As in many cultures, food plays an important role in the lives of the Desi people. Food is a great source of comfort, and it brings back many memories from the homeland. But this same food may be at the root of health problems from which many South Asian people suffer. In Desi Diet and Health Tips, authors Ali Noor and Fazil Zafar offer a simple and easy-to-use guide to help the Desi population lose weight for the long-term, increase their overall health and fitness, and look and feel better without obsessing over calories. It includes menus, recipes, and shopping lists, as well as recommendations for on-the-go snacks, vitamins and supplements, and better sleeping habits. With Desi Diet and Health Tips, you'll still be able to enjoy your roti and paratha-just without all that ghee. You'll even get to eat your kaati rolls and vada sambar, hyderabadi chicken biriyani, or tandori shrimp. Noor and Zafar place the focus on cooking the foods you love with healthier methods, reducing portion sizes and eating more often, and even getting out there and doing some exercise to increase your overall health and well-being.
Desi Diet and Health Tips
South Asian Healthy CookingBy Ali Noor Fazil ZafariUniverse, Inc.
Copyright © 2011 Ali Noor and Fazil Zafar
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4620-1970-0Contents
Introduction...............................................................................1Proteins, Carbohydrates, and Fats..........................................................9Calories—and Their Importance to Your Diet...........................................20Tapering Meal Size.........................................................................34The Importance of Sleep....................................................................53Vitamins and Minerals: What They Are and Their Importance to Your Diet.....................64The Desi Diet Recipes......................................................................81Menu Overviews and Recipes.................................................................85Achari Machli Steak........................................................................91Tuna Fish Curry............................................................................93Fish Singapuri.............................................................................95Venison Masala.............................................................................97Lamb Chop Kashmiri.........................................................................99Saag Gosht.................................................................................102Lamb Dopiazza..............................................................................104Malaysian Spicy Chicken....................................................................106Spicy Chicken Curry........................................................................108Karachi Chicken with Vegetables............................................................110Masoor Biryani.............................................................................114Gujrati Biryani............................................................................116Fava Gobhi.................................................................................118Spicy Karahi Aloo..........................................................................120
Chapter One
Proteins, Carbohydrates, and Fats
Proteins, carbohydrates, and fats make up the three major, or macro, nutrients. Although they are each required by the body for healthy living, they are each very different and thus, must be consumed differently for optimal health. This chapter will tell you the important points you need to know about each. Along the way, we'll shatter some common myths about each and show you how to eat them and when to eat them. Most importantly, after reading this chapter, you will know how to incorporate each into the Desi Diet.
Proteins
Protein is absolutely essential for cell maintenance and repair and regulates a wide range of our bodies' functions. Proteins account for the bulk of cell structure; some function as enzymes and catalyze cellular activities. One key point to know is that how much protein we need to eat each day depends on our ideal body weight. This is because amino acids are not needed by fat cells, only by our lean body mass. Unlike carbohydrates and fats, proteins are comprised of a nitrogen-containing group called amino acids.
These amino acids function exactly like building blocks. There are twenty-two amino acids, and they are divided into two main categories: Indispensable Amino Acids (IAAs) and Dispensable Amino Acids (DAAs). Essential amino acids must appear in our diet because they are not and cannot be made by the body. The eight essential amino acids are: isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine.
Although we don't think about it when we eat our turkey sandwich for lunch or chicken marsala for dinner, the content and balance of amino acids—and most importantly the ratio of IAA to DAA—determines the health-maintaining value of a protein.
The Three Categories of Protein
Proteins can be broken into three main categories, depending on the speed in which they are broken down by our bodies: 1. fast-absorbing, 2. medium-absorbing, and 3. slow-absorbing. As far as our natural food sources go, fish, chicken, meat, and eggs provide great fast-absorbing protein; dairy products provide slow-absorbing proteins.
Tips to remember regarding protein consumption:
• Take fast-absorbing proteins first thing in the morning and after workouts since the body needs these immediately in order to prevent muscle breakdown. (When we exercise, our muscles naturally look for amino acids/proteins to rebuild muscle.) • Muscle burns more calories than fat, so if you lose muscle, you burn fewer calories per pound of body weight. And this is exactly why many people who go on restricted-calorie diets find they have problems losing fat and become flabby and bloated. • Take slow proteins before traveling or when you will be without proteins for awhile. Slow proteins, such as casein from milk, are good when you will be without nourishment for hours. This way, protein breaks down slowly, slowing muscle loss, even though you are not eating. • Don't forget turkey! In Desi culture, we do not eat a lot of turkey, since the bird is not native to our homelands. However, turkey is an excellent source of L-tryptophan, which later converts to the 5HTP amino acid and also suppresses cortisol levels. Cortisol is one of the main causes for excess fat storage and can lead to many age-related diseases.
On a personal note, when I visit Pakistan, I don't have access to protein shakes, so every morning I eat four eggs and then work out on the rooftop lifting bricks as my weights. (We told you health and fitness is a lagging concept in the Southern Asia!) It is very hot there, so I do my workout very early in the morning. Afterward, I usually eat keema (cooked ground meat). My aunt finds this weird, since this is typically a dinnertime meal. Additionally, I usually drink laasi immediately before hiking. The sugar provides energy, while the casein protein prevents muscle breakdown while outdoors for hours without a meal.
On my recent trips to this area, I have noticed a recent trend that might be due to Bollywood movies: more and more Desis seem to be trying to build up their bodies. However, they seem be going about it in the wrong way, thinking that if they keep eating roti, they will gain muscle. However, roti does not provide a good source of protein. This protein-roti myth might have risen because back in the day someone would eat a few roties and be able to walk miles without getting tired. However, this energy was because of the food's carbohydrate content, not protein. However, people have taken this myth too far. People eat a few roties and don't really work it off, adding useless, unused calories to their daily intake, which later converts to fat.
Carbohydrates
Simply put, carbohydrates, or "carbs," are sugars that provide our body with energy. However, you will see that all carbs are not created equally. Consuming "good" carbs can help transform our bodies into lean, fat-burning machines; eating too many "bad" carbs can be as detrimental to our overall health as any junk food.
Good Carbs and Their Benefits
"Good carbs" (or "complex carbs") are carbohydrates that are still in, or at least close to, their natural state. These are "whole foods" that have not been processed or otherwise altered by humans or our machines. These carbs are generally high in fiber and give our bodies energy over sustained periods of time—and contribute to a sense of "feeling full." Besides all these health benefits, good carbs lower cholesterol levels and help our bodies eliminate toxins.
Good carbs also have something called a low glycemic index (GI). It is important to know that foods with a low glycemic index will not spike our blood sugar (important for all of us; critical for diabetics.) Additionally, good carbs are nutritious, and they contain many vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.
Good Carbs Include:
• Fruits
• Vegetables • Beans • Legumes • Nuts • Seeds • Whole grain breads, cereals, pastas • Milk, cottage cheese
Bad Carbs
Bad carbs are those foods that have been refined and processed and are not as they occur in nature. A good example of this is white bread. This refining and processing has removed most of their nutritional value, replacing them with excessive additives, such as colorings, flavorings, and preservatives.
The problem with bad carbs is that they are everywhere. They are, admittedly, very tasty. They are packaged (and marketed!) for our on-the-go lifestyle. Yet, they are extremely unhealthy for us, because they aren't easily digested and tend to spike our blood sugar levels. Unfortunately, these foods consist of a good part of most Desi and American diets and include: candy, snacks, baked goods (with refined white flour), white pastas, sodas, and many other common foods and beverages.
Eat an excess of bad carbs and you will gain weight. These foods are laden with "empty calories" (i.e., having no nutritional value). Bad carbs are a huge factor in the many diseases plaguing our society, from diabetes to metabolic syndrome and heart disease to obesity, to name just a few. And although eating bad carbs will give us an energy boost (in reality, just a "spike"), the energy quickly dissipates, making us feel hungry all over again and thus craving more carbs—starting this bad cycle all over again.
We cannot overstate the importance of good carbs enough. Just some of their benefits include:
• Good carbs aid weight management. Not surprisingly, good carbs (i.e., high in complex carbohydrates) are usually lower in calories. Thus, it will take more time to eat two hundred calories of fresh apple than it will to eat two hundred calories of chocolate cake. And on a calorie-for-calorie basis, good carbs are more satisfying and add up more slowly than bad carbs. • Good carbs contain fiber, which keeps us feeling full longer. The majority of us don't consume the recommended amounts of fiber per day (thirty-eight grams for men and twenty-five grams for women under the age of fifty). By eating more good carbs, we also are consuming more fiber, thus cutting down on the overall amount of food we eat. • They are filled with great nutrients. Good carbs are loaded with vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and other nutrients that just aren't present in bad carbs.
Sticking to a Good-Carb Diet
While Americans have never been more interested in good carbs, trying to follow a good-carb diet is not without its potential pitfalls. Some food manufacturers have been taking advantage of this burgeoning interest with multiple ways to confuse those seeking good/complex carbs.
For example, the regulation on much of food labeling is very weak and not entirely clear. Any food with even a miniscule amount of whole grain can be called a "whole grain." Always examine the labels of "whole grain foods." Anything that is "enriched" is highly-processed and contains no significant amount of whole grain. Likewise, many specious claims are made about fiber. A decent serving of whole grains will have at least three grams of fiber. Only pick cereals, pastas, grains, and breads that meet this amount.
Last, remember that you can never go wrong eating fresh fruit and vegetables. They are the best available source of good carbs, loaded with nutrients—and fiber—and are the perfect snack at just about any time of the day.
Fats
As recently as a few decades ago, the prevailing mantra was that if we eliminate the fats from our diets, we could eliminate the fat from our bodies. These days, however, we know better. Just as with carbs, there are good fats and then there are bad fats. In fact, fats are a critical part of the human diet—and one of the three mega-nutrients. Fats provide a myriad of health benefits: they deliver essential fatty acids, provide fat-soluble vitamins, maintain the softness of our skin, and energize our entire body. In fact, the US Department of Agriculture recommends in its dietary guidelines that adults obtain 20 percent to 35 percent of their calories consumed from fats. And at a bare minimum, we must gather at least 10 percent of our total caloric intake from fat.
However, the grave problem is that the average American obtains 34 percent to 40 percent of our calories from fat. While Desis may have less fat in their diets, the fats we do eat tend to be the unhealthy trans—and saturated-fat varieties. Why are fats so widely popular across cultures and continents? Simple enough: fats taste good and are present in much of the processed food clogging our diets.
Fats Aren't the Only Things Making Us Fat
Fat is made out to be the enemy in many diets, but actually, fats present many life-affirming health benefits. Fats supply essential fatty acids (EFAs). Since our bodies are unable to produce EFAs (such as linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid), we must find them in food. Fat is also the "driver" for essential vitamins A, D, E, and K (known as fat-soluble vitamins) into and around our bodies. Fat is also critical for keeping our skin healthy and helps promote proper eyesight and brain development in babies and kids.
As we mentioned, fats—perhaps counter-intuitively—are not the only thing making us obese, and eating fats does not make us fat. Obesity is caused by overeating more than just any one nutrient. Fats are critical to our diets, and some fats make us healthier. Eating more calories—whether from fats, carbs, or proteins—than we burn off each day will lead to weight gain. Not enough exercise and too much food (even healthier foods) will make us fat. Additionally, our genetics, age, sex, and overall lifestyle factor in here, too.
That's the good news. The truth is, fats still do play a sizeable role in our obesity epidemic. With nine calories per gram, fats are calorie-dense; carbs and protein have only four calories per gram, in comparison. And it's easy to eat too many fats because they loom in just about everything our culture offers: from French fries to steaks; cakes to processed breads; all kinds of sweets to just about anything that can be canned, processed, or otherwise refined. Unfortunately, eating too many of the bad fats does more than make our favorite pair of jeans a little tight. Our cultures' (yes, that's an American and Desi thing) obsession with the wrong kinds of fats has caused a rise in all kinds of diseases, including type-2 diabetes, morbid obesity, heart disease, and others. Eating fewer fats (to an extent) and eating the right kinds of fats helps us lose weight, and in the process, decreases our risk for developing life-threatening illnesses.
Good—and Bad—Fats
In general, there are two groups of fats: saturated and unsaturated. Each group is broken down into several others. We'll first investigate the good kind of fats: unsaturated.
Unsaturated fats include polyunsaturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fats. Each type, when eaten in moderation, and when replacing saturated or trans fats, will lower cholesterol levels and reduce our risk of heart disease.
Polyunsaturated fats are found predominantly in vegetable oils. These help lower both blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, particularly when replacing saturated fats. One type of polyunsaturated fat receiving a lot of attention lately for its heart-health properties is omega-3 fatty acid. Omega-3s are found in both fatty fish (like salmon, trout, catfish, and mackerel), walnuts, and flaxseed. Fish contain the most effective "long-chain" type of omega-3s; the American Heart Association recommends that we eat two servings of these fatty fish per week. (However, remember that positive benefits of eating fish can be canceled by the poor effects that come with frying it in saturated fats!)
Monounsaturated fats are the other "good" unsaturated fat. They have been found to reduce the chances of developing heart disease. Mediterranean countries consume lots of these, primarily as olive oil. Known as the "Mediterranean diet," these countries are renowned for having low levels of heart disease. Typically found in liquid form at room temperature, monounsaturated fats solidify when refrigerated. These fats contain ample supplies of the antioxidant vitamin E, a heart-healthy nutrient that is often missing from American and Desi diets. These fats are found in olives, avocados, nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews), seeds (sesame and pumpkin), and oils (olive, canola, and peanut).
Bad Fats Are Everywhere
Saturated fats and trans fatty acids are two fat types that raise cholesterol, clog arteries, and increase heart disease risk. Of course, they should be eaten sparingly. Saturated fats commonly occur in animal products (meat, poultry skin, high-fat dairy, eggs, etc.) and room-temperature liquid vegetable fats, like coconut and palm oils. Saturated fats should be limited to just 7 to 10 percent of our total fat calories, at most.
When eaten excessively, saturated fat can cause blocked arteries, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. Saturated fat is worse than even dietary cholesterol, as it relates to raising blood cholesterol levels, a risk factor for both heart disease and stroke. Actually, there is no dietary requirement for saturated fat because our bodies produce all that it needs. However, as we mentioned, there is no need to completely avoid foods with saturated fat for good health; foods like meat, cheese, and milk pack a multitude of nutrients, including protein, vitamins, and minerals. As long as we keep saturated fat to less than 7 percent of all the fat we eat, we are okay.
Trans fatty acids, or "trans fats," are everywhere today, least of which is in the news. Trans fats are further divided into two types: naturally occurring (found in trace amounts in dairy and meat products) and artificial (when liquid oils are hardened into partially-hydrogenated fats). Fortunately, natural trans fats are not a problem, particularly when eating low-fat dairy or lean meat products. The real culprit in American diets—and even more so in Desi culture—are artificial trans fats. These partially hydrogenated oils are pervasive in fried foods, baked goods (like cookies, icings, crackers, packaged snack foods), microwave popcorn, some margarines, fast foods, and sorry, just about every traditional Desi recipe that calls for frying.
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Excerpted from Desi Diet and Health Tipsby Ali Noor Fazil Zafar Copyright © 2011 by Ali Noor and Fazil Zafar. Excerpted by permission of iUniverse, Inc.. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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