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Journalism of Courage
The goal of any weight loss programme is to lose extra fat, kilos, while restoring the lean body mass. In other words, weight loss is not simply weighing less on the scale or fitting into clothes better, it refers to a good body composition. The aim is to help body preserve as much muscle tissue as possible while stimulating fat loss. Balancing the right diet and nutrient intake combined with physical activity helps to maintain lean tissue and achieve healthy weight.
Some of the key principles of healthy eating are: variety Include foods from all the food groups e.g. whole grains, pulses, fruits and vegetables, dairy, nuts and oilseeds, flesh foods if taken and cold pressed oils.
Moderation Eat in moderation. No food is good or bad. Control portion sizes. Especially with foods which may not be so healthy for you. These need not be eliminated from your diet, rather eaten once in a while in smaller amounts.
Balance 8220;in-take8221; with physical activity or by eating light in the subsequent meals to achieve or maintain ideal body weight.
Restrict total fat to 30 of the total calories, of which 10 is saturated fat. This would mean using upto 5-6 teaspoons of fat in cooking and 1 tsp of butter and ghee. Harmful Sources of fat include fatty meats, hydrogenated fats, vanaspati and margarine. Say 8220;no8221; to hydrogenated fats found in commercial bakery, commercial fried foods and vanaspati. Choose organic cold pressed oils over refined ones. Include fatty fish 2-3/ week and some nuts and seeds while on a weight management programme.
Restrict simple sugars and refined carbohydrates like table sugar, honey, glucose, fruit juices white flour or polished rice etc. They are useful in keeping weight, diabetes and blood fat triglycerides levels under control. Other sources of refined carbohydrates and simple sugars include sweets, sweetened drinks including colas, bakery products, bread, rice, naan, pasta, noodles, fruit juices and desserts.
Understand the concept of glycemic index: Glycemic Index GI refers to the extent of rise in blood sugar in response to a food in comparison with the response to an equivalent amount of glucose.
Foods with a high glycemic index 70 or more trigger a sharp rise in blood glucose, followed by a dramatic fall, often to the levels that are transiently below normal. After a typically low blood sugar that occurs several hours after a high GI meal, people may become hungry and then overeat in comparison to their counterparts on low GI diets. Foods like table sugar, white bread, refined flour, potatoes, bananas, mangoes, melon, and water melon come under high glycemic foods.
The body more easily copes with low glycemic index less than 55 foods, which trigger slower and more modest changes in the blood glucose levels. Lower glycemic index food means lesser conversion to fat. Low GI foods tend to be less processed and contain good amounts of fiber, protein or fat. Since these nutrients take longer to digest, an individual tends to feel full longer and hunger is suppressed; blood sugar also won8217;t peak or plummet.
Plenty of fresh and dried fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds like flaxseeds for boosting anti-oxidant status. Limit salt 8220;intake8221;, caffeine and alcohol 8220;intake8221;.
Adequate fiber intake must be ensured by including whole grains and pulses, fruits and vegetables in our diet.
Maintain regular meal timings: Prefer to maintain fixed hours for meals daily and one should eat at least 3-4 hours before retiring at night. Maintain a relatively low carbohydrate intake during dinners. Avoid sweets and meals rich in starches like breads, rice, roti in excess at night.
Distribute calories evenly throughout the day: Prefer small frequent meals. Portion sizes of the meals must not be too large. It is preferable to take 5 small meals at a gap of 2-3 hours compared to three large meals.
Cooking medium Cold pressed oils are superior to refined ones as they retain their essential fatty acid composition, which are lost during refining. Also they do not contain harmful chemicals and trans fatty acids found in refined oils. Examples include olive oil, mustard oil and sesame oil. Choose a variety of vegetable oils instead of a single source. Use low fat cooking methods like grilling, steaming, poaching. Prefer unscratched non-stick pans and oil sprays to reduce fat consumption.
Snack smart Plan healthy nutrient dense snacks. Munch on natural foods like fruits, vegetables, salads rather than colas, biscuits, namkeens, sandwiches etc.
Even a small weight loss of only 5-10 percent of body weight may improve many problems associated with over weight, like high blood pressure and diabetes.
As a rule weight loss should be done slowly and steadily. Very rapid loss is usually accompanied by loss of water or muscle tissue lean body mass, which is undesirable. It can create metabolic problems and bring back lost weight more rapidly. The aim is to loose fat and not lean body mass. To ensure preservation of lean body mass it is advisable to accompany any diet programme for weight loss with an exercise schedule including weight-bearing exercises.
Do not be overly concerned about how much you weigh. Instead be concerned about how much of that weight is fat!
