It’s not uncommon to see young people starve themselves to budge the bulge, without thinking about the severe damages such drastic weight loss can cause. Why not switch to a healthy eating routine to knock off those extra kilos?
Celebrity nutritionist and chef, Shonali Saberwal who has recently authored a book, The Beauty Diet, tells you how you can stay slim by making some smart and safe changes in your diet. “I advocate the Macrobiotics philosophy that started in Japan to lose weight. It focuses on whole grain, beans/legumes or fish, vegetables and fermented foods,” says Saberwal who suggests cutting out any dairy, sugar, white processed flours or refined products in your diet.
The nutritionist who has celebrity clients such as actors Katrina Kaif, Neha Dhupia and Jacqueline Fernandez, is also not in favour of staying hungry to shed those extra pounds. She also does not promote tailormade diets. “As long as it’s a balanced diet, it works for all after some minor tweaking. An ideal diet looks at proteins, carbohydrates and fats as the balancing principles and also prevents diseases,” she says.
Here are some of Saberwal’s simple recipes for you to try
Bohemian soup
Serves 4-5
Ingredients
11/2 cup chickpeas, cooked
2 medium tomatoes
2 cups of onions, diced
2 tbs olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups sweet potato, peeled and cut into cubes
1 stalk of celery, cut smalln 1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp chilly powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp basil
Pinch of cinnamon
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 cups of water
Here are some of Saberwal’s simple recipes for you to try
Bohemian soup
Serves 4-5
Ingredients
11/2 cup chickpeas, cooked
2 medium tomatoes
2 cups of onions, diced
2 tbs olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups sweet potato, peeled and cut into cubes
1 stalk of celery, cut smalln 1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp chilly powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp basil
Pinch of cinnamon
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 cups of water
Method
1.Blanch tomatoes in boiling water for 1 minute and remove the skin after taking out from water. Chop it and remove the seeds.
2.Heat olive oil and add onions and garlic and sauté till onions become translucent .
3.Add turmeric, chilli powder, basil, cinnamon sea salt, add water and cover and cook for 20 minutes.
4.Add tomatoes, green bell pepper and chickpeas and cook for 10-15 minutes.
Baked apple or pears
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 apples or pears, cored
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp stevia powder
1/4 cup apple juice
Method
1.Soak raisins in apple juice for about 40 minutes so that the raisins soak the juice well.
2.Mix the walnuts, raisins, stevia and cinnamon together.
3.Stuff the core with this mix.
4.Wrap each half neatly in a foil.
5.Put in a baking tray and cover 1/2 inch of baking pan with apple juice.
6.Bake for 20 minutes
Variation: Bake apples or pears, add cinnamon, and sprinkle with raisins and nuts of your choice.
Pressed salad
Serves 4
Ingredients
1/2 cup sliced cucumber
1/2 cup sliced cabbage
1/2 cup red radish
1/4 cup celery
1/4 cup red onion
1 tsp salt
Method
1.Mix all vegetables with salt in a large bowl and gently press the vegetables until they wilt.
2.Place a plate on top of vegetables and press down with a heavy weight.
3.Allow to stand with pressure on top for 45 minutes and let water release from the vegetables.
4.Discard the water and rinse with fresh filter water and eat, as a side dish
5.You can add a little chilli powder and ground peanuts to perk up the taste.