Change in the New Year

A few simple tips to changing your lifestyle could lead to a healthier, happier and fitter 2012

BY GEETA KHURANA

Many of us have healthy eating or losing weight as a New Year’s resolution, but how many of us are actually able to achieve this? So instead of making a resolution we can’t keep, how about simply revising our habits in the New Year and trying to stick to as many health tips as possible. Sometimes even small changes go a long way in helping us maintain a healthy lifestyle.

1. Small and frequent meals

Try to have 3 meals and 3 small snacks every day. You do not need to eat more food, just have smaller portion sizes at meal timings, and have small snacks in-between. Skipping meals or eating large portions 3 times a day can cause you to put on weight and if you are a diabetic, can cause unstable blood glucose.

2. Go grains

Instead of the high GI carbohydrates such as white bread, opt for the grainy options such as the multigrain or soy linseed breads, and basmati rice, wholegrain pasta or oatmeal as these stay in your blood for a longer time and provide a feeling of satiety. Wholegrain breads and cereals are also good sources of iron and zinc, especially for vegetarians.

3. Go for 2 & 5

Eating fruit and vegetables contributes to good health and protects us from a number of diseases. Most of us do not eat even half of the day’s requirement of fruit and vegetables needed for healthy living. Adults need two serves of fruit and at least five serves of veggies every day. Increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables in your diet may be the single most important factor with which you can avoid a number of diseases. All fruits and vegetables are healthy, but vary in nutritional values. These can be of any shape, colour, texture or variety. These can be fresh, frozen, canned or tinned, so make them a part of all your meals and snacks. But avoid fruit preserved in sugar syrup or sweetened fruit juices, unless you have extra calories to spare. One should always try eating the whole fruit as such, since they are higher in fibre than fruit juices. Try to include different coloured fruits and veggies in your diet to have more variety and to attain maximum nutrition, as they contain unique health components that are essential to our health. By eating different coloured fruit and veggies, you get a diverse amount of vitamins and minerals.

4. Healthy fats

Fats are an indispensable part of our diet and play an important role in providing energy and absorbing fat-soluble vitamins. Therefore, instead of forgoing fats it is better to have healthy fats and in a smaller quantity. Fat sources that provide mostly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are better. These fats include olive, canola, soy, corn, sunflower, peanut and other vegetable oils; soft margarine (especially those free of trans-fats), nuts, seeds, avocados, and fatty fish such as salmon and herring. These healthy fats improve cholesterol levels when eaten instead of saturated fats. Also, the Omega-3 fats from fatty fish like salmon or tuna offer an extra benefit. Research suggests that these special polyunsaturated fats can help protect the heart from serious rhythm problems. The best way to reduce saturated fat and cholesterol intake is to cut back on the consumption of red meat, use nonfat or low-fat dairy sources in place of full-fat versions, and use olive oil or canola oil in place of butter, when possible.

5. Snack wisely

Eating small snacks in between meals is excellent as it keeps your metabolism ticking because you eat smaller portions at meal times. However, picking the right type of snacks is even more important. If you munch on biscuits, cakes or other fried snacks you will end up with even more calories and sodium intake than if you were having a large meal.

Fruit, salads, plain biscuits, unsalted popcorn, nuts, dried fruit, low fat yoghurts, fruit smoothies with low fat milk, fat reduced cheese sticks and fruit bread can be excellent in-between snacks, but only to be taken in moderation.

6. Healthy proteins

When choosing protein, try to choose lean ones that do not provide too much saturated fat, as sometimes a high protein diet can end up being a high fat diet too. Nuts, seeds, beans and tofu are excellent sources of protein that also provide fibre, vitamins, and minerals. Avocados, nuts and seeds typically contain healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Fish is a great source of protein, and the fatty varieties are rich in heart-healthy Omega-3 fats. Chicken and turkey without the skin are good sources of protein, yet are low in saturated fats. When you do have red meat, choose lean cuts, trim visible fat and consume moderate portions - and have it occasionally, rather than regularly. Dairy products are also good sources of protein, as well as of calcium. The full-fat versions are higher in calories and saturated fats, so select low-fat or fat-free varieties instead.

7. Limit alcohol

If you do not drink alcohol, avoid it. But if you do drink, do so in moderation. Men should limit to 2 standard drinks per day and females should limit to 1 standard drink per day. Also, try to have at least 2 alcohol-free days in a week. Choose to snack wisely with alcohol in-take as sometimes the high-fat, high-salt fried snacks turn out to be more risky than the alcohol. Snack on salads, papads, fresh paneer and nuts instead of namkeen mixtures, fried chicken and fish.

8. Be active

We all know the benefits of regular exercise and the risks of inactivity, but we still find it difficult to incorporate some kind of physical activity into our busy schedule. Sitting in front of the computer or in an office job does not give your body any workout. “I do not have enough time to exercise” is the main excuse, and the second most common one is, “I get too tired in the office”. Just 10-15 minutes of your time in a day is not going to change your busy schedule any more or less, and sitting in the office the whole day is what makes you tired and sluggish. A little exercise actually revitalizes you. So stop thinking of excuses and rather, try to fit in some time to exercise. Exercise keeps you fit, improves your mood, bolsters your self-esteem and gives you the confidence to handle whatever comes your way. There are many ways to increase physical activity without going to the gym.

Use the stairs instead of the lift or elevator wherever you can; if possible walk to and from your work, or park your car a little further down the road and walk for about 10 minutes; try maintaining the garden; walk to the local shops; play with the kids on the weekends; go swimming.

It is good to start off exercising for about 5-10 minutes; you can then gradually increase your time to about 30-45 minutes per day. Anything in between is fine: doing some exercise is better than doing none at all.