How to obtain The Balanced-Nutrient Diet?

This can be easily done by dividing the food into seven basic food groups. Try to eat something from each of these each day :

THE SEVEN BASIC FOOD GROUPS

1. Green, leafy and yellow vegetables ( Carbohydrate category)
2. Citrus fruits, tomatoes, and raw cabbage (carbohydrate category)
3. Potatoes and other vegetables and fruits (carbohydrate category)
4. Skimmed milk and skimmed milk products (protein category)
5. Lean meal, fish, eggs, skinned chicken and sprouted pulses, beans and peas (protein category)
6. Whole-grain bread, cereal, and flour (carbohydrate category)
7. Butter, margarine and vegetable oil (fat category)

It is important to eat a variety of foods to balance your intake of nutrients. No one food is indispensable on a proper balanced nutrient diet. You can rest assured of an adequate intake of the essential nutrients by selecting fresh, natural foods from each of the basic groups.

If you prefer to condense the seven food groups into four use the basic four, food groups as a guide in planning your daily needs :

THE BASIC FOUR FOOD GROUPS

1. Two or more cups of skim milk or skim-milk products.
2. Two or more servings of chicken, fish or lean meat or sprouted pulses, beans and peas.
3. Four or more servings of vegetables and fruits - including a citrus fruit, green, leafy or yellow vegetable and two servings of other fruits and vegetables, including potatoes.
4. Four or more servings of whole-grain products (bread, chappati or cereal)

"Fat should be kept to a minimum"

You already know that excessive amounts of fats and oils in the diet have been linked to heart disease, cancer and other health problems. You must have a certain amount of fat in your diet to supply essential fatty acids and to transport fat soluble vitamins. The biggest problem with fats and oils is that they are usually ‘too much’ in the diet. So you should make a special effort to eliminate visible fats and oils and use very little cooking oil. When you do need a cooking oil, be sure to use vegetable oil. In addition to being an unsaturated fat, vegetable oil withstands higher temperatures of cooking.

What about the methods of cooking, addition of table salt and spices ?

Your health and the health of your family is in direct proportion to the soundness of your cooking methods.

‘Cooking Methods’ Do not use methods that spoil the nutritive value of food such as frying. Routine method of cooking using minimum oil for seasoning is advisable. Boiling steaming baking and roasting are suitable methods. Cut visible fat from meats if possible. To save vitamins and minerals in vegetables, cook in small amount of boiling water in a covered pan, or steam or pressure-cook them.

"Table Salt" Salt your food to your taste, unless your doctor, advises against it. Salt does not make fat, but in some people who are sick, it may hold abnormal amounts of water in the tissues.

"Spices" There is no reason for any generally healthy person to shun spices. Use them as liberally as you wish to make your food palatable and to add zest to your diet.

Could you outline a sample plan of The Balanced- Nutrient Diet ?

THE BALANCED-NUTRIENT DIET PLAN FOR VEGETARIANS

A vegetarian diet is essentially a diet consisting of fruits, vegetables , beans, pulses and grains. Actually, there are several varieties of vegetarianism. A true vegetarian who only eats foods of plant origin is called a vegan. A lactovegetarian includes milk and its products. An ovo-vegetarian includes eggs. An ovo-lacto -vegetarian includes both eggs and milk. ‘The one thing that all vegetarians have in common is that they do not eat flesh of warm-blooded creatures.’

A true vegetarian who wants to stay healthy must select and combine foods carefully. This requires a great variety of foods each day to supply adequate protein.

BREAKFAST

• A cup of tea or coffee( with less sugar)
• A serving of cottage cheese ( paneer) with a slice of bread or a toast OR one slice of bread ( toast or khakra) and one cup of skim milk OR 2-3 table spoons of whole grain breakfast cereal and one cup of skim milk.

MID-DAY

• One piece of citrus fruit or a glass of fresh fruit juice.

LUNCH

• One serving of sprouted mung OR any other sprouted pulse OR soyabeans.
• One serving of green vegetable OR one leafy vegetable OR one yellow vegetable.
• One serving of any other vegetable of your choice ( including a medium size potato)
• Two medium sized chapatties (phulkas) + 1/2 tea cup cooked rice OR Two slices of break + 1/2 tea cup cooked rice OR 1 tea cup cooked rice.
• One cup vegetable soup OR one cup of Mung, water soup OR one cup of buttermilk OR one cup yogurt (curd) made from skim milk.

EVENING

• A cup of tea or coffee ( with less sugar)
• A fresh fruit.

DINNER

• One serving of sprouted mung OR any other sprouted pulse or soya beans (same dish as for lunch) OR cottage cheese (Paneer)
• One serving of a green or a leafy vegetable
• One plate fresh raw salad.
• Two medium sized chapattis (phulkas) + 1/2 tea cup cooked rice OR two slices of break + 1/2 tea cup cooked rice OR 1 tea cup cooked rice.
• One cup of vegetable soup OR one cup of mung water soup or one cup of buttermilk OR one cup of yogurt (curd) made of skim milk (make sure you have two cups of skim milk or its equivalent each day).

Since vegetables and grains contain an incomplete protein, you must combine grains ( rice and wheat) and legumes ( peas and beans) in each meal to provide a complete protein. Eating grains in the morning and legumes in the evening won’t meet your needs. Plant proteins must be combined in the same meal if they are to be used by your body to form a complete protein. One solution to the problem of combining plant proteins would be to include a small amount of milk or cottage cheese in each meal to contribute the amino -acids your body needs to form a complete protein from the incomplete proteins supplied by plant foods.

Why is SOYABEAN considered a Health Food ?

‘Soyabean’ - the "miracle golden bean" - may be considered as king of pulses. It is a pulse having a wealth of nutrition. Nutritionally, there is no other food that compares with it. It is the only vegetable that gives complete protein. Being rich in all food essentials and containing proteins of the highest value it successfully replaces or entirely surpasses meat, fish, eggs, cheese, buttermilk and to all of which it is, in fact, superior in many ways. It is the most perfect substitute for meat known to man. It is rich in calcium, phosphorous and lysine (amino acid) without which proteins are of little value to the human system.

The vegan vegetarians who live on the products of plant kingdom to the exclusion of flesh, fish, eggs etc. can use soyabean as their basic protein. The soyabean contains a wealth of nutrition in the form of minerals, vitamins, easily assimilable carbohydrates and above all, perfect and complete protein, all of which are packed tight into the tiny soyabean, the little storehouse of Nature’s greatest treasure.

Not only can soyabean replace meat, fish, eggs etc. but being low in starch, it is a good diabetic good. For infants and children, adults and old people, in health and sickness, the soyabean is very valuable as an all- round food.

Another outstanding advantage of the soyabean is the fact that its rich fat content comprises a considerable amount of lecithin, the best known form of nutrient essential in fat metabolism and building, of nerve tissues. Cephalin, a phosphate, another constituent of soyabean, is one of the constituent of the brain.

Soya bean is commercially available as soya chunks, soya granules, soya-paneer (Tofu) and soya-milk.

But doctor ! I don’t like the taste of soyabeans !

The overall nutritional quality of soyabean is no doubt excellent but there are certain factors by way of which many avoid taking it.

Soyabean in its raw state is some what difficult to digest unless one is familiar with the correct process of cooking.

One has to cultivate a taste for it as due to its particular flavour and rubbery feeling on eating it is not generally liked by many. Soyabean has, therefore to be suitably processed by soaking and germinating or the commercially available soya-chunks and soya-granulaes have to be properly washed under running water and soaked. Later steaming or double boiling the soya bean or chunks and granules, improves their palatability, digestibility and nutritive value.

Soyabean can be put to a number of diverse uses and in these forms are taken readily by people. The soya bean, chunks or granules can be used in various ways : khakra, chapatii made out of soya flour.

Is it alright if I overeat foods included in The Balanced-Nutrient Diet ?

DO NOT OVEREAT !
EVEN THE FINEST MOST NUTRITIOUS FOODS
AVAILABLE WILL SPOIL IN YOUR SYSTEM IF IT
IS OVEREATEN.

If you tend to overeat, it is helpful to understand the physiology behind overeating. The inner lining of our intestines is made up of microscopic filaments called villi. These villi or filaments can be easily clogged by the waste products of foods that are eaten in excess of what our bodies can metabolize and utilize efficiently. If the tiny villi or filaments through which nutrients are absorbed are clogged, no matter how much we eat our bodies are not nourished. When no nutrients are being absorbed as a result of clogging, the body sets off an alarm that it has not been fed, and even though we have just eaten, we want to eat more. On The Balanced-Nutrient Diet you will experience a new life-style that will help you deal with overeating. The large amount of fibre rich high water content food will help cleanse the intestines and unclog the villi so that the body can begin to absorb nutrients. Since only wholesome, natural foods brimming with nutrients are included in The Balanced-Nutrient Diet, your body will begin to be nourished from foods it is eating. In short your body will no longer need to sound the alarm for more food, since it will be regularly receiving food that will cleanse it and nourish it.

If initially you still feel the need to overeat, don’t be upset. Stay on The Balanced-Nutrient Diet and allow your body to cleanse itself. As you continue to eat these foods that are brimming with nutrients, the physiological basis of overeating will be removed. Eventually, like ‘so many others you will be able to say, "I used to overeat."

I constantly feel hungry more so between meals, so I simply eat. I have no will power. What should I do to lose weight ?

Let us first understand what hunger really is? Hunger and appetite (discussed later) are two terms closely associated with food. Hunger is generated by the digestive system as a demand for food and manifests itself in the form of hunger contractions of the stomach or by saliva secretion in the mouth. A delay in eating begins to produce the unpleasant symptoms of hunger. The physical sensation of hunger increases irritability. There is physical pain in the stomach commonly and energy decreases. As discuss earlier overweight people are constantly hungry because the foods they eat lack nourishment. They lack the good proteins, vitamins and minerals that satisfy the body’s needs. In a vain effort to check insatiable appetite, or by force of habit, they stuff themselves with white bread, biscuits, chivada, pastries and sweets, but still the body goes hungry and unsatisfied and unable to assimilate this "synthetic" nourishment retaliates by pilling it up in rolls upon rolls of fat. Lacking basic nourishment, overweighters are constantly hungry-and so that overeat and so it goes around the vicious circle - the ever expanding waist, hips and thighs.

You say you have no will power. Well, let me tell you I often hear this lament from most overweight people, I have no will power". Let’s analyze this statement. What does it mean? First lets analyze this word ‘will power’. In classical philosophy the term ‘will’ means your conscious desire.

Thus when an overweight person says ‘I have no will- power’ what he really means is this ‘I have a strong conscious desire to lose weight - I often resolve to lose weight ; but temptations sweep away my best resolutions. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

But this is not quite the same thing as having no will- power. The fact is that most overweight people have ample supply of will power. They have a very strong conscious desire to lose weight, and this by definition is will power. But they don’t know to use their will power.

Most overweight people use willpower in a direct confrontation with temptation and temptation wins, but there is a way out of this dilemma. Think of yourself as a swimmer in a river with a strong current. The current is temptation or compulsive desire to overeat. Your ability to swim is by analogy your willpower. You want to get out of the river ( i.e. free yourself from compulsion). Can you swim upstream against the current? Even if you are a very strong swimmer ( i.e. have a great deal of willpower), you will soon become fatigued and be swept away by the current. What can you do? Obviously, you can use your swimming strength to reach one of the shores. By going ‘with’ the current you eventually escape it. You have options of freedom ‘within’ the situation.

Most overweight people waste their willpower in a futile attempt to fight temptation. Very few people can lose weight by trying, to use willpower to suppress desire. Such efforts are almost doomed to failure. Even if they lose weight by a valiant effort of will against temptation they almost gain the weight back.

The suggestions in this chapter are recommended to help you to use willpower in a constructive, creative way. These specific and practical suggestions are given to help you to ‘swim with’ the current of your temptations and eventually escape them. The only willpower you need is the willpower to actually ‘do’ the things suggested. If you actually try out the suggestions, you will find how well you can eat, how many good foods you can enjoy and yet reduce to your proportion and maintain your real weight for life.

Can I eat all I want and still lose weight ?

How many times have you seen this statement used in the promotion of weight-reducing program? Some people maintain that you can eat all you want of almost ‘anything’ and still lose weight. Of course, three is no healthful way to staff yourself and lose body fat as a result.

If your diet is nutritionally balanced, it won’t be necessary to eat large amounts of food to get the nutrients you need. But if you eat the right foods, you ‘can’ nibble! Let yourself go on vegetables. Vegetables are rich in food-fibre and they satisfy your need for bulk. Vegetables should be boiled, baked or eaten raw. Avoid frying as it adds fats. You can eat all you want of your favourite vegetables between meals as long as you include other basic foods in your regular meals as per The Balanced-Nutrient Diet. Nibbling on vegetables should, however, reduce your appetite at mealtime.

M.D. kept all kind of fresh vegetables in her refrigerator. Every time she felt an urge to eat something, she nibbled on a carrot, a piece of celery, a section of cucumber, or some other favourite vegetable. The result was that she ate smaller portions during regular meals. She was thus able to adhere to The Balanced-Nutrient Diet advised by me for her weight problem and managed to lose a kilo a week by doing nothing more than eating vegetables between meals.

Another way to eat between meals is to eat a fresh fruit. Fruits are excellent carriers of vitamins and minerals and are out-standing for carbohydrate because of their content of natural sugar starches. I wish every reducer would acquire the good habit of eating ripe fruits. It is a fine way to train the palate away from the concentrated sweets. Fresh fruits can be eaten any time of the day and even as dessert. Fruit consumption is an art to be developed by each individual. What matter is that you eat enough to feel satisfied. Learn to listen to the wants and needs of your body. DON’T OVEREAT AND DON’T UNDER- EAT! Eat a fruit. Enjoy it! Remember to eat it slowly, chewing and mixing with your saliva. Do not gulp or consume fruits too rapidly, then may upset body systems.

CAUTION!

Don’t ever succumb to the temptation to eat sweets, pastries, cakes, white bread, processed foods and other highly fattening, foods in -between meals. These devitalized foods are very low in their nutrient content and are often referred to as ‘empty foods’ or foodless that will, artificially stimulate your appetite, resulting in over-indulgence and escalate your problem into fat- building eating binges.

What is appetite? Do you have any special suggestions to control appetite and yet lose excess weight ?

Appetite like hunger ( discussed earlier), is closely associated with food. Appetite is a complex of sensations which makes one look forward with a degree of pleasure to eating. Appetite is psychologically related and depends on a person’s knowledge about food and its colour, smell, taste etc. In short, we think of appetite in a pleasurable way.

Listed below are so me special foods introduced witha view to keep up the pleasure of eating, at the same time as providing essential nutrients to the body, to maintain good health. These special foods are meant as healthy alternatives to products of white sugar, candies, pastries and white flour in catering to the appetite of an obese individual and help in achieving desired ideal weight.

SKIM MILK

Skim milk contains first class protein , calcium and riboflavin (Vitamin B) - essential nutrients which reducers particularly need.

Skim milk can be bought in liquid form from most diaries. Skim milk can be "made" at home from regular whole milk by pouring, off the top cream.

‘Non-fast dry skim milk’ supplies all the proteins, minerals and vitamins ( except vitamin A) of whole milk. Available at most grocery shops and food markets, it comes in powder form and can be used either as powder or liquid. To relliquefy, follow directions on the package.

Skim milk in fluid is the intelligent reducers best friend. There is only one big drawback - it doesn’t look very appetizing and it tastes flat. To make it look and taste delicious you may make it into a really good tasting milk shake and to make it even more pleasant you may add any flavour you desire. When served cool from the refrigerator, these milk shakes are at their best.

VANILLA MILK SHAKE
You simply put a tablespoon of the instant dry skim milk powder to 200 ml. or 1 glass of fluid skim milk and add a few drops of vanilla.

A glass of such a milk shake serves as a wonderful bracer between meals.

INSTANT COFFEE MILK SHAKE
Mix 1 teaspoon of instant coffee with 200 ml. of fluid skim milk powder. Refrigerate and shake well before using.

This coffee contains adult’s chromium requirement for the day. Coffee in small quantities is a stimulant for the nervous system. However it should not be drunk by children and people with stomach problems.

BANANA MILK SHAKE
Mix 200 ml. or 1 glass of fluid skim milk, 1 tablespoon of instant dry skim milk powder, and add a few drops of natural banana flavouring. Place in refrigerator and shake before using.

ORANGE LEMON MILK SHAKE
Half a teaspoon of grated orange or lemon peel added to 200 ml. or 1 glass of fresh skim milk and 1 table spoon of instant dry skim milk powder, makes a refreshing combination. Refrigerate and shake before using.

All the above milk shakes are low in fat content and absolutely delicious. If sweetening is desired, a fresh fruit may be added for additional carbohydrate as well as for vitamin C.

BUTTER MILK
Butter milk contains essentially everything which whole milk contains except the fat which is considerably reduced. Butter-milk is easily digested than whole milk because of its lactic acid. It is obtained by additional water to yogurt ( curd) and churning it.

Buttermilk, like yogurt, is excellent for correcting putrefactive conditions in the intestines, since lactic acid bacteria hinder the development of putrefactive bacteria.

Buttermilk is valuable in a reducing diet because it is minus fat contained in whole milk, while the mineral content does not diminish.

Buttermilk not only has the same nutrients as fresh milk it has special values ranging from aid to digestion, stomach and intestinal health, to powerful germicidal activity. Buttermilk has a favourable action upon the bowels, and is also mildly diuretic and in view of its valuable nutritive and therapeutic substances it is one of the most healthful of milk drinks.

Butter milk acts as a healthy and practical substitute for skim milk in cases where the latter is difficult to obtain, as in restaurants.

YOGURT
Commonly called ‘Curd’, The food value of yogurt is substantially the same as that of the milk from which it is prepared. The properties of yogurt are unique. The live bacteria in yogurt will make a healthful contribution to your intestinal tract. The lactic acid produced by these bacteria will aid digestion and improve absorption of nutrients.

The protein in yogurt, for example is more digestible than the protein in milk. The bacteria in yogurt displace harmful bacteria in the intestinal tract. Lactobacillus (yogurt bacteria) also produce an acid that inhibits the growth of disease producing bacteria.

It is well-known that taking oral antibiotics kills healthful intestine bacteria along with infecting bacteria. When your doctor prescribes antibiotics to kill an infection, you can help restore intestinal bacteria by eating fresh, live yogurt, if you can make your own yogurt at home, so much the better.

Heat 1 litre skim milk, let it boil. Then allow the milk to cool. When warm add 1 tablespoon yogurt ( made the previous day). Beat up the mixture and cover. Keep aside until the yogurt sets. During the cold climate, place inside a cupboard or closed oven to set. If you like your yogurt to be firm and sweet add 1 heaped teaspoon of skim powder along with previous day’s yogurt.

Fresh yogurt goes great with fresh fruits, sliced vegetables sprouts, cereals or any other healthful food of your choice. You may simply eat yogurt by itself or in the form of a yogurt dip, dressing or dessert.

YOGURT - CHEESE DIP
Tie two teacups of thick fresh curd in a thin muslin cloth, hand and allow water to drain out for one hour. Add 1 tablespoons chopped onion, 3 teaspoons chopped celery, 4 teaspoons chopped capsicum and mix well. Add a pinch of salt to taste. Serve cold with capsicum sticks or carrot sticks. The yogurt cheese dip is a tasty substitute of cheese and cream dips which are high in fat and cholesterol.

YOGURT DRESSING
Tie 2 teacups of thick fresh curds in a thin muslin cloth. Hang and allow water to drain out for one hour. Add 1 tablespoon chopped onion, 1/2 teaspoon chopped green chillies, 1 teaspoon mustard powder. Add a pinch of salt to taste. Chill and serve with any fruit or vegetable salad.

The dressing is rich in proteins, vitamins and minerals which will increase the nutritive value and taste of any salad. It is for healthier than high cholesterol, thick mayonnaise or salted cream.

YOGURT FRUIT DESSERT
Fresh yogurt can take the place of sour cream or whipped cream for people who value their waistlines. You can make so many attractive dessert combinations.

Peach Yogurt :
Place ripe sliced peaches into your finest glassware, cover them with a tablespoon or two of yogurt and sprinkle the top with some finely grated lemon peel.

This is a great substitute for rich puddings and tastes simply delicious.

Raspberries and strawberries look beautiful in crystal glasses and become more delicious when you add fresh yogurt.

COTTAGE CHEESE (commonly called Paneer)
Cottage cheese contains a very high concentration of biologically complete protein and important milk minerals. One ounce of cottage cheese contains two-thirds as much protein as one cup of whole milk. Commercial cottage cheese is made from skim milk. Remember to most of commercial cottage cheese, cream is added therefore on a weight reducing programme it is better to have cottage cheese made at home.

Making and eating cottage cheese is a healthful practice that will provide a positive stimulus in your weight reducing programme. Tending, to your cottage cheese will provide you with a psychological boosting. Involvement in any activity that requires you to help yourself in reaching your weight goal will help assure success.

Technique for making cottage cheese (Paneer)

1. Pour one litre skim milk to boil. When it starts boiling, remove from the heat and wait 2 to 3 minutes. Then add juice of 1 lemon and stir gently till all the milk curdles.
2. Leave covered for sometime. Then pour over on thin muslin cloth and drain out the water.
3. Cover with a cloth and place a weight on top to drain out the excess water.

Cottage cheese can be either cut into pieces or crumbled as required. Note : The use of 1 cup of yogurt instead of lemon juice gives smoother cottage cheese.

Cottage cheese can be mixed with vegetable cooked for meals, or can be made use of to enrich plain salads that are eaten to curb appetite or between meal hunger.

Energy Salad
A salad consisting of four lettuce leaves, one medium tomato, one small cucumber and half cup of uncreamed cottage cheese is ideal for people on the go. This power packed protein rich salad is rich in complex carbohydrates and vitamins.

FRESH VEGETABLE JUICES
One of the finest way to cater to appetite or between meal hunger is to delivery yourself with delicious strained vegetable juices, prepared by pressing the juices out of the freshest and juiciest vegetables - carrots and tomatoes are great favourities. However, even the best prepared juices (unlike purees) contain only fractions of the nutrients present in the original vegetable. The residue from carrots, cabbage, spinach after pressing, contains valuable nutrients as well as bulk that can help to satisfy appetite and furnish roughage to assist intestinal functions.

Here are two juices most popular the world over :-

"Golden Carrot Juice "

Simply scrub the juiciest and most golden-like carrots you can find. This removes only the thinnest layer of skin and not the vitamin which lie underneath. Put the carrots in your electric juicer and watch the golden stream flow. Drink it at once.

"Fresh Tomato Juice "

Simply cut sun-ripened juicy tomatoes into slices to fit your electric juicer. You will be amazed at the fresh taste of this juice. Fresh tomato juice contains lot of vitamin A, lot of vitamin C and some vitamin B. It tastes best when chilled. This is one of the favourite curbers when taken between meals.

SOUPS
Stay thin with soups.
A cup of thin tasty soup at the beginning of the meal fills the stomach temporarily and helps to make you satisfied with eating less of the succeeding meal.
Here are listed a few of the favourite soups made by fairly generous addition of water to make them thin.
Clear chicken soup, clear vegetable soup, onion soup, tomato soup etc.

Doctor, ours is a joint family. I cannot prepare a separate meal for myself.

Who said you have to cook for two, one meal for the reducer, and an entirely different one for other members of the family? It just isn’t so. Your reducing diet is a balanced diet based on good nutrition. The rest of the family ( and you too, after you have slimmed down) simply add other rich foods to the basic Balanced-Nutrient Diet.

Cooking procedures need not upset you. You can eat from all the foods cooked for the entire family, provided the food is cooked in a reasonable amount of oil & salt. On special occasions, for instance, in preparing certain vegetable dishes, take out a portion for the reducer before rich sauces and seasonings are added. In case of non-vegetarians, the thick gravy can be served in separate containers, and is thus easily avoided if will power holds out. If fried foods have to be prepared for someone who loves them, the reducer can substitute foods of superior nutritive value: a whole grain chapatti, bread or fruits.

Yogurt-fruit dessert, can be taken instead of rich creamy desserts, or the yogurt salad dressing, can replace mayonnaise or other rich salad creams.

If the above suggestions seem too, too obvious and may be they are - they are made to persuade you that "I cannot reduce because I cannot prepare two separate meals" is a very feeble argument.

I am a working person. Do you have suggestions to help me with my lunch-box?

There are many nutritious foods that you can pack in a lunch box. You can choose from such foods such as chicken, boiled eggs, cottage cheese, sprouted mung or beans, all kinds of vegetables, whole grain chapatties or bread, yogurt , fruits and so on. Just make sure that the foods are fresh and natural and cooked with minimum oil. Try to include something from each of the basic four food groups. Foods from :

1. "The Milk Group" (such as yogurt or buttermilk),
2. "The Vegetable-Fruit Group" (such as cabbage and apples),
3. For non-vegetarians "The Meat group" (such as chicken) and for the Vegetarians "The Milk-pulse group" (such as cottage cheese or sprouted Mung) , and
4. "The Cereal group" (such as whole-grain, bread, rice or chapattis).

An inclusion of foods from various groups will assure a balanced diet.

I like to socialize a lot. I eat away from home most of the time. How can I keep up my reducing diet? Can I still lose weight ?

A popular excuse for failing to adhere to a reducing diet is ‘I’m always invited out, and if I don’t eat what my friend serves, I would appear rude and be unwelcome". That sounds like a sweet gesture but is as hollow as can be. There is no need to offend your friend by looking at the well laid festive dinner table and saying, ‘I’m sorry, there is nothing here I can eat. I’m on a very strict diet". This sort of a thing can be very disturbing to a friend who has slaved all afternoon to prepare a treat for you. There is always something you can eat. For instance, pick up the meat and nudge off the rich gravy with a sly sidling spoon motion. If there is a fried dish say fried chicken, batatawada, bhajiyas, pakoda or any other fried farsan, then remove the delicious outer crust. Leave it on your plate. Eat the inner contents. Occasionally, we may choose the lesser evil when there is a limited variety of foods. When it comes to salads, pile your plate with tomatoes, cucumber and onions. Load your plate with vegetables which are usually passed around. With the mountain of vegetables and salads on your plate there won’t be place for gravied dishes and other rich foods, and you can give the illusion of eating a lot without actually doing so.

Never go to a party, a dinner invitation or buffet on an empty stomach. Have a filler like a glass of skimmed milk, cottage cheese on bread or toast, or a fruit. Then you won’t find yourself indulging (gorging) on greasy and fried foods. Learn to forego the rich foods. Don’t feel guilty. Better let food go waste than to the waist.

Above all, be bold. Make a telephone call and let your friend know about your reducing programme in advance. This always proves helpful.

Will dining out in restaurants wreck my reducing programme?

No. Dining out in restaurants need not wreck a reducing programme. When you go to a restaurant take time over the menu. Select what you want, order that and no more. There is a handy, simple formula to help you select a fine reducers meal from any restaurant menu. It goes like this :

1. GUIDELINES FOR A MOGHLAI MEAL

   "Appetizer" : Any clear soup or tomato juice.
   "Main Course" Grilled, roasted or tandoori foods such as chicken tikka, sheekh kabab or paneer tikka.
   Choose two vegetables, preferably one green : palak , methi and one yellow vegetable - cauliflower, cabbage, mushroom. Nudge off thick oily gravy with a sidling spoon motion.
   "Salad " : Plain lettuce leaves, tomatoes, onions, cucumber without any creamy dressings.
   "Bread-Roti-Rice " : Plain bread, roti or steamed rice are find foods and reasonable amounts are allowed. Avoid buttered nans, parathas and kulchas. Avoid dipping bread or roti in rich gravies. Avoid eating rice with rich gravies. Prefer eating rich with yogurt, instead.
   "Dessert " Yogurt (curd) or Yogurt-fruits salad.
   "Beverage" : Drink plenty of water. Avoid soft drinks.

2. GUIDELINES FOR A CHINESE MEAL

   "Starters " - Prefer steamed starters. Avoid fried starters.
   "Appetizer" : All clear soups and boullion soups. Soups containing thick corn flour are fattening. Avoid wontons in your soup. Avoid sweet corn soup.
   "Main Course" : Any dish eaten must be preferably shredded or diced, so that you can pick the pieces and avoid the rich and salty sauces. Avoid fried preparations like Manchurian for example. Avoid all preparations that are minced, coated with corn flour and then deep fried. For example, meat balls, chicken balls or vegetable balls etc.
   "Noodles-Rice" : Noodles are tasty foods and reasonable amounts are allowed. Prefer steamed rice to fried rice.
   The Monosodium-glutamate (Ajinomotto) can trigger a migraine headache in some people. "The Chinese restaurant syndrome", or flushing and palpitation of the heart, has been traced to excessive use of monosodium glutamate as a seasoning.

THE BALANCED - NUTRIENT DIET PLAN FOR NON-VEGETARIANS

BREAKFAST

• A cup of tea or coffee (with less sugar)
• One egg or a serving of lean ham or chicken and ham, with a slice of bread or a toast

OR

• One slice of break or 1 toast with a cup of skim-milk.

OR

• 2-3 table spoons of whole-grain breakfast cereal with a cup of skim-milk.
  (Breakfast cereals include oats, cornflakes popcorn)

MID-DAY

• One citrus fruit ( orange or sweet lime) or a glass of fresh fruit juice.

LUNCH

• One serving of fish OR skinned chicken OR a lean meat of your choice (remember that chicken and fish are lowest in saturated fat)
• One serving of a green vegetable OR one leafy vegetable OR one yellow vegetable.
• One serving of any other vegetable of your choice (including a medium size potato)
• Two medium sized chapaties ( phulkas ) + 1/2 tea cup cooked rice OR Two slices of bread + 1/2 tea cup cooked rice OR 1 tea cup cooked rice.
• One cup vegetable soup OR one glass of butter milk OR one cup yogurt (curd) of skim milk.

EVENING

• A cup of tea or coffee (with less sugar)
• A fresh fruit.

DINNER

• A serving of the same meat dish you had at lunch OR a serving of cottage cheese (paneer).
• One serving of a vegetable of your choice
• A plate of fresh raw salad
• Two medium sized chapaties (phulkas) + 1/2 tea cup cooked rice OR two slices of bread + 1/2 tea cup cooked rice OR 1 tea cup cooked rice.
• One cup of vegetable soup OR one glass of buttermilk OR one cup yogurt (curd) of skim milk. (Make sure that you have two cups of skim milk or its equivalent each day.)