Many Scented Cleaning Products Contain Toxic Chemicals

"Even those products labeled "green" emit hazardous compounds not listed on the labels, report researchers from the University of Washington. They detected 133 chemicals in 25 popular products they analyzed, including laundry detergents, fabric softeners, dryer sheets, soaps, hand sanitizers, lotions, deodorants, shampoos and air fresheners. More than half the products studied were the top sellers in their categories. All the products emitted at least one chemical classified as toxic or hazardous, the investigators noted, and 11 of them emitted at least one chemical considered a probable carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The study didn't examine the health consequences of the chemical emissions. However, two earlier studies published by the lead investigator found that 20 percent of the U.S. population reported adverse reactions from air fresheners and about 10 percent complained of negative effects from laundry products. Complaints were about twice as high among asthmatics. Under current law, manufacturers aren't required to disclose the ingredients in cleaning supplies, and the Food and Drug Administration doesn't require labels to list ingredients used in fragrances in personal care products. The study was published online on October 26 in the journal Environmental Impact Assessment Review.

My take? If you're chemically sensitive or have allergies or respiratory sensitivities, you may want to create and use natural cleaning products to avoid exposure with compounds that can trigger your symptoms. But even if you have no sensitivities that might be activated by conventional cleaning products, you might want to rethink your use of those that contain carcinogens or suspected carcinogens. The danger these chemicals pose depends on the extent of your exposure - how often you use the products and how long you're in contact with the fumes."

Source: http://www.drweil.com

Malpoa - A famous bengali sweetdish

In my childhood, I often found my mother was preparing this dish with all her attention as my father and the rest of us were very fond of this sweet. Now my mother is no more and I also not have that enthusiasm to make this dish so often. I am giving you the recipe so that you can try.

Ingredients: Milk 1/2 litre, sugar 3 cups, baking powder 1/2 tspspoon, Ghee or white oil 200 gms, Mace of Javatri 1/4 tspspoon, water 2 cups, flour 1 cup, Aniseeds/Saunf/Mouri 2 tablespoons.

Method: Boil the mild and slightly thicken it. Remove and keep it aside to cool. Then sieve the flour and baking powder together and mix it with the thickened milk. Add mace and aniseeds to the mixture. Now boil the sugar and water in a big pan and make a thick syrup. Heat the ghee in a thick bottomed pan and when it starts smoking, deep fry a dessertspoon of the mixture till golden brown. Remove it from the ghee and soak it in the hot sugar syrup. Fry the whole mixture a dessertspoon at a time. Then soak the fried Malpoas in sugar syrup for 2-3 hours till cool and soft. Serve them in a flat dish and decorate with rose petals, shredded almonds and raisins.

How to keep your smile fresh as ever..

If you are a cola, coffee, tea or red-wine drinker, you may experience discolored teeth. Actually, any food or drink capable of staining clothes or carpets - including fruit juices, blueberries, soy sauce and curry - can also stain teeth. While the best way to get rid of persistent stains is with professional teeth cleaning, you can help prevent stains - new or recurring - with the following:

1. Rinse your mouth with plain water after you drink or eat staining foods and beverages.
2. Brush your teeth twice a day with a whitening toothpaste;

3. Floss daily (stains around the edges of your teeth can occur when plaque accumulates at the gum line and absorbs color from food and drink).

4. Sip temperate fluids through a straw, which minimizes contact with teeth.

Be cautious about over the counter teeth whitening kits, and talk with your dentist about professional options. You should be aware that any method of tooth bleaching may, over time, break down the integrity of the teeth. That can leave them more susceptible to future stains. Tooth sensitivity is a common side effect of teeth whitening but usually decreases over time.

As a child, we used to polish our teeth with a mixture of little salt and mustard oil, especially after recovered from a flu. It naturally brings back the taste as well as the white color as salt is a natural scrubbing agent. So don't hesitate to follow this tip also.

STDs and its preventions...

STDs or Sexually Transmitted Disease should be checked and controlled only by timely determination of disease and counseling. Only choose a free STD testing clinic as the patients who are here are all suffering from different STDs the fear of rejection and judgement from others are least and so you can talk with them before testing.

Visit this website for more valuable information.

3 reasons to eat carrot...

Eat plenty of carrots as this orange colored vegetable has..

1. Beta-carotene, a carotenoid pigment important for healthy vision.
2. High levels of biotin, vitamin K, vitamin B6, vitamin C, thiamine and potassium.
3. A significant amount of dietary fiber.


See my other carrot related posts...

Best Appetite Suppressant...

Those who are very much in need to shed weight by several pounds, natural appetite suppressants are very effective and this is a very much 'in' thing in today's world.

Everyone is craving for a body which is not over-weight and also healthy and beautiful at the same time, but the food-lovers are sometimes cannot control their craving for good food and in this way they are not able to shed weight at their desired level. Proactol, a strongest natural appetite suppressant is such a product that will help to do this work for them. This product is a combination of natural extracts which works both as fat burner and fat binder, reduces the craving for cholesterol-filled food intake by 28% and also improves the joint movement. It is a clinically proven, 100% organic and allergen free.

The best part of these products are you can buy them without any doctor's prescription as these are all side effects free.

Prawn Curry with raw mango..

It's summer time in India and it's also the time for delicious mango. Mango is our national fruit and most of the people are fond of this beautiful fruit. Many dishes can be made from both ripe and also from raw mango.

Here is a dish which can be made from raw mango.

For this dish, you need 5-6 large prawns, cut, de-veined and cleaned, salt and a little turmeric powder, oil, 3 tablespoon raw mango paste, 1 tsp of black mustard seed paste, 2 tsp of white mustard seed paste, sugar, 7-8 tablespoon of coconut milk, 3-4 green chillies.

Method: sprinkle salt and turmeric powder over the prawn and mix it well. Heat oil in a pan and fry the prawns with a little sugar (which brings the red color) for a while. keep them in a separate dish. Now put some more oil in the same pan, add 3-4 slitted green chillies, two types of mustard seed pasted, mango paste, salt and a little sugar. Fry the curry paste for a while and now add some water to make a gravy and when this gravy comes to boiling point, add the prawns. Keep boiling for some more times and now add the coconut milk and put off the flame.

Serve the curry with fresh,hot rice.

Chicken bharta...

The name of this dish is Indian, I don't know what it should be called in pure English. The preparation method is so easy, any one can prepare it in home. So here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken, 3-4 cloves, 1 inch cardamom, 4 bay leaves, 2 large grated onions, 1 tsp garlic paste, red chilli powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, tomato puree, fresh cream (optional), dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi powder), 1 cup fresh curd, half cup cashew nut paste, garam masala powder (a mixed powder of cloves, green cardamom, cinnamon)

Method:

Add all the spices (cloves, cardamom & bay leaf) along with the chicken and boil the chicken. Now separate the flesh from bones and keep aside.

Add oil in a pan & fry the chopped onions until brown, add garlic paste, chilli powder (as required), coriander powder, tomato puree and fry till the oil separates.

Now add the separated boneless chicken into it. Mix well and then add cashew paste & curd and let it boil. Add a little water to make a gravy. After a while add butter, garam masala powder and put off the flame. Garnish with fresh cream and serve hot with rotis or chapatis.

Weight Loss Tips for the Starbucks Drinker...

Are you a Starbucks Drinker and gaining weight gradually and don't know what to do!
Stop going to Starbucks!
No, I am talking absurd!
Then drink plain coffee without mixing it with milk, sugar and cream.
You can also choose from a variety of hot teas which are without any calorie at all.
Still the above weight loss tips are impossible for you?
Just cut calories by reducing the amount of special syrup of Starbucks into your coffee cup, and also take skimmed milk instead of ordinary milk. In this way you can cut about 20 calorie of your daily intake. If this is also not possible for you, take a small cup, instead of a big cup full of your favorite drink and reduce your calorie intake. It’s up to you to determine what to do.
So take care!!

Some facts...

1. Want to stay awake! Eat apple instead of coffee.
2. To acquire 2 kilograms of honey, honey-bees are actually collect honey from around 4 million of flowers.
3. Take one banana when you feel depressed.
4. Eat cabbage instead of water because it is proved that cabbage contains almost 91% of water.
5. When thinking about food, males think only about food which contains fat and females only about chocolates...

Those facts are written only for those readers of my blog who are from outside Bengal because these are a collection from our local Bengali daily.

Roasted Fish or Fish Paturi...

'Paturi' is a preparation which is made especially in Bengal and adjoining area. It is basically made with fish, but you can make this dish with 'paneer'(cottage cheese), any particular vegetable or with mixed vegetables.

The fish which is ideal for this kind of preparation is Hilsha or 'Ilish' what we called in Bengali. You can use Bekti or 'Bhetki' also.

Ingredients: Mustard paste, the amount is according to the pieces of fish, green chillis and mustard oil. For roasting the fish you need banana leaves and some thread to tie the fish wrapped in banana leaf. Salt.

Method: Mix the pasted with salt first. Coat each piece of fish with mustard paste; add one tsp mustard oil, one green chili. Now take a small portion of banana leaf and heat it slightly on the flame so that it will not break up while wrapping it around the fish. Now place the fish at the centre of the leaf, wrapped it and tie it well around the fish. Prepared all fish pieces in this way.
Now put a thick bottomed fry pan on the flame, put a little oil, and place the fishes on it, cover it with a lid. Put the flame to low and after 10 minutes turn them to another side. When the leaves turn black and a good smell is coming out, your dish is ready.

Serving:Remove the threads and serve them still wrapped in banana leaves.

The goodness of tomatoes...

Is tomato a vegetable of fruit? We, the Indian generally treat tomatoes as vegetables and use them generously in our day to day cooking, especially for color and also for the tastes and nutrients. In our country this vegetable is generally available in the winter.

Tomatoes contain vitamin C, and a significant amount of Vitamin A and vitamin B including niacin and riboflavin, magnesium, phosphorous and calcium. These are also a good source of fiber.

Recent studies found a very essential element lycopene in tomatoes which has certain diseases like prostate cancer fighting abilities.

Lycopene is basically a red colored carotene and carotenoid pigment found in red colored vegetables like tomatoes, carrots and ripe papayas. Unlike other vegetables, processing of tomatoes actually increases the bioavailable lycopene concentration. So products from processed tomatoes, such as tomato sauces, tomato soup etc. are always preferable than fresh tomatoes. As lycopene is fat soluble, using tomatoes in oil-rich dishes greatly increases the absorption of lycopene into the blood stream.

A very easy but delicious Chutney made from tomatoes:
Ingredients: 2 large tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon garlic paste, 1 chilli (optional), coriander leaves, salt and sugar for taste.
Wash the tomatoes well and with the help of a spoon or any sharp object make a hole at the top of them. Put the garlic paste in one of them and the chilli to the other through the hole. Now roast the tomatoes directly on to the flame or use a pan, put a little oil, and roast them covered with a lid. When the skin of the tomatoes become black and soft, they are ready.
Mix the flesh of the roasted tomatoes well with the chilli and garlic. Put some salt and a little sugar, add some coriander leaves and serve with roti or chapattis. It's delicious.