Quit smoking - Slip, don't slide

#worldnotobaccodayspecial
Quit smoking - Slip, don’t slide

Quit smoking, and your risk of a heart attack drops almost immediately, returning to that of a never-smoker within five to 15 years. Breaking the addiction isn't easy—some 40 percent of smokers try each year, and most of them fail. But a failed attempt is not a final defeat. What distinguishes successful quitters is their willingness to keep trying.

Slip, don’t slide

There’s an important distinction between a slip (a mistake) and a slide (a relapse). You slip when you smoke once or twice after your quit date. You relapse when you go back to your former smoking pattern. Slipping is common and doesn’t make you a smoker again. If you slip, try to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it the next time. Above all, don’t let one slip lead to another cigarette, then another...

You may have to quit two, three, or even more times before you stop smoking for good. Not succeeding may just mean you need more help.

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Are you a smoker and suffering from sleep disorders?

#worldnotobaccodayspecial
Are you a smoker and suffering from sleep disorders?

Yes! Smoking is the reason. Nicotine is a stimulant, so smokers take longer to sleep and are more likely to suffer from sleep problems.

Sleeping disorders have become a common phenomenon in 21st century . The current lifestyle greatly affects the sleeping pattern of human beings. Among many causes, smoking is one main cause for sleeping disturbances.

Cigarettes contain nicotine that affects sleep. It is a stimulant that keeps you awake. But smokers are not aware of this fact. Rather they claim that a puff of cigarette smoke makes them feel calmer and helps them relax. On the contrary, nicotine stimulates the mind and the body. It interferes with the body’s ability to fall and stay asleep.

Give up smoking and improve your sleep pattern.

Smoking just ONE cigarette uses up 25mg of vitamin C

#worldnotobaccodayspecial
Smoking just ONE cigarette uses up 25mg of vitamin C

Focus on Vitamin C ... Did you know that smoking just ONE cigarette uses up 25mg of vitamin C? Levels of vitamin C are also further depleted by stress and pollution, so a regular supply is necessary.

Vitamin C is essential for a number of vital bodily functions including tissue growth and repair, collagen production, wound healing, and a healthy immune system.

Good dietary sources include awla, citrus fruit, broccoli, strawberries, guava, bell peppers, papaya, and kiwi fruit.

http://shilpsnutrilife.com/?p=5647

Jal-jeera

#HealthySummerdrinks
Jal-jeera, or jaljira, is an Indian beverage made from a mix spice powder used to flavor this drink. In Hindi, “jal” means water and “jeera” means cumin.

The beverage form is essentially lemonade and jaljira powder, and is a popular summer drink in India. It is sometimes served as an appetizer, as it is intended to “startle” the taste buds.

Jaljira powder generally consists of cumin, ginger, black pepper, mint, black salt, some fruit powder (usually either mango, or some kind of citrus zest), and chili or hot pepper powder.

The cumin is a medicinal ingredient which aids digestion. The mint has a cooling effect. Black salt or rock salt acts as a digestive.

Jaljeera is popular in northern India because it is thought to have cooling properties, against the temperature of the region. It is generally served with appetizers before a meal, but is also drunk between meals. Some versions do not involve any added sugar.

Sip on this cooling summer beverage.

 

Bael Sherbet

#HealthySummerdrinks
Bel sherbet
Bael or wood apple is also known as Elephad Bengal Quince. It gets its name of wood apple due to the hard cover.It is native to India.

It is an excellent summer cooler. The juice is very soothing and a great medicine for heatstroke. It cools down the body and the stomach, and helps preventing heat exhaustion in summer season.

Bael fruit is a storehouse of  good health nutrition and is a energy booster.

Packed with protein, phosphorus, Vitamin C and B complex thiamine and riboflavin and tannin it strengthens the heart and mind.

It cures acidity, increases body resistance and improve the memory.

It also cures ulcers and gastric disorders, treats acidity, burning sensation in the stomach and nausea, cleans the stomach of impurities and also cures amoebiasis.

A good source of beta-carotene, Bael also cure liver problems.

Here is how to make Bel Ka Sherbat

Ingredients:
- Bel (wood apple) 1 medium size
- Sugar 2-3 tsp (according to your taste)
- Cumin Powder 1/2 tsp (optional)
- Black Salt 1/2 tsp (optional)
- Water 2 cups

Directions
- Break open the bel and take out the pulp with a spoon
- Soak the pulp in water for 2-3 hours (or cook the pulp in 3 cups of water for 15 minutes)
- Strain it
- Add sugar, black salt and cumin powder into the strained juice and mix well
- Serve chilled with ice cubes.

Barley water

#HealthySummerdrinks
Barley water
In some countries, people consume barley rice during summer for its cooling properties.

Boil a table spoon of barley seeds in a liter of water. Bring down the quantity to half, if you don’t enjoy the bland taste, then you could add a dash of lemon and keep consuming barley water through out the day.

-Barley water also brings down the heat content in the body.
-It also works as an excellent substitute to aerated drinks to quench your thirst.
-As it’s a cooling agent it also helps reduce burning sensation in the stomach.
-It improves digestion and fight constipation, feeling of nausea.”
-Barley water also prevents urine from stinking. Infact it is the best medicine when you have a Urinary Tract Infection.
-Regular consumption of barley water cleanses your kidney and keeps it free of toxins.

A study conducted by American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has shown that the fiber that comes from barley water lowers cholesterol, cuts risk of Type-2 diabetes.
The antioxidants in barley prevents cancerous growths.

Kokum juice and Solkadhi

#HealthySummerdrinks
Kokum juice /solkadhi – refreshing summer drink

A tangy, refreshing drink made from this purple berry, native to India, is ideal for this sweltering heat. Kokum is low in calories, contains no cholesterol or saturated fats, and is rich in dietary fibre. A powerful antioxidant, it is rich in vitamin C, and contains a fair amount of potassium, manganese and magnesium.

INGREDIENTS (one glass)
Dried kokum rind – 4 to 5
Mint, finely chopped – 1/2 tbsp.
Roasted cumin powder – 1 tsp.
Sugar or jaggery or honey – 1 tsp. (optional)
Black salt – 1/4 tsp.
Water – 1
Ice cubes – 2 (optional)

METHOD OF MAKING
Step 1: Soak the kokum rinds overnight, or in hot water for couple hours, or till they get soft.

Step 2: Once the rinds are soft, squeeze and extract pulp.

Step 3: To the pulp, add chopped mint leaves, water, roasted cumin powder, black salt and sugar.

Step 4: Stir well, and serve chilled.

– Kokum juice is great for the summers, as it reduces body heat, prevents dehydration and cuts risk of sunstroke.
– Can combat digestive problems like flatulence, acidity and constipation

Solkadhi is a type of curry usually had with rice or sometimes drunk after the meals. Popular in the Konkan region of India, it is made from coconut milk and kokum. It’s known for it digestive properties. The preparation is prepared by mixing coconut milk with kokum, a little bit of salt and/or chili-garlic paste is added for taste.

Natural cooler

Natural summer coolers n filler .....grab a 10rs serving of each of this. ..rather then those #junkies #healthy #karvanda #whitejamun #sourawla #nutrientdense

Watermelon the super cooler

Watermelon the super duper cooler

It is the season of watermelons. They are best during the summer as they are sweet and juicy. As the name says it all watermelon is 92% water and only 8%sugar.

Research shows that watermelon cuts the risk of sun related skin damage by 40%. That's because watermelon is nature's richest source of lycopene, an antioxidant that scavenges the UV-induced free radicals that cause sunburn and wrinkling. Lycopene may also help reduce the risks of cancer and other diseases.

Watermelon can help improve sleep. It is high in vitamin B6 which helps manufacture serotonin and dopamine (mood related chemical) in brain.When levels of serotonin increase at night, the brain is less sensitive to disruptive stimuli (like noise) during sleep.

Watermelons are rich in electrolytes, sodium and potassium which are lost through perspiration. Also its high potassium content helps to control BP.

They are rich in Vitamin A, B and C. What's more, they are low in calories and very nutritious.

Musk melon - kharbhuja

Muskmelon (kharabuja, cantaloupe)

Muskmelon, also known as Kharbhuja, Cantaloupe is a member in the large Cucurbitaceae family. Some of the popular fruits and vegetables in the cucurbit family include squash, pumpkin, cucumber, gourd…etc.

The muskmelon or cantaloupe, is a perfect summer fruit. It’s high water content can help take care of the fluid loss that our bodies go through due to perspiration in this summer season. It also helps to combat the heat in the body and thus, prevents heat-related disorders during summer.

It is known for its low calorie content and sweet and enticing aroma. Having this yellow-orange coloured succulent fruit early in the morning is also good for your digestive system. A great source of beta-carotene, folic acid, potassium, vitamins C and A, muskmelon not only helps you stay healthy, but is also great for your skin and hair.

Potassium present normalizes the heartbeat and promotes the supply of oxygen to the brain

White jamun - wax jambu

WHITE JAMUN (WAX JAMBU) FRUIT
Have been seeing this fruit on and off lately everywhere quite in abundance……thats white jamun,have you heard of it, its a variant of the black jamun, the tree produces white coloured fruit,commonly known as white jamun.

White jamun  is grown especially for its cooling nature that can be very refreshing and slaking on a hot day.

They are pear-shaped structure, comes in varying colors ranging from white, pale green color, green, pink, rose red and crimson color. The fruit is crisp, almost crunchy and juicy in taste you can eat these fruits out-of-hand, without any need to peel the skin.

Common names of the fruit include wax apple, love apple, java apple, chomphu, wax jambu, rose apple, bell fruit, makopa.

Health benefits
Stops diarrhea & dysentery.
Relieves throat affections and other respiratory diseases.
Removes worms.

Vinegar made from the fruit gives relief in colitis, indigestion, stomach diseases. It relieves gas and improves digestion.

Many members of the Wax Jambu family have volatile oils which help in medicinal applications. The medicinal oil is present throughout the living tissue most of the Wax  Jambu species.

A 2008 study published in “Advances in Biological Research” also indicate the fruit’s phytochemicals have mild antibiotic and antifungal properties against staphylococcus, candida aureus and mycrobacter smegmatis.

Go ahead Njoy the fruit especially now when its in season.

World hypertension day

The theme for World Hypertension Day is Know Your Numbers with a goal of increasing high blood pressure (BP) awareness in all populations around the world.

Why all the fuss about high blood pressure?
About 1 in every 3 adults has hypertension anyways. This is a really startling statistic. Why? Because research studies have shown us how dangerous high blood pressure can be.

If you need help in lowering your Blood pressure connect with me at 09870404042 or mail me at shilpsnutrilife@gmail.com

World Hypertension Day - know your numbers

Understanding Blood Pressure Readings  Know your Numbers

Do you know what your blood pressure is and what it means?
If  you answer “no,” and might be wondering why you need to know that…..Right, then please read on and do get your BP checked.

Blood pressure refers to how much force your blood is putting on the walls of the arteries in your body. When there is a large amount of force on the walls of your arteries it is called high blood pressure, or hypertension.

High blood pressure or hypertension is a disease and is often called the “silent killer” because symptoms are often not felt or noticed by the person who has the disease.
It is very important for you to know what your blood pressure is so that you can take action to keep yourself healthy.

For now, concentrate on what your blood pressure is, and in what category your reading places you.

NORMAL BP
Starting at age 20, the American Heart Association recommends a blood pressure screening at your regular healthcare visit or once every 2 years. A normal systolic pressure is less than 120, and a normal diastolic pressure is less than 80. What this means is that a normal blood pressure would be anything less than 120/80. If even one of your numbers is higher than what is considered normal, you should think about making some lifestyle changes.

PRE HYPERTENSION
If your blood pressure is between 120/80 mmHg and 139/89 mmHg, then you have prehypertension. This means that you don’t have high blood pressure now but are likely to develop it in the future. You can take steps to prevent high blood pressure by adopting a healthy lifestyle. However check it at least every year or more often as your doctor suggests.

HIGH BP 
If your blood pressure reading is higher than normal, a single high reading does not necessarily mean that you have high blood pressure. However, if readings stay at 140/90 mm Hg or above over time, your doctor will likely want you to begin a treatment program. Such a program almost always includes lifestyle changes and often prescription medication.

HYPERTENSIVE CRISIS
If, while monitoring your blood pressure, you get a systolic reading of 180 mm Hg or higher or a diastolic reading of 110 mm HG or higher, you should seek immediate emergency medical treatment for a hypertensive crisis or have someone drive you to the hospital right away.

Take care Get your blood pressure mointored regularly.

Refreshing and cooling drink for summer

Refreshing and cooling drink

Looking for something refreshing to drink that will not only cool you but also hydrate and at the same time tastes delicious? This is the drink for you.  There is nothing more refreshing then lemon, cucumber, watermelon and mint water! And wait until you find out the benefits!

Watermelon contains organic compound citrulline that helps the body flush out toxins. Water helps flush nasty toxins and waste through our system giving organs like the liver and kidney an easier time doing their job.

Lemon or lime juice helps stimulate and regulate the digestive, stimulates bile production, and thins out bile, which allows it to flow more freely.

Mint leaves are not only a nice refreshing flavor to add to your drinks, but also help you digest more effectively and relax cramped up stomach muscles.

Beets have shown themselves to be particularly helpful when it comes to aiding the liver in detoxification.

Cucumber, Watermelon, Lemon and Mint Water

Ingredients:
12 cups of filtered water (3 quarts)1 medium organic cucumber,2-3 small organic lemons,10-12 organic mint leaves, 4-5 watermelon cubes

Directions:
Wash lemons and cucumbers; slice thinly. Add lemons, cucumber, and mint to pitcher. Cover with water and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight or Slice up a good amount of watermelon into cubes, rind and all, and put them into a jug or pitcher.

image

Or cut 1 juicy lime into wedges and toss in with the watermelon. Add a handful of fresh, fragrant, mint leaves and pour in 2 liters of cool water, filling the jug all the way to the top. Let this sit overnight in the fridge and let all the yummy flavors steep and infuse the water. When you want to drink it, put in a generous helping of ice cubes, pour, and enjoy daily.

Try substituting or adding a lemon for the lime, cucumber for the watermelon, beets or a combination of all of them.(cucumber lemon or watermelon, mint).

Stay cool and refresh this summer.

Tadgola a great summer fruit

Tadgola a great summer fruit

Tadgola a great fruit especially to have in summer, it actually cools you down although peeling the fruit is a little messy job.

Also known as ice apple, palm fruit or nungu. It is a delicious fruit, famous in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, in summer. In Bengal, it is known as Taal. In Bihar, it is known as Taari.

It grows in clusters, and has a coconutty, brown exterior. On cutting open, each fruit had three to four jelly seeds that have a soft yellowish skin that darkens to a light brown when exposed to air.

They are a great source of potassium and low in sodium which helps to control blood pressure.They cool your body during summers and also help in maintaining electrolyte balance.

Eat this anytime of the day and enjoy it to the fullest in summers.

Creative ways to increase water content

Creative ways to increase water consumption

If you find it cumbersome to force yourself to drink plain old water all the time, there are several other interesting ways to ensure you’re getting the right amount of water... to keep yourself hydrated

•Fall in love with herbal or iced teas. Surprise your taste buds with a variety of them such as mint,ginger, lemon, cinnamon, fennel, and peppermint. Herbal teas are known to be rich in antioxidants as well.

•Have a bowl of clear soup or cold soup. It will not only fill you up and provide nutrition but also increase the water content in your body.

•Similarly you can have combination of vegetable juices too.

•Again lemon water, chass n coconut water can also be incorporated.

Stay hydrated stay healthy

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Herbal iced tea with Sabja seeds

#HealthySummerdrinks
Herbal Iced Tea with Sabja seeds

A refreshing and cooling tea for hot summers

They are cooling and prevent heartburn and also relieves a bloated stomach.They are very good for digestion especially in a hot climate.

Herbal Iced Tea with Sabja seeds: Take 4 cups of water. Add two tablespoon of black tea or green tea leaves, 6-8 freshly cut basil leaves and heat till the tea boils. Strain tea and refrigerate. To this add 1 large lemon juice.  While serving add soaked sabja seeds to this and garnish with slice of lemon or cucumber.

http://shilpsnutrilife.com/?p=5559

Watermelon white portion dosa

Watermelon (White portion -peel) Dosa

Isn’t it amazing to have a fruit whose each and every part is useful, the fruit itself pink portion, seeds and yes the rind i.e the white portion, yesterday i had posted a sabzi out of it. A few days back i tried this dosa believe me its amazing ….do try.

Ingredients:
Rice – 1 1/2 cup
Melon pieces(white rind portion alone) – 1 cup
Fenugreek seeds – 1/2tsp
Scrapped coconut – 1/2 cup
red chillies, coriander seeds, cumin seed
finely chopped onion-1 med, green chilli-2-3, coriander and curry leaves
Salt – for taste

Method:
Soak rice and fenugreek seeds in water for two hours.
Puree the white portion of the watermelon.

Grind the soaked rice, coconut and melon puree together into a smooth batter. You can also add red chillies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds while grinding.

Add salt to the batter and mix well. The batter doesn’t have to ferment.

The batter should be little thinner than Idli batter consistency.

Now add finely chopped onion, green chilli, coriander and curry leaves to the batter and mix well. Keep this aside for about 15 minutes so that all the flavours blend well.

Heat tawa/griddle and pour a ladle full of batter spread and cook on both the sides in medium-low heat till they turn golden brown.

Serve hot with Chutney or Sambar

Sabja seeds or tukmaria

Sabja seeds or falooda seeds or tukmaria or basil seeds

Sabza seeds is known by the names sabja seeds or falooda seeds or tukmaria or basil seeds.

The seeds look similar like black sesame seeds and are a bit smaller comparatively and you need to soak them in water. 2 minutes of the seeds in water and you can see it absorbing the water and become jelly like. You can eat it as it is with a spoon. While the outer layer will be soft and smooth like jelly, the center will be crunchy like when you eat seeds.They are most commonly used in making falooda, added to sherbets, milkshakes and other drinks. Basil seed does not have taste of their own but they give a good texture to the dish and make it healthy too.

Basil seeds have many health benefits:
They are cooling and thats why they are added to many cooling drinks like falooda, rooh afza, nimbu pani and sherbets.

They are good for sore throats, cold and respiratory disorders.

Very good for digestion especially in a hot climate.

Basil seeds are a natural laxative which helps to cure constipation that is caused by excess body heat during summer.

They prevent heartburn and also relieves a bloated stomach which results from incorrect eating habits, also reduces nauseous feeling and controls vomiting.

It is known to cure for urinary tract problems which are once again normal during peak summer time.

It is an excellent natural body coolant.

The seeds have a diuretic action and flush the kidneys.

Sabja seeds have a calming effect on the brain. They relieve stress, tension, mental fatigue, depression and migraine. They also aid in enhancing the mood.

Chewing sabja or tukmaria seeds cure mouth ulcers and other infections of the mouth. They also help fight plaque and cavities.

How to use
Soak them in water for 30 mins. Once they absorb the water, a translucent gelatin like coating is formed around them. Strain and then use these soaked seeds in drinks, coolers, sherbets, ice creams, falooda or kulfis. remember to add enough water,otherwise the soaked seeds become lumpy when they start swelling.

Try having 1tbsp of sabja seeds this summer for the cool cool effect

Watermelon white portion sabzi

Watermelon white portion (peel) sabzi

Do you know that the rind of water melon is edible? The term rind usually refers to the skin or peel of a fruit.

In watermelon, the rind consists of two parts – the outer green skin and the inner white pulp.The outer green skin of the rind is hard and inedible, so it is discarded. The inner whitish part of the rind is edible, although it has a bland taste when raw and is not as soft as the central red part.

About water melon white rind it is said that is very helpful in relaxing blood vessels and lowering blood pressure as it has a high dose of cirulline amino acid .Finding a use for it also helps cut down on the amount of garbage you produce, so it’s good for the environment as well.So why to throw it, and try making its sabji.
It is very simple, tasty and easy to make. It tastes very similar to loki(bottle gourd), cucumber, turai all water based vegetable group.

My Mom use to make it, i remember enjoying it a lot, hope my version is nearest to hers.

Ingredients

1 cup water melon white rind peeled and cut

1medium sized chopped onion

1medium sized chopped tomato

1tbsp finely chopped garlic

1tsp ginger grated

1 finely chopped green chilli

Salt to taste

½ tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp red chili powder

1 red chili cut into big pieces

1 tsp. Mango powder

1 tsp cumin seeds

A pinch of asafoetida

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

INGREDIENTS-FOR-GRAVY

Method

Heat the oil in pan on medium high heat. Add asafetida, cumin seeds and dry red chili, let it splutter till it stops.

Add the grated ginger,garlic chopped onions and saute until it turns transparent.

rind

Add the chopped tomatoes, peeled and chopped water melon white rind, salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, mango powder and green chillies.Mix well.

Do not add water because water melon rind is cooked in its own water.

Cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, on low flame for 10-12 minutes or till the vegetable is almost done i.e it should be easily pierced with a fork and most of the water is almost absorbed.

Now remove the cover from the pan and lemon juice.

Water melon white rind sabji is ready. Garnish with coriander leaves.

This side dish goes well with the roti, parantha and poori.

Enjoy!

Watermelon white portion benefits

Yes You are right that is WATERMELON.

Isn't it amazing to have a fruit whose each and every part is useful, the fruit itself pink portion, seeds and yes the rind i.e the white portion.

The watermelon rind or the white portion is mostly discarded, has a powerful antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase. The rind also contains citrulline, an amino acid which helps in the production of nitric oxide, that dilates blood vessels and paves way for smoother blood flow, thus improving heart health.

Keep watching this space for recipes incorporating white rind of watermelon. ....reducing the footprints

#watermelonwhiteportion #citrulline #antioxidant #hearthealth