|
- I have laid out this week a table specially meant for the weight
conscious. Mind you, this does not that my recipes will reduce
weight, because no one recipe can influence weight much. It all
depends on how you strike a happy balance between the various types of foods, and the body's requirements.
Your overall intake in all forms, food as well as liquids, exercise, stress, etc. influence your weight.
My recipes are aimed at making the dishes tasty as well as pinching out as much calories as possible.
You may include them in your diet program but they are not a program by themselves.
- Since the trend today is bending more and more towards health foods, every body has begun to put
in extra effort in holding the calories down. This however must be supplemented liberally with
the essentials like protiens, vitamins, fluids, etc. And yes, plenty of exercise, without which any
diet to check weight is meaningless.
- In the following notes I suggest some tips on good cooking keeping in mind the nutritional part of
recipes. This does not mean that I am presenting a diet chart or caloric breakup of my recipes.
These are dos and don'ts for those who want to eat the treats and yet keep the calories in limits.
They are a rough guide come from the years of experimental cooking in my kitchen and not a
scientific analysis of the food we eat.
- Include ample amounts of sprouted lentils in your diet. Make them at home for the tastiest sprouts.
Wash lentils (moong, channa, matki, etc.) in water. Soak overnight. Drain water, wash again and
remove excess water. Cover with a moist cloth, and keep aside for 15-20 hours. Make sure the
cloth is kept moist. Do not tie in the cloth. Use the sprouts as required. Refrigerate the extras
for later use.
- The best way to cook vegetables is by steaming them. Put some water in a large vessel. Place
a metal stand in the centre. Steam by putting the vegetables in a colander and placing over the
stand. Cover the vessel with a lid, while steaming. This way the vegetables are not washed off of
their goodies, and the veggies get cooked faster.
- Never cease to eat anything so completely so that you madly crave for the same. Eat the low
fat foods in larger quantities and your favourite goodies (chocolates, fried snacks, sweets, etc.)
in tiny servings and slowly to relish fully. Eg. If you've been gorging on desserts everyday, take
a moderate serving once a week. Remember the word moderate is like magic.
- Include veggies like bottle gourd, greens, carrots, cucumbers, etc. in plenty and experiment with
new ways of making them to break the monotony in taste.
- If you are following a diet regime let it be a sensible one!!! For heaven's sake don't go in for
crash diets and appetite reducing powders. Some things do not have a short cut in life. Reducing
weight is one of them. True to the last word, 'slow and steady wins the race'.
IIf you are going to starve yourself you will rend out this frustration in other forms like, irritability,
memory lapses, lethargy, impatience with your family & friends. The list is endless.
Who doesn't love delicious goodies. Don't punish your body (you have one and only).
Eat well, exercise regularly and be cheerful. It will work wonders on your mind and body.
|
