Managing periods is not that easy!! It is worth mentioning that during periods women usually are in huge discomfort and find it very difficult. It is known that periods or menstruation refers to monthly loss of blood in a woman after she reaches puberty. Various symptoms a woman would experience during her periods are abdominal cramps, bloating, mood swings, fatigue, digestion problems etc. Therefore, it is obvious that a woman would try many ways to overcome the discomfort during periods. By avoiding these, a woman would be able to manage her tough periods. By avoiding caffeine: When women in her periods consume caffeine in the form of coffee or tea then her blood vessels might get constricted. This could increase stress hormones causing more cramps, anxiety etc. It is noteworthy that intake of caffeine could also make a woman dehydrated (as it is a diuretic) and by this she could get bloating etc. Drinking herbal teas could be superb for a woman during periods. By avoiding salty foods: Intake of foods with excess salts can cause water retention and finally bloating and puffiness etc. Instead of consuming processed snacks, canned foods etc women could consume whole fresh foods. By avoiding sugary foods & drinks: It would be good if women during their periods avoid intake of sugary foods. The reason is intake of sugary foods would spike her blood sugar levels and then crash down. This could aggravate mood swings, fatigue etc. Inflammation would get triggered by sugary foods and by this abdominal cramps would get worse. It would be good to opt for natural sugars from fresh fruits intake. By avoiding heavy greasy foods: It is worth mentioning here that prostaglandins would get secreted by consuming fried and fatty foods during periods. By this, women could have uterine contractions and cramps. Heavy fatty foods can lead to digestion based issues also. Hence, a woman in her periods must consume lighter meals with healthy fats. By not eating meals or skipping meals: Point is that women during periods could get more irritated if she doesn`t eat meals or skip meals. This can lead to destabilisation of blood sugar levels. By avoiding intense workouts: Body would be subjected to additional stress due to strenuous workouts. By this a woman in her periods could get abdominal cramps and dizziness etc. Low or less intense activities would be better. Various examples of less intense activity are walking, stretching etc. By avoiding tight clothes: Bloating and cramps would become more if a woman wears tight fitting clothes around waist and lower abdomen. Women would feel more comfortable especially during periods if she wears loose fitting clothes as her body would feel relaxed.

Are you aware of the fact that the immune System is our body`s natural defence mechanism against infections and diseases? It must be noted that every day habits can weaken our immune system to a huge extent. A person would have a weakened immune system if he or she doesn`t sleep well during the nights or over dependency on medicines especially antibiotics etc. Our immunity would become weak due to these daily bad habits, please take care. Not getting enough sleep: For the sake of immune regulation, it is highly essential to sleep well. It has been brought out that adults require 6 to 7 hours of sleep. Infection fighting cytokines production would get lowered due to poor sleep in the night. We would be more prone to infections like cold, flu etc. Excess intake of sugary and processed foods: There are possibilities of getting chronic inflammations by consuming excess amounts of sugary foods and processed foods etc. It has been confirmed by a research study published in `The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition` that 100 grams of sugar significantly reduces our immune response up to 5 hours. Sedentary lifestyle: We could become obese and have poor blood circulation if we follow a sedentary lifestyle or lack of physical activity. Point is that 150minutes of moderate physical activity would stimulate immune cell circulation and lower inflammation. High stress levels: Our cortisol levels would increase due to chronic stress in us. It is true that this would suppress immune system function over time. Truth is that stress would also affect our sleep, digestion and hormone regulation etc. It is believed that practising mindfulness, yoga and breathing exercises etc would help in maintaining our mental health. Excessive antibiotics use: Our immune health would depend on gut health. It is worth noting that disturbance in gut microbiota by excessive intake of antibiotics would weaken our immune system. Hence, it is essential that we must consume antibiotics in a restricted amount and often. Poor hydration habits: Lymph is a fluid that carries the immune cells throughout our body. Dehydration or water intake would result in productionon of lymph. It is essential to drink 8 to 10 glasses of water throughout the day. Smoking and alcohol intake: Our immune system would become weak if we smoke or consume alcohol. This is due to the release of toxins in us. It has been warned by CDC or Centre for Diseases Control that smokers and drinkers are more susceptible to respiratory infections and slow recovery etc. Please be careful and try to quit these habits. Not eating fruits and vegetables etc: For the sake of immunity or good immune system, vitamins like A, C and zinc etc play a huge role. When a person doesn`t eat whole fruits and vegetables etc then he or she would not get these important nutrients. Therefore, it is a must to consume citrus fruits, bell peppers, seeds etc.

Do you love eating foods like sausages, bacon, red meat etc, then please be careful!! Point is that eating these above said foods might increase the heart based issues. Whether it is unhealthy lifestyle or poor food habits or stress, the fact is that these are the leading factors for poor cardiac health in us. It has been confirmed by research studies that unhealthy eating habits can raise bad cholesterol levels or LDL in us causing weak heart health. The heart doctors have mentioned that making changes in the diet by means of heart enriching foods would help us to lower bad cholesterol or LDL in a natural manner. These food alternatives would help us to lower our bad cholesterol levels and improve our heart health naturally. These are Replacing saturated fats with healthy fats: Bad cholesterol would increase in our blood if we consume saturated fats present in animal foods like red meat, butter, cheese etc. It is increased to replace saturated fats with healthy fats. Olive or avocado oil can be used for cooking as these oils are rich in heart healthy mono-saturated fatty acids. Instead of red meat it would be good to consume beans, lentils etc. Replacing refined carbs with whole grains: We could gain weight easily plus have higher cholesterol levels if we consume refined carbs like bread, pasta, and sugary cereals etc. Rich in fiber, whole grains can lower our bad cholesterol levels and by this our heart health would get boosted. Instead of white bread it is good to consume whole wheat bread or whole grain bread etc. In the same way, it would be good to opt for brown rice instead of white rice having rich fibre content etc. Consuming oats would also be superb as oats are full of fibres and our bad cholesterol would get lowered. Replacing processed meats with plant based protein foods: Unhealthy fats and sodium are present in excess in non-vegetarian foods like hot dogs, bacon, sausages etc. Eating these would increase bad cholesterol levels in us.  Truth is that by replacing animal based proteins with plant based proteins our bad cholesterol levels would lower and heart health would get better. It would be better to eat plant based protein foods like chickpeas, lentils etc Replacing fried foods with baked/grilled foods: Our bad cholesterol levels would increase and we could get heart issues when we eat fried foods s with unhealthy fats and calories etc in them. It would be good to bake or grill instead of frying. It would be good to eat baked or grilled chicken instead of fried chicken. Replacing sugary foods with fresh fruits etc: It is worth mentioning here that sugary foods like desserts, cakes, cookies etc have added sugars and unhealthy fats in them. Consuming these foods would increase bad cholesterol in us. Replacing sugary foods with fresh fruits, nuts etc would improve our heart health. It would be good to eat unsalted almonds, walnuts etc instead of sugary candies or chocolates etc.

Especially during the summers, sattu chaas could be a good alternative to sugary drinks. Not only sattu chaas can be a thirst quencher but also it can be good for our health. Across India in the states like Bihar, Jharkhand, MP, UP, Rajasthan, WB etc, sattu chaas is consumed by farmers and labourers etc. Roasted chickpea flour or sattu and buttermilk plus few spices are combined and by this we can get an amazing drink called sattu chaas. There are many nutrients like proteins, minerals like calcium and magnesium, fibres etc present in this fantastic summer drink. It has been confirmed by NIN or national institute for nutrition that sattu chaas could replenish salts and prevent heat strokes etc during the scorching summer season. Preparation of sattu chaas in homes: In the first step, ingredients like 2 tbsp sattu, one cup buttermilk plus roasted cumin, black salt, mint leaves etc. In the next step, it is necessary to mix these ingredients in a glass by stirring well and finally serve in a cold condition. It is necessary to consume sattu chaas during summers because of these reasons Natural body coolant: When we drink sattu chaas we would be able to regulate our body temperature. We could avoid dehydration etc by drinking electrolytes rich sattu chaas. Good for digestion and gut health: It is worthy to note that probiotics present in the buttermilk component of this drink would help in digestion. Issues like bloating would be relieved and healthy gut flora would be maintained. The presence of insoluble fibres in sattu chass would help in the bowel movement and constipation would be avoided in us. Helps in weight management: By consuming sattu chaas that is rich in fibres etc, we would feel full for a longer duration. We would avoid over eating and by this there would be healthy weight management. Improves energy & muscle healthy: Sattu, also called poor man`s protein, has many nutrients such as protein, iron, magnesium etc. By regularly consuming sattu chaas, we would have good energy levels throughout the day. This drink also supports muscle repair and recovery etc. Balances blood sugar and cholesterol levels: Having h high blood sugar levels is harmful and it would lead to many health complications. Intake of sattu chass would help us to manage our blood sugar levels effectively and this is due to its low GI or glycemic index and fibre content. Moreover, bad cholesterol levels would get lowered and this would help in protecting our heart health. Boost bone health: For our lives to be normal, we must have good bone health. In this regard, drinking sattu chaas would be superb. This is mainly due to the presence of calcium and magnesium etc.