All brides wish to look their best on the wedding day. And from here begins the plethora of unrealistic expectations from one self. But the good news is, it’s not just a case of scrimping and skipping meals.The importance of good nutrition and good diet is immense, especially prior to marriage.A pre-wedding diet should focus on healthy diet, which contains a combination of various food groups having whole grains, pulses, seasonal vegetables, fruits, nuts, low fat dairy, lean meats and eggs.
If you want to loose weight , you should begin early, have a definite diet and exercise plan. A word of caution, extreme dieting/ starving / not having a good balanced diet may leave you devoid of energy and your skin looking dull. This may have serious health consequences too.
Just follow a few basics and you will have a glowing healthy skin and a gorgeous figure on the day of your wedding.
Make sure you have good amounts of proteins from pulses and legumes, soya, eggwhites, lean meats, low fat dairy/ soya milk. Proteins are essential for healthy skin, hair and to fight infection.
Take plenty of fibers- Have whole grain cereals, pulses, green leafy vegetables and seasonal vegetables and fruits. This will give you the vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and anitoxidants to beat the stress
Begin with a healthy breakfast, for eg. High fiber cereal and low fat milk/yogurt with some fruits. This will boost your energy and keep you alert.
Do not skip your meals. Always remember this will cause your blood sugar levels to dip causing fatigue, headaches and aggravation that may even tempt you to eat chips, cookies and junk food.
Make sure that you drink at least 8-10 glasses of water. You can also have fresh lime juice, tender coconut water, herbal tea. This will prevent you from being constipated and feeling bloated. Avoid having carbonated drinks, soda, tea/ coffee etc as they work as diuretics.
Cut down on alcohol and processed food, which will give you empty calories with less or no nutrients. Processed food are loaded with sodium and preservatives which may make you look puffy.
Mind your portion size-Use a salad plate instead of a dinner plate, a desert bowl instead of soup bowl and a juice glass instead of water tumbler to restrict your portion size and hence the calories
Keep some healthy snacks . Since you may be out shopping for long hours, you should have them to handle your hunger pangs. Some healthy options are fruits, roasted black grams, puffed rice, roasted grains, sprouts etc.
The mantra to handle the pre marital stress and anxiety still remains a healthy balanced diet, regular exercise, proper sleep and positive mental attitude which are the four pillars of good health.
Sandhya Pandey
The author is Chief clinical nutritionist at Fortis Memorial Research institute, Gurgaon