Healthy Nuggest For a Busy Life
by Sneh
Jaisingh
zone3
Coming from a family of Medical professionals and having
breathed around spiritually aware people, I was always exposed to the
significance of nutrition from both scientific and spiritual aspects.
Despite the knowledge, following a healthy lifestyle along with balancing
both personal and professional worlds posed quiet a challenge; especially
here in the US with little domestic help available.
A quick recap on the status of Immigrant Indians
Food, the source of life energy is greatly influenced by Culture and
Weather, which, by the way, in the US is a complete contrast from our
tropical land, India.
In the last Fifty years, millions of Indians migrated to the US for
various reasons. Coming under the influence of the western lifestyle and
severe weather, we made some necessary adjustments to fit in. We altered
our accent, started wearing layered clothing, made dietary changes like,
altering vegetarian status, meal patterns, increased usage of fast foods,
frozen and ready-to-eat food, etc. Also, with the so called “convenient”
and “comfortable” lifestyle, our physical activity level dropped to a bare
minimum, resulting in a low BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate).
he Consequence
Research shows today,
Many of Immigrant Indians have an intense prevalence of coronary heart
disease, diabetes, low HDL, high cholesterol and triglycerides,
hypertension. The prevalence of Coronary artery disease is three times
higher in Asian Indian women than in women in US as a whole.
In India only one in 40 women get breast cancer but in US out of every
8 Asian Indian women will get the disease; the highest incidence in the
world, according to the American Cancer Society.
Asian Indian women are a high risk for osteoporosis, according to the
National Osteoporosis Foundation.
What can we do about it?
All of us have gathered enough knowledge about Nutrition. What we lack
is a “road-map” to implement that knowledge in our lives. So let’s start
by looking at some fundamental things, which are called the ABC’s
of Health. Here are some simple and practical lifestyle modifications
which will aid you in living fit.
A: Aim for fitness
Health experts suggest that along
with dietary changes one should also adhere to an exercise routine. I
would say that start with increasing your physical activity and applying
necessary dietary changes will become easier. Here are some simple and
effective suggestions to help increase your daily activity:
1) Take
the stairs instead of the elevator at work, home, mall, etc.
2) If the weather permits, park the car to the farthest parking spot
and walk.
3) Leave the shopping carts outside the store and walk with the grocery
bags to your car; engages muscles to a small workout.
4) While making long conversations on phone, especially those leisured
weekend calls, walk around the house or go up and down the stairs, instead
of sitting on the couch.
5) Socializing is more fun when there is something more than food and
regular conversations. Come up with innovative ideas, like playing games
indoor/outdoor, depending on the weather.
6) Call out invitations for an evening of exercise for fun; be it
ballet or kickboxing, instead of those rather motiveless gatherings.
7) Instead of watching those regular soaps on TV, it is healthy and
refreshing to play with the little ones. E.g.: Hide-n-seek can be
interactive and recreational.
8) Staying organized keeps you fit and focused in both personal and
professional lives.
9) Helping around in the house (laundry, doing the dishes, cooking,
cleaning, gardening, and vacuuming) is a great way to exercise.
10) If going to the gym becomes stressful, home exercise videos can be
very effective. E.g.: Am. -Pm. Yoga -Denise Austin, Walk away the pounds -
2 mile walk-Leslie Sansone.
B = Build a healthy base
Developing a solid foundation is like a blueprint for a healthy life.
Some tips to achieve that:
1) Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Here are some
practical breakfast suggestions:
a). Cereals with milk, Carnation
breakfast, Quakers oatmeal, cream of wheat, etc.
b). Vegetable
sandwich, cheese toast, Peanut butter jelly sandwich.
c). Boiled
egg/omelet with bread.
d). Cereal bars
e). Boiled corn, fruits (Dole
ready to eat-no sugar),
f). Handful of nuts (almond, walnut,
cashew,etc)
g). Yogurt with fruit at the bottom and cereals
h).
Smoothies or milkshakes or a glass of milk with some protein supplement
like Protinex.
2) Variety is spice of life: Eat a varied diet,
rather than any one particular food or group of foods. Variety means that
we should eat a mixture of foods across the range of food groups.
3) Make fruits and vegetables a key part of your daily diet. They
are packed with variety of rich nutrients and fiber. Choose whole or cut
fruits and vegetables rather than juices most often. Juices contain little
or no fiber. Unless it says “lots of pulp”. Did you know fiber helps lower
cholesterol and also help loose weight?
4) Follow the ‘Green Rule’:
Eat a bowl full of salad as the first course of your meal. Go easy on the
dressing.
5) While eating outside opt for extra helping of veggies.
Eg: when you order a sandwich cut down on the extra cheese and ask for
lots of veggies. You don’t really need to finish your entire order; get it
packed and have it later. Opt for a small burger, small fries; ask for
water instead of soda or thick shakes. This makes fast food work for you
instead of against you.
6) Choose from a variety of whole grains
like brown rice, whole wheat, oats, instead of refined grains.
7)
Avoid too much of tea, coffee (not more than 2 cups/day), sodas, sugary
juices. Instead, go for water, ice-tea with no sugar added, sparkling
water, or a glass of butter-milk.
8) Drink plenty of water; atleast
8-10 glasses per day.
9) Include dairy products in your daily diet.
They’re good sources of calcium and other essential nutrients. Choose 2%
milk or low fat products, if required.
10) If you lead a busy life,
following are some good pointers for you:
a). Cook in bulk
whenever you get time. Bring the food to room temperature and pack in
small single-serve containers and refrigerate for later use.
b). Knead
the chapatti/paratha dough in the food processor and pack in small
single-serve Ziploc bags and refrigerate. c). Make idli/dosa batter and
refrigerate.
d). Roast Rava and keep in airtight container for a quick
upma snack.
Note: Recipes for Quick-fix healthy
meals/snacks coming soon.
11) It's OK to enjoy junk/ rich foods
occasionally. However, limit the portion size.
12) Eat lean
portions of meat. Do not eat raw or undercooked meat, poultry, eggs, fish,
etc.
13) If you do drink, drink occasionally.
14) Go for 6
small meals instead of 3 large meals. One of the best ways to stay trim is
to “Eat small, Eat often”.
15) Multivitamins: You don’t need a
vitamin or mineral supplement if you eat a varied and balanced diet.
C = Choose Sensibly
We’ll discuss this in detail in the articles to follow. These would
include Indian food guide pyramid, understanding serving sizes, choosing
the right oil, understanding Nutrition labels, to name a few.
Until next time, Stay Healthy! Please feel free to write to me at
sneh@nutriage.org or visit my web-site at http://www.nutriage.org.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sneh Jaisingh,MS, Human Nutrition, the owner of http://www.nutriage.org/,
A Nutrition based website catering to all Ages. She is a Free Lance Writer
and Nutrition Consultant.
Nutrition Related Articles:
 Calcium: the Miracle Mineral
Is Your Bread Slowly Killing You?
Nutrition Tips to Improve Fat Loss
Benefits of a Variety of Fruits and Vegetables
Don't Allow Your Food To Control You!
Exercise Nutrition: How To Keep That Energy Up!
Heredity Is Not Destiny: Do Health and Weight Problems Run in
Your Family? It May Be Habits, Not Genetics
Just Say No to Carb Phobia
Healthy Eating Tips For Busy Women
In Excess of Portion
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