6 food tips for the single graduate

This is for all my batch mates who freshly graduated. Most of you have already started working, some are going to or are already pursuing their Masters' degree, like me, and some have opted for some coaching for further studies. Well, be it work load, study pressure, laziness, attempt to save money or just absence of a mess like we had in college or mommy at home, people tend to neglect their health by either overeating or starving themselves by skipping meals. Here are 6 tips which may prevent that from happening to some extent.

1) Avoid instant noodles: My friend Meghna a.k.a. Maggie mostly survived on Maggie throughout 4 years of college. It's a miracle that she's still alive. Instant noodles may instantly cook but there is nothing instant about what follows. Each time you consume instant noodles, it takes 2 days to clear out the wax from your system. And nobody lived any longer by eating loads of MSG. Once or maximum twice a week is the limit.

2) Eat breakfast like a king: Wake up a bit earlier than you do. Keep your options open. Toast and eggs, Semolina or Suji, Cereals, Sandwiches are quick fixes. Skipping breakfast may affect your efficiency and nobody wants to work on projects with a rumbling stomach.

3) Buy that fruit: I adore fruits, in fact, I'm obsessed with them. And I don't even need to tell you why YOU should eat them. So, instead of playing so much 'Fruit Ninja' on your smartphones, buy some real fruit and demolish it. Do this at least 5 times a week. Those fruit juices in tetra-packs are full of nothing but sugar, artificial color and preservatives.

4) Oats: Remember that story where a poor girl found a magic pot which cooked porridge whenever she said "Cook little pot, cook." and overflowed the village with porridge. Sorry to say, you are going to have to do your own cooking, unlike that girl. However, you can customize your oats as to what kind of porridge you desire. Oats is a bland mix meant for the "Bimaar" you may say. But you can perk your sweet porridge up with fruits and nuts as you do with your cereals or you can cook your salty porridge with loads of spices, vegetables and even minced chicken or egg.

5) Make dinner at home: You will have the whole weekend to gorge on junk/rich food. As for lunch, you will obviously experiment with it in and around your office/institute premises. But try making yourself a simple and light dinner at home on weekdays. Cook some pasta or boil some daal and roast some vegetables to go with your rice. For the lazy days, you always have those soup packets and ready-made mixes. But make sure those lazy days are few. Always keep some basic Indian spices such as turmeric, cumin and chili powder handy.

Indian Spices

6)Stressed is desserts spelled backwards: Occasionally indulge! Ice-creams, pastries, cheesecakes, pies and custards- splurge on them at times. Oh how I miss those Indian desserts already: Rasmalai, Halwa, Kheer, Bengali Sweets and much more.