Stay healthy this exam season, with almonds

Come February, a large number of households across India become preoccupied with exams. Whether it’s a son, daughter, nephew or niece who might be appearing for his or her final school examinations or class 10th or 12th boards, final exams tend to become the focus for a lot of families during the month.

During exam season it’s very easy for students to lose sight of their health and wellness, and get consumed in the preparation. Juggling between the pressures of preparing for exams, ensuring there is adequate time to sleep, regular breaks and doing all this while maintaining his or her health is important. Properly timed meals, scheduled snack breaks and conscious food choices can energize and sustain the body through long exam hours.

One food item that is good for students to have handy during the exam season is almonds! Snacking on almonds during the preparation period, can help make a healthy difference in students’ lives. Ayurveda and Unani texts suggest that consumption of almonds nourishes the brain, nerve tissues and promotes intelligence, which can be useful during the exam time.

A leading Bollywood actress said, “Exams can be a very stressful time for students, and approaching them with a calm mind and planned approach always helps. I remember, during my school days, my mother ensured that she had prepared a meal plan and snacking routine for me during the prep-leaves, so I would be well nourished through the day. Beyond this, she also made sure that she kept a bowlful of almonds on my study table – so I had a healthy snack handy, if I ever felt hungry or exhausted after studying for several hours.”

A fitness enthusiast and Supermodel  said, “During exam season, students tend to neglect their health and fitness. While maintaining a steady exercise schedule is difficult, students can always manage their fitness by taking regular breaks from studying, every half an hour or so. Whether it is a short walk around the house or walking while studying, students must do what they can to stay active. Opting for healthier food and snacks such as almonds is also an important step that will go a long way in building a healthy routine during exams, and may also help in keeping a check on the student’s weight.”

Adding to this, a Dr. said, “I often come across concerned parents seeking diet recommendations for their children especially during exam season. I always suggest to keep nuts like almonds handy as they provide energy which may help in better concentration. Eating almonds may also help in managing the child’s weight, as according to a recent study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, participants who consumed 43 grams of dry, roasted, lightly salted almonds every day experienced reduced hunger and improved dietary vitamin E and monounsaturated (“good”) fat intake without increasing body weight.”

According to a Pilates Expert and Diet & Nutrition Consultant, “For any student preparing for exams, keeping a steady supply of energy throughout the day is important to maintain his/her concentration levels. Daily consumption of almonds keeps you energetic and I definitely recommend students to keep a handful of raw, roasted or spiced almonds in a small tiffin or box nearby, to make sure they can snack on them in between exam prep.”

“During exams, it’s not uncommon for students to feel hungry in between meals, and this leads to a lot of binge eating on unwholesome food. To minimize unhealthy food intake during exam time, parents and teachers can begin by ensuring students have an adequate number of snack breaks in between meals. For these breaks, almonds are an excellent choice of snack as they are easy and quick to flavour and go with just about any Indian masala/spices. Added to that almonds may also have satiating properties that promote feelings of fullness, which may keep the child satiated in between meals, avoiding him or her from reaching out for unhealthy snacks” said a Nutrition and Wellness Consultant.

So plan right, and prepare for exam season on a healthy note – with almonds.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     
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Seasonal allergies may impact your brain

In a shocking revelation, a recent study throws light on the fact that seasonal allergies may lay substantial impact on brain.

The researchers examined a part (hippocampus) of the brain that is responsible for forming new memories and neurons throughout life during an allergic reaction and found that there was an increase in the numbers of new neurons in the hippocampus. 

The formation and functioning of neurons is linked to the brain's immune cells 'microglia'.

The findings of the analysis raised a question on what could be the consequences of allergies on memory.

The scientists discovered that same allergic reaction that kicks the body's immune system in high gear has opposite effect on resident immune cells of the brain.

Barbara Klein, one of the authors of the study, said: "It was highly unexpected to see the deactivation of microglia in the hippocampus. Partly because other studies have shown the reverse effect on microglia following bacterial infection."

"We know that the response of immune system in the body is different in case of an allergic reaction vs a bacterial infection. What this tells us is that the effect on the brain depends on type of immune reaction in the body," added Klein.

Allergic reaction also causes an increase in Neurogenesis, the growth and development of nervous tissue, which is known to decline with age.

The study was published in the open-access journal 'Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience'.

 this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.
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https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes

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Shingles, painful summer malady, rises with mercury

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.

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A chickenpox bout does not in sure one against the contagion. The virus just stays dormant, waiting for the host to show signs of weakness to surface again in a different avatar this time as shingles.

With the peak of summer just two months away, city doctors are all set to see the routine summer-related ailments, including chickenpox. For the last few years, they have added a new malady to their list - herpes zoster, also known as shingles. Caused by the same virus that triggers chickenpox, varicella-zoster, shingles presents as a single stripe of blisters on either the left or the right side of the torso.

Doctors say the infection is often misdiagnosed as it first manifests as pain."The blister may develop three or four days later. In some cases, it may not appear at all. So, the symptoms are often mistaken for problems affecting the heart, lungs or kidneys," said K N Sarveswari, consultant dermatologist, Sundaram Medical Foundation.

 After a chickenpox bout, the virus lies dormant in the nerve tissues. Years later, it resurface when the immune system is weak. Doctors say stress, erratic sleeping patterns, malnutrition and trauma can also rouse the virus.

The elderly, most of who have already had chickenpox once, form the largest group of people who suffer from the infection. Shanthi Raju, assistant professor, geriatric medicine at Madras Medical College, said the department saw at least 10 cases of shingles in the past month. "The infection, like chicken pox, surfaces during summers and the blister stay on for a week. However, there are a lot of other differences - patients rarely present with fever, the blisters form only on one side of the body along the affected nerve and the pain may last even after the blisters are gone," said Dr Shanthi. Doctors observed that diabetes also precipitated the infection as it lowers immunity levels.

Most of the elderly say the pain which comes with the infection can be constant dull, and cause a burning sensation "Sometimes, the pain can be jabbing or just numbness," said Dr Shanthi.

While vaccine is available to prevent shingles, doctors say awareness is still low among the public as many believe they are immune to the virus after having contracted chickenpox once. "We treat patients who come to us with anti-viral and advise them bed rest," said infectious diseases specialist Dr V Ramasubramanian, adding he also advised the patients to keep the blisters covered to prevent the infection from spreading.

Director of Public Health K Kulandaisamy said officials have been alerted to monitor areas that register unusually high number of cases of chickenpox and shingles. Public health specialists say cases of shingles have seen a rise over the past few years. "The incidence of herpes zoster is still relatively low, but we have included the virus too under our surveillance," he said.