Are you feeling overwhelmed while doing your daily tasks? Is your productivity getting affected? The answer could be due to the brain fog issue.  By brain fog, we mean a state of confusion, disorganisation and lack of mental clarity etc. There are many factors that can lead to brain fog in us such as stress, lack of sleep, nutritional deficiencies etc. It is really shocking to mention here that across India there are more people with brain fog issues now. This can be due to lifestyle issues, environmental poisons and residual impacts of Covid-19 pandemic also. Various important reasons for getting brain fog are Excess screen usage: Many these days are getting mental fatigue because of the excessive usage of screens or also known as digital overload. It is true that over dependence on screens has resulted in the brain becoming slow and due to this, people are finding it difficult to concentrate. This is prevalent especially among the youths. Post Covid neurological effects: Truth is that many survivors of Covid 10 have developed long term cognitive symptoms or brain fog. The symptoms associated are impaired memory, absence of concentration and mental fatigue etc. It has been found that around 25% of recovered patients have these neurological effects. Mental health stress due to chronic stress: These days, persons get affected by 3 types of stress namely work pressure, academic pressure and social pressure. Bitter fact is that the thinking ability of the person would get affected because of stress. It must be taken into note that lack of sleep would worsen the symptoms. Deficiency due to nutrients: Our brain would not get the required amounts of nutrients if we eat processed foods or irregular meal timings etc. There are chances of mental fog and cognitive loss if we lack nutrients like vitamin B12 and omega 3 fatty acids etc. Sleep disturbances: It is worthy to note that disturbed or poor sleep would prevent the brain from effectively stabilising memories. There are more chances of brain fog if we get exposed to screens before bed or sleeping on an irregular schedule etc. Brain fog treatment: It is possible to treat brain fog by limiting the exposure to screens. By sleeping well for more than 6 hours every night, By consuming balanced foods like antioxidants, fat etc. Brain fog can be managed by exercising regularly and by doing meditation or yoga or breathing exercises etc. What to consume for brain fog issue? Intake of vitamin D foods (fatty fishes, mushrooms, egg yolk etc) would boost our mood, symptoms of anxiety and depression etc. This would help in brain fog management. Intake of omega 3 fatty acids foods like nuts and seeds, salmon fish etc would boost depressive symptoms, boosts mood. Foods like seeds, beans etc have magnesium in them and consuming these foods would improve stress based cognitive impairment and brain fog etc. Foods having vitamin C like broccoli, strawberries etc would boost mood and improve brain fog issue. 

For many years now, sabja or basil seeds have been used in Ayurvedic and in Chinese medicine. These small seeds are rich in many nutrients such as fibres, fats, proteins, carbohydrates plus minerals like zinc, iron, potassium, magnesium, Vitamins like A,C and E etc. Various health benefits of intake of sabja seeds are Good for weight loss: Those who are trying to lose their excess weights must try sabja seeds. The presence of fibres plus omega 3 fatty acids in the sabja seeds would make us feel full for a longer duration. By this, we would avoid eating unnecessarily. This would help us to lose weight. Regulates blood pressure: It is noteworthy that the presence of potassium in sabja seeds would help in managing blood pressure or BP by dilating our blood vessels. Those with hypertension must consume sabja seeds without fail. Controls blood sugar levels: Keeping blood sugar levels in control is essential to avoid serious health complications later on.  Intake of basil seeds would be superb in this aspect. Those with type2 diabetes must consume these seeds without fail for the sake of their health. The presence of dietary fibres in these seeds helps in managing blood sugar levels. Boosts immunity: It is worthy to note that intake of sabja seeds boosts our immunity. This is due to the presence of immunity boosting omega 3 fatty acids plus others like orietin, vicenin etc in these seeds. Fights stress: For our health to be good, we must not have stress or must have reduced stress etc. For this, intake of sabja seeds would be good. The reason is the presence of antioxidants in these seeds would release tension and stress present in us. Please take care. Prevents constipation etc: The presence of dietary fibres in these seeds would help us to get regular bowel movements. As a result, we would be able to avoid constipation issues. Boosts dental health: We could avoid getting dental cavities, plaques, bad breath and mouth ulcers etc if we consume basil seeds. The antimicrobial properties of these seeds play a huge role here. Natural body cooler: Especially in the hot summer season, consuming sabja seeds would make our body cool down. It is believed that there are certain compounds in these seeds that would lower stomach heat. Boosts bone density: Our bone density would get boosted by consuming sabja seeds. Our bone health would be good by intake of sabja seeds rich in calcium, iron and copper etc. Good bone health would help us to have good overall health. Lowered cholesterol levels: For our heart health to be good, our cholesterol levels must be low. It is believed that by consuming basil seeds having dietary fibres our cholesterol levels would get reduced. This would lower the chances of atherosclerosis and plaque build up etc in the arteries and blood vessels etc. This would boost our heart health. Eight percent drop in cholesterol levels have been recorded by the intake of 30gms of basil seeds for a month.

These days, the number of people suffering from high uric acid levels has increased. What is uric acid? When our body breaks down purines that are present in certain foods like lentils, spinach etc, natural waste product uric acid is formed. Moreover, uric acid is also produced naturally by our kidneys. In normal persons, uric acid gets dissolved in the blood and passes through the kidneys. The uric acid would get eliminated in the urine. In certain persons, their bodies would have excess of uric acid and their kidneys won`t be able to eliminate uric acid. This could result in a condition termed hyperuricemia. This can further lead to gout or a kind of arthritis or kidney stones etc. Persons who have high uric acid levels in them must avoid these foods compulsorily. Avoid organ meats intake: It is noteworthy that organ meats have high amounts of purines in them. Consuming organ meats would increase the uric acid levels. Avoid full fat dairy foods intake: Full fat dairy foods such as paneer and milk contain saturated fats. By this, the kidneys would become less capable of eliminating uric acid. For the purpose of fulfilling protein and calcium requirements, it is necessary to opt for low fat or fat free dairy products to manage uric acid levels. Avoid sea foods intake: Those persons with high levels of uric acid in them must refrain from eating sea foods containing purines. There are chances of uric acid accumulation if sea foods are consumed frequently. It is okay to consume seafood in moderate amounts to avoid an increase in uric acid levels. Avoid sugary drinks intake: The production of uric acid could increase by consuming beverages with high amounts of added sugars. Uric acid could increase due to fructose intake. It is better to drink water or unsweetened drinks etc for managing uric acid. Avoid alcohol intake: Our body`s ability to eliminate uric acid would get disrupted by intake of alcohol. Therefore, we must totally avoid intake of alcohol to avoid an increase in the uric acid levels. Refined carbohydrates intake: When we eat foods like white bread, pasta etc having low fibre content, our blood sugar levels spike quickly. It must be taken into account that intake of refined carbohydrates would lower the kidneys capacity to eliminate uric acid. It would be better to consume whole grains instead of refined carbohydrates.

We all would have experienced inflammation at some point of time in our lives. Our body has got its own way of saying that something is not right. That is a normal part of our body`s response to infection etc and this is termed as inflammation. For example, after eating certain foods we might get an achy red swollen feeling etc. It is okay to get inflammation once in a while but persistent inflammation must never be ignored. It is noteworthy that chronic inflammation that could last for many months or years is associated with diabetes and cardiovascular disease etc. This chronic inflammation in us could be due to foods and dietary habits that would disturb the gut microbes. These are the unhealthy eating habits that can lead to inflammation in us. Intake of too much of processed foods: There are possibilities of developing inflammation if we eat excess processed foods like burgers, candies, potato chips etc. It was brought out by a research study in 2022 that intake of excessive amounts of processed foods could lead to inflammation in us.  It is learnt that regular intake of ultra processed foods having refined ingredients and additives etc would disrupt the functioning of the digestive system. Intake of excess amounts of sugars: One important question would be how much sugar is too much sugar. It has been mentioned in the research study in 2022 that excessive intake of sugars can lead to heart disease, diabetes, IBD, low grade inflammation etc. Point is that triggering the levels of inflammatory messengers or cytokines would occur due to excessive intake of sugary foods etc. So, please take care. Excluding vegetables and fibres from diet: It is true that if a person has more inflammation then his or her body would require more vegetables and fibres etc. It was revealed by a research work in 2018 that higher fruit and vegetable intake would reduce pro-inflammatory mediators. It is possible to fight inflammation if we eat a balanced diet of proteins and fibres etc. Consuming excess amounts of gluten: Wheat and grains etc have gluten in them. There are some people who are gluten sensitive while others can consume gluten without any issue. It must be taken into note that this gluten sensitivity can lead to inflammation or kind of swelling in the body when persons have autoimmune disease and gut problems etc. Please be careful. Consuming excess amounts of alcohol: We could get chronic inflammation if we drink alcohol in excess amounts. It was published in the Journal Alcohol Research that regular intake of alcohol is associated with intestinal inflammation. Not only that, there might be unfavourable changes in the gut microbiome.

Imagine you are in a meeting with your boss and other office colleagues etc. You find it difficult to open your mouth and talk freely due to the bad odour present in your mouth. Embarrassing situation right!! The fact is for 25% of the population bad breath could be a chronic issue. Bad breath can be embarrassing and worrisome for us. Having bad breath is one of the most important reasons for many persons seeking dental care. Bad breath is also known as halitosis. Though in most cases, bad breath could be treated but it could also indicate a more serious issue in us. By knowing the cause for bad breath, we would be able to eliminate this issue. Several important reasons or causes for having bad breath are Poor home care: This is one important cause for the bad breath problem in us. It is true that we all have mouth bacteria and it could result in bad breath in us. By practising good home oral hygiene, we can remove the mouth bacteria. It is worthy to note that brushing and flossing well could help us to eliminate mouth bacteria and help us to avoid bad breath issues. In other words, poor home oral care would lead to tooth decay or infection and this could further result in bad odour in the mouth. Gum disease: Despite brushing our teeth well, we might still have bad breath in the mouth. The reason for that is due to gum disease. It would not be possible for us to just brush and floss the bacteria from the mouth if we have gum disease. The reason for that is because bacteria might be hiding under the gums and it cannot be reached by brush etc. The bad smell in the mouth would be present till gum disease gets treated. Dry mouth: We could get bad breath in the mouth if we have dry mouth or xerostomia. It must be taken into account that saliva is a natural way to wash our mouths throughout the day. When saliva reduces, a bad smell occurs in the mouth. Smoking: Smoking cigarettes can lead to both bad breath as well as periodontal disease. We could get dry mouth by smoking also. Sometimes, smoking continuously would reduce taste and smell etc and due to this we would be able to recognise bad breath. Diet: It is true that consuming certain foods like onions and garlic etc can lead to bad breath issues in us. Intake of low carb didiet or keto diet etc can lead to bad smell in the mouth. Medications: Not many would be aware of the fact that certain medications such as nitrates, phenothiazines etc can result in bad breath. Medical problems: We could get bad breath issues if we have mouth, nose and throat conditions like chronic sinus, allergy etc. Bad breath can also be due to serious problems like cancer, liver failure, GERD etc