#Mind Your Tongue

Better healthy eating habits evolve with a controlled tongue… sounds very abstract, but it is. Try taking out your tongue with a neutral movement, you will find that the tongue tends to go up, defying the universal gravitational force; unless you force it downwards …. For those of you trying this at this moment…..It actually works…Yes, our tongue…is controlled by mind…and brain.

Our ability to taste come from tiny molecules released when we chew, drink or digest food; these molecules stimulate special sensory cells in the mouth called gustatory cells which are clustered within the taste buds.

Do we know when does these taste buds develop in our body??…..

When the foetus is just 13-15 weeks old, it can taste different flavours from the mother’s diet. Interestingly, this exposure to the baby in womb inside the uterus via amniotic fluid has a lot of influence on the eating habits of the child when he/she grows up. Also the child’s age wise stage within 6 month to 1 year is very critical in terms of food exposure and development of taste buds. During this time the child recognises taste, texture and appearance of food. If you wisely invest your time during this period in developing good eating habits in your child, then you will carve out yourself from the category of these 8 out of the 10 mothers, who always complain about fussy eating habits of their child.

Once the child attains an age of 2 years… he/she has already developed his/her taste buds. Generally after this age every effort of the parent, to find the right track goes belated… and in vain. So if you want to inculcate healthy eating habits, start early. There is another interesting fact about these taste buds; a child is born with about 10,000 taste buds, but this numerical quantity decreases with the growing age……by the time we reach an age of 50, it decreases down to a mere 40 -50 taste buds alive in women and 50-60 in men. And it is where we become so stubborn with our food habits with the age of 50s setting in.

As it is….it’s daily affair that food preparation which is served on platter, on the dining table is decided on the basis of our taste buds…..that’s why it’s Everyday Decision Vacuum Syndrome…‘What is the food today?’… ‘What to prepare?’

….and the answer is there in our mind; forced by our taste buds…..

It’s not the nutritional value but our convenience and taste that makes us decide our eating practice … Andit percolates down as our habit of eating; i.e. as per our likings and not as per our metabolic requirement.

Somewhere the tongue…. hence, needs to be controlled by our mind…Overall controlling our tongue can make a difference i.e. a disciplined tongue or minding our tongue can do great favours to ourselves in getting absolved in binge eating habits and thus making us healthier, fitter and better….

Just a food for thought…

#WithThePinchOfSalt

#Namak

Apart from the universal stake on the importance of SALT or NAMAK…; It has left its indispensible requisite image from times immemorial. Be it Romans, who paid their legions; ‘Salt’ as reward for their duty or even the advent of the word salt is understood to be carved out of ‘salary’….. Also…Gandhiji’s Satyagrah and Dandi March breaking ‘Salt Law’ or movies ‘Namak Halal’….. and ‘Sholay’ for ‘Maine to aapka namak khaya hai’….. ‘Namak’ has been an essence of living….

From taste buds to its nutrient requirements … ‘Salt’ if not kept at balanced level ruins the flavour of the food. So lets explore….. what it is?? and how to control this ‘ingredient of nuisance value but important too’…with a pinch of salt.

Firstly… Knowing what it is?? Edible salt is found in different forms vide, Table Salt…..Sea Salt….. Grey, Pink, Black, Red, Truffle …..kosher and many more….. but primarily to understand, it is ‘NaCl’ ….i.e. Sodium Chloride….40% of Sodium & 60% of Chloride….. It is required for adding flavour and is used as binder, preservative or stabiliser. Some claim it contains Iodine, added Anti caking Agents, minerals….. but to a normal mind what needs to be kept in mind is ….. The level of Sodium content…It is this ‘Sodium’ content which is associated with blood pressure or increase in risk of developing coronary heart disease.

Secondly ……. How to know that the amount or pinch of Salt what I am taking is good or bad??….. As per studies an adult should have maximum 6-8 gms of salt per day with a sedentary to mid level active lifestyle with certain exceptions; if you are toiling too hard in Gym or running and dehydrating yourself, quite off and on. Ready to eat food packets Nutrition labels talks of it ..…. take a look on the food / snack packets … to understand it. Now a days colour codes like Red for high, amber for medium & green for low salt levels are also given.

Thirdly…… Presence of added salt in most of food product we buy today!!…Yes…. in terms of preservatives or hidden salt… So in actuals we add up eating more of salt with these types of food; adding up to the agony to our blood pressure levels or the heart ailments.

Fourthly………The science behind taking this Salt in large intake and inviting health issues ……. Precisely Sodium is essential for fluid balance and cellular homeostasis. We, humans require a small unit….. say upto 1.5 tea spoons daily for all of us with a normal working lifestyle of homemakers to working individuals….. for the conduct of nerve impulses. But if it is in excess, the kidneys have trouble in accumulating it….. Then the body tries to hold on water in terms of water retention to dilute the Sodium part of it….This further entails more work for the heart and more pressure on blood vessels….and that’s all about it’s Science.

Fifthly…… Then How to reduce it?…… So if it is not advisable…. then we can reduce its intake by either….. not keeping the salt holder on the table or….try flavouring the food with pepper, herbs, garlic, spices or lemon to keep a balance..Try including salads in your food palate with somewhat bland taste like radish ..so that every time you take a piece of it your normal salt taste gives you better impulse even if it is less..actually it is something akin to theory of relativity…… it works …..

Try and avoid..the pre packed food elements which looks tempting…especially for kids. Be more nutrition conscious……or Don’t put too much of Soya sauces……it contains lots of hidden salt..…And also….smoke less cigarettes or stop smoking (if you can)…. So as to revigorate your taste buds to normal…..

Lastly ……. Take control of these small pinches of salt….. these small pinches one day convert to mountain from molehill…….Let’s cut down.

#TheCelebrityInYou

#NoToTheSizeZeroDiet

Copying how the celebrities eat to achieve the ‘Size Zero’ is just like trying to force your’s size 8 foot into their size 6 shoe…. Be it the Cover girl August 20 Edition of Vogue Magazine i.e. Hailey Bieber or even August Edition of Filmfare with Kareena Kapoor…. There is no point being copy cats to models for their target slim waistline …. It is surprising to explore Bieber’s or Kareena’s efforts and modus operandi….. The celebrities have to be in shape for their avenues and livelihood further …. the amount of care in Nutrition….Workouts…restrictions… some time use of appetite killing drugs like Adderall etc… is the key….which has adverse impact later post their ages of 50s or 60s….

A housewife or a working women if dares it do ….. must not forget that every single body has different requirements and different daily life style …. so it is imperative to find what works for you and your body.

Such size zero slim waistlines of models and celebrities despite carrying a baby a year or prior is really commendable…but the secrets are no more secret… if you think sensible…. There are diet plans purely customised as per their requirements…with dedicated staffs working on diet, fitness and wellness…24*7.They work on timeline basis…If they have to go for a shoot…they take time to get into the shape which is desired…sometime unethical ways are also taken hesitantly…So as a crux…It is their living…

Try and be fit…Love Yourself…invest in good eating habits… you are different…you have better & larger role to play. Despite your work schedule…you keep yourself fitter and healthier; That is an achievement…So celebrate the celebrity factor in you without copying….Evolve….