[rohan_iitr]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Damn, what about the atta we get for making chapathi? Hope that is not maida too.

Atta is the course flour that is (should be) used for making rotis. Rotis made of atta have a slight brownish shade.

Maida is the fine flour that is generally used for baking. It is also used for making chappati/parathas/naans etc, especially in restaurants. Paratha etc made of maida will be very whitish and would become rubbery once it gets cold.

Rohan

[directinjection]

Originally Posted by carboy

Stuff made of Chana Dal (Besan) is very very low glycemic index - hence very good.

Actually Besan is the maida equivalent of chana dal flour, being the refined version of it. For good health, one should use the whole chana flour which, to my knowledge, is not available as a packaged commodity and has to be ordered from the local flour shop that grinds grains.

Apart from chana daal atta, one can also use bajra atta and barley atta which serve the same purpose due to lesser starch content. All coarse grains are good for health.

In the olden days, in rural India, most people consumed coarse grains and wheat flour was used only on special occasions. Wheat has become popular only over the last half century or so, creating its own health problems.

[DCEite]

Originally Posted by carboy

What is Indian diet? There are dozens of Indian diets which have no similarity between each other.

Good question. Indian diets vary so much across regions, and for the uninitiated it looks like a completely different diet altogether.

But if you look carefully, apart from slight dissimilarity in the composition (eg. staple grain of north is wheat whereas in South its Rice - but rice is consumed in small amounts in north and Roti in small amounts in south), most of the constituents of both the north and south meal use unprocessed and whole grain. While wheat is popular in North, jawar and bajara are are popular down south. Again, spices of high medicinal value like Turmeric and herbs like Ginger, Garlic (which are now even recommended by some allopathy studies as an treatment/prevention of many diseases) are used commonly across all Indian diets.
Indian diets (irrespective of its north or south) emphasise on use of vegetables and fruits in raw as well as cooked form and lentils and pulses.

The point is, its not the composition of the Indian diet which makes the difference - its the major ingredients and the method of preparation. This trait is common across any indian diet be it north/south/west/east.

The western diet on the other hand emphasis more on refined flour and processed food, which is where it differs markedly from all Indian diets.

P.S. Slightly OT, when the ingredient label of a packaged food (like Parle-G biscuit) says its made up of Wheat grain - does it mean whole wheat grain or refined wheat grain (Maida)?

[carboy]

Originally Posted by DCEite

P.S. Slightly OT, when the ingredient label of a packaged food (like Parle-G biscuit) says its made up of Wheat grain - does it mean whole wheat grain or refined wheat grain (Maida)?

Maida. Posion.

If it's whole wheat great, it will always be labelled as 'Whole Wheat'.

[one-77]

Originally Posted by carboy

There is an anticoagulant which is naturally present in the blood which prevents clots. However, if your sugar levels are high, this anticoagulant is ineffective.

Interesting. Could you please name this anticoagulant?

[noopster]

I realized this when I started taking professional advice from a dietician last year. It's the damn carbs that are to blame!

Of course a disproportionately high intake of fat will not help you but if you indulge now and then it's not as bad as subjecting your body to systematic abuse of too many carbohydrates, that too through sources like maida, refined flour and white rice. There are much healthier cereals like bajra, jowar, etc. that can be substituted in for rice and wheat. And of course sugar, which in its various forms is a big killer.

Eggs and bacon is actually a much better breakfast than cornflakes, toast or poha/upma. But if you must eat those, do so at breakfast. Fruit, nuts, vegetables throughout the day in moderate quantities and suitably spread apart should do the trick. Plus about 45 mins of cardio thrice a week will do wonders.

The problem is while all this is great in theory it takes quite a bit of motivation and willpower to stay on track! After losing 13 kg in 5 months, I slackened off and have started putting on weight again. It requires a complete lifestyle transformation to get slim and stay that way!

[carboy]

Originally Posted by one-77

Interesting. Could you please name this anticoagulant?

No idea. I am not a doctor. And may be I am using wrong terminology.


Here is one link I found through googling now - http://heartdisease.about.com/od/dia...rt-Disease.htm

High blood sugar levels also make the blood platelets (the clotting elements in the blood) "sticker," and increase the coagulation potential of the blood plasma. These effects make diabetics more prone to abnormal blood clotting.

[Technocrat]

This is one of the most confusing topics to discuss. Watch this documentary called Forks Over Knives which will make you believe that all meat & milk based products are bad.

If one is not careful they will even make you believe how one person was able to reduce his cholesterol by following their diet ignoring the content about high Triglyceridesin.

So yes, this is debate with no clear answer in sight.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by Samurai

I have started eating eggs with gusto since last year.

And how about fish? (http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-14...l-level:-study)

Originally Posted by alpha1

...inflammation of arteries...

Wonder how many folks have ever had their hsCRP levels checked.

Originally Posted by alpha1

...Swedish health advisory has come up with recommendations on countering obesity by going low carb and high fat: http://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f6873/rr/673823...

The British Medical Journal article actually clarifies that a high-fat diet does not contribute to weight reduction in the long term. Please note the last comment: Individualization rather than a new fundamentalism towards low carb diets may be the bottom line there.

It would be interesting to also find out how many of you use sunflower oil as your primary cooking medium, and what are your lipid profile and serum insulin levels. Try a complete switch to olive oil at home, avoid fried foods at restaurants, keep the rest of the diet exactly the same as before; then check the lipid profile and serum insulin levels after 6 months.

Let's hear from you!

[carboy]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

It would be interesting to also find out how many of you use sunflower oil as your primary cooking medium, and what are your lipid profile and serum insulin levels. Try a complete switch to olive oil at home, avoid fried foods at restaurants, keep the rest of the diet exactly the same as before; then check the lipid profile and serum insulin levels after 6 months.

Around 3-4 months back, I switched to Kachi Ganni Oil (Mustard Oil) based on one of your earlier posts. Now 75% of my food is cooked in Mustard Oil & remaining in Coconut or Rice Bran Oil. I haven't checked lipids or insulin before or after - so I don't know what difference it has made.

Though mustard oil smells very pungent while cooking, post cooking the smell isn't there. Also taste wise it doesn't taste pungent at all.

[Guna]

Some of the advice from my doctor:

• Stop wheat (because of gluten)
• Eat brown rice if you have to have rice
• Cut down on sugar
• No milk and dairy products
• Coconut oil and Rice bran oil are good. He doesn't approve any other oil extracted from grains.

[zoombiee]

Point 1 -> Human body has evolved for lakhs of years
Point 2 -> Agriculture started 10000 years back.
Point 3 -> Supposed Indian balanced diet could not have started 10000 years back

10000 years is a very small time in man's evolution and it is not possible for human body to have adapted to eating agriculture based produce. The body has been designed to consume early man's diet which was meat based/vegetable based/fruit based.
Early man ate only when he was hungry and not 4-5 meals a day. The secret is to have naturally occurring foods that could possible be consume in its natural form.
Oils are not necessarilt bad. Highly processed oils are. Ghee is the least processed oil, hence its the most desirable.
What nutrition does wheat/rice actually provide? Is that nutrition really needed?

[Mr_Bean]

Originally Posted by Guna

Some of the advice from my doctor:

• Stop wheat (because of gluten)
• Eat brown rice if you have to have rice
• Cut down on sugar
• No milk and dairy products
• Coconut oil and Rice bran oil are good. He doesn't approve any other oil extracted from grains.

Originally Posted by zoombiee

Early man ate only when he was hungry and not 4-5 meals a day. The secret is to have naturally occurring foods that could possible be consume in its natural form.
Oils are not necessarilt bad. Highly processed oils are. Ghee is the least processed oil, hence its the most desirable.
What nutrition does wheat/rice actually provide? Is that nutrition really needed?

I would term this as the paleo or caveman diet. We are over dependent on foods that are cultivated & processed, these include rice, wheat, milk, dairy, refined sugar (colas, fruit juices)..

Our body has adapted itself to a complex high carb diet & when we avoid rice or chapathy, we will have mood swings, headache & empty feeling in the stomach.

I switched to paleo diet November last year, the initial week was pretty tough as my body was craving for carbs from rice and rotis. During the 2nd week, the body slowly adapted to the new food regime. My diet consist of the following:
1.) Meat - Fish, Chicken, Beef, Pork, Mutton cooked with olive oil
2.) Egg - boiled
3.) Fruits - Papaya, Pineapple, Muskmelon, Water melon, Apple
4.) Nuts - Badam, Pistachios, Cashew
5.) Coffee (not paleo :-)) with brown sugar

I had my occasional cheat days during the initial month, but nowadays I don't feel the need for it. The paleo diet put an end to my IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).

Again there is a lot of debate on the meat consumed, whether animals are grass or grain fed and the toxicity in the fish consumed.

[bblost]

Originally Posted by Mr_Bean

1.) Meat - Fish, Chicken, Beef, Pork, Mutton cooked with olive oil

You mean this:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...ml#post3281200

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...ml#post2577217

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...ml#post3265650

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...ml#post3193946

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...ml#post3003314

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...ml#post2939780


Olive oil is not some magic potion. It is NOT going to be any better unless you are using uncooked extra virgin olive oil.

You can also rely on animal fat to cook the meats. Not added separately but by selecting appropriate cuts of meat.

[satyaanveshi]

Originally Posted by carboy

What is Indian diet? There are dozens of Indian diets which have no similarity between each other.

Yes, there are many kinds of Indian diets but they are actually quite similar when one looks a little deeper. Some general characteristics of traditional diets across India:

a) Predominantly vegetarian: Even for non-vegetarians, meat is usually only a small portion of their traditional diet. An exception would be coastal communities consuming plenty of fish. This prevalence of vegetarian diet is primarily on account of climatic conditions, and cultural factors have only reinforced it.

b) Importance of milk: Indians along with Europeans and a few other groups have a unique genetic mutation that enables digestion of milk. This genetic ability is rare among Chinese, SE Asians, etc and these groups do not have a culture of dairy consumption. Milk and milk products like curd, buttermilk, lassi, etc are an important element of traditional diets all over India.

c) Importance of legumes/pulses/dal: This is perhaps the single-most important distinguishing factor for Indian diets. No other culture consumes pulses the way we do, both in terms of quantity as well as variety. We have tur dal, chana dal, moong dal, urad, masur dal, peanuts (actually a legume), chole, rajma, and many others. Dal consumption may be explicit (dal as a dish in itself) or implicit (dal as an ingredient in a dish - more common in southern India where some or the other variety of dal is a major ingredient in sambar, idli, dosa and even some sweets). But in almost any traditional Indian diet, an average adult would easily consume at least 100-120 grams, if not more, of pulses alone (all varieties put together) in a day.

Wherever you go in India, you will find that traditional diets are typically a combination of cereal (rice/wheat/coarse grains) + pulses + vegetables + milk/curd. For non-vegetarians, add meat, fish and eggs.

There many other similarities in terms of ingredients and methods of preparation. For example, the use of ghee is pretty much unique to India and is found all over India. The use of spices like turmeric, jeera and mustard is another factor. In terms of cooking methods, the practice of frying spices in a small quantity of ghee or oil and adding it to a dish is ubiquitous all over India, though known by different names in different regions - chaunk or tadka in Hindi, thaalithal in Tamil, etc . It is one the things that really makes a dish "Indian".

Originally Posted by tilt

I do not believe that the Indian diet is in any way healthful because it is almost nothing but carbohydrates (meaning, sugar). This is one of the reasons there is such a high prevalence of Diabetes in India and in other Asian countries where also the diet consists mainly of carbs.
Cheers

I don't agree with the view that traditional Indian diets are "nothing but carbohydrates". Traditional diets include plenty of pulses and vegetables. However, what many Indians today think of as a traditional diet is not really traditional. If you are having plenty of maida, potatoes and sugary tea/coffee, that isn't traditional to any part of India. On top it, many urban Indians consume pizzas, burgers and colas and don't care for pulses and vegetables.

Some may object to my saying that tea/coffee are not part of traditional diets. They may even point to filter coffee which is supposed to be a must for anyone from southern India. But remember that the popularity of tea/coffee is barely a century old. Historically, Indians consumed milk, lassi, buttermilk, mosambi juice, chaas, rice gruel, etc and not tea/coffee. The practice of adding a couple of teaspoons of sugar to any beverage is also of recent origin.

The fact is that there has been a wholesale increase over the last century or so in the average Indian's sugar consumption. On top of it our lifestyles have become increasingly sedentary. At least in urban India, there are very few people today who properly follow a traditional diet, with plenty of pulses and vegetables and less of sugary beverages. So it is the divergence from traditional diet that has led to a spike in sugar consumption and coupled with lifestyle changes has led to an increase in diabetes, obesity, etc.