All posts by Sumana Rao

Don't worry about the people in your past; There's a reason they didn't make it to your future.
Coriander, Black Pepper and Ginger Kashaya

Coriander, Ginger and Black Pepper Kashaya

Ingredients:

  1. Coriander seeds – 1 Tbsp
  2. Ginger – 1 inch
  3. Black pepper – 1 tsp
  4. Cumin – ½ tsp
  5. Jaggery – 1 Tbsp
  6. Water – 3 cups
  7. Milk – 1 cup

 Method: 

  1. Together coarse grind coriander, ginger, black pepper and cumin seeds.
  2. Boil water and add the powder mix.
  3. Add jaggery and continue boiling for few more minutes (till you get that good aroma).
  4. Strain and add boiled milk and drink when the liquid is hot.

Benefits: 

All three ingredients known to reduce cold symptoms. Good for reducing stomach ache and bloating. Helps to reduce arthritis pain.

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: January 11, 2018
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Indian Sarsaparilla Root

Indian Sarsaparilla Kashaya

It is a must try Kashaya.

Indian Sarsaparilla is also known as Maahali, Haaluballi (Kannada), Nannari (Telugu), Kshrini (Hindi). Roots are very fragrant and has medicinal properties.

It is used for making Ayurvedic medicines. Pickles prepared using root is very tasty and sold in the market.

Ingredients:

  1. Sarsaparilla root – few pieces
  2. Black pepper – ½ tsp
  3. Water – 2 cups
  4. Milk – 1 cup (optional)
  5. Jaggery – 1 Tbsp
  6. Lemon juice – Optional

 Method:

  1. Wash and crush sarsaparilla root.
  2. Boil water and add jaggery, followed by crushed sarsaparilla root.
  3. After a minute add black pepper (crushed)
  4. Continue boiling for few more minutes. Liquid releases good aroma.
  5. Turn off heat and strain the liquid. Add boiled milk OR little lemon juice and drink.

Benefits:

It is a blood cleanser. Helps to reduce swelling in joints, stomach ache and diarrhea. Increases appetite and helps digestive system. Induces perspiration and helps to reduce fever.

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Tips to clean silverware

Tips to clean and store silverware

Silverware when meet sulfur or hydrogen in the air turns to black or tarnishes. Tarnishing is nothing but the black film that develops on silverware or silver items. Tarnishing also happens when silverware meets certain types of food that contains sulfur. Prolonged exposure to moisture also causes tarnishing. There are many chemicals available to clean and polish silverware. Instead of using chemicals all the time, try some natural tips to clean silverware.

 Use banana peel and lemon juice:

What you need? Banana peel, lemon juice and water.

How? In a blender add water, a Tbsp lemon juice and couple of banana peel. Blend it to a paste. Using an old cloth apply the banana peel paste on the silver. Leave it for half an hour or so. Wash silver using dish washing soap.

Tomato ketchup:

Using a soft cloth apply ketchup on silver. Leave it for half an hour. Use a scrubber and clean the silver. Wash using dish soap.

Toothpaste:

Apply toothpaste on silver. Let the toothpaste completely cover the silver item. Don’t leave any place. Leave it for 15 minutes. Simply rinse off the toothpaste and wash using dish soap. Wipe off water and store in dry place. This method also polishes the silver item to give a new look.

Aluminum foil and baking soda: This is the most popular method to clean the silver.

What you need: Water, baking soda, vinegar, aluminum foil.

To boiling water add baking soda, and several pieces of aluminum foil. Slowly add white vinegar. Vinegar helps to speed up the cleaning process. Now place silver items in the boiling water. Silver items should come in contact with aluminum foil. Continue boiling for few more minutes. You will notice color change in aluminum foil to black. See how the silver item looks. It should look new. Using tongs remove silverware from the water and buff off water using old cloths. If you would like to, then using dish soap  wash once and rinse with water. Don’t forget to buff off the water from silver piece and store in dry place.

White vinegar and baking soda:

Mix ½ cup of vinegar and 2 Tbsp of baking soda. Apply this paste on silverware and leave it for an hour or so. Rinse using cold water and dry silverware and store in dry place.

Tamarind, wood ash:

Apply tamarind paste on silver vessel. Leave for half an hour or so. Later use wood ash (or burnt rice husk) and clean the silver vessel. Wash using water.

** Never wash silverware in dish washer. Chemicals will spoil the silverware.

Storing silverware:

Do not store silverware in carry bags, plastic or bind using rubber bands. Instead, use anti-tarnish bag and keep all silver items in these bags and place couple of chalks. Wrap pieces of chalks in cheese cloths and place inside the bags.  Chalks will absorb the moisture and keeps silver items shining for a longer time.

Store silverware in an area with no humidity. Do not wrap silver items in newspapers as newspaper ink can be acidic to silver.

Grandma’s tips; www.healthylife.werindia.com

Image credit: Image by congerdesign from Pixabay

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: January 6, 2018
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Listen to your body

Listen to your body to keep fit

There are many diet programs are available. Many of these diet programs will keep you away from normal, daily, staple food. Why can’t we eat normal food that makes us happy and still lose weight? Grandma has some suggestions for you… Listen to your body to keep fit

  1. Wake up early, brush and drink a glass of warm water – Getting up early (say 6 am) gives you lot of light, positive thoughts and drinking warm water in empty stomach helps your bowl movement.
  2. Within two hours of waking up, have your breakfast as breakfast gives energy. Eat traditional breakfast items prepared from scratch or have quick cereal or bread. Breakfast helps you to focus on entire day task and keeps you healthy.
  3. When should be your lunch? Lunch at noon. But in between breakfast and lunch have a glass of fresh juice and water.
  4. Don’t keep snacking throughout the day – wait until you really feel hungry. Your system tells you when you are hungry and ready to eat. Don’t resist hunger, instead get ready to eat something that is less fat, healthier item.
  5. Eat slowly – don’t rush eating. You should feel the hunger go away and stomach should feel the food intake. Control excess eating, control your portion. Your body tells you how much it needs and when to stop.
  6. Watch what you eat – Let half of the plate consist salad with good vegetables and fruits. Consume complex carbohydrate – brown rice or sweet potato or roti. Select protein food and water. Moderation is key, nothing should be excess!
  7. Eat home cooked food – you can find out what makes your stomach happy by trying different types of food. Some foods make you feel heavy, bloated, uneasy, lethargic and full soon. Some food really makes stomach happy – find out which items are preferred for your body. For some eating yogurt or yogurt based items helps to keep intestine in good condition.
  8. When you eat, make sure you are not distracted or disturbed. Eating with heavy head can result in over eating or under eating. Both are not good for your mind and body health.
  9. Snack – Understand which types of snacks does not make you uneasy and uncomfortable. If you feel like eating samosa – restrict the quantity. Likewise, eating potato chips or chocolate or any oily items – Take control on your mind and eat half the quantity of what you wanted to eat.  Practice control on eating oily items.
  10. Sleep: Get enough sleep that your body needs. Going to bed early or on proper time and sleeping without any sort of disturbance helps to lose weight. All body pain and stress goes away with good sleep. Getting good sleep helps control sugar and salt intake.
  11. One more suggestion – don’t be ideal and keep watching TV, smart phone. Find out how you can help with house tasks, go for walk or gym and be active. Your body tells you what activity is good for you. This helps you a lot in reducing that extra weight.

Instead of dieting listen to your body – Eat when you are truly hungry. Eat what appeals to you. Stop eating when you feel full.  With these simple techniques, you will maintain a healthy body and healthy weight.

Listen to grandma – www.healthylife.werindia.com

Image credit: Image by Robin Higgins from Pixabay

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: January 5, 2018
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Tomato has more genome than humans

Tomato has more genome than humans

Tomatoes are most used fruits in the world and the most famous fruit for various reasons.

  • Do you know? Tomato has more genomes than humans – 31760 genes! Scientists made this discovery when they sequenced tomato genomes with a variety Heinz 1706 from Peru.
  • Peru is the place where tomato’s ancestors are originated.
  • Tomato is a fruit as per botanists. However, it was declared as a vegetable as its uses are more like vegetables. Unites Supreme Court decreed this many years back. Potato and tomato both belong to same family and the joke is “potato is happy because tomato is also a vegetable” Moreover both plants have 92% of common DNA.
  • China is the largest producer of tomatoes followed by USA and India. More than 7500 varieties of tomatoes available in the world
  • We have seen mostly red color tomatoes. Tomatoes are available in green, yellow, orange, pink, black, brown, white, and purple
  • Tomatoes contain lycopene, an antioxidant that is good for health. Compared to raw cooked tomatoes are better. They also contain vitamins A and C, calcium, potassium.
  • Tomato skin is not good for everyone. People who suffer from diverticulitis should avoid tomato skin. People who suffer from gastritis should also avoid consumption of tomato.

 

Image credit: Image by LoggaWiggler from Pixabay (Free for commercial use)

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: January 4, 2018
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Which one is Cantaloupe?

Which one is Cantaloupe?

  • Cantaloupe of United States are actually the reticulated muskmelon. They have netted skin and strong sent.
  • European counterpart is considered as true cantaloupe! They have smooth gray green skin.
  • Cantaloupe originated in India and Africa and entered Europe eventually.
  • The name is given after papal gardens of Armenia, as some historians belief that it is first grown in Papal Garden.
  • Columbus introduced Cantaloupe to North America in 1494 and since the it is one of the popular melon in the United States.
  • An average sized cantaloupe has 100 calories and still is sweet!
  • Cantaloupe contains beta carotene, lutein, zea-xanthin and cryptoxanthin. It gives protection from cancer for the organs- colon, prostate, breast, lung, endometrium and pancreas.

Image credit: Image by PublicDomainImages from Pixabay (Free for commercial use)

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Fruit Salad Tree

Fruit Salad Tree

Imagine six different types of fruits all on one tree! Yes, it is possible and existing. These trees are multi grafted trees of different fruit types from the same botanical family on one tree.

All the fruits retain their own characters like flavor, taste, appearance and ripening time. These trees can be grown in pot or in the ground.

They can be grown in balcony or backyard too and suited for all climates.

James and Kerry West grow in Australia, sell three different types of fruit salad trees. Each of these trees bears several different types of fruits.

  • Fruits in Stone fruit: Peaches, Plums Apricots, Nectarines and Peachcots. These trees are available for all climates.
  • Fruits in dwarf Citrus range include: Lemons, Limes, Mandarins, Oranges, Tangelos, Pomelos, Grapefruits, Lemonades.
  • Fruits in apple range include: Red, green, yellow apples. These trees are available for both warm and cold climates.
  • How these fruit salad trees are made? Grafting is a plant propagation technique that unites the tissues of two or more plants. These tissues grow and act as one single plant. Root stock & scion are these parts. Scion bears fruits, flowers and leaves. In Florida, most oranges trees have lemon root stock and in California lemon trees have orange roots. One citrus salad tree can have lemons, limes, grapefruit, tangerines, kumquats and oranges all ripening on its branches at the same time. For more information on our Stone fruit trees, click on the tree below.

Image credit: https://www.fruitsaladtrees.com/

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Miracle fruits makes everything sweet

Miracle fruits makes everything sweet

Miracle fruits are botanically known as Synsepalum dulcificum.

It is a small red berry fruit.

  • It is called miracle fruit because it is known to help cancer patients treated with chemotherapy to taste and enjoy the flavor of foods again.
  • It is native to Ghana, Africa. It has less or low sugar content and mildly sweet.
  • It contains unique glycoprotein called miraculin that binds to the taste receptor and alters the natural flavor of foods in a good way. It masks the overwhelming metallic taste of the food that a cancer patient experience after chemotherapy. Chemotherapy causes extreme nausea and patient can develop aversion toward eating and result in weight loss. Eating miracle fruit helps them to get taste bud back and they can enjoy food. It reverses weight loss and boost immune system and helps to recover.
  • Miracle fruit can improve insulin sensitivity and might use as an adjuvant for treating diabetic patients with insulin resistance. It naturally reduces sugar intake.
  • In 1970s miracle fruit was classified as food additive by FDA!
  • It binds the tastes receptor and enhances the experience of eating sour fruits or items. The duration of this taste bud effect will vary by individual and the quantity of the fruit they consumed. It lasts about an hour.
  • Berries, freeze dried granules and tablets are the different forms of miracle fruits available in market. One berry or 1 gram of granules or one tablet – all these have similar effect. After consuming the miracle fruit in any of these form sour foods and bitter foods tastes sweet!

Image credit: picclick.com

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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