BEST OIL FOR DEEP FRYING.

Hi, Friends, Good morning..

So, let's continue our discussion on deep fried foods. As we have seen the harmful effects of fried foods on our body, as it is impossible to completely avoid those tasty or easy to prepare stuff, whenever larger quantities are demanded, let's check which is the better oil to use for deep frying. But always remember, that whatever oil is considered safer, an oil is a fat, and eating foods soaked with whatever oil on a regular basis may start accumulating fat in your body, whenever the limit is crossed. So, as our ancestors taught us please keep the deep fried foods restricted to only occasions rather daily basis.

All the oils have a certain smoke point, and now what's this smoke point? It is the point at which, when an oil is exposed to higher temperatures, the fats in the oil tend to break down and get degraded, i.e., they lose their quality. The higher is the smoking point, the safer are the oils when exposed to high temperatures. So, what we have to do is whenever a deep fried food is there in your menu, choose the oils with higher smoking point.

The oils which are of Saturated fats and Monounsaturated fats(Olive oil, Coconut oil, Ghee, Avocado oil, Peanut oil, Sunflower oil, Rice bran oil) are known to have higher smoking point and tend to be safer for deep frying, whereas the oils with polyunsaturated fats(Safflower oil, Corn oil, Canola oil, Soybean oil)  are unsafe for deep frying as they break down easily at high temperatures and form free radicals.  These free radicals, as we all know are too  cruel and the culprits of all the Metabolic diseases occurring nowadays and also the cause of increased incidence of Cancers.

Over all research studies have shown that Coconut oil is safer  for deep frying and do not break down that easily. Next is the Olive oil and Avocado oils which are preferable..

Peanut oil is also safe and even the Sunflower oil or Rice bran oil  is said to be safe, whereas the Safflower oil is dangerous.

Regarding how many times we can reuse the once heated oil, is maximum upto 3 times we can reuse, but the more lesser the more safer, and the more the oil is exposed to higher temperatures, the more fast it tends to break down and form dangerous free radicals that attack our body.

A small example related to the amount of calories:  A single medium sized baked potato = 200-210calories, whereas French fries made from a single medium sized Potato = 700-710calories.

I guess this single line above is enough for you guys to analyse the amount of calories you are building up every time you binge on fried foods:-(

So, wake up and control your temptations and maintain a distance to the deep frying stuff;-)

GOOD DAY.

DEEP FRIED FOODS..HEALTHY OR NOT??

Hmm.. Just look at those fried Pooris..Looks so appetizing..Isn't it!!  How many pooris can you have at a time;-) 

Not only pooris, french fries, Dough nuts, Chips, Wada, deep fried chicken wings or any food item that is deep fried keeps us engaged in eating for quite a long time..Unknowingly piling up a lot of fat and calories into our body.

Have you guys kept a check on the portion of what you are consuming..Let me help  you..It's for sure not limited to 1 or 2, it will be more than 4 or 5 or 6 or 7 and goes on till our tummy says stop and creates a weird sound in the form of a burp to indicate that you are full.. But the poor tummy is not aware of the ill effects of the quality of your food but only has a check on the quantity of the food you eat :-)

So dear Friends..Let's have a small discussion about how healthy are these deep fried foods and at what frequency can we have them, I mean daily or once a week or once in a month..

It's quite tough to resist deep fried foods during many instances especially the aroma of fried oil is itself is tempting(though its nauseating during pregnancy) even a thought or a discussion of fried foods will make us salivating:-)  Irrespective of gender, age, race we all are addicted or attracted towards deep fried foods..Aren't we??

Fried  foods, I really don't know, why, they are treated as a special form of foods and also cooked mostly during festivals in India, though nowadays, no occasion is needed and what we find around us is mostly deep fried..Ha, Got it, the reason our ancestors made them special and only during festivals is the secret behind having fried foods ONLY OCCASIONALLY!! Oh! my God!!Our ancestors are the best..Kudos to them..

All the stressful discussion above is worth and the main cause which is the reason behind the negativity for these deep fried foods is the deep diving of foods in the greasy, oily, fatty oil:-(

What happens is, when the foods( be it carb, protein or fat) are left in an ocean of oil they obviously absorb some of oil, which is already sticky and ready to mingle, and finally forms a good amount of layer on the foods..and  the high temperatures at which the oil is boiled, tends to break down even the good fats in oil turning them into villains (fats are broken down, oxidised and degraded and form free radicals).

Most of the oils used for deep frying are hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils which are rich in trans fat and this trans fat as we all know in long run may cause increase in your cholesterol levels. Trans fat is usually an adulterated form of fat which helps in longevity of the processed foods but decreases the longevity of our lives.

But due to the recent advances in chemistry and medicine many are aware of the dangerous effects of long term use of hydrogenated vegetable oils and have shifted towards Olive oils, rice bran oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, corn oil etc.. But though these oils may be healthy, but when exposed to higher temperatures constantly may turn out be unhealthy.

Deep frying increases the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGE's) on the surface of foods and these AGE's trigger the formation of carcinogens like Acrylamide, Acrolein, Aldehydes, Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, Heterocyclic amines etc.. BEWARE!!

Not only that, the AGE's may also increase inflammation of Lungs, Breast, Pancreas, Prostate, Kidney etc... Patients with impaired Kidney function may have tough time in clearing the heavy, greasy fats they eat in the form of oily, deep fried foods.

Most of the vegetables which are rich in Vitamins and Minerals are drained of their nutrients once dived in hot oils. So, you are getting empty calories..

Suppose if you are frying fatty foods like meat, the already excess fats add up more fats and calories, when they are deep fried.  Excessively fried foods are the reason behind acid reflux in stomach which we experience in the form of regurgitation, and irritable bowel syndrome. Being high in calories, increased fat content, may cause a rise in total cholesterol , LDL cholesterol, Obesity which indirectly may be the cause to Type 2 Diabetes and many other metabolic derangements..

Let us take a break over here..

And later let's continue our discussion regarding which oils are better for deep frying, and how frequent can we reuse the fried oil, and how frequently can we enjoy the fried foods..

Already an aversion started in my mind towards the fried foods but let's see how long will it be there ;-)

UNHEALTHY SIDE OF FANCY CAKES.

Hi Friends,

On a continuation of my previous post, let's have a peep into the other side of the effects of Cake on our body. With all the fancy decorations which includes a lot of frosting, colouring and artificial or natural colouring, the Cakes have an appealing look but at what cost on our health??

The eye catching and pleasant colours add a lot of value to the cake along with a  taste, but how far are these artificial colours are fine to our body.

Though most of the colours are excreted from our body, the remaining minimum percent when consumed regularly on long run can cause harmful effects like, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD) in children, decrease in the memory levels of children making them slow at studies or any activity, reason of certain kinds of Allergies, certain Cancers, mostly Brain tumors according to certain research studies, even may induce Asthma in few kids or even elders.

Most of the artificially made colors and flavours are synthetic products and are derived from petroleum combined with few other chemicals..Quite scary to know..Right!!

Few of the dyes used by food industry even contain Cancer causing substances which are the reason behind the increase in frequency of the incidence of Cancer all over the World.

All the Icing and Frosting used as a top up, on the Cakes, are high in Calories as they are made exclusively from sugar, butter and egg, and even mixed with vegetable oils, artificial flavours, artificial colors and preservatives in few Cakes.

The sugar is used in the form of icing sugar or even High fructose corn syrup is used in many instances due to its cheaper availability to the food manufactures and easy to get mixed instantly and thus attain more profitable margins while selling. But this High fructose corn syrup is more dangerous than sugar as it tends to get absorbed immediately and cause sudden rise and sudden fall of your body sugar levels..Such fluctuations of your sugar levels on long run may cause Diabetes. Point to be noted, before you guys get attracted and addicted to the food products stuffed with High Fructose corn syrup.

There is a lot to mention about High fructose corn syrup and lets discuss in detail in a different post on my blog.

The icing made from mostly butter is high in saturated fat and certain vegetable oils are rich in trans fats which when consumed regularly may tend to adapt a shelter for them in your body and slowly build up and start blocking the normal functions of all your organs :-(

The icing is made from beaten raw egg whites in most of the cases and if such icing is not refrigerated properly the gram negative bacteria like Salmonella may find a new home in the icings of cakes and when we happen to eat such cakes we are affected by Salmonellosis, a bacterial infection causing Gastrointestinal disturbances.

If you are a big fat fan of the top up frosting over Cakes rather than the original cake, beware of certain health issues like Diabetes, Heart diseases, Infertility, Liver diseases, Obesity, Cavities, Tooth decay.

Need not sacrifice Cakes but better avoid all the artificial stuff and just have your Cake with natural ingredients and with a very minimal amount of icing, try using colors obtained from natural fruits like Strawberries, Grapes, Carrots, Blueberries, Cocoa etc..

Ok, Fine friends..Eat modestly and opt more for natural food preparations and ditch all the artificial stuff.

CAKES- PRETTY AND TEMPTY:-) HEALTHY TOO??

Being one of the royal, fancy, pretty, decorative, tempting.... Oh!! Words are just flowing to describe the yummy and tasty, lip smacking Cake.

A unique and perfect food for most of the occasions, mostly introduced by the western countries and now has become a part of the Asian families.

Cake is the first thing that comes in mind to celebrate any occasion..No wonder so many Cake recipes, and many Chefs dedicated to specially baking Cakes are in practice.

My doubt was, with lots of flavours, sweetness and creaminess, is this Cake really healthy or not!!

I know most of you have the same doubt, and few are successful in just picking a small portion and few like me are unable to control the addiction towards the extreme sweetness, delicious soothing feeling as we give a bite into the smooth cake and as it slowly slides down our throat.

We all know that Cake = calories.

Few over cautious young Moms are even restricting their kids to have cake. Though it may be right  upto to a certain extent, not completely .. Cakes actually are full of the carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. The sugar and refined flour is the carb, the eggs and milk constitute the protein and the butter and any oils used are the fat in Cakes. Hmm..All nutrients at one go.. Fruit cakes have good amount of fibre and few vitamins minerals and antioxidants, chocolate cake also is loaded with antioxidants.

Cakes made with chocolates are known to be useful to uplift your mood as they are known to increase serotonin and endorphins, which are the feel good hormones.  Oh!! That's the reason we feel on top of the moon when we have piece of cake;-)

I feel Cake is a substitute for alcohol for girls to opt when you are off mood or in a hype..Men won't even leave a single reason to cheer with glass of Beer or whatever..They say its cold, lets have beer, or either its hot, lets have a glass of whisky, or a corporate meeting at night in the bar?? or a relatives gathering, happy occasion, or even a sad occasion Beer is their companion..Wonder who invented alcohol..

All the dramatic, though facts are all dependent on your mental stability and the way you control your emotions. A strong person will neither binge on a cake nor alcohol. Stability and control is needed  both in your behaviour as well as your eating habits..

Research studies have shown that eating the cake in moderate amounts as a breakfast once a while, will help in controlling your sweet cravings and excessive eating throughout the day. As Cake is known to decrease the Gherlin levels, a hormone known to increase hunger. So eating a piece of cake for your breakfast once a while may keep you full for quite some time and also may save your time to cook the breakfast before running for your office;-) Just kidding..

Lets discuss more about the other side of the colourful and more fancy cakes available nowadays displaying all the cartoon characters on the Cake and bringing smiles on your kids faces..

Till then take care Friends,

Good day:-)

A DIVINE DRINK..GREEN TEA :-)

Good evening Friends, I'm back with a post on the super powerful benefits of Green tea..

In continuation with the previous discussion on Green tea, it is loaded with Antioxidants and many research studies have shown that the Catechin in Green tea have a terrific effect in preventing bacterial, viral and any other infections, thus keep you away for example from frequent Influenza attacks, and reduce your Influenza vaccine shots.

Catechin compounds also tend to keep polishing your neurons in brain and thus improve your brain activity, thus reducing the chances getting Alzheimer's disease, and even Parkinson's disease.

The plenty of antioxidants like flavonoids and Catechins in Green tea are known to fight against the free radicals that attack each and every cell of our body. Having foods that contain large amount of antioxidants work perfectly in extensively fighting with the free radicals and successfully defeating them. In this way your cells are safe. Cells means body cells ;-)

Polyphenols in Green tea helps in regulating the Glucose levels and thus is  a perfect drink if any of the Diabetics are in a dilemma, of what drink to have while chilling out;-) If not hot, a chilled version of Green tea bhi  chalega:-) Opt for healthy ways of enjoying or chilling rather than relying only on alcoholic drinks and increasing the revenue of Bar owners while spoiling your precious health, not only health, even many family relations are spoilt with your daily habit of chilling with a glass of alcohol..Think Men!! LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL..ENJOY IT TO THE FULLEST AND OPT HEALTHY FOOD.

The Epigallocatechin found in Green tea acts as an anti-allergic and reduces the pollen allergic reactions by blocking the IgE receptors. Huh..That's an awesome property of Green tea..

Green tea also helps in reduction of cholesterol by indirectly increasing the fattyacid oxidation and also it has a role in preventing the complete absorption of cholesterol into the intestines.

Whereas normal milk tea may cause stains on your teeth, the super Green tea helps in maintaining dental hygeine, and also prevents dental cavities. A nice natural liquid cleansing agent instead of the chemical mouth cleansers:-)

Packed with plenty of Vitamins and minerals like Manganese, Magnesium, Potassium etc..Green tea has another exotic property in activating the detoxification enzymes and thus help in detoxifying your body from all the unnecessary greasy and sugary stuff loaded in your digestive system!!

Not only psychological relaxation but Green tea also relaxes your arteries thus improving the blood flow and prevent any disturbances and halts of the blood flow be it in your Heart or Brain, and lessens the risk of Stroke or Atherosclerosis.

Green tea also plays a role in strengthening your bones and thus prevents Osteoporosis at a younger age. The polyphenols in Green tea combine with a form of Vitamin D which improves the structure and strength of bones.

A daily intake of atleast 2-3 cups of Green tea will help in maintaining a good health, and each cup of Green tea will give you a dose about 60mg of Catechin(antioxidant).

Whether you rely on Chinese products or not, you gotto believe on this wonderful Chinese Green tea leaves which will help you live longer :-)

CAUTION: PEOPLE WITH LIVER FAILURE SHOULD MINIMISE THE INTAKE OF GREEN TEA, AS GREEN TEA IN LARGE QUANTITIES MAY CAUSE LIVER TOXICITY.

GO GREEN..GREEN TEA :-)

Good evening Friends, how many of you are joining me for a cup of green tea ??

Hmm.. The best and a healthy companion during your break from work, or your perfect partner during your relaxation time with a bundle of health benefits :-)

Doesn't the colour of green tea, resemble something else??;-)  Just kidding friends..It is pure green tea, with a squeeze of lemon juice and along with few drops of honey:-)

Being originated from China, and now being used extensively world wide and also has gained the superfood crown, Green tea is produced for Camellia Sinesis.

Lets start our discussion with the common buzz created around Green tea..WEIGHT LOSS!! Now let me tell you friends that there is no short cut for anything but, the caffeine content in green tea helps in mobilising the fat and utilize it as energy..which helps in losing weight upto a certain extent..

Green tea is known to have a thermogenic effect which helps in oxidation of fats. But if you guys have a cup of green tea along with a big, fat size burger loaded with lots of creamy cheese, mayonnaise, butter and sauces there is no point in expecting to lose fat, and when you don't find any results, you start blaming the poor green tea that all the hype is nonsense..What say friends!!

Another common reason most of the nutritionists prefer green tea is because of its role in relieving STRESS!! The L-Theanine in Green tea helps you to happily relax, and keep you away from anxiety attacks. L-Theanine helps in increasing the alpha waves in brain which usually occur during the relaxation phase.. Green tea do not have any sedative functions but when you are relaxed you tend to go to sleep easily without any hustling and bustling in your brain:-)

The Theanine in Green tea helps in secreting Serotonin and Dopamine which again are responsible for keeping you in a state of relaxation and calming down the Adrenaline rush;-)

So, had a stressful day?? Have a cup of green tea.. Now what if I love black tea? Do I get all the benefits as with Green tea?? 

Black tea is  a processed version of Green tea, and during the processing many antioxidants and other nutrients are washed away, so if you want to enjoy and also acquire all the health benefits of green tea, have only green tea without milk and by adding a squeeze of lemon juice will enhance the absorption of the antioxidants present in Green tea..Hmm..However lemon tea tastes better than plain green tea..Isn't it!! 

Many more health benefits and recommended amount  of Green tea in a day, shall be discussed in my next post..

Till then, Take care Friends :-)

GHEE - GOOD FOR HEALTH??

Ghee!!

Being originated in India and widely available mostly in the Asian countries, Ghee is also known as Clarified Butter as it is prepared from butter and we can say the that ghee is a purified form of butter and when we say that, you guys can already guess that ghee is better than butter:-)

Ghee!! As we all know it can be stored for quite a long time, when I say long time, it can be months or even years..and guess how or why?? As we have mentioned that Ghee is clarified butter and all the impurities, water, milk content are removed from butter and thus Ghee is evolved so that it can stay for long, even without the need for refrigeration.

Being a holistic form of food in India, Cow Ghee is used in performing many rituals, considering its purity I guess!!

So why don't you all join me in this small journey of knowing the health benefits of Ghee:-) Ready Friends!!

As the first thing that appears in everyones mind when we mention Ghee, is FAT!! Right!! Yes, Ghee is pure fat and only fat. The form of fat in Ghee is  Saturated fat -65%, Unsaturated fats-30%. The Saturated fats might make all of you to step back before you enjoy the purity and soothening taste of Ghee, but the saturated fats in Ghee are mostly short chain fatty acids and linoleic acid which acts as an antioxidant and these short chain fatty acids are needed for a better digestion of food and also helps in strenghtening the cell membranes. Fats are actually not too bad as you guys assume, they help in hormonal balance, gives you a better glowing skin, assist in reproduction and your fat soluble vitamins, A, D, E, K, how do you think they are absorbed?? The fatty foods we eat assist in absorption of theses Vitamins.

And more over Ghee helps in improving the levels of HDL cholesterol which holds a counter check on the bad LDL cholesterol. The medium chain fatty acids help in providing energy to your body, good option for all especially for kids and athletes.. In turn the energy derived from the Ghee can be used to burn other fats deposited in your body.

The Conjugated Linoleic acid obtained from Ghee has both antioxidant and antiviral properties and thus protects you from any viral infections, inflammations and even helps in protecting you from cancer.

People who are lactose or casein intolerant can happily include Ghee in their diet as all the milky content is completely removed from ghee so no issues for lactose intolerant people and also casein allergic friends, In this way Ghee is an universal food;-)

The Butyric acid(short chain fatty acid) plays another super role in production killer T cells in gut and thus builds a strong immune system, before you all worry of the word killer, the so called killer T cells act as weapons not on us but on the infections that try to attack us..Wow! Humans has a good inbuilt strong military system across their body;-):-)

Ghee quite commonly used by our ancestors, and if any one remembers that the first spoon of food is known to have with ghee..Right?? Guess, why? The Ghee is known to help in secretion of gastric acid and aids in digestion. 

The Vitamin K2 in Ghee helps in preventing calcification of the arteries thus reduces the risk of Atherosclerosis, Vitamin K also helps in proper usage of the minerals by the body, and an important use of Vitamin K is helps in facial and dental development by helping in development of wide symmetrical faces.. Thus having Ghee during pregnancy helps in giving birth to beautiful babies:-)

The high levels of Omega-3-fatty acids and omega-6-fattyacids helps in mobilising the excess fats and makes them shrink and also prevents onset of Dementia and Alzheimers disease at an early age. 

Being rich in saturated fats the Ghee whenever used to cook on high temperatures does not form free radicals which are quite dangerous to our body, contrary to other vegetable oils which break down into toxic oxidants when cooked under too high temperatures.

Ghee also has a superb property to keep your mind away from negative emotions, not only being pure, it even helps all of our minds to be pure..Another fabulous property of Ghee is it not only helps in cooking but also helps in the absorption of spices and herbs which are used for cooking.

The Fat soluble Vitamins like A, D, E, K present in Ghee help in improving moisture of the skin, improves vision, strengthens your bones by increasing the absorption of calcium and also protects from cancer.

Ghee also is known to increase fertility, and being rich in short chain fatty acids which are the best form of fats helps in improving the quality and quantity of sperms.

Hold on Friends! Before you all start having lots and lots of ghee, only 3tsp per day is known to be safe and people with Obesity, Heart diseases etc.. are advised to restrict their intake only to 1tsp of ghee per day.

Eat modestly and be healthy:-)

Good Day!!