Nutrients & more...

Eating healthy is one of the most basic needs and getting the kids to eat well has become a daily challenge of parents. In our obsession with calories and vitamins; we tend to forget that food has cultural value also. The childhood is full of memories associated with food (b'days, festivals , other holidays etc.) and it’s the experience which makes it worthwhile. Here are a few tips for eating healthy as a family: No TV rule while dining - Talk to each other instead of watching TV. With less distraction and more interaction the kids tend to finish their food. Pic Don’t eat alone - we tend to eat in a more balanced way when in company. This helps us watch what we are eating. An aware family will always have more healthy dishes on the plate. Pic Don’t hurry up with your meals - Eating is an experience to be savored. Dinner with your family is usually a time to catch up on everyday activities of each person. Cook your own meals - This ensures that you have control ov...

Make a list before visiting the supermarket. List according to priority e.g. put yogurt above that pack of chips. pic Read the labels - While buying packaged foods; always read nutrition labels and ingredients along with the expiry dates. This will ensure that you get freshest products which will last longer. Avoid food-like substances - Yes, there are certain "foods" which are not really food but a product of the processing industries. Mostly things with too many ingredients which you can't recognize (e.g. HFCS-High fructose corn syrup) are the ones to avoid. pic Go organic - If you want the best for your family then don’t skimp on buying good foodstuffs. Also by doing this, you will not only keep your family healthy , but also help those few people who have taken care that no pesticides should pollute the food. pic Visit the farmer's market regularly - the quintessential " sabzi mandi " is the closest we come with regards to local produce an...

This is a common caption highlighted on a number of oil containers in the supermarket. The consumer relies on these health claims and makes his/her purchase thinking that they have bought a 'healthy' product. In fact this term is misleading and mostly used as a marketing gimmick. Its like calling sugarcane juice "fat-free" or "100% natural". Pic Here are the facts: 1. No oils from vegetable sources have cholesterol. Only animal fats have cholesterol eg. butter, lard, eggs etc. 2. Though vegetable oils are Cholesterol free, it doesn't mean that you can let your food swim in it. Moderation is the key. 3.Body is capable of making the cholesterol (it is required by the body) it needs. There is no need to buy an oil blend which has grand health claims on its package. You can just go by your choice . To do: Change the type of oil (groundnut, sunflower, soybean, mustard, safflower, coconut, canola, cottonseed etc.) used every few months . This p...

'Whole foods' is one of the commonest term used these days. For all practical purposes it means those foods which (more or less) are in their original form. Why eat whole foods? 1. More nutrients : Minimal processing ensures that they retain more nutrients.eg. choose Whole wheat flour over refined flour and parboiled rice over basmati. pic 2. Have more fibre : It is beneficial for the gut health. It normalizes bowel movement. Eat raw salad vegetables like carrots, radish, lettuce, beet root, spring onions etc. Pic 3. Good thermic effect : More energy is needed to digest them than required for refined foods. Have negative calorie vegetables like cucumber, lauki (bottle gourd), turai (ridge gourd), falli (beans), capsicum, tinda etc. Pic 4. Provide satiety at a lower calories : If you eat whole foods they'll fill you up in lesser calories as compared to refined foods. Also they take longer digestion time and thus you feel full for a longer period of time. ...

Fats is one of the essential nutrients required by our body. Here is quick view about what fats in the market are all about. Vegetable oils - these are liquid at room temperature like til /sesame, soyabean, nariyal /coconut, sarson /musturd, sunflower, Jaitoon /olive, mungfali /peanut Animal fat - fish oil, butter and ghee (yes, all dairy products are included in animal products) Hydrogenation - a process by which liquid oil is changed to solid fat. Basically turns it into trans fat or 'bad fats'. Please avoid as far as possible. These include Dalda, vegetable ghee, margarine Saturated fats - These are present in animal fats or made from vegetable fats by the hydrogenation process. eg. Ghee/clarified butter, butter, dalda, vegetable ghee(made by hydrogenation), margarine Unsaturated fats - These are liquid at room temperature. eg. vegetable oils or fish oil Monounsaturated fat - It's a good fat. Try looking for MUFA on the pack. It helps in controlling blood c...

1. "daru peene se liver kharaab ho jaata hai" - Amitabh Bacchan's dialogue in Satte pe Satta A very apt and simple statement about the effect of alcohol on liver. More people should follow this one to stay away from Alcoholic Liver disease . 2. "Phir na kehna Michael daaru pee ke danga karta hai"- Lyrics from a bollywood song Pic Most of the people can't " hold their drink " as the phrase goes and binge drinking leads to a more destructive scenario. In India domestic violence is a common scenario especially among the uneducated masses. 3. "main tumhare bacche ki maa banne wali hun" - Common dialogue in hindi movies. Pic Teenage pregnancies have seen a rise in UK due to teenage drinking. Alcohol and unprotected sex goes hand in hand. Statistics are not available for India as unmarried pregnancy is a taboo here, but rest assured, it's not uncommon. 4. "ek ke do, do ke chaar mujhko toh dikhtein hain" - l...

1. Fizzy drinks - They have been repeatedly proven to be unhealthy . They are linked to diabetes, obesity, loss of bone density, dental decay and heart diseases. Read more about them here and here Pic 1 , Substitutes: Lemonade, coconut water, sparkling water, plain tap water, buttermilk 2. Alcohol - Apart from being a social nuisance, it can get very addictive and come in the way of your life. It does not incur any major health benefit , in fact it dehydrates the body and affects the liver adversely when overly used. Pic 3. French fries - Usually found in fast food joints are loaded with trans-fat (the BAD fat) barely have any nutritional value; one can definitely live without them. If you are addicted then try healthier substitutes like this one . Pic 4. Refined flour - It is practically devoid of all the B-complex vitamins and minerals. Whole wheat flour will work in most of the recipes demanding white flour/ maida . Refined flour produce is only good for clinical co...