The true-blooded Bengali has a parochial attitude towards his traditional cuisine, and with good reason. A regular meal often resembles a royal feast. Along with rice and a variety of freshwater fish, there`s an assortment of vegetarian and non-vegetarian fare. Meals are always rounded off with a generous helping of sinfully delicious Bengali sweets.

Nutrition during pregnancy

Concerns: The Bengali staple of rice, fish, and vegetables, cooked using mustard oil, make for wholesome fare. However, Bengalis prefer to deep fry almost all vegetables, as well as fish, which signals disaster for the heart. Predominantly rice lovers, a true blue Bengali can gobble up a plateful of steamed rice, smeared with ghee, sided with deep fried potatoes! Mutton, the favored meat, is another risk for high cholesterol and cardiovascular problems. The mandatory sweets at the end of each meal add to the unwanted calories.

Health tips

• Skip the ghee over the rice. Replace rice with rotis for dinner.
  
• Cook fish in minimal oil by light frying in medium heat.
  
• Steam vegetables first to minimise the use of oil while cooking.
  
• Wherever possible, opt for steaming instead of frying.
  
• Avoid red meat such as mutton.
  
• Ration the sweets; squeeze out the excess sugary syrup before eating them.