HEALTH FOOD SPECIAL................ TRY WINTER’S MAGIC MEAL

 TRY WINTER’S MAGIC MEAL

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Good health is almost guaranteed when your dinner is simply soup

WHAT’S THE best part about winter? The answer is very simple. It’s the comfort of hot soup for dinner. But in this season, soup at dinnertime is not just comforting, it’s extremely healthy too. That’s because a light meal at night reduces the digestive load on your body, leaving it free to regenerate and heal while you sleep.

Here are some health conditions that can be managed when you lighten the last meal of the day.

Asthma:

A soup made with ginger and garlic reduces airway inflammation and swelling. The hydration provided by the soup helps the body improve circulation and prevents the build-up of phlegm. Soups that contain spinach, turnip and onion have a therapeutic impact on the regeneration of cells and mucous membranes.

Heart patients: To prevent attacks in the early morning hours, dinnertime soup should include garlic, turmeric, galangal, some oats (its soluble fibre helps lower cholesterol), low salt, and vegetables like broccoli (its calcium content has a protective effect on the heart muscle).

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Weight loss:

Food consumed at dinner just sits in the stomach, adding to weight gain because metabolism at night is sluggish. So eat your heavy meal at lunch time and stick to lentil soups with vegetables at dinner. Black channa and moong beans are a good choice. Herbs like parsley, cilantro (dhania) and ginger add flavour to the soup.

Diabetes:

Sugar control is difficult in winter, partly because of the many parties and events to attend, and partly because the cold weather can make you more sedentary than usual. Soup at dinnertime helps control blood sugar, and keeps you fit.

WARNING

Avoid pre-packaged soups because they are high in salt, cornflour, sugar, transfats, preservatives and artificial colours.

THE BEST INGREDIENTS

These include, among others, black and white pepper, star anise powder, cinnamon, pumpkin seeds, kalonji seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds and pista in a paste form, winter greens, peas, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, moong, black beans and black channa.’

SHIKHA SHARMA

HTBR27DEC15