Perfect Plate

Kiran Prakash (standing) conducts the symposium

Is the western diet better than Indian? Why do we become fat? What is the best time of the day to have fruits? I like aloo-parathas, should I be worried?
Sakina Hashmi fielded these questions (and more) like a seasoned pro at the symposium held today on Should we Live to Eat, or Eat to Live? In the process,

Sakina Hashmi

she also busted a few myths – like the one on combining non-veg food with milk products such as curd. “No, you don’t get leucoderma that way?” she smiled.
Earlier in the morning, Kiran Prakash introduced Sakina to us with a brief description of her academic background from Canada (ref post of April 15). As anchor, he also laid down the ground roles for the symposium: one, not more than one question would be taken per person (so that everybody gets a chance); and two,

On the sidelines of the symposium

Sakina is not a doctor but a dietician. “So please don’t expect her to prescribe any medicines.”
The bulk of the questions were on expected lines -- age-related issues such as cardio-vascular complications and diabetes. Santosh Tyagi had an unusual query

The Guptas, Pushpa and Bijoy are all ears

on the capacity of the liver to regenerate while Banoo Apa was looking for a diet plan, now that she is 90 per cent vegan and 10 per cent non-veg.
As a votary of “living to eat”, Sakina came up with several options for what she described as a perfect plate. “In our profession, the word ‘balance’ is critical. Eat whatever you like, but keep it balanced. We all want a balanced diet, don’t we? Check your portion size. Only then would our body be able to release pleasure hormones.”
Sakina added that Indian food is infinitely so colourful and vibrant that there is no need to go in for burgers or patties, or any junk food. “Western dieticians are now looking into Indian eating habits and incorporating elements into their dietary regimen,” she informed.

Photo Op: For the record

Karun Sharma:
Sakina is competent and confident for her age. We gained a lot of knowledge that would help us attain good health and reduce weight and disease. Many thanks to her for demonstrating a professional approach. Kiran-ji was excellent in introducing and anchoring the session.

Lt Col Angad Singh (rtd):
Those who attended the symposium were lucky to learn about healthy eating habits. There would be quite a few who missed the opportunity to listen to Sakina. For their benefit, it would be ideal to give a gist of the symposium proceedings so that they may also pick up a few important lessons.