Monica's Archives

Health is wealth. If you are healthy, you are in the right frame of mind to tackle any hurdles coming your way. However, just like life has its ups and downs, health too is not always predictable. You may be leading a healthy lifestyle, but may still find yourself falling sick once in a while. Situations like accidents come as a surprise and can never be planned for. Even when you are in best of health, it is important to have regular check-ups. It is always advantageous to have a health insurance plan. As this is a vast subject, we will take it in two parts. Some questions will be answered in this article, while some in the next one. Disclaimer: This article is intended for general information purposes only and should not be construed as investment or insurance or tax or legal advice. You should separately obtain independent advice when making decisions in these areas. ·          What is health insurance policy?        A health insurance policy is a contract issued between

Ingredients:   makes 1 medium bowl Moong dal (yellow)              – ½ cup (soak for 1 hour) Tomato                                   - 2 (cut in small cubes) Carrots                                  - 2 (cut in small cubes) Capsicum                              - 1 (cut in small cubes) Cabbage (finely chopped) - 1 cup Apple                                     - ½ (cut in small pieces) Anaar ke daane                   - ½ cup   (Pomegranate) Green chilly                        - 1 (chopped) Green coriander                 - 2 tablespoon (chopped) Lemon                                - ½ Chaat masala       Salt to taste Method: 1.        In a pan, add cabbage and capsicum with salt, mix for 2-3 minutes on low heat. Let them cool. 2.         Boil water in a seperate pan, add dal with salt. When dal is cooked 75% , strain it. Cool in a plate. 3.        Now, mix everything in a bowl. Add chaat masala and lemon. Your dal chaat is ready. This is a very t

Do you drink enough water each day? And why is drinking water important? Drinking plenty of water is an important part of maintaining a healthy weight and a nutritious diet. Water plays an essential role in helping our body in processing the nutrients, maintaining normal circulation and keeping the proper balance of food. The body is about 60% water. We are constantly losing water from our body, mainly through sweat and urine. To prevent dehydration, we need to drink adequate amount of water. Some facts on drinking water: ·          Adult humans are 60% water, and our blood is 90% water. ·          There is no universally agreed quantity of water that must be consumed daily. ·          Water is essential for kidneys and other bodily functions. ·          When dehydrated, the skin can become more prone to skin disorders and wrinkling. ·          Drinking water instead of soda can help with weight loss. Benefits of drinking water: ·          It lubricates the joi

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” “Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.” We all know exercise is very important for us. A healthy lifestyle can save us from many diseases. But even then we do not follow. WHY? ·          Because somewhere in the corner of our mind we explain ourselves that I am fine now, no emergency, so why to take so much botheration, will do when time comes…. etc. Like when some of us have cholesterol or diabetes we take medicines and continue eating fast food and do not exercise. We do not change our lifestyle and remain in our comfort zone. We think medicine will cure everything. ·          Most common reason of not exercising is - when to work out, I do not have time. Those who think they have no time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.   When one has a heart attack and is hospitalized then t

Are you one of the women who left your job and are looking forward to get back to work? The reason can be any – marriage, relocation, childbirth, taking care of children or aging parents, ailment, travelling, lay off etc. A career break can be a rewarding time in your life. Enjoy this time. Returning to work after your break can be scary at times. The fear is of rejection, that you won’t be able to pick up a similarly skilled role to the one you left, struggling to do a good job. Do not be scared as a research has revealed that 73% of women take a career break for ‘family reasons’, whereas 47% of males take a break for ‘personal reasons’. So, you are not alone.       Some tips to overcome your career break: ·          One of the biggest hurdles will be your confidence, your self-belief. Many people feel that they have missed too much, that their skills are no longer relevant. Describe your career break in your CV in detail. What were you doing? What skills did you learn? List t

Nowadays, at times it becomes difficult to get organic, nutritional and healthy vegetables. At market we may get vegetables having pesticides and which may wilt fast. To get fresh healthy vegetables, we can grow some vegetables in pots in our balcony or roof top. Beside which vegetables to grow, it is necessary to know what all is required to start with. Following are some tips which would help you in making a healthy start of growing vegetables at home. ·          First thing to decide is what to plant. Keep in mind which vegetables are mostly consumed in the family. Start small and work your way up as you gain knowledge. ·          There are 2 types of vegetables: short term (harvested in 1 to 1.5 months and long term (harvested in 2-3 months). Short-term vegetables: Spinach, methi, coriander, mint, lettuce, radish Long-term vegetables Tomatoes, brinjal, capsicum, chilly, cauliflower, cabbage ·          Sunlight – Most of the vegetables need 5-6 hours of sunlight.

“My son does not eat proper lunch/dinner. He wants to eat junk food.” “My daughter is not hungry at meal times. She only eats roti with jam and curd rice.” “My son is not eating anything. See how thin he is as compared to last year.” Very often I used to come across such statements from parents complaining about their child’s food habits when I was teaching in pre primary section. Today, let us talk about some possible causes and how can we prevent and handle them. Causes: ·          Many children become choosy about food during preschool years, and due to height gain, they look thinner than before. ·          Children are not offered a variety of food with various tastes up to 2 years and suddenly when in preschool they are expected to eat everything. ·          Lot of junk food like biscuits, chocolates, ice-creams, chips etc is introduced to the child at a very early age because it is convenient for the parents. By attractive food advertisements children may indulg