Aniket Saigal

I am a big fan of strawberries, bananas, raspberries, blackberries, pineapples, apricots, and almost any other fruits. I can get my hands on here in LA - and I try eating at least 2-3 servings of just fruit (not including vegetables) a day. These fruits are an extremely good source of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants - which are well known to reduce our risk of developing chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and stroke in the future. Of course, eating fruits should be in addition to other vegetables, grains and lentils in order to eat a balanced diet, but the important part is reducing our consumption of meat. The meat industry is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and water pollution. By reducing our meat consumption, we can reduce our carbon footprint and help mitigate climate change. Moreover, this is a step towards promoting animal welfare, as eating less meat reduces the demand for factory-farmed meat, - often associated with inhumane living conditions for animals. Eating more fruits and vegetables can also reduce food waste, as they have a longer shelf life than meat and dairy products.

Last but not the least, fruits and vegetables are usually less expensive than meat, making them a more affordable and accessible source of nutrition for many people.

Aside from the well-known benefits of walking (yes, we love the exercise), an interesting observation I made during my walks in the past few weeks has been a significant boost in terms of the amount of new creative ideas that came to my mind during my walks. Some of the ideas have helped improve my life in more tangible ways, while others were merely thoughts that had a subtle influence on my mood or enhanced my perspective on things. In fact, one of my best ideas for my grammar B essay floated into my mind as I was walking in the UCLA Botanical garden a little over a week ago:)
I also read some research from Stanford University that showed that participants' creativity increased by up to 60 percent compared to while they were sitting down on a chair. In my experience, this did hold true for me. I think this might have something to do with increased aerobic function during walking, which leads to increased oxygen supply to the brain - thereby leading to more activity in certain regions of the brain.

Aside from this, I enjoyed the refreshing fresh air blowing on my face, and occasionally running into friends while I was walking around campus.

I usually have about 3 cups of coffee in a week; which means about 1 cup every alternate day. I did not have coffee or chocolate yesterday, so for the purpose of this goal, I was able to complete it. It wasn't very difficult as I am not dependent on any of these substances; however, I do indulge in them once in a while simply because I like them.