‘Healthy Eating’ tips by India’s 10 leading Nutritionists

We all hunt for one magical tip which gets us closer to good 'health'. Purple Kaddu gets you "Healthy Eating" tips by India's leading Nutritionists. Isn't that what you've been searching for? Sit back and inhale all that they wish to convey.

Tip: Invest in Health - Eat right, find time to exercise and sleep right, to alter your life for the better.

"Health is much more than just hitting the gym and killing calories on the treadmill. Sensible health management and weight management depends a lot upon what you choose to put into your mouth. Most of us today are overfed and undernourished. Eating fast food frequently and binge drinking is the most unhealthy way to live. It is a source of degenerative disease. You cannot trash and pollute your body and expect to have perfect health in return—even if you exercise regularly. Sooner or later you will develop metabolic syndrome and other lifestyle diseases. It is only when you are fifty will you discover that what you ate in college upto your late forties didn’t go well with your body! Life can only be understood backwards—but it must be lived forward! Invest in your health. Don’t take it for granted. Eat right. Find time to exercise. Sleep 3-4hrs after the sun goes down. This practice supports your immunity, your hormones, your biorhythm, and your energy levels. Sleep for at least 7-8hrs every night. This is crucial for maintaining a high level of health because all the repair work happens in your body when you sleep. This information can significantly alter your health and life for the better—if you can discipline yourself to follow even a couple of rules diligently.

Anjali Mukerjee M.D. (A.M) Nutritionist, Researcher, Columnist, Author, Founder and Director of Health Total

Tip: Lifestyle changes and choosing the best combinations of food is the key to good health. 

"Aim at making adaptable changes in your current lifestyle rather than following any particular diet regime which may not sustain over a period of time. The concept of smart eating goes much beyond just counting calories from your food. It works on the fundamental principle of how a particular food is utilized in your body, the best combinations of food to be used to avoid fats from getting accumulated, detoxifying the body simultaneously and definitely giving utmost priority to the person's likes, dislikes, religion and believes"

Avanti Deshpande, consultant nutritionist, author and philanthropist from Pune believes firmly in smart eating as the mantra to health.

Tip: Locally grown foods in culturally traditional recipes leads to healthy eating.

" Food is thy medicine said none other than Hippocrates. Today we stand in the midst of Non Communicable Diseases because of wrong eating habits. In the same population we notice that there is hidden hunger in the form of vitamins and minerals. Lets us start eating locally grown foods with culturally traditional recipes. This will turn people's lifestyle towards healthier eating."

Dr.Dharini Krishnan Ph.D, R.D., Chairperson, R.D. Board (2012-2015) and Former National President, Indian Dietetic Association, is also a leading consultant dietitian in Chennai and author of the book - ‘Appetising Wheaty Treats’. 

Tip: Breating more when you eat and eating in the right way - eat slow, chew a lot and stop when full is mantra to health.

 “Vitamin 'O' ( oxygen) is nature's most under- utilised gift. Fat burns in the presence of oxygen, food gets digested better and nutrients effectively absorbed into the cells in the presence of adequate oxygen, the stress hormone cortisol, reduces with adequate oxygen intake, yet we all breathe insufficiently and many of us breathe the wrong way. Breathe more when you eat. Before any meal, take 3 deep breaths, then between every morsel, one deep breath and end your meal with 3 deep breaths. You will find that you eat less, digest efficiently and feel content with what you ate. Apply this rule even when you are eating a not so healthy food item,works like magic - it's not about what you eat, it's how you eat it and how the nutrients gets absorbed .Eat slowly, chew a lot, and stop when full. If you master this, you will never have to diet. It's called mindful eating”

Luke Coutinho, Head Nutritionist and Master Coach, Author, Speaker and Exercise Physiologist. 

Tip: Adopting Vegan diet is the key to solving health problems.

 "India is largely vegetarian; even those who are non vegetarian often have vegetarian meals. Many people think that vegetarianism is healthy, but we Indians know very well that vegetarians and non vegetarians get the same diseases – obesity, diabetes, hypertension, hypothyroid, PCOD, infertility and depression. That's because meat and milk have the same composition – high protein, high fat and no fibre. Recently Aamir Khan joined the international list of celebrities that are vegan for health. Can the rest of us afford to be left behind?"

Dr. Nandita Shah, Founder, Director, and a trustee of SHARAN, which helps people connect to animals and nature in order to heal themselves and the planet, recommends a new approach towards solving health problems by becoming a vegan.

Tip: Start day with Fruits and Dry Fruits

“Instead of starting your day with tea/coffee, start your day with dried fruits like dates, raisins, anjeer and fruits which give you natural energy and vitamins to kick start your day”

Neha Chandna, dietician and nutrition educator from Mumbai, is also an online consultant for Britannia's www.ihealthu.com.

Tip: Balanced Diet leads to good health

“The most common question asked is `what is a balanced diet?' It is very simple.

Balanced diet  =  variety + moderation. If you eat a variety of foods and have them in moderation - you are having a balanced diet”

Niti Desai, a certified diabetes educator and a trainer and founder member of Association of Diabetes Educators, has a rich and varied experience in the field of nutrition. In addition to this, she is also an Executive Council member of Indian Dietetic Association – Mumbai Chapter.

Tip: Focus on right Lifestyle 

 “Don’t start a diet that has an expiry date, focus on a lifestyle that will last forever”

Ryan Fernando, celebrity sports nutritionist, co-founder of Qua Nutrition - Signature Nutrition Clinics and lecturer for ISSA (International Society of Sports Association), is a Commonwealth Scholar with 2 Masters Degrees, Food Biotechnology from the University of Strathclyde in Scotland and Clinical Biochemistry from the Goa Medical College. He is also a certified Performance Nutrition Expert.

Tip: Eating natural food and exercising is the mantra for health

" A man’s Health can be judged by what he takes two at a time- stairs or pills. 

Zip the lip and Move the hip.

One Simple Rule, If it came from plant, eat it. If it’s made in a plant ,don’t. 

Take care of your body, it is the only place you have to live in.

Do not eat anything your grandmother would not recognize as food."

Sheryl Salis, a Senior Registered Nutritionist, Naturopath, Certified Diabetes Educator, Wellness Coach and Health Writer, with a rich experience in the field of Nutrition and Metabolic Disorders.

Tip: Eat right Food for Freedom from a diet

"Good Food is about Freedom, Freedom from a diet.  That very freedom, comes from eating the right foods"

Shonali Sabherwal, author of the books "The Beauty Diet" and "The Love Diet", is India's only Macrobiotic nutritionist, celebrity chef and counsellor.

Note: The health tips have been ordered alpabetically based on the name of the nutritionists.