The Telangana Science Journal

Health and Nutrition

(An International Electronic Science Digest Published from the United States of America)
(Dedicated to one of the most backward regions in India, "Telangana," My Fatherland )

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Iowa City, IA, USA

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Issue 139

5111 Kali Era, Virodhi Year, Ashadha month
2066 Vikramarka Era, Virodhi Year,  Ashadha month
1930 Salivahana Era,
Virodhi Year, Ashadha month
 2009 AD, July


Contents
Home

Management
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MS

Vegetarian Links

Disclaimer

Soliciataion

Contact

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Vedah

   
Diet and Exercise

Buckwheat for Brain
Olive Leaves
Eat Less, Live Long
Vegetarian and Vegan




Miscellaneous

Coffee and Alzheimer’s
Pollution Exposure Reduces IQ
Endangered Male
Staying Young
Child Obesity is Child Neglect?
The Bilingual



Recipes

Sesame Noodles
Pad Thai Noodles
Cornmeal Breaded Tofu
Low-fat Vegan Banana Bread



   
Diet and Exercise
Buckwheat for Brain
Buckwheat is high in several important nutrients essential for healthy living. In particular, Buckwheat contains a lot of lecithin.  Researchers found that eating a diet rich in lecithin can prevent many of the mental conditions such as brain fog, depression, anxiety and mental fatigue as well as produce a clearer and sharper brain.
 
Lecithin is also great at soaking up ‘bad’ cholesterol, stopping it from being absorbed by the body. Additionally, lecithin works as a detoxifying agent on the lymphatic system, purifying it and as a result removing some stress from the liver.  Some of those are selenium, magnesium, manganese, co-enzyme Q10, bioflavonoids, flavonols and all of the B vitamins. Iron is also in abundance and due to that it has a good blood building ability. The high levels of calcium and boron lead to osteoporosis prevention.
Despite being called wheat, Buckwheat is actually gluten free as the seed is not a grain. It has an alkalizing effect on the body which is great for the generally acidic bodies of Westerners. It also contains all 8 amino acids and so is an excellent source of complete protein.
 
The best composition of nutrients is found in sprouted Buckwheat. All one needs to do is soak some Buckwheat seeds in tepid water for an hour then drain off the water. For the next two days rinse the seeds 3 times a day taking care to especially wash off any starch that tends to develop on the outside of the seeds, Once sprouted they can be eaten as they are, used as part of another dish or for the best results, juice them and drink while they are fresh.

Common buckwheat was domesticated and first cultivated in the Indian Continent (southeast Asia), possibly around 6000 BC, and from there spread to Europe and to Central Asia and Tibet. Domestication most likely took place in the western Yunnan region of China. Buckwheat is documented in Europe in the Balkans by at least the Middle Neolithic (circa 4000 BC) and the oldest known remains in China so far date to circa 2600 BC, and buckwheat pollen has been found in Japan from as early as 4000 BC. It is the world's highest elevation domesticate, being cultivated in Yunnan on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau or on the Plateau itself. Buckwheat was one of the earliest crops introduced by Europeans to North America. Dispersal around the globe was complete by 2006, when a variety developed in Canada was widely planted in China.

Olive Leaves
The value of olive oil for the body is very well known but not so much the value of olive leaf. Recent studies are revealing that olive leaves are possibly even more effective at keeping the body healthy than olive oil.

The use of olive leaf has been going on for over three millennia.  Traditionally, olive leaf is used as an antioxidant to offer general good health and fitness. The leaves are in most cases sourced from the Manzanillo and Mission Olive trees. By creating an extract of olive leaf, it has been possible to produce several health benefits, namely to fight infection, deal with chronic fatigue, control cholesterol levels and produce more energy in the body.

Even more interesting are its tendencies to battle against viruses like herpes, shingles and flu by building up the body’s immune system. Apart from the antioxidants that olive leaf possesses, there is also oleuropein which is an important agent that is credited with offering great benefits to overall health.
 
Olive leaf is also the ’parent’ of many products such as soap, lotions, extracts and herbal tea, containing even more antioxidants than the ever popular green tea. As a soap it clears the skin and as a lotion it offers excellent moisturizing benefits.
http://www.healthypages.co.uk/newsitem.php?news=6054


Eat Less, Live Long
A 20-year study has found that sharply cutting calories extends life for some of humans' closest relatives. The study was published in the journal Science. The study included 76 rhesus monkeys. Researchers divided them into two groups. One group ate the normal diet of a captive monkey. The other group ate a nutritious diet with 30% fewer calories. So far, 37% of the monkeys on the regular diet have died of age-related diseases, researchers said. This compares with just 13% of those on the lower-calorie diet. A few other monkeys died of causes not considered to be age-related. Monkeys eating fewer calories also had less than half of the cancer and heart disease of the normal-diet group. They had less brain shrinkage and muscle loss as well.  They look younger and are healthier.


Vegetarians and Vegans
Do Just Fine
Despite media speculation, teenagers can get plenty of the right nutrients from a vegetarian diet. Although vegetarianism is becoming increasingly popular in the Western world, when teenagers come home and announce that they are going to be vegetarian from that moment onwards, it can be quite a shock to many western parents.  Two very established institutions, Health Canada and the Dietitians of Canada both stated that vegetarian diets can be just as healthy as the omnivore counterpart, although they did say vitamin B12 would need to be acquired from other sources.  One of those sources could be from a multivitamin.

Another mineral that vegetarian and vegan teenagers need to be sure to get in sufficient quantities is calcium. 1300 milligrams of calcium is the recommendation for teenagers and the best source outside of dairy products is orange juice, broccoli, fortified soymilk and dark green vegetables.

Erroneously, protein is often listed as the food element that vegans and vegetarians have difficulty getting enough of.   However, this is not really true. Despite what everyone thinks,  vegetarians and vegans shouldn’t have problems getting enough protein. In fact, the majority of plant foods contain protein.


Miscellaneous

Walk Outdoors
Health benefits of a walk in outside are a reduced risk of heart attack and a greater feeling of happiness. Seratonin, the feel good chemical is released by the body in sunlight. Additionally, vitamin D is produced when you are exposed to sunlight. Experts recommend walking for thirty minutes a day, 5 times per week to enjoy the health benefits.
 
Despite the great benefits of exposure outdoors, sunlight needs to be respected and treated with care, because of melanoma. Cancer Research say that a light skinned person only needs 10 minutes a day exposure to sunlight for their body to produce sufficient vitamin D for the day.


Coffee and Alzheimer’s
Coffee drinkers may have another reason to pour that extra cup. When aged mice bred to develop symptoms of Alzheimer's disease were given caffeine – the equivalent of five cups of coffee a day – their memory impairment was reversed, report University of South Florida researchers at the Florida Alzheimer's Disease Research Center.

Back-to-back studies published online in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, show caffeine significantly decreased abnormal levels of the protein linked to Alzheimer's disease, both in the brains and in the blood of mice exhibiting symptoms of the disease. Both studies build upon previous research by the Florida ADRC group showing that caffeine in early adulthood prevented the onset of memory problems in mice bred to develop Alzheimer's symptoms in old age.

Based on these promising findings in mice, researchers at the Florida ADRC and Byrd Alzheimer's Center at USF hope to begin human trials to evaluate whether caffeine can benefit people with mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer's disease, said Huntington Potter, PhD, director of the Florida ADRC and an investigator for the caffeine studies. The research group has already determined that caffeine administered to elderly non-demented humans quickly affects their blood levels of β-amyloid, just as it did in the Alzheimer's mice.
http://www.dddmag.com/news-Caffeine-Protects-Mice-From-Alzheimers-070609.aspx
But, what happens if you drink five cups of coffee per day?


Pollution Exposure Reduces IQ
In a study, children exposed to more air pollution before birth had lower IQs at age 5, researchers reported this month. This is the first time research has linked air pollution and intelligence. The study included 249 pregnant New York City women. None of them smoked. They lived mostly in low-income areas of Manhattan and the South Bronx. The women wore devices to track pollution for two days during the latter part of pregnancy.  At age 5, their children were given IQ tests. Those exposed to the most pollution before birth scored 4 to 5 points lower than children exposed to less pollution. The journal Pediatrics published the study online.


Endangered Male
Scientists in Newcastle claim to have created human sperm in the laboratory in what they say is a world first. The researchers believe the work could eventually help men with fertility problems to father a child. But other experts say they are not convinced that fully developed sperm have been created. Writing in the journal Stem Cells and Development, the Newcastle team says it will be at least five years before the technique is perfected. They began with stem cell lines derived from human embryos donated following IVF treatment. The stem cells had been removed when the embryo was a few days old and were stored in tanks of liquid nitrogen. The stem cells were brought to body temperature and put in a chemical mixture to encourage them to grow. They were "tagged" with a genetic marker which enabled the scientists to identify and separate so-called "germline" stem cells from which eggs and sperm are developed. The male, XY stem cells underwent the crucial process of "meiosis" - halving the number of chromosomes. The process over creating and developing the sperm took four to six weeks. However, this is not the end of Men.  People will continue to procreate normal way, at least for the sheer pleasure of it.


Staying Young
One of the main concerns of people getting old is how to stay sharp. Scientists may have an answer. A group of scientists conducted a study involving the observation of 2,500 people as they passed through their seventies and eighties. The participants were put through a series of memory tests over an eight year period. 30% of the participants remained sharp without mental decline. It was found that a combination of education, no smoking, regular social activity and regular exercise contributed to people to remain sharp into their later years. Exercise performed enthusiastically at least twice a week was recognized as providing a 30% greater chance of remaining sharp.

High literacy levels offered 5 times the chance of staying mentally agile whereas a good education was responsible for a 3 times chance of remaining mentally agile. Those who were non smokers had double the odds in their favor and socially active people, meaning those who lived with someone or who were regularly engaging in interactivity had a 24% greater likelihood of staying sharp.


Child Obesity is Child Neglect?
In a few cases across the country, parents have been charged with child neglect because of their children's obesity. In a South Carolina case, Alexander Draper reached 555 pounds by age 14. His mother, Jerri Gray, said she had done everything she could to help her son lose weight. But she was arrested in June. She was charged with criminal neglect. Her son is now in foster care. Cases also have occurred in Texas, Pennsylvania, New York, New Mexico, Indiana and California in recent years. That tally comes from a 2008 report by the Child Welfare League of America. No parents were sentenced to jail. In fact, most of the cases did not involve criminal charges. But they led to new interpretations of state law. Except for California, courts ruled that the state's definition of neglect included morbid obesity.


The Bilingual
The best time to learn a second language is between birth and age 7. If you didn’t learn your native language by then, no one can help you!  New research is showing just how children's brains can become bilingual so easily. Scientists now know babies are born with the ability to distinguish all of the sounds, but that ability starts weakening even before they start talking, by the first birthday.  Mastering your dominant language gets in the way of learning a second, less familiar one. The brain tunes out sounds that don't fit.  The baby is building a brain architecture that's a perfect fit for whatever is the main language, or, if you're a lucky baby, a brain with two sets of neural circuits dedicated to two languages.  It's remarkable that babies being raised bilingual can learn both in the time it takes most babies to learn one. 

It is better that parents follow biology and expose youngsters early to two languages, one at home and the other at school. In America, if you speak a second language at home and send your child to public school where everything is taught in English, it is the best approach. For immigrants, it should be a peace of cake.  If you are English speaking parents, find a caregiver where your child can hear and practice another language everyday for several hours by "immersion" for for the first seven years and continue practicing at home and take it as the second language at school. 

However, it should be noted that speaking a combination of two languages, will create new languages like Spanglish (Spanish + English), Tenglish (Telugu + English), Hinglish (Hindi + English) Runglish (Russian + English) etc.  Such languages can be seen on many Indian TV channels.  They may be considered modern and new languages.  For example, Hinglish can only be understood by elite Hinglish speakers.  Neither native English/American speakers nor native Hindi speakers can understand Hinglish completely.



   
Recipes

Sesame Noodles
Ingredients: 1 pound Chinese-style noodles, water for boiling, 2 tbsp sesame oil + 1 tbsp, 1 tbsp peanut butter, 1 tsp water, 2 tsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp tahini, 1 tbsp cooking sherry or rice vinegar, 1 tbsp maple syrup, 1 clove garlic, minced, 1/2 tsp fresh ginger minced or grated, 3 green onions, sliced
Preparation: Cook noodles in water for just a few minutes, so they are just beginning to soften but are not yet all the way cooked. Drain. In a large skillet, fry the noodles in 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, stirring frequently. Allow to cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until noodles are soft. Remove from heat.  In a large bowl or blender, whisk or blend together the 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, peanut butter, water, soy sauce, tahini, sherry or rice vinegar, maple syrup, garlic and ginger. Toss this mixture with the noodles. Stir in the green onions.  Chill before serving, if desired.


Pad Thai Noodles
Ingredients: 1 pound Asian-style noodles, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup lime juice, 2 tbsp peanut butter, 2 tbsp hot sauce, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 block tofu, diced, 1 onion, diced, 4 cloves garlic, minced, 2 tbsp sesame oil, 1/2 cup bean sprouts, 1/4 cup chopped or crushed peanuts (optional), 4 green onions (scallions), sliced
Preparation: Cook noodles according to package instructions. Whisk together the soy sauce, peanut butter, lime juice, hot sauce and sugar. In a large wok or skillet, sautee the tofu, onion and garlic in sesame oil for a minute or two, stirring frequently. Allow to cook for another minute or two. Add the cooked noodles and the peanut butter and soy sauce mixture. Stir well, and allow sauce to thicken as it cooks for about 3 minutes. Top with peanuts, bean sprouts and green onions and serve hot.


Cornmeal Breaded Tofu
Ingredients: a bit of oil, 1 package firm or extra firm tofu, well pressed; 2 tbsp nutritional yeast, 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup corn meal, 1 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper.
Preparation: Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees and lightly brush a baking pan with olive oil. Slice the tofu into rectangular strips, about 1/2 inch thick. Combine the nutritional yeast, flour, corn meal and spices until well-mixed. Place tofu in the cornmeal mixture a few pieces at a time and coat well. Place on baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly golden brown, then flip the tofu over and bake for another 5 minutes. This cornmeal breaded tofu can also be lightly fried in oil for a few minutes on each side until lightly golden browned.  Enjoy your cornmeal baked tofu with ketchup or another dipping sauce, perhaps barbecue sauce or even a bit of hot sauce.  http://vegetarian.about.com/od/maindishentreerecipes/r/cornmealtofu.htm?nl=1



Low-fat Vegan Banana Bread
Ingredients: 1/3 cup vegan margarine, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 cups flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 2 ripe bananas, mashed, 1/2 cup soy milk, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Preparation: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cream together the vegan margarine and sugar, then stir in the flour and baking powder and baking soda. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.  Pour into an oiled bread pan and bake for 50 minutes.  http://vegetarian.about.com/od/breakfastrecipe1/r/bananabread.htm?nl=1









Notice: This material contains only general descriptions and is not a solicitation to sell any insurance product or security, nor is it intended as any financial, tax, medical or health care advice. For information about specific needs or situations, contact your financial, tax agent or physician.
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Source: The primary sources cited above,  New York Times (NYT), Washington Post (WP), Mercury News, Bayarea.com, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, Intellihealthnews, Deccan Chronicle (DC), the Hindu, Hindustan Times, Times of India, AP, Reuters, AFP, womenfitness.net, about.com etc.




Copyright ©1998-2009
Vepachedu Educational Foundation, Inc
Copyright Vepachedu Educational Foundation Inc., 2009.  All rights reserved.  All information is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for special medical conditions or any specific health issues or starting a new fitness regimen. Please read disclaimer.





Om! Asatoma Sadgamaya, Tamasoma Jyotirgamaya, Mrityorma Amritamgamaya, Om Shantih, Shantih, Shantih!
(Om! Lead the world from wrong path to the right path, from ignorance to knowledge, from mortality to immortality and peace!)
One World One Family





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