Yes, you read it right. You can lose weight with rice. Rice is a staple diet in many countries and Rice is my favorite  cereal….I cannot imagine my meals with out rice. But lets get smarter. Switch to brown rice. Just had a yummy brown rice pulao(pilaf) with a lots of vegetables added. Brown rice has a nuttier flavour and is higher in fiber and vitamins than white rice. It is really a smart move to change...

We are given choices to choose some of the most healthiest foods…Lets have a look at them. Fresh fruit instead of juices- Fruits are rich in fiber and low on sugar and calories while fruit juices are devoid of fiber and high in sugar. Hence it is healthy to munch on a fruit than gulp juices. Avocado instead of butter and margarine- Avocado is rich in good fats aka monounsaturated fats while butter is...

My favorite ingredient in a veggie stirfry or a salad is vinegar. Vinegar has been used for ages but have you ever wondered what could be the benefits of vinegar. Lets have a look at them why you need to add them in your cooking Firstly vinegar helps to slow down the absorption of sugar from the blood. Hence is great for diabetics or others who want to maintain their blood sugars. I love the fact that adding...

Every cuisine is unique in its way. Each cuisine has its distinct type of fat used in cooking. The Mediterraneans use olive oil, the Chinese use lard and the Indians use ghee and coconut oil. Ghee is used liberally in most of the indian dishes. Ghee is nothing but clarified butter. With the recent conflicting issues in nutrition, ghee was considered as a bad food and the main cause for heart disease and suddenly...

Many of us have been eating beans in our diet, but have we ever thought about their benefits. Yes, it is still great to eat baked beans for breakfast now. Let us first look at the health benefits of beans. They are rich in fiber, both soluble and insoluble fiber. The soluble fiber present helps to slow down the entry of glucose into the blood stream, helps to lower ‘LDL’ or bad cholesterol. The...

We love to peal and scrub the fruits and vegetables mainly for the neat clean look, but if you look from the point of nutrition, it is better to keep the peel on. If you have noticed while peeling an orange, grapefruit, sweet lime etc there is a white thready like substance known as albedo. This has proven to reduce cholesterol levels as it is rich in pectin fiber and also contains polyflavones which are known...

A client of mine during a counselling session told me that she has stopped drinking milk as someone told her that it can make her fat. If she has been avoiding milk, she has been losing out on calcium… Calcium is a mineral which makes up our bones and teeth. It helps in muscle contraction, nerve function,blood clotting etc Calcium also triggers weight loss and has been proved by various studies. It has...

We had seen various facts about Flax seeds, so now lets look at the uses. A lot of questions are asked on where one can add them. Flaxseed powder can be added to warm milk. A teaspoon daily in warm milk is great before going to bed. It can be added to whole wheat flour while baking bread, muffins etc. This increases the fiber content of the baked food. It can be added to oats porridge which is eaten for breakfast. The...

Factors that contribute to widespread misunderstanding about food allergy is that there are several other classifications of adverse reactions to foods that “MIMIC” allergies. For example, some individuals lack an enzyme that digests the sugar in milk. This sugar is called lactose, and the enzyme that digests it is called lactase. in the absence of lactase, a person who ingests milk will experience...

Many newly weds gain weight, especially women. Men may lose weight if wives are amateur cooks. Women end up eating larger portions or male sized portions. Men may encourage women  to finish the rest of the remaining food. Now that is not necessary. In India, women start polishing off all the tidbits from the plates from the husbands’ and childrens’ plate. This can add on to extra calories, hence...