The Healthiest Veg Breakfast

 The Healthiest Veg Breakfast — Butter Idli

south Indian breakfast vegetable idly

Unless you love smooth bowls, fruits bowls or simply fruit-based items, a good and tasty vegetarian breakfast is difficult to find or make. Yes, one always has the option of bread-based dishes but gluten and its inflammatory effect on the body is well documented these days. Lots of people are choosing to give up bread and for the right reasons. Still love smoothies the best? You can also try breakfast energy smoothe.

So what’s the alternative? Indian breakfast!! Indian food is much more than non veg and butter chicken and the cuisine offers a plethora of healthy and vegetarian breakfast options, such as Idli.

Made passionately in family kitchens all over India especially in the South, sold as a street snack, eaten in cheap and super expensive eateries alike, idlis are made from fermented rice batter and is completely gluten-free and is ridiculously tasty and healthy.

The prepping time for Idlis is long because the rice needs to be fermented so its best to the batter the ready night before. The actual steaming of the idli takes less than 10 min.

You may have idlis plain or with some hummus, coconut chutney or any other side embellishment and all with taste equally good.

You Will Need:

Ready to cook? Then start making notes.

You will need:

·         1 Cup Urad Dal, also known as Split Black gram

·         4 Cups Idly Rice or just plain rice ( uncooked)

·         2 tablespoon Fenugreek seeds

·         2 tablespoon Salt

Preparing The Batter

·         Wash all the ingredients carefully, especially the rice.

·         Keep all the ingredients soaked in water for 4 hours before grinding.

·          

·         Grind the softened fenugreek seeds in water for 3-4 minutes until they fine and fluffy.

·         Now add the dal to the grinder on top of the fenugreek seeds. Also, slowly add half a cup of water while grinding the mixture.

·         Grind for 30 min. The volume of the dal should increase to 10 times the volume after grinding.

·         After 30 minutes, shift the dal mixture into a bowl and set aside.

·         Now, transfer the soaked rice to the grinder and grind for 30 minutes while adding enough water. Once done, transfer the batter to the dal mixture bowl and mix well.

·         Add a pinch of salt before and leave it to ferment for 12 hours.

How Do You Know If The Batter Is Ready?

After 12 hours, the batter should have increased in volume. Mix it well with a latter.

Making The Idli

·         You will need an Idli vessel. Put some water in an idly vessel and put it on medium flame on the stove.

·         Oil the idli plates and gently fill the rounds with the batter.

·         Put it inside the idly vessel, cover it and let it steam for 6-7 minutes.

·         Be careful to not overcook the idlis or they will turn dry and hard.

After 7 minutes, take the idli out and let it rest for 3-4 minutes.

Transfer the steaming hot idlis to a plate, add a spoonful of butter and your delicious breakfast is ready. You can also have this with your favourite chutney or sambhar but I simply love butter idli. You can also replace the butter with 2 tbsp of olive oil  for a healthier twist.

Enjoy!

This Is Why Quinoa Is A Superfood And Should A Be Part Of Your Diet

Quinoa is a seed that is basically consumed and prepared like grains. It has been quite popular in South America but reached the ‘superfood’ status some years ago.

Here Are 7 reasons Why It Should Be A part Of Your Diet:

Quinoa is rich in fibre, almost two times as rich as other fibres. There are many 

studies showing that soluble fibre helps lowering cholesterol, reduces blood sugar  levels and also aids in weight loss. Btw, if you are suffering from Chronic pain,then it’s time to give vegan diet a try.

It is packed with an ample amount of Magnesium and Iron. Magnesium helps prevent heart diseases and iron is any day good for muscles and brain. Here are nine ways to show your some love.

The grain contains all essential amino acids which make Quinoa a great food for protein intake. Our body requires protein to enhance the repair mechanism and maintain itself.

The gluten-free property of Quinoa makes it perfect for people with gluten intolerance. Used instead of artificial gluten-free foods, it can exponentially increase the nutrient value of the diet. Also, this amazing glueten free breakfast recipe will blow your mind!

Quinoa also contains flavonoids such as Quercetin and Kaempferol. These crucial plant compounds showed anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-viral and anti-depressant effects when tested on animals.

Presence of antioxidants make Quinoa an unavoidable addition to meals and once sprouted, the antioxidant content increases.

It is rich in Vitamins; particularly Vitamin B which helps in most of the processes the body goes through each day.

And, well, Quinoa tastes good too. You could boil and use it for salads, or cook it with vegetables to consume as a meal.

Can A Vegetarian Diet Cause Severe Fatigue And Lower Back Pain?

Yes, it can! I have been on a vegetarian diet ( no eggs as well) since several months now and to be honest, I love it. Okay, let me rephrase that. My mind loves it. I have an intense sense of clarity, my daily meditation sessions are deep and intense and my mind feels lighter.

But my body disagrees strongly. Since focusing on a plant-based diet, I am tired, constantly. No matter how much I eat or how well, I am sleepy and pooped. But it didn’t start off like this. The first few months I was bursting with physical and mental energy and it was amazing! But then the phase ended and my body plummeted into a deep state of exhaustion and I am trying to recover to the best of my ability. And because of this constant fatigue, I am craving sugar, a lot so I am trying to beat my exhaustion with anything sweet: fruits, candy, dark chocolates. But that’s not the end of it. I am also feeling a persistent and annoying lower back pain. It nagging, irritating and very uncomfortable even though I have tried Yoga, massage, low impact workouts, high impact workouts, no workout, none have worked so far.So from trying to stay awake at work to rubbing pain gel to my lower back daily, this change in my hea lth made me wonder if there’s something I am doing wrong or could it be related to me turning into a vegetarian?

What Went Wrong? Protein Deficiency!!

Protein is the glue that holds the tissues of the spine together. When you are protein deficiency, the ligaments of the joints become weak and thus, chronic lower back pain.

But Vegetarian Foods Have Protein

Yes, but it’s harder to obtain enough protein from a vegetarian diet and some of the website tell vegetarian foods contain anti-nutrients (i.e. phytic acid, trypsin inhibitors) that reduce our ability to absorb protein. Whether it’s soy, lentils, kidney beans, wheat, or corn, these anti-nutrients have been shown to reduce digestion and absorption of amino acids (the smaller parts of protein) in these foods by as much as 50%.

Here are some facts:

·         Fish or steak contain steak or fish contain 20-30 grams of protein per 100 grams of product.

·         The main protein sources for vegans – vegetables, beans, soy, tempeh, and rice – contain only 5-20 grams of protein per 100 grams of product.

Seriously, Is It Better To Be A Vegetarian?

Since vegetarian foods have a far lesser quantity of saturated fats, it has been noticed that vegetarians tend to also have a lower body mass index.

In truth, a balanced diet is better than a bad vegetarian diet. A bad vegetarian diet is one that is though depended on fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes, uses a lot of oils and fats for cooking. If you must become vegetarian, ensure that you choose a lot of high fiber food that is low in saturated fats, sugars and excess salt.

Plant based diets have the potential to offer a variety of vitamins and minerals that exist naturally and these can be very beneficial. However, it is also true that many vegetarian diets do not fulfill a person’s daily requirements of Iron, Protein and Vitamin B12. Some vegetarians also replace meats with simple carbohydrates, which can be a serious mistake if you turned in to a vegetarian because of health reasons and not religious reasons.

Why Are So Many People Turning Vegetarian?

One of the biggest reason people turn vegetarian is because plant based foods are easier to digest and better for health. They devoid of fats, since all meats and even eggs do have some fat content.

Also, vegetarian food is easier to digest and that makes it more palatable for those who are older and prone to digestive disorders. Also, a lot of vegetarian foods like fruits and some vegetables can be eaten raw, keeping their mineral and nutrient wealth intact.

However, if you are a vegetarian, ensure that your diet doesn’t lack in protein. Proteins break in to amino acids which are the building blocks. Hence, Soyabean, cottage cheese, other cheese and dairy and legumes are a must in any healthy vegetarian diet.

One must remember that even if you choose to be vegetarian, eating healthy is more a way of how you cook your food rather than what you cook.

Non Vegetarian Foods: Are They Really So Bad For You?

It has been noticed that incidences of Diabetes Type 2, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity is more common amongst those who are vegetarians. Lean chicken breast, eggs, fish and even lean red meat are all good options if you do not cook them in fat laden gravies. Grill, broil, boil, poach and roast your meat to reduce the fat content in them.

In fact, eating a diet that is a good balanced between low fat meats and healthy fruits  and vegetables is far healthier than eating a diet that is primarily vegetarian but used  many recipes that are deep fried or made in gravies with clarified butter. A non-vegetarian diet ensures your body gets enough proteins, vitamins and minerals, all of which are healthy for you.

A non-vegetarian diet has some benefits over a vegetarian diet, and these are:

·         Does not lack in any important nutrient and includes proteins with a high biological value, Vitamin B12 and Iron.

·         Fish and Eggs is two of the best sources of healthy fats, which are important for your body to absorb and process many vitamins and minerals that are not water soluble.

·         More versatility in menus means it is easier to make a healthy meal every day without it becoming too repetitive.

Final Words

In the end, whether you choose to be vegetarian or non-vegetarian, the decision is a personal one. However, ensure that as a vegetarian your diet is not devoid of quality proteins and necessary calories.

By -  A. Muthu Kumar,  The Choose Healthy Food