I’m the onion, the root vegetable with a papery skin that brings tears to the human eye. Hey! I don’t do it on purpose. I’m just made that way—layered and strong. LOL. I come in 3 colors—yellow, red, and white. Do you know the real reason why I make you cry? When you cut me, you begin to cry because cutting releases an enzyme that converts amino acids into a gas called propanethiol S-oxide that generates tears. I begin my life underneath the soil. Hence, I’m covered in moist mud and grow in the dark. One fine day, I’m pulled out, cleaned, thrown into sacks and taken to the markets to be sold. You buy me and take me home to use me in your cooking. I can also be consumed when I’m not fully ready. I’m then called scallion or spring onion. Once I enter your kitchen, I know my days are numbered. I avoid looking at the chopping board. Each time you peel me, tears begin to stream down your cheeks as if I’ve broken your heart. Sometimes, you even leave the kitchen for a break. Sorry,...

    I recently celebrated my sixtieth birthday with some excitement and trepidation. It is a significant milestone and I am amazed by the swift passage of time.  As I begin a new chapter in my life, I’m given to reflection, introspection and gratitude.  Chronologically, I am sixty and grey-haired but I don’t feel sixty, except when that little voice in my head says to me, “Remember you are a little beyond middle-aged”. A cousin lightheartedly reminds me to avail myself of senior citizen discounts and bank interest rates. That will take some time to get used to. I ‘m enjoying that unique sense of freedom that comes with age. My Thoughts:   Reflection and Introspection : I look back on the life I lived,  the challenges I ‘ve overcome, the friends I made, the friends I’ve lost or drifted apart from, my thoughts, actions and reactions during each stage of life, the joys and sorrows experienced and the lessons I ‘ve learned.   Wisdom: Six dec...

  Sattu: A Superfood.     I was introduced to Sattu at a healthcare programme and have grown fond of it. I try and incorporate the food into my diet in various ways. Popular in Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar Uttarakhand, and even some parts of Pakistan Sattu is a protein-rich, plant-based flour made from dry-roasted Bengal gram or chickpeas. This recently recognized superfood is said to have originated in Tibet where it is called TSampa.It is also available in different forms, such as wheat, barley or Jowar. Sattu ki Kadi  owar.  Sattu is especially beneficial during the summer because of its cooling properties. Sattu is unique to Bihari cuisine and Litti Choka remains a popular dish even among non-Biharis. Litti is a whole wheat dough ball stuffed with a spiced mixture of sattu and served with a veggie mash called chokha.   The littis are traditionally roasted on charcoal fires but in homes they are generally baked in an oven.  ...

  Benefits of Meditation   Are you anxious and stressed? Meditation may help you relieve stress, and anxiety and help you attain the peace and calm that you so desire . Meditation is when you clear your mind of random thoughts and focus on one particular thought to attain a mentally and emotionally clear and calm state. The practice of Meditation has been present since time immemorial. In the days of yore, it was mainly meant to understand the sacred and spiritual aspects of life. Today, meditation is mainly used to calm the mind and lower stress levels. Anybody can meditate anywhere. You can meditate on a bus or a plane or even in a waiting room or as you walk. It is inexpensive and doesn’t require any special equipment.   Benefits of meditation: ·        Looking at stress in a new and positive way ·        Building skills to manage stress ·        Becoming more ...

  Ageing is as natural a process as the sun's rising and setting, and no one is spared. Can you come to terms with this inevitable part of life or do you spend your days counting your wrinkles and going on fad diets? Embracing the fact that you aren’t as sprightly as a twenty-something and have to now take on certain physical and mental challenges would mean that you have decided to age gracefully and holistically. You want to be healthy and happy in these challenging years. Slowly and steadily you get down to adopting practices that help you navigate the inevitable occurrence of ageing. You strive to replace fear with hope. If you have ageing family members, then you help them move from negativity to positivity. Ageing brings on a number of fears: ·        Declining health L   Loss of independence ·        Lack of adequate funds ·        Living alone – loneliness and isola...

  Lessons Learnt Until Now.   1.    Change is the only constant. Our life on earth is not permanent. One day we shall all depart. Circumstances, situations and people in our lives are all subject to change. Changes happen for the better or for worse. We are happy when the change works in our favour and are called to accept, adapt, adjust and accommodate if the change works against us.  Sometimes, though you dislike the change, it is good for you. The change may bring to the fore your abilities and talents, and see you coping in adverse circumstances or simply break you.  A financial setback has changed a lot of things for me. Yet, it has taught me to count my blessings and be grateful for the smallest of blessings. Hence, as often said, 'change is the order of the universe and nobody or nothing can defeat change. As much as I would like to live in a comfort zone, I have learnt that life has this knack of making you most uncomfortable.  ...

  Zucchini se milo Tender, mild-flavoured and healthy, Zucchini has since of late become a popular wellness food. Zucchini is a summer squash also called courgette or baby marrow. It belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family along with melons and is referred to as a vegetable, though it is really a fruit. Zucchini resembles a cucumber in colour and shape. Zucchini may be pale green, yellow, striped or orange.  The inside of the fruit may be a pale yellow or a pale green and contains seeds. The fruit is harvested before it ripens because it is then that it offers the best flavour. Zucchini is a summer vegetable. It is well suited to the Indian summer as it is nutrient-dense and high in water.  In recent years Zucchini has been used as a healthier replacement for pasta or independently. Vegetable spiralizers are used to cut Zucchini into thin long strips that resemble noodles that are then called Zoodles. Zucchini is a popular ingredient in Mediterranean, European, African and Mi...

  Yellow Capsicum - Go yellow! Yellow Bell Peppers are simply green bell peppers that have matured. The difference in colour of red green orange and yellow bell peppers is on account of their maturity and ripeness. The green peppers are the unripe ones, being plucked prematurely. Red peppers are the ripest of all. They require more time to grow and thus are also priced highly.  the yellow ones fall somewhere in the middle. Red and yellow peppers contain twice the amount of vitamin C than their younger sibling, green pepper. As they ripen, peppers vary in nutritional content.  Yellow peppers are botanically called Capsicum annuum and belong to the Nightshade family. They are native to Tropical America, growing since ancient times. The Spanish and Portuguese explorers brought Yellow Peppers to Asia and Europe around 1493. Besides the element of crunch that they add to food, they are loaded with vitamins and antioxidants they are said to have a higher number of nutrients th...

 Xmas cake with a twist A lot of work goes into a  traditional  Xmas cake, but the end result …" you can't stop eating. All your hard work pays off.  Health forced me to forego the pleasure of partaking in this cake feast and I was sad. However, now knowing how much harm certain foods can do, and at the same time not wanting to be deprived of the pleasure of eating cake at Xmas, my husband and I together with guidance from the nutritionist have tweaked the Xmas cake to suit our needs.  Almond flour/ banana flour replaces refined flour, cold-pressed coconut oil stands in for rich butter, and jaggery takes the place of sugar. We have ditched the preserve and go with some amount of nuts and dry fruit. Eggs are in, but the free-range kind. Believe me, the cake turns out delicious and you miss out on nothing. This cake is baked on festivals and family occasions.  This post is part of the Blogchatter A2Z2023 challenge. 

  Watermelon is the word! The watermelon plant( Citrullus lanatus ) bears fruit annually and grows well in hot climates. The vines are prostrate with branched tendrils and deeply cut leaves. Single flowers either masculine or feminine grow at the axil of the leaf. The fruit is a type of berry botanically known as Pepo. Watermelon is part of the Cucurbitaceae family and is related to pumpkin, Zucchini, Cantaloupe and Cucumber.  Watermelons are either oval or spherical in shape and are dark green or maybe green with white stripes. The sweet juicy flesh is either reddish or pink and holds pips that are either black, brown or white in colour. Watermelons weigh anything between 2kg to 20kg and the number of fruits per vine varies between 2 to 15. Native to Africa, watermelons also grow in the Middle -East, USA, India, Japan and Europe. China leads the world's production of watermelons producing almost 60% of the production.  Nutrition:  The  watermelon is low in cal...

  Vitamins Are Vital for Your Health Vitamins are organic compounds needed by our bodies in small quantities for the maintenance of our health. Our bodies do not produce vitamins, so we must obtain them from food and pharmaceutical preparations. There are 13 vitamins in all. Eight of them belong to the B group. Vitamins can cause toxicity if consumed in large amounts. At the same time, a lack of adequate vitamins will also cause ill health.  Although they do not give us energy, they help us get energy from carbs, proteins and fats, also known as macronutrients. different vitamins serve different purposes.  Vitamin A : Vitamin A is obtained from animal and plant sources. Vitamin A aids vision, especially night vision, makes red cells and fights infections. Good sources of vitamin A include oranges, sweet potato, spinach, and other greens, dairy and seafood like salmon and shrimp.  Vitamin B - This group of vitamins turn energy-giving nutrients like carbohydrates, fat...