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Ankur came back from school crying. His classmates had made fun of him for his short height yet again. Naturally he was upset and disturbed and so were his parents, Vikram and Anita. It has often been noticed that children who are comparatively shorter than their peers develop a low self-esteem and remain in constant anxiety and stress. That can have a negative impact on their overall intellectual growth, which Vikram and Anita didn't want to happen with their son Ankur. So they went to meet the school principal and complained about the incident. However they were themselves worried about their son's slow growth. Though he was only seven years old but his height had literally stopped growing since the last two years or so. As parents, they wanted to cure the root cause of their son's sluggish growth.
All parents want their child to have a normal physical growth, both in height as well as in weight, just like other children of their age. However some kids have significantly slower growth rate as compared to others and so end up shorter in height or significantly thin. Most parents closely monitor their child's growth right from the time of his birth, to be reassured that he is growing at an expected rate. They become anxious and seek a doctor's advice if they find that their child's growth is slow and that he has fallen behind his peers in size (in terms of height and weight).
Several factors can impair a child's growth rate - it could be a hereditary problem, it could be due to prolonged illness, it could be due to hormone deficiency or else could be due to deficiency of essential nutrients. As per the pediatricians, the age of 3 to 9 years is a critical phase for children in terms of physical growth. So their bodies need sufficient nutrients and proteins for a proper growth. Kids these days are however quite fussy about eating certain food items like green vegetables or pulses but parents still patiently keep at them to encourage them to eat healthy. They take special care to ensure that their children eats nutritious meals in appropriate proportions so that his body gets the essential nutrients it needs and his growth is normal. However in spite of all the painstaking efforts by parents, their child's diet falls inadequate and so his nutritional requirements aren't fulfilled. As a result, his growth gets delayed and becomes a cause for worry for parents.
All parents want their child to have a normal physical growth, both in height as well as in weight, just like other children of their age. However some kids have significantly slower growth rate as compared to others and so end up shorter in height or significantly thin. Most parents closely monitor their child's growth right from the time of his birth, to be reassured that he is growing at an expected rate. They become anxious and seek a doctor's advice if they find that their child's growth is slow and that he has fallen behind his peers in size (in terms of height and weight).
Several factors can impair a child's growth rate - it could be a hereditary problem, it could be due to prolonged illness, it could be due to hormone deficiency or else could be due to deficiency of essential nutrients. As per the pediatricians, the age of 3 to 9 years is a critical phase for children in terms of physical growth. So their bodies need sufficient nutrients and proteins for a proper growth. Kids these days are however quite fussy about eating certain food items like green vegetables or pulses but parents still patiently keep at them to encourage them to eat healthy. They take special care to ensure that their children eats nutritious meals in appropriate proportions so that his body gets the essential nutrients it needs and his growth is normal. However in spite of all the painstaking efforts by parents, their child's diet falls inadequate and so his nutritional requirements aren't fulfilled. As a result, his growth gets delayed and becomes a cause for worry for parents.
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| Copyright: Horlicks Growth+ |
It is for this reason that Horlicks Growth+ has been devised after extensive scientific research by experts and pediatricians to help children catch up on their lost growth.
Horlicks Growth+ is an advanced nutritional product designed especially for those children who are lagging behind their peers in their physical growth. Horlicks Growth+ has been clinically proven to enable children catch up on their lost growth -- visible growth in terms of height and weight can be seen in children in only six months because it contains high quality whey protein along with amino acids and immunity boosting nutrients like Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Vitamin D. The heath drink can be enjoyed both hot as well as cold and comes in two exciting flavours - creamy Chocolate and smooth Vanilla flavours. Children will definitely love its taste. It is available at most of the top pharmacy outlets and also in the leading online portals.
So Ankur and his parents, Vikram and Anita would not have to worry anymore about Ankur's slow growth. Now by consuming Horlicks Growth+ regularly, Ankur can surely catch up on his lost growth!
Horlicks Growth+ is an advanced nutritional product designed especially for those children who are lagging behind their peers in their physical growth. Horlicks Growth+ has been clinically proven to enable children catch up on their lost growth -- visible growth in terms of height and weight can be seen in children in only six months because it contains high quality whey protein along with amino acids and immunity boosting nutrients like Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Vitamin D. The heath drink can be enjoyed both hot as well as cold and comes in two exciting flavours - creamy Chocolate and smooth Vanilla flavours. Children will definitely love its taste. It is available at most of the top pharmacy outlets and also in the leading online portals.
So Ankur and his parents, Vikram and Anita would not have to worry anymore about Ankur's slow growth. Now by consuming Horlicks Growth+ regularly, Ankur can surely catch up on his lost growth!
Like in all Bengal household, fish is a must in our home too, at least two times in a week, especially Sear Fish. It's a favourite of my husband and so also of mine. He loves the fish so much that sometimes he finishes up the fried pieces then and there and I am left with virtually nothing to make the curry. He can be such a naughty child at times, I tell you. So sometimes I have to literally hide the fried pieces from him.
But then he is not to be blamed, the sear fish fry does taste so incredible that one wouldn't be able to control the urge to take a bite. It's very easy to prepare actually.
After washing and cleaning the fish pieces thoroughly and draining out all the water, I add a teaspoon of turmeric powder, a tablespoon of mustard oil, a teaspoon of salt to the bowl containing the fish pieces and mix them all nicely with hands so that this marination mixture gets nicely coated over the surface of the fish pieces. It is then left aside for an hour or so.
After it has been marinated for an hour, it is then fried in mustard oil. Take a kadhai and add about 4 to 5 tablespoons of mustard oil and heat it up over medium flame. When the oil becomes hot, slowly add the marinated fish pieces one by one and fry them nicely on all sides till they turn fairly crisp and golden brown in colour. Our seer fish fry is ready. Didn't I tell you that it is quite easy to prepare?
Last week me and my family (my husband and my son Sonu) decided to go on a short vacation to Shimla. Sonu had been insisting for a vacation for ever since his final exams got over, and his school closed for the summer vacation, he was feeling really bored at home. Of course, watching TV is no more fun and I remain busy in the kitchen most of the day. To make matters worse, almost all of his friends had gone visiting some place on a vacation and he was feeling left out. I was also looking for a getaway from the usual chores for at least a couple of days. In any case, it had been quite a long time since we went somewhere on a vacation. So my husband too didn't resist and instantly agreed on the idea. After careful consideration and thinking over all probable locations, we finally zeroed down on Shimla. What better place to visit to get respite from the scorching sun and the terribly high temperatures in Delhi. Everything fell into place and we were all set to drive up to Shimla. My husband was to drive our car. But little did we know then that all our plans were going to be spoilt because of our car!
We started early morning from Delhi and we had hardly moved a kilometre when our car broke down. Shimla was still so far away. To our misfortune, there was no garage in the vicinity. Although my husband tried hard to start the car but it just didn't. All our dreams of fun and enjoyment instantly got crushed. Our car had been giving us troubles every now and then. Finally after waiting for almost an hour, my husband managed to find a mechanic. When he checked the car, he said that the engine had to be changed and that it had passed its shell-life. That came as a shock to us, because we had purchased this car only some four years ago. How can a four year old car suddenly die so soon?
The mechanic told us that the car couldn't handle the wear and tear that it used to face being driven everyday on the potholed roads; its engine and body weren't that strong. Thus all our vacation plans got cancelled due to the car. Obviously our son Sonu was hurt the most but more than that, the failure of the car infuriated my husband so much that he decided to replace it with a new one.
At first I was reluctant but then relented when both my son and my husband persisted. Thus the last few days, our evenings are spent in long discussions about which car to buy. We have also taken a few test rides of certain cars and weren't that convinced. Moreover, after having been failed by our four year old car once, we do not want to take chance and repeat our mistake.
Stylish features -
Yesterday morning, my husband came up to me and excitedly shared with me the news about the launch of RediGO by Datsun. He told me that Datsun is launching India's first Urban cross car - Redi-GO that has the features of a crossover as well that of a hatchback and promises to blow away our driving blues. He also showed me its pictures and I must admit that the car RediGO does look very stylish and classy. The designers of Datsun have given it a very catchy style.
Fun. Freedom. Confidence. The ultimate Urban Cross - Datsun redi-GO - the capability of a crossover with the convenience of a hatchback. The RediGO promises to give full value for our money. In short, the RediGO is a full paisa wasool car!
The coming Sunday, me and my family will be visiting the Datsun showroom in South Ex to take a test drive and see whether driving this car is indeed fun and comfortable as Datsun promises. Hoping for the best.
We started early morning from Delhi and we had hardly moved a kilometre when our car broke down. Shimla was still so far away. To our misfortune, there was no garage in the vicinity. Although my husband tried hard to start the car but it just didn't. All our dreams of fun and enjoyment instantly got crushed. Our car had been giving us troubles every now and then. Finally after waiting for almost an hour, my husband managed to find a mechanic. When he checked the car, he said that the engine had to be changed and that it had passed its shell-life. That came as a shock to us, because we had purchased this car only some four years ago. How can a four year old car suddenly die so soon?
The mechanic told us that the car couldn't handle the wear and tear that it used to face being driven everyday on the potholed roads; its engine and body weren't that strong. Thus all our vacation plans got cancelled due to the car. Obviously our son Sonu was hurt the most but more than that, the failure of the car infuriated my husband so much that he decided to replace it with a new one.
At first I was reluctant but then relented when both my son and my husband persisted. Thus the last few days, our evenings are spent in long discussions about which car to buy. We have also taken a few test rides of certain cars and weren't that convinced. Moreover, after having been failed by our four year old car once, we do not want to take chance and repeat our mistake.
Stylish features -
Yesterday morning, my husband came up to me and excitedly shared with me the news about the launch of RediGO by Datsun. He told me that Datsun is launching India's first Urban cross car - Redi-GO that has the features of a crossover as well that of a hatchback and promises to blow away our driving blues. He also showed me its pictures and I must admit that the car RediGO does look very stylish and classy. The designers of Datsun have given it a very catchy style.
Promises a zippy driving experience as well as superb fuel efficiency -
Although I am not that knowledgeable about the technical specifications of a car but I was told by my husband that the RediGO promises to provide a zippy driving experience as well as superb fuel efficiency. He said that the car is built on a common module family (CMF-A) platform and has been given a very powerful engine with a capacity of 0.8L (800cc), three-cylinder engine combined with a five-speed manual transmission, which will provide comfortable and robust driving experience. As per my husband, this car would be able to handle the driving blues that one usually faces in a city because of this powerful engine. In addition tot hat, he also said that the coupling of 0.8L (800cc), three-cylinder engine with a five-speed manual transmission will result in far better fuel-efficiency than what our old car used to give.
Best in class ground clearance of 185mm -
He also told me that the RediGO has got the best in class ground clearance of 185mm which will result in better visibility and high eye point and thus the driver will feel confident driving the car through the city. The tall frame of the car would also mean that there will be sufficient interior space inside the car and so driving will be very comfortable.
Fun. Freedom. Confidence. The ultimate Urban Cross - Datsun redi-GO - the capability of a crossover with the convenience of a hatchback. The RediGO promises to give full value for our money. In short, the RediGO is a full paisa wasool car!
The coming Sunday, me and my family will be visiting the Datsun showroom in South Ex to take a test drive and see whether driving this car is indeed fun and comfortable as Datsun promises. Hoping for the best.
A family vacation was long overdue. It had been a while since we visited a new place. In fact it was exactly four years back when we went to Andaman and Nicobar islands. Since then, we hadn't really visited any picturesque place apart from the usual yearly trip to our ancestral home in Bengal. Time flies by so fast. Sonu, my son is already in the seventh standard before I could realise. I have lost count of the number of times when I felt like it was only yesterday that he was crawling around the house in a diaper! It's sad but probably inevitable that there will come a time when he would have a life of his own. In a few years from now, he would be in college and will get really busy in his studies and career. He may also even wish to leave for a different city or country to pursue his higher studies. Thus we mayn't have enough opportunities to be together as we do now. A family vacation is the best way to bond with your children. I want my kid to grow up to be independent but at the same time, also want to gift him with fond memories, our time of togetherness those that he can cherish for his entire life. Years later I'm sure he will be happy to go through the photos and videos of the times we spent together during vacations and will want to relive them. Also travelling can be a great learning experience for kids. It is way more fun to get to learn about things first hand than only reading about them in books or on television. When we take our family to a new country or state, the kids get an opportunity to learn about different cultures, history, environment, food habits and lots more.
Apart from that, I am myself a travel-loving person. I love to explore new places. Ever since I was a teenager, I had always had a deep desire to visit at least ten exotic destinations in this lifetime. Maldives had been on the top of the list. While browsing through books and magazines, I had seen numerous postcard photographs of Maldives, they were so picturesque and mesmerizing in pictures that I wanted to visit and explore Maldives for real. Last year in March, finally my wish got fulfilled when my hubby dear took us on a family vacation and I can't thank him enough. He knew that Maldives has been on my wishlist for long and last year he proposed for a family vacation to Maldives during Sonu's summer vacation. Keeping our budget in mind, we decided to go for a 4 day 3 nights stay in Maldives. We had already made elaborate plans for the vacation, about which flight to take, where to stay and what all islands to visit because there are over a thousand islands there. If chosen wisely, each island will give you a wholesome experience to remember.
Thanks to Yatra.com (through which we could select the most appropriate flight route to Male from Delhi as per our convenience) and Etihad Airways, it took only about ten hours to reach Male with a stopover at Abu Dhabi. The flight tickets from Delhi to Maldives were relatively affordable too. As per me, the best time to visit Maldives would be during the months of December to April.
Thanks to Yatra.com (through which we could select the most appropriate flight route to Male from Delhi as per our convenience) and Etihad Airways, it took only about ten hours to reach Male with a stopover at Abu Dhabi. The flight tickets from Delhi to Maldives were relatively affordable too. As per me, the best time to visit Maldives would be during the months of December to April.
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| (Image Copyrights - www.shelovesglam.com) |
Maldives has to be one of the best romantic places on earth. I couldn't contain my grin when my husband gave me the surprise of my life, the best gift that I could have ever wished for. The white sand beach, the pristine water, the blue sky... everything looked like so much like a movie wallpaper. At first we couldn't believe our eyes. I had never seen so much of vivid colours all around in real life before. Maldives vacation shall always remain an unforgettable experience. And as the cherry on the cake, the expression on Sonu's face, his amazement the moment we landed at Maldives was absolutely priceless, I had never seen him so happy and so excited before.
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| (Image Copyrights - www.shelovesglam.com) |
Sonu and my husband remained busy in snorkelling most of the time, going after the fishes. I loved to see the father-son duo swimming and playing together while I relaxed on the swing at the same time watching over them. At other times, I was just strolling around the beach and capturing beautiful shots on my camera as mementos to take back. The sea view both during dawn as well as during sunset was absolutely spectacular.
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| (Image Copyrights - www.maldives.com) |
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| (Image Copyrights - www.alphamaldives.com) |
There was so much of calm and peace in Maldives. I can't actually dream about that kind of quietness in any of our metro cities. I so wished I could live there forever. It was a wonderful experience, away from the din and bustle of everyday life. And an absolutely unforgettable vacation. The trip did cost us quite a lot of money but we also thoroughly enjoyed our time there and made wonderful memories. Everyone should plan for such vacations and trips.
Like a typical Bengali, my husband too is very fond of fish curry and today being a Wednesday, he had a special demand to include fish curry in the lunch menu. He even clarified that he won't be taking a lunch box and instead would come home for lunch, so that he would be able to relish his favourite fish curry in peace. Whereas I was thinking about preparing chicken curry because it had been months since I prepared chicken. But seeing his eagerness for fish curry, I thought to keep chicken for some other day. But luck had something else in store for us. To make sure that I do not fail him by giving some excuse for not making fish curry, he himself went to the market early morning and got a kilo of Ilishi maach and kept it in the refrigerator. I was unknown to that fact, nor did he tell me that he had already brought Ilishi. By the time I went to the market, it was well past ten in the morning and so I couldn't find any variety of fish, all stocks had already been sold, I couldn't even find prawns. I couldn't have returned home empty-handed, so I bought a kilo of chicken. Thus I ended up cooking both fish curry as well chicken curry for lunch. However that was not all, in fact today's lunch was quite a lavish spread. We had plain rice, dal, Ilishi jhol, chicken curry, kobi alu chor chori and doi cucumber salad. My husband was more than happy and ate the dishes to his heart's fill.
Life has become so hectic these days, there is such a mad rush everywhere right from the time people wake up. Kids and the youngsters are seen to be in a hurry to reach their schools and colleges in time while the adults to reach their work places. However their health gets affected in the bargain because most of them due to time constraints often skip the most essential meal of the day - breakfast! When you skip your breakfast, your body will be short on energy. Without its fuel (energy), how will it function properly throughout the day? Also those who skip their breakfast end up binging on food during lunch and thus get over-weight and develop health issues. But contrary to what most people think, preparing a healthy breakfast is not that difficult actually. For instance, today I prepared vegetable upma for my husband and my son. Not only were they happy with the taste, even I was satisfied that they won't feel tired during the day due to lack of nutrients or energy. Preparing vegetable upma is quite easy.
Rawa or Suji - about 250 gms
Onions, 2 nos medium sized, thinly sliced
Tomatoes, finely chopped - 1 cup
Carrots, finely chopped - 1/2 cup
Potatoes, skinned and cut into small cubes - 1/2 cup
French Beans, cut into small pieces - 3 tbsp
Green Matar - 1/2 cup
Cauliflower, finely chopped into small florets - 3 tbsp
Green chillies, slit along the length - 3-4 nos
Curry leaves - 5-6 nos
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad Dal - 1 tsp
Red Chillies, 3 nos, broken into fairly long pieces
Vegetable refined oil - 3 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Method :
First we will have to dry roast the rawa or suji over low-medium flame for about 3-4 minutes till a faint smell starts coming. Transfer it to a plate and keep aside.
Now taking a kadhai, heat the refined oil and add the sliced onions and fry till they become translucent. Then add the slit green chillies and fry for a minute or so. Follow that with addition of mustard seeds, broken red chillies, urad dal and curry leaves and saute for a minute or two. Then add the chopped tomatoes and fry for some time till they become really soft.
Now add the chopped vegetables, salt and fry for a minute or two. Then add about 3-4 cups of water and covering the kadhai with a lid or plate, allow the vegetables to get cooked properly. That should take about 4-5 minutes.
When the water starts boiling, add the roasted suji or rawa and mix nicely. The roasted rawa will soak up all water. Keep on the flame for another 2 minutes before turning off the flame. Our suji vegetable upma is ready to be served.
Didn't I say that vegetable upma is quite easy to prepare and doesn't really take that much time to prepare. So next time when you feel that you are running short on time, instead of altogether skipping your breakfast, make vegetable upma and eat to your fill. Not only does it taste wonderful but is also healthy.
