Author: abhishek singh

Sankalp: The Home of Delicious South Indian Cuisines

Today we have so many South Indian food serving restaurants in different parts of the country, but none is more popular than Sankalp. The success story of this Indian restaurant is really incredible. The style and broad range of dishes present in the menu of this restaurant is nonpareil. One of the main reasons of their popularity is the presence of the innovative food items in their menu. The experts call this restaurant chain as the perfect combination of the western and the south culture. This first restaurant of this amazing Indian restaurant chain was opened in Ahmedabad, Gujarat in the year 1981 under the reigns of the veteran businessman Mr. Kailash Goenka. He had a dream to spread the delicious South Indian cuisine to every corner of the country and after about 33 years since its first flagship restaurant was opened one can proudly say that Sankalp is one of the India’s best restaurants. They have the vision not to compromise on the quality, service and the hygiene while continuing to satisfy the customers with delicious foods.

Currently there are more than 110 restaurants under this group spread over each and every corner of the country. Its popularity can be determined by the fact that this group has also opened its franchise in other countries such as Australia, United States of America, United Kingdom, Canada and United Arab Emirates. They further have plans for their expansion. Under the flags of the Sankalp Group other than the Sankalp restaurant which offers the south Indian cuisines, they also have Saffron restaurant which offers North Indian food items prepared in the Gujarati style. The foods served in the Saffron restaurant are simply amazing as they have a completely different taste and are very much innovative. Moreover, the Sam’s Pizza outlet which specializes in offering delicious salads, pizzas, breads and soups is also the part of this Sankalp group. With the Sam’s Pizza this group has tried to enter into the world of western food culture and here too they have managed to build a satisfied customer base. The latest initiative of this group is Sankalp Xpress, a fast food restaurant which specializes in Indian-Western fusion foods.

The immense success of Sankalp south Indian food serving restaurant chain is only because of their commitment, dedications and the high quality of food which is served here. They believe that the satisfaction of the customer is the top notch priority. One can be sure of experiencing a wonderful dining experience once they enter into the premises of Sankalp restaurant and this has helped them to build very strong consumer bases who visit this restaurant regularly. Sankalp is among the few Indian restaurants who have managed to inculcate the much desired loyalty among the food lovers. A person always returns satisfied with the food and the service provided in this restaurant. One of the best times for visiting the Sankalp restaurant is during various South Indian food festivals which are celebrated here.

The USP of this restaurant is the ambience and the service provided to the customer. You will feel as if you have entered into the South Indian states and will be treated royally according to their cultures and traditions. The foods will be served to you in a royal manner and you will surely be delighted with the experience. The culinary preparation of this restaurant is truly authentic. Some of the most famous dishes of this restaurant are Kura Mura Dosa, Rava Dosa, Idli, Telangana Dosa, Kaikari Biryani, Three Barrel Dosa, Iddiaappam, Cheese Uttampam, Spring Dosa and many more. All these food items are delicious and exquisite. You will surely have craving for them in future.The interior of the Sankalp restaurants is well designed which gives you the perfect ambience. Further, the waiters are well dressed and are always ready to help you in selecting the best dish as per your choice. The service in each of the Sankalp restaurant is top notch and impeccable. It makes you visit this place again. This makes Sankalp a top rated place for the south Indian food and so each time people are craving for such food items, Sankalp is the first name which pops up in their mind.

The chutneys and Sāmbhar prepared in the Sankalp restaurant have amazing taste. They are prepared with so much perfection that people love them. If you are not much of a fan of the South Indians cuisines, then you must pay a visit to this restaurant and I assure you that the tempting foods served here will surely change your opinion. For a family outing, Sankalp is the best place to visit. The Sankalp restaurant got its name registered in the Guinness Book of World Records twice for preparing the world longest Dosa. I guess this is enough for you to get impressed by the dedication of this restaurant towards the South Indian food. Once you finish your meal, you will be served with Meetha pan which surely makes your visit even more pleasing and rewarding.

July 30, 2014
Universal Truths in Nutrition That People Actually Agree On

There are lots of controversies on the facts about the nutrition. People generally believe in what they hear without authenticating the source and consider the facts as truths. It is a common human tendency and happens with almost everyone. You hear the views of the elders or some learned person and try to follow them without making any efforts to make sure that the facts mentioned are correct or not. We are hereby talking about those universal nutrition truths which people generally believe is correct and try to find out if they are correct or just myths.

Added Sugar is Unhealthy: Well, if you are believer of this fact that added sugar is unhealthy, then you are correct. The addition of sugar gives rise to the blood sugar level, which affects the normal functioning of the human body. The added sugars are in fact sucrose or fructose corn syrup which is very much harmful for the human body. Not only they have empty calories in them, they are also the source of various harmful metabolic toxins which causes serious harm to your health. Many researchers believe that the added sugar is the prime reason for the spread of the western diseases among the people.

The Artificial Trans Fats are Unhealthy: There are lots of controversies about the artificial Trans fats. While some people believe that the Trans Fats are healthy, a major section of the people believes that they are not good for the human body and their consumption is like inviting the diseases to attack you. Trans Fats are actually unsaturated fats, which are created by altering the saturated fats chemically. In the process of manufacturing of the unsaturated fats, the saturated fats are exposed to the high pressure and high heat in the presence of the hydrogen gas acting as a catalyst. Because of the hydrogenation of the fats the LDL cholesterol level, which is bad for the human body increases while the HDL cholesterol which is good decreases. The highly processed foods are the ones which have the artificial Trans fats. So it is a wise step to avoid these artificial Trans fats.

Green Tea is one of the Healthy Beverages: Most of the people have this mindset that the coffee consumption is not at all good for the human body as it contains caffeine but on the other hand the consumption of the green tea is healthy. While there is a controversy on the consumption of the coffee, the intake of the green tea is actually very much beneficial for health. Green tea is a rich source of the antioxidants and the EGCG, which is a bioactive compound. If you regularly drink green tea, then there are strongly protected against the chronic heart diseases and cancer. Green tea not only boosts the metabolic processes in the body, but also helps in burning the fats. Moreover, they also have specific amino acids which play a major role in maintaining the proper functioning of the brain. So it’s time you start drinking it as it will help you to stay fit and healthy.

Olive Oil is Healthy: Most of the people consider olive oil as healthy and this is absolutely correct. They are very much beneficial in maintaining good health. Olive oil is actually one of the gifts of the Mediterranean diet and is used in almost every corner of the world. The most tedious task in today’s time is getting the right kind of olive oil from the market as there are so many adulterated olive oils being sold throughout the world. Olive oils offer several advantages. They have a large amount of monounsaturated fats and powerful antioxidants, which gives the much desired boost to the metabolic health. Further, the presence of the anti-inflammatory compounds in the olive oil makes it very much beneficial for the heart. If you can get the quality olive oil then it will be optimal as they have the healthy fats in them.

Supplements Cannot Be Used to Compensate the Unhealthy Diets: It is extremely important for you to choose and eat the right food items as they have a direct impact on your health. Any negligence in this regard is not accepted and it can be dangerous for you. The composition of the whole food is very much complex. They have so much of vitamins, proteins and other essential minerals in them. Quite frankly, we are not at all aware of the total compositions of most of the food items and so the supplements cannot be used to compensate for the real healthy foods. Science has progressed a lot but still we do not have the supplements for the traces of unaccounted minerals found in the real food items. So it lies in your hand to select the food best suited for your health. If you believe that you can eat anything, even if it is unhealthy and not fit for your body and in order to compensate for the essential nutrients you will eat supplements, then you are wrong and you need to change your attitude quickly before it affects your health.

July 30, 2014
The So Called Heart Healthy Food Which Can Actually Clog Your Arteries!

You must have been often recommended by your doctors or elder to eat those food items which offer essential nutrients and minerals required by the human body as it helps in proper growth and development. And in order to follow those advices you often go for those food items which have healthy tag on them. You choose food items which are processed or chose oils which have the healthy tag on them. This is one of the marketing strategies of the companies manufacturing these food items so that they can attract innocent people towards their products and make some easy money. You as a health couscous personally believe that those food items are actually good for your health. But the reality is somewhat very much different from what is presented in front of you. There are several food items which you believe are healthy for your body, but generally they harm your body. We are hereby mentioning some of those food items which are not at all good for you and their side effects can eventually clog the arteries present inside your body. You should immediately stop eating these food items so that live longer and stay protected.

Healthy Breakfast Cereals: Currently there are endless brands in the market which offers the breakfast cereals. The way they are presented in front of us is quite surprising. If you are not aware of the consequences of these cereals, then you may easily get into its trap. A normal person who does not know about it believes that these cereals are extremely beneficial and provides the essential minerals required by the body. In reality, these breakfast cereals are one of the highly processed food items which have a very large amount of refined grains. Further the amount of the sugar present in them is also high. The manufacturers attract people by mentioning the “whole grain” tag. But what really happens is that these whole grains are first pulverized to form the fine flour, which has the similar effects on your blood sugar level as a refined food does. It also affects the metabolism processes inside the human body. These manufacturers add several other ingredients so that the actual quantity of the sugar added to these breakfast cereals can be kept a secret. What is more surprising is the fact that these breakfast cereals are marketed as a healthy food for the children. Parents believe that these food items will help their child with proper growth and their child will be protected against the diseases.

Low Fat Dairy Products: Now again low fat dairy products are the ones which are in so much demand now a day. Since the dairy products have a rich amount of saturated fats in them, people go for lower fat dairy products, considering them best for their health. The problem is here is that it is not the saturated fats which creates a problem in your heart. The actual problem maker is the low fat food products. If you are among such people who opt for the high fat dairy products then there are more chances that you will not be affected by obesity and the heart diseases are also avoided. You are also protected against the diabetes. The dairy products are beneficial to the human body only because of the presence of the fatty components in them. If you remove these fatty components, then they are of no use. Further, in low fat dairy products there are high amounts of added sugar, which not only affect the metabolism, but also increases the risk of abdominal obesity and heart disease. Moreover the LDL cholesterol level in the body is also disturbed and affected.

Heart Healthy Whole Wheat: Go to a grocery store and you will find several different brands offering the heart healthy whole wheat. This modern version of the wheat is not healthy and they have been actually created by the scientists by altering the genes of the plants so that a new breed can be generated which can offer much more yield. The main motto of this step was to increase the yield so that the starvation can be reduced in different parts of the world. But now this is done for economic gains. So much tampering with the genes of the wheat plant is actually making them less healthy and so there are unforeseen consequences which we didn’t want in the first place. This wheat is called as the semi-dwarf wheat and is significantly low in nutrition level when compared to the older varieties. The recent studies have shown that this semi-dwarf wheat can increase the level of the cholesterol inside the human body and also increases the inflammatory markers. The acute inflammation is the major reason for the heart diseases. The LDL particle count is also high and they also have gluten in them. All these constituents are very much harmful for your heart and you can end up losing your precious life. It’s time you stop using all these mentioned food items and protect yourself so that you can live happily.

July 30, 2014
Maple Syrup: Is It Healthy or Unhealthy for your Body?

Maple syrup is one of the widely used sweeteners today. The manufacturers claim that it is 100 % natural and is in fact far healthier than the regular sugar that we use. They also claim that maple syrup is also better in terms of the nutrition provided to the human body. Believing these claims, people have started to use it in their day to day life without even making any efforts in authenticating if the claims made are genuine or not. Maple syrup is actually manufactured using the sap of the maple trees. These saps are actually sugary fluid which comes out of the maple trees. Its use has been mentioned in various history books making it one of the food items consumed for many centuries now. Currently Canada is the country which produces almost 80 % of the total maple syrup used in the whole world.

There is a two-step process involved in the manufacturing of the maple syrup. Firstly a hole is made in the trunk of the maple tree and the sugary fluid circulating is collected in these holes. Then the next step involves the process in which this syrup is boiled till the water present in it evaporates and sugary syrup which is thick in nature is left behind. Then with the help of the filtration, the impurities present in them are removed. Now depending upon the color of the final syrup obtained, the maple syrup is then classified into Grade A and Grade B. In the Grand A variety, we further have the Light, Medium and Dark Amber category. The Grade B category maple syrup is the darkest syrup obtained and so they have the strongest flavor. This is the reason they are generally used for baking while the Grade A category ones are directly used as the syrup. The darker maple syrup or the Grade B maple syrup is generally manufactured using the sap obtained in the harvesting seasons. It is very important to have prior knowledge before buying the maple syrups from the market. You should select the actual maple syrup and not the flavored maple syrups as they offer more health benefits. Moreover the flavored maple syrup is loaded with the fructose corn syrup or the refined sugar which not only affects your health but also invites various diseases towards your body.

The reason why maple syrup is preferred over the refined sugar is the presence of many essential nutrients, minerals and antioxidants. A fresh and pure 100 grams of maple syrup contains the following minerals. Potassium: 6% of RDA, Zinc: 28% of RDA, Calcium: 7% of RDA, Iron: 7% of RDA and Manganese: 165% of RDA. Further the 100 grams of pure maple syrup also has 67 grams of table sugar. This high percentage of the sugar is not at all appropriate as they can lead you to type 2 diabetes, obesity and heart related diseases. If you go for the maple syrup considering that it has good amount of minerals in it and ignore the sugar content, then it is not a wise step and you need to think again on your decisions. The only other healthy way by which you can get the right quantity of minerals is by eating the real foods as they are not adulterated and are perfectly natural. Choose a balanced diet of both the plants and animals and you will surely be protected against the diseases.

But if you are anyway going to eat the artificial sweeteners then maple syrup is the best option in front of you as they have about 1/3^rd sugar content compared to the refined sugars available these days. Another good thing about the maple syrup is that its glycemic index is 54 which is less than the table sugar and is a good sign. The table sugar has the glycemic index of 65. This low level of glycemic index helps in maintaining the blood sugar level inside the human body. The less the glycemic index, the better it is for your health. Another advantage of using the maple syrup is the presence of the 24 different varieties of the antioxidants. Yes, this is absolutely right. They have 24 varieties of antioxidants. The oxidative damage inside the human body makes it prone to the diseases and also fastens the process of aging. Actually there are some of the unwanted chemical reactions which happen inside the body involving the free radicals that harms you severely and these chemical reactions are called by the name of the oxidative damage. The antioxidants present in the maple syrup helps in neutralizing these free radicals which eventually helps in getting rid of these oxidative damages. The darker maple syrups have more percentage of antioxidants in them than the lighter ones and so you should opt for the darker ones.

The final verdict is that although the maple syrup contains the nutrients and essential antioxidants, it also has the high amount of sugar content in it which is not good for your health. You can call maple syrup as slightly better than the actual sugar. So its use should be limited so that you stay protected. Do not use it regularly as it may harm your health.

July 20, 2014
Food Addiction: Sign, Symptoms and Treatment
Food Addiction is one of the major problems with many people and no matter how hard they try, they simply cannot overcome it. With the help of the various research conducted in different parts of the world it has now been proved that people get addicted to one or the other food items and they love to eat it frequently. Although they are most likely aware that that eating these food items will harm their body but they cannot help it. This is absolutely wrong and is called as the food addiction. Are you among those people who are addicted to food? Or do you have loved ones who are very much addicted to the food items. Then you must read this article carefully and find out the measures using which you can detect the food addiction and take steps to cure it.

Defining the food addiction is quite easy. It is the scenario where the person gets addicted to the food items just as a drug addict gets addicted to the consumption of drugs. They cannot simply work properly if they are not provided with that food. Some people also term it as the eating disorders. This unhealthy and unwanted relationship with the food is very much harmful for the human body. If you have food addiction, then you must take steps to get rid of it. Mostly people have addiction with the fast food items. They simply cannot resist themselves and love to eat it regularly without considering that it may be affecting their health in a negative manner. Life is precious. You must move forward in life with utmost care and protection else you will be the one who will suffer. Mostly those food items which have wheat and sugar in them are problematic. Their excessive consumption can lead to the emotional and physical instability. Ultimately the quality of life is affected. The following are the symptoms of the food addiction.
1. Although you are feeling full but then also you cannot stop yourself from eating any particular food item.
2. When you are served that particular food item, you eat it excessively which is much more than you have intended to.
3. When you know that this food item is not good for your health and yet you eat it.
4. You have tried to stop yourself from eating a particular food item many times but every time you have failed to capitalize on it.
5. You try to hide you eating habits from other people as you know they will scold you and ask you to stop eating it.
6. When you find excuses so that you can eat the food item that you are carving for.
If you are among such people who experience all of the above mentioned addiction signs, then you must take serious steps immediately to get rid of your food addiction else it will be too late and your health will surely suffer. The alcohol and the drugs addictions are very much similar to the food addictions. The thought process and the consequences of all these addictions are ultimately similar. It is just that the other mentioned addictions here such as the drugs and the alcohol addictions have to face the social consequences too. But what is most important is the health condition and it should not be compromised on any cost. You may suffer from obesity, cancer, heart disease, diabetes among other diseases. So you must understand it quickly that the food addiction is simply ruining your life. You will not be happy when other food items are served to you, even if they are far more beneficial for the health.

More often people get addicted to the junk food as they are spicy and delicious in taste. In today’s culture you will find junk food everywhere and there is no way you can simply eliminate them completely from your lifestyle. So it is important that you understand the pros and cons so that you eat them occasionally and eating junk food does not becomes an addiction for you. To overcome a food addiction, you need proper determination and strong will power. You must be strong enough to convince yourself that eating this particular food item will affect you and your health will deteriorate. Once you have made up your mind, then it becomes easier to avoid such food. Now if you find it difficult to convince yourself then you must prepare a chart of the pros and cons if you continue eating those addicted food items. Your chart should include what all you will gain and what all you will eventually lose if you don’t stop those food items. I bet the cons column will be long enough to convince yourself and you will eventually get rid of your addiction. I know it is pretty much difficult to stop eating the food which you love but for the sake of your health and brighter future, you will have to stop eating them. Once you are confident that your addiction is over then you can start eating those food items occasionally.
July 15, 2014
Why Processed Foods is bad for Your Health?

Currently there are lots of processed foods in the market and its consumption is increasing at an alarming rate. People are eating the processed foods without considering the fact they are actually very much harmful for their health. Processed foods are bad of the human body and it is also one of the major reasons why you are getting fat and often fall sick. Recently various surveys were conducted on the people who adopted the western countries influenced diets. These diets have large amount of processed food items in it. The results are quite shocking. The processed food affects the human health and it decreases the body’s ability to fight with the disease causing germs and bacteria. Isn’t it quite surprising? These food items were rolled out in the market so that in this fast paced life style you may easily get the foods that you love to eat. But people have now started to use it regularly and it is not at all good for the human body.

When the food items are treated chemically so that the essential nutrients and minerals level in it is maintained intact, it is called as the processed food. In order to achieve this goal artificial and refined ingredients are added to these food items which in turn have several side effects. There is a very major difference between the chemical processing and the mechanical processing of the food items. While it is beneficial to process foods mechanically, the chemically processed foods on the other hand are actually harmful for the health.

Usually the processed foods have high amount of the sugar content in it which is quite harmful for the human beings. The level of the sugar content in these food items is increased by adding the fructose corn syrups. The excessive intake of the sugar is very much harmful. There are chances that you may get diagnosed with the diabetes, heart diseases, cancer and obesity. Sugars have empty calories in it which are a rich source of energy but it is also true that it has major devastating effect on the human body. The level of the cholesterol inside the body increases. Moreover the fat accumulation in the abdominal cavity as well as the liver also increases with an alarming rate.

The researchers have termed the processed foods as the “Hyper Rewarding.” Once you start eating such food items you get addicted towards them and very often it lead to the overconsumption. Everybody loves to eat such food items which have excellent taste as it pleases our taste buds. So the processed food manufacturers have started to add several ingredients in it so that the foods can be made desirable and people can be attracted towards it. These processed foods are very much rewarding towards the brain and they eventually affect the normal behavior and thought process.

The major problem with the processed foods is that they are added with lots of artificial preservatives and ingredients. You as a normal human being do not pay much attention towards its ingredients and only pay attention towards the taste. These ingredients are not actual foods and are infact chemicals which have lots of negative impact on the human body. Generally the processed food items have colorants: so that specific color can be provided to them, flavorings agents: so that specific flavor can be provided to them, preservatives: to protect them from rotting and texturants: to provide them with specific texture. Apart from the above mentioned labels there are lot more additional chemicals in the food items and so it is not at all safe to have its consumption.

Carbohydrate is very much useful for maintaining good health. You are often recommended to eat those food items which offer high carbohydrates. The carbohydrates obtained from the whole foods are very much beneficial. But the processed food items have refined carbohydrates in them and this infact makes your health deteriorate. The refined carbohydrate gets broken up quickly which results into the sudden rise of the insulin level in blood. The blood sugar also increases. Later on when the level of the blood sugar goes down, people experience the carb craving. This roller coaster ride of the insulin and blood sugar level has several negative impacts and it leads to various chronic diseases.

When you make a comparison between the unprocessed food and the processed foods, the former one is more equipped with essential nutrients which are beneficial for the human body. During the processing the essential nutrients present in the food gets lost and to compensate for the loss synthetic minerals and vitamins are added. This replacement is not at all wise and it affects your health. The only way you can guarantee the adequate supply of essential vitamins and minerals is by eating the unprocessed foods as they do not have any added chemicals and are completely natural. These processed foods are not good for the human body and you should eliminate it completely from your life.

July 15, 2014
Why Vegetable Oils Are Not Good For Your Health?

We often consider the vegetable oils as healthy and so we prepare our food items with them. We believe that since its name has the term “Vegetable”, it is good for the human beings. It is true that the vegetables are good for our health but the vegetable oils are not. The results of the various studies conducted prove that the consumption of the vegetable oils is not appropriate for human health and so it should be completely eliminated from the diet. People generally believe that since the vegetable oils have rich amount of unsaturated fats in them, they are beneficial in maintaining good health. But they do not pay attention towards the side effects of these unsaturated fats supplied to the body. These oils have completely different composition of the fatty acid in it which has several negative impacts on the body and consequently on health. These types of oils can cause serious harm to your health and you many get diagnosed with the chronic diseases. Here we are terming the cottonseed oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, canola oil, soybean oil, corn oil among others as the vegetable oils.

We generally call all of the above mentioned oils as vegetable oils and for a common person vegetable oil sounds to be perfect for health as they are not aware of its consequences. These oils have a rice amount of biological fats in them which prove to be harmful when consumed in access. They have Omega 6 polysaturated fatty acid in them. Do not get confused with the coconut oil and the olive oil as they are completely healthy for you and they are not into the league of the vegetable oils that we are here talking about. The methods involved into the production of these vegetable oils are unhealthy and are not appropriate. It involves addition of several solvents, chemicals and other processing methods during which the essential nutrients and minerals present in them gets lost and as a result artificial ingredients are added to compensate for the lost ones. Many researchers believe that these vegetable oils are inappropriate for the human consumption. While it is true that some of the healthier brands use the cold pressed methods in the production of these vegetable oils and so it can be used occasionally. But again the major issue here is the amount of Omega 6 fatty acid in them which is not acceptable and is also not fit for regular consumption.

The acceptable ratio of the Omega 6 fatty acid and the Omega 3 fatty acid in the body should be 4:1. But with the use of these vegetable oils which are present in the market, this ratio is drastically affected and often leads to various diseases. These fatty acids have several important tasks to perform in the human body and when their balance is not maintained, your health is the one which suffers. The scientific explanation to this phenomenon is that these unsaturated fatty acids have more double bonds in them which make it highly reactive. As a result the unsaturated fatty acid consumed with these vegetable oils reacts readily with the oxygen present in the blood and causes the initiation of various chain reactions which damages the integral parts of the human body. This structural change inside the body damages the DNA and leads you to life threatening diseases.

Further these two types of fatty acids together form the eicosanoids in the body which is stored in the cell membranes. These eicosanoids play a major role in the inflammation and cellular messaging. The acute inflammation inside the human body is very much helpful but when this inflammation is spread to all parts of the body, it causes serious damage. The Omega 3 fatty acid produces anti-inflammatory eicosanoids while the Omega 6 fatty acid produces the pro-inflammatory eicosanoids. Both of them compete with each other and harm your health. Consequently they contribute to various cardiovascular diseases, depression and arthritis.

Another major concern with the vegetable oils is the presence of the Trans fats. These Trans fats have large amount of artificial ingredients and chemicals so that they can remain in solid state in the room temperature. Obesity, cancer and various heart diseases are developed due to Trans fats present in these oils. Almost every government food agencies around the world have now made this a point that the amount of the Trans fats should be reduced from the edible products. Recent studies have concluded that these vegetables oils are not fit for regular consumptions. If you are among such people who regularly consume these vegetable oils then you should stop it immediately as there are high chances that you may get diagnosed with the various cardiovascular diseases. The human heart gets the major adverse effects of these vegetable oils. These cardiovascular diseases alone cause a massive amount of human death each year globally. It’s time you stop playing with your health and start paying attention towards maintain a healthy body so that your life span increases and you live a happier life.

July 14, 2014
Essential Muscle Nutrients Which Are Found Only in Animal Food

Muscles are every much important for the human body as they perform several essential functions such as breathing and allow us to do physical labor. Every man today wants to have a body full of muscles so that they can look attractive and powerful. Muscles burns calories and so if you are planning to build a powerful body you need to pay special attention towards the food that you eat as the consumption of right food is very important. In order to build and later maintain these muscles there are some essential nutrients which your body requires and more importantly these nutrients are only found in the animal food. For the non-vegetarian people this is not a problem as they eat flesh but the vegetarian people look around for the replacement of this option. So they go for supplements which are available in the market today. These supplements are made up of artificial ingredients which causes harm to the body if you take it regularly. So it is recommend that if you want to build muscle and maintain your body, then you should start eating meat. Hereby we are mentioning some of the nutrients which are only found in animal food i.e. meat and are essential for muscle building.

Creatine:

Creatine is extremely important for the body and is one of the most popular supplements used for the muscle building. If your body has adequate amount of Creatine in it, then it not only improves the mass of your muscles but also the strength. Creatine forms the energy reserve in the muscles which helps in its maintenance. The energy in the body is provided by the Adenosine Triphosphate and the cells in the body have them in limited quantity. In the process of building muscles, people perform complex and vigorous exercises and so the amount of Adenosine Triphosphate in their body is not enough to last long. Creatine provides the phosphate in the cells and helps in producing the required extra energy. Although human body produces Creatine on its own but it is not enough and you need them in your diet. All the vegetarian foods are deprived of Creatine. So you should go for the meat and other animal foods.

Carnosine:

Carnosine is a dipeptide made with the help of the two amino acids. These amino acids are beta-alanine and histidine. Carnosine is highly popular as one of the wonderful anti-aging food supplement which stops the degenerative processes in the body and helps in maintaining the muscles. They are also required to keep your muscles in shape. When you perform intense workout the body releases lactic acid which stops the muscles from functioning normally and you experience fatigue. Carnosine is required as it helps in stopping the formation of this acid in the body by acting as a buffer. If the formation of the lactic acid is kept in check, there is no hindrance in the functioning of the muscles and you can carry out with your work with ease. This nutrient is only found in the animal food or else you will have to take supplements.

Animal Protein:

Proteins are the basic building blocks of muscles and they themselves are made up of amino acids. In total there are 21 essential amino acids required by the human body to synthesize proteins. Out of which only few of these amino acids can be produced by the body itself, rest all are provided in the diet. Those amino acids which the body cannot produce on its own are called as the essential amino acids. The best source of all these essential amino acids is animal food. Fish, meat and eggs have tremendous amount of proteins in them and they can easily compensate for the amino acids which the body requires. The proteins found in the plants lack some of the amino acid profiles and so the animal food is essential. Simply a vegetarian diet cannot provide you with the proteins that your body requires.

Vitamin D3:

Vitamin D3 is extremely essential for the human body. The proper functioning of the muscles and other body organs are very much dependent on it. There should be adequate amount of Vitamin D3 in the bloodstream. If your body is deprived of Vitamin D3, your muscles will decease and they will stop functioning properly. Although supplements are available to maintain the amount of Vitamin D3 in the body, the best source of this essential nutrient are fatty and the cod fishes. Moreover if you stay in such a place which receives less sunlight then you must start eating animal foods as the plants foods do not offers Vitamin D3.

Saturated Fats and Cholesterol:

Generally people believe that saturated fats and cholesterol are very much harmful for the human body and they are also the reasons for various dysfunctions in the body. So people opt for the low fat foods. But such food items have tendency to reduce the testosterone hormone in the body which is very much essential for muscle building and their maintenance. The testosterone hormone is required to increase the muscle mass and libido. The animal foods have large amount of saturated fats and cholesterol required for muscle building and that is why you should eat them.

July 1, 2014
Water: The Most Essential Requirement for the Human Body

It has been proved that the human body is 60 % made up of water. Water is the most essential requirement for any individual. Different people have different opinions on how much water you should drink each day. Generally it is recommended that you should drink about 2 liters of water per day. There is an 8×8 rule which says that a normal human being should drink 8 ounce of water, eight times a day which adds up to form about half a gallon water. Although this rule is arbitrary and there is no scientific explanation behind it, it is very much useful. The human body requires this much of water daily as it constantly loses water in the form of sweat and urine. But some people have the opinion that in order to avoid the dehydration, you should drink water throughout the day even if you are not thirsty. There are certain internal and external factors which play a vital role in an individual’s need for water. The important point is that without water the survival of the human beings is not possible. You cannot survive long if we do not drink water daily in the adequate amount. For most of the body organs to work properly and the various metabolism functions in the body, water is extremely essential.

If the human body is not provide with adequate amount of water, the energy level of the body comes downs and so as a result the functioning of the brain is affected. There are unexpected mood swings and headaches. Even the mild dehydration of the human body gives rise to the several problems. People start to lose weight and the brain consequently experiences its negative impact. If you are among such people who perform vigorous exercises then you must stay hydrated all the time as the less water content in your body will affect your physical performance and will eventually decrease your endurance.

Many people believe that drinking lots of water help them in losing weight because the water reduces the appetite and it increases the metabolism activities in the human body. This is actually true. When you drink water the metabolism of the body increases by about 25 % which is a very significant figure. Now again if you drink the prescribed amount of water daily, the energy expenditure of the body which is measured in the term of calories increases by about 96 calories per day. The key point here is that you should drink water prior to your meals as it will help in reducing the amount of the calories that you will consume during your meals. In this way you can keep a check on the amount of calories you consume and lose weight as per your requirement.

Now there are many health benefits of drinking water and it also helps you in avoiding many life taking diseases. According to the studies conducted in the various parts of the world, if you consume water in the prescribed amount daily, then you can avoid constipation, formation of stones in your kidneys, skin hydration, formation and spread of acne and most importantly you can also protect yourself from and bladder cancer. If you are among such people who do not drink water in desired quantity then, you must start doing it as it is extremely beneficial for your health.

Now it is also not necessary that you should drink the plain water to complete the daily dose of your water requirement. You can also drink tea, coffee and eat water rich foods to compensate for the water required by the human body. There are many vegetables and fruits which are very much rich in water content. Meat, eggs and fish are some of the examples of such foods. All these food items also contribute in maintaining the fluid balance in your body. But you must protect yourself from sweating a lot.

Maintaining the water balance in the body is one such aspect where you must pay special attention. We feel thirsty when the water balance in your body goes below the accepted level. If you feel thirsty, then you must immediately find a water source and drink it in appropriate amount. You should never ignore such feelings as it is highly essential for your survival. In a normal human being the thirst instinct is so strong and reliable that it is sufficient to pay attention towards the water requirement of the body. The water need of the body varies from individual to individual. For some people 2 liters is more than enough while for some people they feel like drinking water on very small intervals. In certain case such as ladies who get involved in breastfeeding their child should drink a lot of water. Similarly if you had vomiting or if you are suffering from diarrhea, then you must increase the amount of water that you drink daily.

July 1, 2014
Truth about the Vegan Diet

Veganism is a special type of vegetarian diet in which people completely exclude eggs, meats, dairy products and all those ingredients which are derived from the animals. In veganism, people completely boycott the processed foods such as the white sugar and wines as well. Those people who follow such diet as called as vegans. Vegans generally give several arguments so as to why you should stop eating the animal foods. There are many myths in the mind of the people regarding the vegan diets. Some believe that the vegan diet is the best way a person can lose weight and fight the life threatening diseases. Every now and then you will be inspired to follow the vegan diet as it is highly beneficial for the human body. But the reality is completely different from what is presented in front of you. Vegan diet has in fact lots of side effects as well on which people don’t pay much attention and these side effects deteriorate the health of the individual. Here we will be talking about such lies and myths people have regarding the vegan diets.

People generally believe that since the vegan diet is completely free from animal foods, they offer several health benefits and are in fact healthy compared to the other food items that we eat in our daily life. The proponents of the vegan diets have whole foods in them. Vegan diet completely boycotts refined sugar, refined grains, Trans fats, vegetable oils and other processed foods. Consequently many food items which offers fewer nutrients and have chemicals that are harmful for the human body gets eliminated. The health benefits of the vegan diet is due to the fact that they consume only the whole food and eliminates the processed food items as they have harmful ingredients in them. It is nothing to do with the elimination of the animal foods from the diet. None of the studies have been able to prove that animal food is bad for the human health.

The other reason which people give for you to encourage in joining the vegan diet club is that the animal foods have huge amount of fats in them which is extremely harmful and is the root cause of the heart disease. The truth is that the cholesterol and the saturated fats which are present in the animal foods improves the blood cholesterol profile and offer several health benefits. They both give rise to the HDL and not the LDL which consequently helps in protecting the heart from diseases. Some of the recent advanced studies conducted in this field have proved that there is absolutely no connection among the heart disease and the consumption of the saturated fats and cholesterol. Vegan people use this myth to attract people but this myth has now been completely debunked.

People believe that the vegan diet is the only way one can reverse the heart disease. There is a huge contradiction on this fact. Till date no major prove is present which can support this fact. While this is true that a diet which has low fat content in it can be helpful in reversing the heart diseases but it is not necessary for you to completely adopt the veganism.

There is a very famous China Study associated with the vegan diet. China Study is in fact a world famous book written by the veteran biochemist T. Colin Campbell. In this book the author has claimed that the animal protein is the reason people suffer from the cancer and various heart diseases and lose their precious life. He stated the facts by examining the results of the survey conducted in the Cornell Oxford Project in China. But many researchers and biochemists from around the world have expressed their unhappiness over the content written in the book and have contradicted the facts given by T. Colin Campbell. They believe that the book China Study is in fact a science fiction and there is not enough evidence to accept the claims made by T. Colin Campbell.

People opt for the vegan diet as they believe that the animal protein is bad for their health. But this is not true. The animal protein is in fact useful for the human body. Several researches made in this regard confirm the same. The diet which has high protein in it acts as a wonderful appetite suppressant and this eventually helps you in losing weight. If you want to shed some kilos from your body then you must opt for the animal proteins instead of ignoring them. Further the animal protein also lowers the blood pressure and helps in building muscles.

The vegans argue that the human body is naturally herbivore and so people should not eat the animal flesh of any type. This is rather contradictory. We people are consuming animal flesh from generations and our body is well adapted to consume and digest the animal flesh. The humans on the other hand are omnivores. There are lots of nutrients and minerals obtained from the animal foods which are good for us. Moreover the claim that the person opting for the vegan diet live longer is also not true. No study has been able to prove that vegan diet is superior and is more beneficial for health.

July 1, 2014