Monsoons are here in full swing! The joy of bingeing on a spicy, freshly roasted corn cob in this amazing weather is above all. More brownie points if the corn cob is generously smothered with lemon juice and masala! Roasted corn cob, or bhutta, not only tastes amazing but is also a healthy snack option. However, this healthy delight might turn out to be problematic for some, especially if you follow it up with a glass of water. According to Ayurveda Expert, Dr. Ashutosh Gautam, "One should avoid drinking water immediately after having bhutta as it can lead to a variety of stomach woes. It may lead to gastric issues and stomach pain."

Here's why you should avoid drinking water after having bhutta:
Many people complain of flatulence and severe stomach ache when they consume water and bhutta together. This happens due to a specific reason. "Drinking water after having bhutta can interrupt the digestion process to a great extent. Doing so slows down the digestion process. Corn contains complex carbs and starch and consumption of water over it can lead to a release of gases in the stomach, which may cause flatulence, acidity, and severe stomach pain," shares Dr. Ashutosh. If all this while you were clueless as to why such a thing was happening to you, you can now blame the combination of bhutta and water for the same.

In order to avoid such a condition, it is advised to maintain a considerable time gap between eating bhutta and drinking water. "The ideal time gap should be at least of 45 minutes," suggests Dr. Ashutosh. Other than this, you should opt for bhuttas that are smothered with lemon juice, as lemon facilitates digestion and makes the overall digestion process smoother and effective. During the monsoon season our body is quite vulnerable to diseases as the overall immunity takes a dip. Considering roasted corn cob is a street food delicacy, it must be consumed fresh and hot. In order to reap maximum nutritional benefits of bhutta, consume it immediately. Storing it for long hours may give rise to harmful bacteria, which can ultimately lead to stomach-related issues.

So, the next time you end up going to that bhutta wala stall to savour this monsoon delight, keep the above-mentioned things in mind and save yourself from stomach discomfort.

Nutmeg, or jaiphal, is an exotic spice that is known for its sweet aroma and is used for the preparation of various dishes. Originally from Indonesia, it is the seed of an evergreen tree called Myristica fragrans. In fact, it is the only tropical tree to bear two distinct spices - nutmeg and mace. A pinch of nutmeg can add a different flavour to soups, meat gravies, steaks and various desserts. This exotic spice is not just valued for the flavours it adds to different delicacies, but is also known for various medicinal properties. Nutmeg oil and butter have some beauty and health benefits; all thanks to the presence of nutrients like magnesium, manganese and copper; and vitamins like B1 and B6. While you know some of its exceptional health benefits, you must know how good it is for your skin too. If you are the uninitiated ones here, we tell you some marvellous benefits of nutmeg for skin and hair.

Nutmeg For Skin
1. Reduces Pigmentation

One of the most amazing benefits of nutmeg is that it has the ability to even out discolorations and pigmentation on your face. Dark spots, pigmentation and freckles appear due to excessive exposure to the ultra-violet rays of the sun, hormonal changes, progressing age, side-effect of medications or a certain skin condition.

How To Make Nutmeg Pack For PigmentationIngredients:

Nutmeg powder
Lemon juice
Yogurt
Method:

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Now, apply a thick layer of this mask onto your face. Let it stay for about seven to eight minutes and then rinse off with cold water, followed by applying moisturiser. Apply it at least three times a week to see effective results.

2. Gently Exfoliates Your Skin

Its mildly abrasive nature makes it a great exfoliator for your skin and further makes it gentle and smooth. Mix it with other essential kitchen ingredients and give your skin a natural glow.

How To Make An Exfoliating Face Pack With Nutmeg

Ingredients:

Raw honey
Baking soda
Clove oil
Nutmeg
Lemon juice
Method:

Mix the baking soda in raw honey and add clove oil to make a paste. Now, add nutmeg and lemon juice into the mixture to make a fine paste. Massage the pack on your skin for at least two minutes. Your face will feel warm and tingly as the nutmeg gets deep into your pores, treating the deeper layers of your skin. Now, rinse with lukewarm water and pat dry.

3. Treats Oily Skin

If you are left with an oily face at the end of the day, it means you have large pores that increase the sebum on your skin. Thank heavens for nutmeg to solve this problem for you. It helps shrink your pores and ensures a normal and healthy skin. Moreover, it has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties that help prevent acne.

How To Make A Face Pack Using Nutmeg For Oily Skin

Ingredients:

Nutmeg powder
Honey
Method:

Mix the two ingredients together and apply the mixture on your skin and leave it for about five to ten minutes. Both nutmeg and honey have anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that help keep your skin safe from acne.

4. Promotes Youthful Skin

Nutmeg comes packed with antioxidants and anti-ageing properties that fight off the cell-damaging free radicals causing oxidative stress, making you look older than your age. The oxidative stress may leave you with fine-lines and wrinkles; in order to avoid the same, ensure adding nutmeg to your beauty regime.

How To Make Face Pack For A Youthful Skin

Ingredients:

Nutmeg powder
Yogurt
Honey
Method:

Mix honey, nutmeg powder and honey to form a paste. Apply this on your face and wait for 10 minutes before gently washing it off with running water.

5. Acts As A Natural Toning Cleanser

Nutmeg tends to restore moisture while stimulating dull skin, further reduces signs of ageing. It's always good to use this natural ingredient than opting for a store-bought beauty product to treat your skin effectively.

How To Make Face Pack For A Cleansing Toner

Ingredients:

Coconut milk or organic whole milk
Nutmeg powder
Method:

Mix the two ingredients and apply on your face. The benefits of lactic acid will promote a supple skin. Behold a beautiful glowing skin.

Bring this exotic spice to your rescue and ensure a beautiful looking skin!

Just like the rest of our body parts, the skin also requires certain essential nutrients to maintain it in good health. This biggest of our body organs is tough but is still susceptible to the excesses of the outside environment, as well as the changes that occur inside our bodies. But since we can only control our external environments to a certain extent, it is important to ensure that our internal environment is healthy and happy. Hormonal ups and downs, deficiency of certain essential dietary components etc. may wreak havoc on the skin. So while you spend thousands of bucks on buying expensive cosmetics to look good on the outside, you may also benefit from spending some time to ensure a healthy diet for your skin as well.

Skincare Tips: Nutrients For Healthy Skin
Some nutrients that have been known to promote skin health include antioxidants, omega-3 and -6 fatty acids and, vitamins E and C. Antioxidants are found in a number of plant-based foods like fruits and vegetables, as well as spices and herbs. These usually also contain the essential vitamins important for maintaining a healthy skin. Meanwhile, fatty acids are found in seeds and nuts, as well as fatty fish. Vitamin C helps in synthesis of collagen, while vitamin E is important for protecting the skin from the Sun and UV damage. Antioxidants fight inflammation, which reflects on the outside in the form of a blemish and acne-free skin. We have a recipe for you that combines all these nutrients in one delicious drink.

Anti-Ageing Coconut And Turmeric Drink Recipe
This recipe contains banana, pineapple, flaxseeds, coconut milk, coconut oil, ginger, cinnamon and turmeric. This drink can be a powerful addition to your diet if you are looking to improve the health of your skin. The coconut oil and milk are sources of healthy fats and important vitamins, and the shiny flaxseeds give you a dose of omega fatty acids. Ginger and turmeric are both root spices that are said to have anti-ageing benefits by improving skin elasticity and fighting inflammation.

Here's how to make this drink:
1. Chop the banana and pineapple.

2. Place them in a bowl and add flaxseeds, grated ginger, coconut oil, cinnamon powder, turmeric powder and flaxseeds to the fruits.

3. Add coconut milk and use a hand-held blender to blend all the ingredients together.

4. You may add a little honey to sweeten the drink more if you like.

Click here for the full recipe and details of ingredients.

It's important to stay hydrated and wash your face after a day out in the Sun to ensure a healthy and clear skin.

If you have an oily skin type, then it is time for you take extra care of your skin. Summers can be harsh to your skin - the dry, humid heat leaves you with stretchy, leather-like, patchy skin, and huge pores. Furthermore, the constant sweating can make your skin oily, which may lead to various common skin-related problems like acne and pimples. In order to steer clear of the same, you can bring a bevy of kitchen ingredients to your rescue. Various citrusy fruits can come to great help in keeping oily skin at bay. One such citrus fruit is orange. Oranges are known to work like magic on the skin and can benefit the skin in numerous ways. When applied topically on the face, oranges have the capability of absorbing additional oil from the face.

Here Is A List Of 3 Orange Face Packs That Can Do Wonders For Your Skin:

Orange And Neem Face Pack

Things You Need:

Orange Pulp - 3 tbsp
Milk - 2 tbsp
Paste of neem leaves - 3 tbsp

Method:

To begin with, take a bowl and add neem paste and milk to it. Combine the two ingredients and add orange pulp to it. Once a paste-like consistency is attained, apply it on your face. You may apply it on your neck as well. Allow the pack to stay for around 20 minutes and then rinse it off with cold water.

Orange And Besan Face Pack

Things You Need:

Besan Powder - 2 tbsp
Rose Water - 2 tbsp (optional)
Orange Juice (without pulp) - 3 tbsp

Method:

Take orange juice in a bowl and mix besan powder in it. Mix the two ingredients till a grainy paste is attained. You may even add rose water in this mixture as it will give your face a refreshing feel. Keep it on your face for 20 minutes. Once it dries off, wash it with cold water or dab some cotton balls in water and clean your face using them. For best results, apply this face pack thrice a week.

Orange And Oatmeal Face Pack

Things You Need:

Oatmeal - 1 tbsp
Orange Juice - 2 tbsp

Method:

Take a bowl and mix both the ingredients in it until you get a grainy scrub-like mixture. Apply it on your face in a circular motion and wait for 10-12 minutes. Rinse off your face with cold water.

So, without further ado, bring these skin-friendly face packs to your rescue and bid goodbye to oily skin.

Most of us are now busy preparing for the festive season. There's so much to do! Between decorating the house, buying new clothes, looking for recipes for a festive feast and organising and attending many parties - we've got our hands full! All this can get pretty exhausting and one has to take care of oneself, remember it isn't just about looking good but feeling good too and that requires some effort. I have come to believe in recent years that many of us don't even enjoy our festivals anymore because we are so tired and weary by the time we have organised everything that although we may be smiling through our pujas and parties our skin and hair looks tired and so do we from inside. So, what are some of the things that we can do to look and feel better during the festive season? Simple things that won't take up too much time and if done consciously and regularly will make a difference to the way you look and feel? Here's what I would recommend:

Festive Skin and Haircare | Simple Steps To Help You Look and Feel Fresh
Dry-fruits are an integral part of most Indian festivals. Along with all our festivals, come a lot of dry fruits that we pack away in jars to be used later. Here's a better way to use those almonds, and one that will not lead to weight gain! Soak at least 10 almonds and have these daily after peeling them. If you don't have time for this then make a small packet and mix in a handful of raisins, figs, almond, walnuts and cashews and keep in your handbag at all times. Munch on when you feel the need to snack on oily savouries.Almond milk also is excellent and can be made very easily at home in your everyday mixer. Try and have a small glass of this daily to keep your energy levels high.

The festive season and changing weather impacts the skin by making it patchy and dull. Dry fruits can also be used to make a wonderful face scrub that will wake up your skin and nourish even the driest and patchiest of skins.

Festive Season Scrub | Almond & Walnut Scrub
2 tpsp almond powder
2 tsp walnut powder
2 tsb oatmeal
milk

Mix all of the above ingredients with enough cold milk to make a thick paste and apply on clean skin. Once it has dried completely, dab with milk and scrub in a rotating manner gently scrubbing areas that may be discoloured and patchy.

Another excellent scrub, and I think scrubs are important for this weather, is one of my all-time favourites for normal to combination skin.

Fig Fresh Scrub | All-Season Scrub For Healthy Glow
10 figs
1tsp chironji
2tsp kaolin clay
1tsp rose water
1tsp yoghurt

Grind the dry fruit in a dry grinder and add the rest of the ingredients to make a thick paste. Apply to cleaned skin and leave on till dry, dab with water and scrub off.

Simple Remedy For Stress-free Skin
Stress levels can be quite high during the festival season as we tend overtire ourselves with inadequate hours of sleep. I think some soothing chamomile and lavender teas can be great ways of unwinding after a long exhausting day or in between chores.

Did you know Pooja flowers can also be used to look after you skin? Marigolds and roses are some of the most common flowers used in the festive season, this year don't throw away these flowers but use them to make some nourishing masks for your skin and hair.

Marigold flowers are wonderful for treating falling hair, reducing dandruff and dryness and improving texture of the hair. Make the following super-duper hair mask and see how your limp lifeless hair comes alive!

Flower Power Hair Mask
3tsb aloe vera gel
Paste of 10 marigold buds
2tsb almond oil
2tsb rosemary paste

If you can't get rosemary, use 2-3drops of rosemary oil. Mix everything well and apply from scalp to ends of hair and leave on for an hour before shampooing normally.

Rose Rejuvenation Mask
3tsb rose petal paste
1egg white whipped till it peaks
1tsp avocado oil
1tsp rice flour
1tsp honey

Mix well and apply to cleaned skin and let it dry completely. Avoiding talking or any facial movements during this time. When it has dried completely, you will be able to feel the stretch on your skin. Wash off with cold water and pat dry.

Keep Eating Fresh Fruits

Raw foods have a great effect on the body. Not only do you feel your energy levels go up, fresh foods have a positive impact on the way your skin and hair looks too. So, when you are buying fruits for puja don't give away everything as prasad, keep some for yourself too. Make it a point to eat at least 5 pieces of fresh fruit a day be it an apple, orange, a bowl of pomegranate, papaya or kiwi.

Pick up salad sticks between your organising chores. I always feel stocking up on healthy alternatives to munch on in the fridge helps make eating healthy and easier. Be it carrot sticks, celery sticks, cucumbers or raw radish, eat as much and in plenty to keep your metabolism and energy levels high!

Things to avoid this festive season should be the following:

Too many late nights
Too much alcohol
Excessive heavy fried foods and sweets
Sleeping without removing make up is a complete NO
Too less sleep
Inadequate water intake
Stress

Enjoy the festive season. After all its you, your family, friends and loved ones that will make it something to remember by. And look after yourself to be able to look after them. Believe me these simple but effective tips will help you for a long, long time to come!

Keep glowing naturally!