Archive for July, 2008
Honey,Honey
Posted on July 30, 2008, under Health.
A spoonful of this fat-free product can work wonders!Time to say thank you honey!Honey-the sweet, sticky liquid created by a colony of bees-is a great source of simple carbohydrates.Each tablespoon of honey boosts you with 64 calories of pure energy.Also, it’s fat-free, cholesterol-free and sodium-free.
A part from its culinary and medicinal properties, honey has often been used as a metaphor for sweet reward!Abe Lincoln once said, “The only reason for being a bee that I know of is making honey..And the only reason for making honey is so I can eat it!”
Honey is enriched with medicinal properties.It cures coughs, and is ideal for kids who hate the taste of the usual cough syrups.However, most doctors don’t recommend honey to infants, especially for the first year.Because honey can cause botulism in infants under one, and this causes pneumonia and dehydration.So, no honey for your little honey!
WHY HAVE HONEY?
Honey contains small amounts of a wide array of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and and antioxidants.The vitamins found in honey may include niacin, riboflavin and pantothenic acid; minerals like calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and zinc.Just as the color and flavour of honey varies of floral source, so does the vitamin, mineral, antioxidant and amino acid content.
HONEY STORAGE
- Store honey in a cool location away from direct sunlight in a tightly covered container.It is not necessary to refrigerate it.
- Do not be alarmed if stored honey becomes cloudy.This is called crystallization.It is not harmful and does not indicate deterioration.
- If your honey crystallises, you can easily re-liquefy it by gently heating the jar in a pan of hot water, stirring while heating.Do not overheat as it may alter the flavour and color as a result of caramelization.
GARLIC HONEY POTATO WEDGES
4 large potatoes, par boiled and cut into wedges Oil, to fry
1 tbsp cornflour Salt and white pepper, to taste
1 tsb dry mint powder
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic, grated
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
1/2 tsp salsa sauce
1/2 tsp chili sauce
1 tsp salsa sauce
1 tbsp honey
Method
Put the wedges in a bowl.Sprinkle cornflour, salt, pepper and mint powder.Tess gently to coat.Heat oil and deep-fry the wedges until crisp and drain.
In another pan, heat oil.Stir fry the garlic till the color changes.Add chillie flakes, chilli sauce, salsa sauce, honey, salt and pepper to it.
Mix well and stir in the potatoes.Toss gently to make sure it’s well coated and remove from heat.Garnish with spring onion tassels or tomato curis.
LOOK BEAUTIFUL WITH HONEY
- Apply pure honey to your face and allow it to set until dry.Once dry, rinse with warm water.
- For sweet-smelling and soft skin, add 1/4-1/2 cup of honey to your bath water.
- Mix 1 tsp honey with a little milk powder into palm of your hand.Use to clean make-up.
- For shiny hair: Mix 1 tsp honey and some lemon drops to a litre of warm water.Shampoo your hair as usual and then pour the mixture on your hair.Allow your hair to dry.You don’t have to rinse out the mixture.
- For healthy hair the scalp, combine 1/2 cup of honey and 2 tbsp of olive oil.Saturate your hair with the honey mixture, put on a shower cap and allow it to remain on hair for 30 minutes.After 30 minutes, shampoo and rinse your hair as normal.
Mum’s The Word
A set of simple exercises to keep your changing body supple and strong during your pregnancy..Some women tend to get hyperactive in preparations while some others give up everything and get bedridden, fearing any complications!Both these situation can lead to complications.A pregnant woman need not give up her daily routine for the first seven months but should avoid strenuous physical activity in the eighth and ninth months.Here are some basic exercises that you can try after getting your doc’s go-ahead….
1 Tadasana
Stand erect, heels together and place both hands on your chest, fingers interlocked.Stretch your arms ahead and slowly rise them upwards while breathing in.Raise your heels, stand on tiptoe and stretch your body up.Stay totally relaxed, breathing normally.Hold the position for as long as you can.Slowly, unlock your fingers and bring your arms down to your sides and relax.Repeat 4-5 times.
Benefits: Strengthens the spine, ankles, knees, thighs, abdomen and shoulders, thus helping the body support extra weight, also relieves physical exhaustion.
2 Titliasana
Sit with outstretched legs.Bend your legs at the knees ans spread them outwards to make your soles come together.Interlocked your fingers and hold your toes.Raise and lower your knees in quick succession, to simulate a butterfly’s fluttering.Repeat this continuously, 15-20 times at least.
Benefits: Strengthens thigh muscles to ease delivery process.
3 Ek Pad Vrittasana
Lie down on your back.Raise your left leg and make a large circle by rotating it in clockwise direction at the hip joint.Make 8-10 circles without touching the ground.Breathe normally.Then, rotate the same leg in the anticlockwise direction for 8-10 rounds.Rest in shavasana.Repeat the exercise for the right leg.Repeat this asana 3-4 times for better results.
Benefits: Strengthens legs, lower back and abs, which is where the foetus’ weight exerts maximum strain.
4 Vajrasana
Kneel and sit firmly on your heels.Open your heels but keep the toes together.Your heels should touch the sides of your hips.Place both hands on the respective knees, palms down.Keep your back and head straight, but not tense.Close your eyes.Sit in this asana for as long as you can, breathing normally.
Benefits: Extremely useful for digestion; alleviates backache and leg ache; keeps the mind stable and relaxed.
5 Bhramari Pranayam
Sit in sukhasana or padmasana, back and neck straight.Breathe normally.Close both ears with your thumbs.Close your eyes too.Keep your index fingers on your forehead near the agya chakra and the remaining three fingers on your eyes.Inhale slowly and fill your lungs with air.Then, as you exhale slowly, hum like a bee.Focus your attention on this sound.Repeat 10-12 times.
Benefits: Counters any tension, stress, anxiety, insomnia and nervous weakness that a pregnant woman’s hormonal changes may bring on.
HEALTHY MOM=HEALTHIER CHILD
- Don’t give up your daily routine during pregnancy.
- Staying bedridden does not allow the muscles of your body to get used to supporting extra weight.
- Professionals with desk jobs should avoid slouching or sitting in the same position for too long.Take breaks on the hour to walk about the office and meet people.You will also need to take frequent breaks to pee!
- Keep your stomach clean and light.
- Avoid fried or junk foods.
- Completely shun cigarettes and alcohol.
- Consume a protein-rich diet, supplemented by lots of green leafy vegetables.
Mantra To Fight Depression
There are two types of methods you can choose to express your deeper emotions and release them: Cathartic release methods and expressive therapies..Cathartic release method frees you from pent-up negative emotion.The following three methods have been proven highly effective:Vent your feelings or work them out through exercise.To vent aloud, find some private time and simply speak the thoughts and feeling that are travelling through your mind.
Tell it like it is, even if it’s hurtful or distasteful.You will only find full release if you vent your feelings exactly as they are.You can also write down your problems, losses, fear, anger, betrayal etc, just as it is.If an important relationship is a source of pain, you can write a letter to the person that you never send.If the person is no longer alive, or if your issues crosscut many years of strife, you can write your letter to God or to the Universe.
Physical exercise is a potent means to cathartic release.Your feelings exists as energy in the body.When you work out, you burn energy, including the distorted emotions and thought that are sabotaging your health.Exercise benefits physical health and increases endorphin production, which boosts mental well-being.
Studies indicate that exercise is effective in fighting depression.The word “therapy” comes from the Greek word therapeia, which means to nurse or cure through creative expression writing, music, dance, drama, hobbies and creative play.You can use these techniques to attain cathartic release of old pain, symbolic resolution of issues that stand in the way of your complete healing, deeper self-knowledge, and joy.
Studies show that artistic endeavours shift the body’s physiology away from stress to one of deep relaxation.These change boost immune system function and blood flow to vital organs.Time spent on expressive endeavors will take your mind off what’s stressing you.Just having an artistic vocation can make you feel more balanced in life.
In Commune With Self
We are constantly surrounded by the clamour of traffic, television, computers, and of course cell phones.It is no wonder then, that we often can’t hear ourselves think-or even talk.Somewhere our lives seem to have lost that quiet, alone-time.It is important to pull away from from the outer world of commotion and reconnect to our inner silence.
- Sit quietly with hands at your sides or in your lap.Now, with your eyes closed, start to breathe lightly and easily.Let your attention follow your breath.Continue this exercise for two or five minutes-just closing your eyes and focusing your mind on easy, natural breathing.
- Focusing on the breath means keeping the mind alert and free of clutter.The mind often wanders, so this discipline trains the mind to develop focus and concentration.
- Meditation is concentration.It is not really forcing your mind to be quiet; it is finding the quiet that is already there.And it requires perseverance to be able to plunge deep within.
- As you meditate regularly, you will an appearance of youthful energy and vitality; and calmness that the restless mind so often craves for.
BENEFITS
Nowdays, stress, depression and physical illness are major health concerns.
- Meditation cause deep relaxation at the nervous system level, at the muscles level and in the internal organs.Our heart’s ejection fraction improves and even cholesterol management improves.It is observed that since tension in the arteries is reduced, blood pressure is also regulated.Overall, general well-being is felt instantly.In case of diabetics, glucose tolerance improves to a great extent.So, the insulin dependency reduces.It is observed that if it was stress diabetics, i.e, the occurrence of diabetics is after the age of 40 years and above, the dependency on medicines is greatly reduced.
- Day-to-day stress is managed efficiently through meditation, five to 10 minutes of meditation is recommended for persons who are sick or healthy, burdened with responsibilities or pressed for time.
- Meditation de-stresses the mind.The mind is able to concentrate better and there is greater clarity of thought.Regular practice equips the mind to deal with life’s problems calmly.
- The heart rate and respiration rate slows down-this results in efficient working of the heart and lungs.When the mind is calm, there is better balance in the body as the cells work in unison, bringing harmony and health to the system.
Expand The Spirit Of Giving
Posted on July 25, 2008, under Miscellaneous.
There are two currents of energy and consciousness in life.On is expansive; the other, contractive.Expansion, whether of outer success or inner feelings of love or happiness, inevitably alternates with its opposite, for such is the inevitable flow of things.
Marriage, also has its ups and downs and couple need to make the best of it.This “best” is determined by how intelligently a person reacts to whatever happens.An inward contraction of the ego always brings with it a sense of loss, suffering and pain-the consequence of mental and spiritual suffocation.Marriage is wholesome only when the expansiveness it was designed to promote, continues outward to embrace the world.By limiting their sympathies to one another, couple become psychically ingrown.An expansive marriage recognizes the need both individuals to pursue their individual interests and embrace the world.
Contraction and expansion must be understood as directions.For a marriage to be fulfilling, one must not mentally shut the windows to the world.When couples love each other in a spirit of giving, and not just taking, their relationship strengthens.They discover a natural need to embrace the world lovingly, without fear, secured in their sense of belonging to one another.
The “us four and no more” consciousness is only delusively expansive.It creates a cozy nest, psychologically where littleness is exalted to the level of a principle, and the bright intelligence of one’s early years withers gradually into old age.
An expansive attitude, on the contrary, generates self-awareness.This, partly, is what makes marriage and family such an important human institution.Marriage, in the greater scheme of things, was never meant to be a “closed corporation”.It was meant to expand our consciousness from the narrow confines of self-love, that we inspired ultimately to embrace universal, divine love.
Down On One Knee?
Pain in the knees at 20!Sad but that seems to be the trend, complaining of aching and sore knees, thigh, ankles, calves..Here are some simple exercises to help you get leggy with it!All these asanas remove weakness or pain from the thighs, calves and ankles; extremely beneficial for knees and heels; counter sciatica pain; boost blood circulation to the legs, thus reducing chances of strains or muscle pulls; strengthen legs overall.
1. Toe Stretches
Sit in the floor.Stretch your legs forward.Keep your hands on the floor, slightly behind your back.Stretch your toes away from your body and then pull them back in.Do this 8-10 times.
2. Ankle Stretches
Keeping the legs stretched taut, move your feet at the ankle.Try and stretch it as far forward as possible and then as for back as possible.Repeat this 8-10 times.
3. Ankle Rotations
Stretch your legs.Raise your right leg a few inches off the floor and rotate your foot in clockwise direction, making a circle with your toes.Repeat 4-5 times.Then rotate it in anticlockwise direction.Repeat for the left leg.
4. Leg Bends
Keep your legs straight but not stretched.Bend them slightly at the knees and then return them to the floor with slight force.Do make sure that your heels stay grounded.Repeat this 8-10 times.
5. Titliasana
While seated with outstretched legs, bend your legs at the knees and spread them outwards to join your soles.Interlock your fingers and hold your toes.Raise and lower your knees in quick succession, to simulate a butterfly’s flutter.Repeat this continuously, 15-20 times at least.
6. Thigh Stretches
Stretch your legs forward and bend them at the knees.Then spread them outwards and join the soles of your feet.Now press your knees downwards gently with your hands.Repeat this 4-5 times.
7. Single Leg Cycling
Lie down and bend your left leg at the knee.Raise your right leg and stretch your foot forward and backward at the ankle.Then cycle with your right leg in a forward and backward motion.Repeat each step 8-10 times.Repeat the same for the left leg while the right leg stays bent at the knee.
SHAKE A LEG
Remember these simple tips to do away with leg cramps..
- Drink water at regular intervals through the day.Dehydration is a major cause of strained ankles, calves and hamstrings.
- Potassium and/or calcium deficiency can cause weakness in joints and bones.Make milk(rich in calcium) and banana(loaded with potassium) your breakfast staples.
- Don’t go for long walks or spend hours on the treadmill just because you see someone doing it or read about it in magazines.Exercise only to your capacity and increase gradually.
- Don’t spend long hours sitting or standing.Change your posture at regular intervals to avoid muscle stiffness.
- Avoid sitting in a position that bends your knees at awkward angles.
- Warm up very well before doing any leg exercises whatsoever.
- Wear comfortable shoes, which are suitable for exercising.
- Massage your feet regularly.
Diet Chart For Diabetics
A sound diabetic menu plan will let you eat normal tasty food of food of your choice, with the exception of food containing added sugar, jaggery and honey, and excessive fat.The diet of the diabetic should be as similar to the family diet as possible.One that is low in fat and sugar, high in whole grains, fruits and vegetables, moderate in protein and little or no alcohol.
1-Avoid sweets, chocolates, cakes, pudding, sweet biscuits, squashes, fizzy drinks and fruit tinned in syrup.
2-It is important not to miss meals as this can cause your blood sugar levels to vary too much.Aim to eat three times a day, with a drink and a biscuit or a piece of fruit in between.
3-Try to avoid fatty food.Follow the following tips to reduce fat in your diet….
- Use a non stick kadhai for cooking food
- Always use a spoon to measure oil.Never pour oil into the pan
- Cut vegetables into big chunks.They absorb less oil
- Eat homemade cottage cheese(paneer) and yogurt(dahi) prepared from toned milk
- Remembers that cakes, pastries, sauces etc are all fatty-even though you can’t see it
- Particularly try to avoid animals fats like butter/ghee.These saturated fats can increase diseases in diabetes
- Eat eggs only three times a week and eat only small amounts of cheddar and similar cheese.Eat only lean meat or poultry
4-Include fruits, vegetables and whole meal bread in your diet, which will boost the amount of fibre.Fibre is now considered to be very helpful in controlling diabetes and possibly avoiding some of its complications.
5-So include tofu, soya nuggets, barley, gelatine, papaya, amla, jamuns and oranges in your diet.
How To Take Care Of A Sore Throat
In the case of an acute sore throat, you often experience pain, irritation and inflammation in the throat followed by chills, fever and some hoarseness.Here’s how you can get relief from a sore throat:
- Using basil(tulsi) leaves: The leaves of basil have also been found beneficial in curing a sore throat.Water boiled with basil leaves should be taken as a drink, and also used for gargling.
- Using tea decoction: A decoction made from tea leaves is very beneficial in the treatment of a sore throat.This decoction, mixed with a pinch of salt, should be used as a gargle.It can be used two or three times daily for obtaining relief.It is not necessary to use fresh leaves for this purpose.Boiling water can be poured over used tea leaves in the tea jug and this decoction used as a gargle.
- Using fenugreek seeds: A gargle prepared from fenugreek seeds has been found to be a very effective remedy for treating a sore throat.
- Using tamarind: The use of tamarind water for gargling has also been found to be very effective.
A Complete Solution For Obesity
Obesity is a lifestyle disease resulting in various medical problems.The most common diseases which stem from excessive weight are diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer and hypertension.To counter obesity, the refore, practical science based solutions are needed.A solution that combines the best of today’s medical technology with proven principles for healthy lifestyle change.
A new development in obesity management is the complete medical based program-MOP(Myovatec Obesity Program).This has been introduced by Myovatec Surgical Systems in India market, in their own centres.MOP offers an integrated solution in weight loss by incorporating a medical based solution of BIB-an Intragastric Balloon-placed in the stomach and inflated with salin.The BIB is a medically supervised, internationally proven method that helps one control weight without the risks of surgery or the side effects of drugs.
The BIB helps in transforming the body in a safe and effective manner, improving the patient’s health and enhancing his/her life.It is a soft, silicone balloon that is inserted into the stomach and filled with saline.With the balloon, the patient feels sated and therefore, does not feel hungry.The BIB is a non-surgical, non-pharmaceutical obesity management solution.And it is used only after complete medical assessment of the patient.The out patient procedure generally takes 20-30 minutes.
The patient is put on liquid diet for first week, thereafter one can resume solid diet.The program incorporates a diet regulation and periodic medical assessment.The balloon is removed after 6 months and the average weight loss is 15-25 kg during a span of 6 months, depending on patient compliance.With the help of BIB, the patient adapts to the lifestyle changes needed to lose weight.
Eat Less Through A Mindful & Healthy Diet
It pays to be a sensible eater.With these tips, you can work towards curbing those chronic binges.So your grabbed a bag pf chips, and a short while later, you were down to the crumbs.How did that happen?While you are figuring that out, here’s how you can stop it form happening again-by practicing mindful eating and working to curb those chronic binges.
Your Mantra
Relax, Focus: To teach yourself how to eat mindfully, start with a raisin.Take a deep, relaxing breath as you pick it up.Look at it for a few seconds.Smell it.Place it in your mouth and roll it around on your tongue.Feel the wrinkles.Now bite.Note the chewy, gritty texture-the sweet, fruity, astringent taste.Extract all the flvour before you swallow.That’s the idea with mindful eating-to savour the look, smell, texture, and taste of every bite.And it works!It had a huge impact on curbing chronic binge eating a recent study.
A Few More Ways To Eat Less
While you focus on every bite, give these other appetite control tips a try too:
- Eat more.Yep, you heard right-it helps.Think ‘mini meal’.Six small meals help curb that hunger better than a few sessions of binge eating.
- Drink a glass(or two) of water.It could be all you need to satisfy a craving.
- Don’t hide it.People who see the evidence left over form a snack or meal-like candy wrappers or chicken bones-don’t eat as much.
