500 BC
Dr, I have tooth-ache.
Have this root !
500 AD
That root is heathen, say this prayer !
1500 AD
That is superstition, have this potion !
1800 AD
That potion is snake oil plus spices.
Take this pill !
2000 AD
That pill is ineffective, go natural.
Have this root !
Secret behind the great cooks, great moms, great wives !!!
Whatever you cook, however you cook, add this divine ingredient.
After you finish your cooking
Add a generous amount of LOVE!!!!!
TIPS- what does it mean in cooking???
To cook and serve when your dear ones are hungry, be it common bread or an expensive caviar, it will be relished with equal awe!!
Understand the preference of your dear ones.
Understand the craving!!!
Avoid routine dishes.
Voila, you have the power.
But, not to forget to serve them with love.
Apples are a good source of fibre. The pectin in apples is a soluble fibre, which helps in the management of high cholestrol. And the skin of the apple contains antioxidant flavanoids and poly phenols, phytochemicals that can reduce free radicals damage and help prevent oxidative diseases such as cancer and heart ailments.
High in beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A, apricots are excellent for skin and respiratory conditions. Dried apricots are good for constipation and fluid retention.
Fresh or dried , figs are very high in fibre, and they also contain significant amounts of minerals like potassium, which is good for replenishing water due to sweat loss, calcium and iron.
Cherries are best eaten when they are fresh, cooked or bottled. A good diuretic and great for joints, they are rich in vitamin C
Research shows that cooking oil gets worse for your heart the more often it is reused. Everytime you reheat the oil , it produces more polar compounds- chemical by- products creating during the heating process, doubles the risk of high blood pressure. Three days of repeated use; that's what it usually takes for a dangerous level of polar compounds to accumulate.
DID YOU KNOW THAT:
A mixture of honey and sesame seeds eaten regularly prolongs youth and beauty ???
Yes, it is recommended for women's beauty, as the sesame seeds are rich in Mn, Cu and Ca and also contains Vitamin B1 and Vitamin E. They have anti oxidant and anti cancer properties. The nutrients of sesame seeds are better absorbed, if they are ground or pulverised before consumption. Whereas, honey's natural anti-oxidant and anti-microbial properties and its ability to absorb and retain moisture helps to protect the skin from sun's rays and rejuvenate depleted skin.
Know your ayurvedic skin type :
Vata skin is usually dry, thin, delicate and cool to touch, it gets dehydrated easily and is very sensitive to dry windy weather. Ageing is faster here and it tends to be dry, rough and flaky.
Skin care:
Include whole grains, organic milk and green leafy vegetables in your diet.
Drink lots of lukewarm water for internal hydration
Healthy fat such as ghee or olive oil can be included in your diet for added lubrication.
A warm oil massage is excellent for keeping skin lubricated.
Use a gentle, moisture balancing cleanser and splash your face with plenty of water.
Pitta skin type tends to be fair, sensitive, soft, warm and of medium thickness. It tends to be more prone to freckles and moles than the other skin types.
Skin Care:
Avoid hot, spicy foods and an excess of deep fried foods.
Stay away from harsh, synthetic cosmetics
Sweet, bitter and astringent taste, as found in sweet, juicy fruits, rose petal preserve
and cooked greens, is what you will thrive on.
Eat lots of sweet juicy fruits and have some rose petal jam in cool milk everyday, as rose is considered to be cooling for mind, body and emotions.
Body massage with coconut oil
Protect your from sun, use gentle, natural skin care products for cleansing and moisturising.
Provide added lipid support, such as facial skin oil , every other day.
Kapha skin tends to have all qualities of water and earth- it can be oily, thick, pale, soft,cool and more tolerant of the sun.Ageing is slower and forms less wrinklesthan the other two types.They will have dull complexion, enlarged pores, excessive oil, blackheads, pimples, moist types of excema and water retention.
Skin care:
A diet that is warmer, lighter, less oily, and free of heavy and hard to digest foods.
Eating more bitter, astringent and pungent tastes help stimulate digestion and balance
kapha skin.
Avoid too many sweets and fried foods, they add to the oiliness in the skin.
Excercise everyday to improve circulation. A daily warm oil massage can also help.
Eat plenty of organic vegetables and fruits to help cleanse the body from within.
Cleanse your skin twice a day, exfoliate with a mud mask atleast once a week.
Cook with warming spices such as ginger and black pepper to stoke the digestive fire.
Combination skin can be Vata- Pitta that is both dry and sensitive, Kapha- pitta skin is oily and sensitive and Vata-Kapha skin that is generally dry with some oily zones.
Skin Care:
No, its not a health issue and does not indicate a loss of nutrients. Still, most people find brown lettuce unappealing and will want to cut off the discoloured parts.
Browning usually results from oxidation caused by exposure to air when the leaves have been bruised or cut.Bacteria and fungi can also cause browning, but these are not a health hazard.
Some mint tips :
When selecting tomatoes at the market , use your nose . Smell the blossom (not the stem) end.Select tomatoes that are round , full and feel heavy for their size ,with no bruises or blemishes . The skin should be taut and not shriveled . Store fresh ripe tomatoes in a cool , dark place, stem-side down and use within a few days. Refrigeration is the enemy of the tomato as it nullifies the flavour and turns the flesh mealy. (The culprit is a compound called Z-3 hexenel , which gives the tomato its scent and taste). If you must refrigerate the tomato , take it out before an hour before using it to let it return to room temperature to revive any lurking Z-3. To freeze , rinse and dry thoroughly . No peeling or blanching is required. Once thawed ,the skin will easily slip off. They willbe perfect for cooked dishes and will retain more of that fresh flavour , rather than the cooked , canned flavour .
The Mighty Tomato can help to fight cancer . Studies show that consuming a diet rich in tomato -based foods , decreases the risk of prostrate cancer.Lycopene , an antioxidant nutrient , found in large amount in tomatoes , may be responsible for this possible protective effect Nutritionists and other health professionals have long advocated the cancer preventative benefits of a diet high in vegetables and fruits .Researchers suggest that tomato-based foods may be especially beneficial regarding prostrate cancer risk .Ofcourse, cancer risk is due to many factors and diet is only one of them . At this point it is too early to conclude that any food can prevent cancer .
Sugar - lots of it - is lurking in products you'd never suspect. Most product labels list sugar content in grams - and there are roughly four grams of sugar per teaspoon. Be aware that the total sugar content that you end up consuming doesn't always mean added sugar. The natural sugars in products such as yogurt are also included in the total count .Read product labels carefullyand look for the '-ose' words- glucose , fructose , sucrose , lactose and maltose .In the end , they all spell SUGAR .
How to break the (added) sugar habit.
To wean yourself off unnecessary sugar,try the following :
CALORIE WATCH : 
BUTTER COOKIES
Butter - 1 cup (200 g)
Flour - 2 1/4 cups
Fine sugar - 1 cup
Egg - 1
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Preheat your oven to 390 deg F (200 deg C) . Mix sugar and butter together . Stir the remaining ingredients into the mix . Place dough in cookie press . Form desired shapes in ungreased cookie sheet . The dough can also be shaped by hand , or rolled out and cut into desired shapes . If the dough is rolled out , make the dough a little more firm by adding a little extra flour . Bake until set .It takes about 9 to 12 mins.Remove the cookies immediately from the cookie sheet .
CARROT CAKE
Flour - 2 cups
Eggs - 3
Vegetable oil - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 1/2 cups
Shredded carrots - 3 cups
Coarsely chopped nuts - 1 cup
Baking soda - 1 1/2 tsp
Nutmeg powdered - 1/4 tsp
Preheat the oven to 350 deg F (180 deg C) . Grease a round cake tin and dust it with flour . Mix sugar , oil and eggs till it gets smooth . Sieve the flour and baking powder together and add it slowly to the mix . Beat for one minute . Stir in carrots and nuts, along with nutmeg powder and vanilla essence. Now, pour it into the tin and bake . Check if done by inserting a long wooden pick in the centre of the cake - the pick should emerge clean . Allow it to cool and invert it onto a plate .
To prepare a good cup of tea is something which many of us always try hard and end up making it taste different each day. Every morning ,we happen to see someone or the other making a fuss about the 
tea. It is mostly about the excess milk or no flavour.Some people would be expert cooks, but when it comes to making a cup of tea, it would be a TRAGEDY!I suggest a 2:1 ratio of water and milk, or if the milk is to be reduced,2 1/4: 3/4 would be perfect .The above ratio makes 3 cups of tea for which 3 teaspoons of tea leaves can be added once the water and milk boils .Donot allow it to boil further.Sugar can be added as desired
THAT MAKES A GOOD CUP OF TEA WHICH MAKES YOUR DAY REFRESHING!!!
A pinch of cardamom and ginger in my tea is my favourite.
**Tea or coffee contains calories which gets converted to fat. It is better to have tea or coffee not more than 2 cups in a day . People who are addicted to it can have it without milk and sugar
DID YOU KNOW THAT:
1. adding a pinch of sugar while cooking green peas helps in retaining its green colour.
2. to make soft and yummmy scrambled eggs,add about 3 teaspoons of milk to an egg.
3. to avoid breaking of eggs , while boiling , immerse the eggs into boiling water.
4. while preparing kheer , add sugar only after the rice is cooked well , or else, the time taken to cook the rice can be delayed.
SOME POTATO FACTS:
a) if the salt added to the curry is more, you can add a piece of potato into it and cook.Excess salt will be adsorbed by the potato.
b) while chopping some vegetables, the stains caused can be removed by rubbing a slice of fresh potato over it.
c) discoloration of chopped potatoes can be avoided by immersing it in cold water .
d) mud stains can be removed from clothes by soaking in potato stalk.
TO PREPARE CRISPY FRIED POTATOES,
Cut the potatoes into very thin slices and wash them well in cold water
to remove the excess starch in it. Remove from water and dry it well with paper
napkins or a towel , so that the excess moisture on the potato slices can be
removed. Heat oil in a frying pan (low flame) and drop the slices one by one.Fry
it till it turns golden yellow. Add salt and serve.
To make french fries , the diced potatoes should be boiled in water till it is cooked upto 70./. Then , fry them in oil .
