SHARAN

Testimonial of Mayavi Khandelwal

SHARAN Health coach and Culinary Chef, Mayavi Khandelwal, shares her and her mother’s unique journey towards Health, as she describes how she has battled Diabetes and how her mother was cured of leukaemia simply by adopting the whole-plant based diet

Food for Mind by George Bernard Shaw

Kimchi

This traditional Korean dish is a great low-calorie source of fibre too. You can actually store it for a year, and use it to make sandwiches and in stir-fries or soups too, but just make sure you add it in the last to avoid cooking off the good bacteria.

Ingredients

• 1 medium Chinese cabbage

• ¾ cup sea salt

• 1 tsp rice powder

• 1 big radish , cut into small cubes

• 1 medium carrot, cut into small cubes

• 1 apple or pear, ground

• 1 medium onion, cut or ground

• 50 gm garlic, ground

• 10 gm ginger, ground

• ½ leek, sliced

• 100gm spring onion, cut 3cm length

• 1 tsp sesame seed

• 1/3 cup Korean chilly flakes

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/3 tsp date paste

Method

Soak the Chinese cabbage with the sea salt for 5 hours. Make a sauce with the rice powder and 1 cup of water. After cooling the sauce, mix all of ingredients except Chinese cabbage. Wash the soaked Chinese cabbage in clean water 2 times and put them in a strainer to dry. Rub the Chinese cabbage with the sauce, put in a container with cover and ferment for 1-2 days depending on the temperature. Store in the refrigerator. You can store the kimchi for a year.

Bacteria – Nature’s Gift to Us!

The word bacteria generally conveys a negative connotation. Yes there are bad bacteria, but there are good bacteria too! And they have a lot to do!

Healthy soil contains a large percentage of good bacteria which manufacture many essential nutrients for the plants to grow, and in turn provide nutrition to us. Bacteria are also the world’s greatest recyclers, as they break down dead and decaying matter. Imagine if they were not there, all dead trees, animals, birds, insects etc would not be gone!!

In the human body, friendly bacteria ensure our intestines function efficiently and also produce acids which curb the multiplication of bad bacteria. They also help in lowering cholesterol, beating belly fact, boosting one’s immune system, protecting the gut and preventing yeast infections.

However good bacteria can be easily destroyed by countless factors. It’s when the balance topples, with bad bacteria taking over, that we experience the signs of tiredness, chronic constipation, bloating and other digestive issues.

In fact Vitamin B12 is manufactured by bacteria too! Today due to our super-hygienic lifestyles, we have B12 deficiencies. It’s the pesticides and chemicals that are present in our fruits, vegetables and grains,  that are poisonous to us, not the bacteria! So the best solution would be to focus on strengthening our immune system with the right diet, rather than fighting the bad bacteria.

5 ways to ensure you maintain your Probiotics

1. Avoid Antibiotics

2. Consume fermented foods such as plant based yoghurts, khimchi, miso soup, fermented pickles, idlis and  dosas

3. Eat Organic

4. Say no to GM foods

5. Be stress-free