- Plenty of fruits: I always remember eating plenty of fruits and always seasonal. The time for fruits was always in the evening with a glass of milk. Though at that time some fruits were considered a luxury, for example grapes were expensive and we didn't get them frequently, I think we have pretty much tasted everything. Even in winters, which has less variety than the summer bounty of mangoes and melons, I remember eating strawberries, apples, oranges, guavas, shakarkandi (sweet potato). I feel this was a very important habit mum put in us as I have met people who don't eat fruits or who don't like them and I don't understand it.
- No paranthas for breakfast: I came to know much later that parantha was a staple breakfast item in many households as we always had a glass of milk and one of following: eggs and toast, toast with paneer filling, poha, rice noodles or something along those lines. Paranthas which are effectively fried in ghee were always dinner and never frequent. This is not to say we were deprived or anything, I remember eating 4 parathas when mum introduced us to paneer paranthas for the first time!! I think she just inculcated an understanding of what things should be had in moderation.
- No snacking: This was not a formal rule in the house or anything, just that I don't remember our kitchen was ever stocked with store bought biscuits, namkeens etc. So when hungry, we always had fruits, home baked cookies or bread with home made jam/jelly. As a result, now I can't eat too much namkeen as it feels 'heavy'.
- Soda: Again, our house was never perpetually stocked with pepsi/coke. I remember we used to get a crate of sodas at the beginnning of our summer vacation which used to last around 3-4 months. So we got to have the carbonated drinks but not too much and I anyway took more to lemonade, rooafza and other non-carbonated stuff. I still can't finish a bottle of coke.
The reason I got thinking was a friend recently joined a gym to lose weight. They gave her all kinds of books and charts showing nutritional value of all food types and some of the things she mentioned seemed quite strange to me. I feel with all these nutritionists and dieticians obsessed with making us slim, they have to come up with new things every once in a while to justify their pay and in all these fancy calorie charts, we have forgotten the old wisdom, which I believe is still true. The two things that I have heard recently particularly got my goat -
- Not all lentils are good: When we were young, our science books told us lentils are a rich source of protein, however it seems somewhere along the way it stopped being true. I have heard some people say that not all lentils are good, or xyz lentil is fattening and I truly think this is nonsense. We always have one lentil along with subzi for dinner. As long you don't throw away the water you boil the daal in, I think they are a rich source of proteins and good carbohydrates.
- Bananas and grapes are fattening: This is another myth created by the above mentioned nutritionists. I think the amount of carbs in all the fruits are the same as you need to digest them so in all they are carb neutral. Moreover, fruits have so many other benefits that to be honest I won't mind eating them even if they have some carbs in them. I cannot believe that any fruit can actually be harmful to you and you can put on weight by say eating a peach. My mum actually recommends that people with sedentary lifesyles should have fruits for one of the meals and don't be shy with the quantity so eat as much as it takes to fill you!
Ok, just for the disclaimer, I hold no formal degree in this nor have I read any books. This are just things that have worked for me.
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