Category Archives: Nutrition Articles

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What Foods Help You Sleep?

Category:Indian Dietitian Online,Nutrition Articles Tags : 

Having trouble falling asleep?

Certain foods are known to calm the brain and help promote sleep so eating the right things in the evening is definitely part of the recipe for a good night’s sleep. Research that what you eat can affect your sleep. One of the ways to a restful sleep at night is to keep the brain calm rather than agitated. Tryptophan, an amino acid, helps to make serotonin and melatonin which are important neurotransmitters that affect sleep. 

Here are some Tryptophan-rich foods to eat at night:

  • warm milk, 
  • curd, 
  • chamomile tea,
  • banana, 
  • raisins,
  • almonds and walnuts, 
  • fish, 
  • sesame seeds
Woman, Asleep, Girl, Sleep, Dreams, Face
What Foods Help You Sleep?

Here are some tips to fall asleep:

  • Indulge in stress busting activities before bed time, like listening to music, reading a book, take a warm water bath, drink a glass of warm milk with a pinch of nutmeg or a cup of chamomile or liquorice tea.
  • Put a few drops of lavender oil on your pillow or behind your ears.
  • Avoid caffeine -coffee, tea, soft drinks, chocolate and nicotine (cigarettes and other tobacco products) close to bedtime 
  • Eat at least 2 hours before your bedtime.Eating before bed can cause the body’s metabolism to slow. The body slows down its functions at night to prepare for sleep, but consuming foods, especially those high in carbs, can make it harder to digest and also results in weight gain.
  • Don’t exercise close to your bedtime. Exercise raises your body temperature, speeds up your heart rate, and stimulates your nervous system. Intense exercise done too close to bed lead to interrupted sleep in some people. 
  • Try some breathing exercise-alternate nostril breathing is known to help
  • Keep the room temperature between 15C-20C if possible. This is supposed to be the optimal temperature for sleeping.
  • Avoid looking at screens/gadgets just before bedtime. The blue light that’s emitted from these screens can delay the release of sleep-inducing hormone called melatonin. It is also said to increase alertness and delay sleep.

Sweta Uchil

Online Indian Dietitian


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Indian Diet Plans by Indian Dietitian Sweta Uchil

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Are you looking for an Indian Dietitian? Are you looking for an Indian Dietitian nearby? Are you looking for an Indian Dietitian who can plan Indian Diet plans? Are you looking for an Indian Dietitian who is qualified? Are you looking for an Indian Dietitian who can plan your diet chart according to your needs, eating habits and lifestyle? Are you looking for and Indian Dietitian who knows what life is for an Indian outside India?

Then look no further-meet Sweta Uchil-Purohit. Our Dietitian who ticks all the boxes. How? Let’s have a look:

Are you looking for an Indian Dietitian? Sweta Uchil is an Indian Dietitian and completely understands the eating habits of all Indians. She is not only a popular dietitian among Non Resident Indians but also the South Asian(Sri Lankans, Nepali, Pakistani and Bangladeshi community).

Are you looking for an Indian Dietitian nearby? Sweta Uchil is an Indain Dietitian who has an e-clinic. That means she is just a click away-you can easily have a diet consultation without even leaving your home. That is the nearest that anyone can be to you.

Are you looking for an Indian Dietitian who can plan Indian Diet plans? Being Indian and having a keen interest in learning about different cuisines and also having the exposure to people from allover India, she can plan diets for any region of India/South Asia.

Are you looking for an Indian Dietitian who is qualified? Sweta Uchil is an Indian Dietitian who started her career as a Clinical Dietitian at Manipal Hospital, one of Bangalore’s most highly acclaimed hospital. Here she planned diets for not just weight loss but also for Diabetics, Renal patients on dialysis as well as post kidney transplant diets too.

Are you looking for an Indian Dietitian who can plan your diet chart according to your needs, eating habits and lifestyle? Sweta anything between 40 minutes-1hour on each client during the first consultation. This is to get a deep understanding of the patients current diet and lifestyle. After this, the plans a diet based on these inputs so that it makes it easier for the client to follow the Meal plans recommended.

Are you looking for and Indian Dietitian who knows what life is for an Indian outside India? Tired of explaining how life outside India is for a NRI? Sometimes people in India don’t seem to get how different the lifestyle of Indians who live and work abroad to that in India. Sweta has lived in the US and currently lives in Australia and hence is familiar with life in both hemispheres.

Where are the reviews? Of course in today’s world we don’t even buy a pen without checking if it has good reviews so how can you choose a Dietitian/Nutritionist with checking for reviews? Go ahead and check our Reviews page or log into your Linkedin account and check Sweta Uchil-Purohit’s Linkedin profile for the current reviews.

What does a typical Indian Meal Plan look like? This is very difficult to generalize as Sweta Uchil plans each Meal Plan according to the eating habits and tweaks it to fit her recommendations.

Contact us now to know more: CONTACT US or Message us on our Facebook page


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Stress and Weight Gain: Understanding the link between Stress and Weight Gain

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The Stress – Weight Management Issue

Stress is the way a person responds to pressure from various situations and it affects mental, physical, psychological and emotional well being.Most of us are victims to stress. We cannot change our surroundings but we can definitely change a few things in our lifestyle!The demands of a job, relationship with colleagues, personal ambition, and competition are other reasons for stress in the lives of most people now a days. Especially at such places, stress is also linked to many addictions like overeating, smoking, drinking, and drug abuse.Physical problems associated with stress range from something as common as a headache to long term stress diseases like, digestive problems including ulcers, insomnia, fatigue, high blood pressure, nervousness, heart disease, strokes and even cancer.It may even lead to emotional disturbances like, anxiety, anger, depression, irritability, frustration, over-reaction to everyday problems, memory loss and a lack of concentration for any task and psychological problems like withdrawal from society, phobias, compulsive behaviors, eating disorders and night terrors

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Stress and Weight Gain

Stress Management

Stress management involves a complete behavioral change including a change in the lifestyle and attitude.Stress is known to induce eating disorders and addictions. Diet management is an important part of a lifestyle modification and a well nourished body is less prone to the ill effects of stress.

Eating when stressed out

Processed foods, fast foods, stimulants and addictions make and stressful condition worse.Another problem that people may face during stress is that of overeating.

During a stressful condition, hormones are released in the body and these cause an increase in the utilization of the stored fats and carbohydrates for instant energy.Once the stressful condition subsides, these hormones continue to stay in the body leading to an artificial craving for food. That’s when we end up consuming an unnecessary amount of fat and carbohydrate rich foods.Stress often leads to stomach cramps, constipation and digestive problems. A diet rich in vegetables provides not only fibre, but also amino acids which produce seratonin; a compound that has a soothing effect on the brain. Apart from this, maintaining fixed meal timings and having small frequent meals also help in beating the stress!

Sweta Uchil

Online Indian Dietitian

JOIN our Holistic Approach to tackling Stress and Weight Gain: Indian Weight Loss Package


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What are Carbohydrates?

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What are Carbohydrates?

Wondering what are carbohydrates? What’s the big deal about Low Carb Diets?
Carbohydrates are obtained from staple diet and provide energy to body. Carbohydrates are the main source of calories in our meal. Carbohydrates are divided in two categories: Simple and Complex. Simple carbohydrates are sugar and starches. Complex carbohydrates are obtained from vegetables, whole grains and pulses. 

Carbohydrates have been targeted by various diet communities as the culprit of obesity. Well, this may be true but “all carbs are not bad’. They have to be eaten wisely. Firstly, differentiate between the simple and complex carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrate energy is obtained from sugar. Other sources are:
Biscuits, Cakes and pastries, Chocolate, Honey and jams Jellies Brown and white cane sugar Pizzas Prepared foods and sauces Soft drinks Sweets and snack bars.

Complex carbohydrates are found in:

  • Barley 
  • Beans 
  • Brown rice
  • Chickpeas 
  • Lentils 
  • Nuts 
  • Oats 
  • Parsnips 
  • Potatoes 
  • Root vegetables 
  • Sweet corn 
  • Wholegrain cereals 
  • Yams

How many calories does Carbohydrates provide?

Each gram of carbohydrate provides 4 Kcal. 

How much carbohydrate does one need? 

Recent studies have shown that excess of carbohydrates which are not used up by the body is converted into fat and stored in the body which is one of the main culprits of weight gain as well as cholesterol problems.

That’s right-cutting carbs can have a three fold benefit.

1. Helps in weight loss

2. Helps in reducing sugar levels in diabetics

3. Helps in reducing the cholesterol levels.

In a low carbohydrate diet, the calories will be made up by fat and protein. 

Which carbohydrates should you skip? 

It is best to avoid the easily digested refined carbohydrates obtained from refined grain flour (maida/suji): white bread, white rice, as well as pastries, sweetened beverages, highly processed foods. These contribute to weight gain, interfere with weight loss, and promote diabetes and heart disease. 

Which carbohydrates can you eat? When and if you do eat carbohydrates, it’s best to eat whole grains like brown rice, dalia/broken wheat, poha, oats, barley, millets like ragi rather than refined carbohydrates.


Sweta Uchil

Online Indian Dietitian


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Celebrities with Diabetes

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Have you been recently diagnosed with Diabetes? Do you feel like it’s the end of the world? 

Most people go into a state of denial and think that ignoring the problem will make it “go away”. 

The truth is, pray as much as you want, but it won’t go away. What you can do however, is accept the situation, learn, and understand the condition, so that with the help of your doctor, dietitian and diabetes educator you can be in better control of yourself and diabetes. 

Keep in mind that you are not alone in this battle, with India on the verge of becoming “the Diabetes capital of the World” there are more than 40 million diabetics in India alone. Diabetes is not restricted to the common man; even movie stars, sports stars, singers and other celebrities suffer from the disease and yet are still able to lead a glamorous lifestyle. 

Celebrities who are also diabetics:

  •  Wasim Akram: The former Pakistani bowler also known as ‘the King of Swing” was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 30 and was at the peak of his career. Akram apparently could not believe that he could be a diabetic as he thought that only people over the age of 50 and leading a sedentary lifestyle could get it. Eventually, he learnt to follow a strict diet and exercise regimen that was tailor made for him along with daily insulin doses. To his credit he has about 250 wickets which he took after being diagnosed as a diabetic! 
  • Kamal Hassan: Diabetes has not dampened the spirits of this versatile actor and father of actress Shruti Hassan. He tries to balance a hectic schedule and his Type 1 diabetes and even takes out time to encourage other diabetics to take charge of their lives. 
  • Gaurav Kapur: The Channel V VJ, host of Big Switch 2 and actor was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the tender age of 22. Gaurav now practices yoga and jogs to keep fit, follows a strict diet and avoids alcohol to keep his sugars under control. 
  • Elvis Presley: The King of ‘Rock and Roll’never publically admitted the fact that he was a diabetic and went on leading a high profile life. 
  • Halle Berry: The Oscar winning Hollywood actress was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 23 when she collapsed on the sets of a TV show. The actress then went on to win numerous awards and even an Oscar in 2001. In 2007, she gave birth to a baby girl. “Diabetes turned out to be a gift,” she says. “It gave me strength and toughness because I had to face reality, no matter how uncomfortable or painful it was.” 
  • Nick Jonas: India’s most famous ‘damad‘ (or Priyanka Chopra’s husband) and singer of the boy band ‘The Jonas Brothers’ was diagnosed with diabetes at age 16. Diet, exercise and an insulin pump that delivers insulin throughout the day is what lets Nick lead as normal a life as possible. 
  • Randy Jackson: The American Idol judge, singer and Grammy Award winning producer was obese, had a family history of diabetes and is an African-American (the 3 major risk factors for diabetes) when he was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. Randy has since then, managed to shed around 45kgs (100lbs) with regular exercise and diet. 
  • Salma Hayek: The actress cum producer was diagnosed with gestational diabetes when she was 25 weeks pregnant with her first child. Though this type of diabetes usually goes away after pregnancy, these people have a high risk of developing diabetes later on in life. 
  • Sonam Kapoor: The actress and fashionista was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at a very young age. Instead of sitting back, she decided to take control of her life. She started eating healthy and with regular exercise lost a ton of weight and is able to keep it under control.

So it’s not just you, even the rich and the famous can suffer from Diabetes. What you need to do is to take a leaf from their book and try your best to control diabetes so that you can lead as normal a life as possible.

At the end of the day-don’t let Diabetes control your life, try to control it!

Sweta Uchil

Online Indian Dietitian


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Indian Weight Loss Diet Packages

Lockdown and Weight Gain?

Category:Indian Dietitian Online,Nutrition Articles

Weight Management :Tips for Lockdown and Work From Home. Lockdown and Weight Gain? Should you worry?

How to stay Healthy during the Coronavirus Pandemic?The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly changed the way we live. To help keep us safe, it is likely that our lives will be different for a while.

Physical Health and Well being:

With Covid-19, the Lockdown and Working from home has become a common feature of our lives in 2020, home working brings its own challenges when it comes to staying physically and mentally healthy. For those living on their own, feeling isolated all day, finding yourself ‘just finishing things off’ at 11pm, or constantly fighting the temptation to polish off the leftover ice-cream are just some of the issues for those of us using our lounge room as an office. 

Lockdown and Weight Gain? Should you worry?

48 percent of people say they have put on weight during lockdown in a new survey. But don’t stress out.Here are some tips to help you improve your overall well being while working from home:

  1. Set up a separate office space.
  2. Maintain a healthy work-life balance by logging your time and setting limits.
  3. Get up every hour and get out at least once a day.
  4. Choose a good chair.
  5. Keep the kitchen stocked with healthy snacks and meals.
  6. Eat only when hungry. Stop snacking endlessly or due to boredom.
  7. Take frequent breaks-every hour is a good idea. Take a walk to the kitchen, have a glass of water, stretch and take a quick 10 minute walk.
  8. Use a watch/app to monitor the number of steps you get in a day-aim at getting at least 10,000 steps.

Lockdown and Weight Gain? Should you worry? 

The lockdown has increased the sedentary lifestyle in most houses. Those who used to hit the gym to get their daily dose of exercise are no longer able to do this. A sedentary lifestyle is used to denote a type of lifestyle most commonly found in modern cultures. It is characterized by sitting or remaining inactive for most of the day, with little or no exercise.

Are you a victim of Sedentary Lifestyle? Unfortunately with the lockdown everyone of us have become victims.

Read on to know how you can bring some activity into your daily routine.

Overweight and a sedentary lifestyle are directly linked and are together responsible for most of the lifestyle diseases that we come across today. The problem is caused by people eating too much, or exercising too little, or most often; a combination of both.

A sedentary lifestyle is linked to diseases such as type II diabetes, heart disease, depression and even hemorrhoids.

Lack of exercise causes muscle atrophy, i.e. shrinking and weakening of the muscles thereby increasing susceptibility to physical injury. Additionally, physical fitness is correlated with immunity and a reduction in physical fitness is generally accompanied by a weakening of the immune system.

Research shows that people who are physically active are biologically younger than the ones who are couch potatoes. This means that your body may feel and appear much older than you actually are.

Today, a lot of people just sit and work in their houses.After they finish work, they end up spending endless hour watching TV. Working from home all day ends up in virtually no physical movement at all. As a result, they are being diagnosed with mental and chronic diseases. It is important to maintain a minimum level of physical activity as it provides a number of immediate health benefits and prevents lifestyle diseases later in life.

Much more than weight loss:

Lose Weight the Healthy Way. It is important to be physically active not just to lose weight but for a number of other reasons –

Low levels of activity, resulting in fewer calories used than consumed, contribute to the high prevalence of obesity or overweight.

Physical activity may lead to better body fat distribution.

A number of health benefits can be obtained by including a moderate amount of physical activity during the day

Physical activity reduces the risk of coronary heart disease, hypertension, colon cancer, and diabetes  in particular

Physical activity also improves mental health and is good for the muscles, bones and joints

According to most guidelines, 30 minutes of physical activity in a day for just five days in a week can have significant health benefits.For those with high-stress jobs or desk jobs, a brisk walk for 30 minutes for every working day of the week helps in not only weight management but also in preventing a number of posture and lifestyle related disorders.

Lose weight the healthy way –

Engaging in physical activity will help you in permanent weight loss. It will improve your metabolism and also keep you away from lifestyle diseases. Most of us lead a sedentary lifestyle simply because we do not have the time or now, even a place to exercise.

Get going –

It is important that you build physical activity into your daily schedule. It would be difficult at first but you must keep in mind the following tips:

Start gradually. Start with walking 10-15 minutes every hour. This can be inside your house, in your backyard, or even on the terrace/ corridors. This will ensure that your Basal Metabolic Rate(BMR) does not fall.

1.Do not give yourself targets you can not achieve

2. Set specific goals for yourself. This makes it easier to reach the goals

3. Involve your family and friends. Let them motivate you to do your best.

4.Focus on the long term benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

5.Buy an exercycle, or an elliptical or ake up a sport like table tennis (you can always start by converting your dining table).

Stress and Mental Health:

The impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, physical distancing and isolation can make us feel anxious, stressed and worried.When we aren’t able to see our friends and family regularly, it can be harder to keep on top of how we’re feeling.

Being aware of how you’re feeling and knowing what you can do to look after your mental wellbeing is an important part of staying healthy during this challenging time.

While it is reasonable for people to be concerned about the outbreak of coronavirus, try to remember that medical, scientific and public health experts around the world are working hard to contain the virus, treat those affected and develop a vaccine as quickly as possible.

Sweta Uchil

Online Indian Dietitian


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Calories: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

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Everybody wants to ‘go on a diet’. Everyone knows that ‘you have to watch your calories when you diet’, but not everyone understands what exactly ‘calories’ are/mean! Most people associate calories with only junk food/ sweets/chocolates as they know that they are ‘high calorie’ stuff. But what many don’t know is that almost all foods have calories and that the body needs calories for energy purposes.
So why are calories getting a bad reputation? Well, that’s because we live in a world of abundance and we choose to feed our bodies with foods that have too many calories and too little nutrition.
To understand calories better, let us start with the some FAQ’s:
What are calories? Calories are the units used to measure energy.
Where do we get calories from? From the food we eat (fruits, vegetables, grains, pizzas, pooris, cake, chocolates, etc.) and from the beverages we drink (milk, juices, coffee, alcohol, etc.). The energy is stored in these foods in the form of ‘macronutrients’ namely carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Each of these macronutrients gives us ‘energy’ in varying numbers:
Carbohydrates= 4 calories per gram
Protein=4 calories per gram
Fat= 9 calories per gram
Since all foods have calories and since our bodies need calories-how does one know what to eat and what to avoid?
Good question! To make things simple-let’s divide calories into three groups:

Good; Bad and the last……UGLY!!
1. Good calories: are those which come from ‘nutrient dense foods’. These are foods that are loaded with other nutrients like minerals, vitamins, fiber, essential fatty acids which the body needs, in contrast to the number of calories the food contains.

Good Calories

These can be found in regular foods that are familiar to most people like fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains like brown/parboiled/semi-polished rice, whole wheat atta, jowar, bajra, barley, ragi/nachni, nuts and seeds, lean meats like chicken/turkey (skinned out), fish, soy and other dry beans/pulses. Healthy and natural fats are an important component of a balanced diet. Include natural fats like butter, ghee, olive oil , traditional Indian oils like coconut, til, mustard, peanut oil. Healthy fats can also be found in free-range poultry, wild caught oily fish, full-fat dairy products and eggs. Try to get the maximum calories through these foods and you will end up getting most of the nutrients that the body requires including the calories needed for the body to function normally.

2. Bad calories: These would be foods that man has changed from its natural format-like polished/white rice, white bread, refined flour/maida, juices, milkshakes, etc.

Polished rice

The trick is to ‘go slow’ with this group. Try to avoid or limit these foods as these have been stripped off their nutrients.

3. Ugly calories: or ‘empty calories’ are those foods that provide no other nutrients other than calories. These are usually foods that are either loaded with sugar or fat/oil/ transfat (vanaspathi, margarine).

Candy

Best examples of these would be cola/aerated drinks, alcohol, sweets (candies, cakes, pastries, donuts) fried foods like chips, fries, namkeens, pakodas, pooris, etc. Avoid eating these on a regular basis as these will provide you with only calories that you don’t need!

Now that things are hopefully a lot clearer, there are two more things to keep in mind-PORTION SIZES and regular EXERCISE!
Too much of even ‘good’ things can be bad for you. Eating balanced diets and exercising regularly is the key to staying healthy!


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It’s Time to Spring Clean…. your diet!!!

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This article of mine was published in INDUS Age a local Indian Newspaper in Syndey. You can read the article here: Spring Clean your Diet

Spring Clean your Diet

Spring is in the air and that means it’s time to clean up…your diet!! That’s right,

it’s high time you took charge of your health and got it back on the right track by

making little changes in the way you eat and of course by being more active.

Eating according to the season is as popular among Indians as it is in the rest of the

world. Not many can resist sinking their teeth into hot parathas or makki di rotti

with dollops of butter along with the traditional sarson da saag and rounding it off

with some delicious carrot halwa made with oodles of desi ghee. Traditionally,

Indian foods eaten during winter make use of the seasonal vegetables available

around that time. The liberal use of ghee or butter, nuts, milk and milk products is

also associated with winter as the extra fat is believed to keep the body warm. Add

to this the fact that the cold weather restricts a lot of outdoor activities while on the

other hand it brings on a lot more of get-togethers and parties and before you know

it; you are packing in the pounds!

If you just stepped on the scales and noticed that you have indeed gained weight

through the winter, take heart in the fact that you are not alone. Researchers feel

that the cravings for high-calorie foods are a natural response of the body to the

cold so that the body can get extra layer of fat as a protection to the cold. While

times have changed and humans now live in a world where we can control the

temperature indoors, the body has yet to change its ways! Nevertheless, it’s never

too late to change your diet and spring is the perfect time to make all the changes.

So this year along with spring cleaning your houses, do yourself a favour by spring

cleaning your diet too!!

While most people wish that they could just sit and use a magic wand and wish the

extra kilos to disappear into thin air, getting rid of those ‘love handles’ is going to

take a lot of will power and a little more of moving about! A healthy outlook, a

sense of portion control and at least half an hour (if not more) of physical activity

can result in the extra body fat melting by the time it is summer.

For spring cleaning your diet we need to start with literally cleaning your fridge,

kitchen pantry, recipe books and your grocery cart of all the high calorie foods and

snacks like:

  • chivdas, farsans, bhujias, chips,
  • samosas, pakodas, bajji’s, vadas, fafdas, pizzas, burgers,
  • halwas,gulabjamoons, jalebis,
  • butter chicken, Paneer butter masala, malaikoftas, dal makhani and creamy soups or curries,
  • pooris, oily parathas, oily dosas

Once you’ve made space by weeding out all the unhealthy stuff, you can replace

them with all the healthy foods. If you have not already experimented with whole

grains, now would be a great time to do so. Eating all those halwas, bhaturas and

pooris made of maida and soaked in oil can make the digestive system sluggish

due to the lack of fibre in refined flours. Rather than buying ready-made multi-

grain atta (which may not necessarily be made from whole grains) make your own

multi-grain attas (mix whole wheat atta with other whole grain flours like

ragi/nacchini, bajra or jowar or even soy) for your roti’s or chapathis .This will not

only give you the much needed fibre but also extra nutrients like B vitamins and

minerals. If rice is a part of your staple diet, then you can experiment using brown

rice or red rice (rose matta) or even boiled rice as this is more nutritious than

polished white rice. Brown rice has a wonderful nutty flavour that goes well with

gravies or curries. Later on you could start including other whole grains like oats,

barley, quinoa and even dalia (broken wheat).

Warmer weather brings loads of vegetables and fruits that are less dense and

contain more water like grapefruits, oranges and later the berries, cherries,

cucumbers and watermelons which help in keeping the body hydrated. Eating

seasonally and locally grown vegetables and fruits is not only cheaper but also

more nutritious, not to mention tastier! In Australia, spring is the season for

vegetables like asparagus, broccoli, beetroot, silverbeet, palak, peas, cabbage,

cauliflower and mushroom most of which can easily be incorporated into desi

subzi’sor curries. Warmer weather is also a signal for cooking lighter meals and

including more salads, fruits, curd and chaas (buttermilk) in the diet. To keep the

meals light, keep a tight control on the quantity of oil used for every dish and

remember that where oil is concerned “less is more”!! Include foods in the menu

that are made by healthier cooking methods like steaming, stir-frying, grilling or

sautéing. Keeping hunger pangs at bay by eating three balanced meals and two

healthy snacks in between the meals will go a long way in avoiding food cravings.

Some ideas for healthy snacks that can be eaten in between meals are:

 Fruits

 Fruit chaat or fruit bowl (without added sugar/honey)

 Grilled tofu/paneer kebabs

 Baked falafel with hummus

 Sautéed asparagus with mint raita

 Steamed corn

 Sprouts/channachaat or boiled pulses shoondal/ usal

 Dhoklas or khandvi

Keep in mind that portion control is a very important part of eating healthy.

Overeating even on the healthiest of foods can still make the calories add up easily.

To give you a general idea of how easy it is to get your diet back on track have a

look at a day’s diet that is great for spring:

Early Morning: Warm water or Tea/coffee

Breakfast:Idli with sambar and chutney + Papaya

Mid-morning: Buttermilk and Orange

Lunch: Brown rice + Dal palak + Cabbage and peas sabzi

Tomato and cucumber salad +curd

Teatime: Tea/ coffee + steamed corn (no butter)

Dinner:Phulkas + broccoli sabzi

Moong dal + carrot raita+ Strawberries

Note:

try to use as little oil and sugar as possible for the whole day)

Once the diet is taken care of, you need to take care of the other important factor

for healthy living-physical activity. If joining a gym to workout is not your cup of

tea, you can keep yourself active by simple activities like brisk walking, jogging,

cycling or even swimming. For those who aren’t averse to sweating it out at the

gym, the best way to make sure that you get there would be to take a full years’

membership. Whatever means of physical activity you choose, do make sure that

you get your doctors approval before starting.

After you’ve made the effort of ‘spring cleaning your diet and lifestyle’, make sure

you stick to it to see the many long-term benefits of incorporating a healthy

lifestyle.


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Does an Apple a day REALLY keep the doctor away????

Category:Indian Dietitian Online,Nutrition Articles Tags : 

According to the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) in Australia, it may be true!!

An Apple a day….

The CSIRO reviewed the abstracts of about a 122 reviews published on apples and found that the saying does hold some weight.  Scientific evidence does actually show that regularly eating apples can help:

  • Keep your heart healthy:  by helping to lower total and LDL cholesterol. New research from the University of Western Australia show that eating apples may improve blood pressure and elasticity of blood vessels.
  • Maintain a healthier gut bacteria: by bringing positive changes to gut bacteria
  • Assist in weight loss: by helping you feel fuller for longer. Studies have shown that both adults and children who eat apples regularly are more likely to have a lower BMI which could be attributed due to the pectin (fibre) and polyphenols present in apples.

Apples are known to be subject to a host of pesticides and since most of the nutrition is in the skin, the best thing to do is either buy organic apples or do the next best thing – soak the apples in a baking soda solution for 12 to 15 minutes and then scrub it well.


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Spring Allergies??Asthma??Include this fruit in your diet…

Category:Indian Dietitian Online,Nutrition Articles Tags : 

Pears

Traditional Chinese medicine has for years used pears to help those suffering from lung infections. Just like in Ayurveda, Chinese medicine uses foods to heal certain internal organs and pears are used to dissolve mucus, detoxify, relieve constipation, lubricate the throat in hot weather, regenerate body fluids and relieve coughs.

Researchers in Netherlands conducted a study and found that fruits like pears and apples are rich in a plant compound catechin, which may help protect the lungs from chronic diseases.

Pears are a good source of dietary fiber, potassium and  vitamin C. The fiber found in pear is insoluble, which along with the fructose and sorbitol, makes it an excellent addition for those who are constipated. Pears are considered beneficial in treating inflammation of mucous membranes, lowering high blood pressure, controlling blood cholesterol levels. , and alleviating arthritis and gout symptoms.