Fix the fatty food fixation

Fix the fatty food fixation

Learn from our nutrition expert Naini Setalvad 

how to stop yourself from craving greasy foods high in  unhealthy fat 

40 LifePositive | FEBRUARY 2023

Food 41

Curb your cravings the healthy way 

Aguilt-ridden client recently confessed  

to me: “Naini, I devoured an entire  plate of French fries! I thought I’d have  only one fry, but I just couldn’t stop myself.”  I told her, “I completely understand. We’ve  all been there—at the mercy of the buttery  croissants and the crunchy potato crisps.” 

Your inability to limit your intake of fatty  foods is not a sign of gluttony but of ‘having a  fat tooth.’ No, it’s not a dental problem. It is a  wordplay on the idiom ‘having a sweet tooth,’  where you crave sweet foods; having a fat tooth  makes you yearn for fat-laden foods. The cause  of both these cravings is one and the same.  In the early years of humanity, when food  was scarce, the body adapted to the storing  of excess sugars and fat which it would use  during periods of starvation. Today, we do not  have the same scarcity, but the ancient defence  mechanism is still intact. This is why we keep  reaching out for high-sugar and high-fat foods  even when we feel satiated. I am sure you are  all aware of the ill effects of excess fat storage  

42 LifePositive | FEBRUARY 2023

in the body. So, if you do not want to be inching  towards a heart attack, pay heed to these tips to  avoid having a fat tooth. 

Stop starving: Yes, I mean it. Many people  make the grave mistake of cutting out on  food to lose weight. They starve all day but  eventually give in to their hunger and binge  on foods which are rich in fat as they are  calorically dense. The body’s anti-starvation  mechanism kicks in, and fearing that it won’t  get food again, the body keeps gorging on high fat foods to keep fat reserves intact. This gives  more power to your craving for fatty foods and  prevents the attempted weight loss. 

Close the gaps: I can very well understand  that you all have busy lives, but what I do not  understand is how one ignores their hunger  and keeps large gaps between their meals. If  you are one of those people who skip breakfast,  have a random snack in between, and have a  proper meal only at dinner, then you are bound  to reach out for high-fat foods. The body  anticipates that its next meal will be consumed  after a long period, so it yearns for the calorie rich fat to store. 

An apple a day keeps the fat away 

Ignore the anti-carb culture: Demonising  carbohydrates is so passé. They are a very  important energy-giving source which cannot  be excluded from your daily diet. When you  cut them out, the body is starved for energy,  and it looks towards another energy source— fat. The absence of carbohydrates makes you  hit fat-laden foods to maintain energy. 

Choose wisely: In the quest to get rid of your  craving for fatty foods, you should not forget  that fats are essential to your diet. You need fats  to absorb vitamins, carry out important body  processes, maintain temperature, and facilitate  proper nerve function. For these reasons, you  can’t cut out fats from your diet completely.  You need to focus on adding healthy fats, like  cow’s ghee, coconut, cold-pressed oils, and  peanuts, instead of unhealthy ones. 

Fibre fix: You can’t get rid of having a fat tooth  in a day. Like any other addiction, it takes time  to get over. To counterbalance the effect of  processed fats in your diet, you must include  fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables. These are  packed with fibre and wash out the cholesterol  in your system before it accumulates in the  arteries. 

Balancing act: If you ask me, there is no  better diet than a balanced diet. It takes  care of all your needs and keeps any sort of  craving at bay. A meal consisting of vegetables,  carbohydrates, healthy fats, and proteins in  adequate quantities is energising and satiating.  It prevents you from binging on fatty food as  you are full and satisfied. 

Use these tips to keep your fatty food craving  in check and try out the balanced meal recipe.

Replace the unhealthy fats with healthy fatsThere is no better diet than a balanced diet 

Food 43 

VEGETABLE SEVAIYAN 

Ingredients 

4 tsp groundnut oil 

2 cups cooked vermicelli 

1/4th cup finely chopped carrot  1/4th cup finely chopped French bean  1/4th cup boiled peas 

1/4th cup finely chopped capsicum 1/4th cup finely chopped onion 2 tsp mustard seeds 

1 tsp urad dal 

2 tsp chana dal 

2 in. finely chopped ginger 

4 green chillies slit  

2 dried red chillies  

A handful of peanuts 

Juice of 1 lemon 

Salt to taste 

Coriander to garnish  

Method 

1. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds,  urad dal, chana dal, dried red chillies and a  few curry leaves. 

2. Add peanuts and roast till they become  crunchy. 

3. Add ginger and green chillies, and sauté. 4. Add the onions, peas, carrot, capsicum, and  French bean, and sauté. 

5. Add turmeric and salt, and sauté. 6. Cover and cook till the vegetables turn  tender. 

7. Add in cooked vermicelli, lemon, and  coriander. 

8. Serve hot.  

Naini Setalvad is a nutritionist, specialising in lifestyle and immunity disorders. Her foundation, Health For You, throws light  

on healthy food habits.