Enjoy festival dishes, make them healthier : 7 tips

Few simple tips to enjoy the taste and health too!

1. Replace white sugar with natural sweetners like sweet dry fruits e.g. dates, dry dates in sufficient quantity. If you need to add sugar, either choose 'jaggery' /'gud' to replace else use organic brown sugar, palm sugar or coconut sugar etc.

      2. Replace regular salt with Rock salt (Pink Himalayan) or organic Sea salt, Black salt to sprinkle where it can be used, still serving the purpose of health and taste both.

3.   Replace Refined, processed oils with unprocessed, unrefined natural oils. You may use pure mustard oil, ground oil, sesame oil or coconut oil or 'deshi' ghee etc. as required for the dish, for cooking.

4.      

      4. Replace 'maida' or refined wheat with healthier versions like whole wheat, besan or millets where appropriate, otherwise mix wheat or 'rava' with 'maida'  and use. Remember, fibre like 'chokar' in wheat flour, is good for digestion. 

       Try to use organic & fresh flour of different varieties, as best suitable, to cook dishes plus keeping the family happy too. This adds to multiple tastes, balances grain intake and takes care of health.

 5  5. Eat fresh, avoid all stale food as best possible. Prepare / buy festival dishes in smaller quantity as needed, so they do not stack in cupboards for longer duration. If required, another portion of fresh snacks can be added later.

6.  Cook few dishes at home, together with family members, as possible. This ensures healthier food, happier feeling of celebration and is environmental friendly too.

7.  Replace your regular meal with festival special dish. Do not overeat, by consuming extra, just because it is festival. This doesn’t allow one to feel active or enjoy, but people start feeling sick or lethargic soon. Let others know you are full and shall take the served delicacy later.

     Festival celebration doesn’t mean we fall sick afterwards, when we consume required portion, we enjoy the food and festival more.

First Aid using Acupressure therapy

 

A young teenager skid from his bike on the road as he passed by me. He fell hard, mouth started bleeding, lip got cut, and some blood came from palms & feet due to injury.

Many people ran there along with myself. I was wearing white coat of Acupressure Sansthan (Aspeus) and hence got easily designated as the doctor by the crowd.

I took out my Acupressure therapy kit and started treating the boy – first point for bleeding, which stopped soon. As I realized his anxiety and trembling, I treated for those symptoms, next.

It was probably 2-3 min since the accident. The boy started talking normally by now, and told passers-by he feels okay and can go home on his own. Most people left, on hearing this.

The pain was still much as he was moaning and making some sounds. I treated for that and gave couple of more points to help him settle down, mentally. Within next minute he stopped groaning.

A known person to boy, probably his family friend or neighbour was passing by. He came up and asked him in South Indian Muslim accent, ‘what happened?’  His next question was whether the boy needs to go to doctor?

The boy seemed comfortable by now, as he was able to talk in full sentences. He got up and told this person that he feels better and shall walk back home, while his bike shall remain parked there itself.

I told the relative, “Initial treatment has been done”, as was obvious to everyone.

Fellow onlookers thanked me for the work done. They felt surprised that I wasn’t related to the boy. “We all felt he was your little brother or son all this while”, they told me. I realized that the boy had listened to me & responded accordingly, during the treatment, as an obedient & trusting patient.

That day, I felt a deep satisfaction within.


I still feel grateful as I remember the incident. The credit goes to my teachers from Ishan and Aspeus institute for knowledge of Acupressure therapy, instilling a value system and an ability, to help others in such situations.

This was second opportunity to provide first aid for an on-spot minor accident for me, within same month of 2019. In both cases the person felt fine enough to manage himself, his communication and further travel, within 4-5 minutes of therapy.

I thank the universe for blessings & support in this regard.