Ten Don’ts for Expectant Mothers

1. Never bend down your back to pick up things from floor. Instead fold your knees and sit down to pick them. Do not pick anything that is heavy.

2. Don’t eat food that increases body heat too much, for example raw papaya, pineapple and jaggery (or raw brown sugar), at least for the first trimester.

3. Do not walk very fast. Go for walks and keep doing the normal exercises, but all at medium pace. Do not run up or down the flight of stairs. ALWAYS take one step at a time and at medium pace.

4. Don’t smoke, drink alcohol, or take street drugs. Do not take painkillers without consulting your doctor. Don't take too much caffeine. Caffeine reduces calcium and water in your body, raises stress hormones, and can change your baby’s heart rate. Do limit caffeine consumption to 1-2 cups a day.

5. Protect yourself and your baby from foodborne illness, which can cause serious health problems and even death. Handle, clean, cook, eat, and store food properly.

6. Don’t take very hot baths or use hot tubs or saunas. High temperatures can be harmful to the foetus, or cause you to faint.

7. Don’t use scented feminine hygiene products. Pregnant women should avoid scented sprays, sanitary napkins, and bubble bath. These products might irritate your vaginal area, and increase your risk of a urinary tract infection or yeast infection.

8. Avoid x-rays. If you must have dental work or diagnostic tests, tell your dentist or physician that you are pregnant so that extra care can be taken.

9. Avoid contact with cat litter, cat litter box, rodents and with their urine, droppings, or nesting material. This includes household pests and pet rodents, such as guinea pigs and hamsters. Rodents can carry a virus that can be harmful or even deadly to your unborn baby.

10. Protect yourself and your baby from foodborne illness, which can cause serious health problems and even death. Handle, clean, cook, eat, and store food properly.

Nutrition provided by various Fruits and Vegetables

Healthy food is necessary for a Stress Free Life. Nutritious and balanced diet is a must to keep you free from the physical and mental diseases and relieve stress.

Apples are rich in vitamins and help to reduce risks of colon cancer, prostate cancer and lung cancer.

Radishes and their greens provide an excellent source of vitamin C and a powerful antioxidant. It has anti-inflammatory properties too. Radish leaves are a good source of calcium. Radishes contain cancer-protective properties.

Chives are known for their beneficial effect on the digestive system and blood pressure. Chives are said to reduce the risk of several types of cancers.

Coconut is known for its antifungal, anti bacterial properties: Coconut oil is also very good for head massage.

Cherries reduce pain and inflammation: Cherries are good source of many vitamins, minerals and are tasty to eat.

Plums lowers age-related macular degeneration: Plums are sweet, juicy and are a good source of Vitamin c, Vitamin A, Vitamin B2 and Potassium.

Spinach is an excellent source of Iron and Calcium. It is good for healthy eyes.

Beetroots rich in potassium and fibre: Beetroots contains good amount of folic acid, potassium and manganese. They are less in calories and are effective in curing skin problems.

Cauliflower is good for the heart and reduces the risk of cancer: Cauliflower is highly nutritious and is effective in curing many ailments. It is rich in folic acid and is good for pregnant woman.

Mangoes are rich in Iron and Vitamins: Mangoes supply ample potassium, making them ideal for hypertensive patients or anyone looking to replenish energy after physical activity

Tomatoes reduce the risk of heart attack: Tomatoes are a rich source of lycopene. Lycopene is a potent antioxidant.

Musk Melon - Tropical Delight : Musk melon is a tropical fruit which is been cultivated for a very long time. It is a rich source of vitamin 'C' and is effective in reducing body heat.

Cabbage helps cure ulcers and prevents colon cancer: Cabbage is a well known common vegetable. It is low in calories and is long known for its healing properties.

Bitter Gourd - Health Benefits: Bitter Gourd is a tropical vegetable. It is a well known cure for diabetes.

Avocado - for fitness and health : Avocado is rich in potassium content. The fruit is also a good source of vitamins.

Papaya - A rich source of Minerals and Fibre: Papaya has high nutritional benefits. It is rich in Anti-oxidants, Minerals and Fibre. It also helps in Skin Treatments.

Oats - Fibre food that cures constipation: Oats have some unique fatty acids and antioxidants which together with Vitamin E slow cell damage.

Nutritional benefits of Watermelon: Watermelon is highly refreshing during summer. It does not contain cholesterol and helps in eye sight also.

Nutritional benefits of Banana : Banana helps in the treatment of Depression, Anaemia, Blood Pressure, Brain power, Constipation, etc.

Almond: A highly Nutritious fruit : Consumption of Almond lowers cholesterol levels, reduces the risk of lifestyle diseases and gives overall wellness

Calcium: The bone builder: Calcium Builds Strong Bones. Get calcium from greens, beans, or fortified foods. Vitamin D controls your body's use of calcium.

Gooseberry (Amla): Rich in Vitamin C: Gooseberry has many nutritious benefits. The gooseberry has been found to be the most abundant source of Vitamin C in the plant kingdom.

Mixed Bhaji Paratha

Here is the recipe of parathas that are highly nutritious. Since I just made them while experimenting and I am no professional cook, I cannot give you exact measures of the ingredients. But in these parathas remember that the quantity of flour should be just enough to bind the leaves and not more. Plus if you use one cup wheat flour then the total quantity of all the other flours should not exceed one cup else the dough will be quiet sticky.

Ingredients: Fenugreek leaves
Spinach
Coriander leaves
Mint leaves
Gram flour
Whole wheat flour
Suji
Turmeric
Salt
Recipe: Soak all the leaves in water for 10 minutes. Wash them again in drinking water. Drain them and chop them finely. Now put them in a large bowl and add all flour, salt, turmeric powder in it. Bind them into a tight dough using minimum of water or CURD if desired. Remember that the dough should be very tight as the leaves leave water and the dough automatically becomes lose after some time. Make balls out of it and roll them into round chapatti/paratha. Cook them on the griddle using minimum of ghee.
You can also add Amaranthus leaves (red/green) and jwar or bajra flour. Also oat meal can be added. It makes the parathas more crispier. Use minimum of ghee to avoid fat. Also these can be roasted over flame to make them rotis which taste good especially when served hot.
Serve these parathas/chapattis with curd or even tomato sauce as they have all the nutrition rolled together. Now no worry 

DD's Range of Wholesome Chapatis and Parathas

Dear Friends, here I have come with a range of chapatis and parathas which can serve as a wholesome food filled with proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins et al.
Kids generally do not like nutritious food, at least mine directly say, “Mamma we just love JUNK FOOD!” or “Mummy I HATE dal!” and sentences like these.
So, I came up with the idea of giving them all this in a wrap that they would enjoy.
In this section you will get various recipes, I’m sure that you have yours too. Cutlets, pasta, pulaw, macaroni, wrap whatever. So, why not share them with others through this page. Do post me your recipes and we shall add them in this blog under your name…..

Menu for Kids Party in a Jiffy

At times kids just want to play indoors and have a party with their friends; at least mine do a lot! So, why not make it their day, let’s arrange a party for them, quickly.

Here is a menu option:Orange Juice Drink, Cheese Pizza, Monaco Toppings, Chocolate Cake

Preparation time: 30-40minutes (Depending on your speed)

Things you need:Orange squash
Cheese Slice
Mini Pizza Base
Tomato Ketchup
Monaco Biscuit
Ripe Tomatoes
Parle-G or Tiger Biscuit – 32 pieces
Coco Powder
Eno Salt
Milk
Sugar
Thick chocolate syrup (optional)
Cadbury’s Gems (optional)
Oh yes, a microwave oven too

Take Parle-G biscuits, ¾ cup sugar, two tea spoon coco powder and one tea spoon Eno salt in a blender and blend it. Add one and quarter cup of milk to it and mix again. Pour this mixture in a microwave oven safe bowl (a plastic one will do well) and microwave it for seven minutes. Your cake is ready. Take it out of the oven and let it cool down.
If you have a thick chocolate syrup (Mapro is good, as it is thicker than Hershey’s) then spread it over the cooled cake. Place a few gems making some figure that the kids love, like a smiley face.

Chop the tomatoes into small squares (one will do if the size is big). Marinate it with a little Chat Masala. Take one cheese slice and cut it into 20 square pieces. Place one slice on the Monaco biscuit, top it with a piece of tomato. Good if you have some coriander leaves so that it can be placed over the tomato to make a topping more beautiful, tasty and also healthy.
Serve these toppings as soon as you make them so that they do not get soggy.

Place a no-stick tawa for heating. On it place three or four pizza base with the top side of pizza (with butter already applied on it) facing the heat. Heat it in medium heat for approximately 90 seconds. Remove them. Heat the remaining pizza base in similar manner. Take a cheese slice and make 15-17 pieces of it. On the preheated side of the pizza base, spread tomato ketchup liberally. Now place five pieces of the cheese slice on it. Apply some butter on the tawa, place this pizza base on it and heat it on low flame for around two minutes. Place only three bases at a time and keep checking that the base is not being over cooked. You can cover it for faster cooking.
Sprinkle some oregano powder over it else a bit of black pepper powder also tastes good. Cut these mini cheese pizzas into four and serve hot or cold.

I need not mention the recipe of orange squash, as you can get ti on the label of the bottle.

So, now call the kids to the table, serve them the squash and Monaco toppings. Bring on the pizza and while they are praising you for the lovely treat, bring the chocolate cake on the table, yuppie!!!!! They are going to love you, Mom!!!

Please Ensure that You are NOT Suffering From CANCER

Dear friends, today I have come with a very important topic… Breast and Cervical Cancer.

The word cancer has always sounded deadly and I fear it as I have seen people so loving and dear dying of it. Anyone can get cancer but today we are going to talk about INDIA’S COMMONEST CANCER-CERVICAL CANCER and SECOND MOST COMMON IN WOMEN-BREAST CANCER.

Ever thought that you mother, sister, daughter, friend or you yourself might be having cancer? I am sure you don’t want to see them suffer or lose them. So please spread the awareness. Read about it, go for tests and take the women folk in your family and your friends for screening. I am furnishing some data that I searched from net, please go through it.

CERVICAL CANCER
Not many know that India, with a population of 365.71 million has women aged between 15 years and above who stand at the risk of developing cervical cancer. A World Health Organisation study reveals that every year 1,32,082 women are diagnosed with this particular kind of cancer and 74,118 die from the disease. The growing risk of cervical cancer in women in India (aged 0-64 years) is 2.4% compared to 1.3% for the world.
But, If detected at a pre-cancerous stage (when the cells are not normal, but are not yet cancerous), this cancer is 100 per cent curable. Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women 20 to 29 years old. And this can be contracted by women at any age.
Read more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health/All-about-Indias-commonest-cancer-Cervical-Cancer/articleshow/3399745.cms#ixzz10DNQONMF

Cervical cancer, in women, is the second most common cancer worldwide, next only to breast cancer. In India, cervical cancer is the most common woman-related cancer, followed by breast cancer.

Every year cervical cancer is diagnosed in about 500,000 women globally and is responsible for more than 280,000 deaths annually. There is a wide variation in the incidence of cervical cancer across the globe. In the west, early detection through regular screening has aided to significantly control the prevalence of this disease, thereby, lowering its incidence. In the last 50 years in the United States, the Pap smear test has reduced the deaths related to cervical cancer by three-quarters. At one time cervical cancer was one of the most dreaded cancer and the leading causes of of death in women in the US but now it is the eighth most common cancer there. 80% of the new cervical cancer cases occur in developing countries, like India, which reports approximately one fourth of the world's cases of cervical cancer each year.

Read more: http://www.medindia.net/patients/patientinfo/cervicalcancer-incidence.htm#ixzz10DWgnkpC


The most common cancer, in women, worldwide-BREAST CANCER
Right now breast cancer is second to cervical cancer in India, but by the year 2020 it will become the most common cancer in women here too.
The rise in breast cancer cases is being documented mainly in the metros, but it can be safely said that many cases in rural areas go unnoticed. It is reported that one in 22 women in India is likely to suffer from breast cancer during her lifetime, while the figure is definitely more in America with one in eight being a victim of this deadly cancer.
The problem with breast cancer is that it has no peculiar cause and a lump in breast, which is one of the major indications of this cancer, can be felt at times when your cancer is already six or ten years old. The best way is to get breast examination done by a breast specialist and go in for procedures like mammography in every two years by your doctor’s advice. Also Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) and biopsy are two ways of testing.
For more information on breast cancer go through the following link:
Read more at: http://doctor.ndtv.com/storypage/ndtv/id/003617/type/feature/Breast_Cancer_in_India.html?cp

For all this it is a must to visit a breast specialist or a reputed cancer hospital nearby. So PLEASE make an appointment today itself, for your happy future and for the happiness of the ones who love you!

Launki Paratha

On seeing bottle guard, my elder daughter always says, "I hate launki, if u want to make me eat it, just put it in khichdi, where I will not get its taste!"
Well we cannot make khichdi everyday and launki is said to be one of the most nutritious vegetable. So I keep on experimenting. Then one day I came up with the idea of grating it and mixing it with the wheat flour to make paratha. I added a few more things to make it healthier and tastier. Hence, the launki parathas. My husband and daughters loved them; they are tasty, healthy and low in calories. Hope your family enjoys it too...

Ingredients
Wheat flour-2 cups
Gram flour-1/2 cup
or
Bajra flour-1/2 cup
Grated bottle guard-1 cup (retain the water)
Green coriander finely chopped- 1/2 cup
Mint leaves finely chopped- 1/4 cup (optional)
Garlic cloves- 9
Green chilli- 1
Cumin powder- 1 tsp
Red chilli powder- 1/2 to 1 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1tsp
Oil or Ghee for Parathas
Method
Make a paste of garlic and green chillies. Add all the ingredients, add water if required and make a little tight dough. Now make small balls and roll them round chapati style. There is no need to put any oil in the balls. Just roast them on the pan using minimum oil or ghee. Serve them hot with curd and chatni or achaar.

These taste good even when cold so you can keep them in lunch box for kids by applying some tomato ketchup on one side of the paratha and rolling it and for adults, along with some chatni and bhaji or curd.