It is news to hear from Shri. Govind Gadiyar’s Comments on Kitchen Remedies for acidity that Gulkand is a good remedy for Acidity. We are grateful to Shri. Gadiyar for this useful information and hope he will continue to share with us similar information which we can circulate advantageously for the benefit of all.

Today, acidity is a world wide problem causing all sorts of uneasiness and trouble in the life of people. Some of the major causes are as follows:-
• Diets which are very refined and contain less quantity of fibers are culprit in causing acidity.
• Stress and anxiety plays as another main factor in causing acidity.
• Consumption of excess of alcohol also effects the stomach linings that causes acidity
• Smoking also causes in damaging of stomach lining that leads to acidity.
• Consumption of spicy food, junk food, over eating, eating more oily items, and eating hurriedly, skipping breakfast, meals etc also causes acidity.

Of all the ayurvedic preparations as a remedy for Acidity, Gulkand is one of the most delicious one, made out of selected rose petals with sugar or jaggery added to it.. Some preparations of this irresistible Rosy treat also contain many rejuvenating herbs blended in the right proportion for added health benefits of the users.

Gulkand has been traditionally used as a cooling tonic to fight fatigue, lethary, muscular aches, biliousness, itching, and heat-related conditions. It is good for memory and eyesight as well as a good blood purifier. It is also rich in calcium and has antioxidant properties. It can be used year-round by persons of all constitutions, especially Vata and Pitta. Indian Ayurvedic doctors, use it combined with other specific herbs for several types of cancer patients undergoing radiation or chemotherapies to counter the ill effects of these therapies.

The National Institute of Ayurvedic Medicine provide a list of the benefits obtained by consuming Gulkand on a regular basis. Many of the benefits cited below are the recommendations of NIAM.

• It reduces hyper-acidity due to its cooling nature. Hence it can be used in treatment of gastric and duodenal ulcers. It helps strengthen the digestive system.
• It helps in increasing urine output and hence may be given to the individuals who have problem of water retention.
• Helps reduce the pain during menstruation and can be used as an aid to treat dysmenorrhoea. It is also helpful as an aid in treating white discharge.
• It helps facilitate digestion and reduces nausea.
• It helps to prevent acne and foul body odour.
• It helps heal mouth ulcers if dissolved in water and gargled. It also helps strengthen teeth and gums..
• It helps increase virility and hence is described as ‘vrishya’ is ayurveda. It is proved that the essential oil present in the rose flower has aphrodisiac properties. This could be another reason why rose is associated with love.
• Rose has conducive effect on heart and hence can be given to patients suffering from various cardiac problems as ‘anupan’ with various other drugs. Gulkand acts as a catalyst and facilitates effective uptake of these  medicines by the body and thus help control various heart ailments like palpitation, arrhythmia and hypertension or high blood pressure.
• It can be used effectively to combat epistaxis (bleeding through the nose) which occurs in some children during warm season.
• It helps reduce the burning sensation of palms and sole.
• It helps reduce stress as it has calming effect on the nervous system.
• If consumed in small amount it helps reduce the frequency of motions but acts as a laxative if taken in large quantities. Hence it can be used to treat both loose motions as well as constipation.
• Other substances added in it like corals or pearls are good sources of calcium and help strengthen the bones. Small quantities of silver is also added which is potent metal to increase the intellectual capacity.
• It can be used to reduce side effects of allopathic drugs such as antibiotics, anticancer drugs etc.

The above benefits are experienced only if gulkand is consumed in a dose of 10-12 grams a day on a regular basis. The beauty of this formulation is that it is very tasty and versatile. It can be eaten as it is or with a glass of milk. It can be used to make sweet meats, milk shakes or used as a filling for cakes and pastries. You will not have to run behind the children to give them their morning dose of this refreshing summer tonic.Chances are that they will be pestering you to give them some more of it.

Only contradiction for this formulation is that people suffering from diabetes need to avoid it. Also obese people may consume this in reduced quantity.

As all know, flowers are the loveliest objects on earth. Amongst them Rose is the Queen. Rose has been used in rituals by all castes and creeds for centuries. It is used as a motif in architecture, in jewelery, pottery and embroidery. Now rose is used as a medicine for acidity and many other illness.

A small name but, solving big problems.

• Bottle gourd- Guard against diseases
• Kitchen Remidies for Acidity
• Benefits of Soy Milk
• Benefits of Ginger.
• Benefits of using Mustard in your food..

Coffee still plays a big role even today when four people meet, this drink has much more to offer than many people think. The latest revelation is that Coffee may cut risk of GOUT. And if men ever needed a reason to justify an extra cup of coffee, here it is:- four or more cups a day appear to reduce the risk of Gout, Canadian researchers said recently.

Gout is a painful joint disorder caused by a build up of Uric acid in the blood. In the past, patients suffering from Gout were asked to avoid Coffee.

A study based on a survey of 50000 men aged 40 to 75 with no history of gout was undertaken. Men were asked to drink coffee. There were men who drank decaffeinated coffee also. They also were benefitted , the researchers said, but tea appeared to have no effect. The researchers found significantly low levels of Uric acid in the blood of those who consumed large quantitities of coffee. Uric acid is the compound that caused gout.

The findings appeared to suggest that something in the coffee other than caffeine — such as a strong antioxident– may be helping to reduce the uric acid levels.

So, if you are drinking coffee already and have gout or are at a higher risk of developing gout, there is no need to reduce or stop coffee consumption.

Source: Reuters News.

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Yes, you read it right. You can lose weight with rice. Rice is a staple diet in many countries and Rice is my favorite  cereal….I cannot imagine my meals with out rice.

But lets get smarter. Switch to brown rice. Just had a yummy brown rice pulao(pilaf) with a lots of vegetables added. Brown rice has a nuttier flavour and is higher in fiber and vitamins than white rice. It is really a smart move to change all the recipes which contain white rice to brown rice. It is great for your blood sugar plus helps in weight loss…So now I have started making brown rice biryani but of course with less fat and mix of veggies and chicken but yes it requires more water and time for cooking. But its worth it.

Weight loss is due to the high content of fiber. It helps you to feel full faster hence you end up eating lesser and the vitamins present too help to fire your metabolism. Brown rice is the healthiest cereals around. Hence make the move to feel the difference in your diet.

Bring brown into your diets and enjoy a healthy carb diet.

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I have read in some of the health journals that to get relief from Acidity, there are certain Kitchen Remedies.

I understand that Acidity is a condition in which the stomach produces too much of acid of certain foods fermenting in the stomach leaving a lot of acid residue. The usual symptoms are heart burn, belching and pain in the upper part of the abdomen. These days we hear of stomach acidity very often. The remedies are:-

1) The juice of emblic myrobalan ( amlaki ) is very effective remedy for acidity. It is to be taken before meals.

2) The juice of chebulic myrobalan( Haritaki) if taken after principal meals reduces acidity in the stomach and cures it permanently.

3) Two or three cloves of garlic be chewed daily in the morning.

4) Half-ripe tomatoes are very useful in acidity.

5) Ripe Papaya fruits are very helpful for acidity

6) A few drinks of lemon juice will certainly give prompt relief, say four to five times.

7) Small pieces of onion taken with half formed sweet curds and sugar relieves the burning sensation.

All the items mentioned above are somewhere in the kitchen shelf where normally hands do not reach. So please search for them.

While on this, it is worth mentioning here for the benefit of our readers that one need not wait till the day he gets the symptoms of acidity for putting to use the above simple remedies. Whenever one feels like, he/she can take an item mentioned above and use it as a preventive measure rather than waiting for the bout and then searching for the remedy.

• Cure acidity with food
• Benefits of Gulkand
• Bottle gourd- Guard against diseases
• How to Manage Heart Burn
• Benefits of Ginger.

We are given choices to choose some of the most healthiest foods…Lets have a look at them.

1. Fresh fruit instead of juices- Fruits are rich in fiber and low on sugar and calories while fruit juices are devoid of fiber and high in sugar. Hence it is healthy to munch on a fruit than gulp juices.
2. Avocado instead of butter and margarine- Avocado is rich in good fats aka monounsaturated fats while butter is rich in saturated fats and margarine of transfats etc.
3. Multi grain bread instead of white bread- Whole grain breads are great on fiber and balance sugar levels and give the feeling of fullness and white bread is stripped of all its nutrition and has no fiber.
4. Baked potato instead of potato chips- Potato with the jacket helps to retain all its nutrients while chips are refined and deep fried and also have lots of salt.
5. Brown rice instead of white rice- brown rice is rich in fiber and is more nutritious than white rice.
6. Skimmed milk instead whole milk- Low fat milk helps to cut down on saturated fats while whole milk is rich in calories and fats.
7. Steamed rice instead of fried rice- Steamed rice helps to retain more nutrients than fried rice.
8. Lean meats instead of sausages and other processed meats- sausages are high in saturated fats while lean meats are trimmed of all the artery clogging fats.
9. Fresh fruit instead of dried fruits-Dried fruits are richer in calories compared to fruits and are lesser filling.
10. Eat more beans rather than meats- You get the protein without the calories and fats and beans have more fiber.

Making such choices choices help you to get healthy and fit….

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