All posts by HealthyLife

HealthyLife is a part of www.WeRIndia.com, an all India – centric website (https://healthylife.werindia.com) and is solely owned and operated by WeRIndia.com. It is a Indian nutritional portal providing educational articles.This nutritional port was launched on February 5th, 2015.
Sweet Potato Fry

Sweet Potato Fry (Curry)

Many people are afraid to eat sweet potato thinking that it can trouble stomach. Nevertheless, this genius vegetable has many health benefits. Before proceeding to recipe, let us see what benefits it offers.

  • High in vitamin B6 that reduce homocystein that is responsible for degenerative of cells and tissues.
  • Good source of vitamin C that helps in boosting the immune system.
  • Contain good amount of iron that gives strength to body.
  • Good source of magnesium, which is an anti-stress mineral.
  • They are also source of potassium, which is a source of electrolyte that regulates nerve signals.
  • Rich source of carotenoids, precursor of vitamin A that is needed for good eyesight.
  • In addition, they are good for dieting: Sweet potatoes have natural sugars that are slowly release to blood stream and help to balance energy without an increase in blood sugar that can cause fatigue and weight gain.

Ingredients:

  • Sweet Potato – 3
  • Curry leaves – One string
  • Oil – 3 tbsp
  • Mustard – 1 tsp
  • Asafetida – pinch
  • Red chilli – Two
  • Ginger – One inch -grated
  • Salt – as needed
  • Chilli powder – 1/2 tsp
  • Sambar powder – 2 tsp
  • Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
  • Rice flour – 1 tbsp

Method:

  1. Wash and peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into cubes.
  2. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard, curry leaves and couple of red chillis
  3. Add cut sweet potatoes followed by salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder and sambar powder.
  4. Mix well and cover the lid. Cook in low flame for about 10 minutes.
  5. In between check the potatoes -they should not overcook. Cook potatoes until it becomes soft but not mushy.
  6. To cooked sweet potatoes, add rice flour and sauté. Fry it in medium flame for 5-7 minutes till the potato surface develops brown spots
  7. Serve the sweet potato curry with chapatti, roti, naan, cumin rice or as a side dish with main course.
Author: HealthyLife | Posted on: October 26, 2015
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CHOLESTEROL REDUCING FOODS, WHERE ARE THEY?

Cholesterol Reducing Food, Where are they ?

Cholesterol build up in the body can lead to many conditions – heart related diabetes, stress, stroke, high blood pressure etc. It is better to prevent cholesterol development in the body at early stage itself. Consumption of foods with low fat and no trans fat is first step and soluble fiber diet will help to prevent cholesterol accumulation in the body. Some of the common foods that help us to prevent bad (LDL) cholesterol development and improving good cholesterol (HDL) are below:

OATS: Nutrient recommendation of daily soluble fiber is about 25 to 30 grams per day. Start your day with soluble fiber. Have cereal for breakfast that contains oats or barley or whole grains. These cereals are rich with soluble fiber content, about 1 to 2 grams. To make it interesting add banana, blueberry, honey or strawberries to your cereal. Advantage of having this in the morning – reducing heart conditions.

OKRA: Also known as ladies finger or bhindi (Hindi) has about 3 grams of soluble fiber. Whether you have okra raw, make curry or stew or totally cooked it has lot of benefit for the body. The soluble fiber in okra help diabetics because of its ability to keep blood glucose levels stable. It also boosts immune system!

EGG PLANT: Some people do not like egg plant. However, it is such a good vegetable loaded with lots of medicinal values. It is rich in potassium, vitamin-C, vitamin B-6, phytonutrients and of course, fiber. Research shows that consuming egg plant (baked, cooked) reduced LDL level.

BEANS: Beans are rich in soluble fiber and protein. Advantage of eating beans is it feels that stomach is full for a longtime and people go for less snacking after eating beans. Beans are very versatile and have many varieties – Mung bean, black bean, green bean, cowpea, lentil, chickpea etc. One can prepare various dishes out of beans. Fiber and protein helps in heart conditions.

NUTS: Various types of nuts also give full benefit for the body. Peanuts, almonds, cashew, walnut, pecan, pine nuts, pistachio and other nuts are good for the heart. Eating nuts daily reduces LDL. Nuts have additional nutrients that protect the heart in other ways. Nuts are energy source of new plants as well as of humans.

VEGETABLE OILS: Instead of using fats like butter, lard or shortening for cooking it is better to consume canola, sunflower, olive oil or safflower oil. Canola and olive oils are rich with Omega -3 fatty acids. This increases good cholesterol level.

PLANT STEROLS AND STENOLS: “Eating sterol and stanol-containing foods is an easy way to lower your LDL cholesterol, which helps reduce the risk of heart disease,” says Ruth Frechman, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association (ADA). The molecular structure of sterols and stenols resemble cholesterol and in digestive system, they will come in way of cholesterol and prevent cholesterol’s absorption in blood. Thus, cholesterol washes away as waste from the body. Wheat germ, wheat bran, peanuts, vegetable oils (corn, sesame, canola and olive oil), almonds and Brussels sprouts contain plant stanols and sterols.

FRUITS & VEGETABLES: Eating fruits like blackberry, blueberry, cranberry, nectarines, guava, mango, papaya, carrot, avocado, apple, leafy vegetables, broccoli, cabbage, lettuce all have good soluble fiber. These fruits and vegetables help to reduce LDL cholesterol.

There are many other foods that help lowering blood cholesterol -food supplements containing soluble fibres, garlic, artichoke leaf extract, yarrow, ginger and turmeric to name a few. Avoid or reduce eating foods that contain high fat, clarified butter, white bread, transfats etc. – this will help body to build good cholesterol.

References:
http://www.joslin.org/
http://www.health.harvard.edu/
http://www.webmd.com/
http://familydoctor.org/

Author: HealthyLife | Posted on: October 23, 2015
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HEARTY PUMPKIN- PASTA SOUP FOR COLD SEASON

Hearty Pumpkin – Pasta Soup For Cold Season

Fall is setting in and soon we will have winter. Everybody wants something hot and spicy to keep the body warm. This is the best season to grab soup that soothes our itchy throat and cold. Well, it is Halloween month too -as Disney channel says “monstober” month. Let us see…. what vegetable is available in this monstober month? Of course, it is pumpkin season – and here is a delicious pumpkin- pasta soup recipe for soup lovers. Kids will love this because of pasta! It is simple and easy to prepare because most ingredients of this soup should be readily available at your home.

Ingredients:

  • 1 box rigatoni pasta or ravioli pasta (your choice)
  • One can pumpkin or 250 grams pumpkin (cooked )
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 3 tablespoons ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 6 medium cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped (about 2 tablespoon)
  • Half a cup coconut milk (optional) or cream 1 tbs
  • 1/2 Potato
  • 1/2 cup cut onions
  • 1/2 green chili
  • Pepper powder
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons chili garlic paste
  • salt to taste
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • cilantro for garnishing (if scallion is available it can be used with cilantro)

Method

1. In a large pot, place ½ gallon of water and cumin and bring to a boil.

2. Cook pasta according to directions. Drain and set aside. In a pressure cooker, boil pumpkin, potato and green chilli.

3. While pasta is cooking, place oil in medium saucepan over medium heat.

4. Sauté onion, ginger and garlic till they become slightly brown and soft.

5. Add cooked pumpkin, potato and bring to simmer for 15 more minutes.

6. Add coconut milk, pepper powder and sugar then bring back to simmer.

7. Once the mix cools down to room temperature, grind in a wet mixer.

8. Season with salt and lime juice.

9. Add pasta and garnish with scallion stems and freshly chopped cilantro.

10. Add little butter on top and serve hot for dinner with bread rolls.

Image courtesy: Pinterest

Author: HealthyLife | Posted on: October 22, 2015
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Harvard scientist urges people to stop drinking “low-fat” milk

Harvard scientist urges people to stop drinking “low-fat” milk

(Credit: http://www.trueactivist.com/harvard-scientists-urge-you-to-stop-drinking-milk/)

Vegans may have had it right all along; while raw, organic milk offers numerous health benefits, a Harvard researcher and paediatrician argues that conventional milk and dairy products alike are a detriment to your health – thanks to added health-compromising sweeteners.

As David Ludwig mentioned in his research, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Paediatrics, there have been countless pieces of research concluding the ill effects of sugar-sweetened beverages. The over-consumption of sugar has been tied to obesity, diabetes, inflammatory-related pain, and much more. And because of sugar’s negative effects on our health, even the United States Department of Agriculture, the American Academy of Paediatrics, and other organizations are recommending against consuming calories from sugary drinks.

The one calorie-containing beverage they still heavily promote, however, is reduced-fat milk, where the organization recommends drinking 3 cups daily. This is where Ludwig questions the scientific rationale for such recommendations.

“This recommendation to drink three cups a day of milk – it’s perhaps the most prevailing advice given to the American public about diet in the last half century. As a result, Americans are consuming billions of gallons of milk a year, presumably under the assumption that their bones would crumble without them,” says David Ludwig.

As far as Ludwig is concerned, if the USDA is recommending to drink reduced-fat milk, it is also inadvertently encouraging the consumption of added sugars – a piece of advice that goes against all the research saying not to consume sugar and sugar-sweetened beverages. The idea of consuming low-fat milk or chocolate milk cancels out the whole reasoning for the recommendation in the first place since the fats are simply being replaced with dangerous sugars.

“The worst possible situation is reduced-fat chocolate milk: you take out the fat, it’s less tasty. So to get kids to drink 3 cups a day, you get this sugar-sweetened beverage,” Ludwig says. ”…we can get plenty of calcium from a whole range of foods. On a gram for gram basis, cooked kale has more calcium than milk. Sardines, nuts seeds beans, green leafy vegetables are all sources of calcium.”

The Case Against Low-Fat Dairy, and Other Dangers of Milk

Harvard researcher David Ludwig certainly has a point in analysing and ultimately criticizing the USDA’s recommendations, but there is much more to the full-fat vs reduced-fat argument for milk and dairy products.

There are plenty of reasons to avoid certain fats such as trans-fats and refined polyunsaturated fats in vegetable oils (like corn, soy, sunflower, and canola), but the evidence for moderate consumption of saturated fat, which is found in milk, coconut oil, and grass-fed land animals, is coming to the surface. While saturated fat was villainized for decades, a 2010 analysis published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded, “There is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of [coronary heart disease or cardiovascular disease].”

Further, there are numerous benefits to drinking full-fat dairy products. In it’s most pure state (raw, organic, and coming from grass-fed cows), full-fat dairy has been found in research to potentially promote heart health, control diabetes, aid in vitamin absorption, lower bowel cancer risk, and even aid in weight loss. But while pure dairy could promote your health, conventional dairy may prove damaging.

Before you consume more conventional dairy, please educate yourself as to what is in your dairy. You would be surprised that there could be 20+ painkillers, antibiotics, and much more lurking in your milk.

Read More: http://www.trueactivist.com/harvard-scientists-urge-you-to-stop-drinking-milk/
Image courtesy: http://www.eyeopening.info/wp-content/uploads/low-fat-milk.jpg

 

Author: HealthyLife | Posted on: October 21, 2015
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Breathing Exercise to keep Your Mind & Body in Harmony

Breathing Exercise to keep Your Mind & Body in Harmony

The link between body and mind known is through breath, which is Prana in Sanskrit. In Yoga breathing exercises are practised to keep yogis and yoginis in calm and focused mind. As you keep practising breathing exercise, you will notice change in your thoughts and your mind feels steadier, calmer and able to focus on what matters to you. It is essential to learn to breath properly if you are new to yoga. What benefits we get by practicing breathing exercise? See the below list. Then try the given breathing exercises to help you gain a better understanding of breath.

“When you own your breath, nobody can steal your peace.” -Unknown

  • Strengthens your respiratory and immune systems. Opens your chest and stimulates your intercostals muscles.
  • Reduces stress. Energizes greater alertness to your body and brain.
  • Promotes healing on emotional, physical and psychological levels.
  • Reels you into the present precious moment.
  • Supports clear, truthful thinking and actions. Aides you during transitional times.
  • Trains the brain how to let go over and over during each mindful exhale.
  • Increases the body’s vital energy.
  • Increases the gastric fire and improves digestion and elimination.
  • Relieves asthma and other curative benefits relating to the respiratory system.
  • Alleviates cardiac disorders. Normalizes blood pressure.
  • Invigorates the nervous system. Purifies the circulatory system.
  • Stimulates the pituitary gland, which is a regulator of your entire body.
  • Makes you happy!

“When you own your breath, nobody can steal your peace.” -Unknown

Pranayama: Pranayama, most commonly known as deep breathing exercises, is a compound word with Pran and Ayama. Pran means breathing or respiration and Ayama means extension or expansion. There are different types of pranayama methods. For effective results, do these pranayamas sitting crossed legs, in a comfortable position. Keep your eyes closed and backbone straight. Concentrate on the breathing process and keep positive thoughts.

Ujjayi Pranayama : In Sanskrit, Ujjayi means victorious. With this conquerors breathing techniques, you control the flow of air (and thus lengthen your breath) with a glottis breathing. With a slight constriction of your throat, it will cause a snoring sound (subtle) which is characteristic of this technique. To locate your epiglottis flap, you can scratch your throat and you will observe where the vibration is occurring. On each inhalation and exhalation, you will feel the air as if you were breathing through your throat. You can practice Ujjayi alone for 5 minutes or add it to any yoga breathing exercises. Three types of ujjayi breathing are:

1) Abdominal Breathing

  • Lay down on your back on your yoga mat. Bend your knees with your feet flat on the ground.
  • Place your hands on your stomach and put your attention on your lower abdomen.
  • Inhale through your nose and let fill your belly with air.
  • Exhale through your nose and let your belly go back deep inside.
  • Practice for 5 minutes to sooth and refocus.

2) Thoracic Breathing

  • Place your hands on your ribs.
  • Inhale through your nose and feel your rib cage opening up. Feel the space between your blades. Your respiratory capacity is amplified.
  • Exhale through your nose and let your rib cage go back to normal.
  • Practice for 5 minutes to energize and stimulate your body.

3) Collarbone Breathing

  • Inhale through your nose and concentrate your breathing on the upper section of your lungs.
  • Keep your shoulders relaxed.
  • Exhale through your nose.
  • Practice for 5 minutes.

Nadi Shodhana Pranayama: This is alternate nostril breathing means purification of the channels in Sanskrit. It dissipates nervous fatigue, improves blood circulation, increases concentration and intellectual skills.

  • Choose a sitting posture that suits you.
  • Use your right hand (if you are a right-handed) to control your nostrils.
  • Close off your right nostril with your thumb. Your index and middle fingers are placed between your eyebrows. Your ring finger is placed on your left nostril. You do not use your baby finger.
  • While closing your right nostril with your thumb, inhale through the left.
  • Then, close off your left nostril with your ring finger and exhale through the right.
  • Inhale immediately through the right and close off your right nostril with your thumb.
  • While releasing your ring finger from your left nostril, exhale slowly.
  • This is one cycle. Continue this pattern for 10 cycles.

*Do not practice if you have an ear infection

Brahmari Pranayama: In Sanskrit, Brahmari means bee. This yoga breathing exercises relieves stress and is deeply relaxing.

  • Choose a sitting posture that suits you (do not practice lying down).
  • With your index fingers, close the little flap of your ears. Do not enter your finger in the ear.
  • Keep your elbows up to shoulders level and close your eyes.
  • Inhale deeply through your nose. You can practice the complete yogic breathing.
  • Exhale through your nose while creating a humming sound (like a bee!), until your lungs are empty. This creates a nice internal massage.
  • Inhale again through your nose and repeat the pattern of this yoga breathing exercises for 10-15 minutes.

Bhastrika Pranayama: In this pranayama breathing through nose sounds like flame burning below the furnace. This process starts with deep breath-in where we expand our stomach. The air is completely breathed out with force, sucking your navel towards the backbone. During inhalation, your stomach should be expanded to the maximum. Do this pranayama for 1-2 minutes and rest should be taken thereafter.

Anulom-Vilom Pranayama: In this pranayama we perform deep breath in and out without any sound.

  • Close the index finger and the middle finger of your right hand.
  • Now, close your right nostril with your thumb and slowly exhale from the left nostril.
  • After exhaling, slowly inhale through the same nostril.
  • Withhold your breath for 2 seconds. Then close your left nostril with your ring finger and exhale through the right nostril.
  • Now, inhale from the right one, hold it for 2 seconds and exhale from the left one closing your right nostril with the right thumb.
  • Repeat this process for 2-5 minutes.

Kapalbhathi Pranayama: In this pranayama yogis perform forceful exhalation.

This is a process of passive inhalation and active exhalation, where you have to inhale normally and exhale forcefully. During exhalation the stomach muscles should be moved violently
(pulling it closer to your back). Continue it for 2-5 minutes.

References:
http://www.pregnancy-yoga-resource.com/
http://www.thefitindian.com/

Image source: <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/background”>Background photo created by kjpargeter – www.freepik.com</a>

Author: HealthyLife | Posted on: October 20, 2015
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SPICY FRENCH FRIES

Spicy French Fries

The English word potato comes from Spanish patata. Potato fulfills the hunger and supplies carbohydrates, fat, minerals and vitamins for the body. Potato has more carbohydrate contents in the form of starch.  There are about 5000 varieties of potatoes in the world. Whether mashed, baked or roasted, people often consider potatoes as comfort food. It is an important food staple and the number one vegetable crop in the world. Potatoes are available year-round as they are harvested somewhere every month of the year. Here is a simple recipe of kids favorite French fries that one can prepare at home.  Do not forget to retain the outer skin of potato while preparing fries because potato skin has more dietary fibre!

Ingredients:

  • (Serving size =4, Calories per one medium potato =134)
  • Baking potatoes – 4
  • Oil for frying
  • Salt -to taste
  • Red chilli powder -1 tsp
  • Turmeric -1 tsp
  • Asafetida – pinch

Method :

  • Wash potatoes and remove any dust or soil particles from the skin.
    Cut potatoes and slice them 1/4 inch thick into either flat rounds or traditional French fry shape.
  • Boil cut potatoes for 5-10 minutes, till they become slightly tender.
    Remove potatoes and spread on paper towel to remove excess water.
  • Heat vegetable oil in large frying pan until it is good and hot.
  • Add potatoes, cooking until they become golden. Cook until they are the color you desire and crispiness you want.
  • If you prefer instead of deep-frying you can bake fries in the oven for 20 minutes at 350F, until they become crispy.
  • Remove fries and place on a paper towel covered plate or lined bowl.
  • Add salt to taste, season with slight chilli powder, turmeric and asafetida.
  • Serve with tomato ketchup

Image courtesy: http://catalogorigin.wlimg.com

Author: HealthyLife | Posted on:
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Fantastic News: Nestlé To Be Sued For Californian Drought Crimes!

Fantastic News: Nestlé To Be Sued For Californian Drought Crimes!


October 13, 2015 by Sophie McAdam, www.trueactivist.com

Campaign group The Story Of Stuff Project have just announced they will be pursuing legal action against Nestlé for illegally extracting groundwater in California for its Arrowhead brand, which has been a key contributor to the State’s drought crisis.

Thanks to generous donations from a huge number of furious citizens, The Story Of Stuff Project was able to raise enough money to film a mini-documentary called ‘This land is our land’. It tells the story of Nestlé’s removal of millions of gallons of water from the San Bernardino National Forest- and it details evidence of criminal activity by one of the world’s most unethical corporations.

The Story Of Stuff Project reports:

While filming in southern California our team uncovered hard evidence that Nestlé has been operating outside the bounds of the law. When Nestlé’s permit to remove water expired 27 years ago, the U.S. Forest Service should have turned off the spigot. But instead, it has allowed Nestlé to continue operating unabated, in violation of the terms of its own permit.

“So to defend the public resources at stake we’ve joined with two great partners—Courage Campaign and the Center for Biological Diversity—to turn up the heat on Nestlé by filing a federal lawsuit challenging the company’s illegal occupation of these public lands.”

This is great news for campaigners and terrible news for Nestlé’s CEO, who is insane enough to believe that water is not a human right and should be privatized. Activists have already shut down a plant in California, and this is the next step in the fight against greed and corporate ecocide. Please share this (very moving) video to support the campaign, and if you are still buying bottled water, please stop!

Read More: http://www.trueactivist.com/fantastic-news-nestle-to-be-sued-for-californian-drought-crimes/?utm_source=sm&utm_medium=ta&utm_campaign=sm

Some more: California newspaper The Desert Sun published an investigation revealing that Nestlé Water’s permit to transport water across the San Bernardino National Forest for bottling has been expired since 1988. On Friday, the U.S. Forest Service announced it would make it “a priority” to reassess the permit, and that it might impose as-of-yet unspecified “interim conditions” on the bottling operation in light of the severe drought, The Desert Sun reports.

Image courtesy: http://www.latimes.com

Author: HealthyLife | Posted on: October 16, 2015
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Bitter Gourd Chips

Bitter Gourd Chips

The magical, wonderful medicinal plant which is a gift to mankind is bitter gourd!. It has so many medicinal properties. Bitter gourd is also known as bitter melon, Karela, or Balsam Pear. The melon has an extremely bitter taste, but it is a helpful food.  It is useful in Diabetes-2, kidney stones, lowering cholesterol, weight loss, better skin, source of vitamin K, in liver cleaning etc.  Because of bitter taste, people find it hard how to use this wonderful gourd.  Bitter melon is commonly added to stir-fry, or may be enjoyed stuffed or we can make simple chips! It can be added to the diet as a supplement. In order to receive the full health benefits, find and cook the melon regularly.  Here is bitter gourd chips recipe, which tastes less bitter but retains its valuable properties.

Ingredients:

  • Bitter gourd 2-3
  • Chilli powder 2 tsp
  • Turmeric powder 2 tsp
  • Cumin powder 1/2 tsp
  • Asafetida -pinch
  • Salt as per taste
  • Few curry leaves
  • Oil 3-4 tsp

Preparation:

1. Wash bitter gourds and slice them into thin rings.

2. Put 2 tsp turmeric and one tsp salt and using a spoon mix the bitter gourds

3. After 15 minutes, some amount of bitter water will come out from the bitter gourd. Remove this water & keep the slice on dry paper/tissue paper.

4. In a bowl mix oil, chilli powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, curry leaves, asafetida and salt. Transfer the bitter gourd rings to this mix and using a spoon gently apply the mix to bitter gourd rings. Keep it for 15 minutes.

5. If you have a oven, pre heat the oven and transfer the rings to a foil on a baking tray and bake them at 360 F for 10 min.

6. Broil each side for about 2-5 min until they turn crispy and golden brown.

7. If you don’t have a oven then, transfer the ring on a tava and add little more oil and cook the rings on both the sides till they turn brown. One can deep-fry the rings until they become crispy.

8. Serving size: 5-6 chips/ serving. Serve these chips with meals as a side dish. It will taste slightly bitter, less spicy and good.

Author: HealthyLife | Posted on: October 13, 2015
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