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- Proteins: The building blocks of the body, these can be in the form of plant protein or animal protein, or both. pulses and legumes are sources of plant protein, and nuts are a source of fats and plant proteins. Meat, fish, poultry, eggs and dairy are all animal proteins.

- Protective Foods: This is a rather wide category and includes fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, herbs and spices, as well as good fats, fibre and fermented foods and fluids. all of them are protective because they are rich in the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibre that are necessary to achieve health and boost immunity.

- Carbohydrates: In this category, grains and cereals form the epicentre from which dietary choices radiate, and are defined by regional preferences (chapatis and other rotis for north India, pakistan and the Middle East, rice for south India and south-east asia, pasta for the countries of the Mediterranean, bread for Europe and the us, and so on). They are all carbohydrates, colloquially referred to as ‘carbs’. sugar, sweets and desserts should also be included in this group. From the vegetable pantry, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tapioca and cassava are starchy vegetables that belong best in the carbohydrate category.

In the carbohydrate category, I want to address cereals first. This is because customarily, grains are the staple food that is eaten regularly and in quantity; they tend to dominate the plate in terms of portion size. Carbohydrates fuel the body, giving its cells the energy to perform its work. and once upon a time, most people did a lot of daily physical work and needed the large amount of carbohydrates they consumed (this is true for those who do physical labour even today).

but for most urban Indians, as lifestyles and work patterns have become more sedentary and office- based, the daily carbohydrate requirement has dropped dramatically. Therefore, your diet planning needs to be adjusted for this change in lifestyle, with careful pruning of the daily quantity of cereals and other carbohydrates.


To be continued....