Ingredients

• Moringa leaves 2 cups
• Onions 1 cup, chopped
• Garlic 2-3 cloves, finely chopped
• Green chilli 1-2, finely chopped
• Mustard ½ teaspoon
• Fresh coconut ½ cup, grated
• Any cold-pressed or filtered oil
• Salt

Method

1. In a pan, add ½ teaspoon oil. Once sufficiently hot, add mustard, curry leaves and green chillies. Let it splutter, then add the onions and garlic.
2. Let it cook for few minutes [don’t brown the onions] and add the washed and chopped moringa leaves. Add salt, cover it and let it cook.
3. After the leaves have cooked, turn off the flame and add the fresh grated coconut. Delicious moringa stir-fry is ready.
4. You may even like to add ½ teaspoon red chilli powder or ½ teaspoon garam masala.

The post Moringa leaves and fresh coconut stir-fry appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

11 tips to prevent kidney stones

The following tips will help you prevent formation or reformation of kidney stones:

1. Water

Consume plenty of plain water as it helps to dilute urine, especially if you sweat it out in hot climate either due to exercise / sport or recreation. Excessive sweating will lead to less urine formation and concentrated urine causes minerals to precipitate and form kidney stones. If you increase your activity or the weather gets warm and dry, increase your water consumption correspondingly. Aim to pass about 2 – 2.5 litres of urine each day. The colour of the urine is the best indicator of hydration. Light and clear urine is the sign of adequate water intake.

2. Oxalate

It is a myth that just by avoiding oxalate-rich foods, one can prevent kidney stone formation. It is best to eat oxalate rich foods together with calcium rich foods as the two nutrients combine in the gut instead of kidney while forming urine. This prevents the formation of the most common calcium oxalate stone. Consuming vitamin C supplements may also lead to stone formation as the body converts the vitamin C to oxalate.

The following foods are rich in oxalate:

• Vegetables – rhubarb, spinach, beets, sweet potatoes, okra, Swiss chard, asparagus, parsley, celery, leeks, eggplant
• Fruits – berries (strawberry, blackberry), dry figs
• Nuts – peanuts, almonds, cashews
• Chocolate
• Seeds
• Grains – oatmeal, whole wheat, wheat germ
• Legumes including soya products
• Tea – strong black tea

3. Calcium

Reducing calcium in the diet actually increases the risk of kidney stone formation by increasing the oxalate levels. Consume up to 1000mg calcium in daily diet. Food such as dairy – milk, curd, paneer, cheese, soya products, almonds, sesame (til), broccoli, cauliflower, kale, bok choy are good sources of calcium. As noted above, combining calcium rich foods with oxalate rich foods can help to prevent kidney stones.

Consuming calcium supplements can increase the risk of kidney stones. Take the supplement with food in order to lower the risk of stone formation.

4. Phosphates

Carbonate drinks, especially colas, are rich in phosphates and combine with calcium rich foods to form calcium phosphate stones. So if you’re prone to kidney stones, avoid colas.

5. Magnesium

Magnesium plays an important role in the absorption of calcium. Green leafy vegetables, pulses, nuts, seeds like sunflower, pumpkin, sesame are good sources of magnesium.

6. Salt

Reduce the intake of salt and cut back on salty foods like preserves, pickles, papads, sauces, processed foods such as soups, biscuits, cheese. Excess salt intake in the diet enhances the excretion of calcium in urine which, in turn, increases the risk of kidney stone. Limit salt intake, including table salt to not more than 3/4^th to 1 tsp which is 1500 – 2300 mg of sodium.

7. Fibre

A diet high in fibre decreases the risk of stone formation as it cuts the absorption of calcium and oxalate. Therefore it is advisable to increase the intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and pulses with skin like chickpeas, moth beans, whole green gram, rajma and lobia.

8. Barley water

Drinking barley water increases urination and thereby prevents the build-up of toxins in the kidney that may lead to the formation of kidney stones.

9. Sugar

Cut back on sugar as high intake of sugar interferes with calcium and magnesium absorption, thereby increasing the risk of kidney stones.

10. Protein

Protein rich foods from animal source such as organ meats, fish like sardines, seafood such as lobster, shrimp, red meat (beef, veal, ham, poultry), chicken, eggs, and vegetables like cauliflower are rich in purines. Purines increase the production of uric acid leading to the formation of highly concentrated acid in the urine which aggravates the risk of kidney stones (uric acid stone). Eating too much protein also reduces citrate levels that prevents stone formation. Cut back and moderate on the quantity of protein in the diet. High protein intake also leads to calcium loss. Opt for plant protein such as legumes over non-vegetarian choices.

11. Juices

Fruit juices such as lemonade are rich in potassium citrate that helps in the prevention of kidney stone formation. Natural citrate prevents calcium from combining with other constituents and cuts the risk of stone formation. It even stops the stone from growing in size.

Last updated on 9^th July 2020

The post What to eat and what to avoid to prevent kidney stones appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

There is a strong belief in the vitamin magic — so much so, that in the village I did my rural internship, patients who had generalised fatigue and pains would ask us to prescribe Taaqat cha injection [Strength injections], their term for vitamin B-complex shots.

Minerals are yet to have that kind of mass appeal. Minerals in nutrition are like the spices we add to food. A little goes a long way and each one has specific function/s to perform—from cellular functions to building our teeth and bones. They deserve as important a consideration in our diet as do vitamins. It is best that we rely on a balanced diet that provides all major food groups including vitamins and minerals to benefit from their health-bestowing properties.

Mineral excess: Examples

When it comes to taking mineral supplements, there is surely such a thing as too much of a good thing.

High doses of selenium, for example, may generate destructive free radicals that can hamper insulin production by the pancreas. A study conducted by Dr Saverio Stranges, at the State University of New York, US, came to the conclusion that selenium supplementation did not appear to prevent Type-2 diabetes, and it could actually increase risk of the disease. Therefore, patients were advised not to take selenium supplements greater than those in multiple vitamins.

Excessive amounts of potassium in the body whether due to intake, or other causes, may lead to disturbed cardiac rhythm and ultimately cardiac arrest, as well as other metabolic disturbances.

Excess calcium in the body gets deposited as “stone” in the kidney and gall bladder.

Better eating habits, or supplements?

Mineral supplements are not a substitute for a balanced diet. For some people, however, including those on restrictive diets that don’t supply all required nutrients, dietary supplements can provide vitamins and minerals. Pregnant women and older adults have heightened nutrient needs and may benefit from a dietary supplement.

In case of iron deficiency—in specific conditions like heavy periods, pregnancy or lactation—it would be best to resort to iron supplements, as absorption from food to replete lost iron store would be a time-consuming process. Children with fussy food habits or poor eaters also need to be reviewed on their overall growth and development, and prescribed supplements accordingly, if need be.

While each essential mineral has its own sources, it would be impractical to select a food each for every mineral. The practical approach is to eat whole foods that are not only a good source of vitamins and minerals but also provide other added benefits such as wholesome nutrition, essential fibre content and other protective substances such as antioxidants. Also, because of our generous intake of common salt, two minerals, viz., sodium and chloride are rarely found deficient in our body.

Easy mineral balanced meals

• Carrot rotis with yoghurt raita and banana slices with honey
• Whole wheat bread with peanut butter and a glass of soy milk or skimmed milk
• Hummus on pita bread with a fattoush salad [made with leafy greens, cucumber, onion and toasted bread]
• Brown rice with chowli beans [black eyed peas] and a tomato-cucumber kachumbar
• Shrimp salad, fish curry [salmon] and red rice
• Turkey meat burgers in whole wheat bread with mustard and radish greens and a glass of pineapple juice
• Oven baked potato wedges [with skins] with tomato salsa, almond soup and low-fat chocolate mousse.

Mineral water: Myths and truths

Bottled water is sold as mineral water. But, how many of us read the label on that pricey bottle to find out what’s really in it? It is also not clear if mineral water has any additional benefits, apart from basic hydration with clean water, because the mineral content in most brands is much less than that of tap water. It may, therefore, not be significant enough to work as a good source of essential minerals.

There are obviously no adverse effects from drinking mineral water, except for some brands containing a higher sodium level, which we can do without. In some countries, tap water may be richer in minerals than bottled mineral water—in Germany, regulations for tap water are stricter than that for bottled water.

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