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July 28, 2016 By Bansi Mehta Vora 7 Comments

Quick healthy dinner recipes

In today’s fast paced life, we are constantly chasing our goals and in the process neglecting our health and body’s needs such as rest, sufficient sleep, lots of nutrition and water. Only when we listen to our body’s needs, will it help us in return, to achieve our targets and support our daily activities.

There are innumerable reasons for not eating nutritious foods. Some of the reasons are lack of time, cooks at home or sometimes its sheer lack of knowledge on what to buy from the market, how to match two ingredients and what to do with the leftovers etc.

Well, I have tried to easy your difficulty by sharing some of the quick and easy recipes which may help you sort out dinners for all your 5 busy working days! I am sure you will love these dishes! Enjoy it guilt free! These dishes will not only do justice to your workouts but, also ensure good nutrition supply for a healthy and energetic you!

DAL KHICHDI

Serves 1; preparation time 15 minutes

Ingredients:

15gms Daliya
10gms Yellow moong dal
10gms Chana dal
25gms Bottle gourd
25gms Cauliflowerv 25gms French beans
10gms Green peas
1 Tomato
2-5 curry leaves
2 big green chilies
A tiny piece of cinnamon

2 cloves
1tbsp oil/ghee
1tsp cumin seeds
1tsp mustard seeds
1/2tsp hing
1tsp red chili powder
1tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp garam masala
1tsp kitchen king masala
Salt to taste
Coriander for garnishing

Method:

Wash and soak the mentioned dal and daliya for about 10 minutes
Chop bottle gourd, cauliflower and French beans to medium sized cubes.
In a pan, put some oil, let it heat, then add mustard seeds, hing, cumin seed, curry leaves and green chilies. Let it simmer for a few minutes. Add red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and the kitchen king masala. Mix well.
Add the chopped veggies and green peas. Mix well.
Now drain and add the soaked dal and daliya mixture. Mix well.
Add about 250 ml water, mix well for a few minutes. Add salt to taste
Now transfer this into a pressure cooker vessel and let it cook for 15 minutes.
Once the cooker is done, you will notice the ingredients have been cooked leaving no water behind, if there is some water left, let it cook for another 5 minutes.
Transfer it in a serving plate, garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve with chilled curd.

PAV BHAJI

Serves 1; preparation time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

10gms Yellow moong dal
10gms green moong dal
15gms white peas
10gms red gram dal
25gms cauliflower
25gms green peas
20gms green capsicum
2 tomatoes

1tbsp ghee
1tsp cumin seeds
1tsp hing
1tsp turmeric powder
1tsp red chili powder
2tsp Pav Bhaji masala (or add as per your taste preference)
Salt to taste

Method:

Wash and soak the pulses and legumes for 10 minutes in hot water.
Chop cauliflower in small pcs. Mix it with green peas.
In a pressure cooker vessel, mix the pulses, legumes, cauliflower and green peas, with water and add some salt. Let it cook in the pressure cooker for 15 minutes.
In the meantime, finely chop green capsicum and grate the tomatoes and make a puree. In a pan, add some ghee and let it heat. Add cumin seeds, hing, and let it simmer. Now add green capsicum and tomato puree, let it cook. Add red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt, and pav bhaji masala. Cook this on low flame.
Check if the pressure cooker is done. If yes, remove the pulses mixture and mash it lightly.
Now add the pulses mixture to the cooked tomato puree mixture. Mix well until everything blends well and let it simmer for a few minutes.
Transfer in a serving bowl. Garnish it with fresh coriander leaves and serve with multigrain breads and piece of lemon.

BESAN PANCAKES:

Makes 3-4 pancakes, preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

100gms besan flour
1 big tomato, shredded
1 big cucumber, shredded
30gms bottle gourd, shredded
Coriander leaves, finely chopped
2 green chilies (optional)

1tsp red chili powder
1tsp turmeric powder
2tsp ginger + chilies paste (if available, to make it spicy)
2tbsp curd
Salt to taste

Method:

In a bowl, take besan flour. Add shredded tomato, cucumber, bottle gourd and coriander leaves.
Add salt, red chili powder, turmeric powder, ginger chilies paste and curd. Mix well. Add very little water if required. We need a slightly flowing consistency of the batter to make pancakes.
In a pan, heat 1tsp oil, spread the batter, top it with some green chilies and some coriander leaves.
Let it cook on both sides on medium flame.
Serve it with green mint chutney mixed with some curd.

ANEER FRANKIE:

Makes 3 Frankies.

Ingredients:

15gms pearl millet flour (bajra)
15gms white millet flour (jowar)
10gms whole wheat flour
Salt to taste
60gms Paneer, shredded or crushed
30gms Yellow capsicum, finely chopped
30gms red capsicum, finely chopped

30gms green capsicum, finely chopped
Coriander leaves, finely chopped
2-3tsp Kapol’s Frankie masala
1tsp jeera masala
Salt to taste
Ginger chilies paste (if available and to make it spicier)

Method:

Make a roti dough by mixing all the three flours with water, some oil and salt. Cover it and keep it aside
In a bowl mix all the capsicums and coriander.
Add salt, ginger chili paste, Frankie masala and some jeera masala. Mix well. You may add come dry mango powder if you like it tangier. Add the shredded paneer to this mixture.
Mix well and make (3) rolls of this mixture.
Using a rolling pin, make 3 rotis of the dough.
In a pan heat some oil and cook a roti. Let it cook properly front and back. As the texture changes, add some green phudina chutney (optional) and spread it over the roti. Then keep a paneer roll on one end of the roti, and gently roll the entire roti. Let it stay on the pan if you like it crispy.
Serve it with ketchup, green phudina chutney or chilled curd.

STUFFED MOONG DAL DOSA

Makes 7-8 dosas

Ingredients

10gms Green moong dal
10gms Yellow moong dal
10gms Urad dal
10gms Red gram dal
10gms Lentils
10gms Bengal gram dal

For the stuffing:

40gms Paneer, shredded
40gms corn kernels

Coriander leaves
15gms coconut, shredded
2 green chilies, finely chopped (optional)
Ginger chili paste
Salt to taste
Grounded black pepper
1tsp garam masala
Dried mango powder (aamchur) to taste

Method:

Wash and soak all the dals in 3 cups hot water for 15 minutes.
In a bowl, mash the paneer, corn and coriander leaves.
Add salt, ginger chili paste, garam masala, some grounded black pepper, dried mango powder and finely chopped chilies (optional). Mix well.
The soaked dals must have become tender. Grind this in a mixture with minimal water. We need the batter to be dense and have flowing consistency.
In the batter add some salt and grounded black pepper.
In a pan, heat some ghee, pour a spoon full of batter and spread it in round motion.
Let it cook on the bottom. Flip it, and let it cook for a few minutes. Flip it again and check if it’s slightly brown.
Then add some of the paneer and corn stuffing on the dosa. Let it cook for a few minutes.
Fold the dosa in two, or you can roll it all the way. Cut in pieces and serve with green phudina chutney or some tamarind chutney.

July 25, 2016 By Luke Coutinho 3 Comments

Why eating too healthy is dangerous for your health

Fruit diets, fruit juice diets, banana and milk diets, high protein diets, chia seed infused water, salads, Vegan food, sugarless snacks, low-fat foods, organic foods, fortified foods, innumerable ranges of organic vitamins, supplements etc……

We have it all….We also have more obesity, more cancer, more diabetes, more depression, more mental decay, more medication, more vitamin deficiencies, more time spent with doctors and in hospitals.

In our endeavor to get healthy, we may actually be doing more harm than good, if we don’t understand the physiology of the human body and mind. Too much of a good thing is bad…..even food… Yes, fruits are extremely nutrient dense foods but, it does not mean we constantly eat them.
Protein is needed, it’s good for repair, tone, muscle, recovery but, it does not mean we need more and more of it.

Many fats may be bad, but it does not mean we stop eating fat completely. It’s a very common belief that to be healthy, we need to eat more and more healthy foods.

Pure Ghee on a fresh hot wheat roti? What’s’ worse, the ghee or the roti?

Most people say that Ghee, is a fat and fat causes cholesterol and high cholesterol causes heart attacks… which really isn’t’ the case in most people who have cardiac arrests or strokes. There are many other reasons. I would worry about the roti, the wheat, where has the wheat come from, is it GMO? How processed is it?

Our beliefs about healthy foods need to be balanced with the understanding of what our body really needs and how our body assimilates nutrients from the food we eat.

A fruit diet is not going to do anything but cleansing……

Too much protein intake is going to do more harm than just repair or muscle build. This is when good food turns bad. When we have too much of even a good thing, it ceases to be good, and can in fact cause harm. There is absolutely no doubt that fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals and all things good, and that they also contain fibre, which prevents constipation and other gastric problems. But, too much fibre (for instance, when you eat platefuls of raw green leafy vegetables or salads like radish day in and out) can mess things up – big time. Excess fibre often causes bloating, abdominal cramps and gas right away.

In the long term, it can interfere with the absorption of minerals like iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus, causing some serious deficiencies. Fruits also contain natural sugars, no harm in that but, too much is bad…your body only uses what it needs, the rest gets stored as fat or becomes waste and all waste is waste, whether it’s a fruit or a samosa. Waste is toxic.

Insane workouts or working out too much, I have a question for you, is it really working? are you really getting the desired body you have in mind? Or are you using exercise as a way of punishing your body because you ate too much?

It just doesn’t work, your body has a life, so does your bones, your muscles and joints and over exercising will decrease your bone density, deplete vitamins from your body , raise cortisol levels, decrease immunity and leave you with ‘STUBBORN BELLY FAT AND LOVE HANDLES’…

The body needs not more than 30 minutes of smart exercise to stay health and if your fat and you are trying to lose weight, more exercise DOES NOT mean more exercise…it means looking smartly at your food choices, your alcohol intake, your sleep, your stress levels, your sugar and the consistency of your exercise program.

Does your choice of exercise suit your body or are you just following the latest fad ?

The body needs protein to repair and build muscle, but eating excessive amounts won’t do the job better. In fact, in a diet where the protein intake goes beyond 30 per cent of the daily caloric intake, a build-up of toxic ketones in the body may occur, causing the kidneys to go into overdrive in an attempt to flush them out. This may lead to a significant loss of water and calcium from the body, causing dehydration and bone loss.

Symptoms include a feeling of weakness and dizziness, dry skin, loss of hair, low appetite, nausea and bad breath. In the long term, this may strain the kidneys, stretch out the liver and put stress on your heart too.

Weight loss efforts go bust too, as excess protein is converted into fat. Another problem is that while making protein into carbs or fat, the body converts the protein’s nitrogen into urea or uric acid. In large amounts, this can mess up your kidneys, lead to gout (a condition that causes your joints to become inflamed, tender and painful to move) and cause gallstones and kidney stones.”

Be super careful with protein shakes and bars. The body can process only about four to five grams of protein per hour, so the 50 grams you got from that protein bar or shake will take about 10 hours to digest and absorb. Also, when you replace your meals with protein shakes, you run the risk of missing the vitamins and nutrients you get from real food.

The Japanese eat soya and stay healthy and live longer. It is high in protein and has zero cholesterol. So what could be wrong with that?

That’s true, but, what is also true is that most Japanese eat only about 8 to 10g of soy protein a day, and even soya causes problems when eaten in excess. If overeaten, it may promote cancer, dementia, reproductive abnormalities, and osteoporosis and thyroid disorders. Increased consumption could also increase a woman’s total estrogen level, which is a risk factor for breast cancer.

For men, excessive soya can raise the risk of infertility, physical changes, and hormonal havoc.

The body will only use what it needs…anything in excess becomes fat or waste and both are detrimental to your mind-body health.

July 12, 2016 By Luke Coutinho 1 Comment

This Molecule – ‘Nitric Oxide’ can change your health

Did you know there is a molecule our Body produces which is called ‘Nitric oxide’ (NO)?

Well then let me enlighten you about NO. This is a molecule that our body produces to help its 50 trillion cells communicate with each other by transmitting signals throughout the entire body. This molecule is also the ‘fountain of youth’ secret. The more nitric oxide your body produces naturally, the younger you stay, mentally and physically.

help memory and behavior by transmitting information between nerve cells in the brain
• assist the immune system at fighting off bacteria and defending against tumors
• regulate blood pressure by dilating arteries
• reduce inflammation
• improve sleep quality
• increase your recognition of sense (i.e. smell)
• increase endurance and strength
• assist in gastric motility

Nitric oxide is one of the main ‘ingredients’ behind erections, and without the molecule, you simply couldn’t’ have a healthy one.

Simply put, nitric oxide makes the body run more smoothly, as oxygen, nutrients, and red blood cells can reach their target tissue and cells faster. This to me is what makes nitric oxide extremely important, when it comes to immunity, prevention and cure of diseases and maintenance of well-being.

The most common way to increase nitric oxide is through exercise. When you run or lift weights, your muscles need more oxygen which is supplied by the blood. As the heart pumps with more pressure to supply the muscles with blood, the lining in your arteries releases nitric oxide into the blood, which relaxes and widens the vessel wall, allowing for more blood to pass though.

As we age, our blood vessels and nitric oxide system become less efficient due to free radical damage, inactivity, and poor diet, causing our veins and arteries to deteriorate. Think of a fire hose as water rushes through it to put out a fire – it needs to expand enough to handle the pressure, still keeping enough force to put out the fire. Athletes and youth have the most optimal nitric oxide systems, reflecting their energy and resilience.

When you eat foods that contain natural nitrates, the bacteria in your tongue converts them into nitritines… …And once you swallow the food, the bacteria in your gut converts the nitritines into nitric oxide. And fortunately, nitrate rich foods are easy to obtain and they’re also quite cheap.

Here’s a list of few great foods packed with natural nitrates:

Spinach, beets, celery, aragula lettuce, iceberg lettuce, carrots, parsley, cabbage, radishes, collard greens, etc. It’s a well-known medical fact that vitamin C increases nitric oxide production in the body, and that it also protects the molecules. Garlic on the other hand is filled with nitrates, and it also contains a compound called quercetin, which is linked to increased NO levels.
eat plenty of grapes, red wine, onions, and garlic.

Get plenty of safe sunlight

CQ10 from food sources, such as from: salmon, grassfed red meat, animal organs, egg yolks, Brazil nuts, and spinach.

Remember in the tip number #1 how I said that the bacteria in your tongue converts nitrates into nitritines, and then your gut continues the process by converting the nitritines into NO? Well, that process never occurs if you’re a ‘heavy user’ of mouthwashes. Listerine and the likes, tend to destroy all of the bacteria in your mouth (remember not all bacteria is bad) so that the nitrates can’t convert into nitritines.

Exercising and staying active is amazingly awesome for pretty much everything. After all, we were never meant to sit around all day.

We should be constantly on the move, walking, climbing, etc. And pretty much all kinds of exercise (all the way from walking into furious strength training) has been shown to increase nitric oxide levels, both, temporarily and the baseline. Something as simple as increasing nitrix oxide in your body can make you feel healthy, strong and fit.

June 24, 2016 By Trupti Hingad 2 Comments

Best Yoga Asanas for Hypothyrodism

One of the biggest battle for most people is ‘Weight Loss’. 90 % of the people are stressed and spend sleepless nights over not losing weight. The question in most individual’s mind is despite doing exercise and eating right why is it that I am unable to lose weight or maintain it?

Healthy foods, controlled portion sizes, regular exercise and peaceful sleep — these are the ingredients for losing weight.

One of the reason for not being able to lose weight could also be –Hypothyroidism, a condition where your thyroid gland function is impaired. Underactive thyroid gland plays a vital role in affecting the weight reduction journey.

It’s difficult for someone with hypothyroidism to lose or maintain a healthy weight balance as T3, the active thyroid hormone is low. T3 is a powerful hormone that regulates the body’s metabolism. The most important thing you can do for weight loss and for your overall health —is to get proper treatment for your hypothyroidism.

Losing weight is never easy, but, people can control it and shouldn’t struggle to lose weight. However, making a few dietary changes and regular exercise or Yoga may help in weight loss.

Here are some of the important yoga asanas which boosts the function of your thyroid gland and helps in weight loss.

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1. VIPRITKARNI:

It is a Mudra.Viprit means: reverse and karni means “by which”. Viparitakarni helps to balance the functioning of thyroid and eases the complication caused by hypoactive thyroid. This is also one of the important Asanas for thyroid disorder. This can be done for 2minutes maximum.It is also called as half shoulder stand.

Method:

Lie down on your back. Arms alongside of the body. As you inhale bend your knees and raise the legs and buttocks. Bring the palms under your hips to support the buttocks. Elbows remain on the floor. Straighten the legs vertically upwards. Relax the muscles of feet, legs, and hips. Shoulder and neck relaxed on the mat. Breathe normal. Remain in the position for few seconds and gradually increase it to 1-2min. Exhale, bend the knees towards your forehead and slowly lower the buttocks and legs and return to the starting position.

Limitation: Avoid with High BP and dizziness

2. SETUBHANDASANA (BRIDGE POSE)

This asana provides appropriate stretch on the back and suitable massage to the neck. It helps to regulate the functions of thyroid gland thereby helpful in releasing thyroxin hormone.This can be done for 2-3 min maximum.

Lie flat on your back with arms at your sides, palms down. Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor. Keep your feet hip width apart, parallel to each other, and as close to the buttocks as possible. Simultaneously, press your upper arms and feet into the floor and begin lifting your hips towards the ceiling. Try to distribute your weight equally on the inside and outside of your feet.

Now, move your breastbone towards your chin, keeping your chin lifted only slightly as not to flatten the back of the neck. Firm your tailbone in towards the pubis and move your pubis slightly towards the belly. In order to keep the lower back extended, keep the knees over the ankles, perpendicular to the floor. Your buttocks should be firm, but not clasped.

Lift your hips as high as you are able without breaking position. If you are having trouble holding posture, you can clasp your hands behind your back and firm you arms into the floor, shoulder blades shifted down along the spine. Hold this pose for 5 to 15 breaths.

To come out of Bridge Pose, release on an exhalation, rolling your spine slowly down onto the floor.

Limitations: Avoid doing this pose if you are suffering from neck and back injuries.

3. MATSYASANA (Fish pose):

Matsya means fish, in the final pose, the asana take the form of fish. Hence the name is Matsyasana. Matsyasana provides adequate stretching to the neck region thereby stimulate the thyroid gland. It increases blood supply to trunk and neck region.

This can be done for 1-2 minute maximum

Method:

Sit in Padmasana, lean back,using elbow and arms to help balance yourself, until your had rest comfortably on the mat and your body forms a low arc. Use a low cushion for comfort at first, if necessary. Now extend your arms and grasp your toes on either side. Breathe normal. Rest till you can hold the posture. Exhale using the support of elbow come to the original position.

Limitations: Knee joint problems, piles, dislocation of knee joints.

4. USTRASANA (Camel pose): This can be done maximum for 2 minutes.

Method: This asana also give stretch to the neck.

Assume a sitting posture as in kneeling. Support the body on the toes and knees and gradually lean backward, after having fixed the arms from behind, the palms to the ground, the fingers pointing outward and the thumbs towards the toes. Keep arms straight then slowly life the pelvis while taking in the breath. Press the body above the waist slowly both outward and upward, throwing the neck downward. Breathe normal. Exhaling slowly come back to original position.

Limitations: Those who have undergone any recent operation at the chest or abdomen, people with hernia problems, severe hypertension and low back must be cautious.

5. SARVANGASANA (Shoulder stand pose): Sarvangasana is the most important pose to stimulate thyroid gland and control thyroxin. This is the most effective yoga pose where blood flow from legs to head region due to its inverted condition thereby helps in curing of thyroid. This can be done maximum for 3 minutes.

Method:

Lie flat on the back with the feet together, the arms by the sides, and palms flat on the ground.Using the arms as levers, raise the legs and back to a vertical position.

Bend the elbows and use the arms as props to steady the back by pressing it with the palms.The trunk and legs should extend straight up, forming a right angle with the neck, the chest pressing against the chin.

Limitations: Excess obesity, Myopia, severe spinal problems, pregnancy.

6. SIMHASANA: Simhasana or the Lion Pose resembles a squatting lion in the final pose. In Sanskrit, ‘Simha’ means ‘Lion’ and ‘asana’ means ‘pose. It is an excellent pose for thyroid gland.

Sit in the kneeling position or Vajrasana. Move the knees apart so that they make almost a right angle between them.Tuck your palms, under your thighs. The palms should face downwards and point towards the body. An alternate way is to keep the palms on the knees stretched and spread wide apart.

Bend forward slightly, resting the weight of the body on the arms.Now, tilt the head backwards. Keep the eyes wide open. Open your mouth and draw the tongue forward and downwards as much as you can.

Gaze at the space between the eyebrows with eyes wide open. This is called Bhrumadhya Drishti. In Hatha Yoga Pradeepika, an alternate gaze for the eyes is given as Nasikagra Drishti or gazing at the tip of the nose.

Breathe normally and deeply in this position. During exhalation make a sound ‘ahhh…’, to imitate the breathing of a lion with tongue outside. You may also roar like a lion, few times in this position. Relax your muscles in the back, abdomen and chest in the final position.

Remain in this final position for as long as comfortable.In some variations, the tongue can also be moved from side to side making the sound ‘ahhh…’

Limitations: For those with weak knee or ankle joints, this asana should be practiced with caution.

This can be practiced for maximum 3 minutes.

Diet is equally important and utmost care should be paid to it. I have herewith chalked out diet tips which is a mix of yogic and modern diet.

Yogic Diet tips for thyroid disorders

Diet with high fiber content should be taken.
Avoid excess eating of fats and carbohydrates.
Give more and more thrust on green and leafy vegetables.
Focus on eating seasonal fruits.
Ginger greatly enhances thyroid function. Chew ginger or have ginger tea.
Black walnut contains iodine, which nourishes the thyroid gland.
Foods like curd, fish, meat, eggs, radish, and oatmeal contain good amount of iodine. So take these foods regularly to control thyroid problems
It is recommended that you have Gomutra (Cow urine):Its anti-inflammatory, Anti- Bacterial, antibiotic and antimicrobial. It acts as an antidote. 10-15drops can be taken on an empty stomach in the morning. It works best if taken with Ashwagandha.
Bask in Sun: take sunlight /sun bath between 7am -8am.
Have 1 tbsp cold pressed virgin Coconut oil. It improves the function of thyroid hormone
Take foods such as carrots, pumpkin, sprouts, spinach, wheat grass seaweeds because of its iodine content.

Thyroid diet prevention & precaution

Cruciferous veggies can be eaten in limited quantity and should be cooked.Non veg foods such as fish —healthy omega 3 fatty acids present in oily fishes like salmon, tuna, sardines can be eaten. Even eggs are healthy protein rich options to be taken in meals.
Spicy foods should by far be avoided as they are tamasic and interferes with keeping the mind calm and in a balance state which is very necessary to deal emotionally with the people having thyroid.
Refined and Preserved foods should be avoided to keep the weight in check.
Caffiene should be avoided because it hampers the healing properties of thyroid medications.

Begin with these yoga practices and maintain your thyroid hormones function and achieve a successful weight loss. Bring on a “new you” with these yoga Asanas.

Please Note: Sarvangasana and Vipritkarni needs to practice under guidance.

Quick healthy dinner recipes

Why eating too healthy is dangerous for your health

This Molecule – ‘Nitric Oxide’ can change your health

Best Yoga Asanas for Hypothyrodism

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