At times breaking the monotony/the same old routine that you follow everyday is good for you, for your health, well that's what i did ...while ordering for groceries this time , I ordered lemongrass and Sunflower seeds, and in the morning I made some fragrant lemongrass and ginger infusion...
Early morning I was there in my kitchen chopping those heavenly fragrant greens of lemon grass, pounding this aromatic ginger and dissolving the golden jaggery !! and i made something amazing :)
To make this infusion I used:
Lemongrass
Ginger
Jaggery
Let's talk about the goodness of Lemongrass and Ginger:
Lemongrass also known as Citronella apart from being used extensively in Aromatherapy and an excellent insect repellant, it strengthens the immune system, is helpful in painful swellings, in menstrual cramps, obesity, skin conditions,it is an excellent nervine tonic, and also beneficial in fever, cough and cold.
Ginger is effective in nausea, vomiting, morning sickness, painful conditions like arthritis and painful menses and it boosts the immune system.
The benefits of these two herbs are many and not limited to the few listed above...
Method:
chop lemongrass, pound ginger and add both to 4 cups of water in a pan with lid and bring to boil, when the quantity of water is nearly half i.e 2 cups, turn the knob off, give a standing time of 3-4 minutes...now in a separate pan add few pieces of jaggery in 3/4th cup of water and let the jaggery dissolve in it....add this jaggery water to the lemongrass and ginger infusion as per the taste....and drink the infusion freely!! drink the goodness of these herbs!!
I choose jaggery instead of sugar, why?? because of following reasons:
Sugar has only sucrose whereas jaggery has
sucrose with traces of mineral salts, iron ( as it is prepared in iron
vessels) and some fiber , which makes it excellent choice for anemia or
iron deficiency.
Sugar being simple in nature, is instantly
absorbed in the blood and releases a burst of energy, which can prove harmful
for some internal organs like kidneys, eyes, and brain, whereas jaggery is
digested slower than sugar so it releases energy slowly which provides energy
for a longer time and is not harmful for the body.
Jaggery
is very good as a cleansing agent. It cleanses the lungs, stomach, intestines,
oesophagus and respiratory tracts. Those who are exposed to dust or silica in their daily life
are highly recommended to take jaggery.
and finally to the above infusion, I added a tsf of Sunflower seeds,
They are rich in poly-unsaturated fatty acid linoleic acid, which constitute more
50% fatty acids in them. They are also good in mono-unsaturated oleic acid that
helps lower LDL or "bad cholesterol" and increases HDL or
"good-cholesterol" in the blood.
Like other nuts, they are also a very good source of proteins with fine
quality amino acids such as tryptophan that are essential for growth, especially
in children. Just 100 g of seeds provide about 21 g of protein (37% of
daily-recommended values).
Natural anti-oxidants, rich source of vitamin E, B-complex, folic acid, essential
minerals. Calcium, iron, manganese, zinc, magnesium, selenium, and copper.
This was the perfect start of my day...it was healthy , it was yum!!
Source of information:
Webmd.com
whfoods.com
Nutrition and you.com
