Health

5 Simple Diet Tips to keep my family Healthy which you can also follow {Health}

Swathy · November 18, 2014 · 2 Comments

Lately, being the sole caretaker of the house and our meal plans, I have started drifting towards the easy and not-necessarily healthy meals. Breakfast is proving more difficult to plan in the long run. It looks like a mess menu with 7 days with different breakfasts repeated without break week after week which is really monotonous.

I have not yet been able to tackle this breakfast issue because of my laziness as well but some of the healthier things I have been able to incorporate in our routine has definitely improved our health overall. Unfortunately, hubs does not take eggs so the protein has to be made up from somewhere else which is as yet I am unsure of.

One Apple a Day keeps Cravings Away

One good thing hubs has is not munching and eating unnecessarily. He has a limited appetite when compared to my voracious one. And, he also has a very limited meal needs. I am the one who needs variety and I so wish there was someone at my beck and call.

Anyways, so to make our breakfasts more fulfilling and due to lack of time to include fruit in any other meal, we take one apple per day during the breakfast. As a rule, I would recommend the fruit at the end of the breakfast so as to help cleanse the teeth as well but eating fruits on empty stomach is also a good idea!!

banana with oats — photo credit: abbyladybug via photopin cc

Good Ol’ Dalia or Oats

Did I tell you I suffer from borderline cholesterol? Yup and what else can come to my rescue but the oats. Yes, I love dalia as well. I did not use to like it much but over the years palates have changed. If you are taking oats, I would suggest you to go sugarless way but then considering even I do not find it palatable, a bit of sugar can do no harm.

Lets go nutty

I love nuts – cashews or walnuts or almonds. I do go easy on the raisins and dates and pistas and all other dry fruits. But, I totally love pine nuts. We used to get loads of them in Simla from our friends (the fresh produce) but if you go to buy them in the market, you really do not find a fresh produce.

Anyways, either chop your nuts and store them or powder and store them and sprinkle them on the oats, dalia, sweets, salads, smoothies, milk shakes and what not? Best way to get omegas and good fats. Not only that, I have a huge amount of flax seeds sitting at home. Eating them raw is manageable but I am sure most would hate it so roast them and powder them in small batches and finish within a week or 10 days.

sandwich with cheese as snacks — photo credit: cygnoir via photopin cc

Snacking

As much as I love my gol gappas and aloo tikkis, they do not taste yummy unless you are in the right mood and then I am so lazy that getting ready to go out is a huge task. Instead, I can grab a sandwich or something else made at home. In fact, I have been gorging on roasted lotus seeds. I love them and I love chat masala so mix the two and a yummy and filling snack is ready.

Similarly, I love bread and there is a host of dishes we can do with it. The simplest starts with assembling all the raw salad veggies in between bread slices and my favourite is to mix cheese and onion and salt and put the mix between the slices and toast it in sandwich maker. A few minutes and you get an absolutely lip-smacking dish ready. Well, that is only for cheese and onion lovers though!!

And, finally Tea, Herbal or Not!!

No, I am not much enamoured of the fact that I have become a tea-addict but sometimes when I have been in the mood I have noticed that drinking any herbal tea helps prevent cravings. Specially talking about ginger tea, it is absolutely amazing that how filling it feels after having it.

Also, a good accompaniment to herbal teas are multi-grain biscuits. Now, it depends on whether you make at home or buy them in the market. I, for one, love the Mcvities brand of biscuits.

These are a few healthy things which are there in my routine. Forget exercise, forget drinking water and forget proper sleep, none of them are really happening with me. So, if you are going through the same phase as I am, I would suggest t come up with short cut health tips which you can follow without disturbing your schedule too much.

So, what are your regular health care tips? Those small things which you do in your entire day which does not feel really important but can do wonders in the longer run. A small routine change, a simple inclusion of a meal plan or a brisk walk of 10 minutes – what is your secret?

5 Healthy Takeaways from “Perfect Digestion” by Deepak Chopra {Five Series}

Swathy · November 5, 2014 · 2 Comments

Finally, I have also started reading some of the books which would be useful for the blog and me 🙂 And, this one has scored high on my list. For a beginner health enthusiast, it can serve as one of the foundation books. It explains ayurveda in a simpler way than I could ever understand it till date. So, check out 5 new things I learned from the book.

One holistic system

Ayurveda treats our entire body as a single unit with each part having its own portion of intelligence as opposed to a machine controlled by a central engine. The nutrients from our food enhance the said intelligence. Ayurveda also believes that perfect digestion is the key to keep the body free of any disease.

Our thoughts, our imaginations, our feelings, desires and energies are as much “us” as are our fingernails, our blemishes and our digestive tracts.

Ayurvedic Doshas

Pitta characteristics so do check out if they concur with your nature!

Ayurveda understands a body as a part of three doshas – Vata, Kapha and Pitta.

Vata – controls movement like breathing, blood circulation, food passing through the digestive tracts, nerve impulses sent to and received from the brain.

Pitta – represents metabolism or digestion like processing food, air and water and facilitate proper intellectual functioning.

Kapha – governs body structure, holds cells together and forms muscles, fat, bones and sinew, also governs digestive fluids int he body.

Everyone has all 3 doshas in equal measures but some imbalances in the body may lead to one or other dosha dominating over the others in which case the said dosha must be pacified and balanced . Our body is in a harmonious state when all these three doshas are in perfect balance.

Digestion is considered a heating process in Ayurveda which is why it is denoted by the agni or digestive fire.

Too high digestive fire means pitta dosha which leads to excessive appetite.

Too low digestive fire means kapha dosha which leads to low energy and weight gain.

Too variable digestive fire means vata dosha which leads to extreme hunger or loss of appetite.

Perfect digestive fire in which all doshas are balanced.

Kapha characteristics so do check out if they concur with your nature!

Small Intestine and Its Role

Small intestine is one the major organs where the maximum digestion and extraction of the intelligence from the foods happens. To keep it healthy,

eat variety of foods everyday

foods should not be over-cooked or raw

foods must not be too hot or too cold

That is why ice cold water is not a preferable option, as much you might crave it!!

Spice to eat to keep the digestive system in healthy order – black pepper, ginger and nutmeg.

Vata characteristics so do check out if they concur with your nature!

Ama and Ojas

When the body is in perfect harmonious state, it produces a biochemical called Ojas which represents the positive flow of energy in the body. It means the body is in complete harmony with the mind.

A complete opposite to this harmonious state is when the body feels sluggish. A sticky biochemical called Ama is produced in such a state. It can be due to improper lifestyle, improper diet or improper digestion.

Signs of ama production in the body – lethargy, feeling of heaviness, weakness, weak immunity, fatigue, emotional instability, low energy levels.

Visible sign – white coating on the tongue which is also present throughout the digestive canals of the body. That is why tongue scraping should be done right after brushing your teeth.

How to eliminate Ama from the body?

Eat in a settled and quiet atmosphere where there is no television or talking.

Rest quietly for a few minutes after a meal to begin the digestive process in a effortless way.

Always eat while sitting. it helps the body relax.

Do not eat while upset. Wait for a few minutes to stabilize your emotions and then start eating.

Do not overeat. Always eat only 3/4th of your total capacity. leave eating when you feel almost full and still feel light.

Always avoid cold drinks or foods. Cold freezes the digestive fires and may lead to creation of ama.

Always eat slowly. After a bite, chew and wait till you swallow it before taking another bite.

Do not eat till your preceding meal is digested. It takes 3-6 hours for the previous meal to digest so if you feel heavy but crave something to eat, snack on a fruit or any warm beverage.

Always eat fresh food.

Drink hot water throughout the day, as often as possible, to dissolve the ama in your body.

sort of diet you should maintain according to your specific dosha

6 Ayurvedic Tastes

Ayurveda identifies 6 tastes in order of digestion – sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent. It is important to incorporate all these tastes in all our meals throughout the day. And, one should eat them in their order of digestion as specified.

For example, sweet should be eaten before anything sour which should be eaten before a salty dish which should precede a pungent one which should precede bitter and lastly, follow with an astringent. That is why dessert should be taken first and salad should be the last meal.

Have you read the book? Do you think digestion is the key element to our well-being?

5 reasons for Anal or Rectal Burning or Itching and How to Treat It! {Five Series}

Swathy · November 4, 2014 · Leave a Comment

Healthy Diet eases every Health Problem!

Hey All!! I know I disappeared again! Even I am tired with my habits but I shall surely elaborate on those reasons in some other post. For now, I came across this extremely important topic which I wanted to discuss. So, anything which has to do with the genitalia is a generally embarrassing topic to discuss and many times it is overlooked health aspect.

Sometimes when you are passing out stool, you might feel burning sensation or sometimes when you have a change in diet or hydration levels, the skin there might be prone to itching. Whenever you face such situations, it is generally the symptom for anal or rectal burning and inflammation. Let me discuss a few of the causes for this problem.

Too Spicy Diet

This is one of the most important causes for any kind of change in your body. When you start eating too spicy foods or too much of peppers or hot sauces, the chemicals in them can irritate the skin near the rectum and cause it to inflame. Also, a lot of caffeine and sugary foods can also lead to this condition. So, this is the first thing you need to cross out of your check-list.

Skin Diseases

Do you suffer from psoriasis or seborrhoea or dermatitis? If yes, you can also get those chronic dry skin conditions at the rectum area. Also, less hydration in skin or dry skin can also lead to irritation at the rectal area so drink a lot of water and keep the area hydrated by using hot or cold compress. That helps soothe the irritation there!!

Medical Problems

Well, another reason may be you are suffering from diabetes, anemia, inflammatory bowel disease, jaundice, leukamia, lymphoma, thyroid disease so check out if you have any of the above conditions.

Lack of Hygiene

Not washing the area properly or using too drying soaps and liquids can also irritate the area. A gentle cleanser or plain water should be used on the genitals and the basic clothes must be washed and changed on a regular basis. Also, excessive aggressive cleaning after bowel movements should be avoided. When using jets or bidets, make sure that the pressure of water is gentle enough and not too strong to hurt the skin.

Solution – Banana

Banana is rich in potassium. Potassium is an astringent which shrinks or tightens the body tissue (Source). And, during the rectal inflammation, the tissues of the rectum also become inflamed.