Just Gossip Vol. 4 - Changes in my Lifestyle!

Since I mentioned about my yoga classes, I thought I would also make a list of the lifestyle changes it has brought in me which I am totally loving!! Now, I am less on junk and more on fibre. But, its just not the result of yoga alone but a combination of many other things. 

No Snacks

Earlier, I used to prepare some maggi or something coz I feel hungry in the evenings. And, a healthier option takes a lot of time to prepare. But, since my yoga classes are from 6 to 7, I have to make sure I don't eat anything for at least an hour or two before. 

That helps with skipping all the junk I would get into my system in the evenings generally. I have stopped having samosas or golgappas or any such things. At max, I have a glass of milk at around 7:45 or something after having a bath in the evening. 

More Fruits

A guy in our workplace goes every Wednesday to the farmer's market nearby and gets fruits and veggies. So, he started asking us out and whenever one of the people from here go, I do ask them to get some fruits. This has been a new development in the last two weeks. 

So, I have been having a lot of oranges this week and last. I do have pomegranates as well but since they take a bit more of work, they are just sitting in my room waiting for their turn. I shall definitely finish them this weekend.

Herbal Tea and Less Sugar

Earlier, we used to have the regular tea in my workplace because the herbal tea option was missing and I had been planning since quite long to skip the tea which wasn't really easy. I do need something or the other to drink. 

So, a few days back, we bought a new pantry for ourselves which includes a lot of herbal teas. Now, I am hooked up to herbal teas. But, there is one downside to this situation. We have coffee as well and its pretty decent so I am unable to resist the temptation ;)

5 Simple Diet Tips to keep my family Healthy which you can also follow {Health}

Lately, being the sole caretaker of the house and our meal plans, I have started drifting towards the easy and not-necessarily healthy meals. Breakfast is proving more difficult to plan in the long run. It looks like a mess menu with 7 days with different breakfasts repeated without break week after week which is really monotonous.

I have not yet been able to tackle this breakfast issue because of my laziness as well but some of the healthier things I have been able to incorporate in our routine has definitely improved our health overall. Unfortunately, hubs does not take eggs so the protein has to be made up from somewhere else which is as yet I am unsure of.

One Apple a Day keeps Cravings Away

One good thing hubs has is not munching and eating unnecessarily. He has a limited appetite when compared to my voracious one. And, he also has a very limited meal needs. I am the one who needs variety and I so wish there was someone at my beck and call.

Anyways, so to make our breakfasts more fulfilling and due to lack of time to include fruit in any other meal, we take one apple per day during the breakfast. As a rule, I would recommend the fruit at the end of the breakfast so as to help cleanse the teeth as well but eating fruits on empty stomach is also a good idea!!

photo credit: abbyladybug via photopin cc

Good Ol' Dalia or Oats

Did I tell you I suffer from borderline cholesterol? Yup and what else can come to my rescue but the oats. Yes, I love dalia as well. I did not use to like it much but over the years palates have changed. If you are taking oats, I would suggest you to go sugarless way but then considering even I do not find it palatable, a bit of sugar can do no harm. 

Lets go nutty

I love nuts - cashews or walnuts or almonds. I do go easy on the raisins and dates and pistas and all other dry fruits. But, I totally love pine nuts. We used to get loads of them in Simla from our friends (the fresh produce) but if you go to buy them in the market, you really do not find a fresh produce. 

Anyways, either chop your nuts and store them or powder and store them and sprinkle them on the oats, dalia, sweets, salads, smoothies, milk shakes and what not? Best way to get omegas and good fats. Not only that, I have a huge amount of flax seeds sitting at home. Eating them raw is manageable but I am sure most would hate it so roast them and powder them in small batches and finish within a week or 10 days. 

photo credit: cygnoir via photopin cc

Snacking 

As much as I love my gol gappas and aloo tikkis, they do not taste yummy unless you are in the right mood and then I am so lazy that getting ready to go out is a huge task. Instead, I can grab a sandwich or something else made at home. In fact, I have been gorging on roasted lotus seeds. I love them and I love chat masala so mix the two and a yummy and filling snack is ready. 

Similarly, I love bread and there is a host of dishes we can do with it. The simplest starts with assembling all the raw salad veggies in between bread slices and my favourite is to mix cheese and onion and salt and put the mix between the slices and toast it in sandwich maker. A few minutes and you get an absolutely lip-smacking dish ready. Well, that is only for cheese and onion lovers though!!

And, finally Tea, Herbal or Not!!

No, I am not much enamoured of the fact that I have become a tea-addict but sometimes when I have been in the mood I have noticed that drinking any herbal tea helps prevent cravings. Specially talking about ginger tea, it is absolutely amazing that how filling it feels after having it. 

Also, a good accompaniment to herbal teas are multi-grain biscuits. Now, it depends on whether you make at home or buy them in the market. I, for one, love the Mcvities brand of biscuits. 

These are a few healthy things which are there in my routine. Forget exercise, forget drinking water and forget proper sleep, none of them are really happening with me. So, if you are going through the same phase as I am, I would suggest t come up with short cut health tips which you can follow without disturbing your schedule too much. 

So, what are your regular health care tips? Those small things which you do in your entire day which does not feel really important but can do wonders in the longer run. A small routine change, a simple inclusion of a meal plan or a brisk walk of 10 minutes - what is your secret? 

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Should you eat curd/yogurt at night? {Health}

Well, so you would already be aware that dinner should be the lightest meal of the day! But since I miss a decently filling lunch, I miss all the important ingredients like curd and such which I make up for in my dinner.

But, few months back some body warned me not to eat curd at night. That was because curd at night in winters is extremely cooling for the body. Also, curd is heavy on the stomach and doesn't get digested easily!

And for people suffering with sinus issues, curd at night can lead to congestion and breathlessness as it pours the toxins into the lungs (that is not quite literally right but a metaphor)! Also, it can interfere with sleep. 

Ayurvedically as well, one is suggested to avoid curd at night. But if at all you are interested in having curd, mix a pinch of pepper powder. That's what I read somewhere! Also, it is best if you can manage buttermilk instead but curd mixed with sugar is a complete no no. 

Do you eat curd at night? I shall mix pepper powder from now on!!

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How do I hydrate myself these days? {Health}

Hyderabad is getting unbearably hot! And, I had started to get horrible headaches everyday. That was one of the reasons I was not very active in the past two weeks.

And then, I had to find a solution for it because my energy was literally being sucked out by sun! Oh, do you also remember that glucose ad in which sun drinks a boy's energy using the straw? It was an amazing concept!

The only answer in summer to this excessive drainage of energy is Hydration. You may drink loads of water but at the end its of no avail. So, what other remedies I used to keep away the dehydration.

Curd/Buttermilk/Yogurt

Every night I save a glass of curd in fridge and pour it into a bottle in the morning, add just a bit of water and keep on sipping it till the end of the day. No doubt, this has worked like a charm.

Curd is great at regulating the body temperature. But, it is always better to have it in the buttermilk format instead of the full-of-fat curd format. Since I don't have a choice, I do not bother with it. But, you can definitely give a try!

And, moreover, I like curd and do not really care much about fat and other things. Also, I do not put any salt or sugar in the bottle. Its filling as well. And, my headaches have been in control.

Fruit Juices

I have upped my intake of fruits and fruit juices very recently. I prefer citrus or hydrating fruits instead of banana (which is my fav!) or mangoes! The advantage is the citrus and hydrating fruits have lesser sugar content and easy on the stomach as well!!

So, gorge on watermelon and berries and mausambis (I do not know what is it called in English!). And, surprisingly, I am liking watermelon now (I generally hate it!). Oh, I forgot about the other melon varieties - musk melon and family.

No Spices and Heavy Foods
As it is, I eat the food prepared by the cook which is not so homely. So, I avoid eating spices or anything heavy in the entire day. In fact, in summers, my body repulses anything which is excessively fried or any junk. 

That makes my stomach very happy. But, this might not be the case with everyone. So, I would just say avoid excess of spices, heavy foods and non-veg as well. 

Non-vegetarian food increases the body temperature. And, it makes the body dehydrated. Also, one of my friend got boils on her body because of the heat so I shall be discussing how to combat body heat!

So, are you feeling the summer effects? How are you keeping yourself hydrated?

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3 foods that digest food immediately {Health}

Sometimes I eat so much unknowingly and suffer with a stuffed and over-filled stomach tending to burst. Recently, I have found ways to reduce the uncomfortable feeling with the help of following three foods which can be had right after the meal. They empty your stomach in a jiffy by boosting your metabolism and making you damn hungry in the next two hours!!

Green Tea

On top of my list is this one coz you can have this anytime of the day whether you are stuffed or hungry or whether you feel like munching junk or just want to sip some water. Also, being hot, it relaxes the mind as well. A glass of green tea can make your tummy feel lighter in just about 15 minutes. 

You might say how can I have water over a filled tummy? Well, you need not gulp down the tea. Boil the water, brew the tea and sip it slowly. Trust me, its extremely relaxing, just as much as a body massage. And, do check out how to make green tea properly unless you love the bitter taste.

Ginger Tea

Well, not really my favorite but one of my colleague vouches by this. Now, there are two versions of this tea. One is the {ginger boiled in water} tea and another is the regular milk tea we make at home. If you are just boiling ginger in water, you can have it right after the meal and ginger is amazing for its potent anti-oxidants.

But, you can not have the milk tea immediately. You need to give it a half hour to one and then have a small cup of this tea. Make sure sugar is less and ginger is more! And, your food will digest off in one hour!!

Fennel

Reducing the bloating and improving digestion is one of the prime reasons for this spice to be an inherent part of the meal. And, since I have discovered that chewing fennel is extremely soothing for the stuffed tummy, I have never missed a chance to pop some. Btw, stay away from the sugar coated fennels as they tend to pump more sugar into the system than the goodness of fennel!!

A TIP: Try not to drink any fluids immediately before meal. If you do feel thirsty, keep a glass of warm water by your plate. Warm water helps with the digestion process, I believe!! 

What are your remedies to help with over-stuffed tummy?

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