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A Perfect Supper

supper

Since time immemorial, we have been hearing this phrase “Breakfast like a King, Lunch like a Prince and Dinner like a Pauper”. Though this phrase is very true and most of us may or may not agree to it, the question is, how many of us actually follow it?

I have come across people who eat absolutely minimal or may even skip meals during the day and then wonder why they are not shedding any weight even though they are consuming less calories. The answer lies in their ‘very much elaborate dinners’!

In today’s fast paced and busy lives, it’s become very common that people tend to have very less or almost skip their breakfast as they need to rush to work. Lunch is had at the desk more often than not, either alone or with the colleagues, which may be less enjoyable. At times, due to time constraints, lunch gets compromised. All these factors lead to a limited food intake through the day. Result: Body deprived of energy through the day -> Feels excessively hungry in the latter half of the day -> over eating/ bingeing occurs during dinner. At times, we don’t just feel hungry but we might even ‘crave’ for some junk and thereby succumb to binging on junk food items which then results in fat storage.

For majority of us, dinner is the meal which we look forward to as most of the families consider dinner as an opportunity to catch up with the family members, interact with each other, laugh and have a good time, and dinner perfectly serves the purpose! While we relish various delicacies together and get busy talking to each other, there are high chances of us eating more than we actually want to.

Isn’t this scenario exactly opposite to the saying that we discussed at the top? Oh yes! It is! This is where the root cause of weight gain lies.

You’ll be surprised to know that just getting the dinner correct has helped people get their weight under control. It works like magic! It’s very simple and quite logical. Body has enough time to metabolize the food and shed off the extra calories consumed through the day as our activity levels are at peak during the daytime. As the day ends, our activity levels drop and so does the metabolic rate. Thus, the caloric consumption should ideally taper by the end of the day. However, if we load our body with a huge amount of calories at night, it has higher chances of pushing the calories into fat storage thereby leading to weight gain.

Now how do we tackle this? The very first solution is having a heavy breakfast. If you are running short of time, carry a mid-morning snack with you e.g. A fruit/Nuts/Dry fruits/Yogurt is a good for you. Second most important factor is to have a heavy evening snack by around 5-6 pm. Consuming an evening snack keeps us full, cuts down the junk cravings and thus automatically reduces our intake during dinner. It’s very important to choose the evening snacks wisely. It could be a bowl of sprouts/a whole wheat bread veggie sandwich/boiled corn with chopped veggies and herbs/boiled egg or paneer roll with whole wheat base/a bowl of roasted chanas or nuts. I am sure dishes like these would satiate your hunger and when you would go ahead for your dinner, you wouldn’t be very much hungry.

So your dinner could be – Start with a bowl of mix veggie soup/salad, then move on to a bowl of stir-fried veggies (that covers the carb/fiber component and certain vitamins-minerals) along with a bowl of roasted paneer cubes/sprouts/grilled chicken or fish/boiled eggs (that covers the protein and fat component). In this way, we can ensure a light yet balanced meal covering all the macronutrients along with micros (vitamins-minerals). Ofcourse you can make this meal delicious in your own ways by using various herbs and spices to delight your taste buds.

Remember to keep a gap of 2 to 3 hours between your bed time and this meal to avoid gastric discomfort.

Last but not the least, eat this meal absolutely mindfully, which means, eat slower, take smaller bites, savour every bite and thoroughly enjoy it with your family, making the experience absolutely joyful!

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Eat right without burning a hole in your pocket

eat-right
The most frequently asked question to me has been “why are healthy options so expensive??

Healthy food options can turn out expensive at times, but if managed well it can be a great deal. You can certainly enjoy healthy food without burning hole in your pocket!! Yes! You heard it correct!! All that you need to do is plan well, have the necessary knowledge & little time. The combination of these three can help you save enough money, so much so that you can buy something useful that you have been postponing for years.

let us look at these three necessary aspects in detail

Planning: Planning helps in understanding how much you can spend on these food items.You should know how much of money you have to spend on food and make your shopping list accordingly. But, even before making the grocery list, plan which meals you’ll be making this week. Check out your refrigerator for current stock. You can save money by using present food items in the upcoming week’s meal. Try to create recipes which are healthy as well as low on cost based on what you have in hand.

Here’s one smart tip – To save on greens, you can cultivate your own veggies, fruits and herbs in your kitchen garden. This will ensure, your food is not only healthier but also easy on your pocket.

Stay organized with grocery list, to avoid buying items you don’t really need. Create a list of food and beverage you need to buy. Keep ongoing grocery list in your kitchen or your mobile app, where you can add items as you run out.

Here are few tips on saving money at grocery store:

• Eat before going to grocery store. Going to grocery store on an empty stomach would lead to extra shopping as everything looks tempting. If you are full, this temptation becomes greatly reduced
• Look for sales flyer, they are released in the mid-week and can be found at store’s entrance or in newspaper
• If you have coupon, use it wisely. Use it only for necessary items
• Most stores offer loyalty programmes, by joining them, you can take advantage of special offers and discounts

Some tips while filling your cart:

• Fill your cart with basic priorities like, veggies, fruits, milk and some good protein. By doing so, you can save money on basic items rather than paying for prepared items
• Always try to buy “in season” produce, as they are usually less expensive and are at their peak flavors. To avoid spoilage, buy only required amount of fresh food
• Stay away from tempting aisles of grocery shops, e.g., aisles which keep potato chips, crackers, candies etc.
• Buy or at least try on store brands. They are as good in quality as reputed brands and are cheap too!
• Food companies pay to display their products at eye level. Hence, look on higher or lower shelves for less expensive products
• Know regular prices of items you generally buy
• Unit pricing will help maximum saving, as you will be paying for per pound/ ounce/ quart, unlike, retail pricing where you pay for each item
• Buy in bulk and split it into bags or cups or in convenience servings

At home:

• If you have the time, cook your own sauces and soups rather than buying canned. It can be less expensive & healthier because you have more control over the ingredients
• You can easily prepare healthy meals for larger family without disturbing your budget by keeping meals simple, healthy and yet creative. Try having brunch. Foods like salad and egg are less expensive and make a great protein and fiber for the main dish.

After all, to buy food, high in nutritional value, does not always need a fat wallet. With right planning, correct knowledge and little time, you can enjoy healthy food without burning a hole in your pocket!! Enjoy healthy eating!

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Snacking- is it good or bad!

snacking
In today’s fast paced life, people have no time and hence compromise on their health by skipping major meals- breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sometimes they tend to skip these meals leading to long gaps which gives rise to acidity, bloating and drops your metabolic rate. And as we all know that lower the metabolism, higher is the chance of gaining weight.

So it is always said to have small frequent meals to keep your metabolism at par. Most people complaint that they don’t have time to eat frequently as they are tied up with work. According to me, there are quite a few healthy things which are handy and can be kept at your desk like almonds/walnuts/raisins/roasted chanas/roasted soya beans/fruits for munching.  Snacking can be good at times. It turns a bad habit when people start binging in the name of snacking. There are many who unconsciously also binge on unhealthy items even if they are not hungry. This could be due to liking towards certain kinds of snack food.

Binging happens while watching television or surfing the computer. People don’t realise the quantity they are binging on. Some people have the bad habit of binging when they are stressed thus having an adverse effect on their weight.  Foods which are irresistible and commonly munched are popcorns, chips, wafers, chocolates and the likes which are not healthy options and eventually affect one’s weight.

On the other hand, munching between meals can actually reduce your overall calorie intake by curbing overeating in your next meal provided the quality and quantity is taken into consideration.

To avoid binging later, snacking healthy foods in small quantities can help you stay on track. You can actually use this to your advantage. If you know you are going out to a big dinner with friends or going to attend a party, try to eat something healthy at home like salads/soups/buttermilk before you leave home or office so that you tend to binge less in the party maintaining the portion size.

Even if you are snacking on healthy options, make sure you are controlling your portion size not exceeding the overall caloric intake. These days there are ample variety of wafers seeking children and adults attention! Eating such junk becomes a habit eventually not realizing the consequences later. So parents have to be well guided on ‘healthy snacking’.

 

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What is Food Faddism – Crash Dieting?

Crash Diet

Food faddism is gaining lot of importance in today’s culture, influenced more from western culture. What do you mean by food faddism or in other words ‘Crash Dieting’? It means, temporary way to lose weight in a quick manner for a short duration!

As a nutritionist, I have come across many people longing for such diets, and when asked the reason why do they want to go in for such diets, they don’t have any specific reasoning. Like one individual who I was consulting came to me saying she just finds these crash diets quiet interesting and so out of curiosity, she just wants to give it a try! Another said, she has to surprise her hubby on his birthday by slimming down. Likewise, another said, she has to shed   five kilos in a span of ten days and get in shape, as her wedding is due soon.

I personally got intrigued to find out more about these crash diets and why do people indulge in them. In the yester years doctors recommended these diets to their patients from a therapeutic point of view to lose weight People are also influenced by the fact that some well-known celebrities have tried such diets and have succeeded and thus today these diets have become a trend.

Research indicates that these diets are very traditional by origin and dates back to eighteenth century. But, lately has gained lot of attention as people are getting worried about their so called ‘health’.

So what are these fad diets? There are plenty of them and one new one comes up every day such as cabbage soup diet, blood group diet, grape fruit diet, acai berry diet, Mediterranean diet and so on. I would like to take you through few of the popular ones

General Motor diet: It is commonly known as GM diet. One always thought GM diet was a diet where you ate genetically modified fruits and vegetables. But, no GM diet is a weight loss management plan developed by the General Motors Corporation to help keep their employees stay in shape. It is supposed to be followed for seven days. The pattern of the diet (Indianized version)  is listed below:

  • Day 1. All fruits. All kinds of fruit may be consumed except for bananas. 10-12 glasses of water should be consumed throughout the day.
  • Day 2. All vegetables. All sorts of vegetables may be consumed during the second day. Potatoes may be served during breakfast to boost energy levels
  • Day 3. Mixture of fruits and vegetables. A mix of fruits and vegetables may be consumed on Day 3, together with 10-12 glasses of water. Bananas are still not allowed in this day.
  • Day 4. Banana and milk. Skim milk and banana, together with the GM wonder soup or any type of vegetable soup may be served on this day.
  • Day 5. Brown rice, curd and tomatoes. Soybean curd or 1 cup of brown rice may be used as a substitute for beef, or a cup of cottage cheese
  • Day 6. Brown rice and vegetables. On Day 6, brown rice or other beef substitute will be matched with vegetables, but potatoes are still restricted. It is best to consume cottage cheese and soybean curd in vegetable bowls.
  • Day 7. Brown rice, vegetables and fruits. Two cups of brown rice may be consumed together with unlimited servings of vegetables and fruits. Fruit juice may also be taken along with 8-10 glasses of water.

 

  1. 1.       Atkin’s Diet: This diet was discovered by Robert Atkins to resolve his own issue of being overweight. It is a very low carbohydrate diet and high protein diet. the first phase ‘induction’ which  includes only 20gms of carbohydrates followed by other phase ‘on going weight loss’ wherein you can incorporate slowly add more vegetables, and you can include seeds, nuts, legumes, berries and other fruit, wine and other low-carb alcohol, and whole grains.
  2. 2.      South beach diet: The South Beach Diet is a diet plan designed by cardiologist Arthur Agatston and dietician Marie Almon. Although the original purpose of the diet was to prevent heart disease in Dr. Agatston’s own patients in the early 2000s, this diet focuses on eating right amount of carbohydrate and fats. It has three phases, you eat normal portion sizes in Phase 1, but all carbohydrate is restricted. This is the strictest phase in the diet and will last for two weeks. It emphasizes lean meats, such as chicken, turkey, fish, and shellfish. Low-Glycemic-index vegetables are allowed as well as low-fat cheese, nuts, eggs. In Phase 2, some of the banned foods are slowly introduced. You should remain on it until you lost your desired amount of weight. Phase 3 is for maintenance and should be followed for life.
  3. 3.      Weight watchers diet: Weight Watchers International is an international company based in the United States that offers various products and services to assist weight loss and maintenance. It was founded by Jean Nidetch. The core philosophy behind Weight Watchers programs is to use a science-driven approach to help participants lose weight by forming helpful habits, eating smarter, getting more exercise and providing support.

I quiet fail to understand why people follow such diets blindly and believe in the figures that pop up on weighing scale? I have never understood this obsession to lose weight especially losing two to three kilos in short duration. They get happy seeing their weight reducing. But, what about gaining those back? When you are dieting, you are almost starving your body; also it does not get enough nutrients which the body requires. The first thing that the body loses while dieting is muscles and water (which are two most crucial elements for maintaining body metabolism). Muscles and water are easy to lose and that’s the reason why you lose weight.

The fat in the body which is the culprit stays behind and is very difficult to lose! The moment they come back to the normal routine (stop dieting) they gain extra fat than what they already   had which can be dangerous in the long term. Most really don’t care about the after effects that these crash diets can cause so long as they see their see their weight going down!

Being a professional nutritionist, I would never recommend such fad diets. I recommend that one should balance their lifestyle with proper nutrition and physical activity.

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