Health benefits of Lotus root

• Lotus root is one of the moderate calorie root vegetables. 100 g root-stem provides about 74 calories. Nevertheless, it composed of several health benefiting phyto-nutrients, minerals, and vitamins.
  
• Lotus rhizome is very good source dietary fibers; 100 g flesh provides 4.9 g or 13% of daily-requirement of fiber. The fiber, together with slow digesting complex carbohydrates in the root help reduce blood cholesterol, sugar, body weight and constipation conditions.
  
• Lotus root is one of the excellent sources of vitamin C. 100 g root provides 44 mg or 73% of daily-recommended values. Vitamin C is a powerful water soluble anti-oxidant. It is required for the collagen synthesis in the body. Collagen is the main structural protein in the body required for maintaining the integrity of blood vessels, skin, organs, and bones. Regular consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps the body protect from scurvy, develop resistance against viral infection, boosts immunity, hasten wound healing and remove cancer causing harmful free radicals from the body.
  
• In addition, it contains moderate levels of some of valuable B-complex group of vitamins such as pyridoxine (vitamin B-6), folates, niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, and thiamin. Pyridoxine (vitamin B-6) acts as a coenzyme in the neuro-chemical synthesis in the brain which influences mood. Adequate pyridoxine levels help control nervous irritability, headache, and tension. It also protects heart-attack risk by controlling harmful homocysteine levels in the blood.
  
• Further, the root provides healthy amounts of some important minerals like copper, iron, zinc, magnesium, and manganese. Copper is a cofactor for many vital enzymes, including cytochrome c-oxidase and superoxide dismutase (other minerals function as cofactors for this enzyme are manganese and zinc). Along with iron, it is also required in the production of red blood cells.
  
• The crunchy, sweet yet delicate flavor of root lotus is because of its optimum electrolyte balance. It composes agreeable ratio of sodium to potassium at the value 1:4. While sodium gives the sweet taste to the root, potassium acts to counter negative effects of sodium by regulating heart rate and blood pressure.
  

Benefits of Jicama for Skin Beauty

• Whitening
  The content of jicama as pachyrhizon, vitamin B1 and vitamin C, can make your skin look brighter and appear white. Requirement is of course the use of a jicama continuously least once a week. The stain acne scars can fades the color if you are wearing a mask of jicama.
  
• RefreshingJicama that is used as a mask, not just on the face but also on the body, it can give fresh sensation. Effect of fresh yam will be more pronounced if you use it in the afternoon, after exposure to sunlight.
  
  Ways to make a mask of jicama easily. Prepare one grain of jicama, then wash and peel. After the peeled, cut into small pieces, and puree with grated or juicer. Then strain with tea strainer until separately the water and residue. Absorb the water grated of jicama, then leave it. Could be put in the refrigerator to cold. Then, remove the top of the water who  colored the clear  and use the sediment for a face mask. After drying, wash your face with a wet wash cloth. then your face  will  feels fresher and brighter. well good luck :)

Health benefits of Jicama

• Jicama is very low calorie root vegetables; contains only 35 calories per 100 g. However, its high quality phyto-nutrition profile comprises of dietary fiber, and anti-oxidants, in addition to small proportions of minerals, and vitamins.
  
• It is one of the finest source dietary fiber and excellent source of oligofructose inulin, a soluble dietary fiber. The root pulp provides 4.9 mg or 13% of fiber. Inulin is a zero calorie, sweet inert carbohydrate and does not metabolize in the human body, which make the root an ideal sweet snack for diabetics and dieters.
  
• As in turnips, fresh yam bean tubers are rich in vitamin C; provide about 20.2 mg or 34% of DRA of vitamin C per 100 g. Vitamin-C is a powerful water-soluble anti-oxidant that helps body scavenge harmful free radicals, thereby offers protection from cancers, inflammation and viral cough and cold.
  
• It also contains small levels of some of valuable B-complex group of vitamins such as folates, riboflavin, pyridoxine, pantothenic acid and thiamin.
  
• Further, it provides healthy amounts of some important minerals like magnesium, copper, iron and manganese.
  

Cucumber Benefits for Great Skin and Eyes

Cucumber for Eyes

It is believed that cucumber helps in reducing swelling around the eyes or the big dark circles under your eyes. This is world-wide treatment which is being used to its maximum extent.

Cucumbers are the most wonderful and natural eye pads you can find for yourself. The puffiness and the tiredness in your eyes may just leave you, if you do this in a relaxed fashion. These natural eye pads do wonders after a long days work.

Cucumber for Skin

If you want a happy skin, then cucumber is the answer. As cucumber and the skin share the same level of hydrogen, it becomes easier for cucumber to mask all the problem areas. It helps in soothing and softening your skin which can get you relaxed in no time.

With so many useful ingredients in cucumber it can help you in treating so many skin problems. It has become part of daily beauty product into face packs, facials, juice and many other things which can affect your skin.

Due to its cooling effect it can be termed as a magic wand for all your skin problems. The cleaning and cleansing property helps your skin tremendously making it soft and supple.

The regular intake of cucumber juice is very useful both internally and externally.

To have a healthy glowing and smooth skin use this recipe

Blend 4 - 5 leafs of fresh mint.

Peel and de-seed the cucumber.

Add mint leaves to the cucumber to make a puree.

Beat egg white and keep it separate, then add this egg white to the cucumber mixture.

Apply this evenly on your face for 20 minutes and then rinse it with water and pat it dry.

Health benefits of Cucumber

    It is one of the very low calorie vegetables; provide just 15 calories per 100 g. It contains no saturated fats or cholesterol. Cucumber peel is a good source of dietary fiber that helps reduce constipation, and offer some protection against colon cancers by eliminating toxic compounds from the gut.

    It is a very good source of potassium, an important intracellular electrolyte. 100 g of cucumber provides 147 mg of potassium but only 2 mg of sodium. Potassium is a heart friendly electrolyte helps bring a reduction in total blood pressure and heart rates by countering effects of sodium.

    Cucumbers contains unique anti-oxidants in moderate ratios such as ß-carotene and α-carotene, vitamin-C, vitamin-A, zea-xanthin and lutein. These compounds help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging and various disease processes. Their total antioxidant strength, measured in terms of oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC value), is 214 µmol TE/100 g.

    Cucumbers have mild diuretic property, which perhaps attributed to their free-water, and potassium and low sodium content. This helps in checking weight gain and high blood pressure.

    They surprisingly have a high amount of vitamin K, provides about 17 µg of this vitamin per 100 g. Vitamin-K has been found to have a potential role in bone strength by promoting osteotrophic (bone mass building) activity. It also has established role in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease patients by limiting neuronal damage in their brain.

Health benefits of Cassava

    Cassava has nearly twice the calories than potatoes, perhaps highest for any tropical starch rich tubers and roots. 100 g root provides 160 calories. Their calorie mainly comes from sucrose forming the bulk of the sugars in tubers, accounting for more than 69% of the total sugars. Complex sugar amylose is another major carbohydrate source (16-17%).

    Cassava is very low in fats and protein than in cereals and pulses. Nonetheless, it has more protein than that of other tropical food sources like yam, potato, plantains, etc.

    As in other roots and tubers, cassava too is free from gluten. Gluten-free starch is used in special food preparations for celiac disease patients.

    Young tender cassava (yuca) leaves are a good source of dietary proteins and vitamin K. Vitamin-K has a potential role in bone mass building by promoting osteotrophic activity in the bones. It also has established role in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease patients by limiting neuronal damage in the brain.

    Cassava is a moderate source of some of the valuable B-complex group of vitamins such as folates, thiamin, pyridoxine (vitamin B-6), riboflavin, and pantothenic acid.

    The root is the chief source of some important minerals like zinc, magnesium, copper, iron, and manganese for many inhabitants in the tropical belts. In addition, it has adequate amounts of potassium (271 mg per 100g or 6% of RDA). Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that help regulate heart rate and blood pressure.

Health benefits of carrots

    Sweet and succulent carrots are notably rich in anti-oxidants, vitamins and dietary fiber; however, they provide only 41 calories per 100 g, negligible amount of fat and no cholesterol.

    They are exceptionally rich source of carotenes and vitamin-A. 100 g fresh carrot contains 8285 µg of beta-carotene and 16706 IU of vitamin A. Studies have found that flavonoid compounds in carrots help protect from skin, lung and oral cavity cancers.

    Carotenes are converted into vitamin A in the liver. Beta-carotene is the major carotene that is present in these roots. Beta carotene is one of the powerful natural anti-oxidant helps protect body from harmful oxygen-free radical injury.  In addition, it also has all the functions of vitamin A such as vision, reproduction (sperm production), maintenance of epithelial integrity, growth and development.

    Carrots are rich in poly-acetylene antioxidant falcarinol. Research study conducted by scientists at University of Newcastle on laboratory animals has found that falcarinol in carrots may help fight against cancers by destroying pre-cancerous cells in the tumors.

    Fresh roots are also good in vitamin C; provide about 9% of RDA. Vitamin C is water soluble anti-oxidant. It helps the body maintain healthy connective tissue, teeth and gum. Its anti-oxidant property helps the body protect from diseases and cancers by scavenging harmful free radicals.

    In addition, this root vegetable is especially rich in many B-complex groups of vitamins such as folic acid, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), thiamin, pantothenic acid, etc., that acts as co-factors to enzymes during substrate metabolism in the body.

    Further, They also compose healthy levels of minerals like copper, calcium, potassium, manganese and phosphorus. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure by countering effects of sodium. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase.