Three Whites that blacketh health - Part I: White Sugar

Despite a million warnings that we hear against white sugar, we still can’t rid ourselves of the habit of these white sweet crystals. Even the very organic brown sugar isn’t all that healthy and is hardly different from white sugar. And with such increasing demand for sugar, its supply is also increasing with an equivalent (or even greater) supply of various diseases like diabetes that are infecting the planet. So how do we substitute this sweetener to better our health? And with what? Hard questions indeed!

Before I suggest you healthy alternatives for white sugar, I want all my readers to be more convinced of the need for replacement in the first place. Here is a list of reasons which I hope, not only convinces but, rings alarm bells for all the white sugar consumers:

• ·         Declines growth hormone
• ·         Feeds cancer
• ·         Increases cholesterol
• ·         Weakens eyesight
• ·         Causes drowsiness in children
• ·         Slows absorption of protein
• ·         Causes food allergies
• ·         Contributes to diabetes
• ·         May contribute to eczema in children
• ·         May cause cardiovascular disease
• ·         May impair the structure of DNA
• ·         May cause hyperactivity, anxiety and crankiness in children
• ·         Reduces immunity against bacterial infection
• ·         Assists the uncontrolled growth of yeast infections
• ·         Contributes to osteoporosis

Now, we are ready and more receptive to an alternative. So here it is. We have two natural and healthy (literally) alternatives for sugar:

Stevia from the Asteraceae family: It is calorie-free, thus, does not affect production of insulin. It is 300 times sweeter than sugar and so only little amount is needed to replace sugar. Not many reports of toxicity with Stevia have been reported but the only thing bad about this otherwise all-good product is that it can taste slightly bitter in some recipes. But this bitterness can be done away with by adding the other natural sweetener along with it, Xylitol.

Xylitol: A very healthy substitute for white sugar with various benefits. It has a minimal impact on blood sugar and insulin levels. It has a glycemic index of 7 as against 60 of sucrose. It prevents yeast infections, plaque and dental cavities up to 80%. It slows demineralization and enhances re-mineralization of tooth enamel.

As Stevia might be bitter with some recipes, Xylitol can be a bit expensive. These two can be mixed in the ratio 1:12 (1 part of Stevia with 12 parts of Xylitol) and this mixture will make it sweet with any recipe and more affordable than only Xylitol.

Since the word is out on the benefits of Stevia and Xylitol, these are easily available in grocery stores, online and more. These miraculous substitutes will turn your cakes healthy and you guilt-free!

Naturopath Dr Urvashi Gandhi visits Art of Living center this historic Yoga Day

International Yoga Day’15 has made its place into the Guinness Book of World Records with 35,000 people taking part in a mass yoga program led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The event has been the largest yoga class that ever happened at a single venue. With such enthusiasm toward the event enthralling the country, naturopath Urvashi Gandhi visited the International Center of the Art of Living (AOL) in Bangalore.

Urvashi Gandhi met Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the president of the Art of Living, commonly referred to as Guru ji. Urvashi’s association with naturopathy and her career into it was really appreciated by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and he referred her to Panchakarma, the Ayurveda Center in the International Center of AOL, where an entire section is dedicated to naturopathic treatments.

After her meeting with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Urvashi said, “I felt very peaceful and overwhelmed as I could feel the positivity surround me. On being introduced to Guru ji as a doctor of naturopathy, he seemed very happy and blessed me”.

Panchakarma is one of the largest ayurvedic hospitals of Asia. The yogic practices followed in the campus are devised by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the primary being Sudarshan Kriya. Sudarshan Kriya and other accompanying practices are time-honoring stress management techniques and their benefits are being established by various medical institutes like AIIMS (New Delhi) and Harvard (USA). Urvashi visited the hospital and is planning to volunteer there as a doctor soon.

 On this Yoga Day, Urvashi also elaborated on Sudarshan Kriya and its various benefits through her blogs. She has been visiting various NGOs and teaching Sudarshan Kriya to thousands.

The kriya’s most important benefit being reduced stress levels, other benefits also play significant in enhancing one’s body system. It helps support the immune system, increases optimism, relieves depression, increases anti-oxidant protection and boosts brain function.

Map your route to fitness through yoga

During a conversation with one of my colleagues, she said she wanted to confess something. After battling with some inhibitions, she finally told me that she was dissatisfied with the way she looked and could not accept her changing body. I laughed it off asking which league of girls is able to accept itself for their bodies. But her urgency seemed more than usual and she asked me for some help. With all these yoga selfies being tweeted and the pomp and show for the upcoming yoga day, I could think of nothing but yoga to mollify her anxiety. I told her about three basic yogic postures which work wonders for weight loss and body toning. So as June 21 is right here, tickling our health consciousness, I decided to dedicate a post to yoga for my readers and here are those three easy yet miraculous yoga postures which I advised to my colleague and now to you:

The half moon pose
ü  Helps tone your buttocks, upper and inner thighs and extra stretches on the sides of your tummy.
1.      Stand with your feet joined together.
2.      Raise your hands while clasping your palms. Take it above your head and stretch toward the ceiling.
3.      Exhale and bend sideways while you keep your hands straight and palms clasped. Do not bend forward. Feel the stretch from your fingertips and your thighs.
4.      Inhale and get back to your standing position. Repeat the same on the other side.

Warrior Pose
ü  As the name suggests, this pose strengthens your thighs, buttock and tummy, while helping you lose weight.
1.      Stand with your feet joined together and your hands by your side.
2.      Extend your right leg forward and keep your left leg extended backwards.
3.      Bend your right knee to get into the lunge position.
4.      Move your chest to face the bent right leg.
5.      Turn left foot sideways by 40⁰-60⁰ for support.
6.      Exhale and straighten your arms. Raise your body away from the bent knee.
7.      Stretch up your arms in the upward direction and curve your chest backwards to form an arch.
8.      Exhale and straighten your right knee. Push the right leg and come back to your original position. Use your hands for support and do not rush as it may lead to some injury. Repeat the same for the other leg.

Chair pose
ü  Tones the buttocks and strengthens muscles and thighs.
1.      Stand straight with your hands joined in Namaste.
2.      Raise your hands above your head and bend at the knee so that your thighs are parallel to the floor.
3.      Slightly bend your chest in the forward and breathe.
4.      Hold this position for as long as you can and then come back to the standing position.

Byproduct of Meditation on the Realms Beyond: Bliss

Out of bliss, all beings are born,
In bliss they are sustained,
And to bliss they go and merge again

-Vedas

This is what Christ also meant when he said, “the kingdom of heaven is within” and what Buddha preached as Nirvana.

The idea of bliss belongs to time immemorial. It is not something that has been intercepted in the modern era or as a solution to existentialism or nihilism, but dates back to origin of human history. Precisely because it is an untouched state within each one of the 8 billion people living on this planet and most likely, also in any form of life blooming in this universe.

The question that bugs each one of us is-how to attain bliss? Though we hear from all possible didactic and moral sources that it exists within each one of us but attaining it is as hard as Prometheus’ toil. A part of the problem is we don’t understand what bliss means. It apparently refers to state of happiness but that state exists in isolation, independent of all worldly pursuits. Bliss is a state of being, as permanent as your own nature perhaps. It needs to be attained, like nirvana. And once attained, it remains with you, in you, for you, of you and maintained by you.

Bliss is often explained in the Sanskrit expression of Sat, Chit and Ananda. Sat refers to the ultimate Satya or truth of life, Chit refers to its consciousness and Ananda is what follows the consciousness of the unchanging truth of life, which is bliss. Thus, bliss can be attained through a realization of the permanent self, that is, through the path of self-realization. Meditation is the one way route towards this self-knowledge.

Through meditation, we get closer to bliss at each step. The bliss that is attained is sovereign and autonomous of any externalities of the physical world. Meditation leads us to experience wholeness, joy and an all-fulfilling contentment. It leads to, what is called, the continuum of bliss, which is the state of nirvanic bliss or enlightenment.

Contrary to the ephemeral substance of the outside world, what keeps me at peace is my internal journey to the realms beyond. Meditation is a flight to the universe of bliss and affection. It is the most compelling yet natural state of being. This bliss extends itself to my physical world also and I cherish it each moment of life.

I wish you all the joy within. Stay blissful!

Honey: An Elixir

The concept of honey is no less than an alchemical process coming from the far off lands of fantasy, bees extracting nectar from flowers to produce the ultra sweet elixir-honey. But no less magical are the benefits this elixir has. I have come across people who don’t really think honey any good than being a more natural sweetener but this simple ingredient does wonders.

Honey has many benefits and a lot of them are pretty known to most of us. They include its effectiveness to cure wounds, its superiority to sugar, and its antibacterial and antiseptic qualities. So I decided to dedicate this blog to relatively unknown benefits of the elixir. 

Here’s a list:

Prevents cancer

Yes, that’s true! Honey contains carcinogen preventing properties. It has anti-tumor effects and these are being studied with more precision now.

Cures insomnia

Honey improves the quality of sleep, particularly among children. Just like sugar, honey releases serotonin and increases the level of insulin. This serotonin gets converted into melatonin and perks up the quality and length of sleep. The famous milk and honey combination induces a much better sleep by relaxing the mind and the soul.

Resolves scalp problems

Honey has proven to help get rid of dandruff and hair fall. Honey mixed with warm water when applied to hair can substantially reduce itching and if it is applied regularly for at least six months, the problems do not relapse.

Helps with hangovers

This one is for the liquor swillers. Honey comprises of natural sugars like fructose which helps in metabolizing alcohol. Honey is gentle on your stomach and helps one get sober faster.

Helpful for yoga practitioners

Honey helps your body become more vibrant and opens up your body system. It helps with doing yoga as it boosts your body balance.