When temptation strikes…

The International No Diet Day, observed on May 6 across the world, aims at encouraging people to have a healthy relationship with food and to discard dangerous diets and their harmful effects. But given the overload of information through social media, it is tricky to separate the wheat from the chaff. We speak to Tripti Gupta, Lifestyle Nutrition Consultant and founder of iPink The Color of Health, based in Chowpatty, to make sense of gastronomical demands in the Indian context.

Diet and dieting

These similar-sounding words are anything but that—they represent two ends of a spectrum. Gupta explains, “While most of us associate the word diet to eating less, losing weight or starvation, I associate it with eating for health, beauty and wellness.”

Love your food instead of treating it like a job, advises Gupta, when she says, “Eating fast or gulping down your meals, eating stale food, eating out frequently or mostly out of a packet are the biggest health blunders committed by adults and children.”

Taking it slow

So does slow really win the race, we ask her. She replies, “The slow food movement opposes the fast food lifestyle of today’s busy Mumbaikars. Cooking food from your own vegetable garden and preparing every meal at home is desirable but often not practical when work pressure demands travelling or if nuclear families have every member working long hours. So start small—eradicate packaged and bottled foods—even a quick snack of idlis from your fast food joint is far better than burger or fries. Then, move on to better food options.”

Adopting local and seasonal

Is the buzz around local and seasonal foods worth the hype? Gupta explains, “The science behind eating what is seasonal boils down to the simple logic of ‘feeding your need’. Summer brings naturally cooling foods such as cucumber, melon, lemon, amla, squash and coconut water, which help you fight the heat.” Moreover, apart from being affordable, seasonal foods retain their nutritional value due to freshness.

But what about toxicity?

While seasonal and local may be the mantra to live by, the tropical climate and high humidity allow germs and bacteria to thrive almost everywhere. We turn to Gupta, who explains, “Washing thoroughly what you eat raw is a must. A lime water and vinegar rinse can further get rid of stubborn bacteria. Soak your veggies in salt water for some time and then rinse.”

What should my diet be like?

Gupta chalks down three practical health plans for the busy yet aspirational Mumbaikar.

1.   Go alkaline: Acidity runs high during summer. Dehydration, irregular sleeping and eating patterns and hectic lifestyle are some of the common causes. An alkaline diet fights acidity and keeps you feeling fresh, light and calm. Opt for foods such as black raisins, berries, buttermilk, papaya, green leafy vegetables, carrots, celery, grapefruit, coconut water and herbs such as turmeric, cumin seeds, ginger and garlic. Replacing your regular tea/coffee with green tea is also a great choice here.

2. Detox: Guzzling fresh vegetable juice, water fortified with fresh cucumbers, lemons, mint sprigs, etc., should be part of your daily intake. A detox diet works not only to replenish your electrolyte losses but also aids in keeping you alert and lose weight.

3. Diet on the go: An ‘on-the-go’ plan is a convenience for every Mumbaikar. Carrying fruits, cucumbers and carrot sticks, easy multigrain sandwiches, roti rolls, khakra, kurmura, sprouts, roasted chana, dumplings/steamed momos, idlis, dhoklas, coconut water and our good ol’ nimbu paani make it easier to follow a healthy diet pattern as opposed to skipping meals and then indulging in sinful processed items.

So, this No Diet Day make a pledge to plan healthy meals, draw up a practical schedule and discipline yourself to lead a healthy lifestyle.

My daily diet

I start my day with upma, poha or egg white for breakfast. For lunch, I have roti and sabzi with dal—when I’m extremely hungry, I’ll add in a cucumber and carrot raita. Then, I have a bowl of boiled chana or roasted kurmura as an evening snack. For dinner, I avoid carbs and opt for fish or chicken along with veggies. I also have 3–4 cups of green tea daily. I stick to this routine on most days, but when you go out, there’s very less control. Even then, I try to avoid carbs. 

-Devika Gajria, Colaba resident

As a youngster, I tend to indulge in a lot of fried food. In a bid to shed some weight and go the healthy way, I follow a relaxed food plan rather than a strict diet. I take home-cooked food (rotis, veggies and rice) to work and unlike my colleagues, I prefer carrying nuts and fruits to munch on during the day instead of gorging on readily available junk food. 

-Prerna Zaveri, Kings Circle resident

I begin my day with a big breakfast of a half-fried egg, jam toast and coffee. I take a break from work at 11 a.m. with a cup of green tea or coffee. For lunch, I pick whatever looks the most appetising from the lunch spread in the office cafeteria. It could be rice, rotis or even pav. I avoid snacks because I rarely feel hungry at tea time. I end my weekdays with a light dinner of rotis and sabzi. On some days when rotis seem too boring, my husband and me gorge on parathas, something I have tried to cut down on but sadly failed. On weekends, there is no routine to speak of. It all depends on when we’ve woken up, what’s in the fridge and how lazy or energetic we are feeling.

-Shree Banerjee, Malad resident

My pre-breakfast includes fruit, omelette and bread or even dosa. For lunch, I’ll have rotis with chicken curry or vegetable curry. Evening snacks are indulgent with samosa, kachori or vada pav. For dinner, I prefer rice or roti with fish curry or dal and vegetable/egg curry.