Oil Pulling, Make it your hobby!

Have you'll heard of Oil Pulling by it’s acronym, “OP.” I came across it while doing some random health searches on the web and later I looked it up on youtube to learn more after trying this and seeing the benefits I'm hooked so if you haven't tried it yet I intended to break it down what it is in as simple way as possible.

What is Oil Pulling. Oil Pulling is taking any type of oil, while coconut oil works the best it can be done with sesame oil, sunflower oil, even olive oil and putting a few table spoons in your mouth and swishing it around. So you put oil in your mouth and “swish” it around the mouth. When you are finished, you spit it out, you use warm water and rinse your mouth out. You do not ever swallow it. You may swallow a little incidentally, don’t worry about that. Just don’t swallow the entire amount. You do this for 15 to 20 minutes daily, Do this for 5 minutes if you'r not comfortable it can be slowly increased. You may feel disgusting or uncomfortable when you first put oil in your mouth but trust me after 2-3 minutes you become used to it. Do not spit it in your house sinks or toilets, coconut oil in particular has been known to clog drains. So just dispose it in a plastic bag or trash. 

Oil Pulling Benefits: for me, evoked a deeper more fulfilling sleep, gave me energy, improved my teeth and gums to a point that I now have 0 issues, and killed carb cravings. Now, this is conjecture as there are no real studies out there (we can talk about that later), but I firmly believe that the improved sleep, lowered carb cravings and increased energy are due to oil pulling it also balancing blood sugar. I know, it sounds crazy, but something is happening and it’s rather consistent among people. Other people have seen improved skin, improved if not cured sinus issues, detox of poisonous metals, cured chest congestion. 

 The two biggest hurdles for those wanting to try or continue trying oil pulling tend to be making time for it, and the taste and texture in the mouth. Oil pulling takes around 15 to 20 minutes a day, so finding the time is something everyone has to decide for themselves (I do it while surfing, watching episodes and blogging). You can do it while taking your dog for a walk or making breakfast or packing lunch.

 The other issue, flavour and texture, Ziggy Marley has launched what seems to be, the only version of flavoured Cold Pressed Coconut Oil that doesn’t make use of sugars, thereby compromising the health benefits. Instead, aroma is added, but the flavour turns out pure, non-intrusive and incredibly palatable. Using this to oil pull is an amazing solution for those that don’t like the taste, in addition, it leaves a wonderful lemony ginger flavour in the mouth afterwards (freshens breath).

During an interview with E! News, the always fresh faced Gwyneth Paltrow said,  ”I just started ‘oil puling,’ which is when you swish coconut oil around [in your mouth] for 20 minutes, and it’s supposed to be great for oral health and making your teeth white.”

Do try this once before dropping the idea and spread it around tweet me and tell me how you felt about it at the end of the day and like the post if you thought this post was interesting or useful. For other articles related to teeth whitening click here.

XOXO, 

Anshika Agarwal.

Life Hack Tuesdays: Dilute Red Wine Stains with white wine.

Hey dolls,

If you love red wine put your hands up, you are awesome! But how many can you have before getting it on your clothes? I'm sure every red wine drinker has been been a victim atleast once! Whats worse then having a stain on your favourite clothes ot carpets? Staying with them, So heres a trick that can save us from the embarrassment, Use white wine! Yeah, you read that correctly. When you’re at a party and you accidentally spill some red wine on your blouse, immediately pour white wine over the stain and let it air-dry. The white neutralizes the red making it less visible and easier to take out the stain. Incase of couch, carpet where the object has soaked the wine add salt it'll soak the red wine neutralizing the effect further. This tip only make the colour neutralized & less visible, doesn't completely remove the stain.

So the next time you have Sangria on your dress, Don't obsess over it and continue to enjoy the party!

XOXO,
Anshika Agarwal.

Spices with benefits.

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Being an Indian I can proudly never emphasis enough on one thing, we love our spices! Whenever I browse through Pinterest, I find myself always stopping and staring at images of spices. There’s something about the colorful little mounds, scattered on top of dark surfaces, that is so visually appealing to me. It’s like an edible mosaic is created with the bright and bold hues, So on this republic day, I was inspired to do a post on different spices used in Indian cooking that exude that same color intensity. As much as they add flavor to meals, they are also beneficial in other ways besides just taste, and it’s interesting to learn how they can help us in our day to day lives.

Some of the most common spices used in Indian cooking are:

Salt

Pepper

Ginger

Turmeric

Paprika

Cumin

Saffron

A few of the above are great to help improve our overall well-being…

Pepper

Don't we just love a lot of pepper on your soups? Apart from taste it has a lot of benefits right from helping with severe diseases like cancer to day to day problems like digestion, weight loss, cold, it also increases your metabolism. The more shocking benefits are it beats dandruff, helps with anorexia as it improves digestion and stimulates our taste buds, it helps our organs absorb more nutrients from our food and is a natural antidepressant. Details

Ginger

Light yellow in color and strong smelling, some claim ginger to be the “wonder spice” for all of its health benefits. If you’re feeling nauseous or have an upset stomach, ginger can help get rid of these nuisances. From poor digestion to even sore joints, chew on a little bit or add some to a hot drink because ginger has the nutritional properties that can help. Ginger juice is also very effective for cold and cough.

Turmeric

I have used turmeric a lot in recent years. It’s one of those spices that is perfect to use in the colder months because of its warm color and smell. Turmeric is a natural anti-inflammatory used widely in ayurvedic medicine. It also helps boost your immune system, so this is a good spice to use if you feel a cold coming on. Have it with milk every night before bed and it will help you with most of the problems. I'll be doing a post on Turmeric mask for skin soon.

Paprika

Paprika is packed with healthy nutrients that are good for our bodies, and especially vitamin A. One tablespoon of this red-colored spice contains more than 100 percent of the daily intake requirement. As the vitamin A helps to improve eyesight, paprika also gives your body extra iron to help those bones stay strong.

Cumin

Cumin is pungent and strong, and acts as a great salt substitute. With its low levels of sodium, using this instead of extra salt can help reduce blood pressure, all while adding a delicious flavor to meals. Cumin is also a good source of vitamin B, which helps to improve sleep. Try eating a banana sprinkled with some cumin right before bed if you aren’t getting enough shut eye.

Saffron

Although this is one of the most costly spices, it’s worth it due to the multiple health benefits it provides also a few strands does wonders. From digestion help to reducing inflammation, you can use saffron in a lot of ways besides just adding it into foods. You can make a saffron milk mask by adding some saffron strands to raw milk. Allow the strands to sit for about 2 hours before using, turning the milk a reddish color. Rub the milk onto your face and leave on for 10 minutes before washing off. The saffron mask will help clear up dry skin and acne and brightens up your skin! It also gives your food a nice color so go ahead and eliminate your food coloring. Add it to any of these to add additional benefits (works for all skin types)

Hope you'all enjoyed reading this post as much as I enjoyed writing this, do try these spices also try including some herbs if possible in your food. Stay healthy and do subscribe to make sure you don't miss any post. You can also instagram or tweet a picture of your healthy foods do tag me or use #bombaygirl07.

XOXO,
Anshika Agarwal.