World Health Day is the perfect time to get into action and set your health goals right. This year, celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar is here to help you in your journey towards a healthier lifestyle with some incredible health secrets she shares in her Audible Original Podcast. We've shortlisted a few below but listen to the podcast on Audible for the whole scoop!
1. Don't skip your breakfast and definitely have a home-cooked fresh breakfast
Rujuta says, "It's not just enough to have the right dinner, it's also important to start your day with a home-cooked fresh breakfast every day." She suggests including idli, poha, dosa and eggs as part of the daily routine. Apart from this, Rujuta also urges her listeners to add fresh fruit and nuts. "You can have soaked almonds, walnuts or just bananas."
2. Eat a hyper-local fruit as a mid-meal daily
"Include a hyper-local fruit as a mid-meal (in-between breakfast and lunch or lunch and dinner) every day." She adds, "A hyper-local fruit is a fruit which does not have a name in English, it's a name in your local language. It may be known as your region but is not necessarily known across the globe. It is different from common fruits or known as local fruits for example bananas, guavas, jackfruits, grapes etc." To stay healthy and fit both physically and mentally, Rujuta suggests eating fruits like Bora, Maran, Phalsa, Shahtoot, Karvanda, Ranjana, Jamun, Bel, Cashew fruits, Dhurchuk, Tadgola, Nimboli, Ramphal, etc. as these have an immense amount of nutrition, vitamins, prebiotics, and lots of bioactive compounds.
3. Don't starve yourself during lunch
"Having a full-fledged Indian Thali is enough. Full-fledged means dal, roti, rice, green veggies and a side dish if needed such as curd or pickle or any sweet is just more than enough" says Rujuta. So, ensure that your lunch is nutritious, containing the necessary vitamins and minerals. Adding to this, Rujuta says, "Good nutrition is one of the keys to a healthy life. This includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, and a source of protein."
Pro Tip: Sit in Sukhasana (cross-legged) when eating
4. Take a short afternoon nap (10-30 mins)
In this podcast, Rujuta highlights the importance of an afternoon nap. She suggests adding at least a 20 - 30 mins nap in the afternoon just after your lunch. "Start having an afternoon nap, it will help you sleep better. It will help you get optimum levels of growth hormones and IGF (Insulin-like growth factor). It will accelerate your fat loss too." says Rujuta Diwekar. While pointing out other health benefits, she also says: that those who have gone through heart surgery, are suffering from thyroid PCOD, hormonal problems, diabetes, acidity and digestive issues or those struggling with insomnia and have broken sleep should also try and take an afternoon nap.
5. Wrap up with an early dinner
At the end of the day, eating a healthy and light dinner will help your body maintain its levels and functions. While discussing how today people focus on skipping dinner, Rujuta says, "...never remove roti, rice and ghee from your diet in order to have a perfect body." Rujuta also emphasises good sleep post-dinner for a full recovery and says, "Sleep and Recovery is equally important."
