7 Golden lifestyle changes will change your life completely #National Nutrition Week
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NewsBharati 01-Sep-2022 11:00:00 AM
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This week is observed as National Nutrition week and that’s why today we are talking about a very important aspect. I know it may sound common but these 7 things really change your life if you follow them to the T. I am not a nutritionist or specialized in this area, however, I was dealing with PCOS for the past 2 years, and these changes in my nutrition really helped me a lot. So thought of sharing the experience with you all.
Health and nutrition is the most important part of our lifestyle and still, sometimes we tend to ignore them. Not because we aren’t aware of it, but because we take our health for granted at times, which is harmful. We take our youth for granted and feel this is the age we can live our life the way we want to, and we do not pay much attention to the habits that we are inculcating. I am talking about it from self-experience. I took my health and youth for granted, for which I had to struggle a lot for the last two years. There were so many complications along with PCOS, low immunity, low fertility, and system dysfunctions were some of them. This means my digestive system went for a toss because of heavy medication. I was under a severe bacterial infection for near about 6 months, and only Ayurveda and Lifestyle changes could help me to come out of it successfully.
And thus I thought of sharing these 7 things today, about nutrition, which helped me with all my health issues, and I feel it can help you too, even if you don’t have any health issues.
So let’s see what are these 7 things. :
1. Change your mindset: We don’t talk about mindset much, and we follow the trends blindly however I feel it all starts from our minds. If we decide on a few things in our minds, we can surely follow a routine. Believe that these lifestyle changes are only for the betterment of my health and I can do this, and change a lot of things. Shifting your perspective from “It is so difficult for me” to “It is important for my health, it is giving me 5 extra years in my life and I can do this” helps a lot. Before making these changes, working on mindset really works. You can talk to professionals about the same, make sure you choose professionals very carefully. Because the health industry is a huge business these days, getting the right professionals is really difficult and important. Changing mindset is the first step toward a healthy self.
2. Include more local foods in your diet: Think about it, when we were kids what we used to eat the most? Millets that were easily available in our area like Nachni (Ragi), Jowar, Bajra, Kodo, Kuti, etc. helped us to shape our health in the right way. However, as we grew up and started living on our own, we started for looking brands and buying stuff from supermarkets because it is more convenient. Eating local fruits and vegetables, as well as local millet, helps you to have a healthy meal on its own, without doing so many efforts for the same, as because they are local they are fresher, they are better in quality. Instead of running behind the brands, if we choose local sabzi vendors and local food items, it will help us to stay healthy 10 times more.
3. Right Balance is the key: Who says you can’t eat junk food? You can, because let’s accept the fact we live in metro cities where every other get-together includes unhealthy junk food. However, striking the right balance will help you to stay fit and healthy. Have your weekend for your junk food, you can have one meal as junk, you can choose anything that day (on your cheat day) you want to eat, and dedicate the rest of the week to more fruits and veggies. It does help you to stay fit, healthy, and energetic. Without making an extra fuss, or doing anything extravaganza you can follow a diet that is according to your lifestyle. I did the same, made small changes in my diet in the last few months, and I saw the results. Added millets to my daily diet, added more protein and fiber, and more folic acid-rich food, and it helped. I also had junk on my cheat days, and that satisfied my taste buds.
4. Portion Control is also the KEY: Portion control is also a part of striking the right balance. Who asked you to finish that entire pastry, or eat 10 Pav with that butter-loaded Bhaji? To satisfy your taste buds, you can have 2-3 bites of your desserts, and eat 2-3 pav with bhaji along with a bowl of salad. Finish your salad first and then eat the rest. Every day control your portion and see the difference, use smaller plates. Portion Control will solve half of the problems. If a mad foodie like me can lose 8 kgs, following this, why can’t you?
5. Follow natural things, Ayurveda, and what is told in our culture from ages ago: We usually underestimate our ancestors when it comes to diet and health, we feel that new age crash diets, fad diets, Kito diet, Intermittent fasting, and all that is going to help us. Well, it may help some people, however, if we just follow the rules and things that are mentioned by our older generation many of the things can be taken care of. Like do not eat post 7 in the night, add all types of nutrition to your plate. When we fill our plate ¾ portion should be salad, protein, and vitamins, and ¼ portion should be the carbs. We need everything. Even if we open our textbooks from class 2nd or 3rd we will get to know what we are missing. Instead of following western diet patterns if we follow what our Ayurveda said ages ago (Even before all these foreign theories), we can live a much better, healthier, and more comfortable life.
6. 70% diet and 30% exercise rule: It is true. If you want to live healthily (I am not just talking about losing weight) I am talking about the entire healthy life, 70% right diet and 30% right exercise 5-6 days a week, really help. Moving your body is as important as eating healthy. It is also a part of our nutrition, which we sometimes ignore. A 30 mins walk or light yoga can also be helpful, you don’t need to join a Gym or Zumba class to stay fit and healthy. You need what suits you. For some it is dance, for some, it is cycling, for some it is Yoga and for some, it is just a walk. Whatever it is make sure along with following a healthy diet you are moving your body.
7. Short-term diets never work, you need to follow what you can make your lifestyle: I learned this hard way. I joined a gym, followed numerous diets and nothing worked, Then I realized I am doing something which is suitable for someone else’s lifestyle, not mine. I have grown up eating Roti Sabzi and Daal Chawal. Even if I switch to quinoa and oats I know it won’t be sustainable for me and it would be short-term. So I decided I will follow, what suits me. Having Nachni Satva was a much much better option than having an oats porridge. Because I was much more familiar with the former. So I followed the diet which suited my lifestyle. You need to do the same. Just because your GYM dietician is telling you to eat quinoa rice or avocado sandwich not necessarily you can follow that for a long time. Make sure you follow whatever that you can make it a lifestyle. Otherwise, it won’t be sustainable.
These were the 7 golden rules which helped me. Going local, sticking to the roots, and adapting a sustainable lifestyle along with portion control helped me a lot and I think it can help you too. Try this and let us know if you find it useful. If yes let us know in the comments below.
- Niharika Pole Sarwate
Niharika Pole Sarwate
Niharika Pole Sarwate became a journalist to voice her opinion for the right. She has been working as journalist for more than five years now. Art, Culture, Youth, Nation are her areas of work. Social media has strong power and she is on a mission to utilise it for the betterment of the society.