Nutrition simply means nourishment. Its not just nourishing your body but mind too. Being a company secretary by profession and also a CPD certified nutritionist too, I believe this topic is of utmost important to let people understand the importance of nutrition in our life especially for the professionals as this platform is mostly sought and referred by the professionals fraternity or the students community too. Although nutrition is a dynamic discipline, I shall restrict in this writeup only the effective pointers which I have analyzed. This topic may be known to almost every individual but having known and actually incorporating in our daily schedule is the challenging aspect of mankind. Even me being a company secretary at the forefront I choose this topic to bring in front of you all because I have personally fought with many health issues and hormonal imbalances which had adverse impact on my personal as well as professional life. Without much a do and overemphasizing on my personal chores I start with my writeup. Also at this rage of worldwide pandemic of covid-19, it is of superior importance to give heed to this topic of discussion. Any suggestions or advice will be heartily welcomed @ guptacssuman@gmail.com
Webster defines nutrition as “the process of providing and obtaining the food necessary for health and growth. The food we eat everyday affects how our bodies work, how we heal and grow and how we maintain energy and strength for years to come.” Our healthy outside starts from inside, you gotta nourish to flourish.
If you have the necessary focus, enlightenment is a living possibility. Acceptance is the one recurring theme because it is essential. What you resist will persist you in your life. Body is power of self towards divinity. The best people I know are always evaluating and improving themselves. The unhappy people are usually evaluating and judging others.
The above few lines depicts the insight towards own being but only realization can make them understand it in its true essence.
A healthy diet throughout life promotes health, pregnancy outcomes, supports normal growth, development and aging, helps to maintain a healthy body weight, and reduces the risk of chronic diseases leading to overall health and well being .
Health is much more than the absence of disease. It is a positive quality, emphasizing physical, social, intellectual, emotional and spiritual well being . Optimum nutrition, providing all nutrients in both kind and amount, is the cornerstone of good health and the cutting edge of prevention. The food we eat, and the nutrients they should provide, are the most important continuing environmental factors influencing our growth, development, functional abilities, and health. Nutritional knowledge with education of both the general public, and particularly health professionals is critical if we are to succeed in significantly reducing the excessive premature morbidity and mortality from our leading killer diseases- heart disease, cancer, stroke and now of course the corona pandemic. How we structure our lifestyle, with proper nutrition, health habit discipline and exercise programming, will have a great influence on personal health, and will help reduce our current catastrophic medical care expenditure.
Maintaining your calm during this Coronavirus crisis:
This is a very dynamic and uncertain situation and as such many may fuel that they have no control. This in itself can cause fear and anxiety and it is scientifically proven that stress and fear has direct impact on the immune system. So to balance and maintain that, it is the much needed attention to be given to the nutritional aspects for both body and mind and this is possible when we follow a healthy lifestyle. Just as earning your livelihood is as important, similarly a lifestyle which is YOU driven, both body and mind is as important in todays time.
1. Stick to healthy routine: When we are home all day, there is some disruption of routine. Try to maintain a healthy lifestyle including proper diet, sleep and exercise to help negate the side effects associated with this change.
2. Reduce your feelings of helplessness: Focus on what you can do rather than what you cannot. At this moment what we can do Is we can take care of ourselves and our family. Focus on things that keeps you engaged like cooking, playing, learning new things etc. Engage in hobbies and divert your mind. For me healthy cooking and learning new things works.
3. Be mindful: Not knowing what the future hold is one of the main reasons why people feel anxious about covid-19, so focus on the present. A great way to do that is to use meditation or other mindful exercises, which encourages you to notice what’s happening with your feelings in the moment and deal with it.
4. Check and change unhelpful or stressful thoughts: Ask yourself, “DO I really need to know this? Is this helpful for me to focus on?” If not , try replacing the thought. “I may not know exactly how this will work out, but I know that I have a home, food, and my family. I am doing just fine in this moment .” Don’t forget to count your blessings. Blessings and art of gratitude works and it does wonders in your own behavioral change.
5. Limit your time on news: Be sure to follow credible sources and limit the time spent watching or listening to media coverage that makes you upset. Also unfollow all accounts on social media who encourage negativity.
Remember we all in this TOGETHER. You are not alone. Together we can support each other, stay connected and help ourselves, maintain calm throughout this crisis. By staying calm and managing your stress, you actually boost your immune system. Your body and mind will thank you enough for this.
Benefits of nutritious diet:
1. Good nutrition improves well being: Eating a poor diet reduces physical and mental health because eating healthy allows people to be more active. Feelings of well being can be protected by ensuring that our diet is full of essential fats, carbohydrates, enough protein , vitamins and mineral. Eating clean and nutrient rich food is important than eating calorie dense and less nutrient. It also gives you energy.
2. Its expensive to be unhealthy: This pointer does not require much explanation as we all know eating royal always can welcome many dangerous diseases. Its ok to eat and treat yourselves with your most favorite food once in a while because food is divine and divine energy should always be followed. Please note that eating healthy is not boring instead healthy can turn out to be more interesting and your favorite too with little twists in the method of preparation.
3. Improves skin health and delays aging:yes the lustrous skin is the result of a proper balanced nutritional diet and your physical regimen too. Good nutrition does not just affect your weight or your energy. It can also play a role in the health of your skin. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, foods that contain vitamin C, E, lycopene and other antioxidants, can help to protect your skin against sun damage.
4. Boosts immune system: When you practice good nutrition, you are consuming natural and healthy foods that can help your body. This includes improving your immune system. Our immune system is our defense against diseases but poor nutrition is the most common cause of immune deficiencies worldwide. The choices you make when you eat don’t just affect one part of your body. Its one of the best ways to improve your health and your quality of life that is important. A healthy diet also prevents one from malnutrition. Hence a balanced diet is very important to outweigh the adverse effects of malnutrition.
5. Helps you manage a healthy weight: Eating a nutritious diet filled with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy and protein but in a balanced form help maintain a healthy body weight. Healthy diet and exercise program aids in maintaining a healthy weight. If eating healthy makes you think about the food you can not have, refocus your thoughts on the foods you can have. Pit a new spin on an old recipe to make it a little healthier. You don’t have to give up your favorite comfort foods, its all about balance.
6. Healthy eating positively affects your mood: As much as food affects our mood, mood affects our food choices, When we experience feelings of sadness, we are more likely to choose unhealthy foods and vice versa. Therefore a positive re-engineered you can be developed by following a healthy body and mind which will eventually help to control our emotional differences at times.
7. Increases Focus: Food has an impact on the way we think . When the body is low on glucose, the brain is not receiving the energy it needs to remain focused. Diets high in fat and cholesterol can seriously damage the brain by building up plaque in brain vessels, damaging brain tissue and causing strokes.
8. Longevity: Your body needs food in order to survive, but the process of breaking down food nutrients or metabolizing , causes stress on the body. Overeating creates more stress on the body and could lead to a shorter lifespan. Obesity could potentially lead to decline in life expectance. Diets that are rich in nutrients and do not contain processed foods have been found to have a positive effect on life expectancy.
The above were some of the pointers which I wanted the readers to address and refocus their mindset in terms of nutrition. Although the subject matter is known and probably many have much wider idea about this discipline, but this is a small effort to bring the importance known without an in depth analysis of the macros and micro nutrients concepts of nutrition as a separate discipline. Any suggestions, advices or comments will be highly appreciated and worked upon for improvement for sure.
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