Dipti was looking at ways to lose weight. She joined a reputed gym in her vicinity and diligently followed the workout regime. She even hired a personal trainer in her gym who would personally help her to lose weight. But she just could not lose weight. She wondered why she could not lose weight even after performing the vigorous workout and eating everything that was ‘healthy’.
There are many individuals who face the same dilemma. They are not able to lose weight in spite of following a strict diet regime and exercising diligently.
More than likely it is because they are misinformed as to what really constitutes healthy food. Here are some foods that were always believed to be healthy, but in reality are anything but healthy.
1. Breakfast cereals
Fact:
Cereals are most preferred breakfast in urban India. It is deemed to be healthy and can be prepared in a jiffy. Most breakfast cereals are labeled healthy and nutritive and recommended for weight loss. It is important to read the label as many cereals are loaded with sugar and their vitamin and mineral content is chemical based.
Solution:
It is suggested that you should not buy anything that has more than 2 gms of sugar and 3 gms of fiber per 30 gm serving. You should aim at buying cereals with at least 5 gms of fiber if possible.
Well Known Nutritionist Patricia Sadri says, “Cereals that can be had for breakfast are Rotis (Wheat flour, Jowar, Bajra, Ragi), These rotis can be had with cooked vegetables or can also be stuffed with vegetables; Oats / Muesli can be had with milk, Idlis with green chutney (2-3 medium sized for 1 serving).”
2. Sandwiches
Fact:
Most individuals prefer to have a sandwich for breakfast or as a healthy lunch option. It is important to remember that having a sandwich made of whole wheat bread does not make it healthy. What you add as a filling also matters. Full fat cheese, mayonnaise, malai paneer can add to a good amount of fats and calories.
Solution:
You can have a healthy sandwich by choosing a low fat cheese, low fat mayonnaise, etc. you can add non starchy vegetables such as lettuce, cucumber slices, tomato slices, shredded cabbage, and capsicum strips. You can also opt for low fat yogurt dressing to make it healthy.
Patricia Sadri says, “Low fat yogurts mixed with basil leaves and herbs, minced almonds / walnuts with a small tsp of honey, chopped fruits can also be added to make your filling healthy.”
3. Salads
Fact:
Most weight watcher fall in the trap to a wrong notion that any dish with the word ‘salad’ is a healthy choice. Unfortunately, the truth is that most salads are loaded with calories and are the worst choice on the menu.
Salads that are prepared using heavy dressings like mayonnaise, crotons, fried noodles etc are loaded with calories and sodium.
Solution:
You should always choose a salad without a dressing or opt for dressing at the side. If you are tempted to have the salad with the dressing you can just dip the fork into the dressing.
To make a healthy salad use non starchy vegetables like tomatoes, cucumber, capsicum, lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, onions etc. Patricia Sadri says, “You can also add lean protein such as grilled chicken or beans as proteins help build muscle mass in the body makes a person feel active and healthy throughout the day. Proteins also increase the metabolic rate. If protein is coupled with salads which are high in fiber then the purpose of a scientific (healthy) weight loss is met. A healthy salad can also be made with egg whites / low fat paneer / low fat yogurt / almonds or walnuts.”
