eat healthy – Page 2 – Nourish Genie

In Articles to munch on

Coco-nuts

July 17, 2018 No Comments

It’s the question I’m often asked: How nuts can we go about coconut? Okay, I’m paraphrasing, but most of my clients indeed want to know how they can integrate coconut healthfully into their daily diet. Its reputation as a high-fat food has indeed preceded it, but coconut is so much more than its calorie count…

Builds Immunity

There are good fats in coconut — like caprylic, capric and lauric fatty acids — that provide antiviral, antibacterial and antiprotozoal functions, all of which build your immunity. In addition, there is also something called monolaurin (present in coconut fat) that gives viruses a knock-out punch.

Rich Mineral Source

Coconut is also loaded with minerals, all of which do wonderful things for your body’s regular functioning. Minerals in coconut include manganese, copper, selenium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium and zinc. That makes this food a veritable bounty of goodness.

Reduces BP

Raw coconut is high in fibre, which gives it its ability to lower blood pressure. Never a bad thing, no matter what your health profile is.

Better Bowel Movements

Foods high in fibre ensure regular and smoother bowel movements, which, of course, reduce the incidence of constipation and bloating.
Having said that, coconut is also a source of saturated fats, which is a bad fat. It cannot be denied that per cup, raw coconut contains almost 24 gm of saturated fat alone, the intake of which should be limited if weight management is a goal.

Considering that adults should have anywhere between 10 and 20 gm of fats a day (depending on their body composition and weight loss needs), how do you eat coconut healthfully without tipping the scales? You can, if you:

1. Avoid it during weight loss phases

Given its high saturated fat content, I would recommend avoiding/limiting it during your weight loss phase. You can always come back to it in your weight maintenance period. The same goes for coconut oil.
2. Moderate its intake

If weight loss is not your goal, a good estimate would be to consume 30-50 gm of raw coconut per week, once a week. You can integrate this in anything to include curries, chutneys, pastes, and even healthy desserts.

3. Use fresh, grated raw coconut

The best source of coconut is freshly grated from the coconut you bought recently, preferably that day. This ensures that all its vital nutrients remain intact, and its numerous health benefits can be passed on to you.

4. Avoid coconut milk

Coconut milk is high in fat, and most cooks underestimate how much actually needs to be used when putting it in a dish. Try and avoid it as much as possible.

5. Avoid processed and pre-packaged coconut

And definitely avoid desiccated coconut, pre-packed shredded coconut, pre-packaged coconut milk, and any coconut that does not come in its natural, brown, nutty, hard casing. You want the taste of this widely-available wonderful food, yes, but why sacrifice its glorious benefits?

In Articles to munch on

Energiser bunnies

July 7, 2018 No Comments

Like adults, children of this century have more than ever on their plate.

An endless treadmill of school time, tuition time, extracurricular, homework time, and dare I say, iPad time leave them with very little window to do anything else. Also, like adults, they also have many roles to play: as students, as friends, as teammates and as general creators-of-ruckus! Having said that, we mustn’t forget that children of this age are also still developing, both physically and mentally. Food is not just a tool to keep them going, but also a tool to keep them growing. The challenge is how do you make sure they get their daily dose of nutrients while maintaining their required levels of energy?

PLAN

Plan the menu for the week. There are many healthy substitutions for junk food your kids like. Make your child’s tiffin the envy of the class. Swap deep-fried for air-fried or baked, heavier red meats for healthier white meats and high-fat for low-fat. It’s not so much about weight control (even though the rate of child obesity has spiked), but about your child getting a sustained release of energy through the day. And here’s why…

GET COMPLEX

Everything we eat gets converted into glucosesugar, which in turn provides us with the vital energy we need to perform our various functions. Sugary foods, processed foods, refined foods and some high-fat foods are simple sugars, i.e. fast energy sources which may provide that extra burst of energy, but soon lead to a crash in blood sugar levels just as quickly as they had spiked.

So before you pack that chocolate as a treat for your child in the tiffin or buy a tetrapack of fruit juice -which also has tons of sugar, by the way, and is not as healthy as it may seem -check yourself.

Fluctuations in blood sugar levels brought by these foods are unhealthy.

Choose complex sugars in stead, like fresh fruits, vegeta bles, home-cooked healthy foods, lean meats and eggs. These foods take a longer time to break down into glucose by the body, and provide your child a sustained release of energy through the day.

HYDRATE

We mustn’t forget another factor that contributes greatly to children feeling tired or run down: dehydration. Lack of adequate water drains both muscles and brain. Water helps maintain the salt balance apart from reducing ex haustion. Daily water requirements range from 1.3 litres (for children aged 1-3) to 1.7 litres (for children aged 3-8), 2.4 litres (for boys aged 9 13 years) and 2.1 litres for girls in the same age group. Older boys and girls (aged 14-18) need 3.3 and 2.3 litres, respectively.

Note: A tall glass of water is approximately anywhere between 200-250 ml (approx.)

Lastly, lack of sleep and exercise both contribute to a tired and listless child. Ensure that they get enough sleep and can tear themselves away from their virtual lives to get out in the sunshine to live a real one. If children must bring the house down, they should do it well, I feel, and for that they need to be fuelled by the best nutrition.

In Articles to munch on

Free to be

July 7, 2018 No Comments

This Independence Day as we ponder over freedom, let’s contemplate our relationship with food. When it comes to nutrition, are we truly free? Or do we feel bound by a plethora of conflicting information? Can we ever be free to eat whatever we want?
If weight loss and maintenance are our goals, then some foods are born more equal than others. But if it’s the numerous and contradictory instructions that are bogging you down, you can, to some extent, be free of rigid diet rules if you follow this simple colour-coded food philosophy.

ORANGE

Orange foods include papaya, carrot, apricots and more. Carrot prevents cancer, helps us see better and slows down aging. Papaya boosts the immune system and safeguards us against disease. Apricots are bursting with iron, potassium and fibre. And let’s not forget pumpkin: every part of this delicious vegetable is brimming with goodness, right down to the seeds. Orange you glad you read this!

BROWN

Brown can turn your frown upside down.

Revel in the benefits of brown foods which include nuts, potatoes, ginger and quinoa. Potatoes are loaded with vitamin B6 vital to the building of new cells. Ginger’s medicinal role has been well documented. Walnuts and almonds help with the prevention and management of diabetes. And Quinoa like the humble egg white is one of the purest sources of protein a 100% reference protein which means it has all the nine essential amino acids needed by our body.

WHITE

Lean white meats, egg whites, onion and garlic represent the white corner. Chicken and turkey are fantastic sources of lean protein, but egg white is one of the BEST sources of protein there is. Onions are potent anti-inflammatories and garlic is a brilliant antioxidant, both of which form the base for many cuisines.

GREEN

Kale, asparagus, green beans, spinach, broccoli, edamame, basil, capsicum, green tea go green to get lean. The leafy greens are wonderful sources of nutrients, anti-oxidants and boost your health quite like nothing else.

Of course, this is not to say that other foods not mentioned here -like dals, and other sabzis -are not healthy or that you should not eat them, neither should we eat the above without moderation. Oil, fat, quantity and sugar intake must be monitored while preparing these foods so that you can get the best of them. And add some colour to your life.

In Articles to munch on

7 deadly skin sins

July 7, 2018 No Comments

How you age is not just a matter of your genes. Your skin is pretty much a reflection of your lifestyle, which, in turn, is all about how you eat, drink and live. If you are moaning and groaning over why your skin is suddenly looking dull, lifeless, tired or just old, check if you haven’t committed one or more of the seven deadly skin sins.

DEHYDRATION

Are you getting enough water? Dehydration could be the reason why you look older than you are, and wrinkled. Lack of this wonderfully replenishing lifesaver dries out your skin -your body’s largest organ -and dry skin is more susceptible to wrinkling than hydrated skin. You need about 8-12 glasses or about 2-3 litres of water a day. It will help you slow down, or even reverse, the aging process.

FOODS HIGH IN SUGAR AND FAT

You see the effects of oxidation all around you the rotting of fruit is the best example. When oxygen in the air comes in contact with the fruit, it slowly turns brown and eventually rots. Oxidation, while occurring naturally outside the body, is harmful if it occurs inside your body. Inside, the process of oxidation releases `free radicals’ that slowly damage organs, including the skin, aging it. Certain things we eat and drink, like fried or sugary foods, are oxidants. Antioxidant foods (green teas, fresh fruits and vegetables) reverse the oxidation process.

CAFFEINE

Caffeine, found in teas, coffees, cola drinks etc., cause oxidative stress and are also dehydrating. They leave you more thirsty than when you started.

ALCOHOL

Like caffeine, alcohol is the ultimate aging double whammy it is high in sugar, which causes oxidative stress, and dehydration. Alcohol strips your skin of nourishment.

SMOKING

Vitamin C is an excellent antioxidant, and is also known as a free radical scavenger. Smoking depletes your body’s quota of Vitamin C, and adds even more free radicals, fast-tracking the aging process. Add leafy greens and citrus fruits in your diet. Quit smoking.

NO VEGETABLE JUICE

Vegetable juices are fantastic antioxidants that brim with nourishing and healing properties. In a mixer, not a juicer, blend the juice of three raw vegetables. Add about half the pulp back to the glass, some water and season to taste. Drink up daily to look younger.

SLEEP DEPRIVATION

Sleep is when your skin repairs itself.

If you are not clocking enough sleep hours, you may be aging ahead of your time. There’s a reason it’s call `beauty sleep’.

Now, the good news. All of the above are self-in ducked, lifestyle choices, old habits that can be broken. It doesn’t matter how old you are, the power to look young, fresh and healthy is more in your K hands than you think

In Articles to munch on

Good going on bad

July 7, 2018 No Comments

I remember going into a restaurant for a meal, and while explaining my love for fresh, healthy ingredients to the chef, we had a fun discussion about healthy menus. My order seemed to have set him off on the wonders of green leafy vegetables, and the versatility of eggs. The chef planned to introduce a menu packed with fresh produce, veggies, fruits and the usual `low-cal-bursting-with-goodness’ suspects. And, he added with a minor flourish, everything would be cooked in olive oil.

How much, I asked him, to which he replied, as much as the dish needs. This got me thinking. And writing.

Healthy foods, no matter how good they are for you, have to be subjected to portion controls as well. Just because they are fat-free, doesn’t mean that they won’t make you gain weight, and cause other related health complications. You can’t mindlessly eat anything, I’m afraid, and even healthy food has to be eaten in moderation. Over-indulgence can pretty much cancel out any major health benefit. Some food for thought.

OLIVE OIL IS STILL OIL

Even though it’s excellent from a health perspective, one teaspoon of any oil is about 45 calories. While the idea, of course, is not to focus on calories and instead, revel in the nutritive value of food, it takes 3,500 extra unburned calories to gain a pound of weight. And add that little bit more pressure on your heart.

NO TRANS-FAT DOESN’T MEAN NO-FAT

Health regulations have mandated that manufacturers state the use of trans-fats in their foods. Which has, of course, led to a slew of products, claiming that they have `no-trans-fat’. They may be right but you still need to watch out for other saturated fats on their labels.

LOW-FAT IS NOT LOW-CALORIE

Similarly, just because a product is marked `lowfat’ doesn’t mean it is low calorie. To pump up the taste factor, extra sugar can sometimes be added, negating any health benefit in the process.

YOU CAN’T GO NUTS OVER NUTS

Nuts are rich in nutrients, good fats, and a whole host of heart warming things but some -especially cashews and macadaemia -can be high in fat content, so their consumption must be regulated. Restrict consumption of nuts to no more than 50 gm per day if you are not trying to lose weight or if your doctor is okay with it. Else, nix the nuts entirely.

SMOOTHIES CAN BE ROUGH

Blended milk with fruit can sound healthy but in fact, isn’t. Blending fruit (in a mixer or juicer) strips the fruit of its fibre, leaving behind the active sugary compound, fructose. And fructose is a simple sugar that can spike your blood sugar level, enabling excess con sumption to be stored as fat. The same principle can be applied to fruit juices. Eliminate, if possible, all consumption of fruit juice from your diet, unless specified by your doctor or nutritionist.

Try vegetable juices, and make it a daily habit.

In Articles to munch on

Dear diary

July 7, 2018 No Comments

When we gain weight, it’s usually a discovery that we stumble upon. Suddenly, a shirt doesn’t button up the way it used to, or a favourite and much-loved loophole on a belt seems to be a bit shy. A discovery like this is usually confirmed by stepping on a scale and, when confirmed, is confronted by the three Ds Despair, Depression and Drama.

How could you put on weight? You’ve been eating and drinking as usual and you’ve taken out the time to exercise. So how did the weight sneak up on you? Well, when it comes to weight gain, that’s really the operative word sneak.

Your weight can quietly, slyly, make its way up the scale without you even realising it because weight loss, and by that token, weight maintenance, is all about quiet, sly, maths. It takes 3,000 extra (unburned) calories to gain a pound of weight and 2.2 pounds to gain a kilo.

I’ll put this in simple words. For example, full-fat milk versus low-fat (2 per cent) milk has 30 more calories per 175 ml cup. Drink two cups of full-fat milk a day, and you are 60 calories up more than if you had low-fat milk. If those 60 calories are not burned -or are over and above what your body can burn daily -your `weight account’ slowly accumulates. Sixty extra unburned calories a day is over 21,000 unburned calories a year, which translates into a weight gain of about 3 kilos a year.

Sneaky.

Of course, full-fat milk is only an example. A dash of whipped cream in your daily latte, bingeing on the weekends, extra sev in your daily bhelpuri, could all add up leaving you dazed, confused and heavier. Every single little `extra’ adds up. But you can prevent weight gain by doing one simple thing this year. Start a food diary.

Food diaries are nothing but a written record of what you’ve eaten in the day right from the second you open your eyes in the morning to the time you retire for the night. When you note down whatever you’ve eaten and drunk during the day and have been as honest as you can, you’ll suddenly realise why, as Shania Twain puts it, `last year’s dress is just a little too tight’. In other words, if you aren’t losing weight at the pace you want to, you’ll know why. Food diaries act as both your conscience and your guide and you can alter or modify your eating patterns just by looking at your daily consumption, when needed. Diaries also help you pinpoint foods that trigger allergies or cause nausea or constipation. If you’re not feeling good, go to your food diary and you’ll know why.

While it sounds like a lot of work, in reality it just takes about 5 to 10 minutes a day. The internet is overflowing with online food diaries and apps and you can pick what suits you; or you can start a physical diary by putting pen to paper. The idea of course is not to go crazy or obsessive but to just be aware of exactly what goes into your body so that you’re always geared to be in the best shape of your life.

In Articles to munch on

Raising the bar

July 7, 2018 No Comments

It seems harmless enough and does its best to tell you how healthy it is. But if I were you, I’d be suspicious of the average snack bar. I am referring to the granola bars, protein bars, health bars or fruit bars. Even The New York Times said in a recent article that they can be as calorific as dessert.

What started off as an innocuous effort to add more fibre and nuts to i your daily diet has now become a multibillion dollar industry, where the last thing you’re getting is health. To understand how healthy your snack bar is, read the nutritional label: you’d be surprised. To me, an ideal snack bar should be brimming with the goodness of nuts, seeds and nuts, seeds and healthy ingredients that are not so fat and calorie-dense. Have you thought of making your own?

Add more seeds: Pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, flaxseeds, watermelon seeds, sunflower seeds experiment with the abundance of this fundamental snack bar ingredient. Apart from containing good fats, seeds are fantastic sources of fibre, protein, minerals like zinc and vitamins like Vitamin E. They add a fabulous texture and taste that you will feel in every bite.

Reduce the nuts: Ensure that the seeds to nuts ratio leans more heavily in favour of seeds. Nuts like almonds, cashew, walnuts and macadamia, while healthy, are calorie-dense and need to be used sparingly. A tiny handful per bar should suffice, and abstain from high-fat nuts like cashews.

Puffs: For added texture and bene fits, you could also try quinoa puffs, rice puffs, wheat puffs and other similar foods.

Dates to bind: Commerciallly made snack bars use caramelised sugar or syrups for binding, but it’s better not to use sugar because it will completely negate the good work. How about exploiting the sticky and gooey texture of dates or figs? It’s flavourful and natural.

Season: Go creative with seasoning like sea salt or even sprinkles of paprika if you really like it tangy. At the end of the day, it’s your bar.

In Lose Weight

Waste makes waist

July 7, 2018 No Comments

Nothing is as satisfying as seeing the food you have worked so hard to cook get quickly consumed by your loved ones. There go the potatoes. All done. And it’s so nice to see your kid polishing off his plate with the last of the buttered pav. But what’s this? Lurking at the bottom of the dish you got as a wedding present is one spoonful of chicken curry. You look up and ask your family if they’ll finish this last teensy weensy bite. But they’re all shaking their heads vehemently, pushing their plates away, looking fit to burst. What do you do? You can’t let it go waste. How horrifying! In goes the spoon, up goes the chicken right into your mouth. Instead of let ting it stay in the dish, you eat it yourself, ignoring the warning your stomach is sending to your brain -that you were done 10 bites ago.

As Indians, we’re culturally ingrained not to waste. We were raised to finish our food and clean our plates. Wasting food was seen as the ultimate sin of excess and an ultimate insult to the preparer of the food who would, more often than not, look wounded as half-empty plates were sent back to the kitchen.

But trying to not waste could be one of the sneakiest ways the weight piles on.

Think about it this way. Let’s assume that you are eating a little bit of leftover food every night to `clean up’ either yours or someone else’s plate. Even if you eat 100 extra calories a day, that’s 36,500 extra calories a year. And if it takes 3,500 extra unburned calories to gain a pound of weight, simply preventing food from going to waste could lead you to gain five kilos over the course of the year. Five kilos. It’s not too late. Prevent waste from going straight to your waist with the help of the WAIST method:

WAIT

It takes 20 minutes for your stomach to send a signal to your brain that you are full. To prevent overeating, try to stop eating when that feeling of fullness starts.

ASSESS

Combat the problem of wastage by not cooking too much to begin with. Estimating quantities takes time and practice and a little heartache but there’ll soon be a time when y o u ‘ r e cooking just the right amount.

IGNORE

Leave someone else’s food alone. If they’ve wasted it, it’s their problem. Not yours.Your meal is done.

SERVE

Don’t serve yourself too much to begin with. You can always add more later but it’s harder and more tempting -to `not waste’ if you’ve piled on too much food to begin with.

THINK

Leftovers can provide a fabulous foundation to your next meal and there are always creative ways to tackle them.

And don’t fret. If nothing works, it’s not the end of the world. You’ll just get it right the next time. Both for the food, and for your body.

In Bombay Times - Ask the expert

Eggs are bad for me?

April 10, 2018 No Comments

Dear Pooja,
I have been an egg lover for years but now that I have reached almost 35, people say i must not have so many eggs in one day. I am not fat, just a little overweight but I end up eating too many eggs in a day. (around three at least) People have asked me to stop eating yolks but that is the tastiest part of the egg, so i cannot! I walk three to four times a week for around 45 minutes… and that is the only exercise i ever do. Should I stop eating eggs? Are they really bad for my age?
Please advise.

Eggs and bad? Never! How can something that has so much nutrition and so little calories ever be bad for you? At only 16 calories, the egg white provides a massive 4 grams of protein and is a 100% reference protein, which means that it all has all the nine amino acids needed for full utilisation by the body. Thus I can easily say that consuming about three to four egg whites can be a safe number for most adult to have on a daily basis. Yes, depending on you lipid profile and other healthy parameters, the number of yolks you can have weekly will have to be decided. The yolk may be tasty (for some) but there is some caution needed while having this daily – therefore discuss this with your doctor or nutritionist to get the exact count.

But egg whites are the safest, healthiest and most easily accessible form of complete protein that one should try and include daily. It helps one get better muscle tone, weight loss, stronger and longer hair and nails, lesser sugar cravings, better stamina, more attention and retention powers while studying, lesser aches and pains and this list is endless. Therefore let nobody fool you into stopping the egg whites Shikha, enjoy them daily – guilt free!

In Bombay Times - Ask the expert

Help me with my acidity!

April 10, 2018 No Comments

Dear Pooja,
I am a middle aged woman. I regularly suffer from acidity. Digesting food easily is difficult for me. Even when I fast for the whole day, I suffer from acidity. This is why I have also been unable to gain any weight since a number of years. Although my appetite is normal, the acidity becomes a problem. What should I do?

Acidity is an ailment that we all have suffered from at one time or another. Do remember acidity is a sign our body is trying to give us. The most obvious signaling is because of large gaps between meals. Our gastric lining produces the acid as a means to aid digestion – as its enzymes only activate and function in an acidic medium. When the gaps are too long this acid starts corroding it’s own lining causing ulcers. One of the best ways to neutralize the acid produced is to give it the food, this way the lining of the stomach is always protected and belching, heart burn or acidity is kept well at bay. Fasting sadly is not helping this process unless you eat a fruit or some milk every few hours. One of the easiest ways to eliminate acidity is to eat a fruit within the first half to hour of rising – this helps break the long gap between dinner the night previous and breakfast. Avoid starting your day with caffeine – your must have cuppa of tea or hot coffee first thing in the morning only triggers the acid producing cells to work better and faster. Line the tummy with some food first – if not a fruit then a toast or khakra or a biscuit and let the tea follow 20 minutes later. Acidity may be a minor ailment but if left uncorrected can be the cause many bigger problems like frequent sore throat, nagging recurrent cough, migraines, dental cavities just to name the basic few.