by When we discuss the miracle of the ten plagues that God inflicted on the Egyptians in order to liberate the people of Israel from Egypt, we are of course talking about national bonds and the release from the chains to freedom and liberty.
But what are the barriers that keep us imprisoned on a personal level in order to achieve our goals? Dietician Adina Bachar has the guide to a healthy and balanced life that each of us can adopt.
The 10 plagues of today
1. Stress: the intense lifestyle and the daily search for perfection, whether at work, as a parent, as a family member or any other “hat” we put on our heads in life, puts us under pressure. Release this pressure. Try to focus on the good things on a daily basis, be grateful for what’s out there, and direct the energy to the good things, so the positivity will come back to you. After all, stress affects health and when you avoid and reduce it, health is affected for the better.
2. Seated: When you sit for long hours during the day, you risk injuring your back. Try to get into the habit of getting up and walking around. Try climbing the stairs instead of choosing the easy option of riding the elevator. Another option is to park your car away from your destination and deliberately fit a few minutes of walking into your daily schedule. Also, take up a hobby that makes you happy: volleyball, tennis, pilates or maybe even surfing. Any activity you choose will get the blood flowing through your body. It will also reduce the risk of getting sick and make you feel energized and energetic.
3. Junk food: To be honest, it continues in everyday life and it’s not an official concept from any health organization. Junk food is fast food that is high in fat, sugar, and calories and does not contribute nutritionally to the body (empty calories). Learn how to reduce its consumption and if you are nevertheless tempted by this or that “corrupt” food, treat it as a one-off and unusual event and resume your routine as soon as possible.
4. Eat quickly: Rule number one for an effective and healthy meal: eat quietly. Eating quickly to make room for the next thing can lead to many health issues, including weight gain. When you rush to eat, you are not focusing on the action itself. Therefore, try to put your phone aside when eating, focus on your food, and remember that an ideal cooking time for a meal is around 20 minutes.
5. Blame: If we fail to lose weight and achieve the desired result, we often blame ourselves for not doing “right” and not achieving the goals we set for ourselves. If you are in a situation where you manage to recognize that you blame yourself, be kind to yourself as you would be to someone else in the same situation. Surround yourself with people who lift you up and don’t bring you down, and try to think clearly about the situation.
6. Emotional eating: Emotional eating has nothing to do with hunger or satiety, and no amount of calories will satisfy the emotion. Stress, distress, or any mental trigger sometimes causes a feeling of lack of control.
So how do we regulate emotional eating?
Eat in a balanced way all the time and thus, in an emotional state, you will not feel deprived of any nourishment. When shopping, try to stock the house with healthy foods. When you recognize that you are in a state of emotional eating, take a deep breath and think of positive things. Think about what could make you feel better. (A phone call, a short walk, a shower or something else).
7. Daily weighing: Our weight does not necessarily indicate the amount of fat in our body. About 20% of heavyweight people are lean, which means that the amount of muscle, bone and tendons (lean body mass) is relatively high. They are metabolically healthy people and their appearance will also be healthy and vital.
Have you started a weight loss process?
Do not obsessively weigh yourself every day as there are fluctuations which are also related to the balance of fluids in the body. Find a regular day and time and weigh yourself once a week to see a change. Don’t be enslaved by the number on the scale.
8. Fearing fat: A common mistake is to think that fat makes you fat. Don’t blame the butter for what the bread did. The truth is that excessive carbohydrate consumption causes the body to secrete insulin in response to high blood sugar. Elevated insulin inhibits general fat-breaking processes. This first causes sugar to be stored as glycogen and when the small store of glycogen (200 calories) is full, the body turns carbohydrates into fat.
A ketogenic diet improves diabetes control through the reduction of carbohydrates and the emergence of a situation where insulin secretion decreases and fat breakdown becomes possible. Diabetics can check this with a continuous blood glucose meter and without injections.
9. Drink sugary drinks: These drinks are addictive, unhealthy, cause fatigue and raise sugar levels. Countless studies have already shown that excessive consumption of sugar, especially in beverages, is directly linked to obesity, diabetes, liver and kidney damage, heart disease and hypertension. Remove them from your menu and if you’re looking for variety in drinking water, mix in some mint and sliced cucumber for added flavor and good health.
10. Finally, don’t compare yourself to others: You know the saying “the grass is always greener on the other side”? It’s not. Stop comparing yourself to others, chances are they are comparing themselves to you too. Always aim high and compare yourself to yourself and your abilities.
Focus on the things you’ve done that make you proud and congratulate yourself on your successes, eat a healthy, balanced meal, adopt healthy habits, exercise regularly, and avoid stress.
Adina Bachar is a dietitian for diabetes and ketogenic diets at the DMC Center for the treatment of diabetes and author of the book “The ketogenic diet” and president of the Atid association
