Protein Sources for Vegetarians

Vegetarians often feel left out that there are not much protein options available in their diet as compared to their non-vegetarian counterparts. Chicken, eggs, lean meats, red meats, fishes are popularly known as the good sources of protein. The good news is that there are plenty of protein options available for vegetarians to meet the daily protein requirement. Contrary to the belief an average individual only requires approximately one gram of protein per kg of body weight to meet the daily protein requirement intake. Extra protein gets stored as fat in the body.

Protein helps in the building of muscle fiber and for various other functions of the body. Protein is required by the body for the growth, maintenance and repair of all cells. It is also essential for the synthesis of antiboidies which fight infection and is the main nutrient for our hair, nails etc.

Best Vegetarian Protein Sources

Yogurt: Yogurt and Greek yogurt both are healthy options for protein. One cup of yogurt can provide you with 14 gm of protein and more ever with other nutrition as well. Opt for a plain yogurt than the sweetened and flavored one as it is less in sugar and other additives. Yogurt boosts bone health, promotes colon health and boosts immunity. Greek yogurt contains more protein than the regular yogurt.

Soybean: Soyabean is one of the richest vegetarian protein source and is rich in carbohydrates, fats and other important vitamins and minerals. Men should eat less of soy products as they are high in female hormones and excess consumption could cause man boobs. Other soy products are equally healthy for protein. Like tofu, soymilk etc are all healthy sources of protein. Read more

Vegetarian Diet for Better Health

Health is a major concern for most people but we only take it seriously when we know someone who is a victim of an unhealthy lifestyle or are affected by health disorders. Indian is the hot seat for two major lifestyle disorders diabetes and heart health. Diabetes is a lifestyle disorder and usually the main reason of people becoming diabetic is due to sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise and physical activity and eating excess junk and unhealthy foods which affects the pancreatic functions.

Numerous studies on health have quoted that the cure for type II diabetes is removing the very cause of the disease which is a unhealthy lifestyle can reverse the disease. The chief cause of diabetes type 2  is excess weight from unhealthy diet and inactivity.

Chronic diseases not only inflict pain and cause health deterioration but their diagnosis is costly, time consuming and doesn’t provide full recovery at times. Also the stress and burden it adds to your life is less anticipated than the reality. Eating plant based vegetarian food products and eliminating meat and dairy products from the diet will considerably reduce the risk for chronic diseases like  obesity, cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

According to new dietary guidelines emphasizing vegetarian diet that is nutrient-rich plant foods can enable modern populations to dramatically improve their health, dramatically reduce healthcare costs, while at the same time save millions of needless deaths from heart disease, strokes, cancer and diabetes.

Digging for reasons whether meat products which are considered to be a good source of protein along with dairy products could lead to chronic diseases. Also diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure are pre-cursory to heart diseases and health. Meats and dairy products are high in saturated fat which increases the bad cholesterol and decreases good cholesterol from the body. Consuming excess amounts of these products regularly can lead to accumulation of saturated fat on your visceral and body which increases your cholesterol levels in the body leading to chronic diseases.

Sodium in meats and dairy is high which increases the blood pressure which acts with high cholesterol further decreases the heart health. Overall if you see as the cholesterol and blood pressure keep rising to the danger zones it also effects the metabolism of the body. This slow down in the metabolic rate further aggravates the problem where calories that are not consumed get stored as fat in the body resulting in weight gain and other problems related to it.

Thinking practically one should avoid foods that are not healthy for the body. Switch to more vegetarian diet that has plants based food sources which are natural, healthy and keep you in good shape. Also many plant food sources are low in calories and fat free this helps avoid consuming any useless and saturated fat in the body. And if you are wondering that would a vegetarian diet that has plant food sources meet all your nutritional requirements including protein. The answer is yes, a vegetarian diet can meet your daily nutrition requirement intake that will not only make you lose weight but make your body healthier and stronger.

To get a vegetarian diet plan you can mail us at fitness@fitho.in or call 011-41040070 to speak to a dietitian now.

 

Healthy Snacks and Dips for Card Parties

Its difficult to portion control when it comes to snacks. They are consumed while standing and socializing that might prevent the mind from registering the damage done in terms of calories. With moods elevated for the coming festive season and friends, family and relatives getting together for card parties, its difficult to escape the snacks. Snacks are also known as finger foods,  are small in size but can be very high in calories as most of them are either deep fried or consumed in large quantities. This  directly impacts the waist line and reverses any weight loss that you might have achieved especially for this festive season.

Not considering all snacks to be unhealthy but most of them are made from using cheese, refined flour, oil, high carb ingredients and many of them are deep fried. Also the dips which offer different flavors can be equally unhealthy if the ingredients have high salt, sugar or high fat.

We know it that its not just the snacks that play spoil sport to your weight loss resolutions but also the alcohol that accompanies it. If not the alcohol then the sweetened soda beverages, cold drinks, packaged juice, soda water etc are there to keep sipping on your favorite snack. Now we don’t want ti imply our options but present you some healthy options for consideration. Even if you are eating healthy options portion control is a must as every extra calorie consumed gets saved as fat in your body.

There are plenty of healthy snack options available and using some culinary skills and keeping out the unhealthy ingredients you can prepare or outsource some snacks for better health and taste.

Some Healthy Dip Options

Hung Yogurt Dip: Hung yogurt or greek yogurt is a healthy option as it is rich in nutrition and keeps a check on calorie intake. To make a dip you can use shredded garlic cloves, table spoon olive oil, chopped coriander and peppermint, some chilly flakes and salt for taste and combine it with greek yogurt. It tastes delicious and is a great substitute for   cheese dips, mayonnaise or other fattening dips.

Hummus: Chickpeas is the main ingredient in the recipe which is an excellent source of protein and important vitamins and minerals. Mash the chickpeas in a blender and mic chopped garlic (optional), seasame paste, olive oil, lemon juice and garnish it with coriander or peppermint leaves. This is a great dip that can be eaten with breads and cereals, pita bread and is filling too.

Green Chutney: This is a common dip in Indian menus and and compliments all the snacks. You can prepare green chutney in a variety of ways. You can make it in combination of coriander leaves, peppermint leaves, raw mango, lemon juice and salt for taste. If you want to further experiment it you can add a paste of onion and garlic paste in it to further the taste.

Fresh Vegetable Platter: For vegetable salad you can have plenty of options of vegetables that you can mix and prepare different salads. You could use fruits for a mixed taste and bring in more flavor to it. Simple salads with tomatoes, cucumber, radish, carrots, bell pepper, cruciferous vegetables are mostly available. You could add lean meat options, cottage cheese etc to avoid making the salad plain and simple. Even boiled eggs or scrambled eggs can add flavor to your simple salad.

Whole wheat Pita Bread: Pita bread is a great substitute for chips to be served as snacks. It has fiber and protein in it that helps you get fuller faster and longer preventing  you to continue nibbling. The salt in chips is highly addictive that’s what makes you keep munching them and before you realize it you have finished a large packet of chips all by yourself.

Barbecued Chicken: Everyone loves Barbecue chicken and vegetarians can opt for barbequed veg platter. Chicken is a nutritious food option rich in protein and low in fat if the fat is removed properly. Grill your chicken in the open and with some spices and dips enjoy eating it while you play cards and make some money.

Dry Fruits: Some different healthy dry fruits that you can casually munch while concentrating on your game can be a interesting choice. It will add nutrition to your body, is small in portion and can be eaten directly. Offer almonds, pistachios, walnuts, cashew-nuts etc. Peanuts or peanut salad can be a healthy option as well.

Are Salads Healthy?

Salads are popularly known as the dieter’s delight. Unfortunately a lot of salads that are often promoted as healthy might not be as healthy as they appear. Infact sometimes might even carry double the amount of calories than a bowl of pasta!  Its very easy to add calories to a dish but how do you make it equally easy to reduce them.

The secret to the calorie count of every salad is in the sauce.  Four signs that make salad fattening are : creamy dressing, red meat like bacon toppings, oily dressings and lastly cheese. Your next question would be how to choose a healthy salad from the menu without compromising on the flavour of it. We have a few answers explained for you right  here:

Combine fruits with vegetables for that extra flavour: Fruits contain natural sugar that adds flavour without burdening the salad with extra calories. It is also the best substitute for artificial sugar. Citrus fruits can be added to enhance the flavour and give it a tangy taste for more variety. Both fresh fruits and dried fruits add flavour, texture and nutritional benefit to the salad. This combination adds antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and minerals to your diet. Besides the reduced calories your body is getting the best of nutrition packed in one meal! Read more

Weight Loss for Overweight People

People struggling with excess weight or simply being over weight find it the most difficult to lose weight even though they know that all they need to do is eat healthy and exercise to lose weight. But despite that why are overweight people considered lazy? Maybe they are not as active as thin people but there is a definitive reason behind it.

As one starts putting on weight is gained it gets difficult to move the body with ease and the easiness that a fit man would experience. The weight is exercising pressure on all the joints in the body impairing agile movements. Carrying excess weight overtime can result in hormonal imbalance causing disorders like hypothyroid, diabetes, PCOS etc. Overweight people also find it maintain body balance . This might prevent them from participating in activities like jogging, running etc. For most over weight people exercise is very stressful for the body. Besides they suffer from high blood pressure, their joints are under pressure and they tend to get tired very easily.

Here are some easy ways to get you started on a weight loss plan with ease:

Managing Nutrition: The ideal way forward is by revising your daily nutrition intake. The idea is not to suddenly cut your calorie intake by half but to slowly start reducing the non-nutritional foods from the daily diet. The main point to be  calorie intake has to be reduced over a period of time yet as all these problems surface before a overweight person while losing weight, there are ways that you can start losing weight. Read more

HCG Diet Plan

Adding to the list of popular diets HCG Diet plan is trending on google by people as it promises fast and effortless weight loss accompanied with a low calorie diet.What is this HCG? HCG is Human Chorionic Gonadotropin is a hormone in the human body which is produced naturally in pregnant women after conception. This hormone converts the fat present in the body into nutrition to feed the growing embryo. Its main function is to support the growing embryo in women.

How does the HCG diet plan work? HCG diet plan is a new concept for weight loss using HCg though injection or orally. Injecting HCG injection everyday and eating a low calorie diet comprising of vegetables, fiber, water etc can help you lose weight very fast. HCG stimulates the hypothalamus to release energy from the unhealthy fat tissues in the body. HCG releases 3000-4000 calories from the fat deposits in the body and keeps you satisfied with just 500 calorie diet.

The course of the HCG diet plan usually lasts minimum for 26 days and maximum upto 43 days and a person can discontinue in between if he/she reaches her target. It takes about three days for the hcg to show its effect and quit it three days before you plan to resum your normal diet so that the body can wash away the hcg from it. It has a limit of 40 days as the body may become immune to it thus reducing its effect. Also if you plan to again take up the plan you need to take a six week break and limiting it to four times in total.

The upside of this diet is that it actually makes you lose weight. The downside is that its like any other fad diet where if you reduce the daily calorie intake to the minimum you will automatically lose weight. Suppressing your hunger can make you go back to eating with a vengeance. Reduced calorie intake might also deprive your body of nutrition and can also trigger deficiencies in the long run. Read more

Are Vegetable Soups Healthy

Soups are often categorized by general people as non-fattening or healthy foods. But are they as healthy as they are known to be. Popularly soups can be divided into two groups: clear and thick soup. Clear soup are generally more healthy as they have the least amount of calories while thick soups are usually contain a lot of starch, sometimes cream and other high carbohydrate ingredients.

To help you further explain the difference clear soups do not contain anything else except for the strained liquid. Any liquid that has vegetables, meats or even noodles is considered a thick soup.

A bowl of clear soup can help you lose weight. This doesnt mean that you get on a only soup diet. It means that adding a bowl of clear soup before your meal can help you prevent from overeating while adding important nutrition. A clear vegetable soup contains vitamins & minerals while a bowl of non-vegetarian clear soup has zinc, protein besides vitamins & minerals.

Vegetables and poultry can be added to your soup to make it a healthy meal but it might add to the calories count of the food. You can then prepare the soup with enough vegetables and poultry to work as  a substitute for a meal. While it control the calories it adds the correct amount of essential nutrition to the diet. Also often soups especially served in restaurant carry cornflour, high sodium to make it more appetizing also add empty calories to the soup. High sodium content in the soup often results in water retention leaving one feel bloated.

While eating out choose the healthier soup option to avoid putting on weight and adding empty calories to the diet. Following ingredients that are often added to the soup like milk, cream, butter are fattening and should be avoided.Avoid packed and processed soups as they are high in sodium and contain no antioxidant properties.

To summarize it stick to clear soups that are made of clear, strained broth. If you want to add vegetables & meat to your soup then make the soup as your meal and not an appetizer, incase you are watching your weight. Check the ingredients of the soup before ordering. If you can ask the chef to prepare you a clear vegetable soup without any corn flour and low salt in it.

Hope this article helps you chose better while eating out or wondering what can be eaten when you are on a weight loss program.

Types of Milk and their Health Benefits

Did you know that all three types of milk (Skimmed, toned, double toned and full cream) contain approximately the same amount of vitamins and minerals:Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Vitamin D, Sodium, Potassium, Phosphorus, Selenium, Zinc. But do you know that different milk tend to vary with their production style and primarily fat content. If you are trying to lose weight then whole milk is not the right option, while low fat milk is as it gets digested slowly and is low in calories, fat and increases better absorption of nutrients.

Commercial milk is usually of two types. Pasteurized and homogenized. Pasteurized milk is heated at high temperature to kill harmful bacteria while maintaining the flavour and nutrition content of the milk. Homogenized milk is identical in fat content to pasteurized milk and other factors but it undergoes a process called homogenization, a process which breaks up the fat globules in the milk which spreads the fat evenly and prevents the formation of creamy layer forming at the top.

Milk is healthy for kids as well as adults because of its high nutritional content which provide energy for work and protein for muscle repair along with calcium and phosphorous for bone development. Some people complain of weight gain by drinking milk which is possible if you are drinking whole milk  that is high in fat content. Adding other ingredients like energy powders to the milk can increase  calorie content of the glass of milk resulting in weight gain.

Here is the nutrition break-up of four  most popular kinds of milk and their fat content

Whole Milk: Whole milk is non-altered milk which is packed with its natural nutrients without adding or removing anything from the milk. Drinking a glass of toned milk will provide approx 150 calories.

Skimmed Milk: Skimmed milk lacks the fat content or has a fat content of 0.3% to 0.1%. It contains nearly half the calories of full cream milk but contains all its nutrients like vitamins and minerals as par other forms of milk.  Consuming skimmed will provide around 80 calories per glass of milk . Read more

Is Flavored Yogurt Healthy

We require 2 teaspoons of sugar in a day if you are looking to lose weight and  about 4 teaspoons if you just want to manage your current weight. But don’t just count the sugar consumption in your tea and coffee but all the other sources that you might consuming sugar indirectlylike your sweetened soda’s, colas, candies, sweetened cornflakes and flavoured yogurt. Often diet programs and nutritionist brag about eating yogurt in the diet as it has probiotics, vitamins and minerals, protein etc which promote better health and is low in calories as well. But is flavored yogurt as healthy as non-flavored yogurt?

Flavored yogurt which come in a variety of mouth watering flavors don’t contain the real fruit in it but conatins the pureed form which is high in sugar content. Compare the ingredients of regular yogurt and flavored yogurt to understand the difference in  calorie intake. Around 200 gms of flavored yogurt contains 25 grams of added sugar. The extra sugar gets stored in the body as fat and over a period of time this continuous weight gain can cause health complications. The sugar in the flavored yogurt increases the calorie intake by 100 calories for a 200 gm serving.

We are not saying that flavored yogurt is the main reason behind your weight gain. What we mean is that foods like flavoured yogurt are often marketed as health foods. They might be relatively more healthy than the other processed foods but they still are hidden source of high calorie food that are often misunderstood as fat free.

When talking about weight loss it is not just important to eat healthy foods but manage calories either by portion control or choosing healthier options. Sugar provides instant energy and no nutrition. People who have blood sugar problems could experience a sudden increase in sugar levels with flavored yogurt. Instead flavor your yogurt seperately with fruits that you want. Flavored yogurt is also high in sodium content causing water retention in the body and resulting in bloating. Read more

Does Early Dinner Help in Weight Loss

Many diet plans, nutritionist and people recommend eating dinner at 6-7 and eat nothing after that. Is it practical and how long can an average person stick to this routine to lose weight? How much weight can you really lose from this? What happens when you get back to eating at 9 :00 pm?

Broadly metabolism gets affected by three things: quality of food that we eat, how much gap do we give between meals and how much physical activity do you manage to get in your daily routine. A light snack can take you 2 hours to digest and a large meal can take upto 4 hrs to digest. At night our physical activeness reduces and  therefore might make the metabolism dip slightly.

We know that metabolism is the rate at which the body burns the food to produce calories for energy and digestion. This rate of metabolism can be accelerated or slowed down with the help of food and exercise. When our body gets food at regular interval it fastens the metabolism as it gets into the mode of sufficient food and digests food faster. The metabolism slows down when the body doesn’t get food when it’s hungry and slows the rate at which calories burn. Also more muscles in the body increase the metabolic rate and exercising and other activities also burn calories which revs up metabolism.

In India where our lifestyle is different along with meal timings, so would dinner at 7 pm work best for us? Usually evening time we like to snack and then eventually have dinner by 8-9 pm. But some people who have early dinner don’t eat the evening snack. To understand the scenario better what if one eats dinner at 7 pm. Then ideally they should sleep by 9-10 pm. This also means the next meal will be at 8-9 am next morning. Eating dinner so early causes a gap of 12-14 hrs between the two meals. This gap results in slowing down the metabolism which essentially makes you start storing calories than actually burning them.

When you are planning your meal for dinner keep it light and simple. Eat less or avoid starchy foods. Eat less of carbs and add protein rich food like eggs, meat, beans, legumes etc. Have your meal 2 hrs before sleeping and avoid mid night munching. Also exercising is important to lose weight. By watching what you eat and exercising you could lose 1 kg a week!

 

List of Healthy Snacks

Are putting on weight due to snacking? We all know that eating at odd hours leads to weight gain. But how do you deal with hunger pangs without starving yourself. To answer one of the most common dilemmas of how to control snacking we have put together a list of healthy snacks alongside some not so healthy snacks. This is done to explain why you should be eating this and not that.

Before we move on to the healthy vs unhealthy snack list you need to understand snacks are just fillers or small bites. Most people eat snacks like a meal and thats where the problem starts. When one samosa becomes two or one sandwich becomes two sandwiches.

To elaborate a little bit more here are some points to note

While snacking eat slowly and enjoy every bite that you eat. Eating slowly makes you chew the food properly and eat less also. This helps you in managing portion and not over eating.

Don’t snack on empty calories even though you can manage the portion because it will add no nutrition and only calories.

You could choose low fat dairy, eggs, seeds and nuts, fruits and veggies as a snacking option.

Lets further explain it with an example on how to control your calories better if you are on a weight loss routine. A man weighing 80 kgs and 175 cms would approximately require 2000 calories in a single day. To break it further he would have a daily quota  of 250 calories for 2 snacks in a day. While a women weighing 50 kg and 5 feet 2 inches would require approximately 1400 calories in a day and 175 calories each for snacking twice in a day. This means you can divide your snack for once during mid morning and once in the routine evening. But remember snacking includes your tea/coffee/coke/lemonade etc! Read more

Best Exercises for Abdominal Fat or Love Handles

After belly, thighs and arms and butt the other common weight gain area is your waist. Over a period of time weight starts to collect on the side of your stomach which is also known as “love handles” or “tyres”. All these terms are nothing but common slang for abdominal obesity.

Eating unhealthy food and no exercise is the most common cause of love handles. These tyres were mostly seen on women in the past but now more and more men seem to develop it in their late twenties & early thirties. Indians are genetically inclined to accumulate fat around their waist which is also linked to Type 2 diabetes and heart health.

The simplest way to check for abdominal fat is to measure your waist. Run a tape measure around your waist at about the level of your navel. Breathe minimally, and make sure not to pull the tape measure so tight that it depresses the skin. The average BMI  (Body mass Index) of an Indian woman ranges from 18-24.9 , a waist circumference greater than 34-35 inches is considered high risk to lifestyle diseases.

Another way to measure abdominal fat is by calculating the waist to hip ratio. This is done through simple calculation of taking the ratio of the waist and hip. The healthy range in women is less than .7 and men is less than 1.

The best way to lose weight is to exercise and watch what you eat. Ensure that your body is getting adqeuate nutrition to improve the metabolism. Do not resort to fad diets as they might show you weight loss in the short term but in the long term you put the weight back on besides depriving your body of important nutrition resulting in multiple deficiencies in future. For healthy weight loss consult a good professional weight loss expert to help you lose weight and get fit.

Here are a list of exercises that are very effective to lose abdominal fat or love handles:

Running: Love handles are fat accumulated on your sides. So it is more about burning the fat in the body. You can lose maximum fat by running or doing any cardio exercise. Running allows you to burn maximum fat in a workout other than boosting metabolism. So do running in variations and or push your self more for quicker results. Include sprinting, bounding,
German drills, etc in your plan. Burning maximum calories starts burning fat gradually from the body. Manage your diet and eat adequately according to your daily requirement to allow fat to burn faster.

Crunches: Love Handles are part of your core and require core to be worked to exercise the area and build some muscles underneath. Crunches are highly beneficical is strengthening your core for better balance in the body and provides strength for intense workouts. Do crunches on medicine ball and see the muscle gain.

Side Crunch: Working the obliques help in reducing the love handles on the side and side crunch is very effective for oblique muscles. Lie down on right side of your body with right arm over your chest. Crunch your left armpit towards the left hip and raise your legs while crunching. Repeat and do both sides.

Elbow to Knee Crunch: You could do elbow to knee crunch either standing or while lying down.Lie down on the floor with knees bent and arms over your chest. You have to touch your right elbow with the left knee and alternatively. While doing the exercise move your torso for the exercise. This works the rectus abdominis and obliques while the standing one works the entire mid section and hip flexors.

Side Bends: Stand straight with dumbbells in your hands by your side. Alternatively bend your side and stretch the other side holding for a few seconds and then do the other side. This execise stretches the love handles and improves blood flow in the area.

Burpees: It is a aerobic exercise which is a combination of a few exercises mixed together for greater fitness. To perform the exercise stand straight in the first step. Then get down to squat position. Third put your hands on the floor and throw both your legs back stretching your back and looking up in the air. In the fourth step bring back your legs to the sqaut position and lastlt jump up to starting position. Repeat. This exercise not only stretches the core and works the entire body but the faster version of it burns many calories too.

Russian Twist: Sit on the floor with your knees bent and hold your  arms straight in front of you and lean your back a little while your torso is at 45-degree. Brace your core and rotate to the side and as far as you want. Repeat for both sides and mind the posture. This exercise also helps build the muscles on the side and works the core. To make this exercise more intense hold a weight between your hands or lift your feet in the air and perform the exercise.

Wood chop: It is again one of the finest twist exercise which can be done with a object, cabel, dumbbell, bat, base ball bat etc. As you pull the weight across your body, you rotate your hips and bend forward slightly so the weight ends up slightly below your hip. Keep your torso, chest and head in line with your hips. Do it for both sides.

Best Healthy Energy Drink

These days a lot of people for better health, higher energy, more strength and fitness are adding health drinks in their diet to improve their daily nutrition intake.  We have put together a simple analysis on which are the popular health drinks in the market and which one is the healthiest energy drink of the lot. The three most popular health energy drink brands are horlicks, bournvita and complan. All of them claim to enhance growth, provide added nutrition and even promoted as meal replacement option as they carry sufficient nutrition to compensate for a single meal.

Reading the nutrition label of the best selling health energy drinks we found that the base of all the three health drinks are nearly same when compared to their carbohydrate, fat and sugar value. We require carbohydrates for energy, protein for muscle building, fat for basic functions etc. The health drinks contain a large number of vitamins and minerals which improve the cell functions in the body.

Below are the nutrition content od horlicks, bournvita and complan

Complan: Milk protein – 18 gms; Fat – 11 gms; Carbohydrate – 62 gms of which sucrose is 27 gm.

Bournvita: Protein – 7 gms; Fat – 2 gms; Carbohydtare- 84 gms of which sugar is 70.3 gm.

Horlicks: Fat – 2 gms; Carbohydtare- 79.2 gms of which sugar is 13.5 gm.

The major portion of the health drink is carbohydrates that easily breakdown in our bodies to provide energy. The carbohydrates can be simple sugar like sucrose and glucose which instantly breakdown in our body to produce energy. Bournvita has highest amount of sugar and carbohydrates in total. Though each health drink is fortifies with important vitamins and minerals like iron, b vitamins, vitamin a, d and e which has various functions in the body is is beneficial. Horlicks contains the least sugar as compared to other healthy energy drink and contains fiber of the grain which is healthy for the stomach.

These energy drinks are mostly consumed with milk and carry sufficient amount of fortified nutrition. Even though they highlight the vitamins and minerals on the packaging in reality carbohydrate is the major component of these health drinks. People who are looking to lose weight should avoid health drinks and look for more natural foods like fruits and vegetables which are packed with vitamins and minerals and are low in calories as compared to any other food. Read more

Ideal Weight Loss

If you were given a choice to lose weight how much would you want to lose and what should be your ideal weight loss.It would make life comfortable if you know that how much weight you could lose within a month and after x months you would reach a desired weight. Suppose you lose 4 kgs a month and by the end of 6 months you would be able to lose 24 kgs. You could actually calculate the expected weight loss and set the time limits according to your own choice. Read this article on ideal weight to set target for your weight loss.

There are some important points that you should keep in mind while planning your ideal weight loss.

Body Composition Analysis: This is the first step towards Ideal weight loss. Body composition analysis gives you a report which tells you about how much fat and muscle percentage is there in your body at different parts. BCA also tells you what your daily caloric requirement is and how many calories you require to maintain the same weight. It also tells how much visceral fat is present in the body. BCA also includes on the basis of your height and weight to be more precise and effective weight loss.

Once you have your BCA report it is time to start taking action. We understand that we have to eat a limited amount of calories per day as the body requires it whether we are at rest or work. It is advisable to not starve yourself as it makes weight loss difficult. Suppose if your daily caloric requirement is of 2000 calories then spread your meals through out the
day on the basis of this. You could break 500 calories for each meal which would be 1500 calories and the rest 500 calories you could distribute for your snacks, biscuits, mid meals etc.

Keep things in mind that don’t assume your daily calorie requirement and eat on an assumed basis. Choose healthy food options which are low in calories and not provide empty calories. Choose fruits, vegetables, whole grain cereals, legumes, dairy, lean meats, nuts and seeds etc. Follow the food pyramid for correct distribution of carbohydrates, protein, fats and
fiber. Read more

Are Dried Figs Healthy for Weight Loss

Figs can be eaten either fresh or dry and has a sweet taste and variety of health benefits that it provides. Though in India fresh Figs are not easily available but can be found in the form of dry fruits popularly known as Anjeer. The high amount of calcium, iron and potassium present in it along with the high amount of fiber and low fat makes it a healthy food to include in your diet which can be eaten alone or mixed in yogurt, salad and toppings on cereals and oatmeal.

Figs are  nutritious but do they help in weight loss ? Should one eat figs regularly if you are trying to lose weight. Lately figs are fast becoming popular with nutritionists that are recommending it as a part of weight loss diets. Let us help you understand why it might not be the healthiest weight loss food option.

Lets start with understanding the calorie and nutrition content of figs. Figs are rich in Vitamins A, B1 and B2, manganese and potassium, magnesium, copper, iron, and phosphorus. The high levels of potassium and low sodium helps people with hypertension. High calcium levels present in figs promote bone health. High mucilage content in figs, helps to heal and protect sore throats. Figs also contain beta-carotene as well as benzaldehyde (anti-cancer compound), flavonoids and a digestive enzyme called ficin.

Dried figs provide higher amount of calories than fresh figs and around 100gms provide 220 calories approx. Though it is recommended to be eaten in moderations but its sweet taste and pulp makes it addictive making you eat more than actually required. Other than the calories figs are sweet and have a medium glycemic index of 61 and a glycemic load of 16 which is high.

The high glycemic load (GL) of figs makes the blood sugar levels rise as dried figs quickly release high level of sugar in the body which may not be helpful for people on weight loss and people suffering from type 2 diabetes. The high amount of fiber and high glycemic load makes the body feel satisfied. The GL provides energy and makes you feel fuller longer making you crave less food. This might make you miss out on a balanced diet which is essential to regulate the metabolism in the body.

Besides it high glycemic load figs have other benefits also. The high fiber content improves digestion and benefits people with constipation. The fiber helps in throwing away the toxins out of the body. They have anti-inflammatory properties and anti-oxidants present in them fights diseases and cancer in the body. They help regulate blood sugar levels and reduces cholesterol in the body.

Foods that are sweet and provide quick energy should be eaten early in the day so that the energy released by them can be burnt in the day itself. Also figs are recommended to people who have iron deficiency. Every diet especially available online is very generic and might not be applicable to you. You need a diet plan that is customized to your lifestyle, eating habits and medical conditions. Its important to get professional consultancy from a qualified fitness expert before you start any diet plan.

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