DIET DOS & DON’TS

I am a 29-year-old media professional and weigh 52 kg and 5.1 feet. My work timings are erratic. Please suggest what I should include in my daily diet to lead a healthy life.      — Aakansha Aggarwal      YOU are what you EAT. Remember that your moods, your energy, your stamina, your reactions to every activity depends on how and what you've eaten in the last 45 to 110 minutes. Ensure you eat small snacks often. These could include dry portable fillers that you could keep in your desk drawer so that if meal timings are pushed around due to work, you can keep your blood sugar levels from falling. Examples of these can be khakra, chana, dry poha, kurmura, biscuits, grapes or cherries. Even if you manage to put literally four-five grapes or six-seven chanas or two-three carrot or cucumber sticks in your mouth every two hours; your body is fueled to go!  I'm 36, have three regular balanced vegetarian meals every day, drink adequate water and two healthy snacks on time. However I still feel fatigued every evening. Do I need to have vitamin supplements?      — Sumit Singh      Yes, in most likelihood you will need a vitamin B12 supplementation (confirmation can only be acquired with a blood test). Since most vegetarians do not get this vitamin as it is found primarily on animal produce like eggs, milk, chicken and fish. Oral supplementation an where from 500-1500 mcg can be taken daily to improve energy, stamina, breathlessness, fatigue, hair loss among other ailments. Intravenous injections are also available to help increase the low levels faster. It's best to meet with your general practitioner or nutritionist for suggested dosage and duration.  I work night shifts and sleep all day. and so I have just two meals a day. How can I supplement my diet with health snacks, which I can carry to work to munch on?      — Suresh Nath      The body's metabolic rate varies upon whether you are awake (BMR-basal metabolic rate) or when if you asleep (RMRresting metabolic rate). When you are awake, the body needs to be fed frequently else your BMR slumps and you lose energy and gain weight. In your case, you have to eat through the night while you're awake. Just two meals are not enough. Irregular eating will lead to fatigue, weakness, anger, irritability and weight gain. Carry small portable snacks which you can eat every two to three hours. Khakra, channa, biscuits/crackers, popcorn, snack bars, carrot/cucumber sticks, kurmura, sandwiches, frankie rolls, sprouts are easy to carry and eat often.      Mail your queries to:      bombaytimes3@gmail.com  Pooja Makhija Nutritionist