GINGER
I use grated ginger while making most of the curries and dals. Half a teaspoon of ginger extract mixed with half a teaspoon of honey is an excellent cough relief measure. Ginger adds flavour to tea and makes an awesome drink, especially in the rainy season. Ginger extract added to lemon juice prevents nausea.
Wikipedia says:
Ginger produces a hot, fragrant kitchen spice. Mature ginger rhizomes are fibrous and nearly dry. The juice from old ginger roots is extremely potent and is often used as a spice in Indian recipes, and is a quintessential ingredient of Chinese, Korean, Japanese and many South Asian cuisines for flavouring dishes such as seafood or goat meat and vegetarian cuisine.
Powdered dry ginger root is typically used as flavouring for recipes such as gingerbread, cookies, crackers and cakes, ginger ale, and ginger beer. Candied ginger, or crystallized ginger, is the root cooked in sugar until soft, and is a type of confectionery.
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| Ginger & Garlic Picture Courtesy: http://www.readytoeat.com |
GARLIC
I use grated or chopped garlic to many of my food preparations. It adds an excellent flavour. Garlic rasam is a hot favourite at home.
Consuming garlic regularly keeps blood pressure under control. It’s high in Vitamin C and balances blood sugar levels. It also helps in maintaining cholesterol and improves your immune system.
Wikepedia says:
Garlic is widely used around the world for its pungent flavour as a seasoning or condiment. The garlic plant's bulb is the most commonly used part of the plant. Garlic cloves are used for consumption (raw or cooked) or for medicinal purposes. They have a characteristic pungent, spicy flavour that mellows and sweetens considerably with cooking.
Both Ginger & Garlic have many common health benefits:
• They are excellent aids to digestion.
• They are very good at fighting colds, coughs and other viral infections. Regular intake of both in cooked foods keeps infections away. (NOTE: Please understand here that I am not suggesting that a person suffering from viral fever should be fed this. A sick person’s digestive system will not be strong enough to handle ginger & garlic.)
• They help reduce stomach cramps during menstruation.
• Ginger & Garlic added to the diet of pregnant women helps reduce morning sickness.
• It’s also recommended to the diet of women post child birth.
CLICK HERE to know more benefits of ginger & garlic.....
A-Z Challenge 2014
'A' for Asafoetida
'B' for Bananas
'C' for Chin Mudra
'D' for Dance Therapy
'E' for Elephant Yam
'F' for Fenugreek Seeds
'G' for Ginger & Garlic
'A' for Asafoetida
'B' for Bananas
'C' for Chin Mudra
'D' for Dance Therapy
'E' for Elephant Yam
'F' for Fenugreek Seeds
'G' for Ginger & Garlic
'F' FOR FENUGREEK SEEDS
Fenugreek Seeds (Methi, मेथी, வெந்தயம்) is a common ingredient that is used for cooking in most Indian households. These tiny seeds add an aromatic flavour to Indian cuisine and are used in full while giving a ‘tadka’ or are roasted and powdered to add taste. Fenugreek leaves (Methi greens) are also excellent for health.
The seeds can be soaked along with Urad Dal before making the dough for Idli or Dosa. This increases the fluffiness of the idlis and crispiness of the dosas. Sprouted Fenugreek seeds add taste to salads.
Fenugreek seeds have a bitter taste with a terrific and positive effect on one’s digestive system. I have heard of people recommending the intake of Fenugreek seeds in the form of powder or soaked grains. Believe me, this is one way of ensuring that no one will consume the seeds. Taken in either form, one cannot miss the bitter taste and hence, most of the people I know, refuse to have it.
The best way is to swallow half a teaspoon of Fenugreek seeds along with water the same way that you would swallow tablets. You don’t get to taste the bitterness while the wonder effect on your body is awesome.
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| Fenugreek Seeds & Leaves Pictures courtesy: http://www.bulkdeal.org & http://3.bp.blogspot.com |
Why consume Fenugreek seeds at all?
Well, Fenugreek seeds have a wonderful effect on your whole system.
• It protects your stomach lining and ensures that you don’t get stomach ulcers.
• It acts as a digestive and ensures that you don’t get heartburn.
• It acts as a natural medicine whether you have constipation or loose stools. The effect is immediate unless the condition is chronic.
• Having Fenugreek seeds everyday sets your whole digestive system in order.
• It helps you lose weight over a period of time.
• Especially for those who consume alcohol, Fenugreek seeds save you from most of the evil side effects.
• It helps in the functioning of the Pancreas that secretes insulin, very helpful in the case of diabetics.
• Consumption of Fenugreek seeds in the long run helps your skin glow and your hair shine.
Do you need more reasons to use Fenugreek seeds?
'E' FOR ELEPHANT YAM
Elephant Yam is a root vegetable used all over India. It can irritate one’s skin while peeling and cutting. It is best to use it after boiling in water along with salt and turmeric powder. Boil well and throw away the water before preparing the vegetable to your taste.
It’s a tasty vegetable and suits even a person with diabetes while other root vegetables are best avoided by sugar patients. Elephant Yam is high in Vitamin B12 and is a nutritious addition to your diet. According to Wikipedia, Elephant Yam is used in Ayurveda to treat a number of diseases.
According to the Diet Health Club website:
• The trace minerals and key minerals present in Elephant Yam include copper, zinc, selenium, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium.
• The fibre content in it is naturally high and therefore, it is usually considered a slimming food, as it promotes weight loss and reduces the levels of cholesterol in the body. If Elephant Yam is cooked in the right way, it can be eaten without any fear of weight gain.
• It has a cooling effect on the body, which is why it is good for people who suffer from hypertension.
• Elephant Yams are very high in Omega 3 fatty acids; they help reduce the bad cholesterol in the body and increase the good cholesterol instead.
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| Elephant Yam Picture Courtesy: http://shophop.co.in/ |
• The anti-coagulating properties present in this Yam can prevent the blood from clotting.
• The glycemic index of this Yam is on the lower side, which is why it is good for people who are suffering from diabetes.
• The consumption of Elephant Yam is good for women, as it increases the Estrogen levels in their bodies, thereby helping them to maintain their hormonal balance. Since Yams are high in Vitamin B6 too, it can provide relief from pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS).
• Elephant Yams can help reduce irregular bowel movements & cure constipation.
I think that’s enough information to tell you that Elephant Yam should be a part of your diet on a regular basis – at least twice a month. It’s available throughout the year.
'D' FOR DANCE THERAPY
Yes, these dance forms definitely act as excellent therapies. But then, it might not be possible for everyone to spend a lot of effort and many years practising these dance forms.
When I say Dance Therapy, I am just talking about swinging your arms and moving your legs to pulsating music - any kind of music that makes you want to flow with the rhythm.
If you have never done it before or feel shy, just close your eyes and swing. Believe me, it’s an awesome form of therapy that helps you let go of all the stress that you have accumulated ever. Just half an hour of swinging to any kind of music you like - I simply love good old Bollywood music - helps you beat stress.
Believe me if, I mean if, you do it regularly, you will also lose a lot of weight and inches. This is probably one of the best ways and a totally fun way to remain fit.
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| Dance Therapy Picture Courtesy: http://allisonfwinters.files.wordpress.com |
CLICK HERE to watch Kangana Ranaut dance to Hungama Ho Gaya in the movie Queen.
Wikipedia says: Dance therapy can be used to treat numerous illnesses, disorders and ailments. It is most commonly used to treat anxiety disorders, clinical depression and severe stress. Anxiety disorders can be defined as a group of mental disorders, in which a severe, and sometimes permanent state of worry, is the dominant symptom. Clinical depression focuses more on thoughts and feelings of sadness, chronic gloom, inadequacy and lack of activity. Severe stress is simply worry that may arise from a difficult situation. With each issue, there is a form of stress associated with it, so dance therapy is used to calm that stress. Dance therapy also gives results that medications do not. While medications may have harmful side effects, dance therapy strengthens the body. Anxiety, depression and severe stress have the potential to affect all aspects of a person's well-being: physical, social, mental and emotional. Dance therapy has been shown to improve each of those areas.
'C' FOR CHIN MUDRA
Most of you must be familiar with Chin Mudra that brings together the tips of the thumb and index finger while holding the rest of the three fingers straight. I do deep breathing while holding my fingers in this Mudra. You can do 100 to 500 counts of deep abdominal breathing depending on the time you can spare. It’s worth the time and effort, I promise.
This Mudra is effective for de-stressing, bringing down one’s blood pressure and getting sound sleep. It improves one's concentration and focus too. So many good things all rolled into one. So what are you waiting for? Try it out NOW.
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| Chin Mudra |
TIP: Avoid doing this on a full stomach. A couple of hours after meals is a good time to do it, unless you prefer to do it first thing in the morning.
CLICK HERE to learn more about Mudras.....
'B' FOR BANANAS
Bananas as fruits have a number of health benefits. For one, they aid digestion; eating a banana or two gives great relief from constipation.
Many people are under the mistaken impression that eating bananas might give them a cold. That happens to only those who are allergic to bananas (very few people are). In fact, bananas help one resist a cold.
The best thing about eating a banana is that it immediately boosts your system to give you a ‘feel good’ feeling, increasing your physical and mental energies.
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| Bananas Picture Courtesy: http://fitnessandhealthadvisor.com/ |
Some are of the impression that bananas make one put on weight. Weighed (forgive the pun) against the health benefits that one gets from eating a banana a day, it makes sense to give up something else of equal calories.
CLICK HERE to know more about the health benefits of Bananas.
'A' FOR ASAFOETIDA
It also acts as a coolant and is used liberally in mango & lemon pickles in South India. Usually, in Tamil Nadu, we avoid combining Asafoetida and Onions in the same dish as they beat each other’s flavours.
Asafoetida also has a number of useful side effects. It builds body resistance and keeps the regular user free from cold and fever.
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| ASAFOETIDA Pic Courtesy: http://www.sunstarinvestments.co.za |
Wikipedia says: Asafoetida is the dried gum exuded from the rhizome or tap root of several species of Ferula, a perennial herb. The species is native to the deserts of Iran, mountains of Afghanistan, and is mainly cultivated in nearby India. As its name suggests, asafoetida has a fetid smell but in cooked dishes it delivers a smooth flavour. It is also known as asant, food of the gods, giant fennel, jowani badian, stinking gum, Devil's dung, hing, kayam and ting.
BLOGGING FROM A-Z APRIL CHALLENGE 2014
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| Pic Courtesy: http://4.bp.blogspot.com |
I plan to write on a subject close to my heart - alternate healing therapies and using herbs, grains and other things in the course of daily cooking to enhance health. Now I am getting really excited and don't want to take up too much of your time in reading this blog.
I do look forward to posting a healthy piece of information beginning with letter 'A' tomorrow. I hope you enjoy this ride along with me Guys! Thanks for all your support.
Love your takes which are very insightful. Nothing beats D for Dance Therapy to beat stress and feel fresh as it makes the brain very healthy to think.
ReplyDeleteThank you Vishal, I am glad you find my posts useful
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