Lassi

Lassi is a popular curd / yogurt based non alcoholic drink, enjoyed chilled during summer season.

Yogurt (curd / Thayir) is blended with water to prepare lassi.


Sweet Lassi:

• Mix 500 ml of yogurt, 250 ml of water, 4 tbsp of sugar and some crushed ice.
• Rose water, fruit juices, saffron or butter may be added as per choice.
• Blend in a blender / mixer.
• Serve chilled (with the froth which forms while preparing lassi).
  If mango juice is added , the sweet lassi will be called Mango Lassi.
  Similarly Pineapple Lassi, Grapes Lassi etc.
  If saffron (Kesar / Kungumappoo) is added it will be called kesar Lassi.
  If butter is added, it will be called Makkhaniya Lassi. (Makkhan means butter / Vennai)
  
  

Salty Lassi:

• Mix 500 ml of yogurt, 250 ml of water, a little salt, pepper and some crushed ice.(Roasted cumin seeds: optional)
• Blend in a blender / mixer.
• Serve chilled (with the froth which forms while preparing lassi).
  

Chaas / chaach / moru / neer moru:

It is a very good non alcoholic summer drink for refreshment.

It is fatless.

• Butter is removed from curd by churning.
• More water is added.
• Required amount of salt and cumin seeds / jeerakam / jeera are added as flavor.
• Freshly ground ginger, green chilies and curry leaves may also be added as seasoning.
• Can be served chiller or cold.

Negative calorie food and weight loss

To digest the negative calorie foods, we need to spend more calories than the calorie content of the food itself. We can make use of this as an advantage to reduce body weight. To lose weight, burning of more calories than its intake is very much essential.


Our digestive system works hard to digest the zero calorie diet (negative calorie diet).


It is useful to consume negative calorie diet to burn excessive and unwanted fat.


Eat fruits. Avoid drinking juice. The fibres / fibers that give the roughage to bowel movement are not discarded when the fruit is eaten.

Some negative calorie fruits and vegetables:

Fruits:

• Apple, Blueberries, Cantaloupe (Cantaloup, Musk melon or rock melon), Cranberry, Grapefruit, Honeydew, Lemon, Mango, Orange, Papaya, Peach, Pineapple, Raspberry, Strawberry, Tomato, Tangerine, Turnip, Watermelon, etc.
  
  

Vegetables:

• Asparagus, Beet root, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrot, Cauliflower, Celery, Cucumber, Beans, Lettuce, Onion , Radish, Spinach, Turnip, Zucchini, etc.

Green Tea

Drinking green tea:

• Lowers total cholesterol level, improves the ratio of good cholesterol (HDL) to bad cholesterol (LDL)
• Reduces the risk of cancer
• Inhibits cancer growth
• Inhibits HIV
• Reduces rheumatoid arthritis
• Reduces cardiovascular disease
• Reduces infection
• Helps prevent tooth decay
  
  

Green tea is to be prepared for drinking without over brewing. There are many varieties of green tea. The brewing varies accordingly.

General method of preparation:

• Take 1 or 2 tsp of green tea.
• Add 200 ml of hot water (not boiling water).
• Wait for about 3 minutes.
• Filter and drink.

If brewing tea using tea bag:

• Take a glass tumbler.
• Put the tea bag.
• Add hot water.
• Wait for 3 minutes.
• Discard the tea bag.
• Drink the green tea.