Carbohydrates are bad or its just a myth?

MYTH Cutting carbohydrates from your diet will make you lose weight

Most health fanatics are ‘cardophobic’. To clear the confusion: Highly refined carbohydrate sources like white bread, sugar, refined white flour and white rice is what we should stay away from (the simple carbohydrates). However, we all need the carbohydrates out of whole grain namely brown rice, nachni, millet, jowar and bajra (complex carbohydrates). The body needs glucose as the main source of fuel for energy. And complex carbs provides exactly that. These give us sustained sugars (good for our brains) and keep the insulin levels in check.

If you are worried about your weight loss, remember that healthy is not just about the race to being size zero. By cutting carbs completely, you cut off the fuel supply. Your aim should be healthy bodies first; thin will follow. Besides, you wouldn’t want problems like constipation, bad breath and bingeing on sugars, would you? That’s exactly what happens when you stay off carbs completely.

MYTH It’s okay to have honey, jaggery, Maltitol, Xylitol instead of sugar

Sugar is just not just the white crystals you consume, but is also present in white bread, pasta, cereals, processed foods, sauces. These are your simple sugars often mentioned on packages that get camouflaged: Maple syrup, high corn fructose syrup, honey, sucrose, molasses, cane juice. Even the chocolate bars that claim to be sugarless have maltitol, xylitol and erythritol which are used to replace sugar only because they have fewer calories. Nevertheless, they are all derivatives of sugar and cause the same problems as sugar. The natural sugars from fruits is the only alternative for sugar at present in the Indian markets.

MYTH Our prime source of calcium is dairy foods

It’s a huge misconception that our prime calcium-rich food is milk. Milk is full of saturated fats and cholesterol, which clog your arteries. Caesin, the basic molecule in milk, stresses the liver, pancreas, stomach and intestines. Commercial dairy cows are pumped with hormones and to counter udder infection they are given antibiotics, which in turn affect the villi in your intestines. So even though milk is loaded with calcium, it does not help us in any way. The alternative to dairy to get your dose of calcium? Cutting back animal foods and choose a plant-based approach. Have dark leafy greens, broccoli, beans, nuts, seeds, tofu. All these sources give us useable calcium, which nourishes us.

MYTH Cutting back all oil (liquid fat) reduces weight

We need liquid fat (which we get from liquid oils) and the monosaturated fat (olive oil, avocados, canola, almond, peanut oils) for normal body functioning. We don’t need saturated fats (margarine, hydrogenated oils). The most crucial one is the polysaturated fat (flax seeds, sesame, sunflower, soy, walnut, safflower — rich in omega 3, 6 and 9). We also need essential fatty acids (EFAs) because the body does not make these and you need to supplement your diet with them. Low fat or fat free diets will cause us to be hungry (depleting the omegas) which in turn will cause us to binge. Healthy liquid fat consumption actually promotes weight loss.

LOSE WEIGHT BY TRICKING YOURSELF

It is possible to feel full on fewer calories. Here’s how.

GO LOW

Lowering the energy density of your diet — the calories it contains per 100g — is an effective way to stay fuller longer and lose the pounds. A study found that a low-fat, low-energy density diet is more effective for weight loss over one year, than a low-fat, higher energy density diet.

DO THE MATHS

Calculate the energy density of a food by dividing the number of calories by the weight of the food: a sandwich with 360 calories that weighs 180g would have an energy density of 360/180 = 2. We should try to eat foods that have an energy density less than 1.5, only moderate amounts of foods with an energy density of 1.5 - 4 and only small amounts of foods with a density of 4 - 9.

HAVE A LIQUID LUNCH

A low-energy density diet can be achieved by eating foods with a high water content; this includes dishes where water is added during cooking, such as soups and stews, foods like pasta and rice that absorb water during cooking, and foods naturally high in water.

INCREASE YOUR PROTEIN

Protein curbs hunger better than carbs or fat. So when you make a sarnie go for thinner bread and up the protein filling such as tuna of chicken.

FILL UP ON FIBRE

Fibre absorbs water, increasing fullness feelings. So, eat wholemeal bread, wholewheat pasta and brown rice.

GO EASY ON THE BOOZE

Alcohol stimulates appetite so don’t drink every day.

Modern day health benefits of Pistachio

Feb 26 is World Pistachio Day. Here are some modern day health benefits and fun facts of this wonderful nut.

Did you know that pistachios contain only 3-4 calories per nut? They also offer vital nutrients including more than 30 different vitamins, minerals and beneficial phytonutrients making them a great guilt free snack.

Originating from the Middle East, pistachios are one of the oldest flowering nut trees with evidence suggesting that humans were enjoying them as early as 7,000 BC. Pistachios were first planted in California in the 1930s. From this point it took nearly 10 years of careful research and breeding before the California Pistachio — also known as the Kerman variety — was finally perfected.

HEALTH BENEFITS

Lung Cancer: Recently it was revealed that a diet that incorporates a daily dose of pistachios may help reduce the risk of lung and other cancers, according to data presented at the recent American Association for Cancer Research Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference.

A Smart Snack for Diabetics:

Researchers from the University of Toronto found that when a handful of pistachios were eaten with a high glycemic index food like white bread, the pistachios helped blunt the rise in blood sugar and reduced hunger-stimulating hormones. That helps control appetite, and is good news for diabetics.

The Skinny Nut:

Overweight and obesity are risk factors for type II diabetes and heart disease. Nutrition experts call pistachios the “skinny nut” because they are one of the lowest calorie, lowest fat and highest fibre nuts offering the most nuts per serving.

Fat Enlightened:

Most of the fat in pistachios is the “good” fat that helps lower the risk of heart disease. In fact, Penn State researchers found that eating one to two handfuls of pistachios a day resulted in a nine to 12 per cent reduction in “bad” LDL cholesterol levels.