Don't miss the balance

While we all discuss diet, dietician etc, we miss the most important point attached to it. Balance as the prefix, is the key to a diet. Hence it should be always a Balanced diet which is well adjusted by the calculations of the Dietician, which is imperative to healthy living.

Have you ever pondered over what is the most common problem today Indians are facing?

No, it's not only cardiovascular disease or diabetes or high B.P but the most common and most ignored is Anemia.

An average individual needs only 10 mg of iron in a day. But the choice of food is so wrong that most of us are anaemic, feel dull and are not able to concentrate as we seldom are bothered about our food intake.

There are many people, who keep pumping in protein powders and are scared of carbohydrate. They keep filling themselves up with protein shakes alone. On second thoughts "Do we actually require so much protein for a better stamina or fitness?" One must remember that protein is not stored in your body (like fats and carbohydrates). The more you have, the more the kidneys have to function to get rid of them. In this scenario why should we traumatize ourselves?

In spite of excessive protein intake, we are depriving our body of vital nutrients like vitamins (A, B, C, D, E), vital minerals (iron, zinc, cobalt, molybdenum etc). The moment we achieve weight loss, we forget all about the requirement for fitness and usually immediately gain back what we had lost. This is the only GAIN that is never appreciated in life!

We all enroll ourselves in a gym for weight loss and aim for quick results. We exercise for 2 -3 hrs to accelerate weight loss (shed 6-10 kgs in a month) and don't eat well and in the bargain deprive our body of the basic nutrients. This invites symptoms like hairfall, numbness of limbs, poor bone growth and a general feeling of boredom, tiredness and depression. We torture our body and expect our body co-operate with us.

All we need is adequate amount of food coupled with sufficient exercise so that we fulfill our basic requirements of all nutrients and keep our weight under control.

Remember excess of everything is ''BAD''

Once again we forget about balance.

Fitness as a need

Well, Fitness is a life-long requirement and not a requirment of a wedding or an anniversary or a party, where we all want to look good for a specific occasion. Then why don't we do this all our life?

Let's come to the other class where people have broken records. Earlier, infectious diseases like TB, Malaria and also malnutrition caused maximum mortality in the country. This could be attributed to lack of affordability of medication and food. But lately, as affordability has surely increased, lack of knowledge and balanced diet has become the major causes for mortality. It is only alarming that mortality rate in India due to infectious diseases is now less than the lifestyle related disorders.

Even a few years ago, the average age of a person suffering from cholesterol related problems was 50. But today, it is noted that men/women suffer from increased cholesterol/ increased sugars / fatty liver from the age of 25 itself.

Processed food

In this fast paced world, good nutrition may sound very simple but it is indeed really difficult to practice it. We eat too many processed foods or we tend to miss some meals.

This not only makes us overeat but also we ignore rich nutrient food items which we feel have bad taste. Foods lose substantial nutritional value during storage. There are many such factors which rob us of the nutrients we need for the maintenance of general well being.

What is a balanced diet?

Balanced Diet is a diet which has adequate amount of all nutrients required for healthy growth and activity.

What not to do?

The following are the most important two things to be kept in mind to ensure good health and fitness.

• Quit Smoking.
• Reduce intake of alcohol: When we consume alcohol we are taking in only extra calorie calories which are termed as Empty calories. Alcohol does not provide us with any other nutrients as any other food item would. Alcohol is not converted to sugars in the body. It is processed as fats in the body, hence it is more harmful.

Then, what to do?

While you refrain from smoking and alcohol consumption, these are the necessities for healthy living.

• Fight stress with exercise. Make sure you are exercising for 30 minutes minimum 3 times /week
• Include foods like:
• Flaxseeds / Linseeds : Very good sources of fibre and omega-3 fatty acids (extremely good for vegetarians who do not consume fish)
• Garlic: it's a vasodialator, helps in lowering blood pressure
• Wheat grass juice: rich source of potassium, again useful in lowering blood pressure
• 1-2 servings of fresh fruits like apples, papayas, tomatoes, pineapples etc. per day. Fruits are very good sources of fibre.
• Minimum 2 servings of green leafy vegetables like spinach, lettuce, etc. per day
• 2-4 servings of other vegetables like carrots, cucumber etc per day.
• All plant foods are rich in antioxidants as flavonids , vitamins E, C and carotenoids which are useful in the management of cholesterol. Population studies have shown that high intake of plant foods i.e. fruits and vegetables is associated with reduced risk of cancers and heart disease
• 3 servings of dairy products like yogurt, skim milk per day.
• 1-2 servings of nuts per day like peanuts, walnuts, almonds etc
• 3-4 tea spoons of oil per day per person.
• 2-3 servings of beans & protein foods like lentils etc. per day.
• 6-10 servings of Carbohydrates like bread, chapatti, and rice per day.
• 8 glasses of water per day. Water is one of the substances that keep us healthy .Although it has zero calories and negligible nutrients it offers many health benefits which will help you to remain healthy and young at heart.

What to feed a child?

Indian mothers want their children to be plump and fat when they are born, because they find it nice to cuddle. They over feed them thanks to multiple advertisements and movies showing chubby babies. Every mother thinks that her child should resemble the baby shown on billboards. Little do we understand that we push our own babies to obesity and expose them to heart ailments, diabetes and cancer in the near future.

Children specifically stop eating by 9 months of age as their dietetic requirement is just 20 % of the regular diet intake. Parents on the other hand expect that the child should grow as he or she was gaining weight when they were younger. Second reason is this the age when children grow in height and look comparatively leaner.

The most important factor is that children develop an independent brain by 9 months and feel that should not be forced to partake a diet. This leads to a mental Tug-o- War between a mother and the child and the child not only refuses feeds but also spits the food out. The moment the child understands what is food for and he enjoys the food, he is cursed (again, against his wishes) because now at this age he should be slim.

• Never promise junk food items to your child
• Never give junk food as reward as the child starts believing its good in the long run.
• The child feels he can demand food whenever he wants. This can be changed by scheduling a timetable with no in between feeds.
• Never stock your refrigerator with excess amounts of chocolates or ice-creams sweets or cheeses.
• Make your child run around for small errands
• Expose your child to outdoor activities with little less emphasis on indoor games

Let's Remember "Prevention is better than cure".

Balanced diet usually leads to a fit and an energetic body.