6 Healthy Habits You Should Start Following Today To Avoid Any Disease

(The following is for entertainment purposes only)

(Yahoonews) - The only person who can truly take care of your health is you. In today’s world of ever increasing pollution, stressful workloads and erratic time schedules, diseases and health related problems are at their peak. For keeping these diseases away, you need to modify your lifestyle and adapt healthy habits. So, read on to know all the tricks and tips for a healthy lifestyle.

#1. Have a wholesome breakfast
It is rightly said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Breakfast actually means ‘breaking the fast’. It is the first meal of the day after a long gap. Avoiding breakfast will lead to various digestive problems and also make you feel tired throughout the day. So start your day on a fresh and healthy note by eating a nutritious breakfast. Also do not forget to keep your intake of milk and other dairy products sufficient.

#2. Fall in love with your vegetables
Fresh vegetables are a rich source of fiber, essential nutrients and minerals. Adding these to your diet in the form of salads or juices will help to flush out toxins from your body and give your face a healthy glow.

#3. Drink plenty of water
All health and beauty experts emphasise on the importance of drinking water. You must try to drink at least eight to ten glasses of water in a day. Water helps cleanse your body and rejuvenates your skin. Insufficient intake may lead to severe dehydration.
Edit: Only drink water if you're thirsty! Drinking too much water can be bad for your health.

#4. Say no to cigarettes
Smoking not only causes cancer of the lungs and other dreadful health conditions, but also adversely affects your looks. It also harms the health of those who inhale the smoke passively. People who do smoke should quit for a longer and healthier life and also to set a good example for generations to come.

#5. Stay away from heavy fried and junk foods.
Junk foods or fast foods are very rich in spices, oils, trans fats, artificial preservatives and sugars. All these are responsible for causing ailments like high cholesterol, high blood sugar, hypertension and kidney or gall bladder stones. Also, eating fast foods is one of the main reasons behind obesity, especially in children. Instead of feasting on such foods, make an effort to eat a well balanced and nutritious home cooked meal.

#6. Sleep well
Experts suggest that we require at least eight to nine hours of proper uninterrupted sleep. For this you must never take long naps in the afternoon; if you wish to rest in the day take short power naps. Choose a comfortable and inviting mattress for your bed. Avoid a heavy meal at night and never go to bed right after dinner. Make it a point to go on a small walk after dinner so that the food gets digested.

Remember, health is wealth. Do adapt these healthy habits to live a long and healthy life!

What Is Gluten?

(wisegeek) - Gluten is a composite formed from several different proteins. It is found most commonly in wheat and other related grains, such as barley and rye. Adding texture and a characteristic chewiness to baked goods, this ingredient is used in a wide variety of other foods as a thickener and binder, flavor enhancer, and protein supplement. Some people can develop an intolerance to these proteins, however; a gluten-free diet often helps to alleviate symptoms caused by this intolerance.

Foods Containing Gluten

Along with wheat, other cereal grains that contain gluten are durum, spelt, and einkorn, as well as farro, graham, kamut, and semolina. Many are also used to enhance the flavor and protein of foods, as well as to bind and thicken their consistency. While the grains are often found in breakfast cereals and various baked goods, they can also be included in a variety of other foods that are not as obvious.

Used as a thickener, gluten can be found in soups and broths, as well as gravies and sauces such as ketchup, salad dressings, or marinades. Since it enhances flavor, it is used in bouillon, spice blends, and other foods such as coffees, dairy products, vinegars, and liquors. It can also be found in the substance used to seal envelopes since it acts as a stabilizer.

Gluten is also used on its own as a protein supplement, particularly for people who do not have access to other protein sources. The protein it contains also makes it useful in meat substitutes, especially those used in vegan and vegetarian diets. Imitation meats or wheat meats, such as seitan, are often made of concentrated gluten.

Gluten Proteins

Within gluten, there are actually four main proteins: albumins, glutelins, globulins, and prolamins. Glutelins and prolamins are found in higher concentrations in wheat, while albumins and globulins are more plentiful in corn and rice. Many people associate wheat with the term "gluten," however, as it is those proteins that are most directly related to health issues such as celiac disease. Glutelins, in particular, are dangerous for those susceptible to intolerance because of the way that acids in the body break them down.

Most of the protein in wheat — 80% — is made up of the prolamin called gliadin and the glutelin called glutenin. When these molecules are joined together due to a chemical reaction, they stretch and harden, allowing dough to form a light, airy loaf with a chewy texture. As a result, these proteins are commonly found in flour and other baking products.

Function in Bread

Kneading dough creates the strands that help the gliadin and glutenin molecules to join or cross-link. The more the dough is kneaded, the more links are developed and the chewier the final product becomes. In addition, the proteins thicken when heated, trapping the carbon dioxide produced by yeast. This enables baked goods to rise more and retain their shape instead of crumbling.

The amount of gluten added to the flour can have an impact on the texture of the final product. Bread flour needs more of these proteins to produce a loaf that isn't too dense or crumbly, while pastry flour — which should be flaky instead of chewy — has less. The flour industry measures its concentration with a farinograph, an instrument used to indicate density and elasticity among other elements in flour.

Gluten Intolerance

Gluten intolerance is a term that is used to describe three conditions: wheat allergy, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and celiac disease. According to research, between 5 and 10 percent of all people may suffer from some form of sensitivity. All three conditions are difficult to diagnose, however, so it is thought that many people are not aware that this intolerance may be the source of other health issues.

Most forms of gluten intolerance cause the body to produce an abnormal immune response in the presence of wheat or its proteins. An allergy to wheat can produce symptoms such as hives, difficulty breathing, and digestive problems; in serious cases, a person with this allergy can experience anaphylaxis, a sudden and severe reaction that can be life-threatening. People with celiac disease, which causes damage and inflammation in the small intestine, can suffer from bloating, weight loss, fatigue, and headaches as the body has difficulty obtaining all the nutrients it needs from food.

Gluten-Free Diet

Avoiding gluten altogether is the only way to prevent the damage caused by an intolerance, though this can be difficult to do. A gluten-free diet requires a complete understanding of what it is and where it can be found. Gluten is found in many products, so it's necessary for someone following this diet to read labels carefully and know what products might contain it. In general, "gluten-free" means that the product contains less than the minimum standard that is considered to be harmful, though this number varies worldwide. Because so many foods contain these proteins, finding alternative sources for all of the vitamins, minerals, and fiber required for a healthy diet can be a challenge.

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If this has you confused, watch the following video by ASAPScience explaining what Gluten is:

12 Terrible Pieces of Advice for Pregnant Women

Via Mentalfloss:

- When you’re pregnant, your body is in one very literal sense no longer completely your own. But in another, more uncomfortable sense, it’s become a public entity—because complete strangers think it’s absolutely fine to comment on what you’re eating, how you’re exercising (or not, in my case), even how you’re walking. We’ve compiled some of the best worst pregnancy advice through the ages. Please don't tell any pregnant women they shouldn't look at monkeys

Read the full text HERE

8 Sleeping Positions & Their effects on Health.

(dailyhealthpost) - Getting enough sleep is the most important thing – but did you know that how you sleep can also impact your health? Let’s take a look at eight common sleeping positions and what they do to your body.

1. On Your Back, Arms at Sides

Sleeping on your back with your arms at your side is generally considered to be the best sleeping position for spine health and it’s good for your neck, too, as long as you don’t use too many pillows. That said, back sleepers tend to snore more than those in any other position and sleep apnea is strongly associated with sleeping on the back.

2. On Your Back, Arms Up

This so-called “starfish” position is also good for the back. Whether you have your arms up around your pillow or not, sleeping on your back may also help to prevent facial wrinkles and skin breakouts. However, like the arms-down back sleeping position, this one can also result in snoring and problems with acid reflux. Plus, having your arms up can put pressure on nerves in your shoulders, leading to pain.


3. Face Down

Sleeping on your stomach can improve digestion but unless you’ve developed a way to breathe through your pillow, it most likely leads to you tilting your face in one direction or the other. This can put a lot of strain on the neck. Sleeping face down can also cause back pain, as the curve of the spine is not supported.

4. Fetal Position

Sleeping all curled up into a ball with your knees drawn up and your chin tilted down might be comfortable but it can do a number on your back and neck.

The extreme curl of the fetal position can also restrict deep breathing. That considered, sleeping like a fetus can have you sleeping like a baby if you typically have problems with snoring or if you’re pregnant.


5. On Side, Arms at Sides

When you’re sleeping on your side with both arms down, the spine is best supported in its natural curve. This can definitely help reduce back and neck pain while also reducing sleep apnea. The downside? Sleeping on the side can contribute to skin aging due to gravity, meaning facial wrinkles and sagging breasts.

6. On Side, Arms Out

This position has many of the same benefits of sleeping on your side with your arms straight down. However, any side sleeping can cause shoulder and arm pain due to restricted blood flow and pressure on the nerves, which may be exacerbated by having your arms out in front of you.

7. On the Right Side

If you’re a side-sleeper, which side you sleep on also makes a difference. Sleeping on the right side can worsen heartburn while sleeping on the left side can put strain on internal organs like the liver, lungs, and stomach (while minimizing acid reflux). For pregnant sleepers, doctors typically advise sleeping on the left side, since this can improve circulation to the fetus.

8. Pillow-Supplemented

Regardless of which sleeping position you prefer, it’s highly likely that you can get a better night’s rest with less pain in the morning by supplementing your body with a pillow.

Back sleepers can put a small pillow under the arch of their spine, side sleepers can place a pillow between their knees, and stomach sleepers can place a pillow under their hips to support the joints and allow for full, pain-free relaxation.

Which sleeping position gives you the best night’s rest without pain?

Read more: HERE