health and safety

Monday, February 4, 2008

Recipe column- vathal kulambu

Tips to prepare Vathal kulambu(Brinjal,Ladies finger,Manathakkali seeds, Sundaikai,Or Muthuku vathal)
Same as puli kulambu (look into side dished column) and add 1 teaspoon of vathal kulambu powder before removing from flame.Instead of vegetable try with onions, tomatoes,or vathals.

Recipe column- Easy to make Kootu

Tips to prepare Kootu (chow-chow: bangalore kathirikkai, Beans, Cluster beans, or Any other juicy vegetable)
Cook the 1 cup of Moongdal and 1 cup of the vegetable of your choice cut into small pieces in a pressure cookerAdd salt and 1/2 teaspoon of sambar powder and 1 teaspoon of kootu powder.Add 2 teaspoon of coconut or grind it in a mixer or a coffee grinder and add(optional- avoid coconut when dieting).Add 1/2 to 1 cup of water if needed to maintain the consistency.Allow it to boil for 2 minutes in low flame.Tastes well with Rice and Roti and when had as a meal in a bowl during dieting regime.

Recipe column-Puli kulambu

Tips to prepare Puli Kulambu (Brinjal, Capsicum,Ladies finger, or Onions)
Heat oil in a kadai add mustard seeds and allow it to splitter. Add 1/2 cup of the vegetable of your choice cut into small pieces and fry for 1 minute. Add tarmrind paste,a pinch of hing and water.Allow it for 3 minutes to cook well.Add the Sambar powder and salt.Allow it to boil and when the gravy is thick remove it from the flame. Garnish with corriender leaves.
Goes well with Rice, Appams and Idyappams.
For Sambar Powder look into Curry Powder Column

Recipe column-Puli kulambu

Tips to prepare Puli Kulambu(Brinjal, Capsicum,Ladies finger, or Onions)
Heat oil in a kadai add mustard seeds and allow it to splitter. Add 1/2 cup of the vegetable of your choice cut into small pieces and fry for 1 minute. Add ginger and garlic cut into small pieces or 1 teaspoon paste(optional).
Add tarmrind paste,a pinch of hing and water. Allow it for 3 minutes to cook well. Add the Sambar powder and salt.Allow it to boil and when the gravy is thick remove it from the flame. Garnish with corriender leaves.
Goes well with Rice, Appams and Idyappams.
For Sambar powder Look into the curry powder column

Easy to make and Simple Madras Sambar

Tips to prepare Madaras sambar (Brinjal,Pumpkin, Ladies finger, Capsicum, or Onions)
Cook the 1 cup of Toordal and 1/2 cup of the vegetable of your choice cut into small pieces in a pressure cooker.Add tarmarind paste and salt.Add water if needed.Allow it to boil for 1 minutes.Add the Curry powder and allow it boil for 3 more minutes.Grind 2 teaspoon of coconut and add it before removing from the flame(optional)
Delicious Sambar is ready to have with rice,idly,Upuma,Pongal or dosa.
For Sambar powder look into Curry powder column

Recipe column- Curry powder-Vathal kulambu

Easy to make Vatha kulambu powder:
Spices: 1 portion of Urad dal, 1 portion of toor dal, 1 portion of gram dal, 1 teaspoon of fenugreek/methi seeds, 1 handful of Dried curry leaves, 2 teaspoon of sesame/dil, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 1/2 portion of Red chilies approximately 10 nos.
Roast all the ingredents and cool it. Grind it to a fine powder.

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.

Sunday, February 3, 2008

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.