It was a typical New Year's Eve party-lots of good food and music, plenty of dressed-to-the-nines-to-ring-2006-in couples on the dance floor and, since this is America (land of the free and home of the brave, no doubt, but also the basti of babysitters who disappear like Cinderella's slippers at midnight), a million kids running wild everywhere. Well, maybe not quite a million but even 20 of them manage to give that impression when you're into your third glass of bubbly. "If only someone would bottle all that energy and sell it in the supermarket," sighed the lady sitting next to me. "I can't remember the last time I made it past midnight at a party, forget about dancing all night," this last directed morosely at the DJ who was urging guests to do just that.

I could sympathise with her, having just come out of a round of parties that left me feeling like I'd been put through the spin cycle in the washing machine. When did it happen? When and how did we move over to the losing side in the 'Power Struggle'? When did all the get-up-and-go that we were bursting with in our youth actually get up and leave? And, more importantly, can we have it back, please? The good news, of course, is that you can. The not-so-good-but-definitely-manageable bit: it takes a little work on your part, but then sustained power never gets handed out on a plate.

And your plate is really the best place to start your quest for a turbo-charged body. 'Make your food your medicine,' said Hippocrates, echoing Ayurveda, so here's a list of nature's power foods: l Whole grains. You'd think this was a no-brainer, given that whole-wheat rotis are a staple of most Indian diets. Whole grains such as whole wheat, brown (and basmati, adds Ayurveda) rice, barley, oats and raagi, besides being powerhouse sources of vitamins B and E, magnesium, iron and zinc, are also the major source of complex carbohydrates. Which means they break down slowly in the body, so you get long- lasting energy and a steady supply of nutrients instead of the instant gratification followed by depletion that the white poisons (flour and sugar) provide. l Legumes. If the roti and rice are already at the banquet, can the daal be far behind? Lentils, beans and peas are the key to terrific energy, swear nutritionists. Packed with fibre, carbs, vitamins and minerals, they make excellent fuel for on-the-go bodies. And what could better qualify as comfort food than a bowl of daal-chawal after a weekend filled with heavy fare?

Miami-based columnist, Alka Bhardwaj Ahuja, is a much-relocated mother of two, who has written extensively for a gamut of magazines, newspapers and television. She brings a fresh perspective to the age-old quest for perfect beauty and health.

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