Be food smart
(By Lisa Sarah John, Courtesy Bangalore Times, Nov 05, 2007)
Are you a health conscious person? This
is a widely discussed topic. A few other ways to describe a healthconscious person is a fitness conscious or a health freak.
Different people understand these terms differently. Some people are just particular about regular exercise but they indulge
in eating anything and everything. While some are very careful and choosy about their food while they never go out and make
time to do any regular exercise. Some people religiously drink a lot of water, while others think it’s strange to consciously
count and drink water. According to the second category, it’s just natural thay you drink water when you feel thirsty.
Also a large number of people spend their lives going on and off various fad diets.
Here are some simple guidelines to follow if you want to be healthy and eat nutritiously
throughout the year.
• Let us start with water. Two and a half to three litres of water a day is a must
for all. Bangalore is a city with a cool temperature almost throughout the year so one may not feel thirsty. You need to actually
measure, count, and drink it. Water keeps you hydrated, fresh, active, helps you concentrate better and also flush out all
the toxic waste and pollutants from your body. Finally it also helps protect you against cancer.
• The second big rule is to make sure you eat three regular, balanced meals daily.
Many people eat three times a day but please note fruits for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch and soup and salad for dinner
are definitely not balanced meals. Every meal must contain both carbohydrate and protein foods. A cereal item like bread,
roti, rice, oats or flakes must be eaten along with milk/curd, dhal/pulses, egg or non-veg in every meal. Besides this vegetables
and fruits must be eaten daily to supply vitamins and minerals.
• The third rule is the management of foods that are eaten for pleasure and enjoyment.
These foods are invariably high in their fat content. They can be called luxury foods or fatty foods. Remember how you spend
your money; a wise man does not buy expensive or luxury items daily. We do this occasionally and even when we buy something
expensive we dont spend so much at one time that we dont have money for the next day. Similarly follow these tips:
Enjoy your luxury food but don’t eat so much of it that you feel sick there after.
Eat but don’t binge. If you eat something rich and heavy today, make sure you don’t indulge in another fatty food
for at least 48 to 72 hours thereafter. Don’t eat fatty foods for both lunch and dinner in the same day and don’t
eat fatty foods on two consecutive days.
• Finally, remember fat takes 6-8 hours to digest so if you have a choice go out for
lunch rather than dinner. If you have a box of chocolates or sweets at home that you want to taste, taste it mid-morning or
after lunch so that you may burn it off before bed time.
If you can be street smart, you can also be food smart.
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