by Dr. Meghana Pasi, PhD
Public Health Nutritionist
Arogya World
ArogyaWorld and MyThali Wishes you a very Happy and Healthy 2020!
A new year brings new hopes and new opportunities. It symbolizes a new chapter in life, a fresh blank page to write our story the way we want it to be. It’s time for us to take control of our lives and make things happen for ourselves.
2020 is the turn of a new decade altogether. The importance of being healthy becomes 10 times bigger, take a good look at what we want to achieve not just this year, but in the next 10 years. If we want to achieve our success goals, the most important part is to have a healthy body. A body that will enable us to go out there, put our best foot forward and not a hurdle.
For people with busy schedules and limited time, making a resolution to engage in self-care and health care may seem stressful. However, it doesn’t have to be elaborate or time-consuming. It can simply mean attending your yoga class, preparing a healthy meal for your family, going for a walk or getting an extra hour of sleep.
Let’s check out some simple, easy and sustainable ways to improve our overall health below.
- Create a sustainable, nourishing diet
Instead of making a plan to follow yet another restrictive fad diet, this New Year, make a resolution to break the dieting cycle and create a healthy eating pattern that works for you. A healthy, long-term diet should not only be nutritious but also sustainable which can be easily followed on vacations, parties, and even festivals. The healthiest diet is one that’s rich in whole, nutrient-dense foods and low in heavily processed, sugary products.
- Eat more whole foods
Include vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and fish, in your everyday meals. Research shows that these foods significantly reduce risk of chronic diseases, help maintain body weight and blood sugar levels.
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- Eat at least one fruit a day, make it your mid-morning snack in office.
- Carry a handful of nuts (peanuts, walnuts, almonds) to save you from hunger pranks during tea time. Replace tea/coffee and cookies/puff with these nuts.
- Take at least three servings of vegetables everyday (be it cooked or eaten raw as salads). Make your plate colourful by including all types of vegetables available seasonally.
- Rely less on convenience foods and cook more meals at home
Packaged chips, cookies, frozen dinners, and fast food may be tasty and readily available but they can have detrimental effects on your health if eaten too often.
Make a resolution to prepare more meals at home using healthy ingredients.
Research shows that people who cook more meals at home have better diet quality, less body fat and more immunity (to fight against chronic diseases like cancers and health diseases) than people who eat more meals on the go.
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- Be aware of the type of fats/oils that you add to your food
- Control the use of sugar, salt and oil in your meals
- Add healthier options (eg. more veggies, more nuts and seeds, sugar alternatives like honey / jaggery, cinnamon, and dates)
- You can make it more fiber rich by adding whole wheat flour instead of refined flours
- You can control the portion size
Drink more water
Besides keeping yourself hydrated, water helps deliver oxygen and nutrients to cells throughout your body and assists your organs in flushing out waste materials. Drink at least 8 glasses / 2-2.5 litres of water every day benefit from it.
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- Keep a one litre water bottle on your desk. Finish one before lunch and a second one before you leave the office.
- Start your day with two glasses of warm water when you wake up, this helps flush out toxins and improve metabolism.
I am sure these simple doable suggestions will definitely help you in adopting a healthier routine throughout the year. Happy Eating!!