Reminders and Cues for a healthy rainy season

Nutrition is not only limited to what you eat …but also concerned with how you eat…

• We are nearing monsoon season and here are some tips for enjoying the magical monsoon in a healthy manner.
• Eat hot or warm food.
• Wash your veggies and fruits thoroughly.
•  Soak and wash your greens ( spinach , methi , coriander ,etc) in warm water.
•  Avoid eating food which is cooked and kept for long hours in open or outside the refrigerator .
•  Cover you food to avoid contamination by tiny insects , flying and sitting on your delicious meals.
•  Eat lighter meals .Avoid overdose of spicy , oily or raw food. Anything in moderation is fine.
• Purify or boil the water to avoid the water borne diseases.
• Drink warm water squeezed with lemon and honey to cleanse your system early in the morning.
• Pack your tiffins properly to avoid rain droplets entering it.
• Don’t cut and keep fruits and veggies for a longer time.Chop them, at the moment you need.
• Include spices like pepper, cinnamon, turmeric , jeera ,ginger and garlic in your diet.
• Fruits like apples, pears and pomegranate are good for digestion.
•  Avoid too much of dairy, however curd or buttermilk seems to be a good option.
• Include bitter and pungent vegetables like bitter gourd and onions.
• Drink plenty of water and warm soups .
• Avoid ice-creams , ice-colas and street stall lassi or juice.
•  Clean your refrigerator shelves and compartments monthly.
•  Avoid keeping loosely –fitted jars with caps.
•  Avoid reusing the used cartons.
• Wipe the outside of the jars, bottles, vessels before you keep or store them back in its place.
•  Place everything in order.Ex food with shorter life span must be placed in front and the one with longer shelf life must be placed behind to avoid these food stuffs from being stale or waste.
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• Infections spread very fast in monsoon leading to cough and cold. By having fresh radish juice, pipli and rock salt in warm water, you can prevent and reduce mucous formation. 

• Monsoon diseases can be cured with these natural cures. 

-Turmeric: Known for its anti-inflammatory properties, turmeric improves your immunity too. So include some in your food to keep that cold at bay. 

-Garlic: Add a little bit of garlic to your soups, stir fries and curries to build up your immunity this monsoon. Garlic helps you fight viral infections . 

• Stay hydrated It is extremely important to drink lots of water during the monsoons, so that your system is clean. Boil your drinking water and put chloride in it (for one litre of water put 3-4 drops of chloride) to kill the harmful micro-organisms and other impurities, which might cause diseases. You can also have herbal teas like ginger tea,jasmine tea, chamomile tea or green tea. It keeps you healthy and builds up your resistance to fight against infections. Avoid drinking too much tea ,coffee during the monsoons, as it tends to dehydrate the fluids in your body.
•  If you are having cold , cough or viral fever , boil water with dry ginger , honey , lime and tulsi leaves . 
• In case you have a sore throat or throat pain, gargle with lukewarm water with salt and turmeric added. Increase your intake of vitamin C to help build resistance against infections and diseases.

To sum it up , remember  wash , cook , steam ,roast , bake or grill and avoid raw , uncooked , semi -ripe , cold food stuffs during rainy season.Remember good digestion means good mood , which in turn leads to a productive day.

By Pooja Foria in association with Mitalee Mehta from Oomph Nutrition

Summer Smoothies and Sippers

Summer is the season where days are longer and nights are shorter. To sustain the entire day with energy and freshness , one needs to have a lot of fluids along with a light healthy diet.

Summers make you feel less hungry and more thirsty. Keeping in mind the need of hour, here are some healthy yet tasty Summer smoothies and sippers one can try.

Summer Smoothies/Milkshakes:

The ideal combination for making the smoothie would be any seasonal fruit or veggie mixed with curd, honey and spices.

Various combinations one can try are:

1. ·       Mango ,curd and cinnamon
2. ·       Orange , peach, curd and honey
3. ·       Strawberries , lightly cooked oats and curd
4. ·       Watermelon , curd  and chaat masala
5. ·       Strawberries , banana and curd
6. ·       Cucumber , Strawberries, banana , curd and flaxseeds
7. ·       Muskmelon, milk and honey
8. ·       Mango, milk and pistachios
9. ·       Rose syrup, banana and milk

(Blend all the ingredients except the spices and honey ,add it later as per taste. Remember you can modify as per your taste and have more of the fruit that you like or the fruit that has a unique taste.Ex: Strawberries)

Summer Sippers:

1. ·       Mint and ginger shots
2. ·       Mint buttermilk
3. ·       Kokam sharbat
4. ·       Rose and watermelon juice
5. ·       Aam panna
6. ·       Carrot and beetroot juice
7. ·       Jal jeera
8. ·       Coconut water
9. ·       Tender coconut and pineapple juice
10. ·       Muskmelon and kiwi juice
11. ·       Strawberries and plum juice
12. ·       Pomegranate and apple juice
13. ·       Tomato , carrot and bottle gourd juice
14. ·       Cucumber, beetroot and bottle gourd juice
15. ·       Carrot and spinach juice
16. ·       Lemon and ginger shots.

(To make any kind of juice or mock tail : Mix all the chopped raw ingredients in the grinder with some water, then grind it , next strain it and later add salt ,pepper and jeera as per taste)

Try and Include these easy –to –go receipes in your diet and feel the freshness. You can try any type of variation as these are just the tips to get started.

By Pooja Foria in association with Mitalee Mehta from Oomph nutrition

10 Winter Super Soups

1)Pumpkin and carrot soup

2)Broccoli and almond soup                                

3)Spinach and tomato soup

4)Sweet corn soup

5)Tomato and bottle gourd soup

6)Moong soup

7)Sweet corn , carrot  and coriander soup

8)Lentil and beans soup

9)Cucumber, carrot and tomato soup

10)French beans, green peas and carrot soup

11)Sprouts and sweet potato soup

A simple and quick procedure to make any type of soup:

*Boil the given vegetable combos till it becomes soft.

*Then grind the veggies with some vegetable stock and turn it into a thick pure.

*Next strain the puree.

*Later put salt and pepper as per taste.

*Serve it hot .

Add on as per your taste if required:

*One can add a pinch of sugar or chilli flakes or paprika or a clove of garlic to risen the taste.

*Even a tadka with a 1/2 teaspoon ghee and jeera can be sprinkled over as per taste.

*Garnish with mint leaves or coriander.

Accompany your lunch or dinner with these soup recipesand you will notice an improvement in your digestion and gain better immunity.

Children can have these soups in between their activities for instant energy and good health.

Pooja Foria

Educator and Blog writer

Presenting this article in association with Oomph Nutrition.

Creativity in my Food Palate

Pooja G Foria

(Educator, Academic Coach and Counsellor in the field of education)

Presenting an article in association with Oomph Nutrition

Creativity in my Food Palate

Colours play a major role in our life.Colours can be found anywhere and everywhere. Colours have a strong , soothing , emotional  and exciting effect on us.Colours create desire, attraction and interest.They are simulators to our 5 senses. The similar can be observed into our daily routine of food intake cycle.
So let's decide to play around with our regular diet a bit this time and include the hues from our colourful palette into our food palate.
Food is an important source of energy. It is what we consume , helps us to sustain throughout the day.
Is your child's food plate covering all nutrients or are they still having the same meals all the time? Are they ready to explore or are they holding themselves back?

Answers to these can be attained if you prepare a Checklist in front of you:
*What meals your child has at home?                                                                                    
*How often?                                                                                                                                      *Does he/she express his/her hunger or suppresses it?                                                                  *Do you have a planned routine or your child munches anything, anytime as he/she likes?                    
*Are your meals colourful?                                                                                                          
*Do you explore ?

If your answers generate negative response then here’s an answer to all your queries and worries.

1)Explore with Colours: Colours attract our five sense and taste is one of the sense which gets attracted after our sense of smell and sight .Colour food plates persuade our sense of touch to grab that bite and here in the mouth , we get a delicious bite. So try different kinds of colourful veggies and fruits in making the meals to attract one’s sight. 

2)Try various sizes : From cutting vegetables and fruits into diagonal pieces to wedges to grated shredding , try out all of it with each course of meal. From tiny to large ,try chopping in different lengths.

3)Try different patterns and shapes: If you child doesn't like to eat something, try the same by cutting and making it into different shapes like triangle, circle, star shape etc and so on. Garnish the plate by serving toppings making wavy , spiral , circular patterns. Make attractive designs or characters with food.

4) Modify your cooking style: If food is not an important meal and is disliked by your child , it means it’s time to switch your cooking style from roasting to baking to steaming to grilling to frying at times.

5)  Add more flavours: Add more aromas and flavors to the same vegetable, soup , paratha ,dal ,  rice ,snack, desserts.

In today's world, we are so busy with our life that no one wants to try vivid things. I have seen adults watching cooking shows and penning the recipes down , but when you ask them how many times have they tried the recipe?
Replies are…….once, twice , never or I don't get time or my child doesn’t like to explore with his/her food.
I agree , we all are busy , but Imagine….. if the time used for watching cookery shows or surfing on phone was switched to planning and/or cooking ,then disliking food would be a past history for our kids.

Why today's generation is keen on eating at outside eateries?
Reasons being colours , patterns, shapes , flavours, etc which they get to explore and these simulators lead to a response of eating outside.
So let us too follow these FOODsteps and encourage our kids to have colourful meals hygienically cooked at home.
Modify your FOOD STYLE with the varied styles and see a COLOURFUL change in your lifestyle with this routine.

Leaving this blog on a positive quote by Carol Burnett ,
“Only I can change my life, No one can do it”.

Super Foods for Winter for Kids

1. Green Garlic- Garlic has long green leaves .It helps fight  cold, coughs and virals . Add it to your veggies or parathas.

  

2. Tulsi : It helps  protect your child from all sorts of bacterial, viral and fungal infections.It also helps cure all respiratory disorders like asthma ,bronchitis.

3. Carrots: Carrot is rich in beta-carotene,Vitamin C that enables healthy growth in children and  builds their immunity and good eyesight .

 4. Orange & Yellow Haldi (Amba Haldi): This one is medicinal. It is  antibacterial, anti-inflammatory,anti-allergic, antioxidant, antiseptic and digestive.You can add salt ,lime juice and have it as a side dish with  meals.

5. Dates:It helps in weight gain,boosts energy and relieves constipation.

6. Bajra: It is a good source of fiber and rich in vitamins & minerals

7. Awla: It is the richest source of Vitamin C required for immunity and healing of body.It also nourishes hair and skin.Give your children in form of awla candy or chyawanprash.

8. Green leafy veggies: They are rich sources of vitamin A, vitamin C, antioxidants, fiber,  vitamin K, magnesium, calcium, iron and potassium.Add them to parathas,dal,veggies and soups.

9. Sweet Potato: 

It is supercharged with Vitamin A -- which makes your eyes strong

Vitamin C -- to help your immune system fight to keep you healthy

Potassium -- to help your heart and muscles work better

Fiber -- important for your stomach and intestines.Have as sabzi or add to tikis,parathas,soups.

10. Black Til(Black Sesame seeds):It is a very good source of energy,antioxidants and calcium. It is also a good source of iron. Make chikkis or add to your parathas , sandwich spreads,salads.