Eat Smart, Be Smart – Part 2

by Dr. Amaneesh Saini: In this second part of the blog ‘Eat Smart, Be Smart’ you will find some easy-to-adopt dietary tips for a healthier life.

There are three major groups of foods- Carbohydrates, Proteins and Fats. Vitamins and minerals are required to process them properly by the body. Very often we consume either carbohydrates or proteins or even fats in excess and don’t take the measures for proper digestion.

Also Read: Eat Smart, Be Smart – Part 1

These simple yet powerful Ayurveda conscious tips are prescribed by the author who is a professional Ayurveda practitioner:

• We start from the golden rule about milk. Milk is best consumed when your blood sugar level is low i.e. when you have an empty stomach. When milk is consumed with meals or immediately after meals it hinders insulin secretion which is needed to digest carbohydrate content of food. So, consume milk separately 2 hours after major meals. This rule applies to all milk items. Take almonds or peanuts with milk.
• Take salad before lunch and breakfast with olive oil dressing, sesame oil or apple vinegar. 60% of vitamins present in salads are fat soluble and hence without the intake of sufficient fat, their absorption will be less. Don’t worry about too much about some fat, as one tablespoon of fat in the salad will go a long way to boost your antioxidant status. Salads, as a rule, should not be taken at nights. Take soups instead. Soup of vegetables, tomato, mushrooms with a little fat added is recommended.
• When you take proteins in food, there is always a possibility of excess. Protein in excess can create havoc on the health. Immediately after consuming high protein a piece of pineapple or papaya should be taken. It enhances protein digestion and has priceless effects at this stage.
• The increasingly common advise that water should not be taken with meals has also done more harm than good. Majority of people become ill after following this advice! Always try to drink more water when taking a protein source, otherwise, the digestion process will utilize reserve water from your body which is highly unrecommended.
• If you are habitual to an occasional drink or two, taking almonds (5-6) after alcohol consumption or ginger and green tea may help lower the chances of damage to liver.
• Children are getting more prone to health disorders like obesity, diabetes, asthma etc. This is largely due to bad diet and various external factors. But we can still minimize the danger by adding slices of Apples or Amla (Indian Gooseberry), Saunf (Fennel seeds), Dalchini (cinnamon) powder, Peanuts to children’s routine diet. Anyone out of these will also do a great job.
• Last but not the least is adding fibre. Increasing cereal fibres protects against various diseases. Try mixing high fibre cereal with wheat. We should target grain instead of depending on fruits and vegetables for fibre.The intake of grains is regular and more than fruits and veggies we consume. In many studies cereal fibre intake is found to be inversely related to Diabetes. Adding barley flour and rai (mustard) to the atta (wheat flour) are good options to enhance cereal fibre.
• Memory disorders in the elderly are on all time high. As Indians we are crazy for tea but awareness of positive effects of coffee is still in infancy especially in north india. A cup of coffee every day may help lower the risk of diabetes and neurological diseases like Alzheimers disease , Schizophrenia, Parkinsons and Dementia.

These Small things can go a long way to maintain our health. Prevention of diseases is the only way to go for a healthy future. An awareness that ‘food can heal’ is all we need.