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De-stress with diet

The right food can help you handle stress

PHOTO: MOHAMMAD YOUSUF

EAT RIGHT What you eat has a profound impact on your behaviour and responses

Stress. It is 21st Century's slow poison. It is not just the cells of our body that get affected by it, but also our relationships, social behaviour and work output. While there are any number of therapies to counter stress, we forget another fundamental factor: our food. Interestingly, we can control stress by choosing our food wisely.

Our response to stress is chemical. Since the food we eat changes our internal chemistry, it can also impact our ability to deal with stress. Now let's see what all one should eat to boost stress-handling abilities. Basically, we have to have a healthy diet with lots of fresh fruits, vegetables (especially beans), and whole grains. The best animal sources are fish, chicken and extremely low-fat dairy products.

Balanced diet

If we have a balanced diet, including lots of carbohydrates (rice, pasta, potatoes, breads) and fibre (fruits, vegetables, grains), we shouldn't need dietary supplements. Stress does deplete or block some nutrients, and we can replenish these nutrients with the following foods:

Vitamin C: Oranges, grapefruit, kiwi fruit, strawberries, green/red peppers, mangoes, and cauliflower.

Vitamin B: Meat, seafood, legumes, whole grains, enriched breads and cereals, dairy, and leafy green vegetables.

Magnesium: Tofu, wheat germ, almonds, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.

Calcium: Yoghurt, cheese, tofu, and chickpeas.

Potassium: Orange juice, tomatoes, potatoes, apricots, peaches, squash, limejuice, bananas, and avocados.

It's also important to reduce our intake of saturated fats, salt, white flour, processed foods, caffeine, alcohol and other diuretics and soft drinks, especially those with artificial sweeteners. Besides, eating regular meals is critical. Skipping meals, excessive dieting, over-eating, under-eating, and vitamin overdoses are all sources of body stress, which can lead to obesity, hypertension, high blood cholesterol levels, and/or nutrient deficiencies.

Now, how about checking out this recipe?

Tandoori broccoli with lentil filling

Time for preparation: 22-25 minutes

Time for marination: 5 minutes

Time for cooking in charcoal tan

door: 6-8 minutes

Ingredients

1 fresh broccoli
1 medium-sized lemon
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1 cup thick yoghurt
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp fresh basil paste
Paste of 1-2 green chillies
Salt to taste
1 cup dal moth bhujia

Method

Take the broccoli in whole, wash and boil in salted water till nearly half cooked. Remove from water and immediately place in iced water. Use knife to open flowerets and fill dal moth bhujiya between them without breaking them.

Squeeze juice of one lemon, mix ginger and garlic paste with yoghurt, salt, green chilly paste, basil paste and garam masala powder.

Apply this mix on the broccoli; making sure that the full flower is covered with it. Leave aside for 5-10 minutes.

Skewer the whole broccoli from the back to ensure its balance. Insert a raw potato along with it for support if needed. Cook it in a medium heated tandoor till done.

Remove from the tandoor, de-skewer and cut into four pieces. Serve hot after sprinkling a dash of lemon juice on it, with green salad and mint chutney.

Always cook this broccoli preparation in a slow to medium heated oven to avoid the cooked colour becoming too dark.

RAKESH KUMAR

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