Choices that can dramatically improve your health - Part 1
CHOICES THAT CAN DRAMATICALLY IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH - PART 1
The amount of information available on the net these days as regards what makes you healthy and what does not is staggering. Even on issues like alcohol, it is said that small amounts are good. Many a time people carry this to an extreme and start getting drunk. You cannot believe how many families I have seen suffer and get ruined because of this alcohol habit. Since health is by itself a topic that is as large as the ocean it is impossible to give you an exhaustive list of what to do and what not to do.
So what? There is a good alternative. If I tell you a few things that you can follow on a regular basis and which would result in a huge boost in your health and energy levels, would that not suffice? These are things that I personally do. For the following mind you there is no debate. The verdict is final. It is either beneficial or very harmful.
AVOID SUGAR LIKE THE PLAGUE OR REDUCE IT TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT POSSIBLE
I was reading in one of the articles about how refined sugar that we get in the market these days is truly a poison. It has NO NUTRITIVE CONTENT whatsoever and is taken purely for taste. What is the alternative? I for one have not researched on the sugar alternatives that are there in the market and therefore do not wish to comment on the same. But I can tell you that honey is a fantastic alternative. Apart from having curative properties aplenty it beats sugar by miles in terms of taste. (the exception to this is when you are training intensively with weights much like a bodybuilder and you need sugar at the end of your workout as simple carbs, but that is another topic altogether)
When I substituted honey in my soymilk instead of sugar, it felt like heaven. 2-3 teaspoons honey in 200 ml natural soymilk is one of the most delectable drinks I have ever had. You see honey has a very unique flavor and even the occasional coffee that I drink acquires a glorious taste with honey added. You can find the health benefits of honey( too many to mention) at
http://www.bees-online.com/HealthBenefitsOfHoney.htm
http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/health-benefits-of-honey.html
SHOULD MEAT BE CONSUMED?
In my previous articles I gave a different twist to this topic telling why I felt it was not correct to ingest meat. There was a spiritual quotient too there but here I propose to focus solely on the health aspect. In page 67 of Fitness trainer magazine (May 2008 issue) it was mentioned that the consumption of meat encourages tumor formation. Do you really want to take that risk?
Believe me, there are very very few meat providers who see that their animals are tended to lovingly, who see that nutritious food is given to them and who keep them in clean and happy environments. For many of them it is just a business and the conditions these animals are reared in are horrifying.
Do you sincerely believe that ingesting such animals who are mentally and physically subjected to such violent abuse would have no effect on you?
What is the alternative then?
I was an avid consumer of non vegetarian food. I lurrvvveeed the taste and used to eat so much that people around me sometimes got alarmed. Now of course I do not touch meat for various reasons. I found that most people cannot give up meat primarily for taste reasons.
The alternative in my opinion is to have Dishes like paneer Manchurian, paneer chilly and gobi Manchurian. Though they do not give you the exact taste, they come a close second and once you get used to the taste, you would not feel the difference ( paneer is a good source of protein too) When I ate Chinese food I sorely used to miss the meaty feeling along with fried rice after I gave up meat. I am more than happy now as the above mentioned dishes really offer satiety. Again remember, your mindset must be to find an excuse to give up meat as much as possible. I am NOT an animal rights activist. I am far more concerned about the future of my readers who are avid meat eaters.
AN EASY WAY TO REDUCE YOUR CHOCOLATE CONSUMPTION IF YOU WANT TO:
Interacting with many teenagers gave me a glimpse into how actually how much we all like chocolate. Adults too are no exception but teenagers and youngsters especially indulge themselves as they can get away with it.
The good news is that a piece of dark chocolate or two is good for health because of the anti oxidants that it contains. But the way many of us eat is far from this. Milk chocolate is consumed in large amounts. Now an easy way to reduce the same:-
When you feel the urge, have a bite of chocolate and wait for around 10 mins to half an hour. You would fine the taste slowly waning and a disagreeable taste slowly creeping in. It is easier now to refrain from eating the remaining bar. If you do this procedure often enough it becomes easier and easier to reduce the quantity of chocolate. This works for chocolate cakes too.
You could opt for muesli and other nutrition bars. They are tasty and are actually better options.
MASTICATION IS THE WAY TO GO
When I started chewing my food well I experienced a pleasure I had never known. While before I needed a variety of foods to satisfy my palate now just a simple curd rice and vegetable tastes like kingly fare. While before I needed a full plate of fried rice and 2 huge bowls of side dishes to mitigate my hunger, I was thoroughly satisfied with half a plate of fried rice and half to three fourths plate of vegetable (almost one third). An added benefit apart from the improved taste was the feeling of having enjoyed my food without feeling bloated heavy and lethargic. My weight dropped by nearly 7 kgs.
All these benefits came just from one act. Chewing my food really well. Now the complete method:
a) This is the most important step. Wait till you have genuine hunger. Do not confuse this with appetite which comes at a specific time. Your subconscious knows when and announces the same through a sensation called hunger. It is easy to differentiate between the two. With appetite comes a desire to eat all exotic foods, plain foods do not seem attractive, whereas with genuine hunger even plain foods seem delicious.
b) Sit on the table WITHOUT any distractions like the TV. Most importantly resolve not to talk a lot while eating. It is this habit that can make the habit of chewing well very difficult to follow. We are apt to gulp down our food and talk. Do the talking later on.
c) Be grateful for the food in front of you. It is no unknown thing that hunger is so widespread especially among the underdeveloped countries.
d) Take a portion of your food and chew it well till it becomes a liquid and passes down automatically through your throat. You need not actually count the number of times but in my opinion roughly around 50 times per mouthful is what it takes. Could be even lesser. Concentrate fully on the taste of the food and refuse to think about anything else except that in front of you.
e) Stop when you stop feeling the hunger pangs. Eating till you are replete is not a good idea
You must not think otherwise. This habit is not so easy to follow. It is difficult to get rid of the deeply ingrained habit of gulping down your food. But once you start doing this you will NEVER go back to your old ways, especially when you start seeing the health benefits and yes the taste of food too.
In the next article I shall offer some more choices that you could incorporate into your lifestyle. It would help you a lot and that is a promise 
