Think About It….
One of the basic necessities of life is food. Some people eat to live, some live to eat. As everyone knows, what we eat decides how our health will be. But more often this is forgotten in fast paced life. The availability of food, the lack of time to cook, the lack of knowledge of nutrients in food, increasing number of restaurants and road side vendors , individuals likes and dislikes influences what one eats. In my practice of dietetics in past 10 years , have come across certain observations of our diet, which if given a second thought; can change our food habits. So I have thought of writing down those observations which might help everyone in some way. If u read and connect, do let me know in comments and likes.
Dining out..
Dining out has become integral part of almost everyone’s lifestyle. Not only individuals who stay away from home or family but even the ones staying at their homes opt to eat outside. Earlier, dining out happened only on rare occasions. But recently it has increased to not once or twice but thrice a week or even more. There is not one but many reasons for doing so.
One reason for opting to eat out is merely trying to escape the burden of cooking and cleaning up.
When we Dine out at a fast food restaurant, or we are out for a party, knowingly or unknowingly we indulge in more than required calories with very little nutrient value. The person is not even aware of the amount of oil used, the freshness and the quality of the ingredients, hidden sugars,etc. The sugary beverages or alcoholic drinks adds to all the more calories. Also many toxins are built inside our body due to lack of sleep , alcohol, passive ,active smoke, wrong combinations of food etc.
On a longer run, this lifestyle is detrimental to one’s health as it leads to obesity, high B.P, diabetes, Digestion problems and many other disorders.
The National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau(NNMB) found in a latest research that 21.5% of men and 19.4% of women are suffering from diabetes in the country. Also obesity rates have gone high with 44% of adult women and 33 % of men being obese . Also it was reported that moderate level of activity was 50% during earlier study ,but now it has reduced to 26%. Traditional foods have been replaced to fast and processed foods.
So the important question is, how can we try to prevent it?
* Increasing the BMR
BMR is Basal metabolic rate, i.e amount of calories expended when the body is at rest to perform basic functions such as breathing, circulation, nutrient processing, cell production. So when BMR increases, we expend more calories than pile it up. When the BMR is decreased, one tends to put on weight and feel sluggish. Eating high protein foods and high fibre foods, avoiding sedentary lifestyle, exercising regularly helps in increasing BMR.
So let’s hit the gym, exercise at home, do running , jogging ,swimming ,etc. Walk to nearby places instead of riding a vehicle, take steps instead of using elevators , take intervals and walk around if one has continuous desk job.
* Detoxifying the body:
The toxins produced in the body are harmful in many ways. They affect our digestive system, cause headaches, skin issues and allergies. Over a period of time, these toxins lead to serious chronic diseases.
To detoxify our body, we should Include more colourful fruits and vegetables in your diet. Consume raw foods like salads , whole fruits, nuts and seeds( pumpkin, flax, sunflower), drink lots of water. Include herbal tea and vegetable juices. One should avoid stale food, fast and highly processed food .It is also important to get a good night’s sleep to cleanse our body.
* Mindful eating:
On should practice mindful eating when having meals outside. Eat a plateful of salad, a bowl of healthy soup before ordering the main course. Opt for grilled food rather than deep fried food. Minimise the portion size, share the dessert. Salad dressing should be fat free. Avoid having juices, mocktails which are loaded with sugars.
Best thing is learning to say ‘NO’ to outside food whenever one can avoid it or it is absolutely unnecessary and learning to say ‘yes’ to exercise, healthy eating and detoxification which is absolutely necessary.
Think about it.
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