Nutrition

5 Reasons Why Eating Rotis Is A Healthy Option

Made with whole grains like wheat, the roti is the quintessential healthy Indian food. A bonus is that it is so easy to make. Every state has its own take on this popular Indian bread, but the common thread is that all these tasty variations are equally healthy.

Here are five clear and definitive proofs of this fact.

Reason 1: Low Calorie Count

So long as it isn’t coated with fats-heavy ghee, a roti is one of your best friends if you’re on a weight loss diet.

Reason 2: Wheat Is Really Healthy

Loaded with vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B6 and B9), minerals, potassium and more, whole wheat delivers all the right nutrients.

Reason 3: Rotis Are Easily Digested

Two words: whole grain. This means that wheat is simple to digest, and a great choice for a light meal that is easy on your stomach. The fibre content helps too.

Reason 4: Lowered Cancer Risks

Vitamin E, soluble fibre and selenium are all known to reduce the risk of cancer in your body. Good then, that all these are components of rotis!

Reason 5: Rotis Are Fresh

Most other breads go through a fermentation process, but rotis are kneaded literally minutes before they are roasted. Plus, the flour isn’t full of chemical preservatives.

Aside from these healthy reasons, rotis are easy to make, and go well with a number of curries and subzis. That’s a compelling three-pronged reason to eat them, and reap the benefits!

References:

https://www.boldsky.com/health/nutrition/2012/reasons-roti-is-healthy-031200.html

https://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/myth-0-logic/what-is-more-healthy-rice-or-chapati/

https://redspoon.in/top-7-reasons-chapati-everyday/

5 Indian Eating Habits That Are Great For Health

We’ve all heard the jokes about Indian food in American TV shows and movies, but most Indians know that our food is actually healthy. In fact, from the ingredients to the cooking methods, our food and eating habits are generally on the healthier side.

These 5 habits are the proof.

Habit #1: Our Food Is Fresh

To most foreigners, cooking 3 separate meals each day can seem like too much work. However, we cook our meals afresh every time, protecting ourselves from harmful diseases.

Habit #2: Most Drinks Are Non-Alcoholic

Think about it: most of our drinks, be it summer or winter, are flavorful, tasty and healthier than drinking alcohol. In fact, masala chai, nimbu paani and lassi are all healthy beverages.

Habit #3: Our Spices Are Mostly Superfoods

Coriander, cardamom, turmeric, mustard and cumin seeds are all renowned for their health-boosting properties.

Habit #4: We Love Chutneys, And Healthy Ingredients

Coconuts, yoghurt, peanuts, mint, and cucumbers—all these are common chutney ingredients, and all of them are beneficial to health.

Habit #5: Our Flatbread Obsession

Across the country, we eat rotis, chapatis, or phulkas—whatever you call your favorite flatbread, it is made from healthy whole grains.

If your home follows a traditional Indian diet, you most likely won’t have to worry about eating healthy.

References:

http://www.lifehack.org/371269/top-5-indian-eating-habits-that-are-good-for-health-2

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/diet/20-best-ways-to-healthy-eating-habits/articleshow/19031746.cms

4 Healthy Indian Foods to Keep you Fit and Fine

When you think of Indian food, what comes to your mind? Hot, spicy, greasy or heavy? Most people think along these lines. But most Indian foods have a healthy element to them, a little trait that tends to go unnoticed by the most of us. We give you 4 dishes which are not only tasty but also beneficial to your health.

Pulses or Dal

Pulses are a good source of Vitamin and Minerals.They are low in fat and are good for your weight loss regime.

Roti or Chapati

The atta or the flour used in making rotis is rich in fibre content which is good for your stomach and also being rich in carbohydrates, it will give you a lot of energy.

Idly

Let’s go down south. Idlis are stomach-filling, healthy and melt in your mouth.The best kind of a breakfast to have if you just can’t stand the sight of cereals.

Dhoklas

When it comes to dhoklas, it just doesn’t matter if they are yellow or white. Made from fermented dal, they are very good for diabetic patients and being steamed, makes them low on calories too.

So, there you have it. Indian menus do have something to please the health conscious. All we need to do is tweak our cuisine to match our lifestyles by adding less starch, salt , oil and sugar.

References:

http://www.stylecraze.com/articles/8-healthy-indian-foods-to-keep-you-fit/

http://www.cinnamonsoho.com/indian-food-good-for-health/

5 Easy, Effective Diet Habits You Should Follow Today

Who says healthy eating had to be a challenge? Master the art of driving good health through a nourishing diet, simply by following these 5 easy-to-follow methods.

Approach #1: Go For Fresh Produce

Dieticians recommend getting at least 2.5 cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit every day. Eat plenty of green, orange, red and yellow produce—these protect you from sickness.

Approach #2: It’s All In The Portions

Keep an eye on the size of the helpings you’re eating. Especially with high-calorie items like cheesy pizza, milkshakes and creamy cake.

Approach #3: Eat Whole Grains

Barley, oats and whole wheat should make up at least 50% of the grains you eat. The wheat germ and bran in whole wheat ensure that you don’t miss any vital nutrients.

Top view of sliced wholegrain bread on a wooden cutting board.

Approach #4: Mix It Up

Including a wide range of food in your diet, you’ll get the disease-protecting potential of a number of food types. You’ll also avoid repetitive exposure to pesticides in any particular type of food.

Approach #5: Don’t Fret About Cholesterol

Even though the 300mg cap on daily cholesterol is popular, there isn’t enough evidence linking cholesterol in the food you eat to blood cholesterol levels. Unless you suffer from a disorder like diabetes or are already at the risk of heart disease, there simply isn’t reason enough to worry.

Using these simple diet tips, give yourself a healthy upgrade! They are all simple, practical and effective.

References:

http://www.berkeleywellness.com/healthy-eating/food/lists/14-keys-to-a-healthy-diet/slideid_190

4 Important Supplements For Good Health

Sometimes, a ‘good’ diet simply doesn’t cut it.

Are supplements only for those who go to the gym? Or are they for hypochondriacs, who run to the doctor every time they see a runny nose? The short answer is: no, everybody needs them.

Here’s a look at the basic supplements you need to maintain your health.

Supplement 1: Multivitamin Pills

They don’t dramatically change your health situation, but they can definitely enhance it. A multivitamin tablet that contains vital vitamin B complex and vitamin D is your ‘safety net’ for good health.

The best time to take this supplement would be in the morning. Vitamin D, though it stabilizes your body’s systems, can inhibit your sleep cycles.

Supplement 2: Fish Oil

Our diets mostly consist of Omega-6 fats, which are inflammatory and not good for us. Fish oil is rich in Omega-3 fats, though. You get a host of anti-inflammatory properties, and other benefits. A good fish oil supplement reduces triglycerides in your body, and helps with heart and brain health.

It can also help you keep diabetes at bay, and enables your body to fight fat accumulation.

Supplement 3: Probiotics

A good digestive system often means a healthy, vital body. Probiotics are generally found in cultured foods like curds, yoghurts, or fermented cheeses. With a good supply of probiotics, you establish a digestive balance.

A bonus: you won’t be troubled by frequent stomach problems.

Supplement 4: Folic Acid (Or Folates)

If you’re dismissing folates as ‘only for pregnant women’, reconsider. These are good for people of all ages. This essential B-vitamin lowers your risk of contracting Alzheimer’s disease, hypertension, and heart disease.

An important fact to keep in mind: don’t think a supplement can take care of a bad diet and a complete lack of exercise. A supplement is meant to enhance your health, not build it by itself.

References:

http://www.naturemade.com/resource-center/articles-and-videos/general-health-and-well-being/top-5-supplements-for-great-health#vYPBjVFMvEZS7AJa.97

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/08/03/top-5-supplements-for-optimal-health.html

The Detox Cleanse: Necessity or Fad?

Detoxes are popular, there’s no denying that. People in the health and fitness world are seemingly always talking about the latest detox diet, ‘master’ cleanses and juice fasts. The pressing question, though, is “are all of these really necessary?”

Let’s take a closer look at detox diets, and whether we really need them.

How Do These Work?

Detox diets come in all shapes and sizes. Some, like juice fasts, require you to double down and survive on juices alone. Some others require you to abstain from eating altogether, or limit your choices to a few fruits and/or vegetables.

These are typically short term efforts that are advertised to help cleanse your system of the toxins in it. They are also known to get rid of abdominal bloating and the water weight that you’re holding.

Detox Diets Are Hard To Maintain

Most detox diets cut down the number of items on your ‘can eat’ list, limiting you to a few choices. The repetition can bring you down you, as can the significantly reduced calorie intake levels.

You’ll feel tired most of the time, as your body isn’t naturally used to such low food consumption.

Hard Talk: Do Detoxes Work As Well As Advertised?

There are two goals that detoxes are claimed to help you reach: weight loss, and cleansing your system.

As for weight loss, the general consensus is that you will indeed lose weight. Going on a short term detox diet will help you drop water weight. This means really fast weight loss; you may lose up to 3 kilos in as many days. However, once you resume your normal diet, it’s bound to come back. Also, when you shed weight so quickly, you also lose muscle mass.

Detoxification

Yes, detox diets and juice cleanses can flush out toxins, especially when you overclock your digestive system and make it work overtime. But here’s the thing: your body does all this for you.

Doctors advise us to take up only those detox diets that cut out processed, high-fat and sugar loaded foods. When you go on a clean eating-based detox plan, you can rest assured that it will work for you.

So, Do You Even Need Detox?

In general, no. Detoxes are known to cause more harm than good. Do them under the right conditions and for the correct reasons, and only rely on them rarely. And, when you do, go for a clean eating diet instead of a supplement-fueled extreme one.

References:

https://www.webmd.com/diet/a-z/detox-diets

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/18/detox-health-nutrition-diet_n_5173783.html

Intermittent Fasting: The Diet Hack You Needed?

Everyone has heard the saying “Eat breakfast like a king, eat lunch like a prince, and eat dinner like a pauper.” However, there’s a new fitness trend that’s turning this old advice right on its head. Through intermittent fasting, people are actually skipping breakfast to lose weight and live healthy lives.

Fascinated? We were, too. Here’s what we’ve learned about intermittent fasting.

We take a look at what intermittent fasting is, how it works, why you should consider it, and how you can go on an intermittent fasting program.

What Is Intermittent Fasting?

First off, this isn’t a diet. It’s an eating pattern.

If you go on an intermittent fast, you eat for 8 hours a day, and abstain from any food during the remaining 16. These cycles of eating and fasting help with weight loss, metabolism rates, and may even help protect you against illness.

The great news, and why a lot of people prefer intermittent fasting: you only watch when you eat, not what you eat.How Does It Work?

With the 16/8 system, you will be eating a little more at each meal. However, you will end up consuming fewer calories than when you eat as usual, because you eat fewer meals now.

Contrary to popular opinion, your body is designed to survive an intermittent fasting regimen, and easily. When you eat regularly, your body constantly has a source of energy: the food you eat. When you go on an intermittent fasting regimen, your body needs another source of energy: the fat stored in it.

When you work out in the ‘fasting state’, your body craves fuel, and uses your fat reserves. That’s a win!

Another way this works (warning: we’re getting a little scientific here) is that fasting deprives you of glycogen, a starch stored within your body. This makes you more sensitive to insulin, means that most of the food you eat will be burnt as energy or stored in muscles. You won’t be adding more fat to your body.

Why Try Intermittent Fasting?

We’ve already addressed this, so here are the highlights: improved metabolism, weight loss, improved muscle growth, and no more overeating.

Okay, So How Do I Go On An Intermittent Fast?

You can start with a 12/12 fasting-feasting schedule, where you eat all your meals for a day in a 12-hour window. Then, progress to 14 hours, and then 16 hours, of fasting.

The results will speak for themselves!

References:

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-is-intermittent-fasting

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/intermittent-fasting-guide

4 Healthy Treats For Children

When you’re sending your little one off to school, there’s hardly enough time to cook up something healthy.

But with these five recipes, you are set for the next few days. Read up: we’ve curated five recipes that are as healthy as they are fun, ensuring that your kids get the nutrition they need. They’re also easy to prepare, and the rest of your family will likely enjoy them too.

Recipe 1: Lentil And Mushroom Burgers

Burgers that are healthy: a win on both counts, tasty and healthy.

How you make them: sautée onions in olive oil. Pan fry the mushrooms in olive oil, until the liquid melts and the mushrooms turn golden brown. Mix both, and set them aside. Add the mixture to a food processor along with lentils, and pulse it. Don’t let it become a purée, though.

Mix this with egg, adding salt and pepper. This is the base for your patty. Shallow fry patties, and place them in whole wheat buns, with caramelized onions. Healthy and tasty, all in one!

Recipe 2: A Quickie Twist On Noodles

This is a healthy dish you can whip up quite easily, with whatever veggies you have lying around your kitchen.

Heat oil to boiling point. Add slice onions, peppers, carrots, mushrooms and ginger garlic paste. Stir fry this mixture and then add soy, schezwan, turmeric, and sugar to this. Add this mix to boiled noodles that you’ve strained and let cool.

Toss well, add seasonings, and garnish with chopped coriander, toasted crushed peanuts, and lemon juice. Gourmet done the healthy way for your young diners!

Recipe 3: Idlis, Made Using Oats

Counting those calories? This recipe would be a great choice.

Dry roast oats till they’re slightly brown, and powder them in a mixer. Fry mustard seeds and urad and channa dal in oil, and add chopped chillies, coriander and grated carrots to this. Then, fry this mixture with some added turmeric powder. Add this to your powdered oats. Use curd to develop all these ingredients into idli batter.

Recipe 4: Simple, Healthy Upma

This South Indian breakfast staple is a breakfast staple for one good reason: it’s really easy to make, and is loaded with healthy ingredients.

To make upma, start by frying mustard seeds and cumin in oil. Then add onions, curry leaves, chopped chillies, ginger, garlic, turmeric, and salt. Stir fry this for minutes, and then add vegetables and tomatoes, and fry for 3 minutes. Add the semolina then, and cook for two minutes before adding water and curd. Then, cook till the mixture is dry. You can garnish the upma with coriander, and add tang with lemon juice.

Steam this for hot, healthy idlis that you can serve with onion chutney.

These recipes are all designed to help your children get the nutrition they so need. They’re tasty too, so you won’t have to cook ‘substitute’ meals for the rest of your family.

References:

http://food.ndtv.com/lists/10-best-kids-lunch-box-recipes-1434784

What To Eat After 3 Different Workouts

Eating is crucial to a workout.

What you eat after a proper fat burning session at the gym is important for two reasons:

It resupplies the energy you spent on your workout
It helps you make the most of your workout, helping you get the results you want

What’s more, ask any dietitian and they’ll tell you that it’s not all about the protein. You’ll need carbs to help your body recover and repair muscles quickly, and water to replenish the fluids you lost.

And what you should eat varies from workout to workout.

What To Eat After…. 1. Cardio

With cardio, you spend a lot of your energy. The key facet of post-workout nourishment is replenishing your body’s carbohydrate stores. Also important: adequate rehydration.

Have a slice of wholegrain bread with peanut butter. This will give you essential carbohydrates, proteins, and good fats. Add a sliced banana, and you’ll give your body the potassium it needs to relax your muscles after your workout.

What To Eat After… 2. HIIT

High Intensity Interval Training is quite a popular fitness fad these days, and for good reason. It is a fast way to shed those extra kilos, building muscles as you do this.

Post HIIT, go for an omelette or a boiled egg.

Protein is the obvious reason why, but there’s more to eggs. Specifically, leucine: this triggers the creation of muscle building proteins. Throw in some capsicum, which contains vitamin C: this maintains healthy cartilage, ensuring that your joints stay healthy even with all that HIIT-induced stress.

What To Eat After… 3. Weight Training

When you’re hitting the weight room, your key post-workout ingredients are: an adequate amount of proteins, and all the energy-replenishing carbs your body needs. Basically, give your body all the nutrition it needs, avoiding fats.

Smoothies are a great idea. You can add all the ingredients you choose, and simply blend them together.

References:

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/uk-news/what-you-should-eat-after-13278439

http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2017/01/10/heres-what-to-eat-after-every-type-of-workout_a_21652311/

Going Gluten Free? Here Are The 5 Foods You Need To Avoid

Until recently, gluten was only considered a problem for people diagnosed with something called Celiac disease. In the last few years, though, studies have shown that gluten can have an effect even on those of us not diagnosed as gluten allergic.

What is gluten? A component of many grass-related grains, it is a composite of storage proteins. Here’s what it can do to you: it can cause an inflammation in your guts, and worse, trigger a range of autoimmune related diseases.

Now that we know it’s not great for health, here’s a list of foods to avoid if you want to avoid gluten.

Food #1: Various Grains

Fairly straightforward: gluten is predominantly present in grass-related grains. To avoid it, you avoid these grains.

This means avoiding a number of common grain based food, such as chapatis, naan, bread, cakes, cereal, pasta, batter-fried food, and a number of pastries. Many companies claim to offer gluten-free versions of these grains, but make sure they actually are. Especially if you have a gluten allergy like Celiac disease.

Food #2: Alcoholic Beverages

Most common drinks are made from grain-based ingredients. Think whiskey, most vodkas and gin. Then there are beer and malted alcoholic drinks like wine coolers.

A number of people convince themselves that these drinks are ‘okay’ because they are distilled, but the truth is that patients suffer gluten-related problems all the same. If you drink when on a disease-enforced gluten-free diet, you’re doing yourself double damage: these drinks actually have gluten in them, and alcohol inhibits your ability to heal yourself.

Food #3: Sauces And Dressings

This includes a number of common condiments: Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, MSG, and modified food starch are all sauces that contain gluten. Even salads have dressings that contain gluten.

You’ll have to avoid all of these to steer clear of gluten.

Food #4: Sweets And Treats

Sigh, one more reason to deny ourselves candy and chocolate, as if we needed it. But that’s the truth: a number of these are made with flour or other ingredients that contain gluten.

The ‘to avoid’ list reads like the stuff of children’s nightmares: chocolate and candy that contains malt, ice creams, cake frosting and even root beer.

Food #5: Processed And Preserved Meats

The preservatives in processed meats make them a health hazard even if you ignore their gluten content. These are known to increase your cancer risk. In general, avoid processed meat cuts like salami, sausages, pepperoni, liverwurst, and pate. All of these involve grains in their manufacturing process.

The verdict is unclear on whether meat from grain-fed animals is safe for people with a gluten allergy.

There, we’ve covered most of the foods to avoid if you want to avoid gluten. If you’ve got a gluten allergy, avoid all of these will extreme caution. If you don’t indulge with care, and pay attention to the amount of gluten that goes into your body each day.

References:

https://www.glutenfreesociety.org/top-foods-to-avoid-on-a-gluten-free-diet/

https://www.glutenfreesociety.org/guidelines-for-avoiding-gluten-unsafe-ingredients-for-gluten-sensitivity/

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