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Ladies, are you including these five essential foods and spices in your diet?

Don’t compromise with your health! Incorporate these 5 ancient kitchen ingredients in your diet to reap the health benefits they have to offer.
high energy foods for lockdown
Dal when mixed with rice creates an energy-dense food Image courtesy: Shutterstock
Team Health Shots Updated: 13 Oct 2023, 02:59 pm IST
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We all know just how important the right diet is. With healthy foods in our pantry–and our belly–we can conquer the world. Right from feeling more energetic through the course of the day to weight loss–there is nothing that a wholesome diet cannot help you achieve.

However, there are some foods that can give you an advantage when it comes to your health. Here we list five such ingredients recommended by Kavita Devgan, nutrition expert at Tata Nutrikorner that can help you take each day head-on! 

Turmeric
Spices are rich in natural oils that boost immunity, aids in digestion and cleansing. Curcumin, which is the main component of turmeric, supports better memory, focus and cognition by increasing growth of new neurons and fighting various degenerative processes in the brain. 

We are all multitaskers in our everyday life and hence it is important to consume turmeric which has at least three per cent curcumin for a healthier mind and body.

How much: Just a pinch a day in your tadkas or as haldi milk every night.

Haldi health benefits
Drink this cuppa full of haldi for good health. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

Coriander powder
Coriander is a blessing and has many benefits to offer to you. The seeds help in controlling blood sugar and cholesterol. It is also anti-carcinogenic–which inhibits the development of cancer.

And if you’re dealing with hair fall and hormonal imbalance, coriander will help you with that too! It contains natural stimulants that stimulate the endocrine glands to maintain proper hormonal balance in the body thus alleviating menstrual pain and irregularities.

How much: Add a pinch to all tadkas every day.

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Besan
Besan contains iron which helps keep iron deficiency at bay. It also contains fibre which helps with constipation. 

It also has anti-inflammatory properties which prevent fatigue. And being a rich source of B vitamin thiamine, include besan in your diet to feel energetic and rejuvenated.

How much: Two to three times a week

essentials you must include in your diet
Reap the benefits besan has to offer! Image courtesy: Shutterstock

Iodised salt
Many of us are unknowingly deficient in iodine especially if you are a vegetarian, as iodine is found mostly in seaweed, dairy, tuna, shrimp, and eggs. 

This iodine deficiency affects your thyroid hormones negatively and results in intellectual disability or mental retardation. If you feel fatigued and weakness and suffering from hair loss, dry, flaky skin, feeling colder than usual and trouble learning and remembering then you might be iodine deficient.

How much: About 5 gm of branded vacuum evaporated iodised salt per day

Lentils
Well, the three solid pillars of good health are: enough nutrients, good quality protein, and fibre for gut health–and lentils (dals) deliver all three in abundance. Plus they are a boon for vegetarians particularly as they often don’t score enough of this macronutrient. 

Lentils also deliver the hard to find nutrient–folic acid that helps prevent birth defects in pregnant women.

How much: Two servings of (any) dal every day.

(With inputs from IANS)

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