January 2016 ~ FOOD NEWS

Sunday 31 January 2016

BENEFITS OF DRINKING LUKEWARM LEMON WATER EVERY MORNING

Being rich in Vitamin C citric content, lemons enhance your beauty, rejuvenate your skin from within that brings a glow to your face, helps you lose weight, flushes out toxins and much more. Lukewarm lemon water serves as the perfect ‘good morning drink’ for one and all. The reasons are many.

Get Rid of Caffeine Addiction

Having a glass of lukewarm lemon water every morning can help people get rid of their addiction to caffeine. At the same time, it also boasts you up for the day as much as a cup of coffee does.

Freshness

The best remedy for your laziness, lukewarm water helps you get ready for your daily chores. Adding a little honey to it will also prove beneficial. You will observe an incomparable freshness each day.

Boosts Up Your Immune System

Rich in Vitamin C, a glass of lukewarm lemon water helps in boosting up your immune system preventing you from the normal cough and cold. Its potassium content keeps your brain fit as well as ensures that your blood pressure remains controlled.

The Best Technique to Lose Weight

Drinking a glass of lukewarm lemon water with a bit of honey each morning is the world’s best remedy to loss weight.

Cleanses the Skin

A glass of lukewarm lemon water cleanses your skin and enhances your glow. It also helps prevent wrinkle lines as well as pimples.

Have a Good Breath

It helps you get rid of bad breadth by killing the bacteria responsible for it. Stay fresh with your good breaths by using this great remedy.

Strengthens Your Liver

The citric acid in lemon water stimulates your enzyme to work efficiently. This is how it helps in secreting any toxins formed in the liver and strengthens your livers.

Makes your Brain Wiser

The potassium and magnesium contents of this citric lemon water nourishes you to handle stress and tensions easily. It also helps in developing greater concentration level and is therefore, an advisable drink for students.

Anti Cancer

A glass of lukewarm lemon water in the morning helps prevent many kinds of cancer by killing up the acid formations that may occur.

Why do say bless you when you sneeze

Reduces Swelling

The people who suffer from joints pain must make it a point to start their day with a glass of lukewarm lemon water. It has the ability to secrete the uric acids from your joints and provide you relief from the swelling and joints’ pain.

A glass of lukewarm water comes with a package of all good to happen. So, why not to use all this goodness by making it a point to have a glass of lukewarm lemon water each morning, before you start with your day. You must not miss the opportunity to benefit from the cleansing and healing effects that a glass of lukewarm lemon water has to offer.

By: Rohit On 10:19

AMAZING HEALTH BENEFITS OF GREEN TEA IN OUR LIFE

Green tea is said to be the healthiest beverage ever found. Loaded with several antioxidants and nutrients, a cup of green tea can have ample number of health benefits that include improved brain function, losing fats and a lower risk of cancer.

Improves Brain Functions

Green tea makes you smarter by improving your brain functions. The key active ingredient in green tea is caffeine, which leads to improvements in various aspects of brain functioning. It helps in enhancing your mood, boost your attentiveness and make you more alert. It also helps in sharpening your memory.

Green tea is also blessed with an amino acid called L-theanine, which has anti anxiety effects. Green tea makes you more productive and nourishes you with more stable energy.

Burning Fats and Reducing Weight

Green tea is capable of burning your fats and giving a boost to your metabolism. This makes sense that it can help you in losing weight naturally. Green tea leads to decrease in extra fat in the body, especially in the abdominal area.

Reduces the Risk of Cancer

The powerful anti oxidants available in green tea reduces the risk of several types of cancer since the anti oxidants are likely to protect you against cancer.

Improves Dental Health

Green tea kills bacteria which helps in improving your dental health and lowers the risk of infection in the mouth. This way a cup of green tea saves you from the problems of mouth cavities and tooth decay. Studies show that green tea also proves beneficial in reducing bad breath.

Lowers the Risk of Diabetes

Green tea also reduces the risk of diabetes by improving insulin sensitivity and reducing the blood sugar levels in your body in the long run.

Read: Benefits of Drinking Lukewarm Lemon Water Every Morning

Helps you Live Longer

Green tea drinkers are likely to live longer since the risk of cancer and cardiovascular diseases is reduced by consuming green tea.

It is because of all these incredible health benefits of green tea that it is now becoming increasingly popular in the US. It is one of the world’s healthiest drinks.

By: Rohit On 04:01

Eating Vanilla Yogurt Can Make You Feel Good

Eating vanilla yogurt with lower fat content gives people a stronger positive emotional response, says a new study.

"We were surprised to find that by measuring emotions, we could get information about products independent from whether people like them," said lead author Jozina Mojet from Food & Biobased Research, Wageningen University in the Netherlands.The researchers used a new method called an emotive projection test to determine the effect of different yogurts on people's moods.Three groups of at least 24 participants were each given a pair of yogurts to taste. The pairs of yogurts were of the same brand and were marketed in the same way, but had different flavors or fat content. The team then tested their emotions using four methods, including the new emotive projection test.The researchers found that vanilla yogurt elicited a strong positive emotional response, supporting previous evidence that a subtle vanilla scent in places like hospital waiting rooms can reduce aggression and encourage relationships among patients and between patients and staff.The team also looked at the sensory effect of the yogurts. There was no difference in the emotional responses to strawberry versus pineapple yogurts, but low-fat versions led to more positive emotional responses.The research was published in the journal Food Research International.

By: Rohit On 00:24

Saturday 30 January 2016

Jaggery Benefits: Ever Wondered Why Our Elders End a Meal with Gur?

Now that you know how good jaggery is for you, don't feel guilty when you can't stop munching on Gur Pare at home, or while digging into Nolen Gurer (date palm jaggery) Sandesh at Girish Chandra Dey and Nakur Chandra Nandy in Kolkata.

And surprisingly, this winter specialty is now available throughout the year since restaurants and sweet shops are using smart preserving techniques to feed the fan frenzy. Sudip Mullick from Balaram Mullick & Radharaman Mullick shares his secret, "We preserve nolen gur in its solidified form or as patali gur at minus 25 degrees. This process takes place in March and the gur usually lasts till November." So if you haven't tried Bhojohori Manna's scrumptious Nolen Gur Ice Cream in the scorching summer, you're missing out! And how could we forget Gopala's Gur Rasgulla in Delhi? This jaggery jewel is unlike anything you've ever tasted.We're also in love with Chef Joymalya Banerjee's contemporary Nolen Gurer Madeleines at Bohemian, as well as his Prawn and Crabmeat Dumplings stewed in Spicy Nolen Gurer reduction. Chef Sabyasachi Gorai of Lavaash by Saby serves a scoop of refreshing Nolen Gur Ice Cream topped off with a jaggery glaze with an Orange Pound Cake and it is pure genius. Yes, there is some serious experimentation going on in kitchens across India, with chefs rustling up sheer magic with gur.

By: Rohit On 11:03

Best New Year's Diet Starts With Easy Kitchen Detox

Still looking for the perfect cleanse to start the year off right? Look no further.Whether you're following the brouhaha surrounding the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans or not, I'm betting you already know what the basics of a healthy diet (still) are: mounds of vegetables and fruits, whole grains, and lean and sustainable proteins like beans, nuts and legumes. Healthy oils like olive, grapeseed, walnut and flax also play a role. If these foods are the stars of your plate, your year is off to a terrific start.So what of the other things we chomp, such as cookies, chips, ice cream, candy, chocolate, soda and the like? And if you did overindulge during the holidays, what's the remedy for restoring your health, and perhaps even losing a few pounds?Exactly right. You need a cleanse.Not that type of cleanseNo, I'm not talking about the kind of cleanse touted by too-skinny celebrities and junk-science food bloggers.

There's no evidence behind the vast majority of regimens floating around cyberspace. And guess what? Homo sapiens is a wondrous machine equipped with "detox" organs like the liver, kidneys and the gastrointestinal system, which work to clear your body of noxious substances you don't need -- including those found in food. That's not to say that treating your body like a dump is a good idea; it's not, and there's no reason to make it work extra hard by feeding it junk. But human metabolism is magnificent at removing toxins from the body, while a short-term diet or cleanse offers little in the long run to sustain weight loss and promote health; some may even be harmful.The cleanse I'm referring to doesn't have a catchy name (sorry) and doesn't require a blender (thankfully). And it's not some weird juice with strange ingredients and a funky flavor (happily). Most important, there are plenty of studies to support that this type of cleanse will, if done correctly, improve your health and weight.Now take a look around your kitchen pantry, counter, refrigerator and freezer. What do you see? If you're staring at gallons of ice cream, boxes of cookies, bags of chips and cans of soda (not to mention sweetened yogurts and granola bars), the thing that would most benefit from a "cleanse" is not your body, but your abode. And, unlike your human form, your habitat needs you to do the cleaning. Simply speaking, no matter your dietary vices -- and you know what makes you drool -- they don't belong in your house.Behavioral research studies examining eating behavior (like this one, for example) show that you shouldn't keep temptations close at hand, since that means -- Duh! -- you're more likely to gobble them up. Science aside, common sense and adages like "out of sight, out of mind" tell you exactly the same thing.Treats are often consumed in too-large portions that contribute substantial calories and few nutrients. They also tend to be loaded in sugar and refined carbohydrates (like white flour), and most of us eat more than is good for our health. Indeed, consuming foods with lots of added sugar (not the kinds found naturally in fruits) are related to a greater risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes; the risk remains, even if you're at a healthy body weight. That's why the new Dietary Guidelines state that everyone should limit added sugars to no more than 10 percent of daily intake.Enjoy, in moderationMake no mistake: I love indulgences like gooey brownies and crunchy potato chips just as much as the next girl. I developed a keen sweet tooth growing up and it took many years to tame. The key was learning to keep goodies special, as if a guest were visiting, and never give them a permanent place on my grocery list or on my kitchen counter. Certainly more logical (and less painful) than rigging the cookie jar with a mousetrap.I still think about savoring something sweet after everyday dinners, like many of us. But guess what? If there's nothing around, I get over it. Or I suck it up: you simply cannot eat what's not there. Excess-calories-I-don't-need and overeating episode averted. Following most suppers today, I enjoy cut-up fruit or berries, and occasionally a small piece of chocolate. (And I save the outrageous desserts that I adore for special occasions only.)Once every few months or so I'll take a trip to my local gelateria or pick up a pint of ice cream that my husband and I share over a couple of days' time. If I'm craving salty snacks, I'll buy a single serving bag or split a small sack with my husband. Do remember: ridding your house of temptation doesn't imply you'll never eat these scrumptious things, it simply means they aren't commonly found in your freezer. Over time, you'll find you have less of an appetite for sugar and salt as your taste buds adapt.You can't control many things in your environment, whether the workplace cafeteria, shopping mall food court or supermarket aisles. But you can control what you have in your house -- as well as your car and your office. The spaces where you spend the most time should be filled with food that nourishes your body, not packed with nutritional landmines ready to explode at every turn. To clean up your diet, clean out your house.It's the only "cleanse" you need.

By: Rohit On 04:31

Friday 22 January 2016

Fiber-Rich Foods You Should be Eating Everyday

Despite being the talk of the town, the importance of fiber remains underrated. Keeping the benefits of an efficient bowel system aside, there’s just so much that a high-fiber diet can do for you. It is a heart hero and reduces the risk of stroke and hypertension. It can help you manage your weight by keeping you full for longer and curbing unwanted cravings. It can even regulate the speed of digestion and keep your blood sugar levels in check.

(Do I need to eat more fibre?)

What is fiber and how much do you need?

Fiber is any non-digestible, plant-derived carbohydrate that comes in two forms- soluble and insoluble. As the name suggests, soluble fibers mix with water from the food you eat and result in the formation of a gel in the stomach which helps prevent unwanted food components to get absorbed by the body. This means that soluble fibers reduce the production of cholesterol in our body. On the other hand, insoluble fibers are known as roughage and their main function is to make the stool bulky which makes it easier to excrete. This type of fiber doesn’t break down in the gut. Skipping your daily dose of fiber may lead to constipation.

According Dr. Ritika Samaddar, a Delhi based nutritionist, “Fiber is a very important part of our daily diet and we should include both types as it is very important to maintain a healthy balance. Soluble fibers are generally recommended to people suffering from diabetes or high sugar as they dissolve and keep the sugar level under control. Insoluble fibers help in losing weight and also maintain the smooth functioning of the gastric system. An average adult should take about 15 grams of fiber every day.”

Increasing fiber in your diet is easier than you think. Before you do, here’s a word of caution. While increasing your fiber intake don’t forget to keep your body well hydrated. Fiber tends to pull water into the intestines which makes it essential to increase your fluid consumption as well.

By: Rohit On 23:31

Learn to Eat Healthy!

Tempting cravings come when you least expect them. Keeping the food cravings down and eating healthy food will keep you on track with your health and weight loss goals. By eating more nutritious foods, you are on the right path to a healthier and more balanced life for both you and your family. Below are a few tips to keep you on the right track:
Increase your fruit and vegetable intake.

On average, only 20% of high school students in our country are eating five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. You might be like many families who don’t have easy access to stores that carry the produce your family needs. And even if you do have access to fresh produce, it’s another challenge to get your family to eat enough fruits and vegetables to feel as full as they would from eating a meal from a fast food restaurant. It takes planning and trial and error to increase the fresh fruits and veggies your family eats, but you will see many benefits over time.
Eat Non-Processed, Real Food. As you may know, childhood obesity rates have been increasing steadily over the past 30 years. During these same 30 years, our country has seen a rise in the amount of calories our kids are consuming in the form of fast food, food from convenience stores, and the many other snacks our children eat outside the home. It’s more commonly called junk food. And we have the opportunity to lower the amount of junk food our families are eating by increasing the amount of healthful, homemade meals and healthy snacks they consume. Get Rid of the Liquid Calories. In this country, we are drinking more sugar-filled beverages than ever before. And this trend has hit hardest with our kids. Sugar-sweetened beverages are now the largest source of added sugar in the diets of our nation’s youth. But the good news is that most of these sugar-filled beverages are consumed at home, so we as parents, as caregivers, as big brothers and sisters, can have a direct impact on decreasing the amount of empty calories our families are consuming from these sweet drinks. For more eating healthy tips, talk to your physician about how you can stay on track and not give in to your cravings.

By: Rohit On 10:05

Tuesday 19 January 2016

The Spices Board to Set Up E-Platform for Cardamom Sale in Sikkim

The Spices Board of India will set up an electronic auction platform in next six months in Sikkim for sale of organic large cardamom to help farmers fetch better price. Sikkim produces about 90 per cent of the country's total output of 4,500 tonnes of large cardamom.

"There is huge demand for large cardamom. The Board has decided to establish an e-auction platform in the next six months which will help farmers fetch better price," said its Chairman A Jayathilak, on the sidelines of an exhibition on organic products here today.

At present, Sikkim farmers are selling the spice on the physical auction platform, set up by the Board in 2010-11. "In hilly areas, collection and transportation of the produce is a problem. Once the electronic auction (platform) is set up, farmers can check prices on website and accordingly take decision. They need not take their produce to the market," the official said.

This will also help farmers get higher price in view of rising domestic and export demand for the organic spice product, he said.

Currently, the auction price of large cardamom is ruling all time high at Rs 1,700 per kg here. "Farmers will get higher prices than this via electronic auction," he added. The Board is also planning to send SMS alerts with price details to the farmers registered with the Board as part of the Digital India programme, he said.

It will also hold a meeting of the state farmers with leading exporters tomorrow to promote export of ginger, turmeric and dalle chillies, among other organic products. India is the world's largest spices producer and exporter. The country's spices exports had touched a record USD 2.4 billion last fiscal.

By: Rohit On 11:23

Monday 18 January 2016

The Secrets Of Laos In A Bowl of Soup

In a recent stroke of luck, I was able to join my parents on a last-minute trip to Laos. Naturally, the first thing on my mind was: What will the food be like? Never having encountered Lao cuisine in the United States, I had no idea what to expect. So my palate was piqued when we arrived in Luang Prabang, the country's former northern capital at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers.

A Foodie Adventure

Once settled in we immediately sought out some local food and stumbled across a restaurant off the main road, named Bamboo Tree. Lured by the enticing scents of coconut and lemongrass and by a menu on which we recognized nothing -- always a good indicator of foodie adventure -- we sat down. The menu told of the restaurant's Lao chef and owner Linda Moukdavanh Rattana, who was raised cooking in her family's Lao restaurant and whose favorite dish was something called "Secret Soup," which combined classic local ingredients. Ordering it was a no-brainer.

Coconut Milk and Chilies

The soup arrived with a handsome buttery orange color that foretold of coconut milk and chilies, with green hints of basil and kaffir lime leaves. One slurp later I was in gastronomic exotica, floating through a savory journey of creamy coconut offset by tangy lemongrass, spicy ginger, citric lime, aromatic basil and kicking chili heat, rounded out by a rich harvest of vegetables. Somewhat to my culinary embarrassment, I am not usually a fan of coconut- and chili-based food -- Thai, mostly -- since I tend to find it too cloyingly sweet, spicy or oily. But this soup opened my taste buds to the complex yet comforting flavors these ingredients can have when plucked fresh and combined in a meticulous way that allows each subtle flavor to come forth. If this was Lao food, I needed to learn more. When I heard Linda offered cooking classes, I signed up.

By: Rohit On 09:56

Saturday 16 January 2016

Every French Cook Knows How to Make This Simple Cake, and Now You Do, Too: Recipe

I've been a part-time Parisian for almost 20 years, but you wouldn't know it if you judged my assimilation by how lightly I tread in high heels, how stylishly I toss a shawl over my shoulder or how capable I am of eating a croissant without covering myself in buttery crumbs.

However, there's one thing I learned early on in my French life that I perfected immediately: the yogurt cake. It's as Gallic as a Duncan Hines cake is American, and it is as easy as the boxed mix, although it's homemade.For the most part, the French aren't ambitious home bakers the way we Americans are, but every French person I know, baker or not, can make a yogurt cake. And does. For Sunday lunch. For a kid's birthday. For an anniversary. For mama coming to town. For that time when you need a cake and can't get to the patisserie to buy one.And, by the way, when the French say "cake" (as opposed to gateau), they mean one baked in a loaf pan.The accompanying recipe has typical cake ingredients: eggs, sugar and flour. But instead of butter, there's oil, and there's always the eponymous yogurt. It's a very plain cake - think pound cake - with subtle flavor, firm texture, minimum sweetness and the ability to be just right, no matter the moment.I decided to take the recipe to the shores of the Mediterranean, substituting thick Greek yogurt for the yogurt ordinaire that's standard; swapping out vegetable oil for a mild olive oil; and flavoring the cake with more vanilla than is traditional as well as orange oil; and the hyper-aromatic zest of a couple of clementines, winter's sunniest fruit. I top the cake with the clementine pieces and glaze it with a few spoonfuls of warm honey, an optional touch, but one I like: For two minutes of effort you get a shine that's as good as a smile in the rain.To get all the flavor out of the clementine zest, grate it into the bowl with the sugar and use your hands to rub the two ingredients together until the sugar is slightly moist and very fragrant; if the mixture turns orange, so much the better. The rest of the recipe follows the usual add-and-beat progression. I use a whisk and a little vigor to beat the sugar with the yogurt, eggs and flavoring; a whisk and a little less vigor to incorporate the dry ingredients; and then a spatula and a softer touch to gradually stir in the oil.Turn the batter into a loaf pan, smooth the top, press the clementine segments into it, slide it into the oven, sit back and dream of Greek Islands, beaches in Spain, the French Cote d'Azur or any other paradisiacal port. This cake is a passport to your own personal Club Med.

By: Rohit On 12:21

Thursday 14 January 2016

Govt. Decides to Help Raise Availability of Apple in Market

Cochin Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) today welcomed the union government's decision to relax import restrictions on apples, saying it would help increase availability of the fruit in the domestic market.

Chamber President C S Kartha today said it had in the representation to the Ministry and DGFT, raised concerns and argued for relaxing the ban in view of the possible price hike of apples in the the country.

"We welcome the revised policy wherein other ports across the country, including Cochin Air and Seaports can now import apples," he said.

Issuing a fresh notification, the government has allowed inbound shipments of the fruit through sea ports and airports in Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai and Kochi. The Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has also permitted imports from land port and airport in Delhi, besides land borders.

In September last year, the government had restricted apple import by allowing its inbound shipment only through Nhava Sheva port in Maharashtra. Importers had earlier raised concerns over the restrictions and had termed that as a non-tariff barrier. The US authorities too had raised objections over the restrictions.

Apple is the most heavily consumed imported fruit in India, the world's third largest producer of the fruit. Depreciation in the Rupee, which is hovering at around 66 against the Dollar, makes imports costlier.

Apple production in the country is limited to the hilly states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. India imports the fruit from the US, China, Chile, New Zealand, Italy, Iran and Afghanistan, among others.

During April-September 2015, India's apple imports stood at USD 153.6 million. Domestic production is estimated to have declined to 18.85 lakh tonnes in 2014-15 as against Rs 24.98 lakh tonnes in the previous year.

By: Rohit On 23:49

Wednesday 13 January 2016

Broccoli's Saucy Side

Italians cook broccoli longer than we do in the United States, until it is quite a bit softer and darker than we are accustomed to. This has its advantages, because soft broccoli can be mashed with the back of a spoon, and the broken-down vegetable is very nice as a sauce with pasta.

I took the Italian approach recently, but I cooked the broccoli for only 5 to 6 minutes initially (Italians cook it for twice as long), which is long enough to render it soft but not so long that the broccoli loses its bright color and fresh flavor. I chopped the cooked broccoli finely, then melted anchovies in olive oil with garlic, added the broccoli, moistened it with some pasta cooking water and cooked it a little more.

I tossed this heady mixture with fusilli, a perfect marriage of pasta and sauce, as the broccoli, now almost puréed and perfectly seasoned, lodged in the coils of the fusilli in the most delightful way.

This is Italian country cooking at its best, a simple dish that requires few ingredients and very little time. Use the same pot of water that you use to cook the broccoli for the pasta. Then finish the broccoli and anchovy mixture in a pan while the pasta is cooking, and toss the pasta with the sauce right in the pan. It’s a great way to elevate broccoli from ubiquitous side dish — one that, let’s face it, we can get bored with — to the center of the plate.

Fusilli With Broccoli and Anchovies

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Total time: 30 minutes

1 generous bunch broccoli (about 1 3/4 pounds)

Salt and black pepper

1 pound fusilli pasta

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 to 5 anchovy fillets (to taste), rinsed and chopped

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

Freshly grated Parmesan or pecorino, for serving

1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Cut broccoli crowns from stems, leaving about 1 inch of stem at the base of each crown; set aside thick stems for another purpose.

2. Salt boiling water generously and add broccoli. Boil 5 to 6 minutes, until tender enough to break apart with a fork.

3. Using a skimmer, tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer broccoli crowns to a bowl of cold water (do not drain water from pot). Drain broccoli, then blot on paper towels. Chop fine.

4. Bring water in pot back to a boil and add fusilli.

5. While fusilli is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy skillet and add garlic, anchovies and red pepper flakes, if using. Cook, stirring and mashing anchovies with the back of a wooden spoon, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in chopped broccoli.

6. Add a ladle or two (about 1/2 cup) of the pasta water to the broccoli, season to taste with salt and pepper and stir over medium heat for 5 minutes. Broccoli should be very soft. Remove another ladle of pasta water and set aside.

7. Drain pasta and toss at once with broccoli and remaining olive oil. Add water you set aside if you think it needs more moisture. Serve at once, sprinkled with cheese.

By: Rohit On 12:22

Sleep Better In 2016 With These 14 Foods

Like 50 million to 70 million other Americans, I battle with insomnia. My love for food inspired me to start there in search of relief. Here's what I found.
A shopping list for the sleep-deprivedAlmonds: Rich in magnesium, a mineral needed for quality sleep. A recent study published in the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine found that low magnesium levels make sleep more difficult.Carbohydrates: A bowl of your favorite cereal with milk combines carbohydrates and dairy.

Along with corn chips, pretzels and rice (especially jasmine rice), cereal has a high glycemic index, which causes a natural spike in blood sugar and insulin levels, shortening the time it takes to fall asleep. Normally we want steady levels to avoid mood swings and insulin resistance. But if you're in need of sleep, the increase in blood sugar and insulin aids tryptophan in entering your brain and bringing on the sleep.Chamomile tea: Steeped five minutes with a teaspoon of honey, this increases the glycemic index while acting like a mild sedative to aid relaxation.Cherry juice: Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Rochester say that drinking this before bed will bring on sleep quickly, as cherries boost melatonin levels.Elk: Contains nearly twice as much tryptophan as turkey!Honey: Raises insulin and allows tryptophan to enter the brain more easily. A spoonful before bed, whether by itself or mixed into chamomile tea or yogurt, could give you a more restful sleep.Hummus: Chickpeas are a good source of tryptophan.Kale and other leafy veggies: Loaded with calcium, these help the brain use tryptophan to manufacture melatonin. If you're anti-kale, spinach and mustard greens are good options.Lettuce: A Guatemalan friend swears that drinking boiled water in which three pieces of lettuce have been soaked for 15 minutes before bedtime will put you out. Lettuce contains lactucarium, the milky fluid secreted at the base of a lettuce leaf, which has been reported to cause a mild sensation of euphoria.Passion-fruit tea: Contains a harmala alkaloid found in high levels in the passion flower. This is a naturally occurring beta-carboline alkaloid that quiets the nervous system. Drinking a cup one hour before bedtime will help induce a sounder sleep. [aside]Root vegetables: Potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, parsnips, daikon and red radishes, jicama, turnips and gourds are rooted in the soil and therefore reputedly ground us. When we are stressed, root veggies are the things to eat; in winter, they give us warmth and balance. Their magnesium helps relax the nervous system, which reduces stress hormones and helps the body rest; try eating them with leafy greens for additional magnesium. Potassium, which lowers blood pressure and calms the body, is found in high levels in root veggies, as is vitamin C, which does not deplete when cooked. And root veggies are complex carbohydrates, which produce serotonin (without causing a sugar rush) and lower stress. They can therefore help you sleep soundly without waking up.Shrimp and lobster: Crustaceans contain a lot of tryptophan, which the body converts to serotonin and melatonin.Walnuts: A good source of tryptophan, an essential amino acid that can enhance sleep by helping to produce the hormones that set our sleep-wake cycles -- namely serotonin (a hormone in the pineal gland that communicates information between neurons) and melatonin (which controls the body's circadian rhythm). Walnuts also contain their own source of melatonin.Warm milk: My grandma used to say warm milk can help you sleep, but so can any dairy product ingested before bedtime, including cheese and yogurt. Calcium helps the brain use the tryptophan found in dairy to manufacture sleep-triggering melatonin. It also plays a role in regulating muscle movements, quieting the muscles.
A meal to excite the taste buds yet calm the systemHere's a perfect dinner that's sure to induce sleep. Any full-bodied Pinot Noir or Cabernet will pair nicely.For more information on health and sleep, see Ronald Bazar's new book, "Sleep Secrets: How to Fall Asleep Fast, Beat Fatigue and Insomnia and Get a Great Night's Sleep." Also check out Jenny Herman's website, Healdsburg Nutrition.

By: Rohit On 02:57

Tuesday 12 January 2016

From Capricorn To Aquarius, A Perfect Dish For Indian Festival

Celebrations, festivals and food are prolific on the Indian calendar. With life's hustle and bustle, I tend to weed out those that are difficult to fit in or lose their symbolism in our transported life in the United States. Sankranti -- marking the launch of India's harvest season -- usually is one of them. But a coconut changed my mind this year.Sankranti refers to the passage of the sun from one Zodiac sign to another. On Jan. 15, this transition happens from Capricorn to Aquarius, called Makara on the Hindu calendar. Makara Sankranti marks the beginning of the "auspicious" period for Hindus when non-devotional activities -- such as festivals and weddings -- can be held after a month-long "inauspicious" period dedicated to devotional activities alone.It's also the beginning of longer days. I believe that a modicum of practicality is rooted in many such traditions and longer days -- especially in times when there was no electricity -- made for more enjoyable festivals.Practicality also put an end to my irreverence toward Sankranti this year.

How cracking a coconut changed my attitudeIn my house, I had a fresh coconut that I had forgotten about, just in time for the January festival. I broke open the coconut, an action that is believed to bring good luck. As I looked at the pristine white meat that rested on my shelf in all its glory, I realized the fortune it brought me: an opportunity to celebrate Sankranti as it is traditionally done in my native Bengal. With pithey: warm, gooey rice and coconut dumplings.In Bengal, the colloquial name for the Sankranti festival is pithey parbon, or the festival of the pithey. Pithey is a sweet dumpling that is either steamed or fried and typically made with rustic ingredients symbolic of the rural bounty: rice, coconuts and date palm jaggery -- an unrefined brown sugar made from date palm sap.The process of extracting date palm jaggery is similar to tapping maple syrup, and I often use maple syrup instead. It is not as deeply flavored, but closer than other sweeteners that I have easy access to. The ingredients, despite their simplicity, result in delightful delicacies that are time-consuming but well worth the effort.Depending on the chef's enthusiasm and energy, an assortment of these are made for friends and family.I have fond memories of my grandmother and her sister making these for the family, as I often interrupted their progress by sneaking in and stealing handfuls of sweet, freshly grated coconut or moist and sweet golden jaggery that left my hands sticky and warm.
Pithey traditions in BengalThe first batch of pithey is usually placed in a container and floated into the river or offered at a temple in an attempt to appease the harvest gods.In rural Bengal, the farm community begins the day with an homage to the barn and dhenki, or rice storage urn. The women throw a handful of rice over their heads as an offering to the gods, and the urn is welcomed as a symbol of prosperity and hope for a good harvest.Living with the vagaries or nature, most predominantly the monsoon, this community is respectful about the importance of a good and successful harvest. There are a number of other rituals, such as tying the barn doors with hay and decorating the house. All are practiced in hope of a good harvest.For the Makara Sankranti festival, some Indian families decorate their homes to celebrate the harvest, like this woman drawing Alpona, a traditional Bengali rice paste decoration. Credit: Rinku BhattacharyaFor the Makara Sankranti festival, Indian families decorate their homes to celebrate the harvest, like this woman drawing Alpona, a traditional Bengali rice paste decoration for Indian festivals. Credit: Rinku BhattacharyaWhen I cracked open the coconut this year in my home, the thought of the warm, sweet dumplings it could bring me held the promise of all things good on that frigid day.It is easy to find frozen grated coconut in the aisles of our local ethnic supermarket. However, if you are looking for something comforting on a chilly winter day, consider picking up a whole coconut and grating it yourself to use in my recipe for Gokul Pithey, adapted from "The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles."

By: Rohit On 10:57

Monday 11 January 2016

Ambur Biryani: The South Indian Twist from the Kitchen of the Nawabs

Star Biryani has spread its wings to include Chennai and Bengaluru and has also spawned a host of clones who all claim to be the best in Ambur. It certainly doesn’t make things easy for road trippers on NH4 (that also connects Chennai with Bengaluru). Some Ambur regulars swear by the more modest Rahmaniya hotel, one of the three establishments that Star Biryani manages in Ambur but most locals will tell you that the best biryani in Ambur is not served in restaurants but at homes and weddings.

Years after we passed out of school, one of my friends – a leading footwear exporter from Ambur, offered to organise biryani from Ambur for one of our reunions. It was the best biryani and the most flavourful I’ve tasted; ever. I went back to him to put me in touch with some of his cooks for a recipe and also dope on what makes Ambur Biryani special.

Mukarram who has been cooking at Ambur weddings for a few years believes it’s the unique cooking style – where the rice and meat are cooked separately before bringing them together in a covered vessel in traditional ‘dum’ style. There are varying theories about the type of rice that an authentic Ambur Biryani needs to be crafted with. While the popular notion points to the small grain ‘Seeraga samba’ rice, quite a few cooks like Iqbal tell me that Basmati rice also works equally well. Some cooks believe that the unique ‘dum’ cooking style takes the rice out of the equation.

The other interesting Ambur Biryani recipe tweaks include curd and mint leaves. Ambur Biryani might be spicier than its Lucknowi counterpart and yet it’s usually eaten with Kathirikai Pachadi (locals also call this Khattay Baingan), a spicy accompaniment made with aubergine.

Almost every cook I spoke to was happy to share his Ambur Biryani recipe confident that the typical home serving for a family of four can’t compete with the large scale biryanis they prepare in huge utensils over wood fires. Ambur Biryani might be synonymous with mutton but the chicken and beef versions are quite common too.

By: Rohit On 08:25

Friday 8 January 2016

7 Health Benefits of Saffron: The Priceless Spice

Saffron is a small, bulbous, perennial spice, a member of the lily family. To produce saffron, the stigmas [the part of the flower which catches pollen] must be painstakingly handpicked, cut from the white style and then carefully laid on a sieve and cured over heat to deepen the flavor- a process so labor intensive that saffron is the most expensive spice in the world.

Currently saffron is commercially produced in Iran, Greece, Morocco, Spain, Kashmir and Italy. Iran is the most important producer of saffron both, in terms of volume and quality, and Spain being the largest importer of the spice.

Healing Benefits of Saffron

The benefits and medicinal properties of this highly priced spice, make it a valuable culinary ingredient worldwide. Modern research suggests that saffron can be used as an aphrodisiac, diaphoretic [to cause sweating], carminative [ to prevent gas] and to bring on mensuration. Some other benefits are mentioned hereunder:

1. Protects against cancer: Saffron contains a dark orange, water soluble carotene called crocin, which is responsible for much of saffron's golden color. Crocin has been found to trigger apoptosis [ programmed cell death] in a number of different types of human cancer cells, leukemia, ovarian carcinoma, colon adenocarcinoma, and soft tissue sarcoma. Researchers in Mexico who have been studying saffron extract have discovered that saffron and its active components display an ability to inhibit human malignant cells. Not only does the spice inhibit cells that have become cancerous, but it has no such effect on normal cells and actually stimulates their formation and that of lymphocytes [immune cells that help destroy cancer cells]

2. Promotes learning and memory retention: Recent studies have also demonstrated that saffron extract, specifically its crocin, is useful in the treatment of age related mental impairment. In Japan, saffron is encapsulated and used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, memory loss and inflammation.

3. In delayed puberty: In under developed girls, saffron has an overall stimulant effect. A pinch of saffron crushed in a table spoon of milk is useful to stimulate hormones and bring about desired effect.

4. To increase vitality: In low libido saffron aids as a sexual stimulant and can be consumed in a dose of a pinch in a glass of milk at bed time.

5. In patchy baldness: Saffron mixed in liquorice and milk makes an effective topical application to induce hair growth in alopecia.

6. Protection against cold: Saffron is a stimulant tonic and very effective to treat cold and fever; saffron mixed in milk and applied over the forehead quickly relieves cold.

7. Food Additives: Saffron is an excellent replacement for synthetic food additives- for eg: instead of FD and C yellow no 5: a synthetic food coloring agent that is a very common allergy trigger, Saffron’s glorious yellow could be an acceptable hypoallergenic choice.

By: Rohit On 07:07

Thursday 7 January 2016

High Blood Sugar Levels Can Increase Your Blood Pressure

Hyperglycemia or high blood sugar is one of the most common lifestyle problems today. It occurs when the body has too little insulin or when the body can't use insulin properly and symptoms can include urge to urinate frequently and urge to drink more water.

Another common ailment which has been know to be related to the effects of high blood sugar, high blood pressure can lead to a lot of other complications like cardio and blood circulation problems, vascular diseases, kidney diseases and even diabetes. And now a recent study has given scientific backing to an inter connection between the blood sugar levels of the body and blood pressure.

The study appeared in the British Journal of Pharmacology. It explains that the contraction of the blood vessels is the reason due to which blood pressure varies. More the contraction, higher the blood pressure. Increased sugar levels in blood change the behavior of blood vessels making them contract more strongly than normal which could result in high blood pressure and also increase the risk of heart attack complications, the study says. Examining the impact of glucose on arterial myocytes, cells that make up the tissue of our blood vessels, the team has identified a mechanism that controls the narrowing of blood vessels.

"We have shown that the amount of sugar, or glucose, in the blood changes the behavior of blood vessels making them contract more than normal. This could result in higher blood pressure, or could reduce the amount of blood that flows through vital organs,” explained one of the researchers Richard Rainbow from University of Leicester in Britain.

Heart attacks occur when a coronary artery, which provides the blood to the heart muscle to give the required nutrients and oxygen, are blocked. This contraction can also lead to a major risk of cardiac arrests, as high glucose at the time of heart attack could make this block more severe.

"Our studies show that glucose has an important physiological effect on the normal functioning of the cardiovascular system. Increases in blood sugar to patho physiological levels cause marked changes in normal blood vessel and cardiac muscle behavior that could be life-threatening if left untreated,” Rainbow noted. “In the experimental models we used in this study, including human blood vessels, increasing glucose to the levels that could be reached after a large meal altered vascular contraction,” Rainbow pointed out.

This can be risk controlled by some basic methods like exercising, reducing the intake of sugary and fatty foods in the diet and following a healthy lifestyle.

The study appeared in the British Journal of Pharmacology. It explains that the contraction of the blood vessels is the reason due to which blood pressure varies. More the contraction, higher the blood pressure. Increased sugar levels in blood change the behavior of blood vessels making them contract more strongly than normal which could result in high blood pressure and also increase the risk of heart attack complications, the study says. Examining the impact of glucose on arterial myocytes, cells that make up the tissue of our blood vessels, the team has identified a mechanism that controls the narrowing of blood vessels.

"We have shown that the amount of sugar, or glucose, in the blood changes the behavior of blood vessels making them contract more than normal. This could result in higher blood pressure, or could reduce the amount of blood that flows through vital organs,” explained one of the researchers Richard Rainbow from University of Leicester in Britain.

Heart attacks occur when a coronary artery, which provides the blood to the heart muscle to give the required nutrients and oxygen, are blocked. This contraction can also lead to a major risk of cardiac arrests, as high glucose at the time of heart attack could make this block more severe.

"Our studies show that glucose has an important physiological effect on the normal functioning of the cardiovascular system. Increases in blood sugar to patho physiological levels cause marked changes in normal blood vessel and cardiac muscle behavior that could be life-threatening if left untreated,” Rainbow noted. “In the experimental models we used in this study, including human blood vessels, increasing glucose to the levels that could be reached after a large meal altered vascular contraction,” Rainbow pointed out.

This can be risk controlled by some basic methods like exercising, reducing the intake of sugary and fatty foods in the diet and following a healthy lifestyle.

By: Rohit On 04:04

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