After the meeting of states’ CMs with PM it is certain that lockdown will be extended in most of the states by 2 weeks , because many CMs requested for the same. But the rider is that the lockdown should be with more relaxations. Now I do not understand what is the effect of lockdown when many shops/offices/industries are open. It will be next to impossible to enforce the lockdown with many relaxations, and with the movement of migrants from one state to other state will also have adverse effect on lockdown. With Maharashtra CM requesting PM, to re start the local trains to facilitate the essential service staff to reach their place of work. This will be going to be a tricky affair, what will be logistic of controlling others do not enter local trains. How many security personnel will be required at each station, when Mumbai police is already over worked.
Now coming to health/food topic of the day:
Summer season has started, and in this season it is always a problem about what to eat and what not to eat. Most of us prefer to eat light, as intake of liquid is more. Now there are many vegetables that are meant to be eaten in summer. They provide relief from the heat, many common ailments and increase our immunity, and also satisfy the body’s need of water. The fruits and vegetables with high water content are said to replace the body’s natural sugars, amino acids, mineral salts and vitamins which are lost. Here are the few Summer Vegetables :
Bottle Gourd– Or Louki is full of water content it also belongs to cucumber family. This can be cooked up in many way, or even had raw as glass of juice spiced up with bit of mint or coriander leaves. It provides whole lot of benefits like prevention from summer related stomach issues, satisfy thirst, prevents loss of sodium, and helps a person to stay hydrated, to avoid exhaustion.
Ridge Gourd– It is also called Turai. It also can be cooked in many ways. It is good for summer stomach ailments, purifies the blood and even helps in regulating blood sugar.
Ash Gourd– It is also called White Pumpkin. This is a vegetable which has excellent cooling as well as many other medicinal properties. It can also be had as juice or cooked as side dishes for rice and roti. It provides relief from acidity and ulcers and also said to be beneficial for diabetics. It comes loaded with Vitamins BI, B3 and Potassium. In fact one of the famous Indian sweet ‘ Agra Petha’ is made from this.
Cucumber– It is one of the best sellers of summer. In fact it has got 96% water content. It quenches your thirst and helps to regulate the body temperature and keep you hydrated. In addition it also has potassium and magnesium content and helps in flushing out toxins from the body. If you eat it as is, the fibre content is also helpful in the digestion process.
Pumpkin– Or Kaddu, is something that most people love for its unique taste and flavour. It contains lot of fibre and helps regulate the digestive system. It is used widely to prepare variety of dishes including sweets. However, owing to its sugar content and pancreas stimulating abilities, not preferred for diabetics.
Bitter Gourd– Or Karela. While there are many of us who love this, it is usually tough thing to get kids to eat this, unless it is deep fried. The truth is bitter gourd is an extremely good vegetable, that helps our body in many ways. It helps in regulating diabetes as well as hyper tension. One may drink this in the form of raw juice or cook some dishes with some tricks to cover up its bitterness. It also helps in building immunity.
Greens– They are something that can be had any time, and more so in summer. The green leaves too have water content and cooling effect. They also are good for health. One can pick a different variety each week like Palak, Lettuce, Radish leaves, Turnip leaves, Methi etc.
Apart from this, Cauliflower, Brinjal, Tomatoes, Carrots, Green Peas and Potatoes too have high water content. Combine this with summer fruits like Watermelon, Grapes, Strawberries, etc to keep you well hydrated during summer.
Friends, I hope this information will be helpful to you.
Awaiting your views/feed backs/comments.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
12th May 2020.
Bobby
The lockdown is only time for the govt to prepare it’s infrastructure to handle the magnitude of cases when the country gets back to business. Unfortunately, we are handling the lockdown like a cure, and are like a country during a siege, where everybody is safe while the enemy waits outside, knowing starvation and death will be their final victory!