Learn from our nutrition expert Naini Setalvad
how to stop yourself from craving greasy foods high in unhealthy fat
40 LifePositive | FEBRUARY 2023
Food 41
Curb your cravings the healthy way
Aguilt-ridden client recently confessed
to me: “Naini, I devoured an entire plate of French fries! I thought I’d have only one fry, but I just couldn’t stop myself.” I told her, “I completely understand. We’ve all been there—at the mercy of the buttery croissants and the crunchy potato crisps.”
Your inability to limit your intake of fatty foods is not a sign of gluttony but of ‘having a fat tooth.’ No, it’s not a dental problem. It is a wordplay on the idiom ‘having a sweet tooth,’ where you crave sweet foods; having a fat tooth makes you yearn for fat-laden foods. The cause of both these cravings is one and the same. In the early years of humanity, when food was scarce, the body adapted to the storing of excess sugars and fat which it would use during periods of starvation. Today, we do not have the same scarcity, but the ancient defence mechanism is still intact. This is why we keep reaching out for high-sugar and high-fat foods even when we feel satiated. I am sure you are all aware of the ill effects of excess fat storage
42 LifePositive | FEBRUARY 2023
in the body. So, if you do not want to be inching towards a heart attack, pay heed to these tips to avoid having a fat tooth.
Stop starving: Yes, I mean it. Many people make the grave mistake of cutting out on food to lose weight. They starve all day but eventually give in to their hunger and binge on foods which are rich in fat as they are calorically dense. The body’s anti-starvation mechanism kicks in, and fearing that it won’t get food again, the body keeps gorging on high fat foods to keep fat reserves intact. This gives more power to your craving for fatty foods and prevents the attempted weight loss.
Close the gaps: I can very well understand that you all have busy lives, but what I do not understand is how one ignores their hunger and keeps large gaps between their meals. If you are one of those people who skip breakfast, have a random snack in between, and have a proper meal only at dinner, then you are bound to reach out for high-fat foods. The body anticipates that its next meal will be consumed after a long period, so it yearns for the calorie rich fat to store.
An apple a day keeps the fat away
Ignore the anti-carb culture: Demonising carbohydrates is so passé. They are a very important energy-giving source which cannot be excluded from your daily diet. When you cut them out, the body is starved for energy, and it looks towards another energy source— fat. The absence of carbohydrates makes you hit fat-laden foods to maintain energy.
Choose wisely: In the quest to get rid of your craving for fatty foods, you should not forget that fats are essential to your diet. You need fats to absorb vitamins, carry out important body processes, maintain temperature, and facilitate proper nerve function. For these reasons, you can’t cut out fats from your diet completely. You need to focus on adding healthy fats, like cow’s ghee, coconut, cold-pressed oils, and peanuts, instead of unhealthy ones.
Fibre fix: You can’t get rid of having a fat tooth in a day. Like any other addiction, it takes time to get over. To counterbalance the effect of processed fats in your diet, you must include fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables. These are packed with fibre and wash out the cholesterol in your system before it accumulates in the arteries.
Balancing act: If you ask me, there is no better diet than a balanced diet. It takes care of all your needs and keeps any sort of craving at bay. A meal consisting of vegetables, carbohydrates, healthy fats, and proteins in adequate quantities is energising and satiating. It prevents you from binging on fatty food as you are full and satisfied.
Use these tips to keep your fatty food craving in check and try out the balanced meal recipe.
Replace the unhealthy fats with healthy fatsThere is no better diet than a balanced diet
Food 43
VEGETABLE SEVAIYAN
Ingredients
4 tsp groundnut oil
2 cups cooked vermicelli
1/4th cup finely chopped carrot 1/4th cup finely chopped French bean 1/4th cup boiled peas
1/4th cup finely chopped capsicum 1/4th cup finely chopped onion 2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
2 tsp chana dal
2 in. finely chopped ginger
4 green chillies slit
2 dried red chillies
A handful of peanuts
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt to taste
Coriander to garnish
Method
1. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, dried red chillies and a few curry leaves.
2. Add peanuts and roast till they become crunchy.
3. Add ginger and green chillies, and sauté. 4. Add the onions, peas, carrot, capsicum, and French bean, and sauté.
5. Add turmeric and salt, and sauté. 6. Cover and cook till the vegetables turn tender.
7. Add in cooked vermicelli, lemon, and coriander.
8. Serve hot.
Naini Setalvad is a nutritionist, specialising in lifestyle and immunity disorders. Her foundation, Health For You, throws light
on healthy food habits.
Life Positive follows a stringent review publishing mechanism. Every review received undergoes -
Only after we're satisfied about the authenticity of a review is it allowed to go live on our website
Our award winning customer care team is available from 9 a.m to 9 p.m everyday
All our healers and therapists undergo training and/or certification from authorized bodies before becoming professionals. They have a minimum professional experience of one year
All our healers and therapists are genuinely passionate about doing service. They do their very best to help seekers (patients) live better lives.
All payments made to our healers are secure up to the point wherein if any session is paid for, it will be honoured dutifully and delivered promptly
Every seekers (patients) details will always remain 100% confidential and will never be disclosed