One Day Detox!!!!!

A Detox Diet (also called a cleansing diet) will remove toxins and poisons from your body. Following a Detox Diet may be useful for:

§  Optimal weight management

§  Healthy digestion

§  Strength and stamina

§  Healthy Heart

§  Better focus and concentration

§  Clearer skin and stronger nails

§  Peak performance at any age

When it comes to detoxing your body, there are many techniques you can follow. Below is one example:

• Start your day with a glass of lime water with a tsp of honey.

•     Have a glass full of cow milk and a bowl of fruits in breakfast.

•     Enjoy your midmorning with a glass of Buttermilk/Pomegranate juice/Beetroot Juice. 

•     Vegetable clear soup + Bowl of sprout salad/mixed vegetable salad for lunch and dinner.

•    Make your evening refreshing by having a cup of green tea.

  

    Dry fruit time in the evening. Have a handful of almonds, walnut, black raisins, apricots and dates.     

TO ADD UP LOTS OF WATER!!!!!!

****Repeat this diet atleast once in 15 days for best results....

Snack Easily n Smartly!!!!

Smoked Salad

Take a bowl full of cut veggies (red yellow green pepper, onion, tomatoes, broccoli, and bamboo shoots etc).

Add 30 gm paneer/mushroom/soya chunks/ boiled chicken/ boiled eggwhite.

Add a pinch of salt, oregano and basil, thyme, chilli flakes.

Add 1 tsp of lemon juice. Toss well.

Microwave for about a min.

Serve hot.

Fruit chaat

Take fruits of choice.

 Cut into cubes.

 Add chaat masala. Have it fresh!!!

Sprout Bhel

Take ½ a bowl of steamed sprouts.

Add finely chopped cucumber, tomato, onion, green chilli,

 pomegranate  and green mango.

Add salt to taste. Serve it with a dressing of coriander leaves.

Chatpata Chana

 Steam about 30 gms of black chana.

  Add salt, red chilli powder, amchur powder to taste.

  Serve hot or cold.

Khakra chaat

Can use home made khakra/buy khakra from store.

Steam ½ cup of corn. Spread the corn over the khakra.

Add finely chopped onion, tomato and cucumber.

Top it with a pinch of salt, jeera powder, dhaniya powder.

Dress it with mint and coriander leaves.

So enjoy healthy snacks and no need to worry about calories, and no need to eat secretly!!!!

TOP TEN FOODS FOR WOMEN…..

Calcium rich foods: Sources of calcium like milk and milk products, beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and greens. 

Iron rich foods: Boost your intake by eating lean red meat, dark poultry, lentils, spinach, almonds, and iron-fortified cereals.

Foods rich in Vit C:  Include Citrus fruits, Lemon, Tomatoes, Amla, Brocolli in your daily diet.

Green Tea: Excellent antioxidant, aids in weight loss. 

Shatavari /Asparagus : Maintains healthy state of hormone balance naturally. Excellent galactogogue, relieves hot flashes, regularises menses.

Whole Grains: Include a variety of whole grains, beans, and legumes to give you filling fiber and keep you going throughout the day.

Green Leafy Vegetables: High in fibre,  iron, calcium and folic acid.

Nuts: Vitamin E rich protects cell damage. Rich in fiber and magnesium, help regulate blood sugar. 

Water : Natural Cleansing Agent, prevents dehydration and acidity problems.

Soy Protein: Rich in Isoflavones, essential phytoestrogens for 

cardiac and menopausal health.

Healthy Cooking Tips!!!

How to increase flavor and nutrition while reducing calories, fats, sugar and salt??? 

Is a common question that comes to most of the home makers. Here are some simple tips by which you can balance between the ever demanding tastebuds and the health of your loved ones!!!!

*   Buy only the freshest fruits and vegetables available in the market

*        Do not refrigerate food for a long time.

*        Wash fruits and vegetable just before cooking /serving.

*        First wash then chop fruits and vegetable.

*        Do not soak vegetables for a long time.

*        Use cooking methods like baking, grilling, broiling, sautéing, poaching, roasting, steaming or microwave to avoid excess use of fats and also to keep the nutrients intact.

*        Use non-stick pans and or pressure cookers to cook your food.

*        Use water, vinegar, wine, tomato puree, etc as a cooking medium instead of oil. Avoid cooking in hydrogenated fats(Vanaspati), ghee or butter.

*        Make gravies with low fat curds, skim milk, tomato onion purees, garlic ginger pastes.

*        Season with herbs and spices like cinnamon, coriander powder curcumin, cumin powder, black pepper, white pepper, oregano, basil, thyme etc.

*        Use natural sweet flavors instead of excess sugar such as vanilla, cinnamon, almond and cherry extracts, raisins, banana or sweet fruits.

*        Do not throw away the water in which the food has been cooked. Any excess cooking water - can be used to make soups, dals or to knead your chapati dough.

*        Use low fat dressings for your salads. Prepare dressings with skim milk and wheat flour, prefer olive oil for dressings.

*        Select fresh fruits as sweet desserts.

So, enjoy cooking and serving healthy, nutritious and tasty food!!!!!

Breakfast the Most Important Meal of the Day!!!!!

Eating breakfast is the secret to staying healthy. They believe skipping the first meal of the day increases the chances of becoming obese, developing diabetes or even having a heart attack. 
Breakfast is the first and the most important meal of the day. It’s the energy pack which lets you kick out of the dizzy morning feeling and gives you the boost for starting a good morning. Well actually a good breakfast is the recipe for a good morning. Breakfast should be a priority on everybody. It actually sets prepare for the day and promote short-term memory, energy and vitality, mental and physical alertness, focus and concentration, lower levels of stress and a healthier body weight.

Skipping breakfast is a very usual practice among children, teenagers, adolescents and elders who want to reduce their weights. If breakfast is not taken on time, one would feel quite hungry by the lunchtime, and then would not care for the amount and the quality of food that he would consume during his or her lunch.
Studies find that people who skip breakfast are likely to have problems with concentration, metabolism and weight. 


Skipping breakfast especially among children affects mental performance in the class. Children who take breakfast regularly are more active and alert than the children who skip breakfast. Not only mental performance, academic performance and physical performance of the children who take breakfast daily are better than the children who skip breakfast. They perform better in school, pay more attention, are more creative, have higher concentration and score more and better marks in the tests.

Excuses for not eating breakfast could include any of the following:
No time: How much time does it take to eat a bowl of cereal or two toasts and some juice/ milk? You can even eat it on your way to school or work. Making time for breakfast is making time to be healthy.
Not hungry: To get started, don’t eat anything after an early dinner. Eating breakfast will actually help you reach and maintain your healthy weight. Your appetite will be satisfied longer. You’ll be eating food when you can best burn the calories. You’ll feel great.
Don’t like traditional breakfast: You don’t have to eat traditional breakfast foods. Any healthy food is fine.
Don’t like eating breakfast: Sorry it can’t be helped. You’ve got to eat.
Cash on Calories!
One would then think what should a good breakfast be like????

A good breakfast is one that provides at least one third of the day’s calories. It is generally seen that individuals who consume up to a 1/3 of their daily calories in the morning meal will eat less later on that day. The effects of a skipped breakfast are short attention span, lack of alertness, longer reaction time, low blood sugar, decreased work productivity etc. You wouldn’t try and drive an empty car to work would you? So why drive an empty body?
The sky’s the limit. The only limitation is your imagination. Make it a priority. Eat breakfast. Starting your day with a good breakfast:
• Boosts your energy
• Increases your attention span
• Heightens your sense of well-being.
• You’ll be in better control of your emotions.


A Healthy Breakfast should consist of carbohydrate, protein and fibre.
Example:
1. Any one cereal preparation which could be as simple as wheat flakes or oats meal with milk and a fruit.
2. Choose Whole Grain Bread. Have it with an egg made the way you like. If you’re a veggie, try scrambled tofu (soya paneer) or sliced cucumber and tomato with mint chutney.
3. A good example of a full healthy breakfast might be something simple like a hardboiled egg, an orange, and a bowl of whole grain cereal with low fat milk.
4. South Indian breakfasts like idly/dosa/poha/upma with sambar, a sliced banana or strawberries etc.
5. It may include simple low fat vegetable paratha along with a fruit and a cup of milk.

Eating out : The Healthy Way

Nowadays Indians tend to eat out about 3 times per week, spending a third of their food budget away from home. Eating out provides a chance to celebrate or socialize, experience new foods or just an excuse to avoid cooking. However for many, fast foods and restaurants can be an obstacle to maintaining a healthy weight. Dining out poses many challenges to a healthy lifestyle: Portion sizes are often larger!!!!!!!!!! Food may be prepared with added fat or sugar!!!!!!!!! The meal may not offer 3 out of the 4 food groups to balance the meal.

For instance, a fast food meal is usually devoid of vegetables and fruit. If you eat out on special occasions, eat what you want and enjoy the meal. However, if eating out is a more regular occurrence, it is important to choose wisely. It isn’t impossible to maintain a healthy weight and eat out but it will require some thought and planning. Choose Restaurants Wisely Don’t wait until you are starving to find a place to eat, this will lead to an impulse decision and most likely an unhealthy one. Plan ahead and give yourself some time to choose. Look for a place that offers menus with nutrition information. If you are stuck with fast food, walk away from the pizza place or hot dog stand and look for places that offer fruit, yogurt, soup and sandwiches.

Most fast food places now offer healthy options like salads and yogurt. Select from the Menu Carefully Ask the waiter how a dish you are interested in ordering is prepared. See if you can request healthy substitutions (baked instead of fried, olive oil instead of butter or just no butter). Start your meal by ordering for a soup(thin usually clear), and a green salad. Starters in tandoor, barbequed steamed or roasted form to be welcomed. Go for more of raw salads, raithas, dal preparations instead of heavy gravies. If gravy is an option go in for a green based gravy like palak paneer or mushroom palak , or palak chicken/pudina chicken etc.

Avoid alcohol as far as possible. However if inevitable enjoy it in moderation (probably just one peg). Alcohol has almost as many calories per gram as fat does and contains no nutrients. For dessert, green tea or decaffeinated coffee. If you just can’t resist dessert, order something with fruit and split it with a dining partner. Eat slowly and enjoy your meal!!!!!!!! Remember there is no need to clean your plate. If u feel full don’t overburden your stomach. Parcel the remaining food and either have afterwards or offer it to pets at home. Don’t make your stomach a dustbin.

Do's and Don'ts for Summertime : Kids

Ten Tips For Healthy and Nutritious Summer Vacations!!!

Do’s:
 • Keep your children well hydrated by encouraging them to have fluids in the form of water, coconut water, jaljeera, dhania and jeera water, rose water, nimbu sharbat, kokam sharbat, glucon-D, fresh fruit juices. • All the fluids to be given at room temperature, avoid fridge cold water/ drinks as it may be a cause for throat infections and cough.
 • “Beat the Heat foods”: Encourage foods like cucumber, tomato, watermelon, muskmelon, strawberry, litchee, blackberries and citrus fruits.
 • Incorporate curd and buttermilk in the form of lassi, chaas, raithas, or curries made up of curd, to keep up the probiotics in their systems.
 • Encourage short frequent meals instead of two large meals, in order to keep them active and energetic throughout the day.

 Don’ts
 • Avoid cold drinks/aerated drinks and ice creams or lollies as the source of fluids. It will only dehydrate your child.
 • Try to avoid junk, fried foods like burgers, samosas, wadas, chips etc as it is going to only add on to dehydration and the associated gastrointestinal disturbances.
• Avoid heavy meals with chicken, red meat and masalas instead opt for fish options which will be lighter to digest.
• Avoid giving any cooling drink even plain water just after coming from sun….keep atleast a gap of 5-10 mins , to rehydrate your children.
• Avoid spices and condiments like cloves, garlic, garam masala in their foods as they increase the heat in the body.