Dieting? You can stop counting those calories. According to a leading nutritionist, calorie counting is useless, because accuracy of calculation by the people can be illusory. Often it does not take into account the variation of the composition of foodstuff, nor the way it is cooked. In addition, it exposes the patient to a short-term deficiency in nutrients. In the long-term frustration and stress develops. Besides it has 95% failure rate after 5 years. The theory says that the obese eat too much and counting calories leads to the yo-yo effect on weight, i.e. losing weight and gaining again, leading to obesity.
The aim in a fool-proof diet plan is to include all nutrients and antioxidants and not count calories alone. A diet should also educate people of the composition of food stuff, mechanism of digestion and absorption of nutrients, thus encouraging people to eat better by making the right choice of food. e.g. 1 gm of protein/kg of body weight is needed or eat a carbohydrate with low glycaemic index.
In simple terms, a healthy balanced diet should include 50% carbohydrate, 30% of protein and 15-20% of fat. When you count calories one is bound to omit high calorie foods like oils, nuts, fruits like mango, grapes, banana and rice, etc., which are also an essential part of the balanced diet. Omitting such foods lead to nutritional deficiency.
The jargonistic-sounding glycaemic index (GI) is simply a measure of the increase in blood sugar after the consumption of any food. The concept evolved out of the fact that all carbohydrate varieties do not produce the same blood glucose levels. When a person eats any food, it will finally get converted to some amount of blood sugar, and this is what is calculated as its GI. As with calories, foods with lower GI are preferred to those with higher counts. However, there is no fixed amount of daily dosage of GI required, but it is calculated with every food, in the sense that GI of less than 35 per food consumed will cause weight loss.
GI of about 35 per food is ideal to maintain normal weight.
GI of 50 –65 per food veers towards gaining excess weight in the long term
GI of 100 per food, is an alarm signal and indicates high risk of obesity
(Since 1 gm of glucose converts into 100 percent of blood sugar, it is taken as the standard for measuring the GI of all other foods.)
What makes the GI of one food different from the one in another food? The answer is not yet accurately known, though researchers are sure that there is more than one factor at work. Some factors are:
Differing degrees of soluble and insoluble fibres in food
Starch in foods: How starch in a food reacts with the amylase enzyme in the body will determine its GI, e.g. starch in banana and potato are a little resistant to the enzyme, which means they are not very easily absorbed, which in turn means that their GI is lower.
3% starch in ripe banana and 37% starch in unripe banana is not absorbed. As banana ripens GI increases from 59 to 90. 13% of starch from cooked potato is also not absorbed for the same reason.
Method of cooking: When food is over-cooked it leads to gelatinisation, in effect increasing its GI, as in the case of rice, which in any case has high GI. Finely mashed food also has higher GI, thus whole apple, pureed apple and apple juice have different GI.
Individual reaction: Not everyone produces or absorbs the same level of insulin, so, as body systems vary, so does the blood sugar in the person’s body.
High glucose foods like refined carbohydrates increase the production of insulin, which convert to fat unless burnt. And guess what, these foods reduce the capacity of enzymes to break fat – which simply means, unhealthy weight gain. Any wonder why junk food has been flogged by dieticians?
On the other hand, there is something called ‘lente carbohydrate’, which is slowly absorbed in the body, and has low GI. In the long run, this is lot more beneficial, since the body is not subject to drastic levels of fluctuation in the level of blood sugar and what’s more, they have high fibre content.
Thus food with GI more than 50 facilitates the storage of fats and leads to obesity whereas low GI foods like cereals, legumes, will induce weak GI and will avoid the storage of fats.
For diabetics, food with low GI is very important as it delays glucose absorption after a meal resulting in improved glucose tolerance, whereas rapidly absorbed carbohydrate with high GI, results in sudden rise of blood glucose. The slow absorption rate of low GI foods in itself will cause lower blood sugar and insulin response.
The diet based on low GI reduces the amount of insulin secreted over 24-hour period. It aids in cleaning and flushing the toxic waste from the system and avoiding constipation.
Low GI foods improve even lipid (fat in the blood) profiles. In general there is a significant relationship between the rate of digestion of foods and the amount that reaches the colon. Rapidly digested food with high GI provides 1-2% of starch to the colon whereas digested food with low GI provides 20% starch to the colon. Thus foods of low GI provide increased fermentable substance to the colon, which increases faecal weight.
The delayed carbohydrate absorption helps in less free fatty acid absorption and reduces fatty acid level in blood making your digestion of the next meal easier.
Soya bean, peanut, apricot, leafy vegetables, salads, tomato, green pepper, garlic, mushroom have GI ranging between 10 – 20.
Lentils, fructose, pulse, grapefruit, cherry plum, all bran, peach, green beans, brown rice, all dals, chana, vegetables except (root vegetable) contain GI varying from 20 – 30.
Dried beans, legumes, lentils, chana dal, beans, apples, milk, fresh orange juice, apple juice, red wine, whole wheat bread, Chinese noodles, pasta, Indian corn, orange, dried apricot, nuts have GI between 30 – 40.
Porridge, fresh peas, fruits have a GI between 40 and 50.
The GI of Kiwi, brown rice, basmati rice, sweet corn, oatmeal, sweet potato with skin, banana, melon, pineapple, dry raisin with jam ranges from 50 – 60
Refined flour, chocolate, boiled potato without skin, white rice, cocoa, macaroni, beetroot, cornflakes, honey, maltose, tapioca come under the GI of 60 – 70
Rice flakes, roast potato, fried potato, white bread, biscuit, white sugar – 100, soft drinks (Pepsi, Cola, etc) have a high GI of 80– 90
High GI increases blood sugar while low GI food is beneficial for diabetes, obesity, heart diseases and to maintain weight. Go easy on oil. Avoid junk food at any rate. When you take these precautions, you are automatically taking a healthy balanced diet, which gives more satiety value.
All foods should be taken in moderation. Just because peanuts have a low GI, doesn’t mean you can feast on them. You must eat a balanced diet that includes all food groups, then you can choose which food item you want depending on its GI and your need.
An ideal diet that will help GI includes 8 fruits + vegetables in a day.
If you want to lose weight, it is better to eat a raw fruit than to have juice because the juice is more easily absorbed and has higher GI. It will also make you hungry faster.
Losing weight can be confusing, but if you start to incorporate the 10 Commandments of Weight Loss into your everyday life, you’ll soon see big changes in the way you look and feel.
Eat less fat: Keep you fat intake at least less than 30 percent (some experts say 25 percent) of your total calories. One gram of fat contains nine calories. If you cut back on fat, you’ll control your weight, lower your risk of heart disease and boost your energy. Try replacing high-fat foods with nutritious low-fat options (like fruits, veggies and grains), rather than processed, sugary, fat-free snacks that are nutritional zeros.
Eat less saturated fat: Saturated fat clogs your arteries by increasing your cholesterol levels even more than cholesterol does. Keep saturated fat to less than 10 percent of your total calories. If you eat 2,000 calories per day, try to eat less than 22 grams of saturated fat. Beef, whole milk and cheese are all loaded with saturated fats. Replace them with lower fat cuts of meat (“Select” cuts instead of “Choice” or “Prime”), skim milk and cut down on the cheese.
Watch your portions: one common trait of obese is that these people load their plates with food. By simply cutting back on portions sizes you will be cutting back on calories.
Combine carbohydrates and protein in meals and snacks: Don’t believe the myth that you shouldn’t combine protein and carbohydrates at the same meal. These macronutrients work great together. Carbohydrates tend to give you an immediate energy boost, but the effect wears off quickly and you soon feel tired or hungry. Protein-rich can neutralize those feelings, keeping you alert and feeling full much longer.
Drink up: Water is one of the most important nutrients for your body. It cushions your organs, lubricates your joints, and keeps your skin looking good and transport oxygen to your tissues. Even a tiny water deficit can radically affect how your body and mind perform. You need to drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day (plus an extra 8 ounces for every 15 minutes you exercise).
Be sure to drink before, during and after every workout. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink—that’s a telltale sign that you’re already dehydrated. Instead, you should check your urine. You should be urinating every two to four hours throughout the day. It should be clear to pale yellow (if you’re taking supplements, it could be bright yellow after taking the pill).
Buff up your bones: You may think you don’t have to worry about your bones now, but if you don’t, you will definitely need to worry about them down the road. There are two proven methods for keeping bones strong and preventing osteoporosis:
Get enough calcium and pump iron. Experts recommend getting at least 1,000 milligrams of calcium per day (twice as much as the average woman takes in), and some say that 1,500 milligrams is optimal. One cup of plain low-fat yoghurt has about 400 milligrams of calcium; a cup of skim milk has about 300 milligrams; and 85 gms of salmon has about 370 milligrams. Other calcium-rich sources include green veggies, such as collard greens, kale, spinach and broccoli.
Eat early and often: To keep from running on empty and help you control your weight, try eating four to six meals a day. Start first thing in the morning (after a seven or eight hour fast, you need to eat). Without breakfast your body has no fuel to function, and your brain and body are left running on fumes.
Limiting your food intake to the traditional three-meals-a-day can cause wide swings in your blood sugar levels, which can also affect your energy and moods. Baby yourself when it comes to meals and snacks. What keeps most babies happy and cranky-free? Being fed continuously through the day. Eating throughout the day is also a great weight-loss strategy. If you’re never too hungry, tired or cranky, you’re much less likely reach for a Kit Kat bar. Eating large meals may also make you feel sluggish and groggy, because your body needs to shift extra blood from your brain to your belly to digest the food. Meals that weigh in at over 1,000 calories are not a good idea in the middle of the day or before you work out.
Variety is the spice of life: Varying the foods you eat will keep your diet nutrient-rich and your taste buds from getting bored. Studies show that tired taste buds lead to overeating. Keep them busy enjoying a wide variety of foods. Most people eat only 20 to 25 different foods, which strictly limits the nutrients you get. Even if you’re getting a healthy balance of vitamins and minerals, you may be missing out on hundreds— if not thousands—of phytochemicals (substances in grains, fruits and veggies that appear to have important cancer-fighting properties). One simple way to add nutrients and wake up your taste buds is to try a new food every month.
Eat more fruits and vegetables: You may be tired of hearing that you should eat more fruits and veggies, but if you want to lose weight, they are a great calorie-bargain. People who have been successful at maintaining weight loss tend to eat more fruits and veggies than the average person. They’re a key source of fibre, and they contain a wealth of cancer-fighting vitamins, mineral and phytochemicals. A diet high in fruits and vegetables can significantly cut the risk of cancers of the lung, colon, pancreas, stomach, bladder and ovaries.
Stick to whole fruits rather than processed juices; a large apple, for instance, has four grams of fibre, whereas a cup of apple juice contains none. Whether you’re interested in weight loss or simply want to maintain your weight and stay healthy, set your fruits and veggies goal at five servings a day.
Eat more fibre: Fibre will keep you regular (very important if you’ve recently made changes to your eating habits) and help prevent certain diseases, but it can help you lose weight. Fibre-packed foods (beans, grains, fruits and vegetables) tend to be low in fat and rich in vitamins, and they make you feel full! Insoluble fibres (found in bran, whole-grain breads, cereals and fruits) reduce constipation and may lower your risk of colon cancer. Soluble fibres (apples, citrus fruits, oats and cooked dried beans) may reduce heart-disease risk by keeping blood cholesterol levels low. Adults need to eat 25 to 35 grams of fibre daily.
