East and West Series - April 2023 Issue

Sister Shanti*: Bride of God

DADA J. P. VASWANI

Shanti was a true child of God. She was a pure soul, “Pure as a Pearl,” in the words of Sadhu Vaswani. Fair was her face and charming was her figure, and regal was her bearing. She lived and moved as a Princess, a child of the Eternal King. And, out of her exuded, a wondrous influence which cast a spell on many who saw her.

There came, one day, to Sadhu Vaswani a rich man, saying, “My son has recently returned from England, after acquiring a degree in Engineering. He has a well-paid post in an industrial concern. I am looking out a suitable bride for him. I can think of none better than Shanti.”

Sadhu Vaswani said to him, “I shall feel happy if dear Shanti gives her consent. I shall give her a lakh of rupees as my wedding-present.”

When the proposal was presented to Shanti, she gave the answer in the words of a song of Saint Mira:

Mira is Thy bride, Beloved!

Protect me then;

Guard Thou Mira's honour, Lord!

At the Lotus-feet

Do I shelter seek!

My refuge art Thou, Beloved!

Shanti aspired to live at the lotus-feet of the Lord, the Purest of the Pure. And each day she prayed for strength to dedicate herself, her heart, and all its love — to the Lord and

*April 25 is Sister Shanti Jayanti.

to Sadhu Vaswani who was, to her, a manifestation of the Lord.

One day, Sadhu Vaswani said to her, “Tell me, my child, what is your deepest aspiration?”

And Shanti answered, “To become a bride of God!”

“Then must you go into yourself, said Sadhu Vaswani to her, “and chant the Holy Name!”

And, again and again, she retired in silence into the depths within her. Is not our life, with its vain pursuits after pleasure and power, its struggle and strivings, its activities and ambitions, a life of wandering?

“Sit silent,” said Sadhu Vaswani, “and commune with the Lord in Love!” And the way to communion is the way of repeating the Holy Name. The Name of God was on dear Shanti's lips, and in her heart. She chanted the name while walking or working, at meals, in bed, here, there, everywhere!

Shanti loved silence. For hours together, she would sit in a silence-corner, repeating the Holy Name. She would wake up in the middle of the night, when most of us were asleep, and with tear-touched eyes commune with the Beloved within her heart. At times her spirit would burst forth into a song:

Inebriate with love am I: And no one knows of the love

Born within me, Sing thou, my heart!

Sing thou of the Lotus-feet

Of the Ageless, Ancient One!

Beloved! All that is on earth below.

And in the skies above.

And, between the earth and sky.

Will pass away!

So be not vain

Of thy body and thy brain!

Of dust are they:

To dust will they return!

O wanderer! Wander no more!

Thy way is not to wander thus!

Thy way is still to sing the Name

In love at the Lotus-feet! 

Jesus* On The Cross

SADHU VASWANI

April is a bright month in Asian lands. The sky is beautiful, spring flowers bloom, and songbirds sing.

In April, one Friday morn, when nature is smiling, a saint is before a Roman official. Jesus stands before Pilate. Palestine is under Roman domination. Pilate is a Roman Governor and magistrate. Outside his court is a crowd dominated by priests. Again and again in history has a conflict arisen between the priest and the prophet. The priest is a custodian of creeds and forms; the prophet is a voice of the Spirit. Jewish priests are offended with Jesus. They regard him a dangerous revolutionary. ‘‘Away with him”, they say. It is the cry, also, of the crowd. Crowds do not think. Pilate is a sceptic and Pilate fears the crowd. Pilate does not wish to do harm to Jesus, but weakness, also, is a sin. Pilate is weak, too weak to displease the crowd. If they report against him to Rome, if they create a rebellion, he may lose his post, and he loves his post too well. “What shall I do with him?” he

says; and the crowd say: “Away with him! Crucify him!” In the face of this fury of the crowd, Jesus is silent!

To propitiate the crowd, and still to save Jesus, Pilate asks soldiers to scourge Jesus. Does Pilate hope to excite pity in the crowd for Jesus and save him?

Jesus is stripped of garments: the Roman soldiers put on him a crown of thorns and mock him. Some smite his cheeks: some spit at him; some strike him hard until his head bleeds. Jesus is silent! The crowd are not pacified. They still cry: “Crucify him!” So Jesus is taken to the Place of Skulls to be crucified. He is given a heavy cross to bear. He stumbles on the way: he falls: he is tired, exhausted. Jesus breaks his silence with the words: “Father! Forgive them for they know not what they do!” Yes — often men do wrong, for

*From his address at the Brahmo Mandir, Hyderabad Sind, on Easter Day. (April, 5, 18-31).

*April 9 is the sacred Easter Day.

they know not. If they would but know! “Knowledge is virtue,” said Socrates; and the Hindu seer said: “Sin is avidya!” If man would but know! Some women, too, are following Jesus. Men are often callous. Woman has intuition and bhakti. These women know that Jesus is innocent, and their hearts go out to him in sympathy and love. Men are cruel because they do not know. These women know and they weep. “Weep not for me,” says Jesus.

Jesus is on the Cross. They fix nails in his hands and feet. His body bleeds. He is silent. After some time he speaks — two words only! “I thirst!” On Friday evening Jesus passes away, and on Sunday morn — according to Christian tradition — the cry goes forth: “He is arisen!” Theologians and critics will continue to discuss if Resurrection was a fact of the historical order or not. To me the question is: Is the ascension of the Lord a fact of the psychological order or not? “Christ is risen!” So we read in Christian hymns. To me the question is: “Is the Christ risen in our hearts?” What do we celebrate today? Dead history? Or the Risen Lord? “Christ is risen!” which I interpret to mean: “Love triumphs”. Silent sacrificial love.

This Love was incarnated in Isa. This Love became flesh and blood in that Blessed Life and

moved among men; and they met Love with hate. Has Love triumphed in the world? Has Love triumphed in our hearts? Not yet. Still on the cross of our “civilisation” is the Lord being crucified. And still he cries: “I thirst!” He wants water — the water of the love of human hearts. “Christ is risen!” But still is the world darkened with bitter strife. And still the nations hate one the other, and humanity bleeds. “Christ is risen!” For in the midst of the world’s hate and strife another shakti is already at work — a new spirit striving to make the world new. The spirit of sacrificial love. “Christ is risen!” For the heart of man still believes that Love will triumph over hate. “Christ is risen!” Hence the hope that the Kingdom of God will yet be built on the earth. “Christ is risen!” Hence the call to us all to build the Kingdom first in our hearts. For out of the inner are the issues of outer life. “Christ is risen!” This Easter-message is the hope of a broken, crucified humanity. For this message is a call to New Life. A Life in the Spirit. A dedicated life. A life of sacrificial love. A new creative life which says: “It is not enough to glimpse the beauty of God. It is necessary to build Godvision in the conscious and subconscious self. 

Beads Of My Rosary

SADHU VASWANI

One day I received a beautiful rosary of beads from a child. More beautiful than the rosary were the beads, which vibrated the latent memories of the secret spiritual life. In spirituality, lies the beauty of life. I picked up a few of these beads, to me they spoke of a few secrets of hidden life. I graced each bead with an appropriate name.

First Bead

Love: The first bead I called ‘Love’. This bead whispered, “There is dearth of Love in this world. Give Love. Love begets Love.’’ Love God, Love all. How long will you remain in forgetfulness? A devotee of the Lord one day called out, “The sky and the earth beckon me, O man! Love God!”

There is a story of a devotee who wept openly at the mere sight of a hill, a mountain, a flower, a river. One day he was asked, “Why do you cry?”

He replied, “looking at these icons of nature I hear a voice which says, O man, do not be ungrateful! You have forgotten the Lord, the creator of the Universe. That voice rattles my soul and so I weep.’’ That call is for every one of us. Do not be ungrateful, for the Universe is beautiful and so is its Maker.

One attribute of Love is that it binds us with silken threads. We get bonded and linked to persons we love. Love is that power which unites. Give Love to the Lord, so that you can be bonded with him, you are linked with Him and you feel close to Him, you will feel His presence within you and around you. When you love God, you will learn to love others, and your life will be built on the foundation of Love.

I am to narrate an incident from the life of a young man of 31 years. One day he tries to climb a difficult steep hill. He keeps falling again and again. Undaunted he continues to climb. He slips down seven times, before reaching the hilltop, on reaching the hilltop,

he picks up the wounded man lying there and carries him to a hospital, and gets him treated medically.

People ask him,” How much have you suffered for this man! You put your life in danger! Suppose you had fallen down and died? Seven times you suffered the hazards of this difficult climb. What is the reason?’’

Then this young man explains,” This man is no relative of mine, neither is he a friend. He is an acquaintance whom I met at a satsang. For the sake of my Guru, I began to love him. It is for the love of my Guru, that I suffered. It is for this love that I put my life in danger.”

Second Bead

Be Zero: The second bead of my rosary says, “Give up pride.” Just as eating food and drinking water are necessary for living, in the same measure, it is necessary to practice humility. One should spend more time in annihilating one’s pride. One has to pay a price for giving up ego. And that price is, to be in fellowship with the devotees of the Lord, and to receive their blessings. How foolish it is to say, “I did this, I did that!” This ‘ego-intoxication’ must go! For what am ‘I’, but a flickering candle that at the dawn will die!

Third Bead

Burn your anger: The third bead coolly laughs, ‘Denounce all anger, and keep your cool.’ Look my Beloved brother! Anger is so harmful! One mother sizzled with anger because her small child was troubling her while she was cooking. She admonished the child, but the child continued to play mischief. The mother got so angered that she picked up the child and threw him into the fire. Every heedless act is sinful, but there is much more irrationality in anger.

So, whenever you become angry, recite the mantra, “Hare Ram, Hare Krishna” ten times continuously. If your anger is beyond control, then burn that anger with the same vengeance by reciting the mantra 100 times.

Fourth Bead

Diet Control: The fourth bead spoke to me of diet control. “Do not be greedy,” it said, “Be careful with your diet. Eat a little less than what you require. When you see delicious food, exercise selfcontrol.” Keeping this thought in mind, our ‘rishis’ and ‘saints’ introduced the tradition of fasting for one day or half a day, once a week. I suggest that in order to have good health, you should not take food on Sunday night. If required then drink only a glass of milk instead of having dinner. Eating less food is

beneficial. I think by eating less your power to recite the name of God will increase and you will remember God and saints more. Your health will improve and a day will come when you will see the light within. A flame will burn within yourself, seeing which the others will feel happy, and looking at you they will think how fortunate you are, that your life has awakened.

Fifth Bead

Prayer: Prayer is to lift our mind and soul to the Lotus feet of the Lord. Sitting at the Lotus feet of the Lord, they look at the Lotus face of the Lord, and purify their soul, and drink the Divine Nectar.

Many among us are stuck in the muck. Very few make life a prayer. Prayer is not a philosophy nor it can be learnt from the books. One can understand the meaning of prayer through books, but to be a man of prayer is an entirely different thing. The thoughts of such a man are a prayer itself.

I had the good fortune to be in the company of such a man. His eyes had the radiance of an illuminated soul. At the first sight, I told myself, he is a unique person. He speaks little and keeps smiling in silence. His words are few, but powerful. They deeply touch the heart.

And I ask myself what is there in this man? What is the source of Shakti in his life? One day, I asked this beloved man

a question, “What is the secret of your strength, energy and power?’’

In a simple way he replied, “Prayer”. After a minute, he added, “The scripture of my life is prayer.” I fell down on his feet and made him my Guru.

About this man, I told myself many a times, that this dear one worships the Lord, day and night in Silence. Blessed is he, blessed indeed! And then I tried to teach my self this one lesson, “O foolish one! Sit in the temple of your heart and worship every moment, the One-Lord.”

In the company of this dear one, I gradually, began to understand how to pray. One day, I told myself, Prayer is a dialogue. It is a conversation with God. It is listening to God, and his voice amidst the noise and hustle of this ‘Mayaintoxicated’ world. Thus, I began to tell myself, “O foolish one! Have a dialogue with God because he listens to you and replies to you as he is very close to you. He is closer to you than your own breath. He isn’t far from you, but is perhaps closer to you than your physical self.”

The world is a well of darkness for those who do not realize that God is close to them. Or for those who have not learnt to yearn for the Lord.

Let us try and understand the true meaning of prayer. A devotee once went to a Rishi and asked him, “Gurudev, what

should I do in the world of darkness to see the light?’’

The Rishi replies, “Beloved, every day you offer a Prayer.’’

The disciple asks, “What prayer should I offer? Instead give me a mantra.”

The Rishi replies, repeat this prayer, “Tamso Maa Jyotir Gamaya” in the silence of your heart, which means Lead me out of darkness in to light. The darkness is actually the darkness of desires. Darkness is, to pander to the pleasures of senses. Darkness is succumbing to the lust of physical desires. Lead Me out of this darkness O’Lord into the light of your being. That radiant light is God. The radiance of your lotus face is also a light, which is yours. That is the gift and mercy of the Lord. The Lord tells every one of his devotees, “O, my child I filled this world, with illumination and Light, but to understand and feel that light, you must yearn for it. Right now, you cannot see it.”

The disciple asks the Rishi, “Gurudev, how can I see the light?’’

The Rishi replies, “Keep your heart pure, be true to yourself, and have a deep yearning. Such a yearning will open your faculties of perception and understanding and keep you pure. True prayer emerges out of deep yearning. May we have such yearning so that our vision becomes clear and our life becomes gentle. May we also

utter the same prayer, “O, Lord! lead us out of darkness into Light.”

There are three stages of Prayer.

1. To sing the name of the Lord.

2. To do Kirtan with fellow devotees

3. To do Kirtan with enthusiasm and keep repeating the words ‘‘Hari Bol, Hari Bol’’

It is necessary to sit in silence alone, as it is to do Kirtan with the fellow devotees. The true prayer is said by the one who lives away from all mundane affairs and focuses his thoughts on the picture of the Lord and bows down at his Lotus Feet.

To understand the true meaning of prayer, we must still our thoughts. Prayer cannot be offered with a stormy mind. There is this story of a small child. It is night. He goes to his room to sleep. While climbing the stairs, he realizes that it is dark. As a small child, he feels scared. He remembers his mother and says, “Ami, O, Ami, hold my hand so that the darkness may disappear.” We are all like that child. We are climbing the stairs of the world. If we call, “Ami, O Ma Janani, hold my hand so that the darkness may disappear, and the light may shine.’’ That cry to the Mother for light is Prayer.

Experience has shown us that certain things do help us in praying.

1. Fasting

So often our body remains heavy, God is light in weight (halko). How can we with our gross physical bodies meet the Omnipresent energy, which fills the universe? By fasting we can get closer to God a little. By fasting we are exercising control over the body and thereby getting closer to the soul. By fasting we control our senses, and thereby lift our heart towards God.

By fasting we are able to control our physical self. Through prayer we can acquire energy. Through means of prayer, we can achieve the ‘shakti’ which will keep us away from temptations and other difficulties and take us closer to the Lotus feet of the Lord.

2. Dhyan (Meditation)

Sit in silence and meditate and you will come to know that there are many difficulties in the path of spirituality. During meditation, a man of prayer meditates with such concentration that he realizes the cause of difficulties and therefore he learns of ways and means to avoid them.

3. Sangh (Group)

It is necessary to be in the company of saintly persons. If the person is in the company of a holy one, he is able to face the difficulties, and he is able to fight and overcome the obstacles with his ‘shakti’.

We are taught many subjects in our school curriculum. The most important thing we should learn in the school of Life is Prayer. A saint asked his disciple, “What do you want?”

The disciple replied, “Master, teach me to pray “

It is written about a gallant warrior that he was strong and brave, but a day comes when he has to leave this world and bid farewell to his kith and kin. He says: “My turn has come. In a short while I will leave this world and return to my native place.’’ This man was brave and fearless, he was not afraid of death. One of his friends who was also a wellknown personality happened to be there. He tells him, “We know that you are brave and courageous, but you are also fearless and not afraid of death. What is the reason.?’’

The great warrior replies in all humility, “Dear friend, for years I have built my life on prayer. To you, I may be foolish for having a dialogue with God, but I appraise him of my condition. I have been telling him all my problems, and I do not consider God to be far away from me. I have always reaffirmed to myself that He is very near, very close to me.

Hearing these words, his friend tells him, “O, friend! How fortunate am I to know you? Your face glows with the radiance of truth. Teach me also to pray!” 

Laugh YOUR WAY TO HEALTH

Mohan: How old are you, boy?

“Twelve,” was the reply.

“Hmm,” remarked Mohan, “You are well built for your age.””

“I ought to be,“ retorted the boy. “My father is an architect.” ***

The bridegroom put his hand in his pocket at the end of the marriage ceremony and asked the vicar, “How much do I owe you?”

“There is no set charge,” was the reply. “I always ask for payment according to the beauty of the bride.”

“That’s a good idea,” said the groom, and he handed the vicar a sixpence.

The minister took the money, lifted the bride’s veil, then said, “Here’s three pence change.” ***

My husband came down to have breakfast. I asked him if he knew what day it was.

“Thursday,” he replied.

“I knew you would forget,” I said. “We’ve been married 25 years today. Can’t we do something to celebrate?”

“What about two minutes silence?” he suggested. ***

Father: Sophia, you cannot marry that young man. He does not make more than Rs 2000/- a month.

Sophia: Oh, but, Daddy, “a month flies by so fast when we are in love with each other.”

“The main thing to remember,” an advertising executive said to a member of his staff, “is that repetition, repetition, repetition is the keynote! If you have a product to sell, keep harping on it in every possible way, cram it down people’s throats --- make yourself sickening and repulse if you have to, but don’t ever forget to repeat and repeat and repeat! It’s the only way to get results!”

“Yes, sir,” the employee replied in a meek voice.

“And now, what was it you came in to see me about?” the head of the agency asked.

“Well, sir,” came the reply, “A raise! A raise! A raise! A raise! A raise! A raise!”

The assistant manager, noticing the frown on his superior’s face, said, “You sure look worried!”

“Listen,” replied the manager, “I have so many worries that if something happens today, I won’t have time to worry about it for another two weeks.”

He who works with his hands is a labourer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands, head and heart is an artist. He who works with his hands and his head and his heart and his feet is a salesman.

An old mountaineer and his son were sitting in front of the fire smoking their pipes, crossing and uncrossing their legs.

After a long silence, the father said, “Son, step outside and see if it’s raining.”

Without looking up, the son answered, “Aw, Pa, why don’t we just call in the dog and see if he’s wet?”

“I’d give him some brandy,” answered the man.

The doctor, wishing to give him a second chance, said, “And what if you hadn’t any?”

The man thought a moment. “Then I’d promise him some.”

An old lady fell down the stairs and broke her leg. The doctor put it in a cast and warned her not to walk up and down the stairs. The leg was slow in mending. Finally, after six months, doctor announced it was all right to remove the cast.

“Can I climb the stairs now?” asked the old lady.

“Yes,” answered the medical man.

“Oh, I’m so glad,” she chortled. “I’m sick of climbing up and down the drainpipe all the time.”

Three men, a Christian, a Mohammedan and a Jew, were asked the question, “What would you do if a tidal wave drove the ocean waters deep over your land?”

“We would die with the sign of the cross and beg the Lord to open for us the pearly gates of Heaven,” said the Christian.

A doctor was examining a man at the end of a first-aid course. “Suppose,” he asked, “there had been a car accident and you found a man bleeding profusely in the arm. What would you do?”

“We would pray to Allah and be consoled in our Kismet. As it is destined to be, so is it,” said the Moslem.

“We,” said the Jew, “would learn to live under water.” 

Recipes For The Month

TANGY MANGO JUICE

Ingredients:

Mango Cubes .................................................. 1 cup

Chilled/Normal water

Mint

Jaggery

Method:

• Blend the mango pulp in a Food Grinder

• Sieve it through a Strainer.

• Add water to it.

• Now again blend both— the strained pulp and the water

• Now in a Mortar slightly dash a few Mint leaves. Add it into the liquid. If you want the mint flavour to be strong, you can blend in together with the pulp and the Water.

• And You are Done!

REFRESHING WATER MELON JUICE

Ingredients:

Diced watermelons 1½ cups

Black grapes ......................................................... 5

Coconut water

Lemon juice .............................................. ½ lemon

Pepper powder

Mint leaves

Method:

• Grind the watermelon dices, and sieve it through a strainer.

• Squeeze out grape juices.

• Then with the blender blend the watermelon juice, coconut water, grape juice, and the lemon juice

• Sprinkle some pepper powder into it

• Dash a few mints leave in the mortar and pestle. Add it to the juice.

• If you want you can add some ice cubes too.

• The juice is ready.

ROSE LASSI

Ingredients:

Chilled curd ................................................ 1½ cups

Chilled water .................................................. 1 cup

Rose essence .................................................... 1 tsp

Rosewater 1 tsp

Dried petals of rose ................................ few petals

Chopped pistachio

Chia seeds

Method:

• Blend Curd and water, and all the other things leaving Pistachio

• You are done with the drink. Just top it off with some dried pistachio and Chia seeds.

• It’s all done!

STRAWBERRY SHAKE

Ingredients:

Strawberry ............................................ 8-10 pieces

Milk................................................................ 1 tbsp

Chilled yoghurt 1 cup

Honey (optional) ............................................. 1 tsp

Rosewater ...................................................... ½ tsp

Chia seeds

Method:

• Chop the strawberries and make a smooth puree of it.

• Then with a hand blender/ Normal blender mix the puree with yoghurt

• Add the Milk to give it a lump-free or smooth consistency

• Add the honey and the rose water

• Top it off with loads of chia Seeds

• Enjoy your healthy and tasty drink!

JALJEERA DRINK

Ingredients:

Hot water ........................................................ 1 cup

Jaljeera powder ............................................. 1 tbsp

Tamarind pulp ............................................... 1 tbsp

Black salt 1 tsp

Jaggery (you can skip this too) .................... 1½ tsp

Few mint leaves

Method:

• Add The Tamarind pulp, jaljeera powder into the hot water

• Add salt, and jaggery into it

• Mix everything till all the ingredients get mixed properly

• Add few mint leaves into it, after crushing them in a mortar and pestle

• It only takes that much!

KIWI BANANA SMOOTHIE

Ingredients:

Kiwi chopped ........................................................ 4

Banana chopped ................................................ 1½

Soy milk ¾ cup

Yoghurt ....................................................... 2/3 cup

Oats ............................................................... 2 tbsp

Chia seeds

Ginger 1-inch piece

Method:

• De-seed, and peel of the kiwi. Cut them into pieces.

• Peel the banana, chop it off

• Grate the ginger cube

• Transfer the fruits, the yoghurt, the soy milk, and the oats, and the grated ginger into the blender. Blend it till smooth, add the chia seeds on top, and just drink!

MOSAMBI OR SWEET LIME JUICE

Ingredients:

Mosambis / Sweet Lime 4/5

Roasted Cumin Powder

Chat Masala Powder

Ice Cubes

Honey (Optional)

Method:

• De-seed, and de-peel all the mosambis. Cut them into pieces. Blend them in a blender.

• Strain them through a strainer. Collect the extra pulp. Then with the help of a heavy wooden spoon press the pulp and collect the remaining juice.

• Now into this juice, if you want, you can add a little honey, which is optional.

• Add roasted spices, chat masala, and crushed ice cubes.

• That is it, the juice is ready!

COCONUT-LIME JUICE

Ingredients:

Fresh lemon juice....................................... 1½ tbsp

Coconut water ................................................2 cups

Water .............................................................½ cup

Honey (optional) ......................................... ½ tbsp

Grated ginger ½ tsp

Black salt .....................................................to taste

Method:

• Add everything into a blender, leaving the mint leaves.

• In the blended juice add dashed mint leaves.

• Add ice cubes or refrigerate.

• Drink with a big smile!

GRAPE JUICE

Ingredients:

Grape .............................................................. 1 cup

Water 1½ cups

Grated ginger .................................................. 1 tsp

Chat masala ¼ tsp

Method:

• In a blender blend the grapes. Strain the grape juice, and remove the excess.

• Add the water and the grated ginger, and again blend

• Sprinkle the chat masala.

• Add the ice cubes and drink! 

CHILDREN’S CORNER

RIDDLES

1. All five sisters are busy. Ann is reading a book, Rose is cooking, Katy is playing chess, and Mary is doing the laundry. What is the fifth sister doing?

2. A boy and an engineer were fishing. The boy is the son of the engineer, but the engineer is not the father of the boy. Then who is the engineer?

Riddles: 1. She’s playing chess, of course! 2. The engineer is the boy’s mother.

Airplane, 7. Sunscreen, 8. Cocktail, 9. Skydiving, 10. Sun

Crossword: 1. Parrot, 2. Watermelon, 3. Whale, 4. Bird, 5. Palm, 6.

ANSWERS:

SIMPLE RULES OF HEALTH

5 BENEFITS OF HEALTHY DRINKS:

1. Nutritious and ImmunityBoosting

Healthy drinks like fruit smoothies and vegetable juices are packed with nutrition and can certainly help in boosting a person’s immunity. Drinks like lemon water or even fruit-infused water are filled with vitamin c which can help in slowing the ageing process and reducing fine lines. While drinks like milk have an excellent balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fats.

Health drinks surely can help you reach your daily nutrient intake and can help in boosting nutrients.

2. Convenient

Making healthy drinks is very convenient. You can

modify protein shakes or any smoothie or any juice even to your liking. Want to reduce sugar intake? Add honey or fruits; want to increase calcium intake? Add milk. The best part about making healthy drinks is that they aren’t time-consuming at all. A person leading a hectic and fast-paced lifestyle can easily opt for smoothies or any healthy drinks because it takes less than 10 minutes at times to prepare one nutritious glass of any healthy drink.

3. Helps in Digestion

A glass of water, first thing in the morning can help with smoothening a person’s bowel movements and a glass of warm water can work

wonders. Drinking warm ginger tea before a meal can help in breaking down food faster by stimulating the flow of saliva, bile, and gastric juices.

4. Weight Loss

Certain drinks like green tea or any organic tea can help in boosting metabolism and making the person feel like they’re full. Vegetable juices have very little calorie content and help in controlling hunger.

Now when it comes to water, it increases the resting energy expenditure by almost 30% within 10 minutes of its consumption, which means the calories spent while you’re resting or even sleeping, burn at a higher rate after consuming water.

5. Delicious

Healthy drinks are not only restricted to boring tasteless drinks that you would have to force yourself to drink. Healthy drinks are almost always delicious and you can even modify them to your liking as mentioned above. You don’t have to gut down the nasty bitter gourd juice to see results, there are so many better options available.

DOES DRINKING WARM WATER MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE THOUGH?

Now when it comes to warm water, drinking a glass of warm water does make a difference. A glass in the morning can help in flushing out toxins. It also increases the body temperature which in turn increases the rate of metabolism. It helps better the digestion and absorption of nutrients. A glass of warm water in the morning can also help in losing weight and belly fat.

ARE SOFT DRINKS UNHEALTHY?

Absolutely. Soft drinks are very harmful to the body, they have high sugar content and cause major health problems like diabetes and even cardiovascular conditions. Additionally, consuming soft drinks can lead a person to gain weight in an unhealthy way, which is something none of us should be looking forward to.

Conclusion:

When we do talk about healthy drinks, the healthiest drink one can consume is water. It has 0 calories and keeps us from getting dehydrated. Besides having 0 calories, water is also caffeine and alcohol-free, it also affects the body in good ways only, unless consumed in a large amount.