Never put all your eggs in one basket

Never put all your eggs in one basket or never plan ahead of time or always consider 'off-days' when you are planning ahead. These are some of the lessons I have learnt during the last 24 hours. Ask me why....

Well, all of you know that Diwali is just around the corner and for me (I am from Maharashtra) it begins on Thursday with 'Dhanatrayodashi'; which also means that my house has to be clean before that and my kitchen has to produce some sweets and namkeen goodies in time to welcome the 1st day of Diwali.

My plan was perfect: Call in the maid every day starting Monday i.e. today; start preparing the goodies or 'Diwali-faral' (faral loosely translates as snacks) today. and do 2 or 3 items every day so by Thursday I would have a good variety and stock of the 'faral'.

But no.......... things have not happened quite in the same order.

Yesterday we were making the fort for Aaditya to play. Those of you who are not aware of the 'Diwali and fort-connection' here is the background.

As children growing up in Pune, we the parents each had our share of building fortresses (killa), so this year we thought we could introduce the concept to our son. One the fortress is built we place clay statuettes of Shivaji, his army, some villagers etc and basically create a scene for children to enjoy.

So for this fortress we bought 5 Kg of soil, which was insufficient as we started working on the fortress, and we were too tired to go out and buy another bagful of soil. So we went down with a bag and spade and started digging !! and once Amol had done his share, I offered to show him the 'authentic' way of doing it. I bent over and dug out quite a lot, and as I was getting up....my back revolted and started aching like it had never done before...everrrrr...

So last evening and night had become nightmares for me and my poor back :(

Every movement was painful and with great discomfort, finally only some strong ointment helped ease the pain and I also gulped down a Panadol Activefast....

Today morning we rushed to the doctor who prescribed some pain killer and a muscle relaxant...since one dose has gone down into my system I am much better, but I have really learnt a lesson about taking care of my back and the biggest lesson is about exercising and including some stretching into it.

Ten foods to lift your mood

Below is an article from rediff.com

I read it and knew that I must share it with you all, because most of us who are mothers feel very tired and exhausted towards the end of the day and this in turn leads to feeling sad, and overwhelmed....so read on girls and rush to your kitchen for one of the food items listed below....milk, walnuts, dark chocolate...sounds good to me for now !!

Let's face it, sometimes life can be tough. And managing your work and your personal life can be tough, and managing your weight and fitness, well, even tougher. No one can live a long and healthy life without the will to go on; sometimes mood swings can make us feel that life is too much to handle. But did you know, a bad mood not only gives you a gloomy outlook, it also lowers your immune function, leading the way to illness.

As it turns out though, what we eat is not only important to maintaining a healthy lifestyle; it can really make a difference on your outlook as well. The food you eat affects your physical as well as your mental well-being. This means a bad diet can be one of the causes of depression. On the other hand, a healthy diet may be enough to lift your spirits without the need for medication and counseling.

So, if it is true that food fuels your body and also fuels your mood then which are the foods that you should search for when you hit the blues? Well, here is a list of foods for your mood:

Oatmeal
The carbs in oatmeal trigger the release of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that boosts mood and can even help you sleep better. Recent studies have shown that after consumption of high carbohydrate food, the hormone insulin is secreted, which lowers the blood levels of most amino acids, with the exception of tryptophan, which is a precursor to serotonin. When there are high blood levels of tryptophan in relation to other amino acids, it enters the brain at a higher rate, thus synthesising more serotonin. While all carbs will give you this kick, stick to whole-grains (complex carbs) as they are digested more slowly and will thus keep you feeling fuller for a longer period of time. Examples of whole grains include brown rice, daliya and oatmeal. So if you want to have a good day, start the day with a bowl of oatmeal.

Milk
Well, as it turns out there a reason why you should add milk to your cereal. Milk is also a good source of tryptophan as so are other dairy products. Thus adding milk to your cereal or just having plain milk will have a happy and calming effect. Whey proteins have also been shown to decrease anxiety and frustration.

Coffee
Your morning Java contains caffeine which is the world's most popular psychoactive drug. It boosts metabolism and energy levels, making you feel more alert. It also manipulates the channels in the brains, thus activating the brain's pleasure centers. However, too much caffeine can make you dependent and make you nervous, irritable, or bring on headaches. If you have trouble sleeping, avoid coffee and other caffeinated foods and beverages before bedtime.

Banana
According to a recent survey, many people suffering from depression felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan (although it's not one of the major sources, a medium banana still contains about 10.6 mg of tryptophan). Moreover, it also regulates your blood glucose levels with the Vitamin B6 and smooth your mood naturally. Vitamin B6 is needed to convert the phenylalanine to mood-enhancing dopamine. If you don't get enough vitamin B6, you'll probably feel low, and stress depletes your levels further.

Avocado
The monosaturated fats in avocados help your brain be sensitive to serotonin levels. And there is more, these same fats will help lower blood pressure over time. So that's two kills with one stone. Moreover, avacados have one of the highest contents of Vitamin B6.

Turkey
It's no secret that turkey contains tryptophan, but it also contains a chemical phenylalanine that the brain converts to dopamine. Dopamine is a neuro chemical that elevates mood and motivation.

Fish
When you're feeling down, cook up some fish. Their high levels of omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to fight depression, moodiness and impulsiveness. They boost serotonin levels and the zinc present in fish enhances your brain's receptiveness to the neurotransmitter. The best fish are fatty fish such as salmon, herring and sardines. Salmon is also a natural source of Vitamin D which according to recent researches may increase the level of serotonin.

Walnuts
Walnuts have long been thought of as a "brain food" because of their wrinkled, bi-lobed (brainlike) appearance. Walnuts are an excellent source of omega-3 essential fatty acids for vegetarians. They are also enriched with tryptophan, which is a precursor to serotonin -- mood enhancing chemicals.

Alcohol
This is one thing we all know that works! According to a recent study, moderate drinkers (two drinks a day for men, one for women) had fewer depressive symptoms, but alcohol in large quantities can be a devastating depressant.

Dark chocolate
So the best things always come the last. This sweet treat has a mild, temporary effect on your mood. In part, it's an emotional response. However, chocolate contains some caffeine, which acts as a stimulant, and the food's sugars and other compounds trigger the release of serotonin and endorphin. Moreover, cocoa and dark chocolate contain significant amounts of antioxidant flavanols, which improve blood flow in the brain.

There is one more thing that will help you lift your mood almost instantly. It's not a food, it's exercise. Research suggests that exercise may provide an immediate mood boost for people suffering from depression.

You deserve the best that this life has to offer for your body, mind and spirit. It all starts with how you treat yourself.

Let the good feelings flow!

Giving up milk tea & Diet Coke

I have been wanting to give up milk tea ever since I learnt that adding milk to tea negates most of its health benefits .I am a great fan of milk tea and I just couldn't do without my morning "doodh cha".

Since yesterday I haven't been drinking milk tea....yes, it is too early to say that I have given up milk tea completely...I might just change my mind. Yesterday I replaced my morning "dudh cha" with black tea, ginger & a dash of lemon.It, in fact,tasted quite good but I still missed it in the afternoon while I was facebooking. Another benefit for me when I drink black or green tea is that when I don't add milk,I skip the sugar as well.

Another thing that both of us are trying to quit are diet drinks.We often drink Coke Zero when we go out to eat and even at home when we decide to snack during night. The last three days I have been free of diet drinks or any kinds of artificial drinks.Just a while ago I drank fresh coconut water and oh it had such a refreshing taste!

Giving up diet drinks is easier because it is a habit that I had developed recently whereas milk tea has been a staple in my diet since many years.

What is your work-out time?

When do you work-out? Do you have a fixed time? Do you stick to it like an ant to a candy?

Do you change and shuffle your work-out time? Do you work out as-and-when you get the time? Do you exercise according to your energy levels?

Do you exercise daily or alternate days?

Too many questions...but they all are valid; and most importantly they all have very interesting answers. Just try asnwering all of these questions...and you'll know what I am saying !!

Well let me share my answers...

1) I don't

2) No

3) No

4) No

5) No

6) No

!!!!!!!!!

Now some of you may accuse me of being lazy, of not giving my health the importance it demands...

Say what you want girls...I know what I am doing......I am doing......Nothing !!!

I face the difficult task of changing or for starts chalking out my work-out time based on certain events and their out comes.

1) has my son gone to school?

2) have I done enough preparation for hubby's tiffin so that I can rush off to the gym and still get back and pack off those garama-garam phoolkaas?

3) is it the maid's day of coming over?

4) is it the milkman's day of delivering milk?

5) did I sleep well last night, so that I am able to keep myself from hollering at every word that ano one says to me?

These and more events are to be taken care of before I even chart out my work-out time.

I wonder how some ladies (and some of you) manage to stick to one time throughout?

I want to work-out......honestly I want to.....

some one please help !!!!

Stop your sugar cravings ...

Knowing what's causing your sugar cravings can help you put a cap on them long before they force you into bigger clothes. Which of the three main types of cravings do you have?

• You say: Feed me now, or I'll kill you.
  This usually reflects low blood sugar. Eating sugar helps in the first few minutes but makes things worse in the long term.
  Break it:
  

  Sucking on a Tic Tac or two can be enough to stop the attack. After that, eat more protein and fewer sweets to keep your blood sugar stable. And eat those foods often: Multiple small meals instead of three big ones decrease cravings.
  
  
• You say: I'd really like a Twinkie.
  You generally feel okay but find yourself going through your cabinets looking for sweets.
  Break it:
  Holistic docs say—without great evidence, yet there have been some successful treatments—this could reflect yeast overgrowth in the gut and that treating it with probiotics (healthy bacteria) can help. We like probiotics made from bacillus coagulans, such as Digestive Aide or Sustenex.
  
  
• You say: It's my period, and I'm depressed.
  Low levels of serotonin—the "happiness molecule"—around your period can cause you to crave carbs.
  Break it:
  Eating dark chocolate (not a whole storeful; try an ounce or so) will supply a natural antidepressant called PEA, plus the carbs you crave. And any other time you think you might eat something when you're not really hungry, go for a walk or have some water. Much of the "I want to eat" feeling stems from lack of sleep (walking can help wake you up), lack of sex or lack of water.

Source: http://www.oprah.com/article/health/wellnessandprevention/pkgyourhealth/20090113_sas_yourhealth_youdocs/4

Re-learning our eating habits

The 5 basic rules to increase nutrient intake

Alright, point noted: we should be eating in silence and while enjoying our own company. Now the next question is, what should we be eating?

By nutrients I mean carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and of course water. Of these, carbs, protein and fats are called macro nutrients because our body needs them in higher amounts and vitamins and minerals are called micro nutrients because they are needed in smaller amounts. Also, 70 percent of our body is water, so this is something that our body needs all the time.

1. Eat food that is prepared fresh. And consume it within 3 hours of cooking. That means you shouldn't be freezing any food for the next day. Don't deep freeze cooked food. I know for most of us who work regular hours, it is almost impossible to have fresh food for lunch. But you can stick to this rule for breakfast and dinner. And let's face it, most of us in India have maids who come home in the morning. We might as well use this luxury.

2. The smaller the number of people the food is prepared for, the better its nutrient level. More the people, the earlier you start to prepare the food and the greater the quantity of food cooked, the more oil and heat you use. That's why restaurant food can never be compared to home food. And that's why, instead of picking up a salad from your favourite salad bar, you should take a tomato and cucumber with you and eat it as your own on-the-go salad.

3. Eat your vegetables and fruits whole instead of cutting them into pieces, because you lose vitamins from their surface. The larger the exposed area, the more the loss of nutrients. So eat a full apple, pear or plum etc, and don't chop it into pieces. If it's a big fruit like melon or papaya which you simply have to cut, carve it into big pieces instead of pieces that you eat with your fork. So, hold the big piece in your hand and chew on it and literally let the juices flow. Messy but oh so satisfying. In the case of vegetables, don't store them cut. Never ever buy the pre-packed cut vegetables and fruits in the supermarkets. It's like buying food that's gone to rot. What's more, you're wasting all the packaging which comes along. (And please don't kill fruits in a juicer or mixer and pulp them into a juice. Not even if you retain the fibre.)

4. Remain loyal to your genes and eat what you have been eating since childhood. If you are a Punjabi eat your paratha, as a Tamilian eat your idli, etc. Right from the time you're in your mother's womb, your body is used to eating, digesting and assimilating certain foods. Almost everyone except a Punjabi will complain of a bad stomach after chole. There are two reasons for this:
a) non-Punjabis don't cook chole as well and
b) they lack enzymes required for breaking down chole. Most of us now eat food of all kinds, it's being part of our global village. But try and eat at least one meal daily that reflects your own genes. My editor is Bengali and has grown up on her maacher jhol and bhaat. Yet now she lives in Delhi and eats North Indian khana. I've told her she has to try and have more fish and rice because that's what her genes know and love.

5. As much as possible, eat local produce and seasonal food. Climate, altitude, humidity, wind, soil quality, etc influence our digestive system and foods that grow locally. Ayurveda recommends tweaking your diet, habits and lifestyle according to the ritu, or season. Kareena ate momos in Ladakh and they helped her lose weight because Ladakh is dry, windy, cold and at an altitude of 3,500 metres. If she ate the same momos in aamchi Mumbai which is humid, hot and at sea level, she would have become fat. Mangoes are great in the summer. Eat them just once a day as a mini-meal in themselves, and they will give you a season's supply of antioxidants. Store them in your fundu fridge for rains and you won't enjoy them as much; they won't taste half as good and would have lost most of their nutrients.

Guidelines:

Before eating:

Switch off your phone, TV and computer.

Wash your hands (use a soap).

Serve yourself half of what you usually eat, on a nice, clean plate.

Preferably adopt the crosslegged posture or sit at your usual dining place.

While eating:

Drink a glass of water.

Start eating (preferably with your hands) and eat slowly.

Chew your food slowly and deliberately.

Use the entire mouth and don't just chew from one side of your jaw.

While you still have food in your mouth don't pick up the food from your plate (keeping food ready in your hands or on your spoon means you are eating fast and will ultimately overeat.)

Eat with all your senses and think about how the food is nourishing you from within.

Now if you want to eat some more, serve yourself a second helping from the other half that's left. But don't eat it all.

After Eating

Don't be in a rush to get up and get going. Stay where you are for a few minutes.

If you're clearing up yourself, pick up your plate and clean it with water before leaving it in the sink. (Food that dries up on the plate will sometimes stay on the plate even after washing, and can cause stomach discomfort at a later point.)

Excerpted from Don't Lose Your Mind, Lose Your Weight, by celeb nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar.

6 Things You Didn’t Know About Belly Fat -- And How to Make it Scram

I just had to share this article with you all, and while we are all on 'Fat' we can take one more informative article on it....right?

(source: http://realage.typepad.com/youdocsdaily/2008/05/6-things-you-di.html)

Politicians, gossip columnists, doctors, your best friend -- they’re all talking about the same thing: fat. Especially belly fat. The great thing about belly fat is that the better you get to know it, the easier it is to make it vanish (if only spam e-mail worked the same way!). Digest these stomach-flattening facts.

1. All fat is not alike. Eat more calories than you burn and the extras get packed away in one of two places -- long-term storage depots beneath the skin (subcutaneous fat) or short-term bins deep in the abdomen (visceral fat). Visceral fat is what we call omental fat -- that is, fat in your omentum, a piece of webbing that hangs off your stomach just beneath your ab muscles, sort of like a mesh apron.

2. The fat you don’t see is the most dangerous. The soft, superficial stuff that ripples your thighs and tummy may be a bikini spoiler, but if you can pinch it, it probably won’t kill you. However, if you have a solid “beer belly" . . . well, you’re likely headed for more trouble than a politician hooked up to a polygraph. That’s because too much deep fat churns out supersize amounts of hormones and proteins, which can lead to big hazards. Among them: lousy LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels; high blood sugar and blood pressure; insulin resistance; and widespread inflammation. All are instigators of many diseases -- including dementia, cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. But often you can get a “do over,” and it doesn’t take that long and isn’t that hard, if you know what you’re doing. So don’t stop reading!

First, don’t rely on your scale. As you start to reduce risky belly fat, your weight may temporarily go up. So ditch the scale in favor of the tape measure. If you’re a woman, your waist should be 32.5 inches; if you’re a man, 35 inches. Creep past 37 inches for women or 40 for men, and the health dangers increase.

3. Stress makes you fat. Not only does stress lead you to eat Haagen-Dazs straight from the carton, but it also triggers the release of cortisol, a stress hormone. When stress becomes unrelenting, the omentum attempts to control cortisol flow by sucking it out of the bloodstream. Nice try, but cortisol fights back once it’s in the omentum and turbocharges fat there. That sets off other chemical reactions that leave you feeling hungry . . . and looking for the Haagen-Dazs again. Fortunately, any kind of stress reduction, especially exercise, will help short-circuit this stress/fat cycle. Feeling tense right now? Go for a walk the minute you finish this column.

4. The fat you eat affects the fat you get. When monkeys munched on trans-fat laced diets for 6 years, they developed more deep-belly fat than those who went trans-fat-free, even though both ate the same number of calories. Physiologically, we’re close enough to monkeys to extrapolate that trans fat doesn’t do anything good for your waist or your arteries.

5. Blasting belly fat isn’t hard. If you’re not overweight but still have an oversized waist, the fastest way to shrink your omentum is by walking. Taking a brisk 30-minute walk each day will keep those fat cells from expanding. Pick up the pace some, walk a little longer, and you can give your omentum a makeover, turning a flabby apron of omental fat into sheer mesh again. After 30 days of walking, start doing resistance exercises as well to add muscle and lose inches -- otherwise you’ll hit a plateau. No dumbbells? No gym? No problem. You can get an excellent workout in 20 minutes by using your own body as a weight to stretch and strengthen all of your major muscle groups. Find examples at www.realage.com/ct/shape-up-slim-down/.

6. Whole grains scare away belly fat. If you and a friend go on a diet but you eat whole grains (meaning brown rice, steel-cut oats, and whole-wheat pasta, not whole-grain Pop Tarts) and your friend eats processed grains (anything made with white/enriched grains and flours, cupcakes to noodles), you both might lose the same amount of weight, but you’ll shed more belly fat and lower your levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of damaging inflammation. And your food will taste better, and you’ll feel full longer. AND you’ll have a flat stomach!

Fats you should never eat -- and how to cheat on them

This article has been specially written for me....that's what I felt when I read it first !!
I like food with Fat in them, but I never knew I could cheat and eat them !!

So if you are like me and like your biscuits, cakes, pizzas, mitahi, deep fried stuff....read on and know how you can indulge without the GUILT !!


1. Fats you get from red and processed meat

How to cheat on them:
Eat them as your first meal or after your post-workout meal. Eat these once a week, provided you follow the four key principles (see next chapter) and exercise 3 hours a week. Never combine a bad fat with a high GI food; say rice and meat, or biryani. All biryani lovers, save your feast for Eid!

2. Fat in deep-fried food (pakoras, samosas, bhujia etc)
How to cheat on them:
Eat first thing in the morning. Halve your first meal and have it along with this. Otherwise have as a meal by itself in the later afternoon, but restrict to only one. Do not eat a mithai with your snack! You can enjoy one of these, once a week, but only if you're eating correctly all six days and working out at least three hours a week. Don't reuse the oil once you have deep-fried with it.
Tip: Avoid deep-fried food at large parties, because they are usually deep-fried twice.

3. Mithai, especially made of nuts
How to cheat on them:
Eat as a meal by itself. Have it an hour and a half after your lunch. You could also have it first thing in the morning. But don't mix it with your regular food.

4. Biscuits
How to cheat on them:
Eat them when you've done a very long, strenuous physical activity like trekking, 2 or more hours of shopping. In regular life, restrict to once a week!

5. Cakes and pastries
How to cheat on them:
If you can't bear to give up your favourite chocolate pastry, you're in for good news. Have it first thing in the morning. Don't replace your nutritious meal with your pastry, but have it in addition to it. Croissant lovers go ahead. But don't indulge yourself more than once or twice a month.

6. Pizzas
How to cheat on them:
1 slice (we're talking fast food pizza) and as a meal by itself. Perfect for after a long, boring meeting.

Fat plays a big role in our body

This is an excerpt from a book titled 'Don't Lose Your Mind, Lose Your Weight' written by Rujuta Diwekar.
She is the fitness guru of stars like Kareena Kapoor and Konkana Sen Sharma.

It is very interesting and critical to know about Fats and clear our conceptions or mis-conceptions about Fats.
Should you be banning fats from your diet? Did you know that fat is the body's answer to bad times?

All about fats

'Look at me, from everywhere I am perfect. I just need to lose this', she said picking up flab from just above her low waist jeans and then pointing to the 'saddle bags' which bulged from under her butt, just at the top of her thighs. 'So many of us can empathise with what Radhika is saying,' Mahesh her husband said. 'My only problem is this,' pointing to his pot belly. 'I am also perfect, otherwise.'

See we all are perfect just the way we are. But we are too occupied doing too many imperfect things. Just one of them is banning fats from our diet. Fat plays a big role in our body. Most importantly, it helps us survive during periods of prolonged mental and physical stresses, sickness, and prolonged starvation. Fat is stored as adipose tissue in the body from where energy can be used in these extreme cases. It's due to this ability that the human species has evolved and survived. So fat is our body's answer for bad times. It is the only nutrient that can help us survive through the toughest phases of our life. Thus your so-called lean times will actually make you fat. Corollary: fat or good times will make you lean. So eat fat to lose fat...

How to eat fat

For a lean, toned body, healthy heart, supple skin and lustrous hair, make fat a part of every meal -- or at least of three main meals. It's not just enough to eat food cooked in oil. Include nuts, cheese, or any other dairy product in your diet. Consuming healthy fats in healthy (read adequate) amounts will actually ensure proper functioning of the body and optimum fat burning. Fats, when eaten in combination with carbs and protein, work at reducing the glycemic index (refer to the section on carbs, earlier in this chapter) of food. So they actually work at slowly releasing sugar in the blood. This leads to effective fat burning, stable blood sugar, minimised hunger, a good mood and a glowing complexion. So of course use oil as a cooking medium for vegetables and dal, as most Indians do; don't try to cut it out. Preferably different kinds of oil.

So if you cooked lunch in peanut oil, try soy or safflower oil for dinner. Include peanuts and cheese in your diet. They can often make up a mini meal by themselves.

Including fats in our diet is also known to reduce mood swings and depression. Children who don't get enough omega-3 can develop learning disorders. Is your girlfriend giving you grief when she PMSes? Just buy her a flax seed supplement or gift her a monthly supply of nuts.

Special must-eat nutrient for women

Make magnesium an important part of your diet.

Here is Why:

If you don't get enough magnesium (500 mg daily) you are going to suffer from chocolate cravings (since cocoa and chocolate are rich magnesium sources).

Low magnesium also means you are:

Going to feel foul. It worsens PMS symptoms and cramps.

Leads to osteoporosis

Linked to kidney stones (it will allow thick deposits of calcium to deposit where we do not want it, like the kidney and take it away from where we want it, the bones).

Causes heart problems, high BP, diabetes, strokes -- scourges of Indian women world over.

Causes 'restless leg syndrome', muscle spasms.

Attention deficit, depression and other nerve-related ailments.

Irritable bowel syndrome, vomiting.

May cause early menopause and worsens normal menopausal symptoms.

Linked to infertility and other issues of the uro-genital system.

Poor nail growth.

Causes fast heart beats, leading to anxiety and panic attacks.

Foods rich in magnesium:

Tofu, legumes, whole grains, green leafy vegetables, wheat bran, soybean flour, almonds, cashews, blackstrap molasses, pumpkin and squash seeds, pistachio, walnuts, peanuts, whole wheat flour, oat flour, beet greens, spinach, bran cereals, oatmeal, bananas, and baked potatoes (with skin) and most herbs and spices.

******************************************************************
After reading this article on rediff, I realised a few facts about my craving for chocolate especially before my chums; and once I looked at what can happen with a magnesium deficiency, I realised I did suffer from some of them like foul mood, horrid PMS symptoms, cramps, restless leg syndrome, cramps in my leg muscles.
I also had hair loss, it was caused due to iron deficiency.

I consulted my doctor, and she put me on a multivitamin and vit-e tablet daily and an iron capsule on alternate days. Since starting this course, all the symptoms listed away have vanished and I feel energetic, in good mood :)
The hair fall is also in check.

I do eat one banana daily in the morning. I know a lot of ladies who do not eat banana due to it's high calorie count, but I think if you look at the mineral and vitamin content it is a must for all ladies to have one. Also having it in the morning along with your wheat-flakes and skimmed milk makes it easier to burn off the calories during the day.

Are you a mother and do you eat healthy?

Being a stay at home mom (SAHM) myself, I have seen people assume that I have all the time in the world for me. Which is absolutely not true. It is rather the exact opposite of their assumption. Stay at home moms never have time for themselves. How many SAHMs you know spend time on themselves, indulge in activities far from their babies and homes, go for a walk when they please, spend hours at a mall...none right...

If this is the scenario for stuff that a SAHM does or does not do outside of the circle of the family, then it is often true even for the food she eats. I often do not cook especially for me, if A has a lunch meeting and does not need a lunch-pack, I raid the fridge looking for leftovers, just so that I don't cook for myself. I diligently make sure my son has eaten well, healthy food, fruits, juices, his multivitamin, his 'Chavanprash'....for him I am very careful.

But when it comes to me I am lazy or more accurately, I am exhausted by the time it comes to doing something for me.

But with all the health awakening going around us it is hard to ignore the facts that we mothers ignore for us. It is very important to take care of our health. We as mothers always give to our kids, husband, family etc. If we keep on giving and don't take anything for us, very soon we will have an empty well inside us. This could lead to a lot of health issues. If we are healthy, eat healthy, exercise, do activities outside the home like running in the park, playing a high energy sport, our children see us do it all and they will also take up that lifestyle.

It is necessary to take care of yourself before taking care of another; because if we are not healthy, how can we take care of another person?

I found this article on rediff, and it voices my concern about my health, my want of a healthier life for me.

Fulfilling multiple roles coupled with a lack of time leads young women to neglect their own diet and health. The fairer sex in particular is predisposed to developing iron deficiency anaemia, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease. Early lifestyle and dietary changes mentioned below can go a long way in preserving the working woman's health and protecting her from these preventable diseases:

• A balanced diet comprising of three main meals and two small snacks are good to keep up energy levels and metabolism through the day. The body needs a variety of essential nutrients. For a moderately active woman, six-seven servings of wholegrain cereals, five-six servings of vegetables and fruit, two servings of milk and three servings of lean proteins are ideal.

  Snacks can consist of nuts, high-fibre biscuits, chana and fibrous fruit.

• Women must consume iron-rich foods like green leafy vegetables, jaggery, eggs, organ meats, beans, lentils, figs and dates to compensate for loss of blood during menstruation or increased requirements during pregnancy. Vitamin C aids iron absorption, so plenty of citrus fruit like kiwi, strawberries, oranges and tomatoes must be included.
• Women are at a much higher risk of developing osteoporosis as compared to their male counterparts. Calcium is the most important mineral for healthy bones. High activity levels, weight-bearing exercises and consumption of calcium-rich foods like milk and its products, green leafy vegetables, beans and dry fruit can offer long term protection by improving bone density.
• Your diet must include plenty of omega 3 fatty acids found in fish, which help to keep cholesterol levels under control. Saturated fats often found in prepared or ready-to-eat foods should be kept to a minimum and trans fats should be completely avoided.
• Drinking at least 8-10 glasses of water daily prevents fatigue, headache and poor concentration. It flushes out toxins from the body and keeps the skin looking fresh.
• Women with sedentary jobs must get active. Joining evening salsa classes with a partner or simply taking a brisk walk or a refreshing swim four to five times a week for 30 minutes is enough to compensate for lack of movement at work.
• Most importantly, women must keep themselves updated on health issues

What is in your face cream?

Have you ever wondered what exactly is in your face cream, why do you prefer some cream over another? What is best for your skin type? etc etc...
I have these questions all the time...every cream/lotion brand seems to say the same thing...but we have to really try the brands to know which one suits us best...but how do we short list a few and then perhaps try...as trying brands can be expensive.

I stumbled upon this article at the RealAge site, and found it very useful in knowing what ingredients are really good for our skin and which are harmful.
This way when I am going to buy a cream/lotion the next time around, I will know what those ingredients mean and what I should buy and better still what I should not.



8 Ingredients Your Skin Will Love and 9 It Might Hate

Skin Winners
There are hundreds of skin care ingredients, including many with fancy names and expensive price tags. But there’s very little science to most of them, and no science to many of them. The list of ingredients that really can make a difference in the skin is small. These eight are examples of some that you can slather on with solid scientific backing:

* Vitamin A
* Vitamin C
* Vitamin B3 (niacin, or nicotinamide)
* Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)
* Vitamin E
* Alpha-hydroxy acids
* Ubiquinone (small-molecule antioxidant)
* Ferulic acid (small-molecule antioxidant)


Possible Enemies
One of the tricks to using skin products is to not only find the ingredients that will help you but also avoid the ones that may damage or irritate your skin. Some ingredients you should think about avoiding:

• Imidazolidinyl urea and diazolidinyl urea: They’re used as preservatives to prevent bacterial growth (not fungi), but they’re also a relatively common cause of contact dermatitis.
• Fragrances: They may smell good, but these little molecules are responsible for allergic reactions in as much as 14% of the population. Most skin care products don’t really need added fragrances. But without the added fragrance, some -- like soap -- simply smell like the fats they are made from.
• Sodium lauryl sulfate: It’s commonly used in shampoos and cleaners to create suds and is relatively safe, but longer contact time can cause irritation and dryness because the detergent strips the skin of lipids.
• Mineral oil: Used as a base in some products, it may interfere with perspiration.
• Monoethanolamine (MEA) and triethanolamine (TEA): They’re common pH stabilizers, but when they’re exposed to air, they form potentially irritating substances called nitrosamines. And they have a tendency to clog pores and create blackheads.
• Toluene: This chemical solvent, which the EPA designates as hazardous waste, is found in fingernail polish. Toluene can cause headaches, eye irritation, and memory loss. Those won’t kill you, but if you don’t feel good, it’s worth experimenting to see if beauty products could be the source of your general blahness.
• Dimethylethanolamine (DMAE): This common “instant facelift” ingredient in wrinkle creams actually does its work by causing cell damage and swelling. Sure, the wrinkles will go away temporarily (they also will if you’re slapped in the face), but that doesn’t mean it’s good for you.

How to Give a Great Foot Massage

A good foot rub works for body and mind

* It elevates levels of oxytocin, which is the hormone that makes you feel warm and fuzzy (it’s the same hormone that a mother’s brain secretes when she’s breastfeeding).

* It causes arousal, as the foot contains its own set of sexual nerves.

* It stimulates lymphatic drainage. Massage helps drain waste material out of your system.


How to do it:

1. Clean up. To make your partner comfortable, clean his or her feet in a shallow basin of warm water or with a warm washcloth.

2. Use the right lotion. That’s one scented with lavender, which is perceived as an aphrodisiac by both men and women.

3. Do the whole foot. In reflexology (which shares some philosophical roots with acupuncture), the foot is seen as a metaphor for the body. The big toe is seen as the top of the head, and the sensitive area at the base of the toes represents the neck. The inner sole of the foot is the belly, while the outer sole is the spine. If an area is bothering your partner, spend some time there to get the good vibes flowing.

4. Work your way up. We store a lot of tension in our ankles, so move the foot around passively to help relax the joint. Start with the heel and push up toward the leg; pull the heel down and work it side to side. On the bottoms of the feet, use firm pressure with your thumbs (too light and it’ll be ticklish). Use slow, deep pressure, and work the whole foot, including between the toes. Pull each toe for 10 seconds. Rub the calves from the ankle toward the knee. Since the calves and feet are furthest from the heart and fighting gravity, it is challenging for them to move lymphatic waste along. You want to be moving in that direction anyway, and now you have an excuse.

Source: RealAge

Vicks VapoRub can harm children under 2

By Julie Steenhuysen

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Vicks VapoRub, a common cold remedy, can cause respiratory distress in children under 2 when inappropriately applied directly under the nose, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.

They said using the Procter & Gamble Co product in this way can cause a young child's tiny airways to swell and fill with mucus, triggering severe breathing problems.

"The only problem we've seen is in a small child when it has been put under the nose," Dr. Bruce Rubin of Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina, said in a telephone interview.

Rubin said the ingredients in Vicks can be irritants, causing the body to produce more mucus to protect the airway. And since infants and young children have airways that are much narrower than those of an adult, any increase in mucus or swelling can narrow them severely.

"The company is really clear it should never go under the nose or in the nose for anybody and it shouldn't be used in children under 2," said Rubin, whose study appears in the journal Chest.

While the researchers only tested the Vicks product, Rubin said similar products, including generic versions, could cause the same negative effects in infants and toddlers.

Rubin and his colleagues began looking at use of the medication after treating an 18-month-old girl who developed respiratory distress after the salve was put under her nose.

They studied ferrets, which have an airway anatomy similar to humans. In the animals with a chest infection, the product increased mucus secretion and decreased the animal's ability to clear mucus.

"We were able to document changes that we think explain this," Rubin said.

David Bernens, a spokesman for P&G, said the finding came as a surprise. "Vicks VapoRub has been proven safe and effective through multiple clinical trials. It has been in the market for over 100 years," Bernens said, noting that the label says the product should not be used in children under age 2 without a doctor's advice, and not under the nose.

"We warn people not to do that," he said.

Since the initial episode, emergency doctors at the medical center have begun asking all parents of children in respiratory distress if they used the Vicks product in a similar way and they have seen two more cases, Rubin said.

"I recommend never putting Vicks in, or under, the nose of anybody -- adult or child," Rubin said in a statement, adding that he would never use it in a child under age 2.

Dr. James Mathers, president of the American College of Chest Physicians, said in a statement that parents should consult their doctor before giving any over-the-counter medication to infants and young children, particularly cough and cold medications, which can be harmful.

(Editing by Maggie Fox)

Source http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE50C14Z20090113?feedType=nl&feedName=ushealth1100&bcsi_scan_E3AC49DC1C2F16E3=Dejw839g9WRqbWUgTYS68loAAADsdQch

In one of our post regarding treating colds, I had mentioned about using Vicks on feet, I am glad I shared that with you all and happier still coz I followed it myself. For those who wish to read the past post on treating colds; follow this link: Treating Colds

Care of contact lenses-something I didn't know!

I have been wearing contact lenses since the past fourteen years but there is something that I didn't know about contact lens wear until recently.

I went to my optometrist the other day for a fresh supply of my monthly lenses and after the eye check-up I was just reading a small poster on the wall regarding contact lens care.There I discovered that it is not advisable to wear contact lenses while swimming or during shower (especially during swimming).The primary reason one should avoid wearing contact lenses in the swimming pool is that the water is generally contaminated and so there exists a risk of bacterial infections.If the contact lens wearer wants to absolutely wear the lenses during swimming then he should wear good quality goggles to protect his eyes or use daily disposable lenses on the days that he is swimming.

Foods That Make Your Skin Glow

Foods That Make Your Skin Glow - This article is from the website www.realage.com. It is full of very good information so do read on.....

Top skin creams average about $400 per ounce (and you thought gas was expensive!), yet most offer little proof that they do half of what they promise. Want to save a bundle and improve your skin? Load your shopping cart with nutrients that have been shown to possess skin-hydrating, sun-protecting, and even wrinkle-preventing powers, says Manhattan dermatologist Amy Wechsler, MD. Here’s her grocery list of the best foods for your skin:

Firm and Bright
You’re probably up to your eyebrows (Botoxed or not) with the mantra “eat more fruits and vegetables.” But if you’ve yet to take that advice to heart, maybe knowing that they prevent wrinkles will do the trick.

The skin doc’s three top picks: sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and cantaloupe.

What they do: Replenish your skin’s supply of antioxidants, so they're ready to scarf up free radicals whenever they make an appearance. Free rads are highly reactive oxygen molecules that damage cells and contribute to just about everything that can go wrong with skin, from dryness to wrinkles.

Fresh and Juicy
Your body can’t store much wrinkle-fighting vitamin C, so you need to top up your supplies regularly. The easiest way: Have some citrus every day.

The skin doc’s four top picks: oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit.

Ounce for ounce, oranges are the top citrus source of C, but you can only eat so many, right? For variety, make lemonade; squeeze limes on melon; add grapefruit to salad; and, instead of drinking soda, fizz OJ with sparkling water. It all adds up.

What they do: Keep skin’s vitamin C levels high. While C is a nifty antioxidant, that’s not the key reason it’s here. It helps keep collagen -- the supportive protein fibers that stop skin from sagging -- strong and resilient. (Flimsy collagen means lines and wrinkles.) Since collagen breakdown really picks up in your mid-30s, eat citrus early and often to head off aging.

Smoothing and Soothing
There’s a particularly potent antioxidant known as EGCG that does all kinds of good things for skin. The best place to find it? True teas: black, green, or white (not herbal). Brew a full teapot every morning so that sipping 4 to 6 cups throughout the day is a no-brainer.

The skin doc’s #1 pick::green tea.

While all true teas contain EGCG (by the way, that stands for epigallocatechin-3-gallate), the various types of green tea have the most. Dr. Wechsler’s personal favorite is hojicha green tea (available at http://www.adagio.com/). “The roasting process that turns this green tea a brownish color also lowers its caffeine content,” she says -- handy if you’re caffeine sensitive or it’s one of those days when you don’t need another stimulant.

What it does: Gives your skin a healthy dose of EGCG, which is a great multitasker. EGCG puts a damper on inflammatory chemicals involved in acne and sun-related skin aging, it helps prevent skin cancer; and it has a lion-tamer effect on tumor cells. What’s more, green tea contains L-theanine, a de-tensing amino acid -- and anything you can do to stanch the flow of the stress hormone cortisol helps keep collagen fibers intact.

Dark and Green
Certain dark green vegetables, whether they’re fresh, frozen, raw, or steamed, really deliver on vitamin A, one of the most skin-essential vitamins going.

The skin doc’s three top picks: spinach, turnip greens, and broccoli.

What they do:Deliver a hefty supply of vitamin A, which supports skin-cell turnover, the process that keeps cell growth and development humming along flawlessly. Without enough A, skin becomes dry, tough, and scaly.

Fish Faves
Several cold-water catches give your skin a double benefit: age-fighting omega-3 fatty acids and the restorative powers of protein.

The skin doc’s seven top picks: salmon, trout, tuna, sardines, Atlantic mackerel, Pacific herring, and most shellfish.

Just don’t, uh, go overboard. As good as omega-3s are for skin (and the rest of you, too), worries about the amount of mercury in many fish mean it’s smart to limit seafood or freshwater fish to two meals a week. That’s a must for young children and for women who are pregnant, who may become pregnant, or who are nursing. (Go here for the government’s fish guidelines)

What they do: Omega-3s fight inflammation, now considered one of the top skin agers, and they also help protect against sunburn, enhancing the effects of your sunscreen’s SPF. Protein is required to build and repair skin cells and to make enzymes and hormones that help keep it glowing.

Fill your grocery cart with all of these foods and you won’t just look younger, you’ll be younger. Eating at least one serving of fish a week and getting the right amount of antioxidants through diet or supplements lowers your biological age. In fact, the antioxidants alone can make your RealAge up to 6 years younger.

Outside food made at home

I wanted to first put this as a comment to Malina's post; but then there was a lot going on inside my head so I decided to make it a post in itself.
Malina's post on eating out the healthy options was indeed enlightening; but I still think that instead of asking them to skip the butter while grilling fish, wouldn't it be better to ask them to use olive oil.
I have been trying to make some simple things that we normally would buy off the shelf. The first one is simple cup-cakes. When I saw Nigella Lawson...yes 'the' Nigella make these easy-weasy cup cakes I was like "yes!! I can make those", but being what I am I was sitting on that thought for some time. Well the cup-cakes that we pick up off the shelf tend to be a bit dry and then my son can't eat the dry stuff, and then not all cup-cakes taste good with a sprinkle of milk or juice. So this was the inspiration behind the experiment. The recipe is very simple: 125 gms each of flour, butter and sugar. Now here is the thing, as mommies we are free to use wholegrain flour/atta, and about sugar, please try brown sugar, not only does it taste yummmmmmmmm it is also more nutritious and less loaded with chemicals than plain white sugar. And another thing is to get the finer variety of brown sugar (a friend told me this; but I forget why she said it was better). OK once you mix in your butter with the sugar, you throw in 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence, and just mix these well, maybe for about 4-5 minutes. Then add in the flour and at the end add in 2 tablespoons of milk. The batter is now ready to be spooned into paper cups. Preheat the oven at 200 degrees C and bake the cakes for 15-20 minutes. You need not have the muffin tray to insert your paper cups, I found these cups which have the usual paper cup on the inside, and the outer cup is made of foil, so you can place them straight onto your regular baking tray.
Once this basic cup-cake is mastered then any amount of variations are possible, add bananas to the batter, add some dry-fruit of choice, or chocolate chips the possibilities are endless. I have made 3 batches of these cup cakes within a span of 1 month and every time they turn out better and friends love them too!! Best part is that my son gets to see how a cake is made, and can eat one straight from the oven steaming-hot !!
Now coming on to the second one, this I know Iba loves them a lot...well they are chicken nuggets. This is the way I made them this Sunday: Cut the boneless chicken pieces into thin chunks. Take some mayonnaise in a bowl; and take some salted crackers/biscuits of your choice and pound them into crumbs. Put the crumbs into a plate (make more cracker-crumbs coz if you fall short mid-way it will be very messy to make them again) OK now what you do is take the chicken pieces, roll them in mayonnaise, and then roll them well in the cracker-crumbs. Once you have finished coating all of them, heat some oil preferably olive oil in a non-stick pan and shallow fry the chicken. The will take no more than 5 minutes to cook, and then serve it up with ketchup or a sauce of choice or for kids a mayonnaise dip with some lemon and herbs is also a great hit.
For these nuggets we can also bake them, but right now the oven settings are escaping my memory, I shall pen them down later.
Do try them and meanwhile I take inspiration for some more great things and also some more inspiration to write regularly on the blog!!

Eating healthy when you are eating out

Eating out does not mean that you have to stray from your healthy eating goals.
Here are some tips & ideas which have worked well for us when eating at fast food chains:

• If you are eating at McDonald's then hamburger is a good choice,if you eat beef.It has no mayo and is a good bargain at 270 calories and 19 g of fat compared to the other alternatives. If you do not eat beef then another relatively healthy option at McDonald's is the grilled chicken foldover at 392 calories and 19 g of fat.
• Avoid eating at Burger King where the burgers are too high in calories.
• Subway is a godsend for people who want to eat healthy and/or control their weight. However, do order the six inch sandwitch instead of the footlong one and avoid mayo and cheese. Don't be tempted too much by their cookies (yes, and I know that they are delicious!).
• In KFC the problem is that diet drinks are not available. So a soft drink is what you have to order and they are high in sugar. What I do about this is I order coffee and I carry my own low calorie sweeteners.KFC does not make the nutritional information public, but I think that the healthiest options in the menu, apart from the salads, is the "Shrooms Burger" which has no mayo or fried items.

And here are some general tips on eating wisely when eating out:

• Choose baked or grilled items over fried ones. When ordering salads, request for the dressing to be served on the side so that you can control the amount that you can put on the salads.


• Always order chicken without skin as the skin has the majority of the fat.


• In the foodcourts young tau foo, sliced fish soup, fishball soup and other soup based items are easier on your waistline than "Fried Kway Tiao ","chicken birayani" or "laksa"(which is full of coconut gravy). If you are ordering "prata" then order one without any filling (such as cheese.)


• Pizza is notoriously high in saturated fat and so steer clear of them, whenever possible. If you cannot resist then eat only a slice or two. While ordering pizza, order only half the cheese and double the vegetables to make it more nutritious.


• Choose clear soups over creamy ones.


• If you are having grilled fish, be aware of the fact that many restaurants add melted butter to flavor the fish. Ask for your fish to be grilled plain.


• Order fruit for dessert and have diet drinks or plain water. Freshly squeezed juices without sugar is also a good option.


• A baked potato with a little bit of sour cream is a smarter choice than french fries or mashed potatoes.


• When having cold coffee drinks, ask for it to be made with skimmed milk, low calorie sweeteners and to be served without cream.


• If you really really cannot resist the desserts in a buffet, then split it with your friend or spouse.

Yes, I do follow the above guidelines when I eat out. However, I do give in to occasional indulgences and so should you....it is perfectly normal.

A sick baby

Yes yet again I have a sick baby; and I have come to understand that every bout of flu he has it drives me to my maximum capacity and tests me in every way possible. Not only do I have to keep up the nutrition intake, add some more nutrition, help all those medications go down the at-times reluctant throat, keep him cheerful, let him watch his favourite movies...make sure he gets all his sleep, and rest, stay up all day and wake up at night to check on him and the much dreaded fever, .....it is just endless. That's why I say that it tests me to the maximum possible limit and every time I think I cannot take it anymore the limit increases on its own & I again seem to have limit-less patience in me. But honestly at the end of the day it all tires me down. This time we're batteling flu for almost 2 weeks now, now ofcourse things are much better with only a dry cough and a runny nose. Optimistic am I not !!!
One thing that I do is make him soups, more than solid food, as soups provide fast nutrition, they are easily absorbed and we can add all the necessary vegetables or meat into them. The taste also makes them more appealing than solid food, a bit of salt, pepper, a dash of lemon..roasted groud jeera.
I also stock up on chocolates as they are another way to give the kids that much needed energy and calories to help tide over the weakness that accompanies sickness.
Fruits is another major thing that needs stocking up. I must say here that I have found that bananas are extremely useful to supress that last bit of nasty dry cough after a cough bout. But before trying it out do remember that I live in a hot climate. So anyone in a cold climate should not indulge in banana-treatment unless you have a bright sunny day.
Tea also helps in a cold, cough. In making tea we can add a bit of crushed ginger, a pod of cardamom (elaichi), black pepper and a cinnamon stick-piece. Add in very little milk as milk makes the throat itchy and makes the cough worse. But yet again nothing beats a warm glass of milk with tumeric in it. I boil the milk with the tumeric and then cool it off till the drinkable-temperature.
All the medicines that need to be given are given to my son just before serving the meal, this way the medicines do not make him want to throw up. What I do is give him his medication, then help him to a glass of his favourite juice, then after 5-7 minutes the meal is served.
I found this way to be much better as he used to throw up if I gave him his medication post-meal. Although the doctors tell me that the medication should be given only post-meal; but I do it this way as it saves me a lot of cleaning up and my baby has no trouble.
Another thing I have realised is that we are not getting enough of sunlight on ourselves, I mean we are not getting vitamin D, and I read somewhere that if we expose ourselves to sunlight for 15 minutes our body makes 1000 IU (or was it 10,000 IU??) of Vitamin D and this surpasses all the external forms of Vitamin D that you can take. So now we have a time in our sun-window where we sit and play in the sun. I must mention here that Vitmain D is the most important of all the vitamins our body needs after all we are here only because the sun shines, and life began that way.
I do want to know what the other mommies do to treat a sick baby, so mommies do drop in your experiences and tricks of the trade so that we all help one another in being better care-givers during those frighful times that our babies are sick.

Recovering from a cold

On 31st December, I was to attend a last minute dinner with hubby's office people...with no time on hand, I made a dash to the bathroom & washed my hair then laboriously combed plenty of conditioner into them. Mind you all this was taking place at 7:30 pm!! The result was a bad cold on the morning of the first day of the new year ... I suffer from Sinusitis, so usually never catch a cold, the last time I had a cold was almost 3 years back!!
Thus my new year began with plenty of "aaachoo" & "snif-snif" and of course good old tissue (where would we be without tissue paper in our life...good idea for another post!!). During the nest 4 days I had a good flowing nose, and with plenty of Vitamin C in the form of orange juice, lemon pickle, and some good cups of tea & coffee and yes I must share this with you: eating boiled eggs gives immense relief to our sneezing soul, I thought everyone ate eggs when they had a cold but few friends I spoke to did not know it...
So with all the 'good-for-cold' stuff going into my system, I thought my cold was done with. But No....the cold does not want to leave me so soon...After the fourth day, the nose stopped flowing, the headache worsened & every part above my neck hurt as though some one is hammering a nail into it!! So finally this Saturday I made way to the Doctor, she is a nice lady, smiles a lot, cracks a joke, listens to you, and is in no hurry to give you a sackful of tablets; she sits at the Clinic Ashvini along Jalan Telawi, near Berry's cake shop quite close to Bangsar Village.
Since Saturday I am on a flu pill & an antibiotic, she's also given me menthol crystals to use when I take a steam...problem is I hate taking steams...they suffocate me. I am still struggling to meet demands of my normal life like giving time to my son, making lunch for hubby.....I hope I feel better soon as I hate being sick !!
Plan to make some piping hot pepper-infused soup for dinner....now that should make me feel better !!