and vitamin C. Reduced-fat fresh milk in particular, because it lacks the fat content of other dairy products such as whole milk, offers health benefits yet fewer of the health risks associated with consuming saturated fat and cholesterol. Including three servings of fresh milk in your diet each day can help you maintain muscle mass, strengthen your bones, support a favorable body composition and improve your circulatory health.

Milk provides the following beneficial nutrients

• Calcium – for healthy bones and teeth
• Phosphorus – for energy release
• Magnesium – for muscle function
• Protein – for growth and repair
• Vitamin B12 – for production of healthy cells
• Vitamin A – for good eyesight and immune function
• Zinc – for immune function
• Riboflavin – for healthy skin
• Folate – for production of healthy cells
• Vitamin C – for formation of healthy connective tissues
• Iodine – for regulation of the body’s metabolism

Protein

In addition to being essential to tissue repair, enzyme and hormone synthesis, immune system support and energy production, protein provides the structure of your muscle fibers. The proteins in fresh milk are especially helpful because they contain all of the essential amino acids, the protein building blocks you lack the ability to make and therefor include in your diet. In addition, the two predominant proteins, casein and whey, play important roles in muscle building. Your gut digests and absorbs casein relatively slowly, allowing for a steady release of amino acids into your bloodstream to nourish your muscles in a sustained manner, while whey protein enters your body fairly quicker. Whey not only gives your muscle fibers a quick nutrient boost, but also supplies branch-chained amino acids that can help with muscle recovery following a workout.

Bone health

Your body needs a continous supply of calcium and phosphorus to maintain a robust skeletal system. Fresh milk provides these minerals and is one of the best food sources of these nutrients. Your bones contribute to your physical structure and allow movement. Having a reserve of these nutrients is important because they play a critical role in muscle contraction, nerve transmission, cellular communication and circulatory health. However if your dietary calcium and phosphorus quantity is low and your body keeps pulling them from your bones, you may eventually compromise the integrity of your bone structure and may develop osteoporosis. Drinking fresh milk, which also contains the vitamin D that assists with calcium absorption can help keep your bones strong.

Body composition

Diary products such as reduced-fat milk can help you decrease body fat and accelerate the burning of your fat stores as as fuel source. The calcium content of these foods affects your cells’ calcium concentration, which in turn regulates fat metabolism, allowing you to burn more lipids when your calories are low but preventing you from packing on fat when your calorie intake increases. In addition, the branched-chain aminos in the whey portion of milk work together with calcium to create this fat-burning effect, making dairy products preferable to calcium supplements as a means to help manage your weight and improve your body composition.

Cardiovascular system

The vitamins and minerals in milk help lower the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Vitamin A, for example, functions as an antioxidant and can fight inflammation, a contributor to heart disease. Calcium and vitamin D can help keep blood pressure within a healthy range, and drinking low-fat milk can help prevent obesity and elevated cholesterol levels, both of which are risk factors for circulatory disorders.

4 Easy Steps To Reduce The Risk Of Developing Diabetes Type 2

More and more people are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, a disease characterized by high blood sugar or glucose levels. Our body needs insulin to move sugars from our blood to the cells where those sugars are metabolized to produce energy. In type 2 diabetes our body isn’t responding to those insulin levels or produces inadequate levels to move those sugars around.

Stress, poor diet, overweight, and inadequate exercise are all possible cause to trigger diabetes type 2, and can lead to heart diseases, strokes, kidney diseases, blindness, and many other ailments. It is estimated that over 26 million Americans are affected and another 79 million are at risk of developing diabetes or pre-diabetes.

Although diabetes type 2 is associated with an older ages, more and more children or young adolescents are diagnosed with diabetes. The first signs, or the onset of diabetes type 2, is seen when blood glucose levels are rising and our body doesn’t respond properly to insulin production. This pre-diabetes condition is a strong wake-up call and should be taken seriously as it can still be reversed.

Here are 4 simple steps to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes or reverse pre-diabetes.

1.      Physical Activity

Getting active and exercise regularly helps to build and maintain muscle mass. Muscle mass has the ability to store excess blood sugars in the form of glycogen. But that’s not the only reason why you should exercise. The more you move, the more sugar your body needs to produce energy and increases the body’s ability to respond properly to insulin. Any activity you like will do the trick, whether it is working your ass of in the gym or gardening or take a walk. Aim for 5 times 30 minutes a week or several shorter sessions.

2.      Weight Control

Diabetes type 2 is linked to overweight and obesity. Excess fat tissue decreases the ability to respond properly to insulin. Studies show that when you lose 10% of your body weight, when being obese or overweight, the chance of developing type 2 diabetes lowers by half.

Check-out my weekly guest post on answers.com for more information about type 2 diabetes and weight control: “Lose Weight And Reduce The Risk Of Diabetes Type 2″

3.      Nutrition

Not only being at a healthy weight is important here. You may be at your perfect body weight, but if you eat a lot of sugars and processed foods you are at risk of developing diabetes as well. A diet low in sugar and refined grains may reduce the risk dramatically. Opt for whole grains, they give you a stuffed feeling and take longer to digest and glucose is slowly released into your bloodstream.

Drink water instead of soda’s or other sugary drinks. Include magnesium rich foods into your daily diet, as studies found that they may lower the risk. Those include, brown rice, raw almonds, spinach, avocado, peas, okra, etc. Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits, but easy on the high-fructose fruits.

4.      Reduce Stress

Stress (emotional, physical or mental) has been linked with the risk of developing diabetes type 2 as it raises cortisol levels within our body and may cause insulin imbalances. Get your stress factors under control and make sure to get enough sleep.

Symptoms Of Diabetes Type 2

Symptoms are easy-to-miss. So if doubting or having any of those symptoms make sure to contact your doctor for medical advice and a sugar test. If detected in time, diabetes type 2 may be reversed.

• Unexplainable thirst and increased urination. Your kidneys go in overdrive to try to filter all the excess glucose out of your body.
• Rapid, unhealthy weight Loss. When your body loses the ability to use glucose for energy, other sources will be used. It starts to break down proteins from your muscles.
• Constantly craving for sugars to energize.
• Slow healing of infections, cuts, bruises, etc.
• Yeast infections
• Fatigue and irritability
• Blurred vision
• Tingling or numbness in hands and feet

Type 2 diabetes is strongly related to being overweight and physically inactive. Therefore it is often referred to as a lifestyle disease. Regular exercise, healthy eating, and losing excess body fat are the best ways to reduce the risk of developing diabetes type 2.

Best 5 Useful Homemade Remedies for Dark Circles

In this article we tell you about dark circles removing tips. If we not care of dark circles in time it became the reason of destroying of your beauty it is very important that you should pay attention to it. It is sensitive skin If you don’t care it then surely you face trouble and it became every difficult to repair the damage area. Eyes are the important part of our face. If you are a victim of this problem the follow this article because it have 5 useful homemade remedies for dark circles. Nobody like dark circles and everyone want to get rid of them. If you want to get rid of them then you should follow some steps regularly and seriously. The most important thing that you set you’re sleeping routine it is the main reason of dark circles. If you not follow this instruction you can’t get rid of dark circles. Doctors say that a man should taking sleep of 7-8 hours it is also improve your health. Here you can see 5 useful homemade remedies for dark circles.

1.  potato juice

Potato is an important and useful ingredient for dark circles it is very useful technique to remove dark circles mash potato even it became juicy mixture then apply it around the eyes. Completely cover dark circle area with potato juice and leave it for 10 to 15 minutes then wash your face with warm water.

2.  Lemon juice

Lemon is very effective ingredients for dark circle lemons clean all the damage area. You apply lemon juice with equal quantity of cucumber juice on your dark circle for 10 minutes then wash with warm water.

3.  Cucumber juice

Cucumber juice is also best for dark circle you apply it on your face for some time then wash it with water. This tip does amazing effect on your face.

4.  Tomato paste

Tomato paste is also very useful for dark circle problem apply paste on your dark circles for 15 minutes then wash.

5.  Almond oil

Almond oil is a very important and best ingredient for dark circle apply it on effected area at bed time then wash face in morning.

Top 10 Basic Beauty Tips for Beautiful Skin

Women are very conscious about their skin they want to look beautiful in all fields of their life and for this purpose they always looking for beauty tips here you can find out 10   basic beauty tips for beautiful skin. To get beautiful skin is not so much difficult as we are thinking. If we follow some little tasks we get it easily. You can see 10 basic beauty tips for beautiful skin in the below:

                                 Top 10 Basic Tips

1.            Use of fruits:

Fruits are very important part of your diet you should eat fruits of every season. Fruits give many vitamins to your skin and makes its glowing, some important fruits are apple, orange, grape fruit etc.

2.            Daily exercise:

No doubt friends that exercise make us healthy it is very necessary. Exercise gives freshness to our body and face it will go to be helpful in stretching the muscles that will go to make the skin bright and clean. It gives help to remove pimples on your skin.

3.            Use of water:

Water is a god gift for us we should drink maximum water. Science and doctor says that a man should drink 8 glasses of water each day because our skin needs it very much our skin cells need dehydration that is useful for shinny and soft skin.

4.            Use sunscreens of skin:

We all know that sun rays are not good for our skins they do harmful affect on our skin we should protect our skin from sun rays by using some good moisturizing cream. You got so many sun screens cream in the market. This would be help to protect the skin sheet from sun rays.

5.            Avoid use of smoking

It is one of the best tip from 10 basic beauty tips for beautiful skin. Smoking is a worse for skin cells. It is also harmful for health it became cause of many diseases like cancer and heart attack. We should try to away ourselves from all types of drugs because they damage our skin cells.

6.            Use of vegetables:

This tip is about Vegetables and its juice are best for our skin and heath we should to try use green vegetables in our daily diet because they contain a big part of vitamins that needs our body and skin it give help to make skin glowing and beautiful.

7.            Use of moisturizing cream:

For glowing skin you should use moisturizing cream in daily routine of your life twice time it would be help to remove all dad cells of your skin.

8.            Don’t touch pimples:

If you have pimples on your skin then don’t touch them with your hands because it would be cause of allergy and skin became redness.

9.            Don’t be stressed:

Stressed do bad effect on your skin and you look like an ill man and your skin became unhealthy.

10.          Use of juices:

You should drink fresh juices in your daily diet it makes your skin fresh and bright that you want to get.

Try these healthy food swaps for a healthy life

Everyone wants to stay in the pink of health and it all starts from watching your diet. Grab a fruit instead of juice, replace soda with water and see how things work in your body's favour.

Here are some simple food swaps that can be incorporated into your everyday routine to help you lead a healthier life, reports huffingtonpost.com:

* Choose whole fruit instead of juice: Juice tends to be high in sugar and low in fiber. Fresh fruit, on the other hand, contains more fiber than the juice and has a higher water content, both are excellent for weight loss.

* Eat whole grains instead of refined grains: Grains and starches are not bad but it's the kind of grain that matters. Whole grains are the best choice as they are full of nutrients and fiber. Include brown rice and oatmeal instead of white bread, white rice and white pasta.

* Drink water instead of soda: Soda contains pure sugar and has lots of calories. Swapping soda for water can save you hundreds of calories. For flavour, add a bit of lemon, orange or cucumber.

* Start your meal with a vegetable salad instead of a fried appetizer: Starting your meal with a fresh salad is a great way to include vegetables into your diet. Salad and vegetables are high in vitamins and minerals, full of fiber and low in calories.

* Choose a low fat soup instead of a cream-based soup: Soup is perfect for winter season. The key is to eat a vegetable based soup and to skip the cream.