Says Olaf Niemeier, executive chef, The Oberoi, ``Two of our restaurants, La Rochelle and Kandahar, offer a range of cuisine that is light on the stomach and just right for someone looking for a healthy meal. But it doesn't mean that our restaurants are a substitute for a health spa. What we offer is good, healthy food prepared with natural ingredients, without killing the vitamins.''

La Rochelle, the restaurant for continental cuisine, offers a vast variety and the menu changes every month. Niemeier has introduced a complete vegetarian menu at therestaurant ``that is simply a veggie's delight right from soups through main course to desserts, the last including some eggless wonders like a vegetarian strudel.''

Does that mean that health foods have to be necessarily vegetarian? Niemeier says, ``That's not true. A lot depends on how you cook it. In fact, the calories are all in the gravy and oils. The major challenge in evolving a healthy diet is to cook with the right ingredients and in the right medium. So you can have pomfret both deep fried (heavier) as well as smoked, which will be lighter.''

Niemeier's full-course meal at La Rochelle, which is light, comprises baby potato and artichoke salad served with a mesculum mix and mustard dressing (Rs 180) as an appetiser. For soup, he recommends double boiled tomato consomme with fresh young spinach and cream cheese ravioli (Rs 165). For main course he offers a choice between baked potato herb and ricotta tart served with wok fried bell peppers in a spicy lime coconut sauce (Rs 255) and vegetablemoussaka served with white bean roasted garlic sauce and rosemary oil (Rs 265). And finally, for dessert, he recommends the homemade tiramisu served with freshly marinated fruit compote (Rs 250).

If you like something closer home, you can try the pan-Indian menu at Kandahar, which has a pronounced accent on aromatic, light cuisine. Says Niemeier, ``People have a perception that Indian food is necessarily heavy. Our selection offers something unique.'' The latest offering here is the section on stir-fries, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. It offers you the perfect choice in a light, healthy and nutritious meal.

A cuisine low on calories without taking away all the delights of good food would be a tall order for any chef. For Niemeier, working with natural ingredients is not just an experiment, but a way of life. So, if you want to cut fat, don't skip meals, try a bite at the Oberoi, probably then, you can skip your day's exercise.