Eat Healthy Archives - Page 7 of 8

January 21, 2018 By Jyoti Sawant 3 Comments

Eat Healthy Stop counting Calories

I used to count calories

It was part of my training as a dietitian – one of our homework assignments. It seemed everyone in my class was really good at it like they had memorized the calorie content of a bunch of foods. I treated the project as an experiment. What I mean by that is, if this is what we’re supposed to have our patients do, I should be able to do it well.

The funny thing however was, the more I counted calories and the less I was paying attention to the food in front of me. It was like looking at a spreadsheet on a plate. All you see is numbers.

I’d choose the less tasty entree because it was lower in calories, even if it didn’t sound appealing. If I got hungry after the meal, I’d second guess myself. “But I ate 700 calories!? That should be enough!”

It was like a battle between the calculator and my stomach. The calculations said I needed a certain amount of calories per day. If I went over, it was a “bad” day. If I went under, it was an excuse to eat junk food. I’d think to myself, “Well, these chocolates are only 90 calories…”

I’ll admit, I failed miserably at counting calories and gave up within a few weeks. I never really enjoyed it and I felt restricted, what I was going to develop is ordered eating.

Making good food choices is important for everyone. As a Nutritionist and Dietitian, I believe there are two important things you can do to achieve healthylifestyle—

# Make good food choices.

# Identify habits that you can keep doing over a long period of time, which fit easily into your daily routine, and can become a sustainable part of your life (what I mean by this is no fad diets!)

How else can you start making good food choices? Let’s start with the grocery store.

Here are some tips that may help you:

# Never shop when you are hungry. You will make much better choices if you shop after you’ve had a good breakfast or lunch, or when you’re not in a rush.

# Try to spend the most of the time while shopping in the fresh fruit and vegetable section. Most of us don’t eat enough vegetables, which offer many nutritional benefits and fill you up so you can better resist the temptation of unhealthy foods. Deeply colored fruits and vegetables provide more nutrients, so be sure to eat a variety of different color produce.

# Select whole grains instead of white flour, white pasta, and white rice. Quinoa is a great grain to try because it has a lot of protein, which is not the case for many grain products.

# Choose naturally low-fat and high-fiber foods (e.g., low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese, whole grain cereals).

# Know that not all oils are bad for you. Look for nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil and other healthy oils which can provide the fat you need in your diet.

# See if you can check out and exit the store without buying packaged and processed foods.

It’s simple to conclude that all you need to do is take in fewer calories than just count calories and make sure you are getting healthy fats into your diet each day.

November 18, 2015 By GOQii Editor Leave a Comment

Rava Idli (Steamed Savory Semolina Cakes)

A quick and healthy Indian breakfast, which energizes you for the rest of the day

Cooking time-45 mins

Serves- 4

Recipe ingredients

Oil or ghee – 2 tsp
Cashew nuts – 4-5, broken
Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
Urad dal – 1 tsp
Rava/sooji/semolina – 1 1/2 cups
Ginger – 1 tbsp, grated or finely chopped
Green chili – 1, finely chopped
Curry leaves – 6-8, cut into thin ribbons
Cilantro leaves – 2 tbsp, chopped
Carrot – 1 medium-sized, shredded
Yogurt – 3/4 cup
Salt – 1 tsp
Baking soda – 1/4 tsp

Recipe preparation

Heat oil (or ghee) in a large skillet. Fry the cashews, drain and keep aside.
Then add the mustard seeds and urad dal. Fry till the seeds crackle and the urad dal turns light golden.
Then add the rava/semolina and roast for a couple of minutes on medium heat, stirring all the while.
Remove this to a mixing bowl and cool slightly. Then add the fried cashews, ginger, green chili, curry leaves, cilantro and carrots. Sir to combine, add yogurt, mix well till it the mixture is uniformly moistened.
Add a little water to make a smooth, but thick batter. The batter should be thicker than a regular pancake or dosa batter. Cover the bowl and rest for half an hour.
After half an hour, add salt and baking soda to the batter and mix well. Adjust with a bit of water if batter seems to have thickened further.
Meanwhile, heat water in a steamer vessel. Grease and set aside the idli plates.
Pour batter in the idli plates and steam in the steamer vessel for 8-10 minutes or till idlis are cooked (check with a toothpick to see if it comes clean).
Remove from steamer, rest for 5 minutes and remove the idlis from the idli plates using a spoon.
Serve idlis immediately with hot sambar and spicy chutney powder. Store leftovers in a hot-pot or casserole. These can be re-heated in the microwave or lightly steamed again.

For more recipes please visit www.betterbutter.in

September 17, 2015 By SNEHA CHIKHALE Leave a Comment

10 Healthy Lunch Ideas

Lunch box….. The big question always is what do I pack today for lunch? Whether it is packing lunch for your own self or for your kid is a perennial challenge. By the time noon rolls in, it is very easy for us to head to the nearest eatery. Constant splurging of money on restaurant food which we can make at home for lesser costs and healthier too ends up as a tedious task apart from getting boring.

How can one keep their lunch tasting good day after day? How can one have mouth watering food and stick to their diet too? How can one be hero of their kids by winning their hearts with innovative and yet healthy recipes?

Here are 10 healthy lunch ideas, where health meets ease, losing weight become interesting and kids will love you for having new meals in their tiffin box everyday!!

1) Sandwiches and Wraps:

The simplest meal, one can ever make. Nutrition packed between two slices of bread, make sandwich a wholesome meal. One can make sandwich a complete meal by adding various elements to it. Veggies of your choice will give you ample of fibre and protein can be derived by adding grilled chicken or scrambled or poached egg to it. Vegetarians can opt for cottage cheese for their protein quota!

Wraps too are good option, when we are running out of time. One can make a wrap healthy by opting for healthier base like wheat base or ragi or multi grain base.

2) Salads:

When one thinks about salads and to most of us, salad is one of the most boring foods treated as side dish. But, if some dash of creativity is added to it, then a salad can be one of the most interesting and a wholesome meal!

Various experiments can be done with the salad, especially with the veggies in it. One can stick to classic salads, made of carrots, cucumber, onion, tomato. Or can go exotic by adding vegetables like broccoli, red cabbbage, zuccini, mushrooms, cherry tomotoes, baby spinach, avacado etc. One can always make it interesting by adding a zest to it with salad dressings. But, be cautious here as it can be fattening too, if mayonniese is added.

One can make it a whole meal by adding cottage cheese, grilled chicken, poached or boiled eggs to the salad.

3) South Indian meal fare:

South Indian style meal can never go out of fashion! It is one of healthy and quick meal to prepare and is favourite of every second Indian!

Stick to the classic choice of white idli, paper dosa, masala dosa, rava dosa or one can opt for healthier verisons of the dosas and Idli’s!! Instead of classic rice and urad dal combination, one can have idli or dosa made of ragi or oats. One can make it colorful by adding different veggies to it or simply can add a paste of spinach or dill leaves to the batter.

Don’t forget to have a sambar by your side, as it is your protein dose which should be taken with the main meal!

4) Soups:

Looking for something piping hot to moisten your throat? What can be the better option than the soup!! Soup is always considered as a starter. But, now this starter can also be taken as a main course, if made healthy changes to it! Classic soup can be given a wholesome twist by adding fresh vegetables to it. To get the more nutrition, one can change the trend of having clear broth and go for thicker soup instead.

But, beware of those packed soup. It is best to avoid them, as preservatives is been used and to get the thicker consistency, corn starch is generally added to the soup.

5) Parathas and Theplas:

Yet another easy, quick and healthy option we can have on our platter for lunch. One can make stuffed parathas, more full of fibre and rich in protein by adding vegetables and cottage cheese to it. Give a miss to a classic Aloo paratha this time, and make parathas more tempting and healthy by adding vegetables like carrot, peas, cauliflower, brinjal, cabbege etc.

One can combine methi or palak theplas with thick curd to make a healthy and balanced meal.

6) Try something new:

If you have some time to use little imagination, then here are few quickies for you. Most of us are aware of Quinoa by now. How about having this high on protein meal for our lunch? We can make this cereal healthy and wholesome by throwing in some vegetables to it. Same can be applied to Daliya (broken wheat) as well as for red and brown rice.

Veggies will add fibre to it and cottage cheese or chicken or egg piece or even curd aside to suffice the protein requirement of the lunch.

7) While eating out:

Not necessary it has to be packed or home cooked for us every day for lunch. There will be days, when we have a party thrown by an office colleague, or you are the one who is giving the party or sometimes, we can be in no mood to cook food for ourselves and wishing to simply eat out!!

Start your meals with some sumptuous healthy starters like grilled or tandoor chicken or fish platter, Paneer and baby corn tikka or order for a Mediterranean platter that contains hummus and pita bread.

Sizzlers could also be a good option to start your meals with. Order varieties of starters so that your stomach will be half filled with the starter and will have less place for typical Indian main course meal.

8) Some innovations with your kids tiffin box:

Let’s face it. It is a universal question for every mom who prepares a lunch box for their kids!! What new and healthy can be packed which balances taste and the nutrition. We can pack everything from sandwich to wraps to bread omlete to parartha or even muffins and pastries!

Make sure we add some quirky twist to their meals which will simply WOW them and make them finish the entire tiffin!! Apply ideas like making cartoon faces over sandwich or paratha by using eggs, olives, carrots etc. Use the not-so-favorite-vegetable of your kids in such way, that they will unknowingly or consciously make an effort to eat it.

But, also keep in mind, that their meals should consist of each major element like carbs and protein, in ample amounts.

9) Something for calorie watchers too!

“I am on diet, I can’t have tasty food”. Say bye bye to this thought and make your lunch sumptuous by adding zest to it. Give classic recipes a healthy twist by adding your own ideas.

Heard of vegetable smoothies? Go wild over your ideas by adding your fav vegetable to the mixer and blend it to a thicker juice. Don’t go for straining and you can drink your vegetables!!

One can always stick to salads, soups etc. But, you can make the boring weight loss interesting by making the meals interesting with new ideas!

10) Go Traditional:

Nothing can replace classic dal chawal thali to any continental meal!! It has everything, right from carbs (rice) to protein (dal) to Vegetables (fibre) to chapati (complex carbs). Our typical Indian thali is actually a wholesome meal. Rather than going gung-ho about eating rice, we simply can enjoy rice by watching our portions. Make sure your vegetables are tossed in least amount of oil. No extra oil goes on chapati. If we keep these things in our mind then we are sorted.

I think I have shared enough of options with you to be a hero of your family! So, go ahead and indulge in some of the most delicious yet healthy food!

September 14, 2015 By Satish Kurapaty 3 Comments

10 Healthy snacks for your road trip

How often have you remembered to carry some food with you when you step out of your home? More often than not when we are away from home we seldom think of carrying any food along with us. You could blame this on laziness or to the fact that easily available food on the go. Fast food joints have made our life so simple and comfortable that we don’t bother to carry a lunchbox or snack box if we are going away.

Ideally, it is very important that we plan our trip before leaving our house. Here are few healthy and yummy snacking options that you can choose from:-

Nuts

Nuts are packed with protein, fibre and essential fats. Handful of nuts makes a vitality-boosting snack and unlike most other options contributes a mix of valuable vitamins and minerals. The fiber content in the nuts helps us feel satiated for a longer period of time.

All nuts have different nutritional value and health benefits.

Cashew Nuts :-

Cashews contribute a good level of protein and are a useful source of minerals like iron and zinc; cashews make an excellent choice if you’re following a vegetarian diet. They are rich in the mineral magnesium, which is thought to improve recall and delay age-related memory loss.

Hazelnuts:-

If you are concerned about high levels of homocysteine, an amino acid which has been associated with heart problems as well as conditions like Parkinson’s disease, Hazelnuts are a good source of folate, which plays a key role in keeping homocysteine within normal levels.

Pistachios

Pistachios are rich in vitamin B6, which is important for keeping hormones balanced and healthy, Pistachios also contain good amount of potassium. This is the only nut that contains reasonable levels of lutein and zeaxanthin-two antioxidants that play an important role in protecting the eyes.

Dried fruits

Dried fruits like Raisins, cranberries, apricots, peaches, etc. Dry fruits are anti-cancer militant. These help us in beautiful and healthy skin. Dried fruits lack fats, are rich in fibre and help in increasing iron in the body. Dry fruits are packed with needed vitamins and minerals that are essential for healthy living.

Carrots :-

Carrots have antioxidant power in reducing free radicals in the body that works as Anti cancer. Helps in reducing lung cancer and has high amount of Vitamin A that helps is better vision.

Blueberries:–

Blueberries are low in Calories, high in nutrients. It is also known as King of Antioxidant Foods. Blueberries protect cholesterol in the blood from getting damaged and lower blood pressure. Blueberries can help maintain brain function and improve memory.

Bananas:-

Bananas help overcome depression due to high levels of tryptophan, which is converted into serotonin (happy-mood brain neurotransmitter). Have Banana before workout to pack an energy punch and sustain your blood sugar. It protects against muscle cramps during workouts and nighttime leg cramps. Bananas reduce swelling, protect against type II diabetes, aid weight loss, strengthen the nervous system, and help with the production of white blood cells. All these benefits are due to high levels of vitamin B-6.

Sandwich :-

Make a healthy sandwich by selecting healthy whole grain bread, peanut butter, Honey and add toppings as per taste. You can also add veggies to it.

Whole grain roasted snacks:

If you are buying something from a superstore, then opt for roasted snacks made of whole grains, pulses and seeds.

Whatever you choose, always keep in mind that they must be whole foods, with good fiber content and probably also have good protein, vitamins and minerals. Avoid carrying too salty, spicy and oily snacks.

Eat healthy and enjoy your journey!