5 Dos and Don’ts for Better Health

Don’t

• Drink coffee after 12 pm – for the average person, caffeine takes around 10 hours to break down in your body. If you have a cup in the afternoon, your system may still be buzzed from caffeine after midnight, which is not so great for our beauty sleep! However, the pace at which caffeine breaks down in your body is individual and also depends on the amount of coffee you’ve had, but to be on the safe side, drink your coffee before noon!

• Eat a lot of fibre without drinking water - Eating fibre is great for your digestive health, but if we’re not getting enough water along with the fibre, we may experience some serious discomfort. Fibre absorbs water, which helps food move faster through your system, and makes it easier to eliminate. If you are dehydrated, stools will be harder which can make it difficult to go to the bathroom. We don’t want that, so drink up!

Do

• Eat your meals at the same time every day – our bodies love routine! Several studies have suggested that irregular meal patterns are associated with a higher risk of metabolic syndrome, and risk factors such as high blood pressure and BMI. Our metabolism is on a 24-hr schedule and expects the same things every day, at the same times!

• Eat dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate – dark chocolate with a high cocoa content (70% or higher) is a better choice than milk chocolate. It is full of healthy antioxidants that protect the body from ageing and disease, lower in sugar and contains minerals like magnesium, iron and zinc.

• Eat more zinc to aid sleep - Recent research has shown that zinc levels are related to sleep quality. Zinc can be found in meat, shellfish, legumes, nuts, seeds and dairy. You can also top up on zinc with a dietary supplement to make sure you’re getting enough.