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You are hungry. You eat a candy bar. You're not hungry anymore, because the sugar from the candy is immediately released in your blood, which carries the energy from the sugar to your brain. When your brain is receiving energy, you don't feel hungry. Now your body reacts. It can't handle that much sugar. It produces a substance called insulin to clear the sugar out of your blood. The insulin does what is supposed to do and more. It gets rid of the sugar from your candy, plus whatever sugar was left in your body from an earlier meal. Now there is no sugar left to provide energy for your body and your brain. What happens?

You feel hungry again. And then the cycle begins all over. If you are going to have lasting energy, you have to eat foods that are released slowly. Carbohydrates have less obvious sugar (carbohydrates don't taste sweet really) and give you the kind of energy that lasts. So bread, crackers, and unsweetened cereals make better snacks than candy, cookies, or ice cream. The best carbohydrates are fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grain breads, cereals, crackers, and pasta. They carry lots of vitamins and fibre and they release sugar slowly, providing energy that lasts a long time.

Dry Beans: 

Beans like soya beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, rajma, channa are rich sources of protein and vitamin B. They are inexpensive and have the added advantage of being low in calories.

To use them: Wash and soak the beans overnight. Sometimes beans can cause flatulence and gas. To avoid this, roast the beans lightly for three minutes and then soak them. Except for soya beans, the water in which they have been soaked can be used for cooking them.

Sprouting beans: Sprouted beans are even richer in nutrients. To sprout them, soak them in water for 24 hours. Drain all the water and tie them up in a muslin bag. Another way to sprout them is to keep them in a closed casserole. Soak the beans for 12 hours and then drain the water. Now put them in the casserole and close it tightly. The sprouting time is usually 12 to 24 hours depending on the variety of beans. Rinse the sprouted beans well to remove any odour.

Uses:

These beans can be steam cooked, and used as a substitute for channa and added to curries and sambar. Or, after steam cooking they can be liquidised and added to soups. They can be used raw in salads too. 

Porridge: Besides being nutritious, porridges have the added advantages of being easy to digest. So, they are ideal as breakfast food. You can use cracked wheat for this purpose. This is available readymade or can be made at home also.

Preparation: Dry grind whole wheat grains at the flourmill. Add twice the quantity of water and steam cook. Add milk, sugar and if you like powdered cardamom too. Cooked green gram dal can also be used for making the porridge.

Making carrots appetising: Some children hate eating carrots. But they can be camouflaged and incorporated in your cooking. Here are some ways to make them more appetising.

Mash boiled tuvar dal and cooked carrots together to make a homogenous paste. This paste can now be blended in gravies, soups or similar dishes. It can also be used as a thickening agent in many side dishes.

Cooked and mashed carrots can also be blended into delicious custards and kheers. 

Finely grated carrot is often used in salads and raithas to add colour and taste. Similarly, you could sprinkle finely grated carrot on the bread slice when making vegetable sandwiches.

Eggs: Eggs are rich sources of proteins, carbohydrates, fats and vitamins. So, they are invaluable for growing children. They can be served boiled, half-boiled, beaten up in a milk or incorporated into your regular recipes.

Gruel: 'Kanji' or gruel is a treasure house of nutrients. In many homes, babies are given kanji made of ragi. It can be taken with milk or buttermilk and has prophylactic use.

Ingredients for making the nutritious powder: Equal measures of barley, wheat, sago, ragi, parboiled rice and almonds (optional). Roast them till brown. Cool and powder finely and store in an airtight container.

Paneer or Cottage cheese: Paneer or Cottage cheese can be added to gravies, vegetables or side dishes. It is rich in protein and fat. Though it is available in the market, it can be made easily at home.

Masala powders: Many masala powders have curative powers that promote good health. Fried and powdered coriander seeds and tuvar dal help digestion. Similarly, the powder of fried curry leaves, tuvar dal, dried red chillies and a few peppercorns also help digestion.