Diet tips for the working people

Most working People have the same complaints – no time to eat, long office hours and frequent eating out, leading to acidity, bloating and obesity. Here is how to eat healthy, despite hectic schedules.

Today, most people work well over 12-14 hours every day. In the process, they may be earning several times more than what their elders did. But they also end up sending a sizeable chunk of their income on medical treatment for lifestyle diseases like diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and cancer which can affect even those in the 30-40 years age group. Lifestyle changes due to increased work pressure and stress is also a main reason for a rise in infertility cases.

And while indigestion and other gastric problems are a common occurrence, ballooning weight is also a cause of concern for executives. After all, an inch more on the waistline is a year less on your life.

There is no short cut to weight control and good health. One has to make a serious commitment to make a lifestyle change and stick to it. But yes, there is a miracle formula for fitness that involves a combination of the following and is highly effective. Walk for about 20-30 minutes daily. Also, drink about 2-3 liters of water daily and follow a diet of healthy, balanced, regular low-fat meals.

Golden Rules

1. Never skip breakfast. You may be in a hurry to leave home, but you have to eat a proper, balanced breakfast. It could be just 2-3 slices of whole wheat bread with an egg or 2 egg whites. A glass of skimmed milk along with this is ideal. A vegetarian may use jam, vegetable sabji or green chutney on the bread. Idli or dosa with sambar, plus a glass of milk is also an option.

2. Carry a couple of fruits with you to work. Apples, pears, oranges, guavas, etc. are ideal. Try to have one at 11 am or 12 noon so that you break the gap between breakfast and lunch.

3. Lunch is an important meal in the day. It must be eaten and should be properly balanced. Two to three rotis or a cup of rice may be eaten accompanied by daal, plus a vegetable sabji and salad. Curd may be eaten along with it as well as 1-2 pieces of non-veg, preferably chicken or fish.

4. Tea is important. Even if you are too hungry try to have a cup of tea, coffee or milk and if necessary, two biscuits. This will ensure that you don’t start snacking or bingeing (overeating) by 6 pm. If you are still at office try to have a second fruit at 6 pm. If you are home by 6 pm be very sure to eat only a fruit as soon as you get home. Remember you are at the end of the day, tired and all your defenses are down. If even after the fruit you are still hungry go for a glass of skimmed milk or a skimmed lassi. You must resist the desire to snack. Even if you eat perfectly all through the day but eat some oily snack like a samosa or mixture, chaat at 6 pm you will ruin everything. If you have to go out for dinner, have a bowl of salad and curd or another fruit just before you leave. This will help you to resist all those oily starters, chips and nuts. Yes, they are delicious but dangerous for your heart and health. Even at a party or executive dinner, ask for a salad as a starter.

5. Dinner must be the lightest meal in the day. However, it is dangerous to skip dinner or have only soup, salad or just a glass of milk for dinner. It must be a properly balanced meal of roti, daal, salad and curd.

6. Avoiding non-veg for dinner is seen to have the most significant effect in weight control. You may eat non-veg as often as you want at lunch but as far as possible avoid at night as it gets converted to fat and is stored in your body while you sleep. Similarly, avoid sweets and desserts after dinner. Try to stick to fruit if you must have a sweet taste in the mouth.

7. Try to ensure that there is at least a two-hour gap between dinner and bedtime.

Going Bananas…

A professor at CCNY for a physiological psych class told his class about bananas. He said the expression “going bananas” is from the effects of bananas on the brain. Read on…

Never, put your banana in the refrigerator!!!

This is interesting.

After reading this, you’ll never look at a banana in the same way again.

Bananas contain three natural sugars – sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber.

A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world’s leading athletes. But energy isn’t the only way a banana can help us keep fit. it can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS: Forget the pills – eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit’s ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a “cooling” fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking &Tobacco Use: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body’s water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes: According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills.

When you compare it to an apple,

1. It has four times the protein,
2. Twice the carbohydrate,
3. Three times the phosphorus,
4. Five times the vitamin A and iron,
5. Twice the other vitamins and minerals,
6. It is also rich in potassium,
7. It is one of the best value foods around,

So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, “A banana a day keeps the doctor away!”

PS: Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time!

Want a quick shine on our shoes??

Take the INSIDE of the banana skin, and rub directly on the shoe… polish with dry cloth.

Amazing fruit!