Eat Healthy, Stay Healthy

Need Help
Q: I am a 25-year-old man, with weight 90kg and height 6 feet. What should be my ideal weight and can you suggest a diet plan for me and how long would I have to follow it? Waqas, Karachi
A: The calorie intake for man is completely different from that of a woman and it also depends on how much physical activity the person is involved in. In your case, you need to lose between 10 to 15kg by following a diet plan and increasing physical activity. Remember that diet plans should always be changed after two to three weeks regularly in order to achieve perfect weight loss as the body gets used to the same diet and we don’t get optimum results. You should go for oat cereal for breakfast, salad and chicken sandwich for lunch and chappati with four tablespoons of curry made with minimum oil. Your water intake should be very good and in between meals remember to consume fruits. You should avoid junk food or meals with lots of oil. Take green tea after lunch and dinner.

Healthy Drinks
Q: Can you share a few recipes for making healthy drinks? Khalida, Karachi
A: It is difficult to share complete recipes as we dieticians can only mention important ingredients and not the actual recipe as we are not expert chefs! If you are concerned about weight reduction then juices must be different than those used for boosting general health and nutrition. For example fresh mango juice gives a great boost and is loaded with vitamin A, B and C. Fresh juices definitely have a more nutritional value as compared to carbonated drinks. For a fresh and healthy drink, always buy fresh seasonal fruits like pears, apples, oranges, mangoes and carrots from the market, wash them thoroughly with water, peel off their skin and put them in blender with water and a little squeeze of lemon. Add a pinch of salt or black pepper if you want and your healthy juice is ready. Make sure you don’t add any artificial colouring or sugar in your drinks.


Pizza Lover
Q: I am a pizza lover; can you tell me how many calories are there in one slice of pizza? Sumaya, Karachi
A: Calories in pizzas vary with the type of topping and bread being utilised, cheese pizzas have 230 calories per slice, pepperoni pizzas have 290 calories per slice, sausage pizzas have 280 calories per slice, meat-piled high pizzas have 350 calories per slice and vegetable pizzas have 215 calories per slice. Always keep in mind that the thicker the crust, the higher the amount of cheese or meat would be piled on the pizza and that would naturally increase the number of calories per slice. Regular crust pizzas usually have 60 calories per slice, while pan pizzas have 120 calories.

Grape Fruit
Q: Is it good to drink fresh grapefruit juice while dieting? Shumaila, Islamabad
A: It is a very good idea to have fresh grapefruit juice in the morning as it is full of vitamin C and has a high water content which increases your metabolism and helps in weight reduction. It also improves one’s complexion and helps in digestion. In our part of the world it is not available throughout the year so whenever it is, do make it a part of your diet. When people, especially teenagers start dieting, they start consuming only grape fruit juice throughout the day as they think they can lose weight faster. It is not a very good idea as weight reduction should be done by consuming a balanced diet rather than consuming only juices or soups. This kind of diet will make a person very weak as the body misses out on other important nutrients. Although they may lose weight, they will gain it back very quickly. Only consuming juices in a diet would result in many side effects such as fainting, dizziness, low blood pressure, heart arrhythmias, hunger, vomiting and diarrhoea.

Rusk With Tea
Q: Is it good to eat rusk with tea during breakfast while dieting? Uzma, Lahore
A: It is a good idea, but I would suggest you not to make it a habit. There are 40 calories in a crispy rusk. I would suggest you to eat bran rusk instead, it is available in the market and is especially made for those who want to reduce weight. In order to lose weight the best idea is to eat after every two hours. Breakfast should be your heaviest meal, as our metabolism in the morning is very high, but over the passage of the day it gradually slows down. We usually consume calories which are very low during the day and consume more at lunch and dinner but if one is planning to reduce weight you have to have a heavy breakfast, a light lunch and an even lighter dinner. Always remember to eat like a king in the morning, a prince at lunch, and a pauper at dinner.

Nutritional Importance Of Pomegranates

Q: What is the nutritional importance of pomegranates? Huma, Karachi

A: Pomegranate is a fruit that is found to have high nutritional value and large number of health benefits. It is rich in antioxidants and is also a rich source of vitamin C, K, B6 and pantothenic acid. It also contains vitamin A and E, thiamine and riboflavin in small amounts and is rich in sugar. It contains antioxidants which aid the removal of free radicals from our body cells, help repair cells and boosts the immune system. Pomegranate juice is known to be among the healthiest drinks. It is helpful in osteoarthritis and keeping the skin and heart healthy.