Ragi / Finger Millet – A healthy grain

Whoever coined the term “fast food” added a superfluous ‘s’ as it should have been “fat food”.

People today are becoming more and more health conscious. But secretly they love food. The same goes for me. I hate becoming fat, but just the idea of a pizza with melted cheese slowly coming into my mouth, makes me all blushy. But with a myriad of alternatives available like whole-wheat pizza base, or gluten-free pastas and skimmed milk among others, is becoming lesser and lesser unhealthy. They not only fulfill our satisfaction, but also have great nutritional factors like vitamins and minerals and are great for those weight watchers.

Ragi, an annual plant widely grown as a cereal in warm seasons, is an extensively used cereal in India. It is used in various dishes like porridge, ragi muddle, dosas etc.

Advertisements

Travel Tips for Health-Conscious Families

I’m sure most parents are concerned about keeping their families healthy. At home, my family and I have specific healthy activities that we engage in regularly. On vacation, it can be challenging to keep up with our healthy habits, but I’ve discovered a few tricks that help us all stay on track.

1. Drink the Water

I always make sure that my family stays properly hydrated. This is especially important on summer vacations that include activities in the hot sun. Drinking enough water can help you avoid certain heat-related issues such as heat stroke. Each member of my family has a personal, refillable water bottle to take along on trips. If we are planning an outing somewhere that might not have a reliable source of water, I’ll bring water in a cooler to take with us.

Fun Facts about Organic Foods

‘Organic’ is a rather odd name since all food is organic, meaning that it’s made from living things. But it seems to have stuck. Organic farming is called ‘biological farming’ in some countries. Then there’s biodynamic farming and permaculture. All these slightly different types or farming are sustainable which is the most important thing to remember. Confusing, isn’t it!

What’s so great about organic food?

Organic Market – Highlights

“Save the Planet…Buy Organic”

“YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT!” Just a few days ago my friend was saying this to me and I made a not-so-witty joke saying “oh really, if you eat a cupcake, then you’re a cupcake?” Ha-ha, she said and made a straight face! Well what she said really does make sense now that I think about it. Imagine, if we eat potatoes all day we would become round and plump like a potato…

(Photo credits: Sahiba Pannu, my high school friend)

Today’s consumer is becoming more and more cognizant about their well-being; the Indian market is offering rising potential for health friendly food segments such as that of organic food. Organic food serves as a promising substitute for the population concerned about the consequences of high amounts of chemical pesticides in food items – both in terms of self – consumption as well as the ill impact on the environment. The affinity of an individual towards consumption of organic food items is highly dependent on the awareness levels, spending capacity and accessibility available to the individual. With growing awareness towards healthy food, increasing income levels, and shifts in consumer behavior, the country’s nascent organic food market is fast transforming into the world’s fastest growing market. In addition, mounting export market coupled with government’s support has propelled the market that will further boost the demand for organic food products in the country.

Organic Farming

The phrase ‘GO BROWN’ is a very common expression now. What does that seem to indicate? That everything we appear to do in our lifestyles should be ‘brown’? That sounds funny, right? It indeed has a similar meaning. It means going organic. Now the question arises, what does organic mean? Organic means of, relating to, or derived from living matter. Organic may mean different things in different contexts, but the main idea remains the same. It arises from living matter.

IFOAM – International Federation Of organic Agriculture Movements in March 2008 gave Organic farming the following definition:

“Organic agriculture is a production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and people. It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects. Organic agriculture combines tradition, innovation and science to benefit the shared environment and promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all involved.”