3 HEALTHY BREAKFASTS THAT MAKE YOUR BUSY MORNINGS DELICIOUS

We all know that mornings are breathlessly busy. The plans made up on the night before somehow fail either because of the missing vegetables or the clock ticking way too fast. And, this is how the ready-mix breakfasts have entered our lives. They take just a few minutes to prepare, but the point everyone misses is that they are designed to be cheap, tasty and non-perishable, but not healthy. Named as Convenience Foods, they use corn syrup to make a product taste sweet, use salt to add flavor and the trans-fat usually present in these products make them non-perishable. It’s doesn’t take a lot of logic to conclude that  of these ingredients are undoubtedly inorganic and unhealthy.

Everyone is slowly realizing the options of healthy foods, thanks to the internet. Don’t fall behind others in terms of health-consciousness. New varieties of breakfast cereals are now replacing the shelves of ready-made mixes. A few healthy, organic breakfast cereals that fall under the category of ‘quickie food’ and are also health-boosters are here. One of these is Upma, which is a South-Indian favorite. These organic upma varieties are sure to enthrall your taste-buds:

Sooji Rawa Upma Mix
Sooji is a coarsely ground durum wheat, a variety of hard wheat. It has a great taste and a crunchy texture. It has a low glycemic index (GI) and is an ideal food that helps with weight loss. One of the best features of Sooji is that it is low on fat and high on carbohydrates. It is also an energy-booster, which makes an ideal breakfast for an active day. It has a good combination of vital vitamins, minerals making it a balanced diet. Most, importantly, it boosts the immunity system. A morning could never get any better when combined a SoojiRawa Upma Mix with a steaming coffee.

Wheat Daliya Upma Mix
Daliya is cracked/broken wheat obtained by milling whole kernels roughly. It is usually the next step after its clean-up and husking and hence it is considered as just another form of wheat with all nutrients intact. A cup of Wheat DaliyaUpma, everyday lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol and high blood pressure by nearly about 21 percent. Daliya is said to have the essential minerals that activate enzymes in our body. So, it is a great source to prevent the attack of type 2 diabetes by 30 percent. Try Daliya Upma with a dollop of coconut chutney, and see it how it melts in your mouth.

Foxtail Millets Upma Mix

Foxtail Millets is the showstopper among all the healthy foods. It has all the qualities of above mentioned grains. Additionally it is known to reduce the effects of migraine and heart attack. It has a special mineral that calms the mood of the consumer. It covers for the missing proteins in a vegetarian’s diet. Foxtail Millets is a superfood and a smart carb with lots of fiber and fewer sugars. Foxtail Millets Upma with organic green tea as a side drink would make your day perfect.

Organic ready-mix breakfast cereals are a boon for the this generation. All the ingredients are organically produced, processed and packed unlike the convenience foods, which completely shoves aside the concept of healthy food. Convenience foods are expensive, high in calories, fat, sugar and salt which are difficult to control once the standard levels are crossed. Choose the healthy way of life with healthy breakfast choices.

Benefits Of Brown Rice Over White Rice?

A day doesn’t pass in India without rice in at least one meal. People have always included two varieties of food in their meal: chapatti/roti and white rice. As time passed by, the good old healthier options like brown rice, millets have gained back their rightful place on our plates. And today like never before, health-nazis in India have switched to these healthier food versions. One such superfood is ‘Brown Rice.’

So, what differentiates brown rice from usual white rice? Is it the appearance? Yes, but there is more than meets the eye. To start with, it is the process of making. To make brown rice, the outer layer or the hull of the kernel is removed, retaining the nutritional value. And further milling and polishing of brown rice to remove bran and germ layers, produces white rice reducing all the vitamins and nutrients by more than half. Fully polished rice needs to be “enriched” with the lacking vitamins and minerals. A cup of organic brown rice contains 88 per cent of manganese, 27.3 per cent of selenium, 20.9 per cent of magnesium, 18.7 per cent of tryptophan and only 12 per cent calories.

Nutrients in Brown Rice

·         Manganese: Produces protein and carbohydrates which are the energy boosters and it also acts an antioxidant.

·         Fiber: Minimizes the risk of colon cancer

·         Selenium: Powerful antioxidant. Helps in the prevention of cancer, heart disease, and for decreasing the symptoms of asthma and the pain and inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis.

·         Lignans: A Phytonutrient that protects you from breast and other hormone-dependent cancers as well as heart disease.

Health Benefits of Brown Rice:

·         Promotes Weight Loss: Weight gain is inversely related to the intake of high-fiber, whole-grains. According to Harvard Medical School / Brigham and Women’s Hospital study, those consuming whole grains were 49% less likely to gain weight compared to those eating foods made from refined grains.

·         Lower Cholesterol Levels: The oil in whole brown rice lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol.

·         Cardiovascular Benefits: Consumption of brown rice at least 6 times each week is good for postmenopausal women with high cholesterol, high blood pressure or other signs of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

·         Lowers the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: According to survey of Harvard School of Public Health eating two or more servings of brown rice weekly seems to be associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. On the other hand, they report, eating five or more servings of white rice per week is associated with an increased risk.

Just not this, brown rice also reduces the risk of metabolic syndrome, reduces constipation, prevents gallstones, prevents childhood asthma and has many more benefits. India’s Leading Holistic Health Guru, Mickey Mehta too agrees with us saying, “Like wheat, brown rice is also a type of whole-grain. Organically grown wild brown rice is the best as it is packed with all the essential nutrients and vitamins.”

To pave the path of healthier India, let’s switch to Organic Brown Rice!