There Is No Green In My Tea

While the rest of the world   got engaged  in some sort of entertainment heralding the new year,it was celebrated very quietly in this part of the world.There wasn’t any major   jubilation like lighting fire crackers and  merry making in public places.Possibly people over here enjoyed  the new year in the comfort of their homes.As I looked forward to ushering in the new year,I also visualized a year full of goodness.I so want this year to be according to what I am hoping for.I look forward to at least some or a few of those materialized.As with each year,I fervently look ahead to shed a few pounds off my system. At my age I am not interested in reducing weight for appearances sake,my weight loss goal  is  more of an insurance,an investmest for good health.Perhaps to grow old without major illnesses related to being over-weight.However putting them to practice is a hard task.Any  magazines,newspapers or just scraps and clippings on how to lose those extra pounds,is read with great interest and appreciation.I even watched a few previous episodes of 'The Biggest Loser".

A few times earlier I had stumbled upon many  articles which have revealed sweet success on weight loss.But the one to catch my attention was  my favourite digest, which  carried a small feature on how drinking green tea can reduce weight and also how essential it is for health benefits.This immediately aroused my curiosity.Heavily relying on that short snippet,I opened a packet of green tea which I already had at home .As a matter of fact, I got so restless and infuriated that I was ready to give up even before starting this ‘green tea ‘weight loss’ program.I was thoroughly exasperated waiting for the tea to brew and bring out the strong flavor in it.I thought it was taking a considerable time.There wasn't any colour in that instant to indicate the tea was  well brewed.Little did I know that ‘green tea’ is a kind of specialty  and even with all it’s favourable qualities,it would n’t  turn my cup  of tea  green. By the time I realized this,my  tea had gone cold…

Gout ? Make Dietary Changes !

"Ouch ! That hurts ! What’s that? Gout??" I have never heard of this term until a few months back when my husband was diagnosed with this condition. One particular morning, not so long ago, my hubby complained of a throbbing pain under his heel when he tried to get off the bed. Thinking it was due to fatigue from the previous day’s  spring cleaning, he rubbed some ointment and got about his days’ schedule. Howsoever the pain was too stubborn to go away. That is when he decided to seek medical help. Since we had never heard of this condition before, I began to collect information from the internet. And thank God! There were a whole lot of data available for gout and gouty patients.

Gout is a medical condition typically distinguished by the recurring attacks of acute inflammatory arthritis, tender and hot swollen joints.  It is caused by raised levels of uric acid in the blood which crystallize and is deposited in joints and in surrounding tissues.Gout is one form of arthritis which can be triggered by certain types of food and also which can be reduced by avoiding those particular food from the diet. 

Both dietary changes and medications can decrease uric acid levels. Once the acute attack has sinked,levels of uric acid can be brought down through lifestyle alterations.Reducing intake of food such as meat and seafood  and certain vegetables with are high in purines and proteins also helps.

To help us understand this condition better,  my husband was given a chart from the hospital with a list of food that he should eliminate from  his diet. I have attached it to the  kitchen door for quick reference. I run through the list everyday before preparing our daily meals.