Lisa Sarah John suggests these elementary changes in your diet that is bound to keep you in high spirits

MAGIC pill isn’t the answer to revitalising yourself. A little reshuffling of your eating habits, a dash of exercise and a couple of litres of water intake daily is all you need to keep that awful lethargy at bay.

As a diet counsellor and sports nutritionist to the National Cricket Academy, I have seen that what we eat has a profound influence on our bodies, our day-to-day energy levels, work output, mental performance, social well being and finally our long term health status.

Here are my top five food groups (okay, two are drinks) for more feel-good-now vitality.

Stay Awash With H2O
We all know that the human body is 60 per cent water, which is easily lost as perspiration, urine, saliva and other digestive juices and enzymes. This loss needs to be replaced daily. Research indicates that we require at least eight to10 glasses of water daily.

Keep in mind, there is no fitness or good health without water.

Water’s main tasks include regulating your body’s internal temperature and flushing out toxins. If your water intake is low, your saliva and perspiration become highly concentrated, and eventually your mouth and body will give an offensive odour. Signs enough that you should drink up some more ASAP.

Remember that juices, coffee, tea, etc, are not included as part of water intake. Sip water throughout the day and increase the intake while exercising, during hot weather and while on a weight reduction programme. Plain water is one of the best tonics for good health, so stick with it.

Don’t Minimise Milk
There is a lot of misconception about milk. Many young women have completely wiped it off from their diets. This in turn is leading to poor dental health, scanty hair, knocked knees and bow legs apart from spinal problems and early onset of osteoporosis.

There is no food group like milk, which can fulfil the average calcium requirement of 500 mg daily for women of all age groups.

Also, protein available from milk is difficult to substitute with other foods in the Indian diet. It is a rich source of Vitamins A, B, D and E, which are all important for the smooth functioning of our bodies, resisting infections and aiding mineral absorption. Lastly, milk has a high water content that adds to the hydration of the body too.

A word of caution: Be careful about the fat content of the milk you drink. Opt for skimmed milk instead. A glass of milk at breakfast, another in the evening (as milk or ‘lassi’) and curd for lunch and dinner constitutes an ideal diet.

Hog On Whole Wheat Roti And Bread
Cereals like rice, ragi, bajra, wheat, jowar and corn are the main source of energy for most of us. They are composed of about 70-80 per cent carbs, and 10 per cent protein (whole wheat has 12 per cent protein).

Since most Indian diets are protein-deficient, one way to make up for this is to include whole wheat products in at least one meal daily. Apart from protein, whole wheat also has a higher iron and fibre content.

A leading cause for fatigue is low iron intake and anaemia and this can be changed if whole wheat is eaten daily. The fibre content helps to reduce weight, diabetes and high lipid levels, since the body has to work harder to digest it. Thus, it is ideal to eat two-three rotis or slices of whole wheat bread at dinner daily.

Set Your Pulses Ticking
Once again, the main motivation for recommending pulses or dals is that they form an excellent source of protein. Unlike carbs, protein takes a while to get digested. This keeps you from feeling hungry often.

So if you eat only roti and sabji, for lunch or dinner, you will find that you are hungry often and tend to snack. This leads to weight gain. Besides this, pulses are also a good source of Vitamin B and iron. Hence, pulses or dals should be eaten both at lunch and dinner.
Munch On Salads And Fruits
Fresh fruit and salads have almost disappeared from our dining routines. Instead chips, colas, chocolates rule the kitchen. Fruits and salads are filler foods, and if consumed in bulk, prevent the urge of snacking between meals.

They are also a good source of vitamins and minerals unlike processed foods. Finally, they are also a store house of fibre, which helps raise your metabolic rate and keep weight, sugar, and fat levels down.

By including just four servings of raw fruits and veggies in your diet daily, you’ll notice a significant difference in your energy levels. Eat a fruit at 11 am and 6 pm, and add a salad to both lunch and dinner menu.

Fruits make for a great snack because they contain no fat. Also, the glucose and fructose sugars in a fruit are digested easily in about 20 minutes. I would recommend apples and tomatoes at all times for everyone.

Apples are a good source of Vitamins A and B; are low in calories and high in fibre. Each apple has about 50-60 calories per 100 g as opposed to a banana, which has 100-120 calories for 100 g.

Tomato is the most nutritious raw vegetable, for it is a good source of Vitamins A, B and C, has high fibre content and few calories.

Surprisingly, it is the simple changes to your diet that can yield enormous results. Don’t take my word for it, try it yourself and watch out for that extra spring in your step soon.

(The writer is a Bangalore-based Diet Counsellor and Consultant to the National Cricket Academy)