These are the 10 Foods You Should never eat On An Empty Stomach

The tone of your day is set by how you start a day. Having a healthy morning routine is important to stay healthy and positive. Your breakfast is also part of your morning routine and helps you get a head start on the day by satisfying your hunger and providing you with energy.

However, people are not aware that there are food items, which you should not eat in the morning on an empty stomach. These foods will make you lethargic and increase your body weight. Here is a list of food items you should avoid eating in the morning.

1. Pancakes and waffles

Several cafes and fast food chains offering Western breakfast including pancakes and muffins, there is a rise in the number of people opting for this instead of the traditional Indian breakfast food.

Pancakes and waffles contain milk, eggs, flour and sugar. Although they contain proteins, both waffles and pancakes are made using plain flour or maida, which contribute to obesity and insulin resistance. 

2. Tomatoes

Eating tomatoes in the morning on an empty stomach is not advisable as they contain tannic acid in high concentration and this increases the stomach acidity. It can result in gastric ulcers.

3. Jam

Kids love jams on their toast but eating it is not healthy as it is just carbohydrate. Jam is a sugary, high calorie breakfast. Instead of jam, try to eat eggs with your toast and avoid processed meat like sausages. Try to use multi-grain bread instead of white bread.

4. Packed fruit juice

Fruit juices are considered healthy and they are one of the popular food items if you are trying to lose weight and avoid hunger. However, the packed fruit juices you get in stores are far from healthy. Many of these contain small amount of actual juice and more of sugar. High sugar content can up the risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity and other diseases.

5. Breakfast cereals

Many of us consume breakfast cereals as they are convenient and as per its label, there are added nutrients. Actually, these are processed product with lots of artificial color, sugar and little cereals. Many of these products have high levels of sugar and may increase the risk of heart diseases, obesity and other health issues.

6. Carbonated drinks

Drinking carbonated drinks in the morning is a very bad idea. It can decrease the blood supply to the stomach and harm your mucous membranes. This will lead to improper or slow digestion.

7. Protein bar/Granola bar/ Breakfast bar

Although it is sold as a breakfast option, granola bars are not very healthy. Many of these bars contain high levels of sugar, honey and corn syrup. The content of sugar increases with the add ons like chocolate chips and other flavors. These bars also lack fiber and protein.

8. Sweetened yogurt

Eating yogurt with fresh fruits is one of the healthiest breakfast but when you buy it from the store, it usually contains preservatives, artificial flavor and are usually high in sugar. Try to have Greek yogurt with fresh fruits.

9. Raw vegetables

Vegetables are good for your health but you shouldn’t eat them in the morning on an empty stomach as it can lead to stomach pain. The amino acid present in the vegetables can cause flatulence and heartburn. Raw veggies can also irritate the lining of your stomach.

10. Smoothies from the store

The smoothies bought from the store are not as healthy as you think. They contain full-fat milk or ice cream and loads of sugar. It is advisable to make your own smoothie using Greek yogurt and fresh fruits

10 Foods That Can Be Poisonous If Reheated

Food work as the fuel for your body and you may put your all efforts to have the healthy food. The foods you consume provide a range of nutrients, vitamins, fibre, protein and minerals which collectively help your body to run and to power our continued existence.

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May lot of you are in habit of storing food and then reheating it while consuming. But, research claimed that, some foods can turn into toxic elements after reheating. May the fact will surprise you, but don't worry.

Here is the list of 10 foods that you should avoid reheating to keep its nutrients values. 

Rice

The way most of you store rice can be toxic. The spores available in the raw rice can turned into bacteria and can lead to problems.

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Bacteria can multiply at the room temperature and may cause vomiting and diarrhea.

Potatoes

Potato may be the favorite food of most of you, but do you know the fact that, if reheated, Potatoes may lose their nutritional value.

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Toxic potatoes can cause illness or nausea, and food poisoning.

Spinach

Spinach is highly rich in nitrates and iron just like other green leafy vegetables.

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If you reheat it, these nitrates can be turned into nitrites and other carcinogens which can lead to cancer in living tissue.

Oils

Some oils such as, walnut oil, grape seed oil, avocado oil, flaxseed oil and hazelnut oil have very low smoke points. 

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They may become rancid when you reheat them.

Egg

If you reheat eggs at a high temperature then you may making them poisonous.

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Eating such eggs may cause havoc in your digestive system.

Chicken

Chicken is a rich source of protein which may impact negatively after reheating. 

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Consuming such chicken may cause digestive troubles to you.

Turnips

Turnips also contain nitrates which can be toxic if reheated. Usually, turnips are being used in making soups.

Mushrooms

Mushroom should be used on the same day they are cooked, as they are rich source of protein. When you reheat it, its structure will be changed that can be harmful to our body and can cause serious heart problems. 

Beets

Beets include high rate of nitrates which can convert into nitrites if reheated and can cause a lot of problems to you. 

Celery

As like beets, it also contains a high nitrate value. It can turn into nitrites after reheating and a high amount of nitrites increases the risk of methemoglobinemia, a blood disorder.

This one vegetable can help you bring your BP down like nothing else.

A glass of beetroot juice -- a source of dietary nitrate -- could dramatically lower as well as reduce heart-attack risk, a study has revealed.

Dietary nitrate is a compound that dilates blood vessels to decrease blood pressure, a leading factor for developing heart attack.

The findings, published in the Journal of Physiology - Heart and Circulatory Physiology, showed that the supplement can reduce over stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system that occurs with heart disease and causes the heart to beat faster.

"The study found that acute nitrate supplementation using beetroot juice can decrease muscle sympathetic outflow at rest and during exercise," researchers from the University of Guelph in Canada were quoted by express.co.uk. 

In the study, the team investigated 20 young adult volunteers with the average age of 27, who took part in two tests where they received a nitrate supplement or a placebo.

The researchers recorded the blood pressure, heart rate and muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and measured muscle activity at rest and during hand grip exercise with the participants' non-dominant hand.

The results revealed that the MSNA was lower when the volunteers drank beetroot juice compared to when they drank the placebo.

"Surprisingly, no differences in blood pressure were detected at rest or during exercise," the researchers said.

"The study provides proof-of-concept that dietary nitrate supplementation can modulate central sympathetic outflow and suggest that the established cardiovascular benefits of dietary nitrate are likely to involve a neural contribution," they noted.

A previous study by researchers at the University of Exeter has showed that a daily dose of raw beetroot juice can enable people to exercise for up to 16 per cent longer.

What drinking cold water does to your body will shock you!

Effects of Cold Water

                                                

Summer is here and most of us are guilty of coming home and directly heading towards the fridge for some cold water as a relief from the scorching heat outside. Even though ice has many health benefits, drinking ice water or cold water can only give temporary relief and drinking ice water regularly has its downside.

Here are some reasons why you shouldn't drink ice or cold water:

1. Interferes with your digestion:Drinking ice water or cold water hampers the process of digesting food as it causes your blood vessels to shrink. This can slow down the process of digestion and as the food is not digested properly, the nutrients are lost or not absorbed by the body. You may like to read about home remedies for better digestion.

2. Robs you of nutrients: The body's temperature is 37^o C and when you drink something at a very low temperature, your body has to spend energy to regulate its temperature. This spent energy is otherwise used to digest food and absorb nutrients, thereby leaving your body short of nutrition.

3. Increases your chances of getting a sore throat: Drinking cold water can cause the buildup of respiratory mucous, which is a protective layer of the respiratory tract. When this layer gets congested, the respiratory tract is exposed and becomes vulnerable to various infections and hence the chances of your throat turning sore are high. You may like to read about 6 ways to prevent a sore throat from worsening.

4. Decreases your heart rate: Drinking ice water or cold water decreases your heart rate. Studies have shown that drinking ice water stimulates the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is the 10th cranial nerve and is an important part of the body's autonomous nervous system that controls involuntary actions of the body. The vagus nerve mediates the lowering of the heart rate and the low temperatures of ice cold water act as a stimulus to the nerve which causes the heart rate to drop

15 Proven Tips to Sleep Better at Night

A good night’s sleep is just as important as regular exercise and a healthy diet.

Research shows that poor sleep has immediate negative effects on your hormones, exercise performance, and brain function.For both adults and children, it can also cause weight gain and increase disease risk.

If you want to optimize your health or lose weight, then getting a good night’s sleep is one of the most important things you can do.

Here are 15 evidence-based tips to sleep better at night.

1. Increase Bright Light Exposure During The Day
2. Reduce Blue Light Exposure in the Evening
3. Don’t Consume Caffeine Late in the Day
4. Reduce Irregular or Long Daytime Naps
5. Try to Sleep and Wake at Consistent Times
6. Don’t Drink Alcohol
7. Optimize Your Bedroom Environment
8. Set Your Bedroom Temperature
9. Don’t Eat Late in the Evening
10. Relax and Clear Your Mind in the Evening
11. Take a Relaxing Bath or Shower
12. Rule Out a Sleep Disorder
13. Get a Comfortable Bed, Mattress, and Pillow
14. Exercise Regularly, But Not Before Bed
15. Don’t Drink Any Liquids Before Bed

Never Combine Milk With These Foods

Milk is the first thing a child drinks and is considered the vital drink that provides essential nutrition for the development of the body, but in Ayurveda, it is said that milk is one of those foods that can cause health complications if taken along in some combinations.

In this article, we will mention three foods that should never be combined with milk according to the Ayurveda belief.

1. Milk and Meat

Milk is a natural protein source which takes time in breaking down during the digestion process and when taken along with other protein sources like meat, it puts excess pressure on the digestive tract. Further, milk, unlike other foods, is not broken down in the duodenum of the small intestine. So stomach doesn't produce digestive enzymes when milk is present in the small intestine which causes the digestion of meat difficult.

2. Milk and Fish

Milk and fish are considered the worst combination and is a very popular belief among everyone. Milk if combined with fish is known to develop toxins in the body which can cause many skin ailments and heart problems. Therefore, you should never consume fish with milk.

3. Milk and Salt

Well, it's hard to remember when the last time you stirred salt in milk and on purpose. The basic reason is the awful taste but according to Ayurveda, you should not combine salt and milk together to prevent great harm to the body. Salt and milk are said to have antagonistic properties or opposing qualities. When taken together, they can cause much harm to the body and unlike fish, the after-effect will take the time to appear. So, it is better to drink milk with sugar only.

These are few milk and food combinations which you should never consume according to the belief of Ayurveda.

5 Easy ways to increase protein intake to your diet..

The recommended daily intake (RDI) of protein is 46 grams for women, 56 grams for men. To meet this requirement you need to add protein to your diet.

From helping you to lose weight to gain muscles, protein has numerous health benefits. The recommended daily intake (RDI) of this essential component is 46 grams for women, 56 grams for men, and people usually think that they need to be in an upper tax bracket to get this daily fix. However, there are foods which are tasty and offers a good amount of protein and can be afforded easily. Here is a list of five such protein-packed sources.

Eggs: Just one egg provides 6 grams of protein (11% of the daily value). Moreover, the presence of branched chain amino acids, glutamic acid, and vital amino acids make it one of the workout recovery foods.

Peanut butter: With eight grams of protein per serving, Peanut butter is one of the tasty sources of Protein. To be benefitted, always prefer to buy the peanut butter that doesn’t include huge amounts of palm oil as it adds unnecessary saturated fat to the mix.

Whey: Can be described as the best and the economical way to fuel your body with the required amount of protein, Whey protein concentrate comes with the ideal amino acid profile for muscle building, strength, and recovery. Moreover, it’s fast digesting property makes it a well suited post-workout nutrition source.

Beans: Low in fat, high in fiber and nutrients, they are the next-highest source of protein after animal-based foods. Combining them with other vegetables or rice make them a good option to fuel your body with complete protein. The beans with the highest amount of protein — and which offer complete protein — are soybeans.

Plain non-fat Greek yogurt: Low in sugar and high in nutritious value, Greek yogurt Non-fat Greek yogurt’s 170-gram container has 17 grams of protein, with only 100 calories. Along with so much of protein value, this yogurt is creamier and thicker than regular yogurt.