TIPS FOR OFFICE GOERS

Most of the people going to offices have a sedentary lifestyle. They have to sit & work for long hours and there is no physical activity.So for them it becomes difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
They tend to skip meals or eat junk food as it is easily available & is less time consuming.

But if you want to lose your weight or maintain it,do make the following changes in your lifestyle-

DO NOT SKIP MEALS-
Most office goers skip meals due to time constraint.This causes a drop in the blood sugar level & also causes overeating in the next meal.Eat at least 5-6 meals in a day.

Some healthy options available are-

LASSI

• roated channa 
• peanuts
• curd
• carrots & cucumber
• lassi
• coconut water

All these options can be had as a mini meal or mid day meal.

HAVE LOTS OF WATER-

Try to drink at least 7-8 glasses of water in a day.Water helps you feel fuller & also removes toxins from the body.Sometimes we confuse thirst with hunger, so always have a glass of water & see if you are still feeling hungry or not.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY-

Try to move as much as possible.Even while sitting you can exercise by rotating your arms & feet.Use stairs instead  of lift as much as possible.

Some other options for quick fix lunches -

• Grilled sandwiches-use  wholewheat bread & keep the cheese out.
• Chapati rolls-stuff your chapati with anything like chicken, egg, fish, cottage cheese(paneer), tofu, vegetables.
• Sprouts & curd-easy to make &carry.Also very nutritious.
• Idli, poha, upma-cooks in a jiffy & gives you the nutrients you require.

TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT WITH ALCOHOL...

Having alcohol & losing weight cannot go hand in hand. Why do I say that? Its because only 1 ml of alcohol gives 7 calories & no other nutrition.These are called empty calories.

So,if you drink, lets say,200 ml of alcohol in a day, you consume 1400 calories & these 1400 calories might be your calorie requirement for the entire day.So you take almost double the calories required & thus the weight increases rather than decreasing.

I know its difficult to completely give up alcohol if you have been consuming it for so many years.Therefore keep in mind the following tips to reduce or limit the effect of alcohol on your weight loss-

• For every serving of alcohol have 1 glass of water.
• You can mix soda or ice cubes to your drink.
• Have roasted/low calorie snacks with alcohol.People usually consume fried snacks which is the biggest mistake.Instead try pop corns(no butter please), roasted chips or salads.you can also eat 2 pieces of roasted chicken or 50 gm low fat cottage cheese(paneer).
• Don't drink alcohol on an empty stomach.Alcohol stimulates the appetite, so you feel more hungry & end up eating more.

Also,limit the quantity of alcohol you consume according to the following guidelines-

• BEER-1 CAN
• RUM, SCOTCH, WHISKY, VODKA, GIN-30 ml & maximum 60 ml
• CHAMPAGNE-120 TO 150ml
• TEQUILA-2 SHOTS ie 120ml
• RED & WHITE WINE-upto 150ml

THE 3 R's OF COOKING!!

We eat to live or "live to eat" in today's time & for the food to become edible, it needs to be cooked.Cooking is done on every household on a daily basis but the way we cook has an impact on the nutritive value of vegetables.
Cooking in the right manner can preserve lots of nutrients to keep us healthy.

SOME COMMON PRACTICES THAT CAUSES LOSS OF NUTRIENTS-

Peeling-The vitamins under the skin  are lost on peeling.So certain fruits & vegetables like apple,cucumber,radish,pears,carrots can be eaten with the peel.

The outer leaves of cabbage are much more greener than the inner leaves as they contain more carotene
(vit A).So throwing the outer leaves results in carotene loss.

Baking soda is added to veggies to improve their colour but this creates an alkaline medium which causes loss of many vitamins like folic acid, vitamin c, thiamine.

Heating & reheating the food destroys many nutrients.Therefore it is better to cook when it's time to eat or re-heat only the amount of food required.

About 50 percent of  riboflavin is lost when the milk is exposed to sunlight.So always keep the milk covered.


THE 3R's OF COOKING TO PRESERVE NUTRIENTS ARE-

REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF WATER USED-

Many water soluble vitamins are lost during cooking.To reduce this-

~Soaking and washing time of the veggies should be reduced.

~Wash the vegetables with skin & then peel & cut.

~Use only the required amount of water while cooking so that no extra water is left which has to be drained.

~Steaming & pressure cooking are good options to preserve nutrients while cooking.

REDUCE THE LENGTH OF COOKING PERIOD-

The more time you take to cook,more the water soluble vitamins (vit B&C) are lost.So cook for a short time.Cooking time can be reduced by pressure cooking or covering the vessel with a lid while cooking.Microwaving is another good option.

Soaking pulses for some time before cooking hastens the process of cooking.It also reduces phytic acid which can cause flatulence.

REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF SURFACE AREA EXPOSED-

Cut the veggies into bigger pieces so that less of vitamins are leeched into water.More of vitamin C is preserved when carrots are cut lengthwise rather than crosswise.

Cook the vegetables with skin so that leeching of vitamins into water is less.

EATING IN A BUDGET

Food is the basic requirement of life but in today's time when the prices are skyrocketing, families are reducing their food budget to meet all their other needs.Onions which were once the staple diet of the poor is now a luxury for them.

Eating a healthy, nutritious meal within a budget is not a difficult task if you remember the following points-

• Keep an amount fixed every week for your grocery shopping so that you do not cross your budget while buying the food stuffs.
• Make a grocery list.This way you will avoid buying in excess.
• GO SHOPPING ALONE since kids tend to demand things which are all unhealthy & they effect your food choices as well as your budget.
• Do not go to places that offer gifts on purchase of large amounts on food items because you end up buying things in excess.
• MAKE A PRICE LIST of all the items that are required so you can compare the costs of similar foods.This way you will make the best choices within your budget. 
• BUY FRUITS & VEGGIES IN THEIR SIMPLE FORM.Ready to eat, pre-cut & processed foods are convenient but more expensive.
• NEVER go grocery shopping on an empty stomach as you tend to buy more of junk & fatty foods.
• EAT LOCAL, THINK GLOBAL.Always eat seasonal & locally produced fruits & veggies as they are cheaper, fresher & nutritious.
• Buy from the local vendor than the supermarkets since they have fresher fruits & vegetables.The ones in the supermarkets could be stocked up for days & less nutritional.There is another plus point if u buy from the local vendor, they always give you some chillies or coriander for free!!!
• Cook in small quantities to avoid wastage.
• USE THE LEFTOVERS to make new tasty dishes.
• Make the best use of all the ingredients. eg-If you make paneer(cottage cheese ) at home then don't throw the remaining water as it is rich in proteins, use it to cook your veggies or knead your flour(atta) with it to make more nutritious meals.

So guys keep these point in mind & shop without any stress.