Life is all about the choices you make, and the same goes for wellbeing and longevity.
Besides taking the stairs instead of the elevator, there are many other small but significant ways in which you can make your body a happier, healthier one. Trust me, a little extra effort and attention pays big dividends in the long run. All it takes is some common sense and a bit of planning to ease into your sensible substitutions. Because, in life, the little things are the big deal.
Here are some simple but effective food and lifestyle changes that you can easily incorporate in your day-to-day routines that’ll make a big difference in your overall wellbeing.
Infused Water for Sodas
Aerated drinks contain several heaped teaspoons of sugar per serving. If the thought of that doesn’t make you feel sick, think of all the myriad preservatives and chemicals in them that can be carcinogenic and/or mess with your hormones and cause diabetes. But alas, plain old water is so boring. Spike your jug with slices of lemon or lime, grated ginger and fresh mint. Infuse water with berries, melon or peach slices and bid bye-bye to those mindless cravings for cola and empty calories. You’ll be waking up to a clearer complexion, flatter tummy and a sprightlier you.
Reference: www.theguardian.com
Ghee for Oil
Take out the water content and milk solids from butter, and you have lactose-free ghee. This clarified form of butter, which has been a revered ingredient in Indian cooking since time immemorial and has now found acclaim in the Paleo diet ideology, has many virtues. It had been wrongly pushed into the trans-fats and hydrogenated fats category at the start of the century but has emerged a triumphant superfood that is here to stay.
No matter how ‘healthy’ they claim to be, cooking oils – be it canola, vegetable, soybean, safflower, corn oils – available in the market are highly refined, have gone through processes such as degumming, bleaching and de-odourisation. They contain inflammatory fatty acids and toxic chemicals. Hydrogenated fats like margarine are particularly dangerous to human health.
Pure ghee has a high smoking point, antioxidants to keep the wrinkles at bay, nutrients that feed the brain, and lubricates and oxygenates the joints. You will need less ghee than oil to cook your food in and will reap far greater benefits.
Reference: www.ketogenic-diet-rereference.com and rujutadiwekar.blogspot.com
Fruit for Your Morning Cuppa
It’s a given to kickstart your morning with a steaming mug of tea or coffee, but get this – caffeine first thing in the morning is known to disrupt metabolism, due to its acidic nature, and can be dehydrating, leading to headaches and muscle cramps.
It stimulates the cells, giving them no nutrition whatsoever, and leads to digestive issues. Relax, we’re not asking you to swear off a comforting cuppa forever. Enjoy your brew, but after you’ve lined your stomach with something more benign (and beneficial). A glass of warm water followed by a banana, apple or even some soaked almonds or raisins is a good idea to stave off the effects of a sluggish metabolism.
Reference: food.ndtv.com and www.thealternativedaily.com
Safe Materials for Plastic
It’s hard to avoid plastics, but would you make the extra effort if you were aware that plastics cause harm to more than the environment? They leach toxins into our food, water and air, causing cancer, genetic changes, birth defects, infertility and immune system impairments which are just a few of the hideous health hazards this man made material can cause, especially in teenagers and pre-adolescents.
Store, carry, cook and heat food in glass or stainless-steel containers. Steer clear of aluminium foil and Styrofoam carriers, and melamine crockery, plastic teethers and toys too. Select bedding, clothing and furniture made of natural fibres.
Reference: www.ecologycenter.org
Books For Facebook
When it comes to social media, we’re hooked. It’s now human nature to ‘catch up’ on the happenings on your Instagram, Facebook or Twitter accounts when you wind down for the night. The intended few minutes becomes hours of scrolling up and down (or swiping left or right). The damage shows the morning after, when you wake up with eyebags and brain fog, ready to kill the man who invented the alarm clock.
The brain gets confused by the blue light your smartphone emits, leading it to stop producing melatonin, the sleep hormone. This makes it impossible to get adequate, restful sleep, in turn opening the doors to a host of health problems such as a weak metabolism, increased stress hormones, belly fat and overall lethargy.
Read a gripping paperback instead. Not only will you improve and strengthen your power of comprehension and language, and make profound mental associations, you’ll be allowing your brain to tell you when it’s time to say goodnight for quality shuteye.
Reference: www.greatist.com
Mindful Eating for TV Dinners
Eating lunch or dinner while watching your favourite soap is not ideal – you’ll be consuming at least 31 per cent more than you need per meal, and you know what bigger portions do to your waistline. Eating while watching the television or your smartphone are not compatible activities. The problem lies in not paying attention to the taste, texture, sound of what we eat; we let external noise override our body’s ability to communicate satiety and overeat. It also distracts you from paying attention to your seated posture, causing long-term damage to the neck and spine.
Sit in silence or have a pleasant conversation with family or friends, instead, for a mindful gastronomic experience.
Reference: www.steptohealth.com
Natural for Artificial Sugars
Health experts have cried themselves hoarse, but we still find it difficult to kick the sweet habit. The processed variety of sugar that we eat has no nutritional benefits whatsoever; it only leaves us heavier on the scale. Do not even veer towards artificial sugar substitutes like aspartame, which have been linked to cancer and birth defects. Those 3pm sugar cravings can seem impossible to beat, but not if you have some handy alternatives at hand.
Enjoy naturally sweetened foods like fresh fruit, dried dates and figs, or sweets made of jaggery (an unrefined product of pure sugarcane) for a healthy and nutritious treat. Berries and cinnamon make for tasty additions to sugar-free cereals like oats and wheat bran. Sweeten beverages or desserts with honey, liquid stevia, ripe bananas or applesauce for a sin-free indulgence.
Reach for a square of dark chocolate, if you ever need to. And do remember that even natural sugars need to be consumed in moderation as part of a balanced diet.
Reference www.naturallivingideas.com
