Microwave Tips

To use your microwave oven even more effectively:

• Cook in round vessels. Rectangular ones are less effective because they come closer to the power source (on the oven’s side) as the dish rotates, and may heat food unevenly, even burn some portions.
• Microwaves are more evenly distributed on a flat plate, and therefore cooking time is reduced.
• Use several smaller containers, instead of one large one, to speed up the cooking process. This way, you can also simultaneously hand out a number of small servings to family or guests

Colour Your Diet

Eating a colourful diet—with green, red, blue, white and yellow fruits and vegetables—is healthy, and can lower the risk of some cancers. But not all foods pack the same punch, says Marilyn S. Nanney, a registered dietitian at St Louis University.

Add these powerhouses to your rainbow:

YELLOW/ORANGE
Health benefits: Protects immune system, vision and heart health
Old standby: Corn
But don’t forget: Mangoes, cantaloupe, oranges, musambi, carrots, papaya

BLUE/PURPLE
Health benefits: Maintains urinary tract health; promotes memory function
Old standby: Grapes
Don’t forget: Brinjals, plums, jambu, blue or black berries.

RED
Health benefits: Sustains memory function and urinary tract health
Old standby: Apples
Don’t forget: Tomatoes, red chillies, strawberries.

WHITE
Health benefits: Maintains heart health and good cholesterol levels
Old standbys: Potatoes, onions, mushrooms
Don’t forget: Cauliflower.

GREEN
Health benefits: Promotes vision, strong bones and teeth
Old standbys: Iceberg lettuce, green beans
Don’t forget: Dark lettuces, spinach, broccoli.

Food and Family

Want your kids to eat healthy? Check your own diet. The more fruit and vegetables Mum and Dad eat, the more Junior is likely to consume, according to a study of two- to six-year-olds at London’s University College. And youngsters who were introduced to these foods earlier tended to reach for them more often. Those who had been breast-fed ate fruit and vegetables more frequently than bottle-fed kids. The likely reason? Breast milk takes on the flavours of the food Mum eats.

Speaking of milk, American researchers found that girls who met calcium requirements had mums who drank more milk. Moreover, those who got at least the minimum recommended amount of calcium at age five (800mg daily) were nearly five times as likely to do so at age nine (1300mg daily).

Is processed yogurt good for you?

Yogurt (or curd) is essential in nearly all regions of India. And nearly everybody likes it. But are the yogurt-coated cereals and processed foods really good for you? Real low-fat yogurt is very healthy, says dietitian Elisa Zied, author of So What Can I Eat? These products are often made with dried nonfat yogurt, which doesn’t always have calcium or any of the other key nutrients in yogurt. But real curd is good as we all know it. Make or choose low- or non-fat varieties. Best to have it with little or no sugar. Home-made, low-fat curd is more healthful than the flavoured ones.

Relaxing at home

Quiet, Please! Open windows and more time outdoors can also mean noisy neighbours, barking dogs and the din of speeding cars. Some people have been masking the noise with these methods:

• Use your PC With Atmosphere Deluxe (relaxingsoftware.com), you customize your own nature sound mix. Then, fed through your PC speakers, you’ll hear the ocean or tropical frog pond instead of the mower across the street.
• Tune it out iSplash waterproof speakers (sharperimage.com) play music from an iPod or any source with a headphone jack.
• Consider storm windows An outer laminated window can cut outside noise by up to 10 decibels—perceived as half the amount of sound, says one sound engineer.