Weight Loss- Power Foods 2

I will again try to list a few food items which can be easily made available in the day to day meal. When I started to become calorie conscious I started the wrong way. I started with what not to eat but it soon started to feel like I have no options to eat. So, want people o find out what to eat before what not to eat. If you know what you eat the not to do would automatically follow. I am a foodie & like different types of cuisines & food, so I know how difficult it is for people to stop eating. The concern should be 'What to eat' & 'How to eat'.

1. Eggs: We all know that eggs are great source of nutrition to the body. Egg whites are great source of lean proteins but mind you egg yolk is equally important. You might say that it has cholesterol in it then how can it be good, and you are right because that's what earlier research use to say. But in new research it has been found that egg cholesterol is an important part of providing dietary cholesterol which has been seen to lower LDL (bad cholesterol). Also eggs are good source of Vitamin D, Vitamin B (B6, B12, riboflavin, folate & choline) and Omega 3 fatty acids & 7g proteins (half in egg white & rest in the yolk). Eggs can be made in different recipes & can be very tasty. Avoid use of saturated fats while cooking the egg, that will only have negative impact. Boiled, poached, baked, fried (in lite olive oil) enjoy it as you wish.

2. Apples: As the old saying goes "An apple a day keeps the doctor away". Please don't substitute it with the apple juice, I know it tastes great but you miss a good portion of the fiber present in the whole fruit. The fruit has good amount of vitamins & minerals. The fiber present helps clear cholesterol from bloodstream & slows down the absorption of carbohydrates in the body thus controlling release of sugar into the bloodstream. Nowadays apples are sprayed with wax to give a glossy shine which also attracts more pesticides & chemicals, so peeling is a good option though some good fiber may be gone with the peel.

3. Carrots: A very easily available vegetable in the winters. It has a great amount of fiber content, out of which most is soluble a chemical called calcium pectate. This soluble fiber easily reduces blood cholesterol levels. Also the Vitamin A present in carrots can not easily be found in most other competition. It has been known as a strong anti-oxidant & helps prevents cancers stomach, cervix, uterus etc. Eyes will also be benefited & cataract can be delayed by having good amount of carrots. You can enjoy the same in salads & different dishes (Gajar Ka halwa not suggested ;)).

4. Dairy Products: Dairy products are important in our day to day diet. The choice of the product used is of essential concern in the case. Milk, yogurt & cheese (not many options in India) are good source of Calcium, proteins, Zinc and some Vitamin B complexes. Dairy products also are source of high fat & calorie intake so the variants to be chosen are the low fat ones. It's also seen that the low fat or skimmed milk has more protein & Calcium compared to full fat milk. The calcium is believed to break down the body fats. And whey protein, linoleic acid are already known for healthy muscles & reducing fat.

5. Almonds: Nuts are great snack between meals, though many would say that it is high in fats & high calories. It is not so true because actually the calories estimated in almonds are much lower. Also the fats present are again healthy fats required by the body. And nonetheless the Vitamin E in Almonds is very high which is responsible for good skin & hair. A snack of almonds satisfies the hunger (high fiber keeps you full) & also provides with good benefits. The calories present are not very high but enough to satisfy the mid meal hunger & prevents over eating at meals.

Thanks for your reads & supports. Friends please help me improve my blog by your valuable comments on the content. Would like to know from you what you would like further in the blog. Thanks!!

Weight Loss- Power Foods

Hi Friends!! I am looking for some responses about the content I am writing, it will help me to improve my posts. Well this one talk about foods which have proven in reducing fat in the body. These foods are considered as power foods. These foods are available very easily & can be added to our daily diet easily and help us with the weight loss plans. Well listing down a few which I know:

1. Peppers/ Chilies: Chilies provide a great source of Capsaicin, this is the chemical which provides the pungent characteristic to the peppers. This induces a food generated thermogenesis which converts a part of the meal to heat immediately. There could be many people who cannot have very spicy food for them the alternative is bell peppers. It also provides with colorful & flavorful taste. It can be taken in simple preparations without much hassle.

2. Lemon/ Lime: In some places it can be known as a lemon diet which has shown incredible effect on weight loss. It helps energize & cleanse your body thereby removing toxins (Simply known as DETOX). It also helps you maintain blood sugar levels at normal. This very simple ingredient has the quality to slow down the process of breaking down carbs thus regulating the blood sugar levels.

3. Sweet Potatoes: Surprisingly to most of the people sweet potato has a very good effect over weight loss & maintaining blood sugar levels. The vegetable has very less calories which are obtained from carbohydrates & not fats. It has small amount of protein & high fiber content which helps in the daily roughage requirements. Needless to say fiber helps the system clean & promotes cardiovascular activity, makes your tummy full. In latest research it has been seen to contain a compound named anthocyanin which acts as a great antioxidant. It increases metabolism & promotes weight loss.

4. Ginger: This is the most common ingredients in an Indian dish. Ginger is known for its qualities to improve immune system & anybody who has had cold must have been advised from time to time to have ginger tea or ginger with salt. But lesser known facts includes its effect on the blood cholesterol level & also acts as a blood thinner thus helping reduce blood pressure. The compound gingerol present in the root is an anti-inflammatory agent disallowing inflammation of blood vessels. This increases the body heat & makes the body burn fats.

4. Chocolates: Now this one has always been my favorite in the list. It has been seen that a bar (2 inches typically not bigger than that) of dark chocolate (70% cocoa, not white & milk chocolates which have high sugar content) just before the meal controls craving for sweet, salty & fatty foods. This helps in reducing Insulin spikes which have been culprit to storage of sugars directly to fat cells. The high content of cocoa (high in flavanols) in dark chocolates has been seen to possess great anti-obesity & anti-diabetic activity.

This is a huge topic & can be written in extents. I will be coming up with more on this topic in coming days. Do share your thoughts on this topic. Thanks!!

Dieting- Does it help?

Hi friends! Great to see your response in a day. I am very happy & optimistic about writing more about the topic. I invite you also to express your views & concerns about anything you wish to know.
Today I again wish to speak about one of the topics everyone talks on a day to day basis "Dieting". If someone asks you to eat & you refuse for any reason, the next question which comes is known to all of you "Are you dieting?".
A basic question which arises is "What does dieting mean?". I have seen many people living on one apple in the morning & afternoon. I am surprised at this from day one when I started understanding what dieting is (not the correct meaning though :P). I am startled today also  How can an apple fulfill all my body's needs. This is one thing all of us should look into ourselves & ask. It cannot. Dieting ideally means to maintain a balanced diet which includes carbs, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, roughage & water. I told you in my last blog that I had joined certain therapy services (of no help ;)), they advised me to stop eating carbs totally. Also sometimes to eat only fruits a day. I tried all of it & I guarantee didn't help much, I felt exhausted & drained. They kept on saying that is because the fats in my body were being used up by my body. I kept doing that for a good 2 months. And believe one day if I ate even a small scoop of ice-cream my weight would shoot up 10 times the ice cream's weight. I was very upset as well & always felt an urge to eat good things, an urge I could not control and today I actually laugh at it. I left all of it one day & started living normally, though I didn't lose weight I didn't gain any. So, please any of you if following such things request to please stop it. You are depriving your body of the basic needs.
Today I do follow an easy diet plan it actually might vary from person to person but should be more or less same. EAT CARBOHYDRATES in small or medium quantities but do eat, choose the right one for you. It is seen in research if the body is deprived of carbs the body feels skeptic about our intention & starts storing them. So, if you don't eat one meal & eat the next, the body will respond as a storage vault & store it for future use. Also we feel a tendency to overeat in such cases. HAVE FATS in your diet in small quantities, as the body does need fat. There are good cholesterol compounds which help our requirements of Vitamin D which is essential for absorption of Calcium, also helps keep our skin more fresh & young, also for better eyes & heart functions. Again the choice of fats have to be judicious & should not be exceeded. Now comes the PROTEINS, they are the building blocks of our body. Our muscles, hair & nails our mainly build of proteins. Also the enzymes our body uses are made of amino acids which are broken down from proteins. And the most important, protein helps to decrease the urge of hunger & keeps you full for a longer time as it takes more tie for the body to break down proteins than carbohydrates. So objective of dieting is also fulfilled.
I will keep this till here, and wait for your comments and suggestions. Thanks!!

How I lost weight?

It is a dream for most of us to eat tasty as well as healthy food. It seems impossible at times to do so because tasty food doesn't seem so healthy at times. Today I decided to write about my personal experience. I was a victim of this situation myself a year back. I did not know how to lose the extra kilos I had gained over the last few years. I started trying lot of things like fat reduction therapies, dieting (in Indian terms), gyming like most of you but nothing seem to provide me with any benefits. I use to lose 2-3 kgs & after I would leave the therapy it felt like even air would help me put on the weight. In May 2013 I finally went to a Herbalife center, started to have Herbalife shake in the morning. Liked it!! Started to have it twice daily & did see results. I lost over 10 kgs in 7 months which was gradual & best was I didn't stop eating. I like to eat & have different kinds of food, and have figured out ways to enjoy eating and not fear it.
I won't lie saying that this was the only reason for the transformation in me. I came to know about other good habits which I started in my daily routine which is a key to success. I would list two of them here to start with:
1. Drink lots of water: I know most of you would know the functions of water, but you should know that water acts as a weight loss agent by replacing other high calorie beverages. It helps energize muscles as well. Also you will see digestion related problems will be helped with this.
2. Drink warm water over cold water: Regularly drinking very warm water, especially in the morning, it helps heal the body, by improving digestive power & reducing metablic waste that can build up in our immune system. Aid this with a polyphenol rich lemon in the morning increasing your metabolic rate in the morning. On drinking ice-cold water or juice it creates a base for chronic diseases.

I believe in "Eat & Eat Well". Share your thoughts on this topic... Would love to know about other things you will like to know & discuss.