Grains and Nuts

The current “health conscious” trend bit me too. I wanted to follow a healthy diet without compromising too much on taste. This made me try new things and experiment with traditional dishes giving it a new twist. Of course all the butter, coconut and all the goood stuff cannot be totally substituted but atleast it was worth a try. During my hibernation from my blog I was trying out many different things with some success and some disappointments. Here is a sample.

1) Oatmeal dosa/idli

2) Oatmeal n soy chapathi w/ Flax Seed

3) Mixed Flour dosa

4) Soy milk smoothie

5) Vegetable/Quinoa Pulaf and still coming……….

Oatmeal : Everybody know that oatmeal reduces cholesterol (reduces the bad LDL cholesterol). It is also high in fiber and helps reduce heart problems. Oats are a good source of many nutrients including vitamin E, zinc, selenium, copper, iron, manganese and magnesium. Oats are also a good source of protein(1). It is highly recommended for diabetes and cholesterol patients. It tastes bland but once one gets used to its taste, it is a very good substitute to rice.

Quinoa : Not many of us knew about this before. It is a relative of leafy vegetables like spinach and swiss chard. Quinoa is full of protein and includes all nine essential amino acids. Because quinoa is a very good source of manganese as well as a good source of magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus, this “grain” may be especially valuable for persons with migraine headaches, diabetes and atherosclerosis(2).

Flax seeds: These are a very high source of omega-3 fatty acids and a very good substitute for fish such as Salmon, which is high in omega-3 fatty acids. Benefits of flax seed as shown in many studies include lowering total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels. Other benefits show that flax seed may also help lower blood triglyceride and blood pressure. An interesting fact is that flax seeds can be used as a substitute to eggs in various dishes (3).

These are some of many ingredients that can be moulded to our taste. The idea is to include all these good stuff and change our perspective about some of the stuff that we really avoided or din’t know about. Enough talk I guess I will get back to the recipes now…