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Girls and women in India are sacrificial goats!

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Surprised by my blog article title!!! But the title is factual and not exaggerated. Though women are educated, they are not truly empowered. The reason is that the strongly patriarchal mentality still continues to exist in India majorly. When people claim that things are changing, I feel like laughing. Because at the grassroot level, nothing great has changed. There may be isolated cases of women who are independent in the true sense of the word and hence happy. This might be seen in some urban areas. But in rural areas, it is the same old story. Women are pushed into marriages that they do not like. Their voice or opinion is not heard. Even parents are insensitive and deaf to their voices. Sad but true. And truth is always bitter .  I have done a research in Uttarakhand and found that 99% of the women are unhappy in marriages. They were forced into it and they continue to toil with no inner happiness. The happiness is just the false happiness you get when you just fall in line wit...

Fenugreek and squash vegetable!

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Traditionally, Fenugreek leaves are cooked with potatoes in Northern India. Potatoes are good for health. Every 100 gms of potatoes give 77 kcals. The carbohydrates content is 17 g and sugar is just 0.8 g. It has minimal fat and no cholesterol. Sodium is 6 mg and proteins 2 g. Moreover, it has fibre to the tune of 2.2 g per 100 g. Potassium content is 421 and it is rich in vitamin C B6, magnesium, iron and calcium.  Also read: Nepali vs Indian panipuri   But some people, do not like potatoes. Or even if they like, they have reasons to not have it. It might be due to excess weight, diabetes, gas problems, or cost factor (if potatoes are costly in some places of the world).  What are the options to add to Fenugreek at such times? You can use protein alternatives or even add other vegetables to it.  Above pic is of fenugreek and round green squash cooked with onions, tomatoes and spices.  Alternatives in place of potatoes in fenugreek food dish Soyabean chunks-gran...

Milk in Nepal and India: the difference!

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 I have observed that whenever milk ferments when I am in India, the paneer or cottage cheese does not come out easily. Even if I boil it and add lime juice to it, the cheese formed is quite little and more powdery than cheesy.  But when the same happens in Nepal, the cheese formation is immediate, dense and cheesy. I do not have to do more efforts to get cottage cheese out of the milk in Nepal. What is the reason? I checked internet and found some factors that can affect the quality and amount of cheese  1. Freedom from pathogenic bacteria - Good cheese forms of milk is free from pathogenic bacteria. Differences between Nepali vs Indian panipuri  2. Different milk quality with different amounts of fats and proteins  3. Ultra-pasteurization can destroy vital enzymes and bacteria that are required for cheese formation  4. If temperature of milk is less when it ferments, cheese formation will be less.  5. If milk is rancid, it means it's fats are also br...

Nepali vs Indian panipuri: The differences

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Everyone enjoys Pani Puri; the rich, the poor, the elderly, the aged, young people, and children irrespective of caste, religion or creed. Even overseas it is relished.  I will not go into the history of it. It spoils the whole fun of the delicious food dish.  But having tasted Pani Puri in several places, both national and international, I have found that they are made to cater to local taste buds. Hence, they are different everywhere in the world.  Let's talk about India and Nepal and the differences in Pani Puri at both places.  1. Puri - The Puris in India are made of maida, atta or suji. You have the option. But in Nepal, it is only maida Puris. I have yet not seen anywhere there suji Puris.  Nepali Pani Puri  2. Fillings - In India, the fillings are made of boiled and mashed potatoes with powdered spices. At times, there may be some green or yellow peas (boiled) in it. At some places, they add ragda (white or yellow peas that is boiled and mashed in s...

Moong dal lassi kheer (Lentil sweet dish)

 I saw on one of the food channels recipe on how to make chana dal kheer. They said to add boiled channa dal, nuts, milk and jaggery.  I wanted to make it immediately. But I did not have the all the ingredients. Taking the idea from the channel, I invented my own food dish. I called it moong dal lassi kheer or Lentil sweet dish. Here is its prepration method and ingredients.  Ingredients : Split  green gram without skin (yellow moong dal) Plain lassi or plain buttermilk  Jaggery  Nuts Method   Boil the moong dal and mash it.  Add buttermilk and jaggery and stir well. Your dish is ready. Simple and easy to make anytime. Healthy too. Enjoy it. 

Psychiatrists and psychologists have higher incidence of mental illness in themselves!

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Psychiatrists and psychologists treat mental issues of their patients. But what about their own mental illnesses?  Psychiatrists and psychologists are more ill mentally  Doctors   are in great stress during their training as well as career period. The workload, busy and fast life schedules, and higher expectations and competitiveness and the nature of the job itself leads to a sense of exhaustion, both physical and mental. There is a heavy burnout. Moreover, time for socialization is almost nil.  Hence, doctors are in grave risk of suffering from mental health illnesses. And in this, psychiatrists and psychologists have a higher risk and incidence of mental health issues.  It is a sad truth that psychiatrists and psychologists are more ill mentally than general public or other doctors. This has been known but not accepted and recognised sufficiently.  Also, read: Narcissist mothers are non-loving and jealous of their daughters  Studies have revealed th...

Taste vs nutrition: what to eat?

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In the olden days, humans used to eat raw foods. Over time, they learnt the art of making fire and cooking. Now, people eat mostly cooked foods. They discovered spices and herbs and began their culinary use for aroma and taste.  This has further reached a stage where people prefer processed and ultra processed foods that are easily available in supermarkets. This could be due to lack of time and laziness, but many also prefer these foods due to the taste factor.  But when we look for tasty foods, somewhere along the way we are opting for less nutritious foods. So what should one prefer; tasty foods or nutritious foods? Tasty foods Most tasty foods are made of refined flour, unhealthy fats, and sugary base. These are artificially flavored and colored. Other additives are added to enhance texture and make foods more palatable.  Most of these foods are mass prepared and have added preservatives to increase their shelf life.  All this leads to these foods being stripped ...