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Picky eaters

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Picky eating is usually a phase, and rarely indicates any co-existing condition. But it would be a good idea to check with your paediatrician to see if it isn’t something more serious or chronic like acid reflux or something more insidious. If all’s well, a skipped meal here or there is not the end of the world.

So long as your child is energetic and engaged and is deemed healthy enough by her doctor, this phase in her life can be overcome with no harm done.

However, if her nutrition is being compromised and her growth parameters are being affected, it is best to address the issue as soon as possible.

Kelli Dorfman in her seminal book, What’s Eating Your Child? , introduces a technique that she has tried on hundreds of her own patients. I thought I could reproduce the same for you in these pages. It’s a simple method which encourages experimentation and helps to widen your child’s palate at a more gentle pace. Called the E.A.T method, she urges you to:

ELIMINATE

First, start of by eliminating a list of foods that your child is rejecting or even foods that have no nutritive value like sugary or processed foods. This could be anything from roti to rice to potatoes to peas to packaged snacks. While it sounds counterintuitive, maybe the reason some of these foods are given the thumbs down by your child is because it doesn’t genuinely suit her. By eliminating foods that she fusses over, you set the stage to:

ADD

Once all rejected foods have been eliminated, you will now have to inform your child that you will be adding one new food every two weeks. This could be the same potatoes or peas, but one food at a time.

This is done to investigate the cause of the pickiness or any sort of physiological reaction to the food. While you can anticipate tears or, better yet, tantrums… you can mitigate any adverse reaction by telling them that all they have to do is:

TRY

All they have to do is try. Just one bite. One bite of the new food for the next two weeks. They don’t have to like it, but they do have just try one bite of the same food daily just for a fortnight.

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In Articles to munch on

Pinch of salt

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Sometimes, it’s nice to take life -read food -with a pinch of salt. Or even a few more. Somewhere down the line, salt has gotten a bad rap. It has been battered and bruised in advertisements and dragged through the proverbial mud on the doctor’s table. The condemnation this condiment has been receiving over the years has been confounding.

Yes, an excess of salt is bad but there’s actually no need for more than the daily requirement of 3 grams a day or a little less than a teaspoon. (And since this is the upper limit, a little less can be consumed).But there’s also absolutely no reason to go without it. We need a little salt or sodium every day. Sodium is crucial to maintaining the fluid balance in our bodies, to help send nerve impulses as well as assist with contraction and relaxation of muscles.

What are the different kinds of salt out in the market? And what sets them apart? A few facts.

SEA SALT OR CELTIC SEA SALT

This is an unrefined, unprocessed salt with a unique flavour profile. Sea salt, as its name suggests, is made from evaporating sea water.

ROCK SALT OR HIMALAYAN PINK SALT

`Kala namak’, that nimbupani staple, is found in the Himalayan regions. Again, this is unrefined and adds an interesting dimension of flavour to whatever you prepare.

GARLIC OR CELERY SALT

These flavoured salts are the magic that happens when table, rock or sea salt are combined with dried garlic or celery. They will make a beautiful contribution to your next dish.

REFINED IODIZED SALT

You probably already have this, but just in case you don’t, this is your usual table salt that is mixed with io dine, which has a crucial role in preventing intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The above differ mildly on mineral content and taste but it’s incorrect to assume that one is healthier than the other. And it’s best not to consume salt to get your daily quota of minerals when fruit and vegetables are far better sources for this vital micronutrient.

The only thing to ensure is that you aren’t doing on your daily salt intake. Do remember that there are hidden salt mines buried deep within your favourite packaged and processed foods. Salty foods include additives that contain sodium. Like cold cuts, bacon, microwave or ready to-eat meals, cheeses, soups… the list goes on. Do check the nutritional label when buying these foods, especially if your doc would like you to clamp down on the sodium.

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In Lose Weight

Slips don’t lie

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You know you shouldn’t. And yet, three days into your new diet, you are wiping the crumbs of a very crumbly cupcake off your face. Oops! You had no choice, you reason with yourself, because it was your best friend’s birthday, and, well, one couldn’t hurt, right?
Right. Small slips rarely have any great calorific impact ­ so long as you are able to quickly burn it off. But left unattended, many `slips’ can pile on as calories before you even realise it. It takes 3,500 un-burned calories to gain a pound of weight, and the more slips you have without doing anything about it, the more the calories go unburned, and in turn, the more weight you gain.

But this is not about setting sail on a guilt trip. The larger point of this article is to understand what derails your intentions to eat healthy. And you’d be surprised at how innocuous it may be.

CAN’T SAY `NO’ TO AUNTIE

Social pressure is one of the key reasons our diets fail time and time again. Without realising it, that loving bua or neighbour or host, who is pushing you to eat her laddoos -because she equates food with love -is setting back your efforts to lose weight. And while she may definitely have your best intentions at heart, it’s important to gently let people know that it is not compatible with your health plan at the moment. If they genuinely love you, they will respectfully withdraw. Be strong. The more you say No, the more people will understand.

ARE YOU DIETING?

So many people don’t want to look like they are dieting on social occasions. They would actually eat stuff they never usually eat. While it could come from being self-conscious about dieting, the fact is that it’s more   important to think about what you want. Don’t worry so much about what people think: even if you do incur comments initially, these will slowly slide to a stop as people find other things to talk about.

THE HOLIDAY FROM HEALTH

A lot of people, who go on vacation, seem to take a holiday from healthy eating too. There’s no point working hard to shed the kilos before you leave only to find yourself back to square one on your return. Most cuisines have healthy, low-fat options. Enjoy your holiday but don’t make food a part of the vacation experience. Sightsee, shop, walk around and spend quality time with your loved ones: there are other ways to enjoy your time off.

PACK SAYS `LOW-FAT’

One of sneakiest detailers to any healthy diet can sometimes be something you least ex pect: foods marked `low-fat’. Low fat doesn’t always mean low calorie. It’s also important to be vigilant about the other ingredients that go into low-fat products. Sometimes manufacturers add sugar to add to the taste -which adds to the calorie count -or sometimes eating double of something which has 50% less fat, pretty much amounts to same level of fat being consumed. It’s definitely something worth thinking about.
Enjoy your new lifestyle but whatever you do, be aware of what causes you to get off the healthy eating wagon. Because slips, after a point, don’t lie.

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In Articles to munch on

Raising the bar

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It seems harmless enough and does its best to tell you how healthy it is. But if I were you, I’d be suspicious of the average snack bar. I am referring to the granola bars, protein bars, health bars or fruit bars. Even The New York Times said in a recent article that they can be as calorific as dessert.

 

What started off as an innocuous effort to add more fibre and nuts to i your daily diet has now become a multibillion dollar industry, where the last thing you’re getting is health. To understand how healthy your snack bar is, read the nutritional label: you’d be surprised. To me, an ideal snack bar should be brimming with the goodness of nuts, seeds and nuts, seeds and healthy ingredients that are not so fat and calorie-dense. Have you thought of making your own?

Add more seeds:  Pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, flaxseeds, watermelon seeds, sunflower seeds experiment with the abundance of this fundamental snack bar ingredient. Apart from containing good fats, seeds are fantastic sources of fibre, protein, minerals like zinc and vitamins like Vitamin E. They add a fabulous texture and taste that you will feel in every bite.

Reduce the nuts: Ensure that the seeds to nuts ratio leans more heavily in favour of seeds. Nuts like almonds, cashew, walnuts and macadamia, while healthy, are calorie-dense and need to be used sparingly. A tiny handful per bar should suffice, and abstain from high-fat nuts like cashews.

Puffs: For added texture and bene fits, you could also try quinoa puffs, rice puffs, wheat puffs and other similar foods.

Dates to bind: Commerciallly made snack bars use caramelised sugar or syrups for binding, but it’s better not to use sugar because it will completely negate the good work. How about exploiting the sticky and gooey texture of dates or figs? It’s flavourful and natural.

Season: Go creative with seasoning like sea salt or even sprinkles of paprika if you really like it tangy. At the end of the day, it’s your bar.

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In Lose Weight

Waste makes waist

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Nothing is as satisfying as seeing the food you have worked so hard to cook get quickly consumed by your loved ones. There go the potatoes. All done. And it’s so nice to see your kid polishing off his plate with the last of the buttered pav. But what’s this? Lurking at the bottom of the dish you got as a wedding present is one spoonful of chicken curry. You look up and ask your family if they’ll finish this last teensy weensy bite. But they’re all shaking their heads vehemently, pushing their plates away, looking fit to burst. What do you do? You can’t let it go waste. How horrifying! In goes the spoon, up goes the chicken right into your mouth. Instead of let ting it stay in the dish, you eat it yourself, ignoring the warning your stomach is sending to your brain -that you were done 10 bites ago.

As Indians, we’re culturally ingrained not to waste. We were raised to finish our food and clean our plates. Wasting food was seen as the ultimate sin of excess and an ultimate insult to the preparer of the food who would, more often than not, look wounded as half-empty plates were sent back to the kitchen.

But trying to not waste could be one of the sneakiest ways the weight piles on.

Think about it this way. Let’s assume that you are eating a little bit of leftover food every night to `clean up’ either yours or someone else’s plate. Even if you eat 100 extra calories a day, that’s 36,500 extra calories a year. And if it takes 3,500 extra unburned calories to gain a pound of weight, simply preventing food from going to waste could lead you to gain five kilos over the course of the year. Five kilos. It’s not too late. Prevent waste from going straight to your waist with the help of the WAIST method:

  1. WAIT

It takes 20 minutes for your stomach to send a signal to your brain that you are full. To prevent overeating, try to stop eating when that feeling of fullness starts.

  1. ASSESS

Combat the problem of wastage by not cooking too much to begin with. Estimating quantities takes time and practice and a little heartache but there’ll soon be a time when y o u ‘ r e cooking just the right amount.

  1. IGNORE

Leave someone else’s food alone. If they’ve wasted it, it’s their problem. Not yours.Your meal is done.

  1. SERVE

Don’t serve yourself too much to begin with. You can always add more later but it’s harder and more tempting -to `not waste’ if you’ve piled on too much food to begin with.

  1. THINK

Leftovers can provide a fabulous foundation to your next meal and there are always creative ways to tackle them.

And don’t fret. If nothing works, it’s not the end of the world. You’ll just get it right the next time. Both for the food, and for your body.

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In Bombay Times - Ask the expert

Is curd bad for throat?

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Dear Pooja,
I have been suffering from cold and cough since more than a week now. There are some diet advices that i have been getting from people that i really need a professional opinion about….
Does having lemon and citrus foods help? People say khatta is bad for throat but isn’t the vitamin C in them, good? What about curd and bananas? Is curd bad for throat? And another confusion is – fried and oily food? How is that bad for cough and cold?

If it’s free – its advice; if you pay for it, it’s counseling – right? Well having said that, yes I do agree that most advice you get can be confusing and difficult to decipher without some guidance. Do note that different schools of medicine have different core principals and thus the advice can get confusing. My views and suggestions are purely from a nutritional standpoint with no disregard to other schools like Ayurveda or naturopathy. Citrus foods are rich in antioxidant and flu fighting Vitamin C which markedly help relieve a cold but may aggravate a sore throat– my suggestion however would be eat the fruit and not drink it. Fresh yogurt at room temperature helps build the healthy intestinal flora, which help combating the unwanted bacteria, improves internal immunity, which also help wards off viral infections. Bananas contain vitamin B6 that helps the body fight infections.  Fried and oily food on the other hand worsen the cough as frying releases a compound called acrolein, which acts as allergen that aggravates the cough and causes an itch in the throat. Other don’ts would be to avoid alcohol and smoking. Avoid excess caffeinated beverages (although warm fluids temporarily ease the throat) as they increase acid reflux that worsen the throat. Focus on good hydration levels (just plain warm water or clear soups) as that helps dilute the mucus and possibly ease the congestion. Roots like garlic (Allicin being the active compound) and ginger both help alleviate common colds and sore throats. Hope that helps Shreya – take care!

 

 

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In Bombay Times - Ask the expert

I am tired of FAD diets – help me!

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Dear Pooja,
I am a 26-year-old woman and have been dieting  (I eat only two meals -lunch and dinner) for the last couple of years now. However, the amount of weight loss is rather slow. I have tried different diets (the GM diet helped me to lose 4 kgs last year but now i am the same) but none of them have worked so far. What should I do?

 

Sadly my dear, you are losing out only your healthy burning muscle mass not the unhealthy storing fat. When the body is not fed frequently and adequately, it drops its metabolic rate and moves into a compromised burning state where it is unable to breakdown fat as a source of fuel and therefore survives by breakdown the next available source- muscle. This too leads to weight loss but after a while plateaus as the body cant let go of too much of its muscle mass. Any diet that starves you can only lead to loss of muscle never fat thus all your previous weight loss attempts have failed. To start up (and for the last time ever) eat to lose. Divide your meals into four main meals plus three to four fillers depending on the number of hours you are awake. Eat little but eat every two hours – that is the best way to keep your metabolic rate up and thus use fat as the reverse fuel- helping you lose weight gradually but permanently because as the fat mass decreases it increases inherent metabolic rate making it easier to maintain the lost kilos. Happy eating!

 

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In Bombay Times - Ask the expert

Eggs are bad for me?

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Dear Pooja,
I have been an egg lover for years but now that I have reached almost 35, people say i must not have so many eggs in one day. I am not fat, just a little overweight but I end up eating too many eggs in a day. (around three at least) People have asked me to stop eating yolks but that is the tastiest part of the egg, so i cannot! I walk three to four times a week for around 45 minutes… and that is the only exercise i ever do. Should I stop eating eggs? Are they really bad for my age?
Please advise.

Eggs and bad? Never! How can something that has so much nutrition and so little calories ever be bad for you? At only 16 calories, the egg white provides a massive 4 grams of protein and is a 100% reference protein, which means that it all has all the nine amino acids needed for full utilisation by the body. Thus I can easily say that consuming about three to four egg whites can be a safe number for most adult to have on a daily basis. Yes, depending on you lipid profile and other healthy parameters, the number of yolks you can have weekly will have to be decided. The yolk may be tasty (for some) but there is some caution needed while having this daily – therefore discuss this with your doctor or nutritionist to get the exact count.

But egg whites are the safest, healthiest and most easily accessible form of complete protein that one should try and include daily. It helps one get better muscle tone, weight loss, stronger and longer hair and nails, lesser sugar cravings, better stamina, more attention and retention powers while studying, lesser aches and pains and this list is endless. Therefore let nobody fool you into stopping the egg whites Shikha, enjoy them daily – guilt free!

 

 

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In Bombay Times - Ask the expert

Do I need a detox???

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Dear Pooja,

I am 37, 58 kg, and my height is 5.1. Last year I had taken a herbal slimming pill for one month (LIDA) and lost around 10Kg. had felt energetic and less hungry and great during that time but, my bowel movement which had always been regular till then, went haywire – once in two days etc. I stopped after a month and in two months came back to my previous weight of 56-58kg. Just wanted to know what should one eat that acts as laxatives and keeps the system clear? What can help to detox? Which foods can help? I am a non-vegetarian and rarely have vegetables and fruits.

 

If there were such an easy way to lose weight (and maintain it) would more than half of the world’s population be overweight? There are no short cuts to weight loss darling I hope you have realized that now (perhaps the hard way). Each of these short cuts – pills, creams, starvation fads, machines – all come with their bag full of side effects – constipation, hair loss, headaches, joint aches, blood pressure fluctuation, brittle nails, dull skin and the list is endless.

You ask me about detox, why should one need it? If you eat food in moderation (healthy and unhealthy), drink ample water, exercise three-fours a week – your body knows how to purge and clean itself – that is the magically power of this human body. By torturing (yes, its sometimes even more harsh than torture) with pills and medication or starvation in the name of weight loss – that is when your body needs a detox – not from food but from these unhealthy practices. God has gifted each of us one magically body – that relentlessly works 24*7 like clockwork – learn to respect this temple. Nourish it with food not pills and you will never need doctors, nutritionists, dermatologists and the like again.

And lastly you asked me about constipation and how to relieve it – well you also did give the answer yourself – you eat no fruits and vegetables! If do not provide the fibre and roughage then how can you expect to have clear bowel movements? Include at least four to five vegetables and fruits (whichever you like from the vast bounty that is available) servings a day along with adequate hydration and you should be able to help yourself without artificial laxatives.

 

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In Bombay Times - Ask the expert

My diet is extremely healthy – but I still gained weight – help?

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Dear Pooja,
I am in college and I have been working out in the gym from the past 5 months. I first started out by doing cardio and rigorous weight training in the gym during my break, then when college started, I started running for 45-50 min in the park. I would sometimes do 50 min cardio in the gym (25 min cross trainer and 25 min running on the treadmill instead for running out in the park). My diet is extremely healthy, I make it a point to eat healthy home cooked meal. I sometimes each red rice or jowar roti or normal roti during meals. I each 3 fruits during the day and plenty of water. As I belong to a Punjabi family, we eat non-vegetarian dishes cooked in minimum oil 5 times in a week. But my mom compensates that with giving us lots of vegetables to each. I eat an egg every day.  I don’t indulge in deserts and i avoid fried foods. Despite my efforts, I’ve gained 6 kgs in the past 4 months. Could you help me with the same.

 

 

To start with I must say I am happy to hear that as a teenager (assuming that since you said college) you are trying to lose with food and not without it – as most would just think of food as calories and thus the main culprit to weight gain.  Food is your sole nurturer and growth provider – never ever shun away from it.

Now to comment on your diet- at the first glance absolutely nothing looks wrong in your eating pattern that would cause this weight to go up – you are doing a good balance of input (food) and output (cardio). It seems to be a good balance of carbs (brown rice, jowar roti), proteins (non veg + egg), vitamins and minerals (3 fruits+ vegetables).

However, Sanjana please note that your input (however healthy) has to within the specific need of your body. When I say ‘need’ I mean that every body has its BMR (basal metabolic rate), which is the minimum calories it needs for its own basic functioning. Weight gain is a consequence when the input is more than the output. To perfectly know your body’s need you could ask for professional advise or even calculate your BMR using online tools that only need your height, weight, age and gender to calculate the same for you. In my book – Eat.Delete I have taught you how to do this and then also pick up a diet as your BMR that will give you the total amount of food you need to eat in a day.

Sadly I have no simply answer to give you for your weight gain – but remember our body is a magnificent machine that works relentlessly day and night – its needs thus are special and require a little fine tuning when we are talking about losing or gaining weight. Learn this delicate balance once and your body will respond to it marvelously and continuously. Whatever you do never give up your faith in food – that then is my mission accomplished!

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