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“Bananas – A great Fibre Diet” – Delna Pooniwala.

Over the years we have heard of Banana’s being fattening and a fruit to be avoided when on a diet. However, contrary to what we have been informed, Bananas would not really add to your weight if consumed in the right quantity, not consumed along with fats and if you are within your recommended calorie quota for the day.

Bananas are loaded with potassium, vitamins A, B6 & 12, C, D, E, K, Folate, magnesium, Protein and Omega-3 & 6 fatty acids. They are Mineral & fibre rich, with soluble fibre too, which is recommended for lowering cholesterol. Bananas may make you feel full and satisfied for a long duration after it is eaten, due to the fibre too and hence recommended during weight loss.

“Meditation improves our mind, health, wellbeing and adds happiness” – Delna Pooniwala.

Meditation is a state of thoughtless awareness. It is a state of profound and deep peace that one experiences, when the mind is calm and the beginning of an inner transformation.

For many of us ‘Meditation’ may sound truly difficult and herculean. However, you can start with small steps. Just sit down or lay down in any comfortable position in any corner of your house for 5 minutes each day. You needn’t have a particular posture or cross your legs. You just have to feel comfortable. Then focus on your breath going in through your nostril and going into your system, filling your lungs and then slowly leaving your lungs empty, as you breathe out.

You would definitely get distracted with thoughts so do not fight them, but get to know yourself. Address these with a calm peaceful approach as if you are a great learned sage mentoring and advising your thought process with love and positivity. Make peace with yourself and with this activity soon there will be peace all around since it would affect you less in a negative way.

Meditation is possibly the most effective forms of relieving stress and has a potential of improving quality of life as it is a Cessation of the thought process. It is a state, where the ‘thoughtless awareness’ in which stress producing activity o the mind neutralizes without reducing alertness or productivity as meditation is a technique that reduces the release of catacholamines or stress hormones and parasympathetic activity is increased.

Meditation requires no special equipment, and is not complicated to learn. It can be practiced anywhere, at any given moment, without consuming a lot of time. So try it out. What you may possibly lose is a few minutes each day but would gain nothing but Positivity.

Almost all Indian houses would have tasted this awesome “Channa chat salad.” Tossed with onions, tomato, coriander leaves, lemon juice, raw mango, cucumber, chili powder & loads of chat masala. ( a mixture of black salt & raw mango powder)

This is extremely nutritious and rich in protein & very healthy.
Black Bengal Gram are rich in potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and calcium, iron, sodium, selenium and small amounts of copper, zinc and manganese, potassium, phosphorous, calcium, Vitamin A and C. It also has a small amount of Vitamin E, K, B6, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folate and pantothenic acid. It also contains vitamin A, B1 and B3, and also has a small amount of thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and vitamin C.

Gram is said to have properties that reduces cholesterol, the risk of coronary heart disease and iron deficiency, while also helping to stabilize blood sugar levels. It is also a natural aid to cure sexual dysfunction, nervous disorders, hair disorders, digestive system disorders and rheumatic afflictions.

Besides all the above gyaan & jargon .. It is sumptuous, tasty & filling. So go & make some.. 🙂

‘A miracle fruit called Apple’ – Delna Pooniwala.

I call apples a miracle fruit because they are full of mystique wonder. It’s not for nothing that we have been taught the phrase – An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Besides known for curing acidity, diarrhea & Urinary track issues, apples are also known for curing tumors and inflammations.

Yes! This also means skin inflammations & eruptions such as acne. So they could be your best beauty aid.

Due to the high fiber content, apples make you feel full and satiated for a long duration while the caloric count is rather low. So it could be a great snack if you plan to be on a weight loss.

“The journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step” Delna Pooniwala.

Fitness is never a destination. It is a lifetime journey where you strive to achieve higher and better. At times when we realize that we require losing a great deal of weight and lower our fat percentages, we seem to get disheartened and don’t know where to start.

But it’s the first little step that you take and the effort you make towards this great journey, that would build the momentum with other steps following & before you know it, you would be on a successful journey.

Summer is a great time to shed weight and you must take advantage of the seasonal fruits to help you achieve your goal.

“The best foundation you can wear is glowing healthy skin” – Delna Pooniwala.

Some of us suffer from acne and run pillar to post finding various creams and ointments that may help us get rid of them. When you want a healthy skin, it’s not what you put on your skin that matters as much as what you put in your body. After all, the construction of your skin is just like constructing a house. You use the best quality materials and your skin would be glowing, strong and youthful.

What we need to understand is that ‘Lycopene’ and other ‘carotenoids’ found in orange to reddish-coloured fruits and vegetables can help improve the skin’s antioxidant status. Antioxidants combat free radicals produced from excessive sun exposure. The Lycopene present in red fruits and vegetables also help clear up acne if consumed either raw or as an ingredient of your daily meals.

Consuming tomatoes on a daily basis preferably raw or even as a base for cooked food could help fight acne.
Strawberries, Mulberries, and cherries are loaded with antioxidants, which help your body fight off acne blemishes that are caused by oxidative stress.

Green tea also lowers dihydrotestosterone (DHT), an acne-producing hormone in our body. However, you would require brewing about five to six cups with green tea leaves, to gain a complete benefit for your skin. Green Tea is also rich in antioxidants, which will help your skin look younger and healthier.

These are just a few simple foods you could start consuming and notice a remarkable improvement in your skin.

“Sweet Corn Summer Salad” – Delna Pooniwala.

Sweet corn is a special maize variety, where the kernels are tender, sweet & tasty, where their calories chiefly come from simple carbohydrates like glucose & sucrose.

Sweet corn is a gluten free cereal, starchy functional food that is high in carbohydrate, fiber content & contains multiple nutrients like vitamin C, B-6, thiamine, niacin, pantothenic acid, foliates, riboflavin, and pyridoxine. & some important minerals like zinc, magnesium, copper, iron, and manganese that can benefits the body.

Sweet Corn sure could be used in a variety of great salad.

“When you finish a great workout, you feel great about yourself” – Delna Pooniwala.

It takes a lot for some people to get to the gym regularly. Specially the kinds who travel for work and work late hours or then the ones who are stressed and do not sleep well.

At times it’s just cold or then you feel just plain lazy on a Sunday morning and you want to feel cosy under the blanket and sleep off. But your struggle is only for a minute while you make up your mind & force yourself to wake up and dress & drive yourself to enter the temple of fitness.

Once you decide & get to the gym, you definitely would get charged with the atmosphere, music and other people. But the second struggle is here. This is your one hour to either sit or divert over the mobile, chat with people, wasting your reps or making it the best accomplished one hour of the day with a Killer workout.

Believe me! When you are done with a Great workout. You sure feel ‘Great’ about yourself!

“A Fit & Healthy body shouldn’t be a Luxury” – Delna Pooniwala.

Enjoying a Luxurious lifestyle may not be possible for everyone. A fit and healthy body is definitely something everyone should possess & live with.

Along the ages we have heard that health is wealth and if we retrospect it sure is true.

Especially in recent times where our life has become so sedentary with the innovation of technology and gadgets and the facilities we are assisted with. But we require walking with time and not letting it leave us behind. Along with our laptops and mobiles, we also require using a treadmill or an elliptical daily.

It is necessary to indulge ourselves with good activity routine, nutritious fresh natural foods, hydrate ourselves and sleep well. This is something we owe ourselves & requires to be done. It cannot be considered a luxury.

“Barley Summer Salad” – Delna Pooniwala.

I thought of something different today. ‘A barley summer salad’.

Besides a rich flavor and a chewy consistency, boiled barley is naturally high in maltose, a sugar that serves as the base for malt syrup sweetener.

It has a low glutamic index & is rich in manganese, copper, vitamin B, chromium phosphor & magnesium.
Barley controls blood sugar & glucose levels. It reduces blood pressure cholesterol & lipids.

I usually toss barley into soups, salads, my main course, use it for garnishing or just eat it boiled as a pre-workout snack..

For today’s salad, I reached out for all the other reserves I had in my fridge to toss in. Peppers, carrots & my favorite lettuce leaves.

This salad is extremely different, satiating & would compliment any soup or low fat health sandwich if you are planning to eat a light summer lunch.