Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Cuppa coffee or a glass of fruit juice?

Often people think of coffee just as a vehicle for caffeine. But it's actually a very complex beverage with hundreds of different compounds in it. Having a small amount of caffeine (400-500 mg) improves your mental acuity, physical performance, reaction time, vigilance, visual processing, and even your mood state. Beyond the stipulated amount, caffeine can produce adverse reactions. Often, drinking coffee can lead to a healthy outcome, but the amount and type of coffee you drink definitely matters! It is the type of coffee and how you drink it that makes it better that fruit juice.

Coffee Vs Fruit Juice
Scientists believe that the antioxidants in the coffee help deliver insulin to the body tissues. Research also suggests that decaffeinated coffee actually reduces the glucose response. Fruit Juices, on the other hand, most often they contain sugar. Even if they do not contain sugar, fruits in the form of juice are easily digested and lack fibre. It adds on to the weight. Thus, they are definitely a no-no for Diabetics.

Packaged fruit juices that are usually served up contain colours, preservatives and chemicals which can lead to cancer, if they are beyond permissible amounts. Any day a whole fruit is better than having fruit juice, especially sweetened fruit juice. On the other hand, a small cup of coffee is likely to do you good as it contains an active compound called methylpyridinium that boosts enzymes thought to prevent colon cancer.

In general, coffee is considered better for your health as it contains more soluble fiber than orange juice. Many people start the day with a glass of orange juice because they believe it is a health food, but it contains the same amount of sugar as a glass of Coca Cola. Soluble fiber is beneficial because it blocks the formation of cholesterol, and also lowers high blood pressure by widening the arteries.

Choose your coffee sensibly
Coffee contains a substance called cafestol that is a potent stimulator of LDL cholesterol levels. Cafestol is found in the oily fraction of coffee, and when you brew coffee with a paper filter, the cafestol gets left behind in the filter. Boiled coffee, French press coffee, or Turkish coffee, are much higher in cafestol. Espresso is somewhere in the middle; it has less cafestol than boiled or French press coffee, but more than paper filtered coffee. Hence to prevent LDL increase; it is better to have paper filtered or instant coffee. And in any case, most wedding parties will in fact this variety of coffee on offer, so you have nothing to fear.

Simple is better than sinful
The addition of cream, sugar, whipped cream, and flavorings can turn coffee from a healthful beverage into a not-so-healthful one. For example, a 500 ml Mocha Chip Frappuccino with Chocolate Whipped Cream contains 470 calories. Along with it you get 12 grams of saturated fats-nearly a day's worth-and 71 grams of sugar, the equivalent of 17 teaspoons of sugar! So have a cup of black coffee for maximum benefits!

Whatever be your choice of coffee, keep a watch on your consumption for your health sake!

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Jam up with jamun

Fruit 'full' of goodness
- Jamuns are a storehouse of anti-oxidants and contain anti-ageing properties.
- They are bursting with carbohydrates, minerals such as manganese, zinc, iron, calcium, sodium and potassium as well as vitamins A and C.
- The glucose and fructose in jamun are excellent for cooling and hydrating the body during hot summers.
- Ayurveda recommends jamun seed powder for naturally lowering blood sugar to control diabetes.
- Ripe jamuns stimulate the liver, aid digestion and also relieve flatulence.
- Dry jamun powder is used to reduce skin blemishes.

Deep purple pops
It's cold, sweet, purple, perched on a stick and just perfect for those hot summer days. Juicy pops just don't get better than this.

Ingredients
500 g ripe (but not squishy) jamuns, deseeded and halved
2 tbsp powdered sugar (or as required)
6 ice cream sticks
6 kulfi moulds or plastic cups

Method
1. Whizz jamuns and sugar (vary amount depending on the sweetness of the fruit) in a blender and strain to remove any large bits of peel.
2. Pour equal amounts into kulfi moulds and freeze. When pops are half set, insert ice cream sticks into them and freeze till fully set.

Jamun cheesecake
Our desi version of blueberry cheesecake - yummy in its creamy richness and equally attractive with its glazed, deep purple topping!

Ingredients

For preserve
300 g ripe jamuns, deseeded and chopped
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp dark rum

For cheesecake
200 g digestive biscuits
60 g butter melted
20 g castor sugar
250 ml fresh cream lightly whipped
150 g hung yoghurt
40 g gelatine plus 20 g for topping

Method
Preserve
1. In a saucepan cook jamun on low heat till mushy and strain through a fine sieve.
2. Return the pulp to the stove, add sugar and rum and cook till mixture become thick (about 30 minutes); remove any foam from the surface of the preserve and cool.

Cheesecake
1. Crush biscuits in a blender and pour in melted butter and sugar to form a crumbly mixture.
2. Spread this evenly in a springform tin and pat down to form a neat base; chill in the fridge for an hour to set.
3. Melt 40 g gelatine in a couple of tbsp of hot water.
4. Whip yoghurt and cream in a bowl to a smooth, silky consistency and thoroughly fold in the gelatine.
5. Add half the jamun preserve to the mixture and pour over biscuit base. Leave to set in the fridge for 3-4 hours.
6. Melt 20 g gelatine in a tbsp of hot water, mix into remaining preserve and spread on top of cheesecake.
7. Let it set in the fridge for an hour and a half before serving.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Exercise for a magical pout!

The importance of exercise cannot be understated. But just the way your body needs to exercise, your face does too and since your lips form a very desirable part of your face, you need to work harder on them. "Lip exercises can be started as early as eighteen years of age," says Asha Bachanni, aesthetic consultant and founder of Face Gym India. "They can then be continued all your life," she adds. When you are young, these exercises help in cell renewal. As you age, they rejuvenate your cells helping to minimize signs of ageing.

Bachanni suggests a few exercises which you should practise regularly. She recommends that you do them at least five times a week for great results.

Smile and pucker
Take your lips inside the mouth in such a way that they cover your teeth. Stretch into a wide smile. Hold on for two counts and pucker them. Work your lips from a smile to a pucker ten times. This exercise works well for your upper lips. It is also beneficial for your orbicularis oris, the muscles surrounding your mouth.

Purse them hard
Purse your lips and press them in, hard over your teeth. Hold for ten counts. You could repeat this ten times. Again, a great exercise for your orbicularis oris besides the lips.

Make a fish face
Suck in your cheeks between your upper and lower set of teeth to make a fish mouth. Hold on for five counts. Stretch your mouth into a wide smile with teeth apart and lips pressed hard on teeth. This exercise could be done ten times as well. Your jaw line and chin will also benefit from this exercise.

Pout and rotate
Pout your lips and rotate them clockwise and anticlockwise, alternately. You could do this ten times in each direction and tone your cheeks along with your lips.

Smile and pout
Hold your lips together and smile. Hold for five counts and then pout your lips. Wait for eight counts. Repeat ten times. Great for toning your cheeks and droopy mouth corners!

Lo and behold
This one's great for your lower lip. Cover the teeth on your lower jaw by taking your lower lip inside. Slowly bring it out as if you are trying to scrape something. Stretch the lower jaw out and hold for five counts. Doing ten repetitions of this exercise once a day would help.

Touch your nose
Purse your lips together and touch them to your nose. Hold for 8 counts. Repeat ten times for best effects.

Are they really effective?
As you age, your lips become thinner. "Practising these exercises every day will not only help maintain the volume of your lip muscles, but also prevent loosening of muscles in the area surrounding the lips," says Bachanni. "However, if you already have thin lips, don't expect them to gain volume with these exercises," she states. Muscle mass at other body parts can increase with exercise, but not when it comes to lips.

These lip exercises are easy to master, invest just ten minutes a day on your lips and you can keep ageing at bay. Even better is the fact that you don't have to find time to do them. You could practise them when you are on the treadmill, in your kitchen or watching television. More than that new luscious lippie in the market, this is the attention your lips deserve. Give it to them!

If getting gorgeous is on your mind always, you can't afford to miss out BIG AND BEAUTIFUL beauty issue. For all that buzzy info, gossip and killer deals, grab our beauty issue - out on the stands on 21st April. For more action, check out http://www.facebook.com/feminawoman

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Sassy spiky

Hair
To up the glam quotient on a short pixie do like Gul's, the most essential element is the cut itself. The cut must complement your face and hair texture, while looking essentially fuss-free. Once you've got the pixie to your liking, warm a small amount of texturising product or hair wax in your hands and work it through your hair with your fingers till your hair is textured, but not messy or limp. Load up on shine serum to tame flyaways.

Eyes
To focus the attention on her hair, Gul's eyes are nude. Use a shimmer eyeshadow that matches your skin tone. You can skip the eyeliner and kajal; instead, use false eyelashes to draw attention to your eyes.


Lips
Keep your lips neutral with a soft pink gloss or creamy lipstick.

Face
Evenly blend a light reflecting foundation all over your face. Highlight your cheeks with a nude, light-reflecting compact.

Hot tip
The textured pixie is one of the hardest cuts to carry off. Make sure you discuss it at length with your stylist before you get sheared!

OOPS




Sapna Bhavnani

We get a big kick out of your edginess Sapna, but this colour and weirdly asymmetric hairline just isn't working.




Lubna Adams

Lubna's growing-out pixie does little to complement her full jawline.



Jesse Randhawa

When we say spikes, we don't mean sharp enough-to-impale heads on, Jesse!

PHOTOGRAPHS BY YOGEN SHAH

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Binge on protein!

Why go for high protein snacks?
Proteins help build muscles and lean body mass. They are also essential to keep a check on your immune system. Eating the right amount of protein daily helps you lose weight, which in turn keeps your metabolism up to help you continue to burn fat at a steady rate. At 4 calories per gram, protein and carbohydrates have the same caloric density. However, when compared with carbohydrates, protein will generally keep you fuller for longer, reducing appetite and often the amount of overall calories you consume.
What is your daily protein requirement?
An average healthy person is required to consume between 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per kg of body weight per day.

Protein dense snack options
Eggs - a hardboiled egg is easy to make and is an ideal high protein snack. 1 large whole egg contains close to 7 g protein and the egg white contains close to 4 g protein.

Dairy products - like milk, yogurt, cottage cheese etc. contain high biological value protein. So instead of having sodas, fruit juices etc. if you can have a glass of milk or a cup of yogurt, it definitely is advantageous for you.

Chicken - In sandwiches, chicken is one of the best sources of protein you can get!

Sprouts - Various foods like alfalafa, broccoli, mustard, pea, channa, mung etc. can be sprouted and stored. Sprouting enhances the vitamin and mineral content. The protein availability is increased in the process of sprouting. Add them to salads, soups, or just steam and have them.

Raw Nuts and Dry Fruits - These are one of the most easy and delicious high protein diet foods. Almost all kinds of nuts are high in protein, and the best part is that you can carry them on the go and consume them without any preparation. Be careful not to have too many nuts or dry fruits as their fat content is also very high.

Muesli Bars - This is something which has long existed in the western world and the concept is soon catching up in India. Muesli bars contain nuts, low sugar, enhanced with fibre and hence make an ideal snack choice. Some of these bars are loaded with carbohydrates and fats. So make sure that you read the labels before choosing your bars!

Oatmeal Porridge - 1 serving of oats (35 g) contains 136 kcal energy and 5.3 g of protein. When milk is added to it, the protein content is further enhanced. It is easy to prepare and the fibre in oats keeps you full for long.

Tuna - One of the all-time favourite high protein recipes is a tuna salad. Tuna fish is a great source of protein with approximately 25 grams per can. Plus, one can of tuna in water contain approximately 111 calories and is fat-free. In case you plan to make a tuna sandwich, go easy on the mayonnaise.

Some protein dense recipes to get you started

Dry fruit yogurt
Serves - 2
Preparation time - 5 mins

You Need
Dry fruits broken (almonds, walnuts) -2 tbsp
Low fat yogurt- 1 cup

You Must
Mix the dry fruit and yogurt
Beat with a hand beater, refrigerate
Serve chilled

Green gram salad
Serves - 2
Preparation time - 15 mins

You Need
Whole green gram boiled- 1 cup
Pomegranate -1/2 cup
Lime - ½ slice
Salt and chat masala as per taste

You Must
Toss the green gram and pomegranate in a bowl
Add lime, salt and chat masala
Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves
Salad is ready to be served

If getting gorgeous is on your mind always, you can’t afford to miss out BIG AND BEAUTIFUL beauty issue. For all that buzzy info, gossip and killer deals, grab our beauty issue – out on the stands on 21st April. For more action, check out http://www.facebook.com/feminawoman

Friday, April 22, 2011

How I saved my marriage

"I found my true self in London three years back. After years of feeling like a burden to my marriage, it dawned on me that I had to make some changes if I wanted to be happy again.

"I met Rayomand seven years ago through an aunt. On our first date, he planned out dinner, mixed it up with lovely conversation and served dessert with charm. How could a girl resist? Soon, we were engaged."

"A few months into the marriage, it dawned on me that juggling work and home was a tough act. I had a dream job at a travel agency that took me around the world. But since I spent a lot of time away from my husband, I quit soon after. Now the focus slipped stealthily to my husband and his life. His life became my life."

"Within a matter of weeks, I had turned into a nag. Losing an income didn't affect the Patell household, but asking my husband for pocket money did deflate my confidence.
On a happier note, I became pregnant during this time."

"After Jehaan's arrival, when I finally had the time to look up from the crib, I noticed the amount of weight I had put on. But one day, an invitation to stay with a close friend for a few months in London came my way. Jehaan in tow, I set off. Distance is supposed to make your heart grow fonder. And while I did miss my husband, the distance gave me some much-needed perspective and I started missing my old self."

"When I came back to Mumbai, change was in order. I decided if I had to mope around, I might as well do it on a treadmill. I'd read somewhere that there's nothing like an affair to boost your confidence. So I began mine with Renoir and Monet. I had always been interested in art, but for the first time I took it seriously and signed up for art classes. These positive changes encouraged me to learn another skill, something I was always too scared to attempt-driving in chaotic Mumbai."

"Rayomand must've noticed the changes in me, I realised, because one evening, he suddenly said, 'Since you can drive and are in tune with the art world, you should get a job at an art gallery.' Soon I was indispensable to an upcoming gallery in the city. At least, that's what I'd like to think!"

"Working on my life and my own happiness has had a wonderful effect on my relationship. When you're feeling negative and under-confident, it's hard for your smile to reach your eyes. The confi dence that dropping 20 kg gave me has put the mojo back into my life and, subsequently, into our relationship. Like MF Husain, our petty bickering is now in exile."

"With my new job, I am stimulated intellectually and creatively. This has made pillow talk far more interesting. I know the new me is a work in progress. But when you realise how personal contentment affects different facets of your life and relationships, there's more incentive to chase your dreams. Recently, we went to Paris and I was glad that the only baggage I carried with me was my LV case-paid for with my credit card."

SCIENTISTS SAY, CHEER UP!
In an oft-quoted study by psychologists Murray, Holmes and Griffin in 2000, couples with low self-esteem dramatically underestimated how positively their partners saw them. Those who underestimated their partners' regards also had more negative perceptions of their partners.


PHOTOGRAPH BY SAMEER MANGTANI; MAKEUP BY PRIYANKA PALKAR; HAIR BY RATNA RAO

If getting gorgeous is on your mind always, you can't afford to miss out BIG AND BEAUTIFUL beauty issue. For all that buzzy info, gossip and killer deals, grab our beauty issue - out on the stands on 21st April. For more action, check out http://www.facebook.com/feminawoman

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Keep the doctor away with grape juice

Good health in every sip

- "Grape juice has an abundance of flavonoids and antioxidants," says Manisha Darak, a Pune-based nutritionist, Technical Head - Body Care and Consultant - Impulse. These natural polyphenols not only increase the HDL cholesterol (read: good cholesterol) in the body, but also prevent the arteries from getting clogged, thus, reducing the risk of heart disease and keep your heart healthy. According to a study conducted at the University of Wisconsin Medical School in Madison, heart patients who drank grape juice regularly had reduced LDL oxidation.
- According to another study at the Georgetown University, grape juice can reduce the chances of developing blood clots that can cause heart attacks.
- The antioxidants in grape juice prevent cell damage and repair those which have undergone wear and tear.
- Reseveratrol is another kind of flavonoid that is found in grapes that prevents the growth of cancer cells. According to a study by the U.S Department of Agriculture, grape juice that has been extracted from Concord grapes has more flavonoids than orange juice, cranberry juice or red wine.
- Great for the immune system, it combats weakness and fatigue and helps the body fight recurrent diseases.
- "Grape juice is good for women, who have anaemia," says Darak, and hence it is often recommended as a natural remedy to treat the condition. However, the juice of light grapes is what you should consume, if you want to increase the iron levels.

Drink it up!
To ensure that you stay energetic through the summers and provide your body the required nutrition, you can add one of these yummy mocktails into your daily diet plan.

FRUIT FIESTA

Ingredients
Apple - 1
Lime - ½
Lemon - ¼
Green grapes - a handful
A bit of ginger
One stuffed olive

Method
1. Wash the grapes and apple, and the core the latter.
2. Chop the apple into small pieces and juice these as well as the lime and lemon.
3. Add ginger, mix well and serve with ice in a martini glass garnished with a stuffed olive on a toothpick.

GRAPE-PINEAPPLE TANGO

Ingredients
Grape juice - half a cup
Fresh pineapple juice - 1 cup
Honey - as per taste
Chopped mint leaves - a sprinkling

Method
1. Juice all the fruits together and mix well.
2. Add mint and honey, stir and serve chilled in a tall glass.

GRAPE SHERBET

Ingredients
Plain gelatine - 1 envelope
Water - 1 cup
Sugar - ½ cup
Unsweetened grape juice - 1 ½ cups
Lemon juice - 3 tbsp
Egg white, stiffly beaten - 1 egg

Method
1. Heat water, sugar and gelatine in a small pan.
2. Stir in the sugar.
3. When the mixture cools, add lemon juice and grape juice.
4. Pour this into freezing trays and keep in the deep freeze till it's mushy, with a crush-like consistency. Make sure that you stir occasionally.
5. Pour this into a cold bowl, and beat.
6. Fold in the egg white and then pour it back into a freezing tray.
7. Stir occasionally and freeze till its firm.

Next time you have friends over, don't pop open that soda bottle. Instead, head to the juicer with these ingredients and serve up a refreshing healthy treat!

If getting gorgeous is on your mind always, you can't afford to miss out BIG AND BEAUTIFUL beauty issue. For all that buzzy info, gossip and killer deals, grab our beauty issue - out on the stands on 21st April. For more action, check out http://www.facebook.com/feminawoman