Navratras:  keep up the festive flavour!!

The festivities of Navratri begin from today. Along with the fun and frolic, it also brings along the nine-day fasting routine. In order to maintain good health, it is imperative that we follow a healthy diet and fast in a safe manner.

 Navratri fast are the perfect way of detox in a religious way. The fasting season is supposed to give us an opportunity to detox our bodies and remain fit, but many of us turn it into an excuse to gorge on sugary, salty and fatty dishes that don't contain staple rice and wheat. From chips to halwa, everything is part of navaratri food.

Healthy Navratri diet plan

·         Start your day with a cup of green tea and two dates

·         For breakfast, eat fruits, nuts and raisins

·         Have milkshake/ kheer/ coconut water around noon

·         For lunch, eat sabudana khichdi/ kuttu ki roti with lauki/ arbi sabzi and a glass of butter milk with rock salt

·         Mid afternoon, have fruit yoghurt

·         In the evening, eat aloo chat or aloo palak salad

·         For dinner, start with vegetable soup, a bowl of salad with kuttu ki roti and sabzi add on with low-fat lauki halwa/ carrot halwa

·         Before sleeping, have a glass of skimmed milk

Flaxseeds – the world’s healthiest foods

Flaxseeds or Alsi are not commonly included in our daily diet, but these tiny, brown seeds pack a lot of health benefits. It is a good source of dietary fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. Taken before a meal, flaxseed fiber tends to make people feel less hungry so that they might eat less food. Research is leading to the theory that this fiber binds with cholesterol in the intestine and prevents it from being absorbed which may lower the risk of “hardening of the arteries” (atherosclerosis). Just 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseeds contains almost 2 grams of dietary fiber, which promotes digestive regularity.

One tablespoon of flaxseed contains

·         35 to 40 calories

·         1.6 grams  protein         

·         2.8 grams carbohydrate

·         2.8 grams fat 

·         2.5 to 8 grams  fiber

·         3 milligrams  sodium

Potential side effects of flaxseeds

Flaxseed may have laxative properties. Excess intake of these seeds could lead to abdominal discomfort, an increased number of bowel movements and diarrhea. People with diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulitis or inflammatory bowel disease, including ulcerative colitis, should not consume flaxseed. So, do include flaxseeds in your daily diet.

“Apples - The Power Food”

 Apples are full of soluble fibre. They are devoid of fat and sodium and an apple just has 50-80 calories. Eating an apple before a meal not only helps to eat less but also helps in combating unwanted fats.           

Nutrition is a way of life - not just eating well

We all have heard blah blah blah...