Tuesday 28 April 2009

A banana days


After reading THIS, you'll NEVER look at a banana in the same way again!

Bananas contain three natural sugars: sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proven
that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. But energy isn't the only
way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression:
According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND, amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, which is known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS:
Eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Anemia:
High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure:
This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it the perfect way to beat blood pressure.

So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power:
200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research
has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation:
High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers:
One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach; and with the help of the honey, builds up depleted
blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn:
Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness:
Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites:
Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves:
Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

Overweight and at work?
Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found
that the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs.
The report concluded that to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

Ulcers:
The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control:
Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand, for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD):
Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking:
Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6 and B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress:
Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed our metabolic rate rises,
thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes:
According to research in "The New England Journal of Medicine," eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrates, three times the phosphorus, five times the
vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals.
It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"

PASS IT ON TO YOUR FRIENDS

from The Mountain:
Around half of all people with an allergy to latex have allergic reactions when eating particular foods, including avocado, banana, chestnut, kiwi fruit, passion fruit, plum, strawberry and tomato. This is because some of the proteins in latex that cause latex allergy are also present in these fruits.

Many of the claims made in this popular email are unproven. But what if just half of them are true? At least with a banana you don't have a full page of contraindications that you do with
most drugs and they are still relatively cheap.

Also, you should eat a variety of fruits and vegetables;
a minimum of five different colors each day. The saying should be, "an apple, banana, pear, peach and a bunch of grapes a day keeps the doctor away."

Friday 24 April 2009

A Guide to Memory Enhancement

What is memory?

People often talk about their memory as though their memory is an object that can be possessed. Memory isn't something that can be seen, touched or weighed like an object. It is a mental process and not something you can hold in your hand.

If this is the case, is it possible to train our memory?

Memory training refers to effective processing of information so that we can retain information better. You don't get better at memorizing things just by using your memory, but you can get better at remembering things by learning some memory-enhancing techniques.

How is memory processed?

Information received by the brain is processed for memory in 3 basic steps:

Step 1: REGISTRATION
Registration refers to the process of getting the information.

Step 2: RETENTION
Retention refers to the process of storing and filing the information that you have registered.

Step 3: RETRIEVAL
Memory Retrieval occurs when we find, recall or recognize the information that has been stored away in our mind.

When a piece of information is picked up by a person, there are different stages of memory that the information is likely to pass through while it is being processed by the brain.

Firstly, the information received is passed through the immediate memory stage. Immediate memory is used in our daily chores and routine. It occurs continuously and works automatically.

The second stage involves short-term memory. Short-term memory allows us to remember five to nine bits of information before some of them are transferred to long-term memory. It is possible to consolidate the items in short-term memory trace by refreshing the information picked up.

The third and final stage involves long-term memory. No one knows how much information we can store in our long-term memory. The information will either fade away or be interrupted by other information if it is not used or repeated. Generally, experiences that have a drastic impact on a person will end up being stored in the person's long-term memory.


The different kinds of memory

There are altogether 3 different kinds of memory:

Verbal and Auditory Memory - Involves speech or different sounds
Visual Memory - Involves images & things that we see everyday
Kinesthetic Memory - Is associated with our ability to remember certain motor actions, e.g. how to play a musical piece on the piano

Tuesday 14 April 2009

Facts about blood donation

* Person above 18 years of age and over 50 Kgs. in weight can donate blood once in three months.


* A normal adult has five to six liters of blood in his/her body of which only 300 ml is used during blood donation.


* This blood is replaced by your body within 24 to 48 hours!


* No special diet, rest or medicine is required after blood donation.


* The donor should not have taken any medicine in the last 48 hours.


* The donor should not have contacted jaundice in the previous three years.


* Every donor is given a medical checkup prior to donation to see if he/she is medically fit and doesn't suffer from anemia, high blood pressure etc.,


* The donor cannot contract AIDS or any other disease by donating blood.

Monday 13 April 2009

Beneficial things in daily life..

health tips

Ants Problem:
Keep the skin of cucumbers near the place or ant hole.

health tips
To get pure and clean ice:
Boil water first before freezing.


health tips
To make the mirror shine:
Clean with spirit


health tips
To remove chewing gum from clothes:
Keep the cloth in the freezer for an hour.


health tips

To whiten white clothes
Soak white clothes in hot water with a slice of lemon for 10 minutes 10.


health tips
To give a shine to hair:
Add one teaspoon of vinegar to hair, then wash hair.


health tips
To get maximum juice out of lemons:
Soak lemons in hot water for one hour, and then juice them.


health tips
To avoid smell of cabbage while cooking:
Keep a piece of bread on the cabbage in the vessel while cooking.



health tips
To rid the smell of fish from your hands:
Wash your hands with a little apple vinegar.


health tips
To avoid tears while cutting onions:
Chew gum.


health tips
To boil potatoes quickly:
Skin one potato from one side only before boiling.


health tips
To boil eggs quickly:
Add salt to the water and boil.



To remove ink from clothes:
Put toothpaste on the ink spots generously and let it dry completely, then wash.

health tips
To skin sweet potatoes quickly:
Soak in cold water immediately after boiling.


health tips
To get rid of mice or rats:
Sprinkle black pepper in places where you find mice or rats. They will run away.