Have your meals on time, keep away the imbalances! : Samrah Akhter Clinical dietitian

Many people like to focus on the small details of nutrition and food,but they mostly forget the larger picture. Often people focus on amount of protein they eat, how many grams of carbohydrates they are consuming, or how much salt is in their food. But they tend to forget important eating habits such as including enough fruits and vegetables each day, eating a well balanced meals and also eating at regular intervals.And one of the best nutrition and health tips I can give is, Eating at regular intervals.
The husle and bustle in today’s lifestyle give rise to unhealthy eating and irregular meal timings among other things. High fat snacks like cookies, chips, chiwda, poori, samosas, kachodis and vadas available in the office cafeteria dont help much interms of health. Cutting to have meals and regular intervals and keeping your stomach empty for longer periods while busy working can lead to:
*Sweet cravings in the evenings.
*Ending up snacking lots in the evenings or in the following days to “make up” for the lost energy.
*Hyperacidity
*Low energy levels
*Inability to concentrate
*Decreased blood glucose levels
*Fatigue
*Feeling hangry, i.e hungry and angry… and that may just cause you to lash out or get angry or irritated at those around you.
The best thing is to have a routine with your eating in general, even if somedays may vary from that routine.
Eating every 3-4 hours is recommended for the general population, even if there are some benefits to fasting for some people as well. It is not recommended for everyone. And what I can say is that it is better to just eat all your meals between example 6am and 9pm each day, which will eventually:
*Give you energy throughout the day
*It can minimize cravings because you will energize and fuel your body with your main meals and snacks
*Typically your main meals and snacks will be composed of healthy foods, which also helps you get all your vitamins and minerals you need. Whereas spontaneous snacks chosen out of hanger or extreme hunger due to skipping meals are most often not the most nutritious…. Unless you are someone who naturally grabs a fruit or some nuts in those panic-hunger moments.
If however u feel hungry in between the three major meals a nutritious snack example fresh fruits, egg / veg sandwich, boiled corn, salads, soups, a handful of almonds baked beans on toast, muesli with milk or fresh juice, shakes or lassi can keep you hoing till the next major meal. Drinking adequately water is also important and doing so at regular intervals helps to keep the gut healthy.If for some reasons, you are unable to eat a full meal when your body demands it, then munch onto a few nuts or a fresh fruit or few dry fruits. A banana can provide you with ample energy and other nutrients, as well as help you to carry on with your work till your next meal. Easy to carry snacks like chikki, nuts, puffed rice, roast chana and mueseli stave off hunger for few more hours and also provide nutrients to the body. Stay away from oily items, fried snacks carbonated beverages salty and sugary foods.
Regular meal timings might have beneficial effects on blood sugar levels, lipids and calorie burn. Few frequent meals or 3 large spaced out meals, the bottom line is that the nutrition quality should be high. There is no point in skipping meals or leaving large gaps between meals which might result in physical, physiological or mental discomfort. If possible, mealprepping along with packing snacks with you is a good idea. Then you will always have nutritious food with you for when you feel hungry and need some more energy.