Starting to lead a healthy lifestyle always seems to be at the far end of the tunnel. Sometimes the Goal of changing lifestyle itself becomes so stressful that it is constantly snoozed and gets stuck in the vicious cycle of tomorrow ( the day after tomorrow, which becomes next week, Monday!). We never realize how fast days fly into weeks and months into years. The stack of unachieved and unrealistic health goals pile up so huge, we just don’t know where to start.
Let’s start. Simple. Short. Sweet. Step by Step. Let’s look at the 5 Basic Changes to make in your diet that will make a gradual great impact on your metabolism. These changes are the Healthy Lifestyle 101s that all competent Nutrition Counsellors will recommend you.
- Avoid eating strongly spicy foods.
Spicy ingredients like hot red chili, green chili, szechuan, sriracha, peppers found in high proportion in some cuisines makes it very attractive and irresistible. In order to combat the hotness we tend to eat more of the same hot food leading to increase in spice tolerance. Spicy foods are described as tamasic foods in Ayurveda, meaning it is laxative and sedative in nature with anti-microbial effects in the gut. As a result, it makes you feel duller and lethargic. Further, these occasional spicy binges might cause problems like Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Ulcers and various gastrointestinal symptoms as a natural consequence though it might come as a surprise when the tragedy befalls.
Your intestines will be thankful to you for sparing the irritable spice in the long run. It is your duty take care of and nurture the gazillion good microbes babies in the gut.
2. Weekly Fasting
Intermittent fasting has become the new cool since so many celebrities including Jennifer Anniston and Scarlett Johansson swear by it. A Japanese cell biologist Yoshinori Ohsumi won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2016 for his research on how cells recycle and renew their content, a process called autophagy. Fasting activates autophagy, which helps slow down the aging process and has a positive impact on cell renewal. What more could anybody ask for?
I must say Fasting is a very crucial factor in weight loss and general sound health but only when done right. One should not fall prey to the fad side (also bad side) of Fasting. While Intermittent Fasting can be very difficult to stick to and might take turn to an unhealthy direction, it’s easier to stick to Weekly Fasting which can be flexible at your ease. Select an 8 hour window in your schedule in which eat abundant of vegetables, (specially roots like potato, sweet potato) fruits, eat sparingly nuts and oilseeds, and milk. Skip cereals and grains, pulses, Meat, eggs and everything else. Avoid meals in the remaining 16 hours window, stay hydrated and get sound sleep as a by-product. Notice the next day how your sleep quality improves, gut fully cleanses and maximizes your energy level.
3. Early Dinner
The last meal of the day becomes a deciding factor for how you feel mentally the next day. Late dinners and deserts is followed by bedtime invites trouble falling asleep, reduced quality of sleep and Restless Leg Syndrome. A recent study finds that eating a late dinner can cause weight gain and high blood sugar levels regardless of calories. Early dinner latest by 7 pm gives a great advantage for using the robust lot of energy and getting done the remaining work to call it a day, whereas dinner specially after 8 pm is like inviting an energy slump. For anybody still living in a bubble- Circadian Rhythm aka the natural biological cycle is as real as it gets.
4. Limiting Caffeine
Recent studies prove that while caffeine gives you an illusion of feeling energetic and focused, in turn what it eventually does is spikes cortisol hormone making you feel more stressed, bloated, weak in the muscles and lousy. Long term overindulgence of caffeine leads to insomnia and cardiovascular risks.
Let’s recognize that coffee has been made into yet another trend in the social media bubble. Caffeine working as an Anti-nutrient can cause nutrient depletion of important nutrients, like vitamin B6, and interfere with nutrient absorption of essential minerals, including calcium, iron, magnesium and B vitamins. It is best advisable to consume coffee in moderation as much as 1 cup in a day to avoid it’s negative health effects.
5. Getting enough fluids through the day.
It is always recommended that 3 to 4 liters of water should be consumed everyday, which in my opinion is an overstatement that might cause a misconception to drink a huge amount of water by hook or crook. Drinking tooo much water can result in chronic kidney diseases and water intoxication, also known as hyponatremia where the necessary sodium is flushed out from cells. When they said Anything in excess is harmful, they meant anything, even water. Yes, Drink just as much water enough to quench your thirst. No, drinking excess water will NOT help you lose weight.
Have you noticed water tastes the best when you are really thirsty after a workout and becomes the most tasteless after your thirst is quenched? The purpose of staying hydrated in its essence can be fulfilled by sipping on various herbal tea, drinking juices, shakes and smoothies with or in-between meals, as suggested by National Institute of Health. Not only does this help to add to the stores of micronutrients in your body, this has a great advantage in cutting down your chances of over-eating.
The Art of Living Lively 