Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Health Benefits of Corn on the Cob

Corn on the cob was first domesticated somewhere between 9000 and 8000 BC in Mexico and Central America. It was important to the Mayans and Olmecs, who revered it and incorporated it into their daily rituals, religious ceremonies and used it as a motif in their art. Certainly by 2000 BC it was a staple in the diets of the peoples of Mesoamerica. Native Americans also held it in esteem and it was one of their staple foods, but one which the early colonists seemed to disdain. Times have changed, however and summer wouldn't be the same without freshly picked corn on the cob dripping with olive oil which is a healthier alternative to butter.

Is corn on the cob good for your health? The simple answer is yes, but the reasons for this answer are a little more complicated.

Corn contains vitamins A, C and some of the B-complex vitamins, namely thiamin (B1), niacin (B2) and riboflavin (B3) along with pantothenic acid (B5) and vitamin B6. It also contains beta-carotene, folate, fibre and the minerals selenium, potassium, traces of copper, calcium, sodium and zinc. It also contains 18 amino acids including the 8 essential ones, along with phytonutrients, making it a truly health-giving snack.

Yellow corn (there are blue, black and purple types too) provides the body with ammunition to fight the scavenging free radicals which can damage cells and cause cancer and other illnesses, as the vitamins and minerals combine to make potent antioxidants.

We need small amounts of selenium in our diets as it can help the thyroid gland function healthily as well as boosting the immune system, helping the body combat illness.

The B-complex vitamins are good for healthy skin, hair and eyes, and help the central nervous system function normally. They can help lower cholesterol levels in the blood and help prevent the risks of strokes and heart disease. Niacin in particular may help lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease and is good for the digestive and central nervous system; it is also good for the brain and our memory. It may also improve symptoms of arthritis and give improved joint mobility and give relief from pain. Niacin is also vital for sexual health as it produces sex and stress related hormones, so combined with the potassium in corn on the cob, it can help improve sexual health.

Thiamin (B1), is required for normal growth so is necessary in a child's diet. It also may help reduce the incidence of cataracts and can improve a woman's fertility. Apart from these things, it might also help raise people out of depression.

Potassium is a vital mineral as it plays a role in bone and muscle health as well as being heart-protective and lowering the risks of strokes.

All in all, corn on the cob which has been grilled, or barbecued with the husk still on it or steamed is a very healthy snack. It provides you with a lot of the fibre you need to keep your colon active and healthy and is low in calories. Eat it with olive oil instead of butter for a heart-protective snack.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Clearing Your Registry for Windows 7

Why would you want to do this?

Well after a lot of computer usage, installing, uninstalling, downloading and general use the computer will create links to all the files and collect data in a big database called registry.

In the registry there is information on everything that happens on the computer and after a long time or a lot of activity the computer will get bogged down within this database, as it gets bigger and bigger the computer will get slow and slower because it takes so long to search the registry for the information you are seeking. So cleaning out the registry will slightly increases the speed of your computer by deleting old, unused or incorrect records that are held inside the registry. Thus making searches quicker for the information your computer is looking for in the registry.

How to clean the Registry

There are many ways to clean the registry but not all of them are safe or easy, but there is one key rule when doing any work on the registry is to make a backup first, because if you delete something by mistake you could corrupt your Windows install and without a backup you would have to reinstall windows or use a repair tool.

To clean your registry the easy way you are going to need to download some software that is free and can check your entire registry automatically and tell you if there are any errors and what needs to be done about it. The software will also apply the fixes for you, so you don't have to worry about that. So to download the software, go to Google and search for cleaner, this software can also clean up internet history and other unused files.

Once the search has completed you see a link for Piriform this is the correct site for the download, click on it and then click on the green download button on the website. Then scroll down to the download link that is from Filehippo, now in the top right side of the screen will be a green download button click on that, now your download will start automatically. If the option pops up to run, save, or cancel click on run.

Once the installation starts you'll be shown a screen to select your language, select language and click ok. Then click next, and then click I agree, then click next again, and now you should see the option to install Google toolbar, this is optional and can be unmarked, now click on the install button. Once the install has completed it will ask you one last question if you want to run Ccleaner, leave marked and click the finished button.

When Ccleaner first opens you'll be asked a question about intelligent cookie scan, this is to save all your passwords for thing s like Hotmail, Facebook etc, you don't have to yes but it is recommend you do, to save you time when logging into such sites. Now after clicking yes or no you'll be brought to a screen that gives you two options, to analyze or to run cleaner, you can run the analyzer first if you want to see the files it's going to fix. This isn't the registry but can also help speed up your computer.

This scan might take some time to complete. If you click on run cleaner you'll get a message box pop up warning that the files will be permanently delete from your computer click ok to continue, again this can take a long time. Now to clean your registry you'll need to click on registry button (the cube icon on the left) and then click on scan for issues button. This will check for any issues and will report them to you.

When the scan has been completed click on fix selected issues. The software will then ask you if you want to make a back up select yes and place the backup file somewhere you'll be able to find it again should anything go wrong. Now you'll have the option to fix issues one by one or fix all selected issues click on fix all selected issues unless you need to check each one. Once complete click on close and now you've just cleaned your computer of old files and cleaned up the registry to increase your computer speeds.

Advice provided by Nick Hatton of L1 Computers providing Liverpool PC repair and Liverpool laptop repair with a service you are sure to be pleased with.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Six Kinds of Essential Food to Prevent Sunburn in Summer

This article will introduce six kinds of food, which are necessary in the hot summer, because they play an important role in preventing sunburn, so as to keep you away from the damage of ultraviolet.

First, red or yellow fruits and vegetables
Red or yellow fruits and vegetables can increase the resistance of the skin, and effectively prevent you from the harms caused by ultraviolet. Red or yellow fruits and vegetables include mango, papaya, sweet potato, squash, carrot, tomato and so on. Although these foods play an important role in preventing ultraviolet, you should not eat too much of them. For example, eating too much carrots may produce toxic substances in the body, and make the skin become dark and yellow.

Second, beans
Beans contains a large number of soy isoflavone, which has the same effect as female hormone. It has an anti-aging and antioxidant function. As a result, it is an indispensable food for skin care. Bean curd and soybean milk are very good choices. But some beans such as dried bean or skin of bean curd relatively contain more calories. For example, a box of bean curd only contains about 50 to 88 calories, but the dried bean curd with equal amount contains nearly 160 to 190 calories. As a result, you'd better eat less dried bean curd or skin of bean curd.

Third, green tea
Green tea is good drink for skin care. It can prevent the skin from getting sunburnt and becoming rough and dry. Green tea contains a lot of tea polyphenol, which is a kind of good antioxidant. The antioxidant effect of tea polyphenol is much powerful than that of vitamin A and vitamin C. But what you have to pay attention is, green tea contains a large number of caffeine. As a result, if you drink too much green tea, it can affect the sleep quality and lead to insomnia. In addition, people who suffer from some gastrointestinal diseases should drink less green tea.

Fourth, fruits containing plenty of vitamin C
As we all know, vitamin C is an important nutrient for skin care. If you want to make your skin away from the harm of ultraviolet, you should eat some fruits which contain plenty of vitamin C. Such fruits include apple, strawberry, kiwi, citrus fruits, tomato, and so on. In addition, it is also a good choice to eat some vegetable salads every day. You can put some lettuce, carrot, cucumber and pepper together, which can also provide a lot of vitamin C to your body.

Fifth, chocolate
The latest study shows that chocolate is a kind of healthy food. It contains a lot of antioxidants, such as flavonoids, cocoa phenols, and so on. All of these antioxidants have good effect in protecting the skin. What's more, you can also make a cup of fragrant and hot cocoa at home, which can protect the skin and improve the immunity of the skin.

Sixth, nuts
Nuts contain a high content of vitamin E, which has an antioxidant effect and can eliminate the free radicals in human body. At the same time, vitamin E also has certain effect in preventing ultraviolet. In addition, eating some nuts every day can also improve the immunity of the skin, so as to protect skin and make it delicate and soft.

In a word, all of the foods that we have mentioned above are very common in our life. As a result, you can eat more of them in daily diet, so as to help you effectively prevent the ultraviolet ray, and improve the resistance of skin. In such a case, you will never be afraid that your tender skin would get sunburnt.