A GOOD DIET TO HELP STRENUOUS STUDY DAYS

Exams are here again. As always we tend to neglect our food in the process of concentrating on studies. But we forget that to concentrate on studies we have to concentrate on taking a healthy diet.

Here are a few diet tips that will help you balance your study as well as diet.

ü  Eat small and nourishing meals every three hours, instead of just 2-3 heavy meals. The brain needs constant supply of energy and a heavy meal will divert the blood supply to digest the heavy meal.

ü  Your daily diet must include 2-3 fresh, seasonal fruits. Start your day with a boost of fruit energy. Have a banana with a tablespoon of honey as the first meal of the day. Fruits provide you not only with fiber, vitamins and minerals but also simple and complex carbohydrates for short and long duration of energy supply when studying. The fiber will also help to keep the bowel movement clear.

ü  A good breakfast is a must for anyone. The breakfast must contain foods with complex carbohydrates like flakes, oats, rawa (semolina), daliya (wheat cracks), poha (rice flakes) or pav with vegetables and a protein source such as eggs, milk, pulse, sprouts or paneer.

ü  Nuts and dry fruits like almonds, walnuts, and dates provide nutrients which enhance brain power and concentration and also provide extended source of energy supply.

ü  Include potassium rich coconut water, citrus fruits/ juices and soups in your diet.

ü  Green leafy vegetables, pulses and nuts will also provide vitamins and minerals to help avoid anemia. (Anemia is a common problem causing difficulty in concentration.)

ü  Including milk as a bed-time meal and curd/lassi/buttermilk after lunch or as a mid-meal assures a supply of Vitamin B12 too.

ü  Drink plenty of water to keep your body hydrated. Always keep a glass of water beside you to remember to take sips of water every 15 minutes.

ü  Basic exercise like stretching, walking or yoga with meditation will help to reduce negative stress and also help you to get good sleep.

ü  Avoid junk foods as they will provide you no nutrition.

ü  Avoid stimulants like tea, coffee or colas as they may seem to perk you up but the energy does not sustain for long. Too much may even cause bloating or acidity.

ü  Avoid aerated drinks as they are full of sugar and may cause rapid rise in blood sugar levels causing a sudden rise and drop in sugar levels.

ü  Chocolates may seem to may you feel good but the sudden rise and fall of sugar it causes in the blood can lead to trembling nervousness and panic.

ü  Have your dinner if possible a little earlier than 9-10pm.

ü  Keep about 2 hours between dinner and your bedtime.

ü  Have a sound sleep for at least 7-8 hours daily.

Remember your body and mind need the fuel to help you perform the best. So, nourish it and take care of it and it will do the same for you.

Have a healthy exam.

EAT YOUR WAY TO A HEALTHY YOU

The idea behind eating several small meals a day isn’t to just make you lose weight. This method is meant to help you eat less throughout the day rather than stuffing yourself in the three main meals.

I feel this makes more sense. Instead of making a mad rush to that large meal and in turn also stressing out and then ending up eating heavy and unhealthy, it is better to take a healthy snack in between the main meals. That way when it’s time for your delicious meal, you can portion control it in a way that fits your desire to eat and your body’s requirement.

This does not negate any enjoyment, does not make you feel an unwanted restraint, but let’s you have more of an enjoyable control on your food intake. Is this not what getting fit is about? Reasonable amounts of exercise along with a reasonable amount of restraint towards how much food is consumed all at once- that’s the philosophy.

Allow your body to digest the food gradually and use up the energy “now” and avoid that point where the body decides to try to store up the excess energy as fat which is ultimately never used.

So, the theory is very simple. Eating 6 small meals a day will speed up your metabolism and help you burn much more fat than if you were to eat 3 bigger meals a day.

Now after having stated this I would also like to mention that in my experience and from what I’ve observed you also have to understand a few loop holes in changing the way you eat.

We are designed to thrive on eating when we are hungry and continuing to eat until we reach satisfaction. This can become a wrong habit if we don’t understand what is healthy snacking. Just eating frequently is not the aim but eating portioned or healthy is more important. 

Continuing to snack on small meals throughout the day seems to be impractical most of the time when you do not understand what the mid meals should include. For example; eating a fruit early in the morning or instead of having the fruit along with your breakfast you can have it after some time of having had your breakfast. Also instead of having your curd or yoghurt along with your lunch you can have it as a mid afternoon snack. So, this is actually as easy as it sounds. All you need is the awareness, the control and the positive desire and drive to achieve the health for your body.

It’s not just “how often” we eat during the day that’s going to help us keep the fat away, but also its “what we eat and how much of it” that we need to be careful about.

We just don’t want to believe that we can enjoy “eating correctly”. Dieting/ weight loss is the most insulted word and it not only makes it painful for us but abusive to our bodies.

The only way to lose weight is slowly and sensibly. “Good sleep, regular exercise and enjoying frequent healthy meals” is all we need to lose weight.

So, eat your way to fat loss and a healthy you.