Best practices during your meals :Our body is what we eat and how well we take care of ourselves. Each organ of our body needs special attention and we should try to make the job of our organs much easier rather than harder.
Stomach plays very crucial part in breaking down what we eat. so we must try to help it by paying attention to few minor things to make its job easier for our health sake.
Drink less water, when you having meals. and no cold drinks at all, okay okay, once in a while a sip of soda won’t hurt especially with heavy meals but avoid having it regularly .
Have water at room temperature or not ice cold unless you are living in an extremely hot atmosphere.
Drink a glass of water half an hour before having meal, so it helps with digestion plus your stomach is not empty so you won’t end up over eating.
Don’t drink water right after the meal and avoid drinking water during meal, think of it as a putting food in blender and adding water to it, it will fill the blender but more liquids which could just pass thorough much quicker than a thick food in your stomach.
Have water after half an hour or 40 minutes for help your stomach and body to thoroughly absorb nutrients after digestion process.
Have mix of protein, vegetables and carbs, but watch portion control.
Chew food well, instead of swallowing the food down the throat, it makes the stomach take longer to digest or just pass it as big chucks which can give you less nutrients and more intestinal issues down the road.
Sit down while eating, so your brain and body is in resting mode, and so brain can watch over and give all the energy for the process of eating and digesting while absorbing nutrients.
Only concentrate on food while eating, don’t allow yourself to take any stress at that time, no talk or very minimal while having meals. Also, you want to avoid choking on food.
Don’t over eat, know when to stop, as any organ or machinery over used gets worn out, so be gentle and modest.
After eating, don’t do any heavy lifting or exercise or even shower, just relax for 20-30 mins, allow stomach and brain to use all energy in digesting food.
These practices will help you optimize your health; it will help in living a healthier and improved life. We must understand how our body works and give it its due attention to live a better life.
Humanity is all about caring for living beings. When we care for one another then we actually taking care of ourselves. As courtesy is contiguous. One good act leads to another.
When we do good to others, law of nature returns that good to us in one way or the other. We may not be able to see it but your heart can feel good deed’s direct effect. You will feel satisfied and hopeful toward life.
Many people starve to death for various reason. As a Muslim, I go through the feeling to starvation during 16 hours long fasting in the 30 days of Ramadan, not eating or drinking during day hours. And that makes me really thinking about those poor souls fighting the odds of life challenges. We must take care of one another.
Feeding a poor or needy soul gives you great feeling, if you doing it for humanity sakes. You must try it to experience it. Buy a meal for a homeless occasionally will bring a great feeling, we shouldn’t judge people why they are homeless but just know life has many faces, and it’s not fair.
You can feed birds by leaving some rice and water by your window or air conditioner, so you can see different species of birds stop by your place. And you don’t have to buy the birds to enjoy their chirping or beauty. Most importantly, they are out in wild living a natural way instead of being caged.
Always be positive, enjoy life and do your best to do something for others.
If you have seasonal allergies, it could simply be due to dryness. and you could just have non-allergic rhinitis which is causing you to feel stuffy or swollen with troubled breathing. You might be waking up with puffy eyes or sore throat etc. and one thing leads to another, and that’s how we feel down and are more vulnerable of getting sick during the colder months as our system might not be working properly.
There may be other causes to your sickness but what I have learned and experienced that if most people in North East America have allergies then it must be environmental issue. As most allergies are worse during the cold weathers and that can be anywhere. So we must learn different ways to deal with our allergies than to take medications which can cause other side effects. Prevention is better than cure.
Warm mist humidifier is a great help during colder months. As dry nose is a bad indicator for our overall system, breathing properly is the most crucial for our survival. So make sure, your living space is not too dry. Cold air can take the moisture out and make the air very dry. Having a humidifier helps to balance the moisture in the air. It will help with all the dryness or puffiness to disappear. Though, cleaning of your humidifier is extremely important, so you don’t have bacteria growth in your humidifier which can cause a reverse effect instead of improving your allergies.
Honey, ginger and lemon are our best friends. Having herbal teas with honey and/or lemon in limitation can be great help. I say limitation as herbal teas can also cause dryness. so you don’t want to overdo anything. You can boil water with ginger, add few drops of lemon and some honey. You can also have tea with honey alone or lemon alone or just a ginger tea. This will give your system a boost.
Mindful of cleanliness is another important factor of avoid getting sick. Taking warm showers can be helpful. Taking shower is always refreshing, it can help maintain cleanliness. Washing hands should always be our priority. We should always wash hand after coming home or getting to our destinations, and especially before eating and after using the toilet or bathroom.
Vitamin C is a great help as well. We can get it from fresh fruits and vegetables. I love oranges, peel a fresh orange and have it with salt and/or black papers. It is better than taking orange juice. But if you prefer juice, than try to have fresh juice with salt and black papers. and if you bought it from supermarket, you can dilute it with water for the similar effect.
Stay hydrated, drink water, even though in winter time, we find ourselves less thirsty but our body needs water and heaters drying up our skin can leave us dehydrated.
Massage your body with almond oil, coconut oil, mustard oil or whatever oil that suits you, to keep your skin soft and from drying. Do this at least once a week.
Doing little effort can help us from getting sick and keep non allergic rhinitis in control. Happy winter or colder months!
As, you know month of Ramadan has started, and a Muslim must fast in the month of Ramadan for 30 days. Fasting of Ramadan is not by choice, it is a requirement for a Muslim for the whole month. So to many people, it’s beyond comprehension how to carry this activity for 30 days. For non-Muslims, the idea of fasting for 30 days might appear as suffering or torture. but reality is opposite of that, as 30 days cleanse our soul and body.
In this holy month of Ramadan, where one is elevated in his/her faith, it also does wonders in shedding off few pounds, and getting ride of toxins from human body. but it is possible only if done right, avoid over eating and wasting time in useless activities such as gossiping, watching movies or spending all the time sleeping.
Carry on regular activities as much as possible while taking resting breaks and pondering upon the purpose of life, that’s what brings the true and hidden benefits of this month. Thirty days give human beings a complete make over internally and externally. It cleanse the body and feed the soul as well.
Waking up early before dawn (3 am) to eat, helps the body to resets its biological clock in many ways. As a result, body doesn’t ask for food during normal eating hours in few days of fasting routine, and body adjust itself with the early dawn time.
Eating at dawn gives a person enough energy to last till the sunset. and religiously, it’s highly recommended to wake up in the morning to have some food but one must not over eat and burden the body, as that will kill the purpose of cleansing ones body and it will feel heavy and sleepy which won’t help in loosing toxins properly.
Aside from health benefits, fasting helps balance and reduce stress from ones life or at least teach to focus on internally as it keeps busy with its 30 day routine. It helps to take your attention away from other unhappy situations or maters, as the body is in survival mode due to hunger. so in result one can learn to manage the stress as well, prioritize life better.
Since from dawn to sunset, one must not listen to heart or body, when it comes to eating or drinking. Also, one should refrain from telling lies or hurting others, and be considerate of others. so In result, it helps in learning to control ones needs and how to be patience in uncomfortable situations. It makes us stronger, when we can tame our desires.
Fasting helps to reduce ones expectations and desire for the world, and makes one humble and grateful for what a person has in life. It brings the power back to oneself instead of running after others. It helps to ponder on less fortunate and make one ready to help out others in best way possible. It helps one make best use of morning, day and night hours.
For a Muslim it’s a religious obligation to fast in the month of Ramadan regardless of the season, place or age. Age of fasting begins as early as puberty, but sometimes as a child who has not reached the puberty age will insist to keep fast with family, as he/she is observing his/her family fasting daily in the month of Ramadan. However, most of the time families won’t want them to fast especially during the hot and long days. Islam doesn’t require a child, a weak body or a mental person to observe fasting but an adult should pay alms to poor for missing days. So you are required to be considerate of others and learn to help others in this month specifically; care for and share with less fortunate. so if it wasn’t for religious requirement, people won’t be able to fast for the whole month.
So I believe, it’s a beautiful way to make something a requirement what is the need of our body. The point to understand here is that if it wasn’t a requirement to keep fast for 30 days, no Muslim would do it either. but there sure are wonderful benefits in fasting for a month.
A pregnant woman should keep herself as well as her unborn child healthy. Only a healthy mother grows a healthy baby. The baby needs more carbohydrates, lipids and proteins to make it grow. The baby will intake much of the nutrients the mother eats; therefore, the mother should eat double the food, so her baby will have enough nutrients to grow and so that she herself will have enough nutrients to stay strong and be healthy. As you are pregnant yourself, you should take good care of yourself.
A pregnant woman should keep a mutinied diet of healthy food and exercise as well. A soon to be mother has to take care of herself first; if she takes good care of herself the baby inside of her is automatically cared for. If a mother does not take good care of herself, her health and the baby’s healthy will be at risk. Whatever the mother does, whatever she eats it will affect the development of the child.
In addition, I must add that a pregnant woman like you should prevent herself from taking tobacco, alcohol, thalidomide and other acne treatment or antibiotic medicine. I should tell you, thalidomide is an alternation tranquilizer that effects the growth of limbs (arms/legs) to develop normally. A child can be born without arms and legs if a mother uses thalidomide.
Anti-acne drugs can also effect the normal growth of a child. Anti acne drugs such as, retinoic acid can increase facial and cranial defects in the child. Other drugs can lead the child to develop poorly. Drugs such as, antibiotic streptomycin that if can cause hearing and nervous system problems in the child. Antibiotic tetracycline can cause the child to have yellowish teeth. Be sure to carefully check antibiotics before using.
Furthermore, alcohol and tobacco can cause severe problems to both the mother and child. The usage of alcohol during pregnancy can cause plenty of defects in a child such as, mental retardation, babies being born with small brain and head, facial problems, heart deficiency and poor motor coordination. The child becomes both a mental/physical patient due to the mother’s fault. In addition, cocaine can lead the child to being born abnormally small due to the development failure of the nervous system.
Tobacco is another issue; if the mother uses tobacco, vitamin C will increase in both her body and the child’s body as well. Smoking can lead to growth and development defects. The child and mother will have severely low weight and low nutrients as well. Smoking can lead to an unhealthy child, premature delivery, miscarriage and even stillbirth.
A pregnant woman should know how to maintain the healthiness of her body. A pregnant woman should know the risks of the take in/usage of unhealthy products. A mother is not only maintaining and looking after the health and wellness of herself but she is now looking after the health and wellness of her unborn baby. Think, act and behave responsibly.
Digestive Helpers : There is a special structure and function of each macromolecule. Polysaccharide, lipid, protein and nucleic acid are important in its own way for the human body. The monomers (subunits) are different for all four molecules and they play an important role in the functional system of the complex molecules.
Firstly, monomers are a sub unit of polymers. Monomers of complex carbohydrates or polysaccharides are the formed chains of countless amounts of sugar monomers. Monosaccharides are the monomer of carbohydrates. As carbohydrate is a polymer, so its monomer is sugar, monosaccharides are the monomers of polysaccharides. Lipid is a greasy and oily compound. Lipids can’t dissolve easily in liquidly substance although it can dissolve in non-polar substances. There is no specific monomer for lipids because lipids have a variety of forms, which they need specific set of building blocks. Lipids are fatty acids that don’t have a specific monomer. The monomer of proteins is amino acids. Proteins are made up of carbon, amino group, carboxyl, hydrogen and an R group that separates each monomer from each other. Lastly, the monomer of nucleic acid is nucleotides. The five basic nucleotides are thymine, uracil, adenine, guanine and cytosine.
Furthermore, the formation plays an important role in the structure and functions of these four complex molecules. Polysaccharides are chains of sugar monomers joined by dehydration synthesis. All carbohydrates contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms. Polysaccharides are starch, glycogen and cellulose, which store energy and have structural roles. Lipids are non-polar hydrocarbons; there are different categories of lipids: glycerides, phospholipids, waxes and sterols. Glycerides contain glycerol backbone and have up to three fatty acid tails. Phospholipids also contain glycerol backbone, phosphate, other polar group, and two fatty acids. Waxes contain alcohol and fatty acid tails. Sterols contain four carbon rings.
Each category has its own function. Glycerides, are fats such as butter and oils such as corn oil, they store energy. Phospholipids, are the main source of cell membranes such as lecithin. Waxes converse water in plants, such as cetin. Sterols, as for cholesterol that makes steroids and produce vitamin D. As for proteins, there are two kinds, fibrous proteins and globular proteins.
Fibrous proteins are long sheets of polypeptide chains such as, keratin in hair and nails, collagen in the bones, and myosin and actin in the muscles. Globular proteins are polypeptide chains that are shaped into globular form. Globular proteins such as, enzymes that increase reaction rates, haemoglobin that transport oxygen throughout the body, insulin maintains the glucose level and antibodies fight of big small diseases. Finally, nucleic acids contain five-carbon sugar, phosphate and a nitrogen base. Nucleic acids make up DNA and RNA, they help store, transport and interpret genetic information in the body. Each of the four biological macromolecules functions has their own special task that maintains the human body.
Water is one of the main necessity which keeps us alive. Without water we all can’t survive. Every human, every animal in this planet needs water to live. Water is essential for your body, helps your grow, keeps you fit, keeps your temperature at a precise level and energizes you. Without water humans will have a desert inside of their body, very dry. With water we have ways to cool our selves.
Have you ever thought about how much water you use? How much water your family uses? Have you ever wondered and thought about ways to save the water which you and your family use each and every day? Since water is the essential part of our daily life, we need to use it very wisely and take steps in saving water as much as we can.
First, how many people live in your household? Well, in my household there is me off course, my mom, dad, and my sister; so that makes it four people. Second, what is your total household use? The total household water use is 4,986.32 gallons per day. Third, What is my individual water use? The average American uses 1,190.5 gallons of water per day. On the other hand, I use 1,246.58 gallons of water per day. It is a lot. I did not even notice that I use this much water each and every day. I really do have to reduce my water usage. The ways which my family and I can reduce the use of water is to think smart.
There are many ways I and my family can reduce the usage of water in our household. We should install low flow shower heads so that we can reduce water flow by over one gallon a minute. We should also install low flow toilets, which will reduce the water flow by 2.5 gallons per flush. Third, installs low flow faucets will reduce the water flow by 3.5 gallons per minute. I and my family should spend less minutes in the shower each day, rather than spending 40 minutes in the shower, this will reduce several gallons a day. We use around 1 gallon per person per day on dish washing, which is the national average. We should most definitely try to use fewer dishes when we cook and when serving meals. We eat meat and dairy foods like an average American. Which means we indirectly consume over 1,000 gallons of water each day. By eating meat and dairy less often, we can reduce our water use by hundreds of gallons a day. Saving water is money saving, can be at times free, sometimes you have to pay a low price and most of the time can be a bit pricey. The bigger picture is that money isn’t an issue if you are saving water each and every day. Next, I have listed few ways to save water every day around the house.
The first room kitchen is used a lot , this is the main room of the house. How to save water in the kitchen? If you are washing dishes by hand, me and my family mostly wash dishes by hand, don’t leave the water running. In my household we have two basins, one we have our dish rack where we place the wet dishes on. Instead we should use that second basin, we should fill that up with water and put all the soapy dishes in it and only use the other basin for rinsing. But if you have only one basin, put soap and scrub all the dishes at once and then turn on the water to rinse all the dishes all together. When using detergent, use it less so there will be less water use for rinsing. If you use dishwasher instead of washing by hand, run the dishwasher when it is completely full only. Try to keep bottled water or pitcher in the refrigerator instead of running the tap again and again when you want to drink water.
Also, if you want to defrost food, leave them out for few hours or put them in the fridge overnight to defrost them. Wash all of your vegetables in a large bowl of water, instead of leaving on the faucet to wash them. Boil your food in less water, with less water all the flavour and the nutrients in the food stays intact. The boiled water which is left over, cool it off and use it for watering your plants. Steaming vegetables, mostly people use another pot. Instead, place the vegetables in a steamer on top of the other dish which you are boiling. You will have water and space on your stove and have fewer pots to wash. Eat meat and dairy food in small portions a day. Mostly, buy vegetables, rice and potatoes instead of beverages like chips, candies, ready made meals, sodas and other snacks. These foods take up more water than the food which came from the farm.
Bathroom is the second main room which gets used the most and where water gets used more as well. How to save water in the bathroom? Don’t take too much time in the shower, time yourself. Close the faucet when brushing teeth and while shaving. Install a low flow shower head, which will cost you money but you will save money in the future for low water usage. When taking a bath, keep water level low, do not fill the water to reach the top of the tub. Do not let the water go down the drain, instead re use the bath tub water. Re use bath water for plants and for the lawn and maybe wash the drive way with it. Fix those leaking faucets, 20 gallons of water per day gets lost from those leaky faucets. When washing your hands, turn on the water to wet your hands, turn off the water while you lather your hands, turn back on the water to rinse. This will save water and will also save the amount of soap you use. Install low flow faucets in your sink and low flow toilets in your bathroom, which use little water than normal toilets and faucets.
There are many ways to save water around the house. Use laundry machine when it is only full. Buy only a washer which is energy star certified, that will save plenty of gallons of water per load. Never over water your plants, they will tend to die. How about saving water outdoors? If you have a pool in your home cover it up, you will save loads of gallons of water from evaporating away. Keep the pools water at a low level to reduce the amount of water lost in splashing.
If you want to play with the hose or sprinkler, play around the dry part of the lawn, so it will get watered at the same time you are playing. Water your lawn in the early morning to late evening, never water the lawn during the afternoon time, so it won’t get evaporated. Instead of using hose or sprinkler, use a drip irrigation system to water your garden. Set your sprinklers so they will only water the lawn and not the sidewalk or driveway. Also, buy a rain sensor for your automatic sprinklers, so they won’t turn on when it is going to rain. Instead of using sprinklers and hose, hand water your lawn and garden, this uses less water.
When washing your car, it takes up lots of water, you should always think smart whenever washing your car. Find a good local car wash which recycles their wash water and wash your car over there. Don’t waste the water which is coming from your hose when you wash your vehicle. Buy a pistol grip so you don’t have to turn the tap to start and stop the flow. Instead of using the hose non-stop, use your sponge and soap to clean your car, and only use your hose in the rinse cycle. Again, wash your car on your lawn, you will water your lawn and wash your car at the same time. Few other ways to save water is to set up a rain barrel under a rain gutter outside your house. You can catch hundreds of gallons to use for watering the lawn, washing the car, etc. Also set up a greywater system, this will allow you to re use the water from your sinks, laundry machine and dishwasher for watering plants and flushing toilets.
We have to save water as much as we can. This is no time to waste water. This is the time to think smart and be wise. Without water we won’t have anything. Water is the main source of growth for everything on this earth. Plants, trees, and every thing green in this plant grows cause of water. Animals and humans need water. Everything from the smallest of things to the largest of things needs water to live. If we want to stay alive we need water. It is best to save it and cherish it, instead of misuse and waste it. Saving water can save your life, you can’t see that now but one day you will.
As the summer season arrives, the temperatures of Air conditioners rise up to full speed. Many people would also agree with me, when it comes to AC and hot summer days, it does not work so well as anticipated. Where ever you go in the city, either get on the train or bus or even shopping malls and stores, the AC temperatures are turned up to high. While this can be a relief for many for sure, especially on the exceedingly hot summer days, it can also be extremely hazards as well. With some moments of relief there, at times, comes the health issues. I and probably many others have experienced having headaches, sniffles, sneezes and even a slight cold while commuting on a train or bus in the summer days, all due to high AC temperature.
The weather is hot outside and as you come into a full speed Air conditioned area your body temperature changes rapidly from hot to cool rather than gradually and slowly changing. Obviously, when one comes into a completely cool air conditioned area being all sweaty and hot it would cause imbalance of your normal body temperature which would lead you to have a slight summer cold.
Also, sometimes over cooling offices put people in dangerous situation especially those with medical condition. People with poor diet and any weakness can also quickly get sick. But air conditioning is a relief for many others. so please look after yourself, if you are among one of those cold sensitive people then try to find out why its the case with you by visiting your doctor first, if you are not diagnosed with any illness then be thankful and keep a sweater or shawl in office to avoid the sensation. Take short breaks to stay active or moving instead of sitting in one chair for long hours. If heat is not over kill then you may sit outside in shades during lunch time.
Now of course, we can’t stop commuting, working and shopping in the summer, that’s unthinkable. Therefore, we should be wise to always have a light sweater or jacket to wear as we come into a cooled area to keep our body temperature in balance and to not become sick. Also, pay close attention to your diet (always have small meat portion with vegetables) and stay hydrated. Also, stay in shade so keep an Umbrella handy or take a hat with you.
