Tips For A Healthier Diet

Image by Hugo Provoste

In an earlier blog, we discussed the drawbacks of getting sick while managing a career. It's a lose-lose situation that one can't afford to get to, but is an unavoidable setback, when it presents itself.

Thus, it's important to take care of oneself. Here are some tips on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle, in the face of tempting treats like junk food and too much sugar:

• Reach for orange juice or a whole orange fruit instead of coffee. Maybe the reason why you feel a little dull is that your body needs glucose to run on. Don't assume that it needs caffeine. It may even be counterproductive to drink too much coffee. I find that I'm great with only a single cup of coffee each day. Two is fine. But three cups of coffee negates the jolt I need. I find that 3 cups make me feel tired instead of energized.
• Chug water instead of soft drinks or even iced tea. Most of us reach for the flavored drinks instead of water. I'm not sure why others do it, but I personally choose flavored drinks because there are times when water tastes horrid, for some reason. I am not entirely sure how to remedy this, as I'm skeptical of Vitamin Water, but I think 0% Calorie flavored water is fine once in a while.
• Another solution to the hydration dilemma is what a friend of mine suggested: Drink 2 parts of water to 1 part of cola or any other artificially-flavored or artificially sweetened drink that you take. That way, you can have your cake and eat it too.
• Lessen the sugar intake. Even for those who are not diabetic or prone to diabetes, too much sugar is still bad for you. Being a possible diabetic, I find that eating a full meal makes me sleepy, and so it kills my productivity. You may not have noticed it before, but try and see what happens when you've had ice cream, a piece of cake and a sugar-laden frappe. If you feel sleepy after, it means that the sugar overload is, indeed wreaking havoc on your system. More on the ill effects of sugar overload here.

Leading a healthy lifestyle is not just for the dorks. It's really all about taking care of your body. You want to enjoy the fruit of your labor when you retire, don't you? So live a healthier lifestyle!