First of all, I am incredibly appreciative that I get to celebrate another new year with the Supreme and all of my beautiful bloggers.
Let us hope that this new year, with its 365 fresh days, will bring us growth, positivity, action, hope, and the drive to achieve our objectives. Not to mention to make time for our loved ones and family.
Both failure and success are fleeting. The capacity to continue going forward is most important.
I’m wishing everyone a wonderful and prosperous 2024 New Year !
Today’s world is full of negativity and uncertainty where change is inevitable. Not all changes are comfortable. But faster, we accept, the sooner is the liberation and reconciliation process. Never lose the sight of hope and faith in the Supreme because it is this light which will lead us through the journey, no matter how hard it may be.
On this auspicious occasion, may the Supreme enlighten our hearts and fill our minds with happiness and positivity by strengthening the human bonds within family, friends and community.
Happy Diwali to all my dear readers with lots of love and luck. God Bless 🙌
French fries have been the most popular and widespread available fast food around the globe. Unlike its name, it was originated in Belgium. Regardless of its popularity, it has been proven time and again as one of the unhealthiest foods on the planet. Deep-fried potatoes are not only rich in starch content but also fatty due to being heavily fried in oil. They are instant sources of starch so are easily available for a quick bite. Frequent eating of this junk food is a potential risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases due to their high glycemic index.
According to The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, consuming french fries not only multiplies the health risk but also increases the risk of early death. Adding to that, you start gaining weight and weaken the immune system by destroying your healthy gut microbiome with unhealthy flora.
3. Nutritionally stated, potatoes are a good source of antioxidants, carotenoids, flavonoids and phenolic acid. Also, it is loaded with fibre content, vitamin B6, and minerals and is gluten-free. But, what makes fries calorie-dense is due to the deep frying technique to make them crispy. As a result, the nutritional content is damaged. Due to high calories, obesity is directly linked to consuming fries and junk food.
4. Studies show that fries are prepared with saturated fat which is metabolized at a much slower rate than protein and carbohydrate in the body. So, people are most likely to get stomach issues. The saturated fat further increases the bad cholesterol in the body which elevates the risk of atherosclerosis, heart disease and stroke.
5. To pile up the adverse effects of consuming fries regularly can weaken the immune system, and gut health making us vulnerable to diseases and inflammatory conditions including cancers. The hydrogenated fats used in fries can likely lead to foggy brain, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
6.Research studies have found that when potatoes are deep-fried, a compound named acrylamide is formed which can be directly linked to mental health issues like depression and anxiety. In today’s time, fries are consumed more by the younger generation compared to older ones, making them more vulnerable to mental health issues like depression and anxiety.
7.Moreover, fries contain a high amount of salt which makes them even worse. The high salt content can lead to a high risk of hypertension, heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. In addition to that, tomato ketchup, different varieties of sauces, and mayonnaise make them even more unhealthy due to artificial flavouring agents and other processed ingredients.
8.According to some studies, are french fries can be label as ‘death food’? No not exactly because most meals in restaurants are still served with fries as a meal accompaniment. Eating them for once a while or once a month in a small portion is not harmful or the effect on health is negligible. But, having them 2-3 times a week in large quantities will most likely lead to chronic diseases like diabetes type 2, heart disease, stroke, and inflammatory conditions which may cause death risk.
Sweet potato fries
9.To make them healthier and still have the experience of having french fries, opt for a healthier version like the baked ones. A thicker version of fries can be opted to reduce the fat content, fried in olive or cannula oil. More over, having them with a healthier meal mate like salad, chicken or soup is another good idea. Sweet potato fries are healthy too.
10. Actually, not just french fries, but all deep-frying foods which are available and widespread have a high risk of developing chronic diseases like heart disease and stroke. Frying damages the nutrients, antioxidants and protein naturally available in the food item. Moreover, the frying medium of oil adds to the trans fat, acrylamide which further multiply the health hazard. The best thing to do is to avoid them completely or have them rarely. Once in a while is quite okay.
In a normal individual, perception occurs through the five physical senses. Extrasensory perception (ESP) or sixth sense is a perception of the mind, perceived an event, circumstances, or prediction, through telepathy, clairvoyance or precognition. This is independent of the normal five sensory senses so it is regarded a paranormal ability. Through the centuries, from primeval times, many people, including sages, yogis and spiritual practitioners are believed to have mystical powers who have strong sixth sense.
But then, is this real science? As far as science is concerned, there is no evidence of such extra senses in human. Many research projects in the past have been carried out to study if some people actually possess such extra sensory power. Some psychologists and philosophise are still undergoing studies to know more about this concept of extrasensory phenomena.
3. Several researches and authors like Rosalind Heywood, H. Osmond and many more have written several books on this subject with their own understanding of the perception. It is very hard to find scientific validity and physical explanation of such phenomena of extra sensory perception such as telepathy or clairvoyance or even precognition.
4. Sometimes intuition and extra sensory perceptions (ESP) or sixth sense are referred the same meaning. It is the psychological ability to sense something independently of sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste. Maybe, it is the ability of the individual based on deep understanding of the situation, the knowledge stored in the subconscious mind and the past experience.
5. Contrastive of today’s world, the primitive men were more instinctive and tuned with nature. Their level of awareness were as par with other living creatures and animals. It is this intuitive power which is slowly fading away from us. Because, our minds are caught up in this materialistic complexity.
Keeping science aside, most of us, do at sometime or someplace, get an inner sense of knowing of some event or information even before the actual occurrence. This is perhaps the kind of intuitive feeling that we still possess.
6. Different types of ESP experiences have been studied like telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance, psychokinesis, out of the body experiences and hauntings. Parapsychologists have been studying these psychic abilities through different experimental research.
7. The exact definition of each of the term may differ according to the understanding and apprehensions of individual.
Telepathy is sending information through one’s mind to another person.
Clairvoyance is an awareness without the physical presence of what’s going on somewhere.
Precognition is like predicting or foreseeing of a future information.
Out of body experience is traveling of the mind to a greater distance without actual movement of the physical self.
8. Though the presence of sixth sense in human has no scientific validation but other living beings like animals, fishes, birds, creatures like sharks, whales, or tiny ants do have sixth sense. Some animals like elephants or even dogs do get a sense in advance before a natural calamity.
9.Perhaps, unlike our ancestors , today human civilisation is more about technological advancement, modernization, stressful lifestyle, that we have moved very far from nature or simple natural occurrences. We hardly have time to observe in nature or the environment around us. Therefore, extrasensory perceptions or inner intuitive power are all vanishing from us slowly.
10. Sixth sense is a real ability or not, is yet to be proved in the scientific world. But as an individual, we all have been gifted with some natural abilities. It’s upto us to be more aware as individual and restore the very essence of being a human being. It’s time for us to let go once a while from this routine hustle bustle and be more calm, meditative to understand our inner self.
1. Chicory is a tuberous herbeceous root, usually grown in winter. Though it is a native herb from Europe and Asia, but nowadays it widely grown in many areas for its health benefits and as a herbal remedy.
2. Chicory roots are a good source of carbs, minerals, and phytochemicals, including flavonoids. It has been utilized as herbal medicine for generations due to its high nutritional value. Research have shown that it has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties.
3. In modern days, many of its benefits has been scientifically proven. Chicory root is rich in inulin which is a fructose rich fiber and acts as a prebiotic. It promotes growth of healthy bacteria in the gut. Since, it is undigested in the gut when consumed, so it can act as a laxative and relieves constipation.
4. Studies have shown that chicory can contribute to lower blood sugar and helps in insulin resistance. Therefore, it can be an aid in the treatment of diabetes.
5. Other list of benefits of chicory roots are it can promote the weight loss process, improves liver health, boost kidney function by its diuretic properties and may help in treating candida and eczema.
Chicory coffee
6. Since chicory roots are naturally caffeine free, so they have widely been used as a coffee alternative to reduce the intake of caffeine. Repeated consumption of coffee may lead to excess caffeine intake which in turn can cause issues like increasing the level of cortisol and stress.
7. Extensively used method of including chicory in diet is by blending with coffee as chicory coffee, or as herbal tea. It is also integrated in cereals, protein bars and other food items.
8. Like any other food, Chicory roots also have it’s share of side effects like over consumption can lead to allergic reactions, skin rashes, GI symptoms like discomfort, diarrhoea and gall stone.It is contraindicated during pregnancy and lactation.
9. As there is no specific doses of daily consumption of chicory, generally having around 5 gram of inulin in 500ml of chicory coffee in regular diet may not lead to any adverse effects. However, a Physician’s or an expert advice is recommended.
10. Chicory roots have been in ancient cultures for ages as a herbal medicine. History says that it has been in use as a healthy beverage for many centuries for its health benefits.
Hello everyone! Greetings 🖖 This is my first post after a year long break…
True enough, life is indeed unpredictable. It gives you the most dreadful unexpectedness when you least expect it. That’s what happened to me. Today, when I look back and remember, I still get the goosebumps, the tremble and chill. The misery I went through, will most likely follow me all throughout my life, or for a very long time. The past year was the most challenging and overwhelming for me. In those days, I used to put down my thoughts and feelings to my husband throughout his absence during the difficult times.
When we were about to go to bed, on the evening of 8th January 2021, around10.30 PM, after dinner and are routine talk, you complained of a headache. I advised you to take a pain reliever, and go to bed. But to my astonishment, you behaved a little different when you were lying on the bed. You asked me to get the tablet and water for you. When I was back from the kitchen with the glass of water, you couldn’t get up from the bed to have the medicine.The water gushed out from your mouth because you were unable to swallow. Then, all of a sudden, I could understand that something was wrong with you. You began to slur your words. Being a doctor myself, I came to know that you were having a transient ischaemic attack or maybe a stroke. I, immediately called emergency service and requested for an ambulance. I fumbled while speaking as I was very nervous. In the interim, I also called our next-door neighbour Jan, a 72 year old retired dutchman who is quite friendly and is fluent in English. When the ambulance arrived, the paramedics examined you and noticed that your left side of the body was immobile. However you were still trying to communicate and was conscious. They hurried you to the emergency room of the nearest hospital in Eindhoven where we reside. Both, Jan and I accompanied you to the hospital. In the ER, I was not allowed inside. We were both waiting outside. At around 11 o’clock, I asked Jan to go back home as he was quite tired and had recently recovered from cancer.
A little later, I was told that they gave you a Morphin injection for your headache and a CT scan was done. Although I was completely shaken, somehow I was calm, still holding on to my gut that things would be all okay. Once the CT scan report came, they confirmed to me that it’s a right brain hemorrhage, which is quite huge and with some strange findings. I was told that they had planned to shift you to a hospital in Tilburg, which is a nearby city, about 45-minute drive from Eindhoven. On top of my shock and cold shivers, I was confused and petrified by this whole chain of events. I was informed that they don’t have the expertise, so that is why you have to be referred to the Tilburg Hospital, which has a better neurological service. Moreover, I was told that your CT scan findings were quite confusing and the bleeding was huge.
Within minutes, the ambulance came and rushed us to Tilburg. Inside the ambulance, you were lying down, still in your senses, tired and awake, complaining of the headache and discomfort. I was sitting next to you and asking you to rest and reassuring you. By almost 12.30 am, we reached Elizabeth Hospital, Tilburg. They rushed you again to the ER. I was allowed to accompany you there. The neurosurgeon on duty examined you and did a scan again. She, too, told me about the right brain hemorrhage and some strange discovery that resulted in the massive bleeding. All the while, I was very worried and heartbroken from inside. I could not hold my tears, cried and felt so helpless. At that moment, I felt that I would lose you and that I had lost everything in life.
Still awake and tired, you were transferred to a medium-care unit to be kept under observation. You asked the nurse if I could stay with you in the room. I know I won’t be allowed in, so I assure you that I will keep waiting outside. During those painful hours, I called your father, back home in India, to inform him about the whole episode. He was totally shocked. I could not hold my tears and was crying on the phone. Then, I called and informed our son too. He was confused and could not believe his ears. He was terrified as well, as he knew that his dad was the fittest one in the family and had never had any kind of illness. I have no idea what went through him at that stage, as he was all alone at home. Due to COVID, he was in our apartment and not in his college hostel. I also informed my sister and my brother-in-law. By that time, it was almost 1.30 AM. I was told to go back home as you were kept under supervision and it was quite stable.
So, while boarding a taxi from Tilburg to Eindhoven, I realised that the coming days were going to be the toughest to handle.That whole night, after reaching home, I cried and cried, just loitering around the house in anguish and pain. I had the impression that I was in for a long, dark journey with no idea what lay ahead.
The following day ,on the 9th of January was even scarier. I was informed earlier that you would be taken to the Operation Theatre for brain angiography. I was in the hospital, waiting to hear about the outcome of your brain angiography. Till 6 o’clock in the evening, there was no news concerning you. I kept enquiring the OT nurse about you. She informed me that you hadn’t been taken out of the OT. My mind was beginning to crawl with fears and anxieties. I was distraught and in panic. The OT nurse then called me at around 6:30 pm and took me to a room. I could sense the worst as I was sitting alone in the room. At that moment, I was terrified and utterly shaken.
Two doctors entered the room and sat in front of the table where I was sitting. One doctor started talking to me about the procedure they had to perform on you. They said that you had an atrioventricular fistula in your right brain which had to be repaired, otherwise the bleeding was profuse. The procedure went well, but you have not yet regained your consciousness from the anesthesia. They were very uncertain about the outcome and that you might have slipped into a coma. They told me that they were expecting the worst scenario, maybe brain death. My whole world was shattered at that moment. I was almost lost and could not stop myself from crying. I was in a complete state of shock. The doctors and staff did try to console me. Jan, our elderly friend, explained to me to take things practically and control my emotions. I called our son, your brother, and my family and informed them regarding your state. I was told to return home and was assured to be informed of any further developments regarding your state. When I got home, it felt like the longest night, the darkest and scariest night of my life. That whole night, I grasped onto my mobile, waiting for any news about you.
On January 10th, I came to the hospital and was informed that you had been shifted to the ICU. The doctors told me that they had to drain a huge bulk of fluid from your brain and that your vitals were stable. I was informed that your MRI scan showed a sub-arachnoid hemorrhage, which got worse due to a congenital defect of the AV fistula. Such cases are rare.The condition was worse as you had hydrocephalus, so the fluid had to be drained to reduce the pressure.
The first time I saw you in the ICU with a ventilator and machines, drains, and drips all over, it was really hard for me. I went near you and called your name. You did respond with a little movement of your right hand. I was relieved and was happy as I could see little hope of light after these 2-3 hard days. That day was quite positive for me as the doctors were happy with you for being responsive to the treatment and procedure. But then, they still reminded me about the uncertainty of your condition. There was still a huge amount of fluid left in your brain which had to be drained continuously. You were still in a comatose state, with a low score on the neurological scale. I was told to call our immediate family members from India as your chances of survival were low. I called our son, back in India, and asked him to pack his bag to come to the Netherlands. I also informed your family and mine regarding your present state. I called your employer and informed them because they had been trying to reach you for the last 2-3 days due to your professional obligations. I also informed my project coordinator and let go of the project that I was doing.
After going through all the procedures of an emergency visa, our son arrived on January 14th. This was a life-changing event for him as well, as he had been very close to you, his father. He did go through an emotional roller coaster during those turbulent days. And, seeing you in that state, he had acted very mature and calm. He has been my biggest support through this storm. Our neighbors and friends have also been very supportive through the difficult time. Your employer has been a great support system for me and our son. We will always remain grateful to everyone who has been there for us through those difficult hours.
You stayed in the ICU for almost 2 months. Everyday, I visited twice, once in the morning and then in the evening. During my time spent with you in the ICU, your eyes remained close most of the time, but you do respond to my touch with right-hand finger movements. Some days were good and positive, while some days were scary. Our son, too, visited you in the ICU. But, he had to leave as his exams were approaching. Your neurological state improved slowly and your vitals were stable. You had gotten out of the ventilator. They decided to shift you to the rehabilitation centre after you regained consciousness.
I was initially quite optimistic and excited about your development and recuperation during your time in the rehab facility. However, because the prognosis was poor, we, also had to deal with a number of setbacks in that situation. Your severe cognitive impairment and short – term memory problems were not responding well to therapy. Your left side is completely paralysed, and there is no recovery. You still struggle with a few cognitive issues. However, you continue to make good progress in terms of your awareness, speech, memory, and physical development every day. Your speech is clear and concise at present.
After more than a year, you are still residing in the rehabilitation facility, and your therapies are still ongoing. I see you almost every day of the week. While we converse and laugh on certain days, other days are sad when therapy doesn’t work out. As I’ve come to terms with your situation, I’ve begun to feel content. My greatest satisfaction comes from watching you smile while I am with you.The hardest lesson life has taught us today is to be cheerful in the moment we share together right now because we don’t know what the future has in store for us. When I see you now, hope is the only thing in which I will still believe and live.
We, all know and read enough about our body’s defence mechanism and network called the immune system. It is a system comprising of tissues, cells, proteins and biological processes that defend our body from any outside invaders like microorganisms and pathogens.
Though we have such an efficient immune system, yet we fall into sickness, disease several times during our lifetime. The reasons for a weak immune system are plenty. In today’s time, stress is the most dominance cause to have a weakened immune system. Then, lifestyle trends like the sedentary way of living, obesity, smoking, alcoholism and poor nutrition being some of the common causes.
But, at the same time, there have been drastic changes in the societies and communities to bring awareness about healthy way of living, healthy eating. More and more people have started to transform their lives in a healthy way of living and dining.
But, despite gradual changes in lifestyle and eating habits, yet many people still fall sick and suffer from a weak immune system. The reason is our mental state which is too much drown in our daily stress, anxiety and tension. Not just exercising and eating healthy meals packed with vitamins and minerals help, but also a sound and stable mind is more necessary for a body’s perfect cognitive, hormonal and immune system to function at an optimum level.
So, to maximize the immune status of the immune system ,we require a healthy physical state and a healthy state of mind.
To keep a healthy mind : 3 ways of improved thinking process….
1. Homeostasis: When we self-inquired within us, we will always observe that we have an awareness that works through this body, mind complex.This awareness is very much in sync with the universal field of consciousness. We understand that everything is happening around us are experiences that we experience through the mind-body complex.
Therefore, it is essential to realize that every experience we have is enabled through the field of awareness. In every experience, it is necessary to shift towards awareness. Then, in that case, both good or bad experiences, we have, cannot affect this body and mind complex so intensely. Say, during fear, or stress, when we shift our awareness to the universal field of consciousness, we become more like an observer to the experience of fear and anxiety.The biological system remains unaffected, and we stay calmer and in homeostasis.
2. Healthy Emotions: Shifting attention to the universal field of awareness is quite difficult initially. As we identify ourselves too much with our body and mind, so we feel we are separate entities. So, it’s essential to cultivate divine emotions of compassion, love, empathy, which helps us to connect more and more to the universal field of awareness. It helps us to connect more with the web of life and healing.
3.Metacognition: Develop our innate capacity of metacognition. That is to understand and start thinking about our thinking process. Being aware and more focused on every present moment, instead of being preoccupied in the past or future.Concentrating on every present moment prevents the mind from scattered thinking process, which can be the reasons for unnecessary stress, anxiety, fear and negative thoughts. This is the reason mindful thinking and practices are very useful.
The essence of duality and non-duality is quite intriguing and complex. We experience the physical world in many ways, the day to day reality gives us multiple experiences, emotions, thoughts, feelings regularly. We are so attached to the material world, the objective world that we always forget the true essence of our existence. We are so engrossed in this body-mind armature that we forget the true Self, the essence of our being. We are so driven by this logical and practical world that we cannot think or question beyond this empirical reality. Therefore, in a way, this duality, the empirical reality of our worldly experiences is what we think or pursue as the existing reality.
But then, seeking the Truth with questions like who am I? Why have I come here? How was this world created? Does God exist? All these questions do make us think and intrigue us more about our existence. Several years earlier too, mankind has been seeking these questions and explanations have been found in different texts of ancient scholars wide across the world.
Ancient Indian Sanskrit based texts like Advaita Vedanta have detailed explanations and resolved all these questions of our very existence in a well structured elaborate way, several thousand of years back. According to Vedantic doctrine, Advaita itself means our Individual self, the True Self. The texts include the Upanishads, Bhagawat Gita, Brahma Sutras, Tattva Bodha etc. Since then, several monks, scholars, philosophers over the years have acquired the spiritual wisdom and tried to simplify in their capacities. They developed and adopted different methods of teachings (Prakriyas) to impart the knowledge to their respective followers. Out of them, Swami Vivekananda, a renowned scholar from India widely known across the world have been on the forefront. His teachings were greatly based on Advaita Vedanta. Traditionally, this kind of spiritual wisdom can only be impactful when given by a competent teacher (Scholar) to a qualified student (meaning a student who has spent several years of learning, devotion, meditation, selfless service). That is the tradition of guru-disciple lineage. So, people like me and you, it is a difficult task or may require years of study and perseverance.
But yes, even though, we are so engrossed in this practical and logical world, we have the right to seek for answers to questions like understanding more about our true self, the essence of our being, our existence. The Vedanta has beautifully unfolded the essence of our being, the purpose of our existence. Even if we live in duality, in our day to day worldly experiences, there is always, an underlying stratum of reality, which reside in all of us, the Consciousness (Brahman) which is pure, eternal, whole and complete to which we all belong that is why the text stretches upon as “all is One”, The Non-duality. Like in our worldly life, every day, we go through different orders of reality – the conscious awake state where we experience the empirical reality through our senses, (The Duality), the dream state (the projected reality when we experience the world in our dreams) and the absolute state (when we are in deep sleep, we see or experience nothing, just darkness). In all these three stages, though we go through different stages of experiences, yet our underlying consciousness is the same. Therefore, likewise, living in this world too, in our conscious state, we experience empirical realities, different experiences, but in truth, we belong to the same Universal Consciousness (Brahman) which is not subjected to change in time/space. In our objective and subjective experiences, we experience everything in forms and names (Nama, rupa) but the underlying stratum remains the same, the Absolute Truth which is eternal, whole and complete, the Brahman.
Beneath, the complexities of this world, remain the pure, eternal and the ultimate truth. We do not acknowledge it or experience it because we remain unaware due to our ignorance. Our thinking is too limited to the boundaries of this material world and experience. That is why, spiritual wisdom, intense devotion, meditation and selfless services are some ways where we can understand our true self, the purpose of our being. The very purpose of this knowledge is to free one from this sense of limitation, the Enlightenment.
3H:health,happiness,healing 