Radical changes to food habits is not a bright idea for the long run. Physical and psychological fitness both can be achieved easily if you follow ‘Healthy Eating Mantras’.

While having a chat with people related to eating habits, I usually end up asking, “Do you have strong eating or healthy eating habits?”

Most of the times, I experience an indecisiveness in the responders’ voice before they come up with an answer. They falter, as if the mind is not ready to accept the difference between the terms ‘strong eating habits’ and ‘healthy eating habits’.

Well, that happens.

Normally, we have strong eating habits.

Foundation to eating habits is by and large laid in the childhood. These habits undergo change with time. With increased responsibilities in life, you often gravitate towards less healthy eating practices.

By less healthy eating habits, I am referring to situations like:

“I am very busy. I have my meals whenever time permits.”

“Caffeine is my fuel. There are times when I do not get time to eat. But, give me one more cup, and I’m as good as ever.”

“Oh, I am not at all fussy about eating. I eat what I get my hands on, albeit, for managing weight, I can always go on a diet.”

Do the above situations sound familiar to you?

Radical changes to food habits (not eating at all, eating whatever or whenever, impulsive eating, or dependency on caffeine) is not a bright idea for the long run.

Stick to the Basics

It is never too late to make amends, and especially when your fitness is concerned.

Physical fitness is incomplete without proper dietary habits. ‘Balanced Diet’ is the key to overall physical fitness for all, irrespective of age, sex, race or profession.

There is no dearth of informative material, both online and offline, regarding nutrients and minerals essential for the human body functioning. In fact, you might be flummoxed by the information overload about what to include in your daily diet.

Here is my mantra for healthy eating: Keep it Simple and Stick to the Basics!



What to Eat?

We all need our daily dose of essential minerals and nutrients and to skip any of them for any reason is detrimental to our health. The list of essential nutrients for healthy eating comprises of:

Proteins

Carbohydrates

Fats

Vitamins (A, B(BI,B2,B3,B5,B6,B7,B9,B12), C, D, E & K)

Minerals (Potassium, Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Iron, Zinc, Sodium Chloride, Other trace minerals)

Water

Many a times for various reasons such as weight loss or body building, people follow such dietary patterns which defy the concept of balanced diet and that even without consulting any trained physician or dietitian.

There are so many self-proclaimed experts who advice not to take carbs or fat or take more proteins and water and what not.

Anything taken in excess, be it fat or proteins or minerals, is injurious to your health.

Proper/balanced diet curbs the craving of/addiction to caffeine. When you provide all the essential nutrients in an appropriate manner to your body then the dependency on caffeine (to get going) automatically gets eliminated.

If the natural balance of human body is maintained, then it does not require any artificial stimulant be it caffeine, tobacco or alcohol. It has the natural capacity to bear the day to day pressures related to work, social assignments, etc. You are just required to maintain that natural balance.

In a nutshell, for healthy eating, you have to keep it simple, meaning thereby you have to take a balanced diet which includes all the shades of this rainbow.

What to Eat? – Simple Steps to Follow

For healthy eating, follow these simple steps:

Include variety of vegetables and fruits in your daily diet. You are not required to include any exotic ones. Use them occasionally. Go for your regional and seasonal fruits and vegetables. Nature has provided all the required elements nearby you, according to the seasonal and environmental conditions of your region. Another advantage is that they are also pocket-friendly. Trust the nature.

In case of choice related to oils or fat, apply the same criteria as mentioned above – go for the local one instead of the exotic one. Whether it is olive oil or mustard oil or coconut oil or groundnut (peanut) oil or sesame oil, all of them have their own advantages.

Take fried food occasionally (better opt for shallow frying rather than deep frying).

Avoid taking packaged, processed and junk food. Do not make excuse of time or situational constraints for consuming processed and junk food. You can always replace them with fruits, veggies, sprouts or nuts without any extra burden to your pocket.

Most importantly, keep track of your consumption of water throughout the day. For healthy eating, it is as important as the intake of solid food.

How to Eat?

The components of a balanced diet are crucial to your health. None the less, never underestimate the way of intake of balanced diet. Learning about the science concerning the appropriate diet is not enough. You are also required to learn the art of healthy eating.

The art of healthy eating is the right manner of eating which leads to strengthening of health and multiplication of happiness.

Avoid using plastic containers and bottles for the storage of food (both cooked and raw) and water. You can make your choice among metal, glass and ceramic. Though metal, glass and ceramic weigh more, but then your health weighs more than your convenience.

How to Eat – Elementary Rules

No matter in which part of world you are residing or what type of food you are consuming, the elementary rules regarding eating food remain the same:

While eating do not get engrossed in anything else, be it your television (do watch television but do not get sucked by it) or any smart device. Pay attention to what you are eating at the moment!

Depending on the circumstances, sometimes you take your meals in a hurry. It can happen once a while, but if it becomes more frequent then you need to review the situation. Habit of eating food in a hurry poses serious threat to the digestive system.

Whether you are consuming beverages or food, it should be done in sitting position, not while standing or walking.

There is an increasing trend of forgetting certain elementary etiquette related to food habits. Proper sanitation habit is one of them. It seems as if the significance of washing the face and hands or sanitizing them is underestimated and sometimes it is even considered unnecessary. On the contrary, by simply following the elementary sanitation practices, one is able to avoid many major problems especially the infectious ones.

Checking the labels for the list of ingredients, use-by date, content etc. before buying any food stuff is indispensable. This way you can avoid any material or GM content or ingredient not considered safe for health purposes. Also keep a regular stock of the stored food material in your refrigerator. Make it a habit!



Food for Mind

Efficiency of any machinery decreases with time and usage. For proper functioning, it requires regular maintenance. Human mind is a unique form of machinery. Though it also requires apposite maintenance for good functioning, but the exception is that with apposite maintenance and exercise, it can work wonders.

If the brain is indulged in creative activities, the probability of occurrence of degenerative diseases/ailments decreases. The key to a healthy brain is:

Always keep the brain engrossed in creative and learning activities.

Irrespective of your age or sex, there is a whole universe of new things and skills open in front of you to learn. Never cease to learn something new.

Mental exercises such as mind-power games, word and number puzzles stimulate your brain, thus enhancing alertness and sharpness. These exercises quicken and refine responses, thus keeping the brain youthful.

Reading, reading and more reading! Don’t misinterpret! I am not talking about simple reading of news articles or gossip columns. It is about reading diverse literature – both fiction and non-fiction, concerning arts and sciences, regarding vocation and hobbies, etc. Reading habit makes your thinking process creative and multi-dimensional.

Break away from the monotony of your daily routine! Give your mind a challenge! Your brain loves challenges. If you just do what you are in the habit of doing and hesitate to try something new in fear of failure or looking foolish to others, then you are doing more damage to your brain. The challenge may be big or small but your brain gets reinvigorated by accepting and working on them.



Detoxification

The level and extent of toxins and pollutants around us is rising exponentially. The toxins have permeated every bit of environment around us: be it air, water or soil… even our food chain.

Food is not simply what passes through our digestive track but also that which is absorbed through our other senses. Thus we have to pay heed to what is entering our body through our eyes, skin, ears, and while inhaling too.

With increasing environmental pollution and usage of undesirable elements in food products, the need for awareness heightens. As a result, the need for a comprehensive detoxification is felt more than before.

But how will you detect the need for a comprehensive detoxification?

Your body never fails to show certain symptoms. So watch out!

You are in such a need, if you have developed one or more problems like,

Indigestion or constipation or acidity,

Congestion of mind,

General debility,

Lack of concentration and clarity,

Catching cold or flu, or similar infections recurrently,

A feeling of heaviness

Frequent breakouts of skin or excessive dryness

Brittle/discoloured nails or nails with ridges

As you closely pay attention to your body, you gain awareness about the gravity of the problem(s) you are experiencing. By taking necessary steps to counter them in time, you will be able to improve your sustenance level; albeit, if you ignore them, there is high probability of these problems converting into major ailments.

Another aspect of the problem is practicing dieting in haphazard manner. Dieting without proper medical consultation can do more harm than good. Physical constituency of every individual is different and so is the approach towards solving the diverse problems.

Remedial Measures for Detoxification

Two prominent remedial measures useful for detoxifying the body are ‘pranayama’ and ‘fasting’.

Impediments in the breathing mechanism of a healthy body develop with time, owing to the build-up of diverse toxins in the body leading to one or more imbalances.

Irrespective of the physiognomy of a person, pranayama plays a key role in regulating the energy circulation in the body through rectifying the breathing mechanism.

Fasting is a powerful method of detoxification but it is often misinterpreted. It does not mean depriving your body of food but to enhance the efficacy of food and beverages.

Fasting is instrumental in regulating the digestive juices that are the vital force behind the natural detoxification mechanism of body. Hence, it should be practiced with care in order to gain its maximum benefit. Eating too much before fasting or after fasting doesn’t help at all.

Another significant form of detoxification is in the form of regulating the exposure to the increasing radiations or at least the ‘blue light’.

In today’s lifestyle the exposure to radiation is unavoidable but there are certain measures that can reduce the severity of this situation.

Develop a habit to reduce your over-dependency on smart devices. You have to sort out your work and priorities. Make a list of jobs that you can execute without the assistance of the smart devices. Remember, there is no dearth of such tasks.

Once you explore the possibilities, you will be amazed by the results. It will not only decrease your exposure to the ‘blue light’, but will also increase the efficiency of your mind and body.

Physical and psychological fitness both can be achieved easily if you keep an eye on your eating habits.

Follow the healthy eating mantras and become an iconic personality for others!

