It can come as a knock on the head if someone is informed that they can be permanently cured of acidity. One can find it hard to believe that there is a magic bullet that can help get rid of acidity once and for all. The solution to this problem was found in early 1980’s by Warren and Marshall when they proved that many stomach ulcers and gastritis occurs due to infection caused by H. pylori bacteria. Their works remained in oblivion for long period and gained credibility only after they got Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2005 for their work.

About H. pylori bacteria:
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a bacterium which can infect or contaminate the human stomach, using the stomach’s mucus lining. It is a common bacterium infecting nearly half the world’s population. This bacterium can lead to digestive illnesses, peptic ulcers (sores), gastritis and even cancers.

H. Pylori increases the secretion of stomach acid, which allows acid to burn the sensitive lining which is beneath the protective mucous layer of the stomach and duodenum. Gastric ulcers (in stomach) or duodenal ulcers (in duodenum) are caused due to irritation of lining by both acid and bacteria and also creates holes (or perforation) if not treated in time.

H. pylori can survive in stomach acid as it secretes enzymes which will neutralize (nullify) the acid. This process makes H. pylori to safely survive in the protective mucous lining. The bacterium’s spiral (helical) shape assists in burrowing through the lining.

Symptoms of H. pylori infection:
The reason why many people will not sense symptoms of the presence of H. pylori in the digestive system, as increase of stomach acid or lowering of acid’s PH which generally obstructs the bacteria from migrating. Symptoms of H. pylori infection are burning abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, bloating (swelling of belly), sudden weight loss, problems in swallowing, bloody vomit or stools.

Diagnose of H. pylori:
In order to get confirmed that symptoms are caused due to an ulcer, the doctor will perform an upper gastrointestinal (GI) series (X-ray of the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum) or an endoscopy. If an ulcer is detected in these tests, then the doctor will test for H. pylori. This test is necessary because treatment for an ulcer produced by H. pylori and an ulcer produced by NSAIDs is different. H. pylori bacteria is diagnosed or recognized using blood, breath, stool, and tissue tests of which blood tests are most commonly conducted.

Treatment for H. pylori infection:
H. pylori peptic ulcers must be treated with drugs which can destroy the bacteria, reduce the secretion of stomach acid, and protects the stomach lining.

Treatment generally includes a combination of antibiotics (to kill bacteria), acid suppressors (H2 blockers and proton pump inhibitors), and stomach protectors. The most convinced effective treatment for H. pylori infection is a 2-week course of treatment known as triple therapy. This therapy involves consuming of two antibiotics and either an acid suppressor or stomach-lining shield. Recent studies proved that 2 weeks of triple therapy is ideal and excellent even though it had some side effects.

Causes of H. pylori infection:
Swimming in or drinking contaminated water and lack of hygiene serves as a source of bacteria. H. pylori bacteria are contagious and get transmitted mostly through oral to oral or fecal-oral route from the infected person. The process of how H. pylori spreads is not known to anyone, so prevention will be difficult.

Even the Pharma companies are reluctant to actively promote a permanently cure for acidity. Recently allegations are being made that big Pharma companies unnecessarily flared up the swine flu scare to rake in huge profits. In similar way, the Pharma companies, inspite of knowing that acidity is caused by H. pylori did not actively promote this information and increase awareness among affected people. May be, loss of decades of antacid sales from each patient was a big disincentive.

Reproduced with permissions from Living-Smartly.com.

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Earlier, houses were built on large spaces and there used to be lot of open spaces with trees between houses. Plenty of quality fresh air with oxygen was available as there was very less pollution outside. Today the scenario is quite opposite. Due to urbanization, trees are vanishing and outdoor air is being polluted by motor vehicles, construction sites (dust, cement, sand), garbage dumps, unclean roads, burst opened sewage lines, exhaust pipes from neighbors sewage etc.

Humans are the main sources of indoor air pollution releasing Carbon dioxide. Apart from humans the other sources of indoor air pollution include combustion sources such as oil, gas, kerosene, coal, wood, tobacco smoking, building materials and furnishings such as wet or damp carpet, furniture made of certain pressed wood products and products used for household cleaning and maintenance, personal care and other equipment. Indoor air polluted due to these sources has to be diluted, but you can’ t open the doors as outdoor air is more polluted than indoors.

Apart from outdoor air pollution, sound pollution today is very disturbing. When you open doors, you will hear heavy noise from busy traffic, street hawkers, dogs, processions, people shouting etc and construction sites such as drills and hammers if any. They cause severe inconvenience, distract attention, and in some cases may lead to headache and high blood pressure.

Eliminating or controlling the sources of pollution can solve the problem at both homes as well as offices. However, it is impossible. It is OK for people living at elevated apartments in high-rise buildings, as the pollution may not reach them. But for others, there is a need of some solution, which provides proper ventilation and prevent sound and air pollution coming from outdoors. There are some ventilators available in the market that filters outdoor air and brings in fresh air reducing sound pollution. They are called as Energy Recovery Ventilators (ERVs) and are designed to use with Air Conditioners. When the outside temperature is comfortable like in winters, you could only switch on the ERV and not use the AC at all. One should be aware of these products to live in a pollution free environment, as natural ventilation is a problem in urban areas.

Reproduced with permission from Living-Smartly.com.

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This article makes you aware of the key features of air conditioning systems and helps you to take better care for them and use them well.

Key functions of an Air Conditioning system
Many people have a common misconception that air conditioners are needed only to cool the indoor air to provide ambient indoor climate. In fact, it has to perform many other key functions in order to provide a good indoor air quality.

• It needs to remove excessive humidity from indoor air during certain seasons
• Should provide adequate and constant ventilation-remove carbon dioxide and circulate fresh air with oxygen
• It should remove micro-organisms from the air
• Needs to remove dust, soot, pollen and other foreign bodies from the indoor air
• It should efficiently cool the room air when needed
• It should provide hot air in winters
• It needs to remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the indoor environment
• It needs to remove dangerous gasses such as carbon monoxide

Everybody knows at what temperature they feel comfortable and adjust the temperature with the help of remote control. However, people don’t know whether their air conditioner performs all the above-mentioned functions or how important these are.

Ventilation
Whether your air conditioner provides it or not, ventilation is very necessary. Air contaminants generated indoors are dangerous and can lead to significant health problems. Adequate ventilation makes sure that the occupants indoors are inhaling fresh air. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) recommends that there should be enough ventilation to exchange the indoor air at least once every four hours depending on the design of the house.

Inadequate ventilation depletes the oxygen content, increases the carbon dioxide levels, circulates VOCs, dust particles including pollen and other microorganisms and dangerous gasses such as carbon monoxide.

Oxygen
Many of the air conditioning systems re-circulate a significant portion of the indoor air to reduce energy costs. Thus use of air conditioning systems in closed working environment with out good ventilation may reduce the availability of oxygen to the brain. Low content of oxygen in the air causes headaches and other health related problems. There should be a constant inflow of up to 10% of filtered, fresh air into an air-conditioning system to maintain the required oxygen levels in the indoor environment.

Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a colourless, odourless gas, which is constantly released by humans in the process of breathing. An effective air conditioner should dilute these CO2 levels regularly by introducing some outside air. But most of them are in effective in reducing the CO2 levels. Due increasing levels of carbon dioxide occupants feel drowsy, get headaches and their activity levels get reduced. The level of the CO2 can be used as an indicator of ventilation. ASHRAE recommends that indoor CO2 concentrations should be maintained below 1,000 ppm in schools and 800 ppm in offices and 600 ppm in homes compared to outdoor levels.

Air particulates
Dust, fumes, smoke, and organisms such as viruses, pollen grains, bacteria, and fungal spores may come from both indoor and outdoor sources. Almost every air conditioning system has a filter in the evaporator coil. This filter removes particles from the indoor air to remove particles from the air as well as to keep the air conditioning system clean by blocking the dust particles entering into the system. The air conditioning units filter the pollen, mold spores, and dust, which can cause allergies and asthma.

Humidity & Temperature
Generally air conditioning systems reduce the humidity of the air as they cool. Temperature and relative humidity are two factors that affect the indoor thermal comfort. Humidity levels below 25% can result in drying of the mucous membranes and skin, leading to chapping and irritation. Low relative humidity also hinders the operation of computers and paper-processing instruments. High humidity levels results in the development of mould and fungi on the walls. So, ASHRAE recommends humidity range to be between 25 and 60%.

Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide is extremely toxic, colourless, and odourless gas generally evolved due to incomplete combustion of materials. It reduces the supply of oxygen to the body. At high levels, it causes headaches, decreased alertness, flu-like symptoms, nausea, fatigue, rapid breathing, chest pain, impaired judgment and confusion. ASHRAE recommends that the average exposure of 8-hours limit for carbon monoxide should not exceed 9 ppm. The air conditioning system should provide adequate ventilation to remove the CO levels from indoors.

Volatile Organic Compounds
Volatile Organic Compounds are chemicals, which contain carbon and hydrogen. There are several thousands of VOC types. The sources for the most common ones are paint, paint remover, gasoline, and carpet. Exposure to VOCs may trigger fatigue, headaches, drowsiness, dizziness, weakness, joint pains, peripheral numbness or tingling, euphoria, tightness in the chest, unsteadiness, blurred vision, and irritation in the eyes and on the skin. Air conditioning systems with good ventilation reduce VOC emissions in the indoor climate.

All the above mentioned functions need to be performed the air conditioners in order to have a good indoor air quality.

Note: We could not find any standards for India, so we have used ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers), since they seemed reasonable and applicable in Indian context also.

Reproduced with permission from Living-smartly.com.

Facts on Indoor Air Quality:
Research conducted by different agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has revealed that the amount indoor levels of many pollutants are 2-5 times higher, and some times, 100 times higher than outdoor levels. A survey conducted by the OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) revealed that one-third of the 70 million Americans who work indoors are placed in buildings that are developing or breeding grounds for contamination of molds, bacteria, and volatile organic compounds like formaldehyde.

Poor indoor air quality is generated by many factors like poor ventilation, poor cleaning, heating, air-conditioning (HVAC) system and more emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). An important cause of poor indoor air quality is a lack of fresh air inside the area/space and due to lack of proper exchange of air between the outside and inside, which can result in excessive humidity.

Sources of Poor Indoor Air Quality or Indoor Air Pollution:

• Biological or organic pollutants like mold and pollen

• Tobacco smoke
• Household domestic products and pesticides
• Hazardous gases such as radon and carbon monoxide
• Materials used in the construction of buildings such as asbestos, formaldehyde

Negative effects of poor Indoor Air Quality:
Indoor air quality can influence people’s health and produces economic and legal problems.

• Pollutants may contribute to short-term and long-term health problems, like asthma, respiratory tract infections, allergic reactions, headaches, congestion, eye and skin irritations, coughing, sneezing, fatigue, dizziness and nausea.
• Indoor air pollutants can cause uneasiness or discomfort, and reduces attendance and productivity. Recent data conveyed that poor IAQ could reduce a person’s skill to complete particular mental tasks requiring concentration, calculation, or memory.
• Indoor air pollutants accelerate building degradation. For example, uncontrolled moisture can result in mold growth of mold or fungi that leads to the architectural decay of building components.
• Poor indoor air quality causes stress in relationships among employees, family members, parents, teachers, students, and school administrations.
• Indoor air quality problems can also lead to liability issues, lawsuits, or disputes.

Methods used to improve Indoor Air Quality:
Mechanical ventilation such as a fan or dehumidifier may be required in parts of the home that are particularly wet.

Simple Steps to improve Indoor Air Quality in Home:

• Regulate the humidity and allow more air into home by confirming sufficient ventilation. This will prevent building up of moisture on walls and windows. If there is a lot of water vapor, mechanical ventilation like a fan may be required to get rid of it.
• Measure humidity by using a hygrometer (a reasonable tool available in hardware stores), to see if de-humidifier is required. The relative humidity in home should be below 50% in summer and 30% in winter.
• Repair leaky or faulty roofs, walls, and basements.
• Clean moldy or wet surfaces with a detergent.
• Home should be clean and dust-free.
• Regularly clean and sterilize humidifiers, de-humidifiers, and air conditioners.

Steps to Improve the Indoor Air Quality in Office:

• Air vents or grills should not be blocked.
• Office and building smoking policy should be obeyed.
• Water and office plants should be maintained properly.
• Garbage should be disposed quickly and properly.
• Food should be stored properly.
• Products that could release harmful or troubling odors or contaminants into the building should be avoided.
• If indoor air quality problem is suspected, building or facility manager should be informed immediately.

Determination of IAQ comprises of the collection of air samples, supervising human exposure to pollutants, collection of samples on building surfaces and computer modeling of flow of air inside buildings.

The EPA ranks indoor air as one of the top five environmental dangers to human health. Many factors may lead to unhealthy air at home or workplace like lack of ventilation, excessive humidity, and water infiltration or leakage. Poor indoor air quality can lead to number of health problems like breathing difficulties and allergies. So, beware of it and keep your indoor surroundings clean.

Reproduced with permission from Living-smartly.com.

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Scientists convey that, more than 80 percent of germs, fungal spores, and particles from outside air in cars is removed air conditioning systems, providing benefit for people with respiratory problems or allergies.

Advantages of air conditioning to working Equipment at office:

Air conditioning systems are particularly used in factories of food, ice cream, or beverages, as they are beneficial in providing ventilation and air purification. Air purification is essential in factories and stores, so that foods (processed) will not be contaminated or infected with germs, bacteria, and other microorganisms that can spoil it. In stores, air conditioners are also required to avoid dust from settling on displayed items. This minimizes cleaning tasks in stores. Some industries use air conditioners because it will help in maintaining good performance of equipments (computers). Air conditioners also help in protecting metal equipment from rust and damage.

Advantages of working in an air-conditioned environment:

• Efficiency of employees’ increases: If the room temperatures are high, then a person gets tired soon and feels uncomfortable which causes irritation in mind and lack of concentration. As the AC creates comfortable conditions, the person feels peaceful and can work more. So, the working capacity of employees is increased and this is also found in research.

• Health of employees improves: As the Air Conditioner circulates the filtered air inside the room of office, air inside room is free from dust and dirt particles, smoke, microorganisms, and bacteria etc. Therefore, healthy environment is created inside room and the employee can have better health.
• Less noise is generated: As the windows of the air-conditioned rooms and offices are closed, the outside sound that enters the room is reduced. This helps employees from distraction of their work.

The quietness inside the rooms helps in inducing calm sleep at night and also helps in maintaining peace environment inside the hospitals and theaters.

• Fresh air from outside can also be taken: Fresh air can be taken inside an air-conditioned room at any point of time by opening windows or door or by blower of the air-conditioner.

Advantages of air conditioning in home:

• Provides comfortable sleep during summer and in hot nights.

• Breathing problems of people can be reduced and can be relieved from problems like running noses and watery eyes. It provides benefits to people suffering from allergies and hay fever (allergic reaction to pollens).
• It helps to prevent air pollution and provides health friendly environment in urban or densely populated areas.

Earlier, air-conditioner was recognized as an item of luxury, but now it has become the item of necessity. Without AC, it is becoming difficult for people to survive in summer (severe hot) season. Air-conditioning made windows less essential. From the time of invention, Air Conditioners have been a beneficial equipment till now. Now, it is used almost for all commercial, residential, and industrial purposes.

Reproduced with permission from Living-smartly.com.

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There is a huge inadequacy of doctors serving in the rural areas. According to fourth Oxford India Business Forum there are 0.6 doctors per 1,000 people in rural India. So, the health ministry is backing this innovative medical qualification to fulfill the UPA government’s commitments under National Rural Health Mission-2009.

This 3.5 years undergraduate ‘Bachelor of Rural Medicine and Surgery’ (BRMS) degree would be awarded in two phases. First at Community Health Facility for one and half years and later at sub-divisional hospitals or secondary level hospitals for two years.

Institutes in rural areas would offer this BRMS degree with an annual sanctioned strength of 50 students. It is said that the selection of students would be based on merit in the 10+2 examination with physics, chemistry and biology as main subjects. A student who has had his entire schooling in a rural area with a population below 10,000 would only be eligible for this course.

MCI is also proposing to register them with state medical councils as well as MCI itself. Registration would be granted provisionally on an annual renewal basis. It would entitle the holders of BRMS to practice in a rural set-up in the same district.

Some people are complaining that the health ministry and MCI are not paying enough attention to improve the rural healthcare system.

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Just we do not take the support of crane for carrying milk and vegetables from shop to home, we should not use term hospital for treatment of small health ailments. We take help of different vehicles like passenger auto or goods auto or lorry depending on the amount of luggage. Similarly, depending on intensity and type of medical condition we need to select which place like hospital, clinic, nursing home, polyclinic would provide the best treatment. Minor ailments like injuries, cuts, stomach ache, head ache, etc., can be treated at home itself.

Clinic:

Clinic is a small organization which provides health facility to only out patients, in  contrast to hospital which provides treatment to both inpatients and outpatients. A person may need to take appointment in order to meet a good established doctor and take treatment as he will be available in clinic for particular timings only. Plus, many doctors only work for a few hours at a certain clinic. At other times they are available at other clinics. Doctors in clinic cures the health condition which do not require surgery. Clinic with the help of diagnostic center where the tests for health conditions are conducted and gives report, provides treatment to most health conditions.

Polyclinic:

Polyclinic is a place where wide range of health services for all specializations are available at one place possibly including diagnostics and medical store. It is like local medical super market, as treatment for many medical conditions is available at a single location.  But polyclinic do not have major surgical and pre- and post operative care facilities that are provided by a hospital.

Nursing Home:

In outskirts and small towns nursing homes act as substitutes for hospitals. They have nursing aids and skilled nurses at all times possibly even, 24 hours a day. It is mainly concentrated for maternity health purposes, as they require infections free environment and special care. Some nursing homes are set up like hospital to provide many medical facilities. They can handle emergency cases and provide treatment for a person who is injured in accident on high way which is not severe. Nursing home is not fully a hospital but has all the basic facilities of hospital.

Diagnostic Center:

Diagnostic center is a place where tests for different infections and health conditions are conducted in order to confirm the presence of health ailment. They take samples, conduct tests and finally give report. Based on the results in the report, doctor accurately diagnoses the patient and suggests appropriate medication.

Hospital:

Hospital is an organization which provides treatment to patients by specialized staff and nurses to both inpatients and outpatients. Modern-day hospitals are mainly staffed by professional physicians, surgeons, and nurses. Hospitals consist of specialist units such as  cardiology or coronary care unit, intensive care unit, neurology, cancer center, obstetrics and gynecology. Hospital is for persons who need to be monitored by doctors regularly.

Types of Hospitals:

• General Hospital
• Intermediate General hospital
• Contagious disease hospital
• Maternity hospital
• Medical hospital
• Orthopedic hospital
• Pediatric hospital

Clinic or Nursing home or Polyclinic are different categories of medical facilities. Each is designed to handle  certain medical situation. Each serves their area in the best way. Choosing one for another will not help the patient and causes nuisance to others. All the organizations have doctors in common. So, doctor sounds better than hospital when going for treatment.

All doctors do not provide treatment for all health conditions. They specialize in a certain area. In each specialization there are two types of doctors, physicians and surgeon.

Physician: An M.B.B.S. doctor who specializes in medicine and acquires an M.D. (Doctor of Medicine) degree becomes physician. The job of physician is to understand patient’s problems, study the results of clinical tests, diagnosing the illness and then prescribing the course of treatment. They are not involved in doing surgeries. They are  mainly associated with fields of anatomy and physiology.

Surgeon: An M.B.B.S. doctor who specializes in medicine and acquires an M.S. (Master of Surgery)

degree becomes Surgeon. The job of surgeon is to carry out surgeries that involve the cutting of a body, for a specific reason in order to remove a diseased organ or to repair a cut or hole or breakage. They are  mainly involved in surgeries of different health problems like General surgery, Surgical gastroenterology, Peripheral vascular surgery , Breast and endocrine surgery, Transplantation, Neurosurgery, Plastic surgery etc.

These are the basic definitions every one should know regarding medical awareness. You should know, when to consult physician and when to consult surgeon to get treatment for health condition. Choosing one for other creates problems to both patients and doctors.

Reproduced with permission from Living-smartly.com.

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People in India often touch contaminated surfaces and put their hands on their face, rub their eyes, and sometimes eat without knowing that harmful germs have attacked them.

Indians are more susceptible to the attack of germs and microbes of the contagious diseases, which are widespread. There are many causes for this including lack of awareness, negligence, and lack of suitable products. We have clearly seen the spread of swine flu. Apart from this, many other diseases such as common cold, viral fevers, allergies, and TB are still prevailing.

The negligence of the people and lack of awareness is well supported by scarcity of basic surface disinfectants in the market. Though there are some brands offering disinfectant cleaners, they are not specific to surface cleaners we are talking about. Some of the major brands that offer surface cleaning products in India are:

You can observe that out of these meager brands, only a few are disinfectant or anti-bacterial. Others are only cleaners.

However, there is a different scenario in the countries like USA, where the necessity is far less than compared to India. Some of the major brands that offer surface cleaning products in USA are:

You can clearly observe that there are many brands and their surface cleaning products in USA are either anti bacterial, or disinfectants.

Using proper surface disinfectants can prevent contagious diseases. Despite the necessity, there is scarcity of these products in India. This is a major healthcare issue, which can lead to serious consequences.

Gasalu or Khus-Khus (Poppy Seeds)

Gasalu or Gasagasalu is non-potent part of poppy seed! Opium (a narcotic) is derived from unripe seeds of poppy plant. As all parts of poppy plant have opium alkaloids like morphine and codeine, Gasalu also has some properties of opium. This plant used to cure insomnia (sleeplessness).

Poppy seeds are used for many purposes:

• Poppy seeds are largely used in Middle Eastern and Asian cuisine, particularly in Indian, Mughlai and North West Indian cuisine. Plenty of  poppy seeds are grown in Eastern India as people make delicious and salivating curries with poppy seeds paste (gasalu). They mainly use poppy seeds, to purify intestine and to cure the digestive disorders.
• It is generally used for providing good taste to cookies, cakes, breads, strudels, pastry crusts and pancake
• It is also used in livestock fodder for cattle, sheep, horses etc.
• Poppy seed oil is used as a suitable alternative for olive oil in cooking.
• It is basic element used in buttering of egg noodles, dressing of fruit salads and providing fragrance to yeast breads.

Gasalu have gentle nutty (crazy) taste. To make gasalu paste it is initially dry fried and then wet grinded into paste. This paste is applied over potatoes or meat to get good taste and also for gravy. It gives good taste to curry. It is cheaper substitute for cashew nut paste for thickening of curries.

Effects of Gasalu when eaten in considerable quantities:

• If a person takes food containing gasalu, even after two days of eating there is a possibility of the drug test results positive as gasalu contains opium alkaloids.
• If poppy seeds are taken in smaller doses, it can cause
  • Dizziness (giddiness or faintness)
  • Nausea (sickness in stomach)
  • Sedation (sleep inducing)
  • Constipation (difficulty in eliminating solid waste from the body)
  • Respiratory depression
  • Cardiac arrest

• If poppy seeds are taken in more doses, it can cause
  • Respiratory depression
  • Cardiac arrest

Benefits of Gasalu:
Even though there are many negative effects of gasalu, there are some benefits of its consumption-

• It is an excellent medicine for insomnia (inability to sleep soundly), restlessness and sleeplessness. In order to get a sound sleep, a person should take a teaspoon full of poppy seed oil or take two tablespoons of gasalu milk mixed with sugar and have it before bedtime.  It is not productive relaxant, but due to its narcotic properties it induces sleep.
• It is used to reduce pain. It is prescribed as a substitute painkiller for morphine and codeine.

So, beware of giving food that has gasalu to your kids before writing exams as it induces sleep. Person who is participating in competitions should not take gasalu as it tests positive in drug test and makes the person drowsy.

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People started using white rice because it is tasty, can be stored for longer time than brown rice, and more over it takes less time to cook. Maybe, it also had a snob appeal at one time that, eating white rice was considered more sophisticated than eating brown rice. Though white rice is popular, it has many disadvantages from a nutritional point of view.

Disadvantages of white rice

• White rice is rich in complex carbohydrates, which gets changed in to blood glucose within few minutes after the food is taken. So, for people with diabetes, white rice is not suggested.
• White rice has high value of Glycemic index (87). Hence, regular consumption, increases the risk of diabetes and also increases weight. A research from Harvard University also showed that regular intake of white rice increases the risk of Type 2 Diabetes.
• Low nutritional value when compared to brown rice.

Brown rice
Brown rice or hulled rice, which is called as Mudi Biyyam in Telugu is produced by minimal processing either by machine, or by hand pounding. During the processing, only the hull or the husk of the paddy grain is removed and hence it is called as least processed form of rice. Under the hull, there lies a brown layer called as ‘bran’ layer, which is usually removed while polishing to produce white rice. But, in case of Brown rice, the bran layer, which is said to have rich fibre content, is retained and hence makes the brown rice more nutritional. Instead of using machine, if the rice is processed using some hand techniques, then it is called hand pounded rice.

Why Brown rice is more expensive than white rice?
As brown rice requires less processing, don’t assume that it costs less than white rice. Brown rice has a shorter shelf life due to some oil content in the bran layer and hence more resources are required to preserve its quality during storage and transportation. This increases the price of the rice. Moreover, due to the increased demand for white rice it is produced in larger scale, leaving the brown rice as a premium product.

Why Brown rice takes long time for cooking?
Brown rice has a slightly chewy texture and nut like flavor and it takes approximately 40-45 minutes to cook one cup of rice, provided if it is soaked 30 minutes before cooking. The high fiber and the oil content of the bran layers increases the cooking time of brown rice when compared to white rice.

Telugu people, especially in cities, believe brown rice to be the same as parboiled rice. This is false, parboiled rice is a totally different item. Difference between white rice and parboiled rice is outlined below for your convenience.

Difference between white rice and parboiled rice

• 

  White Rice vs. Brown Rice

  White rice: To get white rice from brown rice, the inner part of grain, germ and the inner covering of grain, husk (bran) are removed. Later the grain is polished with glucose or talc. The complete pounding and polishing (refining) that takes place to convert brown rice into white rice destroys 67% of the vitamin B3, 80% of the vitamin B1, 90% of the vitamin B6, half of the manganese, half of the phosphorus, 60% of the iron, and all of the dietary fiber and essential fatty acids.

• Parboiled rice: Parboiled or steamed or boiled rice, popularly called as Uppudu Biyyam in Telugu, is another type of rice which undergoes three different processes – soaking, steaming and drying. Paddy is soaked for three days and then it is pressure steamed followed by mechanical drying. Then they are processed in the same way as that of white rice. During this process the rice obtains light yellow color. Following are few advantages of eating Parboiled rice.

  Advantage of eating Parboiled rice

  1. Parboiled rice is soaked and steamed along with the husk. This process drives the beneficial fibres and nutrients in the husk and the bran layer in to the rice. Hence parboiled rice is 80% nutritionally similar to brown rice.
  2. It contains essential elements like vitamin B, thiamine and niacin which are helpful for good metabolism and nerve function.
  3. Due to the process of parboiling, the starch in the grain remains in the gelatin form, which makes it easily digestible.
  4. Parboiled rice comes under the category of low GI foods, which makes it a good option for diabetic patients.

Benefits of eating Brown rice

• Brown rice is a high fibre diet, which helps in reducing the possibility of heart diseases, avoids abrupt spikes in sugar levels, helps digestion and reduces constipation.
• It contains essential nutrients like Manganese (88%), selenium (27.3%), magnesium (20.9%), and tryptophan (18.7%) in one cup of rice. Manganese is useful to provide energy and antioxidant protection, while Selenium reduces the risk of colon cancer.
• The oil in the whole brown rice helps in reducing cholesterol.
• Eating a serving of brown rice, at least 6 times a week is especially useful for postmenopausal women with high cholesterol, high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases.
• Due to its low Glycemic index and high cereal fiber content, it reduces the risk of metabolic syndrome.
• The insoluble fibres in Brown rice are helpful for the women to prevent gallstones.
• Brown rice is the complete source, which has one of the most essential amino acids present in any vegetarian food.
• Vital vitamin E components and many valuable nutrients are present in brown rice.

Brown rice is not easy to find in Hyderabad market:
So far everything looks fine. The difficult part for you will be to find brown rice in the Hyderabad market. Very few places actually stock brown rice. We could only find it regularly in SPAR super market. We could find it occasionally in regular supermarkets like Spencers, More and other super markets. You can also try your luck at the specialist rice stores like Paddyzz, in your area – the ones that sell the dozens of varieties of rice.

Additional benefits of brown rice – from practical point of view:
When cooked, brown rice has a slight smell. It is not refined like white rice where all the nutrients layers are removed so it can taste bland. It will feel a bit odd, but take it, it is good for your health.

Two things you will notice with brown rice is – it will force you to mix it with more sambar or dal and more curry to get the taste of food (you were used to earlier). This is good, because it is causing you take more proteins and vegetables that are more healthy. Second, you get satiated more quickly than with white rice – you cannot over eat even if the curry is very tasty! Again a plus point from a heath perspective.

Republished with permission from Living-smartly.com. The write-up is modified from the original text to make it relevant for Hyderabad audience.

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Benefits of brown rice

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