Shedding Weight Loss Dietary Myths

Contributed by – Healthians Team

“We are indeed what we eat.”

Whatever you eat has a consequence; unhealthy food choices, untimely meals etc. act as  a major factor behind lifestyle disorders. Although, in the recent years the responsibility of healthy eating has become a phenomenon. Most of us are trying to gain healthy weight and make smart diet choices. But, most of time due to lack of knowledge and poor guidance we end up blindly following various dietary myths.

Going overboard with crash diet plans, skipping meals does more harm to the body than good. Knowing your foods is the wisdom that can bring sanity in your dietary habits and ensure good health. But, the sad part is that a lot of rumors and myths surround the food world. Not knowing can be really dangerous, thus it is important to take a step towards understanding our foods better.

Let us burst the dietary myth bubbles attached with weight loss.

Myth – Diet Foods Help With Weight Loss

Truth – Diet foods do help with weight loss but just eating diet foods is not really wise. Our body needs several nutrients to replenish the body’s requirement and maintain the proper functioning of the body. Only eating diet foods can leave us deficit of the required nutrients. The goal should always be to stay healthy and not just weight loss. A proper plan and right intake of foods can help achieve the desired result. Few things to keep in mind while trying to lose weight are:

• Make sure to have nutritionally balanced meals
• Stay keen on the portion sizes, small meals at regular intervals holds an important key to achieving desired body weight.
• Instead of consuming only diet foods opt for one meal dishes
• Do not skip breakfast
• Opt for light dinner
• Your meal should have variety and not just diet foods
• Eat everything just stay aware of the quantity, binge and overeating is a complete no
• Try eating a rainbow everyday; splash your plate with the colourful goodness daily like berries, plums, cucumber, mango, pumpkin, kiwi, guava, watermelon, tomatoes etc.
• Prefer homemade food instead of eating out
• Detox yourself with detox water, herbal tea
• Use multigrain or wheat flour instead of refined flour for making homemade snacks
• Do not ignore your cravings for pasta, pizza, burgers. Going for tailor made foods is the key, use healthy ingredients and treat yourself to the healthy and tasty homemade snacks
• Eat everything, just eat wisely

Myth- You Need To Skip Meals To Lose Weight

Truth- One of the major secret to healthy weight loss is eating meals on time. But, most of us are prey to the so called effective dietary tips. If you really aim to lose those extra inches and shed those unwanted kilos, skipping meals is not the way. Infact, having meals on time can be really helpful in losing weight and keeping you healthy life. Below are some points that clarifies why skipping meals is not a wise idea.

• The biggest setback of skipping your meals is slower metabolic rate and slower metabolism makes it more difficult to lose weight
• Having something to eat every 3 hours is highly recommended as it boosts the metabolic process
• Skipping meals can have adverse effect on health like fatty liver, fluctuation in the sugar levels
• Slower metabolism will also cause accumulation of body fat thus increasing the weight
• Skipping meals can trigger hunger pangs and make you binge eat on your next meal
• Untimely meals will also cause Gastro intestinal problems like acidity, bloating, constipation, inappropriate defecation
• Lack of timely meals will also cause irritation, impaired alertness, restlessness, anxiety
• Skipping meals also means lower energy levels to cope with your daily chores
• Have healthy eats every 3 hours. Healthy food choices like roasted chana, roasted makahana, sprouts, boiled chickpea, salads, fresh fruits are the best options

Myth- Snacking Is A Bad Idea

Truth- Munching is so much fun. But, mindless snacking on unhealthy foods like chips, cookies etc. only adds to the weight. This is why snacking is generally a complete no-no for weight loss diet plans. It is important to bust this myth as snacking actually helps with weight loss, what matters is your snacking choices. Snacking is actually healthy and can majorly help you to lose weight. Healthy eating plan should always include munching on:

• Having healthy snacks at regular intervals kick-starts the metabolic rate and aids in proper digestion
• Snacking helps avoid binge eating
• Eating regularly at intervals also helps you fight stress and avoid stress eating, thus ensuring good health
• Snacking also takes care of  food cravings and sudden hunger pangs
• People who snack regularly are less prone to lifestyle disorders like fatty liver, hypertension, high cholesterol etc.
• Snacking helps you stay satiated throughout the day
• Snacking also means less anxiety and digestive problems
• Choose healthy snacking options like fresh fruits, roasted seeds like chia, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds but make sure to have unsalted seeds
• Roasted makhana, roasted chana, boiled chickpea, hummus with veggie sticks, boiled egg whites, yoghurt with nuts and fruits, nuts, raw cottage cheese, fresh fruit juices, shakes , smoothies and the list goes on

Now, that most common weight dietary myths have seen the light of truth, important dietary choices should be made accordingly.