The Brunette Diaries

Kimchi- The Korean Powerhouse

Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish. One will find big jars of kimchi in every Korean household. The dish is made up of napa cabbage (a variety of cabbages) and Korean radish along with other fermented and salted vegetables and topped with chili powder and fish sauce.

Many Indians eat it in the form of salad sans the fish sauce and it is considered a vegetarian probiotic food. Kimchi is rich in vitamins A and C. Due to its fermentation process, it is also rich in gut boosting lactobacilli bacteria.

So in case, you are bored of eating your regular salads, why not try kimchi for a change? Its tangy flavor is sure to have a lingering effect on your taste buds.

Steps to make Kimchi

– Shred the cabbage finely, chop the green onions along with garlic cloves and ginger. Add the onions and cabbage in a large bowl. Take a separate bowl, add vinegar, red chilli powder, soy sauce and powdered sugar. Mix it well and then transfer this in a blender jar. Blend it well.

– Now, add the chopped garlic, ginger along with olive oil in the blender. Blend it well and add salt and black pepper in it. Blend it again and once done, add this dressing over the shredded cabbage and onions. Toss it well. Cover it with a cling film and place the bowl in the fridge.

Serve it chilled to enjoy!

Let’s Celebrate World Food Day!

Telling you guys about the different types of food across nation or around globe would be exciting. But, will that add any value to this day? Do most of you know the real reason why 16th October is celebrated as World Food Day?

It’s an annual celebration in the honor of the founding date of the Food and Agriculture Organization launched by the United Nations in the year 1945. World Food Day is celebrated widely with great enthusiasm by several other organizations which are concerned with food security such as the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the World Food Program, and others.

This year’s theme:

World Food Day: Building A Zero Hunger Generation

More than just a casual series of festivities, World Food Day is organized to bring awareness to how our changing planet affects food production and distribution. Related events explore several topics such as examining how agriculture needs to adapt due to climate change to how migration affects food security. The goal of these sessions is to set goals that will eventually lead to building a Zero Hunger Generation.

Let’s talk about its HISTORY:

World Food Day (WFD) was established by the member countries of FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) in November 1979, at the organization’s 20th General Conference. Dr. Pal Romany, the Hungarian Delegation led by the then Minister of Hungary for Agriculture and Food, played a significant role at the 20th General Conference of the FAO and proposed the idea of launching the WFD worldwide. Since then, the WFD is been observed in more than 150 countries every year; raising consciousness and knowledge of the problems and reasons behind hunger and poverty.

How India celebrates this day:

In India, the day marks the significance of agriculture and emphasizes on the fact that the food produced in and consumed by Indians is safe and healthy. The world food day is celebrated with great enthusiasm in India; several sincere lovers of food in Delhi joined hands and vowed to keep their food hygienic and safe. They opposed the introduction of GM (genetically modified) crops in India. People in Delhi celebrate the occasion at Craft museum of Dastakar Mela; they make rangoli and perform street plays and acts on the matter of genetic modification.

How other countries celebrate:

Europe

On World Food Day, Spanish television gets active with broadcasting events. Spanish soccer star and the Goodwill Ambassador of FAO, Raul has taken part in many events and has helped in highlighting food-security issues throughout his country. In Germany, Food and Agriculture Ministry, Federal Ministry of Consumer Protection, etc get involved through press conferences.

In Italy, various NGOs, international agencies, research institutes, universities, and ministries have organized several conferences, exhibitions and symposia. In 2005, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Policies in Italy organized a meeting that focused on the rights of the women in rural areas.

The United States of America

World Food Day has been a custom in the United States ever since it was established for the first time in the year 1981. In the United States, this great work is sponsored by approximately 450 private, national and voluntary organizations. Various events are organized at these organizations; one such notable examples for the celebration is the World Food Day Sunday Dinners sponsored by Oxfam America in association with several other non-profit organizations.

Africa

The Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ghana organized a food security conference and Namibia has run an awareness program through national media.

Angola celebrated World Food Day through the 4th Forum on Rural Women in 2005; in Burundi, the second Vice-President marked the event by planting potatoes to give a symbolic example about the production of food. The President of the Central African Republic inaugurated a bridge at Boda in the honor of the World Food Day; this facilitated the agricultural production area easily reachable.

Tell us, how do you celebrate this day in the comment section below 😀

Are You Obsessive About Healthy Food?

You have read countless articles on what to eat and what not to eat and you pride yourself in being someone who takes good care of yourself. You have the strict resolve to eat healthy food and rarely ever slip off the health plateau. Raw fruits, Boiled veggies and Salads are your best friends. But did you know that your extreme awareness (read obsession) about eating healthy can lead to an eating disorder?

Orthorexia (used as a parallel with other eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa) is a fixation on eating only healthy or pure foods, or what an individual perceives as healthy or pure. Nutritionists and doctors have seen an increase in number of people who seem to have an obsession about eating only those food items which they feel are healthy for them.

Aarti Shah, a 26 year old is one such person. Being health conscious, Aarti decided to restrict the intake of salt and sugar in her diet. “My mom’s got diabetes and my dad suffers from high blood pressure. Over time as I read up and realised that I could too suffer from the same ailments. Hence, I decided to restrict my diet of sugar and salt. It wasn’t even difficult as my parents followed the same routine. In spite of optimizing my diet, I fell seriously ill last year. I used to feel exhausted and drained all the time even though I wasn’t doing anything strenuous. Through body check up I was surprised to learn that told I had some imbalance of sodium and potassium in my body. Basically the lack of essential minerals like sodium and glucose made me feel lethargic. It was then that I realised that one needs to have things in moderation and not completely cut out things from your diet without proper consultation from a doctor.”

Practising gynaecologist, Dr. Darshna Thakker, has often come across people who are obsessed on eating right and in turn end up harming themselves. “The problem is with so much awareness, there are number of people who get too obsessed on what they are eating but then in their effort to eat healthy and pure food they tend to miss out on a balanced diet. Also each body’s requirements are different at different age groups. Everything needs to be done in a balance.”

Even though Orthorexia is not yet an officially recognised eating disorder, there are signs that one can note of suffering from it.
– Being overly concerned with your eating habits.
– Feeling the guilt of deviating from strict diet guidelines.
– Having critical thoughts about others who do not adhere to rigorous diets.
– Distancing from friends or family members who do not share similar views about food.
– Avoiding eating food bought or prepared by others.
– Worsening depression, mood swings or anxiety regarding food matters and habits.

“Eating healthy is always a good choice, but not at the cost of health and that includes psychological health. Nutritional deficiency can make one irritable and depressed. So make sure you choose right and be wise,” adds Dr. Darshna.

Unexpected Weight Loss Could Be a Serious Problem

Many unexpected stuff can make you happy, like getting an unexpected holiday or finding money in your pocket, or like unexpected weight loss.

NO, unexpected weight loss might just be a real serious problem, so while you may be celebrating for losing some weight, get checked up if it isn’t a symptom to any diseases or disorder!

1) Muscle loss (sarcopenia)

People tend to experience muscle loss as they age because they neglect to maintain muscle health. This kind of muscle atrophy is sarcopenia, which can begin as early as your 40s and cause unexplained weight loss and reduced strength, energy, and mobility. To avoid muscle loss, one should add more protein and vitamin D to their diet. Older adults require more protein to build muscle at that age. Also, adding weights to your workouts helps build muscle mass and strength.

2) Cancer

Cancer, in general, can cause weight loss, but there are several types of cancer, such as lung, pancreatic, biliary, and colon, that are known to lead to unexplained weight loss. Abnormally functioning cancer cells grow out of control, speed up your metabolism, and wear out your entire body by using its resources, which causes weight loss. Cancer treatments can also lead to weight loss. Radiation and chemotherapy often cause a decrease in appetite, and it can lead to side effects, including nausea, vomiting, and mouth sores that discourage eating.

3) HIV and AIDS

AIDS, Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, chronic and potentially life-threatening disease that is caused by HIV, human immunodeficiency virus. HIV can make it harder for your body to absorb nutrients, which causes malnutrition and can lead to a decreased appetite. While there’s no cure for HIV or AIDS, there are medications that can dramatically slow the progression of the disease and allow you to live an otherwise healthy life.

4) Depression

Usually, when a person is depressed, he or she losses interest in almost everything that exists in life, even the ones they enjoyed previously. In this mood-disorder, giving up eating is one common thing that is found, whereas many start overeating. But, depression does result in weight loss which isn’t healthy at all. While there’s no one single cause of depression, many cases can be treated effectively with medication and therapy, although some antidepressants can also contribute to further weight loss.

5) Diabetes

Diabetes is often associated with weight gain or obesity, but surprisingly, weight loss can be one of the diabetes symptoms. When the body is no longer able to produce insulin sufficiently, glucose is no longer making it into the bloodstream to be used as energy. When there is an insufficiency in insulin, the body starts burning fat and muscle for energy, causing a reduction in overall body weight. If you are a diabetic and are experiencing weight loss, you need to see your doctor asap.

Let us know if this article helped you in any way, also suggest what you’d like us to write on.