Got a Desk Job? You Might Be At Risk!

You spend a lot of your time sitting at work, stack a pile of snacks in your drawer and keep replenishing yourself with coffee and soft drinks… WATCH OUT!! You might be putting your health at risk!

A recent research done by the Pennington Biomedical Center in the US has shown that sedentary (inactive) jobs increase your risk of developing obesity, diabetes and heart diseases.

So, what can you do? 

You should move more and introduce some physical activity to your lifestyle. Even few minutes of standing or walking for every 30 minutes of work can make a difference.

Go to your colleague’s desk instead of calling or emailing, stand up while you are on the phone, always take the stairs, walk to work or home, go outside during lunch and walk around every once in a while.

You should also do some regular exercise away from the office; in the afternoon or on weekends.

Oh… I almost forgot!! Open that drawer and throw those snacks away. Get your own healthy snacks from home like fruits, raisins, carrots, nuts or whole grain cereal bars. And don’t forget to replace soft drinks and other high-sugar beverages with more healthy drinks like water and low-fat milk shakes.

Fibers Can Save Your Life!

I’m quite sure you have heard that you should eat more fibers… But do you know what fibers are? Where can you get it from? And why are they good for you?

 Fibers are the indigestible parts in fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grain breads and cereals. Studies have shown that fibers have many health benefits and can prevent various diseases and health problems, that is why it is very important to include them in your daily diet.

So what do fibers do?

Eating a diet high in fibers keeps your digestive system healthy; it makes stool pass more easily and so reduces your chance of having constipation. It also protects you from developing hemorrhoids, diverticulosis (pouches in the colon wall) and decreases the risk of having colon cancer.

Fibers are also good for your heart. They lower your blood cholesterol level and especially your LDL (bad cholesterol), that is why a high-fiber diet can protect you from high blood pressure and many other heart diseases.

Fibers slow down sugar absorption in your intestine, so they lower your risk of having diabetes and help control blood sugar level for people with diabetes.

A high-fiber diet can help you lose weight. Fibers slow down you absorption and make you feel full faster and for a longer time, and so it makes it easier for you to cut down calories consumed and hence helps in weight loss.

After knowing all these health benefits … how about adding some fibers to your diet?

Where can I get fibers from?

Good sources of fibers include:

·         Fruits. Have dried fruits and fresh fruits with their peel instead of canned fruits and pulp-free juice.

·         Vegetables. Eat lots of fresh and cooked vegetables with their peel.

·         Legumes. Include plenty of legumes in your diet like beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas…

·         Nuts. Have a cup of nuts as a snack including almonds, walnuts, cashews…

·         Whole grains. Have whole grain bread, cereal, pasta and rice instead of regular ones. Be careful “Brown” does not always mean whole grain, make sure what you’re buying says “Whole Grain” on its label. Also try bran and outmeal products; they are rich in fibers.