1. Having two glasses of water before breakfast, lunch and dinner will help you lose weight

Many dieticians recommend people to take this up as a challenge on Facebook and other social media, and are very proud when people lose weight after following it. But, this is a poor practice for more than one reason. Firstly, drinking water just before meal time may only suppress your appetite for a short time and you will end up with cravings later. Also, filling your stomach with water dilutes your stomach acids, which are key to nutrient absorption and protein synthesis in the body. Even if you are eating a healthy diet, lack of sufficient stomach acid can render all of it useless. You are not only what you eat, but also what your body absorbs. That’s why how and when you eat it is as important as what you eat.

TIP: Avoid having water at least 20-25 minutes before and after meals. Having water immediately after meals may make you feel bloated. During meals you can have a few sips of water if required.

2. Checking your weight on the weighing scale

I used to once weigh myself every 15 days, till I realised the folly of doing that and stopped. The weighing scale has nothing to do with how healthy you are; your health is reflected by several parameters and not on the number you see on the scale.

The better signs of a healthy body are: how good you feel, how much energetic you have, and what kind of diseases [if any] are you suffering from. When you are successful in taking care of your body and mind, the by-product is optimum weight, high energy and an overall good feeling.

TIP: If you want to lose weight, put aside the weighing scale and buy clothes that you want to fit into. Weight loss [or gain] is not always apparent on the scale. You may lose fat and gain muscle, which will make you look leaner but may not show on the scale.

3. Eating less to lose weight

Eating less of the wrong foods is good but eating less of everything is not. Our body needs certain number of calories to carry out its essential functions of pumping and supplying blood, digestion, respiration etc.

The recent fad of having meal replacers to reduce calorie intake and lose weight is not healthy solution and is not in the interest of your health in the long-term. These meal replacers also have a lot of sugar or artificial sweeteners, which can lead to other problems like insulin resistance, hormonal imbalance and nerve problems.

TIP: Portion control is the key. Eat a mix of different foods so your body gets the nutrients from them all. Avoid or restrict calories from packaged and processed foods.

4. A fat free diet is the best

Fats form an important part of our body. They not only protect our vital organs, but are also important for absorption of fat soluble vitamins A, D, E & K. However, it is important to have the right kind of fats.

Fats in the form of nuts, seeds, dry fruits, ghee, avocados and filtered or cold pressed oils are considered healthy fats, as opposed to fats from refined oils, trans fats and hydrogenated vegetables oils, which are generally present in packaged foods.

Lack of healthy fats in the body leads to insufficient absorption of fat soluble vitamins which, in turn, can cause bone issues.

TIP: Add nuts and seeds to your salads and veggies; you can also have them as a snack.

5. No carb diet is the quickest way to weight loss

Whenever someone is keen on a no-carb diet, I ask them, “Then what will you eat?”; they name 4-5 foods that they will eat in repetition. Not only is that boring because of its monotony, but also is also not a healthy practice.

It is necessary to understand that every body is unique and there is no one-size-fits-all weight loss solution that works for everyone. Before following any kind of diet, it is necessary to consult a nutritionist & a dietician to know your body’s unique needs.

To me, a zero-carb diet seems like an unnatural way to eat. Certainly, the simple or “junk” carbs like sugar, cakes, ice-creams, pizzas etc have no nutritional value and hence are called empty calories; avoid them totally. But there are healthy carbs too, which contains a world of good nutrients.

TIP: Rather than totally eliminating carbs, go on a “right carb” diet. Munch on fruits and vegetables which healthy carbs—they contain complex carbohydrates, fibre and proteins too. That way your diet will be interesting and healthy too.

The post Aiming for weight loss? Stay away from these myths appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

Grilled sweet potato salad with ginger honey dressing

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm rounds
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 250g mixed salad leaves
• 1 small onion, finely sliced
• 1 spring onion, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp vinegar, [I prefer using balsamic vinegar]
• 2 tsp root ginger, finely chopped
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds [optional]

Preparation method

1. Toss the sweet potato slices in 1 tbsp of olive oil and cook on a griddle pan or under a medium grill for 10 minutes, or until soft. Turn them half way through cooking.
2. In the meantime, prepare the salad by mixing together the salad leaves, onion and spring onion.
3. Make the dressing by mixing together the honey, vinegar, root ginger and the remaining olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper.
4. Once the potatoes are cooked thoroughly, remove them from the heat and chop into large bite-size pieces.
5. Gently toss them in the salad with the dressing and the pumpkin seeds [if using]. They will be soft so be careful not to break them up.
6. Serve piled high for the perfect salad.

This was first published in the November 2014 issue of Complete Wellbeing.

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