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.
Baingan Bharta Recipe

Baingan Bharta

Baingan bharta is a popular North Indian dish made of eggplant and served in Indian restaurants with roti, naan or chapatti. Origin of the bharta is from Punjab state of  India. It is a traditional curry prepared by mincing the egg plant (generally larger one) that is grilled over the charcoal or flame.

Smoke infused eggplant tastes good with other spice ingredients. It can be a side dish for pita bread, wheat bread too.

Do you know health benefit of egg plant or brinjal? Eggplants contain several nutrients and more importantly phytonutrients like phenolic compounds, such as caffeic and chlorogenic acid, and flavonoids such as nasunin. Nasunin is a potent antioxidant and free radical scavenger that has been shown to protect cell membranes from damage.

Nasunin is not only a potent free-radical scavenger, but is also an iron chelator. By chelating iron, nasunin lessens free radical formation with numerous beneficial results, including protecting blood cholesterol (which is also a type of lipid or fat) from peroxidation; preventing cellular damage that can promote cancer; and lessening free radical damage in joints, which is a primary factor in rheumatoid arthritis.

Eggplant is also a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin B1, and copper. It also contains sufficient amount of manganese, vitamin B6, niacin, potassium, folate, and vitamin K.

Ingredients:

  1. Egg plant /baingan/brinjar large – 1
  2. Finely chopped onionn- 1
  3. Finely chopped tomato -1
  4. Green chillies – 3 finely chopped
  5. Grated garlic – 2 cloves
  6. Grated ginger – 1 tsp
  7. Turmeric – 1/2 tsp
  8. Cumin – 1/2 tsp
  9. Dhania/coriander powder – 1/2 tsp
  10. Chili powder – 1/2 tsp
  11. Garam masala powder – 1/2 tsp
  12. Cilantro leaves – 1 Tbs
  13. Oil – 2 Tbs
  14. Salt – as per taste

Preparation:

1. Apply oil on washed brinjal and using a stove/ gas burner on low flame roast the brinjal on all sides. Skin should be charred after roasting. You can also use oven – pre heat oven at 350 F and on the baking tray place an aluminum foil. Apply oil on aluminum sheet. Apply oil on brinjal and place in the oven for about 45 minutes. Turn the brinjal once a while for equal roasting and cooking.

2. Allow roasted brinjal to cool and peel the charred skin.

3. Mash the pulp using a spoon and keep it aside.

4. In a frying pan add oil and on medium heat get ready for sauté – add cumin, onion, green chilli, ginger, garlic and saute for few minutes.

5. Now, add turmeric powder followed by chilli powder, dhania powder and continue sautéing for another few minutes.

6. Add chopped tomato, salt and saute well. Allow tomato to cook and keep mixing the ingredients till the oil separates from the mix.

7. To this mix add mashed brinjal, garam masala and stir well.

8. Cook for another 5 minutes and add finely chopped cilantro leaves.

9. Mix well and serve hot baingan bharta with chapatti, roti or bread.

Recipe: www.werindia.com

Author: HealthyLife | Posted on: January 31, 2017
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Litterless Lunch

Litterless Lunches in Canadian Schools

Canadian Schools Promote ‘Litterless Lunches’ to Reduce Waste And Increase Health: While many food corporations continue to encourage consumers to gobble up as many products as possible, most of which become a part of the landfill within the year, some institutions are beginning to shy away from this wasteful practice despite its convenience.

When Canadian schools began to track how much waste their students were producing just by bringing disposable items to school (such as napkins, lunch bags, and all packaging surrounding processed food items), they found that each child was adding 67 pounds to the landfill each school year. That means that a simple class of 25 students would produce 1,625 pounds of waste just in lunch trash.

The schools sought to change this and decided to open up a dialogue with parents and students about employing waste-free practices when packing lunches at home.

Tara Smith-Arnsdorf, a mother living in Toronto who co-founded the blog PAREdown with Katelin Leblond, has been packing waste-free lunches for her daughter for three years now. She does this by wrapping sandwiches in cloth napkins that can be washed afterwards and using metal containers to pack snacks and other items. For soup and other liquids, she sends a metal thermos with her daughter to school.

Heather Loney of the Upper Grand District School Board in Ontario told the National Post,

“The goal of the litterless lunch is to help reduce greenhouse gases that are produced during the manufacturing and transport of all that food packaging” she said. “It can also help your pocketbook. Some of those packaged foods are not as nutritionally strong as just buying whole foods. Also, they can be more expensive.”

This is something that people everywhere can learn from, as trash in the world is only growing because people choose convenience over the environment. Though the process of ridding yourself of easy, disposable items may seem daunting, there are plenty of resources online to get you started on your journey of living waste-free. Trash is for Tossers is a great website by Lauren Singer, a young woman who lives a zero-waste lifestyle in New York City. She even has YouTube videos about how to make your own products, which can save money and eliminate a ton of waste.

The schools in participating Canadian school districts provide parents with similar information on how best to reduce the waste inside of their child’s lunches. The tips and tricks are helpful for parents and are creating environmentally conscious young minds that will hopefully transform the way the environment is treated in the future.

By Brianna Acuesta @  http://www.trueactivist.com/canadian-schools-promote-litterless-lunches-to-reduce-waste-and-increase-health/

Image Credit: Chad Hipolito/The Canadian Press

Author: HealthyLife | Posted on:
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Reducing risk of Alzheimer’s disease has been linked to the same foods and eating habits as for reducing risk of

  • lung cancer
  • food borne illnesses
  • osteoporosis
  • stroke and heart disease

The answer is: Stroke and Heart Disease

Author: HealthyLife | Posted on: January 30, 2017
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The fiber from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains may reduce the risk of developing

  • osteoporosis
  • macular degenerative disease
  • heart disease and type 2 diabetes
  • osteoarthritis and lung cancer

The answer is: Heart Disease and Type 2 Diabetes

Author: HealthyLife | Posted on: January 28, 2017
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Yoga veterans

Yoga Benefits Veterans

Our veterans who served in the military for a long time go through so much stress by staying away from home, country, families, friends and they sacrifice all their life for the country and people. Once they return from their active duty, many veterans go through post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The implications of PTSD, often referred to as an invisible wound, manifest in homelessness, drug use, spousal abuse, and suicide. PTSD is a severe anxiety disorder that affects not only the veterans, also many others -that results from experiencing or witnessing life-threatening events ranging from combat to child abuse.

Life after active duty is leading warriors to their yoga mats in  veterans’ centers of several countries. Many countries have been adopting Yoga to help these veterans.  This is not very new.  The concept of “healing mind” from yoga is helping people around the world to overcome their stress. Once the mind heals, the body naturally responds positively by regaining will power. Nearly a decade ago, the Department of Defense in US began to investigate the positive effects of yoga on veterans. In 2006, the department funded research that ultimately led to a yoga-based program called iRest.

A Green Beret and co-founder of the Veterans Alternative Center in Holiday, Florida Mr. Brian Anderson, feels that, “Too often, PTSD, as it relates to vets, has a stigma of ‘broken’ or ‘violent.’ ” Instead of using the term PTSD, Brian Anderson focuses on supporting veterans by addressing compounded nature of their experience and the challenges they face during their transition back to civilian life. In his center yoga is included as part of healing. The positive effect and positive energy that yoga brings to mind heals the body eventually. This is one of the reason, many veterans are willing to go on yoga mat. In fact, in many fitness centers one can see veterans attending yoga classes. Yoga provides access to and connection between the mind and body, it allows one to overwrite the fight-or-flight response (that dictates PTSD) over time, by integrating yoga postures, breath work, and meditation.

According to Agnieszka Golec de Zavala, senior lecturer in psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London, “Yoga helps people in moving away from negative thoughts” ; “The beneficial effects are due to the increased ability to focus on breathing that, firstly, focuses a person on a present moment and breaks rumination on negative traumatic thoughts, and secondly, increases ability of ‘intraception’ – observing and understanding internal states and the ability to control them, or understanding them as temporal and passing”.

How yoga helps veterans and soldiers?

It calms the nervous system: A guided breathing helps veterans to calm down the nervous system that used to over active due to stress and hormones.  Pranayama breathing helps in focusing and bringing back mental balance. Yogic breathing, defined as a manipulation of breath movement, has been shown to positively affect immune function, autonomic nervous system imbalances, and psychological or stress-related disorders.

Sudarshana Kriya Yoga – that uses breathing as a main technique helps in nervous system imbalances and psychological or stress-related disorders.

Social re-integration: Practicing yoga with community helps with social re-integration and gives them a sense of normalcy.

Change in body habits: The environment and tough time that veterans would have faced in war zone results in certain body habits – stress in the body, anxiety and pain. Yoga helps them to let go of these habits.

Getting back to present:  A common symptom of PTSD is a sense of disconnection of the mind and body, as well as feeling disassociated from surroundings and the present moment. Meditation followed by a mindful of yoga helps veterans to calm their mind and slowly brings them back to present.

Retreats and yoga classes for veterans and their families are springing up worldwide. Veterans who are attending yoga classes are showing positive response in mind and body with reduced stress, improved ability to connect emotionally with friends and family members, less sleeplessness, and an overall feeling of well-being.

References:

  • http://www.lexingtonhealingarts.com/
  • http://www.ptsd.va.gov/
  • http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/11/health/
  • http://www.veteransyogaproject.org/
Author: HealthyLife | Posted on: January 27, 2017
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Those with a family history of a disease, such as diabetes, may reduce their risk of developing the disease if they

  • live a healthy lifestyle with balanced food and activity choices.
  • continue their current activity level since developing diabetes is inevitable.
  • adhere to a strict dietary restriction of all carbohydrate foods.
  • limit the amount of calories consumed.

The answer is: Live a healthy lifestyle with balanced food and activity choices.

Author: HealthyLife | Posted on: January 26, 2017
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The brain requires a constant supply of fuel from which energy nutrient?

  • amino acids
  • trans fat
  • carbohydrate
  • biotin

The answer is: Carbohydrate

Author: HealthyLife | Posted on: January 25, 2017
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Tomato Capsicum Rice

Tomato Capsicum Basmati Rice

Tomato Capsicum Basmati Rice is delicious lunch or dinner item one can prepare with easily available ingredients. Basmati rice is gluten-free and low in fat. It contains all eight essential amino acids, folic acid, and is very low in sodium and has no cholesterol. Basmati has a low to medium glycaemic index, meaning that energy is released at a slower, steadier rate leading to a more balanced level of energy.

Tomatoes and capsicum are good combination of vegetables together will give good taste for basmathi vegetable rice.

Do you know these facts? Capsaicin, a chemical present in capsicum increases the fat-burning rate in the body without spiking blood pressure and heart rate, thus helping with weight loss. In addition, tomato has lycopene that helps to boost prostrate health, prevents cancer and promotes eye health.

Try this healthy rice recipe.

Ingredients:

  1. Basmati rice – 1 cup
  2. Onion – 3
  3. Garlic clove – 7
  4. Tomato – 5 to 6
  5. Garama masala powder – 1 Tbs.
  6. Green capscicum – 1
  7. Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
  8. Ghee/clarified butter – 1 tsp
  9. Oil – 2 tsp.
  10. Mint leaves – 1 tsp
  11. Coriander chopped – 1 Tbs.
  12. Cashew – About 12
  13. Cumin seeds -1 tsp
  14. Salt – as needed

Preparation:

  1. Wash rice and soak in water for about 10 minutes. Drain water and fry soaked rice in ghee in a frying pan.
  2. Soak tomatoes in hot water fro few minutes and remove the skin (if you prefer). Take tomatoes from hot water and grind to a paste. Add 1/2 cup water to tomato paste.
  3. Cut two onions to thin slices.
  4. In a vessel heat oil on medium flame. Add garlic, cumin and sliced onion and fry to golden brown color. Add cut pieces of green capsicum and continue frying for another one minute. To this, add garam masala powder, salt, chilli powder followed by tomato paste. Allow this mix to boil for few minutes.
  5. Transfer the tomato masala mix to a rice pressure cook and add fried rice and little amount of water to cook the tomato mix rice.
  6. Remove the rice from pressure cooker and add grated cheese, mint, coriander leaves and mix well again.
  7. Cut the left over onion into ring shape and fry to golden color.
  8. Before serving decorate the top of tomato rice with cashew and fried onion rings.
  9. Serve tomato -cheese rice with your choice of pickle or raita.

Recipe: www.werindia.com

Author: HealthyLife | Posted on: January 24, 2017
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