Category: International

GO the whole HOG

Check out these exciting food festivals happening around the world in the coming months

There is a growing trend of exploring a city of religion’s culture and history through its food. Visiting food festivals is an amazing way to enjoy the local cuisine, meet regional farmers and get to mingle with food lovers from across the world.

Following are a few-

Dubai Food Festival, Feb 26-Mar 14: The Emirates plays host to various food zones during the culinary celebration. You have the option to enjoy one of the many home-grown concepts at the beach canteen zone; opt for a curated experience such as a masterclass with a top chef; themed tours; tasting menu at a fixed price at one of the top restaurants or explore one of the hidden culinary hubs in the city. A must-try though are special coffee treats prepared for the fest, such as pistachio, saffron and charcoal latte.

Qatar Food Festival 2020
Qatar Food Festival 2020

Qatar International Food Festival, Mar 20-30: Cooking masterclass by top chefs from around the world, live demo by some of the top culinary stars and a venue dotted with stalls serving seafood, steaks, Asian delicacies to Italian specials, a children’s zone lined with stalls dishing out quick bites and special area dedicated to salads, soups, veg delights, desserts and artisanal coffee.

Wildfoods Festival, Hokitika, New Zealand, Mar 7 – Beetles, electric eels and snails adorn the trays at this fest. If you wish to play safe, there is a wild pork and venison too that you could pair with local beers and wines. There are ample entertainment options to keep you grooving through the day- a special fancy dress competition where the wilder you dress, the better your chances of winning.

Alresford Watercress Festival, Hampshire, England, May 17– Alresford is a small town in Hampshire that comes alive on the third Sunday of May every year. And the reason for celebration is the local watercress harvest! Thousands throng the area to enjoy multiple watercress inspired preparations, sample the best of local food and beverage options, take part in watercress eating competitions or enjoy music performances. If you love salads, this is the place to be as some of the top local chefs await you with their own rendition of watercress salad.

Noosa Eat & Drink, Queensland, Australia, May 14-17: From a humble beginning to becoming one of the most sought after food festivals in the southern hemisphere, Noosa Eat and Drink is every food lover’s delight. Beachfront brunches, food tours with celebrity chefs, curated dinners, farm food, brewery trails, spirits master class and heady beach parties- a visit here promises to be four memorable mouth-watering days.

More upcoming fests

  • Taste of Antwerp, Belgium, May 1-3
  • Food Zurich, Switzerland, May 7-17
  • Taste of Amsterdam, Netherlands, May 29-June 1
  • Salon Del Chocolate, Quito, Ecuador, June 5-7
  • Melbourne Food Festival, Mar 19-29

PS- Dates may vary. Kindly confirm dates before booking your tickets.


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Five healthy things you can offer your father

Barack Obama once said: “Anyone can have a child and that doesn’t makes him a father. It’s the courage to raise a child that makes him a father”.

Father’s Day – A day dedicated to fatherhood and dada around the world. It is a day that marks the true essence of a real man, who with his courage and heart raises his child with love, affection and responsibility. It’s also a day for people around the world to appreciate and make their fathers feel special.

We all have fathers and we all will be fathers. But how many of us realize the work, care, share and protection our father had showered on us. He was the first person to rise up and stand by us during any crisis. This Father’s Day take the opportunity to appreciate his fatherhood by gifting him a gift of life – a gift of health.

Perhaps there is nothing that could counter his fatherhood, but still in an effort to show your appreciation of all that he has done for you his entire life.

Following are some great healthy gift ideas that will help you to select the best for your father.

  1. A Road Bike (for seniors)

People lose their physical strength and abilities gradually as they age. Older people, who are especially above the age of 60, have more possibilities to get affected with mobility issues, overweight, knee and back problems and other health issues.

As a result of which a lot of elders develops the love of riding. Riding bicycles for daily rides and exercise as well. But at the same time, it has to be considered that their rides to not take a lot of toll on their ability and it is comfortable at the same time. Gifting your dad a road bike to a perfect option. These bikes are light weight and comfortable for smaller rides across the neighborhood.

  • A health rate and fitness wristband

With hospital costs sky rocketing and without the safety net of a full-time professional care, this wearable can not only keep your dad safe but healthy also. Seniors are very pro-active with their health and loves wearing a fitness band that will give him all his health status at easy reach. It will help him keep track of his fitness level and inspire him to improve further. The heart monitor tracks heart rate, the cardio monitor shows his heart conditions and provides suggestions and some even are equipped with BP monitor to read the blood pressure levels without any effort.

  • A phone especially made for him

Your father may not be a gadget freak but needs a phone that easy for him to use and stay in touch with his loved ones. Get him a phone that is especially designed for seniors. These phones gave larger keys, backlit keypads and even voice prompts for dials and keypads. Raised buttons and generally white backgrounds makes it easier for him to see and dial, read text and send messages whenever required. Some of them even are aided with fitness trackers that will make it easy for your dad to track his daily steps and health activities like climbing stairs and others.

  • A wireless RF Item Locator

Fathers have the habit of forgetting and especially if he is turning old. He is the one who will often misplace the simplest of things like his keys, wallet and the medicine box. With small receivers that can be attached to almost everything, your father will have no excuse to go out for losing his keys or not having his timely medicines. Controlled by a simple remote and console multiple things can be attached with this wireless RF item locator.

  • A massage pillow

Nothing can be more relaxing and soothing for an aching back and neck of your father than a gentle and warm massage. This electrically heated massage pillow can be used at any time – while seating and watching TV or reading books and even sleeping and comes as a welcome relief from backaches, shoulder and neck pains and even pain from arthritis. A great relief for pains that comes with age.

There are plenty of ways you can make your father feel special, but the key element behind gifting should always be practicality and functionality. This Father’s Day, show your love and appreciation by gifting him with something that he can cherish for the rest of his life and always remember and bless you.


MS. SHEELA SEHARAWAT

PG –Dietetics and Hospital Food Service (DHFS)

Sheela Seharawat on father health

Practicing since 2005 as a registered dietician under IDA, Sheela Seharawat is the founding member and chief mentor of Diet Clinic, operating around 35 outlets successfully all over the country.

A motivational speaker, an expert dietician and a strong believer of healthy and motivated living, she has transformed the lives of many through her breakthrough diets and inspiration on living a healthy life. Another feather is added to the name of Diet Clinic Health Care as the esteemed magazine and organization “Silicon India Start Up City” has recognized and awarded “Diet Clinic” in their annual listing of “10 Best Startups in Fitness, 2017”.

International Dance Day: How Dancing is good for your health

International dance day

We all know very well that physical fitness and activities is of paramount importance for our health. Moreover, if you are one of them who love fun and to mingle with people, and want have your life full of excitement, then dancing is a wonderful activity for you.

Dancing in our culture is considered as a form of art that has been in existence through centuries with people of all ages, abilities and cultures. The Indian culture is enriched with the richness of various dance forms, and the benefits of the art form has been realized in our culture since long.

International dance day
IC:Pixabay

It is why every year International Dance Day is observed worldwide to celebrate dance, revel its universality across all barriers of humankind and bring people together under one common language – the language of dance. The observance of this day is an effort to convey people the value of togetherness with one single art that is celebrated around the world in various forms.

There are many wonderful reasons why you should dance. Perhaps it won’t be wrong if we say that dancing is the best way to engage in physical activity or exercise, without even knowing and all because you are engaged with its fun quotient. Dance is actually a full package of fun, learning, skill building and exercise with the intensions of having fun.

Let’s understand in details, how it is health boost to mankind and overall wellbeing, both physically and mentally as well:

  • It helps burn calories: Just a normal freestyle dance movement for about 30 minutes a day for around 3 days a week can calculatively burn as much calories as you would spend almost the same time daily in the gym.
  • Dance makes you happy: Dancing your way in the favorite tune releases endomorphins, which make you high and exhilarated. It is so engaging that it makes you as if you are walking in the air and makes you happy and overwhelmed.
  • It helps toning up and build stronger muscles: It helps tine up all the body and even at the focus spots like abdomens and thighs. It also make the muscle grow stronger and stronger muscles aids in fat loss even when you are at rest.
  • It helps reducing stress and tensions: Dancing is fun, and we could all bring fun in our lives. Having more fun is having more time for yourself and having more time for yourself is reduced stress and tension that we all go through in our lifestyle. Weather single or as a couple or may be in a group, you enjoy every moment and without even knowing that you are deeply involved.
  • It helps you socialize more: Dance in any form, is a great way to socialize and meet people. Just imagine building a whole new world of social networking with like-minded friends who share the same interest. Particularly for singles, dance is a great way to meet and make new friends and get rid of loneliness.
  • It makes you more self-confident: When you lean or perform dance, you not only dance with other, you dance in front of a crowd, an audience. This helps you in building up your self-confidence as a performer and as a person. You develop the power to express and stay confident in all aspects of life.

The power of dance is intense and immense. It has the powers to heal, both physiologically and psychologically. The mention of various forms of dance in our past history has highly emphasizes and regarded the benefits of dance and its healing benefits to mankind.

Whatever your reason for choosing to dance, make it a routine in your life and see how it helps you transform your life into a much happier, healthier and enjoyable moments.


The article is authored by famous Dietitian Sheela Seharawat. She is the founder and chief mentor of Diet Clinic Health Care Pvt. Ltd. Also, she is one of the youngest successful entrepreneurs of India.



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The Essence of Womanhood

Essence of womanhood

Imagine a household bereft of a woman; imagine your world deprived of one. With international women’s day just having gone by, it’s time to doff one’s hat to the various roles women play.

So, like every year, while International Women’s Day was celebrated worldwide on March 8, having been instituted way back in 1909, the truth is its purpose is as relevant today as even before.

Women everywhere need to be treated as equals no doubt, but there is also a need to be recognised for their strength and achievements.

Balance for better

Every year the campaign theme is a sort of call-to-action, one emphasizing the need to create a more gender-balanced world, one that is proactive on all levels with women’s empowerment, whether pertaining to economic, social or political issues. ‘Balance for better’ is the theme of 2019. Whether the significance of this call is all about civil awareness, women and girl recognition, anti-sexism or anti-discrimination, it is a day that celebrates womanhood globally.

While International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on the progress women worldwide have made in different fields, commend and applaud those few who had the foresight and determination of their vision and extraordinary courage, let us not forget that at the epicentre of every unit exists a woman, one who is the driving force behind those wheels of that well-oiled machinery called domestic bliss. The roles she plays in one lifetime as a mother, sister, wife or daughter is cause enough for celebration, but coupled with her juggling abilities to hold down that fort of household responsibilities along with the demands of a workplace, in my books her achievement are way up there!

Imagine a household bereft of a woman, imagine your world deprived of one!

Deprived of Status

While Woman’s Day celebrates women’s history, her emancipation, often highlighting key events, achievements and milestones to raise awareness, promote equal opportunities for her in all walks of life, the sad truth is that often in certain parts of the world and, especially in certain cultures, women are not accredited as being equal with men, thus depriving them of basic rights and status.

There is enough evidence now to support the claim that a gender-diverse workplace does indeed produce real benefits. Studies also show that a gender-diverse workplace is not only good for financial returns, employee engagement, innovation and reducing turnover but most gender-diverse businesses also resonate with a wider customer base. Yet, women are still deprived of the opportunity.

And while we as women raise flags and protestations, seek wider platforms and march the streets demanding equal status from the other half of the population, the question here is should it really be only about gender disparity? Is it then fair to lay all that ire and disproportion blame squarely on men alone?

Are not injustices, inequalities and unfair treatment being met out to women for generations, sadly from their own kind? Think back on all the times when you have been discriminated against and chances are it could well be that dragon-lady a.k.a your boss, a colleague from work or that friend who has hidden agenda; you should well have been mistreated by that daughter-in-law or mother-in-law.

So while we demand equality from the other half of the gender bender in matters of education, employment, inheritance, marriage, politics and recently, in field of religion too, should we not be demanding fairness from our mothers; patience from our mother-in-law, understanding and compassion from our female friends?

The need of the hour is to clean up the imbalances in our own gender-centric homes, with a whole bunch of self-realisation and inward reflection. While we strive to enhance equivalence from the rest of the world, we also need to improve our position “as women amongst women”.

Gender bender

We must consciously strive towards a more complete view of womanhood, gentled with gender infused an understanding of love and respect. Be a woman of worth with your own kind, be the first to appreciate another’s success, the one to applaud the loudest at another’s triumph.

Gender Bender – Pokemon

Be the kind of woman that senses a cry for help from another, much before her complete meltdown. The kind of woman who provides support to her tribe and not one that creates divides. Be the type of woman that sets a trend not just by her fashion sense but as a result of her commonsense. Be the kind of woman who is self-sufficient in her own capabilities, achievements and skills but is never shy to ask for help when needed.

Be the woman who succeeds and triumphs after every fall, the kind who fixes another’s crown silently but, most of all, is the kind of woman who sets an example, the kind that someday your daughter may want to emulate.

Image by Free-Photos on Pixabay

So while the world celebrated this international woman’s day with a campaign theme of ‘Balance for better’, let us endeavour to make a difference with no gender agendas. Let’s work instead on being women of substance, beautiful inside out, strong in spirit, determined in grit, to be balanced for ourselves with a better understanding of life and a kinder compassion for the world we live in, regardless of being men or women.

~Veera Shroff Sanjana

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