New Lifestyle

[West London Singh]

I'll tell you some good 'superfoods' for your detox :

Alsi (flaxseed) and Tulsi (holy basil)

All too often we dismiss the recommendations of our elders as being ill-informed or without scientific merit but....they know what they're talking about when it comes to superfoods. Our grandparents have been telling us alsi seeds have hyper qualities for years. But we only started listening when Californian movie stars started saying the same thing and made alsi an official superfood. Same with holy basil.

I remember when my wife first came over from Punjab. She was feeling quite unwell and asked me to get some tulsi (holy basil). I tried and I tried but I just couldn't get any anywhere. The Chinese and Thai shops had it in paste form but I needed the actual plant leaves. In the end she told me to go down the local Hindu temple. She said every Hindu temple in the world will have some tulsi. I thought it was a bit strange but off to the Hindu temple I went. Lo and behold, they had the holy basil in abundance. The geezer there informed me that all Hindu temples have a holy basil plant because it is considered a herb of the gods as it has so many super healing qualities. Anyway.....you'll be surprised how many times the tulsi plant has soothed various ailments in our household.

Same with the alsi (flaxseed). In the old days, when the average height of a Sikh was well over 6'2" and they were built like brick s***houses, the alsi seed was a major part of the Sikh's diet, as it mad their bodies strong and healthy. In modern days, the farmers just give it to the cows to fatten them up. Our strength and health has deteriorated accordingly. But in our household we try and put alsi in alot of things. It has so many super qualities it cures so many ailments. Actually I seem to remember an interview I read with the marathon runner Fauja Singh. In the interview he says the secret for his longevity and good health is the alsi walian pinnia that he eats religiously every day.

Seriously i've got so much respect for the knowledge of the old timers from Punjab. They know so much more than we think we do. Take my car for example. For months and months I was driving around with a seriously overheating radiator. Leaking like hell. RAC man couldn't get to the bottom of it. Garage wanted to charge me a small fortune. Then an ol uncle visiting our house just happened to overhear my problem. He told me to put some haldi (turmeric) in it and the problem would be solved. Bish bosh bish...haldi in and problem solved. Happy days.

Moral of the story ? wanna get your body detoxed so all the rubbish comes out and the goodness stays in ? Talk to an old timer from Punjab and get their advice. Health conscience Hollywood stars are doing it. Cut out the middle man (Hollywood) and go straight to the horses mouth.

Oh....start growing some wheatgrass and drink 2 glassed of the juice you squeeze out of it per day. It will help in getting rid of the 2kg's of filth we've got stuck on the inside lining of our intestine. Either that or get a colonic irragation. But if you do go for the colonic...be warned...buy some adult nappies to wear on the way home. Friend of mine had it done and he made an awful mess on the car seat of the fella driving him home after.

[uksinghni]

Too much information (regarding your friend) for my liking West London Singh but thanks for your contribution about the Flaxseed and (tulsi) Basil. I already include Flaxseed in my diet but didn't know of tulsi.

Receipe for the day...

Ingredients:

Medium avocado

Medium tomato

Cheddar cheese

Pepper (a pinch)

Bread (I am using the ciabatta left over but you could use wholemeal sliced)

Mushrooms are an optional extra

Instructions:

step 1: Peal, wash the avocado, mash it up into a paste and season with ground pepper. If you prefer you could slice it.

step 2: slice the tomoto

step 3: grate the cheese/ thinly slice and chop up

step 4: heat the bread, once warm or part cooked, remove from the oven/grill (depending on whether you are using sliced bread) and add the avocado, sliced tomotos and springle with cheese.... return to the oven/ grill until golden brown.

step 5: enjoy, perfect with a salad for lunch or on it's own as a snack.

[Balait_da_Sher]

My mum made alsi diyan pinniya. Problem is, can you still class them as healthy with all the sugar that goes in them?

[uksinghni]

My mum made alsi diyan pinniya. Problem is, can you still class them as healthy with all the sugar that goes in them?

Hmm it's not just sugar, ghee as well... I think you can have it as a treat but I wouldn't go eating it every day thinking it's healthy... in my mind, it's like eating fruit crumble (like clearly fruit is healthy but you add the sugar and butter to make the crumble, it's not so healthy) but that's just my thinking.

[OhTwadi]

My mum made alsi diyan pinniya. Problem is, can you still class them as healthy with all the sugar that goes in them?

You can make with little sugar. Yeah they won't taste as good but hey if you really want to eat healthy then taste is something you will have to get over.

Hmm it's not just sugar, ghee as well... I think you can have it as a treat but I wouldn't go eating it every day thinking it's healthy... in my mind, it's like eating fruit crumble (like clearly fruit is healthy but you add the sugar and butter to make the crumble, it's not so healthy) but that's just my thinking.

They can be made with little gheo as well. Again, taste might be a problem though.

Gheo has gotten a really bad rep, it's actually quite beneficial to you, provided you don't sit on your butt all day and do nothing. Have some gheo but then go an get your butt kicked in the gym (or outside) then it is okay to have.

Another desi food that is very good for you is auley. I have no clue what it is called in English though.

We should be careful to eat exactly what our grandparents ate. This is primarily because our lifestyle is absolutely nothing like theirs. They used to do manual work all day and used up all the calories they ate. Now a days all we do it sit on our butt. If you do this, you can eat healthy but still have all sorts of issues. There is plenty of research now available which states that sitting for long periods of times alters body's hormone levels. Specifically, it increases the amount of coritsol in your blood stream. Cortisol is a stress hormone "Its primary functions are to increase blood sugar through glycogenolysis; suppress the immune system; and aid in fat, protein and carbohydrate metabolism.^[1] It also decreases bone formation".

Exercise is body's natural way of detoxing. We do don't nearly enough of it. You get fresh air and all your organs get massaged as well.

Oh I almost forgot to mention, COLD SHOWERS! Take freezing cold showers, it also massages your organs.

[Balait_da_Sher]

Ohtwadi, the number of time you said Butt in your post worries me, butt you are right. Few years back, I found this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirulina_(dietary_supplement) and remember you said this was a super food.

[OhTwadi]

Spirulina contains about 60% (51–71%) protein. It is a complete protein containing allessential amino acids, though with reduced amounts of methionine, cysteine and lysine when compared to the proteins of meat, eggs and milk. It is, however, superior to typical plant protein, such as that from legumes.^[2][7] The U.S. National Library of Medicine stated that spirulina was no better than milk or meat as a protein source, and was approximately 30 times more expensive per gram.^[8]

My Butt! Guess I was wrong

[S1ngh]

Count me in.. I will start tommrw

[uksinghni]

Here are some suggested meal ideas for everyone taking part, you don't have to have something from this list. The aim of this is to change food choices to a healthier option, it's not intended to be a diet and you should eat suitable portion sizes for your age/ gender.

Drinks: Herbal tea/ freshly squeezed orange/ apple juice/ water/ milk/ squash

Breakfast:

• Porridge (recipe on discussion forum)
  
• Weetabix with milk
  
• Special K with milk
  
• Shreddies with milk
  
• Shredded wheat bitesize honey nut with milk
  
• Yoghurt, fruit and cereal
  
• Toast with jam, marmalade
  

Morning Snacks:

• Yoghurt
  
• Grapes
  
• Raisins/ Sultanas small handful
  
• Nuts/ seeds – unsalted
  
• Crackers with cheese
  
• Juice
  
• Soya dessert/drinks
  
• Toasted teacake (not too often as it’s white bread usually)
  

Lunch:

• Toasted bagel spread with soft cheese light/ extra light or jam
  
• Pasta with veg – mushroom, peppers, sweetcorn, cougettes, tomatos, vegetarian sausages (I prefer Vegeterian’s choice from Holland and Barratt)
  
• Sandwiches/ wholemeal rolls with cheese and tomato or homous and salad or soya slices
  
• Home made alternative to pizza with salad
  
• Salad with a soya burger chopped up (lettuce, cucumber, radish, tomato, kidney beans, butter beans, seeds, a few cashew nuts but not too many)
  
• Roti, dhal, yoghurt, salad
  

Afternoon snack:

• Banana, pear, oranges, apple etc – two portions of fruit
  
• Chopped up carrot, pepper, celery
  
• Pot of custard/ rice pudding as a treat or something from the morning snack list
  

Dinner:

• Roti, dhal/ sabjee and small amount of yoghurt and salad
  
• Dhal and brown rice with veg/ salad (too much soya isn’t good for men so you’ll have to eat lentils more times than I will)
  
• Vegetarian lasagne (home made, I use Asda vegetarian mince and whole wheat lasagne sheets, dolmino tomato sauce, veg of your choice (aubergine, mushroom, tomato, pepper, cougettes) and cheddar cheese) with salad, you could add a few steamed mini potatoes
  
• Soya nuggets (Fry’s from Holland and Barratt)/ burger with beans and salad, potato (mash/baked/steamed/roasted)
  
• Cheese and Leek lattice by Linda McCartney with beans and salad (not too often, it’s pastry based)
  
• Soya buger with veg (steamed carrots, cauliflour, spinach, broccoli, sprouts, sweetcorn, cabbage – you choose – I usually have 3 different ones) and you can have beans as well or a potato/ mash
  

Evening snack:

• Strawberries and yoghurt or as a treat Weight Watchers thick cream and a slice of shortcut pastry
  
• Toasted teacake with hot milk
  
• Soup, bread, salad
  
• Salad with a burger/ nut roast
  
• Cereal with milk
  
• Crackers with cottage cheese and pineapple
  
• 2/3 Fig rolls and milk
  

[uksinghni]

As mentioned under other health and fitness topics, breakfast shouldn't be missed. Personally I don't agree with cutting out any particular food type as our body needs the right amount of everything to function correctly. My personal aim is to try and reduce the amount of processed food by eating more roti or fresh home made meals. I am not looking to loose/ gain weight, my current diet consists of the foods mentioned above. Instead of chips I am opting for baked/steamed/jacket potatoes, brown rice instead of white... I already eat wholemeal bread and pasta. In terms of processed foods, I sometimes have Linda McCartney sausage rolls which I have taken out of the list. The biggest cut back for me is on biscuits and chocolates. I rarely eat crisps. I tend to eat up to 8 times a day. I prefer to eat little and often, so three meals with a number of snacks in between. You will see from the menu options above I am suggesting you eat 6 times a day.

For me this is day 4 of my healthier lifestyle and it's going well.