Being healthy, home or away
Class starts at 9 o’ clock and its already 8:50. Breakfast? No way.
If I were at home, my mom would have made me gobble up an idly and armed me with an apple and a bottle of juice. But I live hundreds of miles away from home, figuring out ways to lead a healthy life all by myself. At such times, the attention we pay to our health is diminished and on the other hand, most of the things will no longer be under our control.
So, its essential that we are constantly conscious of what and when we eat.
A very important concern to be addressed is that, we often tend to miss our breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because, it breaks the overnight fasting. Thus, it replenishes the glucose and nutrient supply to our body and keeps us going through the day. Also, if we skip breakfast, we become ravenous by lunchtime and tend to pig out, which is unhealthy.
When we look for healthy and quick breakfast alternatives, oatmeal, cornflakes and boiled eggs seem to comply. Oats are gluten-free whole grains and are a lush source of important vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants. The health benefits of oatmeal include weight loss, lower blood sugar levels and a reduced risk of heart disease. A cherry on top is that, oats need not be cooked as such. An oatmeal gets ready in a minute by just adding hot water or milk. Same applies to cornflakes as well. Boiled eggs are inexpensive yet a rich source of high quality protein. Owning an electric kettle comes in handy especially when it comes to boiling eggs and milk.
While eating in a hotel or mess, we don’t have much nutritious options on table. So, we need to make wise choices and avert unhealthy options. Its better to choose wheat rotis over rice and dal over other curries. Wheat is rich in fiber while refined white rice is stripped of all its nutrients. Also, never miss out on paneer, soya chunks, rajma, chickpea etc… because, these contain plentiful of proteins. Curd intake either in the form of buttermilk or raita is very good. It is an excellent source of good bacteria lactobacillus that helps in digestion. Also, it has copious amount of calcium which keeps our bones and teeth healthy.
Switching to healthy snacking habits is very important for healthy life when away from home. Instead of biscuits and chips, we could try munching on salted peanuts, almonds, raisins, walnuts, peanut candies etc… Stock up on peanut butter and jam to be had with wheat bread as a light meal. Fruits, cucumber and carrot if available, are the healthiest munching options.
Set aside an hour of your day for a physical activity – it could be a sport, running or even walking. If nothing else works out due to space and time issues, yoga is always a favourable option. A yoga mat and a 12 square feet area are the only requirements for practicing yoga.
Finally, drinking lots of water and not missing out on a good sleep are significant guidelines for a healthy life.
Home or away – let’s keep a check on our health by paying attention, choosing wisely and putting in a little effort.
Written By: Priyadarshini S. Srinivasan
