Discover The Indian Dosa -A Nutritious Breakfast Idea

By : Mary Anne Durkee


The Dosa, the South Indian delicacy is an integral part of the Indian cuisine. The Dosa is a delicious pancake made with rice and pulses and in some cases has a tasty stuffing too.



With the several variations that are possible, the dosa is a power packed healthy breakfast or snack idea for all ages. Starting the day right, meaning, with the right nutrition is very important, the dosa lets you do just this. A great way to taste and health, the delicious dosa.

The dosa is light on the stomach and is great for a good nutritious breakfast, a snack or even dinner. It is a rich source of proteins and carbohydrates. The plain dosa is made with rice and white lentil or the urad dal as it is known in the Indian cuisine. The rice and lentils are soaked for approximately 12 hours and then washed thoroughly. The ingredients are then made into a fine paste using water in the grinder.

Some of the traditional South Indian homes where dosa is part of the everyday menu use grinders specifically meant for the purpose. They then grind the batter in a large quantity to meet the entire week's requirements. Today there are even modern manageable versions of the huge grinders available. These table top grinders are both lighter and more easily manageable as compared to their heavyweight counterparts.

Coming back to preparing the dosa batter, the ingredients are made into a fine paste and adding salt left to ferment. Once fermented you can enjoy delicious dosa that are crisp, yummy and also healthy. You could also make dosas without fermenting the batter, they turn out delicious too.

There are several variations possible with the dosa. With a tasty potato stuffing you can turn the plain dosa into a masala dosa. Then there are the rava dosa, the healthy raagi dosa, adai ( which combines a variety of lentils with rice, a highly nutritious dosa full of proteins) and you can have a hundred more with a little creativity and experimenting with the stuffing.

The dosa is served with a variety of accompaniments like the chutney and sambar. Today most supermarkets and food stores stock readymade dosa and idli batter and so for a working couple or with anyone with very little time on hand too, making a dosa is possible with ease.

The dosa is a nutritious breakfast. You need to start your day right. A good breakfast that is both filling and nutritious can do you a lot of good. Seeing you through the day with ease. A good breakfast ensures that you are active and alert both mentally and physically.
Author Resource:- Mary-Anne is a featured member and regular contributor at ifood.tv, a global food network, featuring recipes from all over the world. Other popular healthy recipes videos on ifood.tv include
etwork/leftover_chicken/recipes">Leftover" target="_blank">http://www.ifood.tv
etwork/leftover_chicken/recipes">Leftover chicken Recipes, Pasta Salad recipes and
etwork/tilapia/recipes">Tilapia" target="_blank">http://www.ifood.tv
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Article From Article Health And Fitness

How Much Sleep is Enough and How Can You Sleep Better?

Nowadays, I really have to make sure I sleep enough on the day I have done my workout. Moreover, with a new job which comes with hectic schedules, I tend to stay up late. However, I know that muscles need time to recover and to grow. While people like me always complain of having not enough sleep, some people have too much sleep. Many people eat and drink well beyond their biological need. Same with sleeping too. We tend to sleep more, given a chance to do so, like on Saturdays or Sundays.

So, How Much Sleep Do We Need?

Some experts said it should be about 8 hours. Some people seem to feel refreshed after 6.5 hours of sleep, whereas others need 9 hours. But, the more important question is: Do you wake up feeling refreshed and full of energy or not? In other words, quality is as important as the quantity, if not more important.

When we get older, we will need less sleep. If you find that your sleep demand increases, then you are probably compensating for a decreased quality of sleep. Again, it is important to think not just about the amount of sleep, but the quality as well.

Why Teenagers Tend To Sleep Late and Wake Up Late?
Studies show that during the teen years, the body’s circadian rhythm (sort of like an internal biological clock) is reset, telling a person to fall asleep later and wake up later. This change in the circadian rhythm seems to be due to the fact that melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleeping and waking patterns, is produced later at night for teenagers. This can make it harder for teens to fall asleep early. (That is why you see so many teenagers still hanging out outside at 2 AM.)

For adult, an hour or 2 of missed sleep a night may not seem like a big deal, but it can create a noticeable sleep deficit over time.

How Do you Know If You Are Not Getting Enough Sleep?

For me, the first thing that happens if I do not get enough sleep is headache. Also, I will have problems with my sentences too. Usually there are word-finding difficulties or the grammar will mess up. Something like…”David has postponed the meeting. She will call us evening tomorrow evening.”

Here are some of the signs that you may need more sleep:

1. Difficulty waking up in the morning
2. Not able to concentrate
3. Falling asleep during classes or work
4. Feelings of moodiness and even depression

However, there is a difference between being sleepy and tired. If I got up and did a hundred push up or sit up, I might feel tired, but I would not feel sleepy. Sleepiness is a feeling of lack of sleep, obviously, and tiredness is a feeling of physical fatigue.

How Can You Sleep Better?

Here are some things that may help you to sleep better (compiled from different sources):

• Set a regular bedtime. Going to bed at the same time each night will send signal to your body that it is time to sleep. Waking up at the same time every day can also help establish sleep patterns. Avoid “debts” that you will make up on the weekend. So try to stick to your sleep schedule even on weekends. Do not go to sleep more than an hour later or wake up more than 2 to 3 hours later than you do during week days.
• Exercise regularly. However, do not exercise right before bed. It can raise your body temperature and wake you up.
• Avoid beverages with caffeine, such as Coke and coffee.
• Nicotine is also a stimulant, so quitting smoking may help you sleep better.

• Drinking alcohol in the evening can also cause a person to be restless and wake up during the night.
• Relax your mind. Avoid violent, scary, or action movies (or porn movie) right before bed - anything that might set your mind and heart racing. Reading books with involved or active plots may also keep you from falling or staying asleep.
• Unwind by keeping the lights low. Light always tell the brain that it is time to wake up. Before you sleep, stay away from bright lights, including computer screens, as well as meditating or listening to soothing music, can help your body relax. Some people find that using sleep masks are helpful in “sleeping in dark”.

• Do not nap too much. Naps of more than 30 minutes during the day may keep you from falling asleep later.
• Create the right sleeping environment. I sleep best in a dark room that is slightly on the cool side. Close your blinds or curtains. Lots of noise can be a sleep turnoff too.
• Wake up with bright light. Bright light in the morning signals to your body that it is time to get going.
• Nutritionists recommend calcium-rich foods before bedtime. Warm glass of milk really works for some people. But, do not drink too much, otherwise, you may have to wake up middle of night to go to toilet. Also, do not eat a heavy meal before bedtime.

Hopefully, the above few tips will be helpful in getting you to sleep better. Do you have any experience to share? Leave it down here at the comment section.


credit to munfitnessblog

What is blood pressure?

Blood pressure is the force of blood against the walls of arteries. Blood pressure is recorded as two numbers—the systolic pressure (as the heart beats) over the diastolic pressure (as the heart relaxes between beats). The measurement is written one above or before the other, with the systolic number on top and the diastolic number on the bottom. For example, a blood pressure measurement of 120/80 mmHg (millimeters of mercury) is expressed verbally as "120 over 80."

Normal blood pressure is less than 120 mmHg systolic and less than 80 mmHg diastolic.

Portable Fitness Equipment

Fitness Training Basics : How to Keep a Flat Stomach

THIS IS FITNESS TRAINING GUIDE

Healthy eating habits are the first step to toned abdominal muscles and flat stomachs. Find out other ways to keep a flat stomach with tips from a certified physical fitness trainer in this free workout video. keep your body fit.

Fitness Training Basics : How to Tone Up in a Week

FITNESS TRAINING.

Want to tone up in a week? Combining cardio workouts with strength fitness training exercises will tone up muscles. Get more tips for toning up in a week from a certified physical fitness trainer in this free workout video.

Workout Video: Best Ab Exercise

This video shows you how to get flat, toned abs with a new free fitness and workout video that will burn fat and calories. Get your body ready for bikini season today!

Mistakes that will ruin your diet

Do you know that there are two ways to lose weight, diet and exercise? As a matter of fact, you need to combine those two methods in order to lose weight successfully. Unfortunately, some people make certain silly weight loss mistakes and eventually fail to reach their weight loss goals.

Don’t make these simple mistakes that will ruin your diet
Cheating on your diet

It is very tempting to ‘cheat’ on your diet and eat your favorite junk foods straight from the refrigerator. Now, cheating is good as long as you do it moderately. However, if you eat more unhealthy than healthy foods, then you cannot expect to lose weight, right?

Many times, when people start an exercise regimen in addition to dieting, they think that eating a burger or two cups of ice cream or two packets of potato chips won’t make any difference in their weight, since they could easily burn off the extra calories with the help of workouts. Now that might be true for your thinner counterparts, but since you already have several pounds to lose, such unhealthy eating habits will triple your body weight, and no amount of exercises would be able to save you.

If you want to burn the extra calories which you consume in the form of junk foods, you should be working out the entire day, and probably even then, you won’t be able to burn off half the amount of calories you consumed.

Exercises can help only when you eat low-calorie, healthy foods; one cannot exist without the other. So, if you are serious about weight loss, you should stick to your diet and ‘cheat’ only once in a while.
Skipping your breakfast

Breakfast is there to ‘break your fast’. When you wake up in the morning, I am sure you are very hungry. If you skip breakfast, you will feel more and more hungry as the day passes. Eventually your hunger would reach to such an extent that it would become unbearable for you. At this moment you would gorge on the fast foods that you could get from your local restaurant.

And before you realize it, you would’ve eaten so much of these ‘bad foods’ that your weight would increase manifold.
Eating low-fat foods

Eating one fatty food is same as gorging on hundreds of low-fat foods; in either case, you are consuming the same amount of calories. Just because you are eating low-fat foods doesn’t mean that you have the liberty to overeat and throw all dietary cautions to the wind.

The Biggest Loser Diet

Hi guys,

We all know that what you eat is pretty important when trying to lose weight, but finding a successful plan can be tough.

How much would you lose if you had the exact diets that winners from The Biggest Loser followed?

Ray Kelly is an Exercise Physiologist from Australia, who trained not 1, but 2 Biggest Loser winners!

In his new report he outlines the exact foods these champions ate in the leas up to jumping onto the scales for the final time.

Click here!

But that's not all this expert has provided. Here's what you'll see in this report:

- An outline of the meal plan promoted in the bestselling book from The Biggest Loser!


- A sample meal plan using The Biggest Loser eating style!


- An outline of the Blue Team's eating style!


- An outline of Red Team's eating style!


- The meal plan that helped Adro Sarnelli lose over 100lbs to win The Biggest Loser Australia 2006!


- The meal plan that helped Chris Garling lose over 150lbs to win The Biggest Loser Australia 2007!


- Required information on Carbohydrates, Proteins, and Fats, with examples of the best foods from each group to eat!


- Bonus tips on Weight Loss, and Special Occasions!


So if you are yet to reach you goals, I highly recommend you get your hands on this!

Instantly download it here:
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Your in good health,
Rafidi Mohd Shah

10 Tips To Healthy Eating

Experts agree the key to healthy eating is the time-tested advice of balance, variety and moderation. In short, that means eating a wide variety of foods without getting too many calories or too much of any one nutrient. These 10 tips can help you follow that advice while still enjoying the foods you eat.

1. Eat a variety of nutrient-rich foods. You need more than 40 different nutrients for good health, and no single food supplies them all. Your daily food selection should include bread and other whole-grain products; fruits; vegetables; dairy products; and meat, poultry, fish and other protein foods. How much you should eat depends on your calorie needs. Use the Food Guide Pyramid and the Nutrition Facts panel on food labels as handy references.

2. Enjoy plenty of whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Surveys show most Americans don't eat enough of these foods. Do you eat 6-11 servings from the bread, rice, cereal and pasta group, 3 of which should be whole grains? Do you eat 2-4 servings of fruit and 3-5 servings of vegetables? If you don't enjoy some of these at first, give them another chance. Look through cookbooks for tasty ways to prepare unfamiliar foods.

3. Maintain a healthy weight. The weight that's right for you depends on many factors including your sex, height, age and heredity. Excess body fat increases your chances for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, some types of cancer and other illnesses. But being too thin can increase your risk for osteoporosis, menstrual irregularities and other health problems. If you're constantly losing and regaining weight, a registered dietitian can help you develop sensible eating habits for successful weight management. Regular exercise is also important to maintaining a healthy weight.

4. Eat moderate portions. If you keep portion sizes reasonable, it's easier to eat the foods you want and stay healthy. Did you know the recommended serving of cooked meat is 3 ounces, similar in size to a deck of playing cards? A medium piece of fruit is 1 serving and a cup of pasta equals 2 servings. A pint of ice cream contains 4 servings. Refer to the Food Guide Pyramid for information on recommended serving sizes.

5. Eat regular meals. Skipping meals can lead to out-of-control hunger, often resulting in overeating. When you're very hungry, it's also tempting to forget about good nutrition. Snacking between meals can help curb hunger, but don't eat so much that your snack becomes an entire meal.

6. Reduce, don't eliminate certain foods. Most people eat for pleasure as well as nutrition. If your favorite foods are high in fat, salt or sugar, the key is moderating how much of these foods you eat and how often you eat them.

   Identify major sources of these ingredients in your diet and make changes, if necessary. Adults who eat high-fat meats or whole-milk dairy products at every meal are probably eating too much fat. Use the Nutrition Facts panel on the food label to help balance your choices.

   Choosing skim or low-fat dairy products and lean cuts of meat such as flank steak and beef round can reduce fat intake significantly.

   If you love fried chicken, however, you don't have to give it up. Just eat it less often. When dining out, share it with a friend, ask for a take-home bag or a smaller portion.

7. Balance your food choices over time. Not every food has to be "perfect." When eating a food high in fat, salt or sugar, select other foods that are low in these ingredients. If you miss out on any food group one day, make up for it the next. Your food choices over several days should fit together into a healthy pattern.

8. Know your diet pitfalls. To improve your eating habits, you first have to know what's wrong with them. Write down everything you eat for three days. Then check your list according to the rest of these tips. Do you add a lot of butter, creamy sauces or salad dressings? Rather than eliminating these foods, just cut back your portions. Are you getting enough fruits and vegetables? If not, you may be missing out on vital nutrients.

9. Make changes gradually. Just as there are no "superfoods" or easy answers to a healthy diet, don't expect to totally revamp your eating habits overnight. Changing too much, too fast can get in the way of success. Begin to remedy excesses or deficiencies with modest changes that can add up to positive, lifelong eating habits. For instance, if you don't like the taste of skim milk, try low-fat. Eventually you may find you like skim, too.

10. Remember, foods are not good or bad. Select foods based on your total eating patterns, not whether any individual food is "good" or "bad." Don't feel guilty if you love foods such as apple pie, potato chips, candy bars or ice cream. Eat them in moderation, and choose other foods to provide the balance and variety that are vital to good health.

credit to http://primusweb.com/fitnesspartner//library/nutrition/10eattips.htm

best chest exercise

Your chest is a large muscle muscle group the more scientific term is the pectoral muscles. The funny thing is that for most people the chest is undeveloped because we really don’t use it as much as a arm muscle or leg muscle.

The best chest exercises are Bench Presses and Flyes.

There are also different ways to hit the chest muscles using angles. Think about bench presses as an example. If you change the angle of the bench so that it is higher at the end then it will put more tension on the upper pecs, flat bench presses are great for hitting the entire pectoral muscle. If you can find a decline bench then bench presses on this will really hit the bottom part of your chest. You will find declines are easier to do heavier weights with and this is because there is just more muscle there.

When doing flyes instead of bench presses you will be hitting the chest more directly. do not confused on this you are still doing the same action and that is pulling with the chest. Flyes though are important becasue they are not using the assistance of the triceps or deltoid muscles so you will get a much more isolated chest workout.

Many people look at flyes as a muscle that will define your chest while bench presses are better for building the muscles of the upper body but I really do not beleive this is true. More important is hitting the muscles from differnet angles.

One other exercise is Cable Crossovers but it is very hard to do without a gym. Cable Crossovers are great for changing the angle that you are gitting your chest at.

Finally the last exercise for chest is cross bench pullovers. There were stories back in the 70’s and 80’s that cross bench pullovers would expand your chest and give you a wider upper body, probably really not true though. The important thing about cross bench pullovers is that they are very good for strengthening your intercostal muscles, these are the muscles that sit on the sides of your chest.

To get your best chest workout you may read in magazines that it is best to do 12-16 sets per chest workout twice a week. I don’t think that there is any way that you can do this many sets a week without overtaining.

As a beginner you do not need to do more than two or three sets of chest exercises after you are warmed up with one of those sets going to failure.

I would say the best chest exercises would be getting well warmed up and then do two sets of flyes, two sets of bench press and two sets of cable crossovers. The critical thimng is to work yourself up to doing as many of these sets to failure.

credit to http://www.fitnesstipsforlife.com

WWE Fitness Workout

This video shows what it takes to be a wwe superstar! A look behind the awesome work that those performers give to the fans!

Proper push Up

Push up will build up your chest and some body.You will look nice.
Moving hands closer together for push-ups puts more strain on the triceps. Do proper push-ups with tips from a fitness director in this free video on exercise programs.

Vitamins for your heart

As we all know, vitamins are very important when it comes to keeping your heart healthy. You need to eat the right foods of course, although you also need to supplement the food you eat with the necessary vitamins your body needs to stay in shape and keep your heart working healthy for a long time to come. If you don’t consume the right nutrients, you won’t be doing your heart any favors - and may end up having problems later on in life.

The first vitamin that comes to mind for most people is vitamin E, a vitamin that is essential to improving the overall health of your heart. When taken correctly, vitamin E will stop the cholesterol in the body from harming the arteries that surround the heart. Anytime cholesterol oxidizes, it sticks to the sides of the arteries and can lead to blockages which can cause heart attacks or other serious problems with the heart.

To help you keep your heart healthy, most doctors recommend that you take additional supplements that contain vitamin E. They may also suggest that you eat foods that are naturally rich in vitamin E, such as nuts. Nuts have high amounts of vitamin E, and most of them taste great. You can find other foods that contain vitamin E as well, although nuts have the highest amounts.

In the past, research has shown Vitamin E to help those who have already suffered the wrath of a heart attack. This vitamin helps to prevent heart attacks in the future by opening up the arteries and eliminate blockage. Those who have had a heart attack in the past are always encouraged to add more vitamin E to their diet.

What many aren’t aware of, is the fact that you can use vitamin C to boost the effects of vitamin E. Vitamin C is known as an antioxidant, which prevents the damaging effects that cholesterol has on the body. Along with preventing cholesterol from damaging the body, vitamin C also helps vitamin E with it’s functions - such as protecting your arteries and your heart.

By taking both vitamin C and E as a combination, you’ll be well on your way to a healthier heart. Overall, this is the easiest way that you can be sure you aren’t damaging your heart, especially if you have had a heart attack in the past. If you have a history of heart disease or heart problems in your family, these vitamins are essential to your diet. Even if you are just concerned about the health of your heart, these vitamins will give you the peace of mind in knowing that you are eating for a healthy heart.

As far as your dosage goes, it will vary from person to person, although 400 international units of vitamin E and C are the recommended amounts for most people. On it’s own, vitamin C can be tolerated in large doses, without imposing any harmful effects. You can take around 500 mg of it twice a day, and ensure that your heart remains healthy.

To be on the safe side, you should always make sure that you get the proper amount of vitamins in your daily diet. Taking additional vitamins and supplements isn’t a bad idea either, especially if you are trying to boost the health of your heart. Your heart is one of the most important organs in your body, which is why you should always take care of it. If you eat the proper diet and take the necessary vitamins - you’ll be well on your way to keeping your heart healthy.

credit to http://www.fitnesstipsforlife.com

What Are Fat Burning Foods

There are several types of diets and supplements available which promise you the moon. If you have used any of these products, I am sure you have experienced their true nature. Fad diets restrict your calorie intake to such an awfully low level that eating is not much different than staying hungry.

There are some other diets which make you eat like a baby. These diets, while helping you lose a few pounds of weight in the first few days, fail to offer you permanent weight loss. In this article I will tell you of a better way of losing all those extra pounds.

Have you ever wished you could eat and still lose weight? If yes, this article is for you. In this article I will tell you about 5 weight loss foods which would literally force your body to burn fat like crazy.

Garlic: I love garlic a lot, mainly because of its aroma. However, a lot of people hate it because it causes bad breath. Now, if you are one of these people, you need to decide which is more important to you: do you want to maintain a ‘clean’ breath or lose weight? If you want to lose weight, then you may need to make a small ’sacrifice’ in the form of bad breath.

In case you don’t know, garlic boosts your metabolic rate as well as insulin levels, which in turn results in weight loss.

Ginger: Equally important as garlic is ginger; this is yet another ‘must have’ weight loss super food you should consume regularly. Just like garlic, ginger also helps in boosting your metabolic rate.

Apple: Do you know that the more pectin you consume, the harder it would be for fats to settle in your body as fat deposits? Apples contain plenty of pectin, so don’t forget to include this weight loss super food in your diet.

Yet another fruit which can help you lose weight is berry. Just like apples, almost all types of berries contain pectin too.

Water: Let’s not forget dear water which sustains our body. Water has many benefits, one of which is that it increases your metabolic rate. Another benefit is that it detoxifies your body by removing all the toxins; once your body gets rid of these toxins, losing weight would be easier for you.

Green Tea: Stop drinking the ordinary tea and replace it with green tea. Just in case you don’t know, green tea boosts your metabolic rate to sky-high level. The more green tea you consume, the higher your metabolic rate would be. You should drink a minimum of 1 cup of hot green tea every day. Don’t forget to add a bit of lemon juice and honey to it as it makes the tea tasty.

Is there anything more pleasing than the pleasure of getting to eat these delicious foods and being able to lose weight at the same time? Who says weight loss is hard?

credit http://www.fitnesstipsforlife.com

Health and Fitness Make the Difference Between Living Well and Living

Quality of life is what we all want. Good health helps us achieve a high quality of life. Fitness makes us want to live it every day. If you agree with these three premises, keep reading.

The Purpose of Health and Fitness Tips
To inform you of new developments in the health and fitness fields is our aim. We'll do the research; we have the resources. You get the results. The name of the game is 'current' and 'relevant' for today. Forget all the excess baggage of the so-called fitness gurus.

Become Healthier and Fitter Faster
While we know you are interested in becoming healthier and fitter or maintaining the health and fitness you have, we also know you have limited time to devote to it. We therefore pledge to you a fast, simple method to hop aboard the fitness fast train. Get on track with the facts.

Health Professionals, Medical Doctors and Health and Fitness Writers and Editors Make Up Our Staff
Our staff experience in the booming Health and Fitness field adds up to more than 100 years. Not that anyone is age 100 or even close, but we all plan to live that long. We want to make sure we have company. So we invite you along for the ride. We'll spur you on and help you over the rough spots to your own fitness destination.

Diet and Exercise are Keys to Healthy Living
But you know all this. So our aim is to give you the shortcuts, the little-known tricks and proven methods to help prevent boredom and hopelessness in your quest for good health. Our high tech world has advanced in the fitness field also. In fact, so fast that we want to get the information out to you yesterday. That's what the Health and Fitness Tips Site is all about…the latest up-to-the-minute-in-the-zone information for your health and fitness.

Fitness

Hello,

Here i will teach and share you some information to stay fit.Hope you will always in pink of health.Thanks