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Chef's corner

Eat right, stay healthy

For a hot bod like Hrithik Roshan's, mere pumping iron is not enough. You have to combine it with healthy and intelligent eating and that calls for a major lifestyle overhaul

POWER-PACKED Eat well and judiciously and work out to have those enviable muscles

A few years ago, I saw my son, barely five then, trying to do weight training with my exercise equipment. He wanted to have muscles like Hrithik Roshan. Soon enough, I observed that the number of people visiting gymnasiums had reached an all-time high. The same thing is happening now. This year's biggest hit Krrish is making people hit the gym again.

That has set me thinking.

Do gymming0 and pumping iron alone put one in shape like Hrithik?

Well, sorry, but no. Remember, you are what you eat. Exercise is a must, but what you eat is of no less importance. Getting choosy about the fat content in food, eating less of chocolate and staying in the vicinity of more fruits and vegetables is all part of the same trend. But there is a lot more to it than just talking about fatty foods and counting calories.

Brick by brick

There are foods provided by nature that are to the body what bricks are to a house. They build the structure of the physical body — bone, muscle, cartilage and flesh. The best of these are almonds, pecans, walnuts, certified milk (for children), eggs, mushrooms, kidney beans, lentils, avocado pears, fresh butter, cheese, fish, fowl, peas (dried), lamb and navy beans.

These foods, because they make solid material, are heavy and congesting, or acid forming unless combined with some fruit and fresh vegetables to create alkalinity. When combined, these heavy foods become valuable and necessary body builders. These protein foods are so concentrated that we must not overeat them. So get generous with your servings of fruits and vegetables.

Now, let's look at the meal periods.

Breakfast: The ideal breakfast, and one that supplies plenty of pep, is one or two raw egg yolks with a little honey and a pinch of salt beaten with the juice of two oranges. This is a perfect combination for anyone wanting to build a strong body, and can be taken twice a day. It contains the chemical elements of which the body is composed. Cereals, to be easily digested, must be cooked slowly. Those with a tendency to gain weight should not eat cooked cereals. Replace them with lots of fruits and vegetables.

Lunch: After a nourishing breakfast, lunch can be light and eaten for the sole purpose of supplying your system with the necessary mineral salts and vitamins. You may not be hungry, but it is wise to break the long interval between breakfast and dinner. If you are hungry three or four hours after a good breakfast, lunch provides a splendid opportunity to combine a good building food with the energy-producing and alkaline-creating food elements your body always craves for. Go for a tuna sandwich and lots of salads.

Dinner: Dinner should be well balanced and substantial. It should have abundant alkaline-forming and acid-forming foods — the former dominating, of course. You want builders, but you also want those silent helpers that will work for your benefit all night long. You eat dinner with the realisation that there are many hours before another meal, and that the functions of your physical structure are best performed when you are relaxing, mentally and physically. For this reason, it is vital to preserve the balance between the foods you eat at this meal.

The icing: Many people drink water during meals. Instead of water, we should drink a glass of lemonade (one lemon to a glass of water and a little honey) or a glass of orange or grapefruit juice along with our food. Drinking plain and ice water with meals is a bad habit, as it prevents the food from being thoroughly digested.

Fruit juices, when taken with your meals, not only contain an abundance of minerals and vitamins, but also have 50 per cent water. They help digest the heavier foods.

RAKESH KUMAR

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