Good Skin Good Food

Good Morning Friends!! A great day in the history of Indian Politics, Congratulations to all my friends from Delhi, in fact India. Well today I will talk about a beautiful skin... it is a mirror of your good health. People with good health have a good skin. Some foods which help you with this target.

1. Olive Oil: It has been seen that consumption of olive oil has reduced signs of aging. The oil has around 75% of Monounsaturated fats which help in keeping your heart healthy. The antioxidant polyphenols present in olive oil could also be quenching the damaging free radicals & help in cell renewal. It has also seen to reduce acne problem.

2. Dark chocolates: Here comes my second good news about chocolates, women who consume dark chocolate (70% or more cocoa) have seen to have a more fresh looking skin. The scaliness & patchiness seen to reduce with the high flavonol content in chocolate. Stick to a small bar a day to get good results.

3. Walnuts: Walnuts are very famous in skin care products. The scrubs sold by many companies have walnuts in them, it has been seen that not only external usage but also eating walnuts have good skin. This is an alternate source for Omega-3 especially for vegetarians. The Omega-3 content helps keeping control over eczema, dry & patchy skin. Also good for acne or pimple problem.

4. Eggs: This source of protein is excellent for the skin & hair with very low fat content. The dietary fat present is good for the skin & any higher fat diets will fasten the aging of your skin. It is seen that increase of 17 g of fat in daily diet can lead to faster aging of skin & wrinkles.

5. Water: Yes, drinking good amount of water keeps you hydrated & makes your skin plump & wrinkles are delayed. And again this liquid can come from different sources but water is best. All other drinks have sugars which will not only increase your blood sugar levels but also damage the collagen and cause your skin to sag and wrinkle. Similar to above food it fights acne effectively.

There are these foods & many other which are good for you & your skin have been able to mention some. These foods are for anti-aging & to fight dry, wrinkled, saggy skin. Also three of these olive oil, walnuts & water are great to fight acne. 

Friends I have started getting suggestions from you which is very encouraging. I thank all of you for your support. I have received lots of comments personally and have tried writing about other topics also.Thanks!!

Bust the Myths to Lose Weight

Hey Friends!!! There are lot of myths around weight loss. I just figured out it could be an interesting topic to talk about. People who speak about weight loss will never want you to know these. Whenever you join a gym or a slimming center, they will feed you with information which is misleading. I will try to point out the most common myths around.

1. Magical food for weight loss: There are no such magic ingredients for weight loss, no fruit or vegetable solely is so powerful that it can burn the fat in your body. The best way to clean your system of fat is high dietary fiber. It makes you fuller easily with less calories.

2. Only one kind of food makes you slimmer: "Eating carbohydrates & proteins together makes you gain weight", this is what I was told at a slimming center. Eat only proteins then your body will easily shed off. This is totally wrong. Our body is accustomed to digest different kinds of food easily, & in fact different variety of food has different nutrients which can make your diet complete. For eg Vitamin D present in eggs helps absorb Calcium in milk.

3. Avoid all carbohydrates & fats: Carbohydrates are source of energy to the body, depriving your body from it would just make it worse. In fact the presence of complex carbohydrates in meals make your body's metabolism more active. Similarly all fat is not bad, Monounsaturated fats or MUSF are essential fats required by the body. It helps keep your heart healthy & also helps prevent cancer.

4. Heavy exercising is the only way to shed extra kilos: This is absolutely not true, a regular work out might be a good idea but not the only way to lose weight. A 30 min walk can also help you lose weight. In fact just doing your daily chores throughout the day can help you burn around 650 calories according to research. So Walk while you Talk :), and be happy.

5. Only fruit Breakfast is good for weight loss: Again a bad idea, in fact in my previous posts also I have mentioned that it deprives the body of necessary carbohydrates, fats & proteins. Like all my previous posts I would make a reminder to eat a good breakfast.

Friends to go from Size XL to Size M is a journey I have seen and I know how difficult it is. I want you guys to know the mistakes I did so you can avoid those. Thanks!!

Low calorie Baked Dinner Recipe: Baked Stuffed Bell Peppers

Hi Friends!!
Today I will speak about two low calorie dinner options which can be enjoyed guilt free. The recipes are easy to prepare & have good nutrient value. I have one vegetarian baked recipe for all my friends.

Baked Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients:
Bell peppers: 2 large (choose your color make your impression)
Onion: 1 medium
Tomato: 1 small
Cottage cheese: 100 g (fat free)
Peas: 1/4 cup
Green Chili: 1
Dried Parsley leaves: 1/2 teaspoon
Olive oil: 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Pepper: 1/2 teaspoon

Preparation:
1. Cut the bell peppers into half. Clean the inside, to make them look like bowls. Grease the inside with a brush.
2. Chop the Onion, tomato, green chili finely. Crumble the cottage cheese (paneer) into small pieces.
3. Mix the ingredients above in a bowl. Add the salt, parsley leaves, pepper to the mix. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil.
4. Fill the bell pepper halves with the mix & place it on a plate to bake.
5. Preheat the oven at 350 F. In the pre-heated oven place the plate & bake for 10-15 min. It can be done on the stove also on a low flame on the tawa with a cover.

It is known that cooking reduces the nutrients in the food so try avoid too much cooking. I have used the filling raw & cooked the whole at once only. This is a twist to the usual Shimla mirch ka bharwa. It has less spices, oils & simple. Hope you guys like this. Thanks Friends!!

10 Tips to Lose Weight

Dear Friends thanks for your support, I feel very optimistic about going forward. To lose weight is a tedious task & some ways you can avoid to control your cravings. These are some simple ways you can avoid those delicious looking snacks & dessert. Listing down a few very interesting ones:

1. Take a photo: Take a picture of yourself before your weight loss & look at it every time you feel like overeating or having that amazing dessert. The picture actually shows you how you look to others.

2. Wear a skinny jeans: If you see a perfect figure in those jeans it will give you a boost to control. Once you are in shape compliments will automatically come your way.

3. Skip the ads: Ads with high calorie foods stimulate the brain's appetite & makes you feel hungry. Just check your phone or talk to your family in the break.

4. Talk to your friends: When you talk to someone about your weight loss or your plans. They tend to ask & talk about it may be join with you, this boosts your morale.

5. Eat more times a day: Eat small portions multiple times a day. the body recognizes it as incoming source of energy & happily lets you invest it in calorie burning activities. If you eat after long gaps the body acts as a storage & does not let you spend the energy and rather store it for future use.

6. Carry light snacking items: Eat a nutribar or a fruit at intervals when you tend to feel hungry or your office is about serve you with samosas or bread pakoras. It will fill you & avoid those temptation to eat the oily samosa.

7. Change your menu: Do not eat same kind of food for days & months. Your body will become used to it & will not react, lowering the metabolism. Change in what you eat will trigger your body to act differently & improve the metabolism.

8. Don't buy snacks in your grocery monthly shopping: If you buy the potato chips & cookies in the monthly grocery, remove it from the list. When something is easily not available & you have to go to the store to get it when you crave might actually be ignored for inconvenience. Same applies to cold-drinks.

9. Music helps: It has been seen as a great source of stress-reliever. It helps you pep-up, also sets the mood for some good walk or workout. You might also feel like shaking your hip once in a while.

10. Set Goals: This is a very important part of this kind of an initiative. If you do not know what you want to achieve you cannot achieve. If you want to lose 5 kgs in 15 days check your weight after 15 days, if you have not achieved your goal, re-analyse what you are doing and if it needs a change.

So, friends I follow these small tips in my daily routine & have helped me. I hope you also get a good result on your goals. To lose weight is important & to maintain is equally important. Post about something you would like to know or talk about. Waiting for your responses. Thanks Friends!!

Recipe- Power breakfast for health & weight loss

Hi Friends!! Today is a very interesting day in the Indian Politics, trying to clean out politics, let's try to clean out our body systems... Today will talk about a breakfast recipe. Breakfast always emphasized by me as the most important meal, should be easy & quick as well to make.

Spiced Carrot Pancakes

Ingredients:
Multi-grain flour: 1 1/2 cup
Low fat milk: 2 tablespoons
Eggs: 2
Grated carrots: 1/4 cup
Olive oil/ Canola oil
Cinnamon:1/2 teaspoon
Baking Powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Chopped Chilies: 1-2 (if you like spicy)
Salt to taste

Preparation:
1. Mix the flour with Cinnamon powder, salt, baking powder, eggs, 1 tablespoon oil, milk to get a smooth batter. Add the grated carrot & Chilies to the batter & mix well.
2. Heat the non-stick pan. Spray/ brush the pan with oil.
3. Pour the batter in small portions on to the pan. Wait for it to be cooked on low flame. Toss it over to the next side for it to cook as well.

Your pan cakes are ready to serve. It has the perfect combination of carbohydrates, fiber, protein, omega-3 & anti-oxidants. A good start for the morning.

Thanks friends!! I will keep it short today, have a mood to enjoy Saturday.

Recipe- Healthy & Yummy for Weight Loss

Hi Friends!! I have been talking about ingredients which should be there in your diet which promote a healthy lifestyle. Today thought of spicing up a bit with recipes which are easy to make & tasty to eat. Giving two recipes which are powered with great ingredients already spoken about some.

Tofu Shimla Mirch:

Ingredients:
Tofu: 250 g (Generally it is cooked with Paneer or cottage cheese, tofu chosen over the same for                               providing high quality proteins)
Green bell pepper: 1
Yellow bell pepper: 1
Red Bell Pepper: 1
Onion: 1 large
Tomatoes: 2 medium
Garlic: 2 cloves
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder or Kashmiri mirch powder
Some Oregano leaves for flavor
Black Pepper
Olive Oil for cooking
Salt to taste

Preparation:
1. Cut the 3 bell peppers into one-inch squares. The three colors have been chosen to make the food look colorful. Also their good nutrient source can be used. Cut the onion also in the same way. Cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes
2. Puree the tomatoes & garlic.
3. Heat a non-stick deep frying pan. Pour small amount of olive oil into the pan. Add the onions & the bell peppers. Cook till they are sauteed well & move in a separate bowl.
4. In a little oil add the puree & the turmeric & Chilli powder. Cook till the gravy thickens & changes color. Add salt to taste.
5. Add the tofu & stir for some time later add the cooked onion & bell peppers. When the preparation is well mixed & gravy is well spread over the ingredients add half ground black pepper & some dry oregano leaves powder. Adding Oregano will give a nice different flavor to the preparation and also help in case of any stomach ailments.

Grilled Garlic Chicken:

Ingredients:
Chicken: Breast pieces 4
Lime juice: 1/2 cup
Garlic: 4-6 cloves (small) or 2 cloves (large) minced
Mustard paste: 1 teaspoon
Ground black pepper: 1/2 teaspoon
Soy sauce: 1 tablespoon
Olive oil: 1/2 tablespoon
Salt if required

Preparation:
1. Wash the chicken pieces & make 2-3 slits on both sides of the pieces.
2. Mix the rest of the ingredients. Add salt if the soy sauce does not have any according to your taste.
2. Coat the chicken pieces well with the mix & keep it refrigerated for 1-2 hours in a closed container. The chicken would be marinated well in this time.
3. Spread the chicken on the grilling plate over a piece of aluminium foil & place it in a pre-heated oven at 160F, or in case of microwaves you can choose grill for poultry. You can grill for approx 15 min. turn around in between to grill both the sides well.
4. You can check the chicken whether it is cooked or not by poking it with a fork. If it is cooked it will go inside well.

Don't have photos for the same, sorry for that.

I hope you like these recipes. They are low fat & low cal recipes & very easy to cook, don't require too much preparation time as well. Tell me whether you like it or not. Awaiting you suggestions & comments. Thanks!!

Obesity---> Diabetes- Power Foods

Hi Friends!! Today have chosen a topic which is becoming a dreaded name & a very common ailment. In yester years it was seen to affect at old age maybe after retirement or just a few years before that. Today you cannot say so any of us can be affected by it there is no age restrictions. Primarily what has changed is our lifestyle, & so very rightly called lifestyle diseases. Nowadays everyone is busy with their careers, running around for work (though not literally) & has very less time to relax & care about themselves and families. Also it is said by doctors & researchers people who are obese have a higher risk towards diabetes. Overweight stresses the individual cells which in turn send signals for insulin resistance thus increasing the blood sugar levels the first indication of diabetes.
We can control diabetes from early stages called pre-diabetes by changing our lifestyle. This includes Breakfast which is the most important meal of the day. It has been seen a person who does not have breakfast properly has a tendency to overeat during the day and also becomes lazy & sluggish. A healthy breakfast should have carbohydrates, proteins & fiber (ofcourse vitamins & minerals). A combination of fresh fruits, whole grain cereals, milk, eggs are ideal choice for breakfast (fruits will not include sealed fruit juices). Most of you will find it very cumbersome to do so much in the mornings, so atleast have a filling breakfast & change it on regular basis. A change in the eating habits have shown to trigger a good signal to the brain.
Today the main focus is on food which you can have as a diabetic which will control your symptoms. I will again focus on food high in anti-oxidants, vitamins and fiber and something which can be easily made available.

1. Beans: Beans typically available in India as Rajma & Soybeans, are in true sense the magic beans. They are a great source of protein, and have high dietary fiber. They help control blood sugar level & reduces risk of first time stroke. They are high quality carbohydrates and 1/2 cup of beans count for more than 9g of fiber, one starch & one lean meat. So now you know how much beans you should have, but barring the ghee in the preparation of Rajma :D.

2. Broccoli: This vegetable not liked by many (including me earlier) is a great source of Anti-oxidants beta-carotene which is responsible for production of Vitamin A in the body. Also the Vitamin C found in 100g broccoli is higher than similar amount of oranges. It does not have any starch & promotes good vision, teeth, bones & skin. Very rich content of folate & fiber with minimal calories & carbohydrates. Include this in your veggies sauteed, steamed, grilled.

3. Low fat Yogurt: Be sure to eat low-fat yogurt, as mentioned in my yesterday's post the fat content in dairy products are very high and not good for health. The high content of calcium & good amount of proteins have known to reduce risk of type-2 diabetes. Already mentioned yesterday calcium helps slowing down the break down of carbohydrates in the meal.

4. Watermelon: They are a good source of antioxidant lycopene, which may help protect against some cancers & cell damage associated with heart diseases. The fruit is low in saturated fat & cholesterol keeps the heart healthy. It also has a very good amount of water content. The amount of watermelon a person can have defines how much effect it has on the glycemic index (GI: a measure of effects of carbohydrates on the blood sugar level), a normal serving of watermelon is around 1.25 cup which has a low GI of only about 9.

5. Cinnamon: Cinnamon known as Dalchini in hindi is known to reduce the insulin resistance in people with type 2 diabetes. Also it has shown effect on lowering the cholesterol levels by around 18%. To have around an inch of cinnamon raw has shown great results, in lower blood sugar levels & cholesterol. People with any kind of liver ailments should exercise caution while consumption of cinnamon.While consuming ground cinnamon powder available in the market, the results might not be very favorable as the contents may not be very pure.

Hope you like this post & circulate it to maximum people you know. It might help them fight this disease. A good diet can improve our lives alot & save us from various lifestyle diseases. Please provide me with your valuable suggestions over the content. Thanks!!