Healthy diet is the key to healthy life. What is healthy diet? In a layman's language, healthy diet involves food habits that include eating healthy food at right time in right proportion. This again brings up a question - how to understand what is the right proportion of meal and how is it measured. To make things easier for all, celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar, in her latest Instagram post, shared insights on the meal proportion map. For the unversed, Diwekar is known for her huge clientele, which includes Bollywood stars like Kareena Kapoor Khan and Varun Dhawan.
Here's What Rujuta Diwekar Has To Say On Meal Proportions:
1. How do we measure the percentage of proportions of the meal?
According to Diwekar, the measurement is done visually or as per intuition; it can't be measured in grams or volume. The proportion depends on the size of the plate one is eating on, whatever food it is (including the traditional ones). This means, there should not be any effort of filling up the stomach with more veggies or dal or soup, in order to eat less roti or rice. Have everything in the right proportion.
2. What about sweets? How do we fit them in the meal proportion map?
"They come on special occasions and out of a decision and not desperation. They occupy a place of pride on your Thali and are placed in the centre, near or on top of the grain or millets. Typically, this will be about 15-30 days a year," her post on Instagram read.
3. If we want to eat both rice and roti in the meal, how does that fit?
Answering to one of the most common confusions, Diwekar stated that one can eat both rice and roti in one meal "under the 50% space allocated for grains". This, according to her, is the secret behind not feeling heavy after a proper meal.
4. If I only eat pickle, let's say, with khichdi, do I still make it 15 percent of the meal?
"Typically, a khichdi is eaten with pickle plus dahi or papad or kuchumber - together this would make the 15 percent. So, if you are having only pickle, it will be lesser than 15 percent. The idea of the meal proportion map is that accompaniments should be much lesser in quantity than the main part of the meal," she answered.
5. Can we eat a fruit with our meals? How and where does that fit?
Answering to this query, the nutritionist explained that traditionally mango, banana and jackfruit have only been eaten with the meal. If eaten with meal, this will go under the 35 percent and in the 15 percent part, if consumed post meal. She also advised that all the other fruits should be eaten either as the first thing in the morning, or as a mid-meal or immediately post exercise.
5. How to maintain these proportions if sometimes eating junk food?
Diwekar strictly mentioned that packaged junk foods do not fall under the proportion map. But chaat, samosas and bhajiyas roughly come under this proportion. All one needs to keep in mind is these should be eaten as mid-meal and not as a replacement for lunch and dinner.
Follow these tips and lead a healthy life!