In the rush to reach office and meet deadlines, the every-busy corporate often has to make do with a “working breakfast, lunch and dinner”. Expectedly health takes a beating. Nutritionist Munira Kawad gives the report card on four professionals’ diet.
Amitabh S, 31
Ad executive
“Mine is a bachelor’s life: hurried breakfast, no leisurely lunch or dinner”!
Breakfast: Tea, three boiled eggs, cornflakes.
Lunch (2 pm): Fruit juice or lunch pack with chappatis, sabji, etc. If I have to forego lunch, I order a double omelette or vada pav (3.30-4 pm).
8 pm: Vada pav/ missal.
10 pm: Dinner, mostly outside. A few drinks (thrice a week) and non-veg meal.
Bad food habit: Endless cups of tea. Also Friday night is party time when I let go of myself.
Health problems: Acidity issues.
Expert tip
Acidity is obvious due to long meal gaps which secrete HCl acid in the stomach. Breakfast is good; it has proteins, carbs, calcium and iron. But opt for a fruit over juice as it has more fibre. Choose sandwich without butter along with some low fat curds instead of vada pav. Limit alcohol intake to twice a week and slowly to once a week.
Ketan Chandan, 30
Banker
Work pressure often leads me to gorge on vada pav, pav bhaji etc.
Breakfast (9 am): Tea and veg puff at the station or idli/dosa.
Lunch (2.30 pm): Used to carry dabba but now even that’s irregular. Endless cups of tea.
5.30 or 6 pm: Junk again! Pizza, ragda etc
Dinner (9.30 pm): Mostly dal chawal.
Bad food habit: Two bottles of soft drinks a day.
Health problems: Suffered two jaundice attacks. Currently only acidity is a problem.
Expert tip
You have a huge gap between breakfast and lunch, try to have lunch by 1.30 pm. Reduce tea intake to just two cups a day. If you are a fast food freak, avoid pizza, have bhel instead, it has carbs. Or a brown bread sandwich which has more fibre. Carry whole wheat biscuits, fruits, nuts or soya chaklis and chips which you can munch on at work for your protein quotient.
Iman Kazi, 25
BPO professional
An erratic schedule (7.30 am-8 pm), leaves me little time to watch what I eat.
Breakfast: Tea and biscuits.
Short break at 10.30 am: Juice or tea, sandwich or missal.
Lunch (2 pm): Lassi/soft drinks.
Early evening: Chaat time at canteen. Or a frankie or idli at the station.
9.30 pm: A light meal at home.
Health problem: My body has got so attuned to this diet pattern now that I find it difficult to digest a full meal.
Expert tip
Our body gets used to whatever you give it, if you don’t feed it, it gets used to less food. Start slowly by eating small meals 3-4 times then slowly increase the number of dishes. Your lassi gives your protein, but you should add a cereal or wheat flakes with honey in the morning. For lunch, at least have poha or upma — they’re easy to digest and will give you carbs.
Paras Mehta, 30
Works for a pharma firm
Despite a 12-hour schedule I try to eat home-cooked food.
8 am: Tea or biscuits if I have had a heavy dinner. Or a full meal or toast.
2 pm: Home-cooked lunch.
6 pm: Sandwiches or chaat.
10 pm: A full meal. If it gets too late, I skip it.
Bad food habits: A weakness for chatpata stuff.
Health problem: Lethargy in the morning.
Expert tip
Don’t skip meals, or have too heavy meals as it leaves you heavy for the next one causing nutrient deficiency. Sprout bhel or khaman are healthy options. When skipping breakfast, at least have a banana or chikoo shake for fruit content and protein. As a mini-meal carry sprouts to munch. Your dinner hour is also very late. But don’t skip it altogether, at least have one roti or egg white or protein bars or dry fruits before going to bed.
–Agencies