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Rice is nice

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Your guide to eating white rice for weight loss and health

There are fewer foods that in still more fear in my clients’ hearts than rice. Or more specifically, white rice. This humble cereal has become a dietary force that few dieters want to reckon with – so many skip rice entirely in their efforts to lose weight or reach their health goals.

While the nutritional benefits of brown rice have been discussed to death, the problem is that it’s relatively costly and not commonly available, like white rice. Also, brown rice has a fairly distinctive taste, which may not always marry well with dishes which work so well with its whiter cousin. That’s why this piece is my effort to tell you why not to be a (white) cereal killer.

To start with, all the rumours you have heard about white rice are true. Yes, it has a higher glycaemic index (GI), which means that it gets converted into glucose very quickly by your body and can spike blood sugar levels. Result? Bad for both diabetics and dieters. It is also a starchy food (starch is part of the glucose family), which again can be fattening and disturb — or even reverse — weight loss efforts. All true.

But to that I say, white rice is only a problem if you don’t cook it or eat it in the way it should be eaten. And yes, there is a way. Or more than one way to have your rice and eat it too:

BOIL WHITE RICE, DON’T PRESSURE COOK IT

Cooking rice in a pressure cooker means that the starch will remain in the rice and not be released in the water. The same holds true with rice cookers. To remove the starch, boil it and drain the rice water.

ADD VEGETABLES TO LOWER ITS GI

Did you know that high GI food can become low GI foods? In the case of rice, this is done by simply changing the composition of the rice and adding vegetables to it. The vegetables take more time for your body to process, and this slows down the rice’s ability to quickly convert into glucose.

PORTION IT OUT

For dieters and diabetics, one medium size bowl a day is the serving size I recommend. Diabetics need to be doubly sure that all water is completely drained before eating it.

White rice is yummy, and is the base for many dishes – not only in Indian cooking but many other cuisines, both regional and international. It’s tasty and versatile and can be a health companion, making you look forward to your meals instead of dreading them. Why give it up if you don’t have to?

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Wet your appetite

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While the principles for healthy living and healthy eating remain the same throughout the year, certain seasonal rules apply. Just as summer and winter bring their unique environments and nutritional needs, the monsoon creates its own set of dietary restrictions, particularly pertaining to the intake of vegetables. Here are some veggie dos and donts:

RAW LEAFY VEGETABLES

The rainy season is probably the only time of the year when I would not recommend leafy greens. The rainy season generates a great deal of humidity, spurring bacterial growth which tends to thrive on the surface of the vegetables we eat. Transportation conditions and storage arent particularly hygienic either, which means that we need to stay away from vegetables that arent peeled. These include raw spinach, lettuce, methi, kale and other ones that go straight, unpeeled, uncooked from farm to table. Needless to say, if these vegetables are cooked, there is no problem with their consumption.

Other options for non-leafy veggies include snake gourd (tori), gourd (dudhi), pointed gourd (parval), yam (suran), apple gourd (tinda), bitter gourd (karela), and cluster beans (gavaar) along with your usual onions, turnips and potatoes. If the sound of tinda or gavaar doesnt appeal to your kids/family/spouse, try saying apple gourd or cluster beans instead. It might just work.

SPROUTS

Like vegetables, sprouts is one of the best things for your body but unfortunately, the rainy season brings with it pathogens that tend to infest this particular food. If you must eat it, lightly steam them prior to consumption.

CAULIFLOWER & BROCCOLI

There are greater chances of cauliflower and broccoli infestation during the rainy season. When I mean infestation, I mean insects making a nice little home for themselves on the leaves. If you can skip the raw versions entirely, its better.

CUCUMBER

This made it to the list because cucumber is eaten many a times with the skin on. Peel it.

FRUITS

While fruits are not vegetables, be partial to seasonal fruits. Unseasonal ones are more likely to be prone to infestations. Your best bets are pomegranates, bananas, mangoes, apples, plums and whatever else is in season. Again, peel the fruit instead of eating it with the skin on.

**A NOTE ON WASHING

For vegetables and fruits with peels, try and do a final rinse with potassium permanganate. Add enough potassium permanganate to a vessel with water for the water to take on a light pink tint. Soak fruit and vegetables for about five minutes. Rinse thoroughly to effectively remove bacteria, pesticides and assorted pests.

Enjoy the best of healthy vegetables this season.

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Coco-nuts

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It’s the question I’m often asked: How nuts can we go about coconut? Okay, I’m paraphrasing, but most of my clients indeed want to know how they can integrate coconut healthfully into their daily diet. Its reputation as a high-fat food has indeed preceded it, but coconut is so much more than its calorie count…

Builds Immunity

There are good fats in coconut — like caprylic, capric and lauric fatty acids — that provide antiviral, antibacterial and antiprotozoal functions, all of which build your immunity. In addition, there is also something called monolaurin (present in coconut fat) that gives viruses a knock-out punch.

Rich Mineral Source

Coconut is also loaded with minerals, all of which do wonderful things for your body’s regular functioning. Minerals in coconut include manganese, copper, selenium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium and zinc. That makes this food a veritable bounty of goodness.

Reduces BP

Raw coconut is high in fibre, which gives it its ability to lower blood pressure. Never a bad thing, no matter what your health profile is.

Better Bowel Movements

Foods high in fibre ensure regular and smoother bowel movements, which, of course, reduce the incidence of constipation and bloating.
Having said that, coconut is also a source of saturated fats, which is a bad fat. It cannot be denied that per cup, raw coconut contains almost 24 gm of saturated fat alone, the intake of which should be limited if weight management is a goal.

Considering that adults should have anywhere between 10 and 20 gm of fats a day (depending on their body composition and weight loss needs), how do you eat coconut healthfully without tipping the scales? You can, if you:

1. Avoid it during weight loss phases

Given its high saturated fat content, I would recommend avoiding/limiting it during your weight loss phase. You can always come back to it in your weight maintenance period. The same goes for coconut oil.
2. Moderate its intake

If weight loss is not your goal, a good estimate would be to consume 30-50 gm of raw coconut per week, once a week. You can integrate this in anything to include curries, chutneys, pastes, and even healthy desserts.

3. Use fresh, grated raw coconut

The best source of coconut is freshly grated from the coconut you bought recently, preferably that day. This ensures that all its vital nutrients remain intact, and its numerous health benefits can be passed on to you.

4. Avoid coconut milk

Coconut milk is high in fat, and most cooks underestimate how much actually needs to be used when putting it in a dish. Try and avoid it as much as possible.

5. Avoid processed and pre-packaged coconut

And definitely avoid desiccated coconut, pre-packed shredded coconut, pre-packaged coconut milk, and any coconut that does not come in its natural, brown, nutty, hard casing. You want the taste of this widely-available wonderful food, yes, but why sacrifice its glorious benefits?

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Eat complete

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You are in a post-lunch meeting. But all you can think about is how much nicer it would be to be at home, tucked in bed.You find yourself nodding off at the precise moment, the boss looks in your direction and you wonder why it keeps happening.
There’s a term for it: Post-lunch slump.

The reason for this lethargy could be what you are eating and how you are eating it. To combat this, how about changing the way you do both? You have probably heard of power walking, power dressing and power naps. But have you ever heard about power eating? I like to define it as using food to get the most efficient workday possible. The key to understanding this concept is to recognise that your energy level is closely tied to your blood sugar levels.The more unstable it is, the greater the spikes and crashes, and the more exhausted you feel. Eating right and eating frequently can combat this.

EAT SLOW

First, eat slow-release sugars. Every single little thing you eat gets converted by your body into glucose i.e. sugar, be it a sandwich, sprouted salad or even vegetable juice.Some sources of sugar are simple carbohydrates like pastries, sugary drinks and dessert that spike your blood sugar levels only to send them crashing down later. Which is why eating these foods feels great at first but then start making you feel run-down. Instead of simple, go for complex carbohydrates. They are slow-release sugars that take time to get converted into glucose, making the effect gentler on your body and providing you with steady streams of energy through the day. Sources of complex carbs are green veggies, whole-grain foods like pasta and oatmeal, beans, dals, peas and starchy vegetables like potatoes and sweet potatoes.

EAT TWO

Second, eat every two hours. Eating every two hours helps to keep your sugar levels stable. Instead of eating three big meals through the day, why not break it up into six or eight smaller meals? Smaller quantities will provide a regular and sustained burst of energy that will keep you alert and competitive through the day.

EAT LOW

Third, avoid fatty and rich foods. Rich, heavy foods make you feel sluggish and lethargic. Even if the boss is whipping out his expense card to take you out, try and limit fatty foods by exhibiting portion control. Your body -and your job -will thank you for it.

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Genie in a diet

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As weight loss resolutions ring in the New Year, I’d like to talk to you about what to expect from your weight loss plan.Treat your weight loss plan like a genie. Expect things from it. Asking for just weight loss is like asking a genie for a kite or a pencil or a sharpener.Anyone can give you that. But if you are going to take control of your weight, if you make changes in the way you eat, shouldn’t you expect better returns on your diet? Here’s what should be on your wishlist…

PERMANENT WEIGHT LOSS

If you choose a diet that focuses only on losing weight, it will ignore other issues like metabolism and overall health. Your diet needs to guarantee permanent weight loss, i.e., where the weight does not come back if you eat `normally’.

INCREASED METABOLISM

A good diet should kickstart your metabolism and actually increase it.Eating every two hours is the secret to stable weight loss.When my clients burst through the door telling me, `I lost 3 kilos!’, I am never impressed. The first question I ask them is, `Did you eat every two hours?’ Because without that, I know (from my experience with all my clients) that the 3 kilos are going to come back.

FAT LOSS

If you don’t lose fat, you lose muscle. And the more muscle you lose, the higher is your body fat percentage. That in turn leads to storage of more fat. Any meal plan low on calories starves you and ensures that your body uses muscles for its daily functioning, which is detrimental to any long-term weight loss goal.

OVERALL HEALTH, ENERGY, WELL-BEING

How are you feeling? This is something no weighing scale or blood test will be able to tell you. Do you get up in the morning feeling lively? Do you feel that you have a better attention span? Do you feel less irritable? Your energy levels should remain more or less the same throughout the day: there should be no major highs or lows. Your blood sugar levels should be consistent and stable. Your overall health and well-being is the ultimate test of the success of any weight loss programme.

Whatever you do, don’t give up. And this year, when it comes to weight loss, I want you to take the same pride a marathoner takes crossing the finish line. If you are here to beat, win, compete, compare, you are measuring yourself against people, bodies and deadlines that aren’t yours. Don’t look over your shoulder. Forget about who’s catching up and who’s running ahead.

Your job is to finish. Be a finisher. That will be your victory.

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Energiser bunnies

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Like adults, children of this century have more than ever on their plate.

An endless treadmill of school time, tuition time, extracurricular, homework time, and dare I say, iPad time ­ leave them with very little window to do anything else. Also, like adults, they also have many roles to play: as students, as friends, as teammates and as general creators-of-ruckus! Having said that, we mustn’t forget that children of this age are also still developing, both physically and mentally. Food is not just a tool to keep them going, but also a tool to keep them growing. The challenge is how do you make sure they get their daily dose of nutrients while maintaining their required levels of energy?

PLAN

Plan the menu for the week. There are many healthy substitutions for junk food your kids like. Make your child’s tiffin the envy of the class. Swap deep-fried for air-fried or baked, heavier red meats for healthier white meats and high-fat for low-fat. It’s not so much about weight control (even though the rate of child obesity has spiked), but about your child getting a sustained release of energy through the day. And here’s why…

GET COMPLEX

Everything we eat gets converted into glucosesugar, which in turn provides us with the vital energy we need to perform our various functions. Sugary foods, processed foods, refined foods and some high-fat foods are simple sugars, i.e. fast energy sources which may provide that extra burst of energy, but soon lead to a crash in blood sugar levels just as quickly as they had spiked.

So before you pack that chocolate as a treat for your child in the tiffin or buy a tetrapack of fruit juice -which also has tons of sugar, by the way, and is not as healthy as it may seem -check yourself.

Fluctuations in blood sugar levels brought by these foods are unhealthy.

Choose complex sugars in stead, like fresh fruits, vegeta bles, home-cooked healthy foods, lean meats and eggs. These foods take a longer time to break down into glucose by the body, and provide your child a sustained release of energy through the day.

HYDRATE

We mustn’t forget another factor that contributes greatly to children feeling tired or run down: dehydration. Lack of adequate water drains both muscles and brain. Water helps maintain the salt balance apart from reducing ex haustion. Daily water requirements range from 1.3 litres (for children aged 1-3) to 1.7 litres (for children aged 3-8), 2.4 litres (for boys aged 9 13 years) and 2.1 litres for girls in the same age group. Older boys and girls (aged 14-18) need 3.3 and 2.3 litres, respectively.

Note: A tall glass of water is approximately anywhere between 200-250 ml (approx.)

Lastly, lack of sleep and exercise both contribute to a tired and listless child. Ensure that they get enough sleep and can tear themselves away from their virtual lives to get out in the sunshine to live a real one. If children must bring the house down, they should do it well, I feel, and for that they need to be fuelled by the best nutrition.

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Free to be

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This Independence Day as we ponder over freedom, let’s contemplate our relationship with food. When it comes to nutrition, are we truly free? Or do we feel bound by a plethora of conflicting information? Can we ever be free to eat whatever we want?
If weight loss and maintenance are our goals, then some foods are born more equal than others. But if it’s the numerous and contradictory instructions that are bogging you down, you can, to some extent, be free of rigid diet rules if you follow this simple colour-coded food philosophy.

ORANGE

Orange foods include papaya, carrot, apricots and more. Carrot prevents cancer, helps us see better and slows down aging. Papaya boosts the immune system and safeguards us against disease. Apricots are bursting with iron, potassium and fibre. And let’s not forget pumpkin: every part of this delicious vegetable is brimming with goodness, right down to the seeds. Orange you glad you read this!

BROWN

Brown can turn your frown upside down.

Revel in the benefits of brown foods which include nuts, potatoes, ginger and quinoa. Potatoes are loaded with vitamin B6 ­ vital to the building of new cells. Ginger’s medicinal role has been well documented. Walnuts and almonds help with the prevention and management of diabetes. And Quinoa like the humble egg white is one of the purest sources of protein ­ a 100% reference protein which means it has all the nine essential amino acids needed by our body.

WHITE

Lean white meats, egg whites, onion and garlic represent the white corner. Chicken and turkey are fantastic sources of lean protein, but egg white is one of the BEST sources of protein there is. Onions are potent anti-inflammatories and garlic is a brilliant antioxidant, both of which form the base for many cuisines.

GREEN

Kale, asparagus, green beans, spinach, broccoli, edamame, basil, capsicum, green tea ­ go green to get lean. The leafy greens are wonderful sources of nutrients, anti-oxidants and boost your health quite like nothing else.

Of course, this is not to say that other foods not mentioned here -like dals, and other sabzis -are not healthy or that you should not eat them, neither should we eat the above without moderation. Oil, fat, quantity and sugar intake must be monitored while preparing these foods so that you can get the best of them. And add some colour to your life.

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7 deadly skin sins

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How you age is not just a matter of your genes. Your skin is pretty much a reflection of your lifestyle, which, in turn, is all about how you eat, drink and live. If you are moaning and groaning over why your skin is suddenly looking dull, lifeless, tired or just old, check if you haven’t committed one or more of the seven deadly skin sins.

  1. DEHYDRATION

Are you getting enough water? Dehydration could be the reason why you look older than you are, and wrinkled. Lack of this wonderfully replenishing lifesaver dries out your skin -your body’s largest organ -and dry skin is more susceptible to wrinkling than hydrated skin. You need about 8-12 glasses or about 2-3 litres of water a day. It will help you slow down, or even reverse, the aging process.

  1. FOODS HIGH IN SUGAR AND FAT

You see the effects of oxidation all around you ­ the rotting of fruit is the best example. When oxygen in the air comes in contact with the fruit, it slowly turns brown and eventually rots. Oxidation, while occurring naturally outside the body, is harmful if it occurs inside your body. Inside, the process of oxidation releases `free radicals’ that slowly damage organs, including the skin, aging it. Certain things we eat and drink, like fried or sugary foods,  are oxidants. Antioxidant foods (green teas, fresh fruits and vegetables) reverse the oxidation process.

  1. CAFFEINE

Caffeine, found in teas, coffees, cola drinks etc., cause oxidative stress and are also dehydrating. They leave you more  thirsty than when you started.

  1. ALCOHOL

Like caffeine, alcohol is the ultimate aging double whammy ­ it is high in sugar, which causes oxidative stress, and dehydration. Alcohol strips your skin of nourishment.

  1. SMOKING

Vitamin C is an excellent antioxidant, and is also known as a free radical scavenger. Smoking depletes your body’s quota of Vitamin C, and adds even more free radicals, fast-tracking the aging process. Add leafy greens and citrus fruits in your diet. Quit smoking.

  1. NO VEGETABLE JUICE

Vegetable juices are fantastic antioxidants that brim with nourishing and healing properties. In a mixer, not a juicer, blend the juice of three raw vegetables. Add about half the pulp back to the glass, some water and season to taste. Drink up daily to look younger.

  1. SLEEP DEPRIVATION

Sleep is when your skin repairs itself.

If you are not clocking enough sleep hours, you may be aging ahead of your time. There’s a reason it’s call `beauty sleep’.

Now, the good news. All of the above are self-in ducked, lifestyle choices, old habits that can be broken. It doesn’t matter how old you are, the power to look young, fresh and healthy is more in your K hands than you think

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Genie in a diet

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As weight loss resolutions ring in the New Year, I’d like to talk to you about what to expect from your weight loss plan. Treat your weight loss plan like a genie. Expect things from it. Asking for just weight loss is like ask ing a genie for a kite or a pencil or a sharpener. Anyone can give you that. But if you are going to take control of your weight, if you make changes in the way you eat, shouldn’t you expect better returns on your diet? Here’s what should be on your wish list…

PERMANENT WEIGHT LOSS

If you choose a diet that focuses only on losing weight, it will ignore other issues like metabolism and overall health. Your diet needs to guarantee permanent weight loss, i.e., where the weight does not come back if you eat `normally’.

INCREASED METABOLISM

A good diet should kick start your metabolism and actually increase it. Eating every two hours is the secret to stable weight loss. When my clients burst through the door telling me, `I lost 3 kilos!’, I am never impressed. The first question I ask them is, `Did you eat every two hours?’ Because without that, I know (from my experience with all my clients) that the 3 kilos are going to come back.

FAT LOSS

If you don’t lose fat, you lose muscle. And the more muscle you lose, the higher is your body fat percentage. That in turn leads to storage of more fat. Any meal plan low on calories starves you and ensures that your body uses muscles for its daily functioning, which is detrimental to any long-term weight loss goal.

OVERALL HEALTH, ENERGY, WELL-BEING

How are you feeling? This is something no weighing scale or blood test will be able to tell you. Do you get up in the morning feeling lively? Do you feel that you have a better attention span? Do you feel less irritable? Your energy levels should remain more or less the same throughout the day: there should be no major highs or lows. Your blood sugar levels should be consistent and stable. Your overall health and well-being is the ultimate test of the success of any weight loss programme.

Whatever you do, don’t give up. And this year, when it comes to weight loss, I want you to take the same pride a marathoner takes crossing the finish line. If you are here to beat, win, compete, compare, you are measuring yourself against people, bodies and deadlines that aren’t yours. Don’t look over your shoulder. Forget about who’s catching up and who’s running ahead.

Your job is to finish. Be a finisher. That will be your victory.

 

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Baby Love

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You’ve been married for a few years and you feel it’s time to get pregnant.

You’d like to increase your chances of fertility. What should you do?

FOR STARTERS, EAT RIGHT

The National Infertility Association in the US recently stated that almost 30 per cent, or nearly one-third, of infertility cases are due to `weight extremes’, i.e., where the woman is either excessively overweight or underweight. This matters because even a five per cent reduction in weight can improve chances of having a baby. That’s what the study revealed. And, at the other end of the spectrum, women with a BMI (Body Mass Index) of less than 18.5 could have problems with ovulation or menstrual cycles, and by extension, conception.

In other words, there is a definite correlation between nutrition and fertility.

Can you eat your way into pregnancy?
In short, `yes’ (all other indicators being normal), but the answer is also two-fold.

First, a sensible diet -and here, I stress on sensible -will reduce your weight if you are overweight. Protein, fats, carbs, vitamins and minerals must be represented in their recommended quantities for you to nourish you body and lose weight at the same time. Fad and crash diets will starve your body of crucial nutrients that are needed for conception. Please note that, like breathing or digestion, conception is also a bodily function that needs adequate nourishment.

Second, it’s not just eating right, it’s also about eating smart. There are foods that boost ovulation. Iron-rich diets -foods like beans, eggs, dals, whole grains, spinach -reduce the chances of ovulatory infertility. And while folic acid doesn’t boost fertility, it is vital for the prevention of neural tube defects.

Note: The neural tube is what ultimately develops into the baby’s spine and brain 3-4 weeks into the pregnancy ­ a time when most women may not even be aware that they are carrying a baby.

Additionally, a group of Harvard researchers has created the `fertility diet’, designed to boost fertility, bringing about a 66 per cent reduction in risk of ovulatory infertility for those who suffered from it, and an additional 27 per cent reduction in the possibility of infertility from other causes. Key elements of the diet include…z Less bad fats, like trans fats, and more good fats like mono saturated fats (olive oil and avocados) z More vegetable protein, like dals, and lesser animal protein (chicken, mutton, pork, etc.) z More fibre z Multivitamins z More vegetarian sources of iron as opposed to non-veg sources.

MEN, WATCH YOUR DIET

And it’s not just the women. Men need to keep a watch on their diets too. Aspiring fathers also need to maintain their weight and eat right because male obesity impacts testosterone and other hormone levels. In addition, low sperm count and low motility are conditions that are more common in overweight and obese men.

There’s nothing strange or different about eating for fertility. Watch what you eat, watch your weight and watch yourself as you create a new life and with it, induct yourself into one of the world’s biggest societies: parenthood.

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