What are the causes for dry skin and what are the right foods?

There are many causes for dry skin. Millions of people suffer dry skin in the world. The causes include:

• Dry skin might be due to a genetic condition
• Due to dry cold weather in winter
• There can be no natural lubrication of the skin and this causes dehydration of the skin
• Environmental factors like exposure to sun, weather, chemicals including cosmetics or excessive use of soaps
• Skin disease like eczema, psoriasis etc. can cause dry skin
• Poor diet with vitamins deficiency can support to form dry skin
• Drugs can have dry skin as side effect
• Diabetes or under active thyroid can cause dry skin

Food and healthy lifestyle can help to have a better skin. A good diet includes vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and legumes. Protein from vegetables is good to skin and increase the intake of raw food. Sulphur containing foods like onion, garlic and asparagus can help to keep the skin smooth. Yellow and orange colour vegetables have many antioxidants. The beta-carotene from carrots is very valuable for skin.

Flax seed oil can be added to salads and other food which need not be cooked. Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are necessary to produce Prostaglandins which supports skin health. Vegetables and fruits contain valuable vitamin A and C. Quark, natural plain yoghurt, yeast and wheat germ are rich in pantothenic acid – vitamin B5 which is important for skin health.

Drink 2 to 3 litres of fluids everyday and if you sweat more then drink more. Water keeps the skin well hydrated.

Fried foods, processed foods, animal fats and hydrogenated oils must be avoided. Avoid heating oil and use only cold pressed oils. Junk foods, chips, products with sugar, chocolates and soft drinks must be consumed rarely and it is better to avoid them.

Caffeine and alcohol can dehydrate the body and this is bad for skin health. Avoid all soft drinks which contain caffeine.

Do not take bath in hot water and the shower or bath must be short. Moisturize your skin immediately after your bath or shower.

What is the connection between chronic low back pain and constipation?

The cause for chronic low back pain is not always the structural problems of the spinal cord.

The constipation can be a reason and the symptoms include:

• There will be no relief after your therapies like physical therapy, chiropractic, massage, acupuncture etc.
• Inconsistent bowel movements
• Difficulty in passing stool

The reason is very simple. If there are no proper bowel movements it leads to bad bacterial overgrowth and inflammation. The intestines can be inflamed and swollen. This can prevent the abdominals from working. You need the abdominals to stabilize the muscles of the back. When they stop working and inflamed your back has no support. This causes chronic low back pain.

Mostly the culprits for the constipation are your bad diet and inadequate intake of fluids. All junk foods, processed foods, refined sugar and flour and excess caffeine can cause constipation. You must change your lifestyle and must take more fresh food. Plant oils are also necessary in your food for good bowel movement. A healthy lifestyle helps to reduce your weight also.

Drink 2 to 3 litres of fluids and 70% must be water. Here the probiotics can help to replace the bad bacteria. Physical activity is vital to stimulate the intestines. Try to avoid stress. If there is stomach problems think about food intolerances also.

It is in your hands to do something good to you.

Are soft drinks healthy?

There are many soft drinks in our world. There are many chemicals present in these soft drinks. These chemicals may have adverse effects on our health. Of course the major part is water, but all the other things present are not healthy.

The soft drink contains many chemicals and they include:

• Sugar – soft drink manufactures are the largest single user of refined sugar in our world. Sugar increases insulin levels. The result can be diabetes, high blood pressure, high blood triglycerides. Weight gain and premature aging and many other health problems go to the account of sugar.

• Aspartame – many diet soft drinks contain this chemical, as a sugar substitute. Many side effects are associated with aspartame intake. Weight gain, diabetes, birth defects and many other health problems go to aspartame’s account. If stored in a warm place for a long time it is automatically converted in to methanol which is converted to formaldehyde and formic acid, which are carcinogens. Acesulfame-K and Saccharin are the other artificial sweeteners mostly used.

• Phosphoric acid – it may interfere with calcium metabolism. The result may be softening of bones, teeth and osteoporosis. Too much of this can affect the utilization of nutrients.

• Carbon dioxide – it is used to produce carbonated soft drinks. The adverse effects are acidosis and adverse effects in calcium metabolism. Brushing your teeth after drinking an acidic soft drink can increase the damage to your tooth enamel and dissolving down the gum line.

• Caffeine – excess caffeine is not good for our health. Two cups of coffee per day is good but too much from the soft drinks are not good.

Obesity is a big problem and one of the main reasons is soft drinks.

Moreover, the taste what we enjoy with soft drinks are also only chemicals. It is better to avoid all soft drinks. If it is not possible now and then a glass is good. Particularly we must inform the youth about the dangers of soft drinks. If explained properly surely they will understand the problems with the soft drinks.

Pure drinking water and fresh fruit juices are the best drinks.

What will happen if I quit taking caffeine suddenly?

It is applicable to persons who drink strong and much coffee. If you quit suddenly the possibility of getting caffeine-withdrawal headaches and other symptoms is there.

These symptoms include:

• Nausea
• Fatigue
• Muscle pain
• Mild depression

These symptoms may start within twelve to twenty four hours and may continue for a week. If you are a heavy coffee consumer, wants to stop it, it is better to consult your doctor. Otherwise, the symptoms can be interpreted wrongly and you may get unnecessary medicines which, in turn, bring more problems.

Frequent coffee drinkers usually get morning headache and after the morning coffee the headache disappears, the reason could be the caffeine withdrawal for several hours in the night. But, this is a devils circle which requires more intake of coffee.

It is possible to get caffeine-withdrawal headache if you consume more cups of coffee at your office and consume less in weekends and holidays. You must think about everything always because these small, but mostly unknown dangers are waiting for you.

What is the safe way to reduce or withdraw caffeine? Every few days cut a cup of coffee until you feel comfortable or you can mix regular coffee with decaffeinated coffee to reduce the amount of caffeine. It is very important to cut back of your other caffeine sources like colas and other caffeinated soft drinks.

If you are a smoker, the strategy is entirely different because nicotine lowers the half life of caffeine in our blood and smokers excrete caffeine more quickly from the body than non- smokers.

If you stop smoking, you must also reduce the amount of caffeine in your blood by drinking less coffee. More caffeine in the blood brings only jitters.

Could you tell me about insecticides?

Chemical substances which are capable of killing almost all forms of living organisms in the fields of agriculture, forestry and household are biocides. These can be insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, nematicides, miticides, molluscicides, and rodenticides.

Insecticides are used against insects, their eggs and larvae found in agriculture, industry and household. Even though the insecticides have contributed towards agricultural revolution in the 20th century, these have altered our ecosystem and poisonous insecticide residues persist in food and drinking water. A balance between agricultural use and environmental health issues is very difficult to maintain. We must try it always with new ideas and more research.

There are various kinds of insecticides and they include:

• Organochlorines: DDT, aldrin, chlordane, endosulfan. endrin, dieldrin, heptachlor, lindane, pentachlorophenol and hexachlorobenzene. Mustard gas is used in the war as chemical weapon.

• Organophosphates: azinphos-methyl, chlorethoxyfos, dichlorvos, fenthion, malathion, mevinphos, parathion, parathionmethyl and tribuvos.

• Carbamates: used as insecticides, fungicides and herbicides in agriculture. Used against mosquitoes inside the buildings. These are aldicarb, carbofuran, carbaryl, methomyl and methyl carbamates.

• Pyrethroids: These are natural insecticides developed from the plant product (dried flowers) called pyrethrum. Permethrin, remethrin, cypermethrin, bifenthrin, tetramethrin, transfluthrin and many more belongs to this group and these are produced by adding chlorine, bromine, nitro group or others.

• Neonicotinoids: these are the synthetic analogue of natural nicotine. These are often used as substitutes for organophosphates and carbamates. These are clothianidin, nitenpyram, thiamethoxam, acetamiprid, clothianidin, nithiazine and thiacloprid.

The other plant products include caffeine, nicotine, and neem products. Insecticides are poisons and we must be very careful.

What are the foods that make me alert?

Meals which contain protein, low fat foods and carbohydrates with fibres are the best foods for alertness. During midday the concentration of the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine are low in brain and if we supply tyrosine from protein and the brain becomes alert.

What are the foods good for brain alertness? Foods which are rich in protein are poultry without skin, turkey, lean meat, low fat cheese, skimmed milk, low fat yoghurt, dried beans, fish and shellfish.

Milk, eggs and meat contain choline and adults performed better memory tests after eating foods containing choline. If you have an interview, presentation or examination, think of these foods.
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Prunes contain antioxidants and this can scavenge the reactive oxygen free radicals linked to memory loss and mental deterioration better.

Whole grains carbohydrates can give you brain memory-enhancing simple sugar.

Broccoli, avocadoes, grape juice and apples contain boron, which is responsible for hand-eye co-ordination, attention and short term memory.

Apples, soya milk, yoghurt and oranges have slow digesting carbohydrates and can supply a steady source of energy to our body.

Sardine, salmon and other young cold-water fish contain proteins which can supply tyrosine to produce the two alertness neurotransmitters, dopamine and norepinephrine. This has vitamin B12 as well as omega-3 fatty acids which may help in preventing depression. Omega-3 fatty acids raise also serotonin level in the brain which can regulate mood and reduces irritability.

Sunflower seeds contain magnesium and it helps to maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps the heart rhythm steady and is also important in energy metabolism.

Capsaicin, the hot substance in the hot chillies can lift our mood because chilli produces pain in the nerve endings of the tongue and mouth, and getting this false information, the brain secretes the natural painkillers or endorphins. Each bite of the hot chilli gives one more dose of the mood lifting endorphins.

Chocolates can release endorphins into the brain which contain phenyl ethylamine.

Iron deficiency makes you very tired and so do not forget to include these foods in your meals which are red meat, poultry, turkey, raisins, dried apricots and legumes.

Caffeine in moderate amount helps you to improve your mood and performance but too much gives only a negative result.

Selenium may also improve our mood but the exact mechanism is not yet clear.

What is the relationship between caffeine and theophylline?

These two belong to the same chemical group, methylxanthenes. Both have similar properties, However they are antagonists. During 1800s caffeine was the prime anti-asthmatic drug to dilate bronchial tubes, but in 1920s theophylline replaced caffeine and it is still prescribed.

Caffeine can help to prevent and treat asthma symptoms. If we make observations, the coffee drinkers appear to have less asthma, but do not drink much, maximum three cups will do the good. It is also almost equal to a standard dose of theophylline.

If toxic level of theophylline is found in blood of the patients who take regular doses, we recommend strong coffee which can excrete theophilline very quickly from the body, thus preventing the toxic effects.

Three to four cups of strong black coffee is a good emergency treatment for an asthmatic attack which is as effective as theophylline.

Green tea...black tea...what is the truth?

Whether it is green or black or oolong or white tea all are coming from the same tea plant, Camellia sinensis. Two leaves and a bud we take from the plant and prepare and cure it in different way to get all these four teas.

Tea is the most widely drunk beverage in the world after water. The way you prepare tea is important for its taste and they are

• For green tea - 80 to 85 degrees C (176 to 185 degrees F)
• For black tea - boiling water 99 degrees C (210 degrees F)
• For oolong tea 90 to 100 degrees C (194 to 212 degrees F)
• For whire tea 66 to 71 degrees C (150 to 160 degrees F)

During preparation green tea has minimum oxidation and this is the reason why it has more antioxidants. The polyphenols, catechins and epigallocatechingallate are powerful antioxidants. Green tea contain certain carotenoids, tocopherols, vitamin C, many important minerals such as chromium, manganese, selenium and zinc and several other phytochemicals which are good for our health. Green tea also has caffeine, theophylline and theobromine and these belong to the methylxanthine. Methylxanthine stimulates the nervous system, relaxes smooth muscles in the airways to the lungs, stimulates the heart and acts as a diuretic (more urine). Even today thyophylline is the best medicine for asthma.

The amount of caffeine depends the amount of tea you take and the time you have taken to prepare irrespective of green or black teas. I has, anyhow, less caffeine than coffee. One cup of tea contains about 50 mg caffeine as compared to coffee, which contains 65 to 175 mg.

Black tea is also made from the two leaves and a bud but is dried during preparation and so more oxidation happens. This drying process of black tea is called fermentation and has nothing to do with normal fermentation. This reduces the amount of the antioxidants. Black tea contains the polyphenols like catechins, anthocyanins, theaflavin, thearubigens, phenolic acids and tannin, trace elements and vitamines. Black tea has also the methyxanthine chemicals.

Green tea is richer in antioxidants, has less caffeine and doen not stain the teeth, but black tea tastes more with its fuller flavour. So my advice is drink both the teas, pure drinking water and leave all the other soft beverages except freshly pressed fruit juices. This is very healthy. The recent research says not only epigallocatechin gallate found itn green tea but also the theaflavins and thearubigens found in black tea are responsible for the health effects.

There are many studies about the good effect of tea on heart, kidneys and its anti-cancer qualities. You must have your lifestyle in such a way that there are only little risk factors. If you live unhealthy and rape your body even the best green or black teas can’t help you

Asthma, -little information...

Asthma is a common disease which affects the respiratory system. It constricts the airways and they become inflamed and lined with mucus. It can be managed well.

Many children develop asthma, which eventually they grow out of. The triggers associated with asthma include:

• Allergies
• Stress
• Exercise
• Cold air

Genes may also play a role who is getting asthma and who not.

The symptoms of asthma include:

• Wheezing
• Coughing
• Chest tightness
• Short of breath

Early detection, diagnosis and treatment is important, otherwise asthma could become a life-threatening disease.

25% of the children will develop asthma and the percentage is not increasing, but only staggering.

The children must get enough breast milk as long as possible. The antibodies and the combination itself is the best for the infant to develop its immune system. Try to avoid cow milk for the infants till 12 months and here we observe these children get less allergies and asthma. If you are not having enough breast milk, select other food, but not milk or milk powder based formulas. Now-a-days without any problems this could be done.

Good medicines are available. Theophylline is the medicine used and it belongs to the group of thioxanthenes. Caffeine also belongs to this group and is good for persons who have asthma. But there is no cumulative effect from both. If we find theophylline values in toxic levels we ask the patient to drink four cups of strong coffee and the caffeine present there helps for the quick excretion of theyphylline.

Asthma is one of the fastest growing health problems in all developed countries.

This a short article to give you quick information.

Caffeine

Most of us drink coffee to be mentally fit, it is a plant alkaloid and it is also a psychoactive stimulant in human beings. It is found in more than 60 plants where it acts as a natural pesticide and paralyses and kills certain insects which are feeding the plants.

The main sources of caffeine are coffee beans of the coffee plant, tea plants, cacao and kola nut and guarana berries, a famous source in South America.

Caffeine from tea is called theine, mateine from mate, guaranine from guarana, but the chemical compound is only caffeine.

Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant in human beings and it removes our tiredness and makes us alert or fit. This is the reason why the beverages containing caffeine like coffee, tea, soft drinks and energy drinks have much popularity.

To get the effects the amount of caffeine needed per person is different and it depends on weight and tolerance. Caffeine takes approximately 45 minutes to begin the effects and it wears off in three to four hours from a normal cup of coffee. It cannot stop sleep and it is only a temporary relief from the tiredness.

In normal or moderate consumption it has no such effect. Many studies using a concentration of 5.5 mg per kg bodyweight to 9 mg per kg bodyweight are reporting more endurance.

Caffeine can make one addict. If you take 400 mg caffeine three times a day, you can develop tolerance in a week. But my personal experience is very different and there are several people who drink two litres of coffee have no problems and others with moderate consumption have problems. Two to four cups but not extremely strong is enough if you like coffee.

Tea has less caffeine compared to coffee and it is very good.

Here are the values of caffeine in different beverages:

Coffee, brewed, one cup (about 100 ml)…………………around 50 mg
Decaffeinated coffee, one cup (about 100 ml)……………around 3 mg
Black tea, leaf or bag, one cup (about 100 ml)…………..around 30 mg
Green tea, one cup (around 100 ml)……………………...around 15 mg

Coffee espresso, around 50 ml……………………………around 100 mg

Moderate consumption of coffee is not bad to our health.

Coca cola has 96 mg caffeine per litre.

Red bull, an energy drink, has 320 mg caffeine per litre.

If you think of the other sources like chocolates and cacao milk drinks, the amounts may add up to a heavy dose.

The health authorities must be careful so that soft drinks with much caffeine do not come to the market. The dose makes the poison.

Today decaffeinated coffee also tastes so good that many are not in a position to distinguish between the two. Everybody can drink because sacrificing something like coffee is really a punishment.

Children should not drink coffee because the caffeine stays in their blood much longer than the adults.

Coca Cola

What is coca cola?

Coca cola is a carbonated soft drink with phosphoric acid, caffeine, high fructose corn syrup, natural flavours and caramel colour. Light or diet or zero Coca Cola contains artificial sweeteners like aspartame and acesulfame potassium. The latest one is a new healthy soda diet Coca Cola, called diet coke plus with vitamin B6, vitamin B12, niacin and zinc!!!


Do you drink Coca Cola?

Yes I do, but very rarely.

Why do you drink very rarely?

I do not know whether everybody knows how to drink Coca Cola. If you want to enjoy the whole taste of coca cola, it must be drunk exactly at 4 degrees C which is always not possible in a hot country. More over, as a clinical toxicologist, I look very carefully what I drink because I have normally more facts than several others.

I have read so many positive things about coca cola in the internet, is it correct?

I have also read the good points given by Coca Cola, India, but there is always the other side of the medal. My duty is to give the correct information to help the people. In internet, one can write whatever he likes because there is no control about the veracity of the points or the truth. Moreover, there are several questions about coke which I want to answer.

What is the real picture of Coca Cola in the world?

There are two groups in the world, one says it is a devil’s drink and the other says the angels have brought them this wonderful soft drink. Both are beliefs as well as myths.

What is the truth about coca cola and osteoporosis?

Coca Cola contains 140 mg of phosphate per litre which can give problems for the absorption of calcium as well as calcium metabolism which can reduce the bone mass density. This is present as inorganic acid and reacts with calcium in our body to form calcium phosphate which is useless for the bone formation because we need only calcium molecules but not calcium phosphate. This decreases the bone mass density and the result may be osteoporosis. The dose makes the poison.

Do not forget, Coca Cola is not only the source of phosphorous, the modern processed foods contain a lot of it and the cumulative effect plays a negative role in our life.

Is there any relationship between phosphorus and hyperactivity in children?

I have seen in several cases, phosphate increases the hyperactivity in children and in some Western countries you can get also phosphate free breads which are baked extra for them in a particular day in a month. The mothers buy enough on that day and deep freeze it for their children. Coca Cola and other similar soft drinks are not good for such children and must be avoided.

According to a study in the Harvard School of Public health, the teenage girls who drank regularly Cola drinks had 5 times more bone fracture during the sports than the others who did not drink it.

Coca Cola and our teeth, is it dangerous or not?

The phosphoric acid can remove the calcium from the tooth enamel and the problem starts here. It is not only for coca cola but also applicable to all soft drinks which contain phosphate. Enjoy the coke like most of the Indian friends drink their whisky; close the nose and one very big gulp, the whole whisky, no, coke is inside. There are many persons throughout the world who take sip after sip during the whole day, thus keeping their mouth always acidic and this enhances the removal of calcium and caries is the result of this.

Attention, never brush your teeth immediately after drinking coca cola or other soft drinks which increases the loss of calcium.

The doctors and dieticians opine that a glass of Coca Cola will not do any harm, but the problem starts if one drinks a litre a day, believe me, I know persons who drink two to three litres per day, caffeine dependence?

One of alcoholic drinks which people, young or old, men or women, like in Western countries is Coca Cola mixed with Bacardi, rum or whisky and I have noticed people drinking eight such glasses in a party that means 8 x 400 ml = 3.2 litre of Cola in 4 to 6 hours. I have no idea about such habits in India and I must do the research when I come next time.

Coca cola and meat, which is the relationship between them?

This is a well known myth that coca cola can dissolve the meat. If you put a steak overnight in coca cola, it looks thick and funny next morning but it is not at all dissolved. The group against cola hears the word phosphoric acid and produced this myth.

The hydrochloric acid present in our stomach is much stronger and there is no risk with coca cola for our stomach muscles. But, drink less and enjoy, do not forget the 4 degree C, if it is too cold or too warm, it is a waste of money.

What is the truth about coca cola and diabetes?

If you are healthy and there is no family history of diabetes, there is no problem, but it is better to be careful with sugar. But in coca cola high fructose corn syrup is used to sweeten to reduce the costs since 1985. There are two dangers, the corn syrup may come from genetically manipulated plants; excess of fructose could be quickly converted into fat in our liver, causing increase in weight, obesity and this is a risk of type-2-diabetes. Moreover, fructose is metabolized in the liver and it has to do lot more than its normal work which is also too much for it if other risks like alcohol or environmental and other poisons are there. Drink less and enjoy and remember always the dose makes the poison.

Coca cola and more hunger can lead to obesity, is aspartame the culprit?

It is very interesting to see the quarrel between different groups; Coca Cola Company says there is no scientific study to prove the weight increase. Group of chemists and dieticians who accept the release of more insulin from the mimic sweetening effects of aspartame say that this has an effect on sugar metabolism. Reducing the blood sugar means increasing the hunger.

However, observation with colleagues showed that if they drink three or four glasses of Cola light, we have seen a drop in their blood sugar values, once the blood sugar is below 80 mg, the colleagues consumed more food than normal. There is no mechanism in our body to make the insulin disappear and it does its duty by reducing the normal blood sugar values to low level. With all the possibilities what coca cola and the different research institutes have, it is not a big thing to do proper research and find out the real side-effects, but nobody is willing or doing or even nobody is thinking of that. So, in this case you are your own judge, drink a litre cola light every day, note your weight before and after 14 days, if you are weighing more at the end, you can make your judgement for you. Nobody is interested in your health, only you have to save yourself!!

Is Coco Cola a medicine for diarrhoea?

The grandmother’s medicine for diarrhoea in Germany is Coca Cola and Salzstangen (wheat flour sticks with crystal salt). It is correct because of electrolyte, sugar and enough fluid at first thought, but there is no equilibrium between the high amount of sugar and low salt content. The adverse effect is the diarrhoea can become worse. Moreover, from 1985 there is only corn syrup fructose.

When I tell this to my patients, the immediate question is which is the alternative to have the balance between salt and sugar, it is very easy, take a glass of boiled and cooled water, add half a teaspoonful salt and five teaspoonful glucose and you have mixture which will do the best to you.

If it does not help, go to the doctor immediately.

What is Mentos Eruption?

The reaction between diet Coca Cola and mint flavoured candies result in a fountain which is called the mentos eruption. The ingredients of diet coca cola, caffeine, aspartame, potassium benzoate and carbon dioxide and gum Arabic and gelatine produced this jet effect. When such a reaction happens in our stomach the inner organs may get damaged because of the production of a large amount of carbon dioxide. But, the Coca Cola Company assures that diet coca cola and mentos candies are used throughout the world without any problem.

This effect could also be produced with other similar soft drinks.

Is Coca Cola an efficient spermicide to use in birth control?

It is totally false and it is impossible to kill all the sperms with a post coital douche, this matter about Coca Cola prevails in the internet even today and it is one of the myths. The excess fructose in the cola can only make yeast infection, an annoying difficult to cure health problem.

If it works in Africa, it is the pure luck of the woman and nothing to do with coke because shortly after intercourse the sperms are away from the reach of Coca Cola douche. Never try, you may be unlucky, you can become pregnant even at the first time. There are several other methods and devices for contraception and consult your doctor to select the right one for you.

What is E 211, is it dangerous?

It is a food additive, E 211 or sodium benzoate, in diet coca cola which is a controversial additive linked to hyperactivity in children and also linked to DNA damage. Coca cola has agreed to remove this additive as soon as a satisfactory alternate is discovered. This additive is present in some other cola drinks also. If it is not declared on the label, ask your local coca cola office to find it out

What about Kerala, India and coca cola?

Even in a country like Germany where we take drinking water from below 3000 meters, even this have traces of pesticides. It is the duty of the industry to use only water free from pesticide residues. The techniques and filters are available; mostly it is the mistake of the local management to control their own workers or to save money at the wrong ends.

Government of India has formed a committee to find the world’s first pesticide residue standards for soft drinks. It is great.

So many information, which is your final suggestion?

Drink three to four or more litres of fluid every day, 70% of that must be pure drinking water to excrete the wastes produced from your cells and to detoxify the environmental poisons from your body continuously. Two cups of coffee or tea a day, one to two glasses of fruit juices like apple, orange and pineapple or a maximum of one glass of soft drinks like coca cola or other beverages, I prefer here the fresh fruit juices. Tender coconut is a good alternative. Now and then surely drink a glass coke.

What our friends from Kerala do is also good, different teas with spices like Jeeragam, coriander etc. They are very healthy.

This information is from my book “Food and our Health – Facts and Misconceptions” published in March 2009. For more particulars visit www.aaronverlag.com