Drained. Tired. Fatigued. May be it’s time to sip green tea cocktail — a heady concoction spiced with fresh orange pulp and a squeeze of lime. “When your green tea becomes a special beverage it packs in extra energy and keeps you recharged,” says R. Shreedhar, hospitality consultant to corporate houses and IT companies. He calls such special foods as ‘fatigue diet’ that helps you fight fatigue. “When food and beverages are packed with extra nutrients and vitamins, it helps you stay energetic all through the say,” he adds. Shreedhar says green tea can be used as a substitute for milk to make cakes, and to flour to make the chapatthi dough. Adding green tea extract enhances flavour and taste.
It is also advisable to stay away from ‘white meals’ which include rice, sugar, maida and milk in order to keep the calories at bay. “Fatigue meals are suitable for children too as it helps them stay energetic. You can make them interesting to your kids by incorporating brightly coloured vegetables. For example red (tomato salad), green (spinach) and yellow (mango or banana),” says Shreedhar
He shares some tips on power diets, especially for working women that can keep them going.
POWER BREAKFAST
For those who spend long hours at the computer without any physical activity, Sreedhar suggests a breakfast that has 60 per cent uncooked food such as salads, fruits and juices. They can have multi-grain bread too. For women, fresh juices, and foods that are high on iron and folic acid such as spinach, celery, broccoli, pomegranate, and guava gives them a kick start.
- Fresh fruit
- Multi-grain roti or toast with butter
- Porridge with wheat flakes, multi-grains, muesli or red rice porridge
- Working women can add a glass of orange juice (for Vitamin C) or amla juice with honey
- One or two idlis with sambar (you can have four idlis if you are prepared to walk five kms a day)
- A cup of boiled channa, sprouts or green peas enhance protein requirement
- A cup of yoghurt or plain curd
- Have chappathi with a stuffng of sprouts (with a squeeze of lime juice, pepper, salt, grated coconut and carrot).
- Papaya slices- highly recommended
A HAPPY LUNCH
- Boiled vegetables, grilled potatoes, boiled egg, or steamed nendran banana (it enhances digestion and acts as a protective shield for your intestine)
- A cup of red rice with dhal, or two multi-grain rotis and a sabzi
- Replace rice with traditional grains. Go in for biriyani made with navadaniyam such as kambu, thinai… They have proteins, vitamins, minerals and pack in the energy.
- Spinach biriyani with zucchini or kovakkai ( light and rich in Vitamin C)
- Have a cup of rasam. You can try variations like herbal rasam, poondu, pudina, or kollu rasam. You could add vallarai, keerai, or curry leaf to them to enhance their nutritive value. finish it off with a cup of curd.
ENRICH YOUR DINNER
- Ilai appam made with navadhaniyam batter such as kambu, cholam and raagi, and urad dhal. Add jaggery to the mix, steam the appam on a banana leaf and have it with jaggery paste.
- Mutli-grain chappathi and mashed potato gravy or kambu/ chola dosa
- A small cup of rice (avoid freshly cooked rice, instead re-boil the leftover rice from lunch and have it for dinner)
- End your dinner with a hot beverage
PLAN YOUR MEALS
- Plan your vegetable shopping — Monday (more weightage to fruits and pulses such as black channa and rajma), Tuesday ( grains and fruits such as banana, apple or pomegranate), Wednesday (green leafy vegetables), Thursday (fish or egg) and Friday ( lamb meat).
- Drink more green tea, lemon or white tea. (Shreedhar says leftover green tea extract can be used in water and used for bathing. It can be made into a paste and applied as a face pack too to bring that glow to the skin)
- Include more white fruits (apple, banana) and root vegetables such as sweet potato, carrot, and beetroot to your diet. Avoid eating out. Even rotis are enhanced with dollops of vanaspati or ghee to enhance taste in some of the eateries.
- For brunch, go for fresh fruit smoothies without cream. Or dry fruits and nuts. “Food and temperament are closely linked. Improper food can make you angry. Go in for less oily and less spicy preparations. Food acts as a shield that protects your from infections. Go in for foods that are rich in anti-oxidants, such as green tea, lemonade, celery extracts, mint juice, and rasam.”
