Dry Fruit Ladoo Or Granola Bar – Wellavo Wellness

Bliss Ladoos: The Luteal Stage (15-28 Days Of Menstrual Cycle) 

In a pan, slow roast/cook the seeds only until they start to release their natural oils. Wait for the seeds to cool down before you grind them into a fine powder.

Step 2: In a mixing bowl, add the seed powder and the rest of the ingredients.

Step 3: Mix everything well and roll the mixture into 14-15 equally-sized balls just like ladoos. You can store them in an airtight container and eat one treat everyday as suggested.

Aids in cramps and spasms
The magnesium present in the sunflower seeds and sesame helps relax the blood vessels. The calcium in the body bonds with other compounds and results in blood vessel contractions. The usual muscle spasms and cramps are a signal to you that your magnesium levels in your body are low.

Building blocks of UR body
Sesame seeds are rich in vitamin B. The various versions of this vitamin helps in body metabolism, digestion, increase blood level, and more. If this vitamin is absent from the body, we are susceptible to health issues like anaemia, muscle weakness, muscle coordination, mouth ulcers and poor absorption of nutrients.

Chia seeds help increase satiety and result in decreased calorie intake. This might be indirectly beneficial for weight loss. When chia seeds are coupled with healthy dietary and lifestyle changes, chia seeds can definitely help those wanting to watch their waist by regulating their meals and helping them stay satiated for a longer period.

Did you know that sunflower seeds are technically a fruit of the sunflower plant?

Sunflower seeds have an exceptionally high concentration of vitamin E and selenium. These compounds protect the cells of your body from free radical damage and protect you from several chronic diseases.

Vitamin B1 (thiamine extract) and electrolytes in sunflower seeds can provide vast quantities of energy in the body to keep it agile and active.The magnesium content in the seeds help push toxins out of our body and detox naturally.

Sesame seeds

Contain high methionine and cysteine compounds that help with muscle and tissue growth in the body. Compounds like lignans, vitamin E and other antioxidants in sesame seeds can prevent plaque build-up in the arteries and protect you from fluctuating blood pressure.
For Luteal Phase: (Second half of menstrual cycle)

Ease: 5
Cooking time: 15
Approx cost: 200

Nutritive Value
Calories: 159.4
Carbs: 5.3
Protein: 5.8
Fats: 13.2
Fibre: 3.8

Ingredients
Sunflower seeds: 1 cup
Sesame seeds: 1 cup
Organic almond butter or peanut butter: 1/2 cup
Chia seeds: 2 tbsp
Date syrup: 2 tbsp
Dairy-free milk: 1/4 cup

Method:
Step 1:

Beetroot Pachadi 

Wash, peel and grate the beetroot. In a pan, add oil, , chana dal, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, urad dal and dry red chillies and fry them until they turn golden brown. Remove them from the pan, and keep them aside.

Ease: 5
Approximate cost: INR 50
Serving size: 6
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Nutritive value (per serving)

Energy: 267 Kcal
Carbs: 20.2g
Protein: 9.2g
Fat: 15.8g
Fibre: 10.9g

Ingredients
● Beetroot – 500 gms
● Dry red chilli – 10
● Urad Dal – 5 tbsp
● Chana Dal – 5 tbsp
● Coriander seeds – 3 tbsp
● Mustard seeds – 3 tbsp
● Cumin seeds- 1 tbsp
● Garlic – 10 pieces
● A small ball of tamarind
● Oil – 5 tbsp or as per taste
● Salt as per taste

Preparation

Step 1: Wash, peel and grate the beetroot. In a pan, add oil, , chana dal, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, urad dal and dry red chillies and fry them until they turn golden brown. Remove them from the pan, and keep them aside.

Step 2: In the same pan, add beetroot, salt and tamarind and fry it for 10- 12 minutes on low flame, while stirring the beetroot frequently.

Step 3: Now blend urad dal, chana dal, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and dry red chillies into a fine powder in a mixer.

Step 4: Add beetroot, garlic and tamarind, with the powdered spices and blend until it turns into a rich puree/paste. Your beetroot pachadi is now ready to be served. Pair UR beetroot pachadi with ghee rice and dal or use the pachadi as a spread on a sandwich.

Unbelievable Effects Of Food Combinations 

There are so many diets out there with food ‘rules’ that are sometimes very demanding and difficult to keep up with. One needs to remember, what’s most important is eating the three macronutrients in our routine diet which include; carbohydrates, protein and fats to have an efficient gut microbiota. ‘Food Combining’ these three major nutrients help one make their gut work at an optimum level.
What Is Food Combining?
Food combining is deeply rooted in Ayurvedic Medicine which is considered by many to be one of the most holistic ways of working with your gut. Another application of food combining came into play in the 1920s, when a physician named William Howard Hay, who adapted and viewed this practice with a medical perspective. The Hay Diet was known for using food to heal and achieve optimum health. Current food combining methods have combined Ayurveda and The Hay Diet principles to make it more appealing to the masses and your gut.
These principles believe that specific food combinations don’t work well with your gut. For example, when fish is combined with yogurt or when milk is combined with vegetables. But, the science of nutrition thinks otherwise; it propagates in making your gut stronger and healthy with a lot of pre and probiotics. Your gut is basically designed to digest anything, but some food combinations can work well for few people and have opposite results for others. Many don’t respond well to certain combinations and can feel sick when they mix various food combinations.
Even though some combinations may sound a bit bizarre at first, like apple, lemon juice and yogurt, but surprisingly, this recipe works in favour of your gut. This recipe has like a cooling effect for UR gut and also makes your system more alkaline by dropping the acidic levels.
Ideal Food Combinations:

Turmeric and ghee
Almond and yogurt
Hard-boiled egg and green salad

Can people feel when something is not working with their body? What do you recommend for them?
It’s completely normal and natural for anyone to instantaneously feel a reaction when they eat something that doesn’t suit their gut. They may feel bloated, sick or maybe have an allergic reaction. That’s why I always ask my clients for feedback after every diet I recommend. I do this to ensure if the diet is suiting their gut and body. I start by asking them a series of questions to understand them better and this is why what I prescribe is different for every individual.
I have various packages for instance; a 12-diet package or a 24- diet package and at times, I have clients requesting me to share all the diet plans together; this is where I chime in and help them understand that this process doesn’t work in such a manner, no matter what your end goal is. Only after I get a client’s feedback, do I know how their body functions and then I create a plan which is nutritional without causing any discomfort. Until and unless my clients tell me what is happening in their body, I am not able to formulate the next plan.
An individual’s body changes with age. There are certain immunoglobulins and allergens that keep changing in the body, so one may realize that suddenly at 50 you may not be able to digest milk easily, or at 45 gluten causes you to bloat up. Whether you might’ve had milk or eaten chapattis your entire life, you wake up one day feeling uncomfortable. That’s because, allergens change with age and hormones. These changes frequently happen with women due to their changing hormone levels. Hence, it is even more vital for us as women to listen to our body and understand the changes it undergoes with age, food preferences and lifestyle choices.
A detailed feedback helps me understand my clients progress levels, current nutrient absorption rate and food reactions which helps me to personalise their diet.
Results and improvement don’t happen overnight. Working collectively with your nutritionist or dietician will help you improve UR overall well-being.

Chocolate Chip Bar With Peanut Butter & Apple Sauce 

Preheat the oven to 180℃. Whisk the apple sauce and peanut butter in a bowl until the mixture is smooth.

Chocolate Chip Bar With Peanut Butter & Apple Sauce
Ease: 5
Approximate cost: INR 200
Serving size: 16
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Nutritive value

Energy: 146.53Kcal
Carbs: 14.98g
Protein: 3.74g
Fat: 9.4g
Fibre: 1.39g

Ingredients

For sauce

Apple sauce: 90g
Peanut butter: 200g

For the chocolate chip bar

Honey: 130g
Chocolate chips: 70g
Almond powder: 35g
Cocoa powder: 15g
Baking soda: 1 ½ tsp
A pinch of salt
Milk as required

Preparation

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 180℃. Whisk the apple sauce and peanut butter in a bowl until the mixture is smooth.

Step 2: Add all the remaining ingredients and whisk, until the batter is mixed thoroughly without any lumps. If the mixture doesn’t resemble a thick brownie batter, keep adding one tablespoon of milk at a time until it becomes a thick brownie batter.

Step 3: Scoop and spoon the batter into an 8-inch baking pan lined with butter paper. Take a  spoon to smoothen the top layer of the batter. Place the dish in the centre of the preheated oven and bake it for 20-25 minutes. You can check if the cake is fully cooked by inserting a skewer into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean with a few moist crumbs this means it’s fully cooked.

Step 4: Remove the cake from the oven and set it aside for 1-2 hours to let the cake become firm. After the cake is a bit firm, cut it into 16 bars and serve.

The Protein Bubble 

In a time where information is a click away, we find ourselves drowning with a little too much of it, especially when it comes to food, fitness and nutrition. And protein seems to be in the centre of it all.
Let’s help you cut through the clutter and clear the fog a bit! 20% of our body is made up of protein. But the body doesn’t store this protein, and it needs to be replenished each day through our diet.

The most frequently asked question is – Am I having enough protein or am I taking in too much? More often than not, it’s always the first one we need to look out for.

Indian vegetarian diets are equally excellent sources of amino acids and proteins, BUT that is if we have it in the right combinations and portions. To make pulses complete we need to combine it with cereals or nuts, for example, dal chawal, hummus and pita or corn tortillas with beans gives you the complete protein and all the essential amino acids UR body needs. But most people on carb-free diets lose out on the essential proteins that the body needs.

“I’ve got 99 problems
And protein ain’t one!”

As the Simple saying goes … let lack of protein not be a UR problem, and this is how you can tell if it is. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Each of these signs is associated with an essential amino acid/s deficiency.

1. Unexplained hunger and increased appetite: the craving that something sweet at night or increased munching in between meals? Blame it on the amino acids – tryptophan and phenylalanine! Believe it not when our bodies are protein deficient, they respond by making us feel hungrier than usual, leading to an increase in caloric intake and sugar cravings.

2. Low immunity: Falling sick too often, runny nose, regular headaches? Lysine, histidine and Isoleucine are the amino acids that boost our immunity and protect our bodies from viruses—deficiency of these compromises our body’s ability to fight off infections.

3. Losing muscle mass, weakness & fatigue: when “dieting” we often get super excited to see those kilos coming off too quickly. One week of reducing protein from our diet can lead to a loss in muscle weight, affects our posture and movement. Branched-chain Amino acids (BCAA) – valine, leucine and Isoleucine stimulate our muscle growth and regeneration. They also release energy that helps in protein synthesis and muscle repair. That’s why we must rehydrate our muscle with protein pre & post workouts. Did you know that sore muscles and unusual aches, and joint pains are one of the 1st signs of low protein? BCAA’s not only regulate UR blood sugar but also help in wound healing.

4. Hair fall, brittle nails & ageing skin: Our hair, nails and skin are made up of proteins like elastin, collagen and keratin. The amino acid threonine is a principal part of collagen and elastin. Methionine plays its part in detoxification and tissue growth. When our body is running low on protein, our hair loses its lustrous volume, the skin doesn’t feel like a taunt and young, and our nails are much softer and brittle. Want that glowing skin with thick healthy hair? Add some more protein in UR diet.

5. Mood swings and lack of sleep: we all blame our mood swings on fluctuating hormones. There is some truth there, but did you ever think that proteins play a role in hormone levels and energy production? Tryptophan is linked to drowsiness and helps in production of serotonin, which regulates our appetite, sleep and mood. Histidine, another essential amino acid controls our digestion, sexual function and sleep-wake cycles.

*Fun Fact: How many of us have had our grandmother tell us –
Have “Haldi wala doodh” before bedtime?”
There is more science than love behind this – casein a milk protein is a slow-digesting protein, best had before bed as it keeps you stocked up while sleeping and slowly releases protein into the body.

So my friend, “When life gives you lemons, You ask for something higher in protein!”

Budget Friendly South Indian Vegan Menu 

Shiny Surendran MSc, Grad Dip Sports Nutrition (Intl Olympic Committee), Accredited Sports Dietitian – Sports Dietitians Australia, Level 2 Kinanthropometrist – ISAK, New Zealand

Once you’ve opted to go on a plant-based diet, you need to ask yourself what sort of food you would like to concentrate on. After all, the Vegan Food Pyramid is entirely different from the traditional one we’ve followed all along. Despite being a scarce diet in India, many parts of the country are a vegan refuge. There are many dishes that are completely vegan, like the scrumptious coconut curries of Kerala, to delicious dals in all its forms. It isn’t challenging to obtain vegan food in India with some planning. Since we are still amidst a pandemic, and can’t risk eating out once a weekend just yet! What you can try to do is to cook with the best of ingredients within UR budget!

In general, vegan meals are prepared on a daily basis and contain fresh ingredients from local markets, which also helps contribute to UR local farmers, promote sustainable living and caters to UR palate and diet! Our nutrition experts, Shiny Surendran and Dr Lakshmi K share a few tips and South Indian meals options that are easy to follow, budget-friendly and offer a variety of dishes to choose from. This vegan menu guide and diet are sure to do wonders for you. Thank us later!

How To Overcome Hurdles of Not Finding Vegan Food While Eating Out

There are a variety of precautions that need to be taken to ensure that UR food is free of any animal products. India produces and consumes a great deal of milk and can grow up unexpectedly. The secret to success is to have some knowledge of the Indian diet and how it varies in various regions. As a result, with a little pre-planning, it’s indeed generally possible to adopt a plant-based diet in India without too much trouble. It’s really imperative for you to read the nutritional labels on every product UR buying—source localized food from UR locality and support UR local farmers.

Vegan Foods
Jowar
Tofu
Brown rice
Almond
Bajra
Oat milk
Buckwheat
Almond milk
Chana Dal
Olive Oil
Moong Dal
Peanut butter
Toovar Dal
Almond butter
Besan
Moong
Dals and pulses
Chana
All vegetables & fruits
Mixed sprouts
Coconut oil
All vegetable oils
Coconut butter
Jaggery
Mushroom
Corn
Breakfast cereals
Ragi
Millets
Quinoa
Plain flour
Corn flour

You can use these vegan options in combinations with an array of spices which enhance the flavours of every ingredient.

South Indian Vegan Diet Curated By Dr Lakshmi K. – PhD in Food Science & Nutrition ( University of Georgia, USA)

Timings
Mon/Wed/Fri
Tue/Thurs/Sat
Early morning
1 glass of warm water with half a tsp of lemon juice and half tsp of honey
Glass of warm water + a pinch of turmeric with 2-3 drops lemon juice + 1/2 tsp honey
Breakfast
Oats Carrot idli + coconut chutney or lentil dosa/pesarattu + flax seeds karam podi + sambar
Oats upma with mixed veggies or Ragi dosa with tomato chutney
Mid morning
ABC smoothie (apple + beetroot + carrot)
Green smoothie (Spinach + 1/2 banana + 1 tsp wheatgrass powder + green apple with water or almond milk
Lunch
Millets khichdi or millet bisi bele bath with 1tsp ghee
Thakkali Sadam with brown rice + coconut yogurt
Evening snack
Sprouts salad with green tea
Black chana chaat with black coffee
Dinner
1 cup of spinach soup + jowar roti + one cup veg curry
Dalia upma with carrots, spinach and peas
Post-Dinner snack
1 apple with almond butter + chamomile tea
Sunflower or pumpkin seeds + Turmeric/saffron tea

*Tip: Hydrate yourself throughout the day. If you don’t like drinking water, then you can drink infused water with chia seeds and lemon slices or mint and cucumber.

Following our vegan diet/menu will help you outline UR meals throughout the week and also won’t let you stray from UR vegan diet! Opting to go vegan is beneficial for the planet and helps our local farmers too. It pushes progressive practices which can, in turn, better our health and overall well-being. These meals are not only easy to make but budget-friendly as well! Moreover, all the ingredients are readily available. So give this menu a try and let us know how it works for you!