Home Remedies for common diseases!!!

My friend called in yesterday with a bad cough and cold. I gave him a simple home remedy and he called back today feeling great. So I thought I must share these simple tricks with my readers as well. So here you go guys!!!!! It's simple, it's easy and moreover it's natural.

GINGER FOR COLDS
Ginger tea is very good to cure cold. Preparation of tea: cut ginger into small pieces and boil it with water, boil it a few times and then add sugar to sweeten and milk to taste, and drink it hot.

DRY COUGHS
Add a gram of turmeric (haldi) powder to a teaspoon of honey for curing dry cough. Also chew a cardamom for a long time.

SORE THROAT
Add a tea spoon of cumin seeds (jeera) and a few small pieces of dry ginger to a glass of boiling water. Simmer it for a few minutes, and then let it cool. Drink it twice daily. This will cure cold as well as sore throat.

CURE FOR BACKACHE
Rub ginger paste on the backache to get relief.

GARLIC FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
Have 1-2 pod garlic cloves first thing in the morning with water

HONEY AND GINGER FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
Mix 1 table spoon and 1 table spoon ginger juice, 1 table spoon of crushed cumin seeds (jeera), and have it twice daily.

MIGRAINE
For the cure of migraine or acute cold in the head; boil a tablespoon of pepper powder, and a pinch of turmeric in a cup of milk, and have it daily for a few couple of days.

Thanks to my uncle for sharing his secret with me.

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My Idea of Good Health in 101 Words!!!

• Eat a well balanced diet consisting of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, milk & cheese and proteins either from beans and lentils or from lean meat and fish.
• Have at least one home cooked fresh meal daily.
• Say no to sugar, simple carbohydrates and liquid calories.
• Limit the use of processed and micro-waved foods.
• Limit the use of plastics. It's good for you and the environment too.
• Drink at least 8-10 glasses of water daily.
• Buy organic and local produce whenever possible.
• Get at least 30 minutes of physical activity.

Remember you are GODs special child and deserve a healthy and happy life.

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My experience at "Journey into Healing"

This blog post is not one of my usual articles on health and fitness related issues. I believe that this post is one of the most important posts I have written so far because this comes straight from my heart. This is not a usual educational post on nutrition rather this is my experience. My wonderful, beautiful, divine experience I had at the "Journey of Healing" workshop organized by "The Chopra Center" in Phoenix, Arizona.

When I registered for the workshop I had no idea what to expect. I enrolled not to learn meditation or Yoga but for the primary reason to meet Dr.Deepak Chopra. My grandfather (whom I lost last year) had gifted me Dr.Chopra's book "Seven Spiritual Laws of Success" when I was in grade eight. That was the first time I heard about Dr.Chopra and read any of his work. I read the book and re-read the book and re-re-read the book but quite didn't understand it. Remember I was in grade eight, just a kid, so all that stuff didn't really make sense to me at that time. My grandfather however knew the importance of the book and told me that one day I will get it all. He was right, it didn't take long and the book became my best friend. The book travelled with me from my home to my school, my college, my work and finally the book travelled with me from India to the US. I had the strong belief, as long as the book is with me and I know the Laws of Success, I will be successful come what may. So both of us travelled and saw good and bad times together.

Now fast forward fifteen years and here I am in Phoenix, AZ and find out about this workshop. The first thought that crosses my mind, "WOW!!! This is my opportunity to see Dr.Chopra in person. I don't mind paying to meet such a divine and great personality." and so without much ado I register for the workshop.

Now that the workshop is over I can say that this was not just another conference on yoga, meditation and ayurveda or an opportunity to meet Dr. Chopra but much more than that. For me it was a life changing experience. It was my four day retreat from my usual day to day activities and an opportunity to immerse myself  in a bath of divinity. I feel humble, blessed and think of myself as GOD's special child having had the lucky chance of  attending "Journey into Healing".I applaud and thank the people associated with Chopra center in helping me and many other like me by sharing such valuable information with us. The speakers are not ordinary people but people who talk directly to your soul.

Davidji's energy and child like enthusiasm is unmatched when he talks about meditation and it's wonderful effects on our lives. Dr.David Simon's inner peace and calm while presenting his talks is somehow translated into your own inner peace and calm and you feel purified and rejuvenated just by listening to him. Dr.Chopra's talk on consciousness was simply amazing. The knowledge I gained from his talk can only be experienced and I just don't have the courage or wisdom to put it in words.

There is so much uncertainty and chaos in today's world. All of us are struggling to make ends meet and battling with recession, corruption, food crisis, natural disasters and not to mention terrorism. But coming to this event and meeting over 250 people representing 18 different countries with one common goal; the goal to create a better life for themselves, their families, their community and their country with the power of spirituality and mind body training gives me hope. It tells me that even though we are sitting on a ball of fire ready to burst any moment there is still hope. The hope that as long as there are organizations like Chopra Center that are imparting fruits of joy, peace and love to people and as long as there are people who are willing to accept these fruits with open hands no evil can befall on this planet.

Gandhiji says, "You must be the change you want to see in the world." and I am ready to be that change and I thank "Journey into Healing" for bringing that change in me even though in my own small way because I believe;

"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop."-Mother Teresa.

So to all my readers if you are reading this and if you feel inspired I request you to be that change and attend one of the workshops conducted by Chopra Center and experience the difference in your lives and create even a bigger difference in the lives of your loved ones.


Parul

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Gluten in Diet

What is Gluten?

Its a special type of protein found in wheat, rye and barley. It is found in most type of cereals and breads. It is used to make the bread chewy and soft.

Gluten Sensitivity:

Also known as Celiac Disease is a condition where the body is not able to digest this protein. Hence, individuals with celiac disease should eat diets that are gluten free. Some of the grains that do not have gluten are wild rice, corn, buckwheat, millet, amaranth, quinoa, teff, oats, soybeans, and sunflower seeds.


But my point in this article is not to educate you guys about gluten but to tell you about the perfect gluten free product I found for my family.
 
As you people know I am from India and Roti (or Tortillas) are a major part of my diet. I can't imagine a meal without having atleast one tortilla.
 
Untill now I was happy eating a home baked whole wheat tortilla but now because of gluten sensitivity I am not allowed to eat whole wheat. So for the past few weeks I have been trying to find a perfect alternative. I tried many gluten free flours but it's difficult to knead them as they are very sticky and so making a tortilla is impossible.
 
I however finally figured out that if I add Gluten free Buckwheat flour with little amount of Gluten free Brown Rice flour I am able to knead the flour with ease and make perfect tortillas or rotis, chapatis,naan and paranthas.
 
So to make perfect gluten free tortillas my key is:
 
1 cup Gluten Free Buckwheat Flour
1/2 cup Gluten Free Brown Rice Flour
Salt to taste
1/2 Cup Water or milk for binding
 
Mix all the dry ingredients followed by wet ingredients and keep kneading till you make a perfect dough. If you find the dough is sticky feel free to add brown rice flour till you get the perfect consistency. Let the dough sit for 10 minutes before use.
 
Try it and let me know your views!!!

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Body Fat & BMI

If you go to a gym and see a personal trainer the first numbers they will use to access you general fitness are Body Fat Percentage (or BF%) and Body Mass Index (or BMI). So what are these numbers and why are they so important??

Body Fat Percentage:
It’s simply the percentage of fat your body contains. If you are 150lbs and your body fat percentage is 20% then you have 30 lbs of fat. The remaining 120lbs is called your lean mass and is composed of water, muscle, tissue, bones and minerals.

Body Fat Percentage is considered a better gauge of weight loss progress compared to the weight in pounds (or kgs). The reason: we need to lose the stored fat and not stored water which is an important nutrient for life.

So does that mean we should all aim for a 0% Body Fat. The answer to this question is a big NO. Certain amount of body fat is important for us as fat protects the vital organs of the body, acts as a thermo regulator and is the main storage for energy in our body. The table below as given by American Council of Sports lists the range of body fat essential for men and women.

Ref:American Council of Sports

Classification	Women (% fat)	Men (% fat)
Essential Fat	10-12%	2-4%
Athletes	14-20%	6-13%
Fitness	21-24%	14-17%
Acceptable	25-31%	18-25%
Obese	32% plus	25% plus

Knowing your body fat can help you determine your realistic weight loss goals. There are many ways by which a person can measure his or her body fat. Body fat calipers, hydrostatic weighing and bioelectric impedance are few of the techniques available in the market.

I, however recently came across this website wherein you can easily measure your body fat without the use of any fancy equipment. Try the link and see if it works for you http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/home-body-fat-test-2774-143.html


Body Mass Index (BMI):
BMI is the measure of body fat based on the ratio of your height and weight. If you enter the term BMI on any search engine you will find hundreds of sites that give you a BMI calculator. The quick and easy way is to calculate it yourself. You just need to know your weight in pounds and height in inches and basic arithmetic and use the simple equation.

BMI= (weight (lbs) ×703) / (height in inches )^2

EASY, Right!!!!

BMI Categories:
• Underweight = <18.5
• Normal weight = 18.5-24.9
• Overweight = 25-29.9
• Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater
(Ref: http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/)

So now that you know the basics you are ready to start your weight loss journey.

GOOD LUCK!!!

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