Health

Right now, the only entry on my list is Flavoured Greek Yogurt. Many “fruit” yogurts are just sugar-laden desserts in disguise. A high-quality Greek yogurt, with live active cultures, offers the creamy, indulgent texture of a pudding (or even ice cream) while being high in protein. It’s the go-to “junk food” I would recommend to anybody who wants something sweet with very little junk.

My criteria for these “healthy” junk foods are simple: they must have fewer ingredients (you should be able to count them on one hand), they are low in sugar, provide genuine satiety through protein or fiber (fats, in my case), and, most importantly, they need to provide the basic pleasure that comes with indulging in a treat.

You’ve been sticking to your diet (keto or whatever it is) for a few days, and then one day, your friend shows up. Or, in my case, the kid in me spots a shiny new temptation, and we decide to take a “little break.” So,I tried the mutton dum biryani because the photo showed chunks of juicy mutton—too much, actually. We all know how many pieces we usually get. It’s always one and a half; the other half is just bone. But it was disappointing! You end up feeling guilty—not only because you wasted your money but also because you broke your streak. Your day drags on sluggishly from the carb overload, so what do you do? You take a “short” nap. You oversleep. When you finally feel energized again, you say, “Hey, I’ve already broken my streak. Why not have the chocolates my aunt brought from Switzerland?” You have one of those. One turns into 16 bars of Swiss chocolate, plus some more junk you have at home, because hey, it was an off day.

But the next morning, man! Despite a good night’s sleep, you feel it—the sugar hangover. I assume that’s what they call brain fog. (Correct me if I’m wrong, or keep following this blog for an update later.) It makes you want to stay in bed just a little longer. Your day couldn’t start worse, especially when you were supposed to be productive. So how do you beat that sugar hangover? You have milk tea! You might wonder what’s so bad about a cup of milk tea. For someone doing OMAD (one meal a day) or a 20/4 intermittent fast, having milk tea early morning isn’t ideal. But that’s beside my point.

My point is: even if you break your streak by having mutton dum biryani with your friend at your recently discovered biryani place, don’t overdo it by eating 16 bars of Swiss chocolate before bed, or whatever your weakness is. The aftereffects hit the next day, and one bad day can break your momentum.

• Not walking barefoot
• Shallow breathing
• Having darker days, brighter nights