In the midst of an explosion of exotic food fads and Internet gourmet gurus, Chennai’s own Kannamma Neelakandan flips all our assumptions about food on their head — by serving delicious, multi-course meals without cooking! On the outskirts of the city in Pallikaranai, her ‘No Oil and No Boil...
In recognition of Tamil Nadu’s indigenous varieties of brinjal and chillies, the thorny brinjal of Vellore and the rotund chilli of Ramanathapuram have been given the geographical indication or GI tag. ‘Mullu kaththarikaai’ (thorny brinjal) is endemic to Vellore district. It is different from...
Drinking enough water every day plays a great role in maintaining human health. Water accounts for 75 per cent of the substances our body is made up of, and drinking enough water aids digestion and regulates metabolism. How much water should you have every day? There is confusion among most...
Food in itself and of itself is medicine. So goes an old Tamil adage. Familiar with the medicinal properties of greens, our forefathers made them a part of their daily diet. Modern doctors too insist on taking greens regularly as they play a major role in maintaining health. So, let’s look at...
Is potato good for health or not? Some vouch for the potato’s health benefits such as being able to prevent cancer. But others say the tuber is anything but healthy. So, which is it? Potato, one of the world’s important food crops, is a perennial plant belonging to the family known as...
Whether one is prone to illnesses or builds good immunity to fight them depends a lot on one’s gut health. Sounds strange? It is scientifically proven that a healthy intestinal tract can rein in diseases. Being alive and kicking, totally free from anxiety and depression, also hinges on good gut...
Brinjal (‘kathari’ in Tamil) is a vegetable that is great tasting by itself or mixed in with other veggies or even meat in various cuisines. It finds a key place in ‘aviyal’ (a mixture of stewed veggies) and is also a sought-after side-dish of biryani. Brinjal preparations have a pride of place...
Immunity, a system in the body that resists invasion of bacteria and viruses, can be built with a healthy and nutritious diet, exercise and good sleep
Once consumed by people on the lowest rung of society to satiate hunger in times of food scarcity and drought, mushrooms now figure prominently on glossy menus of five-star hotels in the country. The transition of a mushroom’s character from proletariat to elite is quite amazing, as is its...
Seeds are a powerhouse of nutrients. After all, a seed contains a latent tree. In recent years, a variety of seeds such as flax seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, sunflower seeds and the age-old sesame seeds have become popular as superfoods. How do these help improve health and how must you...
