A Flavour of the Meal of India

India is famous for its rich variety of food.Indian spices enhance the taste and flavour of the food. India is a subcontinent having 28 states. It has diverse cultures and traditions. These have put forth innumerable variety in the indian culinary habits.

Now, with globalization inside the doorstep, indian tastebuds are comfortable with Chinese, thai, italian etc, cuisines.Yet, average Indian meal is rice, dal (curry), chapati/roti (bread), rayata (salad) and dessert. The Indian meal is almost complete with most of the nutrients required by human body.
Rice is rich in carbohydrates.Variety of rice is cultivated in India. Similarly, numerous recipes of rice dishes are prepared. Different regions pride in their own versions of rice recipes. In northern parts, rice is cooked with vegetables/chicken/fish and flavoured with spices to prepare biryany or pulav. South Indian rice galore is full with lemon rice, tamarind rice, tomato rice, curd (yogart) rice etc.
Indian bread that is chapati or roti is made everyday fresh.It is full with carbohydrates and vitamins.Chapati is made from wheat. Usually, it is made using little of oil.Roti is oilfree.It is made from dough of cereal flour with water.In northern parts of India,Parathas are made by stuffing boiled potato or radish in chapati.Sweet varieties of chapati are popular in western and southern parts of India.They are called puranpoli or sugarpoli.
Dal (curry) is full in proteins. This tasty fluid is prepared by cooking pulses with various types of spices.Its aroma is enhanced by adding vegetables/egg/chicken.Not only states,but subregions also have their very own recipes of curries.
Vegetables are rich in vitamins and minerals.Bounty of vegetables are grown in India.They are cooked with spices.Delicious dishes of vegetables are served with rice and chapati.
Different types of Rayata (salad) are made using cucumber, tomato, onian seasoned with yogart or lemon.Fruit salad is also popular.Spicy pickles are prepared using raw mango or lemon. Oilless pickles are also prepared. Fried snacks, steamed starters and boiled eggs are served as side dishes.On special ocassions like weddings and festivals, numerous sweet dishes are cooked.They are made using dairy products, sugar/jaggery and flours of pulses. These sweets are known as ladu, pedha, gulabjamun, halawa, kheer etc.
Apple juice, mango juice and watermelon juice quench thirst in hot summer.The indian meal is generally finished with a glass of buttermilk.The meal is eaten with the belief that it is a gift from god. The person serving it, is blessed with gratitude.This is just a bird, tasting the meal of India. It will be relished recipywise in future articles.

A Gentle Look at Naturopathy

Naturopathy is a medical science of Mother Nature. Human being is an offshoot of nature. Therfore man should live in conjuction with nature. Nature is made up of.five principles; earth, water, fire, wind and light. So is man. Imbalance of these principles give rise to disease.

The knowledge of natural healing was being developed from ancient times; yet in nineteenth century, naturopathy was given proper shape as a medical science. Credit for advancement in naturopapathy goes tonaturopaths like Franz Messemer [Magnetic Therapy - 1810] Vincent Presnitz [Modern Hydro-therapy - 1830] Sebastian Kneip [Modern Hydro-therapy - 1850] Emmanuel Felke [Mud Therapy - 1880] Taylor Still [Osteopathy - 1901] Louis Kuhne [Foreign Matter Theory - 1907] etc. Dr. Louis Kuhne, author of the book "New Science of Healing andDr. Henry Lindhar, author of the book "Basic Principles & Practice of Nature Cure", dedicated their lives in finding natural solutions for the diseased humanity.

Naturopathy is a way of life. Simple natural living conditions lead to healthy body, mind and soul. Proper natural diet and regular exercise are advocated by naturopathy. The natural lifestyle of early to bed and early to rise is sponsored by naturopathy.

Naturopathy stands on five basic Principles: More alkalinity (75%) and less Acidity (25%) is must for any cell to live a longer life; hence consume alkaline food."Accumulation of toxic matter in the system is the cause of Disease", so avoid toxic accumulation. Germs and Viruses cannot attack an energetic body. Man is made up of what & how he eats; so let "Food be your medicine".

Alongwith proper natural diet and regular exercise, cleansing of body system through natural methods is required to achieve health and longer Life. These methods are: Enema - To clean bowels, Steam bath - To clean through skin, Fastings - To clean the entire system.

Naturopathy encompasses all natural healing systems. Some important branches of naturopathy are; Natural Dietetics [Therapeutic effects of food used as medicine], Hydrotherapy [More than 100 types of baths, poultices and fomentation methods], Chromo therapy [Treatment with colors, for e.g. Blue as anti-inflammatory, Red as anti-spasmodic and yellow for digestive system]. Massages [Naturopathic massage includes Shiatsu, acupressure and other techniques] and Mud therapy [Different types of packs are used for treating many chronic skin diseases such as eczema].

Mahatma Gandhi read a book by a reknowned naturopath.He was greatly impressed by principles of naturopathy. At that time, his son was suffering from typhoid. Mahatma Gandhi treated him with naturopathy. The success of treatment developed more faith in naturopathy.In 1946, Mahatma Gandhi established Nature Cure Institute at Uralikanchan, Pune, Maharashtra, India.

Mahatma Gandhi was a staunch follower of Naturopathy. He developed many new techniques of treatment. Mud-therapy and Massage were his favourite naturopathic treatments. He himself had a glowing skin due to daily massage with lemon rind.He used to treat patients, as a practicing naturopath. Slowly, Mahatma Gandhi was successful in making naturopathy popular in india.
The simplicity of naturopathy makes it cost effective medical science.

With more research and development, naturopathy will be popular in the entire world. Follow Naturopathy, Conserve Health.