How much protein is in homemade daal (Orange Lentils)?

I have always wondered how many calories and how much protein I was getting when I had one of my favorite foods: my mom’s homemade daal. Daal is a very common dish in Pakistani and Indian culture and is made from orange lentils.  Below is the recipe and nutrient analysis:

Masoor Dal (orange lentils) 1 cup
Water – enough to dip the lentils
*Wash and soak for half an hour
*Then on medium heat, add the following:
1 Tbsp Oil
1 tsp Chili powder
1 Tomato – cut into cubes
½ tsp turmeric powder

*Cook till the lentils are tender. Blend with the hand blender. Add salt and green chili. Add fresh chopped cilantro right before serving. Add jalapeños to spice it up.

Nutrition Facts
Servings per Recipe: 4
Serving Size: 1 cup (8 oz)
Amount per Serving:
Calories              97.7
Total Fat             3.8 g
Protein               4.8 g

Many people add meat to daal and it would increase the calories per serving. I enjoyed 1 cup of daal with 1 cup of cooked rice and 1 cup baby vegetables that totaled up to 370 calories.

Daal

Lentils are a good source of protein and ½ cup of pure lentils will provide about 7-10 grams of protein!

One healthy tip at a time!

One healthy tip at a time!

On Sundays, I chop romaine lettuce, tomatoes, bell peppers, and apples (squeeze some lemon juice on them so that they won’t turn brown), shred carrots, and boil chickpeas (canned chickpeas contain sodium and should be avoided).

You can also buy the pre-washed, ready to go vegetables from the supermarket.

 

Save Your Child: Childhood Obesity Crisis

The NHANES Survey shows that 16.9% of United States children and adolescents were obese in 2009-2010. That is about 12.5 million children and adolescents in the United States.

I have seen my aunt trying her best to feed my little cousin and man it is hard! He is such a picky eater. There are times when she has to give in to his demands and give him what he likes. There are many parents who have kids who refuse to eat anything except for chicken nuggets. There are also those who are not able to afford a nutritious meal for the entire family and resort to feeding them fast food to fill their bellies. Many parents have very busy schedules and quick fix meals are the answer. Unfortunately, despite parents best efforts to keep their children well-fed, they neglect to keep good nutrition a priority in their child’s life.

On the other end of the spectrum, David Ludwig, an obesity expert at Children’s Hospital in Boston, believes that parents should lose custody of their obese children as they are not able to properly nurture the healthy growth of their children. He states:

“State intervention may serve the best interests of many children with life-threatening obesity, comprising the only realistic way to control harmful behaviors”

Well, that is a little extreme but parents do need to take the front seat when it comes to feeding the children nutritious food and helping them stay active. Lack of nutritious diet can also lead to malnourishment where body is deficient of vital vitamins and minerals necessary for daily functions of life.

How do I give my child a good healthy future? Start with yourself – be a positive role model for your children. Good health is basic to a good life that is free of sickness and disease for yourself and your family. Not only will it help with the growing epidemic of childhood obesity and pursuant diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, but it will also teach them to make better choices later on in life.

Good food choices include: fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grain foods, lean protein sources, and low-fat dairy.

 In my future posts I will be sharing with you some very practical and healthy tips for yourself and your children.

Prebiotics: An Essential Part of a Healthy Lifestyle?

Here’s the skinny: Everybody has bacteria in their gut to help digest food. It is important to maintain these friendly bacteria because not only do they provide the body with Vitamin K and Biotin, but they also protect our digestive system from harmful bacteria that can cause infections. Healthy bacterial by-products are essential to the body in many ways from making your skin and hair beautiful to providing energy and building muscles.

 So what do we call these friendly bacteria, anyway? They are called probiotics.

And how do we provide a good environment for healthy bacteria to grow? The answer is in prebiotics.

Prebiotics are indigestible carbohydrates that act as food for probiotics or the healthy bacteria. But not all carbohydrates are prebiotics – they have to be able to withstand stomach acidity and enzymes in the small intestine as they make their journey to the large intestine where the healthy bacteria live.

Where do I get the prebiotics from? The two common prebiotics are: Inulin and fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS). They can be http://iadorefood.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/onions.jpgnaturally found in asparagus, artichoke, garlic, chicory roots, onions, banana, garlic, and leek. Many food items such as yogurt, breads, breakfast cereals and supplement bars are fortified with prebiotics.

Fun Fact: Wheat is ranked number one for prebiotic food in the American diet. Onions are ranked number two.

How much do I need? According to clinical studies and research, we should eat 4-8 grams of prebiotics a day to help our healthy intestinal bacteria grow.

What about prebiotic supplements? Do I need them? I believe that taking prebiotic supplements are not necessary because prebiotics can be found naturally occuring in foods such as whole grains and vegetables such as artichokes, asparagus, jicama, onions, leeks, garlic, spinach, dandelion greens and tomatoes. Fortified products such as yogurt and breakfast cereal are also good sources of prebiotics.

Sometimes too much of a good thing can be bad – over consumption of prebiotics can have side effects like gas, bloating, and diarrhea.

Scent based weight loss programs: do they really work?

Sensa, Aroma Patch, and SlimScents are few products that claim to help lose weight by reducing our appetite. These products enhance our sense and taste receptors and signal our body to stop eating! Do they work?  Some short-term studies did show weight loss in participants but its long-term effects are not proven. Also, it is not clear if the participants controlled their diet and incorporated physical activity in addition to using these products.

It is true that our chemosenses play a role in our eating habits. When we eat these receptors send messages to our brain that we are full. Also, it takes about 20 minutes for our stomach to send a signal to the brain. So if we eat fast, by the time our brain gets the message from the chemosenses and the stomach, we have already over eaten.

Healthy Advice: Eat slowly enjoying the taste, texture, aroma, and flavor of the foods and you may be able to see the effect of these products for free.

Is dieting the answer?

What comes to mind when you hear the word “diet”?

Well, personally, I think restrictive, temporary, and burdensome. All of these words have a negative connotation and you cannot change with a negative attitude. You have to have a positive attitude to bring about a positive change in your life!

Diet is temporary – we start a process of losing weight and then we stop when we have reached our desired weight. Many people, once they stop, even end up regaining the lost weight. Eating healthy and staying physically active should be part of our daily routine – our new lifestyle! It is important to have a healthy lifestyle not just to stay fit and look good, but also to reduce the chances of diseases such as hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, coronary artery disease, and obesity.

Eating healthy does not mean one has to avoid eating desserts and fried foods. The key is to eat in moderation. There is nothing wrong with enjoying these delicious treats once in a while.

So what works? It is proven that a healthy diet and regular exercise will help one lose weight. It is a balancing act: If your “Calories in” = your “Calories out” then this will help you maintain weight. If you burn more Calories than you consume then you will be able to lose weight.  I will be discussing more on this in my later posts.

Balancing Act

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