I love navratras it’s a total feast,however the calories is what bothers me the most.So here is a simple, low calorie recipe to try which doesn’t take much of your time and is great to eat.

Ingredients

vrat chawal flour(1 cup)

mustard seeds(1tsp)

1 tablespoon oil

water to make batter

salt as per taste

Method

1. Mix vrat rice flour with water to make a smooth batter.The batter should neither be too thin or too thick.
2. Add salt as per taste.
3. Make a tadka or tempering of mustard seeds with kadi patta and add it to the batter.Mix well
4. Pour a ladle full of the batter on a non- stick tawa and spread it in circular motion like a dosa.Sprinkle one or two drops of oil over the dosa.Flip over when cooked from one side.
5. Serve hot with mint chutney.

That’s my version of the dosa, you can also add potatoes as a filling if you just cannot do without them.But be sure to count the calories then.

Serves 5-6

Total calories per servings- 75

The festival season is just round the corner with the navratras leading it on.The divine smell of fried potatoes, kheer, kuttu poories and pakoras is truly irresistable.However on the contrary the amount you eat during these nine days stays on the weighing scale for quite some time.Well i have a suggestion , why not eat everything without putting on kilos. The simple art of substitution is all that is called for here. You just need to do a bit of swapping and play around with food. Here’s how

1. Limit your potato intake to about twice a week. Avoid deep frying the potatoes instead boil or bake them when making vegetables.
2. Substitute ghee with refined or olive oil.
3. Substitute whole milk with skimmed milk.
4. Substitute sugar with a low calorie sweetener .
5. Drink up ! water, coconut water, lemonade …as much as you can.It works as a great detox.
6. Eat green veggies like pumpkin and ghia to keep your nutrition on a boost.
7. Use rajgira atta to make rotis instead of using kuttu ka atta.It’s lighter and refreshing.
8. Look out for innovative navratra recipes such as kadhi, theplas, cheelas. These can be made with very minimal oil and are delicious to eat too.
9. Go fruity this navrata.Eat fresh fruits in the form of salads, smoothies, raitas and puddings to keep your daily dose of vitamins coming up.
10. Keep your guilt trips to moderate.Portion control is the key to stay in the safety circle, eat but keep a limit to it.

Navratra is a time to feast…well i would say it healthy feast.Eating is a pleasure and no one should be denied of it so why not eat smartly and that too everything.

 There comes a time in a year when you let go of the raging hungry bull and eat all to your heart’s desire, shutting that every intuitive nerve in your body that says” don’t eat that”.Well what should i call you, i think seasonal foodies. Yes, the amount you eat and what you eat partly depends on the time of the year also. Though most people go overboard in winters, there are some who gorge on their favourite ice-cream in summers.The outcome of this is actually not a very enthralling experience though.Then begins a cycle of gain-depression-eating-gain-depression.Most of the obese people are stuck in this cyclic ritual, looking out for help.The answer is “simple”, yes simple eating.Here’s how

• Keep your high calorie food intake to moderate.
• Try eating as simple as possible.
• Don’t deprive yourself of your favourite foods but do justice to your body also.
• Exercise to burn off that extra flab.

Try these tips if you feel a weather or a season affects you, the effect will amaze you.

Iam a sweet freak,i just simply love desserts.Of all the desserts, homemade cakes are my all time favourite, that too just out of the oven.I bet you know the basic ingredients of a cake are maida, sugar and butter/oil. However we can keep this low calorie too and ofcourse add a lot of nutrition to it. I came across this recipe of an eggless date cake which works great as per health is concerned.The basic recipe says maida as an ingredient but i used atta instead and it turned out great. Try it out, the recipe also gives out an oil free version.
Calories per serving(with oil)-190

Calories per serving(no oil)-120

View recipe here
http://www.aayisrecipes.com/2006/05/27/date-cake-eggless/

My firm belief in the benefits of food and the body’s ability to talk to oneself got me into reading Deepak Chopra’s Perfect Health.I came across this very interesting ideology practiced in Ayurveda called as BITS.Abbreviated for Body Intelligence Tips,BITS refers to how our body reacts to the surroundings, sounds and thoughts while we eat food.Ayurveda proposes that in order to attain perfect health it is also important to focus on how you eat food and not only on what you eat. let me put it this way,you are having dinner with colleagues and the tiff you had with your boss comes up in the conversation.Do you still enjoy eating as you did when you started the meal, or now does the focus comes on to the situation you were in at work? The body is really smart you see, every word you say is literally heard by your body.The brain sends out signals interpreting your thoughts and actions to your stomach and to other organs in the body.This leads to chemical upsurges and falls in the body comprehending the way the food is digested.In the literal sense the phrase” gut feeling” actually stands true when it comes to food.Deepak Chopra recommends 16 BITS which can take your body’s ability to digest food and benefit from it to  a new level.

1. Eat in a settled atmosphere.
2. Never eat when you are upset.
3. Always sit down to eat.
4. Eat only when you feel hungry.
5. Avoid ice-cold drink or food.
6. Don’t talk while chewing food.
7. Eat at a moderate pace, niether too fast nor too slow.
8. Wait until one meal is digested before eating the next.
9. Sip warm water with your meals.
10. Eat freshly cooked meals whenever possible.
11. Eat well cooked meals- they are easier to digest.
12. Do not cook with honey- heated honey is known to create toxins in the body.
13. Drink milk separately from meals either alone or with sweet foods
14. Experience all six tastes in a meal( sweet, sour, salt, pungent,astringent and bitter).
15. Leave 1/3rd to 1/4th of your stomach empty to aid digestion.
16. Sit down quietly after a meal.

By following these tips you will notice how comfortable you feel with your body.You can say goodbye to all those glow creams and lotions, as the best glow you can get is when your body is nourished and appreciated. The best way to do this by providing it with well cooked and wholesome food.
If you have been struggling with your weight, then BITS are of great help too.You will be surprised but many a times you may be eating healthy food but in an unhealthy environment which may be the root cause of your weight gain.Running around while eating your greens, tensed while eating food; result is feeling bloated, heavy and fat. You need to understand every human body has been bestowed with this amazing intelligence which tells you when to stop and when to start doing something…even eating.Most of the overweight people indulge in mindless eating where the feeling of being full is overshadowed with gluttony.The power of conscious eating is the one that can take your body to perfect health.That glorious self confidence, glow and that head turning attitude is all in your hands.Just follow your body, you’ll be well directed.

The love and hate relationship between sugar and weight is the one that most of us are familiar with.Lets talk about a different view of sugar with wrinkles.Yes, sugar intake is directly proportional to wrinkles and ageing skin. So if the weight issue hasn’t lead to dump those cookies, the beauty issue surely will. Here’s what happens when we eat sugar.

• When you eat sugar, it attaches to proteins in the bloodstream leading to formation of Advanced Glycation Endproducts, or AGEs. These AGEs further damage the neighbouring protein molecules. So where does the skin come into the picture? Does elastin and collagen ring a bell, the protein in the skin which is responsible to keep the skin taut and firm. Collagen is the most common protein the the body that makes it most vulnerable during such chemical reactions. the more sugar you eat the more AGEs are formed leading to dull and wrinkled skin.
• The skin is made up of three types of collagen’s  types I, II, and III.Out of these the type III is most stable one. A high sugar diet leads to conversion of type III collagen into type I collagen which is the most delicate and fragile one. This leave the skin looking sagged and dull.
• AGEs deactivate the body’s antioxidant enzymes, leaving the skin susceptible to sun damage.

Prevention Through Diet

 Here’s what you can do in your diet.

1. Though eliminating sugar completely from the diet is not possible as your grains, vegetables are all carbs which get converted into sugar in the body. However you can cut down the sugar in the form of table sugar, cakes, cookies, ice creams, colas etc.
2. Include more vegetables and fruits in your diet which are rich in antioxidants. 
3. Eating protein rich high fibre foods like nuts is also a good option.
4. Since the body is made up of 70 percent water, it is extremely important to drink at least 8-10 glasses of water everyday to flush out the toxins and to keep the skin supple and soft.
5. Include foods rich in omega 3 and 6 fatty acids like fish and nuts in your diet.

Ageing is a natural process and avoiding it is inevitable.However being aware about what you are doing with your body is also important.A minor indulgence such as sugar can add that extra wrinkle on your face..so think before you grab that chocolate.

You are always on the rush..appointments, meetings, children, home..and of course” I don’t eat anything but still iam putting on weight’? Well that’s quite a common issue i get to hear, the perfect foodies who eat and yet fail to remember what they ate. We are so tied up in our schedules, that the bite from a co-worker’s burger or two bites from your kids ice cream is quietly missed.Apart from the regular meals we do tend to munch in between our hectic schedules to get the mind running or just as a habit.So if you feel you have been eating right in spite of your round the clock work try analysing the in between bites. You’ll be surprised the amount of calories they amount to. The best way to keep a check on what you are eating is to maintain a food diary. If you feel keeping a diary is extra work, make a note of what you eat on a stick on slip on the fridge or your cabinet. whenever you eat something just jot it down. At the end of the day you’ll come to know how much are you actually eating.This is the age of being organised so why not make that a rule for your health. Be organised with what you eat..just write it down.

So the weekend has arrived and you want to eat out, but the condition is it should be light and healthy. The best option you feel is of course the favourite South Indian..or is it? Well lets have a look at how much are you eating in that one evening meal.

FOOD                  CALORIES

1Masala Dosa            350

2 Idlis                        97

2 Vadas                    175

1 bowl Sambhar        200

Nariyal Chutney(30 ml) 75

Total calories -897

Surprised! Well your South Indian meal is no less in calories. However you can be smart and cut down the calories. Here’s how

• Eat plain dosa instead of masala dosa.(Calories saved: 130)
• Avoid vadas, eat idlis instead since they are steamed they are much lighter.(Calories saved: 150)
• It is better to avoid the coconut chutney, instead eat the green chutney.(Calories saved:53)

Total calories saved: 333
As i said earlier losing weight is all about being smart around food. Don’t let it get the better of you,take control of what you eat.

Follow me, does this happen too often with you. 

• Do you start exercising with a super force only that it comes to a dead end after a couple of days?
• Do you follow a disciplined diet only to postpone it for that one piece of chocolate cake?”I’ll start again tomorrow “is what you tell yourself.
• Do you feel you have a great will power but yet succumb to the sight of delicious food?Do you try to motivate yourself everyday only that it’s not enough to get you on the weight loss track?
• Does the sight of healthy food makes you feel more hungry?
• Do you plan to eat only one portion only that the plan doesn’t work?

If the answers to these questions are affirmative then you are stuck in a weight loss- gain circle.This means you want to lose weight but the want is just not enough.I have seen many people stuck in this whirlpool only to get further into it. So what is the best way to lose weight, well I’d say it’s competition.Humans are programmed to do better in a situation when there is a driving force be it money, jealousy or even people around you.The best way to stay motivated is to stay competitive, and the best kind of competition you can have is with yourself.Striving to achieve a little more than you did yesterday is the best thing to do to keep those batteries running.However competition with someone around you like your spouse, a friend or just a sleeping pal( someone who you don’t talk to but you admire) can also do the trick, only be careful not to make it unhealthy.Here’s how you can compete to get motivated

• Find a motivating force, it could be your old picture, your spouse, friend, someone who a a great body or practices amazing discipline.
• Start slowly into the competition bit by bit. Change one thing about you daily, the way you eat( cut down one roti in a day) or exercise for an extra 5 minutes.
• Keep on increasing the intensity of motivation everyday, only do not get obsessed with it. Always remember you are greater than the situation you are in, a simple sentence with a deep rooted meaning.
• Reward yourself for achieving a target, it could be eating your favourite dish or shopping.
• Once you get into the flow then you will automatically start competing with yourself to improve.

It’s actually pretty simple just the driving forces could be many, once you have found your force then you are out of the circle.Try it..or maybe compete with what i have written, it’ll work.

Confused about what diet is best for you, here’s a review on the famous “Blood Type” diet.Devised by Dr Peter D’Adamo and his father, this diet changed the way the world ate.According to Dr Peter, there is a connection between our blood type and the food we eat.The chemical reactions between the blood and the foods you eat affect your body constitution,energy levels and weight.So if your weight loss program is a bit slow, try revving it up with the foods compatible with your blood type. Here’s an overview of the diet.
Blood Type A: A high carb low fat vegan diet is ideally suited for this blood type.Include fruits, veggies and avoid dairy and animal fats to get the maximum benefit from this diet.Due to low stomach acid , you tend to have trouble digesting meat.Instead load up on legumes, beans and tofu to keep those protein levels high.Light exercises with mediation is recommended for this blood group.
Blood Type B: With this group you can have a variety of foods.Include fruits, vegetables, dairy, fish and grains in your diet to keep your diet balanced.Chicken, corn, buckwheat,sesame seeds and lentils should be avoided as they make you feel bloated and heavy.Tomatoes should also be avoided as they irritate your stomach lining. A moderate exercise like walking or swimming is recommended.
Blood Type AB: You are lucky as you can have most of the foods from the A and B group.Chicken and corn should be avoided due to your low stomach acid levels.It is very important to detoxify your system, so have a glass of lemon water on an empty stomach to keep your system fresh. Relaxation and calming exercises such as yoga is recommended.
Blood Type O: A high protein low cab diet with a good intake of fruits and vegetables is recommended for you.Wheat,other grains, dairy and nuts should be avoided to lose weight.High intensity vigorous exercise is recommended .
Blood group diet is a scientifically proven diet management system. However it may get a bit difficult to follow in the long run. So if you are up to it, then keep the monotony and the strictness in mind.