Dr. Prema

Paan which is prepared using tender green betel leaf and areca nut is very popular and widely consumed in many countries of South and South East Asia such as India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Malaysia. There are many variations to the preparation, some might contain tobacco, slaked lime paste also known as choona and a paste that is known as kattha which is a breath freshener.

The betel leaves used to make paan have a range of healing and curative benefits. The leaves contain vitamins such as niacin, riboflavin, vitamin C and many more. Chewing paan can, therefore, have a good impact on your health.

1. Digestive Health: The chewing action when consuming paan helps to stimulate the salivary glands. This causes the secretion of saliva which contains the enzymes necessary to ensure that the food is properly broken down. This aids in a good digestion. Betel leaves are also very effective in relieving constipation. The extract of these leaves also have good gastro-protective properties and can, therefore, be used for treating gastric ulcers.
2. Oral Health: The various variations or ingredients of paan such as the addition of cloves or fennel work as a mouth freshener. The betel leaf too helps to reduce or get rid of bacteria that cause bad breath. Chewing paan maintains ascorbic acid levels in saliva which can prevent and lower the risk of oral cancer. Ascorbic acid is an antioxidant which works to reduce the levels of free radicals in the body, this prevents cancer.
3. Treatment for warts and boils: In the practice of ayurvedic medicine in India, betel leaves have been used as a cure for warts and boils. Treatments using betel leaves can permanently remove a wart without any scars. Therefore chewing betel leaves can help to cure and prevent boils and warts from forming in the mouth and other parts of the body.
4. Treatment for common ailments: The analgesic properties of the betel leaf has made it very popular in traditional medicinal remedies in India for various ailments such as cough, headache and in the treatment of small cuts and wounds. The slight bitter taste of the leaf has an anti-diabetic property and can be used to control blood sugar levels.
5. Treatment for skin disorders: The antimicrobial properties of the betel leaf make it a good natural treatment option for skin disorders such as rashes, acne, itching and body odours.

As with all things chewing paan can be both good but excess of the same can be bad. The health benefits of chewing paan are not widely known and they can be further enhanced by using ingredients that are good for your health. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a General Physician.

Hello friends, I am Dr Shakuntala Kumar, I am practising obstetrician and gynaecologist at New Life Hospital in North Delhi, I am also visiting consultant at Fortis Hospital Shalimar Bagh. Today I will be highlighting about some points about nutrition in pregnancy, why it is important to eat right during pregnancy. Eating right helps a woman gain weight during pregnancy, depending on the pre-pregnant weight of a lady, she is required to gain something like 9 to 14 kilograms during pregnancy, during the whole pregnancy. If she is underweight then she is allowed to gain something like 14 to 15 kilograms also but if she is grossly overweight then gaining not more than 8 to 9 kgs will be apt for this woman. So eating right will help her gain weight which is very-very imperative for the development of the child. If she is eating right then she stays energize throughout pregnancy and that is very important because problems like lethargy, fatigability are very-very common during pregnancy and they can be avoided if a woman is eating right. Thirdly, if she is eating right then she can avoid a lot of pregnancy-related problems like constipation, heartburn, mood swings and fatigability. So eating right friends is important during the whole of the pregnancy. Now the second of the aspect of nutrition which I wanted to highlight was how we should eat during pregnancy. Now in the first trimester, the lady suffering from nausea, vomiting, fatigability and tiredness so to avoid that she is required to eat smaller helping several times a day. So these are some very small-small tips which we must remember about nutrition in pregnancy, number 1, she should be eating smaller helpings of foods several times a day. She should remain well hydrated so drinking lot of fluids which are non-caffeinated and which are not very high in sugar and salt are encouraged. Natural drinks like lemon water, coconut water may be buttermilk are recommended. Now thirdly, if she has food cravings then she can have snacks like salted crackers, a bland diet like boiled rice, bananas etc. which help avoid nausea and vomiting in the first three months of pregnancy. So if she is having several, the food is eaten in small quantities several times a day that is always recommended. What are the foods to be avoided during pregnancy? Uncooked poultry or raw meat should be avoided caffeine and alcohol are a big no-no and pasteurized milk then food which is stale and kept in refrigerator for long is a very big no, then junk food should be totally avoided if possible, please avoid food from outside home cooked fresh food is what a pregnant lady should be taken. Friend’s diet in pregnancy is mainly about nutrition which is holistic and healthy for the baby. Please remember diet should not just be containing necessary requisites but it should be wholesome, it should be healthy and it should be good for the women, it should be palatable and it should be easily digestible. Vegetarian food which is freshly cooked, which is easily available and seasonal is what is recommended during pregnancy because vegetarian food is mostly low in calories, less condensed it does not contain items which are difficult to digest by a pregnant lady is what a recommended during pregnancy. My request to all my friends who are pregnant is to have a diet which is holistic and which is seasonal and readily available, preferably home cooked food. Friends in case you have any queries regarding pregnancy-related problems or if you want to know anything about pregnancy or anything in obstetrics and gynaecology, I am available we are here to answer all your queries. Thank you very much.