5 Healthy Diet Hacks for Working Women.
Working women often struggle to prepare food from themselves due to multiple personal and professional commitments. However, it is important to maintain a healthy and balanced diet to be full of energy and prevent lifestyle disorders like PCOS, diabetes or thyroid. There are some easy diet hacks you can follow to prevent these lifestyle disorders by managing your diet with a busy schedule.
Are you tired all the time? Do you have frequent fluctuations in mood? Has your sleep quality deteriorated?
If the body is healthy, your productivity increases, sleep quality improves and you always have a healthy gut, which helps in better digestion and absorption of nutrients. Nutritional deficiencies are common in women, which also get taken care of if you follow a balanced diet, full of antioxidants and all micronutrients.
Stock up on dry fruits. Always carry a box of roasted nuts to munch on at work. Avoid munching on sugary treats or processed snacks. This is a small lifestyle change which has various health benefits in addition to just weight management. You get a lot of antioxidants and protein from nuts and seeds which also help in regulation of blood sugar and improve bone and muscle health.
Consume raw foods. Carry a box of fruit or vegetables you can eat during the day. Cucumber or carrot slices with hummus and apple or banana slices with peanut butter are excellent choices for your mid-day hunger pangs. Fibre in raw and unprocessed or uncooked food acts as a catalyst to better digestion and replenishes the body’s nutrient reserves. It also contributes to healthier and clearer skin.
Never skip breakfast. Muesli, boiled eggs, oatmeal, and peanut butter toast are some quick fixes for a healthy breakfast. Never leave for work hungry. Skipping meals does nothing but increases your chances of binge eating. It is always best to keep yourself full or develop a habit of eating every 2 hours.
Prefer healthier snaking options like popcorn, makhanas, roasted peanuts or roasted chickpeas over chips and other fried snacks. You might not realize but this makes a huge difference in your overall calorie intake. Roasted and non-fried snacks may not always be as tempting as fried snacks but it is only a matter of time until you actually start liking it. They are light and can be consumed in more quantity as compared to chips or wafers, minus the excess fat and high sodium. Over time, you will notice a significant change in your energy levels too!
Plan your meals in advance. Always prefer a home-cooked meal over ordering from restaurants. Planning reduces effort and makes it more convenient to prepare multiple dishes from collective meal prep. Chopping, preparing a batter or partially cooking your ingredients reduces the individual time and effort which goes into cooking a meal. This goes a long way in managing your lifestyle and improving overall health.
Always make sure you have something healthy to eat to fulfil your hunger pangs or sugar cravings during the day. Starving yourself only causes hormonal imbalance and more cravings, thereby increaseing the frequency of binge eating episodes.
Women often tend to ignore their own health and fulfil their duties as an employee, mother or wife. But who does the same for them? It is time we realise that our body is our own responsibility and no one can take charge of ensuring a healthy lifestyle other than ourselves.
Remember ladies, you are the only ones who will have to step up and take charge of your health to develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle, along with managing your personal and professional lives. No one else is going to do it for you!
