Arushi Bidhuri
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Written By: Arushi Bidhuri | Published : April 4, 2022 3:42 PM IST
Eating a healthy diet is an essential part of maintaining your overall health. Did you know that 80 per cent of heart problems and strokes occur due to poor life choices and habits? If you have been trying to switch to healthy habits and stay disease-free for a long time, it is the perfect time to get into action and set your health goals. To help you out a healthier lifestyle, here are some tips shared by celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar, which she shared on a 9-episode podcast available on Audible titled Rujuta's Soch.
Here are some simple yet effective tips that will help lead to a healthy life:
Rujuta Diwekar is all about homemade meals. She suggests that people should not skip their breakfast and definitely have a home-cooked fresh breakfast for most health benefits. She says, "It's not just enough to have the right dinner, it's also important to start your day with a home-cooked fresh breakfast every day." She further recommends including idli, poha, dosa and eggs as part of the daily routine. Apart from this, Rujuta also urges her listeners to add fresh fruit and nuts. Soaked almonds, walnuts or just bananas are also some good options.
Mid-day meals are an important part of a healthy eating routine. Diwekar recommends having a "hyper-local fruit as a mid-meal every (in-between breakfast and lunch or lunch and dinner) every day." She explains hyper-local fruits as "a fruit which does not have a name in English, it's a name in your local language. It may be known as your region but is not necessarily known across the globe. It is different from common fruits or known as local fruits for example bananas, guavas, jackfruits, grapes etc." Rujuta recommends consuming fruits such as Bora, Maran, Phalsa, Shahtoot, Karvanda, Ranjana, Jamun, Bel, Cashew fruits, Dhurchuk, Tadgola, Nimboli, Ramphal, and others to stay fit both physically and mentally.
Indian Thali consisting of dal, rice, green veggies, and a side dish along with curd or pickle or any sweet is a full-fledged meal that you can have during lunch. According to the renowned nutritionist, it will make your lunch nutritious as it will contain all the necessary vitamins and minerals. Adding to this, Rujuta says, "Good nutrition is one of the keys to a healthy life. This includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, and a source of protein."
Pro Tip: Sit in Sukhasana (cross-legged) when eating
Highlighting the importance of an afternoon nap, Rujuta says that having an afternoon nap will "help you sleep better. It will help you get optimum levels of growth hormones and IGF (Insulin-like growth factor). It will accelerate fat loss also." She recommends that a person should take out at least 20-30 minutes every day for a quick nap in the afternoon. Explaining the other health benefits, she also says: "those who have gone through heart surgery, are suffering from thyroid, PCOD, hormonal problems, diabetes, acidity and digestive issues or those struggling with insomnia and have broken sleep should also try and take an afternoon nap."
Always wrap up your day with an early dinner, recommends Rujuta. A healthy and light meal will aid in maintaining the functions of your body. Rujuta states, "Today's folks are focused on skipping dinner," when describing how people are focusing on skipping dinner. While discussing how today people focus on skipping dinner, Rujuta says, "...never remove roti, rice and ghee from your diet in order to have a perfect body." Rujuta also emphasises good sleep post-dinner for a full recovery and says, "Sleep and Recovery are equally important."
