Foods For A Leaner Body

Summer’s approaching and we all want that lean body!
Guess what?!  Vegetables can help – along with a good amount of water intake, balanced lifestyle, exercise, meditation and a nutritious diet.
Here’s a list of foods you can eat to gain a lean body -

Kale – kale is high in vitamins A, C, and K; manganese, antioxidants and fiber

Lemons – increases bone strength

Almonds – great for the heart and blood sugar levels

Spinach – improves vision, bones, blood pressure, immunity, skin, brain and nervous system

Blueberries – high in antioxidants and helps reduce belly fat

Olive oil – improves skin, complexion and slows the aging process

Parsley – rich in vitamin C, folic acid, iron and beta-carotene

www.seemasahani.com

Brittle Nails

If your nails are brittle and chipping even more now that the weather is getting dry, the best remedy is olive oil!
All you have to do is polish some olive oil on to your nails and cuticle (as if you’re applying nail polish) and then gently rub with your fingers.
It’s a great, simple and basic way to easy fix those nails!

Natural Remedies For Teeth Whitening

There are so many advertisements on television and magazines about teeth whitening.  Most of them costs about $35 and more.  Here are some natural, simple ways to whiten your teeth.

1 - take the inside of a banana peel and gently rub it all around your teeth for about 2-3 minutes.  Some of the minerals such as potassium and magnesium absorb in your teeth and whiten them.

2 - you can do the same with orange peels as well.

3 - in a bowl, mix some baking soda with freshly squeezed lemon. Apply on teeth and leave on for only 1 minute and then brush teeth. 

4 - massage olive oil to the teeth and leave on for 2-3 minutes and then brush.  

Wonders of Olive Oil

Olive oil is one of the most popular ingredients in the kitchen, but it can also be found in the medicine cabinet and even on a night stand.  In fact that it is rich in vitamin E and essential antioxidants, makes it one of the most efficient measures to balance blood pressure levels and cholesterol, to precent heart attacks, cancer and fight aging.  And if you thought that's where its benefits end, you are sorely mistaken.

Here are 25 more uses for this excellent material - the olive oil

1 - to precent snoring - swallow a spoon of olive oil before bed

2 - to reduce stretch marks - massage olive oil before bed

3 - to treat acne - prepare a mix made of 3 table spoons of olive oil with 4 table spoons of sea salt, put on your face for 1-2 minutes.  The mix will clean the pores and keep the moisture of your skin.  Wash with hot water and soap.

4 - to alleviate ear pain - spill one drop of warm olive oil in your ear

5 - to reduce stomach ulcers and pain - mix one table spoon of live oil with a 3/4 cup of citrus juice or vinegar and drink

6 - olive oil can serve as a substitute for shaving cream

7 - to strengthen your fingernails - soap them in a bowl of olive oil

8 - to rehabilitate your skin - to treat dry skin of the hands, elbows and knees, warm a few table spoons of olive oil (until it's luke warm) and smear on the relevant areas.

9 - to treat colds - warm a mixture of 1/3 cup of olive oil, 1/3 cup of sesame oil, 4 drops of thyme, 2 drops of rosemary oil and massage the warm mixture on the chest area 

10 - to treat dandruff - massage olive oil into your scalp and leave overnight.  Wash your hair in the mooring and wash with a regular shampoo.  Try this treatment for a week.

11 - to treat dry hair with split ends - warm the oil and smear on scalp for 45 minutes

12 - to treat after hair coloring - soak a soft cotton towel with olive oil and wipe the spotted skin, it may take some time but the color will come off the skin

13 - to prevent hair loss - mix 2 eggs with 2 table spoons of olive oil.  Smear on the scalp and hair for 40 minutes and then wash with cool or luke warm water.  It's recommended to repeat this 3 times a week.

14 - to treat lice - mix 1 table spoon of olive oil with 5 drops of the the tree oil and smear on the scalp for several minutes.  Then comp your hair with a live comb and wash with hot water.

15 - Relieve toothache - mix drops of clove oil with drops of olive oil, in about a ratio of 3:1 and use a cotton ball to put on the aching area.  Not recommended for children and pregnant or breastfeeding women. 

16 - remove mascara - drip a bit of olive oil on a cotton ball and wipe the make up from your eyes.

17 - relieve coughing - swallow a spoon of olive oil mixed with a spoon of honey.  Another option is to massage the upper back and chest with the oil at body temperature. 

18 - treating swollen/red gums - wash your mouth with a mix of olive oil and water.

19 - prevent diaper rash - mix 2 spoons of olive oil with a spoon of water and smear on baby's rear

20 - to polish furniture - mix olive oil and lemon juice at a ratio of 2:1.  Use a gentle towel soared in the mix to polish the furniture 

21 - to maintain garden tools - smear a bit of olive oil on garden tools to keep them from accumulating filth and corrosion.

22 - to prevent squeaks - smear some olive oil on screaming hinges to make them silent 

23 - for digestive problems - swallow a spoon of olive oil every morning on an empty stomach.  Another option is to drink a glass of water with a spoon of olive oil and spoon of lemon juice.

24 - to maintain knives - after washing thoroughly with water and soap, wipe the blades well and then use a small amount of olive oil and gentle rub it on the blades with a towel. 

25 - prevent wax from building up in the candlesticks - just drip a bit of olive oil and it won't stick. 

Pitta Pacifying Diet

Is your pitta out of balance?
Here's what you can do to pacify Pitta.

Favor the following foods -

General - Food not too hot.  Cool or luke warm drinks according to preference.  Sweet, bitter and astringent tastes.

Grains - wheat, rice, barley, oats.

Beans - yellow mung daal, small kidney beans, soy bean products

Vegetables - asparagus, artichokes, white pumpkin, okra (lady fingers), zucchini, spinach, chard, kale, chicory (bitter vegetable), cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, green beans, celery, potatoes, peas, green sweet pepper, green papaya, sprouts, lettuce, daikon (white carrot), tender eggplant.

Dairy - ghee, milk, butter, sweet buttermilk, sweet lassi, cream, cream cheese

Sweeteners - white or semi-refined sugar, honey in small amounts when person is not afflicted with heat.

Oils - coconut, olive, sunflower

Spices & condiments - coriander, cumin, ginger (in small amounts), turmeric, saffron, fennel, cinnamon, cardamom, lemon juice

Fruits - grapes, pomegranate, cashew, banana, avocado, mango, coconut, melons, apples, pears, raisins, dates figs, apricot, sweet orange, sweet pineapple, persimmon, papaya (small amounts), kiwi fruit.

Avoid or reduce the following -

General - pungent, sour and salty tastes

Grains - millet, corn, buckwheat, rye.

Beans - adzuki beans

Vegetables - tomatoes, beet root, carrots, radish, hot peppers, raw onions.

Dairy - sour milk products, yogurt, cheese (especially old and salty), salty butter, quark, sour cream.

Sweeteners - molasses, brown sugar.

Oils - almond, corn, safflower, sesame.

Nuts - all (except coconut)

Seeds - all except sunflower and pumpkin

Spices & condiments - chili pepper, cayenne, black pepper, mustard seeds, cloves, celery seeds fenugreek

Fruits - papaya, grapefruit, olive, sour orange, peach, sour grape, sour pineapple, berries, cranberries, prunes

Vata Pitta Kapha & Hair Oils

Here's a chart for you to better understand what hair type you have and which oil to use - 

Dosha	Hair type	Hair oil
Vata	frizzy, dark, coarse, easily tangled, split ends	almond or sesame oil - nourishes the scalp and hair
Pitta	brown, blond, silky, oily, premature baldness, premature graying of hair	coconut oil - cooling for pittas and helps with thinning and premature graying
Kapha	thick, heavy, dark or light, wavy, lustrous	sesame or olive oil - olive oil has purifying properties that keeps pores open