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The Big Fat Mystery

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We know how fat gets into our body. We eat cakes laden with cream, samosas laden with oil and malai kulfi laden with malai. Food high in fat is a sure way for fat to eat its way into your body through our mouth, sit in places we do not want it to sit and stay stubbornly put until we do something about it. But do you know how fat leaves the body?
What happens when the extra jiggly bits on your arms, your thighs, your abs start looking slimmer because you have been working out or dieting, or both? What happened to the excess fat that you had accumulated? Where has it disappeared? Any guesses? Surprisingly, not many qualified doctors, nutritionists and fitness trainers know the correct answer. Welcome to The Big Fat Mystery.

Where dose the fat  disappear?

To understand where fat goes, we first need to understand what fat is.Fat tissue is composed of lipids ­ biological molecules made up of compounds of hydrogen, oxygen and carbon that store energy in their bonds. When we exercise or make successful attempts to burn fat, the molecules are broken apart, the energy stored in these l bonds is released.

But when this happens, where does the extraneous `padding’ that lines our bellies and bums go? Well, while the energy is released, the hydrogen, carbon and oxygen in those  molecules still remain in your body. What , becomes of them?
How do they get released?
The same way they came in. We exhale it. Biologists at the University of New South Wales (Australia) have now conducted in-depth research on where the mass of your fat goes after you burn it inside your body. For every kilo of fat you burn, 80 per cent of that mass is released as carbon dioxide when you exhale. The rest of the 20 per cent is released through water ­ urine, sweat or tears, if you really hate to exercise.

Fact of the ‘Matter’

Why this happens is quite simple really. Remember, matter cannot be destroyed ­ it can only change form. For example, ice and steam are just changed, altered states of water. In other words, if we accumulate fat in terms of actual physical visible fat, it needs to change its form to another if it has to be expelled during the burning process.

And why does this matter? It’s good to understand what happens to the fat that you are burning because when you are on that treadmill, huffing and puffing away, you will know that every breath you ex hale is a sign of fat leaving your body, and that you are inching closer to losing those inches.

When you are exercising at a pace that’s optimal for fat burning, know that the sweat you see on your clothes is not just sweat, and exhalation is not just exhalation.

It’s a sign that a particular mass of fat has truly been expelled from your body. And -depending on how disciplined you are -it’s not going to return soon.

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The Sweet Truth

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Sweet cravings are usually very hard to explain. From pondering over spreadsheets, power points, nappies, or whatever else has caught your fancy, your mind suddenly wanders in the direction of cookies, cupcakes, chocolates. And, depending on where you are, your body suddenly wanders towards a bakery, a fridge or a secret stash in a secret drawer that nobody knows about. Because, you know, it’s a secret.

Could this sugar craving be symptomatic of something else? While sugar cravings could mean that you could have a blood sugar imbalance, and it’s a view that is commonly and correctly held, I’d like to examine other reasons why you suddenly feel the urge to reach out for that dessert more often than you did.

  1. YOU COULD HAVE INTESTINAL PARASITES OR FUNGI

If your intestinal tract is looking like a free for-all Airbnb where yeast, bad bacteria and assorted fungi have come to stay, it could cause a spike in your sugar cravings. These unwelcome guests feed on sugar, and by virtue of that, boost cravings for both sugar and carbs. While this spike in intestinal bacteria is usually found in people with chronic illnesses or autoimmune conditions, it’s best to get it checked out

  1. YOUR SUGAR HABIT COULD BE LEADING YOU TO CONSUME MORE SUGAR

Sugar consumption is a vicious cycle. When you consume too much sugar, it tricks your brain into producing  dopamine, which is known as the `pleasure neurotransmitter’ or the `feel-good’ hormone. When the dopamine levels start to crash, we feel down an out. To regain that warm, fuzzy feeling, we regain our enthusiasm for sweet, unhealthy foods. And, with it, gain weight.

  1. YOU MAY BE CONSUMING ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS

This is typical of short-term benefits at the cost of long-term strategising. Artificial sweeteners, some studies suggest, could be linked with an increased craving for sugar, leaving you worse off than when you started. And artificial sweeteners are everywhere: from colas to chewing gum and are available in handy sachet and tablet form, among others.

So now that we have defined the conditions under which excess sugar is consumed, what can we do about it?
The key, of course, is ensuring your blood sugar levels are stable. And you can do this by:

a) Upping your protein intake: Protein is brilliant for managing sugar cravings. Ensure that you get enough. The recommended dosage is 0.8-one gram per kilo of actual body weight. So if you weigh in at 68 kilos, you need about 55-68 grams of protein a day.

b) Have a healthy breakfast, especially, one that is rich in lean protein like egg whites.

c) Eating every two hours: Long gaps between meals make you crave for more food and dropping your sugar levels. Break up your overall food intake into smaller meals.

d) Junk processed foods and sugars and artificial sweeteners: Processed foods spike your sugar levels and then bring them crashing down, leading you to reach for the sugary stuff.

e) Drink water: Water really helps staving off those cravings. You’d be surprised at how brilliantly this simple trick works.

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Your nutritional horoscope

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This Women’s Day, as you gear up to receive a surprise breakfast fit for a queen or a hastily ordered bouquet of flowers, spend some time on your horoscope.Not on issues that are personal or professional but on those that are nutritional. Although I’m not a soothsayer or savant, I can quite comfortably predict your nutritional future this year.Without knowing you or meeting you, I can safely predict that this year most of you will…

Feel the need to clean the plates

Of course, I don’t mean getting down and dirty -or is it clean? -with soap and water but eating leftovers. Beware of this obsessive need to “prevent waste“ as you eat that last half-roti or those few spoonfuls of rice just so that you’re satisfied that all the food is finished. If you continue to do so, you may be looking at a possible 4-5 kilos of weight gain in a year. The math is simple: let’s assume that the extra intake of leftover dinner and or dessert adds up to about 100 extra calories per day, if you are not able to burn it off. If you do this everyday, it totals up to 36,500 un burned calories a year. It takes 3,500 calories to gain a pound of weight, which is about 10 pounds or about 4-5 kilos of weight gained in a year. Quite simply, waste makes waist.

Eating to prevent wastage doesn’t always guarantee weight gain. But if you are struggling to lose those last few kilos, and not realising where things are going wrong, now you do. Maybe it’s time to let the leftovers be. If you cannot finish what’s on your plate, it’s not your problem ­ it’s the dust bin’s or the fridge’s.

Feel the need to be kind

I also predict that this year many of you reading this will have an inability to say “No“.The social pressure to eat can be held responsible for you going for that second helping of dessert just because your host insisted. Or be cause of people around you who encourage you to eat unhealthy foods when you’re on a diet. Just say `no’.

Feel the need to think of others all the time

Be a little selfish this year. You need to do what it takes to be more energetic, eat healthier, sleep well, and sleep on time. Because you cannot provide from an empty cup. To take care of others, you first need to take care of yourself.

Chase away approaches to nutrition that are bad for you. If you do, I can predict a healthy, nutritious year with a body that will love you for it. Happy Women’s Day.

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In Bombay Times - Ask the expert

Veto the Keto

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Ketogenic diets, that have become the Champagne of diets, have no fiz

If the next conversation you have steers towards losing weight or going on a diet, chances are it will quickly take a sharp turn into more murky waters: ketogenic diet. It’s the most popular diet right now. My clients ask about keto, celebrities whisper about it, and there are many who have already tried it. This piece talks about why you should run in the opposite direction when anyone mentions keto. And keep running. Having said that, run anyway. Exercise is good for you.

What is a keto diet?

Ketogenic diets are high in fat, adequate in protein and low absent in carb, the principle being that a diet on low carb intake will automatically turn to fat as the energy source for your body, i.e., fat won’t be stored but work as fuel.

It’s like this: Carbohydrates in food are converted into glucose, and glucose in turn, gives us energy to perform our numerous daily functions. However, in Ketogenic diets, the theory is that since there is very little carbon intake, the liver converts fat into both ketones and fatty acids. The ketone bodies, in turn, replace glucose as an energy source, which then fuels the body. Theoretically, at least.

Sounds alright, you think. And easy to follow. What’s not to like about high-fat foods? I mean butter chicken every night doesn’t sound bad, does it?
Or fried pakora’s…Well, sorry to burst your kulcha, but if it’s too good to be true, it always is. Here’s why.

Too good to be true?

First up, these diets are composed of 70-80% fat. Considering that the recommended dietary intake of fat shouldn’t exceed 5-10%, what you are essentially doing is immediately increasing your risk of contracting high-fat conditions. On diets like these, high cholesterol is also a possible fallout. But that is nothing compared to the following possible side effects associated with high-fat diets: Fatty deposits on the liver, excessive thirst, tachycardia (rapid heartbeat), fatigue, confusion, light-headness, shakiness, sweating and chills. This could also be due to the fact that many ketogenic diets online don’t always tell you which kinds of fats to use. Fats can be good: Polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, Omega-3 fatty acids, and bad: Trans fats, saturated fats. Needless to say, you need good fats.

In addition, women may In  addition, women may also experience disruption of periods, called amino . In children, these diets have been linked to kidney stones, stunted growth, and bone fractures (the latter two related to reduced Insulin Growth Factor 1).

Why veto the keto?

Second, ketogenic diets were designed for epileptic patients, primarily; which meant that the diet was created in response to a medical condition. In the absence of a problem that needs an intervention like a keto diet, are you not better off with a balanced diet? Health, like nutrition, is all about balance.

Last, and definitely not the least, the fact that these diets actually activate ketone production -enough, at least, to be a primary source of energy -is in itself doubtful. It may work for some, but not for others. And even if it does work, your body composition will change, and you will be left with a higher fat to muscle ratio. Which means that when you get back to regular eating, for how long can you go without carbs? Your metabolism will be less efficient because of the higher fat content due to the fact that muscle burns more calories, at rest, than fat.

You will wind up gaining more weight. It may work, therefore, in the short term, but definitely not in the long.

Why risk plugging your arteries, adding to your visceral fat (the precursor to many metabolic diseases) or adding to your abdominal fat when keeping it simple is all you need? It is something to think about.

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Eating your way through menopause

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During menopause, when a woman’s hormones are out of control, her mood swings can sometimes be overwhelming. Emotions simply cannot keep pace with the swift changes in the body. And because she’s not feeling happy, she’s less likely to take care of herself.

There are many things you can do to ease the process. Now, more than ever, you need to embrace a lifestyle that is healthy and balanced, even if you do feel off-kilter on some days. And because menopause is a time associated with weight gain, hot flushes, water retention and emotional see-saws, the healthier your lifestyle, the fewer the symptoms. Here’s what you can do:

FOR WEIGHT GAIN

This is the phase when (what I call) your fat `storage cupboards’ change and your body starts to store fat in different places. From starts to store fat in different places.Always having a flattish stomach, for example, it suddenly may be distressing to find it becoming bigger, possibly altering your shape. You can effectively combat this by good nutrition and exercise as tools.

Menopause is also a time to introduce calcium-rich foods because the drop in oestrogen is associated with a drop in calcium levels.While calcium-rich foods like kale, milk, dahi, cheese (use judiciously), broccoli go a long way in helping with calcium deficiency, this is also a time to chomp on antioxidant foods and nourishing vegetable juices.Antioxidant foods include beans, fish, nuts, whole grains and dark leafy green vegetables. Blend vegetable juice in a mixie, not a juicer ­ three raw vegetables with water.Then, add about half the pulp back to the glass. Top up with water and season to taste.

FOR MOOD SWINGS

Stay off sugary foods -no matter how much you crave them -is a good idea.Healthier foods are better for your blood sugar, as the sugars in these foods slowly release in your body, leading to more stability in your mood. Eating every two hours keeps your sugar levels stable. Don’t forget to exercise.

The endorphins released are a mood booster and stabilises -and reverses osteoporosis.

FOR MOST SYMPTOMS

Natural supplements that help combat menopausal symptoms include those with soya, soya protein isolates, isoflavones. Also, take a closer look at supplements with primosa oil, healthy omegas, Vitamin B and calcium.

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In Bombay Times - Ask the expert

Love thyself

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CELEBRATE THE  VALENTINE MONTH BY GIFTING  YOURSELF SELF-CARE

This year, instead of writing about how to celebrate the love month with your beloved (could be a partner, parent, friend or even a dog). I am going to instead talk about how to love the one person closest to you. Yourself. Corny, yes. Unnecessary , no. Many women treat their bodies —– and their heart, kidney, liver, and lungs —– with little  semblance of self-love. Most are so busy putting the needs of other people — their spouses, careers, kids —- before themselves that they forgot  they are  equally  deserving of the attention. Shower a bit of love on yourself by:

EATING SMART

This seems hard when life is overwhelming but it’s  surprisingly easy to balance indulgences with healthfulness. Instead of overloading your system, take care of yourself by eating at home most of the week, and practising portion control when you’re out. Nourish yourself with good quality carbs (including vegetables and fruits), protein (lean meats, quinoa, dal, egg and seafood) and unsaturated fats so that you get your daily dose of vitamins and minerals. And avoid things that come in boxes, packets or tins.

EATING FREQUENTLY

Gift yourself better metabolism by eating every two hours. Did you know that apart from walking, jogging or even breathing, digestion is a calorie-burning activity? By breaking up four main meals (breakfast, lunch, teatime snacks, dinner) into eight  small meals (two hours apart), your body burns some of the calories as you eat them, putting your body constantly in the ‘gym’.

EXERCISING

Exercise is one of the best way to show yourself you care. Try exercising for an hour a day: walking, jogging, or even aerobic dance, coupled with light weight training. You could break up the hours into 20 or 30 minute blocks in the day.

HYDRATING

Keeping the body hydrated helps the heart more easily pumps blood through the blood vessels to the muscles. And, it helps the muscles work efficiently. Hydrate your life by drinking water because it helps in the daily functioning of your body, which helps in maintaining its equilibrium.

GETTING YOUR DAILY DOSE OF ANTIOXIDANTS

You can do this by drinking a glass of  vegetables juice every day. Blend three different raw vegetables in a mixie (not a juicer), add half of pulp to a glass, top with water and season. Drink immediately to enjoy a host of wonderful antioxidants that flush out your system of toxins. You’d be doing your body — and your life — a great service.

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How To Reduce Blood Pressure

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Ah, blood pressure, and those tiny pills that you take from those tiny boxes to battle a not-so-tiny problem. Of all the diseases that nutrition can help with, high BP is the one of the most responsive. Do it right and you can significantly reduce, delay or completely eliminate the need for medication.

The most obvious and significant way to do this would be to lose weight. There is a strong correlation between a decrease in weight and a decrease in blood pressure. While healthy weight loss and its methodologies have been consistently outlined in these pages, why not…

EAT A HEALTHY HYPERTENSIVE HEALING DIET

A diet high in whole grains, fruits, veggies, and low in saturated fats and cholesterol, has been known to lower your BP by up to 14 mm Hg. This particular combination known as the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet is geared towards managing the condition and reducing weight, thereby killing two hypertensive birds with one stone. While you are including more of the above in your diet, don’t forget to…

BOOST POTASSIUM

Potassium works to lower the impact of sodium on blood pressure. Fruits (plums, musk melons, banana) and veggies (spinach, avocado, mushroom) are great sources of this mineral, and are better than supplements as an overdose of potassium from natural sources is rare. You also have to remember to…

REDUCE SODIUM

Even a minimal reduction in sodium duction in sodium can lower your BP by 2-8 mm Hg. While the maximum grammage of sodium will be indicated by your doctor, it still lurks in shadowy corners of the foods we sometimes eat, especially in processed foods. Only small amounts of sodium are found in natural foods. Processed foods are sometimes loaded with it. It’s best to avoid processed foods as much as possible if you are a BP patient. While you are at it…

READ YOUR FOOD LABELS

Monitor sodium intake, saturated fats and cholesterol, among other things. Read the fine print; it could be crucial to your health.

LIMIT THE ALCOHOL

If you limit your alcohol intake, you’ll reduce your BP by 2-4 mm Hg. But this phenomenon could be altogether reversed if you drink too much: by that I mean no more than 350 ml of beer, about 145 ml of wine or about 30 ml of 80 proof liquor per day. And since we are on the subject of alcohol, please…

QUIT SMOKING

There’s absolutely nothing to benefit from here. Even one cigarette can increase your BP for minutes after you have finished. And if you are a coffee-and-cigarette lover, you’ll also have to…

WATCH YOUR CAFFEINE

While the effect of caffeine on BP is questionable, there’s still a link. The best way would be to check your BP within 30 minutes of drinking caffeine. If your BP has increased by 5-10 mm Hg, you may be sensitive to caffeine.

Lastly, while it’s not strictly nutritional advice…

DON’T FORGET TO EXERCISE

Working out for about 30 minutes every day can bring down your BP by an additional 4-9 mm Hg. Cardiovascular exercises work best ­ walking, jogging, cycling, dancing or swimming.

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Grazing on the go

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Compact, high-value, low-calorie snacks

If you’ve been reading my columns, you would now know that eating every two hours is the backbone of my nutritional philosophy – it is a guaranteed way to jump start your metabolism, lose weight and keep it off. Four healthy main meals (breakfast, lunch, teatime and dinner) and four fillers in between these meals is the goal, and it has given my clients long-lasting and consistent results over the last 15 years. Whether or not this is something you follow, there will always be a universal need for meals between meals. Healthy, nourishing fillers that not only keep hunger at arm’s length but also pre-empt that unplanned late-morning or early-evening bingeing on muffins, cupcakes, and samosas, and other foods you hadn’t set out to eat.

EASY SNACKING

Here are some tried-and-tested filler options:

  1. Fruit: Cut in pieces in an airtight box for convenience but whole is preferred.
  2. Chana: Can stay in your bag for days without a problem.
  3. Kurmura: By itself or lightly roasted with turmeric, salt and curry leaves in a tiny amount of oil.
  4. Nourishables: Click here to shop your pack.
  5.  Diet khakra: The smaller the size, the easier it is to handle.
  6. Carrot/cucumber sticks: This could also be accompanied by a dollop of hung curd dip. Made with skimmed curds, of course.
  7. Sandwich (four pieces): Cut a low-fat sandwich into four pieces, eating two at a time.
  8. Stuffed roti/thepla: Use buttermilk, not water, for the dough.
  9. Dry fruit: Almonds, pistachios, walnuts, raisins, dates.
  10. Roasted makhanas (homemade): Don’t be fooled by the commercially available ones. The masala sticks to them simply because they are loaded with oil.
  11. Popcorn: Homemade, not the microwavable one, which may be preserved in larde or trans fat.
  12. Dry roasted sprouts:You can make this fun with onions, sliced green chilli, tomatoes and a slice of lime.

THINKING INSIDE THE BOX

You can also come up with your own fillers based on the examples above. What are the hallmarks of a good filler? Foods that are low in calories, low in fat, help stave off cravings and add some nutritional value to your body. It’s also better if they are easy to carry, dry, and can be eaten without making a mess. But not all healthy snacks are created equal. For example, some store-bought energy bars may not be high in calories but will be high in sugars, which make you want to eat more sugar. They may not necessarily add too much nutritional value either. Do read the labels before venturing into the land of commercially available diet snacks. Not all are bad but you must know what you are getting into. Happy snacking.

 

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Work on your WILLPOWER

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Willpower is probably one of weight loss most misunderstood components. From high-calorie eating and a couch-potato life, many expect that the couch will be replaced by the treadmill, the high-fat diet by a low-fat one, desserts will be effortlessly refused and cocktails will be painlessly brushed aside for a glass of water. The truth is that willpower is a muscle. And the more you use this muscle, the stronger it becomes:

SPEED BUMPS ALONG THE WAY

When starting a new diet or exercise regime, expect to face difficulties. Expect to find it hard to refuse that last cupcake. Expect to find it hard to wake up in time for exercise. Try not to have an all-or-nothing approach where one blip on a diet means you’ll be eating unhealthily for the rest of the day. If you slip and you will dust off your mistake, and reset your diet.

MAKE IT EASIER

You can also do things that don’t test your willpower. Eat at home before parties to avoid bingeing  on food, stay away from people who encourage you to break your diet and visualise yourself enjoying social occasions by focusing on the conversation, not the food. You can also take a healthy salad/dish with you to parties if your host permits and slowly partake of that, eating less of the others. And cut all junk food from the house. You won’t need to resist temptation if there is no temptation to resist.

LIGHT AT THE OTHER END

After building your willpower, you will find it is easier to say no. Over time, you will realise that you don’t miss the foods that you had worked so hard to avoid. This may take weeks, or even months for some, but once your on the other side, chances are you find it as difficult to get back to your old lifestyle as you had found adjusting to your new one.

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Vegging out

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A meat lovers guide to eating greens

There are fewer things more depressing to meat lovers than a pure vegetarian buffet or party. The heart sinks, the mood flattens and the smile sags but they dutifully pile their plates not to offend their host. They may try and make conversation but their minds are clearly somewhere else… on a bed of cold cuts, maybe, or a juicy meat patty sandwiched in a delightful sesame bun. I exaggerate but not much. It is hard for committed meatheads to even look in the direction of vegetarian dishes. If this sounds familiar, you may want to keep reading.

Vegetables are crucial for well-being. In fact, your body cannot function without a decent daily dose of vegetables because that is where your vitamins and minerals come from. If you have been feeling unwell or falling sick frequently, think about your intake of veggies. Vegetables are also complex carbohydrates they have the dual benefit of helping with digestion and keeping your stomach full, all of which help brilliantly with weight loss.

AS SIDES

Pair your Chinese dish with a side of Chinese greens or have a portion of healthy cooked potatoes with your next tandoori trek. Or a salad to round off a grilled fish. Side dishes are a wonderful complement to your non-vegetarian hero dish that will balance both taste and nutrients. A win-win, basically.

AS GARNISH

Can it really kill the appetite if you chop some coriander and sprinkle it on your chicken? Or add cucumber/tomato to your plate? Garnishes are a seamless way to integrate veggies and herbs and, by association, vitamins and minerals.

AS A SECRET INGREDIENT

Vegetables can be the hidden ingredient in the construction of many dishes. Chicken soups can be thickened with potatoes instead of cornstarch, or meat curries could have more vegetables swimming in them. Bite an accidental broccoli along your journey to your meat destination? Good for you.

AS VEGETABLE JUICE

A vegetable juice is the best habit anyone can acquire. It is a glass of antioxidant glory, easy to make, cheap to invest in and quick to drink. Blitz three different raw vegetables in a mixie (not a juicer) and pour the pulpy mixture into a glass (this should be about half a glasss worth, so use the veggies accordingly). Top off with water and add salt, rock salt, pepper, lime or anything you feel will enhance the taste. Drink up immediately (the benefits gets lost you leave it too long) and enjoy. Do this once a day, every day, and see how your body starts to slowly transform for the better.

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