Healthy meals don't need to be boring anymore!
An expert on weight loss, Mumbai-based Bariatric surgeon Dr Muffazal Lakdawala recently launched the book The Eat-Right Prescription (pictured below).
The book educates readers on how they can eat right.
It takes you through what it takes to buying the right ingredients, planning meals and involving the kids in cooking.
No fad diets.
No quick-fixes.
No eliminating traditional foods.
The book combines medical and scientific knowledge with practical wisdom.
Let's say that it is a go-to guide for individuals and families who want to eat right, stay healthy and lead productive, happy lives.
We bring you two excerpts from the book.
Take a look!
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Staying healthy is part of your KRA
As much as we would all like to maintain our weight with a new exercise regime or diet, working full-time rarely allows for the time to do that.
It's easy to make excuses and order in fries, but it does not help that your schedule also includes erratic and long days, very little sleep and too much stress. All of this adds up to more pounds and less health.
These are our top tips to help you stay ahead of the game, both at work and with your health:
- Never skip breakfast. It really is the most important meal of the day, so choose a nutritious meal.
- Cut the caffeine and, ideally, out. Drink your coffee freshly-brewed and without milk and sugar. Choose a green or herbal tea. If you must have your chai, or milky coffee, cut the cup size by half and drink it on a full stomach, and never the first thing in the morning.
- When there is no time for lunch, do not reach for the cookies or a pack of chips; try fresh fruit instead. It is full of vitamins and minerals and packed with fiber, which will regulate your blood sugar.
- Stay hydrated -- keep a bottle of water near you at all times. You need to drink three litres a day. Sometimes, you might think you are hungry, but you are really thirsty.
- Lose the sugar -- do not heap it into your beverages, or choose a sweet breakfast. Also, stay away from dessert and choose to nibble on dried fruits like apricots or raisins or fresh fruits instead of a chocolate bar.
- Keep healthy snacks accessible at work. You can never go wrong with unsalted roasted nuts; khakhra; dried fruits; nuts; and sugar-free granola.
- Take a stroll every hour, and especially after you eat.
- Do not indulge in too much gossip, and do not keep discussing your problems with colleagues. The more you talk about that argument with your boss, or issues with your peers, the bigger those issues become in your head. Stress is your worst enemy, and not that annoying co-worker who never meets deadlines.
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Quinoa pulao with meat
Super grains and gluten-free foods are excellent for you, of course, but I want to stand up for rice, which is often victimised by popular culture.
I'll say it loud and clear -- rice is not bad for you. Even white rice! Think of the Japanese or the Korean diet, which worships rice, and is considered one of the healthiest cuisines in the world. They even eat rice at breakfast.
What we do wrong in traditional Indian meals is not watch how much rice we eat.
The portion of rice must not be greater than the portion of vegetables, salad or grilled meat or fish. It should be another element of the meal and not its anchor.
So please do eat rice, though I would recommend a good brown or red variety for daily meals over white, so you get enough fibre and roughage.
That said, enjoy traditional delicacies like biryanis and pulaos on festivals, or other special occasions without guilt.
Or use the trick we employ at home, inspired by Salma Khan -- replace rice with quinoa or bulgur wheat and make your favourite biryanis and pulaos more often.
This is a very special recipe from Salma Aunty, the superstar mother of a superstar son, Salman Khan.
Salma Aunty is one of best hostesses I have ever seen -- she always puts out a big, diverse spread and everything on the table -- from quinoa pulao to beetroot salan -- tastes out of the world.
Most of the produce she uses is grown on the family's farm in Panvel, which makes it even better. Salma Aunty really is one of my favourite cooks.
Serves: 6
Ingredients
- 1 kg mutton
- 1/2 kg quinoa
- 2 onions, quartered
- 2 onions, finely sliced
- 2 tbsps ginger-garlic paste
- Pinch of garam masala powder
- Salt to taste
For yakhni
Whole masala
- 6 black peppercorns
- 6 cloves
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 black cardamoms
- 1 inch cinnamon
- Powdered masala, tied into a muslin cloth
- 3 tbsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp saunf powder
Method
To make the yakhni
- Wash meat, place it in a thick-bottomed pan and cover it with sufficient water for it to cook in.
- Add all masala ingredients to the water and mix well.
- Cook until meat is tender. Strain it, and reserve the liquid.
To make the pulao
- Soak quinoa in water for at least an hour and then drain.
- Heat ghee in a pan, and fry the sliced onions until golden brown. Keep aside.
- In the same ghee, add a pinch of garam masala, and the boiled meat and ginger-garlic paste.
- Stir to mix well, and add the quinoa. Cook together for two minutes and pour in yakhni water, with the muslin bag removed.
- Let it come to the boil and the simmer on a low flame until the quinoa is cooked. You can sprinkle more water if needed, to add extra moisture.
- Serve with fried onions and dahi raita.
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Excerpted from The Eat-Right Prescription, by Dr Muffazal Lakdawala with the kind permission of Embassy Books.
