Rujuta Diwekar's Blog, page 4

Ramzan or Ramadan is round the corner and it means different thing to different people – prayers, fasting, feasting, holidays, charities, traffic, shopping, big movies releases etc. The beauty of festivals is no matter how you look at it, it's a time of joy, celebration and bonding with friends and families. Ramzan above all is a time for Bhakti, devotion towards the supreme reality, Allah, and unconditional surrender of our ego and attachments (including attachment with food) through our prayers.Roza is not limited to fasting , its about overcoming temptation, I think its extremely important to remember that during iftaar. I have seen people going berserk with food in the evening, this in my opinion is against the very grain of the practice. Since food is the most crucial and intimate part of our being, the way we consume food reflects our relationship with our innermost being. Iftaar is not some wild party where you eat dates, fruits, chicken, mutton, pherni, kheer, bhajiya  and god knows what to numb your hunger. It's a time to nurture your appetite with devotion and sharing and so the common plate and prayers around it. Below is a suggested frame work of eating right during Ramzan. Remember Eid is a month away so don't feast every evening, eat in peace and plan your meals in advance. Over indulging in the evening or iftaar will not just dilute your concentration during prayers later but also leave you feeling gassy, bloated and constipated the next morning.  The meal plan is more India specific and is rooted in eating local and fresh so please feel free to include your local delicacies even if you don't see them in this plan.

Meal  Timings
Food/ Menu
Supplements
Meal One  (Saheri)On rising(within 10 mins)
Before Fajar


Banana or any fresh fruit OR handful of dry fruits
Omelet + toast OR Bhakri/ roti + sabzi OR Roti + milk OR Paratha + curd OR Fruit yogurt (homemade) + poha/ dosa /upma/ khakra any homemade breaakfast

Vit C & Vit B
Meal Two Iftaar
Dates + Fresh fruit OR homemade fruit yogurt +Glass of nimbu pani or chaas or kokam (fruit from kokan) serbet or bel ka (popular in north india) sherbet  (all homemade pls)


Meal ThreePost Magrib
Homemade Poha/Seviyan/Dalia / roti + sabzi + dal / rice + dal + sabzi/ rice + fish/ chicken + sabzi/ veg pualo + raita/ rice with rajma/ chole + dahi / paratha + dahi / khakra + moong / appam/ dosai with veggies
Antioxidants (vit E, selenium, zinc, chromium)
Meal FourPost the big namaaz / late evening
Lassi OR Khichdi OR Prot shake OR glass of milk OR paneer with veggies


Bedtime

Calcium citrate 1000mg
Water
Atleast 3-3.5litres between iftaar & fajar
Add electrolytes if dehyd
Post wo
Fruit + prot shake
Vit C, Vit E

Ramzan or Ramadan is round the corner and it means different thing to different people – prayers, fasting, feasting, holidays, charities, traffic, shopping, big movies releases etc. The beauty of festivals is no matter how you look at it, it's a time of joy, celebration and bonding with friends and families. Ramzan above all is a time for Bhakti, devotion towards the supreme reality, Allah, and unconditional surrender of our ego and attachments (including attachment with food) through our prayers.Roza is not limited to fasting , its about overcoming temptation, I think its extremely important to remember that during iftaar. I have seen people going berserk with food in the evening, this in my opinion is against the very grain of the practice. Since food is the most crucial and intimate part of our being, the way we consume food reflects our relationship with our innermost being. Iftaar is not some wild party where you eat dates, fruits, chicken, mutton, pherni, kheer, bhajiya  and god knows what to numb your hunger. It's a time to nurture your appetite with devotion and sharing and so the common plate and prayers around it. Below is a suggested frame work of eating right during Ramzan. Remember Eid is a month away so don't feast every evening, eat in peace and plan your meals in advance. Over indulging in the evening or iftaar will not just dilute your concentration during prayers later but also leave you feeling gassy, bloated and constipated the next morning.  The meal plan is more India specific and is rooted in eating local and fresh so please feel free to include your local delicacies even if you don't see them in this plan.

Meal  Timings
Food/ Menu
Supplements
Meal One  (Saheri)On rising(within 10 mins)
Before Fajar


Banana or any fresh fruit OR handful of dry fruits
Omelet + toast OR Bhakri/ roti + sabzi OR Roti + milk OR Paratha + curd OR Fruit yogurt (homemade) + poha/ dosa /upma/ khakra any homemade breaakfast

Vit C & Vit B
Meal Two Iftaar
Dates + Fresh fruit OR homemade fruit yogurt +Glass of nimbu pani or chaas or kokam (fruit from kokan) serbet or bel ka (popular in north india) sherbet  (all homemade pls)


Meal ThreePost Magrib
Homemade Poha/Seviyan/Dalia / roti + sabzi + dal / rice + dal + sabzi/ rice + fish/ chicken + sabzi/ veg pualo + raita/ rice with rajma/ chole + dahi / paratha + dahi / khakra + moong / appam/ dosai with veggies
Antioxidants (vit E, selenium, zinc, chromium)
Meal FourPost the big namaaz / late evening
Lassi OR Khichdi OR Prot shake OR glass of milk OR paneer with veggies


Bedtime

Calcium citrate 1000mg
Water
Atleast 3-3.5litres between iftaar & fajar
Add electrolytes if dehyd
Post wo
Fruit + prot shake
Vit C, Vit E

"Baby there's a blast in Zaveri bazaar" GP called to say from Fagu (sleepy Himalayan village near Simla). "What nonsense! Kisne bola?" Priya just got some msg on her cell. "Oh! Tell Priya that was in 93' msg late deliver hua hai" GP repeated that for his group of 17 and I could hear them laugh on the phone as I checked my laptop for the latest news. "Shit! Yes, there's a blast, there are 3, zaveri bazaar, opera house and gol mandir. Let me call you back." Honestly I am bored of this routine, dismissing it as rumour the 1st time I hear the news, sensing panic and checking on the person who's travelling or residing close to blast site, sitting back home with a cup of chai thinking and thanking " chalo, sab safe hai" and then switching on TV. It sucks, the whole thing sucks.


What sucks the most is what happens on TV and now that I don't have one at home I watched "live tv" on my laptop. NDTV – Barkha Dutt sitting in the studio looking very concerned, "kya aap bata sakte hai ki kaha blast hua/ apne kya dekha? to some passer by at one of blasts sites. The guy speaks in Hindi and then she says thank you, we are grateful that you are safe and now let me translate this for our English speaking viewers. So she translates the whole thing, how nice! Then the camera goes to Mah CM's office, it looks like a press con and he is speaking in Marathi, "lets go back to him when he is talking in Hindi or English so that we can all understand". Minutes later she has him on phone & our Berkley educated CM replies in fluent English to all the questions – some dead many more injured, we are focussing on getting help to all the affected, NSG is on its way, Mumbai is on high alert and our immediate focus is to get immediate medical help to all affected. Alright, Mr.Chauhan, we will let you get back to work, says Barkha. "Kamal karte ho Pandeji" Sallu would have said if this was happening in Dabbang, the CM had said the exact same thing in Marathi at the press con mins earlier. But this was not a movie, this is real life. And if you so care about letting him get back to work, just have somebody in your office who can translate from Marathi to English for your "English speaking viewers". And show the heart to give up on this "he speaks to us live & exclusive", the marathis/ gujrati/ hindi/ English/ all laungauage speakers of Mumbai need him right now, he shouldn't be talking individually to every channel, please! (All anchors, all channels, same routine)

The other thing that sucks is every politician asking us to stay calm and maintain communal harmony. I mean, yes, I must admit that we were stupid enough to go riot but that was in 93 and we have learnt from our mistakes. Why doesn't every politician spare a thought about how many blasts have occurred since 93? Did we go rioting or disrupting harmony? No, we helped each other and got back to our businesses the next day. That what we always do! So please give up on this moronic, holier than thou "communal harmony" speech. You may also consider giving up this whole "spirit of Mumbai" thing, yes we go back to work because we know that there is no way out, and life moves on, so must we. The "spirit of Mumbai" is not as much brave as much as it is cynical. We know that our politicians and government will do nothing, we even suspect that you have a hand in every blast/ riot that happens in our city. And we are tired of the whole "foreign hand/ Pakistan" angle. Whom are we kidding? They find enough local support, don't they? So hamare haath bhi involved hai. Honestly its introsepction time for all of us.

So what I want out of myself, is to be a more responsible citizen who takes active part in the governance, to not pretend to be so busy/high flying etc to not think beyond my own official or family commitments. I really need to change for my own sake, I feel helpless and small tweeting #heretohelp , switching off lights for a few minutes, maintaining silence, taking part in candle marches. This time, lets go beyond symbolism, lets do our part. Let us not forget that in a democracy we are as much responsible for the government, as the government is for us.

Lastly, lets give up on this whole Ajmal Kasab rhetoric, please. In my opinion, release him, send him to university and show the world how well we treat a terrorist. Make him a poster boy of reform. Who doesn't know that in Kasab we have the smallest fish? The big fishes are scot free, planning for the next election..

'I cant afford your consultation fees but I really want to meet you, what should I do?' 'Come for the open day,' our standard reply. Open day is a free interactive workshop (typically held on 2nd Sunday of every month) which anybody can attend. Over couple of hours I try and cover a topic related to health and then answer all the questions from participants.
Its nice but whats missing is that there is no follow up and I am fully aware that no matter how charged up people leave from the open day session the chances of the fire fizzling out in "real" life is always high. Second problem is that we don't manage to cover up & answer all questions in detail or depth because we need to ensure that somebody who has dropped by for tips on losing weight is leaving just as happy as some one who's made it all the way for diabetes strategies or for help on PCOD. 
So we have now come up with something which will cost you more (in both time and money) than open day but lesser than a 2 month one on one with me or my team. I am calling it "Learning sessions". Its going to be a group session conducted at my farm house just outside Mumbai, amidst lush greenery and our own organic vegetables on a sat. The idea is to pick one 'condition' (diabetes/pcod/ thyroid/bad back, etc) and thoroughly discuss and provide information on what is it, what causes it and what strategies (food, exercise, sleep and relationships) can you use specific to that condition in your day to day life.
The charges are going to be Rs.15000/- which covers your full day of learning with me and two full months of follow up with my team. My mom covers your meals which are cooked using farm fresh sabzi, rice, herbs and herbal chai during the learning session :-) I am super thrilled about this idea, hope you like it too. Look forward to seeing you in Sonave. 

The first two 'Learning sessions' are:
17th SepFads and facts of weightloss8th OctHypothyroidism To register and for more details: Write to [email protected] or call +91 8080824276

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Theme of the day Session 1Activity6 – 8 a.m. Session 2Learning10 – noon Session 3Activity + learning2 - 4 p.m.
Evenings 11th April
Fads & Facts Basic workout session
Exercise – Intensity V/s Regularity The weight loss industry V/SAncient Indian wisdom about food and eating practices
Master the art of eating
Yog Nidra Chill
12th April
Anti -ageing
Running – learning to push your limits Rediscovering the joys of eating
Eating "wrinkle free" Inversions– rediscover the joys of falling
Asanas for supple skin
The DHR club.
(Check Windamere website). 13th April Himalaya calling
Suryanamaskars – seeking the Sun's blessings A visit to the pretty village of Pokhriabong in the Darjeeling hills and meet the fantastic kids at Riverdale orphanage. Also visit a Tea garden Trekking stories
Wine indulgence
14th April
Detox & fight bloating
Silent walk Wash away your food sins
Food strategies for a flat stomach Churn the toxins out of your system – Twisting and forward bends. A visit to the  Darjeeling zoo
Group chanting – post dinner
15th April
Putting it together
Core strength & balancing Turning your body into a fat burning machine Way ahead
Group feedback Shopping

Saif sat on the back rest of his high back chair in his study with the guitar.. Bebo and I sat on the sofa and the three of us were sharing silence.. I had just told them that I had signed a contract with Westland and would be writing a book on women & the entire tamasha that we do around our body weight and weight loss..

Saif was the first one to speak - everytime I look at swimming pools in India, even if they are in five stars or in water parks I wonder what women are doing in there with their salwar kameez. Their husbands seem to flaunt their sagging stomachs and I get a feeling that women are ashamed of their bodies though most of them are thinner than their husbands. I am not saying everybody should be wearing a bikini but I strongly beleive no Indian woman should be ashamed of her body, they are beautiful..

Kareena looked on lovingly and smiled, I was both touched and amazed at his observation - spot on! Write, write, tell women to stop the whole tamasha. so much fukat tamasha over body weight and size.. We should be celebrating our bodies not hiding them.. were Bebo's words..

Saif played the guitar as a response and I stored the words, music and silence in my memory bank. Did you meet them in the book?

Women & the weight loss tamasha - Rujuta Diwekar
A personal note by Kareena Kapoor
Introduction- Why this book?- Chapter plan- Components of the book- The 'take-away'
Chapter 1: The Tamasha
Chapter 2: A fearless (teen)age- Real life example - What's in the looks?- The age of misinformation- What's so special about 8?- Mother- the ultimate enemy?- The missing link – Nutrient Deficiencies- All about Periods.- The thing about breasts.- The 4 strategies- Real life diet analysis – A 14 year old school girl with 'weight issues'.
Chapter 3: Marriage –Learning to Be.- Real life example- The thin, fair, tall and convent educated phenomenon- Marriage - All eggs in one basket?- Pre- marriage  – weight loss         Waist to hip ratio- The evolutionary reason         Conditional responses - Peeche se pressure- Single in the city- Post marriage – weight gain.         Why? 5 reasons.- The 4 strategies- Real life diet analysis – A 24 year old who put on 10kgs 1 year after marriage
Chapter 4: Pregnancy and motherhood: The pain, trauma and glory    -Real life example- Preparing for pregnancy        Oral health        Right Nutrition        Work-out- Diet for life- Assuming responsibilityAfter the baby- Real life example: A study in unfeasibility.- Survival, sex, food and sleep.- Pregnancy myths and facts.- The 4 strategies- Real life diet analysis – A 34-year old nursing mother of two juggling house and career.
Chapter 5: Menopause: Coming of age- Real life example- Nature to the rescue- Healthy ovaries- healthy menopause- Life after Menopause- The 4 strategies- Real life diet analysis – A 65-year old, pretty pampered, Punjabi lady.
Chapter 6: Curses we bring upon ourselvesHypothyroid- What is it? How does it function?- Thyroid and weight loss- What exposes me to this curse.- What can I do about it?          The 4 strategies- The thyroid pill- Real life diet analysis – A busy 66-year old TC artist and homemakerPCOS/ PCOD- What is it?- Hormonally vibrant – the story of our ovary.- What exposes me to this curse.- What can I do about it?         The 4 strategies- Real life diet analysis – A 40-year old taking a break from work and on full time medicationDiabetes- What is it?- The 4 strategies- Real life diet analysis – A 39-year old banker staying in London with 3 kidsSummary of other curses and strategies to combat them
Chapter 7: The four strategies of well-beingNutrition strategies- Eat local. Think Global.- Portion size.         The rule of UNO         Gut feeling         Eating small- Food planning- Beyond calories         Nutrients         Cooking traditions         Filtered oil         Sweet visaExercise strategies- Kinestheatic intelligence- The work-out paathshala- The principles of exercise        Progressive overload principle        Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands (SAID).        Recovery        Regularity        Principle of balance or variationSleep strategies- No TV in the bedroom – The biological (clock) reason- No booze before sleeping- No dessert/tea/coffee post sunset.- No compensation- Bedroom etiquetteRelationship strategies- With great power comes great responsibility- Debugging sucks, testing rocks- Pain is our friend- Relationship with food
Appendix 1: A comparison of traditional and on-the-go breakfast optionsAppendix 2: Short-term and long-term effects of low-calorie dietsAppendix 3: Food considered healthy and why they are notAppendix 4: Is your body talking to you? -Nutritional deficiencies and how to combat themAppendix 5: More real life diet recall and analysis            

Hi all,

My second book is all set for a Dec 2010 release. You can pre-book it also, will give details soon. Check out the Facebook page of the book here.

Will be posting book extracts and other info there.

Thanks
Rujuta Diwekar

Recently started contributing a fortnightly column in Outlook magazine. Here's the link - http://outlookindia.com/article.aspx?267039

Do let me know what you think. And sorry about absence from the blog (would like to beleive that you missed me here).

Will post a blog soon:)