Dr. Saniska

Oats vs Cornflakes - What should you start your day with?

Oats and cornflakes are both considered to be ideal breakfast options due to their ability to boost your energy levels and keep you full for long hours. But which one of them is the healthier choice? Let’s have a look at their nutritional values so that you can decide which of them to have for breakfast daily.

1. Calorie content

Oatmeal has low calorie content, which amounts to be about 68 calories per 100 gm serving. Comparatively, 100 gm cornflakes contain about 357 calories. So, if you plan to keep your calorie consumption to a minimum, opt for oatmeal.

2. Fibre content

Cornflakes have the upper hand here. 100 gm of cornflakes contain about 3.3 gm dietary fibre in comparison to 1.7 gm fibre present in the same amount of oats. Dietary fibre is beneficial for your body as it lowers the level of bad cholesterol, regulates blood-sugar and aids proper bowel movements.

3. Vitamin A content

Cornflakes are rich sources of vitamin A, containing about 1786 IU per 100 gm serving. This makes it a better choice as a daily dose of vitamin A in ample amount improves your vision, helps in bone growth and boosts your immunity. On the other hand, 433 IU of vitamin A is present in 100 gm oats.

4. Fat content

Both cornflakes and oats are low in fat content with 100 gm of cornflakes having 0.4 gm fat and the same quantity of oats having 1.4 gm fat.

The scales are tipped more or less equally in favour of both cornflakes and oatmeal, and you can have either or both of them for breakfast.

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The nasal septum divides the nose into two nostrils or airways. When this septum is defective in structure or position, it can cause several physical difficulties like breathing problems, sleep apnea, bleeding, sinusitis, etc. The surgery to correct the nasal septum is known as septoplasty. The surgery is very common and has a high rate of success.
 
Reason: When the bone and cartilage separating the two chambers is crooked and deformed, it prevents the air from flowing properly through either one of the nostrils. People suffering from this condition often breathe through their mouth and this leads to respiratory tract infections. So, the septum is fixed with the help of septoplasty.
 
Procedure: 

1. First, your medical history is taken. A thorough physical examination is conducted and the nose is photographed from the inside and the outside. You may also be asked to avoid medication like ibuprofen, naproxen and aspirin for a few days since these can increase the bleeding after surgery.
2. Septoplasty is performed under general or localized anesthesia and takes about 90 minutes. Incisions are made on the inside of the nose and the mucus membrane is lifted.
3. Then, the pieces of cartilage that are affecting normal functioning are repositioned or removed.
4. If the nasal bone is causing the septum to be wrongly aligned, then cuts are made on the bone and it is positioned correctly.
5. Sometimes, cartilage grafts (called spreader grafts) are put in between the upper nose cartilage and the septum to widen the narrow nostril.
6. After this, the mucus membrane is put back in place and stitched.

 
Post- surgical care: A nasal support is put inside the nose to help it heal and keep it straight. The support is removed after two days but there may be swelling and occasional nasal discharge for a few days. The tissues and cartilage become stable within 4 to 6 months. You are asked not to blow your nose or cough and sneeze too much as these might displace the nasal support. The head is to be kept at a higher level than the rest of the body while sleeping and physically demanding exercises are to be avoided in order to prevent nosebleeds.
 
Risks: Septoplasty is not performed if the patient had high level of blood sugar or high blood pressure. It is also delayed in case of any kind of infection in the nose, mouth or in the respiratory tract.

The immune systems in your body are always at work trying to fend of many of the attacks that happen on it every day. Although it is able to protect the body most of the time, sometimes it fails in doing so. While medicines can help to restore the balance, it is advisable to include certain food items in your diet, which boost the immune system naturally. Let's take a look at six vegetables which can help your immune system in getting supercharged:

Ginger - This food item is very good in regulating mobility within the gut and regulating bowel movement and is also known to relieve nausea, cramping and bloating. Ginger is also known to have many anti-inflammatory properties as well as being an antioxidant and antimicrobial. All of this makes ginger very good for the immune system.

Wheatgrass - One of the most densely packed green nutritional food ingredients when consumed in the form of a juice, it helps the liver by increasing its ability to flush out toxins. This results in an improved immune system. Wheatgrass is also rich in B complex vitamins, beta carotene, chlorophyll, magnesium, potassium and many other vital nutrients.

Garlic - This vegetable has been used for centuries in home remedies such as to lower blood pressure, prevent blood clots and many others. Garlic is also known to boost healthy cholesterol. Inclusion of garlic in your diet will not only boost your immune system but it also contains 'allicin', which is known to improve the health of your heart.

Papaya - An extremely good food for digestion as well as digestion problems, the extracted enzyme from this plant known as papain, is used in many medications. Papaya is full of beta-carotene that is very well known to be good for the health of tissue, skin and the eyes as well as boosting the immune system through the production of vitamin A within the body.

Carrots - This is one vegetable which has been encouraged to be included in diets as it contains copious amounts of beta carotene and is extremely good for the eyes as well as boosting the immune system.

Turmeric - Possibly the most talked about ingredient on this list in the last few years, it is known to have almost an unending list of health benefits. Turmeric has detoxifying properties as well as being anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and is great for digestion along with boosting the immune system.It is a rich source of minerals, such as Zinc, Iron, B group vitamins and Manganese, turmeric is also known to have cancer preventive properties.