Do you eat more than three times a day? Does your child ask for a snack every few hours? There is no need to worry says Dr. Lata Sashi, president of Indian Dietetic Association and Founder Director of Nutrifit. Eat five times a day, three square meals separated by two round meals or snacks, but make sure you eat the right food.
“Eat cereals or millets adequately, eat fruits and vegetables liberally, eat meat carefully and eat food rich in sugar and fat sparingly,” said Dr. Sashi. “Most children I counsel eat sugar and fat most and that is dangerous.”
She endorses snacking as a necessity that keeps hunger at bay and energy levels high but cautions that it must be a planned meal, depending on what you need. Hydrogenated fats like vegetable shortenings or spreads are best avoided. What is recommended is fresh fruit or vegetables or corn-based food, high in fibre content, along with milk or juice. If you have hurried through breakfast, snack on an orange till lunch. Or have ‘hummus’ or a whole wheat cracker.
Brown bread
If you get hungry in the evening make yourself a brown bread sandwich or a bowl of salad. But pick healthy food -- juice instead of ice cream or a bran muffin in place of pound cake. Even healthy food must not be consumed in excess. And have a snack three hours before a meal so that your appetite is not spoilt.
Dr. Sashi was speaking at a Smart Snacking workshop here on Thursday organised by the Health Essayists and Authors League (HEAL). R. Shankar, HEAL president and Sudhir Nema, PepsiCo’s Food Technology head, were also present.
PepsiCo’s efforts
Mr. Nema spoke about PepsiCo’s efforts to reduce saturated fat content in their products.
Many wanted to know how healthy ‘cheetos’ or ‘kurkure’ were labelled junk food.
Dr. Sashi clarified, “They may have nutrients but it’s not the same as a healthy, home-made snack.”
http://www.hindu.com
No comments:
Post a Comment