An activity 'walk-O-run' was organized by Heart-wise group in Kota, Rajasthan on 19th Feb,2017.

The purpose was to aware the common man about the benefits of walk and exercise in maintaining healthy life as well as how the intake of proper diet ( according to the therapeutic condition of the body) is necessary for a disease free, fit and prosperous life.

Have the glimpse of the activity

Musk melon seeds

Musk melon (Cucumis melo) seeds are particularly high in arginine, aspartic acid and glutamic acid.
It is rich in urease enzyme which is recommended for the treatment of cardiovascular disorder. Due to urease enzyme it is used as a diuretic, stomachic, antitussive and as a vermifuge.

Musk melon seeds are beneficial in chronic or acute eczema.

They are believed to help in regulating healthy blood-fat levels and provide vital nutrients essential for promoting wound healing.

Per 100 g of musk melon seeds contain 28.6 g protain, 49.7 g fat, 13.0 g carbohydrate and 4.8 g ash.

These seeds are rich sources of thiamine, riboflavin, calcium, magnisium, potassium, iron, zinc and phosphorus.

Milk extract of musk melon seeds contain 3.6% protein, 4.0% fat and 2.5% carbohydrates. these values are similar as soymilk.

Defatted flour of melon seeds (after extraction of milk) contain 39.4% protein, 24.7% fibre and 6.2% ash.

Hence, replenish your diet with either musk melon seeds, extract or flour and take enormous benefits of musk melon seeds.

Inulin - A prebiotic substance

Inulin, a polyfructan, occurs as a reserve carbohydrate in many plant families, representing more than 30,000 species. It is a potent substrate both for the production of inulinases and fructooligosaccharides. 

Inulin is a specific type of dietary fibre that is naturally found in hundreds of common foods such as leeks, asparagus, onions, garlic, bananas, wheat, rye and chicory root. 

Inulin has excellent nutritional and functional characteristics and can be used to replace fat, flour and sugar. 

Inulin may offer more health benefits than other fibres.

Health benefits of inulin-

• Inulin is part of a chain of bacteria that keeps your gut healthy and alleviates digestive problems. 

• Inulin helps digestion, prevents constipation, and keeps you regular.

• Because inulin is not digested, it does not affect glucose levels. This makes it an appropriate food for diabetics. 

• Inulin may boost calcium absorption.

Horse gram

Horse gram (Macrotyloma uniflorum) or kulthi is one of the unexploited legume of the tropics and subtropics.

• It contain good amount of proteins.
• It has good macro (protein 22 g, carbohydrate 57 g, fibre 5.3 g) and micro nutrient (calcium 287 mg, phosphorus 311  mg, iron 7.6 mg, thiamine 218 mcg, riboflavin 192 mcg, sodium 46 mg, potassium 322 mg) content (per 100 g).
• It is considered as food with medicinal qualities in traditional Siddha medicine.
• It is prescribed for individuals suffering from jaundice or water retention and as a part of weight loss diet.
• Per 100 g horse gram contain 7.6 mg iron, hence, it is considered helpful for iron deficiencies.
•  Traditionally it was used as medicine to treat calculus afflictions, corpulence, hiccups, worms and kidney stone.
• Seeds of horse gram are astringent to the bowels, diuretic, antipyretic, tonic, anthelmic emmenagogul, appetizing and lithontriptic. these are useful in piles, tumors, bronchitis, heart troubles, spleen enlargement and asthma.
• It can be used in leucorrhoea, menstrual disorders, flatulence, cough, eye disease and urinary disease.

Despite being healthy and nutritious, this gram has remained an underutilized food. One can enrich his/her diet with horse gram and take benefits of its health and nutritional properties.

Antinutritional Factors and Legumes

Antinutrients are natural or synthetic compounds which interfere with the absorption of nutrients.

Legumes and whole pulses, i.e., cowpea, horse gram, bengal gram, red gram etc. contain some antinutritional factors.

Antinutritional factors are the chemical substances which although non toxic generate adverse physiological responses and interfere with the utilization of nutrients. 

Antinutritional factors are trypsin inhibitor, lectins, goitrogens, antivitamins, phytates, saponin, oestrogens, flatulence factors, allergens and lysinoalanine. Other antinutritional factors are cyanogens, favism factor, lathyrism factor, amylase inhibitors, tannins, aflatoxins and pressor amines. Most of the legumes and pulses contain few of antinutritional factors. 

Some antinutritional factors are heat labile and most of the humans consume legume after cooking, hence, it would not constitute any major health hazard. But other antinutritional factors, i.e., polyphenols and phytates are heat stable which are not easily removed by simple cooking.

Therefore, different processing techniques, i.e., soaking, germination, fermentation, boiling, blanching, dehulling, etc. are required  to reduce the amount of antinutritional factors. 

Application of different processing techniques on legumes/pulses not only reduce the antinutritional factors but also enhance the nutritional value of legumes by increasing amount of essential amino acids, B-vitamins and protein digestibility. These techniques cause important changes in biochemical, nutritional and sensory characteristics which positively affect the acceptability of food items produced from processed legumes or pulses.

Garlic

Allicin is a main compound found in garlic that has potent medicinal properties. 

Garlic consumption helps in prevention of common illnesses, i.e., acne,

flu and common cold. It is also helpful in reducing the severity of these illnesses.

Regular consumption can prevent heart diseases.

Garlic has been shown to inhibit enzymes involved in lipid synthesis.

It decreases platelet aggregation and prevent lipid peroxidation of oxidized erythrocytes and LDL, increase antioxidant status. 

Garlic has antithrombotic and antiplatelet aggregatory effects.

Health benefits of garlic are antibiotic, antihypertensive and cholesterol-lowering properties.

High doses of garlic appear to improve blood pressure in hypertensive patients

Dietary fibre

Dietary fibre or roughage are indigestible compounds which are fermented by the bacteria in the human colon.

Dietary fibre has two main components, i.e., soluble and insoluble fibre.

Soluble fibres are dissolve in water and they easily fermented in colon into gases.

Insoluble fibre does not dissolve in water, they provide bulk to the diet. They can be prebiotics.

They produce short chain fatty acids in the colon that may be utilized by the mucosal cells or may be absorbed and transported to other tissues where they have been hypothesized to regulate several metabolic processes.

Dietary fibre provide bulking effect in the diet that increases fecal volume, limits caloric intake, slows stomach emptying. 

They work as a laxative and provide relive in constipation.

They also have the capacity to bind or absorb other organic compounds i.e., sugars and fats. 

They help in lowering cholesterol levels in the blood which leads to less plaque formation, prevents the blocking of blood vessels, and therefore, they reduce the risk of hypertension and stroke. 

They are helpful in enhancing weight control and in a better glycemic control.