Food is like a “double edged sword”. It cures the disease but it may generate a disease as well if taken improperly. Right diet can prevent and fight against the disease. So making a right choice of food and cooking them properly are important. Here are some tips for healthy living :

•   Eat your meal slowly Gulping your food is bad for digestion. Chew your food thoroughly
    so that the digestive enzymes can help in digesting the food properly. Drink the solids and
    chew the liquids.

•   Just as the quality of the food consumed is important so is the quality of food intake. The
    stomach should be half filled with food, ¼ with water and remaining ¼ should be left
    empty for the proper movement of food inside and for the gas formed during the digestion.

•   Unlike offer nutrients, our body requires water in balanced quantity. Too much of water
    after meals will dilute digestive juices and weaken the digestion. On the other hand
    insufficient water in-take will lead to constipation and accumulation of toxins.

•   Include colored vegetable & fruits (carrot, spinach, greens, beetroot, tomato, orange etc.,)
    and green tea in your diet. These will help to prevent many disease including cancer.

•   Use minimum water to steam / cook vegetables to prevent the loss of vitamin B (it is
    water soluble)

•   Avoid soda, bicarbonates & ajinomotto in cooking. These will destroy the vitamins in the
    food.

•   Consume the food as early as possible after cooking to get the maximum nutrients.

•   For every cut of vegetables & fruits there will be nutrients loss, so cut vegetables into
    moderate sizes.

•   Vegetables should be washed in running water before peeling the skin, washing the
    peeled vegetables or allowing them to remain in cold water for long, leads to loss of
    nutrients, because most of the mineral salts and vitamins are dissolved in water.

•   Best way of cooking is at a low temperature in shorter duration.

•   Best vessels for cooking are of stainless steel and casseroles. Avoid aluminum and
    copper vessels, since they have metallic poisoning effect on food.

•   Avoid re-heating of food to prevent nutrients loss and also it paves the way for growth of
    certain micro-organism.

•   Add fresh herbs, minimum spices & salt at the last minute of cooking.

At present every other person is a diabetic or hypertensive due to wrong dietary habits and life-style. Here are a few dietary tips to control these two silent killers :

DIETARY TIPS FOR HYPERTENSION

•   Fruits are rich source of potassium & help to reduce the sodium level of tissues which
    inturn, controls high blood pressure.

•   Garlic has a property of vasodilatation in peripheral blood arteries which in turn reduces
    the blood pressure. It also has antibacterial & antithrombotic (thinning of blood) effect on
    our body.

•   Lettuce juice is a good source of magnesium which helps in lowering blood pressure.

•   Alfa-Alfa has a property of hardening arteries which in turn helps in proper flow of blood
    and lowering blood pressure. In Arab, this is called as ‘father of foods’ due to presence
    of several enzymes, vitamin A & E.

•   Daily intake of 1 cup of oatmeal decreases the blood pressure & even can substitute the
    medicine for blood pressure.

•   Onion contains small amount of adenosine and prostaglandin substances having
    properties which helps in lowering the blood pressure.

•   Include more fruits and vegetables which excrete excess of sodium in urine.

•   Use Rock salt rather than table salt. Do not keep the salt at the table.

•   Use lona salt now available in market which has 60% less sodium. Above all, it has high
    magnesium and potassium which help in lowering blood pressure.

•   Season the vegetables with spices (mild) and herbs while keeping the salt level at bare
    minimum.

•   Steam (or) cook the food in a minimum of plain unsalted water.

•   Avoid canned and preserved foods and carbonated drinks.

•   Select high fiber foods like leafy vegetables, sprouts and whole cereals.

DIETARY TIPS FOR DIABETES

•   Follow the golden rule - “No fast No feast”

•   Take equal interval between meals.

•   Intake of fenugreek (methi) seeds 2 tsp every day reduces blood sugar due to the
    pressure of trigonelline, alkaloid and high fiber.

•   Juice of Bittergourd : A known medicine for diabetes, it has plant insulin in that reduces
    blood sugar.

•   Jambu fruit (jamun) has a specific action on pancreas to stimulate insulin which in turn
    helps to reduce the blood sugar.

•   Garlic has anti-diabetic effects, so take 2-3 pods of garlic everyday.

•   Onion has a property of reducing blood sugar level due to the presence of diphenylamine.

•   Recent study reveals that cabbage has anti-diabetic effect. It is low in calories &
    carbohydrates. It acts as a fat carries in case of diabetes.

•   Intake of fig (anjeer) helps to control the excess urination in diabetes.

•   Soyabean is a “miracle” due to the presence of high protein, isoflavaniods and immune
    boosters in it. It plays vital role in controlling diabetes.

•   Spinach (palak) considered as “broom of stomach” has body building aminoacids which
    helps in lowering blood sugar.

•   Intake of oatmeal every day reduces blood sugar and blood pressure.

•   Include food which is rich in minerals like chromium and thiamine i.e. bajara, kabuli
    channa, bottle gourd, onion stalks millet, whole wheat bread and oat meal.

•   Sprouts being rich in chlorophyll, crude fiber, vitamin A,D, K, C & B complex, help to
    control blood sugar.