स्वस्थ तन मन

Why are cooked tomatoes better than raw?

Tomatoes are a great source of lycopene, a plant chemical, which is responsible for the beautiful red color of the tomatoes. Besides this, lycopene is an excellent antioxidant that has been effective in preventing cancer. Studies have found that the content of lycopene increases when tomatoes are cooked as compared to raw tomatoes. In other words, eating tomatoes in the cooked form is much healthier than raw tomatoes.

Why are cooked tomatoes BETTER?

The lycopene content of fresh tomatoes is 0.88-7.74 milligrams/100 grams, whereas tomato ketchup contains 9.9-13.4 milligrams of lycopene/100 grams.

Cooking or processing tomatoes causes loss of water, which increases the lycopene concentration. Tomatoes should always be cooked fresh to get its maximum benefits.

But, wrong processing and storage techniques can also lead to the loss of lycopene. Exposure of cooked tomato products to light and air (oxygen) can degrade the lycopene present in them, thus making and preserving the tomato product less desirable and unfit for consumption.

Lycopene is present in the bound form in tomatoes. When tomatoes are cooked, the bonds are opened, and lycopene is released from the bonds, thus, the bioavailability of lycopene increases. Hence, whenever you consume a cooked tomato, you benefit more because more lycopene becomes available to your body.

Lycopene is a fat-soluble compound. Besides cooking, the addition of fat to tomato products improves the availability of lycopene. For example- adding oil to tomato salads and soups increases the entry of lycopene into the blood as compared to tomato salads and soups without oil. An interesting study found that tomato salsa when consumed with avocado, led to a 4.4 folds increase in lycopene absorption as compared with salsa without avocado. This is possible because fat present in avocado enhances the availability and absorption of lycopene present in tomatoes. (1)

Final verdict:

Cook your tomatoes to get your dose of lycopene. Make sure you combine it with foods that are naturally high in fat, like avocado or add some olive oil to your salads and soups.

How to Lose Weight in the Right Way

With the presence of so many FAD diets in the market, people often get confused what to follow and what not to follow when it comes to weight loss. FAD diets help you in losing weight initially, but once you switch back to your normal diet, you gain double the amount of weight, which you had lost before. Therefore, it is important to follow a healthy diet, which is not too harsh on your body

Healthy Tips to Lose Body Fat

Here are some simple and healthy tips to lose body fat:

Do Not Skip Meals

People often think that, if they eat less they will lose weight. Skipping meals or fasting creates a calorie deficit, which makes you look lean on the weighing scale. In fact, you lose your muscle mass, which makes you weak, dull and sluggish. That is why skipping your meals is not a good weight loss strategy. Moreover, you may end up eating more after fasting or skipping meals.

Eat Small and Frequent Meals

You should eat small and nutritious meals every 2 hours to kick-start your metabolism, which will enhance fat loss. Add a small snack between two large meals. For example- between breakfast and lunch have a fruit.

Eat Home-Made Foods

Home-made food preparations are better than restaurant foods and packaged foods. You can prepare healthy meals by adding less oil to it. Besides this, home-cooked foods do not contain chemicals, preservatives and high salt content like packaged foods.

Eat A Balanced Diet

Make sure you choose healthy foods from all food groups in the right quantity. Eat fiber-rich whole grains, low-fat, protein-rich pulses, and legumes, low-fat dairy products, lean meat, fresh fruits and vegetables. The nutrients which you get from all the above-mentioned food groups further help in weight loss and boosts metabolism.

Portion Control

Anything in excess is not good, not even water. Make sure you eat all food groups under portion control. Here are some tips, which will help you:

Start your meal with a salad. Dietary fiber present in vegetables make you feel full and the amount of whole grains will reduce automatically, which in turn reduces your caloric intake
Drink water before your meals
Use smaller plates and bowls for eating. By reducing the size of your plates and bowls, you even reduce the amount of food consumed. Hence, this is a smart strategy to eat less and lose weight.

Eat Slowly

When it comes to weight loss, slow eaters benefit the most. Slow spaced eating increases satiety or fullness and reduces hunger pangs. Such a strategy helps in weight loss because it keeps the hunger pangs at bay.
Your appetite and food intake are regulated by hormones. Once you finish eating, your gut releases anti-hunger hormones and suppresses the hunger hormone ‘ghrelin’. These hormones then send a message to the brain, letting it know that you have finished eating, this further makes you feel full, reduces your appetite and you stop eating.
This entire process takes approximately 20 minutes. When you eat quickly, your brain does not receive signals about your appetite and fullness, thus you end up eating more. Hence, slow eating can make you win the weight loss race.

Limit Your Intake of Refined Sugar and Salt

Sugar-laden foods and beverages are less filling, and they contain more calories, which is the major cause of weight gain. Hence, cutting down on your sugar intake may help you in weight loss. Salt on the other hand, retains water, which would show up on the weighing scale. Therefore, it is better to stay away from the excess of salt and sugar.

10 Days Sample Weight Loss Diet Plan

Here is 10 Days diet plan for losing weight:

Breakfast Options

Option 1: 1 bowl skim milk with oats (no sugar, drizzle honey on top)
Option 2: 1 bowl skim milk with sugar-free muesli
Option 3: 1 roti + 1 bowl subzi + 1 bowl curd
Option 4: 1 bowl skim bowl with wheat flakes (no sugar, drizzle honey on top)
Option 5: 1 roti + 1 egg
Option 6: 1 bowl broken wheat porridge (without sugar, can drizzle honey on top)
Option 7: 1 vegetable paratha + 1 bowl curd
Option 8: 1 roti + 1 glass milk (without sugar)
Option 9: 1 bowl poha + 1 glass milk
Option 10: 1 bowl vegetable upma + 1 glass milk

Mid-Morning Snack Options

Option 1: 1 fruit
Option 2: 4 almonds
Option 3: 1 walnut
Option 4: 1 glass buttermilk
Option 5: 1 cucumber

Lunch Options

Compulsory- 1 big bowl of fresh vegetable salad without dressing. You can add lemon juice

Option 1- 1 vegetable or low-fat paneer paratha without oil/ ghee with 1 bowl curd
Option 2- 2 medium roti + 1 bowl dal + 1 bowl subzi
Option 3- 2 medium roti + 1 bowl mixed sprouts subzi + 1 glass buttermilk
Option 4- 2 medium roti + 1 bowl pulses
Option 5- 1 bowl brown rice + 1 bowl subzi + 1 bowl curd
Option 6: 1 bowl brown rice + 1 bowl dal
Option 7: 1 bowl brown rice and dal pulao + 1 bowl vegetable raita
Option 8: 2 roti + 1 bowl chicken curry (2 pieces)
Option 9: 2 roti + 2 pieces steamed fish
Option 10: 2 roti + 1 bowl egg curry with 2 egg whites

Mid-Evening Snack Option

1 fruit

Evening Snack Option

Option 1: 1 small bowl boiled corns
Option 2: 1 bowl puffed rice with veggies
Option 3: 1 khakra
Option 4: 1 cup milk
Option 5: 1 bowl low-fat curd

Dinner Options

1 bowl of fresh vegetable salad is compulsory

Option 1: 1.5 spinach or any other green leafy vegetable roti + 1 bowl dal
Option 2: 1.5 roti + 1 bowl sprouts subzi
Option 3: 1.5 roti + 1 bowl low fat paneer subzi (3-4 pieces paneer)
Option 4: 3/4 bowl steamed brown rice + 1 bowl curd
Option 5: 3/4 bowl sprouts and brown rice pulao + 1 bowl curd
Option 6: 1 bowl sprouts soup + 1 roti + 1 bowl subzi
Option 7: 1 bowl spinach soup + 1 roti + 1 bowl dal
Option 8: 3/4 bowl brown rice vegetable pulao + 1 bowl sprouts raita
Option 9: 3/4 bowl brown rice + 1 bowl steamed sprouts + 1 bowl curd
Option 10: 1 bowl vegetable dalia pulao + 1 bowl curd

Bedtime

If hungry, 1 cup plain milk

Bhringraj Powder

Bhringraj Powder is a fine powder of dried Bhringraj plant. It includes all parts of Bhringraj plant including roots, stem, leaves, and flowers. Therefore, it is a natural form of Bhringraj and safe to consume for a longer period. It is used for medicinal purposes in ayurveda. It benefits in hair growth, liver disorders, high cholesterol level, etc. It is a well-known home remedy for hair growth and liver disorders.

It has a long history of its clinical uses in ayurvedic medicine and folk remedies. It promotes hair growth, prevents hair fall, detoxifies the blood, improves skin health and boosts liver functions. It is good for eyes and improves eyesight.

Benefits and Uses of Bhringraj Powder

Bhringraj power has hepatoprotective properties. It benefits to improve liver functions, reduces accumulated fat from the liver, and improves metabolism.
It also acts on the stomach and detoxifies Pitta (gastric juices) and improves digestion.
It encourages hair growth and prevents premature graying of hairs. Generally, Bhringraj Oil is applied to the scalp for this purposes on regular basis. In addition to oil, one can also apply the Bhringraj paste to the scalp for hair discoloration treatment. Generally, for this 1 part of Bhringraj Powder and 1 Part of Jatamansi Powder and 1 part of Amla powder are mixed together. And then mixed with water to make a paste. This paste is applied to the scalp to blackening hair.
It is also used to treat whitening of hair. Along with Triphala Powder, it is given to restore the natural color of hair. This remedy is recommended for 3 months.
It also aids in skin diseases. It detoxified the blood and improves skin health. In Ayurveda, it reduces Ama and prevents several diseases. It makes skin vibrant, younger and healthier. It also boosts wound healing process.
In a headache and migraine, it is given with goat’s milk. In addition to it, its juice and goat’s milk is instilled in the nose to reduce severe pain occurring in a migraine.
It reduces symptoms of hyperacidity and GERD. It reduces burning sensation, heartburn, sour belching, indigestion, and In this case, it is given along with Haritaki Powder and jaggery.
It is a rejuvenating medicine in ayurveda, which means it helps to delay aging, prevent diseases and restoring energy in the body. In the form of Rasayana (rejuvenation), it also increases memory, intelligence, and digestive health. For rejuvenation purposes, it is taken with cow’s ghee and brown sugar.
It is also a good remedy for chronic fever characterized by low-grade fever, fatigue, and In some cases of chronic fever, the patient develops splenomegaly (spleen enlargement) and liver functions get disturbed. It reduces inflammation in the spleen and liver. Thereby, it restores their natural functions.
Its powder is used along with honey in a productive It helps in easier expectoration of mucus and sputum accumulated in the lungs and airways. Thus, it helps to provide relief from a cough and chest congestion. It further prevents mucus formation and regulates respiratory functions. It also provides relief from breathing troubles occurring due to the accumulation of excess mucus in the airways.
Bhringraj powder improves eyesight. In ayurveda, it is used along with Saptamrit Lauh or Amla and Yashtimadhu Churna.