The Holiday Spice That Is Food for Your Bones

 

As Christmas is around the corner, those celebrating this season have already started or may be even finished making the delicacies that go with the season, bringing with it spicy food as well.

The main spice that makes an appearance in Christmas Cookies, and Cakes is a powerful anti-inflammatory one and it is certainly not cinnamon.

Yes, it is none other than Ginger, the Root with a Punch. Ginger is used to make the traditional ginger bread cookies, gingerbread man and gingerbread house. Ginger has many  medicinal properties and is used to curb nausea, diarrhea and many more diseases. It is also an effective treatment for ulcers. However, when it comes to taking care of your bones, it is ginger’s anti-inflammatory properties that makes it such a powerful ally in promoting bone density. In other words ginger assists in stopping the body processes that lead to inflammation and this is vital to bone health. Chronic Inflammation is bad for your bones. Inflammation can be divided into 2 segments; acute and chronic. While acute inflammation plays a role in bone healing, chronic inflammation is not so. It has been seen in studies to reduce the density of the bone, resulting in the development of osteoporosis.

So this Christmas give your bones a gift. So let us adorn our Christmas tables with ginger based products, as a gift not only for you, but your family and friends.

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Health Remedies from Your Own Spice Rack – Part 1

When we sit back and wonder how our ancestors curbed diseases and illnesses, when modern medicine was not heard of, automatically our thoughts reach out the herbal remedies which they practiced. Today, if your kid sneezes three times in a row, you rush him to the nearest medical centre and he is prescribed a series of medicinal drugs and a volley of tests to be done.  But do you know that for the mildest of illnesses such as indigestion, cough and cold, your own spice rack in your kitchen give you healthy remedies?

We bring you today, the fist in its series of Health Remedies from Your Own Spice Rack, which we no doubt think would help you immensely.

 

1. Fennel Seeds

Nothing can be as embarrassing as bad breath. Supermarket racks are full of expensive mouth washes, that clear your breath, but at a price. Look no further than your spice and herb rack in your very own kitchen and you will find your answer there in the form of Fennel Seeds. All you got to do is much on about 7 fennel seeds and swallow them.  You will find your breathe clearing due to fennel seeds helping in digestion and deodorizing of the digestive track.

 

2. Garlic Powder

A busy housewife does get herself injured with scrapes. In an instance like this, dissolve a teaspoon of garlic powder in water to form a paste and apply on the affected area.

 

3. Cough and Sore Throat

A “Pepper Tea Recipe”. Have you heard of it? Well if you haven’t, the next time you start coughing and your throat feels sore, add a teaspoon of black pepper in a teacup of hot water, cover for 10 minutes, add 1 tablespoon of honey and drink it. Pepper and honey acting as a decongestant and antibiotic respectively, brings relief to the throat.

 

4. Cinnamon

Cinnamon powder mixed with almond or coconut milk and simmered on a low flame, helps combat indigestion, diarrhea and flatulence. It also helps in reducing bad cholesterol when taken mixed with bee’s honey.

GARLIC, GINGER AND TURMERIC THE SUPER TRIO IN THE UNIVERSE OF SPICES THAT HELPS END CERTAIN ILLNESSES

People are today inundated with various types of illnesses, some of which we have never heard before. If we sit back and think of the era of our great-grandparents and grandparents or of even anyone else we have known to have lived a good 95 years, you will see that these people died of old-age and not of any incurable disease. However, visit the hospitals today and you will find young and middle-aged people with incurable diseases, just waiting for their time of call.

The simple answer to this is that our ancestors took great care in what they ate and how they grew produce for consumption. There were no insecticides or pesticides used. They consumed fresh vegetables and fruits, getting a lot of exercise working on the home garden plots. This is the actual secret of their longevity. It is as simple as that.

Articles may be published and advice given on how to stay healthy, but it is up to the individual concerned to make an effort to adhere to the advice given in articles on how to stay healthy.

Garlic and Ginger are considered the medicines for good health. Turmeric joins them as an addition and that is to stay healthy and look young and pretty. These three commodities we use daily, but if you look at the plates of the younger generation, you will see rows of sliced cooked garlic and ginger arranged prettily on the rims of their plates. This is alarming if not sad, as these youngsters do not know the actual value of these spices.

How many of us are aware that these spices can cure cancer, lower cholesterol, regularize high blood pressure, make the heart healthier and eliminate many other diseases?

Dr. Erik Block, PhD a Professor of the State University New York at Alabany says, “According to the National Cancer Institute garlic lies among the top of the list of foods ingested as a potential weapon against many types of cancer. Whether you eat it raw or cooked, garlic is an important cancer fighter.”

Garlic –The list of what garlic can do is endless, but the most important are given below:-

• Garlic has antibiotic properties
• Reduces Cholesterol
• An anti-cancer agent
• Regulates blood pressure
• Thins the blood
• Promotes heart health
• Increases bile production

                                                                                                                                             Ginger – It is said that the Ginger Plant originated in the Garden of Eden. Ginger like garlic, helps cure a large number of diseases. Ginger is highly effective in preventing and curing heart disease, cancer, arthritis and several other diseases. It boosts appetite. Ginger helps in curbing morning sickness. However on this aspect it is best that you consult a doctor.

The other benefits of ginger are:-

• It reduces menstrual pain
• Cures nausea and vommitting
• Helps reduce flatulence
• Relieves headaches
• Relieves pain caused by Arthritis.

Turmeric – Turmeric contains bio-active compounds with powerful medicinal properties. It is known that turmeric is used in many forms of beauty therapy and in creams etc. However, the most important of use of turmeric is in treating illnesses.

The other benefits of turmeric are:-

• It leads to various improvements that could lower the risk of heart disease.
• It can help prevent (and perhaps treat) cancer
• It has incredible benefits against depression
• It may help delaying aging and fight age-related chronic diseases.
• Lowers the risk of brain diseases.
• A teaspoon of turmeric in a warm glass of milk helps prevent colds and flu.

Hence, look to the super Trio cure to fight illnesses.

The Rush for Ethnic Foods and Ingredients on a Background of Curtailment or Complete Eradication of Cancer

Americans have come to want more ethnic food and ingredients in their diet. It may not have been so some years ago. It may be due to the medicinal values that ethnic ingredients contain. As it is widely known, lots of spices have valuable medicinal qualities that play an important role in curing or at least bringing relief to some major illnesses.

Although ethnic food offers flavours that are powerful and distinct, their indulgence subtly brings in an amazing amount of nutritional and health benefits.

Studies have revealed that spices have a range of health benefits. Although all countries and races bear the burden of cancer and there is not one country in the world that is not affect, studies have revealed that the highest incidence of cancer are in western countries. It might be interesting to note that the cancer rate in India is considerably lower than those in more developed countries, such as the United States. However, some say that India has a high cancer rate. Although this has been said, it is interesting to note that India does not occupy a slot in the Global Statistic Rates of Cancer in the ten worst countries, which are predominantly western countries.

It is the writer’s opinion that the reason for the low rate of cancer in India is the consumption of spices that has led to the curtailment of the disease. It is really the western lifestyle that is to be blamed for the high percentage of cancer in these countries.

Cancer fighting spices are Garlic, Turmeric and Rosemary. If one sits back and ponders, none of these spices are used in abundance in western countries. For example, Garlic has immune enhancing alluim compounds that appear to increase the activity of immune cells that fight cancer and indirectly help break down cancer causing substances. These substances also help block carcinogens from entering cells and slow tumor development. According to Dr. Lenore Arab, Professor of Epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who compiled a report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Issue 2000, people who consume raw or cooked garlic regularly, face about half the risk of stomach cancer and two thirds of the risk of colorectal cancer, as people who eat little or none. It is believed that garlic may help prevent stomach cancer because it has anti-bacterial effects against a bacterium, Helicobacter Pylori, found in the stomach and known to promote cancer there.

In the Michigan Daily, it was reported that Turmeric may help fight cancer. Preliminary evidence suggests that turmeric can enhance the cancer fighting power of treatment with Tumor Necrosis Factory-Related Apoptosis Inducing Ligand (TRAIL), a naturally occurring molecule used to kill cancer cells. According to a study, author Subhash Gautam, a Researcher at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, he says, “Using these two agents – Turmeric and TRAIL, we killed up to 80% of cells in culture, which is remarkable.”

The sulfur-containing compounds that give garlic its pungent odor are also responsible for its role as a cancer-fighting food. The National Cancer Institute “recognizes garlic as one of several vegetables with potential anticancer properties,” noting that garlic may help support good health by:

• Blocking the formation of cancer-causing substances
• Halting the activation of cancer-causing substances
• Enhancing DNA repair
• Reducing cell proliferation
• Inducing cell death
• Providing antibacterial properties

Population studies have shown that increased intake of garlic may help reduce the risk of several types of cancer, including stomach, colon, esophagus, pancreas, and breast.

To get the most benefits, garlic should be eaten in fresh form and chopped or crushed first (this converts the beneficial phytonutrient alliin into allicin, its active form). For general health, the World Health Organization (WHO) also recommends adults get “a daily dose of 2 to 5 g of fresh garlic (approximately one clove), 0.4 to 1.2 g of dried garlic powder, 2 to 5 mg of garlic oil, 300 to 1,000 mg of garlic extract, or other formulations that are equal to 2 to 5 mg of allicin.”

Remember that for the best cancer-preventive benefits, your diet should include a wide range of fruits and veggies — from oranges and apples to artichokes and pea pods. The more natural variety your meals offer, the more nutrients — and the greater cancer protection — you and your family will receive.

FISH TAWA MASALA

Ingredients

1 kg Thalapath Fish, 2 tsp Mc Currie Unroasted chillie powder, ½ tsp Mc Currie garam masala, ½ tsp Mc Currie turmeric powder, ¼ tsp Mc Currie cumin seeds, 5 red onions (sliced), 2 cloves garlic (ground), ½ cup chopped tomatoes, 1 tbsp Mc Currie amberalla chutney, 2 green chillies (sliced length-wise), 1 tbsp Mc Currie curry leaves, 2 tbsp thick coconut milk, 3 tbsp oil, ½ tsp lime juice, 1 cup water, salt to taste.

 

 

Method

Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the cumin seeds. Add the chopped onions, green chillies, garlic and curry leaves and fry until golden brown. Thereafter, add the chilli powder, garam masala, turmeric powder and chutney and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the chopped tomatoes. Add the pieces of fish, water and salt and simmer on a low flame for 15 minutes. When the water has been absorbed, add the coconut milk and once again simmer for 3 minutes. Add lime and take off the fire.

Prawn Buriyani

 

Ingredients

500 g prawns (shelled and cut up),
250 g butter or margarine,
¼ tsp Mc Currie turmeric powder,
½ tsp Mc Currie roasted curry powder,
2” piece Mc currie cinnamon quills,
3 hard boiled eggs quartered (for garnishing),
1 kg samba rice,
salt to taste,
1 tsp Mc Currie unroasted chilli powder,
500 large onions,
2 tbsp Mc Currie curry leaves,
1 piece Mc Currie rampe,
ripe green chillies and ½ lb potato chips for garnishing
Water for boiling.
The Following ingredients should be placed in a tied bag
3 tbsp Mc Currie coriander seeds,
10 Mc Currie peppercorns,
9 Mc Currie cloves,
8 Mc Currie cardamoms

Method

Clean and wash the prawns. Season with salt, turmeric, chilli and curry powder for half an hour. Heat pan and add the fat. When the fat is hot add the rampe, curry leaves, garlic, ginger, rice and large onions (sliced) along with the prawns. Let this fry for a few seconds and add the water. When nearly cooked lower the heat. Serve on to a rice dish and garnish with eggs, potato chips and sliced chillies.

Devilled Mushrooms

Ingredients

1 Pkt Mushrooms (torn into strips), 2 large onions (cut into circles), 4 green chillies (cut length-wise), 1 tsp ginger (cut finely), ½ tsp Mc Currie garlic paste, 2 tsp Mc Currie chillie paste, 1 tsp tomato sauce, Salt to taste, ½ tsp Mc Currie mustard seeds, ½ tsp sugar, 1 tsp Mc Currie curry leaves, 1 strip Mc Currie rampe, 1 tbsp Mc Currie maldive chips oil for frying.

Method

In a pan heat the oil and fry the ginger, garlic, curry leaves and rampe. Thereafter add the mushrooms onions, green chillies , Maldive fish chips and mustard seeds and mix well. When the mushroom mixture is well fried, add salt, sauce, chillie paste and sugar. Mix well and take off the fire. This dish could be consumed with rotti and bread for dinner.