The Healthy Indian Diet

5 Foods that Promote Weight Loss

09/04/2012

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Last summer, a group of Harvard researchers led by Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian released a list of habits that led to weight gain (or weight loss) over the course of 20 years after analyzing health records and surveys of about 120,000 mostly middle-aged people. On average, the subjects had gained an average of almost 4 pounds every 4 years, or about 17 pounds over those 20 years.

One of the researchers' findings was that regular physical activity led to some weight loss over those 20 years. Also, people sleeping 6 to 8 hours at night gained less weight than people who slept more than 8 hours or less than six. The most interesting finding of Dr. Mozaffarian and his team’s research was that of 5 foods associated with the most weight gain, and 5 foods associated with weight loss. 

Here’s the list of 5 foods most associated with gaining weight over 20 years (click "read below"):  

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Healthy Basmati Rice

06/19/2012

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Part of what makes choosing the healthiest rice difficult is the many, many varieties. Last week, Padmaja asked whether a particular brand of rice that claims to be good for diabetics because it has a low Glycemic Index (GI) number is truly good. (The GI describes how quickly a food is converted into glucose or blood sugar, and how much of it. The lower the GI number, the better.) 

Here is the Basmati rice brand she asked about: http://www.amazon.com/Laxmi-Basmati-Lower-Glycemic-Diabetics/dp/B0077S75NI.

It's too bad I don't have a good answer about this specific brand. This is because I can't find a GI number done by an independent (and thus unbiased) academic lab for this particular rice, as I can for others. 

But by looking at the various rice varieties studied by academic centers for their GI values, I am able to explain general principles that I feel will help Padmaja and also yourself make an educated decision on what rice to eat for good health. Here they are:

(Click "Read More" below.)

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Good explanation of the Glycemic Index (and why sambar is good for you)

07/31/2011

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There are three things that are good about sambar, a fiery lentil-based soup popular in south India. One, it's rich in protein and nutrients. Two, it has a low amount of easily-digested carbs ("bad carbs"). Three, like lentil-based soups in general sambar has lots of fiber. 

Because of the low amount of bad carbs and the high amount of fiber, sambar has a good Glycemic Index (GI) number. (A good GI number is a low one.) This is something that "The Healthy Indian Diet" book explains. But if you want to learn about the significance of the Glycemic Index for one's health now, you need to read Ms. Shyamal Leonard's article in India Currents magazine. (Read on.)
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More important than number of calories is where they come from

07/24/2011

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A recent New England Journal of Medicine paper by Harvard nutrition researchers and physicians has been getting a lot of attention largely because of how it links various habits and specific foods to weight gain and loss. The NY Times recently covered it with its thesis being that more important than number of calories is the source of those calories. 

In other words, 200 calories of wild-and-brown rice will affect our bodies differently than 200 calories of white rice, although the number of calories are the same, because of the the nature of brown rice (which has fiber and nutrients like whole grains in general) is different than the nature of white rice (which doesn't, thus making it an easily-digestible or "bad" carb). Click below to read more.
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5 foods that make us fat, and 5 that help us lose weight

06/28/2011

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The New England Journal of Medicine published a report on 120,000 American men and women who were not obese at baseline and free of chronic disease studied by nutrition researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (including Dr. Walter Willett, of whom I'm a fan thanks to his book "Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy"). 

As presented in an amazingly well-made Atlantic Monthly slideshow, the researchers distill for simplicity's sake 5 foods that help us gain excess body fat (i.e., make us fat) and 5 foods that help us from gaining excess body fat (or stay lean). Read on to see the foods and accompanying graph.
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Healthy Indian Recipes: Quinoa pulao

05/28/2011

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Here's a recipe in our book The Healthy Indian Diet (available in mid-June) that features quinoa, a seed that substitutes quite well for rice. Unlike rice, you get plenty of protein (and a complete set of amino acids) from quinoa. Plus it has "good carbs," plenty of fiber, and minerals just like whole grains do, and it's gluten-free, a big reason why quinoa's become more popular.

The chefs at ShowMeTheCurry.com transform the traditional Indian dish pulao (or pilau or pilaf) from one that's made from white rice (an unhealthy refined grain) into a dish rich in nutrition. In my opinion, it tastes better too (it's got a certain "nuttiness" you may like). The dish takes 45 minutes to cook after soaking the quinoa for 30 minutes. Enjoy!
RECIPE
Quinoa is a grain-like crop often referred to as a complete protein. (Grains, on the other hand, do not contain complete proteins and thus must be combined with lentils or dals.) Quinoa has cooking properties similar to white rice and can easily be used as a healthy substitute, as seen in this recipe for Quinoa Pulao.

Prep Time: 10 minutes (plus 30 minutes for soaking)
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients:
Quinoa – 2 cups
Canola oil – 2 tbsp
Bay leaf – 1
Cinnamon – 1-inch piece
Black cardamom -1
Green cardamom – 2
Black pepper – 4 or to taste, roughly crushed
Cloves – 4, roughly crushed
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Onion – ½ medium, finely chopped
Ginger – 1 tbsp, minced
Garlic – 1 tbsp, minced
Green chilies – to taste, finely chopped
Corn – 1 cup
Green peas – 1 cup
Carrots – 1 cup, chopped
Garam masala – 1 tsp
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Cumin powder – ½ tsp
Salt – to taste
Water – 3 cups
Lemon/lime juice – to taste
Cilantro – chopped for garnishing

Method:
1. Wash quinoa and soak in ample water for 30 minutes.
2. Drain water and set quinoa aside.
3. Heat oil in a medium pan on medium heat.
4. Add bay leaf, cinnamon stick, black cardamom and green cardamom. Cook for 30 seconds.
5. Add black pepper, cloves and cumin seeds. Allow them to sizzle.
6. Add turmeric powder and onions. Cook for 1 minute.
7. Add ginger, garlic and green chilies. Mix well and cook until onions are translucent.
8. Add quinoa and roast for 5 minutes.
9. Add corn, green peas, carrots, garam masala, coriander powder, cumin powder and salt. Mix.
10. Add water and lemon juice.
11. Mix and bring water to a boil.
12. Reduce heat to low, cover with a tight lid and cook for 30 minutes.
13. Uncover, fluff quinoa gently with a fork, cover and let it rest for 5 minutes.
14. Garnish with cilantro and serve.
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