Eating While Cheating

Guilt free food :

At such moments, our choice of food should be such that we should not have guilt feeling later on. There are times when we are on some outings and on seeing some tempting foods, we do not think twice before consuming it. Therefore, the main habit, which needs to be inculcated is to ask ourself a few questions before making any choices that what we are going to consume is only to fill up our intestines or is it going to give us some nutritional benefits also. Only then we can make a wiser choice of food like non fried over fried one or heavily sugar laden over the lesser one. Yes, this simple habit is the key trick and will definitely make us guilt free.

High G.I.Foods :

Food with high glycemic index such as white sugar, white flour, processed foods etc are the main culprits to spoil our diet plans if consumed in excess. Foods with high glycemic index release glucose rapidly as compared to the foods with low glycemic index. Foods with low G.I also help to keep us full for longer time and thus become instrumental in weight loss.

Alcohol intake :

Alcohol is generally considered as a hindrance in losing weight. Although as a Dietitian, I cannot recommend its consumption on daily basis, yet in case of its craving at occasions, its consumption should be kept as bare minimum. Alcohol intake stimulates the appetite and there is a tendency of consuming wrong kinds of food with it. Many a times, fried or caloric foods are obvious companions of alcohol. Further calories in alcohol lack the requisite nutrients and additionally hasten the fat storage in our body. Which further slows down our metabolism, hindering weight loss.

Aerated drinks :

Aerated drinks interfere with calcium, magnesium and other trace elements absorption. Cutting out these drinks leads to balancing of hormones  in women leading to reduction in migraines and depressions. The worst combination is of junk food and aerated drinks which further raise our insulin levels. Such foods keep us full without  giving any nutritional benefits. Therefore, healthy options like lemon water, jaljeera, tamarind water and buttermilk should be consumed to counter the cravings for aerated drinks.

Smoking : 

There is a misconception that smoking helps to lose weight as it suppresses appetite and thus the smokers justify their action. But such kind of weight reduction with suppressed appetite and keeping ourselves starved for a longer time is not at all appreciable. Moreover, it can be detrimental to our health and it may increase cravings for fatty and sugary foods. Further, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases are often correlated with smoking. Therefore, it is not at all recommended rather smokers are advised to keep them busy with some other recreational activities to avoid its lust.

Frequency of dining out : 

Weekend treats and frequent outings with calorie laden meals and aerated drinks plays a major role for spoiling our weight loss journey. Although dining out is not bad, yet for this, we need to keep a track of what we eat and how many servings do we take to control your eating and dine out responsibly.

To sum up the issue, one should be aware of good and bad foods and foods with no or less nutritional value and should be smart enough to plan a balanced and well nourished diet, only then eating while cheating will be fine and enjoyable.