DIY Ginger Tea and Its Health Benefits

Ginger is a very common kitchen ingredient used by people across the globe. Its distinctive aroma and flavor add zest to different cuisines.

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It also has many medicinal benefits. Ginger is a good source of vitamins A, C, E and B-complex as well as magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, zinc, calcium and beta-carotene.
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In addition, it has anti-inflammatory, antinausea, antispasmodic, antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral properties that can help treat and prevent health issues.

You can eat ginger in different ways, but sipping on ginger tea is one of the best options. You can easily make this soothing beverage at home.

DIY ginger tea ingredients

Ingredients

    4 to 6 thin slices of raw ginger
    1½ to 2 cups of filtered water
    A little lemon juice
    1 to 2 tablespoons of raw honey

Directions
1. Peel the ginger root and wash it thoroughly.

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2. Slice the ginger into thin slices.

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3. Bring 1½ cups of filtered water to a boil.

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4. Add the ginger slices.

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5. Put a lid on it and allow it to simmer for 10 minutes.

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6. Strain the water to remove the ginger.

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7. Squeeze in a little lemon as per your taste.

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8. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of raw honey.

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9. Stir and enjoy your hot ginger tea.

DIY ginger tea

If you want a cold tea, put the tea in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Add a few ice cubes before serving.

As a variation, try steeping some fresh peppermint leaves, 1 small cinnamon stick or a few cardamom pods with the ginger to make a more refreshing tea.

You can drink up to 3 cups of ginger tea daily. Avoid drinking ginger tea in excess, as it can cause many side effects.

What to Eat for Healthy Hair and Nails

No doubt you know that eating healthy is good for you in a plethora of ways—it can decrease your risk of disease, improve your immune system, increase your energy levels and even affect your sleeping habits. But did you know certain foods can improve the way you look, too? Read on to find out which nutrients will give your hair and nails extra luster, strength and shine.

Biotin/Vitamin H
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Biotin (a.k.a. vitamin H) can improve hair that is splitting or thinning as well as strengthen weakened nails. Taken with zinc and the corticosteroid clobetasol propionate, biotin has even been used to treat alopecia, an autoimmune skin disease marked by the loss of hair. Nina DiBona, RD, dietitian and nutritionist at the Sports Club/LA in Boston, agrees. "A deficiency in biotin may result in brittle hair or even hair loss." An easy way to remember: The H in vitamin H stands for "haar and haut," which means "hair and nails" in German, DiBona notes.
Foods to Try: Bananas, beans, cauliflower, eggs, lentils, peanuts and salmon. Photo: Shutterstock

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

To get shinier hair, introduce more omega-3s into your diet, which "help support scalp health and may give your locks extra luster and shine," according to DiBona. The three active ingredients—alpha-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid—are all essential fatty acids and "are important components of the stratum corneum, which is the outermost layer of the epidermis that contains keratin and has water-holding capabilities. Deficiency in essential fatty acids can result in dry scalp or dandruff," she says.
Foods to Try: Eggs, flaxseed, fish oil, mackerel, salmon, sardines, spinach, tuna and walnuts. Photo:

Top 10 Health Benefits of Saffron

Saffron is one of the most exotic and expensive spices, known for its deep auburn color and sweet flavor. It is the dried “stigma” or threads of the flower of the S. crocus plant.

Its distinct flavor comes from chemical compounds, such as picrocrocin and safranal. It also contains a natural carotenoid, known as crocin, that gives saffron its rich color. Due to the unique combination of color and flavor, saffron is a valuable ingredient in many cuisines worldwide.

Saffron also has several therapeutic and health benefits. It has a variety of chemical components, such as vitamin A, folic acid, copper, potassium, calcium, manganese, iron, selenium, zinc, magnesium, riboflavin and thiamine. Additionally, it has oil-soluble pigments, such as lycopene, alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and zeaxanthin.
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When taken in small doses, saffron is highly beneficial for your health. But when taken in excess, it can lead to side effects like vomiting, drowsiness, appetite reduction, nausea, and may worsen certain heart conditions. Plus, this herb may not be suitable for pregnant women and those suffering from bipolar disorder.

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Here are the top 10 health benefits of saffron.
1. Helps Digestion

Saffron is effective for relieving gas and acidity-related problems as it helps digestion. Furthermore, it has carminative properties, which means it helps reduce flatulence and suppress stomach cramps.

Have a cup of saffron tea daily to improve digestion and reduce gas. To make the tea, add a pinch of saffron to a cup of water and boil it. Add a little raw honey as per your taste and then drink it.

Health Benefits of Coconut Oil

The health benefits of coconut oil include hair care, skin care, stress relief, cholesterol level maintenance, weight loss, boosted immune system, proper digestion and regulated metabolism. It also provides relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV, and cancer, while helping to improve dental quality and bone strength. These benefits of oil can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and their respective properties, such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-fungal, antibacterial and soothing qualities.

Coconut oil is used extensively in tropical countries especially India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Philippines etc., which have a good production of coconut oil. At one time, the oil was also popular in western countries like the United States and Canada, but there was a strong propaganda campaign in the 1970s spread by the corn oil and soy oil industry against coconut oil. Coconut oil was considered harmful for the human body due to its high saturated fat content until the last decade (2000s) when people began to question the claims of the propaganda. Next, let’s look into some more details of how coconut oil works in our body.
How is lauric acid used by our body?

The human body converts lauric acid into monolaurin, which is supposedly helpful in dealing with viruses and bacteria that cause diseases such as herpes, influenza, cytomegalovirus, and even HIV. It also helps in fighting harmful bacteria such as listeria monocytogenes and helicobacter pylori, and harmful protozoa such as giardia lamblia.

As a result of these various health benefits of coconut oil, although its exact mechanism of action was unknown, it has been extensively used in Ayurveda, the traditional Indian medicinal system. The Coconut Research Center has compiled a list of potential benefits of coconut oil in both traditional and modern medicine.

Before we move on to the benefits of coconut oil in detail, we should first understand its composition.
Composition of Coconut Oil:

More than ninety percent of coconut oil consists of saturated fats (Don’t panic! It’s not as bad as it sounds, read to the end of this review and your opinion may change), along with traces of few unsaturated fatty acids, such as monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Virgin coconut oil is no different from this.

Eight tips for healthy eating

 Eating a healthy, balanced diet is an important part of maintaining good health, and can help you feel your best. It doesn't have to be difficult either. Just follow these eight tips to get started.

The key to a healthy diet is to do the following:

    Eat the right amount of calories for how active you are, so that you balance the energy you consume with the energy you use. If you eat or drink too much, you’ll put on weight. If you eat and drink too little, you’ll lose weight. It is recommended that men have around 2,500 calories a day (10,500 kilojoules). Women should have around 2,000 calories a day (8,400 kilojoules). Most adults are eating more calories than they need, and should eat fewer calories.
    Eat a wide range of foods to ensure that you’re getting a balanced diet and that your body is receiving all the nutrients it needs.

Get started

These practical tips cover the basics of healthy eating, and can help you make healthier choices:
Base your meals on starchy foods

Starchy foods should make up around one third of the foods you eat. Starchy foods include potatoes, cereals, pasta, rice and bread. Choose wholegrain varieties (or eat potatoes with their skins on) when you can: they contain more fibre, and can help you feel full.

Most of us should eat more starchy foods: try to include at least one starchy food with each main meal. Some people think starchy foods are fattening, but gram for gram the carbohydrate they contain provides fewer than half the calories of fat.
Eat lots of fruit and veg

It’s recommended that we eat at least five portions of different types of fruit and veg a day. It’s easier than it sounds. A glass of unsweetened 100% fruit juice (150ml) can count as one portion, and vegetables cooked into dishes also count. Why not chop a banana over your breakfast cereal, or swap your usual mid-morning snack for a piece of fresh fruit?
Eat more fish

Fish is a good source of protein and contains many vitamins and minerals. Aim to eat at least two portions of fish a week, including at least one portion of oily fish. Oily fish contains omega-3 fats, which may help to prevent heart disease. You can choose from fresh, frozen and canned: but remember that canned and smoked fish can be high in salt.

Oily fish include salmon, mackerel, trout, herring, fresh tuna, sardines and pilchards. Non-oily fish include haddock, plaice, coley, cod, tinned tuna, skate and hake. If you regularly eat a lot of fish, try to choose as wide a variety as possible.
Cut down on saturated fat and sugar

We all need some fat in our diet. But it’s important to pay attention to the amount and type of fat we’re eating. There are two main types of fat: saturated and unsaturated. Too much saturated fat can increase the amount of cholesterol in the blood, which increases your risk of developing heart disease.

Saturated fat is found in many foods, such as hard cheese, cakes, biscuits, sausages, cream, butter, lard and pies. Try to cut down on your saturated fat intake, and choose foods that contain unsaturated fats instead, such as vegetable oils, oily fish and avocados.

For a healthier choice, use just a small amount of vegetable oil or reduced-fat spread instead of butter, lard or ghee. When you're having meat, choose lean cuts and cut off any visible fat.

Most people in the UK eat and drink too much sugar. Sugary foods and drinks, including alcoholic drinks, are often high in energy (measured in kilojoules or calories), and if eaten too often, can contribute to weight gain. They can also cause tooth decay, especially if eaten between meals.

Cut down on sugary fizzy drinks, alcoholic drinks, sugary breakfast cereals, cakes, biscuits and pastries, which contain added sugars: this is the kind of sugar we should be cutting down on, rather than sugars that are found in things such as fruit and milk.

Food labels can help: use them to check how much sugar foods contain. More than 22.5g of total sugars per 100g means that the food is high in sugar, while 5g of total sugars or less per 100g means that the food is low in sugar.
Eat less salt

Even if you don’t add salt to your food, you may still be eating too much. About three-quarters of the salt we eat is already in the food we buy, such as breakfast cereals, soups, breads and sauces. Eating too much salt can raise your blood pressure. People with high blood pressure are more likely to develop heart disease or have a stroke.

Use food labels to help you cut down. More than 1.5g of salt per 100g means the food is high in salt. Adults and children over 11 should eat no more than 6g of salt a day. Younger children should have even less.
Get active and be a healthy weight

Eating a healthy, balanced diet plays an essential role in maintaining a healthy weight, which is an important part of overall good health. Being overweight or obese can lead to health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, heart disease and stroke. Being underweight could also affect your health. Check whether you’re a healthy weight by using our Healthy weight calculator.

Most adults need to lose weight, and need to eat fewer calories to do this. If you're trying to lose weight, aim to eat less and be more active. Eating a healthy, balanced diet will help: aim to cut down on foods that are high in fat and sugar, and eat plenty of fruit and vegetables.

Don't forget that alcohol is also high in calories, so cutting down can help you to control your weight.

Physical activity can help you to maintain weight loss or be a healthy weight. Being active doesn’t have to mean hours at the gym: you can find ways to fit more activity into your daily life. For example, try getting off the bus one stop early on the way home from work, and walking. Being physically active may help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. For more ideas, see Get active your way.

After getting active, remember not to reward yourself with a treat that is high in energy. If you feel hungry after activity, choose foods or drinks that are lower in calories, but still filling.

If you’re underweight, see our page on underweight adults. If you're worried about your weight, ask your GP or a dietitian for advice.
Don't get thirsty

We need to drink about 1.6 to 2 liters of fluid every day to stop us getting dehydrated. This is in addition to the fluid we get from the food we eat. All non-alcoholic drinks count, but water and lower-fat milk are healthier choices.

Try to avoid sugary soft and fizzy drinks that are high in added sugars and calories, and are also bad for teeth. Even unsweetened fruit juice is sugary, so try to limit how much you drink to no more than one glass (about 150ml) of fruit juice each day.

When the weather is warm, or when we get active, we may need more fluids.
Don’t skip breakfast

Some people skip breakfast because they think it will help them lose weight. In fact, research shows that eating breakfast can help people control their weight. A healthy breakfast is an important part of a balanced diet, and provides some of the vitamins and minerals we need for good health. A wholegrain, lower-sugar cereal with fruit sliced over the top is a tasty and nutritious breakfast.
Source:www.nhs.uk

Do You Sweat More Than Normal?

Sure, it's the season of sweat. But are sweatier than the girl next to you?

"They" say girls don't sweat, but mist. "They" lie.

Each and every hour, the average girl sweats five ounces—enough to fill a wine glass, says Michael Shapiro, M.D., medical director of Vanguard Dermatology in New York. And that’s before you factor in scorching temps, stress, and killer workouts.

That's pretty darn sweaty—and chances are you sweat even more than the average lass. Why? One study published in Experimental Physiology found that fit women sweat much more than their unfit counterparts. And despite the pit stains, that's actually a great thing.

The sweat-fitness connection: During exercise, your body adapts to sweat both at a lower internal body temperature as well as at a higher rate. Basically, your body learns it's going to work hard on the regular, so it ups its sweating game to keep you cool—and prevent heat exhaustion—during upcoming physical demands.

According to some researchers, that might be why women still sweat less than men (four times less, on average, according to Shapiro). Just think: Women of our hunter-gatherer ancestry didn’t have to do nearly as much physical labor as their male counterparts did.

But while sweat is any fitness-lover's friend, you can sweat too much—and about one to three percent of all women do, says Shapiro. Hyperhidrosis (layman's term for excessive sweating), can not only be embarrassing and annoying, but if really severe, it could lead to dehydration and off-kilter electrolyte levels. If you feel like you're sweating more than you used to, you perspire when you're neither warm nor stressed (all over or even just on one spot of your body), or you suffer from night sweats, see your doctor to find out if you might have the condition.

Eyebrow Extensions Now Exist

Find out how they work, how long they last, and how they could completely change your look.
Eyelash extensions revolutionized the beauty world, eliminating the need to curl, volumize, and lengthen lashes. Now, eyebrow extensions promise to make similar waves: They mean you could kiss coloring in and applying brow gel goodbye. It sounds like a no brainer, right?

But what exactly are brow extensions? And could they ever look natural? We caught up with Charity Engebretsen, owner of Master Lash By Charity, who offers the exclusive service to her clients in Santa Monica, California. Here, the lowdown on this truly innovative process that is just picking up traction in the U.S.
WH: Why did you decide to bring eyebrow extensions to your salon?
Engebretsen: My mother is in the entertainment industry, and when she came back from Asia when she was on a tour there 11 years ago, she said "They’re doing these really amazing things over there. They’re called eyelash extensions." And I was like, "Of course, why not?" We have amazing hair extensions. Why not create a micro-version for the eyes? So if we can do these on the eyes, which are so sensitive in nature—they don’t like being poked or prodded—then we can definitely find a way to do these on the eyebrows. So I’ve been doing it for the past few years. I actually went to Japan for my training.

How Getting Really Sick Can Impact Your Marriage

As if the illness itself weren't bad enough...

Better bolster your immune system, ladies. According to a study published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, when a wife becomes seriously sick, her marriage is more likely to end in divorce.


 Using raw data from the University of Michigan’s Health and Retirement Study, researchers at Iowa State University and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis examined 2,701 couples over the age of 50 and found that chronic illness in the wife meant divorce was six percent more likely. When the husband got sick, though, there was no greater risk of the marriage ending.

Unfortunately, the general causes of resulting marital discord are predictable: Caring for a sick spouse is super stressful, and the income lost when one half of a couple is out of commission—or if both have to forego work—can take its toll. In short: Marriage quality plummets with the female spouse’s health.


But that doesn’t explain why marriages in which the husband falls ill seem to weather the storm better. Although the data doesn’t illustrate which spouse filed the divorce papers, researchers think that women might be generally disappointed with their husbands as caregivers. It’s also been found that women seem to experience chronic illness with more pain and depressive symptoms than their male counterparts.

There are limitations to the research: The analysis looked at just four chronic diseases: cancer, heart disease, lung disease, and stroke, so not all illnesses were considered. The couples examined were all in a later stage of life, and of course certain qualities of their union up until that time couldn’t be measured (and even factors that were measured were self-reported, which isn't the most reliable form of data collection). Also worth noting is that since the couples were all over 50, they were probably more likely to adhere to gender norms than younger couples may have been.

Thankfully, women are less likely to contract a serious illness than men, and research shows that marriage may help make you healthier. But if you do become sick, don't hesitate to ask your husband to step up and take care of more things than normal—including you.

Eat These 5 Fruits To Get Healthy And Glowing Skin

Simple lifestyle changes like incorporating fruits in your daily diet can give you glowing skin. Fruits help with Clear complexion; Skin rejuvenation, Natural hydration; Improvement of Skin texture and making the skin appear youthful and glowing. Fruits are safe with no side effects and are cost-effective at the same time. They are free from toxins and have a host of skin and health benefits.

Let us look at a few fruits to get fair and glowing skin.
1. Bananas:
bananas for glowing skin

Bananas, being rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin B and Vitamin E, act as an anti-ageing agent. Opt for a facial using a freshly mashed banana mixed with honey to get glowing skin. It is a rich source of fiber, minerals, magnesium and potassium; they help in proper blood circulation in our body and build immunity from within.They are a great substitute for unhealthy snacking in between meals.

2. Lemons:
lemon benefits for glowing skin

It has high Vitamin C content and natural bleaching properties making it a good cleanser that lightens blemishes, acne scars, spots and skin tone. Start your day by drinking 1 glass of warm water mixed with a dash of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of honey on an empty stomach. This fights cellulite and clears your skin from within.

A mixture of lemon juice and honey reduces blemishes and acquire glowing skin.

Amazing Health Benefits Of Orange Peel Tea

Orange peel tea, like the name indicates, is the tea prepared using orange fruit peels. The peel of an orange is leathery in texture and has several oil glands. Orange peel has been used in many cultures for its medicinal benefits. A popular way of using orange peel is to add it to your bath water so that you can enjoy an aromatic and calming bath.
Preparing Orange Peel Tea:

Now that you know what orange peel tea is, let’s look at how you can prepare it.

Ingredients:

• Peels of 3 to 4 oranges

Directions:

Once you have removed the peels from the oranges, cut them into smalled pieces. Place the pieces of the peel in a cool and dry place, and leave them to dry. Once they have dried out, you can use them for preparing the orange peel tea.

1. To make the tea, add some water to a pot and bring it to a boil.
2. Proceed to add the peel pieces and let them steep for 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Remove the orange peel pieces from the pot and enjoy your tea.

Now that you know how to prepare orange peel tea, let’s check out what its benefits are!