Are you trying to lose weight but cant? Are you finding it
hard to maintain your weight? Do you want to make healthier food choices?
Trying to lose weight
can be really frustrating especially if your weight is bouncing back over and
over again or it’s just stuck. What people don’t understand is that some foods
might be working totally against their weight loss goal. If you think you are
doing everything correctly, see my list of top 10 food myths and comment down
below if you're guilty of any of these!
Myth number 1: You can only lose weight on a low carb diet!
It is true that low carb diets lead to weight loss in a
short amount of time. But during this time the weight loss is due to fewer
intakes of food, water loss and loss of muscle tissue. When the amount of carbs
gets decreased, body burns protein and fat sources to provide energy. If this is continued for a long time it can
lead to ketosis and can be really fatal. When you go back to your normal
eating patterns, BOOM the weight is gained back again! And it also becomes
harder to lose weight the next time as your metabolism slows down due to
improper eating practices.
What I suggest: A diet should consist of complex carbs- like
whole grains, pulses, fibrous vegetables and fruits. Use of simple carbs like
maida, sooji, etc is to be kept at limited as they have reduced fibre content
and get digested real quickly in body.
Myth number 2: Fruit
juices are healthy!
A lot of people think that fruit juices are healthy (I used to think the same before I studied nutrition). WHHHHAT!? Most juice companies use artificial
flavoring agents. Even if they use real fruits, the goodness of the fruit is
removed by processing and preserving it. Fruit juices contain a lot of sugar in
them. This sugar is enough to make you gain extra kilos!
Label of a fruit juice packaging
What I suggest:
If you can have fruits directly do have them. They are a good source of fibre
and other vitamin and minerals. If you're not able to have fruits, you can make
juice in your home without adding sugar. Diabetics should avoid fruits like
mango, grapes, chiku and include more of apples, pear, and pomegranate in their
diets.
Myth number 3: I'm on
a diet but I can have a diet carbonated drink!
The last thing you want to do to destroy your weight loss
routine is by drinking a carbonated drink. Cokes alone contain artificial flavoring
agents and heaps of sugar. Diet carbonated drinks have artificial sweetening
agents in them usually ASPARTAME that is known to cause many health ailments in
the long term if consumed in large amounts!
What I suggest: Stay
away from diet cokes\ sodas. Instead have homemade beverages like, green tea, buttermilk,
fruit smoothies and shakes etc.
Myth number 4: I
cannot go wrong with packaged and ready to eat soups!
Packaged, canned and ready to eat items contain
preservatives. And for preservation to be possible a good amount of sodium\
sugar is required. You wouldn’t want these to be in your diet. Excess salt
consumption can lead to retention of fluid in body leading to weight gain. You
would’ve noticed that after eating salty food items like chips, pickles the
next day you feel a bit bloated, puffy under the eyes.
What I suggest: It
would be better to make homemade versions of soups as they have less sodium
content and are not packed with preservatives.
Myth number 5: I want
to build muscles; I need a lot of protein.
People who want to
gain muscles need to remember that excess of protein in the body gets utilized
as a fuel for the body. Adults only need about 1g protein per kg body weight
per day. That means if you weigh 70 kgs you would need 70g of protein in a day.
So a proper exercise routine, apt calories and good sources of protein is
necessary.
What I suggest: People who are non vegetarian have no dearth
of good quality protein. Include eggs, chicken, fish, dairy and dairy products
in your diet. People who are vegetarian or vegan can go for sprouts, pulses,
soya milk, nuts and oilseeds to cover up the protein requirement.
Myth number 6:
Skipping a meal would make me lose weight!
Skipping a meal makes you not only crave for more food until
the meal but also slows down the metabolism. People usually skip their
breakfast, which makes them hungry until the next meal. This lead to loss in
concentration and consuming excess of food eventually leading to more weight
gain.
What I suggest: Never
skip a meal instead have 3 main meals – breakfast, lunch and dinner along with
2 small meals for the snack. Have snacks\ fluids after every 2-3 hour interval.
This makes you feel full and keeps your metabolism proper. Some in between
snacks are roasted channa, roasted murmura, almonds, walnuts, buttermilk, green
tea or herbal tea, fruits etc. These are not only low calorie but also will
make you feel full till the next meal.
Myth number 7: Chocolates
are bad for your health.
Dark chocolates are really good for your health. Studies
have proven that they improve the health and lower the risk of heart diseases.
It has fibre, iron, magnesium and other trace elements.
Label of a dark chocolate packaging
What I suggest: If
you’re a chocolate lover you can eat a small box of chocolate per day to
control your sweet cravings. That definitely doesn't mean eating a big chocolate bar, of course.
Myth number 8: Olive
oil provides lesser calories than any other oil
If you add olive oil to your salad every day thinking that
it has no calories, you’re wrong. Oil is oil no matter what you do. A teaspoon
of any oil (roughly 5 g) provides 45 kcals, be it olive oil or refined oil,
canola oil. Although olive oil has many other benefits like reduction in risk
of heart diseases and type 2 diabetes etc but it would be wrong to say that it has
lesser calories.
What I suggest: Limit
the intake of oil to about 4 teaspoons daily. You can use different oils and
rotate them monthly. Like olive oil for one month, mustard oil for the next and
so on.
Myth number 9: Full
cream milk is nutritious than toned and double toned milk
The major part of full cream milk consists of fat. As it
gets processed, into toned and double toned milk the quantity of fat also
decreases. Excess fat in the long run is known to cause obesity and heart
problems.
What I suggest: If
you’re trying to lose weight or don’t want to gain extra kilos, stay away from
excess fat. Go for toned\ double toned or skimmed milk.
Myth number 10: Sooji
is better than maida.
Sooji and maida both are refined sugars, which mean that
they are a result of processing. Wheat flour is processed and due to that a
major amount of fibre and other nutrients are removed from it.
A whole grain consists: the outer portion husk which is
inedible, bran which consists of fibre, endosperm which provides energy and
carbs and finally the germ which consist of vitamins and minerals. After
processing the wheat (which is bran+ endosperm+ germ) only endosperm is left to
get sooji and maida. Hence both fall in the same category.
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Composition of a wheat kernel
(Image courtesy- https://daddystractor.com)
What I suggest:
Fibre is a must for you if you’re trying to lose weight or not. About 40 g of fibre everyday should be provided through diet to prevent
constipation, cleansing of toxins and for promoting good gut.
I hope this helped you. I'll bring out more articles like these. Comment down below if you have any questions. Like my Facebook page for more such tips: Your Nutritionist's Plate.
Till then take care guys!
very helpful
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