Fatty comfort foods cheer you up

Ever thought why we reach for ice cream, pizza and other fatty foods when we're feeling down? There may be a scientific reason.
A new research has suggested that fatty foods literally serve as 'comfort' foods and help lift our mood.
The findings could explain why so many people become obese when facing stressful situations.
Dr Lukas Van Oudenhove from the University of Leuven, in Belgium, and his colleagues used MRI scans to assess the emotional impact of fat when injected into the stomach.

They recruited 12 healthy-weight volunteers and scanned their brainwaves as they were shown a series of sad and neutral images as well as exposing them to sad and neutral music.
They then inserted either fatty acids or saline into their stomachs but didn't tell the volunteers which was which.
This meant they could bypass the effects of sensory stimulation as well as any associations to childhood foods.
The scientists found the music and expressions caused people's moods to fall across the board.
However, the levels of sadness among those who consumed fatty acids were around 50 per cent lower compared to those who received saline.
"Eating fat seems to make us less vulnerable to sad emotions, even if we don't know we're eating fat," the Daily Mail quoted Oudenhove as telling HealthDay.
The researchers said their findings could have important implications for people with obesity, eating disorders and depression.
The study is published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Soak up the sun for Vitamin D

It's free and easily available in India. But lack of it can lead to many health problems. Yes, we are talking about Vitamin D. 

Vitamin D sufficiency, along with diet and exercise, has emerged as one of the most important preventive factors in human health. Many studies now link vitamin D deficiency with significantly higher rates of many forms of cancer , as well as heart disease , osteoporosis , multiple sclerosis and many other conditions and diseases.

So, it's time to soak up the sun. Spending long hours in air-conditioned rooms have become the norm of urban lifestyle. Human beings spend less time in the sun today than at any point in human history - which is why more than one billion people worldwide are vitamin D deficient. Hence, it's very essential to look at life through rays of sunshine.
Get is easily: 
We can get 90 per cent of our vitamin D naturally from sunlight exposure to our skin - specifically, from ultraviolet B exposure to the skin, which naturally initiates the conversion of cholesterol in the skin to vitamin D3. Few food items like salmon, egg, tuna, fortified milk can also give you your share of vitamin D. But nothing matches sunshine which is so easily available.

Sunlight is the best and only natural source of vitamin D. The main source of vitamin D is sunlight. Vitamin D is called the 'sunshine vitamin' because it is formed in the skin through exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun. It is estimated that throughout the seasons, around 15 minutes exposure to the sun a few days a week is enough to provide the required amount of vitamin D.

So what should you do? 
Experts say there's no need to lose sleep over it. Fair-skinned people only need around 15 minutes of direct sunlight to produce enough vitamin D to last for several days (although people with darker skin may need more exposure). And it's not suggested that this exposure to the sun has to be every day; instead, a few short exposures a week is considered to be plenty. These exposures could be fitted into your day-to-day activities. Go for walks, bicycle rides or even driving with windows rolled down when the sun is shining. No need to go for all these activities in the night if you want your quota of Vitamin D.

Eating walnuts best bet for a healthy heart

A new study has suggested that walnuts have a combination of more healthful antioxidants and higher quality antioxidants than any other nut. 

It positioned walnuts in the No. 1 slot among a family of foods that lay claim to being among Mother Nature's most nearly perfect packaged foods: Tree and ground nuts.

"Walnuts rank above peanuts, almonds, pecans, pistachios and other nuts," said Joe Vinson, who did the analysis.

"A handful of walnuts contains almost twice as much antioxidants as an equivalent amount of any other commonly consumed nut. But unfortunately, people don't eat a lot of them. This study suggests that consumers should eat more walnuts as part of a healthy diet," he added. 

Vinson found that the quality, or potency, of antioxidants present in walnuts was highest among the nuts.

Antioxidants in walnuts were 2-15 times as potent as vitamin E, renowned for its powerful antioxidant effects that protect the body against damaging natural chemicals involved in causing disease.

"There's another advantage in choosing walnuts as a source of antioxidants," said Vinson, who is with the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania.

"The heat from roasting nuts generally reduces the quality of the antioxidants. People usually eat walnuts raw or unroasted, and get the full effectiveness of those antioxidants," he added.

The report was presented at the 241st National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

Olive oil for manageable hair

There is no end to the goodness of olive oil. 

Every beauty and health expert worth their salt will advise you to use olive oil for cooking as well as for beautifying oneself. Olive oil has been hailed as the ultimate when it comes to health. It is as beneficial and effective as a beauty aid as it is when consumed.

Here's how you can use olive oil to get silky shiny hair.

- Pour around half a cup of olive oil into a vessel and heat it. The oil shouldn't be too hot or you will end up with burnt fingers. Warm the oil only so much that you can comfortably touch the oil.

- Cover your shoulders with a towel to avoid staining your clothes. 


- Take a little oil in your palms and massage it into your hair. Concentrate on massaging the scalp if you have a dry, itchy scalp. However, if you have an oily scalp then avoid applying oil your scalp. Oil only your hair and leave an inch and a half from the roots unoiled. Massage with your fingertips and not your nails. You might end up with a bruised scalp. Massaging with the fingertips also stimulates the hair follicles. This also propagates hair growth. Which is why you must massage your hair at least once a week.

- Pile your hair on the top and cover it completely with a shower cap or plastic wrap. Covering hair helps the oil to penetrate deeply. You can also wrap your hair with a warm towel.

- Keep the oil on your hair for at least half an hour and not more than one hour. Wash your hair with a mild shampoo.