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Include different types of food grains in your diet to increase health and nutrition. Check out these 7 whole grain recipes!
In India, most of us are used to considering two types of grains as our staple food – rice and wheat. However, with the rising awareness of health and nutrition among consumers, many traditional food grains are being welcomed into households.
Diversifying your food grains is an easy way to add health and nutrition to your daily diet. Adding a greater variety of food grains to your diet can be a challenge for the modern cook whose repertoire rarely stretches to these.
Here are 5 easy and tasty whole grain recipes, each made with a food grain that you may not have tried before Jowar, Oat, Corn, Barley, Bajra, Ragi and Quinoa.
There is scarcely a simpler side-dish than the humble raita. Easy to make, raita is a versatile accompaniment to any meal. Why not give the modest raita a unique twist by making a jowar raita next time?
Health and nutrition boost: High in antioxidants, gluten-free and cholesterol-free. 1 cup serving of jowar is believed to supply 48% of the dietary fibre and approximately 47% of the iron recommended as our daily required allowance.
Barley has several nutritional benefits including controlling blood sugar levels and bad cholesterol. Here is a refreshing way to incorporate it into your diet. And no, your weekly pint of beer does not count!
Health and nutrition boost: The high levels of fibre and selenium found in barley reduces the risk of colon cancer and helps promote friendly bacteria in our gut.
Reinvent the signature south Indian dishes of idli and dosa! Instead of using rice, just replace it with bajra. The lovely ladies at Show Me The Curry show us how.
Health and nutrition boost: Gluten-free and a good source of energy. Bajra tends to break down and get digested at a slower rate; hence it makes you feel fuller for longer and thus helps to control hunger.
Although Ragi is a relatively inexpensive food grain, it is packed with goodness. It can be used in a variety of dishes such as ragi dosa, ragi roti, ragi puttu and even ragi porridge. Check out this video for making ragi vada.
Health and nutrition boost: An excellent option for those suffering from diabetes as ragi helps in controlling blood sugar levels. It is also rich in calcium and iron – thus becoming vital for women.
Oats has been around for some time now in the Indian market. They come in both sweet and savoury flavours, and are a cinch to make on busy mornings. How about making a portable version to carry along to work?
Health and nutrition boost: Oats are known to lower LDL or bad cholesterol while maintaining the levels of good cholesterol. Additionally, it also helps boost the body’s immune system defences.
Biting into a fire roasted corn on the cob, smeared with a generous helping of chilli powder + salt + lime is a spicy snack that most people in India would be quite familiar with! Of course, for the weaker palettes there is always steamed corn in a cup. But did you know that you can also make a decent meal with corn?
Health and nutrition boost: Filled with vitamins and minerals, corn is also a rich source of folic acid – the nutrient that aids foetal brain and spine development.
Let’s not forget Quinoa – the new culinary wonder that everyone is raving about. Quinoa is often thought to be a grain when it is actually a seed and is classified as a pseudocereal. Having its origins in South America, quinoa is high in protein and is gluten-free – which makes it an ideal food grain for those with gluten intolerance. Quinoa lends itself well to Indian cuisine, as the below video of quinoa pulao shows. While expensive in India, it makes a lot of sense for those living in the US.
Health and nutrition boost: Contains 9 essential amino acids. Quinoa also helps prevent constipation and bloating.
So what are you waiting for? I’m sure you’ll agree that now you have no excuses not to include different types of food grains in your diet!
By Anne John
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Photo credit: CnavaPro
Anne John loves to play with words and calls herself a reader, writer, explorer & dreamer. She has a wide range of interests and has recently jumped onto the Mommy Vlogger bandwagon! read more...
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People say that women are the greatest enemies of women. I vehemently disagree. It is the patriarchal mindset that makes women believe in the wrong ideology.
The entire world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024. It should be a joyful day, but unfortunately, not all women are entitled to this privilege, as violence against women is at its peak. The experience of oppression pushes many women to choose freedom. As far as patriotism is concerned, feminism is not a cup of tea in this society.
What happens when a woman decides to stand up for herself? Does this world easily accept the decisions of women in this society? What inspires them to be free of the clutches of the oppression that women have faced for ages? Most of the time, women do not get the chance to decide for themselves. Their lives are always at the mercy of someone, which can be their parents, siblings, husband, or children.
In some cases, women do not feel the need to make any decisions. They are taught to obey the patriarchal system, which makes them believe that they are right. In my family, I was never taught to make decisions on my own. It was always my parents who bought dresses and all that I needed.
14 years after her last feature film Dhobi Ghat, storyteller extraordinaire comes up with her new film, Laapataa Ladies, a must watch.
*Some spoilers alert*
Every religion around the world dictates terms to women. The onus is always on women to be ‘modest’ and cover their faces and bodies so men can’t be “tempted”, rather than on men to keep their eyes where they belong and behave like civilized beings. So much so that even rape has been excused on the grounds of women eating chowmein or ‘men will be men’. I think the best Hindi movie retort to this unwanted advice on ‘akeli ladki khuli tijori ki tarah hoti hai’ (an alone woman is like an open jewellery box) came from Geet in Jab We Met – Kya aap gyan dene ke paise lete hain kyonki chillar nahin hain mere paas.
The premise of Laapataa Ladies is beautifully simple – two brides clad in the ghunghat that covers their identity get mixed up on a train. Within this Russian Doll, you get a comedy of errors, a story of getting lost, a commentary on patriarchy’s attitude towards women, a mystery, and a tale of finding oneself, all in one. Done with a mostly light touch that has you laughing and nodding along.
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