How smartly can you avoid overeating this festive season?

When it comes to festivals and feasts, no other country on earth can beat India. The excitement is in the air; family gatherings, new clothes, holidays and immeasurable fun being laced with them.

Since there are special delicacies for every occasion, fridge would be always full, crammed with indescribable snacks that are carefully baked to precision. These are also the times when you gorge on sweets guiltlessly while health takes a backseat in your priorities.

Now you know that festivals will disturb your carefully planned diet and the hidden diabetes traps too do not escape your notice. But how can you refuse a bite when sweets are served all pink-yellow-brown in a platter? It is not just killing your sweet tooth but you also fear of offending the host if you say no. So you just turn off your mental calorie alarm, indulge or eat out more often than healthy.

Most of the health problems, trips to doctors and rigorous gymming after festivals can be avoided if you listen to your stomach. After effects of festivals can be worse in Indian scenario because of our, especially women’s tendency to ignore the body’s warnings until it gets excruciatingly painful.

It is festival season and yes, if you can’t be epicurean now, when will you? Let the treatment begin from your palette without depriving you of the yummy indulgence.

Smart Things That Can Prevent You from Overeating

• Eat slowly and chew the cud – According to a recent study, women, who have been eating slowly, consume 70% less calories than the women who eat faster.
• Get more fiber and eat whole-grain foods – Whole grain foods can never be a foodie’s delight, but fiber in it will balance overeating by making you feel full. 
• Increase your water intake – Water can be the mainstay of your dieting plans as it can keep your food cravings under control. Mixing it in with lemon in the morning can help you burn those extra calories too.
• Habituate for a starter before meals – A platter of vegetable salad or a bowl of tomato soup will help you improve your digestion.
• Eating in portions help proportion your body fat accumulation – Eating frequent portion size meals will not only let you enjoy different recipes but also promotes proper digestion.
• Keep your hunger at bay with healthy foods – You can curb your desire to binge on junk food by grabbing a fruit, a platter of salad, or cracking a few crackers when hungry.

Are you able to keep a watch on your diet and eating a healthy diet? Do you always carry an antacid pill in your purse? Are you afraid of eating too much junk food this festive season?

Have you recognized the Calcium call of your body?

Calcium deficiency is serious as your body may give you the alarm a little too late for your bones. According to a recent study, about 90% of women and 60% of teens are found to be calcium deficient. Calcium is the most abundant mineral in your body and a prime constituent of your bones.

                                                                                                                   
Being a woman, you need much more dietary calcium for your bone health. Adequate amount of calcium intake not only makes your bones stronger but also increases the bone density thereby reducing the risk of fractures. The figure-conscious females would be happy to know that including sufficient amount of calcium in your daily diet promotes weight loss too. Adequate calcium intake prevents osteoporosis, high BP, colon cancer and even breast cancer.

On an average, every woman in the age group of 19-50 years needs around 1000mg of calcium on a daily basis. As your body is incapable of producing calcium, you are bound to rely on other dietary sources for fulfilling this need. Based on your age, your daily calcium requirements are as follows:

Now is the time to give serious thought to your daily calcium intake. According to a recent study by British Medical Journal, eating calcium rich diet and taking supplements may not do you any favor at a later stage. This is a habit that needs to be cultivated at a young age. Do you think your current diet takes care of your bone health adequately?

Why Women Require Flexible Work Arrangements?

Aching of the back-bone of the ‘back-bone of society’, the women, is a common phenomenon. But the worst hit arena is that of the working women. Imagining a daily schedule of a work-to-home mum explains how hard it is for a lady to cope with her responsibilities. Switching roles from being a mother taking care of her children, a wife looking after her spouse, a daughter attending to her parents, and being a professional leaves little time and attention for her own personal health.

Women know too well about being a bouncy tennis ball being whacked from home to office and vice versa. And it blurs away the personal front out in the ‘no-attention’ cloud, welcoming the mist of ailments into her body, which can turn chronic if remain unattended on a prolonged basis.

Most working women tend to face problems managing their daily schedules. Some common needs of working women start right from pregnancy, which will become even more demanding with the arrival of a child.

Common problems of a working woman:

• Lack of adequate rest & sleep with multiple stressors at office & home.
• Need for multitasking with no me-time.
• No time for breastfeeding.
• Uncertainty of getting maternity leave.
• Culpability of leaving the child alone.

However, all this does not mean that women should completely give up their career after childbirth, but this surely calls for a proper time-management.

Flexible Work Arrangements Can Be Helpful

A good way to help women cater to their needs is to make their work arrangements flexible. A flexibility brought into the working schedules can help them manage, both office and home with efficiency. A discussion with the HR about negotiation in terms of salary for reduced work effort. Is shifting your house to nearby office location possible for you?

Flexible working hours help a woman decide upon her daily priorities and to take time out for herself too. Getting a little time-off for doing yoga and meditation will be immensely helpful in rejuvenating the expected compromised health during pregnancy.

Are you compromising on your own health? Are you feeling stressed out with hectic work schedule? Is your work schedule flexible enough to allow you to breast-feed your newborn?