The trick to eating healthy for Office goers

As an active person you may have every intention of eating healthy but you struggle because you do not know what to eat when and how much to eat. As a result you tend to make poor nutritional choices that zap your energy levels, increase lethargy, results in acidity or unwanted weight gain. Keeping all this in mind, we have provided you with tips to help you eat right even if you are on the move.

The trick to eating healthy:

One basic trick to win with nutrition is to prevent yourself from getting too hungry, conscious planning goes a long way in achieving this.

A few tips to manage a busy schedule.

MORNINGS

Within an hour of waking up kick start your metabolism by eating something. It can be a fruit or a few nuts like almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and walnuts. Nuts are a good source of fibre, healthy fats and proteins.

Breakfast:

Skipping breakfast makes it harder to maintain stable blood sugar levels and the effective functioning of your body and brain during your busy mornings. You can easily grab a hardboiled egg and an orange. For vegetarians, toast with peanut butter will give the right amount of proteins and carbohydrates.

Managing your daily Tea/Coffee:

Caffeine and Tannin inhibit our mental performance throughout the day, so replace it with Green Tea, which is loaded with antioxidants that provide a variety of health benefits such as boosting metabolism, working as a good digestive aid and preventing radical damage in your cells.

A good mid-morning snack would be a fruit or a glass of coconut water. One can also have a glass of buttermilk, as it is a good probiotic to aid in digestion and create good fauna in the gut by regulating the PH balance.

LUNCH

What you choose to eat for lunch, as well as the time you eat it, can have a big impact on your weight, well being and energy levels. Choose from a serving of idli with sambar, a whole-wheat subway, grilled veggies or chicken or tuna multi grain sandwich. While choosing a sandwich, try and go for the mint sauce since it’s made with green chutney instead of mayonnaise. Also, opt for sauces like vinaigrette or a dash of barbeque. Avoid eating cheese.

MID MEALS

Eating every two hours ensures that your brain gets a regular flow of sugar, thereby avoiding fatigue, mood swings and sluggishness. Have protein rich snacks handy like almonds, peanuts, granola bars, low fat cheese and yogurt, pumpkin and sunflower seeds and chia seeds. A fistful of chana and peanuts can easily be carried to work, as they provide you with the necessary carbohydrates and proteins. Alternatively one can also drink a cup of skim milk, a protein share or kora khakras.

DINNER: 

What most of us fail to realise is that the quality, quantity and timing of all our pre-dinner meals have a direct effect on our night time dining.  Many of us tend to view dinner as a comfort meal wherein we can afford to indulge since the other meals during the day have been compromises. This is not the time to indulge, so eat a light  dinner. A smart way to eat your dinner would be to eat veggies first, protein second and carbs last. Make sure your dinner is complete at least 2 hours before bedtime.


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