Are Salads Healthy?

Salads are popularly known as the dieter’s delight. Unfortunately a lot of salads that are often promoted as healthy might not be as healthy as they appear. Infact sometimes might even carry double the amount of calories than a bowl of pasta!  Its very easy to add calories to a dish but how do you make it equally easy to reduce them.

The secret to the calorie count of every salad is in the sauce.  Four signs that make salad fattening are : creamy dressing, red meat like bacon toppings, oily dressings and lastly cheese. Your next question would be how to choose a healthy salad from the menu without compromising on the flavour of it. We have a few answers explained for you right  here:

Combine fruits with vegetables for that extra flavour: Fruits contain natural sugar that adds flavour without burdening the salad with extra calories. It is also the best substitute for artificial sugar. Citrus fruits can be added to enhance the flavour and give it a tangy taste for more variety. Both fresh fruits and dried fruits add flavour, texture and nutritional benefit to the salad. This combination adds antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and minerals to your diet. Besides the reduced calories your body is getting the best of nutrition packed in one meal! Read more

How Pasta Can Be Healthy

There have been health myths whether pasta is healthy for the diet or not. It could be healthy with the right ingredients and cooking it to the right temperature and softness. Pasta can be made into a complete nutritious meal.

Here are tips on how to cook healthy pasta.

Ingredients:

Go for whole wheat pasta: When you pick your raw pasta opt for whole wheat grain pasta or multi grain pasta which will keep the calorie intake low and provide the body with fiber and absorb the excess water from the body.

Cooking Style:

Do you cook the pasta ‘Al Dente’ ?Pasta when cooked Al dente has a lower glycemic index when overcooked. Pasta when cooked al dente is soft but not too soft and holds the shape and feels just perfect to the mouth while chewing it. Basically, what that mean is that pasta should not be cooked till it is completely soft. When it is ‘al dente’ Read more

Healthy Mid Day Snacks

Aiming to get fit or a new year resolution of weight loss. To lose weight, you must consume less than what your body burns. If you eat more than what your body needs, the excess is stored as fat. Counting calories is not easy, so to make it easier for you, we have a list of 100 calorie snacks!

But 100 calories itself is a dicey number. One can get 100 calories by having either one small scoop of ice-cream or half a cup of plain yogurt. So, here is a small list of healthy snacks between 100-200 calories that will be useful for dieters: Read more

Healthy Italian Food options

Italian and Chinese are probably the most ubiquitous of all cuisines in the world- because they’re delicious, and can be healthy too. We’ve already talked about healthy options in Chinese food.

So, how do you really eat healthy in Italian food?

Lets start with the basics. There are two types of sauces- cheese based and veggie based (tomato, pesto, garlic, etc). Cheese, as we all know is higher in fat. Now, fat is not bad, but in a whole dish with cheese based sauce, it adds up to a lot of calories. And the most basic reason why people get fat, is because they consume more calories than they expend.

Besides this, the veggie based sauces like those made from tomato supply you with lots of lycopene, which has been proven reduce chances of prostate cancer in men.

Pasta is primarily carbohydrates. Whole wheat pasta is better since it has a lower glycemic index. And has higher protein and fiber content, helping you build those muscles, to burn more calories!
Eating grilled meat (chicken, fish, red meat) as a main course is also a good option. The meat is high in protein. Red meat is high in iron. Salmon is high in omega 3 oils. Often, its grilled in olive oil, which has a high content of cholesterol lowering power. The fat from olive oil keeps you full for longer along with the heart healthy benefits of olive oil.

A side dish of mashed potatoes is very tempting. Potato is not bad by itself, but mashed potatoes are often loaded with cream and butter to make them soft and delicious. That’s where the hidden calories are. Besides, a side of other grilled veggies would give you lots of nutrition. And from the grill, they’ve acquired a hint of sweet due to caramelization.

If you love the bread basket, take it easy. Ask the restaurant for whole wheat bread. You’ll be surprised how often they have it, but don’t bring it out!

I have a sweet tooth, so desserts are hard to resist But portion control is key. Split a dessert with your friends to minimize the damage. You could also end with a cheese platter with your friends. As a general rule, hard cheese has less fat than soft cheese.

Among the places with healthy options for Italian food in Delhi are Flavours (Defence Colony), Big Chill (multiple locations in Delhi), and any of the nicer restaurants now cater to healthy lifestyles.

Buon appetito!