10 Health Benefits of Eating Tomatoes

Tomatoes are one confused fruit. They are considered to be a vegetable globally, when in reality, they are plain red citrus fruits. Eaten in various ways, raw, fried, baked, tossed and what not, they are always found in any healthy kitchen. Even if you’re not going for fresh tomatoes, you get canned tomatoes everywhere now easily due to their naturally high acidity level. It’s a fruit genuinely found everywhere in the world and used by all cultures. It has a sweet taste and is used in almost every dish, salad and even for garnishing. Tomatoes are a big favorite around the world and are cultivated at a pretty large scale globally.

Tomatoes are citrus fruits containing loads of healthy nutrients that are needed by the body. Every single tomato comes full packed with vitamins, iron, sodium, fiber etc. Many children as well as adults eat it like an apple, other prefer it in salads with some seasoning. Everyone has their own way of eating tomatoes as they are one loved fruit.

There are many benefits that one might get from tomatoes. A few of them are given below with details to support them.

1. Fights against cancer: tomatoes have a substance called lycopene, the compound responsible for the red color that it has. This substance helps ward off cancer and is present abundantly in even processed tomatoes, where the cooking breaks the cell walls of the cells present in this substance. It helps ward off lung, prostate and even stomach cancer.
2. Protection of DNA: tomatoes contain large amounts of antioxidants in the form of vitamin C and vitamin A. these vitamins shield the DNA from any sort of damage that may be caused from the free radicals in our bodies. Moreover, these vitamins actively defend the body against diseases such as atherosclerosis or diabetes by strengthening the immune system.
3. Lower risk of heart diseases: studies have shown that people who eat lots of tomatoes are at a lower risk of heart problems. Nutrients such as niacin, Vitamin B6 and folate are present in tomatoes to resist cardiovascular diseases. People who have 5-10 servings of tomatoes per week are in the safe list.
4. Presence of Vitamin K: vitamin K is essentially needed by the body for strong bones and this fruit does the right job by providing us with an extra-large dose of vitamin K. vitamin K also helps enhance healing powers, so if there is any cell damage, tissue damage, ligament damage or tendon damage, eat lots of tomatoes. You intake of tomatoes should be high you are facing any sort of injury anywhere.
5. Getting a healthy skin: tomatoes have many minerals and nutrients in them. When it comes to achieving skin benefits, tomatoes prove to come in handy. We might have seen on TV tomatoes being placed on the face and skin of ladies. Well, it actually works. It works as a cleanser and easily deteriorates all dirt particles stuck to your skin. Its acidity plays a pivotal role in such a situation. It helps bring out fresher skin.
6. Healthy heavy hair: if you have a hair fall problem, we have one good solution for that. Tomatoes yet again come in handy for they provide the scalp nutrition for ideal for better hair growth, both increasing the length and volume. Grind the tomatoes and make a paste out of them, then apply this paste to your scalp for 20 minutes and then wash with Luke warm water. The results will be positive.
7. Aid in vision: tomatoes help to keep our vision well. Whether you wear glasses or not, vitamin A from the tomatoes will help in making your day time as well as night time vision good. It has been seen that either vision becomes better or it stays at that one number that it was for quite some time, considering the dose of tomatoes remain constant.
8. Taking control over cholesterol: cholesterol level can also be controlled with the help of tomatoes. They contain vitamin B as well as potassium that help lower the cholesterol level that usually goes high in most people unbalancing the blood sugar level.
9. Anti-smoking damages: tomatoes can’t help you quit smoking, yet, it does help a person face it consequences. The many mineral and vitamins present in the tomatoes help to deal with the damages induced by smoking in the lungs as well as other systems of the body. So it again supports the immune system of the body by making it stronger.
10. Healthier Kidneys and goodbye Gallstones: eating tomatoes without its seeds has been surveyed to show case marvelous results. It usually shows how the efficiency of the kidneys increases and also lowers the chance of having Gallstones or any other kidney problems. In fact, without the seeds, the tomatoes are very beneficial for the blood circulatory system as a whole.

Best Food for Strong Bones

Healthy living requires a person to have a good physical health as well as mental stability. Mental stability is affected by our environment but what is in our hand is surely our physical health. This means that we must work towards achieving a good health by focusing on our diet. As what we eat directly affects our fitness and well-being, one should focus on what they consume. One should try to what a balanced diet so that all nutritional aspects of the body are fulfilled. There should be variation in what we eat so that the requirements of our body are catered to.

A good physique demands strong bones. But what is it that makes the bones weak? A few of the major causes that may cause your body structure to become fragile are:

• Immune disorders
• Gastrointestinal problems
• Endocrinal or hormonal changes
• Blood associated disorders including anemia
• Neurological disorders
• Mental instability
• Eating disorder
• Exposure to radiations
• Cancer therapy or the illness itself
• Fatal diseases and disorders including aids, kidney problems, liver diseases etc.

All of these causes add up to damage your bones and make them weak. If someone is suffering from any sort of disorder then I’m sure the doctor or expert would recommend an extra dose of dairy products; also a lot of exercise to go with it. It is a very serious problems and it isn’t to be taken lightly.

It isn’t hard to tell if you have a physiological disorder of any type because the first and foremost simple indication of this is pain. The person feels pain in his bones and muscles all together so he does go to get a checkup, then again a few visible symptoms include numerous fractures over a short period, small framed or small structured bones are at high risk, weight loss, pain, fatigue, for women, irregular periods, first or second degree osteoporosis before a suitable age and many other. In a case where an individual is suffering from some sort of major diseases, he is warned beforehand about such weaknesses that might occur in your body. One should get treatment or at least a checkup as soon as he or she notices such symptoms in their bodies.

Food for stronger bones:
With modern science at work, there are numerous treatments available at clinics and hospitals for weak bones. Yet, what comes naturally can’t be obtained through artificial means. So here we discussed how the bones become weak and what a few genuine symptoms of weak bones are. Now below are a few tasty food items one should have to achieve god health and help their depleting health.

• Yogurt: vitamin D is important for our bones to absorb calcium. Many turn to exercise and sunlight for vitamin D is produced in our body in sunlight as well. But for those who don’t have much time can turn to yogurt or flavored yogurt because it is fortified with a good dose of vitamin D.
• Milk: if we are mentioning dairy products then we can’t miss out milk. There is a reason why milk is enough to feed an infant at an age where he needs all the nutrition he can get. Milk potentially has almost every nutrient present in it. A very well-known fact is that calcium is abundantly present in milk which is need by our bones. Take mil in any form, milkshakes, smoothies, tea or anything. Make sure you have a steady intake of milk, it is very necessary.
• Cheese: cheese is another cheesy dairy product that can provide you with a good enough amount of calcium and vitamin D, essential nutrients of the bones. Almost 1.5 ounces of cheese is enough for day, don’t go one eating too much of cheese, as excess of everything is bad. Include it in your daily diet at any time during the day, even breakfast.
• Sardines: calcium isn’t worth mentioning if we don’t talk about white meat. Sardines are a rich source of calcium having a savory taste and they are available in the market easily. If you can get them fresh then that is good enough or else they are present in cans almost in every region of the world now. Make a delicious pasta or salad with the little fish as it has a high level of vitamin D as well as calcium in it.
• Egg: we all know about the goodness in stored in little eggs. They yolk of the egg is basically a good source of vitamin D and an egg is the most feasible source of vitamin D. so it is an ideal diet as it contains nutrition of all sorts. Consume it in different ways like French toasts, omelets, boiled, fired etc.

Natural Therapies for Headaches

For many of us, experiencing headaches isn’t a big deal because we are so used to it now. According to a survey conducted, 47 million Americans suffer from headaches each month. Almost 9% of the US population suffer from migraines; that is, a complicated form of headaches that has many problems linked to it as causes and after effects. Hence, it is hard to treat migraines but not as hard to treat headaches. Many people turn to non-steroidal drugs, such as anti-inflammatory drugs that are easily available at the drugstore for normal headaches and they seem to work to a great extent.

Types of headaches:
There are many types of headaches. At first all headaches were considered to be the result of tension, yet there are many different causes now. Though a type of headaches is called tension headaches, but this involves the stiffening of the shoulder and neck muscles. Another type of headache might be Migraines; these are high intensity half headed pains that are caused due to a number of problems and involve difficulties for the patients. Moreover, cluster headaches are another form of chronic headaches that might occur on daily basis for months. But then they disappear on a similar pattern and return from time to time. They are unpredictable.

Therapies for headaches:
Considering the fact that headaches are curable to a great extends today due to modern science, here are a few natural therapies that might help in getting rid of headaches. The effects may vary from person to person, since the condition and pain is different for everyone.

• Massage therapy:massage is one of the best ways to get rid of any kind of pain. This includes all kinds of muscle pain. In the case of headaches. On might get a message on the neck, back, the shoulders and the head. One may massage the neck and shoulders themselves and also rub the forehead symmetrically. Through extensive research, experts came to the conclusion that message therapies help decrease the frequency as well as the intensity of the headaches. It also helps a person sleep well as night. This goes for migraines as well. Experts consider migraines as a major issue and it is not listed in the average headache. Yet, getting 5 massage sessions a week can help reduce the pain greatly.
• Meditation: medication itself is the art of self-control. It is used for concentrating and to quiet the mind from any interruptions like chronic pain in different parts of the body. Many forms of meditation are under discussion and are being trialed in order to see their effects on headaches and migraines because many people have reported to said that meditation has helped lower the intensity of the pain. Such as example is Vipassana, the ancient Indian technique of meditation. It has been seen useful in improving the quality of like and bringing down the severity or magnitude of the pain that one goes through.
• Exercise: one of the most important aspects of in headaches to be considered is the muscles under pressure. So relieve oneself from headaches, one must work on stretching stiff muscles and cutting loose pain that is piled up in the neck. Such exercises may be done to relax your neck and shoulder especially. So follow this technique:

Drop you head forward and let your neck relax in this position. Push your head to the front to the extent when the chin touches the chest. Stay in this position for two minutes. Then put your hands on the crown area of your head. This will again cause stretching and increase pleasure and relaxation.

These were very easy home remedies that require less than a minute’s time to accomplish. Make sure that you do them well and you will be free from headaches. These methods have been researched on and proven to help patients suffering from headaches. Living a life of technology we have forgotten the basic necessity of going out and stretching to bring a change for their muscles. These basic home remedies require neither complex techniques nor supplements. practice them twice or thrice a days. As soon as you feel a headache coming or sometime purposely before or after that, make sure you try these as a precaution.

Various Health Benefits Of Spinach

Ever wondered why Popeye was so obsessed with spinach. Spinach is a member of the family of vegetables that is considered as the nutritional powerhouse. Peppy green colored spinach leaves are not only appealing to the eyes but are rich in nutrients as well.

• Spinach is rich in Iron
  Spinach is well known for its nutritional benefits and has always been regarded as a vegetable with an outstanding ability to restore energy. There is a reason to this effect, mainly for the fact that it is rich in iron. Iron plays a central role in the function of red blood cells which help in transporting oxygen around the body, in energy production and DNA synthesis.

• Anti-oxidant properties of Spinach

       Green vegetables, as the spinach is, are an excellent source of beta-carotene. Beta- carotene helps to fight against the problems caused by free-radicals, because of its anti-oxidant properties.  Oxidative stress caused as a result of free radicals, is a key contributor to numerous health problems including high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and other serious health problems. Anti-oxidants help in protecting and repairing the skin from the damage caused by the sun. It also prevents problems related to eye health. This way diseases possibly caused due to deficiency of beta-carotene e.g. cataracts, can be avoided with the use of spinach in diets. Thus, spinach keeps heart and body healthy.

• Spinach has Phytochemicals
• Spinach possesses several important phytochemicals, including lutein. These phytochemicals help a person in preventing age-related macular degeneration. Therefore, research suggests that spinach can play a vital role in prevention of age related eye problems. Spinach also contains a compound called lipoic acid. This compound helps antioxidants, vitamins C and E to regenerate. Lipoic acid is an excellent source of energy; this is why it is the core of modern research studies.

• Spinach can prevent Cancer
  Research in cancer studies have shown that spinach consists of anti-cancer properties. There are more than a bunch of different flavonoid compounds in spinach that are powerful anti-cancer fighting agents. Also these studies show that spinach intake can decrease the incidence of breast cancer in women. The flavonoid and carotenoid content have anti-inflammatory substances and spinach is rich in both of these chemicals.
• Spinach and Bone health
  The role of spinach in the maintenance of bone health could not be ignored when talking about the multiple health benefits of spinach. Spinach contains Vitamin K which is important in maintaining bone health. It is also rich in nutrients such as calcium and magnesium, playing an important role in supporting bone strength.
• Maintenance of gastrointestinal health
  Spinach contains folates. The presence of folate and vitamin C along with beta-carotene make this vegetable a powerful weapon in guarding our gastrointestinal health.
• Spinach maintains Blood Pressure
  Angiotensin causes vasoconstriction and ultimately an increase in blood pressure. Spinach has been shown to inhibit angiotensin-converting enzyme. This aids in decreasing blood pressure.
• Spinach and Immunity
  Lymphocytes, commonly called as white blood cells, rely on beta carotene to help fight infection. As spinach contains high amounts of Vitamin A , intake of spinach boost the immune system of a person.
• Healthy vibrant Skin
  High concentrations of Vitamin A help in making skin look vibrant, fresh and healthy. Also the skin is healthy enough to fight acne, keep normal levels of moisture and prevents formation of wrinkles.
• Ovarian and Prostate Cancers
  Modern research has concluded that eating spinach combats ovarian and prostate cancers. Carotenoids in spinach make prostate cancers destroy themselves. This same carotenoid, after being changed by the intestines, prevents prostrate cancer from reproducing itself. Spinach also contains kaempferol, a strong antioxidant. This chemical substance prevents the formation of cancerous cells. Women who have a high intake of this flavonoid are at lesser risk of developing ovarian cancer. This is because kaempferol has the ability to reduce cancer cells proliferation.
Due to its abundant health benefits it has been recommended to include spinach in regular diet in order to stay healthy. One of the many health benefits of spinach is that it is an excellent source of iron, supplying surplus amounts of energy. Also it helps cardiac patients in maintain health as it lowers blood pressure and prevents hardening of arteries.
Spinach helps kick off the free radicals as they are rich in antioxidants i.e. vitamins and carotenoids. It contains components that help bone and nerve development and help in the efficient working of central nervous system (CNS). One and a half cups raw (85g) provides a rich source of folate, potassium, and magnesium, as well as an excellent source of manganese, and vitamins A, C, and K. This same serving also provides a good source of iron. In addition, spinach is a top source of the eye-healthy carotenoids; lutein and zeaxanthin, which have shown to lower risk of cataract development. Spinach may also help in maintaining mental sharpness and reducing the risk of cancers of the liver, ovaries, colon and prostate. Lastly, it is worth mentioning, for the reason that they have diverse health benefits, it is highly recommended by WHFoods to enjoy meals that contain spinach as an essential part of it.

Homemade Mosquito Repellent Materials

Mosquito seems to be a very small flying insect but it is very lethal to human life and health in real. It is an agent of transmitting various deadly diseases into the human body by its bite. The diseases get into the human body through the mosquito bite via blood which carries them into the body and makes it infectious. They also transmit disease into the animals especially the dogs. It is an important thing to notice that diseases are transferred via a female mosquito’s bite mostly. It is estimated that around one million people die of mosquito-borne diseases each year throughout the world. There are different types of mosquito-borne diseases which are as under:

1. Dengue
2. Malaria
3. Yellow Fever
4. West Nile Virus
5. Dog Heartworm

These diseases can be got rid of by adopting certain preventive measures. These measures should be adopted seriously by considering them important to prevent the epidemic flow of mosquito-borne diseases. The most essential preventive measure is to use homemade mosquito repellent materials in order to get rid of mosquito and the fatal diseases caused by it. There are a number of ways to make homemade mosquito repellent materials of which some are given below:

1. Listerine Mouthwash SprayThe Listerine mouthwash can be used by putting it in a spray bottle and spraying it around to keep the mosquito away. It is an easy to make homemade repellent.
2. Mixture of Water and Vanilla ExtractBy mixing equal quantity of water and vanilla and putting it in a spray bottle makes a good mosquito repellent. The use of pure vanilla extract in water makes a smelly mixture which when sprayed keeps the mosquito away.
3. Sliced Lime and CloveIf a lime is sliced into two pieces and cloves are pressed all around it than by placing it around the area, especially the outside sitting area, it keeps the mosquito away. These can be put in windows or at doors to keep them away from entering the house.
4. Applying VicksApplying Vicks on the body keeps the mosquito away. It is as good as any other mosquito repellent to keep them away. Its smell makes them run for their life and they never dare to come close again.
5. Applying LavenderLavender oil and lavender flowers can be very useful if rubbed on the skin and the surroundings in a household. Their application can be very effective to keep the mosquito away from one self and the home. Lavender oil can be very useful if applied on the pulse points on the body.
6. Rubbing Leaves of Mint Family PlantsThe mint family consisting of (spearmint, catnip, peppermint, citronella, lemongrass and pennyroyal) can be very useful homemade mosquito repellent. By rubbing the dried and fresh leaves of any plant among these mint plants can be very useful to keep the mosquito away.
7. Basil LeavesBasil is a very effective mosquito repellent. By planting the basil plant in the garden and by keeping its leaves in the windows and at the doors keep the mosquito away. It is a very simple to get homemade mosquito repellent.
8. Mixture of Neem and Coconut OilA mixture of neem oil and coconut oil can make a great mosquito repellent. By putting this mixture in a spray bottle and spraying it around or by applying it on the body and surroundings helps in keeping the mosquito away.
9. Using GarlicUsing garlic or concentrated oil of garlic as a skin applicant can be very useful to get rid of mosquito and mosquito-borne diseases. By rubbing garlic on the skin keeps mosquito away and this makes it a useful homemade mosquito repellent.
10. Different OilsA variety of oils which have good qualities of repellent can be very useful to keep away the mosquito. The oils of rosemary, cinnamon, castor, eucalyptus, peppermint and cedar can be very handy in this purpose. These oils can be applied single or in a mixture with each other especially on the pulse points on the human body. They can also be used by adding them in moisturizers and then applying on the skin through rubbing. All these oils have the mosquito repellent qualities which make them very useful homemade mosquito repellents.
11. Organic Soybean OilThe soybean is very easy available and cost effective material which is also a very effective mosquito repellent. The organic soybean oil is a good moisturizer if rubbed on the skin and can be found very easily.

All the above are very useful homemade mosquito repellent materials which are very cost effective and harmless. By successfully adopting the above homemade mosquito repellent materials, the mosquito and the resultant mosquito-borne diseases can be kept away very easily from the household.

Health Benefits of Pumpkin Seeds

The pumpkin seed are known as pepita in Spanish. They are edible and are known from ages due to its nutritive property. The prime months of the pumpkin in the United States are October, November and December. The same fruit is popular in winter during Halloween as they are easily available for carving into monsters. There are two types of pumpkin  seed usually either encased in a yellow white husk  or without shells. These are known from old times to be rich in nutrients such as manganese, tryptophan, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, protein, zinc and iron.

Don’t throw the seeds away, utilize it as they are beneficial and can help you body in many ways. Some of the benefits that the pumpkin seed may provide are:

Rich in minerals

Pumpkin seed are amazing source of mineral. Minerals are important for health. Plants have direct link with soil minerals so they produce best source of it. Pumpkin seeds are known to provide with the entire major minerals especially zinc. Zinc is found in these seed per are known to present in much more quantity in the endosperm envelope so it is advised to take it with the shells as separating shell from the inner part without wasting the endosperm is tough. Therefore try taking pumpkin seed with the shell.

Antioxidant benefits
Only few fruits are rich in antioxidants. These seeds have unique antioxidant properties as it consists of variety of antioxidants such as:

1. Vitamin E
   These seed are rich in vitamin E. It do not only contain vitamin E, contains variety of it in different forms such as gamma-tocopherol, delta-tocopherol, alpha-tocomonoenol, alpha-tocopherol and gamma-tocomonoenol. Alpha-tocomonoenol and gamma- tocomonoenol have been found recently and are a hot topic in scientific research as some scientist believe they are unique in benefits from other forms.
2. Phenolic Antioxidants
   Along with vitamin E it also contains variety of phenolic oxidants. Phenols are one of the very important nutrients and lie in the list of beneficial elements. The antioxidants that are phenolic in nature and are found to be in pumpkin seeds include hydroxybenzoic, ferulic, sinapic, protocatechuic, vanillic, caffeic, coumaric and syringic acid. Lignans are also found to be present in these seeds in variety which are of biological importance. Pinoresinol, lariciresinol and medioresinol is found to be present in pumpkin seeds.

Inhibits Cancer
Cancer is a disease whose causative reasons are unknown in a sense that there can be hundreds of reasons that can add to it. One of them is known to be oxidative stress. A huge role in the development of few cancers can be of oxidative stress. Due to some of the antioxidant properties present in the pumpkin it can help in lowering the risk of this deadly disease. Researchers have shown that lignan which are present in the seeds do play some part in the inhibition of breast and prostate cancer.  Not much work have been done yet but scientist believe that it do have anti-cancer properties. They are working on it to provide with research evidence.

Diabetes
Some research work on laboratory animals have shown that pumpkins seed extracts can improve the regulation of the insulin.  We all know that it is rich in anti-oxidants that can help control oxidative stress.  This will eventually lead to better metabolism saving kidney from damage due to the diabetes. The high level of digestible proteins are present that controls the blood sugar.

Antimicrobial Property
The phytonutrients present in the seed makes the body strong as it helps to fight against bacteria and virus more strongly. The lignans are known to be associated with this property. They are known to play a role in the activity of messaging molecule that is said to be interferon Gamma. These are associated with the antimicrobial function.

Treatment of Benign Prostatic hyperplasia
It is the enlargement of the prostate gland of people of the age 50 or above usually. The pumpkin seeds extract are known to treat Benign prostatic Hyperplasia from ancient time. Research says that phytosterol such as beta-sitosterol, sitostanol, and avenasterol play a vital role to treat this disease. Omega three is present in these seeds which is of huge importance.

Heart Healing Properties
They are rich in the mineral magnesium which is very important for heart and is known as heart healing mineral or natural relaxant.

Loses weight
Good amount of soluble proteins present will help control blood sugar which then will help in controlled weight.

Good Sleep
They are rich in sleep-enhancing amino acid tryptophan which converts to serotonin in the body and helping in peaceful sleep. Good sleep will eventually lead better health.

Pumpkin seeds can be taken by drying them or making extracts. Extracting oil is good as it is easy to store.  Try taking it with shell as it provide better and more nutrients.