Most of us are habituated to having a cup of hot cup of tea or coffee in the mornings. We are so dependent on them to kick-start our day, that if we don’t have it, life comes to stand still. But, we never think once whether these beverages really help us?  Well, there are many versions of good and bad effects about having a morning cup of hot tea/coffee.  It’s not so easy to give up the habit. But, little change may bring in good effects. According to ancient Chinese medicine, drinking a glass of warm water in the morning helps kick-start the digestive system.

Chinese people believe that warm water because of its temperature, apparently aids blood flow. As your blood circulation increases, it helps detoxify your body and reduce painful contractions of muscles. It gives relief from sore throat. It helps reduce the menstrual cramps in women. On the other hand, cold water slows down organ function and causes muscles to contract.

I have seen people who are habituated to drink warm water throughout the day, enjoying good health. During meals, unknowingly we mix hot food with cold water, and this creates an imbalance of temperature.

Warm water increases body temperature, thereby increases the metabolic rate. Drinking a glass of warm water and a lemon helps break down the body fat, this controls food craving due to lemon’s pectin fibre. According to Ayurveda drinking warm water in morning heals our body by providing digestive power and reducing metabolic waste which strengthens our immune system. And do you know that, warm water helps maintain hair health, it promotes hair growth and prevents dandruff from coming back. Warm water keeps the scalp hydrated and increases root activity, giving you soft and shiny hair.

Often we feel plagued by constipation, do you know that the strain felt during elimination, accompanied by bloating, is brought on by a lack of water in the body? Drinking warm water in the morning on an empty stomach can help improve bowel movements and aid constipation while breaking down foods as they smoothly pass through the intestines. Stimulating the bowels helps return your body back to normal functioning.

Warm water is nature’s most powerful home remedy, which helps lighten any pain. The heat from warm water has a calming and soothing effect on the abdominal muscles, which can help provide instant relief for cramps and muscle spasms. Warm or hot water is usually better for cramps, as hot liquids increase blood flow to the skin and help relax the cramped muscles.

Warm water first thing in the morning can help with weight loss. The fat deposits in the body are eliminated along with accumulating deposits in the nervous system when you drink a glass of warm water. This flushes out the toxins that are circulating throughout the body and then enhances blood circulation. Making sure the muscles are relaxed will eliminate poor circulation and blood flow.

Premature aging can be prevented by drinking warm water. The presence of toxins in the body can lead to aging faster, but warm water can help cleanse the body from those toxins, while repairing skin cells to increase elasticity. Let’s make little difference in our daily lives: let’s consume mugs of warm water and avoid illnesses.

How Green tea helps in having beautiful hair?

Have you ever thought what connection green tea has with hair? You can stop wondering and start drinking green tea, because green tea has the potential to fight with the problem of hair loss. This may sound a bit unbelievable but it is true. If you are longing for beautiful, luscious mane that makes women go green with envy, then start sipping green tea right away.

How Green tea helps Fat burning?

If you look at any ingredients list of fat burning supplement; chances are that green tea will be present in it. This is because green tea has been shown to increase fat burning and boost the metabolic rate. Its consumption can boost the metabolic rate in the short term; it therefore makes sense when it claims that it can help us lose weight. Several studies show that green tea leads in decreasing body fat, especially in the abdominal area.

How Green tea helps in Fighting cancers?

Don’t forget that green tea is an excellent source of powerful antioxidants; it therefore helps reduce risk of cancer. A meta-analysis of observational study found that women who drank the most green tea had a 22% lower risk of developing breast cancer, the most common cancer in women. One study found that men drinking green tea had a 48% lower risk of developing prostate cancer, which is the most common cancer in men. A study of 69,710 Chinese women found that green tea drinkers had a 57% lower risk of colorectal cancer. Multiple other observational studies show that green tea drinkers are significantly less likely to get various types of cancer.  Please note that adding milk to your green tea may be a bad idea, because it can reduce the antioxidant value.

How Green tea is good for for brain functioning?

Not only can green tea improve brain function in the short term, it may also protect your brain in old age. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common neurodegenerative disease in humans and a leading cause of dementia. Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease and involves the death of dopamine producing neurons in the brain. Multiple studies show that the catechins compounds in green tea can have various protective effects on neurons, potentially lowering the risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. The catechins in green tea have other biological effects as well. They can kill bacteria and inhibit viruses like the influenza virus, potentially lowering your risk of infections.

How Green tea is good for oral health?

Streptococcus mutans is the primary harmful bacteria in the mouth. It causes plaque formation and is a leading contributor to cavities and tooth decay. Catechins in green tea can inhibit the growth of streptococcus mutans. Green tea consumption is associated with improved dental health it fights cavities and tooth decay. Another awesome benefit of green tea is that it can reduce bad breath.

How Green Tea Improves insulin?

Type II diabetes disease has reached epidemic proportions in the past few decades and now afflicts about 300 million people worldwide. This disease involves having elevated blood sugar levels in the context of insulin resistance or an inability to produce insulin. Green tea can improve insulin sensitivity and reduce blood sugar levels.

How Green Tea Protects your heart?

Globally cardiovascular disease has created havoc.  This includes heart attack and stroke. Studies show that green tea can improve some of the main risk factors for these diseases. Green tea consumption reduces total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Green tea also dramatically increases the antioxidant capability of the blood, which protects the LDL cholesterol particles from oxidation, which is one part of the pathway towards heart disease.

How much of Green Tea is good?

Drinking 2 to 3 cups daily is good, which gives us 240 to 320 milligrams of polyphones. If one opts for taking green tea extract supplements, 100 to 750 milligrams per day is recommended. Opt for caffeine-free products when possible. Few studies done on effects of green tea on children are not positive and hence it is not recommended for children. It is safest not to give it to them.

Which are some of the famous Green tea brands?

Lipton Green Tea is one of the popular green tea brands, which is consumed by a large population globally. Lipton Green Tea is a product of Unilever, a multinational corporation, globally acclaimed for its products. Pure, Mint, Jasmine and Citrous are some of the variants of Lipton Green Tea, which are popular among people. Twinings is another popular green tea brand. Some of the variants of Twinings Green Tea are Lemon, Mint, Jasmine and Earl Grey. Organic India, a globally known company for its premier quality organic and herbal products. It offers green tea under the name of Tulsi Green Tea, which uses Tulsi and Green Tea as its ingredients. Gaia offers excellent quality green tea in many variants like Ginger, Lemon, Elaichi, Honey, etc. These variants of green tea are not only great in taste, but also provides various health benefits. Himalaya Green Tea is also one of leading brands in the list of green tea. It is a product of Himalaya, a famous brand of health care products. Himalaya Green Tea is available in tea bags, which can be used whenever required. Taj Mahal Green Tea is another popular green tea brand owned by Hindustan Unilever. Taj Mahal Green Tea is available in different variants that include Honey Lemon and Darjeeling.

]]> https://drvidyahattangadi.com/why-you-should-switch-to-green-tea/feed/ 0 https://drvidyahattangadi.com/benefits-of-drinking-water-in-the-morning/ https://drvidyahattangadi.com/benefits-of-drinking-water-in-the-morning/#respond Thu, 26 Feb 2015 02:42:12 +0000 http://drvidyahattangadi.com/?p=2178 Benefits of drinking water in the morning

One of the best things to do after waking up in the morning is to drink minimum 500 ml of water. It takes just about 3 minutes to drink 2 glasses of water. It does great things which cannot be overlooked. Japanese are famous for this healthy practice. Most of the Japanese consume minimum 2 glasses of water as soon as they rise in the morning.

While we sleep the whole night, our body repairs itself by replenishing it with energy and our body gradually becomes dehydrated because it needs fluid to operate. In the cleansing process our body balances hormones; the result is toxins and other waste materials being released and waiting to be flushed out. Drinking water after waking up flushes unwanted toxins out of the body. After we drink water after we wake up, it increases the rate at which new muscle and blood cells are produced. It also balances lymph system. Lymph glands set in our lymph system fight infections helping us to perform our daily activities more efficiently by balancing the fluids in our body.

Body fluids transport waste products in and out of cells. The main toxin in the body is blood urea nitrogen, a water-soluble waste that is able to pass through the kidneys to be excreted in the urine. Our kidneys do an amazing job of cleansing and ridding our body of toxins as long as our intake of fluids is adequate. When we drink enough fluids, urine flows freely and is light in color and free of odor. When our body is not getting enough fluids, urine concentration, color, and odor increases because the kidneys trap extra fluid for bodily functions.

Drinking water first in the morning spins up our metabolism. Drinking a large, cool glass of water after waking up has immense strength to activate metabolism by almost 24% and which stays for over an hour. It helps the kidneys to flush out toxins. We don’t realize this – when our body is not properly hydrated, our brain operates sluggishly causing a drained feeling and fatigue. Shortage of water in body also causes mood fluctuations.

One study has proved that people who drink a glass of water before every meal lost 4.5 pounds over a three-month period, because it fills up the stomach with a substance that has zero calories, and people gives a feeling of fullness. After morning breakfast, drinking a lot of water helps us avoid the temptation of snacking before lunch. It’s also very difficult for the body to tell the difference between hunger and thirst. So if you’re walking around feeling a gnawing sense of hunger, you might just be dehydrated. Try drinking a glass of water instead of grabbing a snack.

Drinking ample water helps reduce headache, body ache, heart attacks, arthritis, high pulse rate, epilepsy, obesity, bronchitis asthma, TB, meningitis, kidney and urine diseases, vomiting, gastritis, diarrhea, piles, diabetes, constipation, all eye diseases, womb, cancer and menstrual disorders, ear nose and throat diseases. Now isn’t this really a very big list of ailments which can be brought under control by consuming a large glass of water as soon as we rise.

It also relieves constipation, because the main cause of constipation is dehydration. The most simple fuel body requires is regular intake of water.

We feel lighter and brighter after body is cleansed of the toxins and it absorbs more nutrients from a well-balanced breakfast and lunch. Drinking good amount of water throughout the day also leads to clear flawless skin. Try this out from tomorrow morning; drink minimum 500 ml of water (not from the fridge), make it a practice at least for a month and see the positive effects.

Also please remember that you need to increase fluid intake when you are high on protein diet, high on fibre diet, pregnant or breast feeding, vomiting are suffering from diarrhoea, exposed to hot or warm conditions and are doing lot of physical activities such as gym, exercising, cycling, etc. Not drinking enough water can increase the risk of kidney stones and in women, urinary tract infections. It can also lower your physical and mental performance, salivary gland function and lead to dehydration.

Some common symptoms of dehydration are:  thirst, headache, lethargy, mood changes, slower response, dry nasal passage, dry and cracked lips, dark colored urine, weakness, tiredness, cramps, confusions and hallucination.

There is no substitute for water; not a thing. No soft drink, no coffee, no tea, no alcoholic beverages. Not even fruit juices. Each one of them has its own agenda. Your body is used to a fluid that has no agenda, because the body depends on the freedom of that fluid, water, because there are two kinds of water in the body. There is already occupied and engaged water, which is no good for new function. The body needs new water, or free water, to perform new functions. Now, when you give them sugar containing beverages, or caffeine containing beverages, both sugar and caffeine have their own chemical agenda in the body. They defeat the purpose of the need for water. So friends, drink ample water and live a healthy life.