Are you a foodie who loves eating lots of oily or greasy food items often? Then, please be careful!! Known for its taste and ease of preparation etc, oily foods are very common across the globe. People love eating these oily foods without knowing the truth that excess and frequent intake of these foods could result in serious health issues in us. Foods that contain trans- fat and saturated fats etc are harmful for our health in the long term. It is possible to protect our health by limiting or avoiding frequent intake of oily foods. Various serious health issues we can get by eating oily or greasy foods frequently Digestive issues: There are high possibilities of getting digestive issues like bloating, diarrhoea, nausea and indigestion etc if we eat oily foods frequently. Our digestive system would need more effort to digest high fat foods. After eating these foods, we could have delayed gastric emptying and discomfort etc. More chances of food borne diseases: We could get affected by food borne diseases with symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal cramps etc if we consume improperly cooked and stored oily foods. Reason for this is foods containing animal fats especially could harbour harmful bacteria and pathogens etc. It is unsafe to eat these contaminated oily foods. Heart diseases:  When we eat foods with high trans-fats and saturated fats etc then our bad cholesterol would increase. There would be a decrease in the good cholesterol levels. This would lead to plaque build up in the arteries. By this, we could get serious issues like heart diseases, strokes etc. Weight gain and obesity etc: Intake of more calorie dense oily foods would make us put on weight.  There are more chances of becoming obese. It is well known that obesity is often associated with serious issues like type 2 diabetes, arthritis, certain cancer types etc. So, please be careful. Skin issues: There are more chances of acne and oily skin if we eat oily foods frequently. When we eat an excess of oily foods, sebum production would increase. This can lead to clogged pores and inflammation etc. Moreover, the high GI of many oily foods would spike our blood sugar levels resulting in skin issues. Type 2 diabetes: Insulin resistance is precursor to type 2 diabetes and foods rich in unhealthy fats would lead to insulin resistance in us. The body`s ability to regulate blood sugar levels would get impaired by intake of foods rich in trans-fats etc. Liver disease: Fat would get accumulated in our liver cells when we consume oily foods often. By this we can also get NAFLD or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Bitter fact is that when NAFLD is left untreated then it can result in serious issues like cirrhosis and liver failure etc. Impairs brain function: It is shocking to note that regular intake of greasy or oily foods could affect our cognitive abilities. So, please take care and try to avoid or limit the intake of such foods.

Periods or menstruation can be very tough for a woman. Periods refer to monthly shedding of lining of the uterus along with vaginal bleeding. Not only the women in her periods get physical issues like sweating, acne, bleeding, migraines, joint pain etc but hormonal changes also. Hormonal changes or fluctuating levels of prostaglandins and progesterone would cause bowel problems in women during her periods. Truth is that hormonal changes could affect digestion and bowel movement patterns. This could result in diarrhoea, bloating constipation and abdominal cramping etc in women during her periods. It is worthy to note that prostaglandins could stimulate muscle contractions in the intestines and this could lead to loose stools. Digestion would get slowed down when progesterone levels drop. These could make the woman feel uncomfortable. There are certain ways that would help a woman manage her bowel based issue during periods. These are By staying hydrated: It is essential that a woman in her periods must drink water and stay hydrated. This would lower constipation issues in her. Bloating would get reduced as excess sodium would get flushed out. Bowel movements would be smooth. By intake of high fibre foods: Bowel movements in women in her periods would get regulated if she eats high fibre foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables etc. It must be noted that soluble fibre would ease off diarrhoea by absorbing excess water and insoluble fibre combats constipation. By limiting caffeine and sugary drinks: Bowels would get stimulated by consuming excess caffeine and diarrhoea would get worsened. Bloating and gas would be caused by sugary drinks intake. By avoiding dairy especially when sensitive: Bitter fact is that some women would become lactose intolerant during their periods. Point is that when dairy causes bloating feelings then the women must avoid dairy to ease bowel discomfort. By adding probiotics to diet: Healthy gut bacteria would get supported by foods like yoghurt, kefir etc. This would reduce irregular bowel habits and balance digestion etc. By staying active: Digestion would get stimulated and bloating and constipation would be avoided if a woman stays physically active in her periods. It is good to do gentle exercises like walking, yoga etc. By intake of small frequent meals: Eating lighter meals frequently (during periods) would be superb than eating heavy meals once. By this, bloating or sudden bowel urgency could be avoided. By avoiding spicy foods: By eating spicy foods during periods, the digestion would get speeded up and this would increase the chances of diarrhoea and stomach cramps etc. By means of heating pad:  Intestinal muscles would get relaxed by using a heating pad. This would ease the bowel movements and abdominal pain would get reduced.

What would begin as small non cancerous clumps of cells or polyp could develop into cancer over a period of time. We are now talking about the colon or colorectal cancer that would begin in the large intestine or rectum. There are several risk factors for colon cancer such as family history, age, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, smoking intake of alcohol etc. Not only these, even consuming a diet that is low in fibre content plus intake of processed meats etc can also cause colon cancer in us. Foods to eat to avoid or lower the chances of colon cancer are Cruciferous vegetables intake: The sulforaphane present in the cruciferous vegetables would help us to avoid colon cancer. Intake of cruciferous vegetables would inhibit the cancer cell growth in us. Leafy green vegetables intake: By eating leafy green vegetables that are rich in fibres, folate, lutein and carotenoids etc, toxins would be flushed out plus inflammation in the colon would get lowered, Regular bowel movements would be present and by this colon cancer would be avoided. Beans & legumes intake: The beneficial gut bacteria in the gut would get nourished by intake of these foods having resistant starch and soluble fibres etc. The short chain fatty acids that are produced by this process would have anti-cancer properties in them. This would reduce the inflammation of the colon. Berries intake: Ellagic acid, anthocyanins and vitamin C are present in berries. Colon cells would be protected from oxidative stress by these. As a result, colon cancer can be avoided in us. Fatty fish intake: The inflammation in us would get lowered when we consume omega 3 fatty acids present in the fatty fishes. By decreasing the inflammatory response in the digestive tract, the risk of getting colon cancer could be avoided. Garlic intake: Carcinogens or cancer causing would get destroyed by liver enzymes that get activated by sulphur compounds present in garlic. Our gut health would be supported by the antibacterial properties and might lower the cancer causing substances formation in the colon. Turmeric intake: The cucurmin in turmeric would slow down the cancer cell growth and prevent the spread of tumour in us and that is due to the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of cucurmin. Yoghurt and probiotic foods intake: Inflammation would get controlled by intake of probiotic foods.  It is believed that regular intake of yoghurt would help us to maintain digestive balance. By this, we could avoid colon cancer in us.

Have you heard about a magical herb from the mint family called spearmint which when consumed would provide us with numerous benefits? Sounds unbelievable right!! This spearmint or mentha spicata is not only known for its refreshing aroma and mild flavour is used in culinary but it is known for its medicinal benefits too. It is superb to note that spearmint is commonly found in toothpastes, chewing gum etc. Previously it was mostly found in Asia and Europe. These days, it is seen growing all over the world. Numerous health benefits of spearmint are Eases digestive discomfort: For a long time, spearmint has been used to treat digestive issues such as nausea, bloating, indigestion and gas etc. It is believed that carvone present in spearmint would relax the digestive tract muscles. This would ease cramping and discomfort. Those patients with IBS or irritable bowel syndrome who consumed spearmint reported improvements in bloating and pain etc. Full of antioxidants: Our body would get protected from free radical damage by intake of spearmint containing many antioxidants. It is known that oxidative stress due to free radicals would lead to serious issues like cancers, heart diseases etc. Other antioxidants like rosmarinic acid, limonene, flavonoids etc in spearmint also do superbly in preventing oxidative stress in us. Supports hormonal balance in women: Hormones would get regulated in women (having hormonal issues like PCOD etc) due to spearmint. It is worth noting that drinking spearmint tea would increase female hormones like LH and FSH etc and by this ovulation as well as reproductive health would get better. Might reduce excess facial hairs in women: Presence of male hormones would lead to excess hairs on the face of a woman. This would make them feel sad and disappointed etc. It is true that drinking spearmint tea with androgenic properties would help women to overcome this excess facial hair issue. Boost memory and heap in brain function: It was brought to light by some research studies that intake of spearmint would support brain health in the older adults. The older adults showed superb memory power.  Lowers blood sugar levels: It is noteworthy that spearmint tea intake would lower blood sugar levels. This spearmint irea intake cannot be a substitute for medication in lowering the blood sugar levels but it could complement blood sugar management in the coming years. Lowers stress and anxiety in us: These days, stress and anxiety has become common and many of us have these issues and find it difficult. There are various reasons for these mental health issues in us. It is believed that intake of spearmint would improve our stress and anxiety in us. This would boost our sleep also. Reduces joint pain due to arthritis: Spearmint tea high in rosmarinic acid would reduce joint pain due to arthritis issues. The anti-inflammatory properties of spearmint play a role here Lowers blood pressure or BP: A compound carvone present in spearmint would relax the blood vessels in us. By this, our blood pressure or BP would get reduced.