Simple Pleasure

After coming back to US, home alone! without my mom! was really a nightmare. Managing 3 kids without any help.Aww.... I myself feel like a big time complainer. :(
This made me so depressed and thus i ended up cheering myself. Hence this thought which i wanted to share with you all.

Life is filled with tons of simplest pleasures that we miss to recognise . Dear friends and readers, we happen to meet rough times , and tend to get stuck . But the trick is get self-motivatedly cheering ourselves.
In my case i was obsessed with baby sitting and doing the household chores. Eventually i tend to loose my mind , which lead to stress. So I was  casually stalking around the internet and read some people talking about having more kids and yet having simple pleasures. Thankyou web-friends, for reminding me what life is all about! Their experiences reminded me of  my simple pleasures to bring back my mood!
Here are they are:
Snuggling with my kiddos in the bed.
The moment i saw a wonderful handmade card by my Son for the mothers day!
The minute i saw my son's valentine card , that he had mentioned "My valentine is my Mom"
The first time my twins said Momma
Hearing someone say I love your hair/eyes/smile :))
Being told I did a great job on something
Reading emails from readers of my blog.
The smell of my house after the maids leave
The smile on my son’s face when I pick him up at school
Hearing my twin girls saying bye-bye to their big- brother when he leaves to school in the morning.
My twins huge (mostly) toothless grin when they see me
Unexpected “Mommy, I love you”s from my Son.
When my Husband says "this is the best dish i have ever had" with my cooking. and/or
"Not even my Mom(supposed to be every guy's best cook) could make such a tasty dish!
(Actually the later would be the biggest credit to my cooking.

So basically what i wanted to convey is that, please try and find beauty and pleasure in simple things that you would experience every day,  that would relax your mind.
Try it out folks, just ease yourselves from day to day anxiety and tesnions. Make yourselves physically and mentally healthy!

All that glitters are not gold!

Apples are coated with shellac and carnauba wax to improve their shine because consumers prefer to buy shiny apples. Also wax is used for a preservation purpose and then cold stored. A coating of wax helps seal in moisture and therefore extends storage life. You might be surprised especially the imported apples are more than one year old, though it would look fresh.

Food industry people claim that the wax is safe to eat and not harmful for our health.But doctors say that wax coating may cause some health problems as nausea, stomach upset and food poisoning. And if consumed it on a regular basis, it will lead to ulcers and gastric problems.

It might be so confusing to the ignorant people as to whom we should follow. If we think a little bit more about it , our commonsense will definitely ask us to follow the doctor's opinion because they are better persons with the health perspective.

Doesnt mean that you cant really comsume any wax coated fruit or vegetable at all. Or you do not want to really peel off the skin as it contains many good health attributes. It is just the fact. There is always a solution to any problem. Hence with this, you should always rinse your fruits/vegetables with soap and water or with vinegar or with hot or warm water real good, or use vegetable/fruit scrubber, before you eat them.

Laugh out loudly

Lately i started writing in my mother tongue - Tamil. I am having more fun these days by commiting lots of mistakes and correcting them . well thats how we learn! I'd laught at my self :))
when we talk about laughter, everybody knows it is the best medicine.
When laughter is shared, it binds people together and increases happiness and intimacy. In addition to the domino effect of joy and amusement, laughter also triggers healthy physical changes in the body. Humor and laughter strengthen your immune system, boost your energy, diminish pain, and protect you from the damaging effects of stress. Best of all, this priceless medicine is fun, free, and easy to use.
Laughter, along with an active sense of humor, may help protect you against a heart attack, according to a recent study by cardiologists at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. The study, which is the first to indicate that laughter may help prevent heart disease, found that people with heart disease were 40 percent less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to people of the same age without heart disease.
Doctors offer a simple prescription that won't bankrupt you and could save your life. "Thirty minutes of exercise three times a week, and 15 minutes of laughter on a daily basis is probably good for the vascular system"
So folks laugh out loudly everyday atleast a few mins!

Image courtesy : Internet

Benefits of Home-made yogurt

Everybody is now aware of our health especially our kid's health. Lately we can see most of us going for organic or home-grown or home-made vegetable & products respectively. Im gonna take yogurt topic again and try to make most of the point available or summarized that I gathered from several sources.

Home-made yogurt is an excellent choice of snack for the adults (with lowfat version) and also for the kids ( with whole milk for lean/malnutritioned kids, 2% for medium built kids, and again fat free for obese kids)

Home-made yogurt is a better option compared to store bought yogurt.

Commercial yogurt Manufacturers fill the yogurt aisles with various flavors and brands that occasionally make it difficult to distinguish yogurts. Initially all yogurts contain live and active cultures, but some are heated after they are made which destroy the cultures.

Fortunately, the National Yogurt Association (NYA) established its own criteria for live and active culture yogurt with its Live & Active Culture seal program. Look for the National Yogurt Association's (NYA) Live & Active Cultures seal to ensure that the yogurt you buy contains a significant amount of live and active cultures.

All fermented milk products should be considered functional foods. Why? Because Fermented milk offers so much more than just bacteria: minerals, vitamins, protein, amino acids, L-carnitine, fats, CLA, antimicrobial agents, and much more! A recent study demonstrated the ability of fermented milk to kill H. pylori infections when bacteria alone could not. Another study monitored two groups of people for allergy symptoms. The group that consumed yogurt on a daily basis suffered far less allergies than a control group. In addition, the complex microflora found in kefir have demonstrated a keen ability to stimulate our immune systems, ward of infections from bacteria such as salmonella, and in some cases, even fight cancer.

For kids and especially young girls going through the rapid growth spurts of puberty, getting calcium from dairy products, such as yogurt, may be better for building bone than taking a calcium supplement, suggests a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.


I have already posted the recipe for  Home-made yogurt  in my previous posts. Also pls check out the latest flavoured & sweetened yogurt recipe in my cooking blog.

There are a plenty of yogurt recipes available and i have just made a few at home and im sure everyone knows the recipe for most of the things. Also pls look out for detailed recipes made out of yogurt in my cooking blog which will be available very soon.


Indian Yogurt Recipes:

1. Yogurt-rice /Thayir satham(tamil)
2. Thayir Pachadi ( vegetables in yogurt)
3. Dahi-Batata-Puri (Puri is a flat bread made out of wheat which is deep-fried in hot oil, so that it becomes puffy) Puri is stuffed with Batata curry(potato curry) and topped with grated carrots, yogurt, and sev-(another indian snack made out of gram flour.)
4. Yogurt mixed with sweetned vermicilli and topped with fruits
5. Mor-Kuzhambu - another tamilnadu dish.
6. Dahi vada or Thayir vadai
7. Simply top the home-made greek styled yogurt with unrefined cane sugar!

Some continental recipes made out of yogurt :

1. 
   
   Frozen yogurt or yogurt icecream
2. 
   
   Meat or vegetable kababs with yogurt dipping sauce
3. 
   
   Yogurt parfait
4. 
   
   Yogurt popsicles
5. 
   
   Yogurt smoothies ( with simply any fruit).

Looks yummy is'nt?!! Thats the point. It is a evident that a representation of anything gets more characterisation of the theoritical objects.

Thanks for reading have a healthy & wonderful lifestyle!

Source Courtesy : Natural Stomach Care - Benefits of Yoghurt by Dr.Anil Minocha

Photos by Abi.

Photos a few like - vermicilli yogurt/ yogurt parfait /strawberry smoothie - from the internet.

Home-made yogurt

Many of us would have probably thought of making our own yogurt at home but wouldn't have been really successful . There are lots of version available in the Internet, on making a home-made yogurt. The one that I'm gonna say is my personal version which i found it working for me. So wanted to share it with all of you. Before we begin we need to understand the process and make sure we have all the things available for preparing our own yogurt. The things needed are very simple and readily available in any grocery store.

Things needed to make yogurt:

Starter yogurt - with active or live culture in it. The label will probably be named as "All Natural"

Milk (whole /2%/1%) but not the fat free milk.

Preparation:

Heat up the Milk up to 2 to 5 minutes depending on the quantity. And make sure the milk is just luke warm. You may heat up the milk and bring to boil and let it cool to reach the luke warm temperature. The trick is to put your last finger in the milk and wiggle around to see if the milk is just slightly warm as a baby's milk and thats the correct temperature.

Now have 1 tsp of starter yogurt (very imp note: already set out in room temperature) for 2 to 21/2 cups pf milk. You may add the starter yogurt to the luke warm milk and whisk it to make sure its properly mixed.

You may transfer the content to the canning jar. Close the lid

Now heat up the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit, for about 2 to 4 m ins and switch it off completely.

Have a fleece or woollen blanket & wrap the canned jar which has the milk mixed with the starter yogurt. And put it inside the oven and close the oven.

Allow the jars to incubate and thus begin the process of culturing. Do not disturb the jar at all which may hinder the process of the yogurt culture, for about 6 to 8 hours depending on the place you are. Like if its a cold region then you have to wait for at least 8 to 10 hrs. If its a normal region you can just wait for 6 to 8 hrs.

After the yogurt is formed you may refrigerate and keep it for a week.

Tender Coconut Benefits

The water of tender coconut, technically the liquid endosperm, is the most nutritious wholesome beverage that the nature has provided for the people of the tropics to fight the sultry heat. It has caloric value of 17.4 per 100gmIt’s a natural isotonic beverage with the same level of electrolytic balance as we have in our blood. It’s the fluid of life.Numerous medicinal properties of tender coconut water reported are:-

• Good for feeding infants suffering from intestinal disturbances.


• Oral rehydration medium for various diseases such as diarrhoea.


• Contains organic compounds possessing growth promoting properties.


• Keeps the body cool and prevents dehydration.


• Application on the body prevents prickly heat and summer boils and subsides the rashes caused by small pox, chicken pox, measles, etc.


• Kills intestinal worms.


• Checks urinary infections and effective in the treatment of kidney and urethral stones.


• Excellent tonic for the old and sick.


• Cures malnourishment by meeting the energy requirements.


• It acts as a Diuretic balance your pH and reduce risk of cancer.


• It can be injected intravenously in emergency case.


• Found as blood plasma substitute because it is sterile, does not produce heat, does not destroy red blood cells and is readily accepted by the body.


• Aids the quick absorption of the drugs and makes their peak concentration in the blood easier by its electrolytic effect.


• Urinary antiseptic and eliminates poisons in case of mineral poisoning.


• Coconut helps detoxify and flush toxins out of the body and cleanses your digestive tract.


• Coconut heals hot flashes and restores emotional stability in menopausal women.


• Boosts immune system.


• It has more potassium and lesser sodium than any sports or energy drink .


• Coconut water contains high levels of lauric acid which is what is used by the body to make monolaurin -– a disease fighting fatty acid derivative. Lauric acid has anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties which protect the body against various infections and boosts the immune system.

Coconut water also helps relieve constipation, improves intestinal function and promotes digestive health -– it is often recommended to people suffering from acidity and ulcers.
Constipation, sluggish digestion and heartburn
are common problems during pregnancy and can be helped to some extent by drinking
coconut water. Thats the reason doctors recommend pregnant women to drink tender coconut water during pregnancy.
In the heat of summer when you are looking for something other than water to quench your thirst, you can have this nutritious and refreshing beverage instead of sugar and calorie laden aerated drinks and fruit juices. It is naturally sterile and so perfect for drinking while travelling without the fear of contamination.

Image Courtesy: Internet

Content Courtesy : Sanjana Dietician , Manipal Group of Hospitals , Mangalore, India.

Guilt free snacks :

This article is dedicated for those who are in diet and tired of egg whites, steamed vegetables and other diet food.

Most of us follow an unusual eating pattern to reduce the weight but the key to a successful wightloss is portion size (to control the calorie intake) and the ability to satisfy your hunger. SO you can continue eating what you eat regularly but restrict the portion size.

Some usefull tips on how to add spice to a diet-friendly palate especially the snacks time food.

Soup: tomato-based soup with a touch of meat or fennel is healthy and can feel very special. Stay away from cream-based stocks and go with broths with vegetables and grains, like chicken vegetable or vegetable barley.

Chocolate: Here’s the good news: Minimally processed dark chocolate has heart-healthy flavonoids that have antioxidant power. And in small quantities [chocolate] can have a positive effect on brain functioning. The less-good news: You have to have the willpower to eat it small enough quantities.

Brussels sprouts: As long as they aren’t overcooked just lightly browned at the edges with some oil or vinegrette are much more nutritious than celery. Helps to maintain your youth.

Acai: You can find it in the freezer section of health food stores and markets. It is rich in antioxidants, fatty acids and phytosterols. She suggests whipping it together with other fruits for a morning smoothie to kick-start your day. Acai is rainforest fruit from the Amazon that has great rejuvenating qualities.

Cheese: Apart from its fat content it’s also high in protein yet it helps with weight control, when combined with a right amount of carb in a manageable way gives a balanced and satisfying nosh.

Pomegranate: is high in free-radical fighting antioxidants and in flavor. The power of this potential superfood is in its high level of phytochemicals (plant chemicals that have protective or preventive properties). IT can be consumes as juice , Use the juice as a holiday cocktail, sprinkle the seeds over salads or cereal .

Nuts: Again high in fat, but this is why they can be so satisfying. Pay special attention to portion control. One third of a cup, or one and a half ounces, just four times per week. Any nut will do cashews, walnuts, almonds, pecans, or try macadamia nuts for something a little more exotic.

Wish you all luck guys.

Calcium & Bones -Part 2

If your daily diet alone does not provide adequate Calcium, it is recommended to take a multi-vitamin supplement that contains Calcium and Vitamin-D. At the same time, latest research suggests that food items that are rich in calcium help to strengthen bone better than supplements taken in the form of pills.

As i said earlier, Vitamin D is essential for Calcium absorption in the body. The amount of Vitamin D required for Calcium absorption grows with age. If you get adequate sunlight, taking a walk out in the sun with light clothing for about 30 minutes gives you enough Vitamin D for the day.

The vitamin D is measured in terms of international unit called IU. Daily recommended intake quantity of vitamin D is shown in the picture below.

To be continued............................

Source courtesy NY department of health.

Image courtesy Internet

Calcium & Bones Part - 1

I used to think that women don’t have to worry about frail bones until they get older. I was wrong! I found out too late that women of all ages need to take steps to keep their bones strong. Unfortunately, like me, many more women already are at risk for bone weakness. Bone strength in later life depends on the development of bones earlier in life. Adequate calcium intake during youth is essential to achieve peak bone mass.

Everyone knows that calcium is essential for building strong bones and teeth. But did you know that it is also important for maintaining a normal heartbeat and regulating blood pressure – and it even helps with the healthy functioning of your nerve system

There are many diseases that is associated with bone weakness, but to name a few which is very commonly found in women (especially in old age, but not necessarily) are osteoporosis , osteopenia etc.

How can I find out if I have weak bones?
There are tests you can get to find out your bone strength, also called bone density. There are also other types of bone strength tests too. Talk with your doctor about which type of test is best for you. Don’t wait until age 65. You have a higher chance for breaks.

How can I prevent weak bones?
The best way to prevent weak bones is easy―start by building strong ones.
No matter how old you are, it is never too late to start! Although building strong bones during childhood and adolescence is the best. But there are steps you can take to stop your bones from becoming weak and brittle.

1. Get enough calcium each day (Just a rough estimate) - about 1000 mg till age 50. After which it may need to be increased to 1200 mg.



2. Get enough vitamin D each day - which helps your body to absorb the calcium.



3. Healthy diet



4. Be active



5. Avoid smoking/alcohol/caffeine

Examples of Calcium-rich Foods
Dairy Foods
(for overall health, choose fat-free or low fat products)
Milk
Yogurt
Cheese (5 grams fat or less per ounce)
Non-dairy foods
Chinese cabbage (bok choy), cooked
Figs, dried
Greens (dandelion, kale, mustard, turnip), cooked
Salmon, Sardines, canned with bones
Soy nuts
Fortified foods
(be sure to select foods with calcium added)
Breakfast bars, Granola bars, Cereal bars
Cereal
Juices
Soymilk
Rice milk
Tofu
Waffles

To know more varieties of food that contains different amount of calcium content in it you may visit / click this link in blue color.

Reading food labels for calcium content

The food label does not list calcium in milligrams. Instead, the label lists % Daily Value (%DV) for calcium in each serving. 100% of the DV for calcium is equal to 1000 mg of calcium per day.
To find the calcium content (mg per serving) from %Daily Value:
Read the %DV for calcium per serving.For example: 1 serving (1 ounce) lowfat cheese contains 20% Calcium.
Determine the calcium in each serving (mg/serving): Simply replace the % from the DV with a "0."For example: 20% Calcium = 200 mg calcium.

Terminology & Definitions

A "Calcium-fortified" or "Calcium enriched" food has 10% or more of the calcium DV added (100mg or more of calcium is added when compared to the same serving of a similar type of non-fortified food).
An "Excellent source" of calcium contains 20% or more of the calcium DV (200mg or more).
A "Good source" of calcium contains 10% to 19% of the calcium DV (100 to 190mg).

NOTE: At the same time excess of calcium intake may be unwise too. It may result in kidney stones, cardiovascular disease, prostate cancer and so on. So it is advisable to stay within the range of daily calcium intake quantity.

To be continued .........................................

Source courtetsy - NY state department of health

Image sourcee - Internet