You are what you eat!

This phrase really makes you contemplate deeper into your eating habit. The true meaning of this phrase is “If you eat healthy food you will feel and look healthy similarly if you eat crappy food you will feel crappy” meaning your body will react accordingly to the type of food you put in your body. The food you put in your system will have an impact on your organs, your bones, your brain and your cells. Scientific research states that on average an adult loses over 300 billion cells to old age every day and the only way to replace those cells are through the food we eat. The food we eat acts as a fuel for us to replenish those lost cells. When we eat toxic, less nutritional food our bodies stop manufacturing new healthy cells. Also regular indulgence into processed food fills our system with chemicals and toxins which affects our organ’s resilience. When we eat healthy it replenishes our body internally and we see the results of having more energy, more spontaneity in our daily life.

A healthy body is built with good lifestyle choices and motivation to eat healthy.

Lifestyle Choice:

Every human is unique and so are the structure, genetic, metabolic rates of different bodies. There is no one size fits all in any diet. One diet plan suited to few might not be well suited to you. Healthy lifestyle changes on the other hand can be done by everyone which can promote healthy eating as well. Adopting a healthy lifestyle will adversely improve your mood, relax your anxieties, feel lighter plus it will help you fight chronic diseases.

3 most essential healthy habits you can adopt in your daily life prompt:

·         Fix your Sleep Schedule

Getting enough sleep can reduce your stress and give you the energy for the next day. Sleeping late, waking up late is vicious cycle for your healthy lifestyle. A 7 to 9 hours sleep is recommended to reap health benefits and even aid your weight management.

·         Make time for Exercise

Come up with realistic goals for your workouts. In a 24 hrs day you can find 20-30 mins each day to work out if you commit to it. Walk at home exercises videos from youtube or simply walking around your office premises can help you alter your lifestyle.

·         Drink More Water

 Hydration is important for overall health, weight loss, skin elasticity, mood balance! 2-3 liters of water is recommended to healthy body if that person does not have any other health issues.

Eating Habits:

First and foremost making up your mind and committing to healthy eating is the key towards healthy you. Buying healthier ingredients can help make it easier​​ to change your diet. Sticking to a healthy eating plan and timetable can help. Healthy eating does not have to be expensive or complicated by keeping count of micro macro calories.

Here are some of the tips which can help you eat healthy:

1.       Be realistic:

 Eating healthy doesn’t have to be that extravagant images we have in our mind from instagram. It doesn’t have to be expensive items but can be simply Bengali fish curry, daal, vegetables with some whole grains cooked at home. Yes if we stick to what most people eat in the rural villages daily we would be much healthier.

2.       Plan your meals:

Plan your meals ahead of time, making time to list down the weekly grocery with essential items means sticking to the plan with focus. Do groceries on a Saturday and use that day as your meal prep day.

3.       Home Food Better than Outside:

Cooking at home is cheaper than going out to eat. Plus the ingredients we use at home are healthier and hygienic than restaurants.  Prepping meals ahead and even making them ahead for a week can help you save time and money.

4.       Replace bad fat with good fat:

 Using fat which are cholesterol free has omega fatty acid and eventually good for our heart. We can use oils such as sunflower, canola, or olive oil. Having fatty fish or unsaturated butter in our diet can help with omega fatty acid. Snacking on nuts such as almonds, walnuts, and sunflower seeds instead of biscuits, cakes, or deep-fried foods is better. Changing your cooking method and shifting to shallow fry, baking, grilling or steaming can help you consume less oil which is economical also. 

5.       Eat Local Vegetable:

Healthy diet is not about kale and broccoli. You can eat plenty of spinach varieties found locally also. Buy local vegetables which are ready available and use them in your diet plans.

6.       Eating in Moderation

There is a Chinese saying, qi fen bao, gang gang hao (meaning “eat only till you are 70% full”). We should opt for eating meal in moderation and in a timely manner. No food in access is healthy, everything in moderation and balance must be maintained.

Together with exercise and eating healthy you will see great results as your body will start taking in the nutrients and detox the system. You shall soon start feeling great from inside and that will reflect in your daily activities and uplift your mood.