Whenever a discussion on self-care pops up, topics ranging from massages to meditation take centre stage, neglecting the core of all our daily lives: nutrition. What we put in our body has a direct relationship with how we look on the outside, including our mental and emotional well-being. With this in mind, let's dig deeper to explore the link between good nutrition and self-care.
How is Nutrition a Part of Self-care?
Everyone has a different opinion about self-care. But we can all agree that self-care nourishes our minds, bodies, and spirits. And nutrition is the bedrock of good health. What we eat:
- Determines our stamina and energy levels.
- Builds our immunity to fight diseases.
- Enhances our potential to undertake various tasks and activities, including exercise and yoga, to live the life we want.
How Can You Take Care of Yourself by Eating Well?
- Prioritise Mindful Eating: Gauging your reactions to food without judgment, and trying to understand how hungry or satisfied you are, comes under mindful eating. It will help you to choose your food more effectively. The idea here is to pay attention to your body and its needs. Eating consciously in a distraction-free atmosphere and focusing on the food and people you're eating with is another aspect of mindful eating. The practice will prevent you from unnecessarily snacking and help to regularise your eating routine.
- Create a Balanced Diet: Balance is crucial in self-care, and so is in food. It is imperative to have a diverse range of foods in your diet since some ingredients include nutrients that boost your energy to do daily chores, others work on your mood, and some help to balance your hormones, resulting in keeping you joyful and promoting sound sleep. So have your greens, proteins, and carbs to have a healthy body and mind. You can consult a good dietician to chalk out a good food plan for yourself.
- Don't Skip Your Meals: Never deprive yourself of food. Eating right and on time is an integral part of self-care. It ensures stable blood sugar levels, so you'll have more energy and better focus to accomplish your daily routine.
Proper Nutritional Choices to Pursue Self-Care
- Fruits and Vegetables: Nothing is better than a plate filled with seasonal fruits and vegetables—they are rich in vitamins, fibre, and antioxidants, which keep you healthy and invigorated. Furthermore, they include numerous vital vitamins and minerals that your body cannot create alone. It aids in improving your immune system, digestion, and cognitive capacities. Make your plate as colourful as possible to receive the most nutritional benefits.
- Increase the Intake of Healthy Fats: Healthy fats are crucial for brain and body health. Consuming healthy fats improves cognitive performance, heart health, bone strength, and inflammation. Healthy fats are in foods such as avocados, olives, nuts (walnuts, almonds, etc.), seeds (sunflower seeds and flaxseed), and oily fish (salmon and tuna).
- Say No to Refined Carbs and Sugar: The idea is not to deprive yourself of your favourite food items, such as ice cream or chocolate, but to balance the intake to avoid unnecessary weight gain, glucose spikes, and other health concerns.
The Connection Between Nutrition and Skincare
Like your body, your skin requires certain essential nutrients to maintain its natural glow. The major nutrients for healthy skin are glucose, proteins, carbs, lipids, vitamins, and minerals. You can get all these by incorporating a balanced diet into your daily routine along with a CHP skincare regime. For instance, foods high in vitamins B2, B6, B12, C, and E can help with cell repair and skin nourishment, and citrus fruits packed with Vitamin C help keep your skin smooth and elastic.
Further Reading: our interview with celebrity nutritionist Pooja Makhija and her recipe for Nourish Booster vegetable juice packed with antioxidants and micro-nutrients.
