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Nutritional Facts of Papaya : 
Though it resembles a tree, a papaya plant is actually an overgrown herb, known as an herbaceous perennial. Grown worldwide in tropical climates, papaya is believed to have originated in Mexico and Central America..
The most common use for papaya is to aid digestion. Papayas are the only natural source of papain, an effective natural digestive aid, which breaks down protein and cleanses the digestive track. This means less food settles into the metabolism and becomes fat, making papayas’ natural digestive properties an advantage to people trying to lose weight — especially for people who may cheat on their diets, said Homero Levy de Barros, president and CEO, Caliman International.
But in addition to assisting the body in digestion, papayas pack a nutritional wallop. Known as a “nutritional masterpiece,” papayas are rich in vitamin C, folate, and potassium. They are also good sources of fiber, vitamin A, vitamin E, the eye-saving carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, and lycopene. A papaya has a lycopene level of about 2,000 ug per 100g (or 3,000 ug in one slice of papaya of 150g).
“You can debate which fruit is the number one in nutrition, depending upon a variety of factors,” Levy de Barros said. “But for people who know the nutritional make-up of fruit, certainly the papaya would be in the top three of almost everyone's list.” Papayas have 33% more vitamin C and 50% more potassium than oranges with fewer calories. Papayas have 13 times more vitamin C and more than twice the potassium than apples. Papayas have four times more vitamin E than both apples and oranges.
Fruits and Vegetables , Important Part of our Diet :
 Fruit and vegetables are an important part of your daily diet. They are naturally good and contain vitamins and minerals that can help to keep you healthy. Research shows they can also help protect against some diseases. Most Australians will benefit from eating more fruit and vegetables as part of a well-balanced, regular diet and a healthy active lifestyle.
There are many varieties of fruit and vegetables available and, if you buy them in season, they need not be expensive. Fruit and vegetables may be dried, canned, frozen or fresh. They can be prepared, cooked and served in a variety of ways. Eat five kinds of vegetable and two kinds of fruit every day for good health.
Types of fruit
Fruit is the sweet, fleshy, edible portion of a plant. It generally contains seeds. Fruits are usually eaten raw, although some varieties can be cooked. They come in a wide variety of colours, shapes and flavours. Common types of fruits that are readily available include:
Pome – apples and pears
Citrus – oranges, grapefruits, mandarins and limes
Stonefruit – nectarines, apricots, peaches and plums
Tropical and exotic – bananas and mangoes
Berries – strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, kiwifruit and passionfruit
Melons – watermelons, rock melons and honey dew melons
Tomatoes and avocados.
Types of vegetables
Vegetables are often cooked, although some kinds (salad vegetables) are eaten raw. Vegetables are available in many varieties and can be classified into biological groups or ‘families’, including:
Leafy green – lettuce, spinach and silverbeet
Crucifer – cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and broccoli
Curcurbits – pumpkin, cucumber and zucchini
Root – potato, sweet potato and yam
Edible plant stem – celery and asparagus
Allium – onion, garlic and shallot.
Legumes
Legumes or pulses contain nutrients that are especially valuable. Legumes need to be cooked before they are eaten; this improves their nutritional quality, aids digestion and eliminates any harmful toxins. Legumes come in many forms including:
Soy products – tofu (bean curd) and soybeans
Legume flours – chickpea flour (besan), lentil flour and soy flour
Dried beans and peas – haricot beans, red kidney beans, chickpeas and lentils
Fresh beans and peas – green peas, green beans, butter beans, broad beans and snow peas.
Vitamins and minerals
Fruits and vegetables contain many vitamins and minerals that are good for your health. These include vitamins A (beta-carotene and riboflavin), B, C and E, folate, magnesium, zinc, phosphorous and folic acid. Research into folic acid shows that it may reduce blood levels of homocysteine, a substance that may be a risk factor for coronary heart disease.
Eat more fruit and vegetables for your health
Fruits and vegetables are low in fat, salt and sugar and provide a good source of dietary fibre. As part of a well-balanced, regular diet and a healthy active lifestyle, a high intake of fruit and vegetables can help:
Vegetables and fruit contain phytochemicals, or ‘plant chemicals’. These biologically active substances can help to protect you from some diseases. Scientific research shows that if you regularly eat lots of fruit and vegetables you have a lower risk of:
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Type 2 diabetes
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Stroke
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Heart (cardiovascular) disease – when eaten as food, not taken as supplements
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Cancer – some forms, later in life
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High blood pressure (hypertension) .
Colour is the key to healthy food
Maximum protection comes from eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Eat a rainbow of colourful fruits and vegetables every day to get the full range of health benefits. For example:
Red foods – like tomatoes and watermelon, contain lycopene, which is thought to be important for fighting prostate cancer and heart disease
Green vegetables – like spinach and kale, contain lutein and zeaxanthin, which may help protect against age-related eye disease.
Blue and purple foods – like blueberries and eggplant, contain anthocyanins, which may help protect the body from cancer.
White foods – like cauliflower contain sulforaphane, which may also help protect against cancer.
Seven a day, every day
Different fruits and vegetables contain different nutrients. The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) guidelines recommend that adults eat at least five kinds of vegetable and two kinds of fruit every day. Results from a national nutrition survey conducted by the Australian Government indicate that Australians of all ages do not eat enough vegetables and fruit.
Children have a smaller stomach capacity and higher energy needs. They will not be able to eat the same serving sizes as adults; however, they should be encouraged to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. By eating well, your children will have the energy they need to play, concentrate better, learn, sleep better and build stronger teeth and bones. The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating has recommendations for how many vegetables and fruits children and adolescents of different ages require.
Serving suggestions for your family’s health
Vegetables and fruit are a handy snack food and are easily carried to work or school. Include them in all your family’s meals and most snacks for a healthy well-balanced diet. Some suggestions include:
1. Keep snack-size fruit and vegetables portions easily accessible in your fridge.
Keep fresh fruit on the bench or table.
2. Add fruit and vegetables to your favourite family recipes or as additions to your usual menus.
3.Use the colour and texture of a variety of fruit and vegetables to spice up your meals.
Think up new ways to serve fruits and vegetables, including:
Fruit and vegetable salads
Vegetable stir-fries
Raw fruit and vegetables
Vegetable soups
Snack-pack, stewed or canned fruits or dried fruits.
Limit fruit juice, as it does not contain the same amount of nutrients as fresh fruit and contains a lot of sugars, even though they may be ‘natural’.
Select for freshness, variety and appeal.
When buying and serving fruit and vegetables, go with variety for maximum nutrients and appeal. Select a mix of seasonal fruits and vegetables from the different groups and choose for freshness and quality.
Eat with the seasons – this is nature’s way of making sure our bodies get a healthy mix of nutrients and plant chemicals.
Try something new – try out a new recipe each week and buy a new fruit or vegetable as part of your weekly shopping.
Let colours guide you – different colours generally indicate different combinations of nutrients. So, put a rainbow of colours (green, white, yellow/orange, blue/purple, red) on your plate.
Preparation and cooking
Cooking and processing can damage some nutrients and phytochemicals in plant foods. It is important to prepare and cook your fruit and vegetables to retain maximum vitamin and mineral content. Some suggestions to get the best out of your fruit and vegetables include:
Many vegetables and fruits can be eaten raw or pureed into smoothies.
Use a sharp knife to cut fresh fruits to avoid bruising.
Cut off only the ‘inedible’ parts of vegetables – sometimes the best nutrients are found in the skin, just below the skin or in the leaves.
Use stir-fry, grill, microwave, bake or steam methods with non-stick cookware and mono-unsaturated oils.
Avoid overcooking to reduce nutrient loss.
Serve with pestos, salsas, chutneys and vinegars in place of sour creams, butter and creamy sauces.
Nutrients such as carotenoids may actually be increased if food is cooked. For example, tomato has more carotenoids when cooked.
Once you’ve prepared and cooked your vegetables and fruit, spend some time on presentation. You are more likely to enjoy a meal if it’s full of variety and visually appealing as well as tasty. Sit at the table to eat and enjoy your food without distractions like television.
Things to remember
Fruits and vegetables contain important vitamins, minerals and ‘plant chemicals’. They also contain fibre.
Fruits and vegetables are low in fat, salt and added sugar.
A diet high in fruit and vegetables can help protect against cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
Benefits of Honey :
Bees from the nectar of the flowers produce honey a sweet sticky substance. From ages honey has been an essential part in the beauty regimes.
Lets take a look at the benefits that honey has provided us.
* Honey has anti-microbial properties and is known to treat minor irritations and sun burns.
* It is a good substance that should be used in moisturizers, creams and other beauty products as honey has the ability to retain water.
* One teaspoon of honey poured in a mug of water and if used for the last rinse will bring a shine to the hair. It will work wonders and make your hair soft and silky.
* It works well with alpha hydroxy acids - it helps soothe the skin against an abrasive treatment.
* Apply equal parts of honey and milk and leave for twenty minutes, you will notice a glow on your skin.
* Honey fights against any kind of skin damage and ageing as it has antioxidant properties.
* It also helps to fight against the damage caused by sun's UV rays.
How to test Water Purity : 
Step One
Request a Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) from your water district. Municipalities are now required to send these to homeowners yearly. This report will tell you about the water that is coming to your house.
Step Two
Run some tap water into a clear glass and look closely at it in good lighting. Is it clear or discolored? Do you see sediment in the water? Smell the water; expect a faint smell of chlorine (like a swimming pool) if you are on a city water supply, but any other smell - particularly that of rotten eggs - indicates that your water should be tested. Check drains, fixtures and porcelain items such as toilets and tubs for red, green, blue or brown staining.
Step Three
Ask the local health department or Cooperative Extension Service for the name of a reputable local water-quality testing facility. If you live in a municipality, your water will be of a consistent quality; you won't need to have it tested every year.
Step Four
Alternatively, buy a home water test from a hardware store. While less accurate than a lab test, it's a less expensive alternative.
Step Five
Be especially conscious of your water quality if you have a private water supply, such as a well. You alone are responsible for your water. Test well water for herbicides and insecticides when you first move in, and then at least twice that first year (early spring and late fall) for coliforms (bacteria) and nitrates, and once a year for lead, pH and total dissolved solids (TDS). If you do any work on your well, notice chemical use on or near your property, or see any of the above-mentioned indicators, have your water checked.
Step Six
Have the water tested when you move into a new home so that you will have a baseline guide for future water testing. Check for coliforms, calcium, copper, iron, lead, magnesium, nitrates, pH, sodium, sulfate, zinc and TDS.
Tips & Warnings
Sometimes just-poured tap water is cloudy from air bubbles. This cloudiness should clear within a minute or two and isn't anything to be concerned about.
Garlic : Important Part of our life :
Garlic helps to prevent cancer, especially of the digestive system, prevents certain tumors from growing larger and reduces the size of certain tumors.
Garlic helps to remove heavy metals such as lead and mercury from the body.
Raw Garlic is a potent natural antibiotic and, while far less strong than modern antibiotics, can still kill some strains of bacteria that have become immune or resistant to modern antibiotics.
Garlic has anti-fungal and anti-viral properties.
Garlic dramatically reduces yeast infections due to Candida species.
Garlic has anti-oxidant properties and is a source of selenium.
Garlic probably has other benefits as well.
Garlic lowers blood pressure a little.
Garlic lowers LDL Cholesterol a little.
Garlic helps reduce atherosclerotic buildup (plaque) within the arterial system.
One recent study shows this effect to be greater in women than men.
Garlic lowers or helps to regulate blood sugar.
Garlic helps to prevent blood clots from forming, thus reducing the possibility of strokes and thromboses (It may not be good for hemophiliacs
How Useful Bananas are : Must Read 
Containing three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber, a banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.
Depression : According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.
PMS : Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.
Anemia : High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.
Blood Pressure : This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it the perfect to beat blood pressure.
So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke
Brain Power :school students eat bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.
Constipation : High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help
restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.
Hangovers : One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels,while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.
Heartburn : Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.
Morning Sickness : Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.
Mosquito bites : Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.
Nerves : Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system. Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two
hours to keep levels steady
Ulcers : The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal
disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.
Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.
Seasonal = Affective Disorder (SAD) : Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.
Smoking: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6,B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.
Stress : Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be balanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.
Strokes : According to research in "The New England Journal of Medicine,"eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!
Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!
So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"
Energy Boosting Food Plan - Must Read : 
If you drag yourself out of bed in the morning, can't function without gallons of coffee and run out of energy by late afternoon, then an energy-boosting food plan is right for you.
The good news is that energy can be increased at any age or at any level of fitness whether you are lethargic or active young or old.Your body makes it from the food you eat. The food that you eat will supply energy for your current activities and the excess intake gets stored in the form of glycogen in the liver for future needs.
The type of the food that you ingest decides your energy level for the day and for the months to come. If you eat food that's deprived of nutrients, it will affect your energy levels
I'm sure most of you have friends who eat twice or thrice as much as you and are still low on energy levels.Therefore energy levels directly depend not on the amount but the type of food consumed. Another interesting fact to note is that even when two individuals of the same sex and age eat identical diets, their energy levels are poles apart.
Such distinction in energy efficiency is due to various factors like hormonal imbalances, hereditary, activity levels, ratio of lean muscle: body fat, stress levels, drugs consumed by the individual, environmental temperature (hot or cold season) and more important his or her individual responses to food.
Some individuals loose energy due to a possible inability to digest food completely. They are unable to absorb food nutrients from food as their body lacks the capacity to completely metabolise the food consumed and break it into glucose meant to provide the energy.
All this goes to prove that your energy levels depend on;
This means that even if you were eating nutrient dense foods, if you lack the ability to metabolise and digest it, it would affect energy levels.Avoid taking tranquilizers as they let you sleep but do not reduce fatigue.
How Can You Increase Energy Levels?
When your energy levels dip, do yourself a favour and pump up your body with;
Increase your activity level by exercising for 40 minutes regularly. Don't overdo it as it can work the reverse for you.
Get a good night's sleep. It not only energises you but also improves your work efficiency.
Food Allergies:causes,sympotoms and diagonose
Which Foods Cause Allergies?
The most common foods that cause allergies are:
Milk
Eggs
Wheat
Soy
Peanuts
Tree nuts
Shellfish
Fish.
Whether a person will have food allergies is partly influenced by heredity. So if one of your parents has a particular food allergy, you're about twice as likely to have one as someone whose parents don't have any food allergies.
The good news about food allergies is that kids and teens with certain food allergies, such as allergies to eggs, have a good chance of outgrowing them as adults. But some people never outgrow their food allergies.
People often confuse food allergies with food intolerance (like lactose intolerance or MSG intolerance) because they can cause similar symptoms. But food intolerance doesn't involve the immune system, and when a person has a food intolerance, he or she can usually eat small amounts of the particular food without having any symptoms. Although food intolerances can be unpleasant, they are rarely dangerous.
What Happens in the Body
Food allergies happen when a person's immune system mistakenly believes that something the person ate is harmful to the body. In an attempt to protect the body, the immune system produces IgE antibodies to that food. Antibodies are special proteins the body makes that work to recognize a specific substance if the body starts seeing that substance as harmful or foreign. IgE antibodies then cause mast cells (which are allergy cells in the body) to release chemicals into the bloodstream, one of which is histamine (pronounced: hiss-tuh-meen) . The histamine then acts on a person's eyes, nose, throat, lungs, skin, or gastrointestinal tract and causes the symptoms of the allergic reaction.
Once antibodies are made against a certain food, they will instantly recognize if that food is eaten and enters the digestive tract. So the next time that same food is eaten, IgE antibodies against it are activated, stimulating mast cells and causing histamine to be released into the bloodstream again. This creates the symptoms of the allergic reaction. In severe food allergies, reactions can occur even if that food is simply touched or if particles of it are breathed in through the nose.
Some of the first signs that a person may be having an allergic reaction to a food include:
a runny nose
an itchy skin rash
tingling in the tongue, lips, or throat
Other symptoms of food allergies include:
swelling in the throat or other parts of the body
abdominal pain
eczema
dizziness
diarrhea or vomiting (throwing up)
wheezing
Some people notice these symptoms immediately while others don't notice them for up to several hours after eating a particular food. Everyone's different.
When Food Allergies Are Severe
For people with a severe food allergy, eating a food or food component that they're allergic to can be life threatening. A life-threatening allergic reaction can make someone unable to breathe, cause a dangerous drop in blood pressure, and decrease blood flow in the body, especially to the brain, heart, and lungs. This is called anaphylaxis (pronounced an-uh-fuh-lak- sis) - and allergies that lead to anaphylaxis are called anaphylactic allergies.
Severe food allergies - to nuts and peanuts, in particular - sometimes cause anaphylaxis.
People who have anaphylactic food allergies might also have seizures or become unconscious as blood flow to the brain decreases. Symptoms of anaphylaxis can happen quickly, and without medical treatment can cause death.
Immediate emergency treatment, including medications (such as epinephrine) that increase the heart rate and blood pressure, is needed to control any kind of severe allergic reaction. If you (or anyone else you know) have a severe food allergy and accidentally touch or eat that food and start to have a reaction, you should call 911 or immediately go to the nearest emergency department.
How Are Food Allergies Diagnosed?
If you think that you might be allergic to a certain food, don't decide for yourself to eliminate that food from your diet. Go to your doctor and have it checked out. Your doctor will make a diagnosis and recommend the best course of action for you.
Doctors use three basic methods to diagnose whether a person has a food allergy:
Skin test. This test involves placing liquid extracts of different foods on a person's forearm or back and pricking the skin a tiny bit so the food being tested enters the body. If a reddish, raised spot forms, this indicates an allergic reaction. If your doctor wants you to take a skin test, you may need to stop taking anti-allergy medications (such as over-the-counter antihistamines) 2 to 3 days before the skin test because they can interfere with the results. Cold medications and some antidepressants may also affect skin testing.
Elimination diet. With this method, suspicious foods are removed temporarily from your regular diet. Then (under the direction of your doctor) they are slowly reintroduced one at a time.
Blood test. In this test, a sample of blood is drawn and sent to a lab where it is mixed with some of the suspected allergen and checked for IgE antibodies. If antibodies to the food are found, you have an allergy.
If the results of these tests are still unclear, a type of test called a food challenge may be needed for final diagnosis (this test is done only in certain cases). During this test, a person might be given gradually increasing amounts of certain foods to eat while being watched for symptoms by the doctor. This test should only be performed in a doctor's office or hospital that has access to immediate medical care and medications. Allergy specialists usually avoid giving this test to people who have had a severe reaction to certain foods in the past.
Dealing With Food Allergies
The only real way to treat a food allergy is to avoid the food in question. That means more than just not eating the food itself, though. For some foods, this means not even touching them or being around people who are eating them. It also means not eating any foods that may contain the food - or have any parts of the food in them - as ingredients.
If you've found out that you have a food allergy, your doctor or allergist or a registered dietitian can help you plan a healthy diet that includes the nutrients your body needs.
If you have food allergies of any kind, you'll become an expert in reading food labels.
As of January 2006, manufacturers of foods sold in the United States must list on their labels whether a food contains any of the eight most common food allergens (milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, and soy) in any form. So the label should say whether that "hydrolyzed vegetable protein" in your food comes from peanuts, for example.
When you eat at restaurants, you'll need to let the waitstaff know about your food allergy. You'll also need to ask if items on the menu contain the food to which you're allergic.
If you're looking for meal ideas at home, check out the Resources tab for websites that offer recipes that eliminate many common allergy-causing ingredients.
If you have severe food allergies or severe allergic reactions of any kind, your doctor will probably recommend that you keep a medical alert ID card in your wallet or wear a medical alert bracelet that will clearly state your allergies in case of an emergency.
People with severe allergies should also carry an epinephrine kit with them at all times. An epinephrine kit is a single dose of epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) in a device that looks like a pen. It can be self-injected as a shot if the person comes into contact with something to which he or she is known to be severely allergic. Any teen with known severe allergic reactions, especially those that could lead to anaphylaxis, should keep one of these kits at home and one at school. Your doctor or allergist can talk to you about whether you need this prescription- only kit - and, if you do, how to use it properly.
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