What is success today?

A pay packet which is the envy of ones friends? Jet setting around the world and hobnobbing with the rich and the wealthy? Being ready to face the world and the challenges?

What one fails to see, however, are the constant headaches, the insomniac rumblings at night and the pill popping to keep the spirits and vitality up!

These two phenomena, success and stress often go hand in hand as the hi-flying stressed, corporate culture leads to these stress syndromes. One tends to miss breakfast, have a business lunch and freak out with colleagues at night or is too tired to rustle up a meal. It is sometimes weeks before one is able to have a decent home cooked healthy meal.

Neelam Dhyani, 34, a SAP Consultant who stays alone in an apartment in Pune says, "Eating is the last thing on my mind. I sometimes forget to eat food and at other times I am not even aware of what I am eating. I am so engrossed with my career and my life which at the moment is rocking! I feel stressed out and migraines bother me but I suppose that is part of my job and life".

This is not the case with Neelam alone. This is what the gennex is up against. With their 24x7 high pressure jobs and career commitments food takes a back seat and eating out seems to be the answer.

The junk food they unthinkingly nibble in is responsible for a major part of their health problems. Most of the problems could be sorted out by eating three healthy meals at home.

Ways to avoid eating out

With proper planning and foresight one can avoid the hazards of eating out.

How to Plan

Plan your day in such a way that eating out is minimized

• Start the day with a hearty breakfast. This is the meal we tend to skip.

• Plan your day. There is no reason why with proper planning you cannot cut down on eating out. Keep your appointments away from meal times. Let it be a midmorning appointment or a late afternoon one rather than discussion over a business meal or dinner. Even if you have to, make sure it is a restaurant where you will be able to get a healthy meal.

• Make sure you always have some healthy food at hand so that you are not tempted to eat out. Always keep some fruit like apples or peaches which are easy to eat. Some baby carrots, cucumbers or small radishes would also do. Even a tossed salad can be carried or popcorns or a zero fat snack. You can even try carrying a light sandwich so that if the need arises you can have a light, easy and healthy lunch.

• Always stock your home with 'quick to cook' meals you like. Make at least two visits to the market in a week to prevent yourself from going out to forage for food or having an excuse to eat out. Make sure that the fridge is full of healthy food and the dry ingredients are also in stock. Don't give yourself the excuse to eat out

• Never be hungry. Eat at regular intervals. Don't let the hunger pangs attack you. Hunger makes you prone to eating indiscriminately. Stick to your timings and learn to recognize the hunger signals. Eat before it becomes unbearable.

What to Stock

• Shop at least twice a week. Go and buy the fresh vegetables, fruits and your favorite salads. Stock the fridge with paneer, sauces and yoghurt of your choice. Try and pick food which you enjoy and which needs minimum cooking. Make sure all dry ingredients are also stocked.

• Prepare some dishes and stock. Healthy fruits salads, salad dressings and sandwich spreads can always be prepared in advance or over the weekend. Plenty of vegetables should be chopped and cut and ready to cook.

• Frozen foods can be stocked for emergency days

How to Eat Out if you Have to

First of all avoid eating out but this is not always possible. There are times when one can't avoid eating out. Business lunches, coffee with friends, weekend celebrations are all a part of life. The solution is to learn how to face them. Learn to eat healthy when you are out. One has to learn to minimize the hazards of eating out

• Take a light snack or a helping of fruit before you go out. Do not go out on an empty stomach. A gnawing hunger encourages bingeing and over eating.

• Start with a salad of your choice. It should be a salad with a non creamy base or a low fat dressing. Choose a low yoghurt dressing which is healthy and light. Make it a light vinegar dressing if possible. Avoid mayonnaise and cream.

• You can always ask for amendments to a dish. It can be ordered without cream or dollops of butter. It can be modified to your taste and requirements.

• Wherever possible order stir fried vegetables instead of fried or cream based ones.

• Whenever possible have whole wheat products instead of refined flour. Have chapattis instead of naans and kulchas

Sticking to these habits is difficult to start with, but you get addicted to these once you begin practicing…yes, good eating habits can be addictive too! Try it!