How to whiten your teeth:

Baking soda is good for brushing your teeth. Water your toothbrush and dip it into baking soda to create natural baking soda toothpaste. Brush your teeth and then rinse your mouth. To increase effectiveness and make your mouth feel clean and fresh after the brushing add a few drops of lemon, cinnamon or peppermint essential oils. Your teeth will be whiter, without stains and polished after the brushing with baking soda.

After a couple of weeks of brushing with baking soda every second day, you should cut back to doing it just once or twice a week. This is because the abrasive properties of the baking soda may damage the enamel on your teeth if used too frequently.
Be aware that brushing your teeth with baking soda should not replace brushing your teeth with regular toothpaste. Regular brushing will help to fight cavities, plaque build up, gum disease, and keep your breath fresh.
www.mailmydiet.com

Happy Diwali

Some food combinations that should be avoided according to Ayurveda:

•  Avoid taking milk or yogurt with sour or citrus fruits.
•  Avoid eating fruits together with potatoes or other starchy foods. Fructose (and other sugars) is digested quickly, whereas starch takes quite some time. In this case the sugar would not be properly digested.
•  Avoid eating melons and grains together. Melons digest quickly whereas grains take more time. This combination will upset the stomach. Melons should be eaten alone or left alone. Honey should never be cooked. Honey digests slowly when cooked and the molecules become a non-homogenized glue which adheres to mucous membranes and clogs subtle channels, producing toxins. Uncooked honey is nectar. Cooked honey is poison.
•  Do not eat meat protein and milk protein together. Meat is heating and milk is cooling so they counteract one another, disturb agni and produce ama.
• Milk and melons should not be eaten together. Both are cooling, but milk is laxative and melon is diuretic, and milk requires more time for digestion. Moreover the action of hydrochloric acid in the stomach causes the milk to curdle. For this reason Ayurveda advises against taking milk with sour fruits, yogurt, sour cream, cheese, and fish.

Amlapitta- Hyperacidity-Dietary Recommendations

• In morning drink empty stomach- luke warmwater+lemon+black salt.

• Drink cold milk ,as it reduces heat in the body.

• Having Amla in morning is also beneficial.

• Gulkanda(Rose petals' preparation) is very helpful for reducing heat in the body.

• Favourable fruits:Pomegranate,custardapple,Figs,raisins,Coconut,Ripe apples.

• Avoid carbonated Beverages-Accumalation of gaseous cabon dioxide causes burping and acid to bubble upwards.In addition,carbondioxide in aqueous solution forms carbonic acid,further eroding the mucus lining of the stomach.

• Leftovers and other ferments such as pickles,spicy foods,oily stuff should be avoided.

• Preservatives irritates the food pipe and stomach,so avoid tinned and ready to eat foods.

• Avoid late sleeping,overeating,stress.

• Can have 2-3 dates in breakfast.

• Basil seeds or 1 spoon use in also benifitial.

• Semolina kheer,ragi kheer,Wheat vermicilli in milk .

• kokam sarbat ,aloe vera juice,mint juice - good in hyperacidity.

• Vegetables in acidity:Snake gourd,bottlegourd,tinda,parwar,Cabbage,ladyfinger,Bittergourd.

• Soup- sweet corn soup.

• Chutney-ridge gourd,bottlegourd,onion,wood apple.

• Avoid- Alcohal,ciggarettes,coffee,chocolates,fried stuff and mayonaise.

 

HYPERTENSION -DIETARY RECOMMENDATIONS

Diet followed by Hypertension patients should be in such a way that it reduces excess body weight and excess body fat ,thereby reducing the blood pressure.

A vegetarian diet including the following is ideal for hypertension - Garlic, Lemon, bitter gourd, drumstick, mint, spring onion etc.

•One must eat garlic every day for lowering & controlling the high blood pressure. Can also eat raw 1 to 2 garlic cloves daily.

• Eat maximum onion as it is beneficial in it.
• Fresh fruits are very useful in fighting high blood pressure. Indian Gooseberry, Grapes, banana, guava, banana, pineapple, papaya and watermelon are considered beneficial.
• Lemon is useful in lowering the high blood pressure.The quantity of salt used should be minimized to the maximum possible extend. Excessive use of salt is considered to be the main culprit behind many heart diseases especially hypertension.
• Non vegetarian food like red meat and eggs yolk should be completely avoided due to its high salt content.
• Coffee should be avoided because of its caffeine content.
• Reduce the quantity of oil used and completely avoid the use of hydrogenated oils.
• Grind the soya bean with wheat flour for roti.
• Apple reduces sodium in the body.
• Eat Barley. It is useful in hypertension.
• Include Beet in diet. It reduces the high blood pressure.
• 100 ml of juice of raw Cabbage with ¼ tea spoon of cumin seed powder to be taken in the morning on empty stomach.
• Avoid- Pickles, frozen food articles, Custards, ice creams, jelly, fatty substances, and oily, spicy, fried food.
• Cut back on frozen dinners, pizza, canned soups, broths and salad dressings, which are high in sodium.If you drink alcohol, do it in moderation (360 ml /week)
• Stop smoking.
• Check food labels for information of sodium in the food.
• Look for products with “unsalted” or “sodium free”labels.

 

Ayurvedic Twelve Dietary Principles -Dwadasha Ashana Vichara

Sushruta has explained the following twelve principles about the diet-
i) Food with cold potency -Persons suffering from thirst, heat, alcoholism and burning sensation and those who are suffering from internal hemorrhage,poisoning, fainting should take this type of diet .

ii) Food with hot potency -This type of food and drinks are suitable for patients suffering from disorders of Kapha and Vata and for those who have been given purification therapy. Similarly, those who are drinking sneha(oily stuff) and are very dry (Ruksha) should take food with warm or hot potency.

iii) Oily food –Persons with Vata constitution, rough skin, dry koshtha(constipated) ,performing lot of physical exercise should always take unctuous food and drinks.

iv) Rough food(Rukshan) – People suffering from obesity, have been received snehana and suffering from Prameha(type of Diabetes) should take food in rough quality.

v) Liquid Diet - Patients who have developed dehydration, thirst and debility should be on liquid diet

vii) Single diet in day – Persons having weak Agni(metabolic fire) should eat only once(1 meal) in a day.

viii) Diet twice in day – Those having good digestive power should eat two times(2 meals) a day.

ix) Diet containing medicine – If the patient has aversion for particular medicine, it should be mixed with food and given to him.

x) Diet in small quantity - Patients having low Agni should always eat small amount of food.
xi) Palliative diet – Appropriate diet given in consideration of season and place.

xii) Normal diet - Persons who are perfectly healthy should consume normal diet.

AHAR VIDHI VISHESHAYATANA

According to  Ayurveda,these are the basic eight principles of our food,diet  and nutrition  :

AAHAR

1. Prakruti– the nature of the food.

 Depending on whether the food is easily digestible or not, food can be class

ified in heavy and light qualities. Meat is heavy for digestion while

rice and vegetables are lighter. This is the basic nature of the food and while eating we must take this into consideration.

 

2. Karana– or processing.

Generally cooked food is better for

nutrition. Some food substances like fruit and some salads are better

taken as uncooked. Food cooked on natural wood or coal fire has

better taste than cooked on electricity or gas. Microwave cooking

destroys Prana in the food. Processing also includes other methods

like roasting, frying, baking, direct heating on fire, preparing by

roasting, barbeque, mixing, drying, churning etc. Depending on the method of the process, the qualities of the food

change. It can be  lighter or heavier for digesti

on.

 

3. Samyoga– means combination.

 While preparing any food the

ingredients must be properly mixed together. Combining sour fruits with milk or curds is not beneficial.

 

4. Rashi- quantity.

While eating one has to consider the

individual ingredient quantity and the total quantity of the food that is

consumed. Here again we have to consider the heavy and light

qualities of the substances that are taken. The quantity of food depends on your digestive fire. There are no fix criteria for the amount of food according to age, sex, race etc.

Parigraha—quantity of each item and Sarvagraha means total

quantity to be consumed.

 

5. Desha- place.

Ayurveda has divided place in three

types -marshy, arid and normal. Also we have to consider the place in

relation with temperature and cold climate condition. Food must be

eaten in place, which is clean. If the surroundings are good and sattvic, the food is better absorbed and has good effect on the body and mind.

 

6. Kala-time or period.

When the previous food has been

proper digested then only the next should be consumed. One must

also change the type of the food as well as its quantity and quality depending on the seasonal changes. The main meal must be taken

between 10 to 2 in the afternoon, which is Pitta time.

 

7. Upayoga Samstha– rules for eating.

 Food must be

consumed while it is hot. This will naturally increase the digestive fire.

Meals must be taken in relaxed, calm and cheerful atmosphere. One

should not eat, when the person is nervous, angry, anxious, or in disturbed state of mind. Similarly eating too slowly or too rapidly, eating while talking, laughing, thinking or watching television is also not advisable. It is better if we concentrate on the food only with the thought that this food is going to benefit my body and mind. Smoking or drinking too much water or any other liquid after eating is not advisable.

Make eating as ritual.

 

8. Upabhokta-Person who takes the food .

Every person must take into consideration, his own constitution, capacity

of his digestive power, the season, time of day & whether the previously taken food has been digested or not.