How we all long to be healthy and how many miles are we
willing to go to for leading a healthy life? The only problem is that most of
the health foods taste insipid and are
not attractive enough to eyes and seldom please the tongue. All things unhealthy, and long
term enemies of the body look good and appetizing. The eyes turn in their
direction, as if a beautiful girl has gone past. The cheese burgers, sandwiches,
pizzas, thick shakes with rich toppings of cream and chocolate always win the
race being run in the mind. Preference for something drab and unattractive like a boiled vegetable, sprouts or green
leafy salad is always low as it rarely looks good or excites the taste buds.
Most of us are used to a sedentary lifestyle and seldom like to go out for
exercises, thus the layers of fat never seem to melt. The discussions on food
with friends always move in disagreements just
like the talk shows hosted by Arnab Goswami and Rajdeep Sardesai.
I remember the times when undergoing the training at Naval
Academy, the long runs and the evening sports coupled with drills at parade
ground left us hungry after each meal. Just after the sports in the evening we
would gather at the canteen to polish of packets of glucose biscuits and locally
brewed cold drinks to make up for the calories burnt on the field. Everyone
helped on heaps of rice or bread/ chappatis on the lunch or dinner table. No
one gained even a pound of extra weight. I remember the shocked look of the
family members on returning home for vacation after training, on noticing the frail
demeanor and having lost all the chubbiness.
In the later years the ‘ battle of the bulge’ is on going and struggle to keep the weight in
check always high on agenda. Slowly, the
sandwiches, parathas, pakoras and pooris, became rarer. In lieu oats, dalia,
muesli, and cornflakes with occasional helping of upma, poha and sevian became
more permanent companions. The weight watch diets being followed by all and
sundry affected the regular eating habits. Multi grain atta was preferred over
the gluten rich wheat and maida. The relatives and frail ladies in the
neighborhood talked about benefits of quinoa, rye, millets, amaranth over the
greasy parathas. The west wind blew in the direction of my home as I noticed
new additions on food shelf like honey, green tea, flax and sesame seeds .Herbs
like basil, ginger, mint , coriander and
garlic are used in a more pronounced manner.
I took a bow to acknowledge that ’change is the only
permanent’ in life. It is important to move with the time when it comes to food,
fashion and technology lest be labelled as a ‘laggard’. Needless to say the benefits
of health foods are universally acknowledged and coupled with exercises help in
keeping body in good physical and mental shape.After all , 'heath is wealth'!
The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like, and do what you’d rather not. – Mark Twain
PS-Image Kind Courtesy Google
We are what we eat. No sugar and less carbs help me a lot. That is if I am able to maintain strict discipline.
ReplyDeleteWell said, Alka! Maintaining the strict regimen is what makes the difference:)
DeleteToday healthy eating for some people would be eating a whole wheat pizza with less cheese and more vegetables, or a yogurt dessert. For me, healthy eating is less oily food and more fruits and vegetables.
ReplyDeleteThat is true, Rachna, but people some times think that only diet can make the difference but exercise also plays an important role.
DeleteSince you were doing all sorts of exercises, you had to eat a lot. Now, less physical exertion, so the intake is less.
ReplyDeleteI don't do pooris once a month....otherwise phulka rotis, punjabi sunji once a week, our koottu (vegetables with coconut and moong dhal) and greens are the daily routine. All are health conscious now. I used to cook all types of oily food, cakes, icecreams etc. when the children were in school. After college, stopped! Since we don't have much physical activity, eating healthy food and exercising has become very important.
One has to move with time as you rightly mentioned, Sandhya and adjust the food habits with the lifestyle we adopt:)
DeleteYes - healthy eating is a must!
ReplyDeleteTrue:)
Delete