Did you get your Vitamin D today?

Find out how, where, when and why to get your daily dose of vitamin D:
Published in Citizen matters on 26th June 2013: Did you get your Vitamin D today?

7 Foods Good for Summer

With hot days and rainy nights, check what’s on your plate. And there is a place for leftover rice too! 

Published in Citizen Matters on 24th May 2013: 7 right foods for the Summer!

Healthy North Indian foods to choose when dining out.

Published in Health India on 22nd May: Healthy North Indian Food Choices When Dining Out

Dining out need not be taboo for health freaks or those who are on the proverbial diet. You don’t have to stop socializing or be stuck with a salad when the rest of the gang is polishing off the food like there is no tomorrow. With a little information, some smart choices and the determination to stick to portion sizes, you too can enjoy a healthy meal while dining out.

While every cuisine has its unhealthy quota of foods, there also are foods that can easily fit into the ‘healthy’ list. Regardless of which restaurant you choose, here are some general guidelines by dietician Sweta Uchil-Purohit to make healthy choices when ordering North Indian food.

Ask for water instead of juices, mocktails, aerated or alcoholic beverages. There’s no point in adding extra calories when you can drink nature’s zero-calorie drink – water.

Avoid fried foods, desserts and food made of refined flours: Pass on the pooris, bhaturas, pakodas, naans and roomali rotis and look for healthier options like whole wheat rotis or phulkas. Desserts are loaded with both sugar and fat and are best to be avoided.

Go for plain rice: Since most restaurants don’t serve brown or semi-polished rice, your only option is to ask for plain rice. This is definitely a better choice than biryanis or pulavs.

Ask for your food to be made without oil, butter, ghee and malai: Since most restaurants are now familiar with the health conscious crowd, they are more than willing to make changes to their dishes to keep their clientele happy. Be firm and put in your request while placing the order and hopefully your food will be cooked with less oil if not with ‘no oil’.

Always order a non-creamy soup and a salad (no dressing): This is an age-old trick used by weight watchers. Fill-up your stomach with non-creamy or thin soups and salads (without the mayonnaise dressing) and you won’t be able to eat much during the main course.

Choose items that are baked, grilled or steamed: These are healthy methods of cooking that don’t add extra calories to the dish. Tandooriitems, shashlik, grilled kebabs are all healthier choices than fried items.

Choose tomato based curries: These are lower in calories than themalai or cashew based curries. Rajma, chole and even fish or chicken cooked in tomato gravy is a better option.

Once you are familiar with these guidelines, you can easily pick out the healthy items from any menu. For those who love eating North Indian food, here’s a sample meal plan of what you can order:

Course	Veg	Non-veg
Beverage	Water	Water
Soup	Mixed vegetable soup	Tomato soup
Appetiser (optional)	Tandoori paneer/ Paneer Shashlik	Chicken tikka/ Tandoori chicken
Salad	Green Salad/ Raita	Green Salad/ Raita
Main	Roti /Phulka/ Plain rice	Roti/ chapati/Plain rice
Side	Chhole and Bharta	Methi chicken and gobi mattar

If you have to choose an appetiser/starter, pick something which is a protein based, non-fried item (like tandoori paneer/hara bhara chickenkebab or prawn shashlik) as protein tends to fill you up and will leave you with little space for the courses to follow.  Eat slowly and try to relish every bite (mindful eating), stick to your portion size and if you feel that you are full even before the main course arrives, then ask for your portion to be parceled so that you can enjoy it in the next meal. If you do get tempted when the desserts are being served, then go ahead and take a spoonful from your friend’s plate. Cheers and happy dining!

Mango Salsa recipe

Mango salsa, watermelon salsa, mixed veg and fruit salsa recipes- check out my salsa recipes that were published in Citizen Matters on 14th May 2013: For recipes please visit - Yummy-It's Salsa Time

 Different salsas

 Mango Salsa

Pineapple and Watermelon Salsa

Published in Citizen Matters on 14th May 2013: For recipes please visit - Yummy-It's Salsa Time

How to avoid the 'Delhi Belly' (Traveller's Diarrhoea) this summer?

How to avoid the 'Delhi Belly' (Traveller's Diarrhoea) this summer?

The word 'Delhi Belly' is a term which is familiar to most foreigners visiting India. The Urban Dictionary defines Delhi Belly as "Diarrhea or dysentery contracted from eating Indian (i.e. from India) food". It is also known as Bombay belly, Traveller's diarrhea, Montezuma's revenge (in Mexico), and Karachi crouch in Pakistan. This is said to be because of poor standards of food hygiene practiced by most restaurants and street vendors in most developing countries all around the world. 
Food hygiene is a broad term which is used to describe the preparation and preservation of foods in a manner that ensures the food is safe for consumption. If sanitary conditions are not maintained or if food is prepared by people who maintain poor personal hygiene, then the food could get contaminated and can spread diseases like salmonella and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). 
Proper food hygiene can help to protect communities and families from contracting these deadly diseases. Practicing food hygiene should not be limited to just the food/hospitality industry, but needs to be applied in our homes as well.  

How to avoid the 'Delhi Belly' (Traveller's Diarrhoea) this summer?

Here are some tips for maintaining food hygiene:  

• Wash your hands well with soap and water before and after handling food. 
• Clean work surfaces with hot soapy water and rinse well, utensils and equipment like cutting boards, knives, ladles to prevent cross-contamination. 
• Wash fruits and vegetables well in flowing fresh water to remove surface dirt and bacteria. You can also scrub it with a vegetable brush if needed. This helps prevent dirt and germs from going into food when sliced with a knife.
• Maintain personal hygiene and avoid touching or picking body parts or areas when preparing food.
• Use fresh dish cloths and hand towels daily .Wash after use and store as dry as possible
•  Avoid tasting food with the same ladle directly from the pot. This practice may contaminate the food and introduce microorganisms present in your mouth/saliva.
• Do not smoke while preparing food as cigarette smoke can enter food. 
• Keep raw and cooked foods separate to avoid cross-contamination.
• Cover cuts and soars with bandage and avoid touching raw food meant for consumption as salads.
• Keep raw meats refrigerated and wrap it tightly until needed to prevent leakage. Make sure that the fridge temperature is maintained at 5°C and the freezer temperature is at/below-17°C.
• Regularly dispose vegetable peels/scraps, rubbish and other food waste in which bacteria and rats /cockroaches can thrive.
• Keep all food covered to ensure it cannot be contaminated by insects/pests (flies, cockroaches, mice, etc). 

 Personal hygiene and food safety go hand in hand in ensuring good health of not only our families but also the community at large. It is therefore important that good hygienic practices should be practiced in order to ensure that eating food in India is not synonymous with the infamous “Delhi Belly”!!

The A,B,C's of planning a Balanced Diet:

Published in Citizen Matters (18th March 2013):

How to plan a Balanced Diet.

What Women need: 5 important nutrients for women

My article published in Citizen Matters: 8th March 2013

This Women's Day Celebrate Your Health!

How to keep your family fit and healthy

Citizen Matters: Published 29th Jan 2013
How to keep your family fit and healthy

Is Weight Loss on your New Year Resolution List-again???

31st Dec 2012:
Column in Bangalore's Citizen Matters: Is Weight Loss on your New Year Resolution List-again??? 
 

Interview in Talk magazine

Talk magazine 22nd November 2012 : Deal with Post Festive Woes

Sensible Eating through the festive season!

 Indian Sweets (pic courtesy: BBC)

 They say that someone once asked Lord Buddha "What is POISON"? His answer was simple-"Every Thing EXCESS In Life Is Poison"!!! 
Words of wisdom which holds good even today. Excess of even the good things in life can bring with it,it's own set of problems! This is true even with festive food these days. 
Sometime back I remember discussing our change in food habits and the increasing problem of obesity and other health problems that India (and Indians all over the world) are now facing and a friends father's put it nicely as "Hamare zamaane mein Diwali saal mein ek baar manayi jaati thi. Aaj kal tho log Diwali roz manate hein!! Translated into English, "In our time, Diwali (the main festival for Hindus) used to be celebrated once a year and we would indulge ourselves on sweets and other festive food. These days it's like Diwali  is celebrated daily as people eat sweets and other high-calorie food on a regular basis!". 
With Indians being able to spend more on food, waiting for a festival to gorge on sweets doesn't seem to be worth it anymore. No surprises that India is not only seeing an obesity epidemic but will also soon be crowned the "Diabetes capital of the World"!!
Most Indians find it difficult to eat sensibly right from October till January. Navarathri(which generally falls sometime in October) usually heralds the start of the festive binging, then comes Diwali in October/November, Christmas in December and then finally New Year! For Indians in the US,-there's also Halloween and Thanksgiving around the same time to deal with. To top it all, the cold winter months brings on food cravings.With so much tempting reasons for festive food, how does one stay on track with healthy eating?

Indian Festive Food (photo courtesy:BBC)

Here are some tips:

1. Don't skip out on your exercise during these months.
2. Enjoy the festive food, but stick to portion sizes.
3. Try to have a small snack, soup, sandwich, yogurt and fruits before leaving for a party-that way you won't be very hungry when you arrive at the party.
4. While planning a dinner/party during the festive season, try not to put all the festive food (read: pooris, mixtures/chivda/farsaan, parathas, pakodas, biryani's,jelebis,gulab jamuns) on the menu at the same time. Choose two or three items and then balance it out with healthy food.
5. Include salads/raitas and fresh fruits in the menu.
6. Serve fresh juices instead of soda/aerated drinks.
7. Instead of gifting your friends and relatives sweets or chocolates, think healthy and gift them with exotic fresh fruits, fruit bouquets, dry fruits and nuts, gourmet coffees/teas or even some herbal spa products or a spice/flowering plant.

   The idea of celebrating a festival should not be centered on overeating festive food but getting into the spirit of the festival. Eating smart or sensibly through these months will  ensure that you don't end up with health problems in the New Year.
Here's wishing a Happy, HEALTHY and Prosperous Diwali to all !!

Mangalorean Egg Curry(Mutta Curry) makes it to the list of 'Global Dishes'!!

Mangalorean Egg Curry goes Global-try it out at Mangalorean Egg Curry!!

Mangalorean Egg Curry (Mutta Curry)

Mangalore Egg Curry (Mutta Curry)

The Mangalorean Egg Curry is one of the dishes that usually features on my menu whenever I invite eggetarians (ovo-vegetarians) for dinner! It's quick, simple (since I use coconut milk from a can) and a 'sure to be a hit' dish !! I always poach the eggs in the gravy-since I feel that it adds to the taste. But if you don't like the look-you could boil the egg and then put them into the gravy!

Ingredients for Mangalore Egg Curry (serves 4-6):

• Eggs: 6 nos.
• Potato: 1 medium boiled and diced
• Onion: 1 big (finely sliced)
• Tomato: 1 medium (diced)
• Coconut milk: 1 can (I use the thick one not the 'lite')
• Red chilli powder: 4-6 tsp (depending on our spice tolerance)
• Coriander powder: 4 tsp
• Cumin powder: 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
• Salt: to taste
• Oil: 1tsp

Tempering:

• Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seeds/ jeera: 1/2 tsp

Method: 

1. Heat the oil in a kadai, add the mustard and cumin seeds. When they crackle, add the turmeric and sliced onions.
2. Add the salt and fry the onions till they are translucent, then add the diced tomatoes and let it cook.
3. Add the red chilli powder, coriander and cumin powder, potatoes and mix well.
4. Add the coconut milk and about a cup of water and simmer. Taste the gravy and then reduce the flame.
5. Carefully break the eggs and drop the contents into the gravy one by one (leaving a little space between each). Cover and cook on a low flame for 6-8 minutes (DO NOT STIR).
6. Once the eggs are cooked switch off.
7. Serve the mutta curry (Mangalore Egg Curry) with rice and a side dish. 

The mutta curry also goes well with phulkas/chapathies.

Mangalore Egg curry with rice

Mooli Ki Sabzi (Dry Radish Curry)

Radish, garlic, green chillies

The recipe and photographs for this simple yet tasty 'Mooli ki Sabzi' (Red Radish Curry) are again courtesy my friend in Oregon-Taranjeet Kaur!! Thanks TJ-and thanks Prateek for tasting and giving a 'thumbs-up' for this recipe. Coming from a person who normally isn't too fond of radish speaks volumes about this dish and Taranjeet's culinary skills :)

Taranjeet's Recipe for 'Mooli ki Sabzi': 

• 2-3 bunches of red radish with leaves
• 1 green chili
• 2-3 cloves garlic (smashed) 
•  1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• Oil: 1tsp (enough to sauté the garlic)
• Salt: to taste       

 Method: 

1. Wash and chop the radish and greens.
2. Heat the oil in a pan ,add garlic,sauté for a minute and add turmeric powder.
3. Add the chopped radish .Let it cook for a couple of minutes .
4. Add the leaves and mix it well.
5. Sprinkle salt as per taste. Cook covered for 5 mins.
6. Serve the 'mooli ki sabzi'  hot with roti. This also goes well with rice and moong dal.                                                                           

 'Mooli Ki Sabzi' (Dry Red Radish Curry)

 Thanks TJ- hoping for many more recipes (and photographs)!                                    

Mangalore Cucumber and Moong Sprouts Ghassi (curry)

Moong Sprouts, Coconut and Mangalore Cucumber

Another favorite Mangalorean dish-the sprouted moong/mung and Mangalore cucumber ghassi. Ghassi is the Mangalorean term for 'curry' or gravy. The Mangalore cucumber is also called the 'Malabar Cucumber' is a commonly seen vegetable in South India.
Ingredients for Mangalore Cucumber and Moong Sprouts Ghassi : 

• Mangalore Cucumber: 1 medium size
• Moong Sprouts:200gms
• Tomato: 1 big or 2 small (chopped)
• Coconut: 1/2 or 1 cup grated
• Red chilli powder: 4-5tsp(add more/less according to your tolerance level)
• Coriander powder: 3tsp
• Cumin powder: 1/2tsp
• Salt: to taste

Tempering:

• Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
• Cumin /Jeera seeds: 1tsp
• Turmeric:1/4th tsp
• Urad dal: 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves: 8-10nos.
• Garlic: 2-3 crushed

Method:

1. Wash and cut the Mangalore cucumber into half-scoop out the seeds from the centre(check if it's bitter, if bitter than make sure you scrape out all the seeds and fibre around it).
2. Cut them into 1" cubes. Take a saucepan and cook them along with the sprouts with enough water and a little salt.Cover and cook till the Mangalore cucumber almost turns translucent (or is almost cooked),then add the chopped tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes are soft.
3. In the meanwhile, grind the coconut with the red chilli powder, coriander and cumin/jeera powder to a fine paste.
4. Add the coconut paste to the saucepan, mix well, test for salt and cook for about 6-8mins.
5. Switch off.
6. Take a smaller saucepan/tempering pan and heat the oil, add the mustard,jeera and urad dal. When the mustard starts to sputter, add the turmeric, curry leaves and then the crushed garlic.
7. Add the tempering to the ghassi. Close the saucepan immediately.
8. Serve the Mangalore Cucumber and Moong sprouts ghassi with rice and a side dish/chutney.

Mangalore Cucumber and Moong sprouts Ghassi

NOTE: In case you don't find Mangalore Cucumber, you can replace it with potatoes (in fact an uncle of mine prefers it with potatoes)!

" Dry Bhindi Sabzi" goes Global !!

The "Dry Bhindi Sabzi" gets on the list of "Best of Global " dishes !! Try it out:

Dry Bhindi Sabji (Dry Okra Recipe)

Dry Bhindi Sabji (Dry ladiesfinger masala)

Do your kids turn their nose up at the mention of ladiesfinger/Okra/bhindi? Try out this tasty and easy recipe of dry bhindi sabji (Dry okra recipe) and watch them gobble it all up. This recipe is something I learnt from my friend Rohini's mom, Meghana Ghatpande. Meghana aunty-thanks a ton for making this one of the kids favorite recipes :)

Ingredients for the dry bhindi sabzi:

• Okra/ladies finger/bhindi: 250gms
• Cumin powder: 1tsp
• Chilly powder: 1/4th tsp (optional)
• Lemon: a dash
• Cilantro/Coriander leaves: 1-2tbsp chopped(for garnish)
• Salt: to taste
• Oil: 1tbsp

Method:

1. Wash, pat dry and cut the okra.
2. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and add the okra slices. 
3. Stir occasionally till the okra is almost done (the slimy part goes away) .
4. Add the cumin powder , salt and/or red chilly powder and mix well.
5. Stir fry till done.
6. Switch off. Squeeze a dash of lime and garnish with cilantro.
7. Serve the dry bhindi sabzi as a side with rice and dal or with phulkas.

 Dry Bhindi Sabji with phulkas

Bonne Nutrition gets featured in the Daily Buzz Healthy Living Top 9!!

My article on "Tips for a Healthier and Fitter Family"  makes it to the TOP 9!!! YAY, YAY, YAY!!!
OH HAPPY DAY :)
Bonne Nutrition is honored to be featured in the Daily Buzz Healthy Living-thank you :) 

Click here to see the post:

      http://healthyliving.dailybuzz.com/family-health-and-fitness-day 

No-oil Microwave Gobi sabzi (Cauliflower dry curry)

No-oil Microwave Gobi/Cauliflower ka sabzi

 The Microwave version of the Gobi/Cauliflower sabzi was inspired by my mother-in-law who uses the microwave daily for her cooking (and not just for reheating stuff). The "No-oil" part was my experiment in making the dish healthier! The resulting "No-oil, Microwave Gobi/Cauliflower ka sabzi" is not only easy to make but also turned out pretty good. You could even try the same recipe with broccoli(or any other vegetable) in lieu of the cauliflower.

Ingredients:

• Cauliflower: 1 (washed and cut into tiny florets)
• Red chilli powder: 1-2tsp (or according to your spice tolerance)
• Turmeric powder: 1/4th tsp
• Cumin powder: 1 tsp
• Salt: to taste
• Cilantro/Coriander leaves: 3tbsp (finely chopped)
• Lime juice: 1 tsp 

Method:

1. Put the cauliflower florets in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 5 mins.
2. Then sprinkle some salt on it and mix-well.
3. Microwave again for 2-3 mins. Mix well. Repeat this procedure every 2-3 mins, till the cauliflower is almost cooked.Test for salt(add more if needed).
4. Sprinkle the red chilly powder, turmeric and the cumin powder and mix well. Microwave again (mixing every 2-3 minutes) till the cauliflower gets cooked.
5. Add the lime juice and mix well.
6. Garnish with the cilantro leaves.
7. Serve the "No-oil, Microwave Gobi/Cauliflower ka sabzi" with phulkas or as a side with rice and dal.

No-oil, Microwave Cauliflower sabzi

For personalized diet consultations please check out the packages on : www.myindiandietitian.com

Moong Dal Payasa/ Kheer (Split mung pudding)

Moong Dal Payasa

Another favorite from the family Mangalorean recipe box-the moong dal payasa is made for special occasions and festival feasts. Since I've been on a mission to try out (and publish on this blog) traditional Mangalorean recipes, this was undoubtedly the first thing that came to my mind as the sweet dish for this years Ganesh Chaturthi feast at home. 

Ingredients:

• Moong Dal: 1 cup
• Jaggery: 1 1/2 cups (you could substitute with sugar,but jaggery gives the actual traditional taste)
• Milk: 1 cup
• Water:1 cup
• Coconut milk: 1 cup
• Salt:1/4th tsp
• Saffron/Cardamom powder: a pinch (soak saffron in a little warm milk)
• Cashews, raisins: a few(fried in a little ghee)
• Ghee: 3tsp

Method:

1. Roast the moong dal in a teaspoon of ghee till you get a pleasant aroma (do not let it brown).
2. Add the milk and the water and bring it to a boil. Then simmer till the moong dal is well cooked, stirring occasionally.
3. Once the dal is cooked add the jaggery, the saffron milk/ cardamom powder.
4. Add the coconut milk and stir for a minute. Switch off.
5. Serve moong dal payasa/kheer hot or a little warm garnished with the fried cahews, raisins and the remaining ghee.

NOTE: Do not add the jaggery/sugar at the beginning or else the dal will not cook (I learnt this the hard way the first time I made this!)

 Moong dal payasa, mung dal and jaggery