Iron Rich Poha Beetroot Cutlet

A woman's body is prone to iron  & calcium deficiency which lead to serious health hazards later. Iron deficiency, especially after child birth, complicates lot of things. Failing to compensate the low levels may lead to hair fall, brittle nails, fatigue, paleness in skin and much more. Anemic women face trouble in keeping energy levels intact which adversely effects their social, economic status. Why wait for the consequence to take a toll when little changes in food habits can do the job? In association with livogen.in, here is an attempt to create iron rich recipes for women and help fight anemia. 

I love having poha for breakfast and keep giving twists to it for interesting recipes. Hereby, presenting tikki or cutlets made with poha, beetroot and potatoes.

Health goodness
Beaten rice or rice flakes, also called poha is a rich source of iron. Every 100 grams of raw rice flakes has 20 milligrams of iron besides a good value of carbs and minerals. Experts suggest that regular consumption of flattened rice can prevent iron deficiency and form hemoglobin that carries oxygen to blood cells. Beetroots are also iron rich and proven extremely beneficial in case of anemia or low hemoglobin.. 

                          

 

Ingredients

1. Poha- 2 cups
2. Potatoes- 3-4
3. Beetroot-1 medium size 
4. Salt to taste 
5. Green chili- Optional- 1-2
6. Black pepper- Half tea spoon 
7. Coriander powder- 1 teaspoon
8. Cooking oil- 3-4 tablespoons

Method

1. Soak poha in water for 10 minutes. Drain water. Keep aside. Make sure all water is drained out from poha. 
2. Boil  potatoes. Peel and mash them. 
3. Peel and grate beetroot. Keep aside. 
4. In a large bowl mix the mashed potatoes, soaked poha and grated beetroot. Bind them together to make dough. Add salt as per taste. Mix black pepper and coriander powder. Churn the dough well. 
5. Make little round shapes from the dough, pressing them gently to flatten them. 
6. In a pan, heat oil and shallow fry the cutlets. 
7. Flip and fry till the pink tikkis turn brownish on both sides.

Tip: Flame should be kept low to medium. Potatoes give cutlets a binding texture and body. Do not over-boil potatoes. Since beetroot is used raw in the dough, it will give crunchiness to cutlet. You can add onions to the tikkis if you like. I wanted to keep it quick and simple, hence skipped it.

For more iron rich recipes visit http://www.livogen.in/iron-chef

Chickpea spinach egg spread

Come winter and the market gets flooded with green veggies. Spinach suddenly rules the Indian kitchens. But who really wants to eat palak saag or palak paneer every day? So, I put on my thinking cap and dished out chickpea spinach & egg spread for a winter morning. Keeping the fact in mind that iron is one of the most important elements for women's body, Livogen.in's iron chef inspires me to make an innovative recipe fortified with iron. 

Health goodness 

100 g of besan or gram flour contains 34 iron, 68% dietary fiber and good amount of vitamins. Spinach is undoubtedly a rich source of iron, magnesium, dietary fiber and zinc while egg stands out with iron, protein and Vitamin D. 

Ingredients

Spinach leaves- One small cup
Besan or chickpea powder- 3 small cups
Eggs- 3-4
Onion- 1 big, fine chopped
Tomato- 1 big, fine chopped
Green chilies- 2, fine chopped
Salt to taste
Black pepper- 1/2 tea spoon
Cooking oil- 3-4 Tablespoons
Coconut milk (Optional)- half cup

Method

Preparation 

1. Blanch (not boil) spinach in less water. Since boiling destroys the nutritional content of spinach and the water drained goes a waste. Hence blanch in very less water till spinach turns soft.
2. Mash the blanched leaves.
3. Sieve besan/chickpea powder in a large bowl, ensuring no lumps are formed. Add little water.
4. Break eggs and whisk with besan smoothly.
5. Add chopped onions, tomato, green chilli, pepper, salt, and mashed spinach in the egg-besan mixture. Whisk well.
6. If the mixture turns thick, you can add little water or coconut milk for flowy consistency.

Cooking

1. Heat oil in a flat pan. Pour the mixture. Spread it evenly and let it cook for 2 minutes. 
2. Cover the pan for a minute, allowing the egg to cook.
3. Flip side and cook till both sides turn light brown.
4. Serve hot with mint chutney or ketchup.
5. Team it with hot tea or coffee for a filling healthy breakfast

Tip: Make sure the pan is on low flame. Use non-stick cook ware to avoid sticking of cheela and allowing smooth flipping.

For more iron rich recipes visit http://www.livogen.in/iron-chef

10 strict NO's for empty stomach

Often food and lifestyle define you and your personality. Eating right and at the right time has been the secret of good health. While there are several things you are advised to refrain from post meals, there are various other things you should also refrain from on empty stomach. Surprised? Don’t be. We will tell you what not to do on empty stomach so that you remain in good state of health and avert unwanted consequences.

1.       Drinking coffee/tea on empty stomach? Think again

 Addiction to bed tea or coffee shot for energy is not new but you need to stop doing that right away. Coffee is high on caffeine which if taken empty stomach causes heartburn and severe digestive problems. Consumed over a longer duration may lead to stomach ulcers, acid reflux or irritable bowel movement. The same goes for tea that erodes the lining of intestines and causes acidity and indigestion. In case you cannot do without your morning beverage, have breakfast along, add creamer to coffee or replace your normal tea with green tea.
   
2.       Never take medicines if you haven’t eaten anything

This piece of advice has been passed on through many generations. Apart from the pills recommended on empty stomach, all others are advised to be consumed only after eating something. This is because empty stomach lining is exposed to reactions from medicines that cause nausea, constipation, vomiting and intestinal bleeding besides reducing the effect of the medicines. To reduce the negative effects of pills on empty stomach, you can replace water with milk.    

3.       No food in stomach? Skip spicy food

Spices are good for metabolism but certainly not good until you have something in your tummy. Spices, especially chillies are pungent in nature which trigger indigestion and upset the stomach lining. It is hence important to mix something with spices to avoid such reactions. Perhaps something like bread can be consumed along.

4.       Alcohol is a big NO-NO

Haven’t we all seen people binging while boozing? Well, that’s because alcohol should NEVER be taken if you are empty stomach even if your last meal was three hours ago. One simple reason behind the same is that alcohol absorption rate in your body will be high and at the same time the breakdown of alcohol will be even slower. This takes a toll on your liver, heart, kidneys and needless to mention, a major hangover that follows. Advisable to eat and layer your stomach before you booze.

5.       Don’t go shopping on empty stomach


Hungry body is low on energy and glucose. To replenish it, your body demands food, especially sweets or those high on calories. Since your ability to concentrate and making decisions gets negatively impacted, you end up buying unhealthy food or junk that would instantly satisfy your hunger. Because the need of your stomach gets converted to stress, your brain sends wrong signals to your body leading to an overload of unwanted items in your cart, even in non food stores.

6.       Intense workout

The need for those flat abs and toned muscles make you work harder on your body. But have you been working out on empty stomach in morning or evening? That’s all wrong! Your body starts running low on energy during workout and lowers your performance. Also, working out hungry may cause loss of muscle instead of fat. The logic is low glycogen levels which burns muscles if you demand too much from your body while exercising. You hence need to fuel yourself before hitting the gym. Banana or fibrous salads are the most recommended foods before you work out.


7.       Avoid citrus fruits or juices

Ah, we know how a warm glass of lemon and honey in morning has been treated as a mantra to lose belly fat. Little did you all know that lemon will not harm your stomach since it is diluted in water. Citrus fruits should be avoided when you haven’t eaten, since fiber and fructose slow down your digestion, irritate stomach and cause acidity. Just like lemon, you can dilute the fruits in water to reduce the acidic level or else totally avoid till you eat something.

8.       Never sleep empty stomach

 Did you know that low glucose prevents from us from sleeping and lack of sleep triggers your hunger? Hence the next day you end up hogging more, because of increased hunger hormones. That’s one reason you should never sleep hungry. Secondly, it causes mood swings and stress. Good enough reason for you to not skip meals now? An alternative to eating is consuming milk with honey that keeps you full and helps you sleep better.

9.       Say no to chewing gums

 Can something as simple as chewing gums on empty gut, adversely affect your body? Yes, it can! Always remember, empty stomach is prone to attack on the soft stomach lining. When you chew gums, the digestive juices produced with saliva creates an acidic effect on stomach lining leading to gastritis. The sweetening effects of gum effects your food habits and leads to addiction of junk, instead of natural healthy food. Hence,  it is advisable to chew gums for not more than 10 minutes even if you are full.


10.   Dodge raw vegetables

Yes agreed, one should eat healthy and salads or raw vegetables are good source of vitamins. We know diet conscious ones often do that. We are sorry, you would be surprised that you had been doing that wrong. Consuming raw veggies on empty stomach causes an overload of coarse fiber which causes abdominal pain and accumulation of gas in intestines.

We hope the above tips proves to be useful and helps you to be healthy. In a busy and hectic lifestyle, we tend to ignore these little things that eventually harm our body in the long run. All you need is a little bit of precaution and willingness. 

Hair's next- Day Health Book- Day 124

Troublesome summers brings heat and humidity with it. The worst effected are your hair, which turn sweaty, dirty and dry in the harsh weather. Sharing some useful hair treatment therapies for you so that your tresses shine and breathe free.

-Wash your hair every 3-4 days with mild shampoo if you sweat a lot. Not washing hair will create a breeding ground for lice or dirt to accumulate, causing a foul smell and oily scalp.

-Massage your hair with nourishing oil every week to strengthen the roots and protect them from drying. A hot oil massage is the most recommended. To treat dandruff, mix few drops of lemon juice or camphor in the oil. Wash your scalp with anti dandruff shampoo.

-Before pressing or straightening your hair, apply heat protective gel on hair to prevent burning or drying of your hair. Local parlors don't do this which often causing hair fall and weakening of your tresses.

-Cover your head with scarf or cap before stepping out in the sun. Pollution and sun together cause lot of damage to hair.

-Give a hair spa at home each week. Try these easy and nourishing hair masks at home- 

A) Beat egg white, a cup of milk (if your hairs are dry), a cup of curd (if you have oily scalp), few drops of lemon juice, 2 spoons of oilve oil and mix well. 

Apply to your hair diving your hair into small sections. Leave it on for 15 minutes. Let steam penetrate your masked hair. (Steamers or vaporizers are easily available in the market). Rinse with cold water. Do NOT use warm water to rinse the mask.

Egg conditions your hair really well and adds shine to the dull locks. Milk conditions your dry hair. Curd treats dandruff and oily scalp. For those who do not use eggs can use Amla juice with shikakaai.

B) Banana mask is for those who have dry hair: Mix a table spoon of honey, 2 spoons of coconut oil, 1 spoon of oilve oil and 2 mashed ripe bananas. Make sure the banana is well mashed and smoothed well, leaving no pieces of banana left in the beaten mask.  Leave the mask on for 20 minutes and rinse with warm water.

Try the above methods to protect your hair from the harsh summers and let them shine with health! Stay healthy stay blessed!

This is the 124th day of the year and my 134th post from Year Health Book (YHB)

Healthy to fast- Health Book Day 33

To fast is a way of detoxifying your body. However in India, it's more of a religious sentiment. Few Indians can fast for 5 days a week following five different Gods or beliefs. Whatever the reason of fasting is, the benefits are positive. Many do not know the benefits of fasting and the ways as well. You tend to hog or eat wrong things on your fasting days. That kills the purpose of fast.

WHY FAST?-

Fasting correlates to cleansing and detoxifying your system. It balances and tones your body system as well. Detoxification is a corrective process in our cycle of nutrition. During this time we allow our cells and organs to breathe out, become current, and restore themselves. We need not necessarily fast to experience cleansing, however, minor shifts in our diet such as increasing fluids intake, raw foods, and controlling congesting food, facilitates detoxification. Fasting also helps prevent and repair DNA damage that could otherwise develop into cancer, besides keeping you calm. Increase your longevity and immunity by fasts in the right manner!

STAY HYDRATED -

-Unless its a fast that is done without water, do not restrict yourself on water intake. Have more fluids like juice or toned/double toned milk.

-Avoid cold drinks or carbonated drinks else that should only raise the glucose level in your blood. Secondly these are acidic.

DIET PLAN-

-During your partial fasts (where in you can have meal one time in a day), include fruits and raw vegetables in your diet.

-Non veg food items are restricted as they have high protein and cholesterol.

-Advisable to opt for food rich in vitamin C.

FEW DONT'S

-Avoid using heavy gym machines or strenuous exercises during your fasting procedure. If you exercise at all, a brisk walk should be enough.

-Once you end fasting, avoid indulging in oily/junk or high calories food.

-Avoid fine flour (Maida) items.

With the right amount and kind of food intake, fast successfully and stay detoxified.  Take an ocassional break from food and bring a difference in your life :-)