Showing posts with label reduce stress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reduce stress. Show all posts

Saturday 28 March 2015

Banishing the blues - will sweets help?


Jelly candies...! 
This is yummy, my all time favorite :) As they say in the advert this is something that makes children, as well as adults, crave for every now and then.

Wiki says Haribo founder Hans Riegel Sr. introduced this attractive delicacy for the very first time in Germany in 1920. Now we have countless shapes and flavors that make us spoilt for choice all over the world. Gummi bears, Gummi worms, berries in all shapes and sizes, sour, sweet, fruity, mixed...it is mind-boggling, indeed!

Well, anything in excess is poison. It is a well-known fact that we all reach for ice creams and sweet dishes when stress kicks in. It is not only the sweetness of these wonderful foods but the beautiful looks as well that make us reach for such things almost always overpowering our willpower. Craving for such things is an unhealthy way to de-stress. If you have access to low-calorie sweeteners like Stevia or similar things like that it is acceptable to a certain level. But it is always better to deal with emotional issues through healthy, positive measures and there are numerous solutions available off / online nowadays. Sometimes a hug is enough to feel comfy :). So next time before opening the Refrigerator for ice cream or emptying a packet full of jellies, just try some vegetable salad or a piece of fruit!

Well, jelly candies...a cool treat😊, whatever...lol.😊
  • Beautiful things bring positive feelings. All sweet dishes look beautiful. No wonder these attractive cool delicacies help in banishing the blues. But there are much cooler, healthy choices available that bring positive vibes. 
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Sunday 15 March 2015

Exploring Nature, get to know the unknown - African / Mexican coriander

This exotic herb is known in different parts of the world in different names. Here it is known as "African coriander" (African malli, in Malayalam, our mother tongue). The popular names include Mexican coriander, Farang coriander, culantro, spirit weed, fit weed, saw-tooth coriander, saw-leaf coriander, bandhani yah, long coriander etc.

From what I read from the web this herb is widely used for culinary purposes in South America, the Far East, and Africa. It is popular in Assam and Manipur in India; in South India, it is not very common. Hope my blogger friends will enlighten us about this beautiful herb's popularity in their countries.

This herb has a flavor similar to coriander/cilantro, the difference is this is stronger and intense. We may need only a small portion of its leaf to garnish our dishes compared to the more common coriander leaves.

This has two types of leaves. The leaves that are at the lower portion of the plant are long and are about an inch in breadth. They have saw-tooth like spines at their edges. Not at all thorny, they are smooth :). The rosette-like leaves are also present in my plant, they are also palatable. Hope it will flower soon.

The above plant was small when brought from my ancestral home with my mom's permission. She has one more there. They use it regularly in dishes. This is grown in a purely organic way. The potting mix is the same I used to grow ladies finger; details of which you can get from my post about growing ladies finger - the organic way.
http://magicalpresent.blogspot.in/2015/03/organic-okra-ladys-finger-cultivation.html

She has grown well in her new place here with me. I guess she is happy to meet you all, my blogger friends :) She is no fussy plant; requires only little Sun and water.

This exotic herb has been claimed to be having many health benefits besides the culinary uses like garnishing, marinating and seasoning.

The claims include properties like:
  • anti-diabetic
  • anticonvulsant
  • anti-cancerous
  • anti-bacterial
  • anti-inflammatory
  • analgesic
In traditional medicine, it is used for treating hypertension, fever, worm infestation, burns etc. Well, nothing has been proved by well-controlled double-blind studies nor there are uniform acceptance and agreement among the researchers, like in the case of many other herbs said to be having medicinal value. So always get the advice of a qualified doctor before use.

It is actually fun in having a leisure time activity like gardening. Growing herbs, spices, and medicinal plants, as well as flowering plants, are cool ways to bring positive energy. It has become a productive hobby as well in the present day world, considering the value of organically grown produce. Such cool stuff is always in demand all over the world. There are many more exotic herbs still not very well known to people, having unique medicinal values. Besides they improve health in natural ways. The end result is we all feel better!

Enjoy exploring Nature...! Let this also be a cool method to reduce the skyrocketing stress levels. Help the needy, suffering fellow human beings. Identify such rare plants, spread awareness and push the scientific community to conduct research to validate medicinal value claims.

Such activities bring a lot of happiness to everyone. Remember, happiness is our birthright.

The botanical name of this herb is Eryngium foetidum.
  • There are many things still unknown to us in nature. Some things may seem so common, but they may be priceless. Nature still has many secrets and we have just begun unveiling those.
Note: Please read the DISCLAIMER attached to this blog.

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Thursday 25 December 2014

Fluidity of horizons by Parvathi Nayar, an amazing art, Kochi Muziris biennale 2014

"The starting point of these explorations is the dot, the punctum (the point) whose endless iterations..."  I liked it, very meaningful words!

This brilliant artist has included so many facets of the ancient history of the Malabar coast in this work especially the skillful integration of 'astrolabe', an astronomical instrument widely used by explorers during that time.

Beautiful creation!

A must see art, do not miss it ðŸ˜Š

Pepper, dubbed as the 'black gold' and other condiments and spices attracted many explorers to this part of the world that led to a series of historical events which as you all know finally became a double-edged sword - the story of how the visitors became the rulers!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4CZoVIFGQo   watch the interview with the artist.

I have written a post some time ago about the 'Ibn Battuta mall' in Dubai where I have posted a picture of Islamic astrolabe http://magicalpresent.blogspot.in/2014/01/ibn-battuta-mall-in-dubai-theme.html

Artists are creative people. They express ideas in a creative manner stimulating us to think, enjoy and smile :) Art can become powerful tools to convey messages, and it may trigger many complex emotions. It is a powerful medium. 
  • Only art can reflect certain delicate aspects of life.
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Thursday 6 February 2014

Ain al kasfa, a hot water spring in Al Rustaq, Sultanate of Oman

Ain al Kasfa, is a popular tourist destination in Al Rustaq, Al Batinah, Sultanate of Oman. This is a hot water spring where the water because of its high sulfur content is said to be therapeutic for rheumatism and skin diseases.

The spot is usually crowded especially during holidays and weekends. No swimming is allowed here but there are bathhouses where the water from the spring is channeled.

Visitors are allowed to immerse their feet in the spring water. The water is not unusually hot! maybe around 45°C, very pleasurable experience, surely rejuvenating :)



Being here reminded me of my visit to St. Ann's well of Buxton, in the UK, years ago. 



Al Hajir mountain range surrounds Al Rustaq. This spot is within a day's trip by road from Muscat. There are numerous forts, wadis and many more tourist attractions on the way and around this famous destination.                                               

I visited here in 2012. It was an awesome experience immersing feet in this hot water!

Initially, I was very much reluctant to do it fearing burns but seeing many people coolly doing it prompted me too to try it.

Wow, great!

I was tired of the long journey in the hot weather but I felt instantly rejuvenated!

Rejuvenation in any form is cool. We have to maintain and better our state of health. Spread awareness of such amazing spots in different parts of the world. Positive activity brings positive results.
  • Nature has provided many cool spots for rejuvenation. Make use of such gifts of nature; it is much, much better than artificial spas affordable and accessible only by spending a lot of money.  
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