Foods that help fight depression and improve mental health Depression is a common problem faced by many people. It can have a negative effect on one’s mental health. Food has an important role to play in fighting depression. There are certain food items that can help with depression and improve a person’s general mental health. Antioxidants It is believed that free radicals in the body have a role to play in causing depression. Antioxidants that are found in food can help fight them. This in turn helps to fight the symptoms of depression. Some of the foods rich in antioxidants are broccoli, carrots, peaches, pumpkin, spinach, tomatoes, nuts, seeds, sweet potato, kiwi, pepper, and green tea. Good carbohydrates There are certain food items that have ‘good’ carbohydrates. They are complex carbs that have a number of health benefits. They produce a chemical called serotonin that can help to improve one’s mood and thus fight depression. Good carbohydrates are found in whole grains, legumes, and fruits like apple. Omega-3 fatty acids Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fish like tuna, sardines, herring, and salmon. They are also abundantly found in nuts like walnuts and almonds. Apart from food, they are also available as food supplements.

Top 10 snacks for those with diabetes It is very important to keep blood sugar under control to prevent health problems like kidney failure. Diet is very important for diabetics and they need to be careful about what they eat. The snacks mentioned herein would be excellent choices for diabetics. Almonds Almonds have various minerals and vitamins that are very useful in controlling blood sugar level. Studies have shown regular consumption of almonds result in reduced blood sugar levels. Almonds are a good snack for diabetics to enjoy. They are also good for cardiac health. Yogurt and berries Yogurt and berries are a very good snack for diabetics to enjoy. Yogurt is a probiotic that can help in digestion and thus aids the absorption of food with sugar. Berries are rich in fiber and help to stabilize the level of blood sugar. It also has antioxidants that can reduce inflammation in the pancreas and ensure low sugar levels. Hard-boiled eggs Eggs that are hard-boiled have protein. This can ensure that blood sugar levels don’t rise after a snack. Eggs are also filling and eating two eggs daily ensures a diabetic doesn’t feel hungry and snack on unhealthy food. Salsa on eggplant A good snack that diabetics can have is eggplant slices that are baked with black-bean salsa on it.

The American Academy of Dermatology has stated that 80 million men and women in the country suffer from hereditary hair loss, one of the most common types of hair loss. On a positive note, hair loss can be stopped or reduced considerably with certain changes in hair treatment or the diet. Certain foods can promote hair growth and improve the quality of hair, and healthy hair in men also increases their confidence. Here are the best foods to promote healthy hair growth in men: Eggs Eggs are an amazing source of protein and biotin, two nutrients that can promote hair growth. Hair follicles are made up of protein and biotin is known to promote keratin, which is responsible for hair growth. Green leafy vegetables Dark leafy vegetables like spinach are rich in iron and can contribute to hair growth. Iron deficiency can cause hair loss, making iron an important nutrient to be incorporated into the daily diet. Iron is also found in red meat like beef, but one should keep in mind that eating too much red meat can increase the risk of developing heart diseases due to their high fat content. Salmon Fish like salmon are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, and healthy fats like these help in keeping the hair lush and healthy.

Gout is a particular type of arthritis that is prevalent in the country and leads to severe pain and swelling in the joints, along with redness and tenderness. Excess uric acid in the body that is not excreted gets deposited in the joints in the form of crystals and leads to inflammation and swelling. People with gout are seen with swollen fingers, wrists, toes (especially the big toe), heels, and knees. When the uric acid content in the body goes up, it results in gout attacks that may last for 3 to 14 days. If left untreated, the condition can also lead to joint damage and deformity. This is extremely painful, but it can be managed with medication and a proper diet. Some foods trigger attacks as they raise uric acid levels, and this needs to be kept in mind while following a diet to manage the condition. Let’s take a look at the best diet for gout, including what foods to eat and what to avoid. What to eat The foods one is planning to eat should be low in purine and fructose as both of these can increase the risk of gout and trigger gout attacks. The best foods to include in the diet of gout patients are as mentioned:

Snacks are always seen as a way of grabbing something tasty, quick to eat, less time consuming to prepare or buy, and as a way of not indulging in a full-blown meal. It quenches the pangs of hunger and lets a person get on with the day without any hassles, making it a major preference among kids. The main problem, though, is that snacks can often be unhealthy as well as addictive. The role of snacks has been reduced to solving cravings and becoming stomach fillers rather than contribute to a healthy lifestyle. Most snacks are highly concentrated with processed carbohydrates and sugar, which causes an issue when it comes to healthy snacks for kids. Listed below are some snacks that contain a good amount of protein, fat, and fiber that are tasty, healthy, can be changed up with improvisations, and are very enjoyable. Jerky Jerky is nothing but meat that is thinned down to strips. It contains an extremely high amount of protein and is an apt candidate for being a healthy snack. Chicken, beef, salmon, and turkey can be trimmed down to jerky. Jerky is sold in abundance at stores, but it is almost certain that the jerky contains processed meat added with a good amount of sugar.

Liver functioning is an essential process of the human body. The liver is required to help detox your body, break down carbohydrates, make glucose, store all the nutrients and produce bile. Bile liquid is required to absorb all the nutrients and digest them by giving a proper metabolism to the body. Taking care of your liver is part of a holistic nutrition hence you should be aware of what destroys your liver and what helps its healthy functioning. For your overall health functioning the ability of the liver to do all the above is a necessity. Any kind of liver dysfunction can lead to bodily disorders like type 2 diabetes, metabolism issues, and other liver diseases which could also lead to death. It is possible to manage the risk factors once the liver dysfunction starts by making sure you have a healthy intake of food and drinks that are good for the liver. Plant foods A large number of plant foods like avocado, bananas, barley, broccoli, beetroots, carrots, figs, lemons, papayas, chard, kale, celery, and watermelons are foods that are good for the liver. Grapefruit Naringenin and naringin are the two main antioxidants present in grapefruit which is one of the foods that are good for the liver.

Melanoma is probably the most serious form of skin cancer wherein the pigment-producing cells called melanocytes mutate and become cancerous. Though melanoma only accounts for less than 2 percent of cases in the country, it is extremely dangerous because it has the ability to rapidly spread to other organs if not treated at an early stage. Aside from medication and therapy, certain strict dietary changes will also help one manage the condition and aid in speeding their recovery. It is essential to have a diet that’s packed with high fiber content for creating more diverse intestinal bacteria. This is believed to lead to a stronger response to immunotherapy while battling melanoma. It is always advisable to have a balanced diet of fiber, vitamins, proteins, and calcium ingrained foods, but a high fiber diet may help one’s gut battle melanoma better, especially if begun early on during the therapy. Given below are a few tips on how to ensure one’s diet is rich in fiber. To start with a high-fiber diet, one must include both soluble and insoluble forms of fiber that are natural and unprocessed. One must refrain from all kinds of white foods such as white rice, sugar, and flour as they have no fiber content.

By following a healthy balanced diet, your hair can become stronger and shinier. Consumption of the right kind of food can also prevent the loss of hair. If a person does not get certain nutrients through their diet, they may see the consequences result in hair loss and hair thinning.  Omega-3 fatty acids Omega-3 fatty acids assure nourishment to the entire head, including the hair shaft as well as the membranes of the cell in one’s scalp. Nourishment of the follicles promotes healthy growth of the hair. It also adds elasticity to the person’s hair which prevents the hair from breaking. Some of the sources of omega-3 fatty acids are grapeseed oil, Brussels sprouts, kale, tuna, salmon, walnuts, and flaxseeds.  Zinc Zinc helps in keeping one’s hair and scalp healthy by boosting the tissue repair and growth. It also helps in the regulation of hormones that include testosterone in the men’s body, and enabling the production of glands that secrete oil on the scalp helping the hair to grow. Higher levels of testosterone are associated with the loss of hair. So, one requires only 11 milligrams of zinc per day. The best sources of obtaining zinc are roast beef, veal liver, beef, oysters, wheat germ, and chickpeas.  Protein If the hair does not receive adequate amounts of protein, there is a possibility of the person developing bald spots on their head.