BaKhabar, March 2013, Page-6

"A cup of yoghurt a day... is a way of keeping the doctor away."

.... By Fatema Z. G. <fatima.chandra@gmail.com>

Research proves that yoghurt is not just a food Accompaniment, a
dessert, or merely a diet food. There is growing Evidence to show that it is packed with microscopic warriors - Beneficial bacteria that are essential for good health. It is also a nutritional goldmine.

According to the National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, a cup of
yoghurt (250 mg) contains 370 mg of calcium (compare that with 300 mg in 250 ml of milk). This is 30-40 per cent of most adults' daily needs.
Besides, at eight grams of protein per cup, yoghurt meets 20-25
per cent of an adult's average daily needs. It is also a good source
of Vitamin B (including folacin) and phosphorus.
And, a cup of yoghurt contains 250 mg of potassium - almost as much as a banana does.

"If you want to have your own stockpile of B vitamins without having
to buy them, eat yoghurt. By a strange chemistry, it sets up an
efficient little factory in the intestinal tract and manufactures B
vitamins for you," says Pratima Kaushik, chief dietician at the
Vidyasagar Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Delhi.
Besides, yoghurt also provides lactic acid, which aids protein,
calcium, and iron assimilation. For those on a low-calorie diet,
yoghurt is a boon in any case. "Easily available anywhere, it is a
snack that tastes great at any time of the day; it is low in calories
and can be sufficiently filling when combined with a high-fibre
vegetable or fruit," says Dr Shikha Sharma of Clinic de Rejuvenation, Delhi. The benefits of yoghurt go beyond its nutritional value and low-calorie appeal.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, in an article published in
2000, says, "Increased yoghurt consumption may enhance the immune response, which would in turn increase resistance to immune-related diseases."
In addition, yoghurt plays an important role in restoring
the digestive tract to its normal condition after a course of
antibiotics.
"The drugs often wipe out every bacterium in their path,
good and bad, altering the natural balance of the digestive tract.
When harmful bacteria dominate the intestine, essential nutrients are not produced and the levels of damaging substances like carcinogens and toxins rise. By killing the harmful `bugs', Yoghurt helps maintain a healthy balance of intestinal bacteria," Says Dr Mridula Chichra, a Delhi-based gynaecologist.
In the Indian context particularly, doctors and practitioners of alternative medicine often recommend yoghurt to patients recovering from diarrhea, and help ease other intestinal
tract ailments.
Elixir for women
Women stand to benefit immensely from yoghurt.
For instance, women are often prone to vaginal candidosis, which causes itching and possibly a thick, white discharge. The risk of this infection increases during pregnancy, diabetes or when a woman is on birth control pills.
"Eating yoghurt that contains natural bacteria and yeasts helps re-establish the Equilibrium," says Pratima. A study conducted by E. Hilton et al (Annals of Internal Medicine) in 1992 found that yoghurt consumption decreased vaginal infections three-fold. "A particular feature of vaginal infection is the reduction or absence of lactobacilli in the vaginal flora. Yoghurt is full of lactobacilli, hence the logic in its use," explains Dr Mridula.

Then of course, there is osteoporosis, especially in women. Studies
have shown that most people consume far less calcium than the
recommended daily levels, which could cause osteoporosis. While there are many calcium supplements that are not readily or effectively absorbed, yoghurt provides an excellent source of easily absorbed calcium.
That's not all. Daily consumption of yoghurt also helps
improve complexion, making it more radiant.

A word of caution, though. The fruited varieties of yoghurt are high
in calories, even though it has a low-fat profile. "The jams and fruit
concoctions added for flavour can dump in as much as seven teaspoons of sugar per cup and more than double the calories. So go easy on these, particularly when calories are a concern," says Dr Shikha. If you want a fruit flavour but do not want to lose out on calcium or gain calories, mix chopped fruit with yoghurt. You'll get all the calcium, and also the extra vitamins and fibre from the fruit.

However, to be effective, yoghurt must contain sufficient amount
of`live' lactic cultures, meaning it must be `fresh'.

Make it at home, is Dr Shikha's advice. Or, when buying it, look for
packing as close to the date of manufacture as possible to get maximum beneficial bacteria. She adds, "Always keep it cold, as the helpful bacteria in yoghurt cannot withstand high temperatures.

Falling in Love ...! falling-in-love

... By Amatullah Kareem

I was a typical teenager and believed in everything my friends did. I grew up reading magical fairy tales that always had a handsome prince falling in love with a princess and carrying her off into the sunset to live happily ever after. I watched Snow White and Cinderella that all focused on “falling in love” and “having a good life.”
And I too grew up believing this is what life is all about. This is why we are here – to find the perfect soul mate and live happily ever after.

Valentines Day would see all our friends discussing clandestine stories, gifts or cards or flowers from a secret admirer, declarations of long hidden love. Those who had no one would hope and wait for the next year. We all felt the compulsion to fall in love at least once – or face the prospect of having experienced nothing “exciting” in life. Most of us succumbed to this compulsion.

Well all this was until one day I woke up. Yes, I woke up and came out of the fake world around me to realize that reality was much more vivid and lasting than its celluloid version. The culture of romanticism that had captured our hearts and brains was a ploy to keep us away from reality.

Ironically, that too happened through a book. But it wasnt like any book I had read before. It spoke in a way that made shivers run down my spine, made me cry as if my heart would break, as if the words were coming not from a book because they struck so deep within my soul. It was the Book of Allah, my Creator. It was more powerful than all the fantasies I had been fettered with. I broke free at last.

Today I dislike Valentines Day not just because it is an un-Islamic, innovated celebration – and a lewd one at that. But because it is part of the culture of lust that has betrayed us all. That created in our impressionable minds a false image, that drugged us with the sweetest drug of romanticism, and made us forget the real reason why we are here in this world.

Just like in the movies, a hero would be assigned the mission to save the world and would go to a planet on a mission to destroy the enemies and retrieve a precious life-saving potion. But the enemies have a deadly weapon – an illusion. They show him a beautiful place with the woman of his dreams and he goes into a stupor completely forgetting his mission.

The planet is full of temptations and illusions that are projected according to his most coveted desires. He loses all track of time, even the fact that the world will be blown up any second and all that matters to him now will not exist anymore. Lost in an imaginary, transient world, he forgets his purpose and hence loses everything.
Thats exactly what our greatest enemy has done. He has duped our minds into thinking that the images we see on TV are real, the glamorous lifestyles of superstars are achievable, the Valentines Day hotspots are desirable, the romance in tearjerker movies is the greatest and that we must have a huge amount of fun in this world because that is what will make us happy.

While the clock ticks, Shaytan takes away our life before we can do anything productive with it. He has made us forget why we are here in this world and that our mission is like that of a space hero. What could be worse than that because it means we are losing the battle. We have laid down our arms and chose to watch “the reality show” while reality is passing us by.

That is why we are told of a future scenario in the Quran:
(The hypocrites) will call the believers: “Were we not with you?”
The believers will reply: “Yes! But you led yourself into temptations, you looked forward for our destruction; you doubted (in Faith); and you were deceived by false desires, till the Command of Allah came to pass.
And the chief deceiver (Satan) deceived you in respect of Allah.
(Quran, 57:14)

I thank Allah that He gave me a husband who taught me the true meaning of love and caring for the sake of Allah. This kind of love transcends all boundaries of space and time and is truly everlasting as it continues even after death into the next life. There is no happily ever after yet, because we are still in this world of test and deception.
Write to bakhabar@biharanjuman.org