Card image cap
Is A Proper Diet Plan Really Important While Working From Home?

While telecommuting and remote work was already common in many fields and was in fact getting increasingly popular, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated it. If a business was to even have a small chance of surviving the aftermath of the pandemic, management was forced to switch to the ‘work from home’ (WFH) model.

The WFH Health Challenge

Employees who were initially thrilled to be able to get the job done without braving daily traffic, now had to struggle to balance family and work – some with more chores added to their daily routine, inquisitive parents eager to see what their kids were up to, or noisy toddlers embarrassing them during all-important meetings. Needless to say, this new experience has led to several unhealthy habits – a sedentary lifestyle, undesirable routines and emotional eating!

The existence of convenient, food-delivery apps has added to the challenge of eating healthy, with several WFH menus being marketed galore, and restaurants offering massive discounts on fast food – after all, it’s business for them. In fact, a survey of sales of FMCG products during the year 2020 was astounding – Nestlé India, for example, reported that in just the first quarter, they had recorded the best quarterly sales in the last five years, and that too, globally! And what really were their fastest moving products? The survey showed that it was packaged food – condensed milk, noodles and chocolates!

The Repercussions Of Unhealthy Eating

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), in August 2020, published a study that highlighted the fact that people were more likely to die of a severe heart attack after the onset of the pandemic than in the months before. The reasons they focused on were stress and unhealthy eating, which combined, could be the perfect recipe for disaster! In addition, a sedentary lifestyle has expanded the waist-line and is reducing the life-line with obesity on the rise, along with high cholesterol, high blood pressure and blood glucose levels.

Staying Healthy While Working From Home

Taking the right steps for better health is never too late, but it can admittedly be quite difficult. Your employees may have spent weeks or months during the lockdown curled up in front of the TV with their favorite shows on, while boxes of pizza lay in front of them, and Coke bottles littered the floor. The weighing scales may no longer be their friend, and their favorite jeans refuse to button at the waist. While this lifestyle may be a ticking time-bomb, it’s not too late to diffuse it.

Start off by advocating a healthier lifestyle from management levels. Encourage fixed work hours so that employees have a clear, work-life distinction. Some businesses have a virtual, weekly workout session –yes, there are bound to be goof-ups, but it’s a great way to keep your team fit. And most important of all, you can take the initiative to drive home the importance of good nutrition to your employees. Rather than just sending them a diet chart you’ve picked off the Internet, or boring booklets that drone on, get them face-to-face with a dietitian.

‘Face-to-face’ you may ask? Well, let’s talk ‘screen-to-screen’ instead. Several reputed nutritionists offer virtual sessions, and you may opt for one of these sessions for your entire workforce. Some of these professionals may even extend their sessions to one-on-one interactions with your staff with personalized attention to help them make better choices.

In conclusion, a healthy employee is the lifeblood of your business. The numbers show that unhealthy diet habits, combined with a sedentary lifestyle, are taking a toll on even young, relatively healthy folk. Being proactive and getting your team professional guidance on how to cope with WFH will help them stay balanced and perform better too!

How Gayathri’s Nutrisolutions can help your workforce

Gayathri is a sought after nutritionist and a wellness coach who associates with corporates as part of their nutrition and wellness awareness programs. Her nutrition programs are exquisitely designed to educate and empower employees to adopt healthy lifestyle and behaviors. She conducts bespoke nutrition consultations, counseling and wellness programs to your employees via virtual platforms.

Nov 29, 2020

Card image cap
How meditation helps to focus your mind, diet and wellness?

Does meditation make you more conscious of the food you eat? Yes, it does.  Meditation is a proven path to stay mindful of what you eat, how you feel and become more aware of the present. 

Being an experienced dietitian and wellness coach, I deal with cases of binge eating while you are emotionally disturbed. I did an extensive research on this and collated my studies and experience in a book: “Diet & Meditation for Emotional Eating: Awaken the Master Inside with Spiritual Science and Food Science”. This book includes my own spiritual journey and experiences that force me to embrace new aspects of my being. It covers various layers of wellness, diet and nutrition consultation approaches, extensive studies on factors affecting eating habits, and tips, tricks and recommendations that support your wellbeing. In this blog, you can have a glimpse of the thoughts I share in my book.

Stress and well-being

I decoded my life through a spiritual journey. So I wanted to share my experience to others so that they too could embark on their journey to heal themselves.

 Research shows that 90% of illness and disease that occurs in human beings are stress related. It interacts in your physical functioning and processes. Positive beliefs, comfort and strength gained from meditation can contribute to the physical and mental wellness of a person. You have to identify the things that bring you inner peace, strength and comfort.  It can help you to stay insightful and nurture relationships with yourself and with others. In today’s stressful world, it is essential that everyone should find time for a self-renewal through meditation. It helps you to recognize and acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses.

Meditation for binge eating

Do you find yourself mindlessly stepping into your kitchen and grab something to eat when you are emotional? It could happen when you are anxious, sad or even happy. Don’t worry! You are not alone. Many people face this issue and there are ways to overcome it. Binge eating is one among the different ways in which our brain redirects us to do something habitual when we try to settle the uncomfortable emotions ourselves.

Many of my clients resort to me after doing everything possible to reduce their weight. When it comes to managing our weight, the first thing we should do is to acknowledge the mind-body connection. From my experience as a dietitian, most of my clients overeat to cope up an emotional swing or stress. Another major reason for obesity is lack of self-love. It could be caused by negativities around a person, suppressed feelings, emotions and abuse. So I consider inner-child healing very essential while dealing with clients who approach me for obesity or weight loss consultation.

Health and Lifestyle

All of us believe that we do a fairly good job maintaining our health with good eating habits and physical activity. Apart from this, there are more factors that need to be considered to lead a healthy lifestyle. This includes positivity, work-life balance, self-love, gratitude, forgiveness and discovering your true potential. You need to be fuelled to meet the demands of daily life. Even smiling and laughing at simple comics can keep you grounded while facing tough situations in life. Healthy lifestyle makes a big difference in your life.

Happy reading!

Grab your copies from:

Amazon

Nov 19, 2020

Card image cap
Protein supplements: do we really need them?

Every country has its own food culture which includes natural and local food items. Even in India, particularly in Kerala we have a good food culture which includes combinations of nutrients in the right proportion. It is a globally accepted fact that man-made food may not provide the same goodness as natural ones. Now FAO and other global organizations are creating more awareness on local low-cost food to support farmers as well as human wellbeing.

Does supplements provide you sufficient nutrition?

During my practice as a nutritionist and dietitian, whenever a new client joins they ask a variety of questions. Many of them say that hours of exercise with so many supplements makes no changes in their body. I noted that during lockdown more people observed how to get results with simple exercises and diet. Recently a few celebrities consulted me for diet plans. They were curious to know about the benefits of normal Kerala diets. They have been using too many protein supplements which are more than their body can utilize. They also suffer health issues related to higher uric acid levels.

I have also seen people from rural areas who are struggling with financial issues also spend so much amount for imported products and weight loss and protein supplements. A good education on this subject may help the community and others too.  Being a dietician, I am obliged to share the right information about food. Even in the 2019 FSSAI meeting, the participants discussed the public health issues associated with supplements intake and the efforts taken by the India Government to spread awareness on the local low cost food.

In the recent years as part of business and material development, India has been importing so many goods such as supplements. Many of them are even banned in other countries. But the fact is that our normal daily diet provides sufficient protein required for our body. An increased level of protein supplements cannot be tolerated by our system. Research shows that that our body weight depends 80% on our diet and 20% on our fitness efforts.

Are protein and other supplements substitute for food?

Supplements are not substitutes for food. They can’t provide the nutrients and health benefits of whole foods. A normal diet that includes fruits and vegetables provides a variety of micronutrients which your body needs in a more balanced way. It also provides dietary fibers essential to keep diseases such as diabetes and heart diseases at the bay.  Supplements offer limited nourishment to the body as you get only specific vitamins and minerals. However, in some cases supplements are needed especially when you are required to supplement your natural food intake. But it should never replace your healthy diet.

Nov 08, 2020

Send a message

9947257776

Contact







WP2Social Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com