Health Care




Custard Apple


Custard Apple or Seethaphal is a tropical fruit tree that grows easily. It was first culivated in West Indies. Its botanical name is 'ANNONA SQUAMOSA'. It is very popular in India. The pulp of the fruit is mixed with milk to make custard. As it has the taste of custard it is called 'Custard Apple'. The fruit has a peculiar aroma. Custard Apple is used to make Jams, Jellies and sherbets. 

The plant is propogated by grafting as well as through the seeds. Grafted plants produce fruits from the first year itself. The plant usually flowers between March and July. The fruits should be plucked 
before they are ripe and stored for ripening.



Custard apple promotes digestion and is used as a cure for vomiting, diarrhoea, dysentry and vertigo. 
The unripe fruit is dried and powdered and is used as a cure for treating lice. The fruit is low in 
calorie content and contains minerals like iron, phosphorous, calcium and riboflavin. 

The plant is a evergreen shrub and reaches a maximum of 6 mts. The plant bears flowers in the mature branches and the fruits develop in the mature branches and are usually round. The flesh is white and creamy with a sugary taste. The seeds are black in colour with a shine. The seeds are not consumed for they are slightly poisonous.




Simple exercise technics to avoid stress and fatigue at workplace
Workplace sometimes becomes a place of stress and fatigue. People spend hours on the computer with high levels of concentration. This leads to fatigue and tiredness. To keep yourself fresh and energetic during work hours, a few methods can be followed which give you complete relaxation to the entire body and you will can work more efficiently.

Healthy and easy methods to reduce tiredness while at work
  • Keep a good posture by holding your back straight. This might not be possible always, but keep trying and you can do it.
  • Keep moving your body frequently.
  • During the breaks, stretch your body and relax
Here are a few simple excercises that can be followed during work hours
Have a deep seating and Straight up your back. Also Straighten your arms and push down your chair and lift yourself. Now, take deep breaths and Straighten your upper half of the body. Breath for about 5 times. Do this every 40 minutes.
Put your right hand on the back of chair and put your left hand on the right thy, and twist your upper half of the body by applying a little pressure. Move your lower part of the body the other way by breathing out. Do this on both the sides. Breath in while in normal position and breath out while your stretch.
Move to the edge of your seat. Straighten your legs and keep your heels down and toes straight. Bend and move your upper half of the body down as like your navel touch your thigh. You can stop moving down your body as and when you feel. Keep natural breathing while you are bending. Move up slowly. Repeat this 3 times slowly.
Stand up next to a table which is as high as your waist. Stand 1 and half feet away from the table. Put both your hands on the table and open your legs to the breadth of your shoulder. Now slowly straighten your body and legs
Now slowly bend without folding your hands or legs by moving your hip backwards and bringing down your head. You might have to hold your grip properly on the table and rest on your heals. While doing this take deep breaths.
Now after bending, put one of your legs a step forward and stretch further. Do the same for the other leg also.







Eating Healthy after Delivery

You have had your baby! Suddenly all the necessary and unnecessary advice you got throughout pregnancy from friends and relatives seems to have doubled. When you reach out for that piece of mango, your mother-in-law is horrified. You can’t eat that she says pulling the fruit away. You have just delivered!. Your mother wants you to have a tablespoon of ghee with each meal. An aunt who has come to see the baby checks with your mother if you are getting a special mix of dried fruits and nuts.

Who should you listen to? Having just delivered, do you really need to have a special diet? Can you eat normal food  or does everything have to be specially prepared for you? If you have had a caesarean section, will any food affect the wound?

Indian culture places a great deal of misplaced importance on food and its effects on the woman who has just delivered. Common sense should dictate what you eat after a delivery.

After the delivery you will find you have lost more than half of what you had put on in pregnancy. You still have to lose a few kilos to regain your pre-pregnancy weight.

Obesity in women starts very often in pregnancy. If you don’t lose all the excess weight after the delivery, you will put on even more in a subsequent pregnancy. This additional weight tends to accumulate each year. How much weight should you have gained in pregnancy?

The amount of weight you should gain in pregnancy depends on your pre-pregnancy body-mass index (BMI) If you have gained the ideal amount of weight then you fill find it easier to regain your pre-pregnancy weight. If you have gained more than you should have then you will have to work harder to take that weight off.

You do not have to eat large quantities because you are breast feeding. It is important to eat a balanced diet. There are no foods that will affect the baby. There are no specific foods that you should not eat after the delivery. A balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables is very important after the delivery.

When you are breastfeeding, you should drink 2 glasses of milk and eat 2 cups of curds a day. If you have gained too much weight in pregnancy you can drink low fat or skim milk. Even curds can be made from low fat or skim milk.

Proteins are the building blocks for the baby. Make sure that your diet includes dairy products, grains, nuts and pulses, eggs, meat, fish or poultry. Avoid deep fried food.

Carbohydrates provide you with energy. When taken in larger quantities, you will only get empty calories. You do not need to increase the quantity of rice that you normally take. Substitute chapathis for rice at one meal. If you are gaining too much weight.

Vegetables provide vitamins, minerals and roughage. A rainbow of vegetables and fruits on your plate provides excellent nutrtition! Greens will help avoid constitpation.

Many women of childbearing age have low Iron stores. It is important to be on a combination supplement of iron, B –complex and folic acid for a few months after a delivery. Calcium requirements double during pregnancy and lacation. Old wives tales”

Eat plenty of ghee. It will help the uterus heal. Not true! This will only make you put on unnecessary weight and is very unhealthy since it is a saturated fat. Avoid spicy food and hot or cold drinks because it will harm the baby. Not true!

Eat lot of garlic, it will increase milk flow. Not true! Garlic by itself does not increase the flow of milk. It makes the milk smell which may tend to make the baby suckle more.

Ajwain water is good for you not true! Avoid certain kinds of lentils, root vegetables and certain fruits. Do not eat papaya, pineapple and mangoes after a delivery. Not true
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