Drinking Water

We can all change the way we drink – by drinking pure, natural water that is good for our health, our pocket book, and our environment. No miracles.

• Lose weight: Drinking water helps you lose weight because it flushes down the by-products of fat breakdown. Drinking water reduces hunger, it’s an effective appetite suppressant so you’ll eat less. 

• Plus, water has zero calories. 

• Natural Remedy for Headache: Helps to relieve headache and back pains due to dehydration. Although many reasons contribute to headache, dehydration is the common one.

• Look Younger with Healthier Skin: You’ll look younger when your skin is properly hydrated. Water helps to replenish skin tissues, moisturizes skin and increases skin elasticity.

• Better Productivity at Work: Your brain is mostly made up of water, thus drinking water helps you think better, be more alert and more concentrated.

• Better Exercise: Drinking water regulates your body temperature. That means you’ll feel more energetic when doing exercises. Water also helps to fuel your muscle.

• Helps in Digestion and Constipation: Drinking water raises your metabolism because it helps in digestion. Fiber and water goes hand in hand so that you can have your daily bowel movement.

• Less Cramps and Sprains: Proper hydration helps keep your joints and muscles lubricated, so you’ll less likely get cramps and sprains.

• Less Likely to Get Sick and Feel Healthy: Drinking plenty of water helps fight against flu and other ailments like kidney stones and heart attack. Water adds with lemon is used for ailments like respiratory disease, intestinal problems, rheumatism and arthritis etc. In another words one of the benefits of drinking water is that it can improve your immune system. 

• Relieves Fatigue: Water is used by the body to help flush out toxins and waste products from the body. If your body lacks water, your heart, for instance, needs to work harder to pump out the oxygenated blood to all cells, so are the rest of the vital organs, your organs will be exhausted and so will you.

• Good Mood: Your body feels very good and that’s why you feel happy.

• Reduce the Risk of Cancer: Related to the digestive system, some studies show that drinking a healthy amount of water may reduce the risks of bladder cancer and colon cancer. Water dilutes the concentration of cancer-causing agents in the urine and shortens the time in which they are in contact with bladder lining.

• Can you see the importance of water to your body after understanding the above benefits of drinking water?

• The human body is anywhere from 55% to 78% water depending on body size. A rule of thumb, 2/3 of body is consists of water, and it is the main component of human body. Did you know that your tissues and organs are mainly made up of water? Here is the %:

Muscle consists of 75% water
Brain consists of 90% of water
Bone consists of 22% of water
Blood consists of 83% water
The functions of water in human body are vital. The water:

Transports nutrients and oxygen into cells
Moisturizes the air in lungs
Helps with metabolism
Protects our vital organ
Helps our organs to absorb nutrients better
Regulates body temperature
Detoxifies

• Protects and moisturizes our joints
• Every cell in your body needs water from head to toe. That is why it is so important to drink enough fluid. Take for example, brain consists of 90% of water, if you do not supply enough water to your body, your brain cannot function well, and you will get headache or migraine. Hence, next time, if you feel fatigue and headache, it may be the sign of dehydration.

Harmful Effects and Symptoms of Dehydration

The Harmful Effects Result from Dehydration:
Tiredness
Migraine
Constipation
Muscle cramps
Irregular blood pressure
Kidney problems
Dry skin
20% dehydrated – Risk of death
Symptoms of Dehydration

• Here are some of the symptoms that you need more water:
• Dark Urine – Dark Yellow or Orange in Color: Urine is generally pale yellow to clear when you have sufficient water intake. Dark color or strong smell indicates that you need to drink more water.
• Dry Skin: Skin is the largest body organ and requires its share of water.
• Thirst: Thirst is the most obvious sign that you're already dehydrated. It is always a good practice to drink more water when your are not thirsty, don’t wait until you're thirsty.
• Hunger: Most people mistake hunger for the indication to eat more, whereas in actual fact, they may be dehydrated. So before you have your meal, grab a glass of water.
• Fatigue: Water is a source of energy and gives you a boost in energy.

About 90% of heart attacks occur early in the morning and it can be minimized if one takes a glass or two of water NOT grog or beer before retiring in the evening.

Drinking water at the correct time Maximizes its effectiveness on the Human body :

1 glasses of water after waking up - helps activate internal organs

1 glass of water 30 minutes before a meal - helps digestion

1 glass of water before taking a bath - helps lower blood pressure

1 glass of water before going to bed - avoids stroke or heart attack.


Almost a billion people live without clean drinking water. We call this the water crisis. It's a crisis because it only starts with water -- but water affects everything in life.

Health. Education. Food security. And the lives of women and children, especially.

We can end the water crisis in our lifetime. But first we have to let everyone know it's happening. Learn how water changes everything -- and share this with everyone you know.

Dont waste our precious resource many people around the globe are suffering with out water.


Share with your friends and family....:)

Masala Dabba

When I posted a pic of my masala dabba on my face book page people were asking me whats it all about well I said its project masala dabba...lol...good to see many folks at least had a good laugh. everybody is in search of a magic spice which could change our lives for good bad or ugly. adding a little bit of magic pepper and cumin from my project i present my masala dabba.

What you see in the pic is my grandmothers precious masala dabba I'm sure every meal that she prepared was magical...she was married in the year 1945 my grandpa was serving Indian Army (Madras Regiment) he was major and travelling was part of his job where ever he went my granny followed from Kashmir to kanyakumari so did the masala dabba oh by the way the masala dabba was her marriage gift from her mom. there were many sentiments attached to this box.

As valentine day is approaching i wanted to post a romantic journey a journey that never ended and still going strong. I've seen many people getting rid of old utensils and getting new stuff a complete makeover it can never happen at my home everything will remain as it is mom can never get over with all her vintage spoons and vessels sounds like a rant... :D

As per south indian  myth  as long as we have clean spices stored in a anjarai petti (masala dabba) the family will cherish well. in ancient days people made the masala dabba out of mango wood we had one which was very old but is broken and of no use as per customs if a girl gets married a masala dabba  is presented to the girl the meaning behind it was to keep the family together and happy. those days silver, brass, wood and copper were considered to bring good luck to family.

My vintage journey has a downside to it...takes a lot of effort to clean and make it shine its tough process to maintain brass and copper utensils and we use ground water the salt sediment dries on the vessels and gives it dark patches.

I used every possible cleaning agent to clean my glittery vintage masala dabba  the cleaning time...whole day...and used up 1/2 bottle pril, cif, tamarind, vim bar soap and pitambari first of all i soaked the whole dabba in hot water for 1/2 hour then cleaned it:D

My mom is going to pass this masala box to me as my marriage gift she says...:)

Finally I filled the compartments with spices in them every region in India have their own choice of spices to store in the masala dabba as south indians we prefer to store dried red chilies, channa dhal, split black gram dhal, cumin, mustard, fenugreek and black pepper corns. with all these spices in one place its very easy for tempering rasam sambar and other curries and vegetables...hope everyone enjoyed this post thanks for visiting...keep smiling...happy cooking...:)  

Do view my video on Masala Dabba...Enjoy...:)

Schezwan Chili Chicken

One of my friend from Tibet gave me this recipe. I like to have chilli chicken bit dry if  you dont like it dry fry then add extra tomato puree to get sauce. green chilies can be added if you like extra heat I have seen some people add green chilly paste to the chicken while frying and for the masala they add dried chili...alter as per your taste... 

For Marination:
1/2 Kilo Boneless Chicken
1 Egg
1 Tbsp Pepper Powder
1 Tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
1 Tbsp Dark Soy
1/4 Tsp Ajinomoto (Optional)
1 Cube Chicken Stock
2 Tbsp Maida
2 Tbsp Corn Flour

For Masala:

1 Tbsp Chilli Sauce and Dark Soy

2 Tbsp Tomato Puree

1/2 Tsp Vinegar

Pinch Ajinomoto

20 Dried Red Chili

1 Medium Onion roughly chopped

2 Bell Pepper chopped into cubes

1 Chicken Stock Cube

Salt as per taste

Oil for frying and masala

First Step:

• Marinate the chicken with egg, pepper powder, chicken stock cube, dark soy, ginger garlic paste, ajinomoto, maida and corn flour. mix all the ingredients well into the chicken and allow to marinate upto 15 to 20 minutes.

Second Step:

• Heat a wok on medium flame with oil for frying.
• Mix the marinated chicken well before frying.
• Add the marinated chicken cubes to hot oil and fry till golden brown drain the oil and reserve in a plate. 

Third Step:

• Break the dried chilies.
• Heat a wok with 2 tsp oil fry the dried chili and onion till transparent.
• Add the chopped bell pepper and fry for a minute.
• Add tomato puree, chili sauce, vinegar, ajinomoto, dark soy and chicken cube fry and allow the bell pepper to soften a bit.
• Add the fried chicken to the masala and fry will till combined. Garnish with spring onion serve hot for fried rice or hakka noodles...Enjoy...:)

 Do enjoy my video recipe demo in detail...:)

Easy-Cheesy Garlic Bread

here are four things right about this recipe - toasted bread, garlic, butter and of course can't go wrong with melted cheese. Those are reasons enough for me to snack on this delight every so often. The very first time that I made it though, the reason was a little different. Every time hubby would cross the frozen foods aisle in our local grocery store he would point to one of the freezers and say 'hey why don't we get that garlic bread, they are really easy to make and are a great snack'. I would always cast him off as 'you always like to buy this junk from the stores, I will make you these at home some day'. Not sure what went through his mind but poor guy never said anything. A few moons ago, that one day finally arrived and when I made these I was totally hooked myself. He said it was way better than the ones in the store and I am not the one to complain when I get a compliment like that. Yes we have passed that freezer several times since and he has never brought it up again. 

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Hakka Noodles

There has been a lot of requests on my youtube account to prepare hakka noodles...must admit I love it a lot too since the noodle is made out of wheat it has good taste and texture...

mung bean sprouts can be added instead of fresh french beans we can also add roasted and shredded pork, chicken and lamb meat to the recipe...what i personally like is thin strips of egg omlet added along with the veg masala.

Ingredients:

Mixed Vegetables of your choice I've used 3 Carrots, Fist full French beans, 2 Bell pepper, Small Cabbage, Carrots and Fist full Spring onion.

1 Large Onion roughly chopped

5-6 Green Chilies finely chopped

1Tbsp Dark soy

1Tbsp Chili Sauce

1/2 Tsp Vinegar 

1/4 Tsp MSG(Ajinomoto) optional

1Tbsp Chinese 5 Spice Powder

1Tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste

2-3 Packets Hakka Noodles

Oil 

Salt to taste

Vegetable Masala:

• Chop all the vegetables and set aside before preparing the masala.
• On  a medium flame heat a heavy bottom wok or a pan I prefer using my pressure cooker base add 3 tbsp oil  fry the ginger garlic paste till the raw flavor has gone.
• Add the onion and fry till transparent.
• Add all the vegetables leaving the spring onions out fry for 2 minutes add the chili sauce, vinegar, 5spice powder, MSG and salt with 1/3 cup water stir cover and allow the veg to cook on low flame till well done.
• Once the veggies are done add dark soy and spring onion fry a bit.
• This veg masala can be prepared in bulk and stored in the freezer I normally prefer preparing in bulk and storing it away for 2 uses its best when ever I have friends over i just cook noodles and mix the veg. 

Prepare the noodles

 

• Boil enough water to cook noodles in a heavy bottom pot with 1 tsp salt and 2 tsp oil the water must be at rolling boil point add the noodles to the water and allow to cook the noodles should not cook all the way through it should still have that bite.
• Once the noodles are done drain the hot water using a colander and run cold water over the noodles this will stop the noodles from cooking all the way through.

Mix the veg masala and noodles garnish  with coriander if you like serve hot with corn chilly and schezwan style chilli chicken...Enjoy...:)

Do view my video demo in English subscribe to me on YouTube channel viduoo9 for more videos...:)