Working in shifts is usually a daunting task. Shift workers, work outside the usual routine of 7 am -6 pm. Often individuals working in shifts faces the falling issues

• Change in appetite
• Weight loss or weight gain
• Sleep disorders such as facing issues falling asleep
• Micronutrient deficiencies
• Digestive issues such as belching, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, acidity

The good news is all this can be tackled by following few healthy tips

TIP #1: Pack healthy meals and snacks

Always carry homemade meals and snacks, which will make it easier to eat during shift.

Focus in variety by including plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains and foods high in proteins such as legumes, dals, egg whites, curds, skinless chicken, fish, nuts.

TIP #2: Eat your main meal before going to work.

When working in shifts you may find it difficult to keep a track on the meal timings, hence you end up eating two heavy meals a day, one at home and the other after going to work.

This may lead to weight gain. Always ensure to have the major meal before going to office and healthy snacks spread out through the shift.

TIP #3 Have a light snack before going to bed:

You may have difficulty falling asleep due to extreme hunger or due to heavy meals.

Gradually cut down on caffeine intake 4-5 hours before sleep time. Include a bowl of oatmeal with lukewarm milk or a piece of fruit with peanut butter before dozing off.

TIP#4 Avoid deep fried and spicy foods:

This leads to indigestion and heartburn and will ruin your day. Include foods that are less oily and spicy.

TIP #5 Skip sweets:

Foods such as sweets, chocolates, carbonated drinks or preserved fruit juices will give you an instant burst of energy but will make you feel sluggish later on. Focus on snacks which have some good protein like sprouts, egg whites, handful of nuts with a piece of fruit, hummus, vegetable stick with yoghurt dip, granola bars.

TIP #6: Drink plenty of water:

Working in air conditioners will make you dehydrated and makes you feel less thirsty. Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration. This will keep you more alert during the shift and also helps to curb cravings. Always keep a reusable water bottle close by and drink regularly during the shifts.

TIP# 7: Avoid caffeine and caffeinated beverages.

Drinking caffeinated beverages may keep you alert for some time but you may face issues falling asleep later on. Too much caffeine also makes you urinate very frequently and leads to dehydration. Cut down on caffeine or switch to decaffeinated tea, coffee, or herbal drinks.

TIP #8: Be active and stay active

Being active will release endorphins which will make you feel better and happy. Indulge in some active stretches such as taking a flight of stairs or going on for a brisk walk, walking while on the phone. This will also help you fall asleep much faster.

Bottom-line:

The strategies that may best work for you may be different from what works for others. Hence an individualized approach is very important to focus on a healthy and active lifestyle.

We at NutriDietFit help you in designing and planning tailored made diet plans which are effective and result-oriented. Do consult us today for a healthier you!!

Who doesn’t love to slurp on soups !This healthy lentil vegetable soup can be your best choice when you want to change your taste buds.Low in calories and high in nutrients this can be a perfect evening snack or a dinner option for someone looking for weight loss.

INGREDIENTS

Lentil- 2 tablespoon

Carrots- half cup chopped

Garlic- 1small crushed

Onion- 1 small chopped

Celery- few sprigs chopped

French beans -2 to 4 chopped

Spinach-1 bunch chopped

Bay leaves 1-2

Oil- 5ml

Seasoning

METHOD OF PREPARATION:

1.Heat a pan and add some oil to it. Then sauté chopped carrots, onions, garlic until they become soft.

2.Wash the lentils thoroughly and pressure cook it by adding little water and bay leaves.

3.After 1-2 whistles mash it thoroughly add sauteed vegetables and chopped potatoes, spinach cook it on medium flame until it becomes tender and soup consistency is achieved.

4.Add a pinch of salt and black pepper and serve it when it’s still hot.

1. Have a Plan

Once you decide that you will do your best to exercise and make healthy eating choices (as best you can) while traveling, then it is important to have a plan. There are always ways to incorporate exercise and healthy eating into your travel plans. When booking a hotel, get information about their fitness center or inquire if there are areas to walk near the hotel. A walk around some cities is great exercise and an easy way to see a city and its inhabitants in their daily lives.

2. Do Your Research

Use Google to see what restaurants are in the area where you are staying. Then, go to the restaurants’ websites and look at their menus. Plan ahead and see if there are items which fit into your diet. It is better to have this information ahead of time instead of being surprised once sitting at a restaurant and realizing there are limited choices.

3. Buy Healthy Snacks

It is important to set yourself up for success and snacks is one of the best ways to do it. Make sure to stick some healthy snacks in your bag, purse or jacket. Healthy snacks can help stomp out hunger and prevent you from making rash decisions in the name of food.

4. Activity or Exercise Class

If possible try to do exercise or any physical activity , it will help you in maintaining your weight.

5. Stick to Your Daily Schedule

If there are rituals that are part of your daily schedule that do not interfere with your travel plans, consider keeping them instead of ditching them once on vacay. For instance, if you like to run in the morning or evening, then consider going for a run in a new place. If you meditate every morning, make sure to keep that in your schedule. If you only eat salads at lunch or you have a cheat day, then consider sticking to those plans. This will also help you when returning to your daily life because it will not be as hard to get back into the groove at home.

6. Keep the Healthy Trinity On Your Plate

 Protein + 2 Vegetables for lunch and/or dinner.

It’s easy to give up on your diet or general healthy eating plan while you’re traveling. Whether the trip is for leisure or business, the constant rush of activities may make it tempting to stop at a fast-

General tips-

It’s easy to give up on your diet or general healthy eating plan while you’re traveling. Whether the trip is for leisure or business, the constant rush of activities may make it tempting to stop at a fast-food outlet whenever hunger strikes, or indulge in unhealthy snacks or beverages. But if you keep healthy food choices on hand, you may maintain a healthy regimen during your travels with no regrets.

Step -1

Pack your own meal on the airplane flight or mode of transportation of your choice. This provides you with an alternative to eating the expensive and typically unhealthy prepared meals offered through the airline. Bring protein- and nutrient-dense dry food that won’t easily leak or get smashed in your bag. Examples include nuts, protein bars and firm fruit, like apples.

Step 2

Drink plenty of fluids during your trip. If you can, choose water over other beverages while you’re in transit. Milk and juices are adequate, but avoid soda and an excess amount of alcoholic beverages. Avoiding the latter is especially important for minimizing travel-related health conditions.

Step 3

Stock your hotel room with bottled water, fresh fruit and healthy snacks like granola bars or fiber cookies. Doing so helps remove the temptation to raid the room’s mini bar, and can be indispensable for staving off hunger between business meetings or tourist activities.

step 4

Avoid fast-food outlets. Though they may be a comforting choice when you’re in a new city, these kind of meal options are often high in fat and calories, and more importantly, they may cheat you out of experiencing the local culture. Wherever you decide to eat, focus on meals that incorporate healthy components, like fresh vegetables and lean proteins.

Step 5

Don’t forget to eat breakfast. This is usually easier said than done in the whirlwind of a vacation. However, breakfast helps prime the system and prepares you for a full day of activities or business meetings. If the hotel offers a complimentary breakfast, choose a high fiber and protein meal, such as whole grain toast with peanut butter, to give you instant energy and fill you up until lunch. This way it may reduce the temptation to snack in a few hours’ time.

 Being fit is very imperative for a healthy lifestyle so why not follow these tips even we are slightly off the schedule.

Do you always feel low, stressed, depressed, sad or often lack focus on things? We often lack interest in things which we do and we feel restless. But the real question is how to tackle these emotions which barge in all at a time and leaves us perplexed? The answer to all these is Meditation. Meditation is about bringing awareness about your inner self and your surroundings. It is a practice of mind and body to increase calmness, positiveness, coping with illness and enhancing overall wellbeing.

HERE ARE THE BENEFITS OF MEDIATION:

1. Meditation increases your sense of wellbeing by enhancing your psychological and cognitive thinking.

2. Meditation improves your focus and helps to perform varied tasks which require cognition.

3. Meditation relieves stress by reducing the number of brain tissues associated with stress and anxiety.

4. Practicing meditation on daily basis helps to improve the immune system thereby reducing the diseases.

5. Meditation helps to relieve physical and emotional pain.

6. Meditation improves your decision-making ability by improving the functioning of the brain.

7. The more we involve ourselves in mediation the more we improve our memory and ability to retain information for a long time.

8. People who practised meditation on a daily basis had a lower blood pressure level according to a study in the British Medical Journal.

9. Improves Sleep: Practicing meditation helps the body to relax and trains the mind to be peaceful thereby inducing sleep.

10. According to research people who meditate regularly have an increase will power, control their emotions and understand the causes of addictive behaviours. It also helps to control food cravings.

CONCLUSION:

Just by devoting 10 minutes from our fast-paced lifestyle helps to find our real inner self and to overcome all these emotions and gives us a peaceful life. You can meditate anytime and feel the difference.

HERE ARE FEW STEPS BY WHICH WE CAN PRACTISE MINDFUL EATING:

1. CHEW YOUR FOOD PROPERLY: Eating food very fastly can ignore your body signals that you’re full. Slowing down and chewing every morsel of food is the best way that our mind and body can communicate what we really need. The body actually sends signals to the brain after 20 minutes that we are full but we often ignore these signals. The simple way is to slow down, sitting in a peaceful environment, chewing each bite of food 25-32 times so that our brain receives signals that we are full.

2. ENGAGE YOUR SENSES: Use all your senses and appreciate the food. Notice the smell, textures, colours and flavours when you place the food in your mouth. Chew every bite thoroughly. Connect deeply with your food.

 3. REMOVE DISTRACTIONS WHILE EATING: While eating, pay attention to your food and remove any sort of distractions. Turn off mobile, television, computers or any books or newspapers that might distract you from eating. Avoid any sort of discussions or group interactions while eating as you might not pay much importance to your food. It is best to eat in silence and in a comfortable place whenever possible.

4. KNOW YOUR BODY’S HUNGER SIGNALS: The important principle while practising mindful eating is to understand your hunger signals. We often end up eating while we are sad, depressed, stressed, frustrated, lonely or out of boredom. True mindful eating is actually understanding the body’s hunger signals like growling, low energy levels, and light-headedness.

5. UNDERSTANDING YOUR MOTIVATIONS: It is beneficial to understand the importance of eating healthy and nutritious foods than just eating foods which are emotionally comforting. As we engage ourselves in eating healthy and variety of foods we are less inclined to binge on our comfort foods thus ultimately opting for healthy food choices.

                 Practising mindfulness in this fast-paced environment can be challenging at times but we have to find ways to implement these basic rules while eating. The more we realise the relationship of food with the body the better will be our overall health.