Food Nutrition facts

 “Diet is the essential key to all successful healing. Without a proper balanced diet, the effectiveness of herbal treatment is very limited.”

 Food as nutrition

My journey on lifestyle change began with understanding how food nutrition impact on body mind complex. Hence this area of food nutrition is very dear to my heart.I could talk forever on this birthday will attempt to stick on what I think is most important to understand.

   Today we live in a world where nearly everyone is on one day or another. People talk about Carbs, calories ,fats ,proteins , restrictions, and good foods and bad foods. Diet books are best seller. Cooking shows are  more popular and yet more families are eating day outs. It was not so long ago when humans had an innateability to know what is good for them. People simply knew what to eat and how to prepare it. Thay did not have so much cerebral interpretation of basic  human needs. People naturally ate what was local seasonal available and what gave them proper nutrition for living

Being healthy is not a complicated. The body knows what to eat. It is the brain that makes mistakes. All you need to do is work on building a deep relationship with your body and it will tell you what it needs to function at its highest potential. It took a long time for me to understand the value of this last point. Today I am very much live by this principal. Once you have fostered this deep relationship with your body you can being you trust your body. So how do we foster this relationship.

We first need to accept that we have personal difference in anatomy, metabolism ,composition of  bodily fluids and cell structures . So we have highly individualistic nutrition needs. No no! that is not a go ahead to eat junk food. It is to re-emphasize  the need to build a deep relationship with your body. Our personal tested and preferences nature shape natural shapes and sizes blood type, metabolic rates , and genetic  background influence what foods will and wants nutrition us. One person is food is and other persons poison. That is why fad diets do not work in the long run.   They are not based on the reality that we all have different dietary needs. Yes a little experimenting and awareness is listing to our body will bring us the deep connection.

If you have any doubt on the connection then begin by accepting that your body is highly intelligent. You are hard never misses a beat. Even if you are going through some trauma your heart keeps pumping and your lungs keep breathing. Your body has involved insrincts to keep you alive and well. Just as a tree will always learn to words like humans and animals for that matter no instinctively  what food is good for them. 

Do not ignore the signals your bodies are Constantly giving us. Dark circle around the eye is mostly a signal of exhaustion. Your body is telling you to slow down and take a rest. Constipation and bolting are mostly a sign of something you are eating ,  or that the way you are eating  it is in appropriate for you. I encourage you to listen to the signals and not wait until it become unbearable and you have to get on to meditation or in the surgical theatre.

You could keep a food more journal . Developing  that connection with your body you might to join things down things like every time I eat bread my stomach hurt or every time llentil Soup  I feel satisfied and see no negative of the effect. Certain combination of foods will give you gas , certain foods will prevent you from sleeping well, certain food will give you a clear mind.

Do remember that Help has to be a holistic. So when the body is giving you signals it does not have to be food nutrition that need adjustment. It could very very well be some time to do with your exercise routine or your mental state I.e., stress or chemicals in you are in external  environment that needs changing. That is why we are paying attention to getting the basics of lifestyle change read a book . Lifestyle change is what brings us health and happiness.

Now we can focus on the foundation of food nutrition through the actionable steps.  remember that the simple actions have huge impact. I have listed here the most impactful actions

Actionable steps

1. keep a food – mood journal. This will assist you to foster the connection to your body.
2. Eat clean food. Meaning eating as neutral as possible. Presticide free if  possible else wash well with a little vinegar. If you know of food has GMO, then if possible, avoid it.cut down on proceed, highly refined (example white flour products) or packed food and chemicalized  food. Apply the 80–20 rule here 80% of the time eat clean and the other 20% eat food that is a little processed. Or maybe for You 90–10 rule work better.you decide build up slowly to words whatever you decide as you will fall of the band wagon.eating clean also promotes your connection with your body
3. Eat home prepared meals. This way you know what is going into your body.also remember, no food testes like mom’s food. This  is because food cooked with love carries a different energy.
4. Replace instead of cutting out. Step by steps as you eat more and more clean food, your cravings for those foods that you know are obviously bad for you will begin to fall away from your choice of food.if you start by cutting out bad food items which you have are craving for than you you are craving will increase and once again you will fall of the bandwagon.so focus on including more and more good foods rather than excluding bad foods.
5. Eat less meat, dairy, sugar and chemicalize, artificial junk foods consume less coffee, alcohol, and tobacco. Yes we have do not want to take out. We would rather replace. However, most people who carry out this action step feel more energised and recover from illness faster.
6. Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. We all have heard this several  time . Start with 2  Apple a day. See what happens to the body with just this simple change. Then slowly increase the variety of foods consumed per day.
7. Include fresh vegetable juice. non-talking smoothies juice using a juice extractor. Work up to having these 2–3 times a week. I have found these two have huge impact on my health. Carrot juice with some ginger, apple and some lemon ( White rind included ) is my favourite. Give a boost of nutrients quickly into the blood. Keep a gap of half hour after before you consume any other food item.
8. Experiment with whole grain legumes. E.g. beans, lentils, lupine,peas, and peanuts. 
9. Include fermented Foods. These are foods such as picked vegetables and yoghurt.
10. Sure dough bread. If you do have bread, then have sour dough  bread that  is made with natural ingredients. It is much easier  on the digestiveSystem .
11. Increase intake of a variety green foods and especially of leafy green vegetable. For example broccoli , spinach , kale, green herbs, cabbage. Nutritionally Green greens are packed with phytonutrients minerals and their health benefits are huge.
12. Increase sweet vegetables. Instead of depending on processed  sugar, you can add more naturally sweet flavour to your daily diet and dramatically reduce sweet cravings.
13. Experiment with protein. Protein is the building block of our body but most of us eat way too much protein. Because of our bio individuality our protein intake varies  from person to person. Hands, best to experiment with source of your protein and amount of protein and notice the impact of your body.
14. Read ingredients list get into the habit of reading and ingredients List on food item packaging before purchasing. So you can understand what you are putting into your body. The ingredients are always listed in order most quantity to least quantity. So, specially watch out if sugar is the first listed them. Look out mainly for food additives that have been proven to be caused to different diseases if consumed regularly for example, MSG, artificial food colorant, sodium initiate , high- fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners , carrageenan, sodium benzoatetrans pets, artificial flavouring,  Yeast extract . 
15. Avoid refined processed sugars. This is the one and only time we Say avoid. 
16. Clean dairy. If you have dairy then swop  the very form forms where cows are grass fed . Dairy that  is free from antibiotics, growth hormones is animal by products, preservatives and  stabiliser. If you  prone to sinus issue or ear, nose and throat congestion, then this change over could resolve the issue.
17. Oils for cooking. The oils we use have a huge impact on our body. Be aware of the effects of oil use for cooking. Use cold pressed oil. The safe and healthy oil or coconut oil and Olive Oil. I sometimes use ghee to cook. Ghee is my go to fat.
18. Say a prayer of gratitude before meals. Prepare your body to receive the food by saying a prayer of blessings and gratitude for all the farmers, transporters, suppliers and all those that were responsible for the food on your plate. Imagine your body getting ready to receive the food that is currently sitting on your plate.
19. Eat with awareness and chew your food well before swallowing. This allows the saliva in the mouth to do its work. In fact, the mouth is where digestion process begins. If you break down your food in your mouth already, then the remainder of the digestion process improves.
20. Use a tongue scraper to clean tongue twice a day after brushing. It comes from the tradition of ayurveda. It makes you more thoughtful and authentic in your speech. It helps fight cavities, prevents bad breath, decreases cravings, enhances taste bud activities.
21. Include food of all colours in each meal or daily or at least over a few days. The different colours represent different phytonutrients. This way you are ensuring that your body is getting all the phytonutrients it needs. As a child you wanted the crayon box with the most colours. You would not have dreamt of drawing a picture in drab neutral.
22. Detox regularly. This is so important that it could be a topic of its own. Detoxing regularly will help remove the disease causing toxins from the body. You could do some form of detox daily, weekly, monthly, seasonally, and then a bigger detox yearly. Five sample a single weekly detox would be to eat six meals of Khichdi dish in the week and six meals of lightly spiced  steamed vegetables in the week. Learn more about detoxing and find ways that suits you. Examples are dry fast, intermittent fast, juice fast, water only fast, fruit fast etc.
23. Soak nuts and seeds and dried fruits overnight. By soaking nuts and seeds, you minimise or eliminate the nutritional inhabiters and other toxic substances as they are absorbed into the water. Without the inhibitors and toxic substances, The nutrients of the nuts and seeds are more readily available for absorption. Dried fruits can be drying on the body and soaking them counteract this.
24. Oh I think that is more than enough. Time to stop.
25. Always consult your healthcare professional before making any of above changes.
26. 

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How to Deal with Difficult People

Does The thought of going to work every day weigh on you? do you dread family functions because you expect to bump into some tiresome person ? was is your answer or a resounding yes ? is it because you are apprehensive about dealing with difficult people ? if so it is totally understandable .

It must feel like entering a battleground every time. dodging bullets and bombs and oh, what was that ?Ego shrapnel ?it happens .Unfortunately , it takes all sorts to make the world ! so when you have to step into hostile territory ,how do you prepare yourself?

    Avoid meeting then ? Pretend they don’t exist when the proverbial head in the sand ostrich approach?  Well ,you can run but you cannot really hide , at least not forever. At some point you are going to have to learn how to handle these difficult people .so why not start now?

 Try these steps to learn how to deal with difficult people .

1  Agree to disagree 

Remember that everyone has a right to their opinion. in life you are not going to meet Only similar minded people .so you are bound to have some difference of opinions which some people. this is specifically true when you are working with difficult people but that’s okay gracefully, accept that there can be more than one point of view for any given situation. don’t demand compliance and don’t try to change or convince anyone .it usually only backfires.

2  Give up being reactive

Most fights in the world happened because people don’t listen to what is being said. do you also tend to react first before understanding it is not uncommon .however ,remember that the first reaction is ,generally , an emotional , impulsive and a logical one .it is not even, necessarily your only opinion.  so the next time your ‘nemes is ‘ voices and opinion,  really listen. don’t think of rebuttals and counter arguments simultaneously . chances are that he or she will also show you the same consideration this will help smoothen relations between you.

3  Be natural

Be yourself . don’t act like you are okay with something if you are not. it is tough to keep up pretences for long anyway. Especially if you are working with these difficult people day in and day out .One lie requires another and another to keep face so don’t put on masks and appear inconsistent. you cannot learn how to deal with difficult people if you ,yourself are not trustworthy and reliable. state your stand and be firm ,though not right.

4  Give respect to get respect

As you sow, so you reap if you expect your opinion to count, you must respect the other person’s opinion first .genuinely appreciate the merits of different perspectives and opinions. you might just be pleasantly surprised distance will teach you how to handle difficult people positive emotions like respect tend to bounce back to you in the same form, if not force.

5  Silence is really golden

You must have heard that auntie vessels make the most noise. it is true! The more close a person‘s mind is the more, open their mouth is likely to be! so ensure that you don’t subscribe to this rule . Open your mind and close your mouth . this will make you more likeable so when you share an opinion it is likely to be well received even by the difficult folk.  after all the more scarce your words the greater their value.

6 Stay in the present

Don’t hold the past as a mirror for your current or future interactions with anyone.  This is what makes dealing with difficult people at work and outside the challenge. give people the benefit of doubt people change .opinions change know it and allow it to be so one of the best ways to stay in the present is by practising meditation, it can also help you stay calm and collected when provoked.

7  Try to get along

It could be your boss, colleagues or clients at work. Or these unpleasant volunteers in your community or extended family or even coaches at your children’s hobby classes. you know they say keep your friends close and your enemies even closer! so, be friend the difficult people in your life once you’re able to see things from his or her, view you might be able to relate better it will make dealing with difficult people . at work and outside so much easier all sudden done it is not easy washing with difficult people at the same time it doesn’t have to give you ulcers! so find a working situation that suits your personality and surroundings.

Your Choice

There was a man named Thomas, every evening he would come drunk, stinking and bleeding from the wounds he got from the bouts he started,  he was unemployable, had no friends, unfortunately he had a wife Jenny (Unfortunate for her) and 4 kids, his wife would work as domestic help in the city, she would earn meagre wages that could barely feed her and her kids, she would hide the money from her husband.

Every evening her nightmare begins as Thomas walks in and started beating his kids and then his wife, he would succeed in snatching the money from his wife, he would often leave them crying and go to a wine shop and would drink till he is completely out of his senses.

One day when Thomas was lying unconscious under a tree, a sage who was passing by, saw him, the sage had supernatural powers, he placed his palm on the forehead of the man and closed his eyes, the sage could see his entire life under his closed eyelids.

The sage pressed his palm on Thomas’s forehead, but with force this time, a shock went through Thomas’s body, as if some one lifted him high in the air and then smashed him back on the ground, he was awake, probably after many years, and saw the sage standing in front of him, he got up abruptly he was shocked to see his body still lying under the tree, “Am I dead” he asked “no, but you will, very soon, let me show you what you did in your life, and where you will go from here” the sage waved his hand and Thomas saw his life started unfolding in front of him like a movie, he saw his parents, they were so happy when he was born, his first day at school, the first time he tested alcohol with his friends, how he was thrown out of his school, his father tried so hard to make him quit drinking, but he chose to run away instead, only to came back few days later, his marriage, death of his father and mother few years later, he saw his first child being born, he was so happy, that day he decided to quit drinking, but he could only control the urge for couple of days, he saw his kids crying, his wife working so hard and taking care of the house and the kids, tears started flowing from his eyes, but it was all past, and then the story came to the present time.

He saw himself getting up, he faltered his way back to his house, he saw how his family is scared to see him, his wife was in tears and begged him not to ask for money as there youngest child was not well, and has to be shown to a doctor, but he didn’t budged, he started yelling and shouting again, he pushed his wife and snatched her purse, opened it and took all the money inside it, he then left the house walking towards the wine shop, he could barely walk but he was walking anyway, as he reached the crossroad, he heard a screeching sound, he turned around and saw an uncontrolled truck rushing towards him, he was scared and heavily intoxicated, he couldn’t move an inch and the truck smashed his frail body, seconds later he was dead.

His neighbours rushed to inform her wife about the accident, instead of sorrow, he saw a sense of relief on her face, his kids were silent they were too young to react, but he could sense that they were not going to miss him either, a moment later the wife regained her composure and said “Sir my child is not well, I can’t leave him, can you please inform the municipal corporation officials to arrange for his cremation, as I don’t have money to cremate him, her neighbour knew what kind of a person her husband was, they nodded and left the family alone.

His family was relieved as there tormentor was no more, “this will be your future if you follow the current course of action, “Choice is Yours”, said the sage, Thomas was awestruck, he looked at his right, in the direction of the voice, but there was no one, the sage had disappeared.

He woke up, still intoxicated, he sat under the tree, his whole body was aching in pain, he waited for hours under the tree, he cried for hours and then mustered courage to get up on his feet and started walking towards his home, as he reached his home he knocked the doors softly, Jenny opened the door and surprised to see Thomas, as he would usually bang the doors while abusing her, she was surprised to see a calm Thomas, still stinking and dirty but calm, his eyes lowered as if burdened by guilt, after silence of a few moments, he looked at Jenny and asked “how is Samantha” there youngest daughter, Jenny couldn’t believe her eyes, for the first time in many years, Thomas as asked for his kids, Jenny started sobbing and said “she is burning in fever” I am taking her to a doctor”, she said in a very heavy voice, Thomas was controlling his tears as he know now that what he saw wasn’t a dream, “give me a moment, I am coming with you” he said and rushed to the bathroom, he cleaned himself, changed his clothes and was at the door in 10 minutes.

Jenny couldn’t believe what she was seeing, they went to a doctor and brought medicines for Samantha, to their relief she was suffering from seasonal throat infection and she will be fine in couple of days. As they came back, Jenny and kids were still in a state of awe to see Thomas’s transformation, they had a quiet dinner and all of them except Thomas slept peacefully.

Next morning, when Jenny woke up, she saw Thomas sitting besides her with a cup of coffee and cookies, she wanted to ask Thomas the reason for his transformation, but she didn’t had the courage, it was like a dream come true for her, as she sipped coffee, Thomas said “Jenny what I did to you and to our kids, is beyond repentance, I will stay at house and won’t go out for next 30 days, I think I will be able to quit drinking if I control my self for a month, and then I will work while you will stay at home and look after the kids. Jenny couldn’t believe what she was hearing, her eyes filled with tears of Joy, she nodded.

This time Thomas did what he committed Jenny, it was very painful for him especially the first 7 days, he would read Bible for hours, and after a month he was a transformed man, he knew tailoring, so he joined a tailor shop as assistant, he worked very hard and earned respect from his employer who offered him a pay raise, Jenny and the kids were never happier, in the evening Thomas would take his kids and Jenny to the park and he would cook on Sundays, few years lated Thomas bought a shop and started his own tailoring business, he also bought a bigger house for him self and his family.

One day when he was working in his shop all alone, on a new catalogue of designs, he sensed a presence, he was surprised to see the sage standing in front of him, he got up from his chair and ran towards the sage and hugged him, tears flowing from his eyes, uttering only one word “thank you” he then bend on his knees, but the sage lifted him, and looked at him smiling at him, “I still don’t understand what really happened that day, please tell what really happened” he bagged the sage “Thomas all I can tell you is that a I showed you the possible outcome of your current course of journey, it was you who opted a different course, you chose this future” said the sage smiling “always remember Thomas Choice is yours to make” the sage left.

Near death experience can alter the course of life, but is it really essential to have a near death experience to check the course of life and correct it? while all we have to do is sit back and contemplate on our life, basic things like who are we treating our family and our own body.

We have the ability to choose the correct course of action, all we have to do is to muster our inner strength and opt for it, remember “Choice is Ours to make”.

Remember always! That ‘imbalance’ Says, I’m balance!

Sometimes when things are falling apart, they may actually be falling into place” – J. Lynn

It is important to find strength in redefining moments and come out stronger than before. When your life is out of balance.

In your quest for balance in life,

Juggling between the multiple tasks

At times torn apart by strife,

The you in you is often lost.

Reflect and introspect. Take a few steady steps,

Let not the you within you, wilt or wither at any cost,

The equilibrium you strive for Can’t be achieved when you are at war, With yourself.

Choose your battles, wisely, Let the you in you win calmly.

The pursuit for balance is perpetual,

Let the ‘you within you’ become a ritual.

Remember always! That ‘imbalance’ Says, I’m balance!

Forgive Your Self

Are you finding it hard to forgive yourself ? Remember if you ever knew how things will unfold, you might not have made that move.

If you are in that phase where you are looking for reasons to forgive yourself, probably you have realised that you were wrong and the first step for self forgiveness begins with realisation and acceptance of one’s mistake. Mistakes can happen from anyone but some mistake can change our lives. Some mistakes are so big that the loss is not repairable. These are the times when we find it the hardest to forgive ourselves.

Whether it is a loss of a relationship or a person, some of our mistakes sit deep in our heart. We blame ourselves for that mistake and every time we feel the emptiness, we get reminded of our mistakes. So the self blame never stops and this cycle goes on causing huge loss of self esteem and self confidence.

To overcome this self blame, one must remember that as humans, even with the greatest caution, at times things do go wrong. At times, even with the best intention, things might go against our wishes. This is no one’s fault.

Try to leave things at the hands of your life because no matter how much you control, not always things happen the way you want. Accept, learn, forgive and focus your mind on the life ahead. Don’t give up your life to regrets, life has to go on.