Natural Mantra

Monthly Archives: October 2014


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Why #Broccoli?

Salads are healthy. You know that of course! And if you add Broccoli to the mix, they taste divine, plus are immeasurably good for you in so many ways!

The goodness of Broccoli

#TopTen Broccoili Benefits

Traditional Indian foods have always included leafy green vegetables. As we reinvent our cuisines, we too find interesting uses for such vegetables.Broccoli works well in salads, stir fries, curries and soups.  It contains nutrients like vitamins A and C, folic acid, fiber, calcium, potassium and magnesium and is rich in sulfur and several powerful antioxidants. Plus, this vegetable is very low in saturated fat and cholesterol.Here are the top 10 health benefits of broccoli.

Prevents Cancer

The ‘sulforaphane’ compound found in broccoli helps prevent cancer. Broccoli inhibits the growth of breast, uterus, cervical, prostate and skin cancer.

Regulates Blood Pressure

It plays a key role in improved DNA methylation, which is crucial for normal cellular function and proper gene expression. This is turn helps regulate blood pressure level.

Maintains Heart Health

Certain chemicals in broccoli protect arteries from clogging and causing heart attacks. It reduces your risk of atherosclerosis, heart disease, attacks and strokes.

Supports Detoxification

Broccoli also helps your body in detoxification, eliminating waste products. It helps boost your energy level, increase immunity, improve metabolism, stimulate circulation and improve digestion.

Boosts Brain Power

Broccoli is a great source of vitamin K, which is known to enhance cognitive function and improve brainpower, and B vitamins that  improve mental stamina and memory.It also reduces your chances of suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s in old age.

Aids Weight Loss

Broccoli is a low-fat and low-calorie vegetable that helps fill you up quickly. Plus, its high fiber and water content add volume to your meal without adding empty calories.

Stops Premature Aging

The antioxidant vitamin C in broccoli fights free radicals and prevents premature aging signs like fine lines, wrinkles and skin spots. It also contains beta-carotene and vitamins E and B-complex that impart natural glow and keep your skin young.

Supports Eye Health

The unique combination of nutrients like carotenoids and vitamin A  in broccoli makes it extremely beneficial for your eyes.

Promotes Healthy Bones

Being rich in calcium and vitamin K, broccoli promotes bone health and helps prevent osteoporosis.

Promotes Hair Health

Broccoli has hair-nourishing vitamins like C, A and B6. These vitamins stimulate the production of sebum, an oily substance that acts as a natural moisturizer and conditioner for your scalp and hair.

Make sure you eat healthy to stay healthy.

Broccoli benefits your skin

Good for the skin


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6 Easy Ways to Detox after all that #Diwali Binge-eating

#HappyDiwali! Wasn’t that one heady round of meeting, greeting, and most of all feasting!?! Well, all that eating was fun, why restrict the joy after all?! Unfortunately all that excess—in the form of carbs, fat, salt and sugar—can leave you feeling bloated, tired, hungry, and guilty.

#Detox #Foods #Diet

#Detox Veggies

Well, not to worry, it’s time to recover from all the serious holiday festivities. You can feel better after overindulging. Here’s how you get back on track after that week of way too many treats:

Get your sweat on first thing. Hit the treadmill for a half hour, do yoga or even just 15 minutes of push-ups and squats. Exercise will help your body move those toxins through and make you feel a whole lot better. Plus, those tight gym clothes will surely remind you to keep the sugar to a minimum!

Start your day with some hot water and lemon. This will give your liver a little kick start and more water helps flush out the toxins better.

Eat citrus fruits.  They make you feel instantly refreshed, plus their antioxidants fight off any damage from sugar. Plus, their Vitamin C content helps you fight colds.

Drink some green tea. It has enough caffeine to help you wake up, and is filled with antioxidants that help increase your metabolism. Detox teas are great to pick you up!

Make a smoothie. If your stomach is still full from the night before, a healthy smoothie is the perfect way to get some vitamins and nutrients. Try one with spinach, blueberries, protein powder, chia seeds, a banana and as many veggies (like cucumber) as you can!

Have some home-made soup. Add some turmeric or pepper for a delicious, healthy way to boost your metabolism. Avoid packaged food and eat whole food.

Make sure your food habits are healthy! Choose foods that support the detox process.


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Is your Happy Diwali a Safe & Healthy one too?!

What a joyful occasion Diwali is, with all communities coming together to celebrate a unique social festival! There’s a lot of light, and cheer and new clothes and flowers and festivity and food of course!  Here are 10 tips for you to celebrate, stay safe and stay healthy this Diwali.

#Firecrackers

#Diwali 

  • Sweets are hard to resist and during Diwali, it’s even harder isn’t it!?  Indians are genetically prone to diabetes and so it is always safer to keep sugar and starch intake minimal. Sweets that use chemical preservatives should be avoided because they damage our kidneys and liver. and may also cause asthma attacks and cancer. Use organic sugar and sugar substitutes for best results!
  • Avoid sweets that have ‘silver’ coating. Such foils are often adulterated by aluminum and aluminum being a hazardous metal can accumulate in our body tissues and can also enter the brain.
  • Firecrackers are fun, but they increase air and noise pollution. It is good to buy as little firecrackers as possible, because that can help us spend less and can also stop us from polluting our environment.
#Firecrackers

#Diwali #crackers

  • While using firecrackers we are definitely faced with the risk of burn injuries. Do take a few precautions. Always wear slippers when playing with firecrackers and always light them only from a safe distance. Kids should be allowed to burn firecrackers only under adult supervision. If you do get burnt, organic and natural aloe vera products soothe your skin and help quick healing.
  • Do not light firecrackers in crowded areas or on the roadsides, because that might prove to be dangerous for bystanders and the general public. Wash after playing with firecrackers with natural handwash. Organic soaps are a good option as well.
  • If possible, wear earplugs while exposed to explosive firecrackers. It is really safe, for the excessive noise might damage our ears in the long run. Use facewashes to stay fresh in the polluted environment.
  • It is better to say ‘No’ to alcohol, as any excess is easily possible on this day of celebration. You can avoid a hangover and also the risk of driving while intoxicated if you must drive your car and visit your friends and family.
  • Diwali is a festival that brings a lot of gifts to people, so use the occasion to choose sensible gifts for family and friends. Just log on to www.naturalmantra.com for great gift ideas and offers every day this festive season!!!
  • Diwali is also the festival of joy.  Make it special for your family or friends. Wish them a ‘Happy Diwali’ and embrace them in joy!

Make your Diwali special for yourself, your family and your friends.


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The #CleanRevolution of Natural Mantra, courtesy the #SwachhBharat initiative

From the Desk of the CEO

Today

It is with great pride that we invite you to join the Clean Revolution initiative being launched today by Natural Mantra, as part of our #SwachhBharat efforts. Isn’t it true that sometimes, all such a great idea needs is a little catalyst!!!

#SwachhIndia

#NarendraModi and #SwachhBharat

Looking Inwards

It’s been a while since we at Natural Mantra started on our holistic, natural and organic lifestyle movement. It was high time that people who believed in the wholesomeness of pure and natural living got a forum in which to share their ideas and information. Natural Mantra provided this community just such a forum, and even more!

Curating  a Lifestyle

All along, we had focused on providing a wide array of carefully curated organic and natural products. Our team of scouts scored the entire country with a fine tooth-comb and identified authentic, pure and natural products to feature on our e-commerce portal. This is an ongoing process that keeps expanding our categories and refreshing our range of products constantly.

Looking Ahead

On introspection, we realized that looking inward at keeping our Body, Mind & Soul was great and but not enough. In fact, some of our offerings include home cleaning and refreshing products that create a positive energy in and around our homes. It is time to take this Cleanliness Drive outside of our homes. Diwali Cleaning and the Prime Minister’s #SwachhBharat movement to #CleanIndia provided us with the right impetus to launch our own #CleanRevolution! This would include sensitizing on such facts as Dry and Wet Garbage, civic sense, exhorting fellow citizens to not throw rubbish around. Other activities will take on environmental, sound and light pollution, especially at times of festivals.

Join Us

Today we start the movement with a Clean our environment initiative at Marol area of Andheri east, Mumbai. Join us today and in our other activities soon. Keep a tab on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/naturalmantra and twitter at https://twitter.com/naturalmantra for more activities on this effort.

Our aim is to promote the cause of holistic lifestyle and a clean world, clean home, clean India and a happy life!

Diwali cleaning starts from the country. Let’s Sweep It Clean!

Happy Diwali! 

Anand Agarwal

Chief Executive Officer

Natural Mantra

 

 

 


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#CleanIndia the organic way with natural cleaning products!

Diwali is around the corner and we are all busy cleaning our homes in readiness for the Festival! But do you know,  many Home Cleaning Products we use are particularly harmful to us?

#CleanIndia

Diwali rangoli #Swachchindia

We know that exposure to toxic chemicals can lead to health problems. Unfortunately, some toxic chemicals are found where they’re least expected – in common, cleaning products. Eg: Ammonia can burn, bleach can irritate the skin, eyes and respiratory tract. Chemicals such as Triclosan are common in home cleaning and hygiene products, and are known to cause many problems, including asthma.  Adding chemicals to your living space can have disastrous consequences. Why use this stuff?

Avoid Products with Toxic Ingredients

Adopting green living methods in your home is more important now than ever before. Reducing exposure to toxins is a process that happens slowly over time. Removing harmful garbage is of greater importance when you have pregnant women or young children at home.

The Alternative?

Most retailers, like www.naturalmantra.com do offer organic cleaning products. But you can also make your own basic cleaning products. Homemade, organic cleaning products are a safe, natural alternative to toxic cleaning products. Such eco-friendly cleaning  is gentle and powerful, without the chemicals or toxic fumes.

Here are some simple home cleaning solutions for a  #CleanHome and #SwachchIndia!

  • White vinegar dissolves grease and makes a great surface cleaner. Vinegar has an acidic nature and is antibacterial. Mix 1 cup of vinegar with water in a bucket and use to clean windows, mirrors, toilets and floors.
  • Baking soda deodorizes and removes kitchen & bathroom stains.
  • Lemon juice kills mold, cuts through grease, and leaves a streak-free shine. Combine lemon juice with vinegar or olive oil to make compound cleaning products that work harder and provide a natural scent.
  • Hydrogen peroxide has a bubbling action that is amazing with hard-to-clean situations.
  • Olive oil with lemon juice , when used to polish wood, moisturizes it and provides amazing shine with a fresh scent.

Going Natural is the best way to #SwachchBharat. Let’s #CleanIndia safely!


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How to Make Apple Sauce the tangy way to Good Health!

Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food – Hippocrates

apple sauce recipes

apple sauce for health

Who said Medicine needs to be bitter!? Here’s a mouth-watering  alternative – How to make Apple sauce recipes and pies work for your health! Do you know? Apple Sauce was once a food prepared for winter,since it keeps well. Its many health benefits are now much more widely known!

How is it used?

Apple Sauce is often an accompaniment to a main course. Swedes and the English, for instance, usually eat apple sauce as a condiment for main dishes. In Germany it accompanies potato pancakes. In the Netherlands, people often eat it with fries.

It is also a popular accompaniment in the United States of America and is sometimes served as a dessert there as well, alone or used in making apple sauce cake. There are many popular and delectable Recipes of Apple Cake and Recipes of Apple Pie. In France and Portugal it is used as a dessert. Some #AppleSauceRecipes suggest it as a substitute for fat (e.g. butter/oil) in baking.

Benefits of Apple Sauce

  • Combats diarrhea. It is high in pectin and hence forms bulk fibrous matter, and also a protective coat for soothing the colon lining and intestinal spasms.
  • Good for weight-loss. In human digestion, pectin binds to cholesterol and slows glucose absorption by trapping carbohydrates. Pectin is thus a soluble dietary fiber.
  • Reduces blood cholesterol levels, due to an increase of viscosity in the intestinal tract, leading to a reduced absorption of cholesterol from bile or food.
  • Fights yeast infections by releasing short-chain fatty acids that have a positive prebiotic influence on health.
  • Prevents indigestion.
  • Since it is wheat-free, its good for people with gluten-allergy.
  • A proven solution for hiccups, it restores the acid balance in the stomach and eases irritating spasms of the diaphragm.
  • Improves bone health – abundant calcium, potassium, magnesium, and other vital minerals makes apple sauce very good for maintaining bone health.

Check out natural and organic Apple Sauce at http://www.naturalmantra.com, and have fun making delectable recipes with it! Here’s how to make Chunky Style Apple Sauce to be used with many preparations. Do watch out for more Apple Sauce recipes soon!

Chunky Style

Apple Sauce recipe


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Is Beauty Only Skin Deep? Brand-new Insights into Age-old Haldi Skin Therapy!

What is Haldi?

It is Turmeric, an orange-yellow rhizome that has been used for skin and beauty treatments for ages. A key ingredient of Indian curry as well as in Thai cooking, this spice is also known as “golden spice” or “spice of life.”

Turmeric Skin Complexion

#IsBeautySkinDeep?

Regarded as the “herb of the Sun” by the people of the Vedic period, the ancients called turmeric as the Oushadhi, the healing herb, the one herb above all others. Turmeric has at least 6000 years of documented history as a medicinal plant, and been held sacred from time immemorial. Its strong associations in India’s socio-cultural life are seen in its many uses – as an auspicious religious component, in beauty treatments and wedding Haldi ceremonies, as a dye, a cosmetic, a folk and Ayurvedic medicine. Haridrakhanda, a traditional preparation described in Bhaishjya Ratnavali, is very effective in prurigo, boils, urticaria, and chronic skin eruptions. Described as Varnya, it enhances complexion, according to Ayurvedic texts.

The Benefits of Haldi

  • Brings a glowing complexion on the face
  • Cuts skin melanin production and helps sun tanned skin return to its normal skin color easily.
  • The natural scrub is beneficial for the skin.
  • Cleanses skin from dirt, black marks, pigmentation and blackheads.
  • Promotes tight & healthy skin – it fights stretch marks and is an anti-aging herbal cream to avoid getting loose skin in the body.
  • Avoids getting stretch marks, makes your skin soft and flexible.
  • Helps in cleaning acne.
  • As a depilator, it inhibits growth of facial hair.

Haridrakhanda, a traditional preparation described in Bhaishjya Ratnavali, is very effective in prurigo, boils, urticaria, and chronic skin eruptions. Today, western medicine has also begun to experiment on the benefits of turmeric as a skin care agent. Choose from a wide, curated array of turmeric based skincare products from natural mantra now!

Is Haldi good only for Skincare?

This yellow colored spice is truly magical! According to Ayurveda, turmeric is Vranahara (ulcer healing), Tvakdoshahara (cure skin diseases), and Kandoohara (cure itching). The fresh juice of turmeric has antiparasitic properties in many skin afflictions. A coating of turmeric powder or a thin paste, applied on small pox and chicken pox patients, facilitates scabbing. Oil of turmeric and its ether and chloroform extracts have proved to be antifungal, antiprotozoan, antiviral, and antibacterial. Recent researches on turmeric are focused on its antioxidant, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, and antimicrobial properties, in addition to its use in Alzheimer’s treatment, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal disorders.

skin care

haldi powder