How To Preserve Food

As long as human being need food to survive, there has been ways to preserve food for longer period of time. Modern refrigeration is one part of making food last much longer.

Why anyone want to preserve food?

  • One can stretch his or her budget much longer, if food last longer.
  • If you have home garden or buy it from farmer’s market, you can preserve seasonal food for later use. Preserving food fresh is healthier option when used fresh food.
  • One can retain the nutritional value of food by preserving it right.
  • If you preserve your own food, it will be chemical and toxin free.
  • It will be less processed if home made, making it much more healthy. For example drying food does not take away its nutrients.
  • It is cheaper to do it at home, compared to buy preserved food. It is easy to do.
  • You can make wide variety of preserved food such as jellys, jams and sun dried tomatoes.

Ways to Preserve Food:

There are several ways to preserve food and here are some of popular and easy ways to do it at home for anyone with little skill. People have been preserving food before fridge was available and here are some ways we can preserve food and save money and our health at the same time.

1. Canning

Canning is one of the oldest and traditional way to preserve any type of food. You will need to heat up the food and jar both, killing germs. Then cooling and sealing the food in jar for later use. There are canning tools and canning methods to follow properly. It can be time consuming at the start but it is well worth it.

Video of Canning Procedure:

2. Freezing

One of the easiest way to preserve food is to freeze it. Once you cook or boil the vegetables or other food it can be freeze it for later use. Many people batch cook and divide food in to small trays to eat when coming from work on weekdays. Not all food can be frozen, so be careful of it. Generally speaking, egg and milk products are not suitable for freezing.

3. Drying Food:

One can dry food in sun or in oven to last longer. There are also drying racks one can buy to dry fruits, tomatoes and other vegetables. Other popular ways to dry food is by baking, sun drying, dehydrating, air drying and smoking the food.

4. Vacume sealing

There is also method of vacuum sealing cooked food in glass jars or plastic bags via using vacuum sealer product. There are several type available in market. In this technique, air is removed from the food, hence making it lasting longer as air is one way, food get mold or get bad.

5. Other ways to preserve food:

Long time reader and blog friendBetsy suggested a additional way to preserve food so I am adding it here (edit) . Thanks Betsy. Other ways of preserving food include smoking (good for meat and tomatoes) and fermenting (for instance Sauerkraut).

How do you preserve food?

Check out recipe and food related posts;

We are what we eat, really!

How to Make Best Ever Chai-Tea at Home

Upgrading Inexpensive Food In to Gourmet Meal: Ramen Noodle Hacks

Vegetarian Thanksgiving: Vegan and Vegetarian Recipes

How To Make Baba Ganoush: Eggplant Recipe

 

Image Source: nahysa.blogspot.com

Upgrading Inexpensive Food In to Gourmet Meal: Ramen Noodle Hacks

As we are doing no spend month challenge, I am looking for ways to eat cheaply without losing quality of food and health. Many of the cheap food will include rice, beans, and also instant ramen noodles. Eating while saving money, does not have be dull and boring, otherwise we will not continue to save or eat healthy food. While, I have tried some ramen noodle hacks successfully and some not so successfully in kitchen, here are some of them that I have tried successfully by myself or learned from other creative cooks. Hope you enjoy it.

Ramen Noodles History:

Instant noodle were first marketed in Taiwan, which was under Japanese regime in late 1950s.In early 1970’s Japanese Company called Nissin introduced “cup Noodles”, which you can still buy at grocery store, which comes in waterproof Styrofoam cup, and all one has to add is boiled or warm water for noodles to be cooked and ready to eat in no time.

Instant noodle is one of the major inexpensive food, eaten in many countries, specially popular with not so rich, college students who can eat cheap and quickly make these noodles for their busy college life. There has been said, that about 95 billion people in world eat some type of instant noodles. Top Noodle consuming countries are China, Indonesia, Japan, and south Koreans along with many South Asian Countries such as India too.

Instant noodle have been criticized for low protein, vitamins and fiber while being rich in carbohydrates. One can add fibrous veggies with vitamins to make it much rich and healthy in nutrients.

Maggie Noodle History:

Maggi noodles is a brand of instant noodles manufactured by Nestlé and popular in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Malaysia, South Africa, Brazil and Australia along with a few more countries. Ramen has started new noodles made out of “atta” to use non-refined flour in making these noodles for new health conscious people. In India, they are advertised as a quick snacks, making it under 2 minutes making easier of busy moms to cook snack or mini meals for kids. Maggie noodles comes in many vegetarian and non vegetarian flavors such as curry, daal sambhar, atta, tomato, masala and more. One can buy these Maggie noodles in USA and Canada in Indian or Asian Stores.

As a Vegetarian and Indian we do lot of rice and daal (lentils) and beans along with fresh veggies stews.  While Ramen noodle is not get award for being health food, it is inexpensive, quick and one can make it healthy by adding veggies and nuts in it. Here are some Ramen Noodle hacks.

Top Instant Ramen Noodle Hacks:

Since I am vegetarian, I am sharing vegetarian hacks that I know and have used successfully in kitchen. Ramen Noodles have come a long way in US and I have eaten a lot during my college years. Now as a parent, my taste have changed and I make ramen noodles with different way to make more fun gourmet version will feel like grown up.

Adding Veggies:

noodlesvegetable

Image source: Pax21

Adding, red onions, green spinach, Thinly sliced cabbage, lettuce, Scallion, will do wonder. Once I put home grown potato because my son wanted to try it, and it worked out so well.

I have tried also broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, sweet peas, corn, and other veggies in the noodle. Some vegetable may need to be pre-cooked before as instant noodle cooks quicker.

One can add frozen or boiled veggies inside the Ramen noodle too.

Add Sauces and Condiments

In addition to vegetables, I like to use my own spices, sauce or condiment with Ramen noodle. You can try curry power, ginger, garlic paste, soya sauce, chili sauce, miso paste, bean paste (from Chinese or Japanese store), African Harrisa paste, Garam Masala and Emli sauce  (Indian Store)

Other Cooking Suggestions:

  • I have made Vegetarian Pad Thai with Ramen Noodle instead of Thin Rice noodle and while it looks different, it taste wonderful.
  • Make Chinese sweet and sour chow mien or low-mien with Ramen noodle. You can use pineapple chucks or pineapple for sweet ingredient.
  • Make Spaghetti with sauce and wheat balls with Ramen Noodles.
  • Make a cheesy, noodle with cheese and tomato sauce.
  • Instead of Mac and Cheese with Macroni Pasta, Make Ramen and cheese for kids.
  • Make Ramen Veggie Primevera, Ramen Fettuccine, or Ramen with extra virgin olive oil and garlic to make simple pasta dish with instant noodles.
  •  If you make vegetarian Shepard pie, make it with Ramen noodle instead.
  • I have also make Green spinach salad with walnuts, and broken pieces of ramen noodles (extra crunchiness) with red wine vinaigrette dressing.
  •  You can make Instant noodle Upma, and Instant Noodle Cutlet recipes. For those who want to know how to make cutlet see here Noodle cutlet. I will have to make Ramen Upma recipe as below;

Ramen Noodle Upma:

Ingredients:

Ramen Noodle,

Cashew nuts,

1 chopped red onion,

peanut oil 2 table spoon,

2 small red potatoes,

1 yellow bell pepper,

1 cup frozen or fresh peas

3 Curry Leaves

1 Tsp Mustard seeds, Urud Daal (Optional)

Lemon Juice

1/2 cup chopped Cilantro

If you do not use Instant noodle spice, add salt, black pepper to taste.

Maggie Noodle (2 packs) or any instant noodles such as Ramen

Recipe for Maggie Upma:

Heat Pan on low to medium heat. Add oil. When oil is heated add curry leaves, mustard and urad daal.

After mustard seeds splutters and get red, add chopped cashews and stir it for 2 minutes until brown. Add chopped red onion, yellow bell pepper, peas, red potatoes. Chopped all small to cook quicker as in stir fried veggies or you can boil veggies prior to it and add it with noodle.

Once veggies are cooked and tender, add ramen noodle (I usually break it in smaller pieces) and add water, spices as needed. Most instant noodle should be cooked in 2-5 minutes. Add lemon juice and thinly chopped cilantro for garnish and enjoy while it is hot.

Final Thoughts:

You can use Ramen noodle in any place you would pasta, rice or Chinese/Japanese noodle to make a new recipe instantly that makes it grown up gourmet meals in minute. Ramen noodle can be used to make cheesy pasta dish, salad, soup, or simple dry no sauce meal such as chow mien. How do you cook Ramen Noodle?

Check out: Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes

101 Changes: Change 10 – Eat like a Vegetarian: Benefits of Vegetarian Diet

101 changes is a series of articles for making a small changes in our life slowly to live and feel better.

I am writing a series of 101 small changes that we can make to make the quality of our life better and build and lead a more happier life that is in tune with our heart and mind. These are small changes that I have made and am working on right now, so I know they are possible for anyone to do.

If you have not read previous posts, check out a few posts on the changes from the past below:

Related 101 changes posts:

101 changes: Change 1- Reduce Drinking Soda

101 changes: Change 2: Getting to email Zen

101 changes: Change 3: Slow down- Slow blogging movement

101 changes: Change 4 – Plant something

101 changes: Change 5 – Smile when you wake up

101 changes: Change 6:: Read a book – Benefits of reading

101 changes: Change 7 – Watch less Television and Be more productive

101 changes: Change 8 – Stretch your comfort zone

101 changes: Change 9:  Drink to your health- Benefits of Drinking Tea

———————————————————————————————————————————————– Many people are turning vegetarian for various reasons now a days, such as health and ethical reasons. I have been vegetarian all my life, so it is easy for me to say but do not take my word for it.  If you have thought about vegetarian diet and was not sure, this may just help you make decision.  Being vegetarian or eat mostly vegetarian diet has many benefits.

Let’s see 25 reasons being vegetarian is good for you and environment around you. While all diets have its pros and cons. One can eat soda and chips all day and be a Vegetarian but that would not be healthy diet.

Benefits of Vegetarian Diet

  1. Plant base food does not contain cholesterol. Meat food are generally high in cholesterol.
  2. Except of vitamin B, plant food contains all vitamins.
  3. Fruits and vegetables are high in fiber, improving digestion in body. High fiber diet is helpful in preventing certain type of cancer.
  4. Lower blood pressure: Plant based food have low sodium and low in fat, reducing low blood pressure and blood circulation.
  5. Meat based food tend of high in fat compared to plant based food. Less calories, less chance of being fat.
  6. Less chemical and hormones: Many animals are raised with antibiotics and growth hormones, generally plant based food have no hormones injected in to it.
  7. Plant based food have good energy booster carbohydrates, which is essential for energy. That is many carb free diet such as atkins required that one eat mostly meat to avoid carb. Good carb from rice is better, compared to carb from white bread or sugar.
  8. While animals and plants are both exposed to herbicides and pesticides, according to some experts, plant contains less of these agricultural chemical compared to animals who are exposed to it. Best case, choose organic plant food to be safe.
  9. More healthier to eat plant based diet such as colorful fruits and vegetables to prevent obesity, cancers, and type 2 diabetes.
  10. One of the reason many people eat meat is for getting protein. However, in western diet, people consume way more protein than daily requirement anyways. Plant based diet, one will have enough protein through beans, lentils and nuts.
  11. Healthy skin glow: eating tomatoes and certain vegetables gives healthy skin and healthy glow.
  12. Plant based diet tend to be cheaper compared to meat and seafood in grocery stores and restaurants. You will save money as well.
  13. Many forests are being destroyed to raise livestock as needing space to raise them until animals are ready to be slaughter.
  14. Efficient use of soybeans and other grains can be done as it has been said, 16 pounds of soybeans is being fed to cow to get 1 pound of beef. That is simply does not make sense.
  15. It takes about 80 calories of fossil fuel to create 1 pound of beef, versus 1 calorie fossil fuel to create 1 pound of corn. We can save lot of fossil fuel by demanding more grains.
  16. We can save much water as it takes up 5-10 times more water to produce meat compared to plant food.
  17. Ethically, animals are kept in small and inhumane condition. They are fed growth hormones, chemicals to make them grow big for profit. It simply does not work for some people. Even so called free range meat has its own issues as there are not strict standards for what is meant to be “free range” or “humane” meat.
  18. When plants based food going bad such as fruits or vegetables (uncooked), so one does not have to cook it. However, with frozen meat, you can never tell if animal was sick or had issue before consuming it.
  19. Meat is hardly fresh as it comes in frozen section, fruits, vegetable can be eaten frozen as well as fresh such as in salad.
  20. You can leave fresh vegetable out for day or two on counter and it will be still edible but leave hambuger patty out for 6 hours and see one you want to consume. Plants have longer shelf life outside of freezer.
  21. Plant based food tend to help with health issues such as heart attack, cancer, kidney stones and gallstones, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, gum disease and more.
  22. When you buy in factory farmed meat, we indirectly support these inhumane conditions that animals are raised and killed.
  23. Many plants can be eaten without killing the plants with exception of eating of root vegetables.
  24. More conscious and natural eating.
  25. Human does not have to eat meat to survive like many other living being. Many vegan and vegetarian are living proof of it.

We are what we eat, it has been said by many before myself. If that is true, why not eat healthy, nutritious food that gives us energy, life, ethical and sustainable to our environment. In this life time, we have only one body and one earth, let’s keep it simple and disease free. Only you can make choice what works for you and how you want to live. I am simply sharing what worked for me and many others who are vegan and vegetarian for many reasons. What are yours reasons?

Resources for Vegetarians (Potential, New and Current)

Becoming Vegetarian: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Vegetarian Diet

This 262 pages long book,  Becoming Vegetarian is a comprehensive and up-to-the minute guide to achieving a healthful vegetarian lifestyle. Written by three highly qualified dietitians, all of the key questions which arise for those who are beginning a dietary shift away from animal products are addressed, as well as those questions long term vegetarians have who want to ensure that their dietary pattern is nutritionally adequate.

 

Your Vegetarian Pregnancy : A Month-by-Month Guide to Health and Nutrition

I had two successful vegetarian pregnancy, so I know it is possible. Here is a perfect book for those who might be wondering about vegetarian pregnancy issues in 400 pages book. The author covers everything from protein requirements to labor pains and nursing positions, with a zeal for the vegetarian diet that canseem almost passionate. Must read for those who are pregnant and curious about being vegetarian, yes you can have successful vegetarian pregnancy.

For other Vegetarian information check out following sites;

Vegetarian Nutrtion from Wikipedia

Vegetarian Cuisine from Around the world.

7 Vegetarians share where they protein: Video

Holy Cow Vegan Recipes

 

Cold, Fever and Good Reads Around the Web

Khichadi With Vegetable

In winter season, cold, cough and sneezes are much more common and sickness can persist with little kids. Many people recommend chicken soup for remedy but when you are vegetarian there are still other ways to feeling better, one of the thing many Indians like to eat is Khichadi, the recipe follows after tips to survive cold and coughs in your family. Stay warm and healthy.

Here are a few tips I found to survive sickness days in family, hope they help you as well.

  1. “starve cold and feed fever” is told by many people. It simply does not seem to work for us always, simply little kids so instead we try toeat fresh cooked food such as Kichadi or Daal (lentil soup) with Rice and drink plenty of water as we can. Usually when we are sick, many of us do not eat well, and that is okay too.
  2. Get plenty of rest for kids and us.
  3. When little kids or we are sick, we can use some pampering and holding so everything else in house is affected such as house being kept not clean or clothes remain unfolded for those days. That is okay. Life is all about balance, we all have only 24 hours to do it all.
  4. We missed a few days of school and we took it easy including blogging. I missed it but I had no other choice.
  5. Sleep as well as you can. Take shower and groom to make yourself lift up when you get little energy.
  6. There are no tips that fits all, do what works for you and your family. We all have our ways of feeling better.
  7. Sometimes fever is best way for our body to fight infection, don’t start right away to reduce fever, unless it gets high. Get opinion from doctors as needed.

Stay well.

How to Make Khichadi: My mom always made special khichadi when we were sick as kids, and now we do that for our kids and us. Khichadi is made with rice and daal and perfect food for health, it can be cooked with cashew, veggies and herb to make it more special.

Ingredients :

 

  • 1 cup white basmati rice, washed in water and drained
  • 1 cup yellow lentils (Also known as yellow moong dal), washed and soaked in water and drained
  • About 4 cups of water
  • 1/2 (half) teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon oil
  • Salt to taste

Method :

  • Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pot. (Preferably one with a cover, which will be able to contain the amount of rice and lentils cooked.)
  • When oil is hot, add cumin seeds. Allow cumin seeds to splutter but do not let them get burnt.
  • Fold in the yellow lentils and rice. Mix cumin seeds thoroughly with the lentils and rice.
  • Stir in water and salt.
  • Bring to boil.
  • Lower the heat, partially cover the pot and cook until the rice is cooked.
  • Serve hot with a sprinkling of coriander. This dish can also be served with some plain yoghurt.

Khichdi can also be cooked in a pressure cooker or in a microwave. In both cases, the cooking time should be reduced to about 20 – 30 minutes.

An Amazing Benefits of Laughter Yoga: This post from Angela is uplifting, while I have not done laughter yoga, I agree there are so many benefits that comes with laughing and smiling. See my post: 101 change: Smile when you wake up.

10 fun and healthy food for kids: As a mother of 2 active little boys, I am always looking for healthy snacks to keep in car and at home that they love and I do too. Guest post by Uttaron Sen at Evelyn’s blog is great and I think I like these snacks as an adult too.  Afterall, we are what we eat!

Frozen: This post by my friend Raul has written about rebuilding his engine and not being able to spend time blogging, I feel same way, instead of engine, we are trying to rebuild our immune systems where we are sneezing and coughing. Check out his coffee with devil post as well. Check out: Feeling Stuck?

Only 100 words you should read Today: This post from Pat is right on spot. Although I am not in internet marketing niche as he is, I simply am impress with his authenticity he brings to his blog. If you have not check it out, do so, lot of gems there. Check out: Finding Your values part 1 and Part 2.

We made it to Florance: Rachel and her family decided to take time and try living in Florance, Italy with 2 little kids. I am looking forward to their adventure living in Italy. Way to Go Rachel and Doug.  Also check out: Stretch your comfort zone.

Vada Pav for Superbowl Sunday: This recipe from Vaishali is perfect finger food addition to any superbowl Sunday. While we are still recovering, I am looking forward to making and eating these, veggie type burgers with home made chai soon.

Hope all of you are wonderful day!

Zengirl

How to Make Best Ever Chai-Tea at Home

Source: http://p-o-d-person.blogspot.com/

While ago, I wrote a post about benefits of drinking tea in 101 changes series. Check out the post 101 changes: Change 9: Benefits of Tea . There are many benefits of drinking green or black tea as seen in the post here. However, just with anything good, if you drink or eat too much it will do harm so drink tea in moderation.

Every Chai recipe varies from person to person, but a few thing is common in making Chai are Cinnamon, Ginger, Cardamom. You too can make it at home as it is simple and easy enough to make it. Generally Chai is drank hot and with savory snacks like fried fritters like Pakora or Samosa.

Yes, you can buyChai-Tea mixes to make it home or drink it in Starbucks or Other Places, but nothing beats home made chai! Zenguy makes a awesome Chai, as I have written about it before. Tea is regular for morning and afternoon tea in India.

Zenguy’s Chai Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 2 Cups of Water
  • 1 tbs fresh ginger paste
  • 1 stick Cinnamon Or Cinnamon Powder
  • 6 pods Cardamom
  • 8 Fresh mint leaves
  • Darjeeling or Black Tea Loose (not tea bags)
  • 1 cup of Soymilk or milk
  • Vegan Sugar as needed (You can use regular sugar as well)

How to make Chai Recipe

  1. In small saucepan, place water and bring to boil
  2. Turn gas on low heat to simmer. Put Loose tea (1 tsp for 1 cup), ginger paste, mint leaves in sauce pan.
  3. Crush and Grind Cardamom pods, and cinnamon stick and put in Sauce pan with other ingredients.
  4. Bring to slow boil again, about 3-4 minutes.
  5. Put milk and sugar as needed for 1 minute. Remove from heat.
  6. Strain tea in to a cup and drink it hot. You can have cracker, mint sandwiches or vegetable Pakoda with your chai.
  7. Enjoy sipping tea and snacks.

How to make a Chai Video

I wanted to share a how to video of how to make chai, there are quite a few out there, here is the one that I hope you like. You can also get chai tea mix to speed up the process. They are using little different method as chai making varies by person to person but you will get the idea behind it. Enjoy it.

How to make Pakoda Video

With your hot chai, hot and yummy Pakoda (Vegetable Fritters) goes well. Here is a video from “Show me the curry” girls, they are amazing. Hope you like your hot tea and hot pakoda in winter!

P.S. If you do not want to go through trouble of making pakoda yourself, you buy Pakora or Samosa or Go to your local Indian chaat shop to have them pack to go.

Your turn

A few of you had asked for chai recipe, so hope you all enjoy it. Do you drink Chai? Did you like it? Let me know.

Zengirl

101 Changes: Change 9 – Drink to your Health: Benefits of Drinking Tea

I am writing a series of 101 small changes that we can make to make the quality of our life better and build and lead a more happier life that is in tune with our heart and mind. These are small changes that I have made and am working on right now, so I know they are possible for anyone to do.

If you have not read previous posts, check out a few posts on the changes from the past:

101 changes: Change 4 – Plant something
101 changes: Change 5 – Smile when you wake up
101 changes: Change 6:: Read a book – Benefits of reading
101 changes: Change 7 – Watch less Television and Be more productive
101 changes: Change 8 – Stretch your comfort zone

——————————————————————————————————-

Tea has been around for many centuries around world and loved in countries like China, India, England and other places. Tea drinking has been always connected with well-being, restoration, and regeneration of cells. Many people are just starting the see and feel the benefits of drinking tea. Drinking tea has been linked to fighting cavities to Parkinson’s disease. After all, we all got only one body and one life and health is true wealth.

In India, where I am from, it is a custom to drink tea for breakfast and one in afternoon after nap (Yes, adults take naps too, although India is changing fast to become more like western world). Many of us in America, are drinking coffee and soda with meals. While there is nothing wrong with it, tea drinking has many more benefits, let’s explore more.

Zenguy makes a best chai, if you like to know how to make best chai at home you can click here : How to make best chai tea at home post.

  1. Less Caffeine than Coffee: While I love my coffee occasionally, tea has far less caffeine in it. Coffee has usually two or three times more caffeine than tea. Little caffeine is okay and might be beneficial but too much caffeine can harm our heart and body organs. Drinking too much coffee can give you jittery feeling, headaches and sleeplessness compared to drinking tea.
  2. Tea has Antioxidant benefits: Many of us are aware of antioxidants can help us in slowing down the aging process, and regenerate and repair our body cells. Some studies shows that antioxidants can prevent cancer as well. Well, give me a cup right now!
  3. Can be great for dehydration: While I think water is always the best for dehydration, tea drinking comes close to it. Compare to sugary juices and soda, tea can be a great thirst quencher and can keep you hydrated as long as you do not load it with too much sugar.
  4. Tea can reduce your stomach cramps: Some property of tea can act as an anti-spasmodic agent and allowing it to aid in the relief of stomach cramps. I have seen it used to calm a colic infant in some culture.
  5. Tea can help with heart disease and cholesterol: More and more studies in recent times have shown that black tea and green tea can be helpful preventing blood clots to help you with heart disease and stroke reduction as well as cholesterol.
  6. Tea helps your teeth: Too many jokes of British drinking tea with bad teeth may make you think otherwise (I personally think in US, we are way obsessed over whiten teeth), but actually tea contains fluoride and tannin which helps teeth decay and reduces plaque in teeth.
  7. Tea is Calorie Free: If you see thin Japanese and Chinese people you can see why, because plain tea is calorie free. Many Indians do not come in this category (Myself included) as we Indians like our tea with Milk, Sugar and spices which adds some calories. If you drink plain black Jasmine and green tea, it is calorie free and can help you with weight maintenance.
  8. Tea can keep your skin Acne-Free: Antioxidants in tea seems to help people with acne problems and keep skin smooth. Tea is also much more natural compared to benzoyl peroxide to treat acne, which is harsher chemical. I did not know about this benefit until I did research to write this article.
  9. Tea can flight flu and Infections: Studies have shown that people who gargled with black tea extract twice a day, were much more immune to flu virus compared who did not. Tea contains chemicals called alkylamine antigens which act similarly to some tumor cells and bacteria, boosting the body’s immune response.
  10. Tea can help bad breath. A study at the University of Chicago has suggested that the polyphenols in tea can help to keep the bacteria that causes bad breath in check. Sounds good to me.

In addition to these benefits, many studies have shown many medicinal effect of drinking black or green tea. Some studies have shown tea reduces or helps with HIV, metabolic rate, lowering blood pressure, irritable bowel syndrome, cancer, arthritis, diabetes and much more. You do not have to take my word for it, you can find it out for yourself.

Health effect of tea: Wikipedia You can read more about health benefits of tea drinking here.

A few Chai to try out:

  • ORGANIC INDIA ORGANIC CHAI MASALA TULSI TEA. Tulsi black tea and chai spices make the perfect exotic chai that stimulates your senses and soothes your soul. Add milk or nondairy milk and a touch of sweetener for a delicious authentic India experience:.
  • NUMI TEA 18 BAG ORGANIC GOLDEN CHAI BLACK TEA. This chai delight blends Assam tea with worldly spices. This rich infusion has a complex hearty flavor evoking a warm balance between the spices.

 

Special Chai Mug:  Enjoy your flavor tea bag with our double wall insulated Connoisseur Chai Mug. Highpolished stainless steel exterior has a contemporary look. Insulated lid keeps your favorite Chai hot or cold longer. Tea leaves strainer is designed for the Chai connoisseur. 18/8 stainless steel Double Wall Insulation Insulated Lid Tea Leaves Strainer

If you already a tea drinker then you already know how beneficial it is. If you have not tried it yet, get out of your comfort zone a little and taste tea today!

Also check out 10 ways to simplify your health and Health and Wealth Connection

Your turn: What type of tea do you usually drink? Do you like Chai-tea?

101 changes: Change 1- Reduce Drinking Soda

101 changes: Change 2: Getting to email Zen

101 changes: Change 3: Slow down- Slow blogging movement

101 changes: Change 4 – Plant something

101 changes: Change 5 – Smile when you wake up

101 changes: Change 6:: Read a book – Benefits of reading

101 changes: Change 7 – Watch less Television and Be more productive

101 changes: Change 8 – Stretch your comfort zone

101 changes: Change 9:  Drink to your health- Benefits of Drinking Tea

101 changes: Change 10: Bring out the artist in You AKA be creative

We are what we eat, really!

Healthy Food

What we think and what we eat are two ways, we become the person we are; If we eat healthier food and think positive thoughts, it is generally can be assumed that we will be healthy and positive compared to someone who is doing opposite. Some times what we eat and what we feel tend to be connected as well. You may find yourself eating sugary and high fat food, when you might be stressed, angry or bored. I know, I have been there. If we are happy in heart as well in mind, we tend to eat better, exercise better, sleep better. Our health is connected to what we feel inside. If one goes out of balance, so does the other.

Here are a few ways to keep our life in balance, specially is health. As it is been said often, prevention is always better than cure. Let’s take care of our body and health as it is only one we got; Here are 7 simple ways we can start being healthier.

Continue reading →

101 Small changes: change 1 – Reduce drinking Soda

I am starting a series of posts about small changes we can make it our life to make our daily living and health improve tenfold. If we try to make huge changes, it is often difficult sustaining it and we have sense of  failure but small changes made slowly becomes habits if done over and over again for 21 days.

These are changes I have made or working on it. Would you like to join with me in this journey?
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If you are heavy soda drinker (drinking 2 can or more per day), let’s reduce soda drinking by 1/2 can only.
Soda without sugar is tiny bit better, not a best solution though, so I would not recommend to drink sugarless soda instead, unless your sugar is high.

If you are occasional and social soda drinker (once in a while) you can reduce by smaller amount, or 100% juice instead. You can replace Juice with water slowly.

Key is to do without feeling deprivation, if you really really want go ahead  and drink it but reduce amount for 1/4 or 1/2. With every step, it will become easier and you may never feel deprived of it.

Continue reading →