FOOD & HEALTH

EATING MANGOS FOR HEALTH!

B y S u n i l M a l h o t r a S t o c k I m a g e s

Mango, a native to India, was first cultivated around 20-30 million years ago in Northeast India, Bangladesh and Burma now called Myanmar. Widely known as the King of Fruits it is not just a delicious tropical fruit but healthy too!! Mangoes can be consumed in many ways, apart from eating them in their natural state, mangoes are extensively used in making pickles, chutneys, smoothies, milk shakes, cakes, desserts etc. If you consume mangoes without adding more sugar to it, the natural sugar of the fruit hardly causes any harm. Mangoes are probably amongst the sweetest fruits you come across, but here are some of the benefits of mangos that you would surely find amusing.

Improves your immune system as it is highly enriched with vitamin C and anti-oxidant content.

We get almost 10% off or a daily dose of vitamin A from a single-cup serving of mango. Vitamin A is another to help support a healthy immune system.

Mango alone can provide you with nearly 75% of your daily requirement of vitamin C which helps produce more white cells that fight diseases. It also has a liberal amount of several B vitamins that work towards improving and defending your skin. It has immunity booster nutrients too. Mango contains potassium and magnesium, resulting in a healthy blood flow, thereby supporting a healthy heart. Continuing research in this direction is one to substantiate the claims. As mango contains a group of digestive enzymes called amylase it works well for your digestive health too. Since it contains plenty of water and fibre it has been known to help with digestive issues like diarrhoea and constipation. It is full of nutrients that help support your eye health. Anti-oxidants like zeaxanthin and listen are the key ingredients concentrated in the retina of your eyes that converts light into signals for your brain to ultimately interpret what you are seeing.

All in all a delicious fruit with multiple health benefits for you. So go on and indulge in mangos guilt-free.

WHY SHOULD YOU DRINK GREEN TEA?

B y S u n i l M a l h o t r a S t o c k I m a g e s

Over the years Green Tea has become extremely popular. More and more people have added Green Tea to their daily routine. While it started as a simple green tea which needed an acquired taste, today we see supermarkets stocked with many varieties and flavours to suit your taste buds.

Everyone knows Green Tea is healthy but not everyone knows what those actual health benefits are, they usually drink Green Tea because it’ s a trend, a fad or because their friends told them to. But here, let us understand in detail why actually drinking green tea can be beneficial for you. As per many studies Green Tea has been instrumental in the improvement of blood flow and helps lower cholesterol levels. It is supposed to regulate high blood pressure, and help prevent a range of heart-related issues and congestive heart failure. It is usually said that what is good for your heart is good for your brain too. It is known for the formation of plaques that help block Alzheimer ’ s disease. It helps stabilise blood sugar levels in people suffering from diabetes. Catechin found in Green Tea helps lower blood cholesterol and blood pressure and also protects from damage caused by a high-fat diet. Green Tea is rich in healthy bio-active compounds, one being polyphenols that do have certain health benefits like reducing inflammation and helping fight cancer.

It contains Catechin which is a natural antioxidant and helps prevent cell damage and some other health benefits too. It is the single most important of the compounds that provide Green Tea with its highly effective medicinal properties. It is found that it may improve brain function by boosting it and keeping you alert. The key active ingredient, caffeine, is a well-known stimulant. Though it has a lower percentage of caffeine than coffee it has been repeatedly shown by research that the caffeine present can improve the functioning of the brain, elevating your mood, alertness, memory and reaction time. L-theanine present in Green Tea alongside caffeine can have a synergistic effect, the two combine well to improve your brain function. The result is more stable and productive energy after having Green Tea as compared to coffee. It is found to increase the chances of fat burning and increase the metabolic rate too. It is also supposed to be a stimulant for oral health. Overall drinking Green Tea regularly does have a lot of possible health benefits. Do make it a regular part of your life to help you feel better, and lower your risk of chronic diseases and a possible weight loss.