Grains on my brains...

"True Genius resides in the capacity for evaluation of uncertain, hazardous and conflicting information and making the right decisions" 

                                                                      Winston Churchill

So my head is reeling with information - I just finished a book Grain Brain - net of the book is Grains damage the brains - even healthy grains. I found the book a little one-dimensional and almost fanatical in expounding the virtues of a high fat ketogenic diet (made my head hurt!). I am not sold on the idea of giving up all healthy carbs  as they lead to Type-2 diabetes and heart diseases (its partial truth) ...I believe there needs to be balance. I sincerely believe animal protein causes inflammation and the book Eat to Live by Dr. Fuhrman has played a very critical role in shaping this belief in my mind. 

So here's how I have broken down all this conflicting information in my head - 

1. Understand your diet. Log your current habits in an app - I have been religiously using MyFitness Pal ( came to the conclusion that I needed to add more protein to my diet and opted for plant based protein sources)
2. Our ancestors probably ate some grains so why not us - so focus on the real nutritious grains aka ancient grains - in India it was Amaranth, Ragi (Finger Millet), in South America it was Quinoa, in Africa it was Teff,  in Americas it was Barley. Let's follow our ancestors and get a little adventurous. I usually cook a lot with quinoa and steel cut oats and have been converting a lot of quinoa haters to lovers...one person at a time
3. Eliminate the White - yes, yes I know white flour, white rice is amazing to the taste - you are talking to someone for whom White Rice WAS crack...my go to meal is thayir sadam with avvakai pickle ( curd rice and mango pickle). I have weaned myself 98% off "white" - why 98% - when I go to a friend's or to India and the only option is rice - I will take a spoonful and relish it ✌
4. Grains are the environmentally sound decision - compared to the meats we spend one tenth the energy growing these whole grains - so this might be an irrelevant offshoot - but it is critical factor if this matters to you.
5. Moderation is key - our Indian palate makes the carbs (rice, roti) the center or mainstay of the meal - flipping the plate to make the rajma or the choley and the veggies the mainstay of the meal is critical to helping us obtain balance. I highly recommend reading Dr. Ron Sinha's book "The South Asian Health Solution"

Here's one of my favorite porridge made with Quinoa and Steel Cut Oats - you can have it for breakfast or brinner...

What you need?

1. Bob's Redmill Steel Cut Oats - 1/2 cup
2. Red Quinoa - 1/2 cup
3. 3 cups of water
4. Whole Earth Stevia/Sugar sweetener - 4 spoons
5.  1% milk - 1 cup ( Condensed Milk 4 tablespoons if you want it to taste like dessert and are not watching calories 😇
6. Black Currants, Raisins, Cranberries, Almonds
7. Pinch of Saffron

How to make it?

1. Add the Oats, Red Quinoa , Water a pinch of salt, the sugar and all the dry fruits and nuts. Put the Instant Pot on Porridge setting and forget about it.
2. Once done (don't do a quick release) - stir in the condensed milk to taste and then add a pinch of saffron ( or some powdered cardamom)
3. Enjoy!

My father had told me something once which I hold close to my heart - he had said don't do nothing just because you can't do everything...everytime I feel like binging on junk food or feel the ankle ache and decide I want to skip my Zumba/BollyX class...I push myself to do  something! 7 pounds down and 5 more to go 💪