Eat Plenty, Eat Wisely!

"Don't focus on How much you eat. Focus on What you eat."

 

You may have probably been told to stop eating before your tummy gets full. Getting a feeling of dissatisfaction at the end of a meal is really very annoying. Don't you think we should choose our food wisely so that we can eat plenty without any guilt?

A few of my friends who are really health conscious and don't like to make alterations to their diet or skip their workouts for any reason. I have seen them follow various types of diets like keto diet, military diet, time based diets, etc etc. and have tried to get inspired from them and try these things out. But trust me, for a punjabi girl like me who lives to eat, it is like really really difficult to follow any diet.

Yes yes, I understand we all want to eat healthy, look healthy and live healthy, at the same time we even don't want to go on strict diets or do regular workouts therefore, it is better to eat plenty but, WISELY.

Renowned Bangalore-based Nutritionist, Dr. Anju Sood, explains, "We classify calories in two categories. Empty calories and negative calories. Empty calories are the ones, which when consumed generate immense amount of calories (main sources being fast food and refined sugar). These contain no nutritional value. The other, negative calories, come from foods that are nutritious and low on calories. They are great to be added to your diet if you want to lose weight as your body requires bare minimum calories to generate energy and sustain."

'Zero calorie' or 'negative calorie' foods are popular in weight loss diets. A negative calorie food refers to a food that requires more calories to eat, digest and process than it naturally provides to your body. If such food exists then you could lose weight by eating them, as more calories will be used in digesting them than the calories you gain from them.

Fruits and vegetables with high water content are generally promoted as negative calorie foods. Some examples are listed below:

• Celery: 14 calories per cup (100grams), 95% water
• Carrots: 52 calories per cup (130 grams), 85% water
• Lettuce: 5 calories per cup (35 grams), 95% water
• Broccoli: 31 calories per cup (90grams), 89% water
• Grapefruit: 69 calories per cup (230 grams), 92% water
• Tomatoes: 32 calories per cup (180 grams), 94% water
• Cucumbers: 8 calories per cup (50 grams), 95% water
• Watermelon: 46 calories per cup (150 grams), 91% water
• Apples: 53 calories per cup (110 grams), 86% water

Including these foods in your daily diet can really help shed some extra pounds. At the same time, it is equally important to maintain a balanced diet with all round nutrition.

Vitamins, minerals, carbs, proteins and fats are also an essential part of a healthy diet. Ignoring any of them can lead to deficiency resulting in several health problems.

Apart from the foods listed above, below are a few other foods which a re ow in calories and rich in nutrients:

• Potatoes: Contain 58 calories per cup (75 grams) and are a good source of potassium and vitamins B6 and C.
• Blueberries: Contain 84 calories per cup (150 grams) and are a good source of vitamins C and K, as well as the mineral manganese.
• Raspberries: Contain 64 calories per cup (125 grams) and are good sources of vitaminf C and manganese.
• Spinach: Contains only 7 calories per cup (30grams) along with vitamins K and A, along with several other vitamins and minerals.
• Chicken breast: Contains 110 calories and 22 grams of protein per 3 ounce (85 grams) serving.
• Plain Greek yogurt: A fat-free variety contains 100 calories and 16 grams of protein per 6 ounce (170 grams) serving.
• Whole eggs: Contain 78 calories and 6 grams of protein per egg, as well as many vitamins, minerals and unsaturated fats.

There are many protein source foods (few stated above), and many other foods like cheese, avocados, nuts, chia seeds, dark chocolates which are rich in nutrients, minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and a very good source of healthy fats.

Fats contain more calories per gram than protein and carbs but, we cannot ignore the fact that fats are a vital part of a healthy diet.

To summarise:

As per many people the theory of negative calorie food is a myth. The fact that cannot be ignored is that regardless of what food you eat, you will always get something out of it. We just need to keep in mind that a well-balanced diet is the key to a healthy food habit.

Our body may tend to look in shape physically by following any type of diet or workout regime but without a proper mix of all nutrients we cannot obtain a healthy lifestyle.

*All calorie statistics are as per USDA