Health
Jackfruit : Jack of all fruits #AtoZ fruits
In my childhood home in Kolkata, we have a small backyard. In an unpaved corner, my grandfather had planted a Jackfruit tree.I grew up eating fruit from our own tree, even in an urban setup.That was the beginning of my love for plants and trees.The shade of this tree made our home cool, even in the scorching summers.
In Bengali, the young tender jackfruit is called echor and the ripe variety ,kathal.The fruit is great cooked raw as a savoury dish, or eaten as a ripe fruit.Either way, it’s delicious if had at the right time.It has a tough slightly spiky outer skin and a very sticky inner gum ,which needs to be removed before the fruit can be enjoyed.
The seed of the fruit when dried and fried and gives a wonderful nutty flavour in dishes.The seeds can be boiled, fried or baked.Echor as the raw variety can be made into mouth-watering spicy dishes.It is often cooked just like mutton , with all spices possible.It makes a delicious nonvegetarian variation called echor chingri with prawns!
Jackfruit benefits
It’s a rich source of Vitamin B6 or Pyridoxine and is a rare fruit which has significant amounts of B complex vitamins.It also has some amount of Vitamin C, E .The fresh fruit is also a good source of potassium, magnesium, manganese, and iron.
Cool fact to improve GK & brain power
Jackfruit is the national fruit of Bangladesh.It is the largest of all fruits, weighing between 4.5 to 30 kg Jackfruit is a multiple aggregate fruit It is actually an inflorescence where each floret turns into a fruit
Jackfruit trees have up to 150 jackfruits during two yearly harvests.They grow in very hot climates and the tough skin of the fruits is a natural deterrent to pests.Jackfruit is grown across several countries of south and south-east Asia ,providing for some of the planet’s poorest and most populous countries.
India is the largest producer of Jackfruits an economically important tree.It is also an ornamental tree, popular for bringing good luck to the household.
Have you tasted Jackfruit?Comment below to let me know.
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Write to me at dramrita@healthwealthbridge.com and tell me the answer to this question
Which fruit prevents Urinary tract infection?
You can find the answer if you read my A to G fruit posts.(Top clue: check out C !)
Sharing is good Karma!
Protected: Indian Gooseberry : Cancer protective Wonderberry
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Creative Play with children #MondayMommyMoments
I love playing with my daughter.
Holidays are game marathons .But for a five year old ,everyday’s a new day ,full of new ideas for having fun.Together with her ,I relive all the fun memories of childhood.
Doodling is a favourite.
She draws or I draw .Then we colour together ,spending hours over getting the pictures right.Then she tells me a story ,looking at the picture and I tell her a story.Definitely a fun hour or two .
Playing with the blackboard decal and whiteboard are favourites too.
(Disclaimer :There are affiliatelinks in the followingpart of the post.That means I make a small commission if you click on the link and buy something. This is no way affects the price of ghe product but helps me maintain the website .Thanks fo all your support)
We play teacher-teacher .Where she is the teacher and me or my hubby or sometimes both have to be students .Best way to make learning fun .
Crafting
Making hair clips ,headbands and necklaces using DIY kits ,is a recent favourite.
I have bought the kit online and supplemented it from my craft kit .Result is a totally productive and fun time spent, where mommy forgets to sneak off to write.
We paint our plant pots and decorate them together.
My balcony garden is a witness to our fun painting pot sessions.
We bake together .
My daughter will tell you the exact steps to bake a mouth-watering delicious chocolate cake.
Nail painting
We paint each others toe nails rainbow colours. It’s precision work at best and funny nail art at worst .
Play dress up and karaoke
We dress up and makeup funny songs to sing in popular tunes .
Playing with children is a wonderful stress buster and the best way to encourage lateral thinking, association ,imagination in children.It’s also a wonderful way to nurture the right brain of your child.
Writing this for #MondayMommyMoments
Sharing is good Karma!
Fruits and vegetables..nature’s multivitamins
Fruits and veggies are nature’s multivitamins
Nature’s bounty of fruits and vegetables are an easy way to add the much-needed multivitamins to our diet.Vitamin supplements never look half as good and no comparison is possible regarding taste.
Many of the vitamins have their source in fruits and vegetables. Some, however, may have animal products as their best sources.
An easy way to remember:
Water soluble vitamins like B complex and C: Main source fruits and veggies
Fat soluble vitamins: Vitamin A, D, E, K
Source:Animal products,eggs,meat,beef,poultry.
Our busy schedule and lack of motivation often derail all our good resolutions.While on a self-improvement trip, I was able to increase the daily dose of this goodness, hence this post! Hope it helps, to get you motivated and add more nature’s goodness to your diet.
Top 5 Reasons to make fruits and veggies our best friends
Vitamin A: Keeps our eyes healthy
Richest source is orange and yellow fruits and veggies. Carrots are a very good source.
As Retinol:Liver,fatty fish,eggs
As Beta-carotene: Red and yellow coloured veggies.Carrots, tomatoes, green leafy vegetables, sweet potatoes
Vitamin B: Important for best energy production and repair of muscle tissues.Helps to keep our digestive system healthy.
Vitamin B: Richest source germinating sprouts and most fruits and veggies
Sources of B-Complex vitamins:
Thiamine: Yeast, pulses, wheat, rice (paroled and milled), bread
Riboflavin: Milk and milk products, eggs, papaya, dried apricots, leafy veggies
Niacin:Liver,kidney,peanuts,beef,mutton,pork,wholemeal cereals,pulses
VitaminB6:Avocado,banana,legumes (dried beans),meat,nuts,poultry,whole grains.
Folate:Liver,peanuts,green leafy veggies ,avocado ,pulses.
Vitamin B12: Milk and milk products, meat
Vitamin C, E: Both these are antioxidants.They help prevent cellular damage hence has anti-aging property, helps prevent cancer.
Vitamin C sources: All sour fruits.Amla,oranges, lemon,guava,mango,papaya,pineapple, green leafy veggies,tomato,lettuce,radish
Vitamin E: Fish oils, nuts, wheat germ, beef and organ meat, sunflowers seeds, eggs, green leafy veggies.
Vitamin D, K: Keeps our skin, hair, bones healthy, role in proper blood clotting and overall neuromuscular health.
Vitamin D Source: fish oil(cod liver oil), liver, egg yolk.
Vitamin K Source: Green leafy vegetables, dried herbs, dried prune green tea, also produced by probiotic organisms in the intestine.
How to change ..slow and steady….the rule of 5
5 Servings per day
2 servings of fruit,3 or more of veggies, would be best, but it’s better to be slow, steady and consistent. Gradually increasing number of fruits and vegetable in every meal helps to increase the total daily intake.
5 Trick to do this
Breakfast
- Bananas , apples , grapes, berries,various nuts, fig raisins with oats or corn flakes
- Fruit smoothie
- Spanish omelette with sprouts, carrots, French beans.onions, tomatoes, peas and any other veggies you want.
Lunch: Indians love their sabzi as a side dish, so this is generally not a problem
- Sauté seasonal veggies in olive oil, add salt pepper, nuts, raisins and a portion of brown rice.garnish with lemon wedges.
- Salad of cucumber, apples, pears, shredded carrots, oranges and pineapples any others.
- Raita/ yoghurt with diced veggies, fruits of your choices.
Dinner
- Grilled chicken with grilled veggies like carrots, beans tomatoes, peas.
- Salad of cucumber, onions Tomatoes.
Snack
- Diced carrots, tomatoes, onions with boiled chickpeas/ roasted peanuts/muri (puffed rice)/sprouts with a dash of salt, lemon, black pepper.
Dessert
- Sweet fruits like mangoes, apples watermelon, ripe papaya, grapes, sweet berries, custard apple, by themselves are deserts but if you crave chocolate something, dip fruit of your choice in molten dark chocolate.
How to start and stick with the plan
- Slow and steady definitely wins the race in this case.Whatever be the number of fruits and veggie servings you have nowadays, try to increase at least by one serve per week. A gradual lifestyle transition causes less havoc than a drastic change.
- Enjoy fruits as a family together, we started having fruits in front of our toddler which made her have them enthusiastically without much trouble.
Have them as salads, chats, snacks, side dish, main dish, dessert, drink any way you want.
Buy fresh, eat whole or cut, with or without seasoning just have them.Not only do they provide us with essential micronutrients, their fibre and water content and minimal calorie count make them ideal for losing weight and keeping it off the healthy way, so keep on munching!
One small step in the right direction is a leap towards a healthier and happier life.Stay healthy, stay happy and remember Health is Wealth!
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