Get that Beauty Sleep & Eat Intelligently

Get that Beauty Sleep & Eat Intelligently

The target and result oriented work means 'more work and less play' for today's successful upwardly mobile young entrepreneurs. The price to pay for such lifestyle means inculcation of habits such as eating on the move, late nights and learning to live with constant stress. Such lifestyle plays havoc on the body's metabolism and invites the worst of lifestyle related diseases starting with obesity. According to a study released by the University of Chicago, lack of sleep has been linked to the rise in obesity. Less sleep causes slump in two important hormones- leptin and the growth hormone. With lower level of leptin your body will crave for carbohydrates even if you have had enough to eat. The signals of satiety will never reach your brain, causing excessive over-eating. Leptin alters the response of the growth hormone. Growth hormone controls the body's proportion of fat and muscles. With a fall in the level of growth hormone, you are at a serious risk of contracting obesity.

Eat intelligently by choosing the right kind of food. Avoid empty calories and eat nutritious food. Stay miles away from the big Cs-chips, cheese, cola, chocolates, custard and candies as these have zero nutritional benefits and will only load your body with unwanted calories. If you feel hungry at odd hours, keep a bowl of low calorie natural food like baby carrots, peas, fruits or nuts.

Excessive salt in the body leads to water retention. Beware of pre-packaged and processed foods-tinned foods, packet soups and ready to eat microwave dishes; as they can have hidden salt in it. Pepper your food with red hot spice. You can increase the amount of calories your body burns by adding hot peppers such as jalapeno and Serrano to your meals. British researchers have said that adding hot pepper to food speeds up your caloric burn during digestion.

Stock up on fibre. It will take your body longer to digest fibre rich foods like oatmeal, whole -wheat bread and oranges. As a result you will feel full for longer and not hungry and end up eating less during the day. Eat mini meals. Don't go hungry for very long because you will end up eating more at the next meal and go on piling weight. Don't leave home with out breakfast. After fasting through the night, a wholesome breakfast acts as a stimulant that can kick start your metabolism. Almost anything you eat in the morning will soon be burned because mornings are the most active part of the day. It is always better to go vegetarian or eat lean meat like chicken and fish. Avoid red meat as much as you can.