Today you will learn about the importance of not going hungry. You’ll also learn how to prepare some delicious, filling, legume-based recipes including chillas and lentil bread.
Don’t go hungry
One of the best things about a whole food, plant-based diet is that you can lose weight and reverse your diabetes without going hungry! When you eat a big meal of chicken or paneer, you may feel full for a long time after and maybe even a little drowsy. That’s because animal protein is difficult for your body to digest and sits in your stomach for a long time, so all the energy is going to digest it.
But if you eat a lot of fruits or vegetables, you may not feel as full, especially if you are used to eating animal products. If you are feeling hungry more often, one solution is to eat more beans and lentils. Beans are much lower in fat than animal products, so they also slim you down. What they do have is a lot of fibre, which fills you up and cleans your body.
Watch this video by Dr. Nandita Shah to learn more about staying full with legumes.
Key Points
- Soak a bean or lentil every night so that you always have something filling you can prepare to eat the next day.
- You can make beans and lentils into burgers, chillas, salads, soups, or even bread! You can also add them to curries and main dishes, or sprout them and use them in chaats.
- Feeling hungry is never a solution to losing weight or reversing diabetes because it’s not sustainable. This programme is about eating your way to health and weight loss!
Today you’ll learn how to prepare some delicious, filling, legume-based recipes.
Watch this video by Dr. Nandita Shah to learn how to prepare chillas—a delicious legume-based dish that will help keep you feeling full.
Key Points
Chillas:
- 1 cup whole, soaked moong
- Salt to taste.
- 1 teaspoon ginger chili paste
Watch this video by Nandini Gulati to learn how to prepare lentil bread—a delicious, filling bread that is also fermented and gluten-free.
Key Points
Lentil Bread:
- 1 cup whole black (urad).
- 1 cup whole moong.
- Salt to taste.
- 1 cup water for grinding (or just enough to grind to a thick paste)
Hashmita Zaveri wanted to lose weight. She found that the whole plant based diet was filling and satisfying and it was tasty too. She felt light as well. Over a period of 9 months she lost 9 kg! At Diwali she wrote “I am loving trying out new sugar free healthy recipes and finding that I am not tempted to eat the fried food I used to love!”
“Am I hungry? I actually feel full and actually feel lighter too!”
Sandra Aamodt – Why dieting doesn’t usually work
In the US, 80% of girls have been on a diet by the time they’re 10 years old. In this honest, raw talk, neuroscientist Sandra Aamodt uses her personal story to frame an important lesson about how our brains manage our bodies, as she explores the science behind why dieting not only doesn’t work, but is likely to do more harm than good. She suggests ideas for how to live a less diet-obsessed life, intuitively.
