All of us are very well familiar with peppermint. It is one of the most favorite flavor for candies, chewing gums, toothpaste, soaps, shampoos, gels and other popular consumer products. Many of us like drinking peppermint tea, and some even like adding peppermint flavoring to a cup of coffee. Weird? Not at all! Try a cup of mint mocha or mint latte. You can prepare it for yourself by adding some fresh mint leaves into your cup of coffee or by using several drops of peppermint extract. Mint is very common to cooking, especially in India and the Middle East. It is used in various salads, punches, milk shakes, as well as as a garnish for chicken and red meat. Read the rest of this entry »

A thousand times you have given yourself a word not to have a bite before going to bed. However, every night you can’t hold yourself and look for a reason to go to the kitchen. In your mind, you picture the most delicious images of your favorite meals, and your heart calls you to the kitchen again and again. Well well, if this is all about you, you must be wondering, it there something to be done about this? And I say, “Yes, there are ways!” Check out some tips to avoid eating before the bedtime. Read the rest of this entry »

I suppose that tea is definitely a subject of the largest number of various researches and scientific studies. And there’s nothing surprising about it! Tea is a miraculous therapeutic beverage which has a special place in every single culture of the world. It can be considered the most popular drink which can help us relax and enjoy its beautiful aroma, quench our thirst, get warm, forget about our problems and stresses, get closer with someone and so on. Moreover, for many of us tea is much more than just a beverage. Tea is linked to the most precious and romantic moments in our life. Drinking a cup of tea can help us to get focused and settle our mind, or can be an invitation for a friendly talk. And, there’s no need to mention numerous health benefits of various types of tea. Read the rest of this entry »

High blood pressure (or hypertension) is a serious health problem of modern times. It is estimated that currently, every third person above 50 suffers from hypertension, however, only 30% of such people are actually aware about high blood pressure as a reason of their poor health. Nowadays, hypertension becomes a malady of the people at much younger age than it was a century ago. Therefore, the results of a recent study carried out by a group of British and Dutch specialists, should not slip the attention of us all. Read the rest of this entry »

We all love fruits, those healthy natural deposits of vitamins, water, nutrients and other useful elements. I personally love oranges and cherries the most, and I can gladly eat 3-4 pounds of apples a day. In many cultures, it is traditional to eat fresh fruits for a dessert after meals. However, not many people are aware about the fact that eating fruits at the end of lunches or dinners can be quite harmful. Specialists suggest being careful on this point and following some easy rules, which can help us to rip maximum benefits from eating fruit.

1. Do not eat fruits after meals. It usually takes about 20 minutes for fruits to digest and move to the small intestine where further absorption of the nutrients occurs. However, when we eat fruits after other meals, especially the ones with a high content of proteins or starch which usually take much longer to digest, the fruits get blocked in our stomach and start fermenting or even getting rotten. In such case, no positive nutritional effects will be received. Instead, the meals will not be digested completely, the fruits will get broken right in our stomach and our digestive system will be affected and upset.

2. Do not eat fruits together with other meals. The same effect will take place in the stomach, when the fruits are mixed with other meals. Toxic effects of rotten fruits in your stomach can cause great discomfort and even serious diseases. For example, eating kiwis, cherries or berries together with meat, potatoes or other foods containing lots of proteins, starch and fats, can cause various problems with digestion, colitis, diarrhea, and even pains in liver.

3. Make a habit of eating fruits on an empty stomach. This habit will bring more good to your health. Your stomach and digestive system will not have to use additional mechanisms to balance the process of digestion. It is also very good to eat fruits after doing physical exercises or any sort of outdoor activities.

The best time for eating fruits:

• in the morning, 20-30 minutes before having breakfast;
• in the afternoon, 3-4 hours after lunch
• before the bedtime, 3-4 hours after having dinner.