What is a universal passion that our country shares? First there’s Cricket & then maybe Bollywood. Add to it a dash of suspense and page turning mystery and you have a story that hooks you in from the start. That’s what I felt about this tale spun by the author Madhav Nayak. ‘A Murder is Fixed’ succeeds in conjuring up an evocative narrative that has the edge of seat excitement of a cricket match, the hair raising mystery of a criminal story and the ease of a comforting bunch of characters that soften the riddle of a whodunnit! I enjoyed Nayak’s debut novel and here is my review of it.
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Probiotics, prebiotics seem to be all the rage these days. From food (obviously) to moisturizers, you seem them everywhere. But, I am not here to talk about face cream today. Probiotics as a vital source of nutrition is top of my mind today. For a long time I believed that we were missing out on valuable “friendly bacteria” that came from dairy sources of probiotics. However when I read more, talked to people I realized that probiotics were all around me and some already a part of our diet in the form of fermented foods.
Fermented foods have been a staple in diets across cultures for centuries, prized for their ability to enhance flavor, preserve nutrients, and promote gut health. With the rise in awareness of food intolerances, veganism, and the desire for diverse dietary options, fermented dairy-free foods have gained significant popularity. This blog post will explore the definitions of probiotics and prebiotics, list common fermented foods from around the world, and share a simple recipe for kid-friendly snacks that include fermented foods, with a special nod to Indian cuisine.
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We all get nostalgic about the food our mother and grandmothers cooked for us. Don’t we? It takes us back to simple, innocent & carefree days of our childhood. The simple dal-chawal (rice & dal) we ate on sick days, the tasty school lunch or a special recipe made on our birthday or festive occasions. Mom’s cooking was indeed the best. Never did I imagine that I, with average cooking skills at best, especially when it came to Indian cuisine, could some day qualify for another tiny’s ‘favourite cook’ title. And that too win the title of world’s best egg curry.
I came to the realization that all moms have magic in their hands when my son proclaimed his love for the egg curry I make. He began requesting for the Egg Curry. He even proclaimed that if he ever went to MasterChef (Australia version, of course) he would cook up my egg curry . Complete with a back story on his childhood when I cooked it for him. That’s also when I began reminiscing and truly thinking if it was something special that was added to my mom’s recipes or just the fact that she hand made them. The magic ingredient being love!
So today’s post is dedicated to the ‘world’s best egg curry’
Continue readingHair fall is a widespread problem these days. It affects all people – irrespective of gender or age. It seems to have become an indicator of our stressful, hustle culture lives. Some even say it is something they have seen a spike in after the covid pandemic. Witnessing hair loss every time you brush or wash your hair can be quite alarming. But is there an antidote for this issue and can it come from natural resources? Well, I chanced upon Little Extra Reactivate Hair Growth Serum and here is what I felt about this product.
After my last experience with Little Extra products (you can read the review of the oil & shampoo I have been using here) I did not think twice before looking at their other hair care range. Hair fall has become a nasty problem for me. So much so that I have lost tons of hair volume, and my curly hair game has gone weak. That is when I came to the realization that this is not just the usual hair loss which happens during hair brushing but a call for attention.
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Miss Malini is certainly a name you have heard of before. But I felt even more connected to this lovely lady, as she took me, the reader down memory lane – back to the good old days of ICQ and when asking someone “ASL?” was the norm. This was long before we became Insta-influencers and thought it perfectly sane to share advice about the various shades of baby poop and how to wash diapers. How far have we walked down the digital revolution lane! In her latest book ‘Under the Influence’ Miss Malini talks of the perils we all face when we choose to live digital lives and are faced with our dreaded TROLLS. Not a stranger to this phenomenon, Miss Malini offers practical solutions on ‘How to Survive and Thrive Online.’
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A steaming hot cup of tea flavoured with ginger on a cool monsoon evening, with pakodas too. A cup of frothy beaten coffee on a winter’s morning as you get ready for work or school. A wad of melting butter on a hot sizzling paratha that’s just got off the tava. Mango milkshake in the summer! Sheer Kurma in the midst of a family revelry at Eid. Now imagine having to give all this up! I can already see that frown on your face. Yes giving up dairy is hard. And even more so, giving up dairy in our daily lives and in our favourite eats. But with a little planning and patience, transforming your daily eats into dairy free delights is not that hard. can be quite satisfying. And super healthy too! The only major con is that it would taste different to what you have been used to all along – but its a matter of perspective. It can be a great new flavour that you grow to love. Let’s look at some common dairy replacements in our daily recipes.
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A major dilemma and source of stress when we want to eat out is ensuring safety of our son. Eating out can be a great source of experiencing new cultures, cuisines, meeting friends and bonding with family. Not to mention the celebrations and new experiences you get to enjoy. While we have had multiple experiences where things have gone wrong and we have had to administer medicines to our son after accidental ingestion of dairy products, we have not banned eating out. We have only learnt from it and today I would like to share some tips with you. These could help you not just if you are dairy free like us but also if you have other dietary restrictions or preferences.
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If you’ve been keeping up with the previous blog posts on this topic of Dairy Free living, then you will know that giving up dairy can be quite a challenging prospect. This is because a lot of dairy products are used as cooking essentials. Think butter for frying, yoghurt for marinating, cheese in sauces. A dairy free world then seems unimaginable. But for many this is not a choice, its a necessity. Hence finding dairy free cooking alternatives is the first step to adopting a dairy free lifestyle.
Milk, butter, cheese, yoghurt, cream are present in almost every cuisine and in all types of recipes – be it cakes & baking or in main courses, with meats, carbs or even in drinks such as milkshakes or the summer favourite spiced buttermilk. It is very easy to find substitutes for all of these and to suit the ingredients that the recipes call for. It may take a while for you to adapt to the slight change in flavour that comes with a dairy free diet. In the case of our son who has never been able to taste milk based products, due to his milk protein allergy, the adoption has been seamless.
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Back to Basics: Benefits of Going Dairy-free
It is estimated that around 2 to 3% of the population have a dairy allergy. 50% of children with cow’s milk allergies were also allergic to other foods. Additionally, a recent study by Hindustan Times highlighted that almost 60% of the Indian population had a lactose intolerance. Dairy allergies are more common than you may think and it becomes necessary for a large section of people to opt for dairy-free diets. In a land where milk and its allied products are considered next to God, the prospect of adopting a dairy-free diet seemed unthinkable even to us. But in practice we have realized that it may have been a God-send to not consume dairy after all – especially the milk which is far from its pure, Godly form that it once used to be. Maybe there are some solid benefits of a dairy free diet.
Yes enough research has been done to show that milk and the related products contain several nutrients that are good for the body and especially for the growth and development of children. But there are ALTERNATIVES and milk is not as essential as it is made out to be. A dairy-free diet can be healthy, nutritious and with some good planning can stand up to all the goodness and more that can come from including dairy in your diet.
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Do you know people who have allergies? I am sure you do! There seems to be a rise in the number and varieties of allergies that people experience these days. And then there are the allergies in children – milk allergy, or allergies to nuts, gluten etc. Surely, allergies are not a new occurrence or worse a new epidemic. They have been around for time immemorial. But people may have put up with them as a ‘Maybe I was born with it’ or just an irritant that they manage. Today, we realize that there are options or alternatives and life can be normal for people with allergies. There may even be ways for people to deal with and overcome their allergies. Counter medications are also available as there are cases where allergies can cause considerable medical damage or even fatalities.
Living with an allergy is however far from easy. One has to be careful, cautious and find ways around it to ensure safety and at the same time to enjoy all that life has to offer. We are a dairy-free household and this happened when our dear son was born with a milk/dairy allergy. In the 8 years that he has been around, we have navigated our life quite well, barring one rude shock. This journey is all about how we identified, coped and manage his milk allergy. The intention is to share our learning and experiences and help others out there like us, who suddenly find themselves coping with an unexpected gift.
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