Slinny up your fridge

Slinny up your fridge

September 2034

Food

Skinny Up  Your Fridge 

Naini Setalvad shares eight smart hacks to  make your refrigerator an ally, rather than your  adversary in meeting your weight and fitness  goals 

Refrigerators come in all sizes -small,  big, tall, short and even wide but never  narrow. Even we humans come in all  sizes. This doesn’t mean we should imitate  refrigerators and aim to be wide and unfit. 

When it comes to maintaining a healthy life style, your refrigerator plays a crucial role. It’s  often the first stop for nutritious meals and  snacks. However, many of us have a tendency to  stock our fridges with items that may not align  with our health goals.  

Fortunately, making a few smart substitutions  can help you “skinny up” your refrigerator as  well as your waist. Let’s dive into some com mon refrigerator hacks and explore healthi er alternatives that will keep you on track  without compromising on flavour. 

Lets get saucy 

This may sound harsh but like Maslow’s dog  we too are severely conditioned to make certain  food choices. For example, whenever some thing continental is placed in front of us, we  automatically reach for the tomato ketchup.  This habit is so ingrained in us that now even  Indian delicacies are doused in ketchup. This  preservative laden  

condiment adds  

u n n e c e s s a r y  

calories to our  

meal. It also  

raises our daily  

intake of sug 

ar considerably,  

putting us at the  

risk of Diabetes  

a n d other illnesses. I would  recommend swapping the ketchup with home made salsa which you can store in your fridge.  It’s fresher, high on fibre and delicious as well.  

•Store cooked grains and batters: When you  

come back from a long day at work  

and don’t have the patience to  

cook a meal, you automatical 

ly reach out for junk in your  

fridge. Instead, it is better to  

keep a container of pre-cooked  

grains like barely, amaranth,  

and brown rice to whip up an easy  

one-pot meal. Idli and chilla batter are  healthy alternatives you can keep stored.  

Soup stories  

Another no-brainer to reduce cooking time as  well as your inches is to keep the fridge  stocked with soup. Make a  

large batch of vegetable  

soup over the weekend  

and freeze it. Whenever  

the need arises simply  

defrost by heating and  

drink up. A thick soup  

before a meal will fill up  

your tummy with the re 

quired nutrients and prevent  

you from binging on grains.  

Bread Delight  

I enjoy eating bread. There, I have said it and  let’s be honest, most of us do. It’s a staple that is  easy to use, easy to store and very satisfying. On  the other hand, the factory processed breads  are stripped of any nutrients and full of pre 

servatives and stabilisers. Made  

of Maida, these breads have  

no fibre and hence raise  

sugar levels. Instead of  

asking you to complete 

ly avoid  

bread, I  

would  

a s k  

you to  

c h o o s e better alternatives.  Whole grain arti- sanal breads made in  

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small batches at local bakeries are the best op tion. Whole wheat, millet, rye are rich in fibre,  do not raise sugar levels, and are filling – this  ensures you do not over-eat and put on weight. 

Location Change  

We are more likely to pick the first thing we  see in our fridge and we often place unhealthy  foods at eye level. Aim to store some veggies on  the top shelf rather than just in the crisper so  that your hand reaches out for healthy foods  like pre-cut vegetables, vegetable purees, veg 

etable dips as they are filled with flavour and  nutrients but contain very few calories. 

Spread thin  

If you have children at home, then your fridge  is going to be stocked with cheese spreads  and mayonnaise. If it’s in your fridge, you are  bound to get tempt- ed to have them  yourself. But why feed these to  the kids in the  

first place? Be 

sides adding  

u n h e a l t h y  

fats and cal 

ories to your  

meals; they  

are not do 

ing them or you  

any good. Keeping a  42 LifePositive | SEPTEMBER 2024

hung curd dip, flavoured with different herbs  is a better replacement. The protein and probi otic rich curd will help you get in shape. Keep ing veggie dips like babaganoush is also a good  idea.  

Ditch the sodas 

With the soaring temperatures in our country,  one reaches for aerated and flavoured drinks to  replenish electrolytes and hydrate themselves.  However these packaged drink are nothing but  sugar and food colouring. They are a known  cause of obesity worldwide. If plain water is  not your first preference then naturally fla 

vour your water with seasonal fruits, lemon  and mint, ginger etc.  

No more wasted food 

Keep a habit of scanning the fridge once a week  and bring ahead the items that need to be fin ished like opened tomato paste or any yogurt.  Keeping it in the front will remind you to use  them while cooking at home which is a health ier option than ordering food from outside. 

These small changes will help skinny up your  fridge and your body too!  

RECIPES 

Salsa 

Ingredients  

• 200 gm tomatoes 

• 100 gm green capsicum 

• 1 tsp red chilli powder 

• 1 tsp oregano 

• 1 tsp chilli flakes  

• 2 – 3 garlic flakes, grated 

• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar 

• Salt to taste 

Method 

1. Boil the tomatoes, and peel the skin. 

2. Place 2 boiled tomatoes in a blender. Add  

Orange infused water  

Ingredients 

• 1 orange sliced into thin segments  • ¼ cup fresh mint leaves  

• 1 litre water  

Method 

1. Put orange segments and mint leaves at the  bottom of a big glass jar, 

2. Add water to the jar till full and place in the  fridge. 

3. Serve chilled 

red chilli powder, balsamic vinegar and salt to  it and blend. 

3. Chop the rest of the tomatoes finely. 4. Roast the capsicum directly on the flame till  little blackened.  

5. Scrape off the skin and chop the capsicum  finely  

6. Add the chopped tomatoes and capsicum to  the tomato pulp 

7. Add the oregano, garlic, vinegar and the  chilli flakes to the salsa 

 8. Chill and serve 

Naini Setalvad is a nutritionist, specialising in lifestyle and immunity disorders. Her foundation, Health For You, throws light on  healthy food habits. Contact her at healthforyou@nainisetalvad.com