<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><root available-locales="en_US," default-locale="en_US"><static-content language-id="en_US"><![CDATA[<p>F<strong>irst things first:</strong> Look at the flour bin. The Indian diet is carbohydrate-centric and most of us use a fair bit of wheat in our daily meals. Latest fads will have you eliminate wheat from your diet totally. Gluten-free diets are a big rage these days even with people without any gluten intolerance. But if you are a traditional roti-puri-bread eater, stick to your flour. But do junk the all-refined flour, the bane of our existence, maida. Use only whole wheat flour with bran added to it for added protein and fibre.<br><br><strong>Stock up on yoghurt:</strong> I swear by this miraculous superfood and that is saying something considering that I never did like it much. But yoghurt makes you healthy like nothing does. Make it fresh at home to keep your good digestive bacteria alive and kicking! Use it liberally in dips (throw out the creamy bottled ones that not only make you put on the pounds but also have high sodium levels), raitas and lassis.<br><br><strong>Substitute namkeens with almonds:</strong> Ditch the fried namkeens, snack on nuts instead between meals. Walnuts and almonds are a must in any kitchen. Have about 6-8 almonds a day to not only help reduce bad cholesterol (a study at Harvard's School of Public Health found that the nut could reduce the risk of a heart attack by 25 per cent if eaten at least twice a week) but also to lose weight.<br><br><strong>Green tea:</strong> We Indians kill our tea. Try refraining from the over-brewed, milky, sugary masala chai and cultivate a taste for green tea. A cup after a meal is a great digestive. It has enough antioxidants to keep you younger, happier, fitter.<br><br><strong>Beans: </strong>India has a wonderful tradition of lentils. But make sure you stock up on all those dried beans and legumes: rajma, chhole, chana, lobhiya et al. Beans are healthy foods high in fibre, and have nutrients like calcium, iron and folic acid. You could make a soup from them, or a salad, kebabs, hummus et al.<br><br><strong>Eggs:</strong> The yellow is high in cholesterol but two egg whites a day can take care of all your protein needs. Great as snacks too.<br><br><strong>Salt: </strong>Check how many milligrams of salt per serving the box of cereal or cookies have. Hidden salt in packaged items like sauces, cereal, breads and bagels is very harmful. Eliminate it.<br><br><strong>Honey:</strong> Try going with honey instead of refined sugar. Or keep grated jaggery handy to mix in homemade desserts.<br><br><strong>Tomatoes:</strong> Contain an antioxidant called lycopene, which help prevent certain cancers. Studies have shown that tomatoes can lower cholesterol and reduce blood pressure.<br><br><strong>Extra virgin olive oil and mustard oil:</strong> The benefits of EVOO in salads or lightly-cooked dishes like fish are well known but mustard oil, especially kachi ghani, or raw mustard oil, is equally beneficial. Plus it has a higher smoking point that makes it suitable to Indian cooking.<br><br><strong>Fruit over juice: </strong>In general, stock up on whole fruit instead of fruit juice because as any nutritionist will tell you, the pulp contains not just fibre but also important nutrients that get lost in juice form. Also, often, packaged juice has only a very small per cent of fruit juice — and a lot more of sugar or corn syrup. So if you have to have juice go for fresh juice, and if you do buy packaged juice, read the label carefully.<br><br><em>Anoothi is a Delhi-based food critic and travel writer<br><br></em><strong><a href="/businessworld/system/files/images/june_12/running_partner_pu.jpg" target="_blank">Click To View Running Partner: The Evolution Of The Running Shoe</a></strong><br><em><br></em>(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 04-06-2012) </p>