Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Party Time with Cheese and Wine

What is your expression to share your celebratory mood? 

Treats and parties, isn't it? 
What better than to have a tinge of fun with the near and dear ones under a roof, accompanied by music and good food?
On hearing 'party', a wave of energy and zeal run through in your body, and you get eager to drench in the party environment. You must have been the guest to parties many a time.
How many times you had the pleasure of being a host of your party?

If throwing parties give you an immense pleasure, then next time give your guests an innovative theme of cheese and wine. Wow your guests by setting the mood of a party with tasty wines and cheeses. Read below to know how to set an impeccable 'wine and cheese party'.
Set The Table:  Lay a table aesthetically by placing a bottle of wine, pairing with a platter of cheese. Make small counters of cheese and wine. Let your guests walk around and delight in the taste of your party-theme, rather engage in chats and stand in one place. By placing cheeses and wines in different tables, you offer an array of choices to your guests to indulge in the flavours they desire. Fresh flowers are always welcome to deck up the look of each table. To enhance a little more, give a sophisticated touch of swanky crockeries, with a focus on wine glasses and cheese knives. Adorn the surroundings of wine bottles with juicy grapes.

Go For The Best Cheeses: The key factor of the theme is to pair the right cheese with the right wine. Keep in mind the taste of cheese to be tangy and sweet. Some of the high-quality cheeses you can have are Canadian cheese, Mozzarella, Traditional Danish Blue. Browse more in the search engines to get to know the best cheeses. To get on the party mood, a delicious cheese can satiate your guests' appetite.

Wine Selection: When heading to the market to purchase wines, a question strikes in your mind, 'Which wine goes best with the cheese?'
A wrong selection of either of the two items can dampen the spirit of the party. Ensure to have the wines that will go well with the cheeses. For instance, a salty cheese should be paired with a sweet wine, creamy cheese pairs better with Chardonnay, Italian Chianti matches well with Parmesan. In other words, give a taste of a semisoft cheese with a dry white wine and a hard cheese with a full-bodied red wine. A simple trick to follow is choose a lighter wine for a mild cheese and for a richer wine go with the richer cheese. Have ideas on the selection of the wine with the cheese before planning for a cheese and wine party.

Accompaniments: Allure your guests' dishes with some stellar crunchies. A platter of crackers with the flavours of toppings can woo your guests' cravings to have some more on  the munchies. A crusty, whole grain bread and a bowl of olives go better with the theme. Fill a plate with roasted pine nuts, hazel nuts and Brazil nuts. Top it up with dark chocolates on the table to add a tempting taste to the accompaniments.

Take Care Of Health And Hygeine : Last but not the least, when you plan a party, your prime point should be hygeine. Have in mind that you take the onus of your guests' health. While you are busy in giving a classy touch to your theme, make sure to be mindful in hygeine and the quality of the food. Serving a good quality food and drinks should be at the top of your list and your prime concern. With that, you have got all to start the bash. Make a list of guests, send invites, welcome them with a friendly hug, tune in funky music and get everyone on the floor.

Let's get the party started!  

Author- Aparna Mukherjee

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Tick off the healthy living to fight against ageing

Often, mirror is one of the causes of agony and happiness. How? Either your face falls flat or a glow blushes your face.
'Hey, Gorgeous' is all human ears want to hear.

Does your young look tricks your age? 

Don't you wish to hear 'You look so young'? 
In the process to look young, you leave no stones unturned. You cherry-pick the best skin care products that will conceal your age, along with the radiance on your face to go for years. The constant concern to look young makes you experiment several lotions and anti-ageing creams to sustain your glowing look at all times. In a bid to fish compliments, you slip your mind that to have a healthy glow from outside; you need to ingest a healthy diet and a healthy living from inside.

Causes Of Ageing: Ageing is inevitable and a bitter universal truth. One who has been in the peak of youth will have to go through the phase of ageing. The only difference is some people age far faster; whereas, some manage to hold their age. Factors contribute to ageing are hormones, environment, poor diet, stress and exposure to diseases.  How you wish to make a stop at the pause button of ageing! Counting on beauty products to hide your ageing signs is not a wise way out. Although, you can't stop the clock from the process of ageing, certain measures can be taken from your part to slow down the ageing beforehand. Read below to know how to fight against ageing.

Anti-Ageing Diet: A healthy diet keeps your ageing at arm's length. 

Hence, delight in the foods that buffer the ageing process. As you grow older, your body makes home of diseases, leaving a bad impact on the skin. Dabbing cosmetics will give you a transient glow, but a right diet will gift you a fresh look for years. It is requisite to have a healthy eating that will safeguard your illness and prolong your longevity with vitality in the years to come. The key is to crush the unhealthy diet to prevent looking aged at an early age. To slow down the ageing, fill your plates with fruits, vegetables, fishes of Omega-3, nuts and whole grains. To prevent the signs of ageing, go for age-defying foods like leafy greens, tomatoes, blueberries and carrots, as they protect your healthy cells from getting damaged. Give your skin the right medicine by selecting foods rich in flavonoids and carotenoids from pre-mature ageing.

Top Anti-Ageing Tips: Having a desire to look younger than your age is no wrong.

To look younger, it isn't necessary to break the bank on expensive treatments. Although, anti-ageing cosmetics and pricey treatments can slow down your age artificially, but can leave a host of side-effects behind. The secret is self-treatment. Much of what you can do is to make time for yourself daily to take proper care to have a youthful appearance. Have a look at the rundown of the things you need to do to look vibrant in the ensuing years:

  1. Try to have a disease-free body by incorporating a healthy living. 
  2. Keep your body flexible by taking interest in exercise. A regular workout is the best age defiers. 
  3. Be choosy in your eating habits. Don't gorge in what your eyes see in the serving bowls. 
  4. Have a sound sleep. Unload the worry from your mind when you are off to bed at night. 
  5. Give your mind a mental massage by yoga and meditation. 
  6. Shield your skin from the exposure of sun-rays by applying sunscreen and by using sunglasses. 
  7. Quit smoking and alcohol.  Staying younger forever isn't in your control. 

Something you can take charge is not to reflect the age before time by following the above mentioned tips. Being mindful and proactive in your actions toward ageing can help you live your later years of life with grace. Feel young as you age and stay youthful in the years to come.

 Author- Aparna Mukherjee.

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Shed The Flab To Be Fab

Be a roadside fastfood or a lip smacking junk food plates out in malls, which draws your mind to binge on more than a healthy diet at home, isn't it?

Finger licking good dishes when dish out in a platter increase the appetite and push one to eat more. Many a time, we eat more than required just because the food tastes delectable to tongue, but gives back a diseased health. When we consume a large portion of unhealthy diet, the extra energy stored gets converted into fats. And the fats shape our size from fab to flab. Goes without saying, plump babies look cute. But with their growing age, their plump looks no longer be a sight for sore eyes.

The fats, if ignored in childhood can take the shape of obesity in adulthood. Owing to sedentary lifestyles, obesity is growing rapidly, leaving unhealthy and lethargic bodies behind. According to World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 400 million adults and around 20 million children are down with obesity. By calculating your Body Mass Index (BMI), you can find out if you are a victim of the monster disease named Obesity.

What Is Obesity?

When a person's excess body fat gets accumulated to a high degree, resulting in overweight and an adverse effect on health.

What Causes Obesity?  

With the growing number of food joints, people are inclined towards colourful junk foods to please their appetite but are hazardous for health. Sweetened beverages and snack meals are oftenthe targets of young children, which are high in calories and a major cause of obesity.  Factors Associated With Obesity In Children And Adults: In a cut-throat competition where studies consume a child's time, skipping breakfast or lunch slows down the body's metabolism, turning the child inactive and lethargic.

Also, watching television during meals should not be entertained. A child needs to enjoy his/her meal, instead of glueing eyes on the television set. A right diet and a physical activity should be in a child's regime to rule out obesity. As for adults, obesity makes its abode in those bodies who gorge on food but laze around to make efforts in physical activities. After ingesting high amounts of energy from your diet with no movements, such as walk or exercise, can lead to the surplus energy turn into fats. Many people spend a big chunk of hours sitting at a desk in office or those who count on their four wheelers rather than travelling distances on foot, the energy consumed do not burn off.

Relishing on hamburgers, fries or any such spicy food, with no physical activity, result in obese. Hence, it is imperative to wean yourself off from petty habits of indulging in yummy delectable. Obesity does not take place in an instant. A poor lifestyle brings you closer to the disease.

Other Factors Of Obesity: A family heredity could be one of the factors of obesity. Certain healthcare drugs like antidepressants or contraceptive pills can be the reason of unnecessary weight gain. Seek for a medical checkup from time to time.

Diseases Linked To Obesity: Obesity dents your health in the form of coronary heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, gynecological problems, stroke, sleep and respiratory problems, liver and gall bladder hassles.

Remedy: Dietary changes and workout can punch obesity. One needs to follow a healthy diet to get shot of the disease. Consult with your healthcare provider for the amount of calories you need to consume. Curb your insatiable craving for processed and fattening foods and switch to foods rich in volume but low in calories. Alongside of diet, have a one-to-one consultation with your physical trainer to train you in the physical activities requisite for a healthy and toned body.

A little effort from your part can make a huge difference for your good health. Walk around frequently, take the stairs instead of the elevator, a leisure walk in the garden, trim your excess fats in the gym and so forth. A diseased body is a step closer to death. Who does not wish to have a healthy body and in trim? All you need to do is banish greed of unhealthy diet and give a change to your taste bud by enjoying a nutritious meal.

"Gasping to be in trim, wishing for a toned body. How can you get it guys, if a healthy living you never try."   Author - Aparna Mukherjee