Message from God

As you probably know by now, my whole trip to India was very ‘intense‘.

** If you don’t know what I’m talking about, see my other posts on Kerala Chronicles **

One last story

I have to write about one last thing before I end my Kerala Chronicles.  It was very interesting.

On my last night in India, I decided to have an early dinner, alone, watching the sunset.  So I went to a great restaurant on Kovalam beach called Fusion.  I took my book, ordered a good meal, and sat down watching the sunset and pondering my life and what the future holds.

On the table next to me, a middle aged Indian man said hello and woke me from my daydreaming.  I looked at him and returned his greeting.  He thought I was from India.  I told him I’m Arab and proceeded to open my book to read.  I really wanted to be alone with my thoughts.  I had a lot to think about.

But he persisted.  He asked me where I was from and when I said Bahrain, he said he comes to Bahrain to lecture.  Oh, ok, I thought.

Then he volunteered his story.

He is a reverend.  But he used to be a school teacher.  In 1986, while he was still a school teacher, his wife got seriously ill.  Her illness made him decide to fast.  So he fasted for 40 days.  And on the 38th day of fasting, Jesus appeared to him.  He was telling him to pursue the word of God.  Over time, Jesus appeared to him several times so he decided to become a reverend.  His wife made a complete recovery.  And he became a firm believer that Jesus is our saviour.  He now lectures around the world, including the UK and Bahrain and he also heals people.

Interesting story so far, right? Wait, it gets better…

Then, he says, “I believe there’s a reason why I became a reverend and a reason why you came to Kerala and to this restaurant tonight.  I have a message for you from God.”

Really? I put my book aside and finally gave him my full undivided attention.  This was getting interesting!

“God wants you to know that he loves you and that he has a plan for you,” he stated.

“Oh…  Thank you,” I blurted, not knowing what to say to that.

He then paid his bill and left the restaurant and I never saw him again.

I went back to staring at the sunset, with a million thoughts fighting for my attention.

What do you think about this story?  I really want to know what you think…

Leave me a comment below

And remember, here’s where you can find more of my ‘Kerala Chronicles‘

And here you can sign up to stay up-to-date with my happenings and news www.AliaAlmoayed.com

Interviewing the Ayurvedic Doctor

When I wrote about my Ayurvedic experience in India, I also promised to post an audio interview that I had with the Ayurvedic doctor himself.

Shortly after I Arrived at the Ayushya Ayurvedic Centre in Kerala, I had a chat with the Ayurvedic doctor who runs it, Dr. P. Sambhu (photo above).  This man is fascinating!

In fact, I was so impressed that I thought I had to bring a piece of his knowledge to all my readers.  So I recorded a chat that I had with him.  He very kindly gave me a lot of his precious time and patience in spite of his very busy schedule.

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The Interview!

Click below to listen to the audio interview I conducted with the Ayurvedic doctor – Dr. Sambhu.

CLICK HERE for Interview with Dr Sambhu (Ayurvedic doctor)

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In the photos below, you can also see pictures of the Ayurvedic centre in Kerala, and the massage room that I spent a whole week in.  The daily procedure of massage, enemas, and a few other funky stuff took about 2-3 hours each day.

During and after the treatment

I was told that the Ayurvedic Panchakarma treatment will have an effect on my body and emotions.  I was also told not to interfere with the process, to just observe and stay neutral to what comes up.

During the course of the seven days, I noticed some very interesting stuff.  Here’s a few:

• My appetite reduced until I was eating barely two very small meals each day.  As a result, I lost some weight (unintentionally).  This continued for about a week but now my appetite is back to normal.  This happened as my Pitta dosha was revived and made my body more efficient at burning its existing fuel
• I also felt a lot of sinus congestion the first couple of days. This was probably due to all the toxins beings released and Kapha dosha realigning.  It is much better now and was significantly helped by the Ayurvedic nose drops that I still use.
• I became very sensitive emotionally.  It felt like being very ‘raw’ and ‘open’ to outside influences.  For example, I would sympathise with people more, I would cry easier, etc…
• My digestion and elimination improved (I guess the enemas helped with that!) and Pitta dosha came into effect vs. the slow/sleepy digestion of Kapha
• I was (and still am) having very vivid dreams.  It’s probably the body’s way of detoxing thoughts and emotions
• My strength and endurance improved, helping me sustain energy for longer periods during the day.  That could also be my Pitta dosha rising up from under the rubble.
• The daily massages made me feel very supple.  My flexibility improved significantly.
• My ‘drive’ and desire for work have skyrocketed, and my creative flow became significantly better.  Again, that’s Pitta and Vata re-balancing
• Overall, it felt like my doshas went back to being Kapha-Pitta instead of an overpowering Kapha.  If you would like to familiarise yourself with the Ayurvedic system in an easy read, I would highly recommend Deepak Chopra’s book  Perfect Health.  This book even has a quiz that helps you find out your own dosha and how to address it.

I’m still keeping a watch out for what comes up.  Dr. Sambhu said that the effects can last for up to 3-5 months after the treatment.  He said not to make any big decisions in this period (e.g. about relationships or work) because the feelings might just be a result of the detox.

To see more of my India escapades, click on my other articles on the Kerala experience:

Ayurvedic healing in India

Kerala food

And keep checking here for more stories.  I’ll also be writing about the ‘message from God’ that I got on my last night in India!

Most importantly DON’T FORGET to listen to my audio interview with Dr. Sambhu!  It’s amazing!  Scroll up this post to find it!

Oh, and if you want to stay updated on my news, make sure to sign up on my website www.AliaAlmoayed.com

Ayurvedic Healing in India. Ahhh!

As my plane lands in Kerala, I can hardly contain my excitement about seeing India for the first time. This magnificent country I had heard so much about.
Finally it was my turn to experience it!

I take a step out of the plane and get a whiff of India.  I had always heard about people going to India and smelling it as the plane door opens, but I never believed them.

I take a deep breath, close my eyes, and stop for a moment to figure it out. What was that smell?  It smelled like a combination of spices, herbs, incense, and small hint of garbage.  Overall, the combination made for a very pleasant experience.

Why am I in India?

I had always wanted to go to India, I just didn’t know it would happen this year!
I had a very tough year in 2009 and I really needed a break, so when a friend suggested a week in Kerala with Ayurvedic Panchakarma treatment, I thought this was a sign.  “Maybe God is sending me some relief,” I thought.  So I took a chance, packed my stuff, kissed my family, and jumped on the plane; all the time not knowing what to expect.

“I could use some relaxation,” I thought.  Little did I know, my India experience was going to be more ‘intense’ than ‘relaxing.’

Ayurveda

Prior to this trip, my experience with Ayurveda had been very limited.  I had read a book on the subject and I had a brief idea of the ‘dosha’ principle, but that was it.

If you’re not familiar with Ayurveda, I suggest you look it up because it’s fascinating and I’m afraid I will not do it justice here.

From what I know, Ayurveda is an ancient healing system that categorises people into three ‘doshas’.  The three doshas are Kapha, Pitta, and Vata. Each person is born with all three doshas, but one (or sometimes two) is dominant.

When you know your dosha constitution, you can focus your diet, exercise, and other daily routines to maximise your health and prevent disease.

Roughly speaking, if your constitution is dominantly Kapha, you would more likely have a solid build and good physical endurance with steady energy and a relaxed personality.  If you are predominantly Pitta, you would more likely have medium strength with sharp intellect and lots of ‘drive’.  And last, if you are predominantly Vata, you would have light build, irregular hunger, lots of creativity, and changing moods.

When the body is out of balance, some doshas become more dominant and sometimes have negative health effects.  For example, Kapha-gone-wrong can cause excess mucus and allergies.

The dosha system also applies to other aspects of life such as seasons, countries, and times of the day.  For example, the Middle East region is considered Pitta, 6-10am are the Kapha hours, windy weather is Vata, etc.

My Ayurvedic adventure

A few hours after I arrive in Kerala and adjust to the heat and humidity, we stroll down the beach to the Ayurvedic centre.  A cozy reception area with plenty of treatment rooms downstairs.  I walk into the Ayurvedic doctor’s office for a chat.

No more than two minutes into the conversation, he tells me that I’m a Kapha-Pitta dosha.  “Oh, ok” I think to myself.  “What does that mean?” I ask.

“It means that you have two dominant doshas, which some people have.  But it seems like your Kapha dosha has become too dominant, and is therefore suffocating your Pitta. Having lots of Kapha with no Pitta is like having a lot of fuel but no fire to burn it.  People with your dosha type often have the ability to achieve quite a lot, but when they go out of balance, they feel tired, trapped, and frustrated. This is often when they decide to hide or escape.  Is this why you came to India?” he asked.

Wow! He was able to tell me all that just by looking at me.  And he went on for another hour, explaining to me everything that I am probably feeling because of my imbalanced doshas.  I must say, it was all spot on.

The Treatment

So, after that long discussion with the Ayurvedic doctor, I did not need any more convincing; I was ready for whatever he suggested.  I started my 7-day Panchakarma treatment the same day; a treatment to detoxify and purify the body.

Over the next week, I experienced a full-on Ayurvedic treatment (at least I think it was full-on).  Daily treatments of no less than 2-3 hours per day.

The treatment consisted of a daily invigorating massage with mega-loads of oil and herbs. Daily ‘shirodhara’ (a warm oil dripped on the forehead to relax the nervous system and balance the Vata dosha). Plus, daily enemas, nasal drops, ear drops, and even ayurvedic eye drops that felt like someone poured Tabasco into my eyes.

Every day of that week, I would walk out of the treatment centre feeling like I have been cleansed from the inside out.  Every day, as I was walking on the same street, I was seeing and thinking different things. My perspective was shifting.

The Verdict

Before I started the Panchakarma treatment, I was told that this treatment totally detoxes the body, physically, mentally, and emotionally.  I didn’t believe it until I experienced it myself.
Although 7 days is a lot shorter than the recommended 21 days of treatment, I still saw a lot of benefits on my body and soul. And the effects apparently continue long after the treatment ends.

With each day of the treatment I felt my body shift into more functionality.  Digestion, metabolism, appetite, breathing, skin; they all shift at first and then start to improve.  But on a more subtle level, emotions also shift.  Dormant issues come to the surface and emotions are heightened.  The body goes through major changes as the oils, the enemas and the massage shift the doshas into a more balanced state.

All I had to do was be a spectator.  I was to just observe without interfering.
And the best part?  As I went through all these physical and emotional changes, I was in a beautiful country. It was as if India hugged me and let me cry on her shoulder.

Coming soon!

An audio interview with the Ayurvedic doctor himself!  You won’t want to miss that.  I will be putting it up on this blog very soon so make sure you’re on my mailing list so I can let you know as soon as it’s up.

To sign up on my mailing list, go to www.AliaAlmoayed.com

Before you go, take a look at my post about the food in Kerala.  Yum! click Here.

Kerala food

I went to India not knowing what to expect in terms of food.  Actually, I went with the intention to be very careful about what I eat because I wanted to avoid an upset stomach at all costs.

Let me tell you, I was pleasantly surprised.  The food there was fabulous!

And I managed to complete my holiday with no ‘food incidents’ – thank God!

Here are photos of some of the things that I really enjoyed:

Banana Bonanza

There were so many kinds of bananas in Kerala I was spoilt for choice!  Bananas were all I saw on the street corners, on the beach, and everywhere (that and coconuts!).

One day, I decided to get all the different kinds of bananas and sample each one.  Obviously I didn’t get the regular yellow bananas that we always get here; I got all the other kinds.

The baby yellow bananas were very sweet and delicious.  They are just the right size for the amount of sweetness because bigger would probably have been too much sweetness.  The green banana was very interesting.  It had a banana taste to it with a tiny hint of bitterness/lemony flavour.  The brown ‘temple’ banana was very mild; it was a nice blend between the two tastes.  Not too sweet, not too bland, not too banana-ey.  It is something that you could have as a meal, I guess that would explain the size. I paused for a moment when I was done.  I decided that I liked the green banana most; to me it was the most exotic tasting.  And I would probably have the temple banana as a meal if I was really hungry.  In fact, I think it’s even used in a few South Indian dishes (with coconut, etc.).  Overall, ‘yum’ rating was very high for all the bananas, especially because they were fresh.

Spices

I guess I knew that India was the ‘land of spice’ but I really saw it for myself this time.  There were spice shops everywhere in Kerala (no really, EVERYWHERE!).  I loved how you can see the plants that these spices come from.

The photo above is of fresh peppercorns.  It grows on a huge climby tree.  You taste one of these cute little things and you die.  The sweet taxi driver that showed me the plant also demonstrated eating one.  His face changed colour and he was coughing and clearing his throat all the way home!  Imagine what would have happened to me if I had tried it!

The spices are apparently ‘organic’, although I don’t know enough about organic laws in India.  The local fresh Kerala spices and herbs included black/white pepper, nutmeg, curry leaves, dried tamarind, and beautiful vanilla pods. YUM!

South Indian Cuisine

The South Indian cuisine really suited me very well.  I loved everything about it!

I had dosa for breakfast (see above).  I love dosa and I even try to have it here in Bahrain at home (see my dosa party from a few weeks ago).  The dosa in the first picture above is a Masala dosa and it was to-die-for!  It is a rice-based ‘pancake’ with potato filling and a lentil curry-like dip.

The other dish in the photo is called Thoran.  I got introduced to it on this trip and I loved it.  It’s basically a mixture of coconuts and curry leaves with any vegetable such as cabbage, etc.  The one you see here is made with green beans.  Very mild and absolutely lovely.

All the South Indian dishes that I tried were great.  Fish dishes were abundant and delicious.  On my last night I tried a local fish served in coconut curry on banana leaf.  It was so good I still dream about it sometimes.

The only time I encountered a problem was when one of the waiters thought I was from India (which they often did until I correct them) and was very generous with the chilli factor

Ayur restaurant in this photo serves organic ayurvedic dishes.  An ayurvedic dish, I was told, is cooked with ayurvedic instructions (but I didn’t ask further) and with ayurvedic herbs and spices.  The result is very often delicious.  Here is the onion dosa with coconut chutney  and the ayurvedic banana stem juice that I had there.

Can’t forget the coconuts!

I can’t end this blog post without mentioning the coconuts.  Kerala might as well have been called the ‘land of coconuts’.  I have honestly never seen so many coconut trees in my life!

Coconuts are on the trees, on the beach, on the street… everywhere.  You can just have one cut open for you and sip it as you stroll down the beach.  Very very refreshing.  And the best part?  coconut water seems to somehow stay cool inside the coconut, so you get a cool refreshing drink in spite of the heat and humidity.

That’s not all!

I have so much more to tell you!  Stay tuned for my upcoming posts about my Ayurvedic Panchakarma treatment in Kerala and an audio interview with the ayurvedic doctor himself!

If you’re not already on my mailing list, make sure you are because there’s a lot of good stuff coming up!  You can sign up on my website here  www.AliaAlmoayed.com

Pls let me breathe!

Last week I got really annoyed so I decided to write this article for my column in this week’s Gulf Weekly edition.

You wanna know why I got annoyed?  Read on to find out… and more photos too!

Why I can’t breathe

A friend once asked me, “Why do you need to detox, you’re already detoxing with all that fresh air in your area!”  It’s true, but…

I live in the ‘rural’ area of Bahrain (Hamala/Jasra). Every morning, I wake up early to take my kids to school.  I look out the window, and the day looks crisp and fresh with a beautiful morning fog and birds chirping.

I step out of my house, take a deep breath… and my lungs are filled with smoke!

Why? Because the farmlands around the area choose to get rid of their waste by burning it.

The fires give out a horrible burned smell and lots of smoke.  It’s worse on a still day when there isn’t enough breeze to move it.  Even when the doors and windows in the house are closed, it seeps into the house through unsealed window frames and even AC vents.  It’s horrible that you can’t open the window to get clean air.

So, as we drive to school in the morning, we see a beautiful sky tainted with a long line of smoke coming from these farmlands.

It’s horrible for the country and the environment and it’s especially bad for our health!

Is it legal?

I once saw an article in the local paper saying that this burning is illegal and that people who burn trash will be penalised.  But where are they?  How do I know who’s burning when all I can see is the smoke coming from several lands down the road.  And who is implementing that law anyway? Should I be the police in the area and hunt these people down?

Maybe I will…

A few months ago, I was driving out of our compound and saw a big pile of rubbish set on fire on the side of the street. There was a guy next to it, apparently very proud of his achievement.  So I drove into the sandy street shoulder and called him, opening my window.  I can tell he was getting nervous as he ran towards my car.  I told him that the fire he has going was against the law.  He looked blank, and I realised he couldn’t speak neither Arabic nor English.  So I simplified my sentence and pointed at the smoke and my nose to explain that the smell is bad and then I said ‘police’ twirling my finger up in circles, to signify the police siren.  He got it, apologised profusely, and ran to put the fire out.

That’s one farm at least.  I wish I could say that I knew this would solve the problem.  It just made me feel better at least for that day.

Where are the environmentalists?

Later that day I decided to call a lady from Bahrain’s Friends of the Environment Society.  She gave me an earth-shattering piece of information.  Apparently, in Bahrain this is against the law and there’s an environmental hotline that you can call to complain!

Really?  WOW!

So I took down the number and waited for the next episode of smoke (which didn’t take that long to occur) and I called the hotline on their Bahrain Hotline number +973 17 785 659.

I was amazed.  They were very professional.  And it’s a 24 hour hotline!

The guy listened to my problem and made sure to drive to my area the same day and check out the problem.  Furthermore, I started calling him every time there’s a burning smell and he would come himself to try and find the culprits.  He said he will keep doing that until we find them, one farm at a time!

“Finally, my prayers were answered!!” I thought.

I was (and still am) so proud of Bahrain for having an ENVIRONMENTAL HOTLINE!  If you ever see anything unfriendly to the environment, you have to call them immediately +973 17 785 659.

Spoke too soon

In Arabic there’s a saying that can roughly be translated as ‘a happiness that wasn’t completed’.  That saying is perfect for what happened next.

After a few weeks of working with the people from the Environmental Hotline, I realized that they decided that the case was a matter that I needed to take up myself with the municipality.  Apparently, they can only report it to the municipality, and the matter stays there until they decide where they want to go with it.

“But it’s illegal, and they’re doing it on a daily basis,” I exclaimed.
“I understand, and I agree with you, but this is about as far as we can go with it,” he replied kindly.
“You’re telling me that the environment is being tarnished on a daily basis and we have to sit quietly and watch? My children have to inhale this smoke every day because no one is bothering to do anything about it?” I asked desperately.
“A good thing for you to do is present this topic to the member of the municipal council of your area and ask him to campaign for it.  They’re usually good like that.  I would also suggest that every time you see a fire of such sort, take a picture of it and jot down what street it was on.  It will strengthen you case,” he replied.

I’m going ahead.  Are you with me?

I tried calling our member of the municipal council but so far have not been able to get through.

For now, I have my camera with me at all times.  Wherever I see smoke, I drive down to the place, get out of my car and take a picture.  Then I speak to whoever is there and I tell them that what they’re doing is illegal.  Most of the time, they don’t know that it’s illegal and they obligingly put the fire out.

I have taken dozens of photos so far (like the ones you see on this blog), but I need more!  I am creating a portfolio of photos to build my case.

If you would like to contribute to solving this issue, please drive around your area and take pictures of any farm (trash) fires that you see.  Then, jot down the name of the street and the area it was taken in and send it to health@gulfweekly.com.  If you are a land owner, please make sure your staff are fully aware that burning trash is illegal and damaging to health and the environment, and let them know what they can do with it instead.  Any other suggestions are welcome.

I want to have the option to breathe fresh, clean air at all times. Don’t you?

Keep yourself updated by signing up on my website.  You can be on my super special mailing list.  click here to sign up www.AliaAlmoayed.com

Kids and Sugar

The stuff that I wrote about kids and sugar was recently published in this week’s Gulf Weekly newspaper in Bahrain.

I believe very strongly is this topic so I’ve posted it here for everyone to see.

Here’s what I said…

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My 5-year old son came home from school one day saying that his teacher asked him if we had any chocolate at home.  And he said no.
Like many people, his teacher wanted to know if the nutritionist’s son ever gets to eat sweets.  She wanted to know if he has a ‘normal’ childhood full of sweets and candy and ice cream. Most probably, she felt sorry for him for not having chocolates at home.

How much sugar is too much?

Sugar and Kids seem to go hand in hand.  Wherever there are kids, there are sugar and sweets.  The two have become inseparable.  And as a result, many health conditions have also become inseparable from kids.

When I was a child in primary school, we had only one or two kids in class who were overweight or wore glasses.  But I walk into classrooms today and I see something very different.  Our sugar addictions and obsessions have made sugar-related conditions part of daily life; acne, vision problems, hyperactivity, low attention spans, insomnia, obesity, lack of interest in sports, teeth problems, and much more.

Children go about their day shifting between sugary meals at home and sugary snacks at school.  For example, a typical child may start his day with sugary cereal and juice, then have a muffin or chocolate at school, then a fizzy drink with lunch, followed by dessert, a chocolate bar or biscuits in the afternoon, and maybe a sugary yoghurt with dinner. Add to that, the bigger amounts of sugar that might be ingested during a birthday party or weekends.  Their meals and snacks act like a sugar drip into their systems and their bodies get affected accordingly.

Let them enjoy their childhood

Some people say, “poor child, let him eat sweets and chocolates.  Let him enjoy his childhood.” The way I see it, the ‘poor’ child is the one eating all that sugar!  There are many other ways your child can enjoy his childhood.

Many parents and teachers will attest to the effects of sugar on their kids. The intake of processed sugar can affect vision, behaviour, skin, hormones, weight, and even immunity.  For example, kids who have sugar at recess are much harder to teach. And if you get your child to write something before and after having sugar, you’ll see the difference; the precision and attention to detail will be affected, more so if the sugar intake is continuous.  Also, many children fall sick after a birthday party where they have indulged on sugar. In fact, sugar lowers immunity for up to 15 hours, making him more prone to catching any illness.

If you control how much sugar your child is having, you would NOT be depriving him of his childhood, you would be giving him a better chance of living his life to its full potential.
I always say that an adult has a mature brain to make decisions about what he eats, how much, and when.  But a child does not.  A child will eat what he’s offered and will ask for what he is used to eating.  His brain and his judgment don’t allow him to make sound choices.  We as adults have to help our kids make better choices!  And what are we doing instead?  We are tantalising them with coloured products and sugary snacks.  We are filling them with ice creams, candy and chocolates because we ‘love them’. How is that love?

How much is too much?

As a parent, I know that it’s not easy or realistic to stop kids from eating chocolates, sugar and sweets.  The trick is knowing what to offer and when to say no.

Just like you teach your kids manners and press them to do well in school, you should also make sure they know how to respect their body and help it function at its best.

Many adults I know have a hard time putting a limit to how much dessert they have mainly because they never learned how to do it!

When you teach your children what to do around sugar, you are teaching them a life skill that will help them for the rest of their lives.

Five Crucial Sugar Tips

• Make sugar a treat that is given once a week or only on weekends.  Believe it or not, kids usually adjust to that very quickly; it’s the parents I have a harder time convincing.
• Make sure to choose good-quality treats such as organic dark chocolate instead of coloured candy
• If your child already has a sugar addiction, remember that eating habits are learned, so you’ll also be able to help him unlearn his habits, learn new ones and develop new taste preferences; so don’t give up.
• Make healthy desserts at home and involve your children.  Use natural sweeteners such as fruits, dates, raisins, etc..
• Whenever you set a rule, always explain why you’re doing it.  Your child will understand what you’re trying to do because they also want to feel better.

In my recent book I Want Healthy Kids, I dedicate a whole chapter to sugar and many other important kids nutrition topics that you can look into.  There, you can find a lot of healthy alternatives and even some yummy recipes.  Go on over to Amazon now and buy it!  If you are in Bahrain, you can pick it up from Zen-Do Bahrain, Jashanmal, or Virgin Megastore.

Until then, stay healthy! and don’t forget to sign up on my website for more juicy stuff.

Horse Riding into the Bahrain sunset

I took the kids horse riding this afternoon.  It was probably one of the most beautiful places in Bahrain that I have been to for a while. It was our first time there and I was thoroughly impressed.

The place was tucked away in Saar and the reason I liked it so much is because it had a feeling of being ‘untouched’.  There were lots of horses roaming around, the weather was beautiful, and there were palm trees everywhere!

It kind of reminded me of the Bahrain I remember when I was a kid – palm trees and greenery combined with farmers and rain puddles here and there.

I just thought I’d share this photo with you from this afternoon.  I think horse riding is a beautiful sport to get into.  I wish I had done it as a kid and I wish I could do it now (I’m still not comfortable getting on a horse).  But if my kids want to do it I would totally encourage it!  They seemed into it today so let’s see what happens.

I love it when kids learn a skill while having fun!

And the best part?  It was an ‘almost-full’ moon tonight.  That was a beautiful sight behind the palm trees. The year will end tomorrow on a perfectly full moon, don’t forget to look up at the sky on your way to your new year’s eve party!

I hope you have a wonderful year ahead.  2010 here we come!

Don’t forget to sign up on my website www.AliaAlmoayed.com for more good stuff

My book in Saudi

A good friend got very excited a few days ago when he saw my book at Jarir bookstore in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.  He said he was happy that he ‘knew a famous author’ *blush blush*

I just wanted to share with you the photo he took (thanks R.)

The great news is that my book I Want Healthy Kids has just been translated into Arabic by Jarir Bookstores!  I got one sneak copy on me and it looks wow! But more will come soon inshallah!  And it will be in stores before you know it.  Watch this space!

In the meantime, if you would like to get hold of a copy of the English version in the photo, you can find it in Bahrain (Jashanmal, Virgin, Zen-Do Kickboxing). It is also sold in Jarir bookstores in Saudi and Jashanmal Dubai.

Or you can buy it from Amazon I Want Healthy Kids!

Enjoy, and remember to keep your kids healthy!

And don’t forget to sign up on my website for more good stuff www.AliaAlmoayed.com

Holiday Indian-style!

While everything was quiet here in Bahrain this weekend, we celebrated Indian-style!  On Saturday, we had a ‘Dosa party’ brunch.  Gracy made some delicious dosa (a rice-based dosa and a bean-based dosa) with scrumptious toppings.  If you are not familiar with dosa, I guess the closest thing to it would be pancakes (but it’s more savoury than sweet).

You can see some of the selection in the photo above.

The lighter-coloured type of dosa is made from brown rice, urid dhal (white lentils) and fenugreek. Everything is soaked in water the day before, then blended, then cooked like pancakes.  I don’t know too many cooking details because I still cannot make it myself.

The other type of dosa is made from a blend of different beans and lentils, which are also soaked and blended and then cooked like pancakes.

To go with that, we had some lovely toppings:  hummus and zaatar, a mint dip, a coriander/coconut chutney, eggplant/lentil sauce, and some potato mash.  Oh, and some honey as well.  They were all D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S!

I would highly recommend you go Indian over your next holiday.  Yum!

That’s all from me for today…

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Almond scrub

I’ve spent the last 45 minutes experimenting with something very interesting! Thanks Noor!

It all started when..

A few months ago Almond milk became part of our daily lives.  I made home-made almond milk which we started using for everything: porridge, cereal, mashed potatoes, and even pancakes (yes, we do have pancakes sometimes).

When you make almond milk, you blend the almonds and water together, then you sift everything in a cotton cloth.  What you end up with is lovely creamy almond milk (see exactly how to make it here) BUT you are also left with a powdery muddy pile of almond residue that you just throw out.

What a waste!

Since then, I’ve been trying to find a recipe for that residue but I wasn’t happy with anything online.  If you have any good recipes for the dry almond residue, let me know.

Anyway…

I was speaking to Noor this morning and she gave me a wonderful idea.  She has made a powerful switch to almond milk after she found out that cow’s milk and soya milk are no good.  And she is now a big fan of almond milk, just like I am!  But she has gone a step further…

Noor suggested I try making the almond residue into a scrub.  She said she mixes it with a bit of honey and uses it as a scrub for the face and even for the whole body!  “Hmmmm, interesting,” I thought.

So I went home and made sure to keep the almond residue after making today’s batch of almond milk. I then poured in some honey and had a lot of fun mixing it together and eating most of it.

I used it as a facial scrub, and I must say OH MY GOD!  She’s absolutely right.  It is wonderful.  It leaves the skin soooo smooth and sooooo soft!  You will only believe me when you try it.

Here’s a picture of my almond/honey mix.  I guess you can make it more gewy and use it as a mask (maybe mixed in with yoghurt or something).  I can’t wait to have an almond bath next time!

Thanks Noor

Try it and let me know what you think!  All ideas welcome.  Leave a comment below.

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