Diet and Dieting- What we need to know

Summer. For some it is an opportunity to flaunt their perfect figures in shorts and trendy tops while for some it is time to hide dollops of fat acquired during the winter in baggy tees.

I happen to come in the second category, thanks to the evil named PCOD (Poly Cystic Ovarian Disease) and 3 years of neglected diet.

After suffering a lot both physically and emotionally due to the medical condition, I have finally understood what it means to have a healthy, balanced life and how important it is for each and every one of us.

Any health problem associated with sedentary life style and unhealthy eating habits is like a Nemean Hydra that just keeps on sprouting two heads each time you cut off one. Trust me, I have been there.

With PCOD comes not only serious hormonal imbalance and weight gain but also severe mood swings, lethargy and self-confidence issues. Medicines are generally not suggested because they cause only temporary relief from the problem and end up resulting in further hormonal imbalance. All the doctors I have visited suggested me only one thing- exercise and  a balanced diet.

We all have written long, rich answers for a balanced diet at school but I don't think any of us realised the actual importance of it at that time. I do now.

A balanced diet might sound boring but it is very important to stay healthy and fit in the long run. After I decided to put an end to my laziness and join the gym, I also started eating healthy you have no other choice when you are at home :P)  and believe me, just after a month of it, I can totally feel my body being lighter and more flexible than before.

                    

Balanced diet is nothing but proper, nutritious food taken at proper timings and intervals. I know hostel life takes away all the resolution of eating proper what with the late night hunger demands and hurried stuffing for breakfast. But we can at least give it a shot.

Breakfast, being the most important meal of the whole day shouldn’t be neglected at any cost. A lunch rich in all carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, proteins and minerals should be mandatory. A light snack in the evening followed by a protein rich, light dinner in the night should complete the balanced diet for the day.

Being a complete vegtarian, I had intially my fears about going short on protein but with a bit of reserach and help from my trainer, I could follow a protein rich diet with pulses, curd, chana, cheese without much effort. 

A balanced diet might sound boring but it is very important to stay healthy and fit in the long run. After I decided to put an end to my laziness and join the gym, I also started eating healthy you have no other choice when you are at home :P)  and believe me, just after a month of it, I can totally feel my body being lighter and more flexible than before.

                    

Balanced diet is nothing but proper, nutritious food taken at proper timings and intervals. I know hostel life takes away all the resolution of eating proper what with the late night hunger demands and hurried stuffing for breakfast. But we can at least give it a shot.

Breakfast, being the most important meal of the whole day shouldn’t be neglected at any cost. A lunch rich in all carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, proteins and minerals should be mandatory. A light snack in the evening followed by a protein rich, light dinner in the night should complete the balanced diet for the day.

Rather than taking 4 complete meals in the day, eating small amount of food at regular intervals is also recommended especially for those who are dieting. 8-9 small meals consisting of fruits, nut etc would keeps your hunger pangs that come with dieting at bay.  

On contrary to what people think and believe, dieting is not ‘stopping to eat’ at all. Rather, it is more of completing the food cycle of a day in a particular method and time and restricting certain kinds of food.

My gym trainer and dietician told me to eat anything I liked (not junk food of course) but to eat them in sufficient amounts and at proper time. I have seen many people crash dieting and gyming at the same time which resulted in body weakness.

One thing that people don’t realize about crash dieting is that you might lose your kilos very fast, but you will gain double the amount equally fast. In Rujuta Diwekar’s words, “Crash diets are like fake jewellery, bure time mein aap ke kaam nahi aata!” and more funnily “Crash dieting is like a fling with a bad boy (even when you are in it, you know it’s not going to work long term)” and once you ponder over it, you realise how true it is!

I have also noticed that from the time I have started eating balanced meals at the proper time and exercising regularly, I don’t even crave for stuff like chocolates, chips and other junk I used to eat randomly before. I hardly ever feel hungry except at meal times.

So balanced diet my friends, is the key solution to all the vices of diabetes, heart diseases and all the sickness that we are prone to these days thanks to our sedentary lifestyles.

And when you are bored of eating similar food everyday, you can make it interesting using Honey Diet which adds sweetness to the food without hampering your health!

This post is written for Dabur Honey.