Continue....

• Cereal exchange: There are many other foods that contain carbohydrates that you may not be factoring into your cereal count. Many snacks (rusks, biscuits, samosas, corn on the cob) are carbohydrate-rich. one serving is one bread roll or a slice of bread, one chapati, half a cup of cooked rice, poha or noodles, two or three biscuits, half a bhatura, one kulcha or one large idli. Two chapatis, one bhatura, one cup of rice or poha are equal to one cereal exchange.

• Timing: Timing is critical. When it comes to grain, which one and how much are inextricably linked to what time you consume the grain-rich meal. your work and lifestyle can help you decide whether that is lunch or dinner—but following the body clock is integral. Cereals should not be consumed after 7 p.m.; only some vegetables or light protein, nuts or fruit.

The other food groups are proteins and protective Foods. I am going to talk about them next, along with a third p—planning; together, these form three significant principles of dietary policy. These three ps work together as a blueprint that can be used in the journey towards dietary health.

P1: Proteins and Their Pairing: proteins provide the body with essential body-building elements called amino acids (most of our hormones, neurotransmitters and enzymes are made of these elements). They are so important that you should aim to have two protein- rich meals a day. The protein content in them can be in the form of dals, pulses (or a pancake made from their flour, as in a cheela), soya, nuts or dairy products in case of vegetarians and eggs, meat, chicken or fish for non-vegetarians. Remember that if you are wheat- sensitive, then soya may not be good for you.

but it’s not enough to merely eat adequate protein; what is very important is to combine these proteins with vegetables. The reason is that proteins leave an acidic residue when digested and vegetables are mostly alkaline.


To be continued....