Food is fundamentally fuel for our body. Type of fuel we use determines the life, functionality and output of the machine. Similarly the type of food we eat determines our span of life, quality of life and productivity of our works. Our food must be based on our lifestyle. For an athlete diet is different, for a business person diet is different, for a kid diet is different. But in there are certain food items that are important for everyone irrespective of what we do.
Three such food categories are that are extremely important for everyone and must be included on daily basis are fruits, greens/salads and nuts. Let’s have a look at why are these categories important and why it should be included on daily basis. In all my life coaching sessions I recommend people to include these three food items in their daily diet.
Fruits
Fruits are very primitive source of energy for humans. Not only fruits taste sweet and good but are also very nutritious. Recent research has shown that daily fruit intake can drastically reduce the risk of cancer. Not only that but eating fruit can make us feel full and thereby saves us from the risk of overeating which is the major obstacle for many of us in achieving a healthy lifestyle.
Fruits are mostly 80% water and as our body is also 70-80% water, it suits our body in best possible way. Most of the fruits being alkaline are like a boon for people suffering from acidity. If one suffering from acidity makes his/her diet more than 50% of fruits, he/she can get rid of acidity problems in almost 2-4 weeks.
Mostly all fruits have a good amount of fibre which is extremely important for digestion and excretion. Many fruits like pears, apple, grapes, chikoo(sapodilla), banana, strawberries and coconut are rich in vitamins like vitamin A, C, E and minerals and electrolytes like potassium, magnesium, sodium, calcium. Being rich in phytochemicals fruits are very much beneficial for us. The nature of fruits are such that it reduces the risk of many lifestyle related problems like cholesterol, diabetes, high/low blood pressure, cardiac problems and many more. Nutrition wise nothing can beat fruits.
Modern doctors recommend that we must eat different colours of fruits on daily basis as it will cover a variety of nutritional quota required for our body. However there is a concept of seasonal eating developed by rishis, munis and yogis, who were scientists of Ancient India.
Seasonal eating means eating fruits and vegetables at time of the year when they ripe, not eating food items that are stored and preserved or created in a controlled environment, or exported from some other terrain. Seasonal eating is important for our body as with the change of environment nature gives various fruits and vegetables which are suitable for the living organisms that live in the vicinity and can survive that change. In that sense seasonal eating gives us the exact nutrition and quality of fuel that is required to work at best in that particular environment and season.
This doesn’t mean that we should completely avoid other fruits but what we can do is that we can have such food items lesser compared to seasonal ones.
Fruits are best when eaten alone and early in morning, however if we choose to eat with regular meals, we must first consume fruit and then rest of the meal, as it increases the appetite, side by side it makes us feel satisfied and full, thereby making us eat at moderate level.
Greens/Salads
You must be remembering your mom screaming to finish all the vegetables. Almost every one of us used to run from green vegetables when we were young. But as we grow up we learn how much greens are beneficial for us. But one thing what many of us don’t know is that fresh vegetables and salads bring water in mouth of healthy and fit. It must be hard to believe but it is a truth.
Anyways green vegetables like spinach, lady finger, cabbage, gourd, cucumber are great for our eyes, bones, skin, hair, teeth, eyes, etc. Spinach being rich in calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium and vitamin A gives benefits like, making our bones stronger, keeping and maintaining our eyes sight sharper, boosts haemoglobin, eliminates fatigue, increases red blood cells, strengthens our immune system and many more. Do you remember Popeye – The Sailor, how he gets his strength from spinach. This is why it is so important to include greens in everyday diet.
Bottle gourd juice is very good during summer times as it brings down body heat, it also helps in controlling diabetes and blood pressure. Bitter gourd is extremely good for pancreas and thereby it is ram ban in diabetes. Coriander juice is extremely good for people having acidity or pitta. Having it early in morning empty stomach makes your liver healthy and strong. Drum stick juice or powder is considered as natural steroid. It is good for our bones and for our glandular functions as well.
What we eat is what we become.
Old Saying
Nuts & Dry Fruits
Most people get confused between nuts and dry fruits. Nuts like almond, cashew nut are actually nuts and not dry fruits. Dry fruits are the fruits which are dried and processed and then are infused with sweeteners and nuts are actually seeds of a fruit and is found generally in a nut shell. Mostly all dry fruits are processed by sugar syrup but yet they are exceptionally beneficial for us. But let us talk about nuts, a nut is fundamentally a seed. A seed comprises power to get transform into a tree, in that sense a seed provides tremendous energy to us. Nutrition wise it is so rich that one can go years on only nuts with adjusting lifestyle in a particular way. In India many yogis live only on nuts, fruits and vegetables. Yogis in order to go deeper in meditation have to prepare their body in a particular way and such diet helps them do that. Many vegetarian Indian athletes like Sushil Kumar get most of their protein source from nuts. Almonds are rich in riboflavin which is good for growth and overall health and helps breakdown carbohydrates, fats and protein. Almonds contain good quality of amino acids, fibre, Vitamin E, magnesium and potassium. Nuts are great source of nutrition but are also high in monounsaturated fats which is not considered good for heart, so it must consumed in moderate amounts and make sure that you smartly mix these into your diet.
