Healthy Hair : Home Remedies for A Healthy Hair, How To Make Your Hair Healthy

1.Have a good diet which should include lots of leafy green vegetables, fruits and sprouts.

2.Avoid shampoos as far as possible. Instead use sikkakai or besan or paste of fenugreek seeds, it will clean and soften the hair. If that is not possible, then go for herbal shampoos.

3.Henna or mehandi is a best way to keep a cool head. It conditions the hair, promotes growth, protects our hair from the harmful effects of the sun and also gives a glossy tint. However persons with sinus problems should avoid this.

4.Use wide toothed comb to remove tangles and do not comb wet hair. Avoid using hair dryer to dry your hair. Do not tie your hair tightly. Always use coated rubber bands or soft hair tie.

5.Brush your hair daily using a brush with rounded tip bristles to improve blood circulation.

6.Apply paste of gooseberry powder to prevent hair graying and falling. You can add gooseberry powder to henna paste also. Include amla or gooseberry in your diet as it is a rich source of vitamin C.

7.Grind grated coconut with a little water and squeeze out thick milk. Massage this milk into the hair roots 3 times a week to prevent hair loss naturally.

8.Soak 2 tablespoons of fenugreek seeds in water overnight. In the morning, grind it and apply the paste on the scalp and wash it off after half an hour to get rid of dandruff. This natural remedy for dandruff is very effective. This natural remedy also stops hair fall.

9.Heat coconut oil, switch off the gas when heated, then add neem flowers to it. Close it and keep it aside. When cooled, filter it and use that oil regularly to prevent dandruff.

10.Grind white pepper with milk, warm it and apply it on the scalp, then wash it off after 15 minutes to cure dandruff. Do this once in a week.

11.Apply 2 tbsp of vinegar (diluted in a little water) to the scalp and massage gently and wash your hair after 15-20 minutes. This natural remedy also cures dandruff.

12.Mix a little sour curd, fresh lemon juice and an egg and apply it to the scalp. Wash it off after 20 minutes. This home remedy helps to get rid of dandruff. Do it once in a week.

13 Fenugreek tea is not only good for the health but also nourishes and promotes hair growth if taken regularly.

14.Cover your hair with a scarf or shawl during travel to prevent tangles and to protect your hair from dust.

15.Home remedy for frizzy hair: Massage warm castor oil + almond oil into your scalp gently. Wrap a hot towel (dip towel in hot water (bearable) and squeeze the excess water) around your scalp so that the oil gets absorbed into the hair. Do this once a week for healthy, silky, lustrous hair. It also controls frizz.

16.Avoid chemical treatment on your hair. Hibiscus flowers and leaves are good conditioners for the hair. You can grind 2-3 leaves or flowers and use its juice along with your herbal shampoo.

17. Always dilute shampoo in a little water and use it. Do not use it directly. Wet your hair first and then apply this diluted shampoo.

18 Amla Oil nourishes and promotes hair growth. It also prevents hair fall. For homemade amla oil recipe, refer natural hair coloring.

Gluten-Free January Raffle!

Hi, Gluten-Free January participants. Matt, Janine and I have collected about 200 survey responses at this point. So far, the results are very interesting! But we want to get as many responses as possible, because the more responses we get, the more informative the data will be for all of us. So please fill out the survey Matt sent you by e-mail, no matter what your results were, and no matter whether you stuck with the diet or not! The survey is strictly about your GFJ experience, not investment opportunities, timeshares, ShamWows or anything else. It will take you less than 5 minutes, and it's totally anonymous. The deadline is Feb 15th. Big thanks to everyone who has taken it so far.

To encourage participants to complete the survey, we're organizing a raffle. Matt and I have five Gluten-Free January T-shirts we're ready to give out for free. These shirts were designed by Matt and they're really cool. I have one myself, and the print and fabric quality are top notch. Here's what the logo looks like:
If you've completed the survey and want to be included in the raffle, please e-mail Matt to let him know you've completed it. Anyone who has already e-mailed Matt to let him know they completed the survey will automatically be entered, so no need for a second e-mail. So far, very few people have written Matt, so your probability of winning a shirt is high!

Take Care Of Your Feet : How To Take Care of Your Feet with Natural Home remedies

Most of us take care of our face but the feet is the most ignored part of the body. In fact the legs bear the whole weight of the body. So we should include foot care in our daily routine. Here are some ways, we can take care of our feet naturally.

1.Soak feet in a large basin or bowl to which warm water and mineral salt is added for about 10 minutes. You can place pebbles in the large bowl and roll your feet back and forth giving slight pressure as it gives a massaging effect. Scrub using pumice stone to remove dead skin. Wash your feet well, then pat it dry and massage with a moisturizing cream.

You can add juice of one lemon and a few neem leaves to the water as neem has antiseptic qualities.

Rose petals or 2-3 drops of lavender essential oil can be added to the water to give a spa effect at home.

2.Natural remedy for treating cracked feet:

Wash your feet well and apply Vaseline or petroleum jelly at night and slip a pair of cotton socks and go to sleep. In a few weeks, your feet will become soft.

Mix fresh lemon juice, castor oil, rose water and apply it after cleaning your feet.

Olive oil can be applied regularly to have a soft feet.

Neem paste mixed with turmeric powder can be used to treat cracked feet, though it is very messy.

Lemon rind can be rubbed daily. Wash it off after 15 minutes.

3.Walking is best exercise for your legs. Go for brisk walk at least 5 days a week.

4.Hot (bearable) and cold treatment also improves blood circulation. Soak feet in hot water first, and then in cold water. Do this for 5-10 minutes. End with cold water .

5.Avoid heels as far as possible. Buy good fitting shoes which is comfortable for you.

6.Change your socks everyday to prevent smelly feet. Use socks made of natural material .

7.Take 3 tea bags and boil it in 3 cups of water. Mix it with half a bucket of cool water and soak feet in it to get rid of smelly feet.

8.Waxing your legs is a better option than shaving. But if you have to shave, use lot of moisturizer to avoid razor rashes.

9.Take a few minutes to massage your legs with coconut oil or olive oil everyday before bath.

10.After shower, dry your feet well in between toes with a towel to prevent fungal infection

Reduce Weight : How To Reduce Weight, How To Lose Weight

# Make lifestyle changes like giving up alcohol, smoking, avoiding fatty food, refined food,...

# Include fresh foods as far as possible as processed foods tend to contain high level of salt and sugar.

# Never go for crash diets instead reduce weight gradually and slowly.

# Never skip meals as you tend to overeat, the next meal. Do not skip breakfast in particular.

# Have your last meal of the day, three hours before going to bed.

# Include lot of fiber in your diet as it gives a feeling of fullness, thereby preventing you from gorging spicy and fatty food.

# Eat slowly and chew your food well as it helps in digestion and also we tend to eat less.

# Nuts contain lot of fiber .They are satisfying and cause people to eat less at meal time.

# Take warm lime juice mixed with honey the first thing in the morning.

# Go for skimmed milk.

# As far as possible avoid weight loss supplements.

# When you have cravings for sweets, take a fruit instead.

# When you have cravings for certain type of food like chocolates or ice cream, once in a while, you can take in small quantities .

# Take fruits and vegetables which has lot of water content like watermelons, cucumbers and white pumpkin.

# Keep yourself engaged as boredom leads to overeating.

# Drink lot of water, at least 8 glasses per day.

# Use the stairs instead of lift. Park the car a little far away and walk to your office. Use every opportunity to be physically active.

# Walk, Walk and Walk as much as possible. Even if you are busy, go for walk at least 5 days a week.

# Aerobic exercise like jogging, swimming, cycling, running accelerates weight loss. Aerobic exercise combined with healthy eating will certainly help in weight reduction.

Benefits of Cucumber : Cucumber For Your Health

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!

6.. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!

7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don�thave enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.

9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

10. Stressed out and don�t have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.

11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don�t have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

12. Looking for a �green� way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won�t leave streaks and won�t harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.

13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls.

Varicose Veins : Causes and How To Prevent Varicose Veins

Varicose veins is a condition where the veins swell and forms a winding stream.

Varicose veins occur because the blood vessel muscle structure are weak and are not strong enough to push blood back into circulation. As a result, blood flow stops and are gathered at the base of the vein, so the veins swell. Then appears blood sedimentation on the vessels.

Well, here are tips to prevent varicose veins

- Give skin sunscreen daily.
- Exercise regularly to get stronger legs and improve blood circulation. Especially exercise for the leg.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Do not cross your legs frequently.
- Move frequently, avoid sitting or standing for long periods.
- Do not wear clothes that are too tight. Avoid high heels.
- If you wear stockings, use elastic ones.
- Eat more fiber to help prevent constipation, which can lead to varicose veins.
- Reduce salt intake.

Assorted Thoughts About the 2010 Dietary Guidelines

In the past week, I've been rooting through the USDA's 2010 Dietary Guidelines (1). Here are a few of my thoughts.

Positive

One of the things I've been enjoying recently is watching health authorities shift away from a nutrient-oriented philosophy in favor of a more food-oriented philosophy. For example, I recently read a nice editorial by Drs. Dariush Mozaffarian and David S. Ludwig (not associated with the USDA) that encapsulates this (2). Here's a quote:

Nutritional science has advanced rapidly, and the evidence now demonstrates the major limitations of nutrient-based metrics for prevention of chronic disease. The proportion of total energy from fat appears largely unrelated to risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, or obesity. Saturated fat�targeted by nearly all nutrition-related professional organizations and governmental agencies�has little relation to heart disease within most prevailing dietary patterns. Typical recommendations to consume at least half of total energy as carbohydrate, a nutrient for which humans have no absolute requirement, conflate foods with widely divergent physiologic effects (eg, brown rice, white bread, apples). Foods are grouped based on protein content (chicken, fish, beans, nuts) despite demonstrably different health effects. With few exceptions (eg, omega-3 fats, trans fat, salt), individual compounds in isolation have small effects on chronic diseases. Thus, little of the information found on food labels� �nutrition facts� panels provides useful guidance for selecting healthier foods to prevent chronic disease.

In contrast with discrete nutrients, specific foods and dietary patterns substantially affect chronic disease risk, as shown by controlled trials of risk factors and prospective cohorts of disease end points

Although this approach may seem radical, it actually represents a return to more traditional, time-tested ways of eating. Healthier food-based dietary patterns have existed for generations among some populations.

Tell it! Although he doesn't use the word nutritionism, that's basically what he's arguing against. Dr. Mozaffarian seems to represent the less reductionist school of nutrition, which is a more informed version of what nutrition pioneers such as Sir Edward Mellanby, Dr. May Mellanby, Dr. Weston Price and Sir Robert McCarrison advocated.

Although the 2010 guidelines are too focused on nutrients for my taste, they do spend some time talking about food groups and eating patterns, for example, recommending an increase in the consumption of vegetables, fruit, whole grains and seafood. They also recommend Mediterranean and plant-focused eating patterns. Although I don't think their recommendations quite hit the mark, they do reflect a shift in thinking.

Another thing I enjoyed about the Guidelines is the table on page 12 of chapter 2, which shows just how messed up the average American diet is. The number one source of calories in all age groups is "grain-based desserts". The next five in adults are yeast breads, chicken dishes, soda/sports drinks, alcohol and pizza. To see typical American food habits presented like this just blows me away. They call this the "obesogenic environment"; the idea that we're surrounded by tasty but unhealthy food and situations that favor the consumption of it. I agree.

The Guidelines also contain a surprisingly accurate one-sentence review of the glycemic index literature:

Strong evidence shows that glycemic index and/or glycemic load are not associated with body weight; thus, it is not necessary to consider these measures when selecting carbohydrate foods and beverages for weight management.

Negative

The first problem is the creation of the category "solid fats and added sugars", abbreviated SoFAS. With the creation of this term, they lump pastured butter together with Crisco and Red Hots. If they've been hiding the evidence that pastured butter, virgin coconut oil or red palm oil contribute to heart disease, I'd like to see it so I can stop eating them!

Another problem is their list of recommendations to curb the obesity epidemic. They say:

The current high rates of overweight and obesity among virtually all subgroups of the population in the United States demonstrate that many Americans are in calorie imbalance�that is, they consume more calories than they expend. To curb the obesity epidemic and improve their health, Americans need to make significant efforts to decrease the total number of calories they consume from foods and beverages and increase calorie expenditure through physical activity.

Looks like we have Sherlock Holmes on the case. Now that we have this information, all we have to do is tell overweight people to eat less and they'll be lean again! What's that, they already know and it's not working?? Someone should tell the USDA.

Jokes aside, I do think energy balance is a huge issue, perhaps even the central issue in chronic disease risk in affluent nations. The basic problem is that Americans are eating more calories than is optimal, and they have a very hard time stopping. It's not because they have less willpower than their stoic ancestors, it's because their bodies have decided that overweight/obesity is the new lean, and they defend that higher level of fat mass against changes. Simply telling an overweight person to eat fewer calories, without changing the dietary context, is not very effective in the long term, due to compensatory mechanisms including hunger and increased metabolic efficiency (fewer calories burned for the same muscular exertion).

What does the USDA recommend to lose fat or maintain leanness?

• Count calories. Doesn't work for most people, although I acknowledge that it is physically possible to lose fat (and lean mass) by restricting calories.
• Reduce sweetened beverages. Thumbs up.
• Serve smaller portions. As far as I know, this rests exclusively on very short-term studies that showed that food consumed at a single meal or three is reduced if portion size is smaller. I guess it can't hurt to try it, but I'm not convinced it will have any effect on long-term body fatness. I think restaurant portion sizes have probably increased because people eat more, rather than the other way around, although both could be true.
  
• Eat foods that are less calorie dense. I think vegetables are healthy, but is it because they're less calorie-dense? Why is dietary fat intake generally not associated with obesity if it's the most calorie-dense substance? Why do many people lose body fat eating energy-dense low-carbohydrate diets? Not convinced, but I'm feeling open minded about this one.
• Exercise more and watch less TV. Exercise is good. But don't let it make you hungry, because then you'll eat more!

Overall, I think their recommendations for fat loss are not very satisfying because they don't address the core reasons Americans aren't in energy balance. Eliminating sweetened beverages and exercising are the most solid advice they offered in my opinion. The rest strikes me as wishy-washy advice that's offered because they have to say something.

At one point, they talk about changes in the US diet that have corresponded with the obesity epidemic:

Average daily calories available per person in the marketplace increased approximately 600 calories, with the greatest increases in the availability of added fats and oils, grains, milk and milk products, and caloric sweeteners.

Let me edit that so it's more complete:

Average daily calories available per person in the marketplace increased approximately 600 calories per day, 250 calories of which were actually consumed (USDA and NHANES). Added fats increased, due to a large increase in seed oil intake, but total fat intake remained approximately the same because of a roughly equal decrease in fatty meat and whole milk consumption (USDA and NHANES). Grain intake, predominantly wheat, increased, as did the consumption of refined sweeteners, predominantly high-fructose corn syrup (USDA).

It reads a bit differently once you have a little more information, doesn't it? Animal fat intake declined considerably, and was replaced by seed oils, in parallel with the obesity and diabetes epidemics. Maybe it contributed, maybe it didn't, but why not just be forthright about it? People appreciate honesty.

Conclusion

Although the 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines show some promising trends, and contain some good information, I hope you can find a better source than the USDA for your nutrition advice.