MUSING: FOOD FOR THOUGHT

My friend is worried sick over the forthcoming ladies club programme - She has to model as one of the colours of a rainbow. "You look so pale and you represent RED, where is your passion,” I have been teasing her all day.
“I look so fat ", is her only refrain. Even her sizable collection of chiffons and chinons and crepes apparently cannot do the trick and simulate the wispy look anymore. “I will be a laughing stock on the stage...., "she laments.
Now let me see…Yes you do like a rich flaky pastry, but very delicious even with those enduring folds," I try to please her but she is not amused. She has just turned forty and finds "volunteering” for the ladies club a nightmare like most of us.

What do we do? The midriff crisis has been far more terrifying and alarming than the depleting ozone layer . “Every damn resource in the world is getting scarce why not the cellulites?" It is something she has to deal with everyday. She didn't mind being forty some but she simply can't stop fretting over the over fortified midriff - worse than the 11/9 attack, this assault below the belt has left her completely devastated and shattered.

Yes we know we are better off than the ones who have never had the priviledge of enjoying a cantonment life. I mean look at the wide boulevards, the clean stretch of roads, the lush green all around and the sparkling cleanliness that greets are everywhere we go. Aren’t we simply lucky to be far away from the polluted, cramped up bustling city roads, where people go out on a limb to catch a slice of the azure blue. We have a firmament full here! So if we haven't made most of it then it is squarely our fault. Though there's hardly any army spouse who doesn't walk regularly, our problem is we party hard too - which topples the carb and sweet scale visibly.

“We need to diet after we turn forty", advised another friend of mine .We must simply control our eating habits .... Do a GM diet or something to cut down a few kgs to start with and thereafter follow it up with exercise and a good eating habit." This one too suffers from excessive bouts of depression each time she stands on a weighing scale and finally loses all desire for carrot juice and long walks. Instead she binges on coke and cookie and wallows in self pity "Why me?” and every so often comes up with these ambitious plans. For her too the only answer is A DIET- The ultimate weapon to cut down those menacing calories and to get back to shape rapidly.
Will that really work in the long run? I wonder! The fat cells don't die and the have a tendency to come back with vengence.The "fad" diet will cause one to lose weight from a reduction in calories. But you should be aware of the problems that come along with them: Now this is what I found out from my readings which is for you to mull over too.
Firstly more often they will gain back more than they lost. Secondly you will lose more muscle mass than body fat. Now, you may say, "It does not matter as long as I'm thin", but understand that muscle burns more calories than fat -- this helps to keep your metabolism elevated. Muscle also gives you a shapely, firm and more defined physique.If you end up with less muscle than when you started, you can bet that your metabolism has been slowed a great deal, which, in the long run, means your body will be burning fewer calories and storing more fat. Finally it will weaken your immune system. So a good program should not only help you lose fat, it should also help you to develop the correct eating habits necessary to maintain your new body.Do the new diets have it in them? Always check them out for their long term ramifications. Also some exercising is must for all of us above forty. Crunches, sit-ups and squats to start with. I shall include a number of links here for you to go through the various diet plans offered these days. I have also invited an experienced dietitian and good friend Jini Aroon from Canada, to address some of these issues bothering us. I shall also include a simple exercise routine for all those who don't want to exert themselves too much. So do come back and visit my site again as I will come back with more information ON FOOD FOR THOUGHT next time. The entire blue print of our life, our destiny depends on two things if you ask me- What we Think and What We Eat – which makes us responsible for all our misfortunes at the end of the day.

So why take shortcuts? Why look for temporal, ephemeral gains. Let’s set a goal and not shortchange life’s goodies for transient temptations. Infact nothing can go really wrong if we live life in moderation. What do you say?

You may visit Jini's site here http://www.jinisethnicgourmet.com

or write to her with your specific queries on food habits and recipes here jini@jinisethnicgourmet.com