10 facts: About understanding our relationship with food 🍲

1. In general, you can either have a good relationship with food or a challenging one. A positive or a good relationship with food means that you allow yourself to enjoy any food you love, regardless of whether it is labelled as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ based on its nutritional value or calorie content. Conversely, a challenging relationship with food involves restrictions, such as stressing over certain food items you’re uncomfortable with, tracking your calorie intake obsessively, ignoring your hunger cues, overeating, and experiencing feelings of guilt or shame related to your eating habits.

2.Before recognising your relationship with food, it is important to understand that humans have a deeper relationship with food rather than a simple fuel-providing medium. Unlike animals, human preferences for food depend on a variety of factors like cultural, traditional, regional, socialisation, pleasure, comfort, simplicity, childhood memories, and nutritional content. The food preferences and choices are transient and may change many times during a lifetime. Once an individual understands how the food is grown, sourced, and reaches the table, he/she learn to appreciate and develop a healthy relationship with the food.

3. A good relationship with food can be having a comfort level, not stressing out, eating in moderation, being open about all types of food and not allowing it to control your life. The signs of having a good relationship with food can be:

• You are enjoying while eating.

• You stop eating once you feel full and satiated.

• You respect your hunger cues.

• You don’t overeat but instead eat in moderation.

• You don’t count your calories while eating and are obsessed with the numbers on the weighing scale.

• You are open to all kinds of food as per your preferences.

• You don’t allow others to opine about your food choices.

• You understand that your food choices do not define you as a person.

• You love to eat food that you enjoy the most.

4. Having a bad or, rather, difficult relationship with food can be stressful. Some of the signs of a bad/ difficult relationship with food can be:

• You have a restricted and limiting approach towards food.

• You don’t respect natural hunger cues.

• You have a history of crash dieting, trying to follow all fad diet food trends.

• You are very concerned and stressed out about the list of foods that you can or cannot eat.

• You have a feeling of guilt or shame for eating.

• You feel stressed to eat in the social circuit as other people may notice you about your food choices.

• You either starve yourself or overeat. Either way, you are not comfortable and happy.

5. Learning to develop a good relationship with food is an ongoing process. It takes a lot of patience, time and self-empathy. Allowing yourself to welcome small changes, day by day, not being judgmental, learning to enjoy and taking pleasure while eating. The food choices are not just part of routine practices, but deep-rooted in our genes, following a certain culture, which is not wrong. A good and healthy relationship with food means being open to trying new food, seeing food beyond the caloric scale, and not always judging your value as a person through your food choices. Allowing yourself food freedom.

6. Eating when hungry: It is important to understand your body’s natural signals of hunger rather than eating unnecessarily. Our body has a natural ability to metabolise the food that has been eaten, starting the process of absorption of necessary nutrients, cleaning the dead cells and releasing the roughage. In other words, the body has a natural cleaning process called autophagy. Normally, in the daytime, the body takes around a 5-6 hour gap before you experience hunger again. It is important to avoid certain habits which can prove to be harmful to health and damage our relationship with food in the long run:

• Eating while stressing out about something as a distraction has become common.

•Binging while watching TV or watching a film.

• Gorging and overeating while attending a party or buffet.

• Eating while attending a meeting or taking a flight.

• Eating or having beverages throughout the day becomes very normal in today’s time, as food is available all the time and everywhere.

7. Stress and eating behaviour: Stress can be any kind of stimulus that is perceived by the individual as stressful. Several studies have shown that stress can result in irregular eating behavior, altered eating preferences, and even alter the perception of pleasure from food. Research has shown that 40-70% of people suffering from stress can result in overeating, which can prove to be a calming process, irrespective of their physiological hunger. Whereas some 60-30% people can result in a reduction of food intake or develop a repulsion towards food. In today’s time, some people are so concerned about caloric counting and weighing scales that they develop a restricted approach towards food, where eating becomes a difficult task. Some people follow a crash diet, keeping up the dieting trends; eating becomes a burden rather than a physiological need.

8. Mindfulness: When it comes to developing a good relationship with food, there are no right or wrong answers. Food is not just a source of fuel, but your culture, habit, individual taste, memories, joy, and health, on which you plan your meals and eating preferences. If you are cooking yourself, learn to ritualise the process, enjoying every step from selecting the food ingredients, cleaning, cutting, sizzling, bubbling, until the food finally comes to life. In fact, cooking is a routine activity where you can practise mindfulness and integrate meditation. According to Buddhism, an ordinary person can practise mindfulness in everyday activities like cooking, cleaning, eating, and doing dishes, which are powerful activities where you are aware of the present moment and completely engrossed in it, instead of doing some extraordinary activities or sitting hours on meditation.

9.Mindful Eating: Practicing mindful eating can be a powerful way to develop a healthy relationship with food. When you eat, focus completely on the activity, staying in the present moment without distractions from your phone, TV, or anything else. Chew slowly and thoroughly before swallowing to enhance the digestion process. By fully engaging with your meal, you can enjoy your food more, appreciate what you’re eating, and better understand your choices. This practice allows you to tune into your body’s natural hunger and fullness signals. Initially, it may be challenging since many of us are accustomed to mindless eating. However, over time, this approach can become a habit that contributes to your overall well-being.

10.Improving your relationship with food is an ongoing process and is essential for overall health and well-being. First and foremost, it is important to value yourself as an individual. Learn to practice self-compassion, respect your uniqueness, and separate your eating habits and choices from your self-worth. Here are some small steps and changes you can make to enhance your relationship with food:

• Listening to your body, identifying your natural physical hunger cues rather than emotional hunger.

• Avoid labelling food as “bad” or “good”. Instead, focus on eating in moderation and respecting your food preferences and choices. All food can fit in a healthy lifestyle if eaten in moderation and with routine physical activity.

• Avoid impulsive eating behaviour and focus on intuitive eating.

• Stop watching the social media food trends and diets, as well as the weighing scale.

• Focus on mindful eating and practice mindfulness.

• Never relate food to a stress buster or use food as a reward or punishment.

• Though food is a source of nourishment to our body, but it gives us moments of pleasure too, through our eating experience. So, food choices should be always our own and not looking at another’s plate.

10 facts: Is hojicha tea ☕️ healthier than matcha 🍵?

1. Hojicha tea has become a popular trend online, but what exactly is it? Hojicha is a type of Japanese green tea made from bancha, sencha, and kukicha leaves that are roasted at high temperatures and then ground into a fine powder. This roasting process gives hojicha its characteristic light brown colour and toasty flavour, although it also means that some of its antioxidant properties are diminished. Despite this, hojicha still contains beneficial compounds such as L-theanine, catechins, and polyphenols, which can help lower cholesterol levels, particularly LDL, and improve blood circulation. Additionally, the roasting method enhances the presence of pyrazines, which have a calming effect on the brain and nervous system.

2. Hojicha has become quite popular in recent times, mainly because of its low caffeine content, flavour, taste and calming effect on the nervous system. Hojicha tea is distinctive from other varieties of green teas as it is a mixture of leaves, twigs, and stems of the tea plant, which are roasted at a high temperature of 150 C. Due to roasting, it has a light brown colour, nutty taste and toasty flavour, unlike the vegetative tone of other green teas.

3. It has gained popularity in recent times due to its low caffeine content, which is milder than that of other green teas. So, it is quite safe for children as well as the elderly. In Japan, it is mostly an after-meal tea, in the evening, which has a calming effect on the nervous system, brain, reduces anxiety, stress and ensures a good night’s sleep. Hojicha infusion is quite popular as it is often used in smoothies and yoghurt.

4. Though hojicha tea has a great taste and flavour, as far as health benefits are concerned, matcha is still healthier than hojicha because of its rich, concentrated properties of antioxidants. Matcha is a rich source of chlorophyll, L-theanine, polyphenols, catechins and natural caffeine. Compared to hojicha, matcha has a great amount of health benefits like preventing cellular damage, reducing inflammation, supporting brain health, heart health, liver health, improving brain function, help prevent cancer and promote weight loss.

5. Like matcha, hojicha does contain anti-oxidants and amino acids, but in significantly less quantity as compared to matcha, which is made from tencha raw leaves, not stems or twigs, which are ground into fine powder. On the other hand, matcha is rich in chlorophyll, which helps in liver detoxification and flushes out toxins from the body. Due to the presence of natural caffeine, which is quite high in matcha, it can be stimulating to the nervous system rather than calming. Too much drinking of matcha can lead to high caffeine intake, which can sometimes cause heart palpitations.

6. Hojicha contain a compound, Pyrazine, unlike matcha, which is formed due to the roasting process. Pyrazine gives a distinctive toasty flavour and scent to hojicha, which allows a pleasant aroma just like brewing coffee. Some of the health benefits of pyrazine:

• Calming and relaxation effect due to balance in the nervous system.

• Improving the quality of sleep due to low caffeine content.

• Improving blood flow in the body due to the vasodilator effect of pyrazine.

• GABA secretion is improved in the brain, which helps in reducing anxiety and depression.

• Promote skin health by improving skin hydration.

7. In addition to the above benefits, due to the presence of antioxidants, hojicha tea has other health benefits, such as:

• Improves digestion by promoting metabolism

• Reduces inflammation, especially in arthritis, by lowering pain and swelling

• Strengthen the immune system and prevent cold and cough

• Promote heart health by enhancing blood flow and lowering blood pressure

• Improves oral hygiene due to anti-bacterial properties

8. Unlike matcha, which has a raw, grassy and slightly bitter taste, hojicha has a nutty taste, toasty flavour and is not bitter. Therefore, it can be used in various ways:

• Extensive use as beverages, lattes, smoothies, and milk teas.

• Baking dishes like cake, cookies, macarons, and mochi

•Ice cream, frozen treats

• Savoury dishes, meat, pastas, roasted veggies.

9. Traditionally, in Japan, hojicha is used as evening tea as it has a low caffeine content and has a calming effect on the nervous system and aids in metabolism. It helps to improve good quality sleep. It also has a warming effect due to enhanced blood flow, and so it is ideal for nighttime. Since it has a sweet, nutty flavour, it has become very popular for its uses in a wide variety of desserts, puddings, cocktails, and beverages. Commercially, hojicha tea is available everywhere in supermarkets and malls due to its demand, taste and benefits.

10. Hojicha has received global recognition for its versatility and uniqueness in taste and flavour. Like brewing coffee, it has a distinctive toasty aroma which is very inviting. On top of it, hojicha has low caffeine content, a variety of uses, making it popular among all age groups, including children. It has a natural sweetness, so using it as an ingredient in dishes requires less sugar. It tastes great in savoury dishes too. Overall, it’s a hit among the masses.

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Wordless Wednesday 🍃

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10 facts on the link between poor gut health and hormonal irregularities ✋

1. Poor gut health means poor metabolism, microbiome irregularities, digestive issues, chronic inflammation, built-up toxins, elevation of cortisol and hormonal issues. Therefore, a weak gut health profoundly affects the endocrine ecosystem. On the other hand, studies have confirmed that gut microbiota can be influenced by the hormonal environment. Some studies suggest that there is a connection between gut microbiome and sex-related diseases like polycystic ovarian disease, post-menopausal osteoporosis, ovarian cancer and type-1 diabetes.

2. The gut microbiome normally maintains and regulates digestion, nutrient absorption, immune protection and hormonal regulation. In fact, a balanced gut microbiome is the key element in stabilizing hormones like oestrogen, cortisol, and insulin. When the gut microbiome and its ecosystem are in balance :

• Digestion is smooth

• Hormones are regulated

• Inflammation is low

• Mood and energy are improved

• The estrogen level is stable

3. Trouble arises when the gut microbiome goes out of balance and gut health is disturbed; the hormonal health is impacted as well. The common issues may appear:

• Body weight may fluctuate

• Estrogen levels may shoot up

• Other hormone levels may fluctuate rapidly

• Sugar cravings increase

• Toxin levels may rise

• Hair fall

• Irregular periods

• Trouble sleeping

Gut microbes

4. The gut microbiome and oestrogen link: A special group of gut microbiome named estrobolome maintains and regulates the oestrogen cycle in the body. The bacterium helps to clear out the excess oestrogen from the body and maintain the menstrual cycle:

When estrobolome functions properly,

• Menstrual cycle remains regular

• The oestrogen level is regulated

• PMS remain under control

• Acne and skin issues are absent

• Bloating and gas issues are nil

When estrobolome is unhealthy,

• Estrogen levels imbalances

• Instead of clearing, the oestrogen recirculates in the body

• Acne, bloating, and gas issues may arise

5. When gut health is optimised, the estrobolome produces enzymes like betaglucoronides which not only metabolise and maintain the optimal levels of oestrogen, but also help in breaking complex carbohydrates, absorption of bilirubins and flavonoids. Oestrogens are basically produced by the female ovaries and adrenal glands. In women, the hormone plays an important role in reproductive functions, regulating body fat, maintaining heart health, bone health and brain health. In men, this hormone helps to maintain libido and the maturation of sperm.

6. PCOS linked to gut health: Many women who suffer from PCOS usually have gut health issues, including slower metabolism and chronic inflammation. Other issues which are commonly seen are:

• Blaoting, gas issues

• Irregular digestion

• Sugar cravings• High insulin levels

• Depressions, mood swings

• Low energy

• Irregular periods

• Skin issues, acne

7. Holistic health approach: To maintain stability and balance between gut health and hormonal balance, changing lifestyle habits, nutritional habits, and daily physical activity are the major steps towards this goal. Developing routine habits includes:

• Changing nutritional habits to whole foods.

• Timely eating habits

• Manage routine stress

• Mindfullness

• Breathing techniques like Pranayama

• Regular physical activity

• Maintaining a sleep routine

• Avoid the intake of unnecessary antibiotics

8. Nutrition plays a significant role in shaping gut health and maintaining hormonal stability. The important steps are:

• Completely avoiding processed, junk, refined and sugary foods

• Maintaining hydration, drinking plenty of water

• Focus on whole grains, lentils, beans

• High-fibre vegetables

• Fermented foods

• Omega-3 rich foods

• Herbal teas

• Fresh fruits

Curd

9. Probiotics/Prebiotics: Both probiotic and prebiotic foods strengthen gut health and support hormonal health. When consumed routinely, it significantly impacts digestion, slows down inflammation, improves sleep, and helps in managing PMS and PCOS in women.

•Probiotics like fermented food, such as pickled vegetables, kombucha, kefir and curds.

•Prebiotics include whole grains, onions, garlic, and bananas.

10. The major takeaways in optimising gut health and maintaining hormonal balance are:

• Always be careful what you put into your body. Food not only curbs our hunger but they feed our cells.

• Routine exercise helps in the detoxification of the liver and reduces daily cortisol levels, regulate the levels of sex hormones. Activities like Yoga, mindfulness practises, and breathing exercises maintain an optimal environment for the balance of the gut-hormone axis.

• Curbing smoking and limiting alcohol can prevent toxins from building up, supporting the liver in the detoxification process, which is crucial for endocrine health.

• Avoiding unnecessary antibiotics as they can disturb the ecology of the gut microbiome and disrupt its functions.

Thanks for reading.

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Happy New year 2026 🙌

So grateful as 2026 is approaching ! Here’s a New Year for fresh start, new opportunities and abundant hope to build our dreams. A new chapter of growth, self discovery and unforgettable experiences and memories to celebrate.

Here’s wishing to all my lovely bloggers, a year filled with great opportunities, endless happiness, great health and beautiful moments to cherish. Have a wonderful and blessed New Year 2026 !

Peace and blessings 🙏

10 facts behind this human behaviour: Why act of cleaning is deeply satisfying?

1. Organizing or cleaning your space, room, or home isn’t about tidiness, but being in control of a world that feels otherwise uncontrollable. It’s about a mental state with clarity, being organized and being at peace with oneself. Psychologically, the environment we live in reflects our mental state. In a world full of everyday stress, chaos, and overwhelming uncertainties, cleaning becomes a tool, a therapy to make ourselves feel organised, meaningful and at peace. Clearly, this act can help reduce stress hormones and release endorphins, which can lift the mood.

2. Many people, even after a stressful day, have a habit of cleaning and tidying their stuff after reaching home or their living space. Psychologically, when emotions are overwhelming and stressful, our brain tries to do things which are tangible, grounding, and clarifying, which makes us feel more in control. These actions give the brain a sense of relief and stability, an escape in an otherwise uncontrollable world.

3. In the brain, activities like reorganising the bookshelf, arranging the office table, cleaning and tidying the home, folding clothes in the closets, cleaning the kitchen, washing the dishes, vacuuming the floor stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, the reward system, releasing dopamine, the happy hormone. These small acts instantly feel rewarding, light and happy. A tidy living space, home, or office gives the subconscious mind a feeling of security, stability, and organization.

4. Psychologically, on the flip side, a disorganised, messed-up space gives the mind a sense of cluttered thoughts, incoherence, ambiguity, confusion and anxiety. In an already stressful, loud world, you feel more overwhelmed, stressed, where things and people are unpredictable, uncertain and reactive. So, for a change, cleaning, organising, and rearranging makes people feel instantly happy, stable, predictable and certain.

5. Research shows that a cluttered, anxious, stressful mind raises the cortisol hormone. On the other hand, the environment we live in reflects our mental state. So, a messy, cluttered space clearly affects our mental state. The subconscious mind feels confused, lacks clarity, and is incoherent in a disorganised space. So, rearranging the room, furniture, things, clothes, books gives an instant emotional high, certainty and sense of control. The truth is, cleaning isn’t about habit, it’s about emotional regulation, choosing to change the emotional responses of stress, anxiety, chaos to stability, calmness and clarity.

6. Emotional regulation, by definition, is the ability to regulate our emotional responses from a state of uncontrolled, overwhelming situation by making behavioural changes with a healthy coping mechanism to a state of emotional grounding, stability and a sense of control. Examples of emotional regulation are deep breathing, going for a walk, journaling, light exercise and doing tasks like rearranging the books, furniture, cleaning the kitchen, doing the dishes and so on. It’s the ability to change a negative situation’s impact to a more productive and fulfilling one.

7. The strategies of emotional regulation can be summed up as :

• Recognise: Identifying the emotions like anger, anxiety, ambiguity and incoherence.

• Respond: instead of reacting negatively, changing the situation’s impact to a more productive, controlled and tangible behaviour like going for a short walk, rearranging the books on the shelf, cleaning the mess, folding clothes in the closet, cleaning or mopping the floor or any similar activity.

• Reappraisal, like changing the emotional response to more rewarding outcomes like stability, calmness, sense of control and certainty.

• Reflecting on the change of behaviour and situation gives deep satisfaction and happiness.

8. Activities like cleaning a room, realigning a corner, rearranging books, furniture, cleaning a countertop or mopping the floor are not just tidying or organising acts or behaviour but something more deeper as emotional relief or emotional satisfaction. It’s about reconnecting oneself, bringing a sense of control, stability in a world of external chaos, a stressful day or an overwhelming situation. So, for many people, organising and cleaning their home or their living space becomes a daily emotional ritual and therapeutic.

9. People who keep doing such activities, while they keep performing the acts, they also process their emotions, release the stressful thoughts, anxiety, ease the confusion, bringing more clarity and stability. In fact, by doing such activities, as the visual clutter slowly fades away by physical actions, internally, the mental clutter slowly subsides, emotions and thoughts become more under control, and thinking becomes clearer and regulated.

10. To sum it up, in a world full of uncertainties and unpredictability, organising, rearranging, and cleaning gives an instant outcome which the brain interprets as safety or being under control. When a book or a thing is placed exactly where it belongs, refolding a dress and placing it back in the closet, cleaning the otherwise dirty countertop, it’s like reconnecting with oneself, which gives the subconscious mind that instant boost or reward of comfort, safety and stability in an external world of chaos or an uncontrolled environment.

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8 facts: Broken Heart Syndrome 💔

1.Broken heart Syndrome is a temporary heart condition known as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, as it was first described in Japan in 1990. This condition of the heart weakens the left ventricular muscles, making blood pumping difficult. The condition is associated with a severe emotional episode, extreme physical stress, loss of a loved one, sudden illness, or a serious accident.

2.Broken heart syndrome symptoms may mimic the classic symptoms of a heart attack like pain in the chest, severe pressure or heaviness in the chest, shortness of breath, fatigue and cold sweats. Pathologically, there is no actual blockage in the coronary arteries. Research shows that extreme emotional, and traumatic stress, the rise of catecholamines and stress hormones like adrenaline causes the heart muscles or the coronary arteries to stun the heart temporarily, preventing the left ventricle from pumping blood effectively.

Ballooning of left ventricle

3. Studies show about 90% of the cases are women and many of them recover without any long-term damage. The exact cause is still not known. But the common causes which are found to be:

• Sudden loss of a loved one.

• Severe physical pain.

• Sudden illness.

• Domestic violence.

• Serious accident.

• Huge financial loss.

• Intense fear.

4. Though physical symptoms and ECG changes like ST segment elevation can misdiagnose a heart attack, other imaging studies are required to rule out a heart attack. The most common diagnosis of Broken heart syndrome is no evidence of blockages in coronary arteries which on the other hand, is a classical sign of a heart attack. In the echocardiogram, there is a bulging of the lower part of the left ventricle seen in Broken heart syndrome, which resembles a tako-tsubo (a Japanese octopus trap pot), hence the name is derived. This is quite a confirmatory sign of Broken heart syndrome or Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

5. To sum up the differences between Broken heart syndrome and heart attack are:

• The angiogram shows no signs of blockage of coronary arteries.

• Blood work, especially enzyme levels shows no sign of heart damage.

• An echocardiogram shows abnormal bulging or ballooning of the lower part of the left venticle so, also known as Balloning heart syndrome.

• Recovery is faster within days to a couple of weeks.

6. Broken heart syndrome is not usually fatal, and under treatment and observation, the individual recovers within weeks to a month. The prognosis is good and there is also less risk of such episodes in future. But in rare cases, it may become fatal causing severe short-term heart muscle failure. Research continues to learn more about the diagnosis and treatment of cases of Broken heart syndrome.

7. There is no standard treatment for Broken heart syndrome and is mainly individual-specific. Medication is required to reduce the stress on the heart muscles. Medications like Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE), Beta-blockers, diuretics, and blood thinners are used to heal the heart muscles and prevent further episodes. Complete recovery is likely within a month or so.In addition to this, management of stress is also required to prevent such episodes in future.Regular follow-ups are required for the individual.

8. Broken heart syndrome or Takotsubo syndrome has been researched to have certain general pre-disposing risk factors like smoking, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, pulmonary diseases, malignancies, neurological diseases and psychological disorders. Evidence also shows higher prevalences in females compared to males. Although routine checkups, ECG, blood work and echocardiograms are necessary at regular intervals, it is important to work on stress factors like meditation, yoga, deep breathing and mindfulness techniques.

Thanks for reading.

Peace and love 🙏