Saturday, June 20, 2009

Achieving Health Eating Indian Food

By Manisha U. Vaidya, MS, RD, LD

Mrs. Vaidya is a Registered Dietitian (RD) with the UAB hospital. She coordinates nutritional assessment, re-assessment, diet education and plan of care for Bone Marrow Transplant, Hematology-Oncology and Geriatric unit patients. She is responsible for follow up with food preferences, patient care, calorie counts and diet education for cancer patients. Mrs. Vaidya can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) .

Food symbolizes ethnic culture and identity. Indian cuisine is increasing in popularity world wide. The style of Indian cooking and food taste varies from region to region, reflecting the diverse cultures of the Asian subcontinent. Indians have been creative in improvising food sources such as grains, cereals, greens and meat.

It is well acknowledged that healthy foods are low in calories. Deep fried items and extensive use of butter and oil must be avoided at all cost.

Food Portions (Tips and Tricks):

Vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian foods are common in India. A few recommendations are provided to promote weight loss and maintain an overall improved health:

1. Drink 8 cups of water daily: It does not always have to be plain water. Liquid intake in the form of tea (chai), coffee, nimbu panni/lassi (without sugar/salt) is also acceptable. Try to drink tea or coffee without sugar or with less sugar along with fat free milk. Limit soft drinks.
2. Snack healthy: When drinking tea or coffee, limit snacks such as chiwada, chips, sweets, cookies, crackers, and samosa. These add calories to our daily diet. When preparing snacks, limit use of oil, coconut, and starch such as rice flour and corn meal. Try to mix some fruit chaat or fruits with skin (such as apple, guava etc). This will add fiber to your diet.
3. Breakfast: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Try these items for breakfast - sprouted dal mix with paneer or poha, bran roti stuffed with vegetable (limit fat/no fat), oat upama, or rava idli with chutney (avoid coconut, instead use channa dal or moong dal). Adding a handful of raw peanuts instead of coconut helps.
4. Lunch: Eat subzi with roti or bread. Limit potato, peas, lima beans, and corn subzi due to its high starch content. Most people enjoy starchy food, but limit it to ½ cup per serving/meal. Brown rice with non-fat yogurt or dal is much healthier.
5. Dinner: Eat salad with lemon juice and plain fat free yogurt. Top the salad with cooked rajama/channa and garbanzo beans. A non-vegetarian can eat chicken curry with roti, salad, brown rice. Deep frying must be avoided.
6. Portion or serving size is very important:
• One teaspoon of butter, jelly, or spread is about the top half of your thumb.
• 1 ounce serving is a slice of cheese or paneer and is about the size of a 3½ inch computer disk.
• 3 ounces serving is the size of a deck of playing cards.
• Half cup (1/2 cup) serving equals the volume of a tennis ball.

Keep These Pointers In Mind!

1. Do not eat to fill yourself. Enjoy your meal. Take small portions; stop eating when you still have some space left in the stomach.
2. Keep a food diary for every item you eat.
3. Eat and enjoy your meal in relaxed environment, eat with friends and family.
4. Add fiber to your meal. This can be done by adding fruits (fresh/dry), greens, flex seeds, and dry beans.
5. Always exercise, and enjoy outdoor activities such as bike riding, walking, and gardening.

Indian food truly touches the soul! Eat well, be happy, have fun with friends and family, exercise and make well balanced diet a lifetime habit!