5 bad food habits office-goers must change

If you, like so many of us, are so caught up with work that you have little time to watch what you eat, it's time to take a breather before your lifestyle takes its toll on your health.

Here are five bad habits which you must avoid to salvage your health.


1. Skipping breakfast

A lot of people leave home with just a cup of tea or coffee and then they wonder why they are always crabby, irritable and low on energy throughout the day.

Skipping this first, most important meal of the day is like starting a car without fuel. Your body is forced to call on its energy reserves and these do not last very long, making you irritable and snappy and lacking in concentration by the middle of the day.

What's more, you will end up eating a lot more servings or calorie-dense foods at lunch, which will cause your sugar levels to go up and then come crashing down, making you feel sluggish and tired.

Solution: A good breakfast does not have to be elaborate; a glass of skimmed milk with 2 handfuls of corn or wheat flakes and a fruit will suffice. For hot breakfast lovers, an egg, two slices of bread and a fruit or a bowl of oatmeal porridge accompanied by a fruit are enough.

2. Drinking too much tea/coffee

Sipping constantly can be a tough habit to break. But too much of either tea or coffee can do two things:

It may leave you feeling jittery, irritable, dehydrated, and even interrupt your sleep pattern at night so you do not get deep sleep or do not feel rested the next day.
If taken with your meals, tea and coffee inhibit the absorption of iron from your food. Your body throws out the nutrient as waste.
Solution: If you cannot cut down on the number of cups, cut down on the size of cups so you drink half the quantity. If you have a choice, opt for water.


3. Not drinking enough water

Most corporate offices are air-conditioned, so we do not really sweat and therefore, do not feel so thirsty. What's more when you are used to drinking water below your requirement, your body adapts and when you do start drinking a little more water, your body treats it as excess -- in fact, initially, the body actually throws it out causing you to run to the toilet every few minutes.

In the long run, not drinking enough water can cause constipation, indigestion, gas, increased hunger pangs, dehydration and can make your skin look dull too.

Solution: Keep a 1 litre bottle of water at your table and aim to finish it before the end of the day. It may take you two to three days to adapt to an increased dose but when you do, you will notice the positive benefits immediately -- better skin, better bowel movements and better control on your hunger pangs.

4. Eating at odd hours

While you cannot be expected to leave in the middle of a meeting because the clock says lunch time, it is definitely possible to try to have a somewhat regular meal timing for the majority of the days in the week.

Having a somewhat fixed meal time helps keep your metabolic rate up and can help prevent gas and acidity, which result from long gaps between meals.

Timely eating will also prevent you from overeating as once your body is used to getting energy at a particular hour, it will stop demanding food at odd hours.

Solution: Try to have a fixed time-frame in which you can have your meal peacefully and finish it in a matter of 15 to 20 minutes.


5. Weekend binging

Most of us put in endless hours during the week eating whatever is available, and then comes the weekend. We go on another binge that we feel we deserve. Hard drinks along with food add to the damage we cause to our health in the long run.

Solution: Try to take some time to relax at the end of each day and don't wait for the weekend to unwind. Take a relaxing massage, watch a movie or a play or read a good book. Eating is not the only way to pamper yourself!

End of an Era - Brian Lara to quit International Cricket

After days of scathing criticism and ceaseless innuendo, the penny finally dropped. "I gave extensive consideration to this," said Brian Lara. "I want everybody to know that on Saturday I'll be playing my last international match. I've already spoken to the board and the players about this." It was a fairly routine press conference at the end of a insignificant game, but the answer to the last question caused even the most tired journalist to look up from his notepad.

And with that, it was over. He stopped to sign a few autographs - jaded hacks too aren't immune from the spell cast by his batting - and then walked away through the side door. Though there will be nothing at stake on Saturday when two frankly mediocre teams play for nothing more than pride, the stands could be packed as fans flock in to pay their own tributes to the prince among modern-day batsmen.

Ever since West Indies were ruled out of semi-final contention earlier in the week, speculation has been rife that Lara wouldn't be part of the Test squad to England. For a man who has carried the team piggyback for so much of his career, it would have been an unkind cut, one that he was clearly in no mood to take.

When asked to rake over the pieces of yet another ill-fated World Cup campaign, Lara refused to dwell on "spilt milk". "We've got to move on and focus on the future," he said.

His one-day career will end at 299 games, and he won't now add to the 131 Tests and 11,953 runs he scored in Test cricket. "I was very confident that I'd play my 300th game at the World Cup," he said. "It wasn't to be. So be it."

Though he will be remembered for two glorious centuries against South Africa (1996 and 2003), Lara has little else to cherish as far as the World Cup is concerned. Winning the ICC Champions Trophy in the gloom at The Oval in 2004 was a highlight, and he'll hope for a reprise against the English team that was beaten that day.

"West Indies cricket is something I hold dearly to my own heart," he said when asked what his feelings would be as he donned the maroon colours for the last time. "I've had a very good run, 299 one-day matches and 130-odd Tests under my belt. That's testimony to the fact that I've been out there toiling for West Indies cricket. I've enjoyed every single day."

He leaves behind quite a legacy as a batsman. "I've come out there and tried to entertain," he said, when asked how he'd like to be remembered. "You have to remember that people pay to come through the turnstiles.

"Another thing that I'm proud of is that I've been knocked down so many times, both as a player and a person, and come back. I need to thank my parents for that, for being able to go out there in the face of adversity and perform. It's a family trait."