Eating right is all about picking the right kind of foods and cooking healthy meals on a daily basis. We caught up with the talented celebrity Indian chef, TV show host, judge and food stylist, Ranveer Brar, who dished out some of his cheats to help you achieve that lifestyle. Ranveer has been a part of several popular food shows like Breakfast Xpress, Snack Attack, Homemade, The Great Indian Rasoi, Health Bhi Taste Bhi and Ranveer’s Cafe. We promised ourselves (and him) that we’d follow his healthy tips. You should too!
Say NO to cream!
Ranveer advices replacing cream with whisked yogurt. A lot of Indian recipes include cooking cream as an important ingredient to increase the richness of the dish and to make the texture smooth and creamy. But you can achieve the same results with yogurt. “It helps to cut down the fat by almost 20 percent,” says Ranveer.
Hello, red rice
Replace white rice with red rice. “Red rice is a healthier option and is also easily available nowadays,” says Ranveer. Red rice helps in lowering cholesterol levels, controls blood sugar and regulates your weight by making you feel fuller, as it’s rich in fibre.
The 30 day plan
Ranveer always advises others to follow the 30-30-30 formula, which he ardently believes in. The formula suggests that we should eat what’s been in season for 30 days, veggies that are grown within 30 miles of our town (yes, we understand it’s a challenge in metros) and include 30 per cent raw fruits and veggies in our diet. “This means you eat fresh, healthy and seasonal foods that are rich in nutrients,” explains the youngest MasterChef India judge.
Soak it up
Pre-soak all your pulses, grains, beans and legumes. “Pre-soaking is a very good habit as it reduces the cooking time, triggers healthy enzymes and increases the nutritional value of the food,” he emphasises.
The sweet touch
Substitute white sugar with raw sugar at home. “Raw sugar is always better than processed sugar,” says chef Brar. While the calories will still be the same, since raw sugar goes through fewer purification processes, it varies in taste and is more like brown sugar, thus affecting the flavour. Therefore you may not need the same quantity.
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