Would you like to start your morning with a peanut and banana smoothie? I would. Most of us take up a new year resolution. The most popular resolutions are around dieting, weight loss, reading and in my case writing :-). Around the winter break, I heard friends debating various dieting regimes. I have tried various regimes over the last couple of years. They range from Keto, Paleo, Pranic/Sattvic to intermittent fasting.
When I look back at this experience, I can’t say it has been a big success in terms of weight loss. But I have learned a lot along the way and in general, have seen a positive effect on my health. I missed the texture of having rice, bread, or roti. We generally don’t pay much attention to the texture of food. If you are cooking yourself a keto meal, you will appreciate that you can’t consume fat without a carb to soak and absorb it. Try making a greasy omelet – you can’t mix oil with egg unless you whip up a Mayonnaise. In terms of health, it taught me how high carb and sugar increases inflammation in the body.
Another fad, that I followed and still follow to an extent is intermittent fasting and long duration fasting (up to 3 days). If you want to go on an emotional roller coaster, other than scrolling through your social media or news, this is it. You will appreciate the emotion “Hungry” after 12 hours of fasting. You may watch your hands automatically reaching for any snacks or sugar :-). On day 2 the urges get stronger and the energy levels drop. Any smell thought or image of food will trigger a very strong desire. Day 3 is mostly about energy conservation. There were times when I could observe my body movements, conversation, etc. were optimized for energy. I will walk slow, my gestures and body movements will be muted. Your body and mind will become calm and the desire for food will lessen. But you will now smell foods in HD resolution, or even at 4K. Suddenly you will feel like you can become a sommelier or a great food critique. Don’t get tempted to criticize your spouse cooking on this day unless you want to extend your fasting.
Now comes the peanut banana smoothie. This came as a recommendation from a yoga program I attended. It was encouraged to follow a sattvic or pranic diet, based on ancient yogic teaching. The emphasis is on cooking less and having fresher uncooked or minimally cooked fruits/vegetables. This diet can provide better mental clarity in addition to a healthy body. Irrespective of how long or how effective these diets are, they can take you on a journey to learn more about your health, mind, and body. It can also be a great way to break some boundaries – how about a kale or celery smoothie? Whatever your new year resolution may be my best wishes for reaching them and breaking new boundaries!!
image credit: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food-recipes/a9247/banana-peanut-butter-smoothie-recipe/
Vijay's Reflections 