Myths and Facts about health

• Is Zero Oil cooking is good for heart?

Minimal fat is necessary for good functioning of body. Oils give essential fatty acids to the body. Vitamins like A, D, E and K are fat soluble vitamins which tells that they only melt in fat. Without oil consumption, these vitamins will not act on the body and body will suffer from different skin diseases and vitamin deficiencies. Oil consumption can be reduced but shouldn't be avoided completely. Experts suggest that 20g of oil consumption is necessary in a day.

• Eating food at night will increase fat and leads to heavy weight?

Yes this is true till some extent but not completely true. Consuming heavy food at night will leads to weight gain but night food shouldn't be avoided completely. Body in sleep mode will use minimal energy, so consuming light food (food with less calories and easily digestible) is enough to serve this purpose. Consuming heavy food will turn into fat and increases fat levels in body. Now a day’s people were not taking breakfast and taking less food at lunch, due to work pressure in office. There is popular saying “Eat Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a beggar” which tells we should take less quantity of food at night.

• Consuming spices and herbs leads to ulcers in stomach?

No, ulcers will come only due to stress and unusual food habits. People under heavy medication or pills results with ulcers in stomach. If you have ulcers in stomach, it is better to avoid these herbs. Maintaining good food habits and eating clean food will not cause ulcers. Drinking at least 8 cups of water is essential to fight against ulcers.

• Cooking or boiling food will lose nutrients?

This is true to an extent but food items like cereals (Rice, Wheat, etc),Roots have complex carbohydrates which should be boiled for easy digestion. But, when coming to vegetables these will lose nutrients when boiled, so they should not be over boiled. Minimal steaming is good for taste. Try to include raw salads in diet for restoring essential nutrients.

• Spinach with tomato is not good for kidneys?

This is true to an extent but if the body is in good condition, it will sustain the effect by dissolving oxalates. Spinach with tomato will forms calcium oxalate which is not good for people suffering from kidney stones. People who are working in fixed postures and people who don’t have body work, shouldn't try this combination. Including more onions or cabbage will dissolve oxalates.

• Eating sugar will cause diabetes?

No, any type of food when entered into body will turn as sugar and releases energy. When these calories of energy aren't consumed then they turn into fat and cause various problems. All types of tastes should be equally included in diet and energy should be consumed. Stress, life style and DNA are the main reasons for diabetes. People suffering from diabetes, sugar should be avoided.

• Elders should not consume milk?

This is not true because everybody should consume milk without any age factor. Milk has essential Calcium and vitamin-D. When it is avoided due to low calcium levels it leads to bone diseases. But for some people milk will take a long time to digest but to overcome this problem we should add cardamom to the milk for better digestion.

• Drinking 4-5 liters of water flush waste and keeps the body fit?

Drinking more water will make certain acids (which helps in digestion) powerless. Drinking 2 liters of water is good for health. Consumption of water in the following process will leads in good health.

Early morning 1 liter.

30mins before lunch 0.5 liter

Before 6PM in the evening 0.5liters.

• Artificial Sweeteners are good for diabetic persons?

No, it is nice if we use them for coffee or tea but they harm if we use in sweet or other confectionery products. Consuming large amounts of sweeteners will harm. No actual results that support sweeteners are best for diabetic people.

• Is it good to avoid carbohydrates and include large amounts of proteins?

No, both are essential for fitness of body. Carbohydrates will release energy and proteins helps for muscle building. If we avoid carbohydrates body uses proteins for energy soon we will face protein deficiency. If we need to lose weight, decrease the amount of carbohydrates but it shouldn't be avoided.

• Egg contains cholesterol. Is it good consuming egg?

 No, White substance in egg contains no fat. Only yellow substance egg contains small percent of fat along with vitamin A and other essential fatty acids. Daily an egg is good for health. People suffering from high cholesterol levels and blood pressure can avoid yellow substance in egg, can consume white substance. A raw egg contains 51% of protein but a boiled egg contains 91% of protein.

• Avoid salt; it is not good for health?

This is true to an extent but salts are essential to bring balance between water and minerals in the body and reduces dehydration problem. Consuming 4grams of salt is essential for healthy persons. People suffering from high Blood pressure and diseases related kidney need to avoid salt.

Ash Gourd

Ash Gourd:
Ash is popularly known as winter melon or white gourd or wax gourd. In India it is used widely and known as petha.

 Nutritional Values with Ash gourd:

• Ash gourd has got tasteless white flesh inside.
• Ash gourd has got 96.5gms of moisture,0.4 gm of protein,0.1gms of fat,1.9gms of carbohydrates,0.8gms of fiber,10 kcal of energy,30mg of calcium,20mg of phosphorus,0.8 mg of iron,0.4mg of niacin and 1mg of vitamin-c.
• Ash gourd benefits people from obesity by decreasing their weight by taking the fresh juice of it, as it contains moisture, high amounts of fiber, low amounts of calorie and fat.
• Ash gourd removes acidity and maintains PH balance in body.
• Ash gourd cures acidosis, which occurs during the time of diet control in weight losage.
• Ash gourd is to be cooked regularly for the people suffering from diabetes.
• Ash gourd consumed in summer reduces the heat in body.
• Ash gourd benefits in irritations of hands and legs for some people.
• Ash gourd mixed with honey and amla benefits people who are bleeding in urine and nose.
• Ash gourd benefits by killing worms in stomach when mixed with honey and amla.
• Ash gourd seeds has got a type of oil content in it.
• Ash gourd Seeds taken with almonds increases body strength in children.
• Ash gourd seeds deshelled mixed with milk increases muscles.
• An ash gourd seed with coconut milk kills worms like tape worms in stomach.
• Ash gourd recipe as curry will eliminates gallbladder stones from urine.
• Ash gourd seeds mixed with amla reduce dandruff when applied on hair.
• Ash gourd helps in heat reduction in body and allows free flow of urine and also used for curing motions.
• Ash gourd seeds powder mixed with shikakai powder or soap nut powder reduces dandruff when applied on head bath.

Juices with Ash Gourd:

• Ash gourd pulp mixed with honey helps women at the time of menopause (when suffering with body heat, urine irritation and irritation in hands and legs).
• Ash gourd with Amla and jaggery or sugar reduces urine irritation, bleeding in nose.
• Ash gourd juice acts as antiseptic when applied on wounds.
• Ash gourd as sweet confections (halwa) increases body weight and digests quickly.
• Ash gourd also acts as antidote for poison.
• Ash gourd juice (4 spoons) cures high fever and viral diseases like smallpox.

Cautions with Ash Gourd:

• Tender Ash gourd has got more proteins so it should be consumed less as it causes indigestion.
• Mint leaves, cloves, dry ginger, jeera will act as antidote to cure side effects of tender Ash gourd.