Healthcare_blog

SKIN T he news gets even better for anyone who's thinking  about or id already eating to boost  general health,prevent problems down the track and feel fabulous .The same foods  you're slipping in to your diet to do all that also keep your skin at its beautiful best.A groundbreaking study carried out by researchers  at Australia's Monash University compared the skin of volunteers who had eaten distinct cuisines over many years .Those on a typical Mediterranean diet - one recognized as a key reason for the low rates of cardiovascular and circulation problems and the long  life expectancy among southern  European  people - easily had the best skin.They displayed fewer skin problems related to aging. The key ingredients in their diet ? Olive oil.A fresh and varied supply of colorful vegetables naturally high in minerals and antioxidants as well as vitamins A,B,C and E .Unrefined carbohydrates .Teas, High - fibure foods and oily fish. This study clearl...

What is a polyhouse ?  www.askvikass.in A poly house is a type of green house in which a protective shade of transparent ,ultraviolet polythene  is used to grow vegetables and other crops.Polyhouses are generally  semi-circular in shape but there are square and elongated ones too..First a basic framework using bamboo or iron roads is constructed  and then a polythene sheet is tightly  stretched over it to create  a poly house .Ply houses are generally built along the east-west  direction to make the maximum use of sunlight.The temperature,humidity and other factors that are essential  for a particular vegetable to grow  can be controlled in a polyhouse. For example ,in winter ,extra heat may be provided using solar panels .In summer ,the excess heat inside a poly house can be removed by circulating the air using exhaust fans ,coolers etc.Thus poly houses facilitate the growth of vegetables and fruits  at any of the year .Farmers ...

1.What are the two options for searching on the Google home page ? 2. In Harry Potter, who was Merope's famous progeny ? 3. Pablo Picasso  is synonymous with which art movement ? 4. Nina,Pinta and Santa Maria  were which explore's ships ? 5. Sultan bin Addulaziz Al-Saud  who passed away  recently ,was the Crown Prince of which oil-rich country ? 6. What is Myrmecologist's field of interest? 7. Which evergreen number  starts thus : On a dark desert highway ,cool wind in my hair......" answers ; 1. Google search and i'm feeling lucky. 2. Lord Voldemort. 3. Cubism. 4. Christopher Columbus. 5. Saudi Arabia. 6. Ants. 7. 'Hotel California' by The Eagles.  www.askvikass.in

FOOD RECIPE This vegetarian soup brings together hot, sour,salty,bitter  and sweet tastes , in a fine balance. www.askvikass.in serves  4-6 , cooking time 1 hour Ingredients 250 gms mooli, cut to bite-sized pieces 250 gms cluster beans,chopped 4 slices dried fig 1/2 cup garlic 1/2 cup fresh dill leaves (sowa) 3 tbsp ginger,grated 4 cups vegetable stock. For garnish Juice of 1 lemon 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil (see box) 1/2 cup green onioms,finely sliced. Method Place all the ingredients in a pot and cover.Fill a larger pot with water,bring to a boil  and place the smaller pot in it.Cover and cook on a low flame until the vegetables  are tender.Leave covered until time to serve.Stir in sesame oil and lemon juice.Garnish with sliced green onions. To make toasted sesame oil, toast 500 gms sesame seeds in a pan and process in a blender  while still warm until oil is released .Leave in a jar  for a few hours and the oil will raise  t...

SIMPLY QUIZZING 1 What do you  call a bear with a missing ear ?  2 How do you Keep cool at a celebrity concert ? 3 What cam make an  octopus laugh ? 4 What do you get   when you cross  a stream  and a brook ? Answers  1 . 'b'  2. Stand next to a  FAN 3. Ten Tickles (tentacles)! 4. Wet feet!

PICTURES OF KERALA STYLE FOODS ! Sadya  evening sweet snack. for breakfast seafood   tapioca  www.askvikass.in healthcare_blog@askvikass.in

Nutrition guide Vitamin B foods www.askvikass.in Vitamin B - Complex Thiamine or Vitamin B 1 food sources  Unmilled cereals ( wheat,rice,corn,oats etc) Pulses , Red meat  (pork,beef,veal goat etc Nuts (almonds, wall nuts,peanuts etc) fruits,vegetables and dairy products . Effects of deficiency  Weakness and tingling  sensation in hands and feet , nervousness. ( 20 to 50 mg). Riboflavine or Vitamin B2 food sources Found in most foods Effects of deficiency  Ulcers in mouth,burning sensation in the eyes ,scaliness of skin  (5 to 10 mg) Nicotinamide or Niacin  food sources Liver ,meat fish whole cereals pulses and ground nuts  Effects of deficiency  Diarrhoea,mental symptoms,ulcers in mouth, headache insomnia (100 to 300 mg ) Pyridoxine or Vitamin B6 food sources   Liver ,fish yeast,pulses and whole cereals   Effects of deficiency  Ulcers in mouth,nerve damage , convulsions and Anaemia ...

VITAMIN A deficiency most commonly affects the eyes , the clinical conditions being night blindness and dry eye .. These can be prevented  by diet containing  the foods rich in Vitamin A. These foods along with the quantity  of vitamin A  available in them are given in below . Source and microgram /100 Rich Sources  Shark liver oil - 10000 to 100000 Cod liver oil - 9000 to 16000 Liver of animals ( beef,pork,goat,veal etc)  6000 to 10000 Good sources  Butter - 720 to 12000 Ghee -600 to 700 Egg - 300 to 400 Carrot -325 to 650 Green leafy vegetables (Spinach , cabbage etc) - 325to2000 Mango ripe -375 to 750 Fair sources Banana- 20-30 Dairy products ( milk )- 50 to 60 Whole fish - 30 to 40

GET SMART ABOUT YOUR BODY WITH US ! 1. Eating 45g of cocoa- rich dark chocolate daily reduces fatigue in patients  suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome. 2 . People who are overweight  or obese are 50% more likely to develop  asthma than people  than people of normal weight  3 . Treatment within 24 hours of a TIA (or mini - stroke ) cuts the risk of a major stroke by 80 %.

HOME TIPS IF YOUR amateur filming  never quite  captures the magic of an event , try these tricks  : CREATE A STORY . If you are filmimg  a birthday party , talk to whomever made the cake or is  is providing  the entertainment. Don't rely only on what people say. Add your own narration as you shoot your movie. Choose the right light .  A voi d filming high-contrast situations , such as  people backlit by the sun  by the sun ,or low-contrast (a dinner party lit only by candles ). Shoot with both eyes open . Keep one eye on the screen  and the other  on the action - this will enable you to react quickly. Give up control. L end your camera  to a child, or suspend it in one place for half  an hour- you might  get some interesting footage.

food Ingredients  1 kg Mutton or beef mince, 2 slices bacon finely  chopped (optional), 3 carrots finely chopped, 2 large celery sticks with leaves finely chopped, 4 tb sps olive oil, 1 cup dry red wine, 3 cups basic tomato sauce, 1/2 cup water. Tomato puree 200 gms, and Salt and pepper to taste. wizardrecipes.com Simmer the bacon ,onions carrots and celery in olive oil for 15 minutes. Add the meat and brown thoroughly. Pour the wine and tomato sauce and simmer for an hour or till tender . Add some water if the sauce is too dry.Then simmer uncovered for another 15 minutes after adding the tomato puree . Season and serve with spaghetti. This sauce  can be frozen for up to 3 months. NOTE : Spaghetti can also be boiled ,oiled  and frozen for a month- thaw outside or in a microwave.

S auces are really matter if you want to enjoy an Italian meal. Tomato sauce is probably the most popular sauce for pasta dishes .This page describes how to make tomato sauce  - one that may use meat, while the other is truly vegetarian. The sauce can also from the base for many other Italian sauces. Basic Tomato Sauce . Ingredients: 5 packets of 200 gms Tomato Puree, 1/4 cup of olive oil  , 3 large onions thinly sliced, 1 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp dried basil, 2 tsps sugar(optional) 4 cloves garlic chopped and  Salt and pepper for taste. In a saucepan,pour the olive oil  and simmer with garlic and onions till tender, about 15 minutes ,stirring frequently . Add tomato puree ,herbs and seasoning. Simmer uncovered  till thick,stirring often to avoid sticking and burning .Meatballs can be added to the sauce if desired. Sauce can be frozen for 3 months. Note : For a pure vegetarian sauce slice 500 gms button mushrooms and add salt in a little olive oil...

FOOD To make Bechamel sauce. M elt the butter over medium heat and add the flour .Cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly .Re move pan from heat and add warmed milk stirring  constantly. Cook further till thickened, add seasoning and nutmeg. Keep aside. Grease a baking dish and cover the bottom with a thin layer of meat  sauce and then a thin layer to bechamel sauce . Cover this with  a layer of lasagne sheets . Keep repeating the layers ending with the bechamel sauce ,till all the ingredients  are used up. Sprinkle the cheese on the top and bake for 35-40 minutes or till golden brown.Keep aside for 10 minutes before cutting. NOTE : The Bechamel sauce can be refrigerated for 2 days and the cooked flour(before adding the milk) can be frozen for up to 3 months. CIAO! An Italian meal will frequently end either with cheese(gorgon-zola,provolone,belpaese, herbed mozzarella)or fruit followed by strong espresso coffee.

Food Legend holds that Marco Polo,the 14th century traveller, brought pasta from China to Italy .But pasta can be traced to sicily in the middle ages .When the island was under Arab domination .Pasta really become popular after 1840 when it started to be manufactured on an industrial scale although it had been a staple in parts of Italy ,particularly Naples and Rome. T o ensure a quality cooked product,always buy pasta with the words 'durum' or 'semolina' on the package .Durum is an amber colored high-protein  hard wheat,semolina is the coarsely ground endosperm  of durum.This hard wheat produces a chewy ,slightly nutty flavoured pasta,It is loved by Italians ,for whom the product MUST BE SERVED slightly under cooked ,a condition known as al dente or firm to the tooth.A great deal of water must be put in a large pot and generously salted.The water must be kept constantly simmering - add a few table spoons of oil to prevent the water from boiling over.And as soon a...

Here's why walking is such an anti-aging elixir D URING your 20s, it seems that you can eat what you please and be as sedentary as a mountain with nary an ill effect.Once you hit your 30s though, the use-it-or-lose-it rule becomes urgent .If you continue your 20-something merrymaking,you turn into a blob.Keep at it until 40 or 50,and you will be a grumpy blob at high risk for a smorgasbord of nasty diseases . Luckily there's a way to stay in shape after 30:walking ."It's practical,and you can fit into your every day routine,"says Mark Pereira,an American epidemiology researcher .Although walking is beneficial at any age ,particularly sensible for women in their 30s,40s and 50s.One reason:: it's easy to start-and stick to-a walking programme.Moreover,it's easy on on the joints."The impact is reduced  by at least a third compared to running,"says David K. Brennan ,a professor  of physical medicine and rehabilitation .Walking also protects  wome...

Enough about fish - c an you just take a pill ? Yes ,but buyer,beware .Fish oil capsules are an efficient way to get seafood's crucial omega-3s ,known as DHA and EPA,and tests have shown that they are typically free of mercury ."Taking one standard fish oil supplement  triples the typical intake of omega- 3 s,"says US scientist William  Harris,an authority on fish oil .But other sorts of omega-3 supplements  won't do the same job .Flax oil pills ,for instance ,contain a different omega-3 fatty acid , ALA ,which isn't as effective .Don't rely too heavily on foods with added  omega-3s either.Experts say it takes about 170 mg of DHA and EPA a week to start to see benefits (doctors may suggest larger amount for patients with heart diseases or other ills),and foods with an omega booster won't get an omega booster won't get you close.The independent testing system group consumer-lab.com,for instance found that Tropicana Pure Premium Healthy Heart with omeg...

N ot everything with fins and tail will give you the same benefits -or,for that matter ,expose you to the same amount of mercury or other contaminants .Here,two lists that will help you make your picks. High in OMEGA-3s These fish are some of the best at protecting your heart. Bass Herring Mackerel Oysters Sablefish Salmon Trout (freshwater) Tuna (canned white) PomfretFish_g LOW IN MERCURY These tend to have particularly low levels of themetal. Anchovies Catfish Clam Crab Haddock Hake Herring Mackerel Salmon Sardines Shrimp Tilapia Trout (freshwater) Whitefish

Brazilian Seafood  Stew A re you daunted by the thought of cooking seafood? (It gets dry! It smells fishy!) Or did a fish fillet in some childhood  cafeteria  leave a bad taste in your mouth?Here,the most common objections to seafood and easy ways around them. I DON'T LIKE THE TASTE. This is the top reason for avoiding seafood.But the real problem may be that you have been eating fish that doesn't suit your palate .If you don't like strong fish flavour  like mackerel,try seerfish which is mild .Want a meatier taste? Try tuna ,the steak of the sea.The same principles apply if you are bored with your regular choices ,says chef Rick,coauthor of Fish without a Doubt. COOKING FISH IS TOO DIFFICULT. Not if you can boil water:Steaming  is an easy method that makes it practically impossible to overcook fish,Rick says.He prefers using a bamboo steamer basket because it gets saturated with the steaming liquid - you can steam with stock or broth,as well as water...