Coming from a family of Medical professionals and having breathed around spiritually aware people, I was always exposed to the significance of nutrition from both scientific and spiritual aspects. Despite the knowledge, following a healthy lifestyle along with balancing both personal and professional worlds posed quiet a challenge; especially here in the US with little domestic help available.

A quick recap on the status of Immigrant Indians

Food, the source of life energy is greatly influenced by Culture and Weather, which, by the way, in the US is a complete contrast from our tropical land, India.

In the last Fifty years, millions of Indians migrated to the US for various reasons. Coming under the influence of the western lifestyle and severe weather, we made some necessary adjustments to fit in. We altered our accent, started wearing layered clothing, made dietary changes like, altering vegetarian status, meal patterns, increased usage of fast foods, frozen and ready-to-eat food, etc. Also, with the so called convenient and comfortable lifestyle, our physical activity level dropped to a bare minimum, resulting in a low BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate).

The Consequence

Research shows today,

Many of Immigrant Indians have an intense prevalence of coronary heart disease, diabetes, low HDL, high cholesterol and triglycerides, hypertension. The prevalence of Coronary artery disease is three times higher in Asian Indian women than in women in US as a whole.

In India only one in 40 women get breast cancer but in US out of every 8 Asian Indian women will get the disease; the highest incidence in the world, according to the American Cancer Society.

Asian Indian women are a high risk for osteoporosis, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation.

What can we do about it?

All of us have gathered enough knowledge about Nutrition. What we lack is a road-map to implement that knowledge in our lives. So lets start by looking at some fundamental things, which are called the ABCs of Health. Here are some simple and practical lifestyle modifications which will aid you in living fit.

A: Aim for fitness
Health experts suggest that along with dietary changes one should also adhere to an exercise routine. I would say that start with increasing your physical activity and applying necessary dietary changes will become easier. Here are some simple and effective suggestions to help increase your daily activity:

1) Take the stairs instead of the elevator at work, home, mall, etc.

2) If the weather permits, park the car to the farthest parking spot and walk.

3) Leave the shopping carts outside the store and walk with the grocery bags to your car; engages muscles to a small workout.

4) While making long conversations on phone, especially those leisured weekend calls, walk around the house or go up and down the stairs, instead of sitting on the couch.

5) Socializing is more fun when there is something more than food and regular conversations. Come up with innovative ideas, like playing games indoor/outdoor, depending on the weather.

6) Call out invitations for an evening of exercise for fun; be it ballet or kickboxing, instead of those rather motiveless gatherings.

7) Instead of watching those regular soaps on TV, it is healthy and refreshing to play with the little ones. E.g.: Hide-n-seek can be interactive and recreational.

8) Staying organized keeps you fit and focused in both personal and professional lives.

9) Helping around in the house (laundry, doing the dishes, cooking, cleaning, gardening, and vacuuming) is a great way to exercise.

10) If going to the gym becomes stressful, home exercise videos can be very effective. E.g.: Am. -Pm. Yoga -Denise Austin, Walk away the pounds - 2 mile walk-Leslie Sansone.

B = Build a healthy base

Developing a solid foundation is like a blueprint for a healthy life. Some tips to achieve that:

1) Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Here are some practical breakfast suggestions:

a). Cereals with milk, Carnation breakfast, Quakers oatmeal, cream of wheat, etc.
b). Vegetable sandwich, cheese toast, Peanut butter jelly sandwich.
c). Boiled egg/omelet with bread.
d). Cereal bars
e). Boiled corn, fruits (Dole ready to eat-no sugar),
f). Handful of nuts (almond, walnut, cashew,etc)
g). Yogurt with fruit at the bottom and cereals
h). Smoothies or milkshakes or a glass of milk with some protein supplement like Protinex.

2) Variety is spice of life: Eat a varied diet, rather than any one particular food or group of foods. Variety means that we should eat a mixture of foods across the range of food groups.

3) Make fruits and vegetables a key part of your daily diet. They are packed with variety of rich nutrients and fiber. Choose whole or cut fruits and vegetables rather than juices most often. Juices contain little or no fiber. Unless it says lots of pulp. Did you know fiber helps lower cholesterol and also help loose weight?

4) Follow the Green Rule: Eat a bowl full of salad as the first course of your meal. Go easy on the dressing.

5) While eating outside opt for extra helping of veggies. Eg: when you order a sandwich cut down on the extra cheese and ask for lots of veggies. You dont really need to finish your entire order; get it packed and have it later. Opt for a small burger, small fries; ask for water instead of soda or thick shakes. This makes fast food work for you instead of against you.

6) Choose from a variety of whole grains like brown rice, whole wheat, oats, instead of refined grains.

7) Avoid too much of tea, coffee (not more than 2 cups/day), sodas, sugary juices. Instead, go for water, ice-tea with no sugar added, sparkling water, or a glass of butter-milk.

8) Drink plenty of water; atleast 8-10 glasses per day.

9) Include dairy products in your daily diet. Theyre good sources of calcium and other essential nutrients. Choose 2% milk or low fat products, if required.

10) If you lead a busy life, following are some good pointers for you:

a). Cook in bulk whenever you get time. Bring the food to room temperature and pack in small single-serve containers and refrigerate for later use.
b). Knead the chapatti/paratha dough in the food processor and pack in small single-serve Ziploc bags and refrigerate. c). Make idli/dosa batter and refrigerate.
d). Roast Rava and keep in airtight container for a quick upma snack.

Note: Recipes for Quick-fix healthy meals/snacks coming soon.

11) It's OK to enjoy junk/ rich foods occasionally. However, limit the portion size.

12) Eat lean portions of meat. Do not eat raw or undercooked meat, poultry, eggs, fish, etc.

13) If you do drink, drink occasionally.

14) Go for 6 small meals instead of 3 large meals. One of the best ways to stay trim is to Eat small, Eat often.

15) Multivitamins: You dont need a vitamin or mineral supplement if you eat a varied and balanced diet.

C = Choose Sensibly

Well discuss this in detail in the articles to follow. These would include Indian food guide pyramid, understanding serving sizes, choosing the right oil, understanding Nutrition labels, to name a few.

Until next time, Stay Healthy! Please feel free to write to me at sneh@nutriage.org or visit my web-site at http://www.nutriage.org.