Winters are short-lived for us Indians. Therefore, let’s take a pledge to make most of it! Don’t you crave for warm and mouth-watering Indian sweets with the very start of winters?! The answer is a huge YES indeed. Moreover, the fact that you can always put on fat in winters, since it won’t be visible at all, is in itself your biggest signal to eat anything you want to!

Let’s quickly run into our kitchens therefore, and get into preparing Indian sweets that are a total winter delight. Here are some of them!

1. Moong Ki Daal Ka Halwa

Credits: My Heart Beets

The halwa is made using loads and loads of ghee, a must in winters. Moreover, the savoury has a long shelf life, and can be thus stored and used for a very long time. The recipe is surely time-taking, but indeed worth all the efforts. Adding dry fruits to the same makes it a perfect winter sweet dish: rendering the perfect warmth to your body thus!

2. Gajar Ka Halwa

Credits: Indian Cuisine

If the name in bold didn’t make your mouth water, then you are surely not among the truest of the “gajar ka halwa fans”. The fact that the onset of winters is all about the arrival of bright red carrots: used in making this delicious, halwa is a boon in itself. Milk, ghee, dry fruits and khoya makes this halwa a total delight, and a must have Indian sweet to be eaten by the entire family post dinner!

3. Gajak

Credits: District Gwalior

The advent of winters also bring with it gajak and chikki, deserts that are heavenly simply while they stay in your mouth. They are made with jaggery, sesame, even peanuts. Here, the daunting task is to stop at one!

4. Til Laddoo

Credits: YouTube

This traditional laddoo is made with roasted sesame seeds and crushed peanuts along with jaggery and cardamom, making it just stupendously delicious. This mind-boggling desert is also lauded with loads of ghee. The laddoo is rather a must have in the chilly winter season, as it keeps you very warm.

5. Naan Khatayi

Credits: YouTube

Naan-khatai is a grand Indian cookie like sweet that is made with maida or all-purpose flour, sooji or semolina, butter or ghee, powdered sugar and cardamom and pistachios for garnishing. P.s., they taste amazingly well when eaten warm!

6. Gondh Ke Laddoo

Credits: Swasthi’s Recipes

The fact that gondh ke laddoo is just a healthy medicinal sweet for pregnant ladies or new mothers is not wholly true. This warming sweet can be consumed by each and everyone with a sweet tooth. Made using wheat flour, edible gum, sugar, ghee, melon seeds, almonds, cardamom, this Indian sweet is a must eat in winters.

7. Gulab Jamun

Credits: Swasthi’s Recipes

Gulab Jamun can be eaten in any season though. However, eating warm Gulab Jamuns in winters is a thrill and redemption of a sort! It is soft, spongy and easily melt in our mouths. It’s made with maida, khoya, kesar and cardamoms, made into round balls and dipped in sugar syrup, making it completely heavenly!

Related Article: Winter Foods To Keep You Warm

It’s human nature, it seems, to resist change and fear the unknown. So it is no surprise that genetically modified food and feed crops resulted in their weird name as Frankenfood by many consumers, who seem as terrified of eating an apple with an added anti-browning gene or a pink pineapple genetically enriched with the antioxidant substance. One of the products of modern technology has given us both advantages and disadvantages. It is up to us to decide whether we will be consuming it or not.

1. What Is  GM Food?

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can be defined as organisms (i.e. plants, animals or microorganisms) in which the genetic material DNA has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally. The technology is often called modern biotechnology or gene technology, sometimes also recombinant DNA technology or genetic engineering. It allows selected individual genes to be transferred from one organism into another. It can also occur between non-related species. Foods produced from or using GM organisms are often referred to as GM food.

2. Why Is Genetically Modified Food Produced?

GM food is developed and marketed because there is some perceived advantage either to the producer or consumer of this food. This is meant to translate into a product with a lower price, greater benefit in terms of durability or nutritional value or both. Initially, GM seed developers wanted their products to be accepted by producers and have concentrated on innovations that bring direct benefit to farmers and the food industry generally. One of the objectives for developing plants based on GM organisms is to improve crop protection.

3. Is Genetically Modified Food Safe?

Different GM organisms include different genes inserted in different ways. This means that individual GM foods and their safety should be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Certainly, it is not possible to make general statements on the safety of all GM food. The food currently available on the international market have passed safety assessments and are not likely to present risks for human health. In addition, no effects on human health have been shown as a result of the consumption of such foods by the general population in the countries where they have been approved.

Pros

Less Wastage Of Water 

Growing GMO crops leads to environmental benefits such as reduced pesticide use, less water waste, and lower carbon emissions. The two main types of GMO crops in use today are engineered to either produce their own pesticides or to be herbicide-tolerant. Drought-tolerant varieties of GMO corn have been shown to reduce transpiration (evaporation of water off plants) by up to 17.5%, meaning less water waste.

Help Overcome Poverty

GMO crops lower the price of food and increase nutritional content, helping to alleviate world hunger. The World Food Programme, a humanitarian organization, estimates that 821 million people in the world are chronically undernourished, and one in nine people face hunger. Population growth, climate change, over-farming, and water shortages all contribute to food scarcity. GMOs can help address those problems with genetic engineering to improve crop yields and help farmers grow food in drought regions.

Cons

Allergic reactions

Some people believe that GMO foods have more potential to trigger allergic reactions. This is because they may contain genes from an allergen, a food that prompts an allergic reaction. The World Health Organization (WHO) discourage genetic engineers from using DNA from allergens unless they can prove that the gene itself does not cause the problem. It is worth noting that there have been no reports of allergic effects of any GMO foods currently on the market.

Cancer

Some researchers believe that eating genetically modified food can contribute to the development of cancer. They argue that because the disease is caused by mutations in DNA. It is dangerous to introduce new genes into the body. The American Cancer Society (ACS) has said that there is no evidence for this. However, they note that no evidence of harm is not the same as proof of safety. Reaching a conclusion will require more research.

      How to identify Genetically Modified Food? 

he FDA have determined that GMO food should be labeled as such if it is “materially different” to its conventional counterpart. For example:

•  Canola oil with more lauric acid than traditional canola oil will be labeled “laurate canola oil”
• GMO soybean oil with more oleic acid than non-GMO soybean oil must be labeled “high-oleic soybean oil”
• GMO soybean oil with a high level of stearidonic acid, which does not naturally occur in the oil, must be labeled stearidonic soybean oil.

Because genetically engineering food is a relatively new practice, little is known about the long-term effects and safety. There are many downsides, but the evidence varies. The main health issues associated with GMO foods are hotly debated. Research is ongoing. This section discusses the evidence for a range of drawbacks that people often associate with Genetically Modified Food.

Genetic modification can make plants resistant to diseases. The process can increase the amount of food that farmers are able to grow. This can reduce prices and contribute to food security. Genetically modified food crops are relatively new, and researchers know little about their long-term safety and health effects. There are several health concerns regarding GMO foods, and evidence for them varies. Reaching a conclusion will require more research.

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