Vegan Curd Simple Recipe

Today's recipe is curd. We are so fond of raita that sometimes it is difficult to get this dairy product out of our diet. It's the tangy taste with onions, tomatoes, chillies and fresh coriander in curd that's so pleasing. Try this.

Take 5-6 spoons of grated coconut, add one lemon juice, one teaspoon dry mango powder. Blend it with some water, your curd is ready. Add onion, tomato, green chilli, roasted cumin powder, sea salt or rock salt to taste. Instant raita is ready. Dress it up with fresh pomegranate seeds and you get a visual treat. Add more lemon juice to suit your tangy palate.

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Central Nervous System

All organs and all functions of the body are under the control of the central nervous system (CNS). Internal cleanliness depends on efficient drainage of waste materials. Under normal circumstances, efficient and prompt drainage of body wastes is maintained by ample amounts of nerve energy. When nerve energy is dissipated by imbalance in the above-mentioned systems - the body becomes enervated and therefore functional weakness. If this condition continues resulting in more accumulation of toxins, it may be termed chronic.

How do you achieve a balance!!

1. Food - simple food, less instructions, less energy required. Example - mono fruit.

2. Exercise - more circulation of blood, lymphatic system assisted in it's toxin elimination. Less energy required.

3. Mind - no stress is less nerve energy required.

4. Sunlight - assists body in synthesis of various hormones for body function. Less sunlight is strain on body resulting more energy.

All the above actions are controlled by CNS, more usage is more energy dissipation.

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De-Stress this Diwali

One may be able to take control of diet and shift to healthy choices of food, exercise daily, drink adequate water and also do sun bathing for one hour daily. There is another most important factor which is the foremost cause of diabetes and that is STRESS.

Stress causes body to release extra sugar in the blood to enable us to take care of the stressful situation. This stressful situation may be like sudden appearance of wild animal in a jungle. The body in such situation releases hormones which ultimately raise our heart beat, blood pressure and increased sugar levels. These helped us in the past to run very fast and reach a safe place far away from the wild animal.

This situation in today's environment is different. Spouse and children issues at home or boss in office are akin to such stressful situation. This is because you care for your spouse, children and job. Give life a break. Devote sometime to yourself, they are not stressful situation as you imagine. Stop reacting and start responding. Get your stress levels down.

Festive season is going on. Take a pledge to de-stress yourself. Speak to yourself for ten minutes daily. No situation is bad, we imagine 99% things in our head which never occur.

Forget the yesterday, never indulge in tomorrow's fantasy, LIVE IN TODAY.

Happy Diwali.

Eat less sweets, exercise more, more deep breathe, sleep tight, enjoy the festivals.

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Good and Bad Sugar

A ten bedroom house has to be occupied by ten couples. The ten keys of the ten bedrooms are in one single key chain. Naturally the bedrooms will have to be opened one by one.

If the keys to ten bedrooms were in ten different keychains then time taken by ten couples will be very less.

If I extrapolate this to sugars then the sugar in starch/fruits is like ten keys in one key chain. Body will gradually break down and use sugar as per requirement.

Refined sugar is like ten different key chains. The moment it reaches in stomach, 100% is absorbed into blood resulting high sugar levels.

Sugar in fruits/starch is complex and good. Refined sugar is simple and BAD.

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Karva Chauth Fasting 08 Oct 2017

Tomorrow 08 October 2017 is Karva Chauth Fasting day. In India this is a dry fast observed by women for the well being of husband. The fast is broken only after the sighting of moon.

Why this practice and why this gender bias against women. Why no such fast for men. Why am I discussing it!!!

Traditionally every part of India has some sort of fasting in this lunar cycle(Kartika) after full moon day. The new moon day or amavasya which falls at the end of this cycle is Deepawali celebrations.

The Indian cropping season is classified into two main seasons
(i) Kharif.
(ii) Rabi based on the monsoon.
The kharif cropping season is from July –October during the south-west monsoon and the Rabi cropping season is from October-March (winter). The crops grown between March and June are summer crops.

Now you can clearly see the time of festivals are in sync with harvest time. Post harvest is free time and thus the festivals. Festivals means lots of feasting. Post festivals is sowing time, lots of hard work for men folk.

So all the fasting for women was for healthy reasons. Now that both men and women are feasting daily without any fasting and hard work in fields, this concept of fasting only for women is unhealthy for men.

These were traditionally concepts for healthy living. So dear folks if you are leading a sedentary lifestyle and want to feast on those sweets on Deepawali, better to go on dry fast tomorrow.

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What is Hinduism

What is special about being a Hindu - by Francois Gautier

1) Believe in God ! - Aastik - Accepted

2) Don't believe in God ! - You're accepted as Nastik

3) You want to worship idols - please go ahead. You are a murti pujak.

4) You dont want to worship idols - no problem. You can focus on Nirguna Brahman.

5) You want to criticise something in our religion. Come forward. We are logical. Nyaya, Tarka etc. are core Hindu schools.

6) You want to accept beliefs as it is. Most welcome. Please go ahead with it.

7) You want to start your journey by reading Bhagvad Gita - Sure !

8) You want to start your journey by reading Upanishads - Go ahead

9) You want to start your journey by reading Purana - Be my guest.

10) You just don't like reading Puranas or other books. No problem my dear. Go by Bhakti tradition . ( bhakti- devotion)

11) You don't like idea of Bhakti ! No problem. Do your Karma. Be a karmayogi.

12) You want to enjoy life. Very good. No problem at all. This is Charvaka Philosophy.

13) You want to abstain from all the enjoyment of life & find God - jai ho ! Be a Sadhu, an ascetic !

14) You don't like the concept of God. You believe in Nature only - Welcome. (Trees are our friends and Prakriti or nature is worthy of worship).

15) You believe in one God or Supreme Energy. Superb! Follow Advaita philosophy

16) You want a Guru. Go ahead. Receive gyaan.

17) You don't want a Guru.. Help yourself ! Meditate, Study !

18) You believe in Female energy ! Shakti is worshipped.

19) You believe that every human being is equal. Yeah! You're awesome, come on let's celebrate Hinduism! "Vasudhaiva kutumbakam" (the world is a family)

20) You don't have time to celebrate the festival.
Don't worry. One more festival is coming! There are multiple festivals every single day of the year.

21) You are a working person. Don't have time for religion. Its okay. You will still be a Hindu.

22) You like to go to temples. Devotion is loved.

23) You don't like to go to temples - no problem. You are still a Hindu!

24) You know that Hinduism is a way of life, with considerable freedom.

25) You believe that everything has God in it. So you worship your mother, father, guru, tree, River, Prani-matra, Earth, Universe!

26) And If you don't believe that everything has GOD in it - No problems. Respect your viewpoint.

27) "Sarve jana sukhino bhavantu " (May you all live happily)
You represent this! You're free to choose, my dear Hindu!

This is exactly the essence of Hinduism, all inclusive .. That is why it has withstood the test of time inspite of repeated onslaught both from within and outside, and assimilated every good aspects from everything . That is why it is eternal !!!

There is a saying in Rigveda , the first book ever known to mankind which depicts the Hinduism philosophy in a Nutshell -" Ano bhadrah Krathavo Yanthu Vishwathah"- Let the knowledge come to us from every direction"

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