Ways of eating idlis

-
Image
 During my trip down South, I had the opportunity to watch common people enjoy traditional southern foods. Idlis are one such popular food items that can be consumed anytime of the day. They can be had during breakfast, lunch, or dinner or anytime in between.  Idlis are traditionally South Indian delicacies. They are rice and lentil cakes that are steamed. They are usually salty but in Mauritius, you will find sweet varities as well in small shops and restaurants there.  Idlis are healthy food items and are a good source of carbohydrates, proteins, and healthy fats. They have minerals and vitamins and have the goodness of fermented foods too. They are served with sambhar (curry made of dal) and chutney (coconut, tomato or the like). Some also savour them with yoghurt, ghee (clarified butter) or spice mix (podi).  Idli pizza A modern twist to idli dish has been as idli masala (idlis usually small-sized covered with spices), idli fry (idlis usually small-sized that are...
Post a Comment

Coffee and its health benefits! Tips to get the good of coffee without its ill-effects!

-

 Coffee is a favorite of millions of people worldwide! They are a fan of coffee and love to have their wonderful cup of coffee daily! It has a multitude of other benefits besides giving a person the much-needed alertness at the workplace or at home! But experts state that there are right and bad times to drink a coffee! More on it below!

The health benefits of coffee 

People like coffee for its flavor and richness. And they relish it for this. But they also drink when they feel sluggish or fatigued in order to get that alertness level for work; so characteristic of our good old coffee! This boosts their work productivity and is an easy and simple way to do it! 

Coffee [Source: Grit Daily]

Studies have also revealed that black coffee can improve cognitive skills. It also helps with the digestive process and enhances it so that foods get assimilated and metabolized faster. Additionally, coffee also acts as an anti-inflammatory agent. There are also some small-scale studies that state that coffee can keep away dementia or delay its occurrence. 

Despite its so many health benefits, at certain times coffee can do more harm than good! What are these times?

1. Coffee consumed after 12 pm in the noontime can seriously and severely affect your sleep schedule and pattern. For those who love the 3 pm coffee, this might be difficult. Hence the best option out for them is to replace the morning hot coffee for cold brew. Why? This is because cold brew has more caffeine in it than hot coffee. Ella Davar, RD, CDN explains: 

"Cold brew typically has a higher caffeine count than hot coffee. This is because you generally need more coffee grounds per ounce of water to make cold brew than you do for conventional hot coffee, which also makes a more concentrated cup."

So replace your 11.30 am coffee with cold brew and the change will be noticeable. The effect will last long enough for you to not need the 3 pm coffee. 

2. Excessive of anything is bad! The same applies to coffee as well. Moderation in regards to coffee is also desired. Hence, more than 2 cups per day can do harm rather than good for the body. After the 3rd or 4th cup, coffee dehydrates due to its diuretic effect. More than 4 cups can cause acidity and also shorten your life. 

Black coffee [Source: Wikipedia]

3. Having coffee on an empty stomach can be detrimental for the stomach. It can lead to discomfort and hence should be avoided. This would cause more harm to people with pre-existing acid reflux, heartburns, digestive and stomach issues. 

Soda drinks and the caution! -Read here

If you cannot avoid having coffee on an empty stomach, then best is to substitute normal coffee with that derived from organically grown non-GMO beans. This has the lowest toxin load and is rich in anti-oxidants. Also, one can add milk to the coffee so that the acidity risk is reduced. And also cold brew is less bitter and less acidic than normal coffee. 

4. One needs to exercise care if the blood cholesterol levels are high. In such cases, it is best to have paper-filtered coffee. Because unfiltered or French-pressed coffee can increase the bad cholesterol of the blood. 

5. Try to avoid coffee daily. Ella states: 

"I recommend moderation, because [stimulants] like coffee have a direct effect on energy levels. They do this by increasing the activity of the central nervous system—stimulating hormones (like adrenaline) and neurotransmitters that impact our energy. The problem is that our body adapts to their effects and requires increasing doses to obtain the same effect; eventually leading to burnout and fatigue."

One can have it 4-5 times a week and the remaining 2-3 days have matcha or green tea. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Loneliness is a growing epidemic especially during this coronavirus pandemic in the USA!

-
Image
  The coronavirus pandemic has increased social segregation and this has proven to be bad particularly for the elderly population. They are unable to catch up with their children and grandchildren and are finding themselves extremely lonely. They are the worst affected by the pandemic in terms of physical as well as emotional health. THE OLD AGE AND LONELINESS Old age is a time of loneliness for many people. Usually, people have lost their partners at that ripe age and depend on their children and grandchildren for support and to beat the loneliness. Though their younger family members used to occasionally visit the parents, now with the coronavirus pandemic this has become difficult due to the risk of the children carrying the infection to their aged parents and grandparents. So the visits have come down drastically and the contact remains only on phone or via digital technology. This though good does not suffice and cannot substitute the physical visits and the warmth that th...
Read more

Color therapy-the ancient art of healing! Know the science behind it and its current status!

-
Image
  Color as a form of therapy is not a new concept. In it, electromagnetic waves in the form of the visible spectrum (that we interpret as colors) are used to cure various body illnesses. It is an ancient mode of therapy that is being reinvented. There are attempts to elucidate its scientific basis and explanation. This would help to explore and discover newer dimensions of this old remedy. Color therapy (Chromotherapy) Newton talked about solid matter and moving objects while Einstein found out that mass and energy are dual expressions of the same universal substance. It is the vibration rate of its molecules that determines its form. When slow, it is physical matter and when the vibrations are intense it is energy. Thus, light is an energy and when it interacts with matter, color is formed. Each color has its own wavelength, frequency, and energy level. And human eye is adapted to see only this energy that has a wavelength between 380-780 nm. This is therefore, the visible spe...
Read more

Wuhan Institute of Virology scientists and bite from Covid infected bat!

-
Image
 Covid-19 pandemic started in Wuhan in China. This was in December 2019. But China continues to state that though the first cases of Covid-19 were detected in Wuhan, it never originated there. But the world wants to know the true answer of origin of the virus and hence the pandemic that brought the world to a standstill. WHO is investigating this matter.  China and its denial of origin of coronavirus   China has been persistent in its denial of Covid-19 in Wuhan. It stresses that though the first cases were detected there, they never originated there. They claim that it came into Wuhan from somewhere else.  But the world feels that the wet markets are the source of the pandemic. Also, the other powerful countries of the world such as the USA blame the Wuhan Virology lab for the start of the virus and its spread to the outside world. WHO is investigating this matter. Initially, WHO was denied access of the lab but now they have been able to get inside and try to probe...
Read more