Cancer is not a disease that can be ignored today. It’s such a widespread disease and the treatments for the cancers are not the easiest ones to go through. Although the cancer treatments are able to cure cancers to some extent, they are not safe in several ways. The easiest thing that we can do against cancer is to prevent them from occurring. How? The lesser-known fact is that our planet already has some natural agents to fight against cancer. Some of them are not only able to fight against the cancer cells, but can even kill them. At the same time, a few of these agents taste good. In this article, we are going to speak about a few spices with the cancer-fighting ability here. So, continue reading…

1. Turmeric:

Yes, this is not an uncommon spice in Indian kitchens. Every home will have this. So, what’s special about turmeric? The specialty comes because of its constituent, which is called “Curcumin”. This is nothing but a cancer-fighting polyphenol. Several clinical studies have shown that curcumin has the ability to inhibit the growth of different forms of cancers. Examples of the forms of cancers that can be inhibited by turmeric are:

• Bone Cancer
• Breast Cancer
• Brain Tumors
• Colon Cancer
• Liver Cancer
• Pancreatic Cancer
• Stomach Cancer
• Bladder Cancer
• Kidney Cancer
• Prostate Cancer
• Leukemia
• Ovarian Cancer
• Melanoma

No, don’t think the list is over! Literally, curcumin has more abilities than this. The most important thing about this constituent of turmeric is that it has the ability to inhibit cancer development at any stage. So, the person who has cancer at cell mutation stage can be saved and the person who has cancer at metastasis can also be saved. The way it works is by stimulating the programmed cell death of the cancer cells without doing any harm to the normal cells. So, if you have turmeric in your kitchens, just feel lucky and move on!

2. Garlic:

This again is not a new spice for the Indians. Several population studies that have been conducted in various parts of the world have shown that there is a link between the increased consumption of garlic and the decreased risk of some forms of cancers. Researchers strongly say that the increased intake of this spice can prevent the risks of the following forms of cancers:

• Colon cancer
• Stomach cancer
• Breast cancer
• Pancreatic cancer
• Esophageal cancer

With the phytochemical allicin, the garlic triggers the synthesis of cancer-fighting enzymes. Thus, your garlic could block the formation, as well as halt the activation of cancer-causing substances. In addition to these important actions, garlic could also improve DNA repair and slow down cell production. Moreover, like turmeric, it could also induce apoptosis, thereby, inhibiting the cancer growth and killing the cancer cells.

3. Ginger:

For centuries, ginger has been accommodating our Indian kitchens. But, do you know ginger has cancer-fighting properties? A research study that was conducted on tumor-bearing mice has shown that the ginger can kill some kinds of cancerous cells. As such, our ginger has the ability to fight cancer in two ways.
Firstly, ginger has the ability to make the cancer cells to commit suicide by the process called apoptosis. This way, the cancer-causing cells will destroy themselves when at the same time leaving the surrounding normal cells untouched. In addition, the anti-inflammatory properties of ginger would help prevent precancerous cells from multiplying. It also would prevent ideal climates for cancer growth. Secondly, the ginger will fight cancer through the process called “autophagy”. In this, it would actually trick the cancerous cells to eat each other. No matter whether you are using it in fresh or dried forms, it will be useful. Nowadays, ginger is often found to be used in chemotherapy too.

4. Cinnamon:

Cinnamon, which is occupying Chinese medicine for centuries, is known to treat several health issues. Yes, this is not uncommon in Indian cuisine too. Besides forming a valuable addition to coffee, cinnamon has the ability to protect against Type-2 diabetes and heart diseases. Not only this, this wonderful spice that is got from tree bark has shown abilities to inhibit the growth, as well as the spread of various forms cancers. The tests that were performed in laboratory cell cultures showed that cinnamon can be able to inhibit the growth and spread of the following types of cancers:

• Melanoma
• Lymphoma
• Colorectal cancer
• Cervical cancer

Also, in some other studies involving various mice models bearing melanoma, the extract of cinnamon that was orally administered was able to inhibit the tumor growth to significant levels. Furthermore, cinnamon extract has also shown some strong positive results in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
In addition to all these, cinnamon has some excellent antioxidant properties and is able to provide protection against oxidative damage caused by free radicals. So, cinnamon is not only a tasty addition to your dishes and beverages, it has some strong properties against cancer too. So, make it regular to use cinnamon in your cooking.

5. Cayenne Pepper:

Cayenne pepper, which is yet another common spice found in our kitchens, contains “capsaicin – cancer preventative agent”. Although it’s true that your cayenne pepper can cause heartburn when used in large quantities, a little sprinkled on your foods could do magic! And, we would say this small quantity that is consumed every day is good enough to cause the health benefits.
There is some proven evidence to show this. In several clinical studies that were conducted in various parts of the world, the secondary metabolite compound (capsaicin) has shown to cause apoptosis of different types of cancer cells. In addition to these actions, the cayenne pepper as such is found to be protecting our body against carcinogenic chemicals.
In a recent research study, this spice has shown its ability to slow down the growth of prostate cancer cells and has the capacity to even destroy them. In specific, the cayenne pepper is being studied with regards to skin cancer, which is the second most common type of cancer today. Let’s hope for the best!

The title could be shocking to someone of you. A widespread thought is that heart disease is the problem of adults. So, parents of young children don’t even think about this. But, according to the U.S. CDC, obesity is affecting one out of every six children in their country. As most of you might be aware, obesity in combination with a sedentary lifestyle could lead to poor arterial health. And, this is the most common first sign of heart disease or what we call it as “cardiovascular problem”. Now, let’s see more about this issue here…
Heart Disease in Children and Types:
Heart disease, when strikes an adult, it is hard enough. But, when it strikes a child, it could be tragic. The types of heart disease that could affect the children are as follows:
Congenital Heart Disease:
This is the type of heart disease with which the child is born with. This is usually caused by the heart defects at the childbirth. The congenital heart diseases that are found to be affecting children would include heart valve disorders, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, ventricular/atrial septal defects, patent ductus arteriosus, tetralogy of Fallot, and so on. In simple terms, these are the disorders involving holes in the child’s heart, mostly in the walls between the heart chambers or between the blood vessels. The “tetralogy of Fallot” is a combination of four defects.
It’s important for us to understand that the above-mentioned congenital heart diseases can have long-term effects on the health of the affected child. The treatment for these could include any or more of the following:

• Surgery
• Catheters
• Medications
• Heart transplants

Atherosclerosis:
This is the heart disease, which is caused due to the fat buildup inside the arteries. As the density of the fat buildup increases, the arteries would become narrow and stiff, thereby, increasing the risks of blood clots and heart attack. In general, this would take several years to develop and is uncommon for a child to be affected. However, the existing health issues like obesity, hypertension, and diabetes would put the child at risk of contracting atherosclerosis. In general, the treatment for atherosclerosis would involve lifestyle alterations like physical exercises and diet modifications.
Arrhythmias:
This condition represents the abnormal rhythms of the heart. Thus, this could make the heart to pump less effectively than normal. There are more than one ways by which the child could be affected by arrhythmia. The common types of arrhythmias that are found in children are:

• Tachycardia – faster heart rate
• Bradycardia – slower heart rate
• Long Q-T Syndrome
• Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome

The child affected with arrhythmia would show the symptoms of weakness, dizziness, fatigue, fainting, and difficulty eating. The treatments for this would depend upon the type of arrhythmia and how the child has been affected by it.
Kawasaki disease:
This is a rare type of childhood heart disease that can cause inflammation in the blood vessels of various parts of the body. The affected child would get fever and swelling of the lymph nodes. Till date, the cause of this disease remains unknown. It’s to be noted that the Kawasaki disease is one of the major causes of heart disorders in children below five years of age. Generally, the treatment for this disease would depend on the extent of the disease, although intravenous administrations and corticosteroids are common.
Heart murmurs:
This is a whooshing sound made by the blood circulating via the chambers and valves of the heart or via the blood vessels near to the heart. Although this is often harmless, sometimes it could signify an underlying cardiovascular disease. Remember, the heart murmurs can also be due to the congenital heart diseases.
Pericarditis:
This is the condition that occurs due to the inflammation or infection of the sac or membrane that surrounds the heart. An increase in the amount of fluid between the two layers would impair the heart’s ability to pump blood. This condition may happen after a surgery or due to other things like bacterial infection, chest trauma, connective tissue disorder, and so on.
Rheumatic heart disease:
The streptococcus bacteria that cause strep throat and scarlet fever can also cause rheumatic heart disease if left untreated. The condition could severely, as well as permanently damage the child’s heart valves and muscles, thereby, leading to heart muscle inflammation. This condition is medically called as myocarditis. According to a report, this condition is found to be common in the children of ages 5 to 15 years. However, the symptoms don’t usually show up for one or two decades after the onset. This heart disease can be effectively prevented by treating the strep throat as early as possible.
Prevention of Childhood Heart Disease:
Some of the causes of heart disease that begin in childhood can be prevented. The risk factors in childhood that have a direct association with the likeliness of contracting heart disease later in life include the following:

• Obesity
• A sedentary lifestyle
• Smoking
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Buildup of plaque or fat deposits in the arteries
• Unhealthy changes in the cholesterol levels
• Diabetes

Yes, it’s true that the risk of heart disease runs in families. However, a healthy diet could help prevent or at least reduce the risk of heart disease in children. Therefore, if heart diseases appear to be running in your family, we would advise you to consult with your healthcare provider and have the child’s cholesterol and blood pressures measures regularly. In addition, watch your child’s weight regularly.
As mentioned earlier, a balanced diet is important for your children to prevent heart disease. This would also encourage your children to grow healthy. The diet that could help prevent heart diseases in children would include two important things. Firstly, the daily calories should be kept at the right levels. It’s because too many calories could cause weight gain and thus, could be hard on the heart. Secondly, the fats should be limited, especially the saturated fats.
Well, now you understood that our children are not devoid of the risk of contracting heart diseases. Therefore, be sure to keep watching your children on the symptoms and immediately take them to childcare specialists if something is wrong!

As you might be aware already, tobacco use is found to be one of the major causes of deaths around the world. To better understand the impact, let me give you some statistical reports here. Trust me; tobacco use has killed over 100 million during the twentieth century. This way, this has accounted for mortality much more than all deaths reported during the World Wars I and II. It has been predicted by experts that the tobacco-related deaths will conquer the first spot by being the cause of around one billion deaths during the twenty-first century. Let’s see more about this subject matter here…
What WHO says about Tobacco Use and Mortality?
A recent report from WHO says, globally, 12% of all deaths that are occurring among adults over 30 years old are attributed to the use of tobacco. The statistical report further explains that during the year 2004, around five million adults of age 30 years and above died due to the direct use of tobacco across the globe. Here, the direct use represents both smoking, as well as smokeless tobacco use. By this, it means that at least one death has been reported every 6 seconds.
Which region do you think that is highly affected? Well, for some of you, it won’t be surprising to know that the most affected regions are the Americas and the Europe. In these parts of the world, tobacco is being used for a longer duration.
So, which gender is more affected by tobacco? Here, without any doubt, the proportion of mortality due to tobacco is found to be higher among males when compared to females.
Data on Diseases due to Tobacco:
While 12% of all deaths among adults are known to be due to tobacco, around 5% of all deaths due to communicable diseases are also attributed to tobacco. On the other end of the spectrum, 14% of all deaths due to non-communicable diseases are also attributed to tobacco. Within the category of communicable diseases, the top spots were captured by deadly tuberculosis and the common lower respiratory infections. As such, 7% of all deaths caused by tuberculosis and 12% of all deaths caused by the lower respiratory infections are attributed to tobacco.
On the other hand, in the category of non-communicable diseases, the top spots are captured by the very common cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and the diseases of the respiratory system. Thus, 10% of all deaths due to cardiovascular diseases, 22% of all deaths due to cancers, and 36% of all deaths due to the diseases of the respiratory system are attributed to tobacco.
Everyone knows that the tobacco smokers are at high risk of contracting lung cancer. Yes, you are right! But, I am sure that the real statistics will be shocking to you. Almost 71% of all the deaths due to lung cancer are attributed to tobacco use. Another common disease that is found to be contracted by the tobacco users is “Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease” or what you call it as “COPD”. As much as 42% of all deaths due to COPD are attributed to tobacco.
And, it’s to be noted that these deaths due to tobacco-related cardiovascular diseases are more likely to occur among the younger adults. As such, 38% of the deaths of the adults aged 30 to 44 years who died due to ischemic heart disease are attributed to tobacco.
Current Status of Tobacco Use in India:
While the Americas and the Europe are said by majorly affected by tobacco prevalence, we all know that use of tobacco in India is not negligible. It’s a matter of worry in our country too. However, we have some good news here. The tobacco use in India has found to be decreased from 34.6% to 28.6% among adults. You might be thinking that just six percent is not a good improvement. But, in a country with huge population, this percentage matters. This six percent difference is accounting for almost 81 lakh cases in India.
Not only among adults but also the use of tobacco has decreased among the younger population (15 to 24 years) too. In this population, the tobacco use has been decreased from 18.4% to 12.4%.
But, this is not enough!
Although the decrease in the number of tobacco users is good, I would say this is not enough. It’s to be noted that the tobacco use is putting a major public health in our country at present. Around 275 million adults are currently consuming tobacco as various products. Remember, India is the second largest tobacco consumer in the world. A report shows that 2 out of 5 adults in rural areas and 1 out of 4 adults in urban areas are using tobacco in some form. So, the challenge posed by tobacco is not simple.
Challenges vs. Opportunities in India:
India is found to be a major stakeholder in the international control efforts and is found to have played a leadership role on various forums when it comes to tobacco control. The Government of India has taken several initiatives to control tobacco use in the country. These include various laws and incorporation of the “National Tobacco Control Program”. It has been seen that the government of India has always been ready to face the challenges posed by the higher prevalence of tobacco use in the country.
We could see that the major challenge lies for the control of tobacco lies in the aspect of tobacco taxation. I would say this area needs immediate attention. It’s to be noted that taxation as an instrument for price policy is very low in the country. Moreover, even this low level of taxes is not collected effectively for the tobacco products except for cigarettes. This makes tobacco products less expensive and easily affordable by the people. So, the best way to control tobacco use will be to raise the taxes for tobacco products in addition to the strict laws that are already in place.
But, this doesn’t mean that the use of tobacco can be completely stopped. Unless the people themselves realize the ill effects that are caused by tobacco use, this problem cannot be solved. The educated population should take the responsibility of educating the negative effects of tobacco to the illiterates. This way, we can achieve a tobacco-free environment sooner!

This quote from “Jim Rohn” is quite famous. We don’t think there is nothing unrealistic in this quote. Our body is where our soul is alive. We need to take proper care of it in order to enjoy a lasting life. We don’t tell you to become an athlete in one night. We know no one can jump into the deep sea from a mountain. But, a simple thought or a new idea can make a change possible. Just wake up from your dormancy and commit yourself to make the change happen. So, how to take care of your body? The physical exercises are the best way to take care of your body.
But, are you committed to your physical exercises? Well, some of you might be new to exercises and some of you might have done it for a while and dropped it. Don’t wait anymore! Just stick with your physical exercises, if not, start something new. Don’t fear about failures. We are here to help you out in this. Just read on…
Develop a Positive Mindset:
Setting up your mindset for exercises during a particular time of a day is good. But, you are advised to develop a more positive mindset on this. Wake up every day and set up your mind for doing more. Remind your body to get more physical exercises throughout the day and you are more likely to achieve the same. It’s not that you need to stay for long hours in your gym. You can take more steps and/or stairs. You can take yourself on your feet to talk to your colleague rather than sending e-mails. Like these, there are several ways to increase your physical activities in a day. All you need is a positive mindset to do that.
Commit yourself to it:
I agree you are not the type of person who wants to become an athlete or a physical trainer. But, you can achieve your physical fitness just by committing yourself to it. Start by doing physical activities on a regular basis. Have a place for physical exercises on your timetable. You need to treat it as your commitment rather than thinking it as an extra-curricular activity. Leave out the thoughts that you will do it if you have time. If you know that could spend only ten or fifteen minutes in a day for that then mark in your calendar. But, once marked, you need to be very committed to it.
Go for the Favorites:
There are several people out there who are committing to a form of exercise that they hate. Remember, you can’t commit yourself to the activity that you don’t like for a long time. Moreover, you need not do that too. There are several forms of exercises out there. Pick the one that is liked by you. Get to know all about it and pick up the specifics. For instance, if you love a particular form of yoga then go for it. If you love swimming, choose the particular form in it (laps or aerobics) and stick to it. In this, remember to take into consideration whether you like to exercise alone or with groups. On the whole, we would say that you need to do a simple research about yourself to find out your favorites. Once you have found out, just for it.
Numbers are not important:
Several people would take it to their mind about weight loss. Although their goal is to lose weight through exercises, keeping that thought in mind won’t help many times. Rather, if they are able to enjoy the exercises and movements they do, the results will be much better. Always feel pride in what you are doing. Through exercises, you are going to attain fitness and this would improve your image. Feel proud about that. The thoughts like these would act as a motivating factor. Therefore, don’t just concentrate on the numbers you do, but connect yourself to the exercises on an emotional level. Your health and strength are more important than the numbers.
Don’t forget your Strength Training:
Some people would just concentrate on cardio when it comes to workout. More often, people will ignore the strength training. Remember, strength training is very important to us. Your strength training would help retain your muscles as you age thereby, helping you to possess a strong body with an efficient metabolism. It’s okay if you could concentrate on just one muscle group in a day and three different exercises for each group. You are free to split up your strength training all through the week. Once you are accustomed to your strength training, you will feel the change and it will increase your confidence levels in developing more muscles.
Put your health at first:
We would encounter several stressful situations in our day to day life. But, at any cost, we should let our stress overtake our health. No matter how tough your situation is, always put your health at first. If you happened to ignore your health because of your problems, it would mean that you are creating more problems rather than solving the existing ones. You must ensure that you are doing something, however little, for your health each and every day. Only if you take care of your health you can take care of your problems. If you let your health go off, then you will not achieve anything else.
Don’t let the past stop you:
Finally, don’t let your past stop you from moving forward to the future. Some people would have guilt because they haven’t worked out for a while. Some people would feel guilty for not having started off. Don’t let all these negative things of the past stop from starting off. Just let go your past and gear up for the future. If you haven’t worked for a while, don’t regret. Start a new day with fresh thoughts. Just set up your mind that you won’t repeat the same mistake again. If you haven’t tried any physical exercise till now also, don’t lose hope. Just take some baby steps. It’s better to be late than never.

This was said by “Ingrid Newkirk”, the president of PETA. Although this statement cannot be accepted by many of us, I would say that it’s better to be a vegetarian than to eat meat. We can quote several reasons for this. If you ask someone who doesn’t consume meat, they would either say that it’s cruel to eat meat or they would say that they don’t like the taste. The most common you would get is the first one. Do you think there are no other reasons to become a vegetarian in the 21^st century? If your answer is no for this, then I would recommend reading the following article to know why you should be a vegetarian. Come on; continue reading…
Better Health Outcomes:
It’s accepted worldwide that plants are rich in nutrients like vitamins and antioxidants. Here, I will confirm the fact here. By consuming the diets rich in plants, you are taking in more nutrients like these. Thus, you would have a glowing and healthy skin. But, wait, plants are not only good for your skin’s health. They would tend to lower your blood pressure because of the lower levels of fat and sodium in them. Finally, remember that the vegetarian foods would increase your life expectancy significantly. I know you won’t agree with me in this. But, I have a proof for this. The residents of Okinawa, Japan are found to be having the longest life expectancy in the world. The key to this longevity is found to be a low-calorie diet containing fruits and vegetables.
Better Outlook:
It’s observed that the vegetarians are choosing their way of eating mainly for the health reasons. Therefore, these people are more likely to be capable of following or adopting other healthy choices like avoiding smoking and drinking. Also, these people will be capable of exercising more. All these combined together will have a positive impact on the long-term health of a person. It’s therefore that the vegan-style eating is found to be giving a better outlook.
Lots of Options:
It’s not like the previous century! As we are already in the 21^st century, we could notice that there is no dearth of vegetarian eateries in the country. This holds true for almost any city in India. For instance, if you could just type in Google as “Pure Vegetarian Restaurants in New Delhi”, you will be surprised to know that there are more than hundred vegetarian restaurants there. Not only you have lots of options in restaurants but also there are lots of options in the menus too. From phulkas to salad, from kebab to paratha, what can’t you find in the vegetarian menu? Therefore, it’s not very difficult to become a vegetarian and to stay in this healthy lifestyle today.
Saving our Planet:
One of the most recent statistics shows that a median carnivore Brit is consuming thirty sheep, eighty turkey, and 4,500 fishes over its lifetime. In addition, the other animals are also be taken by the Brit. Often, those animals would include the following:

• Rabbits
• Ducks
• Geese
• Goats
• Prawns
• Squid

It’s been noted that almost 70% of the agricultural land is being used for the growth of livestock. And, the percentage would increase with an increase in population. The livestock would consume water daily and will produce methane through their feces. All these would greatly ruin our planet. Therefore, it’s important for us to save our Earth by quitting meat.
Vegan Diet helps Animals:
Today, we have landed in an era where we have started practicing high-pressure agriculture. Due to this, the animals that are reared for meat are being kept in overcrowded stalls, sheds, or cages. In these, the animals would not get a place to turn around or to take a step. In addition to all these, most of the animals that are grown for meat are deprived of proper veterinary care, physical exercise, and sunlight. It’s our duty to understand that these species are just like us with the senses.
As the rate of consumption of meat in the form of patties, burgers, and nuggets are increasing day by day, it has been noted that millions of animals are killed every day. Deciding what we should eat would mean a lot to these animals. It should be surprising for you to know that by becoming a vegetarian, you can save over 25 billion animals every year. Now, just think whether you are ready to save these animals.
Stop Being Cruel to the Animals:
In the modern day factory farms, it has been noted that the animals are treated very badly. They are injecting the animals routinely with hormones and other stimulants so as to make them grow big and fast. Many of these are found to be cancer-causing agents. Despite knowing all these, the factories are continuing to use them for their animals with the only objective of increasing the production. In most of the factories, we can see that the feedlots are stringent and filthy. In most of the places, we can find the open sewers and choking air. In these conditions, it will be difficult for any species to survive. But, these animals are surviving just because of the antibiotics. Keeping all this in mind, we need to try eliminating all the animal products from our everyday diet.
Better Souls:
Overall, a vegetarian diet would reduce the needless suffering, as well as the killing on this planet. Thus, following a vegetarian diet is promising to increase compassion for all the animals out there. Thus, we are able to feel light in ourselves. It’s not only important for us to possess a good health but it’s equally important for us to be good in heart. As greatly people rightly said, by immersing ourselves into a vegan diet, we are doing justice not only to all the lovable earthlings but also to our own souls. A vegetarian diet would nourish not only your health but also your invisible soul!

The debate of health food vs. junk food is not a new one. It’s an age old war! If you think that healthy food had won this race, then you are absolutely wrong. You believe it or not, it’s junk food that has won the race always. Some might not accept that they are taking junk foods. But, the fact is that each and every one of us is linked to junk food in one way or the other. It’s true that some of us are starting our day by eating an apple. But, at the end of the day, most of us would end up eating some extra cheese. Let’s see why these junk foods have taken an important spot in our lives. Just keep reading…
Reasons for loving our Junk Foods:
The first and major reason why these junk foods are loved by people is that they are creating a pleasing experience to our taste buds. Is this possible with our healthy fruits? Do we feel the same pleasure when we eat a cheese burger and a bowl of fruits? No, isn’t it? This is the major reason why people jump to junk foods rather than sticking with the healthy stuff.
Another reason here is that your temptation. The temptation to eat something we like is playing a major part in everyone’s food habits. In this line, it’s quite obvious that junk foods are more tempting than your healthy foods. The third important reason why junk foods are much preferred is the mood. If you could recall the last time you were overly stressed, what kind of food you liked to have? A report shows that the people who are overly stressed are seen craving for the sweet junk foods like chocolates, pastries, and so on.
Now, leave out all the reasons for loving junk foods. Do you ever wonder whether these junk foods do any good to the consumers?
Cost Comparison:
It has been widely spoken that junk foods are less expensive than our nutrient-rich foods. But, the real scenario is different. What we come to say here is that fast foods are not cheaper than your healthy foods as it appears. We would say that it’s just a misconception among people. The actual fact is that your healthy foods can be cheaper than the junk foods.
Foods and Diseases:
As you are already aware, the foods rich in nutrients would help decrease your risks of various diseases. Following a diet rich in fruits and vegetables would help reduce your risks to the health disorders like heart attack, stroke, and much more. Some experts have also said that eating produce on a regular basis could help protect you from some kinds of cancers. The risks of obesity and Type-2 diabetes will also be reduced. Furthermore, one has to note that most of your vegetables would contain fewer amounts of calories when at the same time containing higher amounts of vitamins, minerals, and fiber contents. Thus, they are promising to enhance your overall health.
Remember, your junk foods are just opposite to these aspects by being higher in calories and lower in nutrients. In simple terms, we can say that they don’t do any good to the consumers.
Dangerous Ingredients in your Junk Foods:
Now, you have understood that junk foods are devoid of nutrients. But, wait, the disadvantages of eating junk foods don’t stop here. They often contain some dangerous ingredients that could damage your health. Several of your fast food restaurants and prepackaged foods contain trans-fats. These are the man-made fats that are known to increase bad cholesterol when at the same time decreasing good cholesterol levels. Thus, by consuming junk foods, you are increasing your risks of developing heart diseases and even stroke.
For instance, let’s take your French fries. As these are deep fried in oil, they would contain higher amounts of fat and calories. Thus, they are unhealthy. Another junk food, your burger, will contain higher amounts of sodium. The doctors say that a high-sodium diet would lead to high blood pressure. Also, the foods that are high in sodium would increase your risks of heart and kidney diseases and stroke.
Some other junk foods like your soft drinks would contain increased levels of sugar. The higher levels of sugar are not generally considered as healthy. Moreover, these foods could lead to weight gain when at the same time causing calcium depletion.
Remember, this is not the case with your healthy foods. They would be left in their unprocessed (whole) form and hence, they would rarely contain any processed ingredients that can damage your health. At the same time, the whole foods like whole grains are full of nutrients like the following:

• Protein
• Fiber
• B vitamins
• Antioxidants
• Trace minerals

The Impact of Junk Foods on your Body:
Although the junk foods are offering a convenience factor to the consumers, the impacts of junk foods are not actually desirable. After taking junk foods, you would have a feeling of satisfaction. But, as mentioned earlier, the junk foods are devoid of the essential nutrients. Therefore, all you would get from the junk foods is just the feeling of fullness and nothing else. In addition to this, some people also will have the drowsiness after consumption. The doctors say that this sleepiness is due to the decrease in blood circulation in your body as fat contents get accumulated in the inner lining of the arteries.
As a result, one would encounter several health issues. The common health issue being faced by eating junk foods is the obesity. A report shows that almost 25% of school-going kids in our nation’s capital are either overweight or obese. Also, it has been seen that these junk foods are leading to a lack of concentration and some digestive problems. These are the common problems that are being noted in the regular consumers of junk food.
Therefore, we need to avoid these junk foods as much as possible. Although the junk foods are readily available in the market, we need to limit the consumption keeping in mind the ill effects of taking such foods.

Eating is an essential activity! But, to eat well is the purest form of self-respect one could give to oneself. But, are we viewing our eating and dieting habits this way? Although most of us know that dieting is a form of changing ourselves to be fit and healthy, we don’t always succeed in attaining it. If we quickly check out with other acquaintances, we would understand that most of the dieting plans are not lasting longer. This is why we need to view the dieting as a form of self-respect. If we start seeing the diet in this aspect, there are lots of chances that our diets would last longer thereby, enabling us to become fit and healthier.
In the following article, we have attempted to help you in the process of enhancing your health by following the same principle. Let’s see how we can achieve fitness by considering diet as a form of self-respect here…
Start learning from mistakes:
If you are already on the journey of improving your health or you are just starting-off, don’t worry if you are slipping away a little bit. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to eating foods and this doesn’t mean that you are unfit to achieve your fitness. Start dealing your weakness by properly assessing yourself. Try to evaluate how many calories you have taken in a day? Do certain situations like parties trigger your craving?
Now, try to answer why you are forced to eat/drink in an unhealthy manner. We would say only if you are able to confront the root cause of your emotions, you will be able to quit or stay away from the emotional eating or drinking habits. The best way to avoid your emotional foods is, to be honest with yourself and practice facing the emotions as they come.
Remember, each and every one of us is bound to make mistakes at some point in time. The difference lies in the fact that some may address it, while some may not address it immediately. Slipping away once or twice is not a bad thing, but slipping away repeatedly is!
Start breaking the cycle:
When it comes to your eating and maintaining health, always be responsible for your own actions. Take a minute to think about yourself and analyze where you are. At any time, don’t blame others for the eating decisions you made and make. Remember, no one will ever manipulate your eating and/or drinking habits that are unhealthy to you.
Yes, it’s easy to put all the blame on others, but it won’t help change your eating habits. On the other hand, blaming yourself for the decisions you make will be hard, but only then you can be able to take a forward leap. Only when you can admit your mistakes you will start realizing your mistakes. Now, you will have all the strength to change everything. This will help stop taking eating decisions that are against your interests. And this, in turn, will help stop yourself from committing the same mistakes over and over.
Start thinking you are worthy:
Just like every other person on the globe, you are also good enough in your own way. No matter whether you are just starting off with your healthy eating journey or have already passed a few years into it. You must understand the fact that you are deserved to be treated with the best foods. Therefore, start respecting yourself and make food choices that could reflect this.
We agree that it’s not easy to break the cycle while it’s easier to remain in the same cycle. After all, you know just this. But, you have already analyzed yourself and started differentiating between the good and bad food habits you have. So, after knowing this, if you continue to be in the same cycle, then it’s going to give numbness only. You are supposed to address your emotions and try to reset your whole cycle.
Remember, as a normal human being, we are always on the lookout for the best things in our life. May it be your car, home, or gadgets, we always want to ensure that we are getting the best. We always take our time to choose the ideal clothes for ourselves. Yes, of course, affordability does matter. But, we always try to buy the best thing for the money we can afford. This, we need to start applying for our foods too.
Think about preparing a good meal for yourself than to drive to a restaurant or food court for getting something cheaper. Is it not the best way to respect your body?
Start listening to your body:
Yes, make it a practice to listen to your body before deciding the foods to eat. Your body would tell you exactly what it needs. Remember, you always have the privilege of selecting what you should eat. Use this privilege wisely and try to avoid the foods that are unhealthy for you. Don’t be afraid to avoid those foods that are unhealthy. Avoid drinking alcohol and start avoiding the junk foods.
Recall how you felt when you had eaten the junk foods. The junk foods like your greasy pizzas and fried chips would make feel lethargic, as well as bloated. What did alcohol do you? It is sure to give you a head breaking hangover and nausea when you wake up the next morning. Whenever other people force you to consume foods that are harmful to you, recall these things and remember, eating such things is a huge disrespect for yourself.
Final Thoughts:
Finally, if you are not happy with any of your food habit and if you want to make a transformation do it right away. Don’t wait until next week or year. Start changing right away and dedicate yourself to the change completely. And, every action from this time should be supporting this. If you are not able to change at the first time, don’t take it up as a failure. Keep trying until you achieve it finally!

We’re Not Killing the Earth, We’re Killing Ourselves
As every one of us is aware, the “Earth Day” is celebrated on 22^nd of April. What’s the need to celebrate this? Well, we would say that this is the biggest ever moment that can reflect the damages that are being done on our planet. This also would tell us how our humanity could help save it. In this line, try to recall the fact that we are not actually killing our planet, but all we do is killing us. The UN believes that this Earth Day could save our environment, as well as the people relying on it. Thus, it’s intended to help alter our behavior so as to work on protecting the planet.
Now, see how we are killing our Earth here:
Vanishing Sea Ice:
Many of the human activities have led to the increase in global temperatures. As a result of these increased temperatures, the sea ice has started to melt. As a consequence, the sea levels are affected, which in turn would affect the habitats for the sea creatures. One of the most affected animals is the polar bear as their habitat is revolving around the ice.
Rising Waters:
A recent report shows that sea levels have been increased dramatically over the past few years. This is another impact of global warming. As mentioned above, the hotter the planet turns, the more the sea ice melts. As a consequence, the sea waters are increasing thereby, leading to disasters like flooding.
Rising Temperatures:
Again, the impact of global warming is the warmer planet. As a result of heating up of the planet, there are many knock-on effects. Some of the important impacts of rising temperatures include the melting of polar ice caps and droughts.
Increasing Population:
Yes, there’s no secret! The world population is rapidly increasing and this is putting more and more pressure on the earth and its natural resources. It’s shocking to note that there are more than 2000 million more people on the Earth when compared to 25 years back.
Disappearing Rainforests:
As some of you might be aware, the deforestation of the giant Amazon rainforest is taking place since the 1970s. People are doing this continuously for the purpose of gathering wood and for creating living space for the cattle. The impact is that rainforests are deteriorating in a rapid phase, thus affecting habitats and climates.
So, we have got an idea how we are destroying our planet. Also here, we have to understand that one of the most important that has changed and is changing is the global climatic conditions. You will understand that our title is 100% true after reading the following contents. Here, we are going to show how the changes in global climatic conditions are killing us. Are you ready to go? Well and then, read on…
Heat Extremities:
Do you know too much heat kills people? The heat extremities are sending millions of people to emergency rooms every year. With the change in global climates and the increase in overall temperatures, what we are seeing is severe heat waves than before. Although there will be a distribution difference in the heat extremities, there will be worst impacts in some parts of the globe. Those, of course, are the places with the hottest summers already.
As a result of harsher heat waves, we would face an increasing number of casualties widely across the globe. Thus, there will be more hyperthermia and other heat-related deaths. The global climate experts are also saying that the climate changes are causing a higher degree of humidity to accompany these heat waves, thereby, making them more dangerous.
Drought and Rainfall Extremities:
Overall, the global warmth would lead to higher degrees of evaporation and thus, contribute to more and more water shortages. The conditions will be worse in the already drier regions, which are already experiencing a severe, multi-year drought. Remember, the drought could lead to an array of other effects as well. Some of the most important effects of drought are:

• Health hazards
• Wildfires
• Dust storms
• Extreme heat events
• Flash flooding
• Decreased water quality
• Decreased water quantity

But, the increased levels of evaporation could also result in higher degrees of rainfall, thus, leading to the following disasters:

• Flooding
• Property damage
• Drowning
• Deaths
• Water-borne diseases

Impacts on Agriculture and Food:
The increasing heat extremities and more precipitation will be horrifying for farmers at first hand. Several crop yields will decline because of the changes in temperature and rainfall. These weather events will not affect only the agriculture and vegetation but also they would affect the livestock, as well as fish production. The people from across the globe with a particular dietary pattern are going to face shortages over their key food products.
As food supply decreases, the costs of foods will increase, thus, leading to the insecurity in our food supply. When we start encountering a situation like this, we would tend to consume calorie-rich diet rather than going for nutrient-rich ones. Consequently, several people are going to encounter obesity and in turn, several other health disorders associated with obesity.
There is another important impact of pollution on the crops and vegetation. The increased carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere would lead to decreased nitrogen concentration in the plants. Therefore, there will be decreased levels of proteins in many of the plants.
Insects and Diseases:
You might be wondering how the global warming is going to affect insects. Remember, the diarrhea-causing bacteria are not the only things that we need to worry about. The increase in global temperatures will increase the levels of disease-causing bugs depending on the geography of the region. Thus, we could encounter an overall increase in trouble-causing ticks, as well as mosquitoes. The insects in warmer climate zones would also bring some deadly organisms like “West Nile Virus”.
Therefore, global warming due to an increased amount of manmade activities has several negative impacts on us. Now, you would agree with us that we are not killing our Earth but ourselves, isn’t it? All we have to do is to care about this dramatic climate change and look out for the effective solutions as soon as possible. Will you?

As we all know, blood is our life-maintaining fluid, which is circulating throughout our body. It is this blood that transports nourishments and several other elements to the internal organs. Not only this, it is our blood that takes away from us the waste matter, as well as carbon dioxide. This vital entity of our body is making up nearly seven percent of our total body weight. Each and every year, our nation needs about four crore units of this vital blood. But, you know what? Only a meager amount of forty lakh units are found to be available.
So, what’s the main reason for this deficiency? Remember, every two seconds, someone somewhere needs blood. This warrants over 38,000 blood donations in a day. To understand it better, we would like to inform you that a single car accident victim would require as many as hundred units. Now, consider the number of accidents happening in our country in a day. More importantly, blood is not a thing that can be manufactured. It has to come from generous blood donors only.
So, what stops us from donating blood? You know pretty well that donating blood is safe and quick. But, people don’t come out easily for this donation. This is mainly because of the fear of needles and fear of becoming weak. Some of us are even thinking that what other people donate is more than sufficient to meet the needs. I would say all these misconceptions are mainly due to the lack of understanding. Read the complete article here to know about this…
Facts about Blood Donation:
So, how much would you lose during a single blood donation? Well, being an adult, you will usually have eight to twelve pints of blood in your body. During the donation process, you will be giving one pint that is one unit. You need to understand that your body is capable of replenishing the whole amount that you have lost during the donation.
Next is the question of safety. It’s to be noted most of the donors are not experiencing any side effects because of the blood donation. In a recent survey, which involved 5000 donors, it was observed that only one percent experienced some minor reactions. Those reactions included minor irritation on the skin that too because of improper needle insertion. Moreover, every donor will be checked before starting off the donation process. As such, the donor will be checked for the temperature, blood pressure, pulse, as well as hemoglobin in order to make sure it is safe for the particular donor to donate blood. Therefore, as a donor, you don’t have to worry about your safety and health in the process of saving another life.
Yes, it’s usual that a very few people would feel weak immediately after the donation. But, this would typically pass after some time, usually few minutes. However, this weakness can also be prevented by arriving at the donation center with a full stomach.
So, how long does the donation process take? The whole donation process would take only ten to twelve minutes. Yes, it’s as quick as this! You know what? You can repeat this donation every eight weeks. And as the title suggests, your single donation can save the lives of up to three individuals. So, if you start the donation process by the age of eighteen (minimum age to donate) and donated every ninety days till the age of sixty, then you would have contributed as high as thirty gallons of blood to the nation. Thus, you would have saved over five hundred human lives. How amazing is the fact, isn’t it?
Other Lesser Known Facts about Blood Donation:
Only seven percent people in our country are found to be having the special blood type “O-negative”. Remember, the O-negative blood carriers are universal donors and their blood can be provided to people of any type. This is because of this reason that this blood type is required in the emergencies before knowing the blood type of patients and newborns those who need blood urgently. On the other hand, there are only 0.4% people in our country with AB type of blood. They are the universal donors of plasma. This again is usually used in emergencies for patients, as well as newborns.
Whose Lives can you save?
So, you might be wondering how a single donation can save three lives, aren’t you? Well, your one unit of blood will be separated into three of its primary components, namely, red blood cells, plasma, and blood platelets. Thus, your blood can save the life of the following patients in need:
Accident Victims:
As mentioned earlier, the accident victims would need ten units and sometimes, up to fifty units of blood. And every year, it has been found that nearly half of the accident victims are found to be carrying serious injuries that need to be treated. And every year, these numbers are dramatically increasing. Therefore, your blood that was donated will help save up to three of them.
Organ Transplant Recipients:
Those people who are receiving organ transplants would require varying levels of blood. Out of all, the liver transplant recipient would require the highest (up to fifty units).
Trauma Patients:
Remember, bleeding after an accident or injury is found to be the cause of over two million deaths every year across the globe. If the patients are given timely attention to the loss of blood, their lives can be saved. In general, the trauma patients would need up to fifty units of red blood cells alone and some additional units of plasma and platelets.
Bone Marrow Transplant Recipients:
These days, bone marrow transplants are being carried out to cure a number of diseases. It has been found that a bone marrow transplant can cure even your immune deficiency disorders and cancers. Such vital transplant procedures would need up to twenty units of red blood cells and twenty-five units of platelets.
As you see, it would take fifty different people to provide sufficient quantity of blood to save one life in the cases of major accidents and trauma. Therefore, come forward and be a generous blood donor to save our fellow people!

No wealth in the world can substitute good health. We have all heard from people saying if we don’t have health, we have nothing. This can be put in another way, if we are comfortable and content with our body, it will be easier for us to focus on our lives and the aspects of living. We should always remember that our physical health is closely associated with our emotional health and wellbeing. Just recall, how a simple cold you contracted last time distracted you from your daily tasks. This thought is more than sufficient for us to appreciate the souvenir.
Focusing on Little Things:
More often, we feel stuck with our bodies. We would struggle to make changes but feel hopeless at our inconsistencies. The feelings and emotional barriers like these can be overcome by starting out small. Let’s take the example of our breakfast here. We know very well that our regular breakfasts could help maintain cardiovascular health, enhance it, stabilize waist size, and enhance our body’s focus. We also know that breakfast is very important and it is not to be ignored. But, are we taking it properly. Most of us don’t follow a regular breakfast schedules owing to our office report timings. We think that upon knowing the benefits of regular breakfast, you will start correcting your breakfast schedules. With this idea, we are charting down the importance of breakfast here:
Breakfast and Heart Health:
Several research studies have shown that breakfast is very critical for heart health. The people who maintained the regular breakfast habits have reported low cholesterol levels, smaller waist size, and stable insulin levels. I know you will be astonished to know this. In today’s stressful work life, maintaining heart health has become a question mark. But, with regular breakfast, you can enhance your heart health pretty easily.
Enhanced Immune System:
A recent research study has shown that consuming a large meal in the mornings could make you more resistant towards the infectious diseases, which are usually caused due to a poor immune system. Therefore, taking regular breakfasts would prevent us from several deadly diseases.
Aids in Weight Loss:
Regular breakfasts would enable your metabolic system to work properly. Thus, it would help burn fat and contribute significantly to weight loss in obese people.
Add to the Energy:
Breakfast is very critical if you want to have the sufficient amount of energy and consciousness until your next meal. Most people tend to ignore the fact that skipping breakfast is the cause of tiredness and distraction from the work.
Enhanced Focus:
The appropriate process of metabolism would be affected by not eating your breakfast properly. Therefore, it’s important for you to eat breakfast if you want to improve your focus.
Increased Longevity:
According to some research studies, consuming a full breakfast would also help increase the longevity in an indirect manner.
The above example of breakfast has told us that how concentrating on even little things every day would contribute to our health and wellness. So, never let your stressful work schedules overtake your breakfast schedules. Now, let’s see another example how we can turn things positive during a negative situation with an example of Cuba here. Here is the interesting story of Cuba for you:
Good Things from Lack:
When the Soviet Union disintegrated, Cuba lost its major trading partner and the supplier of energy. The 1990s period was called by the Cubans as the “special period” during which the people had no electricity for almost twelve hours or more in a day and a menacing shortage of food. There was a crisis in almost all aspects of human life. Although the country developed some trade partnerships with China and Venezuela, they took some time to develop. Meanwhile, an array of resources was developed from all parts of the country.
When it comes to health care, the medical system of the country looked for finding the replacement medications for those they no longer obtained from the other countries. Thus, they went on to find some natural and traditional medicines with the plants that grew on the island. It will be surprising for you to note that most of the plants on the island carried medicinal properties. In addition to these, they also looked for proven, as well as inexpensive modalities of treatment like stress management strategies and massage therapies. They even started using mud and sea waters for treatments. Furthermore, they got educated in the application of Eastern medicine and acupuncture from Chinese people.
The Cuban people didn’t stop with just these. In the midst of deficiency of resources, they started realizing the need of disease prevention especially for those diseases they got limited access to treatments. In this line, they started encouraging an integrative approach to the patient-doctor relationship by educating the doctors, as well as medical students to talk to the patients about the aspects of life that are influencing life. The key aspects included the following:

• Physical
• Social
• Community
• Psychological
• Spiritual

The country’s regulations also made the education of doctors and medical students in natural and traditional medicine mandatory. Thus, the people of Cuba were able to access these inexpensive treatments from all the levels of the health care from physician’s clinic to well-equipped hospitals.
With all these hard efforts, Cuba finally became a working model of “Integrative Medicine” in the health care system. Now, they have some of the lowest costs of health care on the planet with some of the top indicators of quality health care. This is why I took Cuba as an example here to justify the article title. Only in a tough situation (disease), the people would tend to learn about the sweetness of fruit (health). The health care system of Cuba is the perfect example for validating the strength and victory of the focus on health against the disease.
We also need to remember this old adage always and should always try to transform the tougher situations into sweet one by constantly singing the importance of good health and wellbeing.