USES & BENEFITS OF COCONUT MILK

     Coconut Tree is considered as 'KALPA VRIKSHA', which means, 'DIVINE TREE' which can fulfill all wishes. But in real terms, it could be termed as ' a tree which provides all that is necessary for a living'.  From the root to its leaves, each and every part of a coconut tree proves useful and is loaded with therapeutic benefits.
     Coconut Milk is often called as 'Miracle Liquid' - because of its high nutritional content and it's great ability to fight and prevent diseases and build up the body’s immunity. Coconut milk is a liquid naturally found in mature coconuts. When a coconut is cracked open, the thin liquid which is inside the coconut is the COCONUT WATER.  But the COCONUT MILK is what you get when you blend the white coconut flesh and then strain it.
     Coconuts are highly nutritious and rich in fibre, vitamins C, E, B1, B3, B5 and B6 and minerals including iron, selenium, sodium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorous. coconut Milk can be used as a milk substitute for people with lactose tolerance.
    Coconut Milk is one best Vegan choice and can be used in various recipes from curries, desserts, ice creams, smoothies, milk shakes etc., Coconut milk is higher in healthy saturated fatty acids and especially the lower fat variety and is advised to use in moderation. 
     Coconut Milk has loads of health benefits and innumerable culinary usage.  It enhances the taste and flavour of the dish it is added into.  Giving fresh note and slightly sweeter tinge to the dish.For homemade Coconut Milk recipe, click here...

1 Cup of Coconut Milk contains...

• Calories: 552.
• Fat: 57 grams.
• Protein: 5 grams.
• Carbs: 13 grams.
• Fiber: 5 grams.
• Vitamin C: 11% of the RDI.
• Folate: 10% of the RDI.
• Iron: 22% of the RDI.
• Magnesium: 22% of the RDI.
• Potassium: 18% of the RDI.
• Copper: 32% of the RDI.
• Manganese: 110% of the RDI.
• Selenium: 21% of the RDI.

*RDI - Recommended Daily Intake

BENEFITS OF COCONUT MILK :

FOR HEALTH :

Strong Bones : 

     Coconut milk contains Calcium and Phosphorus, the two major minerals which help to strengthen the bones.

Treatment of Arthritis:

     Selenium an antioxidant, found in coconut milk controls free radicals and thus relieves arthritis symptoms and decreases the risk of inflammation in joints.

Lowers Cholesterol:

     Though Coconut milk contains saturated fat it can reduce cholesterol levels, as it has Lauric Acid which boosts HDL (good) cholesterol. Coconut milk is easily broken down during digestion and metabolizes healthy fats such as omega 6, which is an essential fatty acid.

Source of Magnesium:

     Coconut milk is a rich source of Magnesium. This mineral helps to calm the nerves and maintain normal blood pressure as well as prevent nerve cells from becoming overactive. Magnesium also reduces muscle contraction and makes you feel more relaxed.

Aids Weight Loss:

If taken in moderation, can help to control weight. Though coconut milk is rich in saturated fats (fattening agent), it is also rich in Fiber, which makes you feel full for a longer time.

Stronger Immune System:

     Coconut milk contains Lauric Acid, Antimicrobial Lipids and Capric Acid which possesses Antibacterial, Antifungal and Antiviral properties. This lauric acid is converted into a compound called Monolaurin when it enters the body, which is believed to fight the viruses and bacteria that cause Herpes, Influenza and even HIV.

FOR SKIN & HAIR

     Coconut milk can be beneficial for your hair like Coconut Oil. It is used in hair masks as it nourishes our hair with Proteins.

Nourishes the Hair :

     Coconut milk cools the scalp and nourishes the hair by naturally moisturizing the root ends, hair follicles and stimulate hair growth.  Massage fresh coconut milk into your scalp for 3-5 minutes and leave it for at least 15 minutes before washing it off, which can prove beneficial in restoring dry & damaged hair.

Prevents Balding :

   Massaging the scalp with Coconut Milk diluted in water along with Camphor solution is a very good home remedy for balding. Massage your scalp including the bald spots with this mixture and leave it for a couple of hours. Rinse it off with warm water.

Helps in detangling the Hair :

    Apply some Coconut milk through your hair before combing. It acts as a natural detangler for your hair.

As Hair Conditioner:

    Coconut milk is a great hair conditioner, use it as a leave-on conditioner. Coconut Milk provides you with longer and thicker hair and also gives an added volume to your hair without making them greasy. Rub the coconut milk on your hair from roots to ends and leave them or wash it off with warm water after few hours.

Coconut Milk For Skin

     Coconut Milk is rich in vitamins A and C, calcium, iron and natural proteins which contribute to a smooth and radiant skin.

Moisturizer:

    Coconut milk replaces moisture in the dehydrated skin and is a great moisturizer. Rub some coconut milk on your skin and leave it for 30 minutes to get absorbed. This will combat dryness and promote healthy and glowing skin. Fresh homemade coconut milk serves best for this purpose.

Treatment of Sunburns:

     Coconut Milk can be very effective in treating skin damaged by harsh sunlight.Apply a thin layer of cool coconut milk to the area, leave it overnight or for few hours before washing it off. It helps in easing the pain of burns and rashes and gradually lightens the darkened scars formed due to sun burns.

Anti-ageing Benefits:

     Applying topically and using them in your diet improves skin conditions.  Nutrients in it help to slow down the ageing process of your skin and body by maintaining flexibility and elasticity of the skin and blood vessels. Thus, it prevents wrinkles, sagging skin and age spots.

Treatment of Skin Ailments:

     The moisturizing properties of coconut milk can soothe the symptoms of psoriasis, dermatitis and eczema. The natural fatty acids in this milk can help treat dry and irritated skin and also help remove harmful bacterias from your skin.

     From a part of the world where coconut, coconut and more coconuts with a name so synonymous to go along KERALA - GODS OWN COUNTRY / LAND OF COCONUTS. We use it as grated coconut, coconut milk, coconut oil - it is been in our daily diet and lifestyle for ages. Coconut in grated form and as Milk is used in a variety of dishes.  Coconut Oil, on the other hand, is used for cooking and also as hair & body oil and in the preparation of medicated oils in Ayurveda. Oil prepared from the roots of Coconut Tree proves beneficial to get rid of joint pains. Nothing new as far as we know.  With new dimensions of Virgin Coconut Oils in stores with an unimaginable price for a small bottle - make me wince a bit. But the very name 'KALPA VRIKSHA' or Divine Tree which can fulfil any wish - would have been named by wise men of the ages who lived along with 'Nature' and who has understood the basic nature and benefits of Coconuts and its products from time immemorial.

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*DISCLAIMER:

Please remember these options are only meant as guidelines and in no way replaces the advice or treatment provided by your medical practitioner. It is always good to seek the advice of your physician for professional advice in any matter related to your health. This is for information purposes only.

BANANA LEAF

     Serving food in Banana Leaf is a tradition unique to India, especially in South India.  Eating food on a banana leaf is a custom that dates back to thousands of years.  That's when men lived along with Nature.  They efficiently embraced the benefits of nature as a 'Way of Life'.  Food served in banana leaves have a special aroma and enhanced flavour.
     Eating food in Banana Leaf makes the food,

• Tasty
• Healthy
• Eco-friendly
• Hygienic

    The antioxidants (polyphenols) in banana leaf is reported to help fight cancer and Parkinson's disease. When hot food is placed on the leaves, the wax melts and infuses its flavour into the food, making it taste better.
     Eating food in banana leaves has loads of health benefits. When hot food is served in banana leaves, the various nutrients mix with the food, as the waxy coating over the leaves melts and adds a subtle aroma and flavour to the dish.

• It purifies the blood.
• It stimulates appetite.
• It aids in the digestion of food.
• It is a good remedy for kidney stones and other bladder related diseases.
• It boosts the Immune system.
• The chlorophyll in the leaves soothes the mucous lining in the stomach and prevents intestinal ulcer and skin disease.
• It can be beneficial for your skin.

      Cooking and eating in a banana leaf has been adapted by various cultures and traditions around the globe.  Serving food in banana leaf is very common in South India.  Cooking certain food wrapped in banana leaves has been a common practice in India. Cooks around the World have adapted numerous ways to cook and present their food in this beautiful giant leaves.  Wrapping them around the food, make handy Parcels out of them, or artistically serving them on these leaves or using them as table decors. Banana leaves are quite versatile for the purpose.
     Food wrapped as a parcel or cooked in banana leaves seals the moisture and flavour of the food and gets infused with a subtle aroma of Banana leaves.

Foods Cooked/Served with Banana Leaves :

Steamed /Grilled Fish :      

IKAN BAKAR

     Marinated Fish or Fish seasoned with spices and herbs are wrapped with these leaves and then Steamed or Grilled.  Malaysian famous Ikan Bakar, Cambodian style Amok-fish all follow this style of cooking.  This makes the fish fragrant and locks the moisture within.  Also, it prevents the fish from sticking to the grill and adds a smoky flavour to the dish.  Even vegetables and Prawns can also be cooked in this method.

 

MEEN POLLICHATHU

 

Kerala style Meen Pollichathu, Odisha Style Macha Patropoda, are Indian regional delicacies where fish is wrapped and cooked in Banana Leaves.

Savories and Sweets:    

KUIH KOCI GULA KELAPA

 Throughout the length and breadth of South East Asia, these are numerous varieties of Kuihs(Sweets) and Savouries cooked in Banana Leaf. Glutinous rice Kuihs of Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, Otak-Otak and Savoury Custards are few to mention.

 

ELAYADA

 

 Indian Sweets like Ela Ada(elayada) and a savoury dish called Rice Panki are cooked using banana leaves.

Tamales :

     Tamales are meat cooked in MaSeCa or Corn Husks which imparts a different flavour of corn husks into the cooked meat.  Alternatively, in some parts of Mexico and Central America, Tamales are cooked by wrapping them in banana leaves.

Pasteles:

     Pasteles are Puerto Rican dish prepared with Raw Bananas/Taro wrapped in banana leaves.

Bibingka :

     Philippine famous Bibingka is a type of rice cake traditionally made from galapong (milled glutinous rice), coconut milk, margarine, and sugar. Traditionally they are baked in a terracotta pot lined with banana leaves.

Parcel/Wrapping in Banana Leaf :

NASI LEMAK  IN BANANA LEAF

      In Malaysia, uniquely parcelled Nasi Lemak packets use Banana leaves to wrap the dish.

Most of the Indian restaurants parcel their food wrapped in banana leaves.  Kerala famous Pothi Choru is a takeaway meal with special Vegetarian or Non-vegetarian dishes all served side by side in Banana leaf Parcel. 

 

KANYAKUMARI KATTU SADHAM

 

Yet another regional delicacy called Kanya Kumari Kattu Choru is one dish when wrapped and served in a Banana Leaf enhances the very nature of the dish.

Presentation :

     Freshly cut Banana Leaves can be used as Plates or table decors.  They can be converted into beautiful plates or bowls to serve Rice, Vegetables, Desserts etc.,

Serving :

SADHYA

     A whole Vegetarian or Non-vegetarian meal can be served on a Banana Leaf.  It's not only a tradition but also a hygienic and eco-friendly method.  Banana Leaf plays a vital part in Virundhu/Sadhya - Banquet an elaborate meal served during festivals, marriages or functions.

Apart from just using them for serving food and wrapping, it can be used as a simple home remedy for various ailments too:

• Fresh juice extracted from banana leaf  can treat 

               - Minor skin wounds
               - Rashes,
               - Skin irritation.
               - Dandruff,
               - Eczema,
               - Sun burn.

• Soak banana leaves in cold water and apply it on the sun burnt area.

• Banana leaves have medicinal properties which can treat

                - Poisonous Insect Bites
                - Bee Stings
                - Spider Bites   


     Most of all, food served in a Banana Leaf has a beauty of its own.  A tradition to keep up and a goodness for us to embrace and forward it to next generation.  Least to mention the nostalgic aroma of food packed in banana leaf parcels.  As said by Thirumoolar -"Yam petra inbam peruga ivvayagam" which means "Let the world rejoice the bliss I've realized".


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*DISCLAIMER:

Please remember, these options are only meant as guidelines and in no way replaces the advice or treatment provided by your medical practitioner. It is always good to seek the advice of your physician for professional advice in any matter related to your health. This is for information purposes only.



          

 

GARLIC

     As said by Hippocrates over 2300 years ago -

           "Let your Food be thy Medicine and Medicine be thy food." 

 By saying so, he meant about prevention - by optimizing our ability to fight against infections and adapt to the vulnerable environmental condition. Garlic is one of the most commonly used food items around the world. It is hard to imagine a cuisine which doesn't use garlic.  Garlic is widely accepted and used as a condiment and food.
     Garlic is also one of the few herbs that were and still used in all 3 great healing systems of the world—Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Traditional European Medicine. Garlic has powerful properties, that it is widely used as Food and Medicine making it a Super Food. 

For More RECIPES WITH GARLIC, Click here...

In Ayurveda :

• According to Ayurveda, Garlic is considered as Maha Oushadha (which means Great Medicine in Sanskrit). 
• Ayurveda considered garlic as a tonic, hot, digestive, aperient (to relieve constipation), cholagogues (promotes discharge of bile) and alternative (restores normal health).
• Garlic bulbs were macerated with honey or other sweeteners or crushed into foods to help relieve coughs and mucus conditions, fevers, swellings, gonorrhea, colic, rheumatism, and worms. 
• Garlic pods are boiled in milk and consumed in small doses to stimulate digestion, hysteria, flatulence, sciatica, and heart disease.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine :

• According to TCM, Garlic has a special influence on the organs. 
• They were used to balance the Qi/Chi of Spleen (which transforms and assimilates food and has to do with metabolism and energy production);  Kidney (which stores vital energy and sends it out to other organs and tissues);  Stomach (which break down the food and dissimulates the food to get it ready for the spleen). 
• It was used to remove toxins from the body.
• It is also believed to Balances the Qi of Water, 
• It also eliminates the noxious effects of putrid meat and fish.

GARLIC

In Traditional European Medicine :

• Garlic was an important food and medicine of the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Assyrians, and Egyptians. 
• Garlic pods macerated in oil were used to treat skin diseases.
• It is believed stimulate milk production in breast feeding moms.
• It was used as an antibiotic, to fill rotten teeth, (Garlic pods were crushed and mixed with vinegar).
• Hippocrates prescribed it as a fumigant for aiding in the release of the placenta.
• A mixture of garlic ashes and oil used to treat running sores.
• Raw Garlic was used to treat asthma.
• Macerated garlic pods mixed with honey is good for shrew bites and dog bites.
• Effective for healing hemorrhoids - Crush the garlic pods and take them along with wine, this will induce vomiting sensation.
• Neutralizes the poisonous qualities of aconite and henbane.
• Excellent for bruises, even after they have swollen into a blister.
• Garlic is believed to cure Epilepsy.
• Garlic induces sleep.
• It improves circulation.
• Garlic, when taken along with coriander acts as an aphrodisiac.

HEALTH BENEFITS:

GARLIC

     Garlic is filled with health benefits.  Eating at least one clove of garlic daily can help you keep a lot of health conditions at bay.  It is rich in antioxidant and thus prevents the growth of cancer cells.  Crush or chop the garlic cloves and leave it aside for at least 15 minutes.  This helps in the secretion of active agents in garlic -  the 'allyl sulphide compounds', which are anti-cancer compound.Sulfur in Garlic helps to lower Oxidative Stress and unwanted inflammation.
     The 'Diallyl Sulphides' in Garlic can improve 'iron metabolism', as it helps increase the production of a protein called ' Ferroportin'. Garlic is a good source of 'Selenium'. It has innumerable medicinal benefits.

Medicinal Uses :

• Antioxidant
• Prevents Cancer
• Reduces High blood pressure
• Treats Respiratory conditions
• Lowers Cholesterol 
• Reduces Sugar Level
• Treats Skin Infection
• Helps in weight loss
• Aids Digestion
• Treats Gastric Problems 
• Treats Liver disorders
• Treats Fever
•  Treats Tuberculosis
• Removes Intestinal Worms
• Treats Rheumatism, 
• Controls Diabetes

Cancer Treatment :

As it is rich in Antioxidant, daily intake of garlic has been found to lower risk of many types of cancer. It is believed to prevent colon cancer, rectal cancer, stomach cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, bladder cancer and lung cancer.

Cardio Vascular Benefit : 

The Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) is produced by the Red Blood Cells, by taking the Sulfur molecules in garlic called Poly Sulfides.  The Hydrogen Sulfide helps our blood vessels to expand and thus helps in good blood circulation.

Weight Loss : 

Garlic helps to regulate the number of fat cells in our body. The sulphur compounds 1,2-DT (1,2-vinyl-dithiin) present in garlic has anti-inflammatory properties, which inhibit the conversion process of the fibroblastic cells (called "preadipocytes") which evolve into full-fledged fat cells (called "adipocytes") under certain metabolic circumstances. Thus fighting against Obesity.

For Fungal Infections :

Topical application of garlic gel to the skin may treat ringworm, jock itch, and athlete’s foot (mince a clove of garlic and mix it with aloe vera, coconut oil or olive oil and apply to the affected area). Do not apply undiluted garlic, as it can burn the skin.

As an Antiseptic :

Garlic has antibacterial and antiviral properties that help control bacterial, viral, fungal, yeast and worm infections. Fresh garlic is believed to play a vital role in preventing food poisoning by killing bacterias like E. coli, Salmonella enteritidis, etc.

  FOOD RECOMMENDATION :

• Garlic should be added to our diet on a regular basis.  Try to include at least 1 or 2 cloves in an individual food portion.
• With their unique combination of flavonoids and sulphur nutrients, it adds aroma, taste and nutrition to our dishes.
• To get best results out of garlic, chop or crush them and leave them aside for at least 15 minutes before cooking or eating.
• Do not cook them immediately or change their PH value by adding them in acidic or alkaline substances, as that will totally destroy their medicinal properties.
• The best way is to eat them 'RAW'.

  Notes :

• Chewing parsley helps to get rid of the pungent smell of raw garlic from the mouth.
  
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  *DISCLAIMER:

  Please remember these options are only meant as guidelines and in no way replaces the advice or treatment provided by your medical practitioner. It is always good to seek the advice of your physician for professional advice in any matter related to your health. This is for information purposes only.