Eat Right to Lose Weight and Stay Healthy

We live in a world that is obsessed with weight. We are constantly being told that we are either too fat or too thin. No wonder hundreds of young girls end up skipping meals, or worse, developing serious eating disorders. While I can’t do much about the world at large, I can tell you that you do not have to starve yourself to lose weight. I guarantee you that it is entirely possible to eat well and lose weight at the same time.

In fact, I would go as far as to say, it is essential to eat in order to lose weight. With the right food, your liver stays healthy and strong and absorbs nutrients required to keep you fit. The liver is the master detox organ. It can affect your hormones and consequently your weight. The liver metabolises hormones, and then removes excess hormones like insulin, thyroxin, oestrogen, adrenaline, cortisol which can cause a number of health problems, including weight gain. The trick, therefore, is to eat right. Here are some suggestions for a healthy diet:

Probiotic formulas and green juices – Vsl#3 is an excellent probiotic formula and is available in India now. It has the highest concentration of friendly bacteria so first-timers please start with low concentration levels from 15 to 25 billion strain. Ask your GP to prescribe a good gentle one. Combine your probiotics with a healthy green juice such as wheat grass, spinach, parsley juice of even a super green powder mixed with water. Drink this on an empty stomach daily. This combination is alkaline in nature, and helps remove toxins from the body. Wheat grass powder and super green powders like spirulina or moringa are easily available in Godrej Nature’s Basket, Whole Foods and most health food stores. Remember, you should drink your morning tea or coffee at least 30 minutes after your green juice.

Thermogenic foods – These are foods that increase metabolism and calorie burning by enhancing thermogenesis, a process in which the body burns calories to utilize the food you have just eaten, converting those calories to heat. Try having two cups of green tea or hot water with lemon juice with some good organic cinnamon powder. Or add turmeric to a cup of almond milk, two crushed black peppercorns, 2 crushed green cardamoms and one of coconut oil. Boil this for 5-7 minutes on a high flame, strain and add a teaspoon of honey and stir. Have this in the evening. These have anti-inflammatory thermogenic properties that will heal you from the inside out while helping you lose weight.

Eat organic, eat lean – We live in a world of pollution and deliberate food adulteration. Try to eat organic fruits and vegetables. Grow your own herbs in small pots on your balcony or kitchen window. Try and avoid salads outside or in a situation where you don’t know if the ingredients are from a trustworthy source. I avoid thin skin fruits like apples, mangoes, grapes, plums, because they absorb chemicals and pollutants faster and are biggest causes of breast and ovarian cancers. Eat fruits in the mornings with eggs, not in the afternoons or evenings and definitely not after meals. Fish, shell fish, and lean meats, even red meat as long as it is lean, are good for you. Try and procure organic free range meat or at least from a known source that doesn’t use hormones. Processed meats are a complete no-no. I know bacon is hard to give up, but unfortunately it is really bad for you.

Natural sweeteners and healthy oils – We all know refined white sugar is bad for one on multiple levels. But artificial sweeteners are bad news for your hormones. Try natural alternatives like jaggery, palm sugar, dates, organic honey, organic maple syrup, agave nectar. Not all oils are bad. Use healthy oils for cooking, like organic ghee, coconut oil, avocado oil, olive oil.

Don’t skip meals: Skipping meals is the worst thing you can do if you are trying to lose weight. Instead, eat 4 small meals in a day. Replace the milk chocolate with dark chocolate and the unhealthy fried snacks with a mix of dry roasted seeds. Try going salt free twice a week for breakfast and dinner. I do this regularly and it works wonders. It is not as difficult as it sounds. Have a salt free protein shake with almond milk and one tea spoon of peanut butter, or oat pancakes with organic maple syrup or oat porridge, two egg omelette with yolk, cauliflower roti with spicy green chutney.

Eating well and eating right is critical for healthy living, and even for losing weight. Try some of the suggestions I have put together. You will notice the difference in your energy, health, immunity and weight, within weeks.

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