Fighting Diabetes- Health Book Day 27

Diabetes is a modern day cancer. If not treated well or neglected, it may lead 

to several health hazards. Hence keep in mind few factors that can cure and prevent the deadly infection in your body-

- Exercise daily. A 20 mins jog or brisk walk would be good enough to begin with. Walk or take frequent breaks in office for physical movement to keep your blood sugar level in control.

-Have plenty of water. 2-3 litres water is a minimum requirement of human body everyday.

 -Having 2 servings of fruits and vegetables each day will be most helpful. Eat citrus fruits and leafy vegetables.

-Reduce your intake of white rice. Try consuming brown rice or whole grains.

-Consume food items rich in omega-3 fatty acid, like ground flaxseed, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, green salad.

-Include protein in your diet from items like almonds, egg white, whole grain bread.

-Loose your weight lest you should be in trouble later.

-Cut down on your caffeine intake.

-Check the calorie count!! Be conscious of what you eat and how much calories you intake everyday. Say no to junks, deep fried, sweets or chocolates.

A healthy lifestyle is the key to good and disease free body. Be aware before its too late!

Stay healthy, stay blessed

Fruity Winters- Day 24

Fruits and vegetables in winters drops to a low 25-30 rupees kilo. Affordable isn’t it? Hog on a plateful each day! The one I like is Papaya, for two reasons. One, because of the enormous benefits it has and two because its a whole fruit which can be eaten in one go without mixing with other fruits. So you peel and chop a kilo (or half) and you get the required amount of nutrients! Watch out for the benefits-

-Rub the pulp on face or mash it to use in a face pack. It is an excellent moisturizer.

-Use papaya with milk on your skin. Helps lighten your skin complex and gives a fairer, fresh glow. Helps reduce dark spots on skin.

-For skin tightening, mix mashed papaya with honey and apply on face for 15-20 minutes.

-Is rich in dietary fiber that helps in boosting your digestion. Also cures constipation.

-The anti-inflammatory properties of papaya helps to reduce pain of arthritis, edema and osteoporosis.

-High in Vitamin A&C, it strengthens your immune system.

-Papaya peel helps in skin whitening. Rub it on your face. Use it as a treatment for cracked heels.

-Those suffering with hair fall should consume papaya regularly. Papaya not only prevents thinning of hair but also controls dandruff.

-Papaya provides protection against heart diseases. Being rich in nutrients, it helps in preventing the oxidation of cholesterol, which helps in preventing the cause of heart attacks or strokes.

-Papaya seeds kills intestinal worms and parasites

Be it the peel, seeds or the fruit, papaya is a magic wand for you! Go for it this winters!

For your eye only- Day 20

Got tired eyes after a long day at work? Getting puffy eyes or dark circles?  Pain in eyes or head post working on laptops/computers for more than 10 hours? Ah these are our modern day curse created by our own self. Blame it on lifestyle, blame it on working environment, it is taking a toll on everybody. Here are some tips to help you relax your eyes-

• Rub your palms in the morning when you wake up, and place them on your eyes. The palms should feel the eyes’ socket. Make sure there is no pressure on the eyes. This activity can be done several other times during the day to rest your eyes.

• Blink your eyes as many times as you can. Don’t keep staring at your computer screens.

• Take short breaks from your laptop/computer screen time to time. If on a break, don’t look at your workstations or phones.

• Sleep well, sleep on time. Lack of sleep causes dark circles and puffiness. Keep your mobile phones away for god sake! That is one of the reasons I was so reluctant to install chat applications in my phone.And now when I have committed the sin, I keep staring at the screen in dark, hence straining my eyes and exhausting them. Continuous exposure to mobile/laptop screen only dries your eyes.

• Use general eye drops that suit your eyes. Something that gives a cooling effect will be more beneficial.  Put few drops in your eyes, close your eyes and relax. The irritants or dirt in your eyes gets washed out by the drops and hydrates them.

• Use aloe gel or orange eyes mask. Easily available in the market. Tie it for 10 minutes and let your eyes sooth.

Home remedy for puffiness-

• Soak tea bags in warm water and let them cool. Close your eyes and place the cooled bags on your eyes. See a noticeable difference within a month.

• Dip 2 cotton pads in chilled milk and place on your eyelids for about 25-30 minutes. This helps in water retention of your eyes and cool them off.

• Place 2 slices of cucumber on eyes and relax. Cucumber’s cooling properties relaxes and hydrates your eye area.

• Peel, wash dry a potato and grate it. Tie the grated potato in a thin cloth and place it on your eyes. Alternatively, press the grated pulp to squeeze the juice out of it, soak cotton in the juice and place them over your eyes. Potato starch acts as an anti-inflammatory agent to ease irritation in eyes.

• Bye eye cream or gel to reduce dark circles. I recently got one from Avon. The NATURAL’S hydra cool eye mask can be applied on eyelids and under eyes for 10 minutes and washed off. It really helps to combat eye puffiness and dark circles! Available on https://www.avon.co.in/avon-in/skincare/masks.html   and Flipkart as well.

Other brands like Vichy have medicated eye roll-on for the same purpose at a little higher price.




First image from: Pixabay.com 

Two W's - Day 21

I was at the vendor’s site.

I go to the water cooler to refill my water bottle every one hour. One of the gentlemen employees notices me walking from the workstation to the cafeteria with my bottle and stops to tell me something. With a warm smile and kind gesture he says “Why do you come here with your bottle? The office boy can do that for you”.

Of course he meant that I should not be running around for these kind of tasks. I can just order and it will be on the table. To add to it, I represent a brand name, which is the vendor’s client. And clients don’t move a muscle in vendor’s office.

I politely reply “Thank you so much for your concern but I like doing my things on my own. Secondly, walking from the floor to the cafeteria is no big deal. It gives me an excuse to walk at least”

The gentleman nods, smiles and leaves.

Same evening- Same gentleman



While I sipped water from the bottle, he asked “Madam, apko kya stone ki bimari hai?” (Are you suffering with kidney stones?). He asked the scary question because he noticed me drink lot of water in a day.

“No Sir. I don’t drink water because I got stones. I drink water so that I don’t get stones in future.” 

He nodded and smiled again.

The staff in the vendors office hence realized the 2 important W’s of everybody’s life- Walk & Water.

Do I need to explain the benefits of these two W’s now?

Fruit vs Fruit Juice. Health Book Day 16

                                   VS          

A glass of fruit juice from a tetra pack goes straight into your breakfast glass. Have you thought of

considering the content of the so called fruit juice?

My grandma never favoured packed juices hence she used to prepare juices at home. I remember her daily afternoon rituals of juicing oranges and pomegranate and relished it! She preferred fresh juice over whole fruit, for obvious reasons; fruits are difficult to be chewed by elderly.

In both the cases, be it packed juice or fresh, a whole fruit scores more than them any given day. Tetra packed juices does not have real fruit pulps. They are only sweetened fruit flavors that add to your calorie intake. Brands which claim to have real fruit pulps in their pack, do have some percentage of the same, yet it does not match up to the benefits of whole fruit. Not to forget high sugar content and artificial colors do more harm than good.

Whole fruit or Fresh Juice?

Whole fruits have high amount of soluble Vitamins and digestible fiber (roughage). The skin of fruits is high in minerals and water, as skin is the part which is exposed to sunlight. This helps to make food for the fruit and hence the color that the fruit gets. The pulp of any fruit is a store house of high nutrients. Juices are void of nutrients you see!

While you juice a fruit, most vitamins, fiber and nutrients are lost before reaching you. Double check tetra packs next time before buying. Read the content of calories, vitamins and essential minerals.  Go for fresh juice instead of packed ones.

While juice is what kids and elder people can have, others please try to consume one whole fruit everyday, preferably on empty stomach.

                                                                      Stay healthy, stay blessed

The pressures! Health Book- Day 15

People suddenly realize the importance of healthy lifestyle only when they are bed ridden or survive something drastic. Same is for my family. As a typical Bengali family, they enjoyed gorging on meat, fish and delicacies high on cholesterol, until one fine day my dad had a stroke, my uncle (taau ji) got paralysis attack, my aunt (taai ji) had a drooping low haemoglobin count, my maternal uncle (mama ji) had issues in kidney, my mom became a sugar patient and other relatives had blood pressure problems. Few days ago, again when my dad’s BP alarmingly fluctuated and he was hospitalized, advises poured in from well wishers. Few suggested to go for a brisk walk, cut down on high calorie or protect from winters, and so on.

 Here I preach the world about good health, and look what happens in my own house!

While cleaning clutter from box beds and stacked trunks, I found some extremely useful things that my Mom had stocked long time ago, but barely used them. I made it a point that they use it every day now.

Accupressure roller for feet

Acupressure is a natural therapy which involves pressure points and their effects on our body. Getting into details of this subject may just confuse you. So let me show you some acupressure equipments that you can use within the comfort of your house and gain much from them.

The one above is an acupressure roller for your feet. Human feet have certain points as shown in the diagram. Place your foot on the roller and move your foot to and fro. The pressure points or energy points of feet get activated and you feel rejuvenated. This stimulates the nervous system and aids in blood circulation.

I am not sure what do we call these, but they have been designed for your palms. Place these between your palms and move your hands as you do while rubbing them. The pressure point of the palms when activated cure ailments like, headache caused due to sinus/migraine, upset stomach, improve eyesight, skin problems, mood swings, hair fall and so on.

Check out the pressure points of your palms in the diagram below-

Acupressure's healing touch reduces muscular tension, increases blood circulation, and enables deep relaxation. By relieving stress, Acupressure Therapy strengthens immunity and promotes wellness.

These equipments are easily available in the market at low prices. Heal yourself with acupressure. A daily practice will only make you better. Try something new for your well being!

Stay healthy, stay blessed!

Play & make it fun- Health Book: Day 14

A brisk walk or jog sounds boring to many. So they plug in their earphones and forget jogging. Others talk on mobile phones while walking. Good lord, that’s not done!

Outdoor time with your dog

Routine is boring, agreed! Following a gym routine or exercise schedule is difficult for many people. It takes a lot to gather that courage and determination for a fitness regime! No wonders once you get used to it, you stop complaining. Getting used to it, is the question! So play up your fitness routine. Yes, don’t exercise, but play. Make it fun!

I am NOT TALKING ABOUT INDOOR GAMES for God sake!

Doggy time-  Have a dog at home? Go for a walk with your pet or spend some time playing with it. And you will vouch for the fact that “Behind every active person, there is a dog”!

Cricket fever- Watching cricket on your TV set while munching chips is not cool. Remember gully cricket during your childhood? Following it is so simple! All you corporate professional people, go for weekend matches! You will be active, physically and mentally both.

Badminton- You don’t need a stadium for it. . Play in your lawn, garden, terrace, neighborhood park or may be on the narrow lane/road near your house.  An economical investment and loads of calories burnt! All you need is two rackets, a shuttlecock with 2 players.

Swimming is the best exercise

Swimming- This is the best natural exercise that burns all fat and calories of your body.  Ya ya, I could not learn to swim ever, but all those swimmers whom I have known till date, have been fit and active! Get a membership for yourself of a nearby sports club or swimming school, as soon as summers approach.

These were easy, weren't they? All work and no play will make you dull. So play up and stay fit!

The action reaction theory

She is getting married in February and has become extremely conscious about her appearance. She wants to look good and thin, hence has started skipping meals. Breakfast was never on her list. Now lunch follows. All she has is a good quantity of rice in dinner. How does she expect to stay healthy like this? We, (her colleagues) have been trying to convince her to eat right. But our advice seems to fall on deaf ears.

Did you know that skipping meals is as harmful as over eating? Did you know that dinner should be the lightest meal of the day? Did you know about the repercussions of missing breakfast? Okay, I do sound like a Nutritionist or a college professor, but come on, this should be your basic knowledge!

· Never miss breakfast. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why it is called break-fasting after the night’s sleep.

· Try to begin your day with fruits or cereals.

· Do not hog! Have small meals 5-6 times a day instead of one large meal. (Carry fruits if you don’t have time to cook. Explore options like brown bread sandwich, sooji/rawa pasta, nuts, wheat biscuits, sprouts, popcorns, roasted chana, salad, soup, corns, battered rice and so on)



· Breakfast and lunch can be heavy, dinner should be the lightest. That’s because your physical activities during the day aids in digestion. The 6-7 hours of sleep during night is the time when our body is not physically active and the process of digestion is slow. Eating heavy at night may cause acidity, restlessness, indigestion and accumulation of fat.

· Have evening snacks 2-3 hours before dinner, It fills you and you don’t over eat hence. A good option is to have salad or soup pre-dinner.

· Avoid cheese, high protein diet, pizza or junk, deep fried, high calorie items in dinner.


Skipping meals is not cool at all. It may give rise to many life style diseases that are beyond our imagination! Eating right is the key to good health. What goes in reflects on your body because every action has equal and opposite reaction!

Break-fasting?

Which category? Do you fall into the category of those who are big time foodie and don't mind eating anything that comes their way, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner? Or do you fall in the category who are weight watchers and extremely conscious about your calorie intake? The third category is for those who think breakfast in unessential and generally skip it due to lack of time or other factors. Whatever category you fall into, please keep in mind the importance of breakfast and what should go inside your body. You should know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day which should NEVER be skipped. After your night's dinner when you sleep for 6-7 hours, your body has digested the food. The energy of your body is consumed by your body cells to breakdown the food particles. Hence it is important to replenish your body with energy in the morning, with the right food (breakfast). This energy keeps you going throughout the day.

The argument over breakfast- Some say it should be light, some prefer it heavy. Remember, whatever you consume, the food is broken down in the cells accordingly. You definitely don't want to feel sleepy at work/school/college after a rich heavy breakfast! That tempting rice or puri/bhature is hence a big NO for breakfast. Its advisable to eat cereals or anything light. Choose from a variety of fruits (one whole fruit a day is recommended worldwide by all dietitians, doctors), cereals (I have been consuming cornflakes in breakfast from the past 2 years and I am not bored of it), Brown Bread (white bread is MAIDA that aids slow digestion and is not fibrous), Milk/ Fresh juice (packed juice is only sweet flavor, no fiber), oats (sweet or salted as you like), Poha (battered rice), pasta (made of rawa or sooji), Eggs (not omlette), or Cheela (made of chipkea flour/besan and sooji and/or eggs)

An easy recipie

You can made a wonderful variety of the above, if only you had all the time in the world. Being a working professional, I understand the time constraint of everybody. My friends were amused to know see me eating cornflakes daily, which had become a habit. I could not torture them with cornflakes, on the morning of New Year when I had invited them for New Year party the previous night. With less time in hand, no open shops around and with the limited ingredients available at home, I made my own customized CHEELA. (Why has it been named so, only CHEELA would know :p )

Cheela- breakfast/evening snack for 4-5 people

Spread on tawa

Preparation time- 15 minutes Ingredients- 1 and half small cups chickpea flour or Besan 2 and half cups rawa or sooji 1/2 cup refined oil Finely chopped onions Finely chopped tomatoes Half a spoon turmeric A teaspoon of- black pepper, cummin seeds salt as per your taste , a pinch of baking powder Optional: Grated ginger, Finely chopped coriander leaves (Dhaniya), tea spoon of chilly powder/chopped green chillies, 2-3 eggs

Blend chickpea flour, rawa sooji, spices, chopped vegetables together with water in a pan. The paste should neither be too thin nor thick. Mix the right amount of water till you achieve consistency. Make sure chickpea flour don't form balls together. Blend eggs in the mixture if you want. A pinch of baking powder or soda will make the Cheela soft and fluffy. In case you add eggs, skip the baking soda. Heat the pan/tawa, spread a spoonful of oil and/or sprinkle cummin seeds. Pour a small portion of the mixture over the tawa. Follow the process of making omelette. Turn the cheela upside down and cook the other side with few more drops of oil. Don't let the cheela stick to the tawa. Keep turning its sides lest you may burn it.Serve hot with

Follow the process of making omelette

 chutney/sauce. Cheela spring rolls- If you have some more time in hand, on one side of the cheela, spread cooked vegetables like beans, cabbage, carrots, peas or dinner leftover and roll the cheela like a spring roll. You can even stuff the roll with small soya chunks. A healthy, tasty meal with minimum cholesterol is ready within no time. I make this usually on weekends or on days when my cornflakes stock is over!

Whats in there for you- benefits: 

• Nutritious as Chickpea flour- is rich in Vitamin A, Phosphorus, Potassium, Has Zero cholesterol, Sooji- Has Vitamin E& B complex, Iron, Is easy to digest, keeps you full for longer duration
• Less time consuming 
• No hassle preparation( even kids can make it )
• Light yet filling

Together, a beautiful "We"

On the highs and lows together

I knew you when our friendship was so raw,

we shared the same skipping rope,

hung on to the same sea-saw.

The memories still brew fresh in my mind,

when we left others behind,

in our notorious pranks on our neighbors

and we loved our life's spicy juicy flavors!

Partners in crime scolded together

You stole money from your dad's wallet and bought ice creams for both of us,

which your parents came to know and created a lot of fuss,

I shared the scolding with you as we were partners in crime,

our bonding grew stronger which was never to sublime.

"Sisters"? our new teacher asked us on the first day to school,

"Yes" you replied with a smile on your face,

and since then in our lovely bonding,

ego had no space.

My mum made sure to buy anything double,

one for you, and  another for me,

because you and I together made a beautiful WE.

I smile when I look at the doll that you gave me on my 8th birthday,

I remember how I had treasured it,

never gave it to anybody to play.

secrets well guarded

Those little chits that we passed in our classroom,

fills me with nostalgia now, as I remember

how for our poor classwork we were reprimanded,

and how those secrets remained between us so well guarded.

Our late night conversation and gossip sessions,

together our homework and swimming lessons,

just brought out our best in us,

I had many friends, but none like you,

who made my life bright and beautiful too.

I cried when a kid pushed me on the playground,

You always lent me a shoulder

you pushed her on my behalf and turned the world around,

you lent me your shoulder when I cried,

and stayed there with me till my tears dried.

I grew dependent on you for almost everything,

including my mood swings and solution to my problems,

you patiently counselled me to be a calm person,

and so well handled all my tantrums.

No, I was not a spoiled child at all,

it was just that while growing up there was not a single day I did not see you,

it was you who understood my condition whatever I went through.

The thought of parting with you was a nightmare,

but someday that would happen, you were aware.

My heart skipped a beat, to know you will be far from me,

but you consoled me each second with your words

saying "Distance does not matter, together we still make a beautiful we"

Friends forever

We were inseparable since childhood,

till the day you left to a different city for higher studies,

we were torn physically apart,

yet the best buddies.

Poem dedicated to my childhood and best friend Namita, who is in Australia now, leading a happy married life. I love you Namita and feel blessed to have you as my best friend. Could not write more lines on you as my eyes just brimmed up,

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