This is what 200 cal nuts look like

The story of FATS!

What comes to your mind when you think of fatty foods? Weight? Unhealthy? Avoid? Does TYPE and AMOUNT come across your mind? If you ask yourself the type of fat every time you eat fat foods, then you are on the right track! Fats should constitute 25-30% of your diet. Read through the post to learn about different types of fats and their health benefits.

Types of Fats:

 

1.Trans: These are the bad fats. They are formed upon partial hydrogenation of oils (add hydrogen to oil). Partially hydrogenated oil is less likely to spoil, so foods have higher shelf life. These fats are mainly used in shortenings for deep frying in restaurants because it doesn't have to be changed as often as other oils. They also occur in baked goods, ready-made frosting, snacks including potato, corn, tortilla chips, packaged or microwave popcorn, refrigerator dough, canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls, nondiary coffee creamer and stick margarines. Read your food labels and avoid this fat all together.

2.Saturated: There has been a controversy that saturated fats are bad for health. But recent research shows that these fats do more good than bad. Saturated fats raise HDL (good) cholesterol. Good sources of saturated fat include diary products (milk, yogurt, cheese, butter, ghee). Having said that saturated are healthy fats, it is also important to track how much you are ingesting. For a 1500 calorie diet, one cup of whole milk, one cup of whole milk yogurt and 1 slice of cheese amount to 100% of saturated fat that is needed per day. There are so many other foods that you eat throughout the day that may contain saturated fat. So either decrease the serving of whole milk products or switch to low fat products without compromising on the amount of sugars and protein (I mean do not buy low fat, sugar added products). Therefore, read the labels and eat the right amounts!

3.Monounsaturated, Polyunsaturated and omega-3 fatty acids: These are the healthy fats and raise HDL cholesterol. They decrease the risk for heart diseases and are essential for overall health. They occur mainly in oils, nuts and avocado. Foods with higher percentage of these oils occur in liquid at room temperature. Only down side of polyunsaturated and omega-3 fatty acids is that at high temperature, these fats get oxidized and turn into harmful fats. Do not use oils that are high in polyunsaturated or omega-3 fats for frying. Use saturated or monounsaturated rich oils for that purpose (Eg: coconut oil, olive oil etc).

Avoid the oils listed below for high temperature cooking either they are rich in polyunsaturated and omega fatty acids and/or they are highly processed.
Soybean, Corn, Cottonseed, Canola, Rapeseed, Sunflower, Grapeseed, Safflower, Rice Bran oils.

Now that you know different types of fats, pros and cons of each variety, make sure you read the nutrition labels, know what you are eating and how much you are eating. DO NOT AVOID fats completely.

Importance of Proteins

Protein should constitute 30% of your diet. They are the building blocks of life and are essential for repair and functioning of individual cells. Proteins are part of skin, hair, muscles and other organs. As mentioned in the previous posts, it is important to add protein to every meal along with good carbs and fats.

Sources of protein:

 

Vegetarian:

Beans- Pinto, Black, Kidney, Garbanzo beans, Lentils, Split Peas
Nuts- Almonds, Hazelnuts, Peanuts, Peanut and Almond butter, Sunflower seeds, Walnuts (Watch how much you eat as they are high in fats)
Eggs- Limit one egg per day as egg yolks are high in cholesterol-Replace egg yolks with egg whites for more protein
Dairy products (Use low fat versions)-Milk, Yogurt, Cheese
Tofu and other soy products
Whey protein powders

Non-vegetarian:

Turkey or chicken with the skin removed, or bison (also called buffalo meat),Lean cuts of beef or pork, such as round, top sirloin, or tenderloin (trim away any visible fat), Fish or shellfish.

Do not consume more than what you need. General rule of thumb says that body needs 0.5-0.7 g of protein per pound of mass depending on how active you are. Excess protein will be stored as fat.

Example recipes :

Peanut butter-banana sandwich, avocado-chickpea salad, lentil soups (daal), veggie-cheese sandwich, paneer curries (watch out the fat content in paneer), omlettes with additional egg white, yogurt parfait, smoothies with whey protein, roasted nuts, edamame and many more.

Good vs. Bad Carbs

Carbs are essential for your body because they are the key supply of energy. Carbs consist of sugars and fiber. They break down into simple sugars and get converted into energy. Now, how can you distinguish bad carbs from good carbs? You just have to know the magic term "Glycemic Index (GI)".

GI is a measure of how quickly the blood glucose levels increase after eating a particular food.  The higher the GI, the faster the glucose levels increase. Glucose is the standard and its GI is set to 100. GI for all other foods is in comparison to glucose itself. Foods which has fiber usually has low GI. Fiber slows down the absorption of other nutrients, prevents peaks in the blood glucose levels and makes you feel full.

But, what happens when the blood glucose levels increase??

High glucose--->Insulin secretion--->Excess energy will be stored in fat cells--->Brain thinks you are hungry again.

For example, let us compare GI's of three different rices:

Brown rice (55); Long grained white rice (56); Short grained white rice (72)

Based on above GIs, eating brown rice or long grained white rice (basmati) will make you feel full and satisfied for much longer than short grained white rice.

Therefore, healthy carbs are those with lot of fiber, no added sugars and that get absorbed slowly into our systems thereby avoiding spikes in blood glucose levels.

Examples of healthy carbs are fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans. Bad carbs are usually sugars, added sugars and refined white grains. Always eat carbs along with protein and fat so as to make yourself full and thereby avoiding hunger pangs.

Take away from this article:

1. Try to always include fat and protein along with carbs.
2. Slowly replace bad carbs with good carbs.

Introduction-How to know what is HEALTHY?

Many of us try to lose weight atleast once in our life time. We often fail due to lot of different reasons. Some of us manage to lose it in the beginning but, the pounds come back quickly again. In order to reach our goal and to prevent the gain again, one needs to know few things and try to incorporate them in many instances in their daily lives. The first thing is to be able to define "HEALTHY FOOD".

Have you ever looked at 'Nutrition Facts Label' at the back of food items when you go grocery shopping? If the answer is yes and you understand the label, you have taken a major leap in your weight loss goal. But, for those who do not know the significance of it, you are reading the right blog.

Let's see how a nutrition facts label looks like.

Looks complicated? Lets break it down. You should consider:

 

1. Serving Size and Calories per serving

 

On an average, an adult woman needs 1200-1600 calories per day and an adult man needs 2000-2400 calories. If you are trying to lose weight, get a rough estimate of how many calories you are eating currently and try to reduce it either by opting smart food choices or by working out. Most of the time we ignore serving size and we may end up eating 2-3 servings. So, do take a note of how many servings you are eating and calculate number of calories consumed accordingly. 

 

2. Fat

 

Many people mistakenly think that fat is bad for body. Good news! You are not completely correct. There are different types of fat: Saturate, Trans, Polyunsaturated and Monounsaturated. Completely eliminate Trans fat which is a BAD FAT! Saturated fat is good to a certain extent depending on the its source. Polyunsaturated and Monounsaturated fats are GOOD FATS. It is very important to replace bad fats with good fats. So don't forget to take a note of what fats you are eating.

 

3. Carbohydrates

 

Diet conscious people try to decrease their carbohydrate intake. This is wrong. Carbohydrates are essential source for your regular functioning and they should constitute ~50% of your daily diet. But, not all carbs are good. A good carb is determined by its glycemic index. The lower the glycemic index the better the carb! Glycemic index is determined by the percentage of fiber and protein in a give food.

 

4. Protein

 

This is the ingredient which makes you look lean. If you want to tone down, don't forget to incorporate Protein into your diet. Protein makes your meal satisfying and helps in keeping your hunger in control. Do not eat more than what is needed. On an average, protein should constitute 30% of your diet. Most of the times, the food containing protein is associated with saturated fats and cholesterol. So, make sure you are incorporating the right protein into your diet.

 

5. Vitamins and Minerals (Sodium, Potassium, Iron, Calcium etc)

 

Last but not the least are Vitamins and Minerals. Are you thinking that it is too much information to remember? Slow down, take a deep breath and take one step at a time. These are nutrients that are essential for proper functioning of the body. They boost immune system, helps in growth and development and helps cells and organs to do their job. So, do not forget to incorporate them into your diet. 

In conclusion, for a perfect, healthy and balanced diet, you need to follow the above tips and incorporate them slowly in day to day life. This is the first and major step to reach your weight loss goal. Also helps in preventing the weight gain. Follow my blog for a detailed description of each of the above five segments of a nutrition fact label.  

More posts to come!