Brinjal - A Low Calorie Vegetable

Brinjal - A Low Calorie Vegetable




The Brinjal, the popular vegetable of the masses, is native to India. The most common variety, the glossy purple Brinjal is a familiar component of Indian curries. This inexpensive vegetable was known as Malayan purple melon in China. There it was a common food item since 600 BC. May be the shape of first varieties that English speakers came across prompted them to call it as eggplant.

The botanical name of Brinjal is Solanum melongena. The other names are begun in Bengali, ringna in Gujarathi, baingan in Hindi, badane in Kannada, waangum in Kashmiri, vazhuthinanga in Malayalam, vange in Marathi, baigan in Orriya, kathiri in Tamil, venkaya in Telugu and the other names are Aubergine and Eggplant.


Nutritive value
The raw vegetable contains only 24kcal per 100 gms. Even though it is a low calorie vegetable but its caloric value rises steeply when it is fried. It provides small amounts of calcium, phosphorous, fibre, folic acid, sodium and vitamin C. It has good amounts of potassium. 100 gms of edible portion provides 200 mgs of potassium. It is high in water content and has about 92 % of moisture. Due to its low calorie content and high potassium content, it is suitable for diabetes, hypertensive and obese patients.

Nutritive value per 100 gms of Brinjal
Nutrients Value Nutrients Value
Moisture 92.7 gms Protein 1.4 gms
Fat 0.3 gms Minerals 0.3 gms
Fibre 1.3 gms Carbohydrate 4.0 gms
Energy 24.0 kcal Calcium 18.0 mgs
Phosphorous 47.0 mgs Vitamin C 12.0 mgs
Sodium 3.0 mgs Potassium 200.0 mgs


Varieties

There are different varieties available but varies in colour and shape. The most commonly seen are with dark purple skin. The other popular variety is in light green colour. The shape varies from oval, pear, round to finger shape. They are slightly longer and are tastier when young and firm. Some varieties are bitter so they need salting before cooking to draw out the bitter juices and reduce the moisture. This makes the flesh denser so that less fat is absorbed during cooking.


To prevent discoloration of the flesh while preparing brinjal, make slice or cube with stainless steel knife and sprinkle with salt if not cooked immediately. Brinjal is considered to be having medicinal properties even though non of these properties have any scientific base. In few countries in Africa the brinjal is as medicine to treat epilepsy and convulsions. In South East Asia it is still used to treat stomach cancer and measles.

Preparation
This low cost vegetable, brinjal is used in many types of cooking methods, like sauteing, grilling, baking, frying, and even barbecuing. It can be prepared by itself or in combination with other vegetables. The most favourite and delicious dish prepared by this vegetable are enjoyed by the people of northern part of India is the baigan ka bhartha. Brinjal forms one of the main ingredients of the sambhar of south Indians.

Good eating habbits

Eat enough calories but not too many. Maintain a balance between your calorie intake and calorie expenditure—that is, don't eat more food than your body uses. The average recommended daily allowance is 2,000 calories, but this depends on your age, sex, height, weight, and physical activity.
Eat a wide variety of foods. Healthy eating is an opportunity to expand your range of choices by trying foods—especially vegetables, whole grains, or fruits—that you don't normally eat.
Keep portions moderate, especially high-calorie foods. In recent years serving sizes have ballooned, particularly in restaurants. Choose a starter instead of an entrée, split a dish with a friend, and don’t order supersized anything.
Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes—foods high in complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, low in fat, and free of cholesterol. Try to get fresh, local produce
Limit sugary foods, salt, and refined-grain products. Sugar is added to a vast array of foods. In a year, just one daily 12-ounce can of soda (160 calories) can increase your weight by 16 pounds. See suggestions below for limiting salt and substituting whole grains for refined grains.
Don’t be the food police. You can enjoy your favorite sweets and fried foods in moderation, as long as they are an occasional part of your overall healthy diet. Food is a great source of pleasure, and pleasure is good for the heart – even if those French fries aren’t!
Get moving. A healthy diet improves your energy and feelings of well-being while reducing your risk of many diseases. Adding regular physical activity and exercise will make any healthy eating plan work even better.
One step at a time. Establishing new food habits is much easier if you focus on and take action on one food group or food fact at a time

ANDHRA VANTALU

GONGURA PACHADI
Ingredients:

Gongura leaves- about 4 cups
a handfull of peanuts
dry red chilles- 5
tamarind juice - 1tsp (adjust depending upon how tangy the gongura is)
onion- 1/4th
Tempering/ Talimpu:

oil- 1tsp
mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
chanadal, urad dal, cumin seeds- 1/4th tsp each
few curry leaves
dry red chille-1
pinch of hing
In a pan put the oil, once hot add the mustard. Once the mustard starts to dance, add the other ingredients and fry till light brown.

Procedure:

In a pan put a teaspoon of oil and fry the peanuts till light brown. Remove and keep it on the side. In the same pan add the dry chille and fry. Remove, now add two teaspoons of oil and the gongura leaves with little bit of salt. cook in low heat till gongura becomes soft. Let cool.

In a mixer grind the peanuts and red chille coarsely. Now add the gongura, some salt, tamarind juice and very little water. Grind till its smooth. Now add some chopped onion and grind it just one more time. You should still be able to see some chunks of onion.

Finally add the tempering and enjoy the pachadi with hot rice and some ghee.

Home remedies

To get immediate relief from an irritable cough, take a thin slice of freshly cut onion and pour two teaspoons of honey on it. Keep aside for 3- 4 hours and then remove the onion and lick the honey to get substantial relief from an irritable cough.
Chew raw guava leaves to get quick relief from diarrhea. Try it and enjoy relief the natural herbal way.
To cure acidity after meals, drink a glass of water with a piece of jaggery (raw brown unprocessed sugar) dissolved in it, after meals. Try this natural way, to get relief from a very common complaint in the modern world.
Hiccups Problem? Roast some peppercorns and breathe in deeply. This will stop hiccups promptly.
Another quick cure for a loose stomach… Try fenugreek seeds in a glass of semi warm water.
Improve the health of your liver by eating a refrigerated fresh pineapple piece dipped in honey, once a day. Experience a marked improvement within 15 days.
To get relief from chronic constipation, try eating half a cup of blanched spinach.
Chewing cloves is a good way to protect your teeth and get rid of bad breath.
Do you need relief from muscular pain? Try a mustard bath! Take 15- 20 grams of mustard powder, tie it in a piece of cloth, dip it into a bucket of hot water for 10- 15 minutes and then bathe with that water. Get relief from muscular pains and cramps.
Do you know raw cabbage and cabbage juice helps to regenerate the frayed mucosal, inner stomach and intestine linings.
To reduce the sting of a bee bite, apply one tsp of onion juice to the affected area. Then remove the stinger with a tweezers.
To cure bad breath, boil a few (4-6) fenugreek leaves in one glass of water and then gargle with this semi warm water. Try it for 7 days, twice a day, to see substantial improvement.
Soak one teaspoon of wheat in 150 ml of water over night. Drink this water in the morning after filtering out the wheat to get immediate relief from acidity and stomach problems. Try it for 3- 4 days to find substantial improvement.
Add a pinch of asafetida to semi hot water (warm water) and drink it to get relief from menstrual cramps. This is a safe natural remedy to an age old problem and works well with most women.
Chew five basil leaves first thing in the morning daily to keep away infection of the throat, mouth and gums. Make this a regular habit and avoid throat problems.
Indigestion any one? One teaspoon of mint juice mixed with an equal amount of honey and lemon juice is a good cure for this problem. Try it for three days after heavy meals and enjoy the difference.
To get rid of bruises quickly before an important engagement, dip cotton wool in undiluted vinegar and bandage the bruised area with same till dry. Find instant relief.
You can use the white of an egg as an emergency burn ointment.
Asthma patients can get some relief by drinking a teaspoon of honey mixed in a cup of boiled water daily.
To get rid of a persistent cough, eat a guava that has been baked in an oven or over charcoal. Try this home remedy for four to five days to obtain relief.
Rub an aspirin tablet on a bee sting to stop pain. The aspirin acts as a local anesthetic!
Tender coconut water applied on a skin regularly for six months reduces and removes small pox scars.
Drinking wheat grass juice is a health tonic. Drink a glass every alternate day to find an increase in vigor.
For immediate relief from aches in your legs or hands, immerse the affected limb in hot water mixed with salt.
One teaspoon castor oil taken with semi hot (warm) water early in the morning on an empty stomach is an excellent cure for indigestion. It also helps alleviate muscular pains.
To get relief from menstrual cramps, peel a few garlic flakes, fry them in clarified butter, cool add sugar and swallow a couple. Find relief in 15 minutes.

Super Foods for health
by Janice Kumar

In this short article I touch on some foods which are easily available but ignored by people as they do not find them maybe tasty / interesting or attractive to eat. However these everyday foods and fruits provide tremendous natural benefits and eaten right, can add to health and healthy living. It makes a lot of sense to include these foods in one's diet to enjoy their benefits over the long term. Not all of them can be eaten everyday, but try and include them in your diet pattern so as to enjoy their benefits over the long term, especially in your middle and old age.

The first food is a herb - Cinnamon. This herb is a must have for all. It helps control blood sugar levels, lowering the risk of diabetes and heart disease. The spice's active ingredients- especially thylhydroxychalcone polymers - increase the human cells' ability to metabolize sugar by up to twenty times. Increase usage of this herb, by adding it to your coffee, tea or breakfast cereal. Sprinkle this herb and add value to your foods. Cinnamon has been found to significantly reduce bad cholesterol levels and is a must add on for people with a penchant for eating out, eating fast foods and generally unable to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Enjoy the natural protection provided by mother nature and stay fit.
The second food is a fruit juice - Pomegranate Juice. This juice is a super health drink and helps fight blood pressure and health problems. Drinking just two ounces of this juice daily, helps decrease systolic blood pressure and improve blood flow to the heart. It also provides a significant portion of the daily vitamin C requirement. It makes sense, to drink a little everyday or if the bottled juice is not easily available, simply eat the fruit.
The third food is a vegetable - Cabbage. This not a much loved food in many households. But one cup of chopped cabbage has only 25 calories but enough valuable nutrients such as sulforaphane, which increases the body's production of enzymes, which disarm cell damaging free radicals and reduce cancer risk. It therefore makes eminent food sense to munch some cabbage salad along with your meals daily.
The fourth food is a root - Beetroot. This is one of the best sources of folate and betaine. They work together to lower the blood levels of homocysteine, which reduces damage to arteries and helps prolong life. Beetroot is also a natural cancer fighter and a little of this root taken every other day helps keep the body fit. The root can be taken as a salad or as a side dish, lightly sautéed and cooked.
The fifth food is a fruit- Guava. This is an excellent source of lycopene. Lycopene is an antioxidant that helps fight prostrate cancer. It also has a lot of potassium and vitamin C. Enjoy it whole along with the skin, which is where most of the vitamins are hidden.

These five foods help in keeping the heart healthy, fight cancer and also fight age related debilitation. Enjoy a healthy, long life with them. It makes sense to add them to your diet and cut out the red meat and heavy salt intake.

Making a Great First Impression!
It takes just a quick glance, maybe three seconds, for someone to evaluate you when you meet for the first time. In this short time, the other person forms an opinion about you based on your appearance, your body language, your demeanor, your mannerisms, and how you are dressed.
With every new encounter, you are evaluated and yet another person’s impression of you is formed. These first impression can be nearly impossible to reverse or undo, making those first encounters extremely important, for they set the tone for the all the relationships that follows.
So, whether they are in your career or social life, it’s important to know how to create a good first impression. This article provides some useful tips to help you do this.
Be on Time
The person you are meeting for the first time is not interested in your “good excuse” for running late. Plan to arrive a few minutes early. And allow flexibility for possible delays in traffic or taking a wrong turn. Arriving early is much better that arriving late, hands down, and is the first step in creating a great first impression.
Be Yourself, Be at Ease
If you are feeling uncomfortable and on edge, this can make the other person ill at ease and that’s a sure way to create the wrong impression. If you are calm and confident, so the other person will feel more at ease, and so have a solid foundation for making that first impression a good one. See our section on relaxation techniques to find out how to calm that adrenaline!
Present Yourself Appropriately
Of course physical appearance matters. The person you are meeting for the first time does not know you and your appearance is usually the first clue he or she has to go on.
But it certainly does not mean you need to look like a model to create a strong and positive first impression. (Unless you are interviewing with your local model agency, of course!)
No. The key to a good impression is to present yourself appropriately.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and so the “picture” you first present says much about you to the person you are meeting. Is your appearance saying the right things to help create the right first impression?
Start with the way you dress. What is the appropriate dress for the meeting or occasion? In a business setting, what is the appropriate business attire? Suit, blazer, casual? And ask yourself what the person you'll be meeting is likely to wear - if your contact is in advertising or the music industry, a pinstripe business suit may not strike the right note!
For business and social meetings, appropriate dress also varies between countries and cultures, so it’s something that you should pay particular attention to when in an unfamiliar setting or country. Make sure you know the traditions and norms.
And what about your personal grooming? Clean and tidy appearance is appropriate for most business and social occasions. A good haircut or shave. Clean and tidy clothes. Neat and tidy make up. Make sure your grooming is appropriate and helps make you feel “the part”.
Appropriate dressing and grooming help make a good first impression and also help you feel “the part”, and so feel more calm and confident. Add all of this up and you are well on your way to creating a good first impression.

Things to do everyday


Follow these ten golden rules and enjoy every moment of living.

~ Greet your family members first thing in the morning. If you are not used to this, they will be surprised with your sudden and nice gesture.

~ Greet your peers, subordinates and boss once you enter the office. Smile at even the 'security' personnel standing at the gate, who takes care of your safety.

~ Greet your friends along the way and do not ignore them.

~ Continously reciprocate to breed communication. If you do not reciprocate at least with a 'thanks' when you get information or a source on your online network or your offline network, you will not be remembered for a long time. If you are not remembered, you are out of your network.

~ Be a proactive listener and empathise with others to command respect.

~ While talking to others, your voice, tone and tenor must be audible and soothing. It should not be aggressive or in a shouting mode.

~ Dress well to suit your profession and to create positive vibes in your workplace. If you are a sales representative, do not go out with printed shirts and jeans, which may turn down your customer.

~ Political and religious comments must be avoided at all costs in the workplace, when you are in a group.

~ Your communication should not provoke others.
~ Do not speak ill of others if you can help it.