By adopting good eating habits along with a healthy and balanced diet, you can also keep yourself healthy for a long time.
Eating a healthy and balanced diet is one of the most important things you can do to protect your health. In fact, your life choices and habits, such as eating a healthy diet and being physically active, can prevent up to 80% of premature heart disease and stroke. This can improve cholesterol levels, reduce blood pressure, manage body weight and control blood sugar.
But is choosing the right food enough? The answer is a resounding no. Along with eating right, we should also learn good eating habits. While there are no set guidelines to follow, here are some things that should be a part of healthy eating habits.
Celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar is here to help you on your journey towards a healthy lifestyle with some incredible health secrets she shares in her Audible Original podcast.
Habit number 1: Do not skip breakfast and eat only homemade fresh food.
Rujuta says, ‘It is not enough to have a proper dinner, it is also important to start your day with a fresh home-made breakfast every day.’ She suggests including idli, poha, dosa and eggs as part of the daily routine. Apart for this, Rujuti also urges her fans to add fresh fruits and dry fruits to their breakfast. You can also eat soaked almonds, walnuts or just bananas for breakfast.
Habit No. 2: Eat one local fruit daily at mid-meal
Include a local fruit in your daily mid-meal (the time between breakfast and lunch or lunch and dinner). Rujuta says, ‘A hyper-local fruit is a fruit that does not have a name in English, it has a name in your local language. It may be known in your area, but not necessarily worldwide. These local fruits include banana, guava, jackfruit, grapes etc.
To stay healthy and fit both physically and mentally, Rujuta suggests eating fruits like bora, maran, phalsa, mulberry, ranjana, jamun, bael, cashew fruit, tadgola, nimboli, ramphal etc. All of them are rich in nutrition, vitamins, prebiotics and many bioactive compounds.
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Habit No. 3: Don’t starve yourself during lunch
Rujuta says, ‘Having a hearty Indian thali is enough. A complete thali means a dish consisting of dal, roti, rice, green vegetables and if required a side dish like curd or pickle or any sweet.’
Therefore, make sure that your lunch is nutritious, containing essential vitamins and minerals. Rujuti further says, ‘Goods nutrition is one of the keys to a health life. This includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy and sources of protein.
Pro Tip: While eating food, sit in Sukhasana (cross legged).
Habit No. 4: Take a short afternoon nap (10-30 minutes)
Rujuta puts a lot of emphasis on the importance of afternoon nap. She suggests adding at least for 20-250-minutes nap right afters your lunchs. He says, ‘Start taking an afternoon nap, this will help you sleep better. This will help you achieve optimal levels of growth hormone and IGF (insulin-like growth factor). It will reduce your fat faster.
Pointing out other health benefits, she also says, ‘People who have undergone heart surgery and those who are suffering from thyroid PCOD, hormonal problems, diabetes, acidity and digestion problems or those who are struggling with insomnia and broken bones. They feel sleepy, they should also try to take an afternoon nap.
Habit No. 5: Finish dinner early
Nowadays people tend to skip dinner but at the end of the day, eating a healthy and light dinner helps your body maintain its levels and functions. Also keep in mind that for good health, never remove roti, rice and ghee from your diet. Additionally, Rujuta emphasizes on good sleep after dinner for complete recovery. “Sleep and recovery are equally important,” he says.
By adopting these 5 small eating habits, you can always keep yourself healthy. Stay connected to Harzindagi to get more such information.