The following basic guidelines are what you need to know to construct a healthy diet.

1 Eat plenty of high-fiber foods—that is, fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains. These are the “good” carbohydrates—nutritious, filling, and relatively low in calories. They should supply the 20 to 30 grams of dietary fiber you need each day, which slows the absorption of carbohydrates, so there’s less effect on insulin and blood sugar, and provides other health benefits as well. Such foods also provide important vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals (plant chemicals essential to good health).

2 Make sure to include green, orange, and yellow fruits and vegetables—such as broccoli, carrots, cantaloupe, and citrus fruits. The antioxidants and other nutrients in these foods may help protect against developing certain types of cancer and other diseases. Eat five or more servings a day.

3 Limit your intake of sugary foods, refined-grain products such as white bread, and salty snack foods. Sugar, our No.1 additive, is added to a vast array of foods. Just one daily 12-ounce can of soda (160 calories) can add up to 16 pounds over the course of a year. Many sugary foods are also high in fat, so they’re calorie-dense.

4 Cut down on animal fat. It’s rich in saturated fat, which boosts blood cholesterol levels and has other adverse health effects. Choose lean meats, skinless poultry, and nonfat or low-fat or nonfat dairy products.

5 Cut way down on trans fats, supplied by hydrogenated vegetable oils used in most processed foods in the supermarket and in many fast foods.

6 Eat more fish and nuts, which contain healthy unsaturated fats. Substitute olive or canola oil for butter or stick margarine.

7 Keep portions moderate, especially of high-calorie foods. In recent years serving sizes have ballooned, particularly in restaurants. Choose a starter instead of an entrée, split a dish with a friend, and don’t order supersized anything.

8 Keep your cholesterol intake below 300 milligrams per day. Cholesterol is found only in animal products, such as meats, poultry, dairy products, and egg yolks.

9 Eat a variety of foods. Don’t try to fill your nutrient requirements by eating the same foods day in, day out. It is possible that not every essential nutrient has been identified, and so eating a wide assortment of foods helps to ensure that you will get all the necessary nutrients. In addition, this will limit your exposure to any pesticides or toxic substances that may be present in one particular food.

10 Maintain an adequate calcium intake. Calcium is essential for strong bones and teeth. Get your calcium from low-fat sources, such as skim milk and low-fat yogurt. If you can’t get the optimal amount from foods, take supplements.

11 Try to get your vitamins and minerals from foods, not from supplements. Supplements cannot substitute for a healthy diet, which supplies nutrients and other compounds besides vitamins and minerals. Foods also provide the “synergy” that many nutrients require to be efficiently used in the body.

12 Maintain a desirable weight. Balance energy (calorie) intake with energy output. Exercise and other physical activity are essential.

13 If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. That is one drink a day for women, two a day for men. A drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, 4 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof spirits. Excess alcohol consumption leads to a variety of health problems. And alcoholic beverages can add many calories to your diet without supplying nutrients.

Ingredients:

Grated carrot 1 kg
Milk 1 liter
Whole dried milk (mawa) 200 grams
Sugar 2 cups
Ghee  2 tbsp.
Dry fruits (sliced almond and cashew nuts, raisin ) 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder 1/2 tsp.

Preparation of Gajar ka halwa

1. Put milk and grated carrots in a heavy base deep saucepan and bring it to boil. Cook over medium heat until all the milk gets dried up. You should stir the mixture occasionally to prevent any sticking.
2. Add sugar, cardamom powder, 1/4 cup dry fruits and continuously stir for 5-7 minutes. 3. Add ghee and mawa. Stir well and fry on low heat until ghee starts separating.
4. Decorate with remaining dry fruits and serve hot. (Optional- decorate with silver leaf)
5. Add lemon juice and paneer pieces. Mix well so that all the paneer pieces gets properly coated with sugar. Allow it to cool.

Ingredients:
 
Whole Chicken 1
Chopped Onions (medium size) 3-4
Chopped Tomatoes (medium size) 6-7
Ginger Paste 2 tsp. 
Garlic Paste 2 tsp
Chopped Green Chilli 3
Coriander Powder  2 tsp
Garam Masala Powder   2 tsp
Red chilli powder  1-1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder  1/2 tsp
Salt to taste  
Vegetable oil as required  
Coriander leaves for garnishing  
   
Preparation of Kadhai chicken:
 
1. Thoroughly clean the chicken and cut into pieces.

2. Heat oil in a kadhai. Add chopped onions and green chilli and fry until light golden brown in color.
 
3. Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, coriander powder and salt. Mix well.

4. Add tomatoes, ginger, garlic paste and cook until the tomatoes become tender.

5. Add little water and bring it to boil. 

6. When the gravy becomes slightly thick, add chicken pieces and mix well.

7. Reduce the heat. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes (or until fully cooked).
   
  If you have copper base kadhai then transfer the contets in that. Heat for a while. Then garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Ingredients: 

par boiled rice - 200g,
urud dal - 2tsp,
fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp(this is to make it soft),
salt - 1/4 tsp,
coconut milk or tender coconut water - 1 cup,
baking soda - 1/4 tsp.

Preparation of Aappam recipe:

• Soak par boiled rice, urud dal and fenugreek seeds for 3-4 hours and grind nicely.
• Leave this flour overnight to get sour.
• Add coconut milk/tender coconut water, salt and baking soda to the flour.
• Heat a thick panplace a laddle of flour inside the pan.
• Shake the pan in a circular motion so that the flour spreads and expands along the edges.
• Cook covered for a few minutes until the aappam becoms soft.

Ingredients:

Eggs White 6
Chocolate Cake Mix 1
Cherry Pie Mix 21 oz

For Frosting:

Eggs White 2
Sugar 1 or 1/2 cup
Cream of Tartar 1/4 tsp
Water 1/3 cup
Vanilla Essence 1 tsp

Preparation of chocolate cherry cake:

• In a bowl mix egg whites, chocolate cake mix, cherry pie filling.
• Grease 9″ X 13″ pan and make a layer of flour on it.
• Pour the batter into the pan.
• In a preheated oven bake the pan for 35 - 40 minutes ot till the toothpick comes out clean.
• Take the cake out and cool it.
• To make the frosting, mix all the frosting ingredients and pour in a double boiler and with a beater, beat for 1 minute.
• Then place this boiler on boiling water and again beat for 7 minutes. Remove from heat and beat for 2 minutes on high speed.
• Frost the cool cake with this mixture.

Ingredients:

Lemons (Nimbu) 1 kg
Salt (Namak) 240 grams
Mustard Oil (Sarson Ka Tel) 1/2 litre
Asafoetida 2 big pieces
Red chili pepper (Lal Mirchi) 4 teaspoons
Ginger (Adrak) 1/2 kg
Mustard seeds (Rai/Sarson) 30 grams
whole fresh red chillies (Lal Mirchi) 120 grams
methi seeds 60 grams
juice of two galgals or 1 cup Lemon (Nimbu) juice
Salt (Namak) for lime juice 1 tablespoon

Preparation of lemon pickle in oil:

• Wash and dry the lemons with a cloth.
• In each lemon make four cuts and pack the salt inside and rub a little salt outside also till tender.
• Heat the oil till smoky.
• Remove from the fire, add asafoetida and when it swells up, crush it with a spoon.
• Add chilli powder and stir till red colour appears.
• Remove from the fire, add mustard seeds and stir for a little while.
• Now stir in lemons, fresh red chillies and ginger and cook until a little tender.
   
  Roast methi seeds and powder.
• Mix methi seed powder and the juice of galgal or lime mixed with one tablespoon salt Cook for 5 minutes.
• Remove from the fire, pour the lemons with the juice into a clean jar, and cork tightly.

Ingredients:

Green Aam (Mangoes) 675gms / 11/2 lb.
Sugar 575gms/11/4lb
salt 2tsp
white cumin seeds 1tbsp
brown cardamom seeds 2tsp
poppy seeds 1tbsp
red chili powder 1tsp

Preparation of mango pickle :

• Wash, peel and grate the aam (mangoes). There should be about 450gms / 1lb of flesh.
• Add sugar and salt and mix well in a large bowl.
• Roast cumin seeds, cardamom seeds and poppy seeds, stir in chili powder and mix with the sweetened mango.
• Turn the mango pickle into a sterilized jar, cover with a clean cloth and leave out in the sun or in warm, light place for about a week.
• Shake the jar at least once a day.

Ingredients:

Cups Sour Curd 2
tsp Besan 4
Ginger, chopped 1/2inch
Green chillies, chopped 2
Salt To Taste
Handful Corainder leaves
Oil 2 tsp
Pinch Turmeric powder 1
Cinnamon powder 1/2 tsp

Seasonings:

Cumin seeds 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds 1/4 tsp
Few Curry leaves
Asafoetida 1 pinch

Preparation of gujarathi khadi:

• Beat the curd and add two cups of water. Add the besan, salt, turmeric powder and mix well.
   
  Make a paste of ginger, chillies, cinnamon and corainder leaves.
• Boil the curd mixture on slow heat and stir constinuosly.
• Add the ground paste, and boil again.
• Heat oil in a pan, add all seasonings.
• Fry until they splutter.
• Pour this seasonings over guajarati kadhi.
• Garnish with corainder leaves and serve hot with rice.

Ingredients: 

cup all-purpose flour 1
teaspoons gram flour  2
cup plain yogurt, beaten  1/2
cup water 1/2
pinch baking soda 1
ghee or oil 500ml
sugar syrup 500ml

 Method of preparing jalebi: 

• Put flour in a mixing bowl.Add gramflour. Mix well.
• Add yogurt and water.Mix well, using a spoon, ensuring that no lumps remain.
• Mix to obtain what is technically called,”ribbon consistency”.
  (Ribbon consistency simply requires you to mix for about 5-7 minutes, really well, so that when the mixture is dropped from the mixing spoon into the mixing bowl, it should fall like a ribbon. Don’t let the term scare you, it’s pretty easy, you just got to).
• Add a pinch of baking soda.
• At this point, this mixture (batter) can be refrigerated if you are planning on making the jalebis later.
• If you plan to make the jalebis instantly, put the mixture in a jalebi bottle (you get these bottles to make jalebis in the market).
• If you dont have a jalebi bottle, you can use an empty well-washed and thoroughly clean, tomato ketchup bottle.
• If you got an icing bag, use that.
• Heat oil on low-medium flame in a frying pan.
• Meanwhile, spoon the above prepared batter in the icing bag fitted with the star nozzle/jalebi bottle/ tomato ketchup bottle.
• Drop the batter by squeezing the bottle/icing bag, into the hot oil, in concentric circular motion to make the jalebis.
• Lightly brown on either side.Repeat until all the batter is used up.
• On low flame heat the pre-prepared sugar-water syrup.
• Add few threads of saffron to the syrup- these look really pretty on the jalebis later when you dip the latter into them.
• Now, drain the excess oil from the jalebis.
• Drop into the sugar-water syrup.
• Dip well, toss well, to coat the jalebis in the syrup.
• Drain excess syrup from the jalebis.
• Serve immediately or serve hot if you plan to serve them later on, make sure to warm them a bit in the oven (2-3 minutes) and then serve.

Ingredients
Meat - 1 KG Boneless
Basmati Rice - 1/2kg
Onion - 2 Big
Lime Juice - 1/4 Cup
Curd - 500 GM
Ginger Garlic Paste - 4-6 Tsp.
Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 Tsp.
Green Chilli - 4-6 grind into fine past
Shazeera - A Pinch of Shazeera
Clove - 1-2
Cinamon - 1-2
Cardamon - 2-3
Coriander Leaves - A bunch finely chopped
Mint leaves - 8-10 sticks - Plucked only leaves
Safron - 2 pinch of safron, immerse in water
Safron color - A pinch of color liquified with water
Ghee - 2 Tsp.
Oil - 2 Cup oil
Salt - To taste

Method of preparing Hyderabadi Biryani :

1. Cut the meat into 4″ square pieces and wash it.
2. Add ginger garlic paste to the washed meat and Marinate it for 1 hour.
3. While marinating you cut the onions thinly lengthwise and Fry the onions in the oil on low flame till it becomes golden brown.
4. Now remove the golden brown onions from the oil and spread it on the plate, when it cool then crush it with your hand.
5. Now add the curd 3/4 part of crushed fried onion, Red chilli powder, Green chilli paste, Cinamon, Cardamon, Shazeera, Clove, coriander leaves, Mint leaves and safron water, salt to taste and remaining part of the oil into this marinated meat and leave for one hour.
6. After one hour take basmati rice and washed and now pour water into the rice as you cook it and add salt one tea spoon, Cinamon, Cardamon, Shazeera, Clove, Coriander leave, mint leave, Green chilli 2 cut into lenght wise. Now put on flame but when rice start cooking when the rice becomes half cookded. Then remove it flame. Drain out the water completly. Now spread this half cooked rice on the marinated meat. Upon the rice layer you spread lime juice, saffron color and ghee and remaining part of the crushed onion.
7. Now cover the utensil with lid tightly. Keep it on a very low flame After 1/2 hour exactly take it out from the flame.
8. Now your delicious tasty Hyderabadi Biryani is ready to eat.
9. Serve hot with curd chutney or with Bagare Baigan Curry.