www.expressindia.com - Weather | Horoscope | Stocks | RSS
expressindia web city
HomeBlogsCricketAstrology TendersClassifieds Reader Comments Hotels
Sign In / Register | Archive
Expressindia » Story

Smart treat

Font Size

Express News Service

Posted: Feb 10, 2009 at 0426 hrs IST

Needless to say, a vast majority of people who embark on a weight loss program fail, be it with diet, exercise or a combination of both. And there is just one reason for this failure that is common to every single weight watcher and that is lack of patience. Overnight, the most popular diets are stuck to the refrigerator. Parks suddenly come alive with people jogging miles to melt their fat in eagerness. The healthiest way to lose weight is neither crash diets nor bursts of exercise. The body likes slow changes in terms of food and exercise. It is very important to step up the fitness routine gradually for those who have not exercised for years before pounding the treadmill at a frenzied speed. The same goes for people who suddenly start starving themselves. Diets that severely restrict calories or the types of food 'allowed' can lead to a nutrient deficit. To lose weight, you need to get your body to use up stores of fat. The most effective way to do this is to reduce the amount of calories you eat and increase your levels of activity. Here is a modified recipe of a perfect post workout treat - a muesli bar. The original recipe roughly has around 340 calories and 16.5 g saturated fats.

MUESLI BAR
Ingredients

1 cup of rolled oats
1 cup of unsweetened desiccated coconut
1/3 cup of wheat germ
1/4 cup of sesame seeds
1/2 cup of sunflower kernals
1/2 cup of raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup of dried, unsweetened apricots
1/4 of flax seeds
100 grams of white unsalted butter
1/2 cup of raw honey
1/8 cup of brown sugar
Baking or waxed paper

Method
Grease and line a square baking tin with baking paper. Cook the oats, coconut, wheatgerm, sesame seeds, sunflower kernels and pumpkin seeds in a fry pan over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally, for eight minutes or until golden. Be careful not to burn the mixture. Transfer to a metal bowl. Set aside to cool. Stir in the dried apricots and flax seeds. Cook the butter, honey and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly for three to four minutes or until sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, without stirring, for five minutes. Add butter mixture to dry ingredients. Stir well until combined. Spoon the mixture into the tin. Use a large metal spoon to press the mixture down firmly and evenly. Allow to cool and then cut into squares or rectangles. The bars can be stored in a foil-lined airtight container for up to a week.

(The writer is a city-based food and diet consultant who can be contacted at adda.mehrotra@gmail.com)

Discuss this story on expressindia forums
Post Comments
Name* Email ID*
Subject* Country*
Message*
Characters remaining
 
TERMS OF USE: The views, opinions and comments posted are your, and are not endorsed by this website. You shall be solely responsible for the comment posted here. The website reserves the right to delete, reject, or otherwise remove any views, opinions and comments posted or part thereof. You shall ensure that the comment is not inflammatory, abusive, derogatory, defamatory &/or obscene, or contain pornographic matter and/or does not constitute hate mail, or violate privacy of any person (s) or breach confidentiality or otherwise is illegal, immoral or contrary to public policy. Nor should it contain anything infringing copyright &/or intellectual property rights of any person(s).
I agree to the terms of use.

Latest News

Business

Showbiz

Sports

BJP knocks at President's door to reconvene session on Lokpal

NRHM scam: CBI may arrest former UP top bureaucrats

Traders in China safe, to return only after completing litigation: MEA

No relief to Sukh Ram, SC asks him to surrender

US State Dept acknowledges 'goof-up' in its India map

Food inflation turns negative to -3.36%

Anna Hazare not to campaign in Assembly polls: Team

More
© 2011 The Indian Express Limited. All rights reserved
Advertise With Us | Privacy Policy | Feedback | Express Group | Site Map