You think you are doing all the right things but are you really getting the nutritional value from the food you are eating ??
Here are some practical ways to increase the nutritive value of your diet:
- Leafy greens such as fenugreek, mint, dhania can be used for all sorts of foods. use them to make raita's, salads, fillers for sandwiches, stuffed prantha and chapatti. This will increase the vitamin and mineral content of the dish.
- Soy nuggets can be added to pulao and salads or cook them with other vegetables to increase the protein content of the food. similarly sprouts can be added not only to salads but also in sandwiches, bhelpuri, raita or can be used as pizza toppings.
- Iron fortified suji or pasta can be made to cook variety of dishes. This will tackle the problem of anemia and is specially recommended for pregnant females and children who often don't eat well.
- Add fruits to raita's and custards to satisfy cravings for sweets. Garnish ice creams with colorful and nutritious fruits to make them more appealing and healthy at the same time.
- Washing the veggies and fruits before chopping will get rid off soil particles and other parasites and at the same time will take care of the nutrients present in them.
- Fermenting the foods will not only introduce healthy bacteria into your digestive system but will also help in better digestion and absorption and will also increase the nutrient value in terms of vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, etc. For example, dosa batter is fermented.
- Avoid tea or coffee with your meals as it may interfere with the iron absorption of the diet leading to anemia.
- Cook food in iron kadhai and also sprinkle lemon juice to increase the nutritive value of the dish.
- Don't throw the water in which the grains are soaked or cooked to ensure that the water soluble vitamins enter your digestive system.
- Do not re-use the oil which you had used for deep frying samosas or cutlets as re-heating the oil leads to changes in the oil composition which is not good for our health.