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In Bombay Times - Ask the expert

Love thyself

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CELEBRATE THE  VALENTINE MONTH BY GIFTING  YOURSELF SELF-CARE

This year, instead of writing about how to celebrate the love month with your beloved (could be a partner, parent, friend or even a dog). I am going to instead talk about how to love the one person closest to you. Yourself. Corny, yes. Unnecessary , no. Many women treat their bodies —– and their heart, kidney, liver, and lungs —– with little  semblance of self-love. Most are so busy putting the needs of other people — their spouses, careers, kids —- before themselves that they forgot  they are  equally  deserving of the attention. Shower a bit of love on yourself by:

EATING SMART

This seems hard when life is overwhelming but it’s  surprisingly easy to balance indulgences with healthfulness. Instead of overloading your system, take care of yourself by eating at home most of the week, and practising portion control when you’re out. Nourish yourself with good quality carbs (including vegetables and fruits), protein (lean meats, quinoa, dal, egg and seafood) and unsaturated fats so that you get your daily dose of vitamins and minerals. And avoid things that come in boxes, packets or tins.

EATING FREQUENTLY

Gift yourself better metabolism by eating every two hours. Did you know that apart from walking, jogging or even breathing, digestion is a calorie-burning activity? By breaking up four main meals (breakfast, lunch, teatime snacks, dinner) into eight  small meals (two hours apart), your body burns some of the calories as you eat them, putting your body constantly in the ‘gym’.

EXERCISING

Exercise is one of the best way to show yourself you care. Try exercising for an hour a day: walking, jogging, or even aerobic dance, coupled with light weight training. You could break up the hours into 20 or 30 minute blocks in the day.

HYDRATING

Keeping the body hydrated helps the heart more easily pumps blood through the blood vessels to the muscles. And, it helps the muscles work efficiently. Hydrate your life by drinking water because it helps in the daily functioning of your body, which helps in maintaining its equilibrium.

GETTING YOUR DAILY DOSE OF ANTIOXIDANTS

You can do this by drinking a glass of  vegetables juice every day. Blend three different raw vegetables in a mixie (not a juicer), add half of pulp to a glass, top with water and season. Drink immediately to enjoy a host of wonderful antioxidants that flush out your system of toxins. You’d be doing your body — and your life — a great service.

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Grazing on the go

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Compact, high-value, low-calorie snacks

If you’ve been reading my columns, you would now know that eating every two hours is the backbone of my nutritional philosophy – it is a guaranteed way to jump start your metabolism, lose weight and keep it off. Four healthy main meals (breakfast, lunch, teatime and dinner) and four fillers in between these meals is the goal, and it has given my clients long-lasting and consistent results over the last 15 years. Whether or not this is something you follow, there will always be a universal need for meals between meals. Healthy, nourishing fillers that not only keep hunger at arm’s length but also pre-empt that unplanned late-morning or early-evening bingeing on muffins, cupcakes, and samosas, and other foods you hadn’t set out to eat.

EASY SNACKING

Here are some tried-and-tested filler options:

  1. Fruit: Cut in pieces in an airtight box for convenience but whole is preferred.
  2. Chana: Can stay in your bag for days without a problem.
  3. Kurmura: By itself or lightly roasted with turmeric, salt and curry leaves in a tiny amount of oil.
  4. Nourishables: Click here to shop your pack.
  5.  Diet khakra: The smaller the size, the easier it is to handle.
  6. Carrot/cucumber sticks: This could also be accompanied by a dollop of hung curd dip. Made with skimmed curds, of course.
  7. Sandwich (four pieces): Cut a low-fat sandwich into four pieces, eating two at a time.
  8. Stuffed roti/thepla: Use buttermilk, not water, for the dough.
  9. Dry fruit: Almonds, pistachios, walnuts, raisins, dates.
  10. Roasted makhanas (homemade): Don’t be fooled by the commercially available ones. The masala sticks to them simply because they are loaded with oil.
  11. Popcorn: Homemade, not the microwavable one, which may be preserved in larde or trans fat.
  12. Dry roasted sprouts:You can make this fun with onions, sliced green chilli, tomatoes and a slice of lime.

THINKING INSIDE THE BOX

You can also come up with your own fillers based on the examples above. What are the hallmarks of a good filler? Foods that are low in calories, low in fat, help stave off cravings and add some nutritional value to your body. It’s also better if they are easy to carry, dry, and can be eaten without making a mess. But not all healthy snacks are created equal. For example, some store-bought energy bars may not be high in calories but will be high in sugars, which make you want to eat more sugar. They may not necessarily add too much nutritional value either. Do read the labels before venturing into the land of commercially available diet snacks. Not all are bad but you must know what you are getting into. Happy snacking.

 

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Rice is nice

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Your guide to eating white rice for weight loss and health

There are fewer foods that in still more fear in my clients’ hearts than rice. Or more specifically, white rice. This humble cereal has become a dietary force that few dieters want to reckon with – so many skip rice entirely in their efforts to lose weight or reach their health goals.

While the nutritional benefits of brown rice have been discussed to death, the problem is that it’s relatively costly and not commonly available, like white rice. Also, brown rice has a fairly distinctive taste, which may not always marry well with dishes which work so well with its whiter cousin. That’s why this piece is my effort to tell you why not to be a (white) cereal killer.

To start with, all the rumours you have heard about white rice are true. Yes, it has a higher glycaemic index (GI), which means that it gets converted into glucose very quickly by your body and can spike blood sugar levels. Result? Bad for both diabetics and dieters. It is also a starchy food (starch is part of the glucose family), which again can be fattening and disturb — or even reverse — weight loss efforts. All true.

But to that I say, white rice is only a problem if you don’t cook it or eat it in the way it should be eaten. And yes, there is a way. Or more than one way to have your rice and eat it too:

BOIL WHITE RICE, DON’T PRESSURE COOK IT

Cooking rice in a pressure cooker means that the starch will remain in the rice and not be released in the water. The same holds true with rice cookers. To remove the starch, boil it and drain the rice water.

ADD VEGETABLES TO LOWER ITS GI

Did you know that high GI food can become low GI foods? In the case of rice, this is done by simply changing the composition of the rice and adding vegetables to it. The vegetables take more time for your body to process, and this slows down the rice’s ability to quickly convert into glucose.

PORTION IT OUT

For dieters and diabetics, one medium size bowl a day is the serving size I recommend. Diabetics need to be doubly sure that all water is completely drained before eating it.

White rice is yummy, and is the base for many dishes – not only in Indian cooking but many other cuisines, both regional and international. It’s tasty and versatile and can be a health companion, making you look forward to your meals instead of dreading them. Why give it up if you don’t have to?

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Wet your appetite

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While the principles for healthy living and healthy eating remain the same throughout the year, certain seasonal rules apply. Just as summer and winter bring their unique environments and nutritional needs, the monsoon creates its own set of dietary restrictions, particularly pertaining to the intake of vegetables. Here are some veggie dos and donts:

RAW LEAFY VEGETABLES

The rainy season is probably the only time of the year when I would not recommend leafy greens. The rainy season generates a great deal of humidity, spurring bacterial growth which tends to thrive on the surface of the vegetables we eat. Transportation conditions and storage arent particularly hygienic either, which means that we need to stay away from vegetables that arent peeled. These include raw spinach, lettuce, methi, kale and other ones that go straight, unpeeled, uncooked from farm to table. Needless to say, if these vegetables are cooked, there is no problem with their consumption.

Other options for non-leafy veggies include snake gourd (tori), gourd (dudhi), pointed gourd (parval), yam (suran), apple gourd (tinda), bitter gourd (karela), and cluster beans (gavaar) along with your usual onions, turnips and potatoes. If the sound of tinda or gavaar doesnt appeal to your kids/family/spouse, try saying apple gourd or cluster beans instead. It might just work.

SPROUTS

Like vegetables, sprouts is one of the best things for your body but unfortunately, the rainy season brings with it pathogens that tend to infest this particular food. If you must eat it, lightly steam them prior to consumption.

CAULIFLOWER & BROCCOLI

There are greater chances of cauliflower and broccoli infestation during the rainy season. When I mean infestation, I mean insects making a nice little home for themselves on the leaves. If you can skip the raw versions entirely, its better.

CUCUMBER

This made it to the list because cucumber is eaten many a times with the skin on. Peel it.

FRUITS

While fruits are not vegetables, be partial to seasonal fruits. Unseasonal ones are more likely to be prone to infestations. Your best bets are pomegranates, bananas, mangoes, apples, plums and whatever else is in season. Again, peel the fruit instead of eating it with the skin on.

**A NOTE ON WASHING

For vegetables and fruits with peels, try and do a final rinse with potassium permanganate. Add enough potassium permanganate to a vessel with water for the water to take on a light pink tint. Soak fruit and vegetables for about five minutes. Rinse thoroughly to effectively remove bacteria, pesticides and assorted pests.

Enjoy the best of healthy vegetables this season.

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In Bombay Times - Ask the expert

General Motor Diet – To do or not to do?

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Dear Pooja,
I followed the GM diet twice, and lost almost 8 kilos. I’d followed the diet then because I had a wedding to attend. Now, I want to lose 10 kilos permanently. Is it safe to practice it on a regular basis? Or are the results just temporary?

What if I asked you ‘Will you be able to do the particular diet permanently?’ Nothing lasts till you don’t work towards it. That holds good for any regime you intend following whether it was a hair care, skin care, exercise or diet related weight loss. Till you apply a certain cream to can prevent the pigmentation that bothers you, till you lift the weights to have the tone and strength you want, similarly till to follow a particular diet you will have the results it gives you. If you can’t do it forever – how will the results last forever? Thus my strong advice is never start something that is difficult to sustain. If the cream cost lakhs the results can be great on you skin but you cant keep applying it forever? Follow a food plan that can be become a lifestyle then its results are here to stay. Eating just fruits or just meat or vegetables in the whole day is not something anyone can sustain so then obviously once you start eating everything the weight will come running back on. No wedding or occasion is worth putting your body through the torment of muscle loss (and lack of eating wholesome only leads to losing your healthy burning muscle mass) and the worse being it comes back on as fat (the unhealthy storing component that further lowers your metabolism) Weight loss is not about deletion, we all tend to make food the enemy by starving or depriving ourselves to the point where we are punishing our bodies to lose weight. Weight loss is not about upheaval, its about adjustment. Weight loss is not about dieting, it’s about making permanent changes to your eating habits. So that you don’t have to do this rut for another occasion around the corner. Please do visit a nutritionist who can help you chalk this regime for you well and forever. Good luck!

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Say `Yes’ to `No’…

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Whether it’s weddings, family functions or just dinner with friends, food is often tied to a host of social obligations. It’s difficult to say no when someone offers food. They may feel bad, insulted, if it’s a wedding… The goal of eating is to feel better, not guilty, afterwards. If you eat under pressure, you will not enjoy your food nor stick to your health goals. How does one tackle such situations?
We’ve devised some tactics to confront these tricky situations.

PREPARE

Tank up on soup and salad before going out. You’ll feel full and won’t end up overeating, and you can stick to a few small portions of the healthy options. Also, if the diet doesn’t come to you, bring the diet to your friends. Take salads and other low-cal dishes to the next party and put them on the table next to the creamy dips and fried food. That way you can still eat healthy for most of the evening and your host will appreciate the effort you have made. Everybody wins.

APPRECIATE

When someone wants you to eat food they have prepared, what they really want is for you to appreciate the effort they have made. You could say things like, “You have really outdone yourself this time, the place, table and food look fabulous! “ or “You are such a wonderful hostess! I am having a great time! “ Also, compliment the food early, and often. The more you compliment the dishes, the more people will think that you have eaten a lot  even when you haven’t (*wink*).

POSTPONE

This is an especially good tactic for dessert. Postpone eating rich desserts by saying that you are full now so you will eat it in a bit when you can really enjoy it. Chances are your host will not ask you the second time around, as he or she will be preoccupied with other guests. But if they insist, you can ask if you can take the dessert home with you. Whether you eat it at home or not is your little secret.

ASK

Tell your host beforehand that you are on a healthy eating programme, and that you might not be able to eat much at their house. It’s always better to enlist the support of your family or friends when you are trying to lose weight. Tell them you would appreciate their help. They will be much more obliging to help you along your weight loss journey.

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LET IT GO

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“I have been to every dietician under the sun but nothing works. I’m sure you are very good… but I have no hope. “

My new client and I had clearly got off to a good start.

Cases like Tanya’s are not unfamiliar to me. She had lost almost all the weight she needed to, and only the last 6 kilos were left now. But due to her slowing metabolism, and the fact that she had already lost a considerable amount, she was finding the last mile the hardest to cross. Based on her blood tests and eating habits, I charted out a meal plan and told her to come back in four weeks.

But when she came back, she hadn’t lost a single gram.

I frowned a frown I usually reserve for those clients who have spent their weekends undoing the week’s hard work. I had no doubt that Tanya followed everything I outlined to the T. So why hadn’t she lost weight?
And then, she started to speak…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I weigh myself first thing in the morning, before a bath, after a bath, before lunch, after lunch, before exercise, after exercise. And my weight has not budged. I’ve hired an expensive personal trainer to complement my diet. I’m so stressed out by this that I can’t sleep. What more can I do?“ When someone weighs herself seven times a day, the person isn’t losing weight to look good or to feel better  he or she is obsessed with the idea of losing weight. Tanya has an obsession with weight loss. For her, food equals calories. For her, weight loss was not a way to get to her goal but it was the goal itself. So whenever she ate, her attitude was not “I am fuelling my body and this tastes so good“, it was, “I am eating calories and I need to work this off at the gym“.

I spent almost half an hour talking to her because I had to understand why anyone would weigh themselves seven times a day. I told her that she had to enjoy the same food, without thinking about the calories. And just to prove to her that it was the attitude and not the diet, I asked her to follow the same plan with a happier, positive frame of mind. I told her to go out and have fun. And she was not allowed to weigh herself at all.

Two weeks later, the same plan gave her fantastic results. In just 15 days, she lost the 2 kilos she had been struggling to lose for months.

Same meal plan, two sets of attitudes.

JUST LET IT GO

” Obsession is as un healthy as a crash diet. “

 

Tanya’s story illustrates the point I have been trying to make  this is the only body you have. Learn to love and appreciate it. Don’t sweat over the little things and stop obsessing over every single calorie. The results will come. For some, they come faster. For some, they take a little time. But there is no way that eating healthy will not make you reach your weight loss goals. Remember that.

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In Healthy Recipes

OMELETTE WITH MUSHROOMS

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Ingredients:

  • 2 egg whites,
  • 5-6 mushrooms thinly sliced,
  • 2 flakes garlic,
  • 1/2 onion finely chopped,
  • 1/2 tsp mixed herbs,
  • salt and pepper to taste.

Method:

Heat 1/2 tsp oil in a pan.

Add garlic and onion and saute well, then add sliced mushrooms, mixed herbs and salt and saute till done.

Beat the egg whites till soft peaks are formed add salt to taste.

In a frying pan heat the remaining oil add the egg whites when it sets a little put the mushroom mixture in the centre and keep on slow flame till done.

When ready fold the omelet into half and serve.

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POOJA MAKHIJA: SUMMER GUEST LIST

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Foods have personalities too, just like us. Take the case of caffeine, it revs up your engine and gets you all riled up! Water, on the other hand, gently lays down a blanket of calm inside your body. This summer, learn about the foods that should get a VIP access pass to your plate and those which should be struck off the list.

ON THE VIP LIST
Fresh fruit, fresh veggies, salads:

Summer heat could lead to dehydration, which, in turn, could lead to electrolyte loss. It makes you feel lethargic, nauseous, exhausted and may even cause diarrhoea and constipation. Raise your intake of fresh fruits and veggies in ways that are creative and tasty like finger foods.

Lush liquids and sorbets:


Have kokum water, coconut water, chaas, fruit slushes and frozen iced sorbets. These foods work well to restore electrolyte balance and also provide healthy and interesting ways to pack in nutrients.

Water, Infused water:

Apart from increasing your water consumption to about 10-12 glasses per day, why not try killing two birds with one glass by infusing your water? Take care of both dehydration and nutrition by adding a small piece of fresh fruit like kiwi or strawberry or even basil to your water container.

Sautéed greens: 

Give a nod to sautéed greens this season. These are light, can be made very appetising and always bring nice gifts with them like reduced cholesterol, cancer-fighting abilities, antiaging benefits, powerful vitamins and energy.

Cold soups: 

Team up fresh salads with the perfect escort: hearty cold soups that include gazpachos, cold cucumber soups, tomato soups for flavour and a feeling of fullness.

OFF THE LIST

Excess protein:

Proteins are harder to digest in general and coupled with heat and dehydration, they leave you feeling uncomfortable and nauseous. The recommended daily intake of protein is one gram per kilo of ideal body weight (the appropriate weight for your height). So, no matter what you currently weigh, if your ideal body weight is supposed to be 57-58 kg, your protein in take should not exceed 57-58 gm.
Alcohol:

Alcohol adds heat. It’s is a va sodilator, which means that more blood gushes through your system leaving you feeling hotter and sweatier. Alcohol is also dehydrating.

Oily food:

When the body is not hydrated, it can’t expel the byproducts of heavy, oily foods through the kidney, which is why urination is not as frequent when you are dehydrated. The oily food then reaches your skin, the second largest excretory organ in your body, which makes you sweat more, dehydrates you further, kick starting a vicious cycle. It’s your body, your health, your life. Only food that is good must make the cut.
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OLD GOALS, NEW APPROACH

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This year, let’s try making a different set of health resolutions different because their approach will be changed though the objective is still the same -a healthier, thinner, fitter, happier you. We’re in the second month now. Pay attention.

Start on January 1

DON’T AIM TO BE SOMEONE ELSE

Please remember that actors, models and sport stars get the best out of the bodies that they either have been blessed with; or are working very hard upon, with expert guidance every second. Your body is unique, your body is yours. Appreciate every feature, wrinkle and line ­ it’s god’s gift to you. Enjoy it, revel in it and be the best you can be.

PLAN YOUR EXERCISE

Most resolutions just stay on paper because their foundations are weak. Get a clear conception of what you’re about to begin. It is this first step where most people falter. If you haven’t been exercising for years, aiming to show up at the gym every day is more than a little ambitious.Set exercise goals that you’re confident of achieving. A good place to start would be to clock three to four hours of exercise a week. This gives you the scope to break up your exercise regime into smaller capsules, depending on your specific body needs and time available to you. Be the architect of your workout ­ it usually takes just one missed workout for you to feel as if you have failed your purpose.

WRITE A FOOD DAIRY

When you get into the practice of writing down every single thing you eat -whether it’s a piece of fruit or what you ate at dinner -it makes you accountable. The diary works both as your conscience and guide. If you are not losing weight at the pace you want to, just turn the pages of your diary and you’ll find the honest answer. You cannot fool yourself.

PLAN YOUR `ME’TIME

Stress can kill even the best motivation to get fit. In the madness of our lives, we forget what we are eating, ignore meal times and often use food to combat stress. If you want to stay on track, make a plan to manage your stress in ways that don’t invite food as the chief guest. Engage in relaxation activities, whether it’s a hot bath, a massage, a trip to the spa, meditation, deep breathing or shopping! Unplug, disconnect, rejuvenate ­ even if it’s for 15 to 20 minutes a day.

SLEEP WELL TO BE FIT AND SLIM

Your body does not just run on food, water and air. Sleep is a vital component of its functioning.Without adequate sleep (average of seven to eight hours a day), you are setting yourself up for trouble. In my experience, most people who drop their resolutions midway are sleep-deprived. Depression, irritability, reduced brain function, memory loss are all results of not getting enough sleep. Innumerable studies over the years have shown the definite link between sleep deprivation and weight gain. But still, so many of us just do not pay enough attention to our sleep pattern.

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