5 Kitchen-Must-Haves for a Budgeted Health

I have often come across people who are perpetually perturbed about eating the right diet. An overwhelming range of cheap, junk food has been arrayed in the grocery stores these days. But in the recent times, I observed that people have started to believe nutritious dieting to be a luxury pursuit. An organic kitchen might break the bank for many families who live on the budget. But that’s like a myth lurking on today’s necessity for a healthier eating. So I have centered this post primarily to break that myth as there are a range of super-healthy foods which will never frown on your pockets. Here’s a list of the top 5:

Cabbage: Cabbage has it all! It is a nutritional power pack with vitamins K and C, iron, calcium and potassium. It can be had roasted or baked, as salads, with dips, sandwich toppings or added to soups, stews and casseroles.

Eggs: Eggs are an incredible source of vitamin B and anti-oxidants. Easy to have during breakfast meals as omelet or casseroles. It can also be had as a breakfast sandwich or frittata. These can also be had hard cooked in salads and as snacks.

Yogurt: Yogurt is plentifully rich with protein and calcium. As a breakfast with some flavored granolas or an evening snack, the simple product can be had as a dip for veggies and fruits. It can be blended as a base for smoothies or parfaits with cereal and fruit.

Brown Rice: The most widely eaten staple across the globe, rice is a storehouse of energy. Brown rice is further rich in zinc and magnesium, making it an even better option. It can be had as a side dish with vegetables and gravies, with soup or casseroles and can be had stir-fried.

Popcorn: Popcorn kernels are a good source of fiber. Low on calories, the snack is one of the cheapest and widely available. Spices and herbs can be sprinkled on it to blaze up its simple taste appeal. How about a layer of Italian seasoning sprinkled over our pop kernels? Worth trying, not so?

With these 5 musts flaunting on the kitchen shelves, you never have to worry about what healthy to have in your meals within minutes!

Universally Acclaimed Ayurveda Benefits

Ayurveda is one of the most pragmatic treasures our country possesses today; it is an age old medicinal tradition developed by ancient saints yet widely accepted by scientists across the globe. Ayurvedic medical treatment, kept at par with allopathy, is an extremely natural and harmless cure to many major-minor ailments, having no side-effects. The Ayurvedic medicines are made of natural herbs, extremely high in nutrition with extensive healing values. And not only natural but also, way cheaper in comparison to other costly alternative drugs available.

Ayurvedic herbs can be put to multiple applications like medicinal purposes, relaxation massages, and beauty treatments for hair and skin as well as for calming anxiety and stress with its pure therapeutic aroma oils. Ayurveda elongates its roots from 5000 years back and is the essence of our entire Hindu Vedic medicinal tradition. It is the perfect blend of science and tradition applied beautifully to the miraculous cure of diseases and medicinal problems. Not just curative, it is a powerful preventive medicine to inhibit a malady before it occurs. 

Along with curing an ailment, Ayurveda broadly centers on the absolute well-being of the person, attaining equilibrium and establishing connection between the human body, mind and soul. Developers and devotees of Ayurveda believe in the theory that everything in the universe, living or non-living, is associated and thus, affected by one another. Ayurveda strongly advocates a holistic approach towards the human body by helping in proper digestion, cleansing of the immunity system, boasting up energy levels, increasing the metabolism rate, treatment of infections and detoxification of the entire system.

Another precious legacy is the highly beneficial Ayurvedic massages using the warm, essential oils made with pure, natural ingredients. These massages are the ultimate stress reliever, revitalizer, pain relaxant and healer. With a soothing effect on your skin and a calming one on your nerves, they are sure to evaporate all the noxious anxiety and enliven the vital energy points. Ayurveda is the conventional Indian science.     

        

7 Foods to Which Your Kids Will Never Say No

Let’s face it: However hard you try to keep your child away from the not-so-noble foods, you can’t succeed. The junk chunks will always map their way to your child’s mouth. Although we are no chefs, this gives us parents all the warnings in the world to do something innovative in our kitchens. Surprisingly for most of us, there are a lot of foods besides the not-so-popular-among-kids green vegetables and fruits which you can serve them. And booyah, they ask for me! So here’s a list of the must 7s which ought to be in your kitchen.

Eggs: They offer a storehouse of protein and vitamin D and can seriously be called nutritional shells. They also help children digest calcium and are apt for breakfasts as they keep kids satiated for longer periods.

Blueberries: The fruit has been called the healthiest among its class, protecting against heart diseases and diabetes. It helps improve the brain function of children and help with obesity by reducing the toxic belly fat. Loaded with sweetness and taste, the nutritious fruit is easy to be included in your kid’s diet. Serve it sprinkled over shakes or toss it into a bowl of oats and milk. You can also serve frozen yogurt with whirred up blueberries.

Greek Yogurt: This calcium-rich food is the secret to happy stomachs for kids. A low fat or Greek yogurt has way more protein and less sugar as compared to the regular one. It can be served with a few drops of honey or maple syrup.

Tofu: It is a great food for young girls, having a protective impact on their growing bodies and breast tissues. It contains vitamin B, protein, calcium and iron – all essentials for kid’s right growth. Serve it as a creamy base in smoothies and desserts.

Salmon: This low-leveled mercury pink fish is an excellent source of protein and Omega-3 fatty acids which boost growth, brain and heart health. It is easier to serve owing to its natural flavor.

Chocolate: Surprisingly for most parents, chocolate (particularly dark) increases brain chemicals which boost the child’s ability to concentrate and stay alert. It is also a good source of antioxidants.

Sweet Potato: This food is one of the most nutritious and inexpensive sources of vitamin A for kids, along with being a good antioxidant. Owing to its natural sweetness, it is easy to serve, baked or mashed.

Live more of life with Moringa Leaves

We live in a century where we need more in less and lesser time, like general knowledge shots and vocabulary shots. Though one might laugh at the irony inherent in these ideas and how these concepts satirize our very crisis, it is actually possible to achieve these when it comes to diet. This post is dedicated to Moringa leaves and how they can help you achieve all the nutrition that you need while also saving your time and efforts which go into devising dietary planning (seriously, no puns intended).

Moringa oleifera leaves are believed to be one of the most nutritious plants that have ever been discovered by humans so far. Usually consumed in a powered form, it remains fresh after it’s packed even for as long as months (good for the procrastinators that we are). The powder is in fact more nutritious than the leaves, sometimes even providing ten times the nutrition than leaves. Moringa powder is one of the richest sources of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, chlorophyll and complete amino acids.

Moringa powder’s carbohydrate to fiber ratio is 2 to 1. Harvard Health has called a carb ratio of 10-1 healthy and that of 6-1 as recommended. A 2 to 1 ratio is way superior as it shows that Moringa powder has all the fiber it needs to digest the rich carbohydrate level it has. It also contains 18 amino acids, 47 antioxidants and 36 anti-inflammatories. Moringa is a whole-food complex that contains 7 times the Vitamin C in oranges, 4 times the Vitamin A in carrots, 3 times the potassium in bananas and 4 times the calcium in milk. It, truly, is the most nutritious plant yet discovered.

Moringa leaves contain flavonoids like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and catechin polyphenols, which are extremely powerful antioxidants. Its level of Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity is 157,600 mole TE/100g as against 1,240 in green tea.

Moringa powder is known to have innumerable benefits. Some of the significant ones have been listed below:

• ·         Boosts energy level and stamina
• ·         Increases focus and concentration levels
• ·         Helps in controlling diabetes
• ·         Lowers LDL cholesterol levels
• ·         Inhibits abnormal formation of blood clots
• ·         Lowers blood pressure and heals insomnia
• ·         Helps in detoxification
• ·         Helps in reducing weight
• ·         Combats depression and anxiety
• ·         Cures minor infections and improves immunity
• ·         Delays skin ageing and smoothens it
• ·         Boosts hair growth
• ·         Nourishes hair follicles
• ·         Boosts keratin formation
• ·         Helps heal wounds faster
• ·         Heals joint pains
• ·         Enhances mobility and flexibility

Moringa powder is easy to consume. It can be had blended with shakes or smoothies or you can sprinkle it over salads, popcorn, pizzas, soups, vegetables, or fruit juices. It can be mixed with garlic or peanut better, mayonnaise or dips, pizza or spaghetti sauce and even in soup creams. You can experiment with your Moringa powder power shots while never having to let your taste buds sacrifice!

Ayurveda: The Repository of Indian Saints’ Knowledge

What has come to scientists lately is what was established by the Indian saints centuries ago: the Mind, Body and Soul connection. The tripartite relationship was advocated by them and the science that defined this relationship with respect to one’s health was called Ayurveda (life-knowledge).

Ayurveda comes from the Vedic Tradition and is a discipline of upaveda (auxiliary knowledge). Coming from Brahma and bestowed upon Dhanvantari, the knowledge of Ayurveda has been begotten by the Hindu traditional medicine. It is often referred to as a pseudoscience, but the claim is often refuted as it has also been given the status of a proto-science. Ayurveda has had miraculous results on diseases otherwise incurable, including HIV and consumption.

This repository of ancient knowledge of saints has various tenets which are important to be understood by the scientific view of today’s youth. I will start by quoting the definition of Ayurveda. It is,

“The traditional Hindu system of medicine (incorporated in Atharva Veda, the last of the four Vedas), which is based on the idea of balance in bodily systems and uses diet, herbal treatment, and yogic breathing”

Ayurveda has described three main elements which are called the ‘doshas’. These doshas are defined by the proportion of the five basic elements of nature: Air, Fire, Water, Earth and Space. The three doshas are:

•          Vatta dosha (a combination of space and air)
•          Pitta dosha (a combination of fire and water)
•          Kapha dosha (a combination of water and earth)

This tripartite can be pictorially depicted as:

The proportion in which these doshas are present in one’s body defines his physical well being. Each dosha controls a different body function and usually one dosha is dominant. An imbalance in this tripartite relationship leads to sickness. Even foods can be categorized into these three doshas. A disease related to a particular dosha is cured using foods of a contrary dosha.

Diagnosis of an ailment is done through any of the eight ways: Nadi (pulse), Mootra (urine), Mala (stool), Jihva (tongue), Shabda (speech), Sparsha (touch), Druk (vision), and Aakruti (appearance).

Ayurveda, in India and across the world, is getting under limelight. India itself has over 16,000 natural herbs. With Indian visionaries like Ramadeva, Ayurvedic ways of treatment have been explored by a big percentage of people. The science of Ayurveda has much potential and that needs to be tapped in. Nature is an eternal begetter and such omnipotence has all the scope to cure whatever ailments that infect the planet.

Just for the health of it!

“When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot manifest, strength cannot fight, wealth becomes useless, and intelligence cannot be applied.” ― Herophilus

WHO defines health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

Most people presume that being healthy means optimum functioning of the four components which are cardio respiratory ability, muscular ability, flexibility, and body composition. Although these components are a critical part of being healthy but they are not the only contributing factors.

Physical health is only one aspect of our overall health. The other components of health such as social health, mental health, emotional health and spiritual health are just as important as physical fitness.

Our lifestyle plays an important role in our well being. As our way of living changes, so does our level of health. But even the person with the busiest schedule should make room for few physical activities such as stretching, walking etc. Those of us who participate in regular physical activity do so to improve the current and future level of our fitness. As our everyday life improves, our health also advances resulting in a healthy wealthy and wise lifestyle. We strive toward an optimal state of well-being.

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” – Hippocrates, the great physician.

Having a healthy diet does not mean depriving yourself of food or being really strict about what you eat, but it means understanding the right foods that help you stay healthy and give you the nutrients that are beneficial for your body.
For example, consume enough calories, include variety in your diet, eat moderate portions, eat fruits and vegetables, drink more water, limit sugar, exercise and establish good food habits.

Remember, a healthy lifestyle is as essential as the oxygen that you breathe. Take this before it gets late.