Known for its slightly sour taste, grapefruit is a subtropical citrus fruit, which was first produced in Barbados as a hybrid fruit resulting from a cross between a sweet orange and a pomelo.

It is named so because it grows in clusters like grapes, grapefruit is high with vitamin C and several other antioxidants, which do wonders for your health. Here are some of the benefits it offers...

- It is high in enzymes, which burn fats and low in sodium. It also has a high water content. These things make grapefruit an ideal fruit for increasing metabolism and a great option for those trying to lose weight.

- Grapefruit also contains salicylic acid that breaks down the body’s inorganic calcium, that builds up in the cartilage of your joints. So if you suffer from arthritis or painful joints, drink grapefruit juice for relief.

- The Lycopene present in grapefruit, which gives the fruit its red flavour, works as an agent against tumours and cancers since it acts as a scavenger of cancer-causing free radicals.

- Naringenin, another antioxidant compound, helps repair damaged DNA in prostate cancer cells.

- Antioxidants in grapefruit also help reduce cholesterol levels. Check with your doctor beforehand if you can have grapefruit juice because grapefruit has a negative reaction against some prescription drugs.

- Grapefruit has a dietary fibre called pectin, which promotes better digestion.

- Grapefruit contains essential elements like iron, calcium, potassium, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, folic acid and B vitamins.

Presence of high uric acid in bloodstream can cause gout. To prevent this condition, it is essential to watch your eating habits. A healthy eating and proper medication could help you maintain uric acid at normal levels. Below are some of the foods that u must add in your diet to keep uric acid at normal levels...

Apples
Add apples in your diet. As they are enriched with malic acid, they neutralize uric acid in blood stream. This gives relief to the patients who are suffering from high uric acid condition.

Apple cider vinegar
Intake of apple cider vinegar is also beneficial for people suffering with high uric acid. You can add 3 teaspoons of vinegar to 1 glass of water. You can have it 2-3 times every day. Drinking apple cider vinegar helps in treating high uric acid condition.

French bean juice
Drinking extracted juice of French beans is an effective home remedy to treat gout. This healthy juice should be consumed twice a day as it prevents production of high uric acid in blood.

Water
Another reason to have adequate water throughout the day. Water helps in flushing out toxins from the body including excess presence of uric acid. So have at least 8-9 glasses of water every day.

Cherries
As they have anti-inflammatory substance referred to as anthocyanins, it helps in reducing uric acid levels. They also prevent uric acid from crystallizing and getting deposited in the joints. Another reason u should have cherries is they neutralize the acids and help in preventing inflammation and pain.

Berries
Consume berries, especially strawberries and blueberries. Enriched with anti-inflammatory properties, including them in your diet is beneficial to prevent high uric acid levels in blood.

Fresh vegetable juices
Have carrot juice and add beetroot juice and cucumber juice in it. This is an effective remedy to treat high uric acid in blood.

Celery seed
One of the most popular home remedies to treat high uric acid levels is by consuming celery seeds.

Talk about adding protein to our daily meals and egg is the first thing that comes to mind; especially when it can be enjoyed as so many scrumptious breakfast options like omelettes, scrambled, boiled or par-boiled and even poached. Indians have gone a little more creative and added curry to our boiled eggs to make a delicious egg-curry or simply made a masala egg bhurji using this versatile ingredient.

But, other than its good taste, egg is also known for its health promoting properties. Egg whites are a cholesterol-free and a low-fat way to add a dash of protein in your diet; even those who have cardiovascular issues can enjoy it as their everyday breakfast meal.

How Much Protein Is In Egg Whites?

While egg yolks contain the most protein content, egg whites are no less. According to Ritesh Bawri, Nutritionist and Physiologist, "An egg yolk (per 100 grams) has about 16 grams of protein content, while an egg white contains 11 grams". According to the Harvard School of Public Health, a single egg white may contribute to approximately five percent of your daily protein requirements, if you are following a 2,000 calorie diet.


The protein from egg whites are consumed by our body to keep our muscles strong, helps in tissue maintenance and enhance our immunity system. It also allows our cells to produce enzymes that are essential for healthy metabolism and haemoglobin, which further helps to transport oxygen to our tissues.

And if you are looking to have a low-calorie meal to maintain that fitness regime, just load up on egg whites excluding the yellow part, of course.

Since egg white is rich in vitamin B-2, it also supplies important nutrients to our body that help to break down the food and allow our cells to produce energy, especially after work out.

Eggs are amazing and egg-whites even more so. Use this versatile ingredient as often as possible in your meals for a rich dose of health and taste.

Let's be real, we all hate periods; they are painful, unexpected and messy. The untimely cravings, awful cramps and uncomfortable bloating are a put off during this time of the month. As if all this wasn't enough, our elders advise us to avoid consuming cold foods and drinks while we are on periods, which is unfortunately what we crave the most. But is this advice right? Why do cold foods hamper our system, if at all? According to the olden Chinese studies, drinking cold water during periods harms the balance of your body & as a result affects your skin & health. Let's unveil what lies beneath.What really causes menstrual cramps?

Menstrual cramps are caused due to the excessive contractions of the uterine and abdominal muscles to discharge the menstrual fluid out of the body. These muscle contractions are caused by various chemicals that may also include prostaglandins, which is why we are asked to avoid certain foods and beverages that are responsible for instigating the production of this chemical.

It is believed to be a common Chinese old wives' tale that drinking cold water leads to reduced temperature in the intestines that makes it difficult for the intestines to absorb essential nutrients. Moreover, it may cause acne. Cold foods like ice creams and chilled desserts may lead to severe cramps further worsening the condition.

According to Health Coach, Shilpa Arora, "While you are on your period, you should avoid drinking cold water & eating cold foods as they worsen menstrual cramps. The muscles in the ovary & the vaginal walls tense up. These muscles cannot stretch further, which is why it leads to discomfort. For easy blood flow, drink warm water & avoid very cold and sugary items to keep away the inflammation."

All this, however, depends from person to person.
Eat and drink items that help produce heat in the body in order to let blood flow without hampering your health. Include more green leafy vegetables, nuts, whole grains and green tea in your diet

When your skin is wounded, platelets clump together to form clots to stop bleeding. However, when you do not have enough blood platelets in your body, blood clots cannot form. Blood is made up of various types of cells, namely red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets, also known thrombocytes.

There are certain foods to increase blood platelets. We take you through the symptoms and causes of low platelet count and the foods to increase blood platelets.

Here are foods to increase blood platelets-

1. Vitamin A rich foods
Vitamin A is essential for a healthy platelet production. This nutrient is known to be significant for protein formation in the body. Healthy protein content in the body helps in the process of cell division and growth. Some of the foods that you should ideally add to your daily diet may include carrot, pumpkin, kale and sweet potatoes.

2. Folate rich foods
Deficiency of folate in the body may lead to a lower blood platelet count. Add more vitamin B9 or folate rich foods that may be extremely important for healthy cell division in the body that can help increase blood platelet count. Include more orange juice, spinach, asparagus and leafy greens in your diet.

3. Load up on vitamin K
Foods to increase blood platelets include vitamin K rich foods. This nutrient is necessary to ensure a healthy growth of cells at an optimum level in the body. Eating kale, eggs, green leafy vegetables, liver, meat, cabbage, parsley, et al will help increase your blood platelet count.

4. Vitamin B-12
Vitamin B-12 may help keep your blood cells healthy and its deficiency has been associated with low platelet counts. Vitamin B-12 is generally found in eggs, milk, cheese, et al.

5. Iron
Iron is known to promote the production of healthy cells in the body. It is best for the people with anemia. Go ahead and include pumpkin seeds, pomegranate, lentils and leafy greens in your diet to load up on iron.