Vitamin check: Consuming the right kind of food from the start to keep yourself healthy and fit

This week is celebrated as National Nutrition Week, and the theme is: Feed Smart, Right from the Start, and focuses on consuming the right kind of food from the start to keep yourself healthy and fit.

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This week is celebrated as National Nutrition Week, and the theme is: Feed Smart, Right from the Start, and focuses on consuming the right kind of food from the start to keep yourself healthy and fit.

Everything in life starts for a reason, and unless you have a strong reason you won’t be able to stay consistent to follow your health goals. However, here are a few tips that anyone can follow to make that change with or without any reason. 

• To begin with, have a glass of warm lemon water in the morning to keep the body in an alkaline state and to start your day fresh. 
• Walking is the best exercise. It helps in improving blood circulation and releasing feel-good hormones which reduce stress and improve sleep quality. Try and target around 8,000-10,000 steps daily to stay active throughout the day. But don’t overdo it.
• Eating less is always good for health, that doesn’t mean you need to starve. Let your body decide the portion size. Focus on chewing your food slowly. Once you start working on this lifestyle change you’ll notice that your portion size has started reducing and you don’t end up feeling bloated. 
• Your mind should concentrate only on one particular thing while sleeping and eating. Avoid TV, mobile phones, laptops for at least one hour before bedtime to improve melatonin production which is a natural sleep hormone, plus avoid any distraction when you are eating. Such distractions can cause insomnia, indigestion, gas and bloating issues, etc. 
• Avoid drinking water during or immediately after meals as it can dilute the digestive juices which put more pressure on the digestive system that causes acidity, bloating and other gut issues. Make sure you drink water 30 minutes either before or after the meal.

Deepika Rathod
Chief Nutrition Officer, Luke Coutinho  Holistic Healing Systems. The writer is a clinical nutritionist with a focus on healthy lifestyle choices.