Revealed: Secrets of Shilpa Shetty's hour-glass figure

Dubai - Through her new book, the Bollywood star shares tips on how an Indian diet, among other things, has kept her looking swell even at 40

THE CURVACEOUS AND stunning Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty was in Dubai last week to launch her book The Great Indian Diet with fitness expert Luke Coutinho. The Celebrity Big Brother winner wants to tell people why Indian food is the best in the world. In her book, she explains about the healthy components of Indian spices and food, and how you can successfully lose weight following an Indian diet plan.
"I have always been asked about how I maintain my figure. But more than weight loss, I wanted people to focus on their health and a book was the easiest way to play the catalyst in making people's life simpler when it comes to eating," Shilpa told City Times.
 
Breakfast like a queen, easy on lunch, 'dine like a pauper'
hilpa Shetty admitted that she lives a very disciplined life, and in the past few years, she has made constant effort to understand and benefit from healthy diets. "No success can be achieved without discipline, I really believe that. But having said that does discipline come with a boring tag? I don't think so, at least not for me, whether in life or my eating habits. I enjoy my life. I love my food. So I would put it down to a lifestyle modification that I have chosen, which is not eating after 8pm. I try to do yoga at least four times a week. No raw foods after 6pm. I breakfast like a queen, go easy on lunch and eat a lot less for dinner, that's my basic diet plan. I consume a lot of fibre, I prefer eating fruits instead of juices. I love rice but avoid refined flour. Another diet tip I can share is white foods. I go for the brown variety - whether it's bread, sugar or rice. That's the easiest way I can define my diet," said Shilpa. No wonder, she looks wow at 40.
Some of the recipes in her book have been handed down by her grandmother, and some of them have been tried and tested by Shetty, "I am a Mangalorean (from Mangalore in Karnataka), I have been brought up on coconut oil and coconut milk and we have always used ghee (clarified butter). Even the fish curry we make is  without oil. My mum has always encouraged good eating habits. I got a lot of inspiration from her cooking. One thing that made me fall in love with Indian food is my grandmother's cooking, and I have dedicated this book to her. To me, she will always remain the best cook in the world. I can still recollect her dishes and I try to bring out that taste in whatever I cook."
The Great Indian Diet by Shilpa Shetty Kundra and Luke Coutinho is exclusively available at DC Books, Near Karama Metro Station. For details call  04 3548448
"I love Sunday brunches"
"People think that I am quite boring (when it comes to eating habits), but I love eating out. I prefer going for Sunday brunches with my family. I follow lifestyle modifications throughout the week, but then, one day of the week you have to let go. You have to eat whatever you want. I eat desserts as well and post pictures on social media, so that people can see that I enjoy my food. I am very fond of Japanese, Chinese and Indian food and I enjoy whatever I eat."
 
Eat like shilpa
1. Wake up: Lemon water and a cup of green tea with honey

2. Breakfast:  Two idlys (rice cake) with half a cup of sambar or broken wheat upma, or whole wheat toast with paneer bhurji

3. Mid-morning snack: Papaya with a dash of lemon or low-fat yoghurt with mixed fruits

4. Lunch: Brown rice or two rotis  (flattened bread) with vegetables plus low-fat yoghurt and dal

5. Evening snack: Green tea or half cup oats in water, or fruit and nuts, or a (small) bowl of air-popped popcorn

6. Dinner: Thin soup, roti and vegetables or oats upma with vegetable curry
How  she lost  32kg in four months after her pregnancy
7.30am: 15ml aloe vera juice plus 10 tulsi leaves, jaggery and ginger
 7.45am: Two glasses of warm water
8am: Muesli with skimmed milk
 9am: Fruits and five tablespoons yoghurt smoothie
 1pm: Brown rice, vegetable, chicken, a piece of jaggery chikki
3.30pm: Crackers with low-fat hummus
7.30pm: Mixed vegetable soup and grilled stir-fried chicken with veggies (for more details, refer to her book)
Honest advice to ultra-thin body seekers
I think they know what they are doing is wrong, and if they don't, then it is my duty to tell them it is a not healthy thing. The world is more weight obsessed than health obsessed. I wish it was the other way round. You have to be comfortable in your own skin and  body, be grateful  to God for good health, nurture yourself and your body.
 
Piling on the pounds after pregnancy
When I put on 32 kg after I had  my baby, I went through the same insecurities women go through when they put on weight. I felt insecure, after all I'm also human. But you have to be confident to achieve whatever you want and that's the first step towards feeling healthy and fit. Give health importance, beauty and glamour will follow.
arti@khaleejtimes.com