Most of us love eating what are called popular foods, dishes that are great on taste. But these foods are also high in calories. Take the perennial favourite from the Subcontinent, Biryani, for instance. It is an extremely popular dish but by no means can it be said to be low in calories. Similarly for the burger. These foods are as easy to opt for time and gain, as they are a great means to put on weight, says a dietician. In fact, some dishes are so high in sodium that just one serving is like eating two meals in one sitting. “But you can’t cut out these foods completely. You need to enjoy life as well,” says Juliot Vinolia, Dietician, iCareClinics.
A good way to indulge yourself and keep yourself in check is to observe moderation - eat your favourite foods once a week as a really smart move or a maximum of three times in an entire week. And the most important factor - portion size. The key to health when it comes to food is to stay away from big servings. “If you like eating a burger, opt for the juinior size with less cheese and no mayonnaise,” says Vinolia. “If you are ordering Biryani, call for chicken biryani, as it has less cholesterol than mutton. Eat more chicken and cut down on eating rice to not more than one cup.”
If you love a ground beef Burrito or a Masala Dosa, combine them with functional foods such as a vegetable salad, as vegetables act like a sponge and prevent increase of cholesterol in the blood. “Any foods that contain soluble fibre are good for absorbing the fat present in the body,” she says. It’s probably the best tip you have ever got. Load up on fibre when you eat high-fat foods. That of course doesn’t mean you persist in eating fatty foods all the time.
A Beef Burrito, for example, is high in fat and sodium, so opt for lean beef in the Burrito and add more vegetables. In a Masala Dosa, potatoes are pure carbs and add on calories, so remove half the potato masala and eat your dosa with the sambar (lentils) and chutneys.
One of the most common mistakes people do is to not drink enough water on a daily basis and not exercise as a result of which fatty deposits increase in the liver. The blood becomes thicker and it gets difficult for it to circulate around the body. “What happens immediately after a meal is that your triglycerides shoot up, but if you exercise regularly, they get burned off,” says Vinolia.
Also, drastically cutting down on calories in the hope of losing weight has a counter effect. The body then turns to your muscle to produce energy. A healthy adult male requires 1,800 calories a day, while a woman requires 1,200 calories. “Eat what you like,” she advises, “but in moderation.”
The other thing people do wrong is to eat just before going to sleep. There must be a gap of at least three hours between dinner and bedtime bedtime. “If you plan to sleep at midnight, eat at 9pm,” she says.
Vinolia provides a break-up of some of the most popular foods and suggests leaner, healthier versions for greater enjoyment and less guilt.
13 Popular Foods
The recommended intake per meal is as per a 1,500 daily calorie diet.
■ Calories (Kcal) 375
■ Total carbs: 50 gms
■ Sugars: 5 gms
■ Protein: 18 gms
■ Total fat: 15 gms
■ Saturated Fat: 5 gms
■ Trans Fats: 0 gms
■ Cholesterol: 45 mg
■ Sodium: 600 mg
■ Fibre: 6 gms
1) Fish and Chips
(Britain)
■ Serving size: 120 gms
■ Calories: 580 (Kcal)
■ total carbs: 49 gms
■ Sugars: 1 gm
■ Protein: 16 gms
■ total fat: 36 gms
■ Saturated fat: 4 gms
■ trans Fats: 0 gms
■ Cholesterol: 35 mg
■ Sodium: 1,010 mg
■ Fibre: 3 gms
Limit intake per week to: 2 times/week.
Health benefits: Good source of protein and omega 3 fatty acids.
Health hazards on frequent intake: High in saturated fat and sodium can increase serum triglyceride and blood pressure levels, reducing the protective effect of fish.
Healthy adaptation/portion control with recommended portion size: reduce the
quantity of french fries and cut calories. Squeeze a lemon over the fish. Add condiments and mushy peas.
1 cup barley soup or fresh citrus fruit juice with no sugar, prevents hike in triglyceride
levels after the meal
2) Whopper Burger with Cheese and Mayonnaise (US)
■ Serving size (grams): 300 gms
■ Calories (Kcal): 710
■ total Carbs: 59gms
■ Sugars: 14gms
■ Protein: 29gms
■ total fat: 42gms
■ Saturated fat: 15gms
■ trans Fats: 1gm
■ Cholesterol: 85mg
■ Sodium: 1,380mg
■ Fibre 3gms
Limit intake per week to: once a week.
Health benefits: reasonable
source of protein and calcium.
Health hazards on frequent
intake: Packed with high calories,
saturated fat, and sodium
can affect heart health leading
to high BP and elevated blood
triglyceride and cholesterol
levels and insulin resistance.
Healthy adaptation/portion
control with recommended
portion size: Choose the junior
whopper with less cheese and
avoid mayonnaise. the meal can
be enjoyed with 1 cup of fruit
juice or 1 serving of apple slices
3) Shawarma, large,
Chicken (Arab)
■ Serving size: 200 gms
■ Calories: 475 (Kcal)
■ total carbs: 48 gms
■ Sugars: 0 gms
■ Protein: 42 gms
■ total fat: 30 gms
■ Saturated fat: 5gms
■ trans Fats: 0gms
■ Cholesterol: 132mg
■ Sodium: 650mg
■ Fibre: 4 gms
Limit intake per week: to 3
times /week.
Health benefits: Contains reasonable
amount of protein and
soluble fibre.
Health hazards on frequent
intake:the moderately high
sodium and cholesterol from
mayonnaise, French Fries can
affect BP and blood cholesterol
levels.
Healthy adaptation/portion
control with recommended
portion size: opt for a small
shawarma with either less or
no French fries and mayonnaise
to cut down the fat and calorie
content.
4) Mutton biryani (India)
■ Serving size: 300gms
■ Calories: 651 (Kcal)
■ total carbs: 80gms
■ Sugars:5.2gms
■ Protein: 27gms
■ total fat: 25gms
■ Saturated fat: 8gms
■ trans Fats: 2gms
■ Cholesterol: 70mg
■ Sodium: 90mg
■ Fibre: 5gms
Limit intake per week: once/
week.
Health benefits: Good source
of protein.
Health hazards on frequent
intake:Very high in saturated fat
and calorie content. increases
triglycerides to peak post meal.
Healthy adaptation/portion
control with recommended
portion size: Choose chicken
biryani or vegetable biryani with
grilled chicken as it contains
relatively less cholesterol and
saturated fat
5) Masala dosa
(South India)
■ Serving size: 180 gms
■ Calories: 520 (Kcal)
■ total carbs: 65gms
■ Sugars: 0gms
■ Protein: 9gms
■ total fat: 2gms
■ Saturated fat: 7gms
■ trans Fats: 0gms
■ Cholesterol: 0mg
■ Sodium: 0.5 mg
■ Fibre: 0.2 gms
Limit intake per week: 4
times/week.
Health benefits: Moderate
carb, low-fat meal.
Health hazards on frequent
intake:the potato can add on
to the calories.
Healthy adaptation/portion
control with recommended
portion size: Better alternative
is to remove half the potatoes
and enjoy the dosa with dal and
vegetables.
6) Falafel (Arab)
■ Serving size: 200 gms
■ Calories: 681 (Kcal)
■ total carbs: 73 gms
■ Sugars: 0 gms
■ Protein: 29 gms
■ total fat: 21 gms
■ Saturated fat: 0gms
■ trans Fats: 0 gms
■ Cholesterol: 30mg
■ Sodium: 275mg
■ Fibre: 12gms
Limit intake per week: 2 times
/week.
Health benefits: excellent
source of protein, soluble fibre
and B-complex vitamins.
Health hazards on frequent
intake: High in saturated fat and
calorie-dense.
Healthy adaptation/portion
control with recommended
portion size: reduce the falafel
to half the portion with more
veggies can help, or baking the
falafel patties are another option
to reduce fat content
7) Chicken Adobo
(Philippines)
■ Serving size: 300 gms
■ Calories: 314 (Kcal)
■ total carbs: 2gms
■ Sugars: 0gms
■ Protein: 27gms
■ total fat: 20gms
■ Saturated fat: 6gms
■ trans Fats: 0gms
■ Cholesterol: 103mg
■ Sodium: 1,500mg
■ Fibre: 0gms
Limit intake per week: 3 times
/week.
Health benefits: Low in carbs
and high in protein with the
goodness of herbs and spices.
Health hazards on frequent
intake: High in saturated fat,
cholesterol and the high sodium
content leads to an increase
in blood pressure and blood
cholesterol levels.
Healthy adaptation/portion
control with recommended
portion size: Cut down the
portion size to half and combine
it with 2 cups of vegetable salad,
mainly greens and 1 cup of low
fat yoghurt to combat triglycerides
and blood pressure levels.
8) Hot and sour soup
(China)
■ Serving size: 600gms
■ Calories: 143 (Kcal)
■ total carbs: 11gms
■ Sugars: 2gms
■ Protein: 14gms
■ total fat : 4gms
■ Saturated fat: 1gm
■ trans Fats: 0gms
■ Cholesterol: 15mg
■ Sodium: 1,613mg
■ Fibre: 0gms
Limit intake per week: 2 times/
week.
Health benefits: Low calorie,
antioxidant-rich meal.
Health hazards on frequent
intake: High in sodium content,
affects blood pressure.
Healthy adaptation/portion
control with recommended
portion size: reduce the salt in
the soup.
9) Braai, Beef
(South Africa)
■ Serving size: 120 gms
■ Calories: 645 (Kcal)
■ total carbs: 0 gms
■ Sugars: 0 gms
■ Protein: 76gms
■ total fat: 36gms
■ Saturated fat: 14gms
■ trans Fats: 0 gms
■ Cholesterol: 220mg
■ Sodium: 1,012 mg
■ Fibre: 0 gms
Limit intake per week: once /
week.
Health benefits: Good source
of iron, zinc, Vitamin B12 and
folate.
Health hazards on frequent intake:
Barbequing meat releases
a lot of hydrocarbons that result
in cancers of the colon, rectum,
pancreas and the breast. it is also
very high in cholesterol and saturated
fat. Charcoal briquettes
should be used.
Healthy adaptation/portion
control: reduce the portion size
to half and combine it with antioxidant
foods like broccoli, pineapple,
lemon, Brussel sprouts,
red peppers and oranges.
10) Nihari (Pakistan)
■ Serving size: 200gms
■ Calories: 413 (Kcal)
■ total carbs: 9gms
■ Sugars: 0gms
■ Protein: 38gms
■ total fat: 24 gms
■ Saturated fat: 0gms
■ trans Fats: 0gms
■ Cholesterol: 96mg
■ Sodium: 98mg
■ Fibre: 0gms
Limit intake per week: 3 times
/week.
Health benefits: High in
protein, iron, folate, zinc and
Vitamin B12.
Health hazards on frequent
intake: High in fat and sodium
content.
Healthy adaptation/portion
control with recommended
portion size: reduce the portion
size to cut out the calories
from fat and sodium. Add in stirfried
vegetables for soluble fibre
that helps reduce cholesterol
absorption.
11) Ground beef burrito
(Mexico)
■ Serving size: 300gms
■ Calories: 570 (Kcal)
■ total carbs: 49gms
■ Sugars: 0gms
■ Protein: 22gms
■ total fat: 17gms
■ Saturated fat: 8gms
■ trans Fats: 0gms
■ Cholesterol: 54mg
■ Sodium: 1,200mg
■ Fibre: 3 gms
Limit intake per week: 2 times
/week.
Health benefits: High in
protein, iron, zinc, folate and
Vitamin B12
Health hazards on frequent
intake: High in fat and sodium
content.
Healthy Adaptation/Portion
Control with recommended
portion size: the grilled
Chicken Fresco Burrito Supreme
is only 340 calories and contains
chicken, beans, red sauce,
lettuce, onions, tomatoes and
fiesta salsa, all in a tortilla. Bean
Burritos are a good option for
vegans. Also lean beef choice
with more vegetables add a
better nutritive value
12) Pate de Foie Gras
(France)
■ Serving size: 13gms
■ Calories: 60 (Kcal)
■ total carbs: 1gm
■ Sugars: 0gms
■ Protein: 2gms
■ total fat: 6gms
■ Saturated fat: 2gms
■ trans Fats: 0gms
■ Cholesterol: 20mg
■ Sodium: 91mg
■ Fibre: 0gms
Limit intake per week: 2 times/
week.
Health benefits: excellent
source of Vitamin A, B12, iron
and folate.
Health hazards on frequent
intake: Combining it with a
meal of other animal foods will
increase cholesterol levels. Can
contain bacteria if left frozen for
long periods and then cooked.
Healthy adaptation/portion
control with recommended
portion size: Combine it with
1 big bowl of salad and wholemeal
bread for a nutrition-dense
meal.
13) Borscht (Beet Soup
with Meat) (Russia)
■ Serving size: 400 gms
■ Calories: 352 (Kcal)
■ total carbs: 20gms
■ Sugars: 8gms
■ Protein: 21gms
■ total fat: 21gms
■ Saturated fat: 8gms
■ trans Fats: 0gms
■ Cholesterol: 10mg
■ Sodium: 600mg
■ Fibre: 0gms
Limit intake per week: 4
times/week.
Health benefits: Considered
very healthy and beneficial for
weight control. Good source of
Vitamin A, C, B- complex, iron
and folate. Good for increasing
the red blood cell count.
Health hazards on frequent
intake: the saturated fat and
sodium in the beef can increase
blood pressure and cholesterol
levels.
Healthy adaptation/portion
control with recommended
portion size: replace the sour
creamwith low fat ones or
Greek yoghurt. reduce the beef
and potatoes to cut calories
