These 3 SIMPLE CHANGES in DIET Worked Like MAGIC For Me (& Can Help You Too)

I’ve been obsessed about diet and nutrition for the last couple of years. My productivity & how I’m feeling at work (& life in general) has been strongly correlated more to my diet and health and less with what’s actually going on at work (& life). The weeks where my health and my routine have been good have manifested into improved confidence, and overall better performance & less stress in general.

In my personal experience, a better diet has also led to level-headedness and better decision making & not just improved productivity. To ensure that the good time wasn’t a mere coincidence due to a temporary good food habit, I decided to research more on what I can do to improve my overall health and have a sustainable balanced diet. In the process, I consulted dietitians, watched lectures by doctors on the internet, took up a course of nutrition and health, subscribed to Harvard Health, and a couple of other credible websites providing rich information on food. I tried numerous diets and routines including intermitted fasting. Out of everything I tried, these 3 changes in my diet have worked like magic for me.

1. No Sugar

Free sugar or refined sugar causes the single largest damage we do to our bodies every day. If you have a lot of tea, coffee, aerated drinks, packaged juices, processed yogurt, chances are that you are having way too much free sugar than what you need.

The World Health Organization recommends adults and children reduce their daily intake of free sugars to less than 10% of their total energy intake. A reduction to below 5% or roughly 25 grams (6 teaspoons) per day would provide additional health benefits.

While 6 teaspoons of sugar may not seem a lot at first, most of what we consume is actually through hidden sources esp. coming from processed foods. These would include Yogurt, ketchup, Cakes, Muffins, or a sugar-sweetened soda.

A single can of sugar-sweetened soda contains up to 40 grams (around 10 teaspoons) of free sugars.

The first day of me cutting out sugar from my tea led me feeling a bit dizzy. The second day was slightly better. On the third day, I was feeling more energetic, and lighter. I made this small change about 8 months back. It’s been working beautifully for me. It’s a small and sustainable change. You don’t have to bother too much about the availability of anything. Just make sure that you are avoiding sugar-sweetened syrups, and energy drinks (which tend to be very high on sugar). Some other benefits of quitting or limiting free sugar intake include losing weight, clearer skin, lower chance of diabetes, and host of other benefits (you can read them here).

2. Stay Hydrated

Having sufficient water throughout the day is not only necessary during the summers but is a necessity even in winters. Ensuring that you have small cups of water throughout the day has a lot of benefits including controlling your diet. Drinking water just before your meal will to a large extent ensure that you don’t over-eat. For me personally, it is helping me regulate my mood, keeping me in good spirits and destructive emotions such as anger almost always in check. One of the bigger issues that you’ll have to solve is to forget drinking water. This is something, which was a bit challenging for me. Given our schedule, lifestyle, it is quite possible to forget having water. You’ll have to put a conscious effort into drinking water as most of the time you may not be feeling thirsty in your desk job.

The health benefits of having water are massive including carrying nutrients and oxygen to your cells, flushing bacteria from your bladder, aiding digestion, preventing constipation & cushioning joints (you can read more about it here).

3. More Fruits, No Processed Foods

Processed packaged foods can be really bad for the body. A lot of companies today are marketing their packaged food as nutrient-rich food. A lot of these foods have a lot of hidden things especially sugar, which is not very good.

“Any food that requires enhancing by the use of chemical substances should in no way be considered a food.” – John H. Tobe

According to WHO, Much of the sugars consumed today are “hidden” in processed foods that are not usually seen as sweets. 1 tablespoon of ketchup contains around 4 grams (around 1 teaspoon) of free sugars.

Increasing fruit intake especially local and seasonal fruits helps a lot. Having fruit kept me away from snacking on wafers, or other junk food. It also helped me add more fiber in the body and overall helped me with digestion.

One of my bigger concerns is when I hear dietitians prescribing a Granola bar, protein bar, Yoga Bar etc. The bigger is issue is that one of these bars would have more than 50% of the recommended intake of sugar. Also, they take you away from eating food in its natural form.

(In case you are diabetic or have a pre-existing condition, it will be good to consult a doctor before having fruits).

Simple is Sustainable!

“Success is the sum of small efforts—repeated day-in and day-out.” – Robert Collier

A stressful situation at work or life, in general, can be easily navigated if your mind is calm and at peace. This is often correlated with the gut and more specifically what you eat. Having a proper diet and good health manifests in a better performance at work, but often leads to better relationships and higher satisfaction with life. It can also help you from achieving your true potential.

Cutting sugar, increasing water and fruit intake overall not just helped me lower my weight, it did so without me doing anything extra-ordinary. All of this happened without any additional focus required on my diet.

The groundwork of all happiness is health. While there are many factors that impact it, diet in my personal opinion has a mediating role. If happiness for you is a cup of tea, make sure to skip the sugar and feel the magic.