Assorted

The health benefits of dark chocolate and oats are many. And together when made into cakes, they are liked by kids and adults alike.   Chocolate is an anti-oxidant rich super food, its benefits include - keeps in check disease causing free radicals, helps prevent cancer, improves heart health, good overall cholesterol level, better cognitive function and helps in blood pressure and sugar level. Oats are rich in antioxidants and soluble fiber. Since no baking is required, cakes are easy to make. Cakes are better than cookies, as evening snacks for kids.

Health conscious housewives prefer boiled vegetables to oil fried/cooked vegetables. Generally people, especially kids, hate boiled stuff as the oil fried ones tickle the taste buds. Over the years, research has led us to believe that frying vegetables masks the antioxidant properties with a thick layer of fat. A new study has shown that vegetables fried in extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) have increased anti-oxidant properties, meaning less risk of cancer, diabetes and macular degeneration leading to poor vision. Frying in olive oil results in a much higher calorie food, but that should not be a concern because olive oil is filled with good fat - monounsaturated fatty acids. Boiling, on the other hand, did not increase the anti-oxidant properties but preserved it, and was transferred to the body only if the broth, the water remaining after boiling, is consumed and not thrown away. ( here ) The benefits taking a spoon of olive oil helps in the ageing process by reducing i...

Housewives interested in their environment must avoid the following: Tea Bags: Tea bags are convenient, but it is this convenience that has caused environmental problems. Contain some plastic, to seal and keep them stiff. After use the bags go to the dustbin and find their way to the dumping yards.  (see here) Plastic Straw: Single use plastics are an hazard to our health, environment and oceans. "Straws, which are made of a petroleum byproduct called polypropylene mixed with colorants and plasticizers, do not biodegrade naturally in the environment. Some are incinerated, which releases toxic chemicals into the air, but most end up in the ground, where they will hang around for an estimated 400 years and leach chemicals into the ground. That means that every straw ever used still exists on this planet."  (see here) Paper napkins: They are biodegradable but destroy our natural wealth, wood. Based on a calculations in treehugger , environmentally,...

Fish eaters must be aware of the risks in their preference for fish as the main source of protein. It would be safe to switch to others sources like meat, tofu, diaries or vegan foods for their protein requirement. The fish, be it fresh water or salt water, are ingested with pollutants and plastics that are poured into the water from various sources. There is so much plastic in the world's oceans now that fish cannot help but eat it. Dumping waste, washing clothes, open sewage drain, soil erosion, lack of adequate sewage treatment plant, and disposing industrial waste increase the pollution of rivers and water bodies to dangerous levels. Fish sourced from such water bodies must have consumed the polluted water. It is not known yet what effect eating fish ingested with plastic and pollutants will have on our human bodies, but the end result is more or less clear. Very little can be done to reverse the trend or reduce the pollution in the immediate future. So, it would b...

Microfiber Pollution:  All clothing material made of synthetic fiber or polyester, mixed with cotton or 100%,  are now considered one of the biggest plastic pollution problems we face. During every wash, by machine,  they shed small micro  fibers measuring less than 5 mm length,  shedding up to 1,900 microfibers per wash. The problem gets worse as garments age and the fibers loosen but  less acute when hand washed due to less agitation. Water Pollution: The wash water  from washing machines , containing microfibers,  may find their way, especially in major cities, through waterways into seafood, and even into drinking water. This, in turn, can be consumed by humans, the effect of which can be devastating. In California, USA, a new legislation is being pushed through which will require all clothing containing more than 50 percent synthetic fabric to have a conspicuous label warning of plastic microfiber shedding. Spread...