Healthy food to maintain body weight

Question:

Hi Clare !

For health conscious people living in Indonesia, it seems to be a tremendous problem to find a proper diet. It's hard to find the ideal ingredients for a balanced diet. Also, Indonesian food, tasty and alluring as it is, with its numerous variations, can clearly not be thought of as being healthy. Separating carbohydrates and proteins is a challenge.

I would like to ask if you are aware of a collection of healthy recipes based on Indonesian food?

I would be very grateful if you could enlighten me.

Sincerely,

Christina Suwandi

Answer:

Dear Christina,

We are fortunate to live in a country where the food is so varied. Over the centuries, Indonesian cuisine has developed into a wonderful mixture of diverse ingredients and cooking styles, influenced by exotic areas from all over the world. The Middle East, China, India and Europe have all inspired their native cooks to some degree.

There is a huge choice of cooking techniques in Indonesia and also ample first class local produce, such as seafood, fresh vegetables, grains, herbs and spices, and fabulous tropical fruits. In addition, some everyday items like garlic, ginger, tofu and tempeh are now regarded as "wonder foods". Christina, if we can't find good ingredients here for a healthy balanced diet, there is something wrong with us!

However, to be fair, some common methods of preparing food and a few particular components do leave a lot to be desired on any low fat scale. For instance, coconut oil and palm oil are among the most saturated of all fats. Highly saturated fats are instrumental in raising blood-cholesterol levels and are linked to obesity and heart disease.

Cooking in coconut milk, deep frying and too much sugar are obvious problems. Nevertheless, most recipes can be adapted to healthier versions with a little imagination.

For instance, as a low fat alternative to coconut milk, try evaporated skim milk flavored with a few drops of coconut essence, or boil some desiccated coconut in water or skim milk for 30 minutes, strain and serve.

Cut down on sugar and avoid deep frying. In most recipes, oil can be drastically reduced without altering the texture or taste whatsoever. Quickly stir frying in only a little oil is a far healthier alternative.

To answer to your query about separating carbohydrates from proteins, many recent studies have cast doubt on any benefits of attempting such a practice for weight loss. Most foods contain mixtures of both anyway. Unless you have severe digestive problems, there is little point in the procedure.

Unfortunately, I don't know of a collection of healthy Indonesian recipes. Perhaps other readers could enlighten both of us.

--Clare E. Urwin