Hi and welcome!!! My name is Swetha Sivakumar, I live in Austin, TX with my husband, 2 daughters and a wonderful, old, grumpy dog Lulu. I am originally from Chennai, India. I came to the US for my Masters degree and settled here since then. I graduated from The Ohio State University and have worked in several manufacturing plants throughout my career.
I started this website in November 2016 and have enjoyed working on it since.
Motivation for this blog:
My dad died from diabetic complications many years ago. He loved life and good food, was a great cook and had an eye for culinary excellence. He is the inspiration for my blog.
Blog Goals
Goal #1: Make the science of cooking easy and accessible to everyone. I don’t know about y’all; but the moment I started viewing cooking through the lens of science, it has become much more easy for me. Plus I am able to step up my game because now I am no longer recipe-dependent.
Goal #2: Make healthy recipes. Yes, I know it is fashionable to make drool-worthy, rich food in food blogs. But, I just cannot make all those dishes, and then worry about my children’s, husband’s or my health after making it. I would rather just stick to making healthy food and make them well. I document those recipes for many of you who think similarly.
Goal #3: Make food research easy and accessible to everyone. Food labels are not hard to decipher, it just takes practice, that’s all. Let me help you by sharing what I have learnt so far. Let me also introduce you to some good food innovations happening (not everything is terrible about store bought food). We have much to be excited about!!
Other work:
I have been writing weekly columns for the Hindustan Times Weekend edition for about a year now. Just type in “Hindustan Times” and “Swetha Sivakumar” on google and you can see my collection. Here are some links: ketchup, icecream, bread, canned foods…
I have appeared twice on the Naan Curry Podcast, link here (topic oils) and here (topic pickles)
I have written for Truth be Told Newsletter regarding oils and cookware.
Connect with me:
SUBSCRIBE: The best way to connect with me is through the ‘Subscribe’ button down below. You will receive the latest blog posts and have a direct connection to my blog.
EMAIL: [email protected]
Media enquiries, writing requests, general questions, or if you just want to say hi….drop me an email.
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/upgrade_my_food/
I post weekly reels on various topics on Instagram. Join me there….
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/Upgrade_My_Food
I used to love twitter. But, of late, I find it emotionally exhausting. So, while not as avid a user as before, still I continue to post and engage with followers there.
LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/swethasivakumar/
Check out my professional qualifications on LinkedIN. I also write articles on food businesses and food science exclusively on the LinkedIn platform.
PINTEREST: https://www.pinterest.com/upgrademyfood
I post homemade cooking videos (many not featured on the blog) and if you like simple home cooking ideas, follow me there.
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIPrCkRm33SSOLuYafFNnvQ
I am just starting to try making some videos for Youtube. Just getting my feet wet…It is harder than it looks. I don’t know how these Youtubers do it!!
FACEBOOK : I am not very active on this platform.
Thank you for taking an interest in my blog. My readers keep me motivated and their feedback and love is what keeps this blog going.
Happy cooking!!
Cheers!!
Swetha Sivakumar
Hi sweta , I stumbled upon your blog when I was looking for a healthy way to make sweet pongal for sankranti last week . I followed your recipe with quinoa and moong , used dates and figs as sweetners. My newly wed husband loved it , and so did my younger brother who came down to spend time with us for a week . As for me , I couldn’t have been more proud with the turnout !
I have been going through the rest of your recipes and I must say I’ve finally found a one stop destination for sensible cooking and healthy Indian recipes . We can splurge without having to feel guilty !
Thank you so much for the blog , eagerly waiting to read and try out your new creations at home !
Thank you for your lovely comments, Adithi.!! I am so happy to hear your feedback!!
That you tube Tamil Mami tells all her recipes in Tamil which I cannot understand. I requested her to speak Tamil but she doesn’t . Please post all her recipes in English on your blog so that I can understand. Thanks
this is very good
Thank you!!
Thank you for your awesome recipes… and inspiring me with more healthy alternatives 🙂
Thank you Bv!!
Why am I only finding your blog now?! I love this! Very similar to the way I eat. Thank you, thank you!!!
It is lovely when similar ideas and thinking connect, a great joy…thank you for posting your comment Samantha!!
Like the rest of your followers, I came upon your page by Godincident and am loving every moment on it. I love your recipes and your keen and persistent mind, here I am referring to your baked gulab jamuns journey and your shared humor. Oh thank you so much for caring to make this a better place for us diabetics who somehow find ourselves restricted not just from sugar but also salt. Luckily we have the freedom to indulge in the bitter, the sour and the hot (chillie)! Tell your sister, that I for one am grateful that you persisted with the baked gulab jamun and didn’t given in to her logic. 🙂
Hi Rita, very happy to hear your comments. We are lucky that we have access to more info than our parents generation. My goal is to provide people with one more piece of puzzle to cook healthy in their day-day lives. Glad to know you enjoyed it!!
P.S.: Hahaha, I will tell my sis that. However, while I mentioned my sister in good humor, she is my greatest sounding board/ inspiration and our repartee often leads to plenty of ideas that ends up in the blog. 🙂
Thanks for responding. I agree Swetha our siblings and in my case my sisters are our true blessings – friends we didn’t choose and strong allies in all our endeavors.
🙂 100%!!
Swetha I just read your post about your visit to China and found it very interesting. The thing is we have so many misconceptions about food. Is it okay with you if I post the link on my Facebook page. I am asking as I am aware you don’t do FB.
Absolutely Rita, please feel free to share!!
I am vegetarian & from Gujarat-India.what is the best option of Roti (thin tortilla) & bhakaree(thick tortilla) both made from wheat flour?
I am diabetic. A1C 7.
Hi Chetan, I am not qualified to give medical advice. However, in my unqualified opinion, I would recommend Roti over bhakaree given that it is better to maintain sugar levels with less flour-based foods.
However, your sugar levels will also depend on what you have along with the roti. So, monitor your sugar levels after your meal and then make your decision.
This is great work! I am sure you have put a lot of effort in compiling these valuable information. Being diabetic for many years, I look for low GI ingredients and start making our traditional south Indian recipes. Your blog is very comprehensive and well laid out. Following low GI is key to my eating and cooking recently.
Please keep up your good work. I am yet to look into your recipes, and sure will try some of them. Thank You.
Thank you Sri!!
Hello Swetha,
I love South Indian food and grew up eating rice. I am diabetic type 2 and have been learning to eat differently. This blog is helpful especially for people like me who like Indian food and need scientific data to understand the GI index on Indian foods.
It would be nice to find more Indian recipes with low GI values.
Thank you for the information. Keep it going.
Hi Elizabeth,
So glad to hear that you find the information in this blog useful. That’s the very reason why I started this blog. Thank you so much for your kind words!!
Swetha
Hi Swetha,
I bumped into your blog while looking for easy modak recipes for Ganesh chaturthi. Love your blog – I have bookmarked about 100 recipe blogs and I find yours unique because of the interesting topics you have written about. Keep blogging and see if you can add millet recipes. They are great for diabetics.
Thank you Chitra!! I strive to write about topics that matter to me. I am glad to hear that you find them useful. Thanks again!!
Hi Swetha, love your blog..I came across it when searching for GI information for rice varieties.. haven’t gone through it completely yet but finding it very interesting already…your writing style is very friendly and genuine…will definitely be following you 😊
Thank you Bhuvana!! It is so nice of you!!
Hi Shweta !
I came across your blog on pinterest. My husband is diabetic and has recently started a vegan diet. With Diwali coming, I really wanted him not to miss the good food, including mithai and yet stick to his diet. Was delighted to find so many traditional indian sweets which can suit his diet. But what really made me explore your website more, was your answer to a comment with not only a suggestion but also a link to another food blogger’s website! Loved your spirit ! 😊
I tried your recipe for Kaju Katli today and its turned out incredibly tasty! It was so simple to make too ! Loved your cooking tips as well !
Looking forward to more culinary adventures !😊
Hi Gauri,
Thank you for your sweet comment. At the end of the day, we are all trying to improve our health and our family’s health – each in a way we think is best. I appreciate all viewpoints and I appreciate that you appreciate that :).
SO happy to hear that you enjoyed the Kaju Katli…Happy Diwali!!…Thanks again!!
-Swetha
I love your site, Swetha! I discovered it by accident, while researching The GI and GL of different grains. While I’m not diabetic, my Mom was, and some friends are, and I try to watch how I cook, and I found a lot of good info in many of your articles. I’m not a vegetarian, nor am I Indian, though an Indian lady I know says I have more dals and spices in my pantry than anyone she has ever known; I told her it is because I have experimented with the cuisines from all over India, though the spicy southern foods are my favorites. I make all of my own spice mixes, the sambar masala being the one I make most of. I grow a lot of my own foods – a lot of tomatoes, garlic, and chili peppers every year, and I even have a 12 year old curry tree, that spends more time inside than out.
I am new to the site, but have already tagged some recipes I will be making! I have incorporated the dals into many other types of foods, the masoor and moong dals into many soups, just to thicken them, and the chana dals in my lentil salads during the summer, with all those vegetables from the garden. It was good to get all that info on how the different ones rate in so many ways, nutritionally. Thanks for all the work!
Wow…thank you for your feedback. I am so happy to read it.
It is so cool that you make your own sambar powder and grow your own curry leaves. That’s the most Indian thing one can do. 😁 You, my dear, are very much an honorary Indian!!
I wish you good luck with your continued cooking journey, keep experimenting and thank you for the lovely feedback. Cheers!!
Looks like rice grown in USA has higher levels of arsenic. Can you recommend any parboiled rice with lower levels of arsenic?
Is ponni parboiled rice from Indian store considered to low GI ?
I am looking for LOW GI rice with LOWER levels of arsenic 🙂
Hi, I have answered the question for you here: https://www.upgrademyfood.com/what-is-the-best-grain-to-eat
Thanks!!
Good job Swetha. You remind me a lot about myself ! I care about health and I wish people would do that in advance and not after a doctor’s appointment. Keep up the good work girl!
Thank you, Jasmine!! I am so happy to hear your comments!!
So sorry to hear about your father, Swetha. Thanks for creating such a well researched resource for so many people to help them and their families to understand their food better.
The reason I stumbled upon your blog is also because I am trying to help my dad make better nutritional choices as a decade long diabetic patient. I didn’t know better before, but I am slowly unlearning my own terrible eating habits, all of which are ofcourse learned from your family haha
Thank you for your kind words, Ishita. I wish you and your family the very best of health. Unlearning old, bad habits and learning good ones is a long, but rewarding journey. I am on the same path too.
Wow! This is sooo much needed for our people! You have spent so much time and brain-energy on this. Very grateful! Please continue on this noble path.
Thank you Sandeep…That’s so sweet of you!!
Mam, cover the oxalic acid and calcium oxalate in food (, I was so confused what to eat how to eat healthy,but u are my food angle, thnx for ur efforts in this research.)😀
Oxalic acid is found in spinach,cocoa,rhubarb.Should not be consumed with a source of calcium like dairy products (if eating for nutrition) as the two combine to form non absorbable salt.
I wanted to know the glycemic index of Kerala Matta rice.It is firm on cooking so by that standard should be low GI.
Hi Minnie,
I feel the same way. Unfortunately, I haven’t found a good source for GI numbers on Matta Rice yet.
Swetha, I have been following you on twitter and find your blog articles informative. I wondered if you have written anything on ‘portion control’. I tend to overeat serving myself at the dining table..it will be nice to get some tips to not over eat..
Upma – 1 regular sized bowel
Dosa – 2 regular sized
idli – 2-3
and so on…
Hi Srinivasan, I have not able to use portion control successfully as a way to control my food intake. However I have written about the various diets I have tried over the years.
https://www.upgrademyfood.com/all-the-diets-i-have-tried/