Weight loss is a very commercialized and popular subject. With so many food varieties to choose from and with even more restaurants and fast food joints springing up all over metropolitan and cosmopolitans in India, one can hardly be blamed for wanting to have that extra desert even after your stomach is content. Despite all that we still want to stay fit. However one wonders in this cuisine obsessed age if it becomes possible to trust every weight loss pill commercial or the suggestions given by your daily horoscope. You might have already heard of the common ones like fasting doesn’t help, exercise regularly, reduced consumption of fried foods and so on. I sat with HealthEminds nutritionist, Sangeetha Narayana Swamy and learnt some interesting facts about weight loss that are not so common.
What the ‘low fat’, label means?
When suppliers want to label something as ‘low fat’ they have to meet legal criteria to use that label. The lower-fat claim simply means that the food is 30% lower in fat than the standard equivalent. So if the type of food in question is high in fat in the first place, the lower-fat version may also still be high in fat. For example, a lower-fat mayonnaise is 30% lower in fat than the standard version, but is still high in fat. Also, these foods aren’t necessarily low in calories. Often the fat is replaced with sugar, and the food may end up with the same, or an even higher, energy content.
The falseness of some common food habits
My all time favorite vegetable is the potato and I often have it with my meals. You must be thinking I’m putting on mass at the speed of light but I rank normal on the weight scale. Now I’m not saying that you should have a three course spud fest but potato is a carbohydrate food, not fat and when taken in moderation is of no harm to your fitness. The same goes for the ‘only fruit salad for breakfast’ myth. Most fruits are not very high in complex carbohydrates, which the body needs for fuel after an all-night fast. So a balanced breakfast consisting of all required nutrients is advisable.
Limit liquid calories
Besides water most liquid based intakes are infused with high calories. Adding extra sugar to your morning coffee does more harm than you think. Other forms like sports drinks, those containing naturally occurring sugar like juices and carbonated beverages are also members of the high calories club. A healthy advice is to downsize your morning doze of these habitual drinks. And if tee totaling is not your thing then it’s even more important to reduce your consumption of this sugary list.
Crash dieting
The phrase “In life there are no shortcuts” is correctly emphasized by the ineffectiveness of crash dieting. There is no doubt that crash dieting definitely helps you lose weight but that weight loss is temporary and will eventually be gained back. There a lot of other harmful side effects too such as, nutrition loss and reduced metabolism rate which you might suffer from. The most efficient and safe way to weight loss is a regular diet and daily exercise.