A diet that recommends you eat only fruits or only salads is not practical. A balanced diet comprises the right ratio of proteins, fibre, fat and carbohydrates to fulfil your requirements.
A healthy diet is not limited to what one eats. It is a proper balance of nutrients and varied food groups. ‘I’ve eaten a bit more this morning, so let me balance it out by eating only Khichdi at night’ is not the right approach. Neither is eating too much of something healthy a good thing. Jowar might be packed with health benefits, but eating 4-5 jowar bhakris at one go is extremely unhealthy. All your body needs are small, balanced meals at regular intervals. You must include fruits in your daily diet but there are a method and logic to the amount of fruit you can eat. If you polish off a whole watermelon in two days, the sugar levels in your bloodstream are bound to spike up and if you fail to exercise, this sugar will saturate your body.
Getting Rid of Toxins
Every morning, add 1/4th tsp turmeric powder to a glass of water and bring to a boil. Allow this water to cool and drink it on an empty stomach with a drop of lemon while still lukewarm. It is common practice to add honey, but it contains sugar and should be avoided. This will kickstart the process of removing toxins from your body. The turmeric begins its work first by working as an anti-inflammatory antioxidant that kills the bad bacteria in the stomach. Turmeric easily cleans your stomach without any side effects. Vitamin C and antioxidants in the lemon help clean out the slime and grease inside our stomach. But lemon juice is acidic and too much of it can lead to acidity and a bad throat. So stick to a few drops. Lukewarm water aids blood circulation. That’s what makes this turmeric lime water a great cocktail to kickstart your morning!
Next, you should treat yourself to a cup of green or black tea. You could also make a herbal infusion with coriander, cumin seeds or basil leaves. It is said that black coffee improves BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) and that’s why quite a few people recommend drinking this first thing in the morning. However, black coffee on an empty stomach is quite bad for those suffering from high blood pressure. After this, it is time to load up on some nutrients with vegetable juice. Dudhi, amla, tomato, spinach, mint etc. contain anti-oxidants, aid digestion and improve blood circulation. You can use any combination of vegetables and add mint, cumin, coriander and lettuce to enhance the taste of the juice. Combining two leafy vegetables adds extra fibre to your diet. Carrots and beetroots contain folic acid and make a great juice combo too. Dudhi, aloe vera and Amla is another combination. You can combine them as you like but just remember not to add any salt to these juices.
The Importance of Multi-Vitamins
You might be eating a balanced, varied diet and feel that you don’t have any deficiencies. But the truth is, most of us do not get enough nutrition from our diet. Often the body doesn’t effectively process certain vitamins. This lack of nutrition can be fixed by vitamin supplements. The best way to identify deficiencies is to get your blood tested. Consult your physician as you might be showing symptoms of a deficiency and may not be aware. Vitamin B-12 deficiency is fairly common. This nutrient plays an important role in absorbing iron and folic acid. Fatigue, hair loss, aching feet, lack of sleep, skin pigmentation are some signs of Vitamin B-12 deficiency. If the blood work confirms the deficiency, you should include carrots, beetroot, red bell peppers, tomatoes, papaya, red pumpkin and red amaranth in your diet. Red meat does not help increase B-12 levels in your blood. Vitamin D-3 is another important nutrient that isn’t easy for the body to process.
The body absorbs this from the early morning sun. Our scriptures recommend a morning prayer to the sun, possibly to aid absorption of this important nutrient. You can put on your walking shoes and step out in the early morning sun. Walking in the intense afternoon sun does not help absorb Vitamin D-3, so you might want to set an alarm for an earlier hour for your walk.
Drink Plenty of Water
Water is a magical potion that helps keep your body clean by ridding your body of toxins. Ordinarily, your body requires four to five litres of water in a day to properly eliminate toxins. One of the biggest factors that cause migraine is reduced consumption of water. Though you consume water in the form of beverages, you still need to consume an additional 3-4 litre of water. Gradually increase your intake of water to 4-5 litres in a day.
A quick tip: drink a cup of water every 15 minutes to hit your hydration goals.
Diet Myths Busted
In my opinion, diet is to eat to fulfil your body’s nutritional requirement. A diet that recommends you eat only fruits or only salads is not practical at all. A balanced diet comprises the right ratio of proteins, fibre, fat and carbohydrates to fulfil your requirements. However, it is also important to eliminate excess fat that you end up consuming. Otherwise, in addition to weight gain, fats start affecting your liver and kidneys. If you’re overweight, over a while the body stops co-operating. This makes losing fat a bit of a challenge. If you don’t correct it, slowly cholesterol, diabetes and blood pressure creeps in.
Which is why it is important to feed your body what it can digest.
Look Beautiful Inside And Out
A size zero body, washboard abs, a 36-26-36 body are on most women’s wish lists. But what is the perfect figure for you? It is the size that you’re most comfortable in. A size that you can carry well, a bodyweight that has you feeling nimble. When you lose weight, you will feel positively healthy. For this, you will need a balanced diet, exercise and most importantly, your digestion needs to be in top shape. A good digestive system makes sure your food is absorbed properly, that the toxins are out of the body. As a result, you sleep better, Your stomach gets cleansed. You feel hungry naturally.
Most women put their family’s needs before their health. This is wrong. If you are healthy and fit, your family will be healthy and fit. Skipping breakfast to get everyone’s Dabba ready is wrong. Eat breakfast. Include fruits and proteins in your diet. Sometimes you might be pressed for time, but please don’t miss your mealtimes. Grab a fruit or eat a snack. But give your body the food it needs at the right time. Your resolve and diet need to come together to improve your lifestyle. And that will make you naturally beautiful. Internal beauty, inspiration and a peaceful mind will reflect on your face. You do not need to do anything else for it. Everyone should try to be strong mentally and physically. You need that for you and your family.
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– Dr Sarita Davare (As told to Shakti Salgaokar) | Kalnirnay Utility calmanac 2018