8 eating habits that make you look stale all day

1. You drink too much coffee

• What this can lead to: insomnia, dark circles under the eyes, irritability, increased anxiety.

Coffee is a controversial drink. On the one hand, it is an antioxidant that slows down Coffee intake is associated with lower levels of oxidative DNA damage and decreasing body iron storage in healthy women aging of the body and helps Coffee consumption and risk of stroke: a dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. On the other hand, there is a problem: coffee does not have such an effect on all people.

If you don't sleep well or feel chronically tired, the drink will only make your condition worse. The fact is that caffeine only gives the appearance of a surge of energy - it temporarily blocks Caffeine and adenosine signals from the body about drowsiness (adenosine receptors). Another point: the liver enzyme, which is encoded by the CYP1A2 gene, is responsible for the metabolism of caffeine. Many people have a variation of this gene that leads to

You can replace your favorite drink with softer, invigorating counterparts:

• tea matcha (it also contains caffeine, but, unlike coffee, here the substance is absorbed progressively and more slowly);
• water with ginger and lemon (has anti-inflammatory properties and nourishes the body);
• vegetable juices and smoothies (give a portion of vitamins in the absence of sugar).

2. You eat irregularly

• What this can lead to: weight gain, fatigue, bloating.

Eating right is difficult for everyone. Freelancers and telecommuters complain that they can't get around the kitchen and are constantly eating something. Office employees have their own problems: constant birthdays with pizza and cakes, colleagues call for drinks tea with cookies, there is not enough time for a normal lunch, so you have to save yourself with snacks for running. That being said, there is nothing wrong with eating carrot sticks between breakfast and lunch. But usually a spontaneous snack is a junk food that caught your eye at the time of hunger, boredom, or "for the company."

Nadezhda Kudryashova

Clinical nutritionist, nutritionist, member of the British Dietetic Association (British Dietetic Association) and the UK Health and Care Professions Council, @nadia_dietolog.

It used to be thought that three main meals and two snacks were the healthiest approach. But in reality everything is individual. Conventionally, you can focus on the interval of 3-5 hours between meals. Snacks can help relieve acute hunger when this gap increases. For example, if you had lunch at 1 pm, and you can only have dinner at 7 pm, a light snack will help keep you from impulsive overeating. But if a snack discreetly turns into an additional meal, it is better to refuse it. The most important thing is to listen to your body and eat only during physiological hunger.

Even if you are busy at the office all day, this is not a reason to eat chocolates and cookies. A snack can be easily made healthy. For example, changing tea with waffles for cottage cheese with berries or honey. For the benefits to be real, choose a natural product from a reliable manufacturer. One of the market leaders is the Belarusian company “Savushkin product»Which makes curd only from fresh cow's milk without any additives or preservatives. Savushkin cottage cheese can be found in any supermarket in convenient packaging that will allow you to have a tasty and healthy snack right at the workplace.

3. You are heavy on sweets

• What this can lead to: acne, skin irritation, rapid aging, cellulite, excess weight.

Sweets have a big impact on the quality of the skin. Sugar has a high glycemic index - the rate at which it raises blood glucose levels. It affects Yes, eating a lot of sugar can affect your skin. Here's how on inflammatory processes due to which acne, pimples and other problems occur. If you often have something on your face and body, try to give up sweets for a while, or at least reduce their amount.

In addition, foods with a high glycemic index can break down Yes, eating a lot of sugar can affect your skin. Here's how collagen and elastin, which are responsible for the elasticity and healthy appearance of the skin. This can manifest as dull, tired skin or cellulite. Fortunately for those with a sweet tooth, unhealthy desserts are easy to replace with sweet, low glycemic foods. index: cherries, apricots, plums, grapefruits, peaches, nectarines, dates, dried apricots, apples, pears, dark chocolate. You can use honey or maple syrup instead of white sugar.

4. You are addicted to diets and detox

• What this can lead to: deficiency of some elements and excess of others, hair loss, deterioration of the quality of nails and skin.

Even people who strive to eat healthy can unwittingly harm themselves. For example, long-term diets in which the same foods are repeated. Proper nutrition should Why a Diverse Diet Matters (for You and the Planet) be varied and balanced: for example, vegetables of different colors contain different trace elements, so you can't eat carrots every day and not touch green salad.

Go on a diet and start taking dietary supplements to compensate for the need for vitamins and minerals - an approach that can only work if the program is compiled by a professional nutritionist based on your analyzes. It is impossible to understand "by eye" which vitamins you are getting and which are not. This also applies to popular detoxes: in most cases, they are not something useful and necessary.

Nadezhda Kudryashova

Detox is a commercial term that the wellness industry is making a lot of money with. Cleansing functions in the body are performed by the liver and kidneys. The best way to keep yourself in good shape is to stick to the principles of healthy eating all the time, and not sit down on a hard detox, which can then provoke you to "breakdown". Diet swing can not only lead to a slowdown in metabolic processes, but also cause eating disorders. Fasting days are now called the fashionable term "intermittent fasting". These are, in fact, low-calorie days, they do not perform any function of cleansing the body. They can be arranged, but it is reasonable, since everything is very individual, and here it is better to use the help of a specialist.

5. You eat few vegetables and fruits

• What this can lead to: lack of vitamins and fiber, fatigue, digestive problems.

A fiber-free diet made from fresh fruits, vegetables, or grains can 4 Warning Signs Your Diet May Lack Fiber lead to high cholesterol levels, fatigue, digestive problems and weight gain. It is important to eat not only cooked but also raw vegetables. Heat treatment destroys many trace elements. For example, vitamin B1 is destroyed Cooking losses of thiamin in food and its nutritional significance by 50-60% during cooking, and vitamin C Vitamin profile of cooked foods: how healthy is the practice of ready-to-eat foods? - by about 35%. Onions, garlic, broccoli and zucchini are best eaten fresh or aldente.

However, some vegetables become Is Raw Food Healthier Than Cooked Food? more useful in the cooking process. For example, vitamins in asparagus are absorbed better after cooking, heat treatment destroys the carcinogen agaritin in mushrooms, cooked spinach gives you more zinc and iron, while stewed tomatoes give you more lycopene - a powerful antioxidant.

6. You overeat at night

• What this can lead to: fatigue, shallow sleep, weight gain.

The key word is "overeat". For a long time it was believed that eating at night is not worth it at all: the famous rule "No food after six", which supposedly all slimming people should adhere to. However, research Is It Bad to Eat Before Bed? did not confirm the link between excess weight gain and the time of the last meal. Our bodies also use up energy at night, so calories don't necessarily turn into fat. However, if you want to feel good and not look wrinkled the next day, you really shouldn't go to bed with a full stomach.

Nadezhda Kudryashova

The optimal time for the last full meal is 3-4 hours before bedtime. But if you feel hungry, you can eat something very light, such as low-fat yogurt, cottage cheese, drink a glass of milk or kefir. Heavy high-calorie food at night can adversely affect sleep quality due to abdominal discomfort and heartburn. And interrupted sleep is a big stress for the body. Recent studies even show that overweight people lose weight faster if they sleep 7-8 hours a day continuously.

7. You don't drink enough water

• What this can lead to: skin problems, heartburn, constipation, lack of concentration.

Water is the cornerstone of all metabolic processes in the body. It provides oxygen delivery to cells. When there is not enough water, many processes, including exchange processes, are disrupted.

Nadezhda Kudryashova

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recommends that women consume about 2 liters of fluid per day, and men slightly more - 2.5 liters. Pregnant women need 300 ml more, and nursing mothers need 600-700 ml more (in the first months of feeding). In clinical practice, there are precise individual calculations, but if you are healthy, there is no need for this.

In hot weather, during physical exertion, as well as in case of fever, in case of poisoning or diarrhea, you need to drink more. It is believed that you should not drink while eating, but this is not the case. Water does not affect the acidity and does not reduce the concentration of gastric juice: these are small changes that the body can quickly correct.

8. There are no probiotics in your diet

• What this can lead to: stomach and digestive problems, weak immunity.

Frustration and dented appearance can be caused not only by the presence of bad bacteria in the body, but also by the lack of good ones. Probiotics are foods that contain live, beneficial bacteria. They are helping Probiotics fight inflammation, relieve irritable bowel syndrome and treat skin problems like dermatitis. In addition, beneficial bacteria normalize Risks and Benefits of Probiotics digestion, and a healthy microflora of the stomach largely affects immunity and well-being.

Nadezhda Kudryashova

Once in the intestines, probiotics multiply and have a beneficial effect on our body. According to the latest research, probiotics can help treat a range of digestive disorders, reduce the risk of infections, travelers' diarrhea, and even improve mental health. The best sources are dairy products, sauerkraut, miso soup, kombucha, and canned vegetables without vinegar like kimchi.

The presence of natural cottage cheese in the diet helps the stomach to function properly. In addition, it is one of the protein leaders among dairy products. For example, more than 18 g of protein is contained in 100 g of Savushkin cottage cheese. It contains no preservatives, milk powder or milk fat substitutes. A portion of Savushkin cottage cheese with fruit or honey will charge you with energy and nutrients and help you feel good.

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