Now in this topic, we will tell you the “4 adoptions”, the only 4 nutritional rules you need to adopt to lose weight, while also improving your health and fitness.
We begin with rule #1…[/cs_text][x_line style=”border-top-width: 1px;”][cs_text]
1 Just eat REAL foods.[/cs_text][cs_text]Huh? What?
Yep, that’s exactly what we mean. Just eat real foods.
You will be doing your body (and weight) a BIG favour by simply eating real foods, while avoiding anything not ‘man-made’.
Let us expand on that…
So what actually is real food?
Well, there are 3 easy criteria by which you can determine if a food is real or not…
If it comes in a box, even if it’s in a health food store, it requires methods of preserving the food, maintaining the food without mould and other issues.
What that means is the food requires to undergo a whole chemical process of its own.
Not real.
Not good.
Can your granny recognize this as food?
XXXXXXXXXXshow kinder joy XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
What we mean is, if it’s real food, 99% of the time, you can actually see the food growing naturally, like vegetables, fruits, and even grains.
Even for non vegetarians, you can go outside and see the animal roaming around, right?
So if you can actually observe the food in it’s natural surrounding, it’s probably real food!
And finally, the third method to determine whether a food is real food or not is… can you describe how it’s produced or how it grows, meaning how it came to existence?
So for e.g. if a child comes up to you and she says “hey where did this thing come from, how was this kinder joy made?”
Well, you don’t really know, do you?!
When you can’t describe the exact process from the raw material stage right up to getting it in your hands, it’s probably not real food!
In fact, in some packaged foods, you can’t even pronounce the names of the ingredients.
[/cs_text][cs_text]So one of the techniques we teach all our clients is what we call the “Grocery Store Skimming” technique.
What it means is, when you go to buy food, let’s say in a local shopping mall or a big grocery store, and if the food is ripe when you walk in, it’s real food.
We call this as a LEVEL 1 FOOD, the best possible food category, the most natural, real foods!
You can almost always close your eyes and buy these fresh foods.
General examples would be fresh vegetables, meat, raw milk, fruits, fresh seafood, etc.
Next, if the food is in a refrigerator (not a freezer), it might be real food, so we call it LEVEL 2 FOOD, not as good as level 1 but still okay, still good.
Examples would be packaged/toned milk, cheese, cottage cheese, yoghurt, or some temperature sensitive vegetables.
So even these foods can be good for you when eaten moderately.
The third option, if it’s in a package, check the ingredient label, if you can describe how it’s manufactured, AND if it does not have any preservatives or other artificial things, it might be a decent option.
Other so called healthy options like “Atta” noodles, or digestive biscuits, just laugh them off and head off to the fresh food section.
(You’ll learn more about these ‘healthy foods’ in the Reading Food Labels topic later).
So once again, the 3 simple rules the next time you go food shopping:
Level 2 – Refrigerated foods like fresh yoghurt, or milk.
Level 3 – All processed and packaged foods WITHOUT any preservatives or additives, best to be eaten sparsely.
And remember, this 3 level system is like a guideline, not a rule.
For e.g. these days you can buy whole wheat flour, rice, in packages, does that make them bad? Definitely not.
Conversely do you ‘need’ these other packaged foods like biscuits, doughnuts and packaged juice in your shopping cart? Definitely not.
This concludes the first dietary adoption, just eating real foods, now we move on to…[/cs_text][x_line class=”mbs” style=”border-top-width: 1px;”][cs_text class=”mtm”]
2 It’s All About WHAT You Eat, Not HOW MUCH You Eat[/cs_text][x_line class=”mts mbs” style=”border-top-width: 1px;”][cs_text]To better understand this, we go slightly deeper in the nutritional world, beginning with something you might have heard about, something called…”empty calories“…
What are “empty calories”?
“Empty calories” are calories that are obtained from food that are high in calories, but very low in nutrients.
Meaning, you do get ‘calories’ from these foods, but there is no real nutritional value in them.
Examples would be stuff like soft drinks, fast foods, fried/baked chips, cakes, doughnuts…
Now, these are not empty ‘foods’ per se… so for e.g. if you are stranded in a desert, these foods would keep you alive, sure… but for weight loss results, the fit body that you are trying to acquire… these foods are best avoided and eliminated from your diet.
Which brings us to one of the most important and often overlooked dietary factor, especially in India… nutrient density.
Nutritional dense foods means those foods that are high in nutrition but low in calories.
[/cs_text][cs_text]So here’s a simple nutrient density table comparing the macronutrients like proteins and carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals such as Iron, Magnesium in whole foods versus refined foods.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX[/cs_text][cs_text]In this case, you are looking at whole wheat versus refined wheat flour, better known as Maida, found in biscuits, breads, cookies, etc.
Now, when you compare the nutrients in the left column with the one on the right, the refined column, you’ll see that the refined version has just a fraction of real nutrients.
So for e.g. just look at the fibre part, 22%, that’s 1/5th of what you would find in whole wheat.
Vitamin B – 1/5th, 1/4th of what you would naturally be getting from the whole version.
Vitamin B6 – that’s almost 1/10th of what you would be getting…
Look at Vitamin E – that’s 1/20th of what you would be getting naturally and easily in the unrefined versions.
So the basic problem with refined foods is, they’ve been stripped of their fibre and their bran, and it is the fibre and the bran that has most of the nutrients, vitamins and minerals.
Have a look at this image, you’ll see the same thing is true for rice.
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[/cs_text][cs_text]On the left is brown rice on the right, the refined, that’s the centre column is white rice, it’s been stripped of the nutrients and the vitamins and the minerals; it has a fraction, sometimes 10% of the vitamins and minerals you should be getting.
So the big problem today is, we are consuming a large amount of ‘calories’… but we aren’t getting a lot of nutrition from them…. we’re getting like 10 times lower the amount of nutrients, vitamins, minerals.
More importantly, we are not feeling satiated, the feeling of ‘I am full’ after eating these foods.
Another important thing with this refined vs whole foods battle is that even though technically you are eating the same food in both versions… meaning you are still eating rice… but because when you compare weight by weight, the whole version is actually low in calories.
So what?
Well, so this…
100gms of cooked white rice = 130 calories
100gms of cooked brown rice = 111 calories
1 That does not look like a huge difference, but IT is a big one, the difference is more than 15% increase in calories for the same quantity and ‘type’ of food.
Imagine this 15% difference across your entire diet and if you can make this one change, you will have already ensured a lot of weight loss in the next few months!
2 Next, even though the brown rice is low in calories, it is high in nutrients and minerals = much more healthier for your body.
3 And finally, since brown rice has more fiber and bran, it will keep you fuller longer, and help you avoid silly cravings after an hour or two!
Win-win-win!
So when you eat brown rice instead of polished white rice, you are eating a denser food, which means you eat less, yet you feel full, and you are getting far more nutritional benefits.
And when you flip your whole eating style this way…
You will not only lose massive, unneeded weight, but you will also improve your health and immunity (due to the nutrients)… and hunger… hunger will be a thing of the past.
To get you thinking, here are some examples of refined and whole foods…
[/cs_text][x_image type=”none” src=”https://www.scientificnutrition.in/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/refined-food-examples.gif” alt=”” link=”false” href=”#” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=”” class=”mar0″][x_image type=”none” src=”https://www.scientificnutrition.in/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/whole-food-examples.gif” alt=”” link=”false” href=”#” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=”” class=”mar0″][cs_text]For many, weight loss can be so simplified that just by eating foods in the second list and completely avoiding the ones in the first is all you might need!
Anyhoo, concluding this first ‘Adoption Rule’…
Our ancestors never had to count calories, they never had to calculate their BMI, or their metabolism, because they ate real foods. Period.
[/cs_text][x_line class=”mbs” style=”border-top-width: 1px;”][cs_text]
3 Make Protein The Emphasis Of Your Meals[/cs_text][x_line class=”mbs” style=”border-top-width: 1px;”][cs_text class=”mbl”]This one is a biggie in India, especially with our typical lacto-vegetarians (people ok with milk, not with eggs or meat).
Many studies [1,2,3,4] have shown that protein is more filling per calorie, and eating a high protein diet often leaves you fuller longer.
Protein is also much more harder to overeat.
So eating 1000 calories of lean protein like chicken/legumes is almost impossible, but eating 1000 calories of fried chips, just a matter of 10 minutes! 😉
Secondly, eating more protein fights off cravings because it leads to a more stable blood sugar over time, and interestingly researchers have actually compared high protein diets and they are often on top as far as the easiest to maintain, easiest to stick with and as far as the best long term results.
Which means there will be no hunger, there will be no cravings, there will be no crash and you get lots of energy so it’s better for your mood, and better from a cravings perspective.[/cs_text][cs_text]
Now, what foods contain good amount of proteins?
First, let’s have a look at animal sources:
Lean meat from animals – beef, pork, chicken, etc.
Seafood – shrimp, crab, fish, mussels, snails, etc. Fatty fish are especially good because they contain the essential Omega 3 fats.
Eggs – The Egg is arguably the best food in the world with a [extra href=”#/” title=”Biological value (BV) of a food shows how readily the digested protein can be used in protein synthesis in the cells of the organism. Higher the better. Eggs are highest, 100.” info=”tooltip” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover”]BV value[/extra] of 100
Now, some of the vegetarian sources.
Legumes – Arguable the best source of vegetarian protein are the various kinds of legumes. So examples would be sprouted mung, black/red beans, chickpeas (chana), all kinds of dals, etc.
Dairy – Next, a good source of protein is dairy. So think of cottage cheese (paneer), cheese, milk, dahi, and the king of them all, whey protein. Whey protein is arguable one of the best protein supplements for people who don’t eat meat/eggs, and don’t get enough protein from their diets.
Quinoa – Another good protein source is this relatively new grain in India, which has about 8gms of protein per cup.
Whole Grains – Next are our favorite grains like whole wheat, foxtail millet (called different names all over Indian, check this), etc.
Buckwheat – commonly called kuttu in India, which has about 6gms protein per cooked cup.
Raw Nuts – Nuts like cashews, almonds, walnuts, groundnuts, brazil nuts, pecan nuts, etc. pack a lot of punch!
Apart from protein, nuts also have a lot of good fats and fiber which help you stay full for hours.
However, the best part about including nuts in your diet apart from their nutritional benefit is that they are so easy to carry around, making them one of the best snacks in your dietary arsenal! 😉
Dried Seeds – Finally, the power of seeds! In India, we have the habit of eating the fruit’s flesh and throwing out the seeds, whereas, the seeds pack the most power in the entire fruit!
Think of dried seeds of flax, chia, pumpkin, sunflower, sesame etc. An awesome option is to grind dried seeds and adding them in smoothies and shakes = superpowers + satiating fiber power!
Also, seeds have an almost complete nutrtional profile! Protein, good fats, carbs, vitamins, minerals, fiber, name it and they’ve got it!
Other protein sources – deserving a mention would be spinach (5gm per cooked cup), spirulina (technically an algae), tofu (difficult to obtain in India), seitan (wheat gluten).
Alright, so, with these protein sources, what we are saying is that the foundation of each of your major meals should be a big piece of protein, about 15-20 grams per meal.
Don’t worry too much about this for now, we will look more into this, visually, in a later topic.
Again, less carbs, NOT less fats.
We Indians have been deceived for many a decades with the statement – “fat makes you fat”, which has not only made us MORE fat, but has given rise to an entire “fat free” industry!
Read this to know why eating fats does not make you fat.
And now, adding to this “emphasis on protein” rule… here’s a great change you can start implementing asap…[/cs_text][cs_text class=”mtm”]
Eat a high protein breakfast within 30 minutes of waking up
[/cs_text][cs_text class=”mbl”]Why?
Because…
1 Your body is best adapted to digest and absorb proteins in the early hours of the day.
2 A protein rich meal early in the day gives you a great boost of energy to brave the day, it ensures you won’t be starving after a couple of hours and you won’t be craving for junk foods.
This is because a protein rich breakfast will stabilize your blood sugar.
When people have a light breakfast or no breakfast(!), chances are that later in the day they are going to have blood sugar crashes and they’re going to be craving junk, high calorie stuff.
And that’s why, a protein rich breakfast will help you beat cravings as well.
…then compare how you felt 2-3 hours later, hunger and energy wise.
And now moving on to the final rule…[/cs_text][x_line style=”border-top-width: 1px;”][cs_text]
4 Complement protein with lots of vegetables + healthy fats.[/cs_text][x_line class=”mbs” style=”border-top-width: 1px;”][cs_text]So basically you are going to design the major part of your food spectrum around protein, fats and vegetables.
Unfortunately, in India, the majority of our diet focuses more on carbs (e.g. grains, rice), unhealthy fats (fried items), and less on protein and veggies.
So we are asking you to flip this nutrition equation on its head.
The benefits of eating a higher protein, fats and veggie diet and eating less refined carbs are:
1 Dietary fats, protein keep you fuller longer, and strongly triggers the “I am full” hormones. Result? You eat less ==> you crave less junk foods.
2 Eating lots of vegetables means you are going to get all your required vitamins and minerals, without ever needing a “multi-vitamin” supplement.
3 Eating fat does not make you fat. It is only when you eat more fats and carbs than required, and you do this over weeks, months and years – that’s when you become obese.
In short, when you start eating more vegetables, protein and fats, you will be able to eat as much as you want and still be within a normal caloric range without counting anything.
So that’s it! Those are the 4 dietary adoptions that we would like you to inculcate.
Yes, it would mean a complete re-thinking and re-planning of your current kitchen scenario, your monthly shopping list, etc.
But it is totally worth it when you improve your health and lose a lot of unwanted weight![/cs_text][cs_text]
KEY THINGS TO REMEMBER
Once you start following these 4 nutritional guidelines, there are no other “47 diet tips” you need!
Because:
1 You will start eating real foods = better health.
2 You will stay full longer = no cravings for junk foods.
3 You will avoid junk, trigger foods = no more unneeded calories.
4 You will actually stick with this because = it will be easy to stick with!
5 You will lose weight because = you will eat only as much as the body really needs.
[/cs_text][x_button size=”global” block=”false” circle=”false” icon_only=”false” href=”#” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=”” class=”mtl” style=”float:right;”]Onwards To The Next Topic[x_icon type=”long-arrow-right” class=”mvn mls mrn”][/x_button][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][/cs_content]