Archive for the ‘Personal Health’ Category
Chicken Biryani
Posted on: March 15, 2011
Hello everyone! I want to share the chicken biryani my husband favorite dish. I learned this recipe from our family friend in Kuwait.
Preparation in cooking:
Ingredients:
1 kg Chicken (cut into pieces)
500 gm Basmati Rice (washed and soaked for 30 minutes)
Whole Garam Masala (1/2 stick cinnamon, 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon cloves, 1/2 teaspoon cardamons, 1 teaspoon coriander, 1 teaspoon cumin
4 teaspoon garam masala powder
50 gm butter
4 teaspoon Garlic (chopped)
1 cup Onions (sliced)
4 teaspoon ginger (chopped)
3 teaspoon Red Chili Powder
1 tablespoon Coriander Powder
5 tablespoon Oil
2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
2 cups Curd (yogurt)
3/4 cup Tomato (chopped)
4 Bay Leaves
For the marinade:
1 1/2 teaspoon Red Chili Powder
2 teaspoon Finger (chopped)
2 teaspoon Garlic (chopped)
1 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
1 cup Yoghurt
salt to taste
For garnishing:
1/2 gm Saffron (dissolved in 1/2 cup milk)
2 tablespoon Rose Water
Procedure:
- Put all the ingredients of the marinade in a bowl and mix well.
- Add chicken pieces to it and leave for an hour.
- Now boil water, add 1/2 of the whole garam masala, bay leaf, and rice in it.
- Cook the rice until 3/4 is done, drain and keep it aside.
- Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan and add remaining whole garam masala.
- Allow it to crackle, add sliced onions and saute it till golden brown.
- Add 1 teaspoon of the remaining garam masala and all the remaining ingredients, including tomatoes, but excluding rice.
- Cook for 5 minutes, combine marinated chicken with it.
- Cook the chicken until is tender.
- Place alternate layers of chicken and rice.
- Now sprinkle saffron, remaining garam masala powder and butter in between the layers and on the top.
- Carefully end it with the rice layer topped with saffron and rose water.
- Cover and seal it with aluminum foil.
- Cook it further on low flame for 10-12 minutes
- Chicken Biryani is ready to serve.
WHAT IS DEPRESSION?
Life is full of emotional ups and downs. However, when the “down” times are long lasting or when they get in the way with your ability to function, you may be suffering from a common, serious illness-depression. Clinical depression affects mood, mind, body, and behavior. Research has shown that in the United States about 19 million people suffer from depression. Treatment can alleviate the symptoms in over 80 percent of the cases. Yet, because it is often not recognized, depression continues to cause unnecessary suffering.
Although depression affects both women and men, women experience depression at roughly twice the rate of men. Researchers continue to explore how special issues unique to women-biological, life cycle, and psychosocial factors-may be associated with women’s remain unclear. Many women exposed to these conditions do not develop depression is a highly treatable illness.
Depression affects the way you eat and sleep, the way you feel about yourself, and the way you think about things. A depressive disorder is not the same as a passing blue mood. It is not a sign of personal weakness or a condition that can be willed or wished away. Without treatment, symptoms can last for weeks, months, or years. The right treatment, however, can help most people who have depression. The symptoms of depression vary from person to person, and the strength of the symptoms depends on the severity of the depression. Depression causes changes in thinking, feeling, behavior, and physical well-being.
WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF DEPRESSION?
Serious depressions-see your doctor or other health care professional right away!
1. Major depression is the most common and serious type of depression. It has a distinct beginning, can occur once, twice, or be recurrent. This condition affects a person’s abilities and habits in almost all areas of life. Suicidal thinking or suicide attempts can be a real concern. If you have a major depression, you may have some of these symptoms nearly every day, all day, for 2 weeks or longer:
- Feeling sad or crying a lot
- Losing interest or pleasure in things you used to enjoy (including sex)
- Feeling guilty, hopeless or worthless
- Thinking about death or suicide
- Sleeping too much, or not being able to go to sleep or stay asleep
- Losing your appetite and losing weight (or eating too much and gaining weight)
- Feeling very tired or slowed down
- Having trouble paying attention and making decisions
- Having aches and pains that don’t get better with treatment
2. Bipolar illness involves cycles of depressive symptoms that alternate with mania. During manic episodes, people may become overly active, talkative, euphoric, and irritable.
3. Pospartum depression (PPD) is prevalent in approximately 10% of mothers in the first year after giving birth. PPD is caused by a rapid change in hormones after giving birth. In its mild form, it is called the “baby blues.” If it lasts over a month, it can become very serious, endangering both the health of the mother and the baby.
Other mood disorders
- Dysthymia is a chronic mild depression. People with dysthymia frequently lack a zest for life, living a joyless and fatigued existence. Some with dysthymia report that “things are going great” in their life and do not understand why they are depressed. Major depression may accompany dysthymia, which is sometimes termed “double depression.”
- Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a kind of depression that occurs during the specific seasons or times of the year when there is less sunshine.
- Premenstrual dysphoria disorder (PDD)–previously called PMS–is a condition which causes women to experience mood changes in the weeks prior to their menstrual period, due to hormonal changes.
- Situation depression is the feeling of situational blues after a specific event such as conflict at work, a speific loss (such as a death or divorce), or a particular financial stress.
Get The Sleep You Need
Posted on: October 29, 2009
What Is The Sleep Cycle?
You cycle through five sleep stages several times during the night. The first four are progressively deeper. As you ease out of deep sleep, you enter the lighter REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, then start over again. We spend 30 percent of our sleep time in the deepest stages.
Sleep well last last night? According to experts, the answer is often no, even when we think our slumber is good. A good night’s rest isn’t just a matter of spending enough hours in bed or avoiding insomnia. It’s also important that the sleep you do get is of good quality.If your sleep is fitful or if you suffer from brief awakenings through the night, you may not be getting the restorative rest you need. People have long taken simple dietary measures to promote good sleep, and many of these can indeed help ensure that you wake up feeling refreshed and revived.
A Basic Necessity
Scientists are still trying to learn the specific ways in which sleep affects the body and why people need it, but they have established this basic truth: Sleep is necessary for our physical and mental health, especially for our immune and nervous systems. Too little sleep leaves us feeling drowsy, impairs memory, makes it difficult to concentrate, interferes with problem–solving ability, and hinders physical performance.Fortunately, if you’re somewhat sleep-deprived, just one night of high-quality sleep should refresh you completely.
Influences On Slumber
Many factors influence sleep quality, including noise, light, temperature, and your sleep schedule. Most people sleep better when bedtime and wake-up time occur at the same time each day and when the bedroom is quiet, dark, and cool. Exercise regularly, and no closer than four or five hours before bedtime, to avoid alertness and to help your body cool down. Just as important, what-and when-you eat can also have a significant impact on sleep quality; some foods can promote restful sleep and others may inhibit it. Nutrients like magnesium, calcium, zinc, B vitamins, and complex carbohydrates can help you sleep better, while fat, caffeine, and alcohol tend to inhibit or disrupt deep sleep.
Best Bedtime Snacks
- Banana
- Cold cereal with milk
- Crackers and cheese
- Decaffeinated herbal tea
- English muffin
- Half a turkey sandwich
- Oatmeal
- Whole-grain toast with peanut butter
A Snooze-Inducing Diet
You can help yourself sleep better at night by eating the right things during the day. A well-balanced diet includes nature’s sleep aids:
- magnesium, found in meats, seafood, greens, and dairy products; and
- B vitamins, found in meats, whole grains, bananas, beans, potatoes, and broccoli.
- A light, well-planned bedtime snack may also encourage a restful night. To help ensure that you get good-quality sleep, aim for these nutrients, which can help promote restful slumber:
Complex Carbohydrates These essential starches encourage sound sleep because they trigger the production of serotonin, a brain chemical that calms the mind and helps govern the brain’s sleep/wake cycle, making you feel tranquil. To start the process of winding down, serve bread, pasta, potatoes, and rice at dinner. all high in complex carbs. For a bedtime snack, choose an English muffin, toast, or cereal with milk.
Minerals Magnesium and calcium work together to help muscles relax and contract, and play a role in stimulating and calming the nerves. Zinc and magnesium may help control restless legs syndrome, an aching or fidgety feeling in the legs that can cause chronic sleeplessness. It’s known that poor sleep can rob the body of magnesium, which may in turn make it harder to deal with nighttime anxiety. Good sources of magnesium include green, leafy vegetables like spinach, whole grains, peas, nuts, and dried beans.
B Vitamins Studies have found that an increased intake of a number of B vitamins, including B6, thiamin, and folic acid, may improve sleep. These vitamins help regulate amino acids, including tryptophan, which is necessary for production of serotonin. They may also influence the action of melatonin, a hormone-like compound that helps regulate sleep patterns. You’ll get ample amounts of the B vitamins in small portions of lean red meat.
Herbal Nightcaps Some herbs are thought to have soothing properties that help promote sleep. Reach for teas like chamomile, hops, lemon balm, catnip, fennel, melissa, passionflower, primrose, rosemary, skullcap, and valerian.
Food For Thought
Drinking warm milk has long been thought to promote sleepiness, but science can’t vouch for it. In theory, milk should work because its proteins contain the amino acid tryptophan, which helps produce the soothing brain chemical serotonin. Instead, however, other amino acids in high-protein foods like milk compete with each other for absorption, blocking any serotonin-boosting effect.
Staying fit and relaxed is not only good for your health, it is good for you. If you want to enjoy life more, the following tips can help:
THE BENEFITS OF EXERCISE
No amount of exercise canguarantee a long life. However, even moderate amounts of exercise can improve the likehood of a healthy life. Along with a positive attitude and a healthy diet, your fitness level plays a major role in how well you feel, what illnesses you avoid, and how much you enjoy life. Consider the benefits of fitness presented here. Find one or more reasons to commit to your own fitness program.
Most studies show that exercising 30 minutes on most days each week is what it takes to improve fitness. However, sometimes it’s easier to make exercise a habit if you do it every day. With exercise, harder is not better, but longer is. Although you can get good fitness benefits from as little as 10 minutes of exercise per day, extending your exercise time will increase your rewards. This is true for up to one hour of exercise per day. Beyond that, there may be diminishing health returns and increasing risk of injuries.
OVERCOME BARRIERS TO EXERCISE
There are six barriers to exercise that are all easy to easy to evercome.
- No time? Try shorter periods of activity spread throughout the day, such as three 10-minutes walks.
- Too tired? It’s often lack of exercise that makes you tired. Exercise gives you energy. Try it.
- Embarrassed? People often are, especially at first. Be proud that you’re taking care of your body.
- No partner? Yes, it’s fun to exercise with others. If your regular partner quits, find another one. You can also join a fitness club, take a class, or exercise to a video.
- Bad weather? Too hot, too cold, too wet, too windy-it never seems right for exercise. Lots of people exercise come rain or shine. Try a variety of indoor and outdoor activities.
- Too costly? Try a lo-cost option, such as walking instead of driving.
What is Plaque
Posted on: October 29, 2009
Left untreated, tooth and gum problems can cause pain, limit the foods you can eat, ruin your smile and affect your overall health. Professional care is important. Regular check-ups can help find and treat problems early. However, the real key is prevention to avoid tooth and gum problems.
Plaque and young children should not be put to bed with a baby bottle of milk, formula, juice or a sweet drink, such as soda. If you must put your baby to bed with a bottle, fill it with plain water. When a baby’s teeth come in, you should start gently cleaning them every day with a baby’s toothbrush and water. It’s best to clean them right before bedtime. When your child is 2 to 3 years old, and is able to spit out after brushing, you can start brushing with a peasized drop of fluoride toothpaste. Children need supervision with tooth brushing until 7 to 8.
DENTAL SEALANTS FOR CHILDREN
ORAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS
Dental sealants are a simple, painless way to help prevent decay. Sealants are thin, plastic coatings painted on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth, especially permanent molars. Children should get sealant on their permanent molars as soon as the teeth come in – before decay attacks the teeth. The first permanent molars come in between the ages of 5 and 7. The second permanent molars come in when a child is between 11 and 14 years old. Consult your dentist about sealants during your child’s first dental visit.
TOBACCO — NEED MORE REASONS TO QUIT?
Both smoking and the use of smokeless (“spit) tobacco significantly increase the risk of developing oral cancer. Smoking is also a significant risk factor for gum disease.
To learn more about prevention and avoiding dental problems, please ask your dentist.
How To Reduce Risk of Stroke
Posted on: September 1, 2009
What is Stroke?
Strokes occur when brain cells die due to a disruption in blood flow to the brain, as when clots block arteries (thromboembolisis). Clots that hinder blood flow cause mini-strokes. Uncontrolled bleeding in the brain (hemorrhage) is caused by ruptured arteries.
Nearly 160,000 people fall victim to fatal strokes each year, making these episodes the third-leading cause of death in the United States after hearts disease and cancer. A third of all strokes take place in just 10 percent of the population, among those who have a set of five risk factors: high blood pressure, elevated blood cholesterol, abnormal glucose tolerance (a sign of of diabetes)’ smoking, and left ventricular hypertrophy, a heart abnormality. A checkup with your doctor can help determine which if any of these might be a problem for you. The good news is that many of these risk factors are within your power to control. Your best weapon, then, is prevention: You can lower your risk of stroke with healthy lifestyle measures that include giving up smoking, being physically active (perhaps taking a daily walk), and following a well-chosen diet, one that is designed to keep your blood pressure, cholesterol, and weight at healthy levels.
Stroke-Fighting Foods
- Bell and chili peppers
- Fish: salmon, tuna, trout, swordfish, and mackerel
- Fruits: bananas, cantaloupe, cranberries, and mangoes
- Leafy greens: romaine lettuce, kale, and Swiss chard
- Legumes, nuts, and seeds
- Onions and garlic
- Whole grains
Strike Out Stroke
One of the first steps in reducing your stroke risk is to eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, which offer proven stroke protection: They are naturally low in fat, so they don’t contribute to fatty blockages that can impede or weaken arteries and cause them to rupture. Plant foods are extremely high in fiber, which carries fats and excess cholesterol out of the blood. They are rich sources of potassium and magnesium, which help control high blood pressure. And fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants, such as vitamin C, that protect cells from damage. Vitamin E, another antioxidant, also reduces the “stickiness” of blood cells, which makes them less likely to clump together and clog arteries. In one study, people who ate about 9 servings of these foods per day were up to 30 percent less likely to fall victim to strokes than people who ate less produce.
A Concentrated Effort
Because stroke is so common and so serious, researchers have looked closely into how diet can lower risk. Many of the nutrients and properties they’ve identified as important are concentrated in fruits and vegetables. Certain types of fish and various grains and seed also contain special substances that can help control blood pressure and reduce blood’s tendency to form clots. Here’s what you get in specific categories of food:
Grains, Nuts, and Seeds Oats, oat bran, and other grains contain soluble fiber to guard against fat buildup that can weaken arteries and increase their chances of rupturing. Sunflower and pumpkin seeds, almonds, and peanuts (including nut butters) are good sources of vitamin E, a nutrient that helps fight the formation of blood clots.
Fruits and Vegetables Bananas, mangoes, green beans, and potatoes contain healthy amounts of potassium, a mineral that keeps blood pressure from climbing. Leafy greens like Swiss chard and kale also provide magnesium, which helps maintain safe blood pressure levels. They also contain a lot of vitamin E. Chili peppers contain antioxidants that can prevent stroke-including blood clots.
Cold-Water Fish Scientists attribute the low rates of heart disease and stroke found among native Greenland men to the high amounts of cold-water fish they consume. Fatty fish like salmon, tuna, sardines, and swordfish are rich in omega-3s, essential fatty acids that can lower bad LDL cholesterol and lessen the tendency of blood cells to stick together.
Onions and GarlicThese and other members of the allium family, such as leeks, containsulfur compounds that thin the blood and help keep blood pressure down. Research also suggests that they can lower high cholesterol levels.
Red Wine and Black TeaSubstances called flavonoids, found in red wine and black tea, appear to protect arteries from damage and help blood resist clotting. Because large amounts of alcohol can have the opposite effect, increasing risk of stroke and other problems. Red grape juice may be a good alternative to wine. If caffeine is a concern for you, choose decaffeinated varieties of tea.
Foods To Avoid
Salty, fried, and full-fat foods contribute to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and elevated stroke risk. Marbled red meats, cuts rimmed in fat, and poultry with skin also raise risk due to their high cholesterol and saturated fat content. Tropical oils, such as coconut, palm, and palm kernel, are also saturated fats to be avoided. Use heart-healthy olive or canola oil when possible.
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