Does Eating Slower Help You Lose Weight ?

 

Everything you do affects your health either positively or negatively. Talking about weight loss, factors like genetics, environment and certain health conditions cannot be controlled. But then there are factors like diet, physical activity and daily eating habits that can be altered in favour of your weight loss journey.

Our diet plays a major role in our weight loss journey. Not just what you eat, the way you eat it also makes a huge difference to how it affects your body. We are talking about eating speed here. The speed at which you eat impacts your weight loss. Yes, you read that right.

EATING SPEED AND WEIGHT LOSS

Eating slowly is considered lazy behavior. However, contrary to this popular belief, slow eating is super beneficial for weight loss. People trying to lose weight keep track of their daily calorie intake. You will be happy and surprised to know that eating slowly can help induce a feeling of fullness and thereby prevents you from binge eating, which can lead to weight gain.

Here are the benefits of eating slow :

Better nutrient absorption

Eating slowly promotes better absorption of nutrients. More nutrients promote the feeling of satiety and stop one from binge eating.

Lowered stress levels

More chewing increases food satisfaction, which leads to a calmer and happier mind. This impacts your stress levels in a positive way. Less stress increases mindful eating and thus promotes weight loss.

Improved digestion

Eating slowly requires extra chewing of the food. Extra chewing enhances the digestion process, which is the first step towards losing extra kilos.

Induces satiety

Eating slowly can help you enjoy food to its fullest. Eating while acknowledging and appreciating the flavor, taste and smell of the food makes you feel more satisfied after finishing your meal.

Promotes chewing

Slow eating promotes more chewing. This can help regulate and reduce the total number of calories you eat in a day. Eating fewer calories than you burn in a day to create a calorie deficit is one of the first steps towards losing weight.

Stopped or Missing Periods ?

It is not uncommon to occasionally miss a period, or for periods to become irregular from time to time. Under some circumstances, periods can even stop altogether. Sometimes these irregularities are due to normal changes, and are not cause for concern. There are many reasons why women may miss her period.

Most women have a period every 28 days or so, but it’s common to have a slightly shorter or longer cycle than this (from 21 to 40 days). Some women do not always have a regular menstrual cycle. Their period may be earlier or late, and how long it lasts and how heavy it is may vary each time. There are a number of changes that happen in the female life cycle that can result in a skipped period. All of these are normal reasons to miss a period and are not cause for concern. The most common reasons are:

• Pregnancy and Breast feeding
• Hormonal changes
• Stress
• Being overweight
• Sudden weight loss
• Doing too much exercise
• Taking the contraceptive pill
• The menopause
• Poly cystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
• Some underlying medical conditions.

In this blog, I’m mentioning mainly about relation between obesity and missed periods.

Obese women often have abnormal menstrual cycles. Sometimes periods can be very heavy and painful – causing frequent trips to the restroom, embarrassing leaks, and missed work and recreational activities. Obesity can cause irregular periods that are unpredictable, catching women unprepared at inopportune times.

Being overweight can also affect your menstrual cycle. If you're overweight, your body may produce an excess amount of estrogen, one of the hormones that regulate the reproductive system in women.

Excess estrogen can affect how often you have periods, and can also cause your periods to stop.

Also if you are overweight, you are more prone to get PCOD/PCOS which in turn can lead to menstrual problems.

Please note that stress is also one of the major causes for missed periods. Do not panic. Wait for another month or two. Sometimes it happens and resolved on its own.

Make sure you get into your healthy weight even before starting with any menstrual complaints. One more important thing is make sure you follow healthy diet because; here you are already suffering enough. This is not the time to go for crash diets as it can lead to further health conditions.

While the impact that obesity has on your menstrual health is undeniable, it is important to understand that it is also well within your control and you can reverse it.

If you've skipped a period, try to relax. Restoring your life to emotional and physical balance can help. Many women miss periods now and then. Unless you are pregnant, chances are your cycle will return to normal next month.

Topic suggestions for next blogs are welcome in the comment section. Stay tuned to my blog.

Vegan Diet For Healthier Life Style !

If you invite a dinner guest who's a vegan, you'll want to check your menu carefully to make sure it follows two basic rules. Foods from plants are OK, but foods from animals are off limits, including common ingredients like eggs, cheese, milk, and honey.

Many Indians follow a vegan diet. Their reasons for eating this way vary. Some vegans do it to improve their health. A plant-based diet could lower the risk for certain diseases. Others stay away from meat because they don't want to harm animals or because they want to protect the environment.

If you've thought about trying a vegan diet, you might wonder if this way of eating is right for you. Although you can get some real benefits from going meatless, there are a few challenges, too.

What You Can Eat

On a vegan diet, you can eat foods made from plants, including:

• Fruits and vegetables
• Legumes such as peas, beans, and lentils
• Nuts and seeds
• Breads, rice, and pasta
• Dairy alternatives such as soy milk, coconut milk, and almond milk
• Vegetable oils

What You Can't Eat

• Beef, pork, lamb, and other red meat
• Chicken, duck, and other poultry
• Fish or shellfish such as crabs, clams, and mussels
•  Eggs
• Cheese, butter
• Milk, cream, ice cream, and other dairy products
• Mayonnaise (because it includes egg yolks)
• Honey
  

Health Benefits:

Vegans have better heart health and lower odds of having certain diseases. Those who skip meat have less of a chance of becoming obese or getting heart disease, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Vegans are also less likely to get diabetes and some kinds of cancer, especially cancers of the GI tract and the breast, ovaries, and uterus in women.

Going vegan might even help you live longer, especially if you also cut down on your daily calories.

Better weight control may be one reason for all of these health benefits. Vegans have a lower body mass index (BMI) than people who eat animal-based products.

Good nutrition is another perk. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts are staples of the vegan diet. These foods are rich in fiber, antioxidants, and compounds that help protect against diseases like diabetes and cancer.

Risks

A vegan diet is healthy overall, but avoiding animal protein can shortchange you on a few nutrients, like protein, calcium, omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, and vitamin B12. You need protein to power all the chemical reactions in your body. Calcium strengthens your bones and teeth. Omega-3 fatty acids keep your cells healthy and protect your heart by shielding against heart disease and stroke. These nutrients are especially important for children's growing bodies and for pregnant women.

You can find substitutes for most of these essential nutrients in plant-based foods like:

• Protein: nuts, soy, beans, quinoa
• Calcium: soy milk, fortified orange juice, tofu with calcium, broccoli, kale, almonds
• Omega-3 fatty acids: flax seeds, vegetable oils, plant-based supplements
• Iron: tofu, soy nuts, spinach, peanut butter, fortified cereals

One nutrient that's impossible to get from plant sources alone is vitamin B12, which your body uses to make red blood cells and DNA. You'll only find B12 in animal products. If you go vegan, you may need a supplement to make up for what you don't get from your diet.

Keep in mind that a vegan diet is only as healthy as you make it. Products like "vegan" ice cream, cookies, and candy are tempting, but you don't want to overdo. If you eat high-fat and processed foods and supersize your portions, you'll gain weight and might end up with many of the same health problems.

Your doctor or a dietitian can help you choose the right foods as you start a vegan diet. It's very important to get help from an expert if you have a long-term condition or you're pregnant, to make sure you get the right mix of nutrients in your new eating plan.

Reasons Why You Crave Sugar/Sweet

Many sugar cravings stem from a blood sugar imbalance. When your body ingests sugar, your blood sugar spikes and your body releases insulin to lower it to a safer level. If the insulin brings your blood sugar level a bit too low, as often happens, your body craves foods that will raise it and increase your energy.

What deficiency causes sugar cravings?

Zinc deficiency causes sugar cravings. Mineral imbalances in the body can cause sugar cravings also. Essential minerals help maintain our hydration status, so being deficient can cause you to reach for sweets when, in truth, you are just dehydrated. People who experience sugar cravings often have very low zinc, calcium, chromium, and magnesium levels.

Reasons why you crave sugar/Sweet

#Reason 1: You didn’t eat enough, or you ate the wrong things. When you don’t eat enough calories, your body starts looking for fuel fast as a way to catch up. So what do you do..? Crave for sugar. As you know sugar gives you quick energy, even though it’s not necessarily good energy.

So the only thing that provide real energy is to eat your food consistently, in the form of whole foods. Do not starve or skip the meals.

#Reason 2: You picked up a bad habit. This includes biting your finger nails, eating chips, chocolates and so on. Some people eat chocolate every day. Yep, all these are bad habits.

When something becomes a habit, especially when it comes to food, you have to ask yourself: are you even aware of doing it, do you really want do it, are you truly craving what you are eating.

#Reason 3: You ate too much starch and not enough fat and/or protein. When you eat a heavy meal, you are pretty much setting yourself up for a guaranteed ice cream craving. All the food you ate with no fiber or protein do is leaving you a sugar craving.

The more bad carbs you eat, the more you want them. Those foods are absorbed fast and they do not keep you feeling full or satisfied. In other words, the bowl of sugar doesn’t provide satiety like protein or fat does.

#Reason 4: You chowed down on salty foods. As cliche as it sounds, salty foods contain salt, and salt makes you to eat more sweet. You should tend to go for naturally sweet snacks like fruits when you crave. Choosing good food matters, no matter what the craving is! Including a carb source like sweet potatoes in your meals can combat this by adding calories to your meals and making them more balanced, all while providing you the sweet taste you’re craving.

When most people feel sugar cravings, they reach for high-fat, high-sugar foods like chocolate. However, swapping out the junk food for some fruit when you feel like something sugary could give you the sweet hit you need and stop your craving in its tracks.

Fruit is naturally sweet but also contains lots of beneficial plant compounds and fiber, allowing you to have your fix and keep it healthy

An excess of sweetened foods and beverages can lead to weight gain, blood sugar problems and an increased risk of heart disease, among other dangerous conditions. For these reasons, added sugar should be kept to a minimum whenever possible, which is easy when you follow a healthy diet based on whole foods.

Sugar FREE: They aren't a magic bullet and should be used only in moderation. Food marketed as sugar-free isn't calorie-free, so it can still cause weight gain. Keep in mind that processed foods, which often contain sugar substitutes, generally don't offer the same health benefits as whole foods, such as fruits and vegetables.

Benefits Of Ginger Powder (Sonti/Sonth)

Sonti comes from fresh ginger that is dried before being used. It is a fine off-white powder that has a strong aroma and pungent flavour. This is mostly easy to store and has a long shelf life of a year.

 Find out here what are the benefits of dry ginger powder:

Culinary uses:

• Dried ginger powder is used in spices and masalas for gravies, curries, marinades, stews etc.
• Dried ginger root powder is also used for food preparations for expecting women and feeding mothers.
• Mix cinnamon, fennel, cardamom and cloves to make masala tea with powdered ginger
• Marinades for Tandoori starters, vegetarian and non-vegetarian.

Skin Toner: Boil two teaspoons of dry ginger powder in 4 cups of water. Reduce this till it becomes half. Strain and cool; now add few drops of lavender or rosemary oil. Mix all these ingredients well and store it in a glass bottle. Refrigerate this toner and apply with cotton on the face. This protects the skin, removes impurities, hydrates it, reduces dryness and tones it.

Headache: 

One of the best benefits of ginger powder is relieving headache. The most common problem of headaches can be cured by applying the powder paste on the forehead. This therapy is used to cure headaches. You can also apply the paste on your throat to relieve throat pain.

Stomach Irritation: Dry ginger powder together with sugar cane juice is used to cure stomach irritation. Consume this mixture everyday early in the morning to get relief from stomach irritation.

Chest Pain: Chest pain can be cured by using dry ginger powder. Mix dry ginger powder and sugar in tender coconut water. Drink it to cure chest pain.

Common cold:

• Consume raw ginger or powdered ginger tea several times a day to get relief from cold.
• You can also make a paste of dry ginger powder, clove and salt and consume this twice a day to cure cold symptoms.
• Another method to cure this is to mix dry ginger powder with jaggery to cure a running nose.

Anti inflammatory: Dry ginger powder contains anti-inflammatory properties that can soothe arthritis. Add 2-3 tablespoons of this powder in water and bring it to a boil. Drink this water to cure the swollen joints. You can also apply the paste on the swollen knee joints to get relief from pain.

Ginger Powder For Weight Loss: One of the effective benefits of ginger powder is aiding in weight loss. Ginger powder tea is the best remedy to lose weight. Add ½ teaspoon of dry ginger powder in a cup of hot water. Dissolve this properly and drink this everyday for weight loss. This tea can also be sweetened with honey, if required.

Migraine: Take 2 tablespoons of dry ginger powder with warm water frequently.

Acne: Ginger powder has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties to help unclog pores and kill acne-causing bacteria.

Mix milk and dry ginger powder to make a smooth paste. Apply on clean face and neck and leave it for 15-20 minutes. Wash and apply facial moisturizer. Use this once a week to clear acne and breakouts. This mask will rejuvenate your skin and renew the skin cells to give your skin a youthful glow.

Urinary Infections: Dry ginger powder can be added to milk and sugar to get rid of urinary infections

Hope you found the blog on benefits of ginger powder informative.