Milk products are great sources of protein for vegetarians

> I am 19 and have moved to Bangalore for studies. I do not want to rely on dabbas for my food as they are unhealthy and yet I’m unsure of what I can cook for myself that can be a healthier option. Could you please suggest an easy routine for me? I do not like drinking milk and I’m a vegetarian.
          Sohini, Matthikere
Home-cooked food is always better since you are sure of the quality and cooking sometimes can be a great stress buster! Since you are young and in college, you need nutritious food to keep your energy levels high throughout the day. I do not know your height and weight and hence cannot suggest the amount of food that you should be eating, but with minimum effort, one can eat nutritious snacks/meals and over a period of time. Make sure that you eat small, frequent meals and though occasional junk food is okay, indulging in it often is not advised. Milk is a good source of protein, calcium and B vitamins. Since you do not like it, you can substitute it with soya milk and milk products (cheese, paneer, curd and buttermilk). Breakfast can be whole wheat sandwiches with cheese, paneer or vegetables, pasta with vegetables, paneer or vegetable roll with phulkas, dosa or idli (batter is available in stores). Mid-morning you can munch on fruits or a handful of nuts or dried fruits, lunch can be khichidi with vegetable, vegetable rice with sprouts, phulkas with vegetables, juice, fruit smoothies or buttermilk. You can try soups in the evening and a slightly elaborate meal at dinner since you have the time — rice or phulkas, daal, vegetables, salad and curd.

> My four-year-old daughter has asthma. We had her tested for allergies and amongst other food, she is allergic to oranges, nuts and lentils. We are vegetarians and I’m worried about what can I give her to compensate for protein, since she can’t eat daal or nuts. Please advise.
Shakunatala, ITPL

For a vegetarian, milk and milk products (cheese, paneer, curd, buttermilk etc) are great sources of protein. Try and incorporate these in her  diet to compensate for the lack of daal. Include soy protein in the form of nuggets, granules and powder in her diet as they provide protein. Also, find out if she is allergic to all types of daal or any one kind in particular.
Oilseeds like sesame can also be included in the diet as a source of protein. If she is not consuming adequate amounts of these, you can consider protein supplements.
 
> My wife is recovering from Hepatitis B. She works long hours and often travels. I am very worried about her maintaining a healthy dietary regime. Can you suggest some do’s and don’ts and also snacks that she can afford to eat when she is outside?
Rajat, Whitefield

She has to take good care of her health since long working hours and travel does take a toll. Diet should be regularised even though she is busy at work. We recommend short, frequent meals or at least one small meal or a snack every three hours.
Three major meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) should be interspersed with two small snacks. She should try to avoid eating junk or fast food to save time. Drinking a lot of coffee, tea and colas is also not a good idea.

Fruits, fruit juice without sugar, salad, sprouts, handful of nuts, buttermilk, coconut water, mint or vegetable brown bread sandwich are some healthy snacks. For lunch and dinner, let her choose roti or rice over oily naans, kulchas and biryani, with a helping of daal, salad and vegetables. Non-vegetarian food can be included in her diet as long as it is not fried and the gravy is not very rich. Since I do not know her height and weight, I cannot recommend the desired calories.

Jyothi Prasad is Chief Dietician, Manipal Hospital, Airport Road