Fishy Story- Rohu

Dear Friends, my topic today is a tribute to my Bong friends who love to have a piece of fish everyday. The good news is you can enjoy it without any guilt. You can happily tell others a fish a day keeps the doctor away :). Mostly all fish have a good nutrient value but Rohu being a very common fish in our daily diet. Lot of people prefer only eggs & meat over fish but technically fish thrice a week is a better option. The presence of the following nutrients make fish an awesome choice.

Rohu is a good source of high quality protein which has been valued around 80. Fish protein should be banked upon as much as possible due to low fat and low carbohydrate content. The fat present in Rohu is low & is good for health. It is rich in Omega-3 fatty acid. The fish is usually full of different kind of minerals Iron, Zinc, Iodine, Potassium, Calcium & Selenium and such kind of various minerals are very difficult to find in one source of food. Rohu is a river fish & is known to be rich in  Vitamin C, it keeps diseases like cold & cough away.

Apart from this fish & brains are correlated. It is said a fish eater has a better memorizing & analyzing skills along with fewer occasions of mood swings. Also antioxidants in fish are believed to fight cancer to a great extent.

I hope this would be an interesting short read. And hope all the fish eaters will have more reasons to enjoy it.

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!!

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!!

Weight Loss- Power Foods 2

I will again try to list a few food items which can be easily made available in the day to day meal. When I started to become calorie conscious I started the wrong way. I started with what not to eat but it soon started to feel like I have no options to eat. So, want people o find out what to eat before what not to eat. If you know what you eat the not to do would automatically follow. I am a foodie & like different types of cuisines & food, so I know how difficult it is for people to stop eating. The concern should be 'What to eat' & 'How to eat'.

1. Eggs: We all know that eggs are great source of nutrition to the body. Egg whites are great source of lean proteins but mind you egg yolk is equally important. You might say that it has cholesterol in it then how can it be good, and you are right because that's what earlier research use to say. But in new research it has been found that egg cholesterol is an important part of providing dietary cholesterol which has been seen to lower LDL (bad cholesterol). Also eggs are good source of Vitamin D, Vitamin B (B6, B12, riboflavin, folate & choline) and Omega 3 fatty acids & 7g proteins (half in egg white & rest in the yolk). Eggs can be made in different recipes & can be very tasty. Avoid use of saturated fats while cooking the egg, that will only have negative impact. Boiled, poached, baked, fried (in lite olive oil) enjoy it as you wish.

2. Apples: As the old saying goes "An apple a day keeps the doctor away". Please don't substitute it with the apple juice, I know it tastes great but you miss a good portion of the fiber present in the whole fruit. The fruit has good amount of vitamins & minerals. The fiber present helps clear cholesterol from bloodstream & slows down the absorption of carbohydrates in the body thus controlling release of sugar into the bloodstream. Nowadays apples are sprayed with wax to give a glossy shine which also attracts more pesticides & chemicals, so peeling is a good option though some good fiber may be gone with the peel.

3. Carrots: A very easily available vegetable in the winters. It has a great amount of fiber content, out of which most is soluble a chemical called calcium pectate. This soluble fiber easily reduces blood cholesterol levels. Also the Vitamin A present in carrots can not easily be found in most other competition. It has been known as a strong anti-oxidant & helps prevents cancers stomach, cervix, uterus etc. Eyes will also be benefited & cataract can be delayed by having good amount of carrots. You can enjoy the same in salads & different dishes (Gajar Ka halwa not suggested ;)).

4. Dairy Products: Dairy products are important in our day to day diet. The choice of the product used is of essential concern in the case. Milk, yogurt & cheese (not many options in India) are good source of Calcium, proteins, Zinc and some Vitamin B complexes. Dairy products also are source of high fat & calorie intake so the variants to be chosen are the low fat ones. It's also seen that the low fat or skimmed milk has more protein & Calcium compared to full fat milk. The calcium is believed to break down the body fats. And whey protein, linoleic acid are already known for healthy muscles & reducing fat.

5. Almonds: Nuts are great snack between meals, though many would say that it is high in fats & high calories. It is not so true because actually the calories estimated in almonds are much lower. Also the fats present are again healthy fats required by the body. And nonetheless the Vitamin E in Almonds is very high which is responsible for good skin & hair. A snack of almonds satisfies the hunger (high fiber keeps you full) & also provides with good benefits. The calories present are not very high but enough to satisfy the mid meal hunger & prevents over eating at meals.

Thanks for your reads & supports. Friends please help me improve my blog by your valuable comments on the content. Would like to know from you what you would like further in the blog. Thanks!!

Weight Loss- Power Foods

Hi Friends!! I am looking for some responses about the content I am writing, it will help me to improve my posts. Well this one talk about foods which have proven in reducing fat in the body. These foods are considered as power foods. These foods are available very easily & can be added to our daily diet easily and help us with the weight loss plans. Well listing down a few which I know:

1. Peppers/ Chilies: Chilies provide a great source of Capsaicin, this is the chemical which provides the pungent characteristic to the peppers. This induces a food generated thermogenesis which converts a part of the meal to heat immediately. There could be many people who cannot have very spicy food for them the alternative is bell peppers. It also provides with colorful & flavorful taste. It can be taken in simple preparations without much hassle.

2. Lemon/ Lime: In some places it can be known as a lemon diet which has shown incredible effect on weight loss. It helps energize & cleanse your body thereby removing toxins (Simply known as DETOX). It also helps you maintain blood sugar levels at normal. This very simple ingredient has the quality to slow down the process of breaking down carbs thus regulating the blood sugar levels.

3. Sweet Potatoes: Surprisingly to most of the people sweet potato has a very good effect over weight loss & maintaining blood sugar levels. The vegetable has very less calories which are obtained from carbohydrates & not fats. It has small amount of protein & high fiber content which helps in the daily roughage requirements. Needless to say fiber helps the system clean & promotes cardiovascular activity, makes your tummy full. In latest research it has been seen to contain a compound named anthocyanin which acts as a great antioxidant. It increases metabolism & promotes weight loss.

4. Ginger: This is the most common ingredients in an Indian dish. Ginger is known for its qualities to improve immune system & anybody who has had cold must have been advised from time to time to have ginger tea or ginger with salt. But lesser known facts includes its effect on the blood cholesterol level & also acts as a blood thinner thus helping reduce blood pressure. The compound gingerol present in the root is an anti-inflammatory agent disallowing inflammation of blood vessels. This increases the body heat & makes the body burn fats.

4. Chocolates: Now this one has always been my favorite in the list. It has been seen that a bar (2 inches typically not bigger than that) of dark chocolate (70% cocoa, not white & milk chocolates which have high sugar content) just before the meal controls craving for sweet, salty & fatty foods. This helps in reducing Insulin spikes which have been culprit to storage of sugars directly to fat cells. The high content of cocoa (high in flavanols) in dark chocolates has been seen to possess great anti-obesity & anti-diabetic activity.

This is a huge topic & can be written in extents. I will be coming up with more on this topic in coming days. Do share your thoughts on this topic. Thanks!!

Dieting- Does it help?

Hi friends! Great to see your response in a day. I am very happy & optimistic about writing more about the topic. I invite you also to express your views & concerns about anything you wish to know.
Today I again wish to speak about one of the topics everyone talks on a day to day basis "Dieting". If someone asks you to eat & you refuse for any reason, the next question which comes is known to all of you "Are you dieting?".
A basic question which arises is "What does dieting mean?". I have seen many people living on one apple in the morning & afternoon. I am surprised at this from day one when I started understanding what dieting is (not the correct meaning though :P). I am startled today also  How can an apple fulfill all my body's needs. This is one thing all of us should look into ourselves & ask. It cannot. Dieting ideally means to maintain a balanced diet which includes carbs, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, roughage & water. I told you in my last blog that I had joined certain therapy services (of no help ;)), they advised me to stop eating carbs totally. Also sometimes to eat only fruits a day. I tried all of it & I guarantee didn't help much, I felt exhausted & drained. They kept on saying that is because the fats in my body were being used up by my body. I kept doing that for a good 2 months. And believe one day if I ate even a small scoop of ice-cream my weight would shoot up 10 times the ice cream's weight. I was very upset as well & always felt an urge to eat good things, an urge I could not control and today I actually laugh at it. I left all of it one day & started living normally, though I didn't lose weight I didn't gain any. So, please any of you if following such things request to please stop it. You are depriving your body of the basic needs.
Today I do follow an easy diet plan it actually might vary from person to person but should be more or less same. EAT CARBOHYDRATES in small or medium quantities but do eat, choose the right one for you. It is seen in research if the body is deprived of carbs the body feels skeptic about our intention & starts storing them. So, if you don't eat one meal & eat the next, the body will respond as a storage vault & store it for future use. Also we feel a tendency to overeat in such cases. HAVE FATS in your diet in small quantities, as the body does need fat. There are good cholesterol compounds which help our requirements of Vitamin D which is essential for absorption of Calcium, also helps keep our skin more fresh & young, also for better eyes & heart functions. Again the choice of fats have to be judicious & should not be exceeded. Now comes the PROTEINS, they are the building blocks of our body. Our muscles, hair & nails our mainly build of proteins. Also the enzymes our body uses are made of amino acids which are broken down from proteins. And the most important, protein helps to decrease the urge of hunger & keeps you full for a longer time as it takes more tie for the body to break down proteins than carbohydrates. So objective of dieting is also fulfilled.
I will keep this till here, and wait for your comments and suggestions. Thanks!!