The 60th session of An Authors Afternoon with author, famous nutritionist and weight management consultant, Kavita Devgan, revealed many wise-dining tips to take home for the audience. Conversationalist Esha Dutta came well prepared. Her questions elicited many answers regarding food and diet that many of us have from time.
Kavita’s latest book Ultimate Grandmother Hacks to keep fit in today’s world formed the basis of the conversation. Among the healthy one-liner tips were “Don’t banish the laddoo”; a cup of warm lemon water a day; make your own sweets; eat the fruit whole; have vegetables with peals and so on. What food rules one should adopt in life was discussed at length. Fats are essential and its absence would trigger a hormonal havoc in the human body, coconut oil does not make you feel hungry – numerous such healthy living tips were shared.
Incorporate lemons, nuts, raw garlic, fruits and vegetables in your diet and keep an open mind towards healthy eating, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian is the best bet to keep fit and healthy, Kavita said. She lamented the fact that lentils, one of the richest source of proteins, are progressively declining from the diet of an average Indian. This was bad as well as a sad thing.
It was music to the ears when Kavita said, “Sugar is our enemy but not in moderation.” Make your own desserts she said, use jaggery, honey and any substitute of sugar that is not refined, she advised. Food should be tasty and healthy as our mothers cooked. If the food is tasty the gastronomic juices start working better, she informed. Homemade remedies using ajwain and jaggery is an excellent recipe for stomach disorders.
Her final take was that food should be taken with the family sitting around together. This gives the parents an opportunity to teach good eating habits to the children. Grow your own food to avoid pesticides she suggested as the guests nodded in approval.
It was a question galore from the audience who sought Kavita’s views on losing weight, genetically-modified food, having out-of-season food and so on. The nutritionist responded with great panache.
