How to Lose Weight?: Just Change Common Food Habits

 

Fit people are successfully lean and healthy not due to good luck or hereditary, but because of having developed the right eating habits and regular exercise rou. It is not just what we consume, but also when we choose to eat, and how much, also plays a significant role in influencing our weight. We tell you about five very common eating habits that you need to change right away if you wish to lose weight.

The 'no breakfast' rule

Skipping breakfast is the commonest habit when it comes to food. Many people think that having a cup of tea/coffee is enough to sustain them till lunch. In fact, some even have more tea/coffee in case they feel hungry before lunch! However, did you know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, in case you are planning to lose weight. Studies have found that people who give breakfast a miss are more likely to gain weight than those who don’t. A healthy breakfast helps trigger your metabolism right at the beginning of the day, preparing your body to burn more calories throughout the day.

The 'heavy breakfast' rule

While some completely skip breakfast, there are others who take the “healthy breakfast” too seriously! It is true that breakfast provides energy to the body, and kick starts metabolism for the rest of the day. However, with this view, having calorie-laden foods in the morning is not a very wise idea. Simple carbohydrate-rich foods, like cakes, rice, pasta, white bread, and desserts and fried foods tend to make you feel lethargic throughout the day, apart from aiding weight gain. Try and incorporate as many fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains in your breakfast, as possible.

Eating only a few times in a day

The belief that if you eat as few times as possible, you will lose weight faster, is very common. However, having 5-6 small, healthy meals in a day is much better way to lose weight, rather than 2-3 large meals. Frequent small meals keep you full longer, provide you with energy, and also keep your weight under control. This is because you keep your metabolism active, thus burning more calories. Also, longer intervals of not eating activate the release of stress hormone, cortisol. This makes you feel hungrier, and eat more later. High cortisol levels are also responsible for accumulation of belly fat.

Eating quickly

Many people believe that if they finish their meals quickly, they might end up eating less. The complete opposite is in fact true! If you try to finish your plate quickly, you tend to get tempted to fill it up again, thus, eating much more. Instead, take your time to chew each morsel well, and take your time to finish your meals. Not only will you eat lesser, but this also aides in better digestion.

Eating late in the night

This habit is mostly a result of a disturbed sleep pattern. When you are awake till late, especially past midnight, your body sends hunger signals, making you want to eat something at the odd hours. Many people resort to comfort foods like, cookies, cake, fried foods, etc., at this time. It is very common for you to binge on high-calorie foods late in the night, when you are either watching TV or working for long hours. This holds truer for people who have starved during the day. If you wish to lose weight faster, make it a rule to have dinner by 8-8:30 pm, and eat nothing post that.

Food combinations bad for digestion

Five faulty food combinations - 

* Animal protein and carbohydrates: Different enzymes are required to breakdown these very different foods. When eaten together, the foods do not get properly digested. That leads to indigestion, fermentation and putrefaction in the digestive tract.

* Fruit with carbohydrates: Fruit digests much more quickly than any other food. Many people think that adding fruit to porridge is a healthy breakfast option. However, it will only hinder the digestive process. It's better to always eat fruit on an empty stomach and ideally early in the morning.

* Dairy with fruit: Smoothies are a breakfast favourite for many people. The problem is that yogurt is an animal protein and when mixed with fruit, it can cause inadequate digestion which leads to acidity, and fermentation in the GI tract.

* Avoid drinking with meals: It's best to avoid drinking large amounts of any fluid with meals, otherwise the digestive enzymes will become diluted and hinder the digestive process. It's best to stop drinking 30 minutes before food intake and wait two hours after eating before drinking water, to ensure adequate digestion.

* Melon after dinner for a healthy dessert: Melon is the one fruit that must be eaten alone, or left alone, as it takes slightly longer than other fruits to digest.


Five useful food combinations - 

* Carbohydrates and vegetables such as brown rice and vegetables.

* Animal protein and non-starchy vegetables make for easy digestion, which will enhance one's ability to breakdown the nutrients and eliminate efficiently. Prawns on a bed of green leaves with cucumber and fennel or grilled fish with lightly steamed green beans.

* Bowl of seasonal fruit salad first thing in the morning. This is a gentle way to wake up the system.

* Avocados combine well with either vegetables or fruits. This semi tropical fruit also works well in green smoothies and makes a great dairy replacement.

* Aim to ingest denser proteins, especially animal-based ones earlier in the day to ensure adequate digestion.  

Let your food be your medicine!

How to Improve Immunity Naturally?

Yes, it is that time of the year again - peak season for the common cold and the influenza virus.  More people contract the flu and other devastating colds between now and the end of the winter than any other time of the year.

Fortunately for you, there are ways you can fight back.  By modifying, adding, and subtracting from your diet, you can help boost your immune system and ability to resist infection.  Adequately feeding your immune system boosts its fighting power. Immune boosters work in many ways. They increase the number of white cells in the immune system army, train them to fight better, and help them form an overall better battle plan. Boosters also help to eliminate the deadwood in the army, substances that drag the body down. Here are the top eight nutrients to add to your family's diet to cut down on days missed from work and school because of illness.

1. Vitamin C. Vitamin C tops the list of immune boosters for many reasons. There has been more research about the immune-boosting effects of Vitamin C than perhaps any other nutrient. Vitamin C supplements are inexpensive to produce, and it's available naturally in many fruits and vegetables (citrus fruits, strawberries, bell peppers and tomatoes to mention a few).

Here's what the research shows about how this mighty vitamin protects your body.
• Promotes wound healing.
• Commonly used for supporting immune function and protection from viral disease and cancer.
• It may also help in people with high cholesterol, cataracts, diabetes, allergies and asthma, and periodontal disease.
• As an antioxidant, it protects blood vessels and the lenses in your eyes, and helps keep body tissues strong.
• Popular for warding off and shortening the unpleasant effects of the common cold.

2. Vitamin E. This important antioxidant and immune booster doesn't get as much press as vitamin C, yet it's important to a healthy immune system. It's not difficult to get 30 to 60 milligrams every day of Vitamin E from a diet rich in seeds, vegetable oils, and grains, but it's difficult for most people to consume more than 60 milligrams a day consistently through diet alone.

Supplements may be necessary to get enough vitamin E to boost your immune system.  People who don't exercise, who smoke, and who consume high amounts of alcoholic beverages will need the higher dosage. Those with a more moderate lifestyle can get by with lower levels of supplementation.

3. Carotenoids. Beta carotene increases the number of infection-fighting cells, natural killer cells, and helper T-cells, as well as being a powerful antioxidant that mops up excess free radicals that accelerate aging.

Like the other "big three" antioxidants, vitamins C and E, it reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by interfering with how the fats and cholesterol in the bloodstream oxidize to form arterial plaques. Carotenoids can be found in Sweet Potatoes, Kale, Carrots, Spinach, Collards, Lettuce, and Turnips.

4. Bioflavonoids. A group of phytonutrients called bioflavonoids aids the immune system by protecting the cells of the body against environmental pollutants. Bioflavonoids protect the cell membranes against the pollutants trying to attach to them.

Along the membrane of each cell there are microscopic parking spaces, called receptor sites. Pollutants, toxins, or germs can park here and gradually eat their way into the membrane of the cell, but when bioflavonoids fill up these parking spots there is no room for toxins to park. Good sources of bioflavonoids are Red Bell Peppers, Strawberries, Oranges, and Broccoli.

5. Zinc. This valuable mineral increases the production of white blood cells that fight infection and helps them fight more aggressively. It also increases killer cells that fight against cancer and helps white cells release more antibodies.

Zinc supplements have been shown to slow the growth of cancer.   Zinc increases the number of infection-fighting T-cells, especially in elderly people who are often deficient in zinc, and whose immune system often weakens with age. Eat some Oysters, fortified cereals, crab, beef, turkey or beans.

6. Garlic. This flavorful member of the onion family is a powerful immune booster that stimulates the multiplication of infection-fighting white cells, boosts natural killer cell activity, and increases the efficiency of antibody production.

The immune-boosting properties of garlic seem to be due to its sulfur-containing compounds, such as allicin and sulfides. Garlic can also act as an antioxidant that reduces the build-up of free radicals in the bloodstream.

7. Selenium. This mineral increases natural killer cells and mobilizes cancer-fighting cells.


Best food sources of selenium are tuna, red snapper, lobster, shrimp, whole grains, vegetables (depending on the selenium content of the soil they're grown in), brown rice, egg yolks, cottage cheese, chicken (white meat), sunflower seeds, garlic, Brazil nuts, and lamb chops.

8. Omega-3 fatty acids. A study found that children taking a half teaspoon of flax oil a day experienced fewer and less severe respiratory infections and fewer days of being absent from school. The omega 3 fatty acids in flax oil and fatty fish (such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel) act as immune boosters by increasing the activity of phagocytes, the white blood cells that eat up bacteria.


Remember before you take any supplements or vitamins please consult with your doctor for any possible side affects or issues with any prescription medications you may be taking currently.