Chitra Aiyer

According to this news article, a new research concludes that the ‘bathura’s and the ‘paratha’s are more bad for you than the French fries.

*The trans-fatty acids (hydrogenated oils and fats) in French fries (per 100 gm) is 4.2%-6.1%, it is 9.5% in bhatura, 7.8% in paratha and 7.6% each in puri and tikkis.

The findings reveal that the presence of trans-fatty acids in Indian food such as bhatura, paratha, is much higher than the quint-essential “junk” foods and apparently pose a risk for development of diabetes and coronary heart disease in the early 20s and 30s. The good news, however, is that the South Indian snacks of idli-dosa have won hands down in the ‘fat-battle’. They find the protein and carbohydrates, while a morning breakfast of idli-sambar-chiku and coffee had 9.3% protein content in it, the dosa-chutney-papaya-tea had 6.7% proteins.

Doctors, nutritionists and dietitians spelt out the urgent need to ban food with trans-fat content specially because India is home to the highest number of diabetics.

“French fries and dishes made of hydrogenated fat (upto 45% of fat), baked items (biscuits, rusks upto 30% and margarine (upto 15%) are rich in industrial sources of trans-fats,” said B Sivakumar, former director of National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad. But health experts were unanimous on one count. Ban the vanaspati, which has high TFA content.

A couple of years ago when my father-in-law had a by-pass operation, my husband noticed that a lot of people in their 30s and 40s were there for bypass surgeries as well. And a lot of them, apparently, were not obese, did not look unhealthy, and you would have never guessed that their arteries were clogged! And there is no need to wonder at the no. of diabetic Indians. Diabetes, while it is taken for granted, is a killer disease. Anyway, so my advice? Stick to idlis and dosas.

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Filed under: idli, bathura, dosa, french fries, times of india, paratha, trans-fatty acids, food, diabetes, heart, heart dieases, India

The restaurant Hallimane, in Malleswaram is known for its true Karnataka cuisine. We have been there a few times times for lunch and snacks and have liked the way they try and keep the taste simple and authentic. For Ugadi, Karnataka’s New Year, the restaurant announced that it was offering a Ugadi spread yesterday and today, both for lunch and dinner. It was going to be an authentic 5 course meal served on plantain leaves. And ‘that’, we had to check it out. So, off we went yesterday for lunch with the kids.

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Filed under: lunch, plantain leaf, bevu bella, bella, tradition, vegetarian, ugadi '08, karnataka cuisine, authentic cuisine, belu, rangoli, bangalore living, Family, Life, Simple R2I Luxuries, Hallimane, Malleswaram, Karnataka, New Year, Ugadi, Bangalore

I know of an old couple who live by themselves in a typical Bangalore neighborhood. I will call them uncle Y and aunty U. Uncle Y is 80 now and aunty U is 70! And in spite of aunty’s occasional health scares, the two of them managed to take care of their own affairs and lived a fairly peaceful life. Their son’s family and daughter’s family lived nearby and they had them to rely on in times of need.

Uncle Y had no health complaints in particular. He used to go for his walks, run small errands like getting milk, do small grocery shopping etc. One morning, he was on his usual walk to get milk from the dairy. He was about half a kilometer from home, when he passed by a cow. Now, if you are familiar with Bangalore, you will know that animals are not rare on Bangalore roads and we have dogs, cows, chicks, etc. That fateful morning, as he walked on his usual morning route, past the local fruit stall, a cow suddenly gave him a whack with its tail and one of its hind legs. Uncle Y lost his balance and went to the ground in a sitting position. It wasn’t too bad and he managed to somehow get a grip and stand up. The same cow, for some weird reason, decided to give him another push. This time he wasn’t too lucky. He fell down and didn’t manage to get up at all. The fruit stall owner and a doc who was passing by at that time managed to lift him off the ground and get him home in the doc’s car. Poor uncle Y has been through a lot since that fateful morning. He has been in and out of the hospital a few times, once for a surgery and then a few visits for follow-ups. The docs are sounding hopeful of his ability to walk again. But uncle Y is completely shattered. He is in immense pain and is at best able to hobble to the bathroom that is 2 steps away from his bed with the help of a walker. He can just about sit-up. And can’t bathe etc. His current hope is to not end up bed-ridden. At 80, for having been fairly healthy, and for no fault of his, he is paying a huge price. Not to mention the hospital bills!

To top it, he is one of the nicest people I know. The things that happen! I truly hope that uncle Y will be able to walk again and go on to live a few more fruitful years.

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Filed under: stray, cow, animals, senior citizens, bangalore living, road, real life, Life, Chitra, roads, living, true story, Bangalore