Nutrition transition: The following dietary factors are associated with increase in NCDs like obesity, diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.

  • Intergenerational variability in eating patterns
  • Family and social influences in eating patterns
  • Changing trends in dietary intake & cooking practices
  • Reduced consumption of fruits and vegetables
  • Increased consumption of processed and energy dense foods
  • Occupational variability
  • Changing lifestyle
  • Easy availability and feasibility of junk food
  • Education
  • Time constraints
  • TV viewing during meals

Healthy tips and Meal pattern for promoting healthier lifestyles

  • Adopt 6-7 small meal pattern instead of 2-3 major meals.
  • Eat at frequent intervals avoiding gaps (>3 hrs) in between meals.
  • Look for healthy eatables in-between major balanced meals.
  • Ensure balance meals comprising all the food groups
  • Drink at least 2-3 litres water/day.
  • Minimize intake of food items containing saturated fats (oil which hardens on standing), added sugars, salt and preservatives.
  • Opt healthy cooking methods such as baking, steaming, roasting, grilling, boiling over frying and oily preparations.

EATING IS MUST BUT NUTRITION IS NECESSITY

Way to choose healthy over unhealthy meals:

MEALS

 THE HEALTHY WAY OUT

 

 QUICK TO EAT…TOUGH TO  BURN
Breakfast mania

 

 

 ·              Whole grain cereal preparation like oats, porridge, poha, upma, idli, whole wheat bread, wheat flakes, muesli etc. combined with more and more of fresh vegetables

·              Balanced meals with more of seasonal vegetables, adequate cereals and lesser fats/oils

·              Low fat dairy products- milk, curd or paneer

 ·              Refined cereals like maida and maida products like rusk, fan, bakery biscuits, namkeens

·              Packed, preserved and ready-to-eat breakfast cereals

·              Full fat dairy products
Mid-morning Feast

 

 ·              Raw, fresh, seasonal and colourful fruit salad

·              Green tea/coffee without sugar

 ·              Juices and pureed fruits

·              Milk tea/coffee with sugar
Yummy Lunch Menu

 

 ·              Balanced home- made meals

·              Include cereals, pulses/non veg, vegetable preparation

·              Curd/raita/lassi/chacch

·              Lots of salads

 ·              Eating out

·              Readymade goodies

·              Oily preparations
Evening snacking munching

 

 ·              Dried nuts – 1 serving (7-8 pieces), veg chilla, roasted chana, vegetable sandwich

·              Non-vegetarian people can prefer egg whites or steamed/grilled/roasted/boiled/baked fish chicken, or lean meats

·              Sprouted chaat

 ·              Pizza, burger, chips, biscuits, mathis etc

·              Fatty and cholesterol rich muttons, organ meats, preserved meats, processed meats or packaged items.
Enjoy Dinner Nutrition

 

 ·              Usually eaten properly with family at home

·              Balanced meal similar to lunch

·              Eat at least 2-3 hours before going to bed

 ·              Outside food

·              Fried papads and chutneys

·              Heavy oily preparations
Post-dinner time

 

 ·              Plain milk to meet nutritional requirements of the day. ·              Oily and sugary sweet dishes

 
Too hot: Summer beverages ·              Soya milk

·              Coconut water

·              Fresh skimmed milk shakes

·              Lemon water, low fat dairy chaach/lassi

·              Home-made jaljeera with fresh coriander and mint

 ·              Cold drinks

·              Canned juices

·              Sugar containing drinks

·              Preserved & packed drinks

·              Alcohols

 
Sweet tooth Bite

 

 ·              Sweets made with less oil and sugar

·              Prepare low fat dairy items – oats kheer, fruit custard, phirni, vermicelli kheer

·              Less oily halwa

·              Add elaichi, kesar or nuts for taste and flavour

 ·              Oily and sugary sweet dish

·              Fried sweet dish

·              Gulab jamun, jalebi, rasgullas, sweet mathis

 
Weekly masti food choices

 

 ·              Prefer natural flavored dishes prepared with freshly used lemon, garlic, onion, elaichi, kesar, coriander, mint, other herbs and spices

·              Dhokla, khandvi, dosa, grilled aata bread sandwich, idli, steamed wheat momos, grilled paneer tikka

 ·              Avoid dishes with added pickles, chutneys, sauces, ketchups and creamy seasonings or mayonnaise

·              Bhaturas, puris, fried tikkis, french fries, pakoras, maida preparations
Physical activity ·              Use staircase

·              Outdoor activities

·              Running, jogging, cycling, skipping, dancing, aerobics, yoga

 ·              Elevators

·              Indoor activities

·              Screen time (playing video games, watching TV, computers, laptops, phones

Guest Post by Ms Lovely Gupta, Nutritionist and Dr Deepak Khandelwal, Endocrinologist, Maharaja Agrasen Hospital, Punjabi Bagh, New Delhi.