Sunny side of dark chocolate

Little wonder then that this diet-obsessed generation is left utterly confused. A simple principle might be able to help ? eat for the love of life. ?Have what you?d like to but in moderation,? says Dr Ashutosh Shukla, consultant, internal medicine, Artemis Health Institute, adding ?too much of anything is bad and food is no exception.? That gives you the license to indulge occasionally in all that you had dismissed as sinful. Yes, even chocolates!

Butter

Unlike popular belief, fat is not fatal. ?One, it makes you feel full and two, it helps the cells in the body secrete a hormone called eicosanoid, known well for its anti-ageing effect,? says Dr Kousalya V Nathan, lifestyle management consultant at Malar Hospital in Chennai. It is also indispensable because our body is unable to produce certain essential fatty acids on its own. It ought to be consumed from an external source.

Nathan has her apprehensions though. ?One can?t be too sure about the quality of ghee available in the market. It?s best to prefer monounsaturated fat to the saturated variety.? And how much is too much? ?It?s important to scrutinise our lifestyles and accordingly decide the portions for our body. Genetically, Indians are prone to Type II diabetes, so it is best to play safe.?

Chocolate

Have a sweet tooth? In case your answer is yes, there?s good news for you. The feel-good factor that endorphins give us are unparalleled and any chocolate lover would vouch for it. Now, believe it or not, chocolate is good for health, especially dark chocolate. ?The darker the chocolate the better it is,? says Nathan. ?Dark chocolates are rich in cocoa, sometimes with a content of over 70%. Cocoa is rich in antioxidants. So, you can eat chocolates to delay wrinkles and improve your body immunity,? says Nathan. ?Have two cubes a day… or four cubes, only if your body constitution is good.?

Red meat

This category too seems to be a powerhouse of resources. ?It is high in proteins, is a very good source of iron, niacin, vitamin B12, riboflavin and zinc.? However, it is important to have clarity on what exactly qualifies as red meat in the first place. ?Red meat is primarily mammal?s meat. So, beef, mutton, duck, goose, and horse qualify for the category. But chicken, pork and rabbit?s meat don?t,? says oncologist Indu Bansal of Paras Hospital. ?Have it sparingly,? she further cautions because ?a study recently revealed that having more than two portions (160 gm) of red meat a day increases the risk of developing bowel cancer by 35%.? And it is ?best had baked or char-boiled.?

Alcohol?

There?s a reason why people ?cheer? their drinks. Whether you prefer ales, lagers, bitter or wheat beers, studies show that one drink a day for women or up to two drinks a day for men reduces chances of cardiovascular diseases. How? Beer contains vitamin B6, which has been found to prevent the build-up of Homocysteine, a chemical thought to increase the risk of heart disease. The important question is of quantity. ?Beer can definitely help reduce stress and anxiety if taken in moderation. 12 ounces of beer everyday can definitely be of help,?? says Dr Upendra Kaul, director cardiology, Fortis Hospital.

The dieters too have a reason to celebrate. Beer, in moderation, can be part of a ?low-carb? diet and a ?potential good source of soluble fibre and probiotic substances that promote digestion,? according to Dr Sakshi Chawla, consultant dietician, Fortis Hospital. ?Beer is definitely better and more beneficial than other hard liquor because of its composition. It?s 90% water and 10% barley and yeast. It flushes out kidney stones and helps prevent diabetes,? adds Chawla.

Also, like red wine, whisky too is rich in antioxidants. The antioxidants prevent cellular damage in the body, helping you ward off ageing and a variety of diseases including cancer. Alcohol also boosts the level of good cholesterol, HDL, that help keep arteries clear of plaque. But as Dr Shukla says: ?don?t go overboard and completely avoid it if you have any alcohol-related diseases.?

Potatoes

Don?t blame potatoes. Blame the way you treat them. For instance, potatoes aren?t fattening, but French fries are. ?Carbohydrates should comprise of at least 55% of your daily recommended diet. It is the main source of fuel for the body. It is only when you overdo this limit that it will tend to be stored as fat in the body,? says Shukla. Go for the whole-wheat variety, instead of the refined ones.

Egg yolks

The attempt here is not to deny that egg yolks are full of fat, but to tell you how nutritionally rich they are. Between the white and the yellow of the egg, it is the latter that weighs heavier on the nutritional scale. Yes, the white contains more than half of the egg?s total protein, niacin, riboflavin, chlorine, magnesium, potassium, sodium, and sulfur and all the egg?s zinc. But the yolk, apart from the fat, also contains fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, and E. In fact, egg yolks are one of the few foods naturally containing vitamin D. It also provides vitamin B12 and folic acid, and other minerals like iron, calcium, copper and phosphorus.

?Egg yolks are undoubtedly healthy, except for people with an elevated level of cholesterol,? says Shulka. In a recently conducted study in Delhi they found nearly 33% of people plagued with high levels of cholesterol. If you too suffer from the same ?have no more than three egg yellows a week.?

Coffee

This must be the researchers? favourite subject and probably the most contentious one too. Studies show that compared to people who don?t drink coffee at all, those who do drink the beverage face a lower risk of Type II diabetes. According to the Harvard Medical Journal, moderate coffee drinking is also known to reduce the risk of developing gallstones, colon cancer and liver diseases. Remember how the cuppa helped you meet deadlines when you were totally exhausted? Yes, it also makes you alert and improves your cognitive functioning as well. But excess of it might also lead to increased heart rate and blood pressure.

But not all types of coffee are equally healthy. ?Filter coffee is better than the instant variety,? says Nathan. ?Filter coffee doesn?t have chicory in it and is a blend of both, Berry A and B, found in the coffee bean. So, you get the nutritious value of both the berries, and it doesn?t lead to any acidity. Instant coffee on the other hand has a lot of chicory and is made only from either of the berries,? she explains.