RIBOFLAVIN - SOURCES

Fleshy foods like liver, egg, skimmed milk powder and other milk products are rich sources of riboflavin. Milk, meat, fish, whole cereals, legumes, dhal, oil - seeds, nuts and leafy vegetables are good sources of riboflain. Milled cereals and flours, roots and tubers and other vegetables are fair sources of riboflavin.

THIAMINE - SOURCES

Rice polishings, dried yeast and wheat germ are rich sources of B1. Whole cereals like wheat, oats, legumes, oil seeds and nuts are good sources. Milled cereals, vegetables, fruits, milk, meat and fish are fair sources. On milling, thiamine is lost from cereals. 

VITAMIN - A SOURCES

Vitamin A is in the form of retinol and carotenoids. The best sources of retinol are codshark and halibut liver, oils and liver of animals like sheep, goat and cow. Butter, ghee, egg, especially egg yolk and all milk powders are good sources of vitamin A. 

Carotenoids are present in green leafy vegetables, yellow vegetables like carrot, pumpkin and yellow fruits like papaya and mangoes. 

BASIC FOOD GROUPS

A balanced diet is one that contains different types of foods in such quantities and proportions that the need for calories, minerals, vitamins and other nutrients is adequately met. These foods are divided into various groups as follows:-

Group I:-

It includes cereals, millets, roots and tubers. All these primarily supply energy or calories e.g., rice, wheat, jowar, maize, bajra, ragi and tapioca, potato, sweet-potato, colocasia, yam. These are important sources of thiamine, niacin and iron.

Group II:-

The food stuffs in this group are primarily sources of protein, e.g., dhal, grains, peas, beans, groundnuts, cashewnuts, almonds, coconut, milk, curd, buttermilk, paneer, eggs, fish, mutton, chicken, pork and other flesh foods. Milk and milk products are important sources of calcium and riboflavin. Meat, fish and eggs rank first for their protein, iron and niacin content.

Group III:-

These food stuffs supply energy or calories e.g., vegetable oils, vanaspati ghee, butter, cream, sugar, jaggery. This group constitutes about 1/6th of the energy value of the diet. Cooking oils include mustard oil, coconut oil, til oil, groundnut oil, palm oil and sunflower oil that supply essential fatty acids.

Group IV:-

These are main suppliers of minerals and vitamins. This includes protective vegetables and fruits.

Class A:-

Green leafy vegetables, palak, methi, drumstick, coriander, fenugreek greens supply vitamin B2, folic acid, calcium, iron, fibre and carotenoids.

Class B:-

Yellow or orange fruits and vegetables - papaya, mango, carrots, yellow pumpkin provide carotenoids.

Class C:-

Fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C - amla, guava, lemon, orange.

                   These are the only important sources of ascorbic acid, contribute half of the vitamin A requirement, supply 1/5th of the iron required.

Group V:-

Other vegetables and fruits are included in this group. These provide variety in taste and texture and furnish roughage in the diet, e.g., fruits, stems, leaves and flowers of plants, lady's finger, brinjal, bitter gourd and other gourds, cabbage, cauliflower, drumstick supply carotenoids, folic acid, calcium and fiber in the diet. Various fruits included in this group are bananas, melons, grapes, apples, sapotas, berries, pears, plantain, lichis, pomogrante.

Remedies Measures to Improve the Appetite

Both, loss of appetite and increase in appetite, indicate an unhealthy state.

• Loss of appetite can be due to emotional tension, not getting enough nutrients due to disliking certain food, stomach cancer or hepatitis.

• Increase in appetite, can be due to habit developed, hyperthyroid, tumour in the pancreas or due to the presence of tapeworm.

Remedies measures to improve the appetite:-

• Season the food with herbs that are appetizers or make a soup and drink before main meals.
• Add in the diet figs, garlic, juniper berries, lemon, nutmeg and strawberries. They help to improve the appetite.

REMEDIES MEASURES FOR BAD BREATH

• Increase in the diet foods that improve the digestion and prevent putrefaction.

• Eat foods that help to fight plaque such as celery, carrot, peanuts.

• Chew a few parsley leaves, a teaspoon of caraway seeds or a teaspoon of dill seeds after each meal to clear bad breath due to indigestion.

• Chew a few red dates or fresh parsley leaves to clear bad breath due to eating garlic.

• Gargle with a glass of water mixed with a drop of thyme oil or clove oil after meals.

• Gargle with the infusion of aniseed, sage leaves, cinnamon, juniper berries, or rosemary after meals.

Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative colitis is a disease of unknown cause characterized by inflammation and ulceration of the large intestine (colon), resulting in the frequent passage of stools with blood and mucus. Acute attacks are more often during mental conflicts and emotional stress. Allergy to certain foods may be a factor in precipitating the disease. Milk, for instance, is on of the foods not well tolerated by patients.

Severe weakness in ulcerative colitis is the result of insufficient food consumption, loss of blood and electrolytes in the stools. 

Diet:-

A soft, low - fibre, high - protein diet is recommended. In a vegetarian it is a difficult task, particularly when milk is also excluded.

Fat used in normal cooking is tolerated. Fried foods are not easily digested and therefore should be avoided.

All forms of irritant and stale foods should be strictly avoided. Raw salads, dried fruits and nuts, condiments and spices, papad, chutney and pickels are strictly prohibited.

Cereals should be taken in the refined form. Only dhuli dhal should be consumed.