Great Eating Routin

Perfect Time Makes Perfect Mind

HOW MEALTIMES AND BODY FUNCTIONS ARE INTERLINKED?

The Circadian Rhythm is not a new concept behind the best health maintenance but some of us might be following it for a long time without knowing much about it. Circadian rhythm or the body’s clock is a naturally driven 24 hour-cycle going on in our body that depends on daylight changes happening outside. It periodically determines our metabolic, biochemical, physical, mental, or behavioral activity. As per studies, this cycle perpetually controls our sleep-wake process. 

Evidently, mealtimes affect our circadian rhythm. Therefore, our eating timings and circadian rhythms go hand in hand. In fact, regular disturbance in our circadian rhythm due to traveling between time zones or pulling all-nighters frequently, risk you for developing metabolic disorders. Experts say that almost all our organ functioning is regulated by this biological clock which is controlled by a particular region of the brain, i.e. suprachiasmatic nucleus.

The circadian rhythm diet means having time-restricted eatery habits. Furthermore, time-driven nutrition provides us maximum benefit out of the food we take in. This is because when we wake up, our biological clock conveys to the body that it's morning now. So, our brain tends to stimulate our gut to release more and more digestive juices & enzymes. This secretion amount keeps on decreasing along the length of the day. In fact, such secretions are minimal at night time.

A GREAT EATING ROUTINE

Having meals may sound very casual in itself, but here is where we go wrong and this makes a huge difference later. It is very essential to know that perfect meal timing is the key to healthy living. Sticking to meal schedules consistently from day to day may help in weight reduction, body energizing, and eliminating risk factors causing chronic metabolic diseases. 

Let’s learn the best eating schedule

PRE-WORKOUT MEALS

One must prefer to wake up early in the morning to follow the best meal practices. You must avoid working out an empty stomach and can take any of the following foods 30 minutes prior to a workout session. Your pre-workout meal largely depends on the kind of workout you prefer like cardio, weight training, running, swimming, cycling, jogging, or yoga.

One can have oats, protein shakes, bananas, whole grains, yogurt, fresh fruits, boiled eggs, black coffee, sugar-free smoothies, etc.

BREAKFAST

Since digestive juice’s flow is maximum in the morning, one can go for protein-rich morning meals. That can be eggs, greek yogurt, milk, oatmeal, chia seeds, cottage cheese, berries, whole wheat toast, sprouts, nuts, protein-rich puddings, almonds, fish, chicken, lean meat, etc. One must not delay breakfast beyond 7 AM.

LUNCH

A timely lunch can enable you to have a timely dinner also. You can consume a mixed diet containing carbs as well as proteins for lunch. Following foods can be preferred:
Avocado and egg sandwiches, whole-wheat bread rolls with peanut sauce, spinach, vegetable sandwich, vegetable soup, beans, chicken breast, fish, rice, cereals, pulses, etc with vegetable salad. The lunch should not be delayed beyond 2 PM.

DINNER

Early dinners offer you the best digestion and healthy sleep. So, having dinner between 7-8 PM serves the best health. Digestive juice’s level is minimum in the late hours. So, it's best to have light meals with high fiber at this time. Also, you should try to keep a time lapse of 4 hours between lunch & dinner. One can prefer the following foods for dinner:

• Sweet potatoes are rich in beta carotene, potassium, vitamin C, and fiber.
• Grains
• Boiled veggies
• Vegetable salad
• Brown rice
• Fresh soups 
• Multigrain breads

INTERMEAL BEVERAGES

Having tea or coffee in between meals is usually part of our regular routine. But the matter of concern is that these beverages are rich in polyphenols which hampers the optimum iron absorption. However, having an antioxidant-rich mixed fruit juice, milk or a herbal energy drink alternatively can provide you with multiple benefits:

• Detoxification
• Immunity booster
• Pronounced nutrition (vitamin C, B vitamins, vitamin A and vitamin K)
• Trace mineral supply (zinc, iron, potassium, magnesium, selenium, and calcium)

WHAT TO AVOID?

These days, the availability of adulterated impure food in the market is very common. So, one must choose the market eatery products very wisely. People are going for organic farming at their terraces themselves to get fresh, unadulterated, and fertilizer/pesticide-free food. 

Nowadays, health stores are full of a varied variety of health supplements which can confuse a buyer while purchasing the right one for him/her. Choosing natural dietary supplements can fulfill your need with the least adverse effects. This is because synthetic supplements come with several unmanageable long-term side effects like increased risk of heart attack, high cholesterol levels, liver problems, cancer and many more.

SUMMARY NOTE

It's very apt to say “Eat Right Live Well”. But the above mentioned dietary routine cannot help much unless the following health deteriorating agents are not eliminated from our lifestyle:

• Tobacco intake
• Smoking
• Alcohol over intake
• Any substance abuse