EAT WELL, STAY HEALTHY

health

Pen down your eating schedule: It’s imperative to pen down everything you are putting into yourselves. Note your meal timings, amount of water-intake in terms of 240 ml glasses, amount of caffeine intake in terms of cups (240 ml), number of snacks in a day. At the end of the day, you will get to identify your problem area and gradually work on improving your routine.

Eat only when hungry: It’s the best time to train your brain to eat only when you are actually hungry. Your body actually needs lesser amount of calories when your activities are limited so the more you eat out of boredom, the more it will pile on as extra weight. Eat three proper main meals - breakfast, lunch and dinner and two snacks throughout the day. Make your breakfast the heaviest meal of the day. By heaviest, I mean to consume most carbs during your breakfast time and consume the least during dinner time.

Keep yourself well-hydrated: At least have 12 glasses of water in a day to keep yourself away from fake hunger pangs.

Practice mindful eating:

• Don’t eat on the go - it’s difficult to be aware of how much you are eating. Have a seat.
• Resist eating straight from the bag/box. Always try to watch your portion before eating.
• Remove distractions. Turn off the TV and everything else with a screen, like computers, phones, etc. while eating.
• Take small bites and chew well, while focusing on the smell, taste and texture of the food. Try to get 30 chews out of each bite.
• Try putting your utensils down after each bite. Don’t pick them back up until you’ve swallowed what you already have in your mouth.
• Don’t try to finish the whole plate. If you feel full, safely keep the leftovers.

Control your portion size:

As a general rule of thumb, use following guidelines for portion sizes:

• Protein: Palm size serving of meat, chicken, or fish or ½ - 1 cup cooked legumes.
• Oil: 1 teaspoon - 1 tablespoon per meal.
• Rice/Pasta/Quinoa: The amount of carbohydrate you will need depends on your age and activity levels but as a general rule of thumb, just half to one cup cooked is all we need, especially if weight control is the goal.
• Cheese: 1-2 slices of organic cheese depending upon individual statistics.
• Bread: If large slices, take 1 slice per meal or 2 small bread slices per meal.
• Vegetables: As a general rule of thumb, 2-3 cups of salad in a day.
• Chocolate: 2-3 squares of chocolate. Choose dark, where possible.
• Dressings/Sauces: Whether it is mayonnaise, tomato sauce, soy sauce or dressing, sauces add extra calories. Limit sauces to just 1-2 teaspoons.
• Eggs: In general, 1-2 full eggs or egg whites depending upon individuals.
• Nuts: In general, 1 oz. per serving.
• Dairy: Measure 1 cup of liquid dairy and 1-2 cups of other types of dairy such as yogurt and cottage cheese.
• Fruits: 2-3 portions of fruit in a day or ¼ cup dried fruit.

These are all the general guidelines to follow if you want to maintain your current weight. If you want to lose weight then portion sizes vary according to an individual’s body statistics, current lifestyle and health issues.

Limit sugar intake: If you crave something sweet, fresh fruit should always be the priority. Frozen fruits, canned fruits in juice rather than syrup, and dried fruits with no added sugar are also good options. When other dessert options are chosen, ensure that they are low in sugar and consume small portions. Watch out for low fat options, as these are often high in added sugars. Limit the amount of sugar or honey added to foods and avoid sweetening your beverages.

Limit fat intake: To achieve this, opt for cooking methods that require less or no fat, such as steaming, grilling or sautéing instead of frying foods. If needed, use small amounts of unsaturated oils like olive or sunflower oil to cook foods. Prefer foods that contain healthy sources of unsaturated fats, such as fish and nuts. To limit saturated fats, trim excess fat from meat and poultry and choose skinless options. Reduce foods such as red and fatty meats, butter and full-fat dairy products, palm oil, coconut oil, solid shortening and lard.

Avoid Trans fats as much as possible. Read nutrition labels to ensure that hydrogenated oils are not listed in the ingredients. If food labels are not available, avoid foods which commonly contain trans fats such as processed and fried foods, like doughnuts and baked goods - including biscuits, pie crusts, frozen pizzas, cookies, crackers and margarine. If in doubt, minimally processed foods and ingredients are better choices.

Introduce intermittent fasting: For those who are in the habit of binge eating till late night, it is the right time to introduce intermittent fasting. Start intermittent fasting after having early dinner around 7pm and only consume green tea, herbal teas or water during that time. 12-14 hours of intermittent fasting is a good way to keep yourself away from all the nibbling.

Zainab can be reached at xainabsarwar@live.com, www.yogadubai.ae or @lifestylebyzainabsarwar on Instagram.