Eat Right with Kamna Bhandari

☔ Monsoon is beautiful... but it also brings a rise in infections.

The combination of humidity, contaminated water, food spoilage, and mosquito breeding makes this season a challenge for your immune system.

My simple monsoon health checklist:

✅ Freshly cooked meals
✅ Boiled/filtered water
✅ Daily spices: ginger, turmeric, garlic, tulsi, black pepper
✅ Vitamin C-rich foods
✅ Gut-friendly foods like curd and buttermilk
✅ Good sleep
✅ Daily movement

Immunity tea for the monsoons:
Boil 1 1/2 cup of water with a small piece of ginger, mulethi ( licorice)
Pinch of Jeera, pinch of pepper pd,
Tulsi, turmeric and boil for 4 to 5 mins, strain, let it cool a little to this add juice of a lemon and 1/2 tsp of manuka honey or raw organic honey.

Avoid:
❌ Street food
❌ Stale leftovers
❌ Sugary drinks
❌ Food exposed to open air
❌ Standing water around your home

Small daily habits can make a huge difference to your immunity and overall health.

🌧️ Save this post for the rainy season.
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Share it with someone who always falls sick during the rains.

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Is your "Sweet Tooth" hurting your liver? 🍭📉

The "Why":
When we consume high amounts of added fructose (think HFCS and cane sugar), our liver is the only organ that can metabolize it. When it’s "maxed out," it stores that energy as fat. This is the leading driver of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD).

The Nutritionist’s 3 Rules for Sugar:

The "Buffer" Rule: Always eat sugar after a meal containing fiber and protein.

Liquid Gold: Minimize liquid sugars (sodas/juices) as they hit the liver the fastest.

The 80/20 Rule: 80% whole foods, 20% room for the things that feed your soul.

You don't need a "detox" tea; you need a sustainable strategy. 🌿

Hashtags:
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If chronic stress is keeping your body stuck in survival mode, the solution isn't more restriction.

It's helping your nervous system feel safe again.

Start here:

✅ Prioritize sleep before midnight
✅ Get morning sunlight within 30 minutes of waking
✅ Walk daily, especially after meals
✅ Strength train, but don't overtrain
✅ Eat enough protein and don't skip meals
✅ Reduce caffeine if anxiety is high
✅ Practice breathwork, prayer, meditation or mindfulness
✅ Spend time in nature
✅ Create moments of joy and connection

Remember:

A regulated nervous system supports better sleep.

Better sleep supports healthier hormones.

Healthier hormones support better metabolism, recovery, digestion and fat loss.

Your body performs best when it feels safe.

Healing isn't always about doing more.

Sometimes it's about stressing less.

Which of these habits are you going to start today? 👇

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When anxiety becomes chronic, your brain activates the stress response.

Your adrenal glands start producing more cortisol.

Now cortisol isn't bad. You need it to wake up, focus and handle challenges.

But when cortisol stays elevated for too long, that's when things start going wrong.

High cortisol can:
❌ Increase hunger and sugar cravings
❌ Make fat loss harder, especially around the belly
❌ Break down muscle tissue and slow recovery ❌ Disrupt sleep quality
❌ Affect thyroid function and metabolism
❌ Impact insulin sensitivity and blood sugar control

And it doesn't stop there.

Your brain and gut are constantly talking to each other.

Chronic stress can alter your gut microbiome, increase digestive symptoms and affect appetite regulation.

The body also starts prioritizing survival over thriving.

That's why: You're exhausted despite sleeping. Your workouts feel harder. Your skin doesn't glow. Your gut isn't improving. Your muscles aren't growing. And the scale refuses to move.

The goal isn't just eating less and exercising more.

The goal is creating a body that feels safe enough to heal, recover and burn fat efficiently.

Have you ever felt stuck despite doing everything "right"? Let me know below. 👇

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Do women really need more sleep than men?

The science says: yes slightly more, and definitely better quality sleep.

women are far more likely to experience sleep disruption and therefore often need additional recovery.

Why women struggle more with sleep:

🌙 1. Hormones are constantly changing Unlike men, whose hormone fluctuations occur mostly over a 24-hour cycle, women experience hormonal shifts across the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, and menopause.

Changes in estrogen and progesterone can affect: • Deep sleep • REM sleep • Body temperature • Mood • Energy levels

🌙 2. Women have higher rates of insomnia Research shows women are significantly more likely to experience insomnia and sleep disturbances than men.

🌙 3. Anxiety and mental load Women experience higher rates of anxiety and depression, both of which are strongly linked to poor sleep quality.

🌙 4. The invisible workload Planning meals. Remembering birthdays. Managing children. Running a home. Caring for ageing parents.Women multitask unlike men who focus only on 1 to 2 things.

This constant mental load doesn't switch off when the lights go out.

🌙 5. Sleep disorders are often missed Conditions like sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, and insomnia frequently present differently in women and often go undiagnosed.

🌙 6. Thyroid health depends on sleep Poor sleep can worsen cortisol regulation, impact insulin sensitivity, increase inflammation, and make thyroid symptoms like fatigue, weight gain, brain fog, and hair fall feel worse. While sleep doesn't directly "cure" thyroid issues, it plays a major role in hormonal regulation and recovery.

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THE TAKEAWAY

Sleep is not a luxury for women. It's a hormonal requirement.

❤️ Prioritize sleep like you prioritize your family, your work, and everyone else's needs.

Because your body can't heal, repair, balance hormones, build muscle, burn fat, or regulate emotions without it.

Share this with a woman who needs to stop feeling guilty about resting — your mom, sister, daughter, friend, or colleague.

💬 Tell me: How many hours of sleep do you need to truly feel your best?

✨ Being fit doesn't need hard work. It doesn't require extreme diets, punishing workouts, or chasing perfection.

What it does need is: ✔️ Consistency — showing up even on the days you don't feel like it. ✔️ Discipline — making choices that support your goals more often than not. ✔️ Willpower — remembering why you started when motivation fades.

Fitness isn't built in a week. It's built through the small habits you repeat every day.

A 30-minute walk. Choosing protein at meals. Going to bed on time. Drinking enough water. Managing stress.

The little things may seem insignificant today, but done consistently, they create extraordinary results over time.

Stop looking for the perfect plan. Focus on the plan you can follow consistently.

Because the secret to fitness isn't working harder. It's staying consistent longer. 💪

"What's one healthy habit you've stayed consistent with this month? Tell me below 👇".

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Women often put themselves last.

I've seen it repeatedly in my 25 years of clinical practice.

The irony is that the healthier, happier, and stronger you are, the better equipped you become to care for the people you love.

Your health is not an expense. It's an investment.

The habits you build today determine the quality of your next 20–30 years.

Choose yourself too. ❤️

✨ Self-care is not selfish.

Tell me: What is one thing you do just for yourself without feeling guilty?

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Let's talk about things which are important for a woman's health which does not always have to be nutrition related.
Like...
Take a break and why is that ok and important
Importance of regular blood tests
Iron
HRT
energy fluctuations
Sleep!!!
And many more ..
All this and more coming up..
I will be sharing my 28 years of experience being in this field and my personal learnings and education which is always on going... And I am sure I will learn from this too..

What is that you want to hear and talk about?
Post it in the comments and let's do this..
Let's discuss and share our opinions.
Eat right with Kamna Bhandari
Women
Health and fitness
Wellness

Iron support strategies:
✔ Iron-rich foods
✔ Garden cress seeds (halim/aliv)
✔ Organ meats (if non-vegetarian)
✔ Vitamin C alongside iron-rich meals
✔ Appropriate supplementation under professional guidance
Pro tip
alternate-day iron supplementation may improve absorption efficiency and reduce gastrointestinal side effects.
PubMed +2
Don't self-supplement blindly. Excess iron can also be harmful.
Have you ever been told your Hb was normal but you still had all the symptoms?
👇 Tell me in the comments.
And share this with your sisters, friends, aunts and moms

Comment Iron for the guide and tips that will help you fix your low iron levels