Tips and Advice

To keep the cottage cheese soft and luscious after deep frying, dip it in lukewarm water to which a pinch of turmeric powder is added.
One cup of soaked poha added to five cups of rice while grinding the batter for idlis will make them softer and lighter.
Use milk instead of water to knead puri dough. Puris will be softer.
For flaky paranthas add ghee instead of oil to the flour while kneading the dough.
To make good crispy bhaturas, add two teaspoons of semolina to two cups of refined flour while kneading the dough.
Soak lemons in lukewarm water before slicing and squeezing them in order to extract maximum juice.
Make a waffle design on cookies! Pressing the rolled-out cookie dough with a potato masher lightly.
Freeze leftover soup or soup stock in ice cube trays. Store in ziplock bags and use later to serve small amounts of soup or use the entire batch for another meal.
Basil leaves are tender and bruise very easily. Never chop them with a knife, but tear them lightly with your fingers just before using.
Do not use baking soda for cooking pulses and vegetables as it destroys vitamins A, B and C.
Do not add saffron directly to a dish. Infuse threads in a little hot water or milk for at least five minutes before adding it to a dish.
To get rid of the smell of eggs from utensils wash them first with gram flour and hot water or scrub with a lemon rind
To increase the shelf life and retain the freshness of refined flour, semolina and gram flour store them in the refrigerator.
To make thick curd, add little milk powder to the milk while setting the curd.
To retain the nutrients in vegetables, scrub and wash them in several changes of water before chopping. Once chopped immediately cook them.
For perfect shaped cakes first grease the pan, then line it with butter paper.
For best results in baking let the eggs, butter and milk reach room temperature before mixing.
To clean wooden cutting boards, rub it with baking soda, then sprinkle a little white vinegar and let it stand for a couple of minutes. Rinse with water.
Cheese will stay fresh longer if wrapped in cling film once the seal is broken. Take care to refrigerate in the chiller tray section of the fridge.
Add a few drops of lemon juice while preparing sugar syrup. The impurities will collect on the surface of the syrup, which you can then remove.
Wrap coriander and curry leaves in a muslin cloth and store in a refrigerator to keep them fresh and retain their colour.
If the potato chips you brought for your party turn soggy, simply pop them in microwave for 30 to 60 seconds . they will turn crispy again.
To increase shelf life of coffee powder, store it in an airtight container and place it in the refrigerator.
Refrigerate mushrooms and eggplant in paper rather than plastic bags to keep them from developing soft, slimy spots.
Green chillies will stay fresh if the stem is removed and then refrigerated.
When mixing cake batter, icings or whipping any liquid, keep a folded cloth under the vessel. This will help you get a better grip of the vessel since it will not slip over the work surface.
When making green banana wafers use a potato peeler to produce the thinnest slices.
To crush nuts quickly and easily, place them in a plastic bag and roll with a rolling pin.

WHAT IS YOUR WEIGHT?

Height
(centimeters) Small frame
(weight in kgs) Medium frame
(weight in kgs) Large frame
(weight in kgs)
157.5 58.1-60.8 59.4-64.0 62.6-68.0
160.0 59.0-61.7 60.3-64.9 63.5-69.4
162.6 59.9-62.6 61.2-65.8 64.4-70.7
165.1 60.8-63.5 62.1-67.1 65.3-72.6
167.6 61.7-64.4 63.0-68.5 66.2-74.4
170.2 62.6-65.8 64.4-69.8 67.6-76.2
172.7 63.5-67.1 65.8-71.2 68.9-78.0
175.3 64.4-68.5 67.1-72.6 70.3-79.8
177.8 65.3-69.8 68.5-73.9 71.7-81.6
180.3 66.2-71.2 69.8-75.3 73.0-83.5
182.9 67.6-72.6 71.2-77.1 74.4-85.3
185.4 68.9-74.4 72.6-78.9 76.2-87.1
188.0 70.3-76.2 74.4-80.7 78.0-89.4
190.5 71.7-78.0 75.7-82.6 79.8-91.6
193.0 73.5-79.8 77.6-84.8 82.1-93.9


WOMEN


Height
(centimeters) Small frame
(weight in kgs) Medium frame
(weight in kgs) Large frame
(weight in kgs)
147.3 45.9-49.9 49.0-54.0 53.1-58.9
149.9 46.3-50.8 49.9-55.3 54.0-60.3
152.4 46.8-51.7 50.8-56.7 54.9-61.6
154.9 47.7-53.1 51.7-58.0 56.2-63.0
157.5 48.6-54.4 53.1-59.4 57.6-64.3
160.0 49.9-55.8 54.4-60.7 58.9-66.1
162.6 51.3-57.1 55.8-62.1 66.3-67.9
165.1 52.6-58.5 57.1-63.4 61.6-69.7
167.6 54.0-59.8 58.5-64.8 63.0-71.5
170.2 55.3-61.2 59.3-66.1 64.3-73.3
172.7 56.7-62.5 61.2-67.5 65.7-75.4
175.3 58.5-63.9 62.5-68.8 67.5-76.5
177.8 59.4-65.2 63.9-70.2 68.4-77.8
180.3 60.7-66.6 65.2-71.5 69.7-79.2
182.9 62.1-67.9 66.6-72.9 71.1-80.5



Source : Metropolitan Life Insurance

A quick way to find out your ideal weight

The simplest way to find out one’s ideal body weight for height is by this method

Ideal body weight = Height (in cms.) – 100

Waist To Hip Ratio

The distribution of fat around the body differs for both men and women. It must be noted that the fat distribution in men is more in the upper part of the body and is called android obesity or “apple shaped” while in women it is concentrated around the lower regions i.e the hips. This type of fat distribution is known as gynoid type or “pear shaped”.

Waist to hip ratio (WHR) is used as an indicator of obesity and the risk associated with it.

To measure this, measure your waist at the point of the navel while the measurement of the hips is done at the broadest part.


Measurement of waist
To determine WHR =
Measurement of hips



Values greater than or equal to 0.9 for men and greater than or equal to 0.85 for women indicate obesity and risk of disorders like diabetes and heart diseases.

BMI
Body Mass Index or BMI is used to determine the degree of body fat and the relative risk to the health of a person.


Weight (kg)
BMI
Height (Mtrs)
Category BMI kg/m2
Under weight Below 20
Normal 20 - 22
High normal 22 - 25
Obesity 25 - 30
Extremely obese Over 30



A BMI that is between ‘20 to 25’ is considered to be normal.

Your Activity Chart

What happens to all the food that we eat? No, residing in your waistline is not one of its favourite places. The energy derived from each meal you have eaten goes into the numerous activities that are packed in your entire day.

Even while you are lying on the couch, the body uses energy to make the internal organs work. Want to know how much of energy or calories are being burnt in each activity?

Shown here is a list of activities and the calories used per 30 minutes of performing it.

Activity Calories (30 Minutes)
Sleeping
32
Sitting at the desk
45
Cooking
50
Driving a car
50
Writing
50
Volley ball
105
Bowling
108
Golf
108
Fishing
114
Mopping floors
150
Aerobics
178
Badminton
180
Dancing
210
Walking downstairs
210
Hockey
249
Swimming
250
Skiing
252
Horse riding
255
Basketball
258
Tennis
261
Mountain climbing
270
Ice skating
315
Roller skating
315
Running
325
Climbing stairs
360
Judo
363
Rowing
378
Squash
440
Walking 5.5km / hourWalking 8 km / hourWalking 12 km/ hourWalking 16 km / hour
168300450600
Jogging 5 mile / hourJogging 7.5 mile / hour
300450
Bicycling 8km / hourBicycling 24km / hour
150360