Five Facts you need to know about your Kids and their Breakfast

Breakfast is one of the more popular mealtimes in the world and is enjoyed and relished by hundreds of millions of people on a daily basis. Literally, Breakfast stands as a means to 'break' the 'fast' after a long night's sleep, and is a crucial meal that refuels the body with energy and nutrients. Eating Breakfast has also been shown to improve mental alertness and physical performance, among other benefits which we explored in a prior post a few months ago.

And as if Breakfast isn't popular enough already, we present ten facts about the meal that makes it all the more fun!

1. Math Whizz

Studies show that having a regular, healthy Breakfast makes kids perform upto 12.5% better during the early hours in school than their peers who skip or ration out their portions of the meal, and are especially better at responsive subjects like Math or anything to do with numbers in general.

2. Stellar Behaviour

One that would come as music to many school teachers' years, several studies undertaken in many countries exhibit the pleasant fact that kids who have a regular breakfast before attending school have increased IQ scores and next to no behavioral disorders through their day, excelling in academics and extra-curricular activities alike.

3. Weight Watch

Research proves that children who eat Breakfast have healthier weights than children who skip it, and are consequently better at building up the mental fortitude to pick up and excel in outdoor activities, sports, or even memory tests.

4. Diseases at Bay

Fruits, vegetables, honey and a serving of nuts are the best 'raw' foods available everywhere, and inculcating them into your choice of Breakfast ensures that you're taking in nature's healthiest at the perfect time of the day, making you 34% more resistant to type-2 Diabetes and Cholestrol in your middle ages.

5. A Wholesome Day

Kids who eat a well defined, wholesome Breakfast also tend to consume healthier foods during the rest of the day, ensuring a healthy diet for them through a daily cycle. Kids who don't on the other hand, fall into the temptation of chocolates, ice cream and other relatively less healthy choices on offer to tide the bursts of hunger that inevitably occur, which does little good for them and their health in more vulnerable phases.

Soulfull is a popular pan-Indian producer of some healthy and popular Breakfast items, with generous quantities of all the ingredients and nutrients listed above, and are overall rich in protein, fibre and flavour! Head over to their e-commerce portal at www.soulfull.in to stock up on some of their products today!

Ten Fast and Nutritious Recipes for School!

Does your boxed lunch excite your kid?

Is there variety in what you pack?

Is it easy for you to make in the mornings?

Most importantly, is it nutritious?

We give you ten lunch options that you can use through the school year, repeating each recipe just twice a month.

1. Vegetable Sandwich

Slice cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots and beetroots (avoid if your kid doesn't enjoy and replace with capsicum). Layer them in buttered multi-grain bread, and add a slice of cheese. Your sandwich is filling, and wholesome.

2. Adai (Lentil) Dosa

Mix one small cup of Soulfull's Adai dosa mix with water. Prepare two Dosas on a hot Tava, with half a spoonfull of oil. Pack this with chutney, a cut seasonal fruit and a bowl of curds, ensuring a high protein lunch for your child in a jiffy.

3. Paneer Roll

Make two chapattis with multi grain atta and no oil. Sauté onions, tomatoes and paneer for the filling. Smear the filling into the chapattis, and roll. Additionally you can also smear ketchup, coriander or pudhina chutney. Heat on the Tava for a minute and pack in your child's box!

4. Rava Idli

Mix one cup of Soulfull's Rava Idli mix with one and a half cups of curd. Steam cook for fifteen to twenty minutes, and pack a handful of Soulfull's Ragi strawberry Fills as a treat.

5. Whole Wheat Pasta

Boil one cup of whole wheat pasta in three cups of water, and a dash of salt, and olive oil. Sauté broccoli, zucchini, beans and carrot in  pan. Make a Puree of half sautéed onion and two tomatoes, and add it to the vegetables. Simmer, till it is thick and dark red in colour. Add salt and oregano or any Italian spices (optional), and garnish with chopped olives and grated cheese.

6. Rice Idli

Mix one cup of Soulfull's Rice Idli mix with one cup of water. Steam cook for fifteen to twenty minutes. Boil, and cut vegetables in half a cup of tamarind water. Add precooked Thoor Dhal to it, followed by Sambar powder, and season with curry leaves, sautéed mustard and aesephotida.

7. Poha/Aval

Pour some water on two handfuls of Aval, and drain the water out completely. In a kadai, sauté mustard seeds, curry leaves and half a green chilli. Add finely chopped onions and sauté. Add shredded cabbage, turmeric powder and salt. Switch off the flame, and mix in the soaked Aval. Garnish with a squeezed lime.

8. Ragi Dosa

Mix one cup of water to one cup of Soulfull's Ragi Dosa Mix. Make two Dosas on a tava. Serve with coconut or tomato chutney. Also add a side of grated carrots, with salt and lime.

9. Quick Pulao

Pressure cook a handful of Basmati rice, with peas and finely diced carrots, cauliflower and beans. Add two cloves, one small stick of cinnamon and some Cardomom pods, before cooking. Once cooked, garnish with roasted cashew nuts. Serve with yoghurt as a delicious accompaniment.

10. Rava Dosa

Mix one cup of the Soulfull Rava Dosa mix in one cup of water. On a very hot Tava, pour the batter, and leave it for two to three minutes. Remove it from the Tava, and repeat the process for one more Rava Dosa. Serve with a chutney of tomatoes, sautéed onion, half a green chilli, a bunch of coriander, and a small piece of tamarind. Add salt to taste. Cut mangoes or a seasonal fruit, too.

This blog is powered by Soulfull.

Some Handy Tips for your Kids' Lunchtimes

• Moderate. Your child needs to have a wholesome lunch, but do not overwhelm your little one with too much food! Send as much food as they can comfortably finish, ensuring that they have a sense of achievement. It is never too early to teach them not to waste food!

• Variety. Excite your child with a wide variety to choose from, be it a Rava Dosa (using Soulfull's Rava Dosa Mix) or some rolls. Mix and match to make lunch an exciting affair!

• Non Messy. Make sure your child's school lunch box is packed to avoid leakage. Pack it in a way that is easy for them to handle, be it chutney smeared Soulfull Idlis or grilled sandwiches.

• Attractive. Keep in mind that the visual is the strongest driver for kids' appetites. Make sure that your school lunches look yummy!  

• Fun. Add a dash of fun to your lunch box, a li’l reward for the child. A handful of Soulfull Ragi Banana Flakes to be had as a nutritious dessert after lunch, perhaps.  

• It is a good idea to make chutneys and spreads over the weekend to use for packing in as accompaniments during the first few days of the workweek. Just mix a little curd, mustard and chili sauce, salt, pepper, chopped tomatoes, chillies, onions and coriander leaves or cheese to make a salsa!

• For Dosas, you can sauté one onion, tomato, green chilli and grind with salt and coriander leaves to spread inside the dosas.

• Lastly, take it easy. You should not be huffing and panting after packing your kids' lunch boxes. Make sure you choose fun, and easy to make options (like the Soulfull Rice Idli), that can be made in a jiffy, and that are nutritious too!

This blog is powered by Soulfull.

Healthy Eating during the quintessential Indian Monsoon Season

In India, monsoons are much cherished and with the first rains comes an anticipation and a sense of excitement from one and all, to welcome in another phase of the calendar year. At the same time however, it is very important to keep cases of monsoon illnesses to a bare minimum, by ensuring clean food and water and a healthy diet regimen overall.

We list out foods ideal for the Indian monsoon season, and also throw in some pointers on what to avoid to maintain the healthy body you so deserve!

Soups

When you are staying indoors during the rains, a bowl of piping hot soup in a flavour of your choice can elevate your soul. It is however best to include vegetable soups in your diet. These will not only keep the cold at bay, it will also ensure that you get the day's nutrients and remain hydrated.

Tea

On a rainy evening, a cup of  masala or ginger mint tea is a perfect compliment to the sunset. If you love to be outdoors, go for a ride to soak in the rains and then stop at a roadside tea stall to have your share of cuppa. Try it out for biscuits to elevate it into a savoury snack! 

Veggie Sticks & Dip

Easy to make and great to have on a rainy day! Curl up with a book and savor your veggie sticks with a cheesy dip. Or better still pick up your favourite DVD and then enjoy the movie with your fill of sticks and tomato ketchup if you wish! 

Savouries:

Say no, to fried dangers like samosas and pakoras, but satiate your tastebud with deliciously healthy Adai Dosas, Rava dosas, Rava Idlis, Rice Idlis or Rice Methi idlis. These are perfectly healthy, and a great way to celebrate the monsoons. One can pick up Soulfull's instant mixes for each of the above, and spring a delicious surprise on the family when the showers hit us.

What to Avoid:

Avoid juices when it rains, especially from a street vendor. If you are absolutely craving for a natural juice, prepare it at home and consume immediately. Also shy away from salads and any such raw food in the monsoons. Any semi-cooked food can result in food infection and other health issues.

Foods to Beat the Indian Summer

Summer; it is that time of the year when cotton clothing, airconditioners, soft drinks and chilled foods are seen everywhere and used by everyone. In India, summers are very hot, and more so in the southern parts of the country. It is very important to partake in a proper diet in summers to keep the body cool and keep diseases like dehydration, vomiting, and diarrhea at bay. This article suggests a variety of foods to keep you cool in summers, and you may include them items into your daily diets and beat the scorching Indian summers this calendar year and beyond.

1. Curd

Arguably the most popular food for the quintessential Indian Summer is curd and yogurt. Life without curd is simply impossible, and curd can typically be consumed in various forms like ratias, chhach (buttermilk), shrikand, or even as a lassi! In South India, people also prefer to eat curd rice in summers. Above all, Curd contains proteins which keep allergies and ulcers away. Any curd based dish is effective to keep one cool in the summers up ahead.

2. Coconut Water

Coconut water is a superb drink and rehydrator. It has the same electrolyte concentration as in our blood, meaning that it gets absorbed very quickly. Furthermore, it contains a lot of beneficial vitamins and minerals that also help in weight loss and in maintaining a healthy metabolism throughout.

3. Watermelon

As the name suggests, Watermelons, as well as litchis and musk melons contain high levels of water. Hence, they should be consumed in bulk during the hot summer months. Watermelon is 91% water by weight and you can find any watermelon vendors at almost every nook and corner in the country when the months of April and May roll by. Put simply, a slice of watermelon a day will help you beat Indian summers with ease.

4. Kokum

Not the most commonplace of foods, it is found in only India and resembles a small, dark purple plum. Though it might possess the same sour taste as a tamarind, a glass of kokum juice a day prevents dehydration, loss of nutrients and improves appetite, whilst also cleansing blood from time to time.

5. Mango

Last but not the least, we have the Indian mango! Unripe mangoes or kacchi kairi is especially very effective during heat waves as it protects us from heat strokes. Aam panna is a drink made in almost every home in India during summers, and so are mango chutneys, murabbas and pickles whichcomplement the Indian food fabulously.

This blog post is brought to you by Soulfull, who produce and market a wide variety of Healthy Breakfast based dishes on Ragi on Finger Millet, a cereal that is great for summer !  You can buy Soulfull's deliciously healthy breakfast cereals and Dosa and Idli mixes  at their dedicated shopping portal, www.soulfull.in

How to Balance out a Breakfast

We've all been there before. You wake up - chow down a couple of biscuits, and rush out the door only to find your stomach growling at work an hour later. The likely culprit? An unbalanced breakfast, or none at all.

Eating in the morning jump-starts our metabolism, resulting in the production of energy. Some foods do this quickly, but briefly, therefore leaving us starving well before a 9 AM meeting has run its course. Other kinds of food keep us charged and focused all morning. It is in your interest to thus build a balanced Breakfast by choosing a food from each of these four key categories. Once you do so, you’ll stay energized right until lunchtime and more.

1. Protein (The Foundation)

Ample protein in the morning sets the stage for the day up ahead. It controls cravings and keeps you focused right through your day job. Start with Eggs, Milk or Beans, and feel free to diversify with other foods such as Dal or Yogurt if you are in the mood for something heavier as the days whizz by. All of these foods ensure that proteins are never in short supply within, to your advantage. Adding protein also ensures be satisfied for longer, because it helps keep blood sugar stable.

Also feel free to read our blog post on the benefits of protein from a few months ago.

2. Carbohydrate (The Energizer)

Without adequate and complex levels of starch at Breakfast, you might find yourself lagging behind the rest of the day as early as noon. So remember to pack in sufficient quantities of whole grains and fibre into your diet, in addition to vegetables and fruit to ensure enough antioxidant power and filling fiber. Studies also show that eating whole grains lowers the risk of many chronic diseases, such as coronary heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, and also contribute to body weight management and gastrointestinal health. Some rich sources of carbohydarates include rice and wheat, as well as high fibre cereal and nuts.

3. Fat (The Marathoner)

Fat is in it for the long haul, keeping you full and on the ready for several hours at a time. Of course, you'd be much better off choosing healthy options within the genre, such as avocado, nuts, or seeds. Cheese and Butter work as well, but keep them to a bare minimum to prevent cholesterol levels from shooting up over time. As a thumb rule, when choosing fats be careful to stay away from the bad fats - the saturated ones can cause you a lot of harm.

4. Garnishing (The Flavour)

Try a cinnamon into your bowl of yogurt, some slilces of fruit with Cereal. Pleasure your palate with a sensory boost of flavor to round out your breakfast. Get creative every morning at Breakfast!

Soulfull is a popular pan-Indian producer of some healthy and popular Breakfast items, with generous quantities of all the ingredients and nutrients listed above, and are overall rich in protein, fibre and flavour! Head over to their e-commerce portal at www.soulfull.in to stock up on some of their products today!

Saluting Women: Nutrition in Traditional Cooking

Foods from the land and sea once provided everything for people. Today, a mix of market and traditional food is common for most people, but the latter remains an important source of many nutrients, both in North and South India. On this hearty occasion of Women's Day, we elucidate on the rightful need of the nutrients that only traditional cooking can bring, with a pat on the back on all the women in the country who remember their recipes in this globalized, cosmopolitan society.

Indian cuisine reflects a 5000-year history of various groups and cultures interacting with the subcontinent, leading to diversity of flavours and regional cuisines found in modern-day India. Later, the Mughals, British, and Portuguese influence added to the already diverse Indian Cuisine with the assimilation of their own dishes and tastes, but Indian cuisine as a concept forged ahead and still remains highly relevant today.

The traditional Indian diet is one characterized by little meat, plenty of pulses, vegetables, rice and wholegrain wheat, making it low in fat and high in fibre. In the past, ghee tended to be used sparingly as it was expensive for less-wealthy families, but the situation is different today, and the benefits of ghee far outweigh the price in any case. In addition, dairy products are readily available and two glasses of milk a day provide just the right amount of calcium to the growing Indian child. Indian sweets and jaggery are given as a treat, and are not something to be eaten daily.

Since a lot of the side dishes are full of vegetables, beans, and lean protein, the nutrition in Indian food is abundant. There will always be a whole wheat option for naan, called roti, and typically you will find brown Basmati rice can be subbed for the white rice which is the usual base. Therefore, Indian meals provide nutrition in the form of antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and minerals.

As far as the numbers go, there are 152 calories in a 1 small cup serving of South Indian Sambar. Coupled with only 1.2g Fat, this liquid serving is often mixed with carb-rich rice to provide for a full meal - often lunch or dinner in the average South Indian home. Newer substitutes have tried to flaunt their style, but the Sambhar has remained strong, alongside many of its pan-Indian counterparts - Kheer, Rasam and Pulao among them.

So go ahead ladies, celebrate the wonderful occasion of women's day by delving into the age old and nutrition-rich recipes from your region. Rice, Wheat or Ragi - you know it's good for health!

A popular ethnic Indian cereal is the aforementioned Finger Millet, known as the Ragi, particularly in South India. Soulfull is a popular manufacturer that specializes in the production and marketing of a wide variety of Fills, Flakes, Idli and Dosa mixes. Head over to soulfull.in to stock up on your favourite items on the occasion of Women's Day today!