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healthy eating habits for children
Categories best Dietitians and Nutritionists in Delhi

How to encourage healthy eating habits for your children during holidays

Vacations are synonymous with celebrating the freedom from school and a disciplined routine. Children look forward to holiday travels, visiting relatives and generally having a good time. It can thus be a challenge to ensure that they are eating healthy at the same time.

A few options can ensure that your children inculcate healthy eating habits during the holidays.

1. Involve your children in buying and prepping

Children love playing adults and respond well when given certain duties and responsibilities. Take them along and let them choose groceries with you. Let them participate in meal planning and then meal prepping or cooking, depending on age appropriateness. Children will automatically want to eat a dish that they have been involved in; it’s the simplest way to teach them to eat healthy.

 2. Mealtimes should be friendly and calm

Whenever trying to introduce anything new to children, remember to never create a sense of urgency to it. children adapt better when they know that the parent will not get upset with them, there is no retribution involved, and that they can express their true feelings be it likes or dislikes. They need to feel that you trust and respect their feelings and do not make light of them.

Mealtimes should also not be about lecturing them or teaching them life lessons or reprimanding them. It should be a time that is stress free and a time to bond as a family.

3. Avoid strict restrictions on favourite foods

 Holidays are a special time for everyone, including the children. They look forward to having a leisurely time, indulging in their favourite activities and foods, and generally expecting that they will be allowed forbidden foods once in a while. It is very important to think about their mental health and the feel good factor that some so called junk or unhealthy foods bring with them. Once in a while it is alright for them to eat these foods. This is especially true of birthday parties and other get-togethers that they will attend.

4. Stick to the same routine

 As far as possible try not to change their routine too drastically during the holidays. Children are happier and more secure when they follow a routine over a long period of time.

5. Plate up food in a fun way

For younger children and toddlers, plating up their less favourite fruit or vegetable in a fun way can encourage them to try it. Do not pressurize them into finishing it if they don’t like it, trying is a great start. Offer it to them again at a later day without creating too much fuss or giving it too much importance. You can also add their favourite food to the same plate in a creative way so it becomes a part of the food that you want your child to eat. For eg: if your child loves carrot but does not like broccoli, then make a carrot and hummus dip in which they can dip their broccoli cutlets. Remember to be calm and friendly at all times.

6. Be a role model

It is rightfully said that kids are a reflection of their parents. Kids always look upto their parents when young and imitate them. Make sure that you follow the basic rules of healthy eating yourself before you try to teach your children:

  • Eat fruits, vegetables, whole grains, etc. and stay away from fast foods
  • Eat at regular intervals
  • Eat slowly
  • While eating be happy and calm
  • Take small portions. Once you finish them, take extra helpings I needed
  • Do not leave unfinished food on your plate

I hope the above helps you and your children in having a fun filled holiday. To know more or if you need further help with recipe suggestions, etc., get in touch with me, Kanupriya Khanna, one of the best Dietitians and Nutritionists in Delhi.

best Dietitians and Nutritionists in Delhi
Categories Dietician

6 ways to eat healthy while you’re super busy

Professionals today think they cannot afford to waste any time on mundane things like eating. With all the deadlines and meetings, and what not; food tends to take a back seat in our lives. What we forget is that to be able to be productive, increase your output and be better able to concentrate; it is important to have a full tummy. But just a full tummy is not enough in the long run. To be healthy and to not miss too many days from work due to ill health is equally important. For that there are a few things you can do to remain fit and healthy. Just a few simple choices that you make can make all the difference between being healthy and unhealthy.

1. Eat a high protein breakfast

Are you usually always running late for work in the mornings? Do you often skip breakfast or grab just a coffee on the way? Do you know that skipping breakfast has been linked to various lifestyle disorders like diabetes and obesity?

Eat a healthy breakfast that is high in protein and good fats. This will not just energise you for what is to come, but also sustain you for a long time. Some examples include: whole grain sourdough with eggs and avocado, overnight oats with berries and nuts, fruit smoothies with yogurt, nuts and seeds, nut butter and granola parfait, etc.

2. Stock your pantry with healthy snacks

Always stock your pantry with healthy snacks when you’re grocery shopping. This way, even if you’re running late, you can grab these and have them on the way, or in-between, whenever the hunger pang hits you. Some good options include: trail mixes, sugar free granola bars, Karamele cookies and other snacks.

3. Schedule lunch meetings

Usually eating and working is never a good idea. Research shows that for the food to be properly digested, you must concentrate on the food and not be distracted by some other activity like reading or watching television. But this is not true when it comes to eating in a social gathering.

This is also a good way to ensure that you don’t skip your midday meal and at the same time you get to network.

4. Drink plenty of water

With over 70% of our bodies being made up by water, it is one of the most essential nutrients that we need for survival. Dehydration is a cause of several mild and severe health issues depending on the degree of dehydration. Some of these include:dizziness, headaches, tiredness, seizures, kidney problems, etc.

The easiest way to ensure that you drink enough water and do not forget is to keep a bottle of water on your desk as a reminder and ready reckoner of how much you’ve consumed in day.

5. Choose quality

Avoid or restrict the consumption of refined sugar and fried foods, or foods with high salt content, preservatives, additives, etc. Limit your alcohol intake and quit smoking.

When eating out choose a good dining option that will give your healthy options to choose from, rather than fast food places. Stick with grilled, steamed, or baked options instead of heavy curries or fried foods.

 6. Importance of meal prep

 The first and most important step in this is to shop wisely for your groceries. Make sure that majority of your shopping includes fresh produce, grains, pulses, lean meats, etc. Stay away from processed meats, packaged foods. These will frequently contain preservatives, etc.

Set aside some time on the weekends to make your meals in advance for the rest of the week. Portion these out in containers that can be easily refrigerated or frozen, which you can grab on your way out.

Remember that small changes will go a long way in ensuring that you remain fit and healthy for a long time. This will also benefit your work life in the long run.

To know more, get in touch with me, Kanupriya Khanna, one of the best Dietitians and Nutritionists in Delhi.

immune system
Categories Other nutrition blog

6 ways to boost your immune system

Our immune system is responsible for keeping us healthy and free from diseases or infections. It fights bacteria, viruses and cancer.

You must have heard of vaccines: these are compounds that have been developed to strengthen our immune system to fight against specific infectious organisms. In addition to vaccines, we can strengthen our immune system by various other things:

1. Eating well

Eating well simply means eating a diet that is rich in proteins, whole grains, fruits, vegetables. These all together provide our bodies with much needed vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, etc, all that our immune system needs to become strong. In addition, it is important to restrict consumption of some things like: saturated fats, cholesterol, added sugars and excess salt.

2. Maintain a healthy weight

Overweight and obesity can affect our immune system and make it slow. This is linked to the inflammation that usually accompanies excessive weight. The fat calls also produce certain inflammatory hormones, so the more weight you carry, the weaker is your immunity. Maintaining a healthy weight involoves not juts eating right, but also being physically active, getting enough sleep and being free from stress.

 3. Be physically active

Regulr physical activity helps our bodies remain fit. It improves our sleep and helps us maitina a healthy weight. Studies show that exercise improves the blood and lymh flow throughout the body. Its also seen that the effectiveness of the immune cells lasts upto 3 hours after completion of the exercise. A study that came out in 2022 of covid patients concluded that people who exercised regularly, had lower hospitalisations and it accounted for fewer deaths from covid.

4. Quit smoking

Cigarette smoking has thousands of different chemicals many of which can affect our immune systems. Recent research also shows that smoking can lead to autoimmune disorders like Rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease. It is well documented that smoking causes certain types of cancer, thus should be avoided completely.

5. Avoid too much alcohol

Research shows that excessive alcohol consumption, directly suppresses the immune system. Too much alcohol delays the immune response of the body in fighting pathogens. In the lungs, alcohol consumption can lead to destruction of the immune cells, thereby increasing the risk of respiratory diseases. Alcohol also destroys our good gut bacteria and causes inflammation of the gut. Both these further affect our immune system.

6. Get enough sleep

Studies show that not getting enough sleep can affect our immune system. People who do not get enough sleep fall sick more often, and also take longer to recover from an illness. Our bodies release certain proteins known as cytokines and also certain antibodies during sleep. If we do not sleep enough, the production of these drops, thereby leading to increased risk of infections. Long term lack of good quality and quantity of sleep is also related to obesity, diabetes and heart disease. It is important to remember that quality of sleep is as important as quantity.

To know more about how to improve your immunity, get in touch with me, Kanupriya Khanna, one of the best Dietitians and Nutritionists in Delhi.

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