Health Tips On How To Control Cholesterol Levels in the Body

Eating right

HIGH cholesterol levels are a matter of concern amongst most of us today. Irregular, callous food habits and lack of exercise are the two main reasons for this sort of an imbalance. Here is what you could do to monitor your cholesterol levels:

Eat lots of garlic. Add it to your dals, soups, pastas, vegetables and curries. The thing to remember is that you must crush the garlic right before you're going to use it. Garlic is said to help with high cholesterol by lowering the amount of lowdensity lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the 'bad cholesterol) as well as increasing the amount of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the 'good' cholesterol).

It's a good idea to increase your intake of soy foods. Enjoy more tofu, green soybeans, dried soybeans, and soya nuggets. Soy is extremely low on cholesterol and rich in protein. Tofu contains Omega 3 fatty acids that lower LDL (bad) cholesterol without lowering HDL (good) cholesterol. This shortens the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Add beans to your diet three to five times a week. Try lentil soup, black beans and rice, kabuli chole, hummus and rajma beans. You can boil a handful of rajma beans and toss them into a salad.

Include a serving of fiber-rich fruit or vegetables at every meal and snack. Remember sprouts. They are low cholesterol and high in protein value.

Substitute olive oil or canola oil for butter, margarine and other refined oils in your cooking. Coconut oil is very rich in cholesterol, so it would be best to avoid it.

The Four-Week Countdown Diet: Now You Choose How You Lose By Namita Jain

You may have tried dieting before, but have you ever managed to change your shape in just four weeks? Namita Jain, a renowned wellness expert, draws on her experience of twenty years as a weight management and fitness specialist to design a diet regime that you can easily work into your everyday schedule. And if you follow it properly, you could drop a trouser size a month, or maybe even two!

What’s more, there is no need to run to the grocery store for unheard- of ingredients, no elaborate preparations, no tasteless, colourless dishes that force you to give up in despair. This diet uses vegetables and masalas found in every Indian kitchen to create meals that are oil-free, calorie- free, yet delicious to eat. The recipes involve minimum fuss, yet add that irresistible aroma to your food without the oil.

The Four-week Countdown Diet includes:

Diet and workout plans suited to your individual needs

Tips on how to stock your kitchen and bar

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Simple exercises you can do at home

Everything you need to know about spas, saunas and weight-loss Gadgets

Real life examples from clients

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About the Author

Namita Jain is a highly respected lifestyle and weight-management specialist and authority in the wellness industry. She holds prestigious international certifications in several fitness-related disciplines and has been actively involved in the wellness space for over twenty years, offering holistic guidance and teaching hundreds of students to get fitter, faster. She is a clinical fitness specialist at Bombay Hospital in Mumbai, structuring training programmes for patients with special needs, training the trainers and conducting specialized classes. Namita writes a variety of columns for leading newspapers and magazines in India, covering health issues such as nutrition, exercise and related topics.

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Tooth Care Tips - How to Prevent Dental Cavities/Teeth Decay

Dental Care: Below are some tips on how to prevent tooth decay or painful cavities in Teeth

A dental cavity typically occurs when the bacteria present in the mouth cause tooth decay. In medical terms, this is called ‘dental caries’.

In many cases, it appears as a small chalky deposit, which may eventually develop into a large cavitation. Sometimes, a lesion may be directly visible. However, other methods of detection such as radiographs are required for less visible areas to judge the true extent of tooth destruction.

Caries or tooth decay is caused by teria in the mouth that convert all foods, specially starchy and sugary ones, into acids. These acids, in combination with saliva and food particles present in the mouth, form a sticky substance called plaque. It sticks to the outer-most layer of the teeth, and with time and poor oral hygiene; slowly makes its way in. Gradually, the acids move toward the inner layers of the teeth and if not treated by dentist, they may soon reach the softer, core part of the teeth which comprises the nerve chamber.

Caries lead to enormous pain, tooth destruction, infection of surrounding tissues and eventual loss of tooth.

Signs of Cavity in the Teeth

A cavity is usually painless at the initial stage. The earliest sign for a patient is toothache along with sensitivity to hot/cold foods and drinks.

Dental cavities can also cause bad breath and foul taste.

Risk factors

Individuals have varying degree of susceptibility to pain, depending on the shape of their teeth, oral hygiene habits, eating habits and the buffering capacity of their saliva.

Treatment

Treatment for cavity involves the use of fluoride sealants to seal caries within the initial stages, dental restorations, root canal therapy, and medication, or eventually tooth extraction as a last resort.

Adopting good oral care habits as well as making a few changes to one’s diet can stave off a cavity.

Preventive care is the best approach to treat cavities.

Let’s take a look at four easy steps to prevent the occurrence of a tooth cavity:

• Brush your teeth twice a day: It is important to use a fluoride-based toothpaste and brush using proper technique. It is advised that you use a soft-bristled brush and apply only medium pressure on the gums and enamel.



• Rinse with an essential-oil basedmouth wash twice a day, more so before going to sleep. Brushing alone cannot clean the complete mouth, whereas a liquid mouth wash can get to those hard-to-reach areas that brushing sometimes can’t.



• Rinsing the mouth with a gentle, anti-microbial mouthwash along with brushing offers better oral protection.



• Restrict the usage of starchy and sugary food items like cookies, pastries, junk food, aerated drinks, and drink plenty of water.



• Visit the doctor once in a year for a complete screening and proper cleaning of teeth to ensure your mouth is plaque and cavity-free. dh

Tattoo Care - Tips to Protect the Beauty of Your Tattoo

For the freshly inked, Before you start to flaunt it, here are a few essential tips to protect the beauty of your tattoo

It will break your heart if your tattoo doesn’t look as good as it used to be when you got it. You may even end up spending an extravagant sum of money on getting it touched up. It’s essential for a tattoo to look nice once it heals, and if you don’t want to be left with an inky eyesore, Mumbai tattoo artiste Al Alva offers a few important pointers:

CLEANING

A freshly etched tattoo is as good as a wound. The epidermis of the skin reacts to the wound and secretes a transparent fluid to protect germs from entering the body. The surface of the tattooed skin must be cleaned regularly and kept dry. Wet a piece of cloth and dab it on the tattoo to clean any germs, and then moisturise the tattoo with a body lotion.

APPLY OINTMENT

Calendula is a herbal remedy which heals wounds and soothes the skin. Apply a very thin layer of the cream on the tattoo thrice a day. Continue the treatment for the first 15 days.

DON’T GO FOR A SWIM

Take short showers when you bathe. But going for a swim or taking a steam bath will cause your skin to form scabs as a reaction to chlorine and heat respectively. The thicker the scabs, the lighter will the colour of your tattoo be when it heals.

AVOID SWEATING

If you are a health freak, don’t exercise for the first 15 days after you get a tattoo. The salt in your sweat causes the same damage to the tattoo as chlorine or sea water and it forms scabs.

KEEP AWAY FROM THE SUN

Long exposure to the sun could cause the tattoo to get discoloured. Avoid applying sunscreen and wear long sleeves to protect the area.

AVOID SHAVING

Avoid shaving till the tattoo is completely healed as it may cause your skin to peel, and erode the ink within.

NO SCRATCHING

Your tattoo will itch for the first few days, which is a sign of healing. Refrain from scratching. It is possible that by doing so, you may be scratching the ink out even before it settles

Medicinal Values of Tamarind

Tamarind juice is a mild laxative and can be used to treat bile disorders.

Studies have shown that it can effectively cut on cholesterol levels.

The pulp, leaves and flowers, in various combinations, are applied on painful and swollen joints.

Tamarind juice can be used to cure sore throats, and as a drink for relief from sunstroke.

Tamarind juice is used to cure conjunctivitis, under medical supervision. Eye drops made from tamarind seeds can be used as a treatment for dry eye syndrome. Tamarind seed polysaccharide is an adhesive, which enables it to stick to the surface of the eye.

Mix jaggery with tamarind pulp, cinnamon, cardamom, to make a tasty chutney to tackle loss of appetite.

Sonakshi Sinha Shares Some of Her Beauty Secrets

‘I buff my lips when they are dry’

SKIN-TILLATING!

I drink loads of water. Water is like a life saviour and does wonders to my skin. I also stay away from makeup when it’s not required. My mother has advised me to remove my make-up completely before I go to bed. I believe in letting my skin breathe.


MANE POINT:

My mom made it a point to oil my hair regularly when I was a child. And the tradition continues.

WOEFUL TEENS:

Like all other teenagers, I too, suffered from bad acne.

NATURALLY SPEAKING:

I do not indulge in any natural therapy. My mother has wonderful skin and I think I have just been lucky to have equally good skin.

QUICK FIX:

I have a problem of dry lips, so I gently buff my lips with a gentle brush and this helps remove the dead skin from my lips.

MUST-HAVE IN THE MAKE-UP KIT:

My lip balm, sunscreen and kohl.