Carrots

Carrots are a great source of the potent antioxidants known as carotenoids. Diets high in carotenoids have been tied to a decreased risk in postmenopausal breast cancer as well as cancers of the bladder, cervix, prostate, colon, larynx, and esophagus. Conversely, diets low in carotenoids have been associated with chronic disease, including heart disease and various cancers. Research suggests that just one carrot per day could reduce your risk of lung cancer by half. Carrots may also reduce your risk of kidney and ovarian cancers. In addition to fighting cancer, the nutrients in carrots inhibit cardiovascular disease, stimulate the immune system, promote colon health, and support ear and eye health.

Carrots contain calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, fiber, vitamin C, and an incredible amount of vitamin A. The alpha-carotene in carrots has shown promise in inhibiting tumor growth. Carrots also contain the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, which work together to promote eye health and prevent macular degeneration and cataracts. In Chinese medicine, carrots are used to treat rheumatism, kidney stones, tumors, indigestion, diarrhea, night blindness, ear infections, earaches, deafness, skin lesions, urinary tract infections, coughs, and constipation.

How much: Eat a serving of carrots each day if you can, and enjoy them year-round. Carrots are good for you whether they're raw or lightly cooked; cooking helps break down the tough fiber, making some of the nutrients more easily absorbed. For the best nutrition, go for whole carrots that are firm and fresh-looking. Precut baby carrots are made from whole carrots and, although they're convenient, they tend to lose important nutrients during processing.

Tips: Remove carrot tops before storing them in the fridge, as the tops drain moisture from the roots and will cause the carrots to wilt. Buy organic; conventionally grown carrots frequently show high pesticide residues

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Onions

Onions get a bad rap for their effect on the breath, but that's not the only part of the body where they pack a wallop. Onions contain potent cancer-fighting enzymes; onion consumption has been shown to help lower the risk of prostate and esophageal cancers and has also been linked to reduced mortality from coronary heart disease. Research suggests that they may help protect against stomach cancer. Onions contain sulfides that help lower blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as a peptide that may help prevent bone loss by inhibiting the loss of calcium and other bone minerals.

Onions have super antioxidant power. They contain quercetin, a natural antihistamine that reduces airway inflammation and helps relieve symptoms of allergies and hay fever. Onions also boast high levels of vitamin C, which, along with the quercetin, battles cold and flu symptoms. Onions' anti-inflammatory properties help fight the pain and swelling associated with osteo- and rheumatoid arthritis. Onions are also extremely rich in sulfur and they have antibiotic and antiviral properties, making them excellent for people who consume a diet high in protein, fat, or sugar, as they help cleanse the arteries and impede the growth of viruses, yeasts, and other disease-causing agents, which can build up in an imbalanced diet.

How much: For all the health benefits onions provide, it would be ideal to eat one a day. However, if that's not doable for you, add a few onions to your weekly grocery list and try to eat a little bit every day. All varieties are extremely good for you, but shallots and yellow onions lead the pack in antioxidant activity. Raw onions provide the best nutrition, but they're still great for you when they're lightly cooked. And cooking meat at high temperatures (such as on a grill) with onions can help reduce or counteract carcinogens produced by the meat.

Tip: Onions should be stored at room temperature, but if they bother your eyes when you cut them, try refrigerating them for an hour beforehand.

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Spinach

You already knew spinach was good for you, but did you know justhow good? Spinach protects against eye disease and vision loss; it's good for brain function; it guards against colon, prostate, and breast cancers; it protects against heart disease, stroke, and dementia; it lowers blood pressure; it's anti-inflammatory; and it's great for bone health. Spinach has an amazing array of nutrients, including high amounts of vitamin K, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, magnesium, and iron.

A carotenoid found in spinach not only kills prostate cancer cells, it also prevents them from multiplying. Folate promotes vascular health by lowering homocysteine, an amino acid that, at high levels, raises the risk of dementia and cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke. Folate has also been shown to reduce the risk of developing colorectal, ovarian, and breast cancers and to help stop uncontrolled cell growth, one of the primary characteristics of all cancers. The vitamin C and beta-carotene in spinach protect against colon cancer in addition to fighting inflammation, making them key components of brain health, particularly in older adults.

Spinach is loaded with vitamin K (one cup of cooked spinach provides 1,111 percent of the recommended daily amount!), which builds strong bones by helping calcium adhere to the bone. Spinach is also rich in lutein, which protects against age-related macular degeneration, and it may help prevent heart attacks by keeping artery walls clear of cholesterol buildup.

How much: Fresh spinach should be a daily staple in your diet. It's available in practically every grocery store, no matter where you live, it's easy to find year-round, and you'd be hard pressed to find a more nutritionally sound, versatile green. So do yourself a healthy favor and aim for a few ounces, raw or lightly steamed, every day.

Tips: Add a handful of fresh spinach to your next fruit smoothie. It'll change the color but not the taste. Conventionally grown spinach is susceptible to pesticide residue; stick to organic.

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Watercress

Not only is watercress extremely nutritious, it's about as close as you can get to a calorie-free food. Calorie for calorie, it provides four times the calcium of 2 percent milk. Ounce for ounce, it offers as much vitamin C as an orange and more iron than spinach. It's packed with vitamin A and has lots of vitamin K, along with multiple antioxidant carotenoids and protective phytochemicals.

The nutrients in watercress protect against cancer and macular degeneration, help build the immune system, and support bone health. The iron helps red blood cells carry oxygen to your body's tissues for energy. The phytochemicals in watercress battle cancer in three ways: killing cancer cells, blocking carcinogens, and protecting healthy cells from carcinogens. They've also been shown to help prevent lung and esophageal cancer and can help lower your risk for other cancers.

In Chinese medicine, watercress is thought to help reduce tumors, improve night vision, and stimulate bile production (improving digestion and settling intestinal gas). It's used as a remedy for jaundice, urinary difficulty, sore throat, mumps, and bad breath.

How much: Eat watercress daily if you can. In some regions, it's more widely available during the spring and summer, when it's cultivated outdoors. But since it can also be grown hydroponically in greenhouses, you can find it year-round in many grocery stores and at your local farmers market.

Tips: You can cook it, but watercress is better for you when you eat it raw. Tuck it into a sandwich in place of lettuce.

Toss it with your favorite vegetables and eat it in a salad.

Watercress is great in pesto—just replace the basil with watercress—and soups.

Use watercress as a wonderfully detoxifying ingredient in juice or smoothies.

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Beans

Beans are a miracle food. They lower cholesterol, regulate blood sugar and insulin production, promote digestive health, and protect against cancer. If you think of fiber, protein, and antioxidants and immediately think whole grains, meat, and fruit, think again—beans offer all three in a single package.

An assortment of phytochemicals found in beans has been shown to protect cells from cancerous activity by inhibiting cancer cells from reproducing, slowing tumor growth. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health reported that women who consumed beans at least twice a week were 24 percent less likely to develop breast cancer, and multiple studies have tied beans to a reduced risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and breast and colon cancers.

Beans deliver a whopping amount of antioxidants, which help prevent and fight oxidative damage. In fact, the USDA's ranking of foods by antioxidant capacity places three varieties of beans (red beans, red kidney beans, and pinto beans) in the top four—and that's among all food groups. Beans are a great source of dietary fiber, protein, and iron. They also contain the amino acid tryptophan; foods with high amounts of tryptophan can help regulate your appetite, aid in sleep, and improve your mood. Many are also rich in folate, which plays a significant role in heart health. And depending on the type of bean you choose, you'll also get decent amounts of potassium, magnesium, vitamin B1 and B2, and vitamin K. Soybeans are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids.

In Chinese medicine, various types of beans have been used to treat alcoholism, food poisoning, edema (particularly in the legs), high blood pressure, diarrhea, laryngitis, kidney stones, rheumatism, and dozens of other conditions.

How much: Aim for a minimum of two servings of beans per week.

Tip: Adzuki and mung beans are among the most easily digested; pinto, kidney, navy, garbanzo, lima, and black beans are more difficult to digest.

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Guavas

Guavas are a small tropical fruit that can be round, oval, or pear-shaped. They're not all that common, so they might be hard to find, depending on where you live. But if you can track them down, it's more than worth it. Guavas contain more of the cancer-fighting antioxidant lycopene than any other fruit or vegetable, and nearly 20 percent more than tomatoes. Our bodies can't process much of the lycopene in tomatoes until they're cooked; the processing helps break down tough cell walls. However, guavas' cell structure allows the antioxidant to be absorbed whether the fruit is raw or cooked, and the whole fruit offers the nutrition without the added sodium of processed tomato products.

Lycopene protects our healthy cells from free radicals that can cause all kinds of damage, including blocked arteries, joint degeneration, nervous system problems, and even cancer. Lycopene consumption is associated with significantly lower rates of prostate cancer; in addition, men with prostate tumors who consumed lycopene supplements showed significant improvements, such as smaller tumors and decreased malignancy. Lycopene has also been found to inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells, and research suggests that this antioxidant may also help protect against coronary heart disease.

This strange-looking little fruit is also packed with vitamin C and other antioxidants. Serving for serving, guava offers more than 60 percent more potassium than a banana, which can help protect against heart disease and stroke. In fact, the nutrients found in guavas have been shown to lower LDL and boost HDL cholesterol, reduce triglycerides, and lower blood pressure.

How much: Aim to eat fresh guavas as often as you can when you can find them in stores. They're not commonly available in the freezer section; and most guava juices are processed and sweetened, so they don't provide the same superior nutrition that the whole, fresh fruit does. One to two guavas a day is a good goal.

Tip: Opt for the red-fleshed variety if you can; both are loaded with antioxidants, but the red type has more than the white-fleshed apple guava.

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Cherries

Cherries boast a laundry list of healing powers. For starters, they pack a powerful nutritional punch for a relatively low calorie count. They're also packed with substances that help fight inflammation and cancer. As if that weren't enough, in lab studies, quercetin and ellagic acid, two compounds contained in cherries, have been shown to inhibit the growth of tumors and even cause cancer cells to commit suicide—without damaging healthy cells. Cherries also have antiviral and antibacterial properties.

Anthocyanin, another compound in cherries, is credited with lowering the uric acid levels in the blood, thereby reducing a common cause of gout. Researchers believe anthocyanins may also reduce your risk of colon cancer. Further, these compounds work like a natural form of ibuprofen, reducing inflammation and curbing pain. Regular consumption may help lower risk of heart attack and stroke.

In Chinese medicine, cherries are routinely used as a remedy for gout, arthritis, and rheumatism (as well as anemia, due to their high iron content). Plus they're delicious.

How much: Aim for a daily serving while they're in season locally. And keep a bag of frozen cherries in your freezer the rest of the year; frozen cherries retain 100 percent of their nutritional value and make a great addition to smoothies, yogurt, and oatmeal.

Tip: Buy organic, since conventionally grown cherries can be high in pesticides.

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Kiwifruit

This tiny, nutrient-dense fruit packs an amazing amount of vitamin C (double the amount found in oranges), has more fiber than apples, and beats bananas as a high-potassium food. The unique blend of phytonutrients, vitamins, and minerals found in kiwifruit helps protect against heart disease, stroke, cancer, and respiratory disease. Kiwifruit's natural blood-thinning properties work without the side effects of aspirin and support vascular health by reducing the formation of spontaneous blood clots, lowering LDL cholesterol, and reducing blood pressure. Multiple studies have shown that kiwifruit not only reduce oxidative stress and damage to DNA but also prompt damaged cells to repair themselves.

Kiwifruit are often prescribed as part of a dietary regimen to battle cancer and heart disease, and in Chinese medicine they are used to accelerate the healing of wounds and sores.

How much: Aim to eat one to two kiwifruit a day while they're in season, for the best taste and nutrition. California-grown kiwifruit are in season from October through May, and New Zealand kiwifruit are available between April and November.

Tips: Kiwifruit contain enzymes that activate once you cut the fruit, causing the flesh to tenderize. So if you're making a fruit salad, cut the kiwifruit last.

The riper the kiwifruit, the greater the antioxidant power, so let them ripen before you dig in.

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Seasonal Diet For Better Health

Controlling weight and caring body health should be continuous process in all aspects. Hence body caring must be in full swing in all seasons of the year irrespective of rain winter or summer. If only this can be carried out carefully, better health can be maintained. In order to achieve this successfully people must rely on seasonal healthy foods in addition to regular exercises and walking. These techniques will enable people to gain health skin as well as healthy body. Fruits and vegetables are the various food items available with respect to various seasons. If we can consume these fruits and vegetables with respect to their availability then we will be in sound health through out. Since fruits and vegetables contain minerals and vitamins in abundance, they can be considered as the better alternative for ideal balanced diet. Fruits and vegetables which are available seasonally are capable to keep man in good health all the time. More over, they can be refreshed and rejuvenated all time by taking these foods regularly.
In additional to these seasonal foods if people can take milk and eggs also, nothing extra is needed to maintain better health. Fruits and vegetables are very good supplementary food for eyes, skin, hair, bone, teeth and hemoglobin found in blood. The diet we usually consume are suitable to apply externally also. In this regard certain fruits, vegetables, vegetable juice and fruit juices are recommended to use in our body and face. Fruit juices and vegetables have certain tendencies to reduce our body heat. Hence they are highly recommended for using during summer seasons. No vegetarian foods and dishes are not suitable to develop cool in human body. Hence they are not ideal especially during summer season. In addition to these nutritive foods, people must drink enough water every day. Since water is the main constituent of human body tissues drinking enough water will enable tissues to perform better metabolic activities. Thus seasonal diet and water consumption have key roles to develop better health.

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Health And Fitness

The importance ‘Health Fitness’ is too great. In olden times men had to work hard physically to gain their food and other living means. This had provided them enough physical exercises unknowingly. Thus, during that period the health condition of all people were in good condition. This is the reason as to why the men who lived in olden days had no illness or physical uneasiness.  But nowadays the life of men is very easy on account of the development of science and related technologies. If they have money they need not even travel for collecting their food. The currently prevailing conveniences enable men to gain everything by just making a phone call. This lazy life kept men away from the physical exercises required for their health fitness. In addition to this people prefer to eat spicy fast food items which are considered as the examples of malnutrition.   From the above mentioned facts we can understand the importance of health fitness as far as men’s wellbeing is concerned.
It is high time to think about the measures by which men can maintain their health in good condition. On account of these unrestricted life all people who are above forty are suffering from various health problems. Hyper Tension and high glucose content in blood are the main illness conquering men because of their unhealthy life. If they concentrate on daily exercises they can make their health in good condition. They need not spend majority of their time for performing these exercises. They can utilize one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening for health fitness activities. In between these two hours they can concentrate on their normal works or business. All people have been becoming fully aware abut the importance of health fitness nowadays. Hence we can expect a generation of healthy people in the near future.

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Asthma

Asthma is a chronic disease characterized by recurrent attacks of breathlessness and wheezing, which vary in severity and frequency from person to person. During an asthma attack, the lining of the bronchial tubes swells, causing the airways to narrow and reducing the flow of air into and out of the lungs.

The causes of asthma are not completely understood. However, risk factors for developing asthma include inhaling asthma “triggers”, such as allergens, tobacco smoke and chemical irritants. Asthma cannot be cured, but appropriate management can control the disorder and enable people to enjoy a good quality of life.

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Zoonoses

A zoonosis is any disease or infection that is naturally transmissible from vertebrate animals to humans. Animals thus play an essential role in maintaining zoonotic infections in nature. Zoonoses may be bacterial, viral, or parasitic, or may involve unconventional agents. As well as being a public health problem, many of the major zoonotic diseases prevent the efficient production of food of animal origin and create obstacles to international trade in animal products.

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Anaemia

Anaemia is a condition in which the number of red blood cells or their oxygen-carrying capacity is insufficient to meet physiologic needs, which vary by age, sex, altitude, smoking, and pregnancy status.

Iron deficiency is thought to be the most common cause of anaemia globally, although other conditions, such as folate, vitamin B12 and vitamin A deficiencies, chronic inflammation, parasitic infections, and inherited disorders can all cause anaemia.

In its severe form, it is associated with fatigue, weakness, dizziness and drowsiness. Pregnant women and children are particularly vulnerable.

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Alcohol

In many parts of the world, drinking alcoholic beverages is a common feature of social gatherings. Nevertheless, the consumption of alcohol carries a risk of adverse health and social consequences related to its intoxicating, toxic and dependence-producing properties.

In addition to the chronic diseases that may develop in those who drink large amounts of alcohol over a number of years, alcohol use is also associated with an increased risk of acute health conditions, such as injuries, including from traffic accidents.

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Air pollution

Air pollution is contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by any chemical, physical or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere. Household combustion devices, motor vehicles, industrial facilities and forest fires are common sources of air pollution. Pollutants of major public health concern include particulate matter, carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide. Outdoor and indoor air pollution cause respiratory and other diseases, which can be fatal.

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Acrylamide

Acrylamide (C3H3ONH2) is a chemical that is produced naturally in certain foods when they are cooked at high temperatures. It is also manufactured industrially for use in the production of polyacrylamide gels, which are used for various purposes, including the treatment of drinking-water and wastewater. Acrylamide is known to cause cancer in animals and, in high doses, can cause nerve damage in humans.

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Accidents, Radiation

A radiation accident involves a non-routine overexposure to ionizing radiation, as a result either of dispersal of radioactive material or of being too close to a radioactive source. This could occur, for example, following a major accident at a nuclear facility, in industrial or medical settings because of lack of appropriate occupational or patient safety, following loss or theft of radioactive material, or as a result of a deliberate malicious act. Exposure to ionizing radiation can pose a substantial health risk, with the type and level of risk depending on the duration and amount of exposure.

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ACHIEVING MATERNAL HEALTH

This month, a study published in the The Lancet reported a decline in maternal mortality. While this is cause for optimism, we cannot afford to be complacent: more than 300,000 women still die senseless deaths and suffer disabilities each year due to preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth, and in some countries, maternal deaths are on the rise. Many of these girls and women give birth and die at home, often alone, in fear and agony. Or, they die in substandard medical facilities ill-equipped to deal with problems that are routinely managed for women in rich countries and for rich women in their own countries. Saving women's lives in childbirth requires relatively inexpensive and known interventions at the clinical level - not fancy hospitals, new technologies or scientific breakthroughs. This decline does give us reason to be optimistic, but with political will, we can and should continue to make maternal health a global priority. And we must also make it easier for women and girls to decide to use, and actually reach, these services.

With impetus from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), specifically MDG 5, priorities are starting to shift and nations are beginning to pay more attention to women. Our mission, however, is not simply to reduce maternal deaths, but to achieve maternal health. Maternal health is a state of being. It cannot be achieved through a simple technical fix, nor through maternity care alone. Rather, we must also equip women with the information, skills and services to make informed decisions whether to become pregnant and to give birth. They must have access to safe, affordable contraceptives, including emergency contraception, and male and female condoms, especially where HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are prevalent. They must also have the choice of safe abortion. And they need prevention and treatment for the myriad of STIs that jeopardize not only their own health and lives, but those of the children they choose to bear.

Maternity care, contraception, safe abortion, prevention and treatment of STIs including HIV - these four, together with comprehensive sexuality education form the core sexual and reproductive rights and health (SRRH) package, which is required to ensure that women and young people can live just and healthy lives. Each of the five main elements of the package relies on the others to reach peak effectiveness. Focusing only on one element of this package without the others in concert is not only shortsighted, but a failure to respect women's realities. As we look at the function of each element, the justification for providing the complete package is clear, not only in terms of girls' and women's needs, but in terms of efficacy.

Knowledge is power - and a key element of the SRRH package. In Nicaragua, almost 90 percent of sexually active adolescents did not use contraception the first time they had sex simply because they were unaware that they could. Early, comprehensive sexuality education for girls and boys can help fill gaps in knowledge, empower young people to make healthy decisions, prevent unwanted pregnancies, reduce the risk of STIs, and encourage equal and balanced relationships based on respect for human rights and for consent.

The second element of the package is access to contraception. More than 200 million women who want to delay or prevent pregnancies lack the information or contraceptives needed to do so; and nearly half of the 205 million pregnancies that occur each year are unplanned. By making effective contraception affordable and accessible, we can help ensure that every pregnancy is wanted and reduce the need for abortion.

Contraception helps reduce unwanted pregnancies, but will not eliminate them. More than half of the 80 million unwanted pregnancies that occur each year end in abortion - and half of those are performed in unsafe conditions. About 67,000 women die annually from complications of unsafe abortion, and thousands more are severely injured. Preventing these deaths and injuries would reduce maternal mortality by approximately 13 percent globally. Yet, even where abortion is legal, access is often limited by barriers imposed by health institutions; a shortage of skilled providers; and lack of information.

When women give birth, skilled birth attendance with ready referral to facilities that can provide good quality emergency obstetric care could reduce maternal mortality by over 50 percent. The absence of these services remains a major problem especially where populations are widely dispersed. Only two out of every three women living in the developing world today give birth with skilled assistance, and even fewer have access to essential obstetric care.

Finally, prevention and treatment of STIs, including HIV, is vital for both maternal and neonatal health. Women with pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) from untreated STIs are at higher risk of infertility and ectopic pregnancy, a condition that is fatal without skilled care. A recent study showed that HIV-positive women in South Africa were up to five times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes than pregnant women not living with HIV. Educating women and men on preventing STIs through the use of male and female condoms and other safer sex practices, as well as diagnosis and treatment, would save lives and transform communities.

The integrated SRRH package I've just outlined is not simply a concept. It has proved to be an effective strategy for the improvement of maternal health. In Bangladesh, one of the poorest countries with high rates of maternal mortality, the success of a comprehensive SRRH initiative in the 1990s provides inspiration. Within five years of initiation, the percentage of women receiving check-ups and care prior to childbirth doubled from 26 percent to 56 percent. Use of emergency obstetric care rose by nearly 25 percent. Female life expectancy increased by two years. Maternal mortality dropped by 26 percent.

Fifteen years after the United Nations International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), the Obama administration announced a Global Health Initiative that mirrors the ICPD SRRH approach which was adopted by Bangladesh. They, other donors, the U.N. Secretary General, and many nations are now increasing attention to MDG 5. But we must not try to play with only half the deck available. We must fully fund and implement the comprehensive sexual and reproductive health package, not only maternity care or only family planning or HIV prevention and treatment. Together, the elements of the SRRH package add up to far more than the sum of its parts. Its full implementation will not only achieve maternal health, but also secure health and human rights for generations.

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