Health, fitness and well-being… The 3 chapters of life which have different definitions and meanings for everyone. Does losing weight mean gaining health? Does good health infer that we must be thin and skinny? In order to clear all these health-related queries, Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty Kundra and wellness expert Luke Coutinho came together and enlighten people. No matter how much we try, there seems to be no right way to gain good health. Here are the top 10 tips given by them which we could probably follow for our lifetime! Read on…
- Top 3 tips for good health
Shilpa’s top 3 tips include, “breathe and chew; have gratitude and invest in yourself (your health).”
Luke’s top 3 tips include “meditate and laugh; eat but don’t overeat; and less is more – in terms of everything starting from eating to exercising and thinking.”
- Eat fruits before your meals or on an empty stomach
The best time of eating fruits is before your meals or in an empty stomach, according to Luke. He explains, “A fruit takes around 10 to 15 minutes to complete the digestion process. A whole vegetarian meal takes around 3 hours for digestion and a non-vegetarian meal takes around 5 and half to 6 hours for digestion. Non-vegetarian meals take longer to digest because they are higher in protein. During the digestion process, the body produces digestive acids to break down food. Eating fruits after a meal will result in the acids breaking down all the essential vitamins, minerals and fibre content of the fruits.” Also, he stresses that fruits should be consumed before sunset. Fruits make for a great evening snack.
- Gut health is very important
We all must focus on having a healthy gut. Luke says that 1 in 2 people have weak guts. A weak gut is unable to break gluten in the body. “Gluten is a protein. If your body is not able to break down gluten, then there is some problem with your digestive system. Poor gut health is the reason for most conditions like acidity, bloating, cancer, diabetes, hair fall and polycystic ovarian syndrome. 70-80% of your immunity starts in your gut. It is also responsible for depression. Having poor gut health does not allow the body to make proper serotonin, the happiness hormone,” says Luke. To have a healthy gut, have prebiotics in fibrous foods and probiotics. Make your body more alkaline. Eat boiled sweet potato, lemon carrots and green veggies for a healthy gut.
- Turmeric is good for health
Turmeric is good for health. Indian meals have turmeric in almost every meal. It’s a spice which is important for genetic makeup of people in India. It can be used to treat several diseases. “It doesn’t matter what you want and don’t want to eat. What matters is what the genes in your body require. When you are depriving your body of something it needs, it going to ask for it in terms of cravings. Curcumin is sold in the US as yellow gold,” says Luke.
- Can eating rice make you fat?
Eating rice is not going to make you fat, says Luke. Eating too much of rice, the bad quality of rice or having a sedentary lifestyle is going to make you fat.
- How to boost your immunity?
“Turmeric, black pepper, cumin and ghee are the four things that work wonders for your immunity,” says Luke. Coconut oil too
- Order mindfully when you’re eating in restaurants
According to Shilpa, when we go out to eat, we should order mindfully and intuitively. “We human beings know how to differentiate between right and wrong. We just choose what is convenient for us. Maintaining health is more about the mind than the body,” she says.
- Eating local and seasonal is very important.
When we want to lose weight, it is a common tendency to go out of our way and look for healthy food sources. But Shilpa says that this is not required. She mentions that there is no need to go out of your way to find avocados when you can get all essential nutrients from leafy green vegetables which are easily available in the nearby market. We need to keep it simple and focus on eating local and seasonal. Also, she says that people should eat 3 good and wholesome meals in a day.
- Nothing in life can be achieved without discipline
“It is your mindset which sets you apart from the rest. Achieving success in both personal and professional life is possible with discipline. Discipline is the labour of love,” she says.Waking up in the morning and taking the decision to exercise for your own health, doesn’t come easy. “If the world shifts its focus from being so weight and size-obsessed to being health-obsessed, we would be such a healthy generation,” Shilpa shares.
- Avoid vitamin supplements
Many people are under the illusion that eating supplements in the form of tablets can make up for the deficiency of important vitamins and minerals in the body. Resorting to natural sources of these essential nutrients is the best way to make up for their deficiency. Sit under the sun, eating good and nutritious foods, go for a walk. These activities will make up for most deficiencies, if they are followed diligently.