DocDivaTraveller: 2024

If you are anything like majority of the mortals, you love food. I mean what's better than a good spread? But a beautifully set plate of food is so much more than the ingredients. An enormous amount of effort goes into making that one plateful: from sourcing the ingredients to their perfect measurement, from cooking according to instructions (or instincts) to garnishing them, it's a long process. While daily meals don't require so much hoopla, it pays to take efforts when cooking for a special occasion.

As mothers, it's important to cook in for the kids. It teaches them a vital life lesson: home cooking. In this world of fast food and unhealthy fixes and eating disorders, it's important to teach our kids the value of real food and of course cooking. As a medical professional who is a mother of two kids, I try to feed my kids home cooked food most of the time. They always see me whipping up their favourite dishes as well as daily meals, and know that they are going to make their own food when they grow up.

So how can you teach your kids to develop interest in cooking?

1. Get them a nice kitchen toy with all the associated accessories. There is no kid in this world that doesn't play with a pretend kitchen. You can get your kid a full standing kitchen or even a tiny one. You can get all the food items (plastic or wooden, whatever according to your budget or availability), cuttable fruits and vegetables and readymade toy snacks. You will be amazed to see how much the kids remain engrossed in the pretend kitchen.

2. Introduce them into food games:

Culinaryschools.org has a wide array of food games for kids that would keep them hooked. In fact these games are so engaging that you yourself would find drawn towards these.

From food education games (which teach you the difference between healthy and unhealthy food, recycling,etc) to serving games, brain games, fun food theme games and other sports games, the choices are galore.

Take the example of the Cheeseburger games. There are so many. I love the Burger Shop amongst these many. The customers enter the shop and you have to understand their order by the thought bubble and build the burgers according to that. For example the type of patty, whether cheese slice or not. And when you fulfill the order, you get money paid. You can complete the levels to unlock further. These types of games teaches the kids the amount of effort required in whipping up a particular dish.

Stacking games.

Scooby doo sandwich stacking game. The adorable Scooby doo sways from one side to another to stack the sandwich according to the order received. It's so much fun!

Stacky Chicken game. All these games are too much fun.

3. Teach them nutrition from a young age.

I have started telling my kids that you can have health in your hands if you clearly know what you put in your mouth. And that's possible when you are either cooking yourself or have a home chef or are very mindful of the ingredients when you are eating out. While eating healthy should not manifest as borderline obsession, it's intelligent to know what all goes in to stomach. We should teach our kids how "Food thy medicine and medicine thy food". How having wholesome nutrition is imperative to good health. And of course take the help of various tools and calculators to keep our health in check.

This is why I love the Culinaryschools.org site because it has a myriad of information pertaining to food and cooking, apart from the games.

1. Recipe ingredient conversion calculator

If you consult a recipe from another country, the terminologies and measurements are often different than what you are used to. It's like that the shoe sizes are different in other countries and so are the dress sizes. This calculator solves the conversion problem and helps you convert between teaspoons, tablespoons, etc, fluid ounces, kilojoules and calories, pounds and kilograms, litres and gallons, etc.

2. Getting health checks

There are a number of tools on this site that would help to keep your health in check. Just weight is not a good indicator of your well being, there are a number of factors that determine how far you are from your goal.

For example, you may be of 50 kgs but that doesn't mean that you are of ideal weight. You may be very short (less than 5 feet) and the way to know it would be to calculate your BMI or Body Mass Index. Similarly, your BMI may be within the safe range but you may have too much visceral fat, and the way to know it would be to be aware of the body fat percentage. There are a lot of tools on this site that would help you to calculate these indices.

There is a lot of food and nutrition and health related information on the site, which is crucial for good health. Give this site a visit and thank me later. Taking care of your health is the greatest gift you can give to yourself.

This blog post is part of ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’
hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.

December 22, 2024 24 comments

December 13, 2024 15 comments

Womanhood is not easy. It's a daily challenge with the hormonal cycle and the toxicity of the world. And motherhood is a notch more difficult. If you have given birth, the struggle is on a whole new level. Not only you have to deal with a newborn and the new raging hormones but with an unrecognizable body too, too slash your confidence to the basement level. I very well remember the first time I tried slipping into my jeans after giving birth. Of course I couldn't fir into it. So I tried on a dress instead. My lower tummy hung out as if I was still 6 months pregnant. I was devastated looking at myself into the mirror. I wish I had known about the best shapewear to help elevate my confidence.

So how do shapewears work?

Websites like Shapellx have a variety of shapewears to suit your different needs and help raise your confidence again. From body shaping shorts to butt lifters, bodysuits to swimwears, they bring out the best in your body.

These are the two categories that I find useful the most:

1. Body shaper shorts: These help in giving a streamlined effect to your body. The design is such that these shorts don't ride up, so you can be comfortable. Also, the crotch area is made of anti microbial fabric, so that you can skip the underwear. These shorts also have a butt lifting effect, so as to give a perfect contour to your look. So the tummy goes in and the butts come out, and you feel your best.

2. Sustainable shapewear: Personally, this is my favourite. I love dresses that shape my body. These are the most comfortable to wear, according to me.

This dress not only tucks the tummy inside, but also smoothens the entire look. With classic colours like black and grey, you can wear them as such too, in the warm weather. And you can layer them beneath your outer dress, whenever required!

It's suitable for all kinds of bodies and provides tummy and boob control.

So this was a short cut to hide your mommy pooch so that you can slip into that cute dress without feeling guilty. And to get rid of that pooch permanently, I will enumerate some practical advices too.

1. Heal your diastesis recti: This should be the foremost step in any post partum journey. Before you jump into any regular tummy toning exercises, you should take care of yourself first.

For the uninitiated, this is a condition in which the two rectus abdominis muscles separate, leaving a space in the midsection of the abdomen; which can further lead to herniation later on. This is a very common feature in mommies post partum and should be healed on priority basis, before jumping into any fads.

So instead of abdominal crunches and biking, focus on exercises that strenghten your core, like glute bridge, Glute bridge march, leg raises, reverse crunches etc. I made my mistake during my first pregnancy, resulting in a much worse diastesis recti condition. If course, the best shapewear does help in keeping your tummy firm.

2. Take care of your diet: Getting that flat tummy or losing weight is 80% diet and 20% workout. Abs are made in the kitchen, and not in the gym. Drink 2 -3 litres of water, don't indulge in too much carbs and aim for 60gms of protein everyday. Try to stick to home cooked meals except for special occasions and have your dinner by 7 PM, without any late night snacking. And of course, invest in a nice sustainable shapewear!

3. Sleep: While sleeping properly with a small baby might be a challenge till few years, you can also catch up on your snooze whenever possible, instead of doom scrolling or binge watching. While "sleep when the baby sleeps" might not be practical, it is however the best for the mother's health. And if course there are body shaper shorts to boost your confidence till you achieve your dream weight!

December 10, 2024 2 comments

I took my first international flight 14 years back and my learning curve has never been the same. However in the all previous years of domestic travelling, one thing was consistent; I was never a light packer. My mom made me pack my own luggage since I was really young and she used to keep on reminding me to pack less. However my logic used to be pretty simple: I can't get photographed in the same outfit at different places.

While we are budget travellers, "I" can't compromise on style either. So we always try to look out for good deals on good airlines and use Air Asia only as the last resort. Because I truly believe that the amenities which a standard airline provides (entertainment system, blankets, food etc) are part of the travel experience too. So if the fare difference is of a few thousands, we always choose the better airline. However, in tickets to Australia and all, the fare difference can be upto 50K INR per ticket, which is preposterous!

Our trip to Penang last month was an impromptu one. Husband saw a lucrative price and he lured me into saying yes to both a couple's trip and flying through Air Asia.

In all these years, we had flown via Air Asia to Australia , Singapore and Malaysia, Jet Star: from Sydney to Bali and Ryan Air for intra European travel. There had been a restriction of check in in all these flights, but it was never an issue as we had paid extra (which was more than the ticket itself for Ryan Air) for check in.

This time, since it was a couple's trip + short getaway (6 days), my husband convinced me to save some money on this, and he promised he would let me shop extra. I was bought.

The issue arised because of a silly misunderstanding on my part. In all the other airlines we had flown (KLM, Turkish, Emirates, Saudia etc) I had read that hand bags are not counted/weighed and so aren't laptop bags and diaper ones. Somehow that thing was etched in my mind and I did the cardinal mistake of taking a heavy purse of mine, filled it with books, diary and cosmetics and I was doomed when everything was being weighed at the ticket counter.

After removing the water bottles and tiffin boxes, our luggage came out to be 15.5 kgs, which was 1.5 kg more than permitted. The person at the counter was sweet enough to guide us to wear AS MANY clothes as possible to lighten our baggage. We layered ourselves so much that we could barely move. All the jewellery that I was carrying, was on me! Even 3 earrings in one ear, hanging from each other 😭🤣I REFUSED to get myself photographed in that stupid attire!

Now different airports have different strictness levels. So while I was "harrassed" at IGI airport, our experience was pretty smooth in the Malaysian ones. However once bitten, twice shy, we were ready to brave the situation with tonnes of clothes on our bodies.

Now here I am sharing my 2 cents as to what one can do to avoid such situations.

Do's and Don'ts while travelling with a carry on only:

1. Wear your heaviest outer wear and footwear for the flight.

2. Apart from the coat and jeans and shoes, wear your chunky jewellery too, if you are carrying.

3. Keep your water bottle and lunch box away as they are exempted from weighing.

4. Don't carry multiple bags, even if adhering to the 7 kg rule. Only two bags are allowed per person, and the total of the two should not exceed 7kgs.

5. If possible, choose a carry on that is not too heavy in itself. That will give you an extra kilo to stuff your stuff.

6. On the way back, make sure to dry your swimwear or any other wet clothes because you don't want to be weighed down with water.

7. If you plan to shop at the destination, then keep your bags at least 2 kgs lighter from home.

8. It goes without saying that since liquids are not allowed, fill travel sized bottles with your necessary toiletries (like shampoo, conditioner, hair mask and body wash).

9. For makeup, avoid glass bottle packaging as they are heavier. Carry tube foundations (or even squeegee types). Don't carry your entire brush set; just the basic ones.

10. Make sure your purse is not heavy in itself. Some hand bags have sophisticated, heavy hardware that makes them less ideal for such trips. Save them for those flights where they give you 35 kgs limit and handbags are not even counted!

11. While umbrella is a necessity, it's not permitted in cabin baggages. We visited Penang during its wettest season, so rain protection was non negotiable. We bought the lightest possible raincoats for that reason and for protection from the sun, I carried a couple of wide brim hats.

12. Don't carry any stationary other than a pen. Books are heavy and so are diaries and agendas. While reading a book on vacation might be your idea of paradise, you have to decide whether to prioritise reading, fashion or shopping, while on a 7 kg restriction.

13. Fine jewellery is your best friend and wear all them while travelling to save the space (and weight) of their boxes. Don't carry any chunky stuff and of you are, then wear them on your flight.

14. The flip flops or the sandals that you pack should be as light as possible. Not the ones studded with stones and all.

While there are way too many nuances to this thing; like a laptop is at least 2 kgs, the consolidated weight of all the chargers and power bank comes out to be around 2 kgs, etc etc. So if you are going on a longer trip and travelling alone, this might not be feasible. Also cold destinations would mean a lot of heavy layers, which again won't permit squeezing within 7 kgs.

Long story short, sticking to cabin baggage only is more convenient if you are travelling in a big group. Like for a group of 6, you are getting 7x6=42 kgs of free luggage limit. Now the only limitations would be liquids (read toiletries), sharp objects and umbrellas. If you can survive without these, then you will save a load of money!

Although this thing can be applied only if we are travelling sans kids (because I almost need the entire household) , next time if we are flying via budget airlines, I would be more resourceful. The main lesson learnt is that one should leave at least 3 kgs while departing so that at least you can fit your shopped items on your way back.

Are you a light packer or a carry entire wardrobe/household person?

This post is a part of Blogchatter Blog Hop with the theme-Travel.

This blog post is part of ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’
hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla
and supported by Ivorystation, a new-age luxury website.

December 02, 2024 16 comments

Are you generally a sociable person or a recluse? What's your priority during travelling? Do you prefer the crowd favourites or do you go hunting for unexplored territories to find peace and quiet? Well we are a mixture of both. Sometimes I can't even truly decide whether I want peace and calm or total chaos that would drain all my worries away.

Zanzibar is a pretty big island, Almost as big as Mauritius (which is an independent country). There are hundreds of beaches in Zanzibar. The entire coastline is dotted with beaches, some of them are famous, some are absolutely must visit while many are secluded and abandoned. Since we drove all the island, we stopped anywhere that our hearts felt like. Sometimes that beach turned out to be a hidden gem, while at others it was so much infiltrated with locals that we had to rush back back to our car.

During our 7 days stay on this heavenly island, we stayed in 3 resorts, in totally different parts of Zanzibar, for a novel experience. We scheduled our second stay in Nungwi, one of the most happening beaches of Zanzibar. Properties were really expensive here, so instead of booking a beach resort, we booked a nice hotel with a pool (my non negotiable) that was few hundred meters away from the beach. Since we had the car, reaching the beach should not have been an issue.

We were surprised on our first visit to the Nungwi beach. Firstly, the entire Nungwi village was bustling with locals and tourists alike, something that was elusive in our previous stay in Jambiani. And when we reached the beach, we were astonished. The water was absolutely turquoise, the sand was pristine white and there were innumerable restaurants that looked incredibly fancy!

Not only that, there were so many night clubs that the place was vibrating to the concoction of beats, coming from various clubs. And the souvenir market scene was the best that I had seen in the entire island.

And when night crept in, we were fortunate to witness a fire show...something which I am totally mesmerised with! The next morning we had our boat tour for dolphin watching from there. After we came back in the afternoon, we had the time of our lives swimming in the warm waters. The ocean at Nungwi felt different. And it definitely was, because unlike other beaches in Zanzibar, the ocean does not recede 2 kms during low tide! Neither does it flood all the properties during high tide like in Paje!

There's a humungous reason as to why Nungwi is the most sought after beach on this island, even if is located at the Northern most tip, which means 80 kms from the airport. However, my heart still lies in Jambiani. Maybe for the peace, maybe for our boutique resort; maybe because it was our first stay in this paradise; not exactly sure why.