“I
’m already late. I have a project dea-dline… Now please do not pesterme to have my breakfast.”Haven’t you said that a hundredtimes to your mother/spouse/ roomie?“What do I do? My company is going through tough times, I am stressed out andmy waistline is expanding. I shall nibble onsome snacks. Plus, there is coffee/tea avail-able in plenty on my floor,” you argue.If you have been ignorant or negli-gent about having the day’s first meal,it’s high time you stop thinking of ex-cuses. Skipping breakfast is harmfuland could result in various dietary disorders, including obesity, not put-ting on weight and acid reflux disor-der, to name a few.Breakfast sets the tone for a healthy and brisk day at work, but for many of us bogged with day-to-day stress andpressure, work becomes the best pre-text, which is where all the trouble with diet starts. You are grouchy, losethe vigour to work and your attentionspan thins, say doctors.
Watch you diet
A majority of Dr. BhuvaneshwariShankar’s patients have a depressing tale to tell about their eating habits inthe morning, as the ‘Dietary Recall’table shows. “I come across many pa-tients who say they have breakfastonce in three or four days, some even weekly,” says the Group Chief Diet-ician with Apollo Hospitals. “In fact,90 per cent of my Saturday appoint-ments are professionals from the ITsector, those in the age group of 22 to35 brought in by their colleagues.”Dr. K.R. Palaniswamy too has a sim-ilar complaint. “A significant popula-tion of today’s young professionalssuffers from acid reflux disorder,symptoms of which include heart-burn and burping and in severe casesone has difficulty in swallowing food,”says the Senior Consultant Gastroen-terologist with Apollo Hospitals.“If one does not address this dis-order at the earliest, treatment couldvary from a month to lifelong.”
Healthy start
Consuming too much coffee/tea/aerated drinks, eating junk food arenot enough to make you say you areeating. For a healthy start it is impor-tant to have a good breakfast com-prising carbohydrates, proteins andfruits. “One needs energy in themorning and for a balanced diet itmeans getting 60 per cent from carbo-hydrates, 15-20 per cent from pro-teins and 25-30 per cent from fats,”says Dr. Bhuvaneshwari. “Energy from carbohydrates could be frombread, cereals with a glass of milk andif possible fruits. All this promises togive you a jumpstart.”
What can I eat?
Our South Indian tiffins like idli,pongal, puttu or any steamed food areideal.Complement this with a glass of milk. If you don’t like milk, have aglass of fresh juice or eat slices of fruits. Bread/ toast with a dash of pea-nut butter/slice of cheese add to theprotein and carbohydrate content.
■
LIFFY THOMAS
liffythomas@goergo.in
Skipping breakfast is harmful, soget yourself a good start with adiet comprising carbohydrates, proteins and fresh fruit
ERGO
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
NAMMA CHENNAI
02
Thought for the day
Chuck coffee and tea. This company instead offers its employees bowls offruits as refreshments.Atheros India LLC, a wireless product device company situated inMylapore with a staff of 100 employees, has the fridge stocked with avariety of seasonal fruits. “A year ago biscuits, chips, coffee and tea wereserved in the pantry. But now we have done away with chips, thoughcoffee/tea can be had once or twice a day, and cut fruits can be had anytime, the idea being healthy eating,” says Ayee Goundan, MD of thecompany.The idea seems to be a hit among employees, so much so that thrice aweek fruits are stocked up. If that’s not enough, palm juice is also broughtat times.
P H O T O : R . R A G U
Leave a Comment