From One Mom / Parent to Another

I see myself as a pro-food doctor (when I started practice) and now a pro-food mom. It is surprising and frustrating as well to see so many new myths – fads around food springing every day and really bright people not just embracing them, but also vehemently promoting them, without giving this new found knowledge some time to see the impact on their mind-body-soul.

Why the short-sightedness? Why the shortcuts? Why are intelligent people falling prey to these and what is even more surprising is that now they are teaching these same dim-witted concepts to their children – at least spare them the grief and educate them about balanced diet. Let their Knowledge of Food and Health be simple, uncomplicated and real.

My agitation comes from recently meeting parents who are forcing their new found food gyan on their kids, and yes seeing posts, and reading articles of proud parents introducing their children to warped ways of eating.

A 5 year old is not allowed a home made ladoo or an aloo paratha made in ghee because ghee is fattening, he is fat and his father’s side of the family is fat. He can eat packaged biscuits, granola bars, packaged flavoured yogurts, quinoa salad or avocado on toast. 😕🤔🙄🤐

His mother clearly dint care much about him having no physical activity. He in fact is considered ‘not cool’ if he wants to go down to play. He is supposed to read books of higher classes and play word games online- why of course because he is supposed to be a bright cool kid! Sweaty kids are not cool, you see 🥴😶😨

A sincere request from one mother/ parent to another – Please spare your kids this torture. I understand you are smart, tech savy, internet friendly, highly educated parents, but please do not mess with your children’s health- mental, physical and emotional.

Food is essential to life. Help your children find balance instead of confusing them. How many children are suffering from poor immunity today inspite of being fed so called ‘healthy’ food. Think about it!?

How often does your child retaliate the latest food discovery you place before them? Children want food – not proportioned or rationed carbs, proteins and fats.

Please know – Children are smart! Don’t you remember how even when they were just born, they knew when to howl, so you would nurse them and immediately refused to feed further when full. They did not care about carbs, proteins or fats. They in fact did not even care, that they did not let mommy dear sleep through the night.

So spare your kids, the latest food fad as these fads never last and newer ones keep replacing them. Instead let your child grow in an atmosphere of love, food, fun, education, understanding and acceptance!

Lose Weight without Workout!

I am sure of 2 things happening –

1. A lot of people will want to read this article – because so many people want to lose weight, but not workout
2. People who have known me, will be stunned – “Is this really Khushboo promoting no workout?”

Well – the whole point of the title was to grab your attention, and I am sure I managed to grab it. Also this post comes after a long phase of silence (well – I am still slowly settling into motherhood, so kindly pardon my lapses)

Sunday morning, I was enjoying my chai and came across a Facebook post of a friend, on a “Diet” that promised weight loss without exercise, so obviously I had to talk – how could I not. I may have donned an additional hat – but I am still that food lover, the pro – sensible long term fat loss, keeping health the prime focus kinda woman.

I don’t get why exercise has such a bad name, that people use it as a marketing strategy. Well, for starters, exercise is important for health – it is NOT punishment. But most people are forced to exercise, when their excessive weight comes in their way – like pcos (leading difficult conception), high cholesterol, bad knees or cardiac issues.

I am shocked when people promote and even prefer weight loss by the kilos – ‘kitna kilo, kitne mahine main” (how many kgs in how many months) – and who is the biggest loser in this – not your weight for sure, but YOU. You lose your health, your youth, your skin, your hair, good food and even your peace of mind.

Exercise when coupled with eating correctly (mind you I promote eating right, not dieting, not fad diets, not soup salad for dinner, not low carb, etc) is the fastest, most guaranteed and sure shot way of achieving your dream body.

Exercise improves our blood circulation, strengthens the digestive fire and intestines – thus helping us digest better, prevents us from over stuffing our stomachs and faces, trains our body to consume calories from food instead of storing it as fat – leading to Fat Loss in the long run

So its time we stop taking exercise so casually, and to those who are too busy to exercise

If you have time for #facebook #instagram #whatsapp #twitter or even #pinterest – you most definitely have time to WORKOUT

So save the excuses and make time to exercise, because

 

New Year.. but..Not so New Resolutions

IT’S going to be New Year’s Eve soon. Most of you already have plans while some are still are clueless! But we all know one thing for certain – on New Year’s Eve – We will celebrate.. And our celebrations always include – FOOD & DRINKS (both alcoholic & non-alcoholic). And that evening you will still be heavy on tum ‘again’.. (well haven’t you been  partying since Christmas 😉 )

BUT you try to justify and resolve it all with a New Year’s resolution to ‘lose weight’, like you did the year before this, and the year before that!

Going on a diet – more often than not is the most popular New Year’s resolution and as we know it does more harm than good, as we are always setting ourselves up to fail.

How is it possible, to be one kind of a person till Dec 31st and then suddenly as the clock strikes 12, become a super conscious health nut – immediately in the very next moment! So do you just drop all your lifestyle habits and adopt to a newer life – in that one moment?

We have  unrealistic expectations when it comes to dieting after the festive season. We equate a diet to a punishment, post all the merry making of Christmas & New Year – just to find ourselves repeat this pattern the following year. So did the punishment actually work?

NOTHING CHANGES, TILL YOU CHANGE

I have always said – there is much more to weight loss than just diet and exercise. Here comes Jan and so many will skimp on food and slog at the gym. The more fun your New Year party was, the more you torture yourself

Thankfully, our body and brain are way more sensible than we are. Your body’s primary function is survival and if you deprive yourself of nutrients and lots of energy your body isn’t going to quickly let you into that bikini or that LBD or raise your metabolism or give you the abs. Instead, it  will slow down the metabolism and hold onto energy so you can actually survive, the self-inflicted torture

Before you start to work on your body – it is better to work on your mind. Don’t we all already know how important it is to exercise or how beneficial it is to eat at regular intervals is or any other nutrition or health related fact – yet we do the exact opposite.

How often have you experienced or heard from someone who had a stressful day at work and didn’t know the best way to deal with it, so just went home and binged on their favorite food or just had a few glasses of wine to calm themselves down. Then obviously you don’t sleep so well that night and the next day are a bit groggy so instead of starting their day with a fruit, they reach for a coffee. And in turn, increase the stress levels, within the body, leading to more cortisol and leading to more fat storage. Was your solution actually a solution?

So its not that we are not aware – we have just become slaves to our habits, we need to re-wire our mind first, to re-wire our habits, and then will the diet actually work for you.

It’s been a busy year, you are looking forward to have a good time at your New Year Party, then do just that. If your New Year Resolution has a list of 10 things you intend to change, cut it down to 1 or 2 things and if you achieve it give yourself a high five. Be realistic in your expectations and let go of the extra pressure you put on yourself to achieve the impossible. Give your self a gift of your own kindness this New Year

Custard Apple for Good Health

(White) Butter makes life Better

How can we think of Janmashtami and not think of butter – the food that Lord Krishna loved so much that he wouldn’t even mind stealing and eating.

But today we cannot think of eating butter – because we only associate it to being fattening. But – was Lord Krishna fat?

We always picture Krishna as young, full of love, energy and enthusiasm; sharp, smart, intelligent and agile – being very quick in his movements – remember how he would steal butter? 😉

Butter though high in calories (for the calorie-counters), not only does it enhance the taste of the food its added too, it is even better in its nutritive goodness and makes life much better for you.

• It is rich in anti-ageing Vitamin A and enzymes. Being the ‘fat’- it helps our body retain calcium, phosphorous and vitamin A and D.
• Contrary to belief, white butter actually helps you LOSE WEIGHT! It helps in proper assimilation and metabolism of cholesterol and other fat constituents. Thereby breaking down and utilizing fats more efficiently. The result is – Fat Loss!
• Have you ever stopped to wonder why your dadi or nani would give you khichdi with ghee or makhan when you were down with a cold and flu? White butter boosts and strengthens your immune system and in fact sometimes helps treat minor stomach infections too.
• The molecular structure of butter helps it pass through the layers of the brain tissue that are otherwise impermeable. It helps the transportation of nutrients to the brain and takes away wastes from it making the brain function optimally – thereby making you smarter and sharper, just like Krishna.
• The Vitamin E and Selenium (the antioxidant) in it makes your skin smooth and glowing.
• If you find yourself complaining of weak or painful joints – think of White butter. It helps lubricate joints and improves movement.
• Haven’t you heard people say – Fat adds Flavor – butter while making food yummy, also makes you feel satisfied. Isn’t daal-chawal or khichdi or even hot rotis with ghee so soul-satisfying?

A very important thing here is – you must NOT use makhan or ghee that is sold outside, instead make it at home. And like with any food – moderation and eating sensibly are key to Fitness and Wellbeing.

Happy Janmashtami!

The “Appearance Attraction”

Recently I met a few people – and as always they are obsessed about dropping ‘x’ kilos by such and such date to fit into ‘that’ dress or just appear a certain way. And to achieve their targets – they don’t really care about the approach – they could starve, skip meals, count calories, workout like crazies, anything but eating sensibly – they just want results! So I asked – would you put your child or someone you love on the same diet – I got a unanimous reply – NO WAY! Then why put yourself through it!?

What I don’t understand is that why is there so much attention on a certain number or appearance and at the same time so much disregard towards physiological and psychological parameters? Why do we forget that our body works as a whole unit – and anything we do or don’t impacts US – our body, mind and energy too at the same time.

An absolute focus only on Weight loss, with an indifferent or unaware approach to Fat loss – is simply Careless and even dangerous. How can we overlook the benefits that exercise and eating right have upon US – our body, mind and energy. The overall insulin sensitivity improves, fat burning is maximized. Strength-stamina-endurance gets better. We are better attuned to our Hunger cues and satiety signals. Heart, liver, kidney function better. We are more happier. We feel lighter. We look better (isn’t this the whole reason why most people want to ‘lose weight’?!) 😉

So I repeat myself – throw your scale – focus on living a disciplined life – be FIT. A good lifestyle ensures that you are not at risk of any lifestyle related disease – which are on high rise today. Get over the “Appearance Attraction” and get Sensible 🙂

Mindfulness Matters

Eating is life’s most vital activity, apart from breathing and sleeping (in the same order as well, I think 😉 ). We cannot sustain ourselves without eating. Eating is a must!

Most of the times, we eat so unconsciously, without being aware of how important food is to us. We have forgotten its role when it comes to – our survival, our health and also the way we look. It gives us energy to work, it allows us to think, move, create and thrive.

Our food preferences and choices are based on convenience as compared to our health and well-being. We have become so busy that even eating has just become another task on our ‘to-do’ list. We don’t really have the time to nourish body and soul.

Coming back to my point – Mindfulness Matters – Why?

Mindfulness makes us aware. When we begin to pay attention to how everything we eat, influences our body, we start making smarter choices about what foods to eat.

When we give our complete attention to the meal in front of us, we feel satisfied quickly, we eat less and are able to better digest what we eat.

We live in a fast-paced multi-taking world – we never really slow down. Even when we are eating, we are multi-tasking. We are either watching TV, or are talking to someone on the phone or reading something.

DID YOU KNOW – that multi-tasking registers as stress in the mind and therefore triggers a stress response in the body?

Now extend this to when you are eating. When you are eating under stress or when you are upset, it impacts not only what you eat, but how you digest it too.

Yes, Stress Impacts your Digestion

When your mind registers stress, a series of changes start taking place in the body instantly:

• Blood pressure rises
• Digestion is suppressed
• Immunity is suppressed
• Detoxification is suppressed
• Gradual demineralization of bone
• Fatty acid metabolism is impaired
• Glucose is released
• Cholesterol is released
• Hormones are imbalanced
• Muscle break down along with fluid retention
• Fat is deposited
• Decreased energy
• Mood fluctuations

So when the mind perceives stress – digesting your food is not really a priority. In fact your digestive system is put on hold, as there other important things for the body to deal with.

Now – because the digestive system is shut down – fewer digestive enzymes are released and obviously this leads to decreased breakdown of carbohydrates, fats, and protein.  Even the absorption of vitamins and minerals is impaired.

In fact, if you read the pointers above, during the stress response, the cells’ ability to metabolize fatty acids is also impaired. And, to top it off, the body tends to break down muscle and replace it with stored fat and excess fluid. Over time, this can cause weight gain. Still, wondering how you put on the weight!?

Also thanks to this – you experience digestive symptoms, such as acidity, heaviness, bloating, and sometimes unknown stomach discomfort. No matter how healthy or nutritionally balanced your food is, your body will not optimally absorb the nutrients from the meal, if the functioning of the digestive system is impaired

So, as you rush out the door in the morning, with a toast or a ‘snack bar’ in hand to catch your train, or eat lunch in front of a computer screen, or when you are super stressed about the day or are experiencing negative emotions tied to a certain someone or something, you are clearly telling your body “don’t digest.”

And so, Mindfulness Matters, being aware and paying attention while eating guarantees full digestion and maximum nutritional benefit. Try it Out – Results Guaranteed! 🙂 

There is no need to DIE when DIE-Ting

Most people DIE – when DIE-Ting. And obviously when it doesn’t work –  that kills you further, because you gave up so much and yet you are back to square one.

Also when you consistently Over – diet and eat less in the process – thinking you could knock some kilos off quickly, you actually end up landing in a bigger mess. Suddenly eating lesser than before, slows down metabolism and the body responds to this ‘starvation mode’ by holding the fat back and now the body burns calories more slowly.

Also haven’t you noticed how you feel when you starve? You feel hungry and as a result are irritable, cranky, angry and feel weak. You may weigh less on the scale but the minute you go back to eating like usual, all the weight piles back on and sometimes even more.

This yo-yo weight gain and loss is even more dangerous.

Instead, it is just so much easier to EAT small meals frequently, sensibly and the right amount of food you need in that moment instead of ‘dieting’. This way you actually nurture and nourish your body. In doing so you will notice that your energy levels are better, you feel fresh, fitter, look younger and your clothes fit better too.

Don’t go Hungry when instead you should be eating something yum!

Food is Nutrients, Not Calories

Look at Food as #Nutrients, something which nourishes you and not as mere number or #calories. Get Real, Get Practical – counting calories cannot fill your tummy, eating good Food does