Recipe column- Curry powder-Kootu

Easy to make Kootu powder:
Spices: 1 cup of Urad dal, 2 teaspoon of cummin, 1 teaspoon of black pepper,
Roast it in 1 teaspoon of oil.Do not allow cummin to burn do it carefully.
Allow it to cool and grind it in a mixer or a coffee grinder.Store it in an airtight container.
Shelf life for more than 1 month, but refregirate it for the aroma to last long.

Recipe column- Curry powder

Easy to make Madras Sambar powder often known as curry powder:
Spices: 1 cup of corriender seeds, 1/2 cup of gram dal, 1 teaspoon fenugreek/methi seeds, 2 cups of red chilies approximately 25-30, 1 handful of dried Curry leaves(optional)-
To prepare dried curry leaves clean it and keep it in an open container in the refrigerator for 5 days.
Dry Roast all the ingredents seperately in a kadai or in an oven.Grind it into a fine powder in a mixer or a coffee grinder.Add 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder.Store it in an airtight container.
Shelf life for more than 1 month, but refregirate it for the aroma to last long say 6 months.

Obesity can lead to diabetes and other serious health implications. So watch out

Amitabh Baxi

I STUMBLED upon an interesting terminology at recent interaction with a leading endocrinologist of the Capital. He was talking about ‘diabesity’ — a term derived after studying the role of obesity in the spread of diabetes, in the backdrop of the fact that India is now among the top 10 0most obese countries in India.
    The linkage evoked my curiosity. Not because it’s something new. Far from it. Traditional wisdom always had it that ‘You are what you eat’. What intrigued me was the conscious choice we prefer to indulge in: Putting taste before health, we first spend money buying greasy, fatty junk food, land ourselves with a host of health-related problems, including obesity, and then spend money on how to lose it by going to gyms and health clinics.
    That’s no logic, folks. But a hard reality. Stats spell out the bulging problem: The prevalence of obesity in India is estimated at 35.5% in males and 48.6% in females, while the overall prevalence is 42.7%. What’s worse, reports have it that over 17% of children today are obese and 85% children diagnosed with type II diabetes are overweight or obese.
    So, what’s the bottomline, you may ask. Well, obesity is bad news as it causes a high risk of diseases such as diabetes, stroke and heart disease, among others. Studies also indicate that the likelihood of developing cancer is greater among those who weigh more than 35% above their ideal body weight.
    Dr Ambrish Mithal, senior consultant, endocrinology at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, feels that the problem of obesity is quite severe among Indians and blames it on the shift from rural to urban lifestyle. “Physical inactivity and the fast food culture are taking a toll on the nation’s health,” he says.
    Put simply, obesity is defined as the excess storage of energy in the body, in the form of fat. Overweight implies weighing more than a given standard level of height and weight. Body fat results from many factors such as diet, hormonal balance, genetic predisposition, physical exercise, basal metabolism and others. The condition, interestingly, strikes both young and old alike and children who are obese are at greater risk of becoming obese adults. Which means that the risk of falling prey to lifestyle diseases like diabetes is much higher in them.
    Doctors already note a doubling of the prevalence of obesity, and diabetes, among children and describe it as the twin epidemics presenting the biggest public health challenge in the 21st century. Explaining the concept of Syndrome X — a condition where poor lifestyle and obesity make an individual vulnerable to diseases — Dr Mithal cautions that overweight people (body mass index of 25 and above) are also at an increased risk for diseases such as high blood pressure, hypertension, high blood cholesterol, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, coronary heart disease, stroke, gout, osteoarthritis, obstructive sleep apnea and respiratory problems and poor female reproductive health. Another little known fact is that obesity may lead to psychological disorders such as stress which, in turn, makes people over-eat. This gives rise to social factors such as teasing and isolation which may contribute to depression and lead to loss of selfesteem. In fact, several studies conducted in Delhi schools have found clear sociological and behavioural problems with obese children who preferred seclusion. As a way out, experts feel that children need to be explained the ill-effects of obesity and the role of good diet and physical activity in their lifestyle. Right changes made right at the beginning will help nip the problem in the bud and save future health and financial losses, they add. Well, that’s food for thought! amitabh.

baxi@timesgroup.com CHECK THAT
WHO has formulated an index for defining obesity. Known as the body mass index (BMI), it is based on a person’s height in meters and weight in kgs. This classification works for all persons except those at the extremes of height or muscle mass, where body proportions affect the calculation.

 

 

 

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Recipe column- Curd rice

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How scratching impacts on brain

Scratching impacts of various areas of the brain

Researchers have discovered why scratching an itch may be so addictive.

A team from Wake Forest University in North Carolina used imaging technology to follow the changes that take place in the brain when we scratch.

Activity was reduced in areas associated with unpleasant emotions, and memories, but increased in an area associated with compulsive behaviour.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology study raises hopes of new treatments for itching disorders.

Understanding how the process works could lead to new treatments Dr Gil Yosipovitch Wake Forest University

For some people the irritation of an itch can be so intense that they scratch so hard they draw blood.

Among those who are most badly affected are people with eczema and those on kidney dialysis.

The researchers used functoinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology to monitor the brains of 13 volunteers while they were scratched on the lower leg with a small brush.

The scratching went on for 30 seconds and was then stopped for 30 seconds - for a total of about five minutes.

The results showed reduced activity in an area of the brain called the anterior cingulate cortex, which is linked to unpleasant sensory experiences, and in the posterior cingulate cortex, which is associated with memory.

When the volunteers reported the scratching was most intense, activity in these areas was at its lowest.

Lead researcher Dr Gil Yosipovitch said: "This is the first real scientific evidence showing that itch may be inhibited by scratching.

"We know scratching is pleasurable, but we haven't known why.

"It is possible that scratching may suppress the emotional components of itch and bring about its relief.

"Of course, scratching is not recommended because it can damage the skin.

"But understanding how the process works could lead to new treatments. For example, drugs that deactivate this part of the brain might be effective."

Compulsion

The study also found some areas of the brain were made more active by the scratching.

These included the secondary somatosensory cortex, a sensory area involved in pain, and the prefrontal cortex, which is associated with compulsive behaviour.

One drawback to the study is that the scratching occurred in the absence of itch. The researchers now plan to examine whether the same pattern of brain activity is produced when a chronic itch is scratched.

Dr Irene Tracey, an expert in pain at the University of Oxford, said effective new treatments for itching would be a significant advance, as the problem could be a debilitating for some people.

"I know of people who have been given morphine for pain relief, and have developed a facial itch that was so severe they have opted to come off the morphine and put up with the pain," she said.

Dr Tracey said identifying the areas of the brain affected by itching and scratching could potentially lead to new treatments.

However, she said cognitive behaviour therapy designed to impact on the relevant areas was likely to be the most productive approach.

 

 

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Recipe column- fried banana

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Recipe column-Vendaikai pachadi

Vendaikai Masiyal, Vendaikai Pachadi

Cook 1 cup of toor dal in a pressure cooker

Heat up a Kadai and fry 15 ladiesfingers cut into small pieces in a little oil.

Add this to the dal. Add a pinch of turmeric powder,hing and 1 teaspoon of coriender powder.

Split 2 green chilies vertically and add it.

Allow it to boil and add 1 teaspoon of tarmarind paste.

Add 1 teaspoon oil and allow mustard seeds to splitter and add 1/4 teaspoon of fenugreek / methi seeds, 3 red chilies and few curry leaves.

When it turns light brown in colour pour it into the boiling dal.

Add salt and mix well

Garnish with corriender leaves.

Taste this with rice.

Recipe column- Masiyal dal

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Backache

• The application of oil prepared from garlic is beneficial in treating backaches. The oil is prepared by frying ten cloves of garlic in 60 ml of any rubefacient oil (mustard, sesame or coconut). Once the cloves are brown, and the oil is cooled, it should be vigorously applied on the back and allowed to remain for three hours. It should then be washed off by warm water. 
• Eating a small piece of Chebulic myroblan everyday will provide quick relief.
• Application of raw potato in the form of a poultice is an ancient remedy, and has been found very effective in the treatment of backaches.
• Taking about 2,000 mg of Vitamin C daily will show considerable improvement within two days.

 

 

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Recipe column- keerai masiyal

Keerai Msiyal
Clean the greens like spinach or any other green leaves of your choice and finely chop it.Cook 1 cup of toor dal.Add 1 teaspoon of gramdal,1/4 teaspoon of methi/fenugreek seed powder ,1/2 teaspoon corriender seeds powder, 1/2 teaspoon of cummin, A pinch of turmeric powder, A pinch of hing, 3 redchillies and if you need more spice add 2 green chillies fry it for a while and Add 2 to 3 chopped tomatoes. Finally Add Greens and cooked Dal.Mix well and leave it in the slow flame for 2 minutes. If necessary add water.Garnish with Curry leaves and corriender leaves.Easy to cook Keerai Masiyal is ready to serve.
For melagai masiyal http://tamilvegnhealth.blogspot.com/2007/12/recipe-column_3689.html