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The Magic of Indian Masala Chai

masala chaiThe word Chai actually means tea in English and Russian. In India, it is also known as Masala Chai. More appropriately, it means spice blend. Tea has become a daily part of Indian life. It is now a key element of our culture which has spread throughout the world. Masala Chai is an everyday drink in most parts of India. It is common for Indians to delight themselves with 2 cups of it per day.

In almost every street corner and even office spaces, you will find a Chai Wallah (tea vendors) who prepares this traditional beverage. They prepare this rich Masala Chai over an open fire in small stands and stalls and serve it in clay tea cups called Kullarhs.

Well, you can prepare it yourself! This may be the right tea for you, to give you the strength and energy during the day and to take you on an amazing ride through the world of Indian tea. Let’s prepare it together! Have a look at our Masala Chai benefits, recipe and get your ingredients ready.

Some amazing Benefits of the Indian Masala Chai

  1. Improves Digestion: The spices used in Masala Chai help in regulating the digestive system. It also helps in keeping your gut healthy. A spice like Ginger aids digestion by improving circulation and delivering oxygen to organs so they can perform optimally.
  2. Supports the Immune System: It is known to strengthen the immune system and keeps common infection at bay. It helps provide relief when infected with common cold and cough.
  3. Improves Heart Health: Cinnamon, one of the main ingredients in Masala Chai, helps lower bad cholesterol and blood pressure. Drinking Masala Chai can prevent cardiovascular disease when consumed regularly over long periods of time.
  4. Relieves Aches and Pains: The spices found in Masala Chai can alleviate common aches and pains. These health benefits derive from the anti-inflammatory properties of many of the ingredients in it, specifically ginger and clove.
  5. Reduces Nausea: Spices like Ginger and Cardamom are well known for their ability to reduce nausea and seasickness. Masala Chai soothes an upset stomach and alleviates stomach pain associated with nausea.
  6. Boosts Energy: It is a wonderful experience having a hot cup of ‘Masala Chai’ after a hard day’s work. Caffeine is a natural stimulant in Masala Chai which boosts energy and gives you the kick which you need to start your day.
  7. Boosts Metabolism: Tea is known as a heat generating food in Ayurveda. It helps speed up metabolism. Ingredients like ginger, clove, black pepper and cardamom helpincreaset loss and increases the metabolism of the body in a short period.
  8. Contributes to Reduce Sugar Levels: Ingredients used in Masala Chai such as clove, cinnamon, and cardamom helps in preventing diabetes by increasing the insulin sensitivity of the body and lowering one’s blood sugar levels.
  9. Relieves PMS: It can be your best friend to fight the symptoms of PMS the natural way. Ingredients like ginger, clove, and cardamom work as natural painkillers when you are experiencing period pains. It calms your nerves, keeps you in a good mood and relaxes your muscles.

Authentic Masala Chai Recipe (Serves 2 cups)

Masala Chai ingredients

Ingredients

  • Water: 1 cup
  • Milk: 1 cup (organic whole milk, almond milk, oat milk)
  • Black tea/ loose leaf: 1 ½ teaspoon
  • Jaggery Powder: 2-3 teaspoons (more or less) or maple syrup, honey, brown sugar
  • Clove: 2-3
  • Cardamom: 2
  • Cinnamon: ½ stick
  • Peppercorns: 3-4 (optional)
  • Ginger: 2 slices or crushed
  • Star Anise: 1 (optional)

How to prepare

  • Lightly crush cardamom, cinnamon, clove, ginger, star anise, and peppercorn and add in boiling water
  • Add black tea/leaf and boil it for 2-3 minutes
  • Add sugar and milk
  • Bring it to simmer twice or more
  • Turn off the heat and strain it into your favorite mug
  • Your Masala Chai is ready!

A common myth is that green tea has more health benefit than black tea.  This is simply not true. It is because all tea (Black, Green, and White) comes from the same plant, Camellia Sinensis, they offer the same benefits. The spices which we have used in our Masala Chai are well known in Ayurveda for many health benefits.

  • Ginger is anti-inflammatory and improves digestion, prevents and manages stomach ulcers, protects against symptoms of cold and flu, and stimulates blood circulation. It also reduces blood cholesterol by improving liver function
  • Cinnamon has Anti-fungal, Anti-bacterial properties. It helps in lowering LDL cholesterol and has a regulatory effect on blood sugar, making it especially beneficial for people with Type 2 diabetes
  • Cardamom is considered as a kidney cleanser. It is known to enhance appetite, improve digestion and provide relief from acidity in the stomach. It is also considered beneficial to the urinary tract system
  • Cloves are well-known for its anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal and antiseptic properties. They’re also known to heal ailments of the digestive system and promote good digestion as well as metabolism
  • Black Pepper is a powerful anti-oxidant. It improves digestion and promotes intestinal health. It is an effective remedy for respiratory conditions including colds, coughs, and flu
  • Star Anise aids digestion, alleviates cramps and reduces nausea. It also helps in preventing constipation, supports good sleep, promotes bone and skin health.

So, add the ingredients mentioned above in your regular tea to make it a complete Indian Masala chai. Do share your experience in the comments below!

For more on tea, check out Healthy Reads. You can get more valuable insights on the food you consume directly from your GOQii Coach by subscribing for personalised health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

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Pleasuring Yourself: Is it Good and Healthy? Part I

masturbation myths and benefits

Kanika is studying in college. In her biology class, she read that stimulation of the clitoris leads to pleasure. While many of her friends studied and forgot about it, Kanika decided to try it out… and it worked! In fact, it worked wonderfully well! Gradually, she started doing it whenever she felt the urge and it felt blissful!

Kanika masturbates and it is perfectly normal and healthy. Masturbation is the sexual stimulation of one’s own genitals for sexual arousal or other sexual pleasure, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation may involve hands, fingers, everyday objects, sex toys or combinations of these. It is frequent and common among both sexes and all ages and for many, it is the first sexual encounter.

Here is What Happens in the Body When You Masturbate

1. The Genital Area: When you start becoming aroused, several physical responses occur, including an increased heart rate, faster breathing, and increased blood flow through the body, including the skin. Muscles contract, and with the increased blood flow, genital organs such as the clitoris get bigger, in a male, the penis is enlarged. In a woman, the vaginal wall becomes more lubricated and the uterus even moves position to create space for penetration.

2. The Brain: It is said that the orgasm happens in the brain and physiology is a small part! The prefrontal cortex of the brain in women appears to be more active during masturbation than sex, which appears to happen when touches are imagined rather than felt. This is seen much more in women. As stimulation continues, the nerves in that area also become more responsive. Touching the erogenous parts of the body initiates the physiological responses described above. If sustained, usually leads to orgasm in most people.

Within the brain there is an increase in hormones, including dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin as you start masturbating. These are ‘feel good’ hormones, which reduce feelings of stress, and increase feelings of bonding between individuals. During masturbation, it is just you!

3. Blood: There is an increase in blood cells that help fight infections. In one small study, sexually active women had higher immunoglobulin G (IgG) at ovulation than sexually abstinent women. IgG is an antibody response and is the most common antibody expressed in blood. It acts directly on pathogens by either paralysing target cells or by immobilising them and marking them for disposal.

Why is it good for Health?

  1. It’s good for you! Literally! It is FINE to masturbate and release that pent up energy. An excessive of it is not! Read more in the next article. The hormones dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin are released during masturbation. These are ‘feel good’ hormones, which reduce feelings of stress, and increase feelings of bonding between individuals. During masturbation, it makes you feel fulfilled. (Not undermining your partner here but this feeling comes up in many!). A study found a 74.6% increase in pain tolerance with masturbation, and pain detection ability increased by 106.7% due to the release of related hormones.
  2. It is an exercise since the increased blood flow and muscle contractions during masturbation helps to exercise the pelvic floor effectively.
  3. Cleaner vagina: Since the secretions from the vagina during and post orgasm keep it clean and at a normal acid-base level, thus decreasing the risk of infections, and the increased lubrication.
  4. A beautiful fire lights up the brain: The hippocampus, amygdala, cerebellum and hypothalamus combine to get you to your peak. In a female, during masturbation, the brain’s prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain heavily associated with creative thinking turns up the volume. In the case of partner sex, it seemed that certain elements of it are actually turned off, specifically the part that seems responsible for self-control, overtime for you.
  5. Becoming sexually aware: Masturbation also helps you figure out what you like sexually. Where do you like to be touched, stimulated. This can help you guide your partner if any.
  6. There are speculations of reduced prostate cancer with frequent ejaculation.
  7. It might help some men to practice solo and then with a partner. It might help you to understand how long it takes you to orgasm.

Well, coming back to Kanika, she read this article, and had the following questions. And we are here to help her

Kanika: Will my partner know that I masturbate? Is it correct to masturbate even though I have a partner?

Me: Your partner will never know unless you tell and pleasuring yourself is fine! Don’t be guilty, just enjoy!

Kanika: Will I lose my sex drive in the long run?

Me: There is nothing scientific about losing your sex drive because of masturbation. But yes, since you release the energy, many people report that the urge to be physical with the partner reduces. But for many, the physical act is equally important.

Kanika: Is it okay for women to masturbate?

Me: Yes. Yes. Yes.

Kanika: My friend seems to be addicted to masturbation. How do I know if I am addicted? How much masturbation is good or bad?

Me: That’s tricky.  Let us look at it in detail.

Stay tuned for the next article!

#BeTheForce

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Household Chores, your way to health

I visited a village sometime back and was amazed at the physical strength of the women there. While I do not deny that the rural areas have their own set of health issues, but, it cannot be denied that women, due to the physical labour that they are involved in, are much stronger than many urban women.

The act of using a hand mill to grind wheat builds your hand muscles. Many women are farm labourers too and spend their early morning in the field which ensures that they are not Vitamin D deficient. Farm work itself provides exercise to upper and lower body, limbs. And guys, this is hard labour work.

Household chores are considered to be boring and financially worthless but we cannot deny that they are helpful in keeping many of us fit. You will not find many women with a bulging stomach in villages! This does not mean we all become farmers, but kick the laziness now to be healthy!

Dust with a lemon cleaner: Be happier

A citrusy scent is a potent mood booster, according to a 2014 Japanese study. Research shows that spending as little as ten minutes inhaling a citrus fruit can decrease the overall mood disturbance, a measure of tension, anxiety, depression, confusion, fatigue and anger. So carry a citrus flavored soap when you do your dishes. According to Ayurveda, you will be in touch with the water element of existence which is an instant mood elevator.  This is also a great time to practice breathing exercises.

Clean up your garden!

People in the gardens are in touch with the energy of the earth and sun. According to Ayurveda, the energy from these two play a critical role in balancing one’s health. Apart from that, you breathe fresh & the vitamin D is critical for your health.  In recent Swedish study it was found out that people with sedentary life style, spending most of their time indoors are likely to suffer from more cardiovascular diseases. Australian researchers discovered that a chemical released by freshly cut grass makes people feel more relaxed and more joyful.

Grow flowers and vegetables: Lower depression risk

Gardening is known to have reduced depression according to a study done in Norway. People diagnosed with depression spent six hours a week gardening; after a few months, they experienced a notable improvement in their depression symptoms, and their good moods continued for months after the study ended.  Well, you might not be able to have gardens in cities, but get on with your small flower pots, indoor plants, or best, have a volunteer group, adopt a village and help the farmers! 

image 2

Image Credit: http://christsoldiergirlfitness.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/chores.jpg

Chopping Vegetables

This extremely boring task is usually diverted to the maids in our houses in India. However, if you have the time, do it yourself with complete mindfulness. Ensure that every slice is of the same size and watch your breath. It is bound to increase your awareness and concentration.

A better sex life

According to a 2015 study from the University of Alberta. “If a partner isn’t pulling their weight in housework, either one will have to pick up the slack, or the chores will remain undone. This will develop tension and bitterness in the relationship, which will transfer into the bedroom,” according to Medical Daily. So all you orthodox men out there, share the chores for some awesome time in bed!

Every household chore is equivalent to an exercise in a gym or in a park.  Did you know 30 minutes of ironing equals 11 minutes of step aerobics.Think of ironing as weight training for the upper body? Make sure that you stand up straight and work your arm muscles hard as you press down. And remember to change hands regularly, so that you don’t end up with one arm more muscular than the other.

For a complete work out, play with your children in your garden, run after them and trust me you won’t go fat! Be happy! Be healthy!

Track these yourself with your GOQii band!

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