Posted by Team Dynamic Development | Bridgekash International Pvt. Ltd. on | Leave a Comment
Ever since we’ve been hit with the pandemic, there has been a positive change in the mindset of people to opt in for a healthier lifestyle which gives a boost to their immunity. With this trend there has been a rise in healthy products also hitting the market to meet the needs of the consumers.
Soo, are these foods actually healthy? Here’s an overview below
1. ALL THAT “SUGAR FREE” IS NOT GOLD!
Just because a product claims to be “sugar-free” doesn’t really mean it’s GUILT-FREE and one can binge on it. There is actually sugar present in most of them in some other form which is technically not sugar but its a sugar substitute eg. Maltitol, High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCP), Dextrose, Fructose are the common ones. These products are also packed with calories and one tends to go overboard while consuming it.
2. Trends that make you think products are healthy
Baked-Not Fried, Cholesterol-free, Made with whole wheat, No added sugar, etc.
These are just a choice of words used by a smart marketer to provoke an emotion in us which makes us buy the product. Yes, the product which makes the claims actually true, but, they won’t highlight the attributes they don’t want you to know.
Eg. A Noodle company which claims its noodles are made with whole wheat atta, would not claim the amount of preservatives it has or the fact that the noodles are deep fried to increase its shelf life, on the front of its packaging.
3. GLUTEN-FREE – It has to be healthy!
Gluten has got a bad rep and is now generally synonymous with being unhealthy.
Gluten is nothing but a form of protein delivered from wheat, barley and rye! There is a fair portion of society who have intolerance or sensitivity to gluten which causes bloating and indigestion in them, but it does not affect everyone. Since some BAKERY PRODUCTS and DESSERTS claim to be Gluten-Free, people usually start binging which leads to having a higher caloric intake and leads to weight gain.
Next time, when you’re out shopping at a supermarket or a bakery, be picky and choosy about what you add to your cart. The occasional indulgences are completely fine and actually good for a sustainable lifestyle. Too much of anything is not good, that even includes actual healthy food. Be Smart!
Posted by Team Dynamic Development | Bridgekash International Pvt. Ltd. on | Leave a Comment
Eating at home and still not losing weight: 5 places where you might be going wrong
Weight loss is not a simple, linear process. And you’re not alone in the never-ending cycle of hard work, lack of results and frustration that follows.
So, you decided to go all in and eat healthy, home cooked meals but the scale isn’t budging? The problem is that eating at home doesn’t automatically mean that you’re eating in deficit, which what you’ll need to be in for weight loss.
So, regardless of whether you’re eating out or at home, you need to be consuming lesser calories than you’re burning.
The good news? while clearly difficult, weight loss is not impossible. It’s important to focus on the small successes (eating more vegetables, walking more).
It can also help to work backward and pinpoint those factors that are standing in your way or causing a plateau when you’re eating home cooked meals.
Become aware of these 5 common roadblocks, and you may once again be on your way to winning at losing.
1. You underestimate portion sizes
As the nutritionist Marion Nestle remarked 10 years ago in her book, What to Eat: “It is human nature to eat when presented with food, and to eat more when presented with more food.”
The problem with portion sizes and home cooked/traditional meals is that no one likes the concept of “less” food. From childhood we have been conditioned to see a tables and plates of large amounts of food. Research shows that people unintentionally consume more calories when faced with larger portions. This can mean significant excess calorie intake, especially when eating high-calorie foods.
An easy way to address this is to use smaller tableware at home. To minimize the temptation of second and third helpings when eating at home, serve the food on individual plates, instead of putting the serving dishes on the table. Keeping the excess food out of reach may discourage overeating.
When eating or snacking in front of the TV, put the amount that you plan to eat into a bowl or container instead of eating straight from the package. It’s easy to overeat when your attention is focused on something else.
Try to be focused and present when you eat, with no distractions, so when your body tells you it is full, you stop.
2. You are not accounting for beverages
A lot of people feel that you need to only control what’s going on your plate, in the process they miss out on all the extra calories that are going into the glass.
But the truth is unhealthy beverages are just as fattening as unhealthy foods. If you don’t pay any mind to your intake of liquid calories, you might find it impossible to manage your diet and meet your weight loss goals.
You might not realize how many calories you consume every time you take a sip of your evening tea or coffee that is laden with sugar or that breakfast orange juice. The average sugar-sweetened soft drink contains roughly 150 calories per serving. Most fruit juices aren’t any healthier either. One cup of orange juice contains about 120 calories. It’s easy to see how quickly calories add up if you consume sugar sweetened drinks.
So, try and focus on consuming zero calorie beverages like black coffee, green tea and water.
3. You are snacking on way too many healthy calorie-dense foods
If you’ve ever looked at the back of a packaged nuts bag label, then you know that large amounts of it are surprisingly high in calories, but that doesn’t mean you should avoid them!
We repeat, just because a food is highly caloric doesn’t make it “bad”. Healthy, whole foods are often the more caloric for good reason: They’re packed with nutrients.
But, since there is a “healthy” labelled attached to it, it’s easy to overeat them. And those extra calories every day, add up and cause a roadblock in the weight loss process.
So, do not stash away your peanut butters and almonds, but make sure that you familiarize yourself with the calorie content of these foods.
Whether you’re working toward a weight loss goal and also want to prioritize healthy calorie-dense foods that can provide you beneficial nutrients, make sure you snack within a daily calorie allowance so you don’t gain weight due to “healthy eating” (a.k.a. their high-calorie nature).
4. You don’t have enough protein in your meals
A typical Indian diet is laden with starchy food that are rich in carbohydrates. The ‘building blocks of life’ protein is not only lacking but practically overlooked ad actual protein sources like dairy products, animal foods and pulses don’t form a part of the regular Indian staple diet.
India’s protein consumption is much lower than the 48 gms/day that is recommended by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The recommended dietary allowance of protein for an average Indian adult is 0.8 to 1 gm per kg body weight, however, the average intake is about 0.6 gm per kg body weight. A recent survey across 16 cities in India on perception, knowledge and consumption of protein found a gap in the knowledge of quality protein in daily diets. Various myths surround protein consumption with 85 percent believing it leads to weight gain.
The Indian Market Research Bureau’s 2019 report states that protein deficiency among Indians stands at more than 80 %, measured against the recommended 60g per day. The usual sources of proteins in a regular diet—one cup of lentils, 1 glass of milk, or 1 cup (200 g) of yoghurt—contain 7-8 grams of protein.
To get to the daily requirement of 60 g protein every day, it would be necessary to eat eight bowls of lentils or drink 7-8 glasses of milk.
This seems like an impossible task; hence it is important to add a protein source to every meal to make sure we reach the daily protein requirement and educate ourselves in understanding how proteins play a big part in sustained weight loss.
5. Some foods you are eating are laden with hidden fats
It’s probably no surprise that greasy burgers, French fries, and pizza are loaded with fat.
But did you know that even certain vegetables and healthy fish can have a high fat content?
Keep in mind that fat is an important part of a healthy diet and while not all fat is bad, the fat content of a given meal should be evaluated just as closely as its calories.
So, think of the foods that frequently make up your daily meals. Have you ever considered their fat content? Could hidden fats be lurking in them too?
Here are some foods with hidden fats that you should cut down on or completely avoid if you can.
Mayonnaise: 79 g fat per 100 g regular mayonnaise
What you can do : Replace mayonnaise with low-fat dressing or a drop of soya sauce on salads, and rather use low-fat/fat-free yoghurt or cottage cheese in sauces. Simply don’t add mayonnaise to that chicken or tuna sandwich – make the sandwich more interesting by adding herbs, black pepper and a slice of tomato.
Nuts : 77 g fat per 100 g macadamia nuts
What you can do : Note that nuts should form part of a balanced diet – even though the fat content is quite high, nuts are cholesterol-free and contain good essential fatty acids. But limit your intake of nuts to a handful per week if you’re trying to lose weight. And choose lower-fat varieties, like cashews and peanuts, instead of macadamias.
Coffee creamer : 50 g fat per 100 g coffee creamer
What you can do : Coffee creamer is a definite no-no as it’s loaded with saturated fat. Simply don’t add coffee creamer to your coffee. Rather use low-fat or fat-free milk, or, if you don’t have a fridge, settle for milk powder.
Peanut butter : 50 g fat per 100 g peanut butter
What you can do : Look for the sugar-free variety in your grocery store – while sugar-free peanut butter contains just as much fat, the calories are fewer. Limit your intake of peanut butter to four teaspoons per week.
Cheese : 33 g fat per 100 g cheddar cheese
What you can do : Where you can, settle for low-fat cottage cheese rather than “harder” cheese varieties, like cheddar, Parmesan and Gouda. Cut foods that contain a considerable amount of cheese, like pizza, certain pasta dishes and toasted cheese sandwiches, from your diet.
Avocados : 17 g fat per 100 g avocado
What you can do : The MUFAs in avocados should form part of a balanced diet, but bear in mind that too much avocados could spell trouble for the slimmer. Don’t eat more than one medium-sized avocado per week – and don’t combine the avocado with mayonnaise. Rather use lemon juice to add some flavour.
The bottom line
Weight loss is not always easy and numerous factors can bring it to a standstill.
At the most basic level, not reaching your weight loss goal can occur when calorie intake is equal to or higher than calorie use. So when eating at home, make sure you take into account all the foods that you are consuming.
Try strategies such as mindful eating, controlling your portions, keeping a food diary to account for all the calories, eating more protein, and doing regular exercises.
In the end, changing your weight and your lifestyle requires patience, dedication, perseverance, and resilience. So, keep at it!
A low-carb diet can be extremely helpful to shed those extra kilos and get back in shape. It is also quite healthy to keep your carb intake in check to reduce the risk of insulin resistance and diabetes. In a low-carb diet, you are expected to eliminate certain foods, you end up overeating what you are allowed to eat.
Apart from this, there are several other things you end up doing unintentionally that you shouldn’t when on a low-carb diet.
Here’s a list of top 5 mistakes people end up doing when on a low carb diet :
Low-carb doesn’t mean no-carb
Though the sentence seems quite self-explanatory when you start a low-carb diet, you don’t need to completely cut down your carbs. You need to ensure that your body is getting an adequate amount of macronutrients like proteins, fats, and carbs. Eating too few carbs will lead you to a carb crash and that might be worse for your body than any good. This might also make you believe that the low-carb diet is not for you.
Overeating “Allowed” foods
Going low-carb doesn’t give you a license to eat as much food that you are allowed to eat. When u follow a low-carb diet, u will have to cut down on milk that has approximately 11 to 12 grams of carbohydrates per cup. But to compensate for a fair share of macronutrients like calcium and protein you’ll have to shift to meat and cheese. Overeating meat and cheese has its own health risks and may lead to weight gain, as these foods contain a lot of calories. Thus let appetite be your guide and eat when you are hungry and stop when you are comfortably satisfied.
Skipping Exercise
Once you start eating a low-carb diet, the loss of weight (and water weight) might make you feel as though exercise is not necessary. But to achieve the results you wished for, and maintain them long term, you’ll need to get active rather than just dieting and no workout. You don’t necessarily have to do a harsh workout, but something as simple as a long walk after dinner would work along with a low-carb diet.
Relying on packaged foods
Products such as low-carb ice cream, meal replacement bars, and other packaged foods marketed as low-carb or sugar-free need close scrutiny before eating blindly. Packaged foods contain a lot of preservatives which lead to side effects and do no good to your body.
Forgetting fiber-rich food
Eating fiber-rich food is extremely important in whichever diet you are following. And the best source of fiber is enough vegetables and fruits. Fiber-rich foods prevent gas and intestinal disturbances, such as bloating and constipation. Some of the high fiber foods can be flax seeds, chia seeds, low-carb bran cereals, etc.
Conclusion:
A low-carb diet can do wonders for your body and can help you achieve your health goals only if followed properly. We end up making small mistakes unintentionally and then end up not so satisfied. Make sure to not make these mistakes and achieve your goals.
About Activeat
We are Mumbai’s premium online healthy meal delivery service.
We at ACTIVeat are Foodies, Chefs, and Dietitians who are committed to providing you nutritious and delicious meals at your convenience.
Want more Food for Thought?
Follow us on Social Media
Losing weight and staying fit is everyone’s new year’s resolution. To get back in shape your diet should be rich in nutrients. But with 100 varieties of fruits and vegetables available, how do you identify what is best? It has been observed that there are certain foods that help you shed those extra kilos much faster than others. So we have made a list of everyday foods that you should include in your weight loss diet :
Strawberries
This vitamin- C rich fruit is an excellent ingredient for weight loss and also is super amazing for our skin and hair. Additionally, strawberries are also rich in potassium and fiber. One cup of strawberries is enough for our daily dose of vitamin C and is low in calories so you need not worry about our calorie count.
Leafy Greens
When it’s about weight loss, one cannot miss the leafy greens. They contain abundant amounts of nutrients, are full of fiber, are low in calories, and full of fiber. The fiber in these vegetables keeps a person full and avoids unhealthy eating. Having leafy greens every day also helps to prevent constipation and overeating.
Flax Seeds
With a generous dose of omega-3 fatty acids, flax seeds are excellent for our heart and control blood sugar levels. Flax seeds have anti-inflammatory properties and their daily consumption would do wonders for our health.
Oatmeal
Starting our day with a bowl of oatmeal is the best way to keep you full for hours. Top it up with fruits and nuts and this will double up its nutrient value instantly. Cereals should be replaced with a healthy bowl of oatmeal as it contains more proteins, more fiber, and less sugar when compared with cereals.
Nuts
Nuts are a rich source of protein and fiber that influences our body weight. They also contain healthy fats and other nutrients that are extremely beneficial for our body to function and to boost immunity. Replace our fried and oil snacks with roasted nuts that keep you full and provide nutrients and energy to our body. While nuts can be included as part of a healthful diet, moderation is still required since they are energy-dense food.
Conclusion
We hope you have got enough reasons to include the above-mentioned foods in our daily diet to shed those extra kilos and get back in shape. Replace our unhealthy snacks with lots of fruits, leaves, and nuts and maintain a healthy lifestyle. This year, start fresh, bid goodbye to junk food, and welcome fresh, healthy, and balanced meals.
About Activeat
We are Mumbai’s premium online healthy meal delivery service. We at ACTIVeat are Foodies, Chefs, and Dietitians who are committed to providing you nutritious and delicious meals at your convenience.
Want more Food for Thought? Follow us on Social Media
Trying to lose those pesky kilos you gained during the lockdown? Well, the eat less, exercise more mantra is something you hear ALL the time. And the words, “weight loss” can have you imagining all sorts of things from you eating sad salads to you sweating on an elliptical. But, let’s get this straight, the first rule about weight loss is to not talk about weight loss.
By changing up a few things here and there, you can trick your body into being healthy without living at the gym, dieting, or feeling like you’re making major lifestyle changes.
Whether you succeed at losing weight or not often has much less to do with the latest diet fad and much more to do with all the small decisions you make each day when it comes to food and drinks.
Try a few of these science-backed tricks that’ll help you maintain a healthy weight all year long :
1. Let there be light darkness
A Cornell study found that people who had food under a soft, dim light consumed fewer calories than those who ate in a brightly lit room. Participants in the study who ate under mood lighting enjoyed their meals more and ate about 18% less food than those who munched in a well-lit room.
This means that the amount of light in your dining hall affects how much you eat. So, switch off the harsh fluorescent lights and light up those romantic candles for dinnertime (even if it’s dinner for one!)
2. Step away from the screen
Yes, we all love dinner and a movie. Or finding that perfect Netflix series to watch while having your meals. A study by the University of Birmingham found that distracted eaters consume about 10% more food.
So, our tip? avoid screen time during meals. Turn off your television, or close your laptop or phone so you don’t eat mindlessly. This will help you avoid overeating when you’re not paying attention.
Concentrate on your food and its flavors instead and you’ll also enjoy your meal more, too!
(You can also let ACTIVeat take care of your meals for you!)
3. Wear those elastic pants
We all have those pants with fitted waistbands at the very back of our closet, that are too uncomfortable to wear but too nice to throw away. You have to get them out now!
So, ditch those comfy pajamas during meal times and wear those fitted pants that can remind you when you’ve had enough to eat.
4. Grab a wink and a drink
You tend to feel hungrier when you’re sleep-deprived and exhausted. A study by Mayo clinic shows that less than 6.5 hours of sleep every night can cause an excess of about 500 kcals a day. Another study by the University of Tubingen showed that sleeping less can increase levels of appetite hormones like ghrelin, so you eat more when you sleepless.
And the longer you stay up, the more calories you consume. That means that just a few simple tweaks to your p.m. routine can mean serious weight loss success. So, get in a good shut-eye every night so you are more rested and well, less hungry.
Become a hydro homie! Drink plenty of water while you’re at it too. Not only will your skin thank you for it, but you’ll also feel less hungry and be satisfied with smaller portions of food. So, before you feel like munching, start with one glass of water.
According to a study published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, people who drank three extra cups of water per day ate an average of 205 fewer calories than people who drank the standard 4.2 cups of water per day. The hydro homies also consumed less sugar, fat, sodium, and cholesterol.
5. Shoot your food
You might not want to obsessively count your calories and write them down. But you can definitely take pictures of what you eat on your phone. Seeing is believing, so sometimes if you see what you’ve eaten in a day, it can help you put your eating habits in perspective.
Nutritionist Joan Salge Blake, the author of Nutrition & You, says that snapping pictures of food and looking back at them can make people stop and think before indulging.
Conclusion
With these sneaky tricks at your disposal, you can trick yourself to make healthier choices without putting in much of an effort at all!
The best way could also be to subscribe to the ACTIVeat meal plan (we may be biased here!), put your health in the hands of our team, so we plan your macros and calories while you plan on wearing that swimsuit on the beach, just in case we are ever allowed to leave our houses again.
