Perks of Canola Oil

Talking about food is always fun. But then eating the right food is equally important, or is it the right kind of oil which goes into the preparation? Several questions spark through our mind and they leave us in a muddle. What to follow, who to follow and most importantly which to follow? And then in all this messed-up state of mind I get a mail from BlogAdda stating this new meet. A healthy one at that.

This is what happened at Four Seasons Mumbai. Where several people were invited to discuss food, its healthy and nutrition aspect and also the various new upcoming culinary trends. Sounds interesting isn't it? It certainly was.

The council that was present included, Ex- Master Chef judge, Chef Ajay Chopra along with Naini Setalvad, nutritionist and Dr. Ashish Contractor HOD: Preventive Cardiology and Rehabilitation, Asian Heart Institute. Also present for the interaction were Bruce Jowett, Vice-President - Market Development, Canola Council of Canada.

The question looming in your mind might be, What is Canola Oil? To be frank truly, when I entered the conference room my mind too was filled with various such questions but I left with several positive answers.

Canola Oil, is the healthiest, most versatile and cost-effective cooking oil. Ok not really cost-effective in the Indian markets currently with the market prices rising but a little cost should not deter with the other health benefits. This oil as test and experts say, has the least saturated fat of any culinary oil and is free of trans fat and cholesterol. Thereby, reducing the risk of heart diseases; Good news isn't it?  Also it has omega 3-fat and is a good source of Vitamin E.

Now with all these factual facts there are facts which we can taste and see ourselves too. The oil has a neutral taste and so it can be used right from cooking to baking. Also it has a light texture and is high heat tolerant. And since it is neutral the best thing is we can prepare flavored oil ourselves directly. Cost effective finally!

No, I'm saying all this because I attended the meeting or just for the sake. I have tasted the oil myself and seen the high heat test from my very eyes. All this was courtesy Chef Ajay Chopra who prepared three delicious mouth watering delicacies with the use of this very oil. And also three types of flavored oil; Thai Basil, Rosemary and Kashmiri Red Chilly. What was best about these oils was there was no other dominant flavor over powering them and the aroma was really wonderful. I loved Rosemary and Kashmiri Chilli the most followed by Thai Basil.

You know it's not about dieting or skipping food or controlling your appetite to reduce weight or being healthy. It is how one cooks food and in what oil we cook food. People say one should avoid fats, that is completely untrue. Fats are essential for the proper functioning of our body. Remember, not all fats are created equally. The type of fat matters as much as the amount.

For me this was a really a good session and more of an eye-opener. For more info on Canola Oil you can visit the website: www.canolainfo.org

P.S: Sorry readers about the lack of photographs(hopefully once all is settled I will upload the pics too) and no update since ages, my laptop has broken down and I'm unable to update. This post was specially written from my old rickety computer because I loved the meet and really wanted to share my experience. 

Silky Like Silk..

Same year different day a continuation to my crazy wacky experimentation to get smooth and straight hair using innumerable ideas of ironing, making the hair sleep under the weight of heavy books and even some mom-made ideas et al. @Mischief Managed <you can check it out here>

Nevertheless after a while all had failed and I was back to my lustrous locks. But they say perseverance pays and it surely did; err not for me always you see as I'm the impatient one but this time it did. Well I didn't really wait did I?? As I had not only resorted to my crazy ideas but still waited for some miracle to happen and what a luck it did happen, with the launch of "Sunsilk Perfect Straight" moreover I was lucky to get a free sample by IndiBlogger but not so lucky enough to use without feeling a little sheepish as I had proudly claimed there can never be a shampoo to tame my curly hair *embarrassment you see.*

The lucky hamper :)

Anyways enough of me poking myself for my loss. Let me narrate or rather illustrate "The" experience after using the "Miracle Shampoo."  After all a picture speaks much more than even thousand words can convey.

This snap of the unruly, curly hair were taken before taking a head bath for the first time with the Sunsilk perfect straight. 

Before hair wash pic1 

and 

Before hair wash pic2

Once I was done doing the photo-shoot; I immediately went to have a bath. Basically, there were no different procedure to wash the hair but the same like using every other shampoo. First shampoo your hair and rinse them gently and then apply the conditioner to the ends for a minute or two before rinsing that off too.

Now of-course, I couldn't see the difference until I stepped out of the bathroom so I was again hoping that it doesn't work but then again contradicting myself please let it work. *Note to thyself: If, it works further embarrassment to myself.* And then, I finally stepped outside with my hair wrapped in a towel.

Counting...my subconscious drama queen pacing...moment of truth finally... 

I unwrapped my hair brushing them slightly, waiting for them to dry and the smell that wafted in the air was a sweet tooty-fruity smell..at least to me it felt so. And I couldn't believe my eyes; well I can't really write it down you better see the results.

After hair wash pic

And now as even you can see my hair were finally sleek, smooth and silky and all due to Sunsilk Perfect Straight and that too in the very first wash.

If, only I had waited and not experimented even I would have sleek hair with minimal effort earlier. But realizing my folly now I plan to use this very Miracle Shampoo whenever I want my lustrous locks to be straight thereby reducing the hassle. 

Indeed, really glad that Sunsilk came up with such an amazing product and that too at an economical and affordable price. 

And folks reading this, please do give it a try. You will surely see the results especially people like me who thought ironing was the only way to get straight hair.

At the end, I can proudly say

The Mischief was finally Managed with no, not a single help from Magic but from Sunsilk Perfect Straight..! Even muggles have solution to everything.. :)

-Fatima

P.S: The url used in the pics is of my other blog, I had planned on posting it there earlier as this blog was not approved by IndiBlogger when the pics were clicked and sorry for the lack of pics, I don't have a good camera just the cell phone one and also less memory space. Nevertheless, happy to have got straight hair. :)

Book Review: Men On My Mind

TITLE: Men On My Mind
AUTHOR: Radha Thomas
PUBLISHER: Rupa Publications
ISBN: 9788129120502
BINDING: Paperback
PAGES: 280
FIRST PUBLISHED: 2012

Men On My Mind is the debut novel of the jazz vocalist Radha Thomas. True to its name the book is funny, chick lit and light hearted.  

The book begins with a 7-year old girl, who overhears a conversation between her mother and aunt and thus begins her journey in the world of men or rather to put it more specifically ‘men on my mind.’ The first chapter though doesn’t entirely prepare for the rest of the book as it is more of a character and setting introduction.  

The novel is true to its name, tracing the adventures of an Indian girl who is into men since the age of seven. From an all girls convent boarding school, to dreams filled with tall, dark and handsome crush right out of a Mills and Boons novel and teenage crises; she makes her way from one place to another. To make this journey exciting she always has a BFF by her side discussing everything that girls share right from stories of first crush to the other fun gossips. 

She is a casual girl who juggles with more than one relationship at a time, after she realizes the short comings of her first big crush. Kissing on the first meet and one night stands also do not bother her. She is someone whom guys fall for but she just tries to fit them in her criteria waiting for ‘Mr. Right One’ to finally arrive and sweep her off her feet. 

Her journey traces from Mumbai to Panchgani, to Delhi, New York and parts of New Zealand, Fiji and China exploring herself and other species..err men. But sadly ‘Mr. Right One’ always eludes away and she is left with pathetic sloppy kissers, rich old men who are supposed to be family friends, DJ, pianist et al. the list is never ending and her quest continues with no particular direction. Spoilt could be the word for her, but then again one can’t fight the matters of mind and heart can they? 

The book can be termed has hilarious because there are moments when you are like really so many types of men exist? But basically it’s all about different men and relationships and while waiting for the true one to arrive she experiments with all the wrong ones. What’s the fun in just waiting all alone.

Though the book is fast paced and full of different scenarios at times it gets too monotonous with all the fickle men talk surrounding it and that is a major put off. But if, you see past it, it’s just about a woman who desires a little more than love and craves for adventure all in the midst of finding her ‘Mr. Right One’

At the end, if you don’t have anything else to read and just want to read something that is light, sexy, funny and audacious this is the book for you. 

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books.