Anuradha Sridharan

I'm mostly an indoors person even before the lockdown started. I prefer being at home than roam around in the city. I prefer home-cooked food than eating in a restaurant. I prefer solitude than being in a crowd. So I have no complaints about staying at home. Of course, things are different whenever I travel. I like to explore the new town/village/city than stay in a hotel room/resort. I like to explore the local food, local markets and even the grocery stores in a new place. Cooking is something I truly enjoy but I don't do the other household chores like washing dishes, sweeping, mopping etc, thanks to my house-help who's been so supportive and reliable for the past 11 years. We have asked her not to come because of the lockdown.  For the past 10 days, I have also been managing these other chores. This experience has helped me realize a few things. Firstly, I'm extremely grateful to my house-help for taking care of these chores on a daily basis. On days ...

Mar 11th 2020, 9:30 AM - It's exactly 2 weeks back but feels like such a long time ago. I left home to head to my office. As I was walking down the road, I noticed a few people wearing masks but the roads were lined up with busy morning traffic as usual. I came across news about a person visiting Bangalore from US who was tested Covid19 positive. It was news of concern but I didn't realize the huge changes that would happen in a span of 2 weeks. Anyway, coming back to that morning, I booked an Uber and was waiting for the cab to arrive at my pickup spot. After around 15 minutes of wait time, the cab arrived. Amidst the continuous honking, I heard the music playing from the cab driver's earphones and I recognized the tune instantly - "thooliyile aada vandha" from Chinna Thambi. "OMG, how long has it been since I heard this album! Must be at least a couple of decades", I wondered. The magic of Illayaraaja just took me to the memorable times of the 80s a...

The one frequent question I get as a blog comment and Instagram DM is " Which health drink should I buy for my kid? He/she is underweight " Through this article, I want to share my perspectives as the mother of an 8-year old daughter. I'm neither a pediatrician nor a nutritionist.  My daughter has been underweight all these years, but taller as compared to children of her age. She was born underweight as well. First and foremost, weight is just ONE growth parameter of a child. We need to consider all other parameters such as height, activity level, immunity and overall well being. How active the child is throughout the day? Does he/she catch a cold/fever frequently? Is the weight increasing slowly or is it stagnant for a long time? One of the important factors that determine a child's weight is genetics. So if you or your spouse were underweight during your childhood, your kid might follow a similar growth pattern. The other thing to consider is ...

I had earlier compiled a list of foods that are high in total dietary fibre , based on the Indian Food Composition Tables (IFCT 2017). Do take a look at the list if you haven't seen it earlier. In this post, I wanted to write specifically about the importance of Soluble Fibre and its food sources. Soluble Fibre, as the name suggests is soluble in water and turns into a gel-like substance. It binds with the cholesterol particles and helps to flush them out of the body, thereby reducing the risk of the onset of heart disease. Soluble fibre also helps to avoid sudden spikes in blood glucose levels. It prevents us from overeating, thereby aiding in weight management. It also helps in regular bowel movements and prevents constipation. If you do a Google search for the best sources of soluble fibre, the top results will most likely indicate Oats/Oatmeal. Though oats are a good source of soluble fibre, it is NOT a local grain (in India). Most of the packaged quick-cooking o...

The year was 2000. I created my first email ID, sitting at an Internet browsing center, having paid Rs.50 per hour. That weekend, we had a distant relative visiting our home. My dad tells this uncle, "She has a new email address". The uncle asks me, "Give me your email ID. I will make a note of it". As he pulls up a small notepad from his pocket, I announced my email ID to him. He was shocked that I had revealed my name in my email ID. He sternly advises me, "You should never expose your personal details in your email ID. Keep it generic and cryptic". I just nodded my head and didn't pay much attention to his advice. The year is 2020. A few days back, I was watching a YouTube video where a vlogger was unboxing some stuff from an Amazon package. Her physical address was clearly visible on the bill stuck to the front of the package. Either she forgot to mask the information while editing the video or she didn't really mind if her address is no...