Many people in eastern countries do not struggle with weight as most of us do in the west.
During my visits to the subcontinent, I noticed that the people who lived in rural areas and who kept their traditional lifestyles were healthier, slimmer and more energetic despite having smaller incomes than the folk living in towns and cities.
Here is a list of traditional diet tips commonly practiced by many rural people of the subcontinent.
These practices are not only used to lose weight but also for their health benefits.
* They do not drink large amounts of water with their meals.
This is very commonly practiced in many countries in the Indian subcontinent.
People usually have fluids half an hour before or half an hour after meals, this is an excellent tip to minimise bloating and a heavy feeling in the stomach.
* They Never drink cold water, by cold I mean cold from the fridge, again this is supposed to help with bloating.
Most people drink water and fluids at room temperature or even luke warm.
*They always have their dinner before 6pm, and do not eat any thing before bed apart from a small glass of milk.
*They do not eat foods made from refined white flour.
In fact almost all their carbohydrates are made from whole grains.
*They make breads from a wide variety of flours, the most common ones are chick pea flour, mung bean flour, Millet and lentil flour.
These are excellent alternatives to wheat as they are mostly gluten free and lower in carbohydrates.
* They eat very few commercially prepared foods.
*They eat dried fruits to satisfy their sweet tooth.
The most common ones are dates and sultanas and if they are feeling really naughty they will have a very small amount of unrefined sugar called jaggery.
This is so sweet that a very small amount is enough to curb a sweet craving.
* Most people make their own sweets, these are mostly a mixture of dried nuts and fruits, similar to muesli which people snack on, a much more nutritious alternative to a chocolate bar.
*They only eat when they are hungry, there no such thing as social or comfort eating.
*They do not go on diets by restricting themselves or cutting out certain food groups.
* They use spices and herbs that aid digestion, the most common ones are ginger, cardamom, Cinnamon, cayenne pepper, black pepper, fennel, and citrus peels.
These spices are commonly used in cooking and also taken as a digestive aid after meals.
*They divide their foods in to two main groups, cooling and warming.
Mainly they class all fruits, vegetables and water as cooling and all high energy foods such as meat, nuts/seeds, most spices and fats as warming.
Almost everyone has a knowledge about this, and they instinctively know about balancing warm and cool foods.
* They do regular internal detoxing by taking herbal teas and remedies, most common ones are lemon water, Neem extract, Tamarind water and bitter herbs.
Disclaimer: Please refer to your health practitioner before following any tips from this article.
The author accepts no responsibility for any negative effects as a result of these tips.