My life is too spicy..

My life is too spicy..

I am proud to be Indian. I like to follow the age old traditions and culture of my country. I am not orthodox and don't believe in dogmas but residing in various areas of my country and being a part of the modern world I like to connect the traditions and beliefs with science.

India is full of spices. Most of the spices of the world are grown here . And I like to use the spices in my daily routine.

My day starts with a big glass of lukewarm water with turmeric , then a cup of hot tea in which ginger , tulsi , liquorice , black pepper is added. Breakfast consists of rice flakes or semolina tempered with curry leaves , mustard seeds , turmeric , chat masala 

Lunch is pulses tempered with cumin seeds , asafoetida, bay leaf, turmeric , red chilli powder and garam masala. Green leafy vegetable sautéed with a little bit of poppy seeds. Vegetable curry added with garlic , ginger , cumin turmeric powder , coriander powder , chilli powder , dry mango. Hand rolled breads in which caraway seeds are added.Curd has a pinch of black salt .

Evenings are mostly khakra or roasted puff rice or rice flakes or dhokla tempered with curry leaves , mustard seeds , asafoetida, turmeric powder , red chillies , fenugreek seeds.

Dinner non veg or cottage cheese or pulse preparation and the spices used are green cardamom, cinnamon, black cardamom,cloves , black pepper, star anise , bay leaf, nutmeg, mace , all spice , cumin , ginger, garlic, turmeric, coriander, aniseed, caraway . Along with rice or hand rolled breads with a vegetable sautéed or curried with turmeric, coriander , garam masala and chillies. Dessert is mostly pudding seasoned with bay leaf and green cardamom and saffron. Mouth freshener is fennel seeds.

Day ends with a glass of cumin and fennel water.

So am I not a spicy Indian.

These are the normal days , but ..if I have a tooth ache, I chew cloves or a garlic pod and the toothache is gone. If I feel tired or hurt I drink a glass of lukewarm milk with turmeric powder . If someone is having menstrual cramps , I suggest having a cup of ginger tea. If the stomach is not cleared the next morning I will chew curry leaves,  the list is endless. Indian households have so many jars of a variety of spices which are used as remedies for health problems.

Proud to be so spicy.

Fats and Oils are villainous. Really? ?

Fats and Oils are villainous. Really? ?

Your friend comes to meet you after a long time , Stares at you and says "Oh my God ! You have put on weight, you are looking fat !!" You start having sleepless nights, always checking the weighing machine, watching yourself in the mirror, start eating boiled foods , skipping meals , follow the health ads on TV ,buy fancy products, start exercising vigorously ,but do you really get lean ? Actually no, we become frustrated till the end of the week and again start eating junks to curb the frustration. It happens to most of us . These words pierce ourselves. The major step we take is to stop having fats completely .

But is the FAT the real villain ? Actually NO , there are many different ways to gain 'this weight' which we don't notice. Let's have a look at the Fats , Oils, the super villain Cholesterol and then decide whether fat is villainous or not .

First let's understand what is Fats and Oils?

Fats are made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen just like carbohydrates but they supply more energy than carbs because they contain proportionately more combustible carbon and hydrogen.

How many types of fats and oils do we consume daily?

=Margarine -

A cheap substitute for butter. Prepared from vegetable oil such as coconut oil, groundnut oil , soybean oil , the heated oil being churned with skim milk. Yellow colour is added to match the hue of butter. Used in making bakery products. Calorie wise the same as butter. It can be fortified with vitamins.

= Groundnut oil - Peanut oil or Arachis oil.

If the nuts are not properly stored it gets contaminated with Aspergillus flavus fungus. Consumption of oil from fungal infected nuts is a health hazard and it is advisable to avoid its use. Used as a cooking oil.

= Rapeseed -Mustard oil - 

used as a cooking oil and frying oil.

=Sesame or Gingelly oil - 

one of the oldest oilseeds of the world. Used in cooking or as a flavour enhancer.

=Cottonseed oil -

It's a byproduct of ginning cotton

=Coconut oil -

There is a message circulating in social media about the benefits of the oil. Basically circulated by "health gurus "is having adverse effects on health. Poor in unsaturated acids . More easily absorbed than any other oil.

=Sunflower oil - 

as a frying oil. Contains MUFA /PUFA mixture.

=Soybean oil - 

As a cooking oil

=Niger seed oil -

 rich in protein. Used as a food oil to cure many diseases. Can cause bleeding disorders and is not advisable for pregnant women.

= Rice bran oil - 

high smoking point , used for deep frying and cooking

= Palm oil- 

Good source of Vitamin A. Used as a cooking oil , not expensive so used in preparation of street foods.

= Corn oil - 

cooking oil and valuable frying oil. Used in margarine.

=Safflower oil - 

used as salad oil or cooking oil

=Olive oil -

The most favourite oil of this decade . It's NOT a "low fat oil." So consumption of fried foods with this oil is not a good choice.

=Canola oil- 

high smoking point so used for frying and cooking.

=Macadamia oil - 

for frying or as a salad oil.

=Avocado oil - 

used in some dishes and as a cooking oil.

= Hemp oil -

low smoke point. Not suitable for frying, used as a food oil and in supplements.

=Walnut oil -

Used for pan frying or as a salad dressing

=Butter - animal protein. 

Made from milk fats. Because of its pleasing flavour and good shortening qualities has for a long time been an important fat component in food preparation.

=Lard - 

animal fat from hogs. Low cost , flavourful substitute for butter in frying and baking.

=Hydrogenated oil - 

high smoking point. Good shortening powers. Used for frying.

 Confused !! which oil to use ?

The fat and calorie content of all the fats and oils are almost the same . It's unwise to think that if you are eating lots of fries with heart healthy oil , it would be a good idea. No it's not. 2 to 3 tsp of fats and oil are sufficient for our daily requirement. We always look into the visible oil in the food. We get the visible fat or free fats from eggs , cream , milk , butter , clarified butter , meat , fish, nuts , oilseeds, etc. But many of us don't know we consume invisible fat which is found in cell walls of cereals , pulses , tubers and vegetables.

But....

Fat is not a villain . We need fat in our daily lives. In colder countries fat requirement is more than in tropical countries.  15% to 30% of our calorie requirement is from fat.

♥️Fats provide an energy reserve. ♥️Fats serves as a vehicle for the absorption of fat soluble vitamins A , D , E , K

♥️ Fats supply essential fatty acids which are necessary for growth and function.

♥️If fats and carbs are used properly, protein will do its own work.

♥️ Fats help in producing a sense of satiety means we do not feel hungry.

Same with CHOLESTEROL

The adverse publicity has made it a villain which must be eliminated to avoid heart attack.

♠️Cholesterol is essential for life.

♠️ For the formation of cell membranes.

♠️Precursor of steroid hormones and bile salts.

♠️ Progesterone, possibly Estrogen and the Adrenal corticoids are derived from cholesterol.

♠️In the blood, cholesterol plays an important role in the transport of fatty acids.

"Please don't avoid fats . Instead, stop eating processed ,packaged and artificially flavoured foods . Eat a balanced diet rich in natural foods ".