Have you wondered if the waiting time at a hospital can be used effectively? Navnidhi Vyas, Senior dietician at Sterling Hospital, Vadodara came up with an engaging twist to the Snakes and Ladders Game to explain a healthy diet structure. And three easy to follow healthy recipes.
Diet Snakes and Ladders Game
Purpose - To refresh and more importantly educate patient’s relatives about healthy dietary practices in their free time, specially when they are waiting in the hospital for their relatives who are admitted there.
The game is presented in a way that useful dietary tips are conveyed to the caregivers and patient’s relatives to prevent obesity, hypertension, aging, weak bones, poor digestion, acidity etc. All these valuable tips are presented in the form of a very popular game – snakes and ladders.
About the game
6 ladders are used to educate on 6 healthy dietary practices and their positive impact and 7 snakes are used to educate on the harmful effect of 7 faulty dietary habits on health.
E.g. At the snake’s mouth the wrong dietary habits like excessive consumption of tea/coffee are mentioned and the consequence of say acidity is mentioned on the tail of the snake. In the same way fried & sweet products are indicated at the snake's mouth and the consequence - risk of high cholesterol - is indicated on the tail of snake.
Good dietary habits indicated on the bottom of the ladder like two glasses of milk per day and the effect of strong bones is mentioned on the top of the ladder. Lemon slices with meals is mentioned on the bottom of the ladder and its impact on health is mentioned on the top of the ladder i.e. increases iron absorption.
The game is played with dice, and with multiple players - turn by turn. If one gets stopped on the snake’s mouth, then he must fall down the point where the tail ends and if one stops at bottom of the ladder, he climbs to the top of the ladder. Game continues with its up and downs. One who first reaches the winner’s spot – wins the game.
Reactions of the Players
Relatives of the patients enjoyed playing the game and gained knowledge. One relative (sister) of patient Mr. R Patel (admitted for brain surgery) said “ it refreshed us, indeed ”. A relative (son) of patient Kokilaben (admitted in ICU) appreciated the efforts and said, “ Will definitely try to implement one of the diet tips in my daily diet”
A heartwarming impact of this game is that is it is a great ice-breaker and relatives of different patients end up enjoying themselves as members of one family.
Three Nutritious, Easy to Make Recipes
Here are some healthy, attractive, nutritious yet super quick to make recipes, which we are currently serving to our indoor patients.
Flaxseed raita
Recipe : Mix Flaxseed (1 tsp), Mustard paste ( ½ tsp) and Salt (as per taste) in curd (50 g).
Flax seeds are rich in Omega 3 fatty acid and fibre which helps in lowering cholesterol.
| Nutrients Per Serving (50gm) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 58 kcal |
| Protien | 2.1 g |
| Fibre | 1.35 g |
| Calcium | 105 mg |
Drumstick soup
Recipe : Mix boiled drumstick pulp ( ½ bowl) in hot water (1 bowl). Add salt lemon and black pepper powder as per taste.
Drumstick is very rich in fibre. Its leaves are more nutritious as they are rich in carotene and calcium. Drumstick leaves, bark seeds, flowers, fruit, seeds, and roots are used to make medicines.
| Nutrients Per Serving (150 ml) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 19.5 kcal |
| Protien | 1.9 g |
| Fibre | 2.8 g |
Mint Gingerella
Recipe : Crush mint leaves without its stick with little amount of water. Add lemon drops while crushing to maintain pleasant green colour. Add cold water to make a juice. Add ginger paste and sugar as per taste. Sieve and serve.
Helps relief in common cold, improves digestion and prevents bad breath.
| Nutrients Per Serving (200 ml) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 20 kcal |
