Skipping meals because of a busy routine? Switch to a planned diet!

Food and water are the basic necessities for any living being on earth and our health is greatly dependent on them, as they provide nourishment and energy to our body. You must have often heard doctors, experts and our grandparents say that a home-cooked meal, that one eats at peace with a happy mind, is beneficial for our body. However, in today’s fast-paced life, people lack time as well as patience to sit and eat their meals. Undoubtedly, there has been a sudden rise in the trend of “take away” and “instant food” in the past few years.

A Mumbai-based dietitian and nutritionist, Ruchelle George says that no fixed time of having meals (including breakfast, lunch and dinner), the quality of food we eat, the environment and the mental state in which we are eating, all affect how the nutrition our body gets from the food we consume.

People in the current times, do not have a fixed routine, nor do they have time to sit and eat their meals in peace. Therefore, they resort to foods that can be eaten quickly and do not need a long time to prepare, hence, they turn to fast foods and snacks, in which the nutritional content is almost negligible.

How does it impact health?

Ruchelle says that people now suffer from age-related problems at a very young age and unhealthy eating habits can be attributed to the same. Improper eating habits can cause heart diseases, diabetes, fatiguability, obesity, digestive issues, pain in the hands and legs, and hair and skin-related issues. Besides this, lack of nutrition in the body can also cause mental and behavioural issues such as irritability, anxiety, etc.

Having a planned diet

Ruchelle Geroge people with a hectic schedule often have the habit of skipping their breakfast or limiting it to only tea, coffee or biscuits. Also, when a person does not have proper meals, they tend to overeat whenever they get a little time and their craving for junk food begins to increase, which can be very harmful to health. However, with little planning, one can plan a proper routine and follow these steps:

• Do not ever skip the morning breakfast, as it is essential for providing energy to the body for the whole day. If you do not have enough time in the morning, you can consider having greek yoghurt, egg, poha, oatmeal, banana and other fruits, fruits or vegetable juice/smoothie, milk, and dry fruits.
• Fruits and dry fruits can be consumed at any time of the day. Instead of snacking on chips and biscuits, you can have roasted fox nuts, peanuts, almonds and cashew, with very little salt sprinkled on them. But, it should be consumed in moderation.
• You can also have roasted gram (chana), as it is both light and nutritious.
• If you are unable to have lunch at a fixed time, instead of eating samosa, kachori or noodles, you can have fruit juice, lassi, buttermilk or steamed snacks like sweet potato, dhokla, etc. Although it is satiating but is light, which is why one should not skin dinner later.
• Drink a lot of water throughout the day. But, do not consume more liquids like tea, coffee, energy drinks or cold drinks to fill your stomach.
• If you are getting late in having your dinner, instead of having a heavy dinner, opt for light foods such as porridge (khichdi) or dalia, which is easy to digest. Eating heavy meals at night increases the chances of digestive issues such as gas, acidity, indigestion, bloating, etc.
• In case you have a very busy routine, instead of three big meals throughout the day, you can divide your meals into five small ones. Keep in mind that whatever you eat in these 5 meals, it should be full of nutrition and easy to digest. You can seek the help of a nutritionist or dietitian to prepare a diet chart for yourself.