5 Right Nutrition Tips to #ENSUREImmunity

In current times with infections in the air, it is vital to keep our immune function strong while we are at home. For this, the first and the foremost thing we should do is to take care of our nutrition because our immunity has a strong bi-directional relationship with our nutrition. I am sure you will like to know, how is nutrition connected to immunity in India.

If we consume the right nutrients our immune system is empowered to resist and fight various diseases and infections.

Thus it is vital to watch out for what you are eating. It really helps. It has helped me heal from a decade long chronic illness to a fair extent. As we age, this becomes all the more significant. Sharing with you today, 5 right nutrition tips that help me #EnsureImmunity.

1. Begin your day with a handful of Nuts: Nuts are a rich source of good fats, proteins and fibre. They also possess many essential vitamins and minerals including magnesium and vitamin E. In my opinion, they are one of the best ways to begin your day, just grab a handful of almonds, pistachios, walnuts, cashews with some dates and raisins and you have done the trick right.

2. Include Fruit based shakes and smoothies in your breakfast: Make your breakfast interesting by including fruits and some rich vegetables and oats smoothies and shakes like I love a papaya coconut water smoothie with oats and cinnamon powder in it or a banana milk shake with chia seeds. The idea is to always remember that fruits and vegetables are power houses of vitamins and minerals like folate, vitamin C and potassium and also fibre which ensures our good gut health.

3. Eat home-cooked balanced diet: Eating home-cooked food will make you strong. Do ensure it has proteins, carbs, fibre, vitamins and minerals in appropriate quantities. Indian food which comprises of lentils, chapatis, cooked vegetables, curd and salad is an ideal combination for a perfectly balanced diet. Don’t forget to top it with a tea spoon of pure ghee as it is really good for health.

4. Consume lots of salads and hydrate with infused water: Cucumber lemon infused water, or carom seeds infused water or water infused with a bulb of raw turmeric and many others can work wonders to detoxify your body and regulate good health. Similarly, a plate of colourful salad made interesting with whole grains like quinoa and lemon juice can be super satiating as well as gives your body loads of good nutrients.

5.Take health supplement drinks like ENSURE:Despite an earnest attempt, there is a possibility that we miss some critical immunity boosting micro-nutrients from our diet. Thus I recommend, a really worthy health supplement drink for adults like ENSURE which has complete balanced nutrition and 11 immunity supporting nutrients.It helps secure our strong immunity in three ways.

~ It has nutrients that help aid our body form a strong barrier against the entry of foreign microbes by strengthening our immune system.

~ Our body may require new immune cells and it has nutrients that are known to help synthesis of these immune cells and also to regulate their function through the micronutrients it possesses like Zinc.

~It also contains nutrients that are known to help protect our body cells from damage. 

I have been taking it for 9 months now and I find it really worthy. 

These are some personal mantras of mine when it comes to taking care of my health. I trust you found this post useful and will be able to build in these ideas in your everyday diet to boost your immunity. 

If you like what I write, you can grab the copies of my four published ebooks here: The Fragrance of True Love, Destiny's Favorite Child, Dare to Defy The Destiny and Empowered Women Empower Women

Healthy Eating with Tupperware: Event Coverage

Earnestly, I feel moms of this generation have the toughest jobs at hand. While on one hand they are spoilt for choices with so many mind boggling options decking up the fancy shelves, on the other they have a humongous task of filtering what goes in their kids tummy. On a lighter note, don’t you think our moms’ jobs were easier with lesser options and pure and unadulterated food? Phew!

Anyways for us, the mommas of today, awareness is the key. Thus I skip no chance to stay upbeat in upgrading my knowledge on this topic and so I attended a wonderful meet-up on healthy eating by Tupperware in association with Slurrpfarm and Maxhealthcare last week in Gurgaon. It was undoubtedly a very enriching afternoon and I am so glad I made to it against all odds. 

The reason perhaps was my love for this brand, Tupperware which has been a family member for us for over two decades. They talked of food grade plastics eons before people really started digging into the facts. I have always felt so reassured using their products for my little boy, my husband and myself as well as all my storage needs. Initially I bought it from their selling agents and then online but now I am glad to know they have opened 50 retail outlets across the country. 

In this event, I also came to know about their new Black Nonstick Cookware Series that comes with the Eterna nonstick coating, which is the longest-lasting non-stick coating in the market and offers superior non-stick surface for easy cooking and cleaning. The hard-anodized aluminum in the Black Series enables superior heat distribution and ensures even and fast cooking. What else can one ask for.

It was a pleasure witnessing Chef Ayesha Nalla Seth roll out a gorgeous banana oat millet crepe for us on it without a drop of oil ghee or butter. Her tips to cook for our little ones came straight from the heart. The ingredients used were from Slurrpfarm, a venture of two moms, to ensure our kids get nothing short of the best. Slurrp Farm has revived the ancient ‘Supergrains’- ragi, jowar, foxtail millets, and have mastered this art, I have been using them for quite some time and their nut powder and jaggery are my all time favorite to appease my picky eater. The thing I love the most about Slurrp Farm is that they have come out with so many quality and healthy snacking products available for us, to battle the issues caused by junk-eating. 

Another high for me in the event was the insights from dietician Ritika Samaddar of MaxHealthCare. Her talk on the the fundamentals of eating right and staying healthy and fit was truly worth emulating. Though I always checked the labels of the products we consumed, I can now refine my checking with thumb rules like we must not only consume products which are high in protein and fibre but also it must have sugar content less than 5%. I so am glad she broke the myth around bananas for I love eating it in the morn for that energy punch before hitting the gym.

All fun broke out when we were divided into groups to exhibit our culinary skills and make our masterpiece. Joining in my blogger buddies, Jhilmil, Noor and Preetjyot for making a cheesy Spinach dosa on the Tupperware Black Series Nonstick using Slurrpfarm ingredients was truly a super rocking experience post which we headed for the Tupperware Outlet Visit and oh my how gorgeous it looked in its myriad vibrant colours and options. We ended the event here with some candid discussions about the lovely variety available there.

Earnestly the mum in me was super satiated by the experience, I was super stoked to see how our most favorite brands are coming together to innovate and improve to perfection to ensure we eat healthy and make our motherhood a pleasurable experience. The smiles below speak it all 💚. 

Why Microgreens are the nutrient powerhouses? Benefits and How to Grow?

I recently shared about microgreens (the power house of nutrients as they are best known as in recent times) on my Instagram handle and the number of queries I got about them has made me put together this post for all of you, which has all that you wish to know about them. Many of you know last year has been critical to me in terms of health, fitness and nutrition and though I have always been an fitness enthusiast and healthy food advocate, post my endometriosis surgery last July(a condition which has no permanent cure and its medication leads to terrible weight gain), I have been more watchful towards ensuring that only the best healthy nutritious food comes on my plate and that nothing disturbs my morning walks, yoga and meditation regimes. In my search for the best, I came across the microgreens last year on the recommendation of Luke Coutinho and since then sprinkling them on our food is a norm in my family.

What are microgreens?

In simple terms you can understand micro-greens as juvenile-age plants and herbs of unlimited variety that are typically between 2-4 weeks old (vegetable greens, harvested after the Cotyledon leaves have developed). In terms of age, microgreens are older than sprouts but younger than shoots. These plants had developed its first pair of leaves when they are harvested.

You can’t miss them for their nutritional benefits, freshness and aroma and they are undoubtedly a chef’s delight.

I love them as they can be grown by us at our home in our balcony or a window sill in a tray or a small container. The joy of growing them with your little one, caring for them and then reaping the benefits as you pluck a few each day and garnish your food cannot be described in words. 

Microgreens in my eyes are the most versatile health-full ingredient that you can use to garnish your normal food, in soups, sandwiches, salads, smoothies, and more directly without cooking or heating.

Benefits of microgreens

Microgreens are also incredibly nutritious and healthy, especially from a nutrient density perspective.

Researchers with the University of Maryland College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the United States Department have established that microgreens contain four to 40 times more nutrients than their mature counterparts which is unbelievably impressive.

While their nutrient contents vary slightly, most varieties tend to be rich in potassium, iron, zinc, magnesium and copper.They are a great source of beneficial plant compounds like antioxidants too.Not only that, they are an excellent solution to battle hidden hungers, adding them to your diet is a great power-up, not to mention the precious green it adds to the ambience. They may be micro but their impact certainly is micro. 

In our metro life, at least there is something which is unadulterated and pure grown by us at home.

How to use microgreens?

When you wish to use the live microgreens from the trays it is recommended to use a pair of sharp scissors to cut the plant at the base, just above the roots, while holding a small bunch with your fingertips. To make sure you get the most flavor and the best texture, use the microgreens immediately after cutting.

Which are the best microgreens ?

Without a doubt, it is Broccoli which is a favourite of microgreen growers. It contains 550 per cent of the daily cumulative nutrients of Vitamin A, B, C and K as well as iron, magnesium and phosphorus. 

Only second is Basil, another good example of microgreens that are anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory in nature. 

Kale, radish, sunflower shoots, pea shoots and wheatgrass are also worth growing microgreens.

Also, salad greens, leafy vegetables, herbs and even edible flowers can be grown as microgreens, though some varieties are better suited than others. Beginners may start by growing one type of seed, such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, mustard, chia, sunflower or buckwheat and then gradually add variety to their kitty.

How to grow microgreens at home?

1. Find a window sill or a location in your house where you get plenty of sunlight.
2. Thoroughly scan the seed packet(bought from a trustable organic source) to see if there are any special instructions.
3. Pick a shallow tray or container and line it with about an inch of organic soil mix, smooth it out.
4. Scatter seeds evenly on top of the soil and press gently into the soil.
5. Next, cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil and spray the surface with filtered water.
6. Place in sunlight and spray water a couple of times a day to keep the soil moist. 
7. In 2-4 weeks, you will witness one of thethe cutest marvels of nature,the tiny microgreens, smiling innocently to you.
8. Consume them refresh within 3-4 days and discard the waste in any plant of your garden, in some kinds of plants they even regrow.

 It is important to note that microgreens need about four hours daily of direct sunlight. In winter months, some may need even more. Leggy, pale greens are a sign of not enough sunlight. Light needs may also be satisfied with a grow light.

What to remember while growing microgreens?

Microgreens are generally considered safe to eat. When growing them at home, pay special attention to the quality of the seeds and growing mediums used which should be free from any contamination of harmful bacteria.

I researched a lot to ascertain that microgreens are not fads and when I was convinced they are worthy of being consumed seven days a week, I have adapted them as a must food habit. Hopefully, this article would have apprised you of all you wished to know about microgreens.

In Delhi, I also like the microgreens supplied by Gingko Greens if you will like to try them first before trying your hands at growing them :)

If you like what I write, you can grab the copies of my four published books here: The Fragrance of True Love, Destiny's Favorite Child, Dare to Defy The Destiny and Empowered Women Empower Women