The Indian diet has earned the reputation of being high in fat and carbohydrates due to the greasy naan breads and the butter chicken people usually go for at restaurants. This paints the picture that an Indian diet is not for the health conscious person. This however is not true. Although the Indian dietary pattern can include calorie dense foods, there is a plethora of healthy Indian meals one can include in their diet. There are options for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians.

Note: The words in italics are explained in the section below

Tips to enjoy healthy Indian dishes in the restaurant

• Opting for baked papad. Avoid fried versions
• Share appetizers
• Opting for a soup which is lentil based rather than a coconut milk based one as it has a higher saturated fat content.
• Opting for a plain chappati or a naan rather than a one with which is swimming in ghee or oil. Avoid puris and parathas as they are laden with fat.
• Opt for chicken Tandoori dishes over chicken tikka masala . Chicken Tandoori Masala is cooked in loads of cream. Chicken tandoori on the other hand is grilled or baked in a hotoven.
• Chicken, shrimp and vegetable biryani is healthier than lamb and beef as it is lower than fat. Meat kebabs and vegetables is also a good option.
• Portion control of rice. If you find the dish is primarily rice based, ordering a simple salad onthe side is a good option.
• Share the desserts as they too are high in fat and sugar.

Cooking Indian dishes at home

• Replace cream with evaporated skim milk.
• Avoid excessively cooking dishes which use coconut milk as it is high in saturated fat andcalories.
• Use alternative options for rice such as barley, oats and cracked wheat.
• When cooking a dish which has potato or other starchy vegetables, cut down on the rice.
• Opt for the non-starchy vegetables such as tomato, onion and mushroom instead of alwaysthe starchy vegetables such as potato.
• Choose roti over paratha or naan as to cut down on calories and saturated fat.
• Reduce the use of ghee, butter, oil as well as salt and add alternatives such as vegetable broth, vegetables fruit juice, herbs, spices, skim milk or skim milk powder.
• Legume dishes such as dal and channa masala can provide loads of protein and fibre and are a suitable alternative to meat dishes.

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Indian meal names and their meaning

Roti
Unleavened flatbread made from wheat flour. It can be wrapped around pieces of food, used to scoop up sauces and curries.

Naan:
Leavened bread made from maida, an Indian white flour that is very delicate and powdery, similar to pastry flour.

Paratha
It is made of wheat flour with oil and the base is thick, usually mixed with vegetables.

Tandoori
Clay oven

Channa masala
Indian dish made up of chickpeas

Dal
Cooked dried, split pulses

Biryani
An Indian dish made with highly seasoned rice and meat, fish or vegetables.

Puris
A small, round piece of bread made of unleavened wheat flour, deep fried and served with meat or vegetables.

Papad
Thin, crisp cracker made with lentil or rice flower.

Benefits of an Indian Diet

The Indian diet, especially the Indian vegetarian diet, can provide a number of health benefits if followed the right way. The reason is that the Indian vegetarian diet is primarily plant based which is associated with a lower risk of chronic disease such as heart disease and diabetes. In fact, legumes which are a big part of the Indian diet are now being consumed by Australians in curries, added to salads or included in sandwiches and wraps. In addition, Indian spices such as turmeric have gained popularity all over the world due to their antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.

Contact us for results focused on nutritional advice

This article was written by our dietitian and nutritionist Juhi Bhambhaney. If you have any questions regarding health and nutrition, make an appointment with one of our dietitians. We‘ll provide you with a simple and effective routine targeted to your concerns. Contact us today.

The post Healthy alternatives with a Indian diet appeared first on ENT Wellbeing Sydney.

As a busy mum, taking care of your family can take a toll on your own health. In fact, a huge percentage of women in Australia are not just taking care of their family but also juggling work. As a result, their own health gets compromised. Even in cases where the husband is supportive and helping round the house, there is not enough time for women to pack their own lunches to work and exercise regularly. Let me share a couple of tips that can assist you with maintaining your own health along with your families.

1. Time management

Having a fixed planned schedule can reduce the time taken to decide when to eat your meals and when to exercise. The time during the day when you need to cook, the time when you to eat and the time when you should exercise is penciled in as an appointment. This helps cultivate good habits and a healthy lifestyle. Eventually you will reach a point when not devoting time to exercise will feel strange.

2. Sleep

It is very important to sleep around 7 – 8 hours daily to restore your energy and control the leptin and ghrelin levels in the body. Leptin is the hormone that suppresses appetite while ghrelin is the hormone that increases appetite. Evidence suggests people who get only around 4 hours of sleep or less have higher ghrelin levels and therefore a higher appetite. So you if you want to reduce binge eating during the day, you need to sleep adequately!

3. Stop binge eating

It is okay to include a ‘treat’ meal on the weekends which is pre-decided. If you find yourself always giving into sudden cravings, you will find that your cravings are controlling you rather than you controlling them. It is common knowledge that sometimes when you give into an extra cheat meal, you feel like you have broken the healthy eating cycle and allow yourself an entire cheat day. Keep in mind though that you have the control in your hand. An entire day of takeaway, processed snacks, alcohol etc is definitely going to do more damage to your health than an extra wine glass on a stressful day. For example, you may be able to go for a run and burn of that extra glass of wine.However two additional glasses and a burger will be around 500 calories which is not as easy to burn off and hence those extra calories that do not get burned off are stored as fat.

4. Food preparation

It is understandable that you may not always have time to prepare extensive meals specially to take to work, but that does not automatically mean that the nearest fast food restaurant is your only option. Think quick meals, such as a tuna wrap, tuna rice bowl, roast chicken and avocado sandwich, quinoa salad. Stock your pantry at worker your work desk drawer with canned beans, tuna, wraps, microwavable rice bowls, nuts and grainy crackers. The fridge should always have fruits, vegetables, yogurt and healthy dips. To save time, you can cut up vegetables and prepare a large sized lasagne or pasta at the start of the week and freeze portions. The same way that you pack your child’s lunchbox, you need to plan your own meals as well.

5. Include the whole family

It can be a challenge trying to cater to each person’s interest in the family. Keep in mind though that encouraging your husband to eat healthy is equally important given that those beer bellies can put him at risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart diseases. Kids need to be taught to eat healthy from an early age as well, given that childhood obesity is on the rise and adolescents getting a stroke are not unheard of anymore.

Contact us for results focused on nutritional advice

This article was written by our dietitian and nutritionist Juhi Bhambhaney. If you have any questions regarding health and nutrition, make an appointment with one of our dietitians. We‘ll provide you with a simple and effective routine targeted to your concerns. Contact us today.

The post 5 tips on how to stay healthy as a busy mum appeared first on ENT Wellbeing Sydney.