Vegetables have been hailed as nutrient powerhouses of the food world. Fresh vegetables are always recommended by diet and nutrition experts, who insist that more and more portions of veggies should be added to the daily meal plan, so as to ensure a continuous supply of essential vitamins and minerals to the body. However, how many nutrients the body actually gets from a particular vegetable depends a lot on the way it's cooked and eaten.

The Best Way To Eat Vegetables- Raw or Cooked?
Eating vegetables raw is often considered healthy. However, it may not be so. Cooking a vegetable breaks down the tough outer layer and the cellular structure of the vegetables, making it easier for your body to digest them and then absorb the nutrients. Studies have shown that cooked carrots for example, have more beta carotene in them, than raw carrots. Cooked vegetables are also easier on the stomach as they get digested more easily.

Is Boiling Vegetables Unhealthy?
Coming back to methods of cooking vegetables, boiled veggies are often served as accompaniments to some meat dishes. They're also added to soups and noodles and are considered 'healthy'. However, all the healthy nutrients from these vegetables have been thrown out along with the water that is used to boil them. This happens because some vegetables like spinach, have water soluble vitamins, which get leached out into the boiling water, depleting the nutritive profile of the vegetable.

Steaming- The Healthier Alternative To Boiling
As a general rule, vegetables that are cooked for the least amount of time, at the minimum-possible temperature and with the minimum amount of water, retain their nutrients. This is exactly why steaming is better than boiling most vegetables, as in this cooking method, they aren't actually coming in contact with the water.

Stir-frying vegetables is another great way of cooking your vegetables, as it uses a minimum amount of oil or fat and retains all the essential nutrients as well.

Chocolate has always been one of our favourite snacks to munch on. It's that one thing which can uplift our mood in no time. It is said to have vital properties that can play an important role in maintaining healthy lifestyle, if consumed in moderation. However, there are a lot of myths that are associated with the tasty delight. Here's a list of 5 common myths about chocolate that you shouldn't believe anymore. Read on to know more about them.

Myth 1. Chocolate Lacks Health Benefits
Chocolate is a rich source of antioxidants, magnesium and zinc. It also contains phosphate, calcium and protein which helps reduce insulin resistance. Bangalore-based Nutritionist Dr. Anju Sood agrees, "Dark chocolate has health benefits in terms of antioxidants." Consumption of dark chocolate in moderation may help in maintaining the blood pressure and could also keep your heart healthy.

Myth 2. Chocolate Causes Acne
When it comes to skin health, our diet plays a major role. As per Dr. Anju, "Chocolate may cause acne due to the presence of fat content in it but not always, as a lot depends upon your skin type." It is believed that high intake of oily food can cause acne on the skin.

Myth 3. Chocolate Causes Weight Gain
Chocolate is not the only primary reason behind weight gain. According to Dr. Anju, "Anything eaten in moderation won't affect your health and weight. It is absolutely fine to eat chocolates until eaten in moderation." Excess of any processed food would anyway lead to weight gain.

Myth 4: Chocolate Causes Headaches.
Chocolate is often seen as a culprit for migraines and headaches; however, various studies have found no link between the two. Dr. Anju agrees, "There's no connection between the both. If you're prone to migraine then it might trigger but apart from this, it doesn't.

Myth 5: White Chocolate Is Chocolate
White chocolate is not really a chocolate. It is known to be a confection made with the help of cocoa butter, milk solids and vanilla.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away is an old familiar saying even our mothers forced us to believe. But, this immunity increasing fruit cannot be included at any time of the day. There is a reason Ayurveda has always been behind us to eat certain foods at a particular time of the day to reap their benefits. Even our old friend apple has one.

As per studies, you should eat an apple in the morning hours. This is because apples are rich in dietary fiber, pectin, which is found in its peel. Since most people have digestive issues due to improper sleep or late eating habits, apples right in the morning, after waking up is a good idea. Thus, eating an apple in the morning can stimulate your bowel movement better than any other fruit.

Secondly, pectin can also help protect lactic acid and help the bacteria present in it grow better in the colon. This will further help in a healthier digestive tract. Other than this, pectins in apples can help get rid of toxins as it leads to the elimination of carcinogens, a substance responsible for producing cancer.

If you eat apples at night or in the evening, this pro-digestive fruit can turn against you and load on your intestinal functions. This means apples at night will produce gas and make you severely uncomfortable during the wee hours.

Also, the organic acid in apples can increase the stomach acid more than the normal level and can come in the way of your bowel movements.

Therefore, it is best to eat apples in the morning right after you get up or as a snack between meals to get its maximum benefits which include nutrients, weight loss, good skin, great digestion and a healthy body in the long run.

Caffeine's is a serious addiction. Ever reasoned why some people have a harder time quitting it?

It was only few years back when the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders considered caffeine intoxication and withdrawal as a diagnosis for mental disorders implying that people under caffeine intoxication or withdrawal may experience symptoms similar to signs of other mental disorders.

So what exactly is caffeine withdrawal? It obviously suggests a person to have been consuming high doses of caffeine on a daily basis - more than the recommended 400mg requirement in a day - and a sudden tapering of it, which in most cases leads to triggering a host of physiological symptoms.

Usually people experience caffeine withdrawal symptoms within a day of stopping or reducing their caffeine intake, some of which would include the following:
- Splitting headaches
- Difficulty in sleeping or insomnia
- Feeling fatigued and drowsy
- Lack of attention and focus
- Irritability
- Mood swings
- Symptoms similar to flu
- Depression
- Muscle cramps or pain
- Nausea

Experts suggest a person must experience at least three of the above mentioned symptoms or an inability to carry out daily activities. No two people can process and metabolise caffeine in a similar fashion; while some may find it easy to gulp down multiple caffeinated drinks in a day and still feel fine, others may end up spending the entire night wide awake after having a strong cup of coffee.

How to avoid caffeine dependence
- Do not make it a habit, avoid consuming it daily or consume in irregular intervals
- Also try decaffeinated versions
- Alternating between tea and coffee may help
- Monitor your overall caffeine intake that may stem from other caffeinated drinks, chocolates, medication, etc.

Popping a pill for every illness is a common course we take for most lifestyle diseases. We ignore the fact that nature offers some of the best medicines. It’s time now we look at eliminating the causes of the disease rather than just bandaging the problem and controlling symptoms with medication which comes with innumerable side effects.

Here are 5 exceptional foods to heal diabetes.

1. Cinnamon
The anti- diabetic compounds in cinnamon reduce the rate at which glucose enters our body. It improvises glucose uptake by the cells and helps with blood sugar spikes. Regular dosage reduces fasting blood sugar as well as elevated levels of cholesterol in the body.

2. Daruhaldi
This thorny herb has been used as a medicine for the longest time. Nature has indeed provided us with all these herbs that we have been using and have their descriptions in our Vedic literature. The root of the herb is ground into a powder and can be taken at least 2 times in a day.

3. Turmeric
A natural anti-diabetic, anti- cancer anti-inflammatory and anti- allergic, haldi or turmeric helps with insulin resistance, allowing glucose to enter the cells effectively. Diabetics should drink a cup of turmeric tea i.e. add a pinch of pure turmeric in a glass of water allow it to boil and drink.

4. Coconut oil
Coconut oil is an effective and natural way to cure diabetes. Coconut oil contains lauric acid and medium chain fatty acids that are lighter than glucose, so it easily gets into the cells providing super fuel to the cells without any need of insulin. Coconut fat does not get stored in the human body and is utilized as energy.

5. Jamun seeds
The fruit is exceptional for managing blood sugar, not just that the seeds of the fruit, if dried and powdered are very effective in controlling sugar levels. Anything that is astringent in taste is nature's design to cure metabolic diseases caused by excessive sweetness in the body.