In my opinion, as a nation we are oil and fat-friendly people. All our namkeens, Kachoris, Wada, Samosa, Puris , which are part of daily cuisine , are all fried .Then again,  we cook vegetables till they lose their original flavour, colour and texture, we love to see oil floating in curries and almost everything we eat is far away from its original form , be it  gajar ka halwa/ milk shake/ almond burfi/ walnut muffin. Between traditional eating and western food adaptation, we try to find healthy ways (so we think) and end up eating total fat far more than our requirements. As a result, the next generation is  fast moving towards childhood obesity, blood pressure in twenties, cardiac problems in early thirties, diabetes, PCOD, infertility, arthritis, etc., all lifestyle diseases.

It’s time to stop and think and get some facts right:

  • If you want to lose weight, you have to limit the total fat in your diet.
  • Total fat = visible fat + invisible fat, visible fat being  oil, butter, ghee, peanut butter and invisible fat being paneer, meat, fish, egg, almond, walnut, khoa, cheese, avocado, including   flax seeds, chia seeds, etc.
  • In a typical weight loss plan, total fat should be only 45-50 gms. - 4 tsp from visible source and 2-3 servings from invisible sources. Choose from healthier sources of fats ( Box below)
  • Even the most heart- friendly oil is not fat free. We can only alter the fatty acid composition by changing oils or including healthy invisible sources.
  • Do not confuse between calorie-free and fat- free food. A fat- free or reduced fat food still may contain the same calories as normal food and in weight -reduction diets, calories count!
  • Read labels carefully.  Foods which give more than 10% of RDA (recommended dietary allowance) of calories from fat per serving should be red flagged.  They may contain more than 5 % fat per 100gm serving (for example, whole milk contains 6.6% fats).
  • Learn about portion sizes, healthy cooking styles and follow a holistic diet which takes into consideration all the above factors.

  • Foods Containing Unhealthy Fats

    Processed meat/ eggs, egg powders, Cakes, Cake mixes, hydrolysed fat ( vanaspati), Fried Chicken, Cheese, Mayonnaise, Ice-cream, Muffins, Puffs, Shavarma, ready patties, French fries, Cream Rolls, Hotdogs, Peanut butter

    Foods Containing Healthy Fats

    Eggs, Fish, walnut, almonds, Coconut, Coconut oil, Oilves , olive oil, Amaranth ( Rajgeera), Sesame, Flax, Chia seeds, Avacado, Ground nut , Groundnut oil, Paneer, Tofu, Curd, Milk, Ghee