5 super carbs to reduce weight

Eat less and lose weight. This theory sounds so easy, so simple, so doable, you think. Or is it? Reduce your food intake and you are hit with the reality of a hungry tummy asking for more. Then you are constantly worried wondering if you will get hungry before the next meal, what will you or will not eat, etc. Thus you think of food all day long and get hungrier in doing so. Eat foods that cause satiety and lose weight. Therefore you can eat lesser and thereby you will reduce weight. Two major components in a food that qualify it to help control hunger are fibre (soluble and insoluble) and protein. In traditional Indian cooking we have no dearth of high fibre complex carbohydrate foods that add bulk and satiety. In fact, what we have are economical, far superior nutritionally and easily available complex carbohydrates than ready-to-eat commercial cereals. Here are some items you can include in your diet plan. Barley: Our own desi equivalent to the western promoted oats. High in soluble fibre, barley is officially approved just like oats to commercially state that it reduces cholesterol. The beta glucan and pectin derived from these beautifully yellow grains are known to enhance satiety. Thus, it helps reduce weight as part of a healthy plan. One cup contains 6 gm of fibre which is about a 5th of your daily fibre requirement. A good way to make a meal of barley to reduce weight is to make porridge of it with fat free milk. Use scotch or pot barley if available. If not, use pearl barley. Since barley is not so easily broken down by gastric juices it stays in your stomach longer curbing hunger. Which is the best diet in the world? Rice flakes: Though not as high in fibre as bran flakes, our humble poha/aval with its unique ability to absorb 3 times more liquids makes it a very effective bulking agent to reduce hunger.

There are several ways to make poha but in our diet context treat it like bran flakes. Eat it with milk. Throw a handful of red rice flakes in a glass of skimmed milk, add a tablespoon of raisins for sweetness and another tablespoon of your fancied nuts ( I prefer black sesame seeds roasted) and you have a wholesome meal that will keep you going till the next meal. You might find yourself thirsty after a while so gulp down a whole glass of water and this would just add to the bulking effect. Wheat dalia: Versatile, nutritious and easily prepared, a fulfilling carbohydrate food that tastes good too. The coarsely ground broken wheat retains its nutritive value and you may cook the dalia anyway you want but without oil. Cook it along with moong dal to make a kitchidi or eat it like a paal kanji, Kerala style. Alternatively add a cup of diced and steamed vegetables to 2/3rd cup of cooked wheat, generously garnish with chopped coriander leaves, several squeezes of lemon and salt to taste. No oil, less calories and high in satiety- perfect for losing weight. Countdown dinner plan for weight loss Ragi: Staple breakfast food for the farmers in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, a ragi meal sustains them day long without going hungry. Highly nutritious, rich in antioxidants and most minerals (particularly calcium) and vitamins, ragi complements well with milk providing a complete drink to ward off hunger. Replace a meal at night with this drink to lower your total calories in the day. Legumes: The Indians source of protein and fibre all in one. Sprout them and they gratefully give you a worlds worth of nutrition in a bowl and fill up your stomach with very less calories. This is a must on every weight losers meal plan. Take the moong for instance. You can just make a meal out of it. Add chopped coriander/methi leaves, onions, green chillis and tomatoes to a cup of sprouted (raw) moong, mix with the juice of a moosambi and a tablespoon of dry roasted peanuts for crunchiness. You have a good deal for so less calories. The best sources of fibre and proteins come from whole grains and legumes. When you are eating lesser amounts of food to effect weight loss you need the best of foods to nourish you. Incorporate these sensibly and creatively into your diet plan and losing weight becomes a challengingly fun culinary experience.

Parvathy R Krishnan The author is a trained Nutrition & Dietetics expert with over 20 years of experience in hospitals like Vijaya Hospital in Chennai and the Armed Forces Hospital and New Mowasat Hospitals in Kuwait. She is presently a member of the Research Society for the Study of Diabetes in India.

More by this author: How to reduce cholesterol in the Indian diet What do you eat to manage diabetes? Image: Getty Images Tags: Barley, Carbohydrate, Dietary fiber, nutrition, oats, Parvathy Radhakrishnan, ragi, Sify Health, Weight loss

Which is the best diet in the world?

Which is the best diet in the world to be lean and live long healthily? On our earth, different people eat different foods and in varying combinations of fats, carbohydrates and proteins. From the Inuits who eat a diet very high in fat and protein but little carbohydrate to the Okinawans of Japan who eat a lot of high fibre carbohydrates and minimal oil or to the Greeks who get almost 40% of their calories from olive oil, are all very healthy sets of people. And yet, their eating is so very different! Heart diseases were unheard of in Greenland, until modern fast foods invaded their diet. The Okinawan Japanese enjoy the highest longevity and health in the world and obesity is a rarity but when they migrate to western countries obesity and heart diseases affect them just as anyone else. The healthiest diets all around the globe however diverse, share some common points. Healthy eating is not only about the foods we choose, but how we eat and how much we eat, how it is cooked and what we do not eat. Let us examine these. a) Eat seafood and not red meat. The benefits of eating fish daily cannot be stressed enough. It gives us the essential omega3 which is cardio protective. The omega 3 to omega 6 ratio should be 1:1, but most of us do not even come close to getting this. The Inuits do because their only source of oil is from fish. So if you want to have a healthy heart, eat fish!

b) Eat a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. The Japanese are said to eat a 100 different foods in a week. No fruit or vegetable has all the vitamins, so variety is needed to get the full benefit of fruits and vegetable groups. c) No community that eats a lot of sweets or sugars have lived healthily. So try to keep sweets and refined carbohydrates to a minimum. d) No community living on commercial or processed foods have lived long healthily. So eat fresh. No ready to eat or fast foods. e) Eat whole grains. India has a whole load of whole grains to choose from, differing from state to state. f) Eat little portions and slowly. The Japanese achieve this when they eat with chopsticks. If you want to eat less, eat mindfully and slowly, instead of grabbing a quick meal and rushing off. Or use a fork to eat. The rule of the Japanese is to eat 8/10th full. No wonder they are so lean! g) Nuts and seeds are antioxidant rich and protect you from degenerative diseases of the modern society. Make sure you eat an ounce daily. The Mediterranean love their nuts and seeds and olive oil and have one of the healthiest diets on earth. Perhaps the region specific cooking methods and foods were developed to sustain a healthy community in early society. Perhaps it is time to return to that way of cooking and eating.

Parvathy R Krishnan The author is a trained Nutrition & Dietetics expert with over 20 years of experience in hospitals like Vijaya Hospital in Chennai and the Armed Forces Hospital and New Mowasat Hospitals in Kuwait. She is presently a member of the Research Society for the Study of Diabetes in India.

Spacing carbs and meals for better glycemic control

Our vital organs and brain need a constant supply of glucose during work and rest. The brain alone needs about 1mg/min or 6g/hr of glucose day and night. This means we need to ensure critical minimal blood glucose availability so that the body can function properly. For diabetics, especially those on hypoglycemic medication, it is imperative that glucose supply is not interfered with. It is also essential for diabetics that too much sugar is not circulating in the system, which again is injurious to the organs and brain. The following are some important strategies to keep ones blood glucose (BG) maintained steadily throughout the day avoiding highs or lows. Space meals Diabetics who are on insulin, OHA (oral hypoglycemic agents) or weight reduction diet plans need to have three square meals and one or more snacks in a day. Ideally there should be 5 hours gap (but not more than 6 hours) between breakfast and lunch, and lunch and dinner. Likewise, there should not be more than 10 hours gap between the last eating at night and breakfast the next day. Skipping a meal or keeping a longer gap between meals will cause the BG to drop causing hypoglycemia, excessive hunger and overeating in the subsequent meal leading to hyperglycemia. A closer eating plan will build up blood sugar causing elevated BG. Distribute appropriate macronutrients like carbohydrate and proteins in these meals A meal that is mostly made up of carbohydrates (carbs) is sure to cause unhealthy hyperglycemia. Spacing meals and carbs is particularly essential for those on insulin. The distribution of carbs in meals and snacks depends on the type of insulin, physical activity and total caloric requirement. An active athlete or a growing up juvenile diabetic may require larger carb containing snack like

a sandwich than an obese diabetic who may need a lower carb bite like a plate of salad between meals. Your nutritionist can help you calculate the total daily-required carbohydrate and space the carbohydrates in your daily meal plan such that your body is neither starved nor overfed with sugars from a single meal. The inclusion of proteins helps a steady release of sugar in the blood avoiding sudden blood glucose peaks or dips. Protein gives a late postprandial response. Therefore, diabetics, especially those who experience nocturnal hypoglycemia, may benefit from including 10 to 20 gm protein in the bedtime snack. Eat consistent amounts and at consistent timings everyday. Consistency in the carbohydrates in each meal is essential for good glycemic control. You cannot eat more today and less tomorrow unless you are expecting changes in physical activities or changing medication dosage. Eat at specified times as far as possible. If you are travelling, carry food/snack with you if you do not have accessibility to food in your journey. Whatever be your timing of work or lifestyle, meals can be spaced and distributed throughout the day with the help of a nutritionist and medications adjusted so that an acceptable BG control is achieved. This will require several sessions of education and counseling from the dietician and commitment and co-operation on the part of the patient. Simple rules well followed can go a long way to reaching the target pre or post prandial blood glucose level. Parvathy R Krishnan. The writer, a Nutrition and Dietetics expert, is a member of Research Society for the Study of Diabetes in India. Also read: Understanding the glycemic index Coping with carbohydrates What do you eat to manage diabetes? Click here to read more articles by this author Image: Flickrcreativecommons Easa Shamih Tags: Blood sugar, Carbohydrate, Diabetes mellitus, Glycemic index, nutrition, Sify Health

Understanding the glycemic index

Got a fitness query? Mail it to us at bawarchieditor@sify.com Carbohydrates are an important part of our diet. They provide the body with the energy it needs to function. Knowing how carbohydrates release this energy can help you plan your diet better. Glycemic index When we eat carbohydrates, they break down and release sugar (glucose), which is supplied to the cells through the blood stream. The rate at which this sugar is absorbed into the blood stream is called the glycemic index (GI). GI is thus the blood glucose response to a given food item measured against that of the same amount of carbohydrate in white bread (or glucose) used as reference. In other words, GI is a numerical scale that indicates how fast and high a particular food raises the level of sugar in the body. When we eat foods with low GI, they break down slowly, releasing glucose slowly and induce only moderate rise in blood sugar. In contrast, foods with higher GI are instantly broken down to release the glucose contained in them. Only some of this is burnt as fuel by the body, while the surplus gets stored in the body as fat. The abnormal spike in sugar levels caused by high GI foods also forces the body to step up its insulin production. Eating GI foods regularly not only encourages unhealthy eating patterns, but over time, is also associated with the development of serious conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. Why choose low GI foods? Making it a habit to choose mainly low GI foods helps you to:

Regulate energy levels: Low GI foods release sugar gradually, thus regulating energy levels. In contrast, high GI foods cause a drastic surge in blood sugar, followed by a drop causing fatigue and even hypoglycemia. Guard against obesity: Low GI foods prevent food cravings and tendency to eating disorders, thus helping you maintain an ideal weight.

Prevent disease: Low GI foods prevent excessive insulin release. It improves cholesterol levels, prevent heart disease and guard against certain cancers. Manage diabetes: Low GI foods are especially important for the control and management of conditions such as insulin resistance and diabetes.

Powered by Bolohealth Image: Flickr/creativecommons ritwikdey Check this space for more on nutrition every Wednesday Also read: Switching to a low GI diet Tags: Carbohydrate, fitness, Glycemic index, Health, Sify Health

How to reduce weight with your own diet

If you are the kind who does not like to visit a dietician to get weight loss diet advice, then this reading is for you! People do not go for professional help for several reasons choosing the right professional, taking the appointment and making the visit, the waiting; the apprehension of going on a diet that is sure to be restrictive where you may have to eat things you do not like and avoid things you want to eat could all be cumbersome. So here is how you can help yourself reduce weight and take control of your own diet. Step one Check your weight and height and measure the waist in centimetre or inch. Write down all that you eat in a day starting from the time you wake up, including the snacks, beverages, sweets, in an approximate quantity and note the time you eat. This is the first step of self-assessment. This is for you to understand your own eating habits, to realise what foods you overeat, whether you eat under stress, out of boredom etc.

 Write down the snacks and sweets or items in your daily meals that you really do not miss if you do not eat. Write down the ones that you wish not to exclude Step two This is the day that you start making changes in your eating. You will reduce one chapati or 6 tbsp of rice/upuma/dalia or one slice of bread or one idli/dosa from each of the three main meals. Or you could serve the usual amount of rice/roti onto your plate and remove 1/3 of it. Instead you will add half a cup of green salad seasoned with just lime juice, salt and pepper. Start using low fat milk and buttermilk/ yogurt. You will continue to do this for a week eating consistently the same amount of food. Step three After a week of step two, you are going to make more healthy changes, by just restricting but not omitting any of the favourite foods. If you are eating more than one sweet restrict to just two tablespoon of it in a day. You will avoid all kinds of deep fried foods (veg and nonveg) and choose to eat just one of your favourite snack be it nuts, sundal, samosa or vada. The quantity allowed should fit in a tablespoon! If you are drinking more than 3 cups of tea/coffee with sugar, then restrict to 3 cups per day without sugar. You will avoid all kinds of sugared drinks and instead just drink plain water whenever you are thirsty or eat moosambi/ papaya / guava/apple /orange between meals if you are hungry. You will continue steps 2 and 3 without fail for another week Step four You will reorganize a part of the day be it morning or evening to find 15 minutes to exercise. Exercise may be joining a gym or going for a walk, run or jog. If you prefer being indoors, get an exercise machine to work out. Watching TV while you do this is enjoyable.

 If machines are not your flavour, then just do aerobic exercises, yoga, dancing to music, climbing steps You will continue exercising for a week daily and slowly increase to 30 minutes/day for a week and finally to 45 minutes per day for 5 times a week until you have reached your desirable weight. You will still continue with steps 2 and 3. Step five By the fourth week you will assess yourself by checking out the list below: Eating lesser carbohydrates at each meals Eating fruits at least 2 times a day Eating greens daily at lunch and dinner Keeping sweets and snacks to one a day Exercising 30 45 min daily Check your weight and measure your waist. Write it down. You should be able to cause a weight loss of kg per week if you have reduced some carbs from each main meal, reduced sweets, avoided fried foods and included exercising for 45 minutes daily. This gradual lowering of foods is possible to sustain and does not carry the psychological burden of having to eat a diet plan not chosen by you. This way you are eating whatever you want but you are absolutely in control!

Parvathy R Krishnan The author is a trained Nutrition & Dietetics expert with over 20 years of experience in hospitals like Vijaya Hospital in Chennai and the Armed Forces Hospital and New Mowasat Hospitals in Kuwait. She is presently a member of the Research Society for the Study of Diabetes in India. More by this author: How to reduce cholesterol in the Indian diet

What do you eat to manage diabetes? Image: Flickr Creativecommons Pink Sherbet Photography Tags: diet, Parvathy Radhakrishnan, Physical exercise, Sify Health, Weight loss

Countdown dinner plan for weight loss

Before you start your main course dinner, there are three mini courses you have to consume starter sips, nutri bowl and fibre filler. These work as nutrition boosters and keep you feeling full. Starter sips (unlimited) Keep in mind that the starter sips are basically a negligible calorie, drink as much as you want, start to your meal. They consist of an unlimited amount of light, watery liquids to start you off. You gently whet your appetite by introducing an easy-to-digest liquid as your first course. It works as an initial filler and also aids digestion. Your stomach begins to get into gear. The starter sips you could choose from are: Coconut water or Clear soup (clear part of vegetable stock) or Herbal tea (green, cinnamon, mint, ginger, chamomile or jasmine) or Fresh lime juice (salted) or Moong water or Rasam or Jeera pani or

Chicken bullion soup Do you have a query for Namita Jain? Send it to us at bawarchieditor@sify.com now! Nutri bowl 2 katoris (1 cup) After you sip, you slurp! The nutri bowl is a more substantial course, to be consumed within the recommended serving allowance. This course is a more robust liquid, in the form of a soup (without cereals such as noodles, rice or pasta), veggie juice or low-cal buttermilk. It is heavier than the first course, and it is a perfect follow-up to the combinations of vitamins, minerals and proteins, and practically no fat. Varying nutri bowl choices on a daily basis gives you delicious variations. Nutri bowl options for you: Soup, hot or cold, or Vegetable juice or Buttermilk use katori (1/4 cup) skimmed curd or Thin kadhi use katori (1/4 cup) skimmed curd or Egg drop soup Fibre filler 2 katoris (1 cup) Your third course, the fibre filler, puts you onto a fibre-rich, moisture-rich filler. Think juicy veggies, fruits, crisp sprouts, crunchy salads and you get the idea. The fibre filler must be chewed slowly and thoroughly, because the digestion process begins in your mouth itself. This helps you properly absorb the valuable nutrients that are so good for you. Moreover, when you eat slowly, you feel like you are eating more, plus you give your taste buds full enjoyment! Another bonus is that your fibre filler has very limited calories, making it a guilt-free munch and crunch. A dash of lime juice, chaat masala, a bit of rock salt and pepper add extra zest to your fibre filler options. Take a look at some of the choices you have. Fibre filler ideas: 2 katoris (1 cup) veggie salad tomato, cucumber, carrot, celery, lettuce or 2 katoris fruit salad orange, apple, sweet lime, pear, papaya or 2 katoris fruit and veggie salad apple, celery, lettuce, sweet lime

Arriving at the main course Many of you may not be used to consuming such high volumes of liquids or crunching through so much fibre! If all this really fills you up, take a breather before getting onto the main course. It is absolutely fine to have a gap between courses, no problem at all. You could even take a break after the starter sip or nutri bowl or after the fibre filler. Work the gaps as per your capacity and take time to savour every bit of your four-course countdown dinner! By the time you get to your main course, you will already begin to feel satisfied. This helps you to stay within the requirement of your diet dinner without a sense of being deprived. Click here to read the first part of Namita Jains Countdown Diet Dinner. Check this space for Countdown Diet Dinner Recipes from Namita. Excerpted with permission from Penguin Books India from The Four-Week Countdown Diet: Now You Choose How You Lose by Namita Jain, Penguin Rs.199. Image: Flickr Creativecommons Summertomato Tags: Dinner, Fiber, namita jain, Obesity, Sify Health, Soup, Weight loss

Posts Tagged Soup

Countdown dinner plan for weight loss
Thursday, August 25th, 2011

Before you start your main course dinner, there are three mini courses you have to consume starter sips, nutri bowl and fibre filler. These work as nutrition boosters and keep you feeling full. Starter sips (unlimited) Keep in mind that the starter sips are basically a negligible calorie, drink as much as you want, start to your meal. They consist of an unlimited amount of light, watery liquids to start you off.

You gently whet your appetite by introducing an easy-to-digest liquid as your first course. It works as an initial filler and also aids digestion. Your stomach begins to get into gear. The starter sips you could choose from are: Coconut water or Clear soup (clear part of vegetable stock) or Herbal tea (green, cinnamon, mint, ginger, chamomile or jasmine) or (more) You can spice up meals with real vitamins, nutrients Good Nutrition & Health Ads by Google Start Healthy Stay Healthy. We aim to make good nutrition way of life www.StartHealthyStayHealthy.in You can now spice up meals with real nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants to derive direct health benefits, thanks to a new method. Srinivas Janaswamy`s method involves creating crystallinelike fibres to embed nutritional supplements (nutraceuticals) and protect them from degradation. The encapsulated fibres could then be chopped into small particles. Diners could reach for the resveratrol or curcumin the same way as they might for salt or pepper, he said. `Once the nutraceutical is enveloped, it is thermally protected. Anything of interest can be used, even drug molecules, vitamins or hormones,` said Janaswamy, assistant professor of food science at Purdue University, the journal Food & Function reports. Nutraceuticals such as beta-carotene, lycopene, resveratrol and vitamins are thought to play significant roles in treating or preventing disease. Resveratrol, for example, is found in red grape products, which prevents cancer and promotes cardio health. Janaswamy said many of the supplements added to foods today are not structurally stable. Heat, light, oxygen and other external factors could degrade them, according to a Purdue statement. `There are many methods for adding nutraceuticals to foods, but the one thing they all have in common is instability due to non-rigid structures,` said Janaswamy.

Janaswamy used iota-carrageenan, a carbohydrate, to encapsulate curcumin, the principle compound found in Indian spice turmeric, which is effective against inflammation, cancer and obesity. Source: IANS Image: Flickr/creativecommons missy-and-the-universe