3 Healthy Foods I love {Health}

I have been lacking bad too badly in the health posts so I thought I would compile a list of healthy foods which I absolutely love and would have in any form. And, trust me, coming up with only 5 items was so damn difficult that I can't even think of all the foods.

Broccoli, Baby Corn / American and Indian Corn

For those who don't know what it is, it is a greaan vegetable and highest in protein content and is absolutely delightful vegetable to eat whether steamed or boiled or pan-fried. It looks like green cauliflower.

And, I also love baby corns. Even the roasted bhutta and if you know that maize is dropped in Sambhar also and it tastes absolutely amazing :) And, maize is one of the foods you can have without worrying about pesticides and insecticide issues.

And, the best part is that both of them are amazingly high in fiber content and make you feel full for around 3 hours. So, one of the healthiest of snack as well. In fact, I did do a post on American Corn being a healthy snack long back.   

Kabuli Chana (Chickpeas) and Kala Chana (Black Beans)

I love the huge white chanas and I love chole bhature which is not exactly healthy but you can make tikkis with kabuli chana or boil them and make a nice filling salad or snack by mixing in tomatoes and cucumber and onions and a little sprinkling of lemon!! Absolutely yum and your tummy would be so full that you won't feel hungry for hours together. And, its high in proteins and fiber (two cups provide entire day's fiber). Also, higher fiber means less junk and binging.

Black Beans are my absolute fav and always makes me wish that people would call me for 'kanjak' :D That's a tradition in which young adoloscent girls are called home early in the morning, worshipped and fed puri chana and halwa and are given gifts and the whole breakfast is just yum. Its done during ram navmi and durgashtami (the two sacred 9 days in the hindu calender). I am missing it already!! Ok, yes, puri and halwa are not exactly healthy but black beans are a must. They are rich in proteins and full of fibre (more than the chickpeas) and great for snacks, salads or even for burger fillings. Mashed black beans bound with some flour make great tikkis or cakes (I don't exactly know what tikkis are called in english but I know aloo tikki is potato cake!).

Btw, black beans are rich in phytonutrients which protects us from sun's rays, dirt, pollution, insecticides and all the bad things. So, an additional reason to gobble them up. Mixed with tomato and lemon, they make a traditional Indian snack.

Spinach

Ok, so, I don't exactly love spinach in every form, for example: boiled or steamed. But, palak paneer is my fav and I have never yet had it as a smoothie or a juice but I would definitely love to try it. Its amazing for hair growth. And, dark green veggies are great for its anti-oxidant power. According to me, the best way to eatc a spinach is raw in a sandwich and it tastes amazing. Also, another way is to incorporate it in the salad by chopping a bunch of spinach leaves. It has high amount of Vitamin A which is great for eye sight issues and also to fight aging effects. Also, it improves the body's immunity to the sun's rays.

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Prevent Sunstroke with Onions and Lemon

I don't know how many of the people are aware of this age old remedy but it is quite popular. Onions are a great remedy to increase the resistance to sunstrokes internally. Yes, I know, you can't just keep on eating onions but try to eat as much as possible especially at night. And, yes, they hydrate the body also because of their high water content. So, chop up more onions :)

Another remedy is drinking a lot of lemon juice (exclude the sugar to avoid calories and salt to avoid puffiness). Yeah, it is damn bitter in taste but once you get used to it, it goes down easily. Oh, and you can use honey too.

And, here comes my favorite. This is for people who like their food a little tangy. Whenever you are eating onions, squeeze a lot of lemon juice on them. You can add a little bit salt or better yet, avoid salt altogether. Add some green chilli (don't go overboard; it will burn your stomach all day). Enjoy your meal with this twist. And, the main advantage of doing this is that lemon juice reduces the edgy taste of the onion and makes your breath smell less of onions.

Onion and green chillies make you sweat a lot so you can decide when to eat and when to skip. But, onions are abundant in sulphur which promotes hair growth and green chillies have a lot of vitamin C so don't skip them completely. Btw, don't forget to load up on tomatoes and spinach as they act as natural sunscreen from the inside.

Spinach - Lettuce Juice for Luxurious Hair

Nutrition is one of the most important necessities for having a luxurious head of hair. See this post for a detailed list of six foods which will not only help your hair grow but also cuts down hair loss and improves the quality and texture of your hair.

Along with these foods, you can accompany your meal with a drink which will help fulfilling your nutrition. Spinach - Lettuce Juice. Every day in the morning or evening, drink a glass of this drink. 

How to make the drink?

Ingredients: 

- 1 bunch spinach leaves

- 1 bunch lettuce (Salad Patta or Kasmisaag) leaves (can be substituted with cabbage)

- 1 lemon

- other spices

Method:

- Wash the leaves properly first.

- If using a juicer, slice the lemon and put it int he juicer along with the leaves.

- If using a mixi or a grinder, grind the leaves properly and put the mixture in a cheese cloth or a muslin sieve and squeeze the complete juice out. Squeeze a little lemon juice for a tangy flavor and you can add any spices if you feel like. I would suggest black pepper as it is also good for hair and gives a spicy flavor to the drink. You can make a mask of the left over leaves paste or use them as a garnish on your salad or any dish. 

- Drink a whole glass of juice everyday.

Spinach - Mint Hydrating facial mask

Not only are fruits great for our skin but some vegetables are fabulous for our skin. So, today, I am going to talk about a new facial recipe which has spinach and mint. Preparing the recipe is very simple and you can use it daily too. Spinach is full of all nutrients and mint makes your skin fresh and dewy.

• If you wan to get fabulous results, take some stems of very fresh spinach and mint. If you have a kitchen garden, you can pick them in the early morning while there is dew on the leaves. 
• Mix some honey with the leaves and blend them for a through consistency. For dry skin, you can substitute honey with fresh milk cream. Add the milk cream after blending the leaves. For oily skin, you can use lemon juice or tomato juice.
• The mask would be very watery so make sure apply in appropriate quantities and it will run down your face. Keep it on for 15-20 minutes and wash off with cool water. 
• Alternatively, you can pound (or blend) the leaves together and squeeze them to extract the spinach and mint juice. Use a cotton ball to apply the juice on your face or you can mix any clay (or any other) mask using this juice.
• You can make this mask from the leftover spinach which are not usable for cooking purposes.
• Do not store the mask or the juice. Make the mask or juice fresh every time you plan to use it.