Does the word Diet make you think of unpleasant weight-loss regimen? Forget it, Diet also refers to the food and drink a person consumes daily and the mental and physical circumstances connected to eating. Eating nutrition give you beautiful body not just outside but also inside.
Stress can be triggered due to a host of factors. Unfortunately, professional dissatisfaction is one of the biggest reasons for most young professionals to succumb and give in to acute stress.
Experts at the Florida Atlantic University in America have found that employees who feel overqualified for their current job are likely to feel dissatisfied with their work and feel stressed.
It was also found that as people age their sense of feeling overqualified also diminishes gradually.Occupational stress is actually a thing of this world, which means that the place one works in is not conducive for a person's professional or emotional growth, thereby triggering stressful events in an employee's routine.
Inability to cope with occupational demands or failure to deliver as expected may also push people to feel stressed and even feel depressed. Managerial bullying, role conflict, lack of autonomy or barriers in career development may also trigger stress in employees.
While one of the best ways to mitigate the problem is by taking it up with your reporting manager, working on your attention and ability to focus, and devising ways to delegate work and manage your time better may also help deal with extra workload and pressure. Take small breaks from work to feel refreshed and pep yourself up by talking to a colleague.
What you eat and how you lead your daily lifestyle may also go a long way in tackling occupational stress. Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption is likely to keep you from focusing and may down your productivity significantly. Poor sleep is also known to induce stress, hamper productivity, trigger irritability, play with your ability to concentrate and may even lead to depression. A diet rich in junk and processed food items is an long known ally of stress.
Certain food items are known to minimize the ill-effects of stress and help you focus at work. Load up on the following items to feel better.
Yogurt
Probably one of the best food items for your health. The health benefits of yogurt is not unknown to the world. It cooling properties soothe the system, aid digestion, promote weight loss, take care of your skin and hair, build stronger bones and also ensure sound mental health. Regular consumption of yogurt is known to kill anxiety.
Vitamin C
The nutrient is known strengthen immunity and also help mitigate stress. It is also known to repair stress-induced cell damage.
Nuts and seeds
These come loaded with a bevy of essential nutrients and elements that keep a check on anxiety and mood swings.
Dark chocolate
This needs no introduction; cocoa present in chocolate has long been linked to inducing the 'happy hormone', thereby alleviating spells of anxiety and depression.
So, you have been good all the week. Refrained from fried foods, chose to pick a salad over the fatty steak. And, let's not forget the cheesecake cravings that you successfully managed to ignore! When it comes to food, not giving into the impulses is a task. A task, that calls for a due reward from time to time. Cheat meal is one such incentive you can treat yourself with, after a spell of eating clean and staying active. Don't worry; your nutritionists would not mind this occasional binge either.But Why Cheat?
Cheat meal could help you in your weight loss goals. Yes, you heard us. These meals do not have an adverse impact on your fitness goals, provided they are taken in regulated quantities. Finding yourself an incentive may motivate you more in your fitness journey. Let us explain how.
Weight loss has lot to do with psychology. Consultant Nutritionist Dr. Rupali Datta explains, "The simple logic behind these occasional meals is that it makes you very happy. We are all human beings at the end of the day, the positive effect is mostly psychological than physiological. We are good eighty percent of the time, and for a good 20 percent we like to put the guards down. Eating burgers, pizza, pastas gives us that kind of satisfaction. In moderation, even these indulgences don't harm.
Cheat meal may also impact your metabolism in a good way. Dr. Rupali says, "Any change is good for the body, if practiced in moderation. When we talk about cheat meal, there are two aspects of it. One is that we have eaten clean and healthy for the whole week and want to take it easy on one last day of the week. Second is when we are on a specific diet plan for a week and take a day off to satiate our taste buds with our favourite foods. In the former case, a cheat meal is more of 'feel-good' factor, a reward for yourself. If you are on a weight reduction program, a cheat meal, in addition to being a psychological boost, also helps shake up the metabolism. Try something new and enjoy."
When you have reached your weight loss plateau, a cheat meal lets your metabolism to awaken to something new. This revived metabolism helps you to lose weight. But, make sure, the cheat meal is regulated, cautions Dr. Datta. If you end up noshing more calories than those you have saved in your diet and workout. You defeat the entire purpose of even being on weight reduction diet.
Things To Keep In Mind Before You Cheat.
1. Plan Your Cheat Meals Better
If your cheat day falls on a Sunday, and you have a party to attend on Saturday, make sure you appease your cravings to your heart's content on a Saturday only. Going on binge spree again on Sunday, would defeat all the good you have done the past whole week.
2. Don't Cheat When You Are Starving
It is not the best idea to go on a binge spree when you are starving or are famished. Not only would end up eating much more, but will also forget about the buffer of calories you have created for yourself, and go overboard.
3. Make Sure You Make Up For What You Eat
Conveniently skipping your workout after all the indulging is a strict no-no. Make sure you burn up all the calories at the gym the very next day.
4. Allow Yourself A Cheat Meal, Not A Cheat Day
Eat anything you like to your heart's content. But, don't overindulge. And, definitely not keep indulging the entire day. If your lunch was a mix of pastas and pizzas make sure your supper is light.
Deep purple hue, tarty sweet, sour taste and loads of memories - jamuns are olive-sized packets of nostalgia that take many of us back to our childhoods and make us long for simpler days. Most Indians have extremely fond childhood memories of gorging on these beautiful fruits on sunny days, and then checking each other's tongues for a purple patch left behind by the pulp. Jamuns are one of the best summer fruits to gift to your loved ones as they are promises of good health, as well as taste.
Jamuns are extremely versatile too - you can play around with them in the kitchen and turn them into jams, milkshakes, juices, or simply add them to vegetable or fruit salads. Also known as the black plum, the deep-purple fruit is referred to as the 'Fruit of the Gods' and rightly so! One jamun packs in 1.41 mg of iron, 15 mg of calcium and 18 mg of vitamin-C. It is also a rich source of B vitamins.
Here are some amazing health benefits of jamuns or black plums:
1. Fight Diabetes
Jamun, or jambol juice, is one of the best dietary cures for diabetes out there. Although, the pulp of the fruit contributes in the fight against diabetes to a large extent, it's the seeds of the fruit that are the real stars in this case. They convert sugars into energy, hence, maintaining the optimum level of blood sugar in diabetics.
2. Improve Digestion
Jamun can improve digestion to a great extent. They can regularise bowel movements and can treat diarrhoea. Jamun juice solves the problems of spleen enlargement and urine retention as well.
3. Help In Weight Loss
Jamun is very low in calories, and hence, makes for a great healthy snack if you're trying to lose weight during the summers. So, pepper your bowl of fruit chaat with diced jamuns for an addition of taste and health.
4. Improves Oral Health
Jamuns are believed to be great for treating bleeding gums and also for curing bad breath. The pulp of a fruit is effective against gingivitis, while the juice can even be used as a mouthwash.
5. Minimises Risk Of Cancer
Jamuns are extremely rich in active phytochemicals such as polyphenols. These contain anthocyanin, which can prevent cancer and even heart diseases.
So, now you know! If you needed any more reasons to add jamuns to your summer diet, we've given you five. Time to load up on all the deliciousness of the shiny black jamuns!
Egg and red meat lovers may find reason to rejoice in a decision by a United States advisory health panel to remove warnings about dietary cholesterol, saying that there is no link to dangerous levels of blood cholesterol that cause disease.
The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee until now had recommended that cholesterol intake be limited to 300 milligrams per day, about the amount in two eggs. After reviewing scores of studies that showed no correlation between dietary cholesterol and serum cholesterol, or "bad" cholesterol present in the blood, the committee determined that cholesterol was not "a nutrient of concern for overconsumption," it wrote in its report.
For decades, health and government officials warned against consumption of high-cholesterol foods, such as red meat and eggs, saying they greatly increased the risk of heart disease and obesity. But many doctors and nutritionists now say there is no link between dietary cholesterol and dangerous levels of cholesterol in the blood that cause disease.
"Many of us for a long time have believed the dietary guidelines were pointing in the wrong direction," Steven Nissen, chairman of the department of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, said in an interview. "It is long overdue."
The advisory committee's report will be used by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to write the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a blueprint that outlines the ideal American diet and is updated every five years.
In another change of course, the committee recommended three diets that are comprised of more than 30 percent fat: a healthy diet based on U.S. foods, the Mediterranean diet and a vegetarian diet. Several studies have shown that the Mediterranean diet - which emphasizes protein, whole grains and foods high in "good" fats such as olive oil, avocados and nuts - lowers the risk of heart disease.
As has been the case for years, the report found that most Americans consume too few vegetables, fruits, low-fat dairy and whole grains. Most diets are too high in calories and refined grains, such as white breads and pasta, saturated fat, added sugars and salt, the committee wrote.
The report is followed by a 45-day public comment period, and final guidelines are due later this year.
Steamed, puffy and delectable,Idli doused in the ever-so soothing sambhar sure makes for one of the nation's most favourite breakfast. South Indian cuisine is a treasure trove of flavour and spice, while most of its hidden gems are making its way and becoming popular in the food circuit. Idli, for the longest time has been making the south Indian cuisine proud across the sub-continent. It is not oily or greasy, yet it is considered to be one of the most delicious regional snacks. It is a popular street food, yet shares no infamous reputation of being unhealthy or calorie-laden. So, what is it about Idli that makes it so healthy? Let's, find out.Weight Loss Benefits
Idlis are steamed! Unlike most of our Indian snacks, they are not fried in fattening oil or slathered with butter. Since the grease content in idli is so less, the calories intake is also relatively low. This makes idli a better alternative than fried pakodas or samosas.
The only glitch here is that, rice forms an important component of the Idli batter. More specifically, white rice, which are full of simple carbs that may induce weight gain. But, since idli is steamed and also has a considerable amount ofurad dalin the batter, the carb content of rice may not be so bad for your waistline. Or, you can tweak your traditional recipe a bit and make yourself some healthy weight-loss-friendly Idli. All you need to do is to replace rice with oats. You can also sneak in some leafy vegetables and healthy spices in the batter to make some healthy Idlis.
Light And Easy To Digest
The reason why Idlis are one of the most preferred breakfasts is because it is light and fills you with energy. They don't make you lethargic. Since idli is fermented, it is easy to digest. Eating fermented food enables better breakdown of minerals and vitamins in our body, which helps in digestion. According to macrobiotic nutritionist and health practitioner, "Apart from aiding digestion, the lactic acid bacteria present in fermented foods also alter the PH balance in the intestines, which is associated with a long life and good health"
Rich In Vitamins And Encourages Healthy Gut Flora
Since Idli is a fermented food, and fermentation increases bio-availability of minerals in food, helping the body assimilate more nutrition. The bio availability of proteins and vitamin-B content in the food increases. According to Shilpa Arora, "the fermented process increases the bioavailability of nutrients like folic acid, riboflavin, niacin, thiamine, biotin and Vitamin-K as well as some antibiotic & anti carcinogenic substances." This is because micro-organisms break down complex protein, carbohydrates and fats more efficiently, enabling easy assimilation of nutrients. This also aids a healthy gut flora, since absorption of minerals and vitamins is so much easier.
MD - Allopathy, Addiction Psychiatrist Adolescent And Child Psychiatrist, 10 yrs, Pune