Mango belongs to the family “Anacardiaceae”. It has the scientific name “Magnifera Indica” and is widely found in India and south East Asia. Mango trees have deep roots and reach the height of 40 ft – 120 ft . Young mango leaves are copper in color and matured ones have deep green color. The flowers of mango tree are mostly male which supply pollens and few are bisexual which help in formation of fruits.

Bark, leaves, flowers, seed, raw and ripe fruits of mango have myriad medicinal uses. Texts of ayurveda mention various herbal preparations using different parts of mango tree. These preparations are used to normalize a variety of health conditions.

The Mango Bark, flower, leaves, and seed kennel are astringent and cause dryness of body tissues. Ripe mango fruit is sweet to taste and increases sliminess and mucous secretion. Raw Mango is sour in taste and vitiates all three doshas.

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A new study has for the first time shown that certain nutrients may play an underlying role in short and long sleep duration and that people who report eating a large variety of foods – an indicator of an overall healthy diet – had the healthiest sleep patterns.

Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania analyzed data from the 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which includes demographic, socioeconomic, dietary, and health-related questions..

The authors found that total caloric intake varied across groups. Short sleepers consumed the most calories, followed by normal sleepers, followed by very short sleepers, followed by long sleepers. Food variety was highest in normal sleepers, and lowest in very short sleepers. Differences across groups were found for many types of nutrients, including proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.

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French fries, the scourge of nutritionists, are actually healthy for you, according to researchers.

Professor Vincenzo Fogliano, who oversaw the study with Italian chef Giuseppe Daddio said that fries are not bad for us.

“If it’s fried in the correct way, a potato chip…can be an excellent nutritional product,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted him as saying.

The pair arrived at the conclusion by studying the way that cooking oil – which is usually loaded with fat – is absorbed during the frying stage.

Zucchini and eggplant, thought of as healthy, absorbed 30 percent of the oil. Potatoes and pizza absorbed just five percent.

Potatoes resisted the oil because they’re full of starch, Professor Fogliano said.

“A fundamental rule is that starch plays an important part in sealing the food being fried and reducing the oil absorption. The starch in potatoes….is particularly effective,” he said.

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The common breakfast bread has been elevated to a nutrient-packed wheat product by scientists at Jadavpur University, who decided to go green and fortify it with coriander.

“We have studied the effects of supplementing the general bread flour with herbs such as coriander which has had a substantial effect in improving shelf life and nutrient levels,” Utpal Raychaudhuri, a senior scientist at the university’s Department of Food Technology and Biochemical Engineering, said.

Lipi Das and Runu Chakraborty were the other members of the research team whose findings – published in the Journal of Food Science and Biotechnology – showed that coriander remarkably delayed the bread’s going stale, while the microbicidal (germ-killing) property of the herb added to its shelf life.

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White rice might be pleasing to the palate, but it significantly increases the risk of type 2 diabetes when eaten regularly.

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health study who analysed previous studies found a linkage between consumption of white rice by the Asian population and type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is a lifelong disease in which there are high levels of sugar (glucose) in the blood. It is also the commonest form of this condition.

The authors analysed the results of four studies: two in Asian (China and Japan) and two in Western countries (US and Australia). All participants were diabetes free at study baseline, reports the British Medical Journal.

White rice is the predominant type of rice eaten worldwide and has high Glycemic Index (GI) values. High GI diets are tied with a greater risk of type 2 diabetes, according to a Harvard statement.

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Rice is often avoided by most diabetics due to its high glycemic index. But, cooking rice with a variety of ingredients like veggies, sprouts, dals and other grains like broken wheat can definitely help a diabetic enjoy small portions of rice as a part of his meal.

People think potatoes are fattening, high-carb and full of empty calories. In reality, when prepared without frying, one potato has only 110 calories and dozens of healthful phytochemicals and vitamins. So, eat them everyday, the right way.

Nothing assumes so much prominence in a diabetic’s diet than starch and sugar. Dieticians talk about it and diabetics dread it all the time. Is it the villain in the life of a diabetic?

Carbohydrate is what humans eat in abundance and is an instant source of energy unlike protein or fat. It is what keeps our body functioning during day and night, work or rest, gives sportsmen a boost of energy and keeps off hypoglycemia in the diabetic. It is what makes our buffets and feasting happier and complete in various forms of desserts and sweets. It is also what most of us reach for when depressed or stressed out. It is what people break their fast with and naughty children are bribed with!

In the right quantity, it is both essential to the diabetic, life saving and adds value to his/her living.

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