how to live long beautiful healthy life

Courtesy</">http://www.healthy-india.org>

How does one eat healthy in everyday life?

HEALTHY EATING HABITS : A WAY OF LIFE!

• Have a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables every day. A minimum quantity of 450-500 grams of fresh fruits and vegetables is advisable.Locally grown, locally available fruits and vegetables like berries are equally if not more beneficial as compared to the expensive fruits and vegetables.
• Consume variety, Wherever possible and available consume a variety of fruits and vegetables everyday. Different ones offer different benefits- Different vegetables and fruits can be either greens, yellows, orange and red, white or purple in colour etc. Motivate young children and adults alike to eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables to prevent a host of diseases.
• Consume whole grains instead of polished grains.
• Eat un-husked pulses rather than husked pulses
• Restrict the intake of saturated fats and all other fats which are solid at room temperature
• Avoid vanaspati as it contains hydrogenated trans fatty acids
• Moderate the intake of canned food, preserved food, fast food as these are high on salt and also contain preservatives which can be harmful in the long run.
• Small quantity of nuts especially groundnuts, peanuts and almonds are healthy and should be eaten. Groundnuts, almonds, peanuts and fruit seed which are unsalted and unfried can be included as a snack instead of the other regular snacks consumed.
• Common sources of Vanaspati are biscuits, mithais from halwais, cakes etc. In addition, many halwais use it for their namkeens. These should be eaten in moderation.
  Persons with sedentary lifestyle, or those with desk jobs or those with urban lifestyles should try and consume not more than 500-550gms of visible fat per month: Fat is all combined- oil (any type), ghee, butter.
• Try and roast in the sigri, oven, and barbecue instead of frying.
• Even if you have to fry, deep-frying on high heat is better than shallow frying, in slow heat.
• Be careful during the 'chonken (baghar) of sabjis'- use a small spoon to put the cooking medium/oil rather than pouring it from the container. This would control the intake of oil.
• Cook sabjis in slow flame with little bit of water rather than using more cooking medium- so that it doesn't stick to the kadhai. Non-stick utensils can be used to cook in "zero oil".
• Non-stick utensils can be used especially for dosas, chillas, patties, tikkis.
• If you are eating out, then, skim the gravy, sabjis, dals, soups.
• When eating South Indian food, have the idlis rather than the vadas/ dosas- some people make the dosas / chillas without oil on request.
• If you are travelling and purees( fried ) have to be eaten, then press them in between a paper napkin. Even other fried stuffs should be first put on the paper napkin to absorb the excess oil before serving/eating.
• Cheese and cheese-spreads, dressings like mayonnaise contain high amounts of fat and should be avoided or eaten in very small quantities only, occasionally.
• Instead of cheese, try strained curds (tied in a cloth for 3-4 hours). Add salt, pepper and flavours of your choice like mustard and garlic, to substitute for butter/cheese on rotis, bread, and as a dressings.

How does one translate the above advice to everyday life?

• Instead of fried snacks, have a fruit instead. Another option is raw sprouts. Snacks like sevais with vegetables, poha with vegetables, bread in toaster/equity, stuffed with vegetables or puffed rice (mudi/wheat) with freshly cut vegetables, sprouts with vegetables, idlis, roasted gram(chana) are other options.A handful of unsalted nuts can also be eaten as a snack.
• Even though cottage cheese / paneer has a lower fat content than cheese, it still has fat and should be eaten in moderation.
  Skim your milk overnight in the refrigerator and then use it. Toned milk is preferred to full cream milk.
• Don't eat egg yolk more than twice a week.
• Eat 'chilke vali dal' (unhusked pulses) instead of 'dhuli dal' (husked dal) - this not only has a positive influence on cholesterol but also on diabetes and also positively affects health and prevents cancer, heart attacks and strokes and helps maintain a lower body weight.
  Home ground atta is the best to eat in everyday life!
• Don't remove the 'choker' from the 'atta'. It is an important source of fibre. Besides, the choker also contains important vitamins and attenuates the rise of blood glucose levels in patients who have diabetes or even have a tendency for diabetes (family history of diabetes). Daliya or porridge is a much better breakfast than bread.
• Partially polished rice is better than fully polished rice.
• Try out jaggery or khajoor instead of sugar; or try honey instead of jam and sugar.
• Avoid refined maida / suji, (breads, biscuits, mathris, naans, kulchas, bhaturas etc) and go for whole wheat atta instead.
• Fresh steamed idlis (although made of rice) are more healthy than bread .Even freshly boiled rice is healthier than maida bread.