Have you consumed healthy foods in the morning in an empty stomach and experienced stomach discomfort etc later on? Then, you are not alone!! Truth is that healthy foods need not be good for us and they might not be the best choice to begin the day. It is worth mentioning here that healthy foods would have nutrients but their high acidity, fibre content or sugar content etc could result in certain issues in us if we consume them in the morning. The issues are sluggishness, stomach discomfort, energy crashes, poor nutrient absorption etc. It is necessary to avoid these healthy foods in the morning. Avoid citrus fruits: It must be noted that citrus fruits are rich in vitamin C but their acidic nature would irritate the lining of the stomach if consumed in an empty stomach. Those with acid reflux would get heartburns or discomfort if they consume citrus fruits in the morning.  Avoid raw vegetables: Though the raw vegetables have superb nutrients in them but they also have insoluble fibres in them. This could be harsh on the stomach if eaten in an empty stomach. There are chances of abdominal cramps, bloating gas etc if we eat them in the morning in an empty stomach. Avoid granola or muesli: Being rich in sugars and refined oil etc, consuming granola bars first thing in the morning could result in mid-morning energy crash. Blood sugar regulation would be disturbed throughout the day if we consume this in the morning in an empty stomach. Avoid green smoothies: Examples like kale and spinach can be healthy but raw forms are rich in oxalates and fibres etc. When we consume green smoothies first thing in the morning in empty stomach calcium absorption can get hindered and there are also chances of issues like bloating, gas etc. Avoid tomatoes: Our stomach lining could get irritated by consuming tomatoes (rich in vitamin C and antioxidants etc) in an empty stomach. We could get gastritis or acid reflux symptoms. Avoid bananas: High in sugar content and acidic, intake of banana in the early morning can spike the blood sugar levels and increase magagnesium in the blood also. By this, there could be disturbed heart health in some persons. Avoid avocados etc: Intake of avocados in an empty stomach in the morning can become too heavy for some individuals. Digestion could get slowed down and we might feel sluggish etc.

Detoxification of harmful substances, production of bile for digestion etc are some of the key roles played by our liver. Not only these, the liver also does its role in storing vitamins, minerals etc. For the sake of our overall health, we must keep our liver health in good shape. For maintaining liver health, the food we consume is important. There are few foods that would prevent fat build up in the liver plus lower inflammation etc. Important foods to eat to boost our liver health are Intake of leafy green vegetables: The chlorophyll that is present in the leafy greens vegetables like spinach, kale etc would detoxify the liver. Our overall health would become better when we eat green leafy vegetables having important nutrients. Intake of cruciferous vegetables: Our liver health would get boosted by eating cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower etc rich in fibres and beneficial plant compounds etc. Intake of berries: Intake of berries not only would be beneficial for our heart but for our liver also. It must be noted that blueberries and cranberries having antioxidants would protect our liver from getting damaged. Intake of olive oil: The liver enzyme levels would get lowered and insulin sensitivity would get improved by consuming olive oil. It is believed that eating a Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil would lower the chances of fatty liver issue in older adults. Intake of nuts: Our liver health would get boosted by the intake of nuts that have several important ingredients. Walnuts intake would lower the chances of fatty liver disease in us and this is due to the presence of omega 3 fatty acids plus others like vitamin E etc in nuts. Intake of coffee: It is true that coffee intake would be superb for liver health. We could avoid getting multiple liver issues by drinking coffee.

Many of us would have been familiar with issues like heart blockage, heart attack, heart failure etc How many really know what heart cancer is? In some people, the heart would have cancerous cells. This is known as heart cancer or heart tumour or cardiac tumour etc. Fact is that though the heart is the most important organ for our lives it is also highly susceptible to many health risks because of certain lifestyle habits. It is learnt that cardiac tumour or heart cancer is one of the rare and damaging conditions that could occur in the heart.  One out of every 2000 autopsies would have cardiac humour in them and this was according to ESC or European Society of Cardiology. The types of heart tumours are primary tumour or rare form and secondary tumour or most commonly occurring form. Symptoms: Persons with heart cancer would show important symptoms such as chest pain, irregular heartbeat, fatigue, feeling weak, shortness of breath etc. Information gathered is that the symptoms could vary based on the size, type and location of the tumour. Risk factors: There are few risk factors associated with heart cancer and these are age, genetics, exposed to certain environment factors etc. Heart cancer would also depend on other factors like smoking, alcohol consumption, poor diet, physical inactivity etc. Diagnosis: Point to be noted is that heart cancer is rare and it would have symptoms similar to heart conditions. Therefore, it would not be easy to diagnose heat cancer. Echocardiograms would be able to diagnose heart cancer in us. With the help of CT scan, it would be possible to differentiate between benign and malignant tumours. Treatment of heart cancer: One important treatment is surgical removal of a tumor from the heart. The tumour could be shrunk through radiation therapy. It would be possible to use chemotherapy to target the cancerous cells and prevent it from spreading. It is noteworthy that in some conditions heart transplant will also be considered for the patients with heart cancer. Complete cure for heart cancer might not be possible but benign heart cancer can be cured.

Do you want to keep your skin healthy, glowing and attractive, please stop consuming too much salt!! Not many of us would be aware that excess intake of salt would affect our skin health also. Surprised but true!! Our heart health and kidney health would get affected by too much salt intake is well known. Various skin issues we can get if we consume too much of salt are Dehydration: It is worth mentioning that excess intake of salt can lead to dehydration as the body retains water to balance sodium levels. When our skin becomes dehydrated then it would have fine lines, dull and wrinkles etc. Swelling and puffiness: Water retention takes place due to high salt consumption. This could result in swelling and puffiness around the face and eyes. The skin would look tired and dull. Worsening of acne: If you are getting excess acne or breakouts etc then it might be due to excess intake of salt. So, please take care. Inflammation in our body would increase leading to acne etc if we consume too much of salt. Our skin gets irritated when we eat salty snacks with additives etc. Impaired skin barrier: Our skin could become more sensitive if we consume excess salt. The reason is salt could disrupt our skin`s natural barrier function. The skin could become more susceptible to environmental damage and pollutants etc. Eczema flare ups: Persons with eczema would have more flare ups if they consume too much salt. It is learnt that dehydration and inflammation due to excess salt intake would worsen eczema symptoms. Premature ageing: The Aging process of our skin would get accelerated due to chronic dehydration and inflammation due to excess salt intake. As a result, we could get fine lines, wrinkles etc. More chances of skin infections: When our skin barrier gets compromised and inflammation is present then there are more chances of getting skin infections. Truth is thatat the natural defence mechanisms of skin would get weakened by excess salt intake. This would further lead to bacterial as well as fungal infections in us. Slow or delayed healing: It is true that high salt levels in us would slow down or delay the wound healing process. Therefore, we must limit the salt intake for the sake of speedy healing. Imbalance of nutrients: It is worthy to note that a diet rich in salt would lack essential nutrients like vitamins and antioxidants that are needed for healthy skin. The overall skin appearance would get affected due to nutritional imbalance.

In some persons, after an initial trigger like respiratory infection, cold, flu has resolved, cough might be there even for some weeks. This can be irritating to the concerned person. Point is that this cough can be dry and mucous producing. It could be due to airway inflammation, post nasal drip, acid reflux etc. Though it is not a serious problem, it can be exhausting for the person. There are few effective ways by which we can control lingering coughs. These are By staying well hydrated: It is possible to thin out mucus, soothe the throat, calm irritation in the airways etc by drinking lots of fluids. Truth is that drinking warm water and herbal teas etc would be comforting for the throat. Our body would heal faster because of hydration. By using honey before bedtime: Not many would be aware of the fact that honey can be a natural cough suppressor. It is good to consume a spoon of honey before bedtime as that would reduce the cough in the night. By elevating head while sleeping: It would be good to sleep with your head in an elevated position and that would prevent mucus from pooling in your throat and causing cough. Especially for cough due to post nasal drip or acid reflux, this method would be effective. By inhaling steam or using humidifier: Mucus would get loosened by inhaling steam. Therefore, it is good to inhale steam from a bowl of hot water. Adding some drops of eucalyptus oil to the hot water could be superb. By salt water gargles: Throat inflammation would be reduced and mucus would be loosened when salt water gargling is done a few times a day. Moreover, we can get relief from scratchiness also. By avoiding cough triggers: Lingering coughs can get worsened by common irritants like dust, smoke etc. It is good to use an air purifier at home, wear masks while going out etc. By sipping ginger or turmeric tea: Both ginger as well as turmeric have anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties in them. Therefore, drinking g ginger or turmeric tea would soothe the throat, reduce inflammation etc. By doing breathing exercises: By doing deep breathing exercises, cough reflex sensitivity would get reduced. Pursed lip breathing can be useful. By sucking herbal lozenges: Throat would get moistened and coughing reflex would get lowered by sucking herbal lozenges. This is also one effective and easy method to manage lingering cough.