Lifestyle
Au Bon Pain, a Boston-based French bakery that opened its first outlet in the city a few months ago and is planning on some heavy expansion, is the first Bangalore café to introduce a nutrition guidebook.
Updated : Apr 21, 2010, 09:22 AM IST
The sodium in take in your soup could be high or the sugar content in your lunch could be low. But how many of us keep a tab on these elements while tucking into a sumptuous meal? How about walking into a cafe that gives you a proper break-up of the calories contained in each of the items mentioned in their menu?
Au Bon Pain, a Boston-based French bakery that opened its first outlet in the city a few months ago and is planning on some heavy expansion, is the first Bangalore café to introduce a nutrition guidebook.
The cafe is also launching its third outlet at the speciality maternity hospital, The Cradle. Speaking on the occasion, Dr R Kishore Kumar, CEO, The Cradle, said, “Working moms these days are more used to grabbing a quick sandwich or a plateful of pasta than traditional meals. Thus the baby in the womb also gets used to the mother’s food preferences. This is perfectly fine as long as the food is healthy. A day or two before the delivery, if the mother craves a particular type of food, it is only fair to let her have that, ensuring that the food is healthy.”
In the last three months of pregnancy, attention must be paid to the quality of food the mother takes, said Dr Kumar. “Many women experience complicated pregnancies, which could be related to what they are eating,” said the doctor.
“In cases of pregnancy-induced hypertension, for instance, care should be taken to minimise the sodium intake in the diet. This helps keep the blood pressure in control. In cases of gestational diabetes, refined carbohydrate intake is a strict no,” said the doctor, emphasising that in such cases, the expectant mother must ensure a healthy diet minus direct sugar, sweets or aerated drinks.
“Some women during pregnancy suffer from water retention. They should reduce their salt intake,” said Dr Kishore, emphasising on the need to know the nutritional value of any food you are munching on during the last few months of pregnancy.