Book Review # 17: The Great Indian Diet: Busting the big FAT MYTH

My rating: ●●●●○
Luke Coutinho and Shilpa Shetty Kundra 
The Great Indian Diet: Busting the Big FAT Myth 
India: Ebury, Penguin Books India; 2015
288 pp.; INR 299
ISBN: 9788184007480

Summary: A recent surge in the number of books being published on health, fitness and diet proves that this trend is here to stay and flourish. However, there has been a serious confusion in terms of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ when it comes to the eating habits and, therefore, any book which promises to guide on the right eating practices is always welcome. This book is a wake-up call for all those who’ve been blindly following the fad diets or the Western trends and is a wonderful eye opener to the immense power contained within the Indian food. Luke and Shilpa have rightly partnered to bundle up the information which can be banked on and used for life. 

What really clicked? The topic – I could go on reading anything and everything ever written on this line.

My take: There’s been an increase in the general health consciousness of the people of India and for this reason, the book, The Great Indian Diet: Busting the Big FAT Myth, has come out at the right time to answer the questions of the millions of Indians who lack a bankable fitness Guru to follow. The title of the book promises to stick to the food Indians eat daily and not the ones they wouldn’t have ever heard of and it does keep its promise. Therefore, this one is pretty easy to bring into practice in the real life as most of the food items it talks about are already present in almost every kitchen in India.

The title of the book perfectly marries the content it contains, for the jingoism for Indian food goes to another level through the book. Talking about the cover, the book showcases exactly the thing required to sell it – a star factor. Though I think the book would have sold like hotcakes had it included the Shilpa-Shetty bikini pic from the Shut-up-and-Dance song. Going off-topic, I was reminded of The Kapil Sharma Show from the chilly-and-lime evil eye warded used on the cover. The TOC is self-explanative and divides the book into five parts covering five broad topics related to busting the myths surrounding the Indian food – Indian food, what is going wrong, understand what you eat, lose weight while you eat right and cook healthy to stay healthy. 

Using an extremely easy to understand language, simple construction of sentences and colloquial tone, the authors have mostly stuck with the conversational style of writing to address the readers directly. The book not only busts the common myths related to Indian food like they are oily, spicy, hot, rich, fatty, difficult and time-consuming to cook, have curry powder and sugar and involve deep frying, but also tries to restore their faith in the traditional Indian meals. 

Talking about its setbacks, the Kindle/Kobo edition of the book lacks images which have been referred to in the text, which is a blunder. Further, since more than one author has written the book, it is extremely confusing to make out who is saying what. There have been quite a few contradictions in the content, like the one related to whether or not milk should be had. Lastly, even though the book bundles up a few sample diet plans for the people trying to lose weight, it does not mention anything for the people who are into some sort of workouts or sports. 

To sum it all, this book is a refresher from the fad diet books setting up a trend and making people give up their traditional eating habits. Apart from carrying diet plans for beginners and intermediates, it also takes along a few interesting recipes which will keep you hooked to the book for a little longer. In the end, the book should make all its readers proud of following Indian food and Indian eating habits.   

Final word: What do technical know-how books do to you – they dunk you in a pool of information; yet, you come out drenched in whatever you are able to retain on yourself. This is precisely what The Great Indian Diet does to you. This book is filled with a lot of information which basically all boils down to say that our Indian diet is akin to ambrosia and we just need the right information and technique to use it. Ending with a few, relatable recipes and fancy pictures of the authors, this book is sure to motivate you to adopt Indian food over Western fads and take your health rather more seriously.  

The Best in Me

Chronicles from the Corner Office - II

It’s heartwarming to see people who we follow speak, pouring their brains out on things that actually matter to us or to the world. Does this change the situation in any manner? No. Yet, we feel that we have been pacified now that we know how that super-human feels.

Shahrukh Khan recently came out of the closet speaking how he feels about the Indian media being tad too judgmental, manipulative or meddlesome about the stars keeping shut on topics that matter to the rest of the world. Well, there he is finally saying, “there are a lot of idiots who will also start speaking up since you are asking them to. Believe me, you don’t want to hear them”. True that! The standard of Indian journalism seems to be plummeting at a speed unimaginable, as is obvious from what we are being fed via various media. Shows like Saas, Bahu aur Saazish or Sansani have been airing on media for plain entertainment. Moreover, sensationalism has been coming handy as a tool for the media to attract more and more eyeballs to let out fancy and commercial yet empty and unworthy news. We see random people being approached for their opinions on matters that least matter to them. Further, social media has extended its reach to every amateur who has ever wanted to speak. This way, celebrities have been blathering on topics ranging from security of the nation to state elections.   

Reaching home after work, seldom I find interest or energy to endure news out of all the options I can possibly find on the television. The reason is plain and simple: private media is trying to create point of views by utilizing snippets, bytes, pieces and words to somehow bolster their points.  

News readers are no more the people telling us the 5 Ws/1H and are in turn basking in the stardom they have gained by indulging in fashion or creativity while presenting the news. Instead of facts, I find myself drowning in varied point of views. Result: I do not know what happened, but I know what everyone felt or said about it. The media world is going bonkers manipulating news as per their interests, no matter monetary or competitive and is no more the first source of information about anything happening anywhere. Therefore, it’s easy for me to quickly dodge the news channels on TV as soon as I accidentally surf them and, instead, watch travel channels just for the heck of the visual appeal they extend. :)

Love Story

Chronicles from the Corner Office

This year has started on a great note, ending an ordeal of close to four months. There are times which come like a storm only to clear the mess up, like the days when rains are much desired for the sky to let sunshine in. The year has, indeed, set off taking along introspection, reality-check and, of course, sentience.  

So, here I am, Senior Project Manager in one of the biggest KPOs in India and this position has come after struggle I can’t even begin to write about. The fact learned is that the industry would never be fertile enough for you unless you become a good seed first. Conversely, one should also be cautious to not spread like weed once he gets sown. 

  

So finally, I breathe a sigh of relief, letting go off all the pain held inside for too long and I cannot thank my stars enough for aligning just in my favor. Let us start Chronicles from the Corner Office where I will be posting random excerpts from the daily routine which my readers will surely relate with. Happy reading!  

How to Choose a Job!

Also published on Techstory  and Women's Web

This was one legendary milestone crossed inadvertently, and the episode is, now, graved in my mind forever for having taken the step, despite the circumstances that there were. 2016 has been one hell of a year and as it slowly comes to an end, the adventure seems to be quadrupling. I forgive God for being tipsy while writing these chapters of my life, but he kept me sane all this while, so that’s a reason enough for not going entirely ungrateful.

Irrespective of the reasons, I confess I accepted a work offer, registered my attendance the first day and resigned the next. There’s a reason why they say learn from an experienced and not from an oldie! I am here to share the capsules of my wisdom thus acquired so you don’t repeat what I did wrong. Moreover, there is no feeling of remorse for having taken the step that I did, so yay! It is still a positive sign.

Choose your place of work wisely: You’re going to be giving around 40% of your entire day to this place of work for the coming many years, so you better be sure if you really want to do this.

The atmosphere matters more than the actual work: Work atmosphere is a primary factor that determines your productivity. Therefore, do not compromise on the quality of the atmosphere where you’d obviously try to give the best of your abilities.

The vibes: Trust me, they work wonders if they start working in favor of you. It works quite strongly in my case, so I kind of blindfoldedly give full marks to what vibes tell me about any person, place or circumstance. The first impression, the first notion or that sensation that runs through you when you set your first foot in your workplace should actually determine whether you should continue spending any more time there.

The scope to grow: There’s nothing wrong in thinking more about yourself more than you do about the organization you work for. Any place of work you choose must guarantee a scope of honing your skills, becoming a better professional and leaving your mark in the bigger picture. The organization, too, thinks of you as a propelling tool to become bigger and better and you doing the same is no crime.

3 Ps: Thanks to my husband for giving this piece of valuable information to me, for this solves all the major confusions for me regarding choosing from job offers with just a simple mathematics. Place, Position and Package – if any two of these factors better your stand in the market from where you currently are, you must give that offer a hug. Place means the brand; position, obviously refers to the designation you’re offered and package needs no definition. Therefore, a simple mathematics and voila! You know your next move.

I would say it’s better to wait for the right opportunity than to jump on to anything that comes your way. I agree desperate circumstances call for desperate measures and that’s why it is better to clear your stand while you are still in a job. There are times when we are bereft of any good offers and we seriously start to doubt all our knowledge and expertise, but I would still suggest to take it easy. Things will eventually fall in place and all that you need to do meanwhile is keep preparing for the time whenever ‘that’ opportunity is going to knock at your door. Stay positive and never let your identity bleed away with the challenges you face. Stay strong and keep that trust intact!