#Good Ideas: Easy Hacks To Make Your Life Better

Spread Swap

Love it or hate it, there’s no denying that mayonnaise is a common sta­ple in fridges. But with 100 calories per tablespoon, this condiment can turn a typical sandwich into a calorie bomb. Swap it with mustard, which is a great alternative. But if you crave that creamy texture and rich flavour, try homemade pesto, which is made with basil and heart-healthy olive oil and nuts.

Compost Tip

Convert the bio-waste from your daily dump into nutrient-rich compost. You can compost all vegetable and fruit waste, rice (cooked), tea bags, expired packaged foods and anything made of flour, such as discarded bread, cookies, pizza crust and noodles. But do not add meat or fish waste, dairy products, such as cheese, butter and greasy products to your compost pile. Keep a separate bin for your kitchen organic waste and keep dumping these into the composting bin. The key to good composting is to maintain a healthy ratio of nitrogen and carbon, with more of carbon in the pile. If the compost is stinking, it indicates higher nitrogen levels. “Add dried leaves to the waste to increase the carbon content. It needs to be aerated, so you could use a garden fork to loosen the mix. This will help you control the moisture of your compost better. Adequate moisture hastens the process of decomposing,” says Dr Jaya Deshpande, composting enthusiast with Daily Dump, a Bengaluru-based waste management solution provider. You can simply pile up your food scraps into a pit in your green patch and keep covering with soil and dried leaves.

Cook it Right

Did you know that quick steaming is the best way to retain the nutrients in broccoli (such as vitamin C and sulforaphane), than eating it boiled or raw? So steam it for just about five minutes, before throwing it in your favourite salad.

Brush Up

For clean make-up brushes and powder puffs, wash them first with a mild baby shampoo. Then mix a solution of two parts water and one part vinegar in a shallow bowl. Swoosh the brushes around in the bowl for a minute or two (make sure they are fully immersed). Rinse thoroughly with warm water.

Food Hygiene

Research shows you need to wash your hands several times while cooking to stay safe. Try to wash up every time you switch to a new component of the meal—say, when moving from meat to veggies to spices. Most ‘violations’ occur when you go back and forth between meat (poultry, egg or seafood) and ready-to-eat foods such as salad fixings without washing hands in between, suggests a food-safe­ty study led by Janet B Anderson, RD, a clinical professor of nutrition and food sciences at Utah State University. To stay extra safe, don’t wash up on autopilot. “Count to 20 as you rub your hands under water,” says Dr Rekha Sharma, president, Indian Dietetic Association, New Delhi. “Use soap to get rid of bacteria.” Also, don’t put raw meat, which can be loaded with bac­teria, directly on the kitchen counter. Instead, put unwashed meat on a dish or cutting board you can wash later.

Collated from articles previously published in Prevention magazine

To get more tips for better living, click here.