Food and Health

Health Benefits Of Limes

The lime is a small, green citrus fruit that grows on trees in warm climates. Limes can be sweet or sour, depending on the variety. Most of the limes you’ll find in American grocery stores are a variety known as Persian limes, most of which are imported from Mexico.

While sweet limes aren’t commonly available in the United States, Americans may be familiar with the Persian lime’s smaller, tart cousin, the Key lime. Whether sweet or sour, limes have many health benefits.

Health Benefits

Citrus fruits can add a tart, zesty kick to almost any food or drink. But what are the health benefits of limes? While most people might only think of limes as a garnish, limes can pack a nutritional punch for your diet.

Here are a few health benefits of limes:

Reduce Inflammation

Limes contain antioxidants, which have been shown to help reduce inflammation and even help prevent certain chronic illnesses.

Protect Against Infection

The high levels of Vitamin C found in limes can help protect you from infection and speed up your body’s healing process.

Prevent Kidney Stones

Citrus fruits have been shown to help keep kidney stones at bay. The citric acid in lemons, limes, and other citrus fruits makes it more difficult for kidney stones to form.

Guard Against Stroke

Studies have shown that the flavonoids found in citrus fruit, including limes, may help protect against stroke, especially in women. Still, more research needs to be done into this subject.

Healthy Bones and Teeth

Bone and tooth development can also benefit from the Vitamin C found in limes.

Improve Your Immune Health

Vitamin C is vital to your immune health. Regularly eating limes, which are high in Vitamin C, can even help you stave off the common cold.

Nutrition

Citrus fruits have many health benefits, and limes are no exception. Let’s break down some of the nutrients found in limes.

Nutrients per Serving

One lime contains:

Calories: 20
Sodium: 1 milligram
Total carbohydrates: 7 grams
Dietary fiber: 2 grams
Sugar: 1 gram

One lime contains roughly a third of your daily recommended Vitamin C intake. Limes also contain small amounts of:

Protein
Vitamin A
Calcium
Iron

Things to Watch Out For

Like other citrus fruits, limes are acidic and can damage your tooth enamel when eaten in large quantities. Drink plenty of water throughout the day and rinse your mouth out after eating limes to flush out limes’ citric acid.

If you’re allergic to other citrus fruits, you might be allergic to limes. Talk to your doctor about your allergies before adding limes to your diet.

How to Prepare Limes

You can usually find limes at your local grocery store, but if you want to pick them yourself, you need to know what to aim for. The healthy limes for the picking are:

Heavy
Bright
Not discolored

Limes have countless uses. Sliced lime is great for adding citrusy notes to a pitcher of water, while lime wedges are the perfect way to add some acidity to your favorite tacos. Here are some other uses for limes:

Stir lime juice with sugar, seltzer water, and ice to make a refreshing limeade
Squeeze lime juice into Mexican rice and serve with extra lime wedges
Serve slices in a floral tea, like hibiscus
Mix lime with soy sauce, garlic, and ginger to make a marinade for baked salmon

Food and Health

Side Effects Of Morning After Pills You Need To Know

The morning after pill may prevent unwanted pregnancy, but it can also cause some side effects like an irregular period, fatigue, headaches, abdominal pain, dizziness, nausea and vomiting.

The main unpleasant side effects that the emergency contraceptive pill can cause are:

Nausea and vomiting;
Headache;
Fatigue;
Bleeding between periods;
Breast tenderness;
Abdominal pain;
Diarrhoea;
Irregular period, coming earlier or later than usual.

What to do

Some side effects can be treated, or even avoided, as follows:

Nausea and vomiting

Food should be eaten as soon as the pill is taken, to reduce the urge to vomit. If nausea occurs, a home remedy may be prepared and taken, such as ginger or clove tea with cinnamon, or antiemetic medication.

Headache and abdominal pain

If the pill causes side effects like headaches or abdominal pain, painkillers such as paracetamol or dipyrone are recommended.

Breast tenderness

To relieve breast pain, apply warm compresses or take a warm bath, massaging the breast area

Diarrhoea

In case of diarrhoea, drink plenty of fluids and avoid greasy foods, eggs, milk and alcohol, giving preference to black, chamomile or guava leaf tea.

Food and Health

Home Remedies To Get Rid Of A Stubborn Cough At Home

A dry cough is also called an unproductive cough. Unlike productive, wet coughs, dry coughs are unable to remove mucus, phlegm, or irritants from your lungs or nasal passages.

Dry coughs can linger for weeks after you’ve had a cold or the flu. They may also be caused by a number of conditions, such as:

postnasal drip
asthma
acid reflux or GERD

They may also be a long-lasting side effect from exposure to environmental toxins, such as cigarette smoke.

Dry coughs can be very uncomfortable and may occur in both children and adults. While there are a number of clinical treatments you can use to alleviate them, there are also at-home remedies which can be just as effective in many cases.

Here are a few home remedies for a stubborn dry cough you can try.

Herbs and supplements

At-home remedies for dry cough aren’t one-size-fits-all. You may have to experiment with several before you find the ones that work for you.

In addition, not all of these remedies have been fully researched and proven to be effective. Some treatments are also inappropriate for babies or children.

Honey

For adults and children ages 1 and up, honey can be used to treat day and nighttime dry coughing.

Honey has antibacterial properties and can also help to coat the throat, alleviating irritation.

You can try taking honey by the teaspoon several times daily, or add it to tea or warm water to drink.

Turmeric

Turmeric contains curcumin, a compound which may have anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antibacterial properties. It may also be beneficial for several conditions, including a stubborn dry cough.

Curcumin is best absorbed into the blood stream when taken with black pepper. You can add 1 teaspoon of turmeric and 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper into a beverage, such as cold orange juice, to drink. You can also make it into a warm tea.

You can get turmeric in its spice-form, as well as a capsule.

Ginger

Ginger has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. It has also been shown to boost the immune system and relieve pain and discomfort.

Ginger can be found in many teas as an ingredient. You can also make ginger tea from ginger root by steeping the peeled or cut root in warm water. Adding honey may make it even more beneficial for dry cough.

You can also take ginger in capsule form, or chew on ginger root to alleviate dry cough.

Peppermint

Peppermint contains menthol, which helps to numb nerve endings in the throat that become irritated by coughing. This may provide pain relief and reduce the urge to cough.

There are a number of ways to take peppermint. These include drinking peppermint tea or sucking on peppermint lozenges. Try drinking peppermint tea right before bed to help alleviate nighttime coughs.

Aromatherapy with eucalyptus

Aromatherapy is the practice of using essential oils to soothe and heal.

Eucalyptus essential oil may help ease dry cough by working as a decongestant. Try adding eucalyptus to a diffuser, spritzer, or inhaler. You can also add a few drops to hot water in a bowl and inhale the steam.

Scenting your room with eucalyptus may help you get a better night’s sleep if nighttime coughing has been keeping you awake.

Gargle with salt water

Gargling with warm salt water will help ease the discomfort and irritation caused by a dry cough. Salt water also helps kill bacteria in the mouth and throat.

To do this, dissolve 1 teaspoon of table salt in a large glass of warm water. Then gargle several times a day.

If you wake up with an irritated throat from coughing during the night, gargle with salt water immediately after brushing your teeth to help numb and soothe the nerve endings in your throat.

Food and Health

Top 5 Reasons Why You Should Always Have Honey At Home

Honey is filled with a lot of nutrients to keep you healthy and glowing. So, stay at home and make the best use of it.

You have no idea that your home is a hidden treasure of beneficial ingredients. From the kitchen to your refrigerator, there are a lot of ingredients present with you to help you in various ways.

Honey is one of them. You might treat it as a natural sweetener but it is way more useful than that.

Honey contains a lot of antioxidants and vital nutrients like calcium, iron, magnesium copper, potassium, manganese and zinc.

These all are great to boost up your diet, skin and health naturally. So folks, here we are going to talk about five amazing ways to use honey at home.

Here are the five ways you can use honey. From a healthy diet to skincare and health remedies, honey is the jack of all trades.

Reduces Acid Reflux

Honey contains anti-bacterial and anti-fungal agents that are great to boost your gastrointestinal system.

By keeping the bacterial interference at bay, it helps in digestion well. Honey can also help reduce acid reflux. Take 1 teaspoon of honey and mix it in a glass of lukewarm water.

Great For Skin And Hair

Honey has a lot of benefits for your skin and hair. It is not just a natural moisturiser but it is loaded with many skin benefits. To tackle dull, dry skin or acne, honey works wonderfully.

Whatever skin pack you use, adding a spoon of honey will prove to be beneficial. For the hair, it helps in reducing dandruff naturally. You can use 2 tablespoons of honey with 1 egg white to make a hair pack. Apply it on your scalp as a pre-wash hair mask.

A Better Substitute For Artificial Sugar

Honey is considered to be a better choice rather than refined sugar. Honey contains a lot of antioxidants which lowers the risk of cardiac issues as well as high blood pressure. To use it, you can have it with a cup of green tea regularly.

Reduces Sore Throat, Nausea And Cold

A common cold and sore throat remedy in most Indian households is honey. Its anti-bacterial properties can help reduce throat infection and cold. It is also known to curb nausea effectively. You just have to drink a solution of 1 tablespoon honey and ginger in water.

Reduces Hangover

What can be worse than a hangover? The sweetness present in honey helps the body to trigger its metabolism and prevent sudden changes in blood sugar level. Also, it minimises the side effects of alcohol consumption. You can drink a glass of honey water to tackle hangover.