Reader Responses for Big Picture (April 11)

Our readers share their healthy eating experiences with us

We are overwhelmed by your responses to our request to share your experiences regarding healthy eating habits with us. Here, we publish the best four in no particular order.

RESPONSE 1

The forgotten millet

This is regarding the article " Are we eating healthier" published on April 11, 2021. My ayurvedic doctor asked me to include barley in my diet last year and said it's good to have at least one barley meal everyday. I bought a kg of barley and checked out various recipes on the internet and tried most of them...however my family, especially my husband, couldn't tolerate the stickiness and chewy taste of barley every day. Even the idlis I tried to make with barley were not so appealing. So I tried getting barley ground to flour in the flour mill and started making barley chapatis. My son and husband now look forward to chapatis, the only condition being that they have to be eaten hot. A few people like my mom didnt approve of even the chapati. So for her we started mixing barley flour with wheat flour in the ratio of 1:1, which tastes as good as wheat flour chapati and can be kept in roti boxes to be eaten later just like regular chapatis. However pure barley chapatis are gluten free and I personally cherish the taste, which goes well with any paneer or alu gravy-based sabzi.
Barley is rich in various nutrients and contains good amount of copper, vitamin B1, chromium, phosphorus, magnesium and niacin. The fibre content in barley improves digestion. It aids in weight loss and lowers cholesterol.

Namrata Mishra

RESPONSE 2

Lost and found

It all started the day I could not fit in my favourite Kurti. I stepped on the weighing scale... I had almost touched a century.. well no cheers for hitting a century and I am the man of this match without a trophy!

What followed was a series of advices , lectures on what to eat, what not to, when to, when not to, recommendations of diet plans of film stars, wowww... this was nothing short of an IPL match, with various friends, family members, colleagues trying to buy me in their own teams of weight reduction.

I started off this one-day series as a skipper..apparently skipping my dinner and skipping something I love the most; RICE. Trying dry phulkas, disastrous jowar rottis, gave me a feeling, these dishes came all the way from the Thar desert , burnt in the scorching sun, searching for water. So was my mood trying to eat them — all dry. My only hope was the salads, sabjis that were giving me immense satisfaction. And I ate the salads, sabjis more and more and my rotis were vanishing from my plate with days. It was a month and guess what, I had quite impressively toned down. I went ahead and shopped for dresses two sizes smaller.. oooh... can life get better?

In the months to come, I lost and lost... not just my weight.. my lustrous hair, my glowing skin, my deep sleep, my energetic mood, my agility. I lost everything trying to be slim and fit in my favourite dresses. I was bowled over by my miserable actions.

What could have gone wrong? I began pondering.. I ate more greens, less fried stuff, exercised well.. went to bed on time.. Well, i had stopped eating everything I LOVED.. and started eating something I never ate in my life and so could never love them..

This knocked some sense into me. I chucked out all my diet plans. I started befriending my good old friend the RICE , enjoyed fried food and desserts too.. But all MINDFULLY.. no more , no less.. Loved my body as never before, pampered it with each day and practiced Yoga regularly. I also started connecting more with the body asking what it enjoys, when it requires rest, when it cannot exercise... I also ate each bit with gratitude, love and contentment.

I finally discovered that appetite and my body is something worth loving immensely.. and FOOD nourishes my soul..

Lakshmi Abhay

RESPONSE 3

Eat right always

I am a Biology Teacher and actively involved in the ‘Eat Right Campaign’ of FSSAI since so many years. Teachers are in an advantageous position to act as positive role models and impact the food habits of the students.

A teacher who makes healthy choices – including healthy eating and regular physical activity – can have a good influence on the health of students, others and most importantly, oneself.

Few things I would like to share that have been appreciated by people around me and I can vouch for its benefits. One is, vegetable and fruit slush, consisting of tomatoes, gooseberries, carrots, cucumber, beetroot and oranges. No salt please and consume immediately for maximum benefit. It improves digestion as roughage along with the juice is eaten.

Second one is ‘Sumptuous Milk’ which consists of a unique powder made from almond, walnut, cardamom powder, chia, 'Char magaz', sunflower, pumpkin and Flax seeds in chilled/warm milk. Protein and Turmeric powder is also added. Healthy option as a filler.

Third one is our humble sautéed spinach in curd. Have it daily and I promise, you will never get bored with it.

In Covid times, with online classes, it is observed that food items like chips, cookies are frequently being consumed. If we continue to eat food low on nutrition on a daily basis, our immunity will automatically decrease and we are likely to suffer from health ailments. Inculcating healthy eating habits will help a child to remain physically and mentally active and to do well in studies. By choosing to eat healthy foods and being physically active, I am more alert, have more energy, smile more, remember more and generally feel better about myself

Niva Chhonkar

RESPONSE 4

My trysts with a whole food plant-based diet

I’ve been a vegetarian my whole life. And yet, have been plagued with health issues right from childhood. I’ve had bronchial asthma since I was a kid, ever ready with an inhaler at hand. Allergies and morning sneezing was a part of my growing up years. Indian medical systems advised against dairy, but then no one knew what was the alternate source for calcium.

A sedentary lifestyle led to more complications

I continued to eat a largely grain and dairy based diet throughout my 20s and 30s. Fast forward, post two kids, my health further deteriorated. I developed thyroid, I put on weight and was generally feeling tired and sluggish throughout the day. And there were the back pains from a largely sitting occupation and sedentary lifestyle. Exercise was intermittent and mood swings were extreme. But worse still was when my younger one started developing the same asthmatic symptoms I had when I was a kid. I tried to make healthier food choices for my family. We had the occasional fruits and tried to limit the amount of biscuits and junk. I switched to jaggery instead of white sugar, but there was no visible improvements in our overall health as a family.

A chance encounter with whole food plant-based lifestyle

By chance, I came across an FB post on a naturopathy session happening nearby. Having seen the benefits of a largely fruit/raw vegetable-based diet, I decided to attend the session, though I was doubtful if I would be able to sustain the diet. Unexpectedly however, the session turned out to be an eye opener on a whole-food plant-based lifestyle. The science behind was undeniable and the tips and tricks shared during the session were the simplest.

There was no fasting required, no denying of favorite snacks either. I could still enjoy chips and sweets and even curd, though all prepared in a healthier way. I was encouraged and started taking baby steps towards the first goal of losing weight.

The first change I made was to switch from white rice to brown/red rice. I started introducing fruits just before each meal I had. With just these basic changes, the results were remarkable. Within a month I had lost 10Kgs!

What convinced me most was that this was not a forced diet to not eat something. Rather it was diet that encouraged to eat everything in balanced amounts, and in its most natural form as possible. The scientific studies that have been conducted by famous medicos Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Dr McGregor and Dr Esselstyn and their proven results on actually reversing chronic lifestyle diseases was the cherry on the top.

It was now time to bring on board the whole family

I am not really fond of cooking, and the initial two months of going WFPB were tiresome at best.

The first few times I made peanut curd, it was a disaster. And the whole family getting used to it was another struggle altogether.

The time I spent in the kitchen was growing exponentially. Just trying to decide what was a balanced menu for the day itself was an onerous task. There was a lot of google searches for recipes and matching with the daily nutritional requirements. Making dates paste and peanut curd was a never-ending exercise, along with cutting fruits and salads for every meal for a family of five.

Thankfully my family supported me, even though they were skeptical, and slowly I got the hang of cooking without oil, adding whole nuts instead processed ones, making all sorts of plant based mylks and butters and even breads and cakes. I realize now that I actually spend less time in the kitchen than I used to.

We all feel that much lighter and energetic now and our immunities have definitely improved. After one year on, I have successfully reversed my Thyroid. There is still some way to go to fully transition to a non-processed, dairy free lifestyle. But I am hoping that through my personal experiences I can spread the message that diets need not be taxing on our pockets and our emotions. With just a few simple changes, even the most chronic of diseases can be reversed.

Archana Ramakrishnan