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Friday, May 20, 2016

The Fitness Mantra


The race to keep fit is becoming more intense with every passing day. Pick up any magazine or a newspaper regardless of whether it is a travel, women’s , current affairs or even a gossip magazine, you will come across an article, or a column on the secrets of a perfect diet. If not, there will be an advertisement promoting a diet product ranging from a cold drink, cooking oil to a massage belt !In every home the ladies  are busy discussing what to eat and cook and what to avoid with their peers and friends.

There was a time when I went shopping and never bothered about what to buy when it came to food. Buy any cooking oil as long as it did not have an intense odor, any kind of atta, butter , cheese, sweets, fruits or any seasonal stuff. Indulging in fried pakoras, poories once in a while was a done thing with no feeling of a guilt! This was true till the turn of the century but then the globalization caught us unawares! Soon, insistence on buying, corn oil or oils with low cholesterol level, including olive oil , refrain from fried stuff became the new buzzwords ! Calorie count became more stringent. With the first break of dawn, the day must start with a cup of green tea in lieu of the strong tea with milk. The breakfast looked much less appetizing with only fruits, poha, vermicelli, and upma now becoming ,more frequent sights. Parathas were sighted once in a month like a full moon and poories and pakoras  became a rarity like a lunar eclipse!

Adding to the trauma was the constant shift in stands being taken by dieticians. One day, it was all right to eat chappati, vegetable and dal but next day it was suddenly discovered that wheat chappati was full of gluten and carbohydrates. It must be replaced with quinoa, or buck wheat to stay healthy. Honestly, I do not remember anyone in even far family circle knew about the wonder food  quinoa a decade ago! Even the food channels, shamelessly exhibit their cooking skills by cooking exotic foods as if they were born in Mediterranean region. Half the things they rattle while talking about a recipe are unlikely to be available at the local grocery store. One needs to rush to buy the exotic ingredients at super specialty stores and burning a big hole in the pocket , without being too sure what health benefits are likely to accrue. On the contrary, likes of Rujuta Diwekar and Anjali Mukherjee are singing their way to the bank by guiding many looking for quick fix solutions!




In the fast changing world, there are very few takers of simple things that are congruous with nature. Getting up early and exercising to improve digestion are unlikely to have many takers. There is a beeline for those suggesting fancy foods and gadgets to improve the health and guarantee weight loss are in thing. We have to make our own choices which keep changing with the time we live in. The good old secret of indulgence in moderation can perhaps be an answer.

PS-Images Kind Courtesy Google

20 comments:

  1. Absolutely true, Rahul. Just recently was having a chat with a friend. His grandmother is mentally agile, lives on her own and manages everything herself. She is bright and cheerful in her 90s. When asked what the secret of her good health was. She said, "Eat less and eat healthy!" :-)

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    1. Yes that is what it is !Anyone over 90 has not indulged on fad diets:)

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  2. All things in moderation! My daughter often hears that eating pasta is bad - too full of gluten and carbs - but it works for the Italians so why not for the rest of us?

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    1. Ha, ha, the science is wierd! The bacteria in Italy helps in digestion of pasta but not everywhere else:)

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  3. So true Rahul bhaisahab , nowdays mostly people think about exercise first then eating. Moderation is the key.

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    1. Thanks Roopika for that nice comment! However, I have my doubt if most feel think of exercising first:)

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  4. 'The good old secret of indulgence in moderation can perhaps be an answer.' Yes, I agree with you here! I have got relatives who had been eating rice thrice a day and living at 91 and 93. They have got their teeth in tact, still reading, walking inside the compound and eating whatever they liked. I heard about Quinoa just a few months back. We too are taking oats twice a week:) Diet! But I add some ghee in upma, pongal etc. For garnishing I use coconut oil. Unrefined groundnut oil....but go for walks and yoga classes. That is enough, I feel. Can't stop rice and wheat!

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    1. Moderation is the key word, Sandhya!It is very difficult to change the eating habits drastically unless driven against the wall!

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  5. You are right.... There is so much in the media about health... That too contradictory pieces of info.... It's become fashionable also to call oneself health conscious

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  6. Yep, there is too much information available about food fads and diets, and I feel our food choices are determined by other people namely dieticians and media.

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    1. These words are prophetic but strange that we let our choices be manipulated, Rachna:)

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  7. Our forefathers lived right and ate right. Ate heartily and worked harder.

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  8. We are spending more time thinking and fretting than just following our instincts and making a move towards changing for good.

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    1. Absolutely! We generally know what is good for us but then too much knowledge around does not seem to help:) thanks for reading,Shaivi!

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  9. It is always better to do exercise and follow a near-strict routine (proper sleep and all)...that more or less ensures a good lifestyle, if one is not culprit of eating fried stuff and the like.

    Burning a hole in the pocket is a craze with the wealthy, who otherwise use their car to go to a nearby park for jogging!

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  10. Valid observation Alok! A disciplined regimen is always beneficial in long run. Thanks for reading.

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  11. Very good note of current day situation... Misleading information and information overload is adding on to stress... I guess, do what suits you would be better than following everything you read see or being suggested! Good one rahul sir

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  12. Who else other than you, a fitness freak knows better when it comes to making the right choices! Thanks once again for reading, Ramya.

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