Myths N Facts Related To Diet
Myths n Facts Related to Diet
- Skipping breakfast helps to reduce weight.
No! skipping breakfast makes you gain weight. A proper balanced breakfast will help in weight loss.
- Eating very little will keep me healthy.
Keeping healthy depends on the quality of the diet and not the quantity. Eat the right quantity you deserve so that your energy levels are up and help you to stay healthy. If you eat less, then your body starts lacking nutrients and health goes for a toss.
- Fruits for breakfast is a healthy option.
A wholesome breakfast is always healthy. Fruits as breakfast option can be included for once a week only.
- I can’t eat out when I’m on weight reducing diet.
You can make healthy choices according to diet plan while eating out, even when you are on a weight reducing diet.
- Only exercise without dieting will suffice for weight loss.
Diet and exercise goes hand in hand. Kindly follow a healthy diet regime along with exercise for a healthy weight loss and to maintain the same.
- I take all the food my dietitian prescribes, without maintaining the timing, to reduce my weight.
Kindly maintain the timing and quantity your dietitian prescribes to hit your target. If you do not go with the timing, it may also lead to weight gain.
- Weight loss diet should contain only fruits and salad.
Weight loss plan should give complete nutrients. So it should include cereals, pulses, milk, fruits, vegetables and water.
- Lime water and honey will make me reduce weight.
Lime water and honey will help you to increase BMR and also cleans your body. If you are looking for weight loss, then this should be combined with a healthy weight loss plan to ensure weight loss. Drinking only lime water with honey does not help in weight loss.
- I use olive oil for cooking. Hence I can use as much as I want to.
All the oils, including olive oil provides 9K.Cal for 1g of oil. Hence be it whatever oil you use, always use it in moderation.
- When I want to diet, I have to starve and I can’t eat delicious food.
No! Dieting means eating healthy in right proportion, and not starvation. You can definitely consume delicious food in your diet pattern, which would be modified according to your needs.
- I understand green tea is good for health. Hence I take 6 -7 green teas in a day.
Green tea is absolutely good for health, as it is rich in antioxidants. At the same time, it also has tannins in them. Excess consumption of green tea may lead to excess load of tannins in the digestive tract, which in turn wil hinder absorption of nutrients into the body. Hence one can take 3 green teas in a day.
- I start my day with green tea to make myself healthy.
As already mentioned, since green tea has tannins, it may irritate the mucous lining of the stomach and may lead to ulcer. Hence it is not a good option to take green tea on a completely empty stomach (like early morning).
- I mix and match all the food prescribed by my dietitian throughout the day, but not in the way of her combination.
No! This is wrong way of dieting. Kindly follow your dietitian’s combinations, as she would have planned it depending on the energy release required at that hour and some combinations essential for maximum absorption of nutrients.
- Supplements are mandatory for healthy living.
Supplements are required only when your diet is highly insufficient in a particular nutrient, or when you have some eating disorder, or when you are seriously ill, or when you need booster dose of nutrients. A healthy well balanced diet in sufficient quantity can provide all essential nutrients required by the body.
- I have business lunch / dinner very often, hence I can’t think of dieting.
It all depends on the choice of food you make. Choose sensibly when you eat out – start with salad and soup, go for a grilled or tandoori starter (this fills half your stomach), choose healthy main course without cream / butter / cheese and go low on desserts.
- I stopped using salt, as I was prescribed a low salt diet.
Sodium in salt is also a required nutrient in our body. When you do not consume prescribed amount of sodium / salt, there is imbalance of electrolytes, and your BP drops. Hence do include recommended quantity of salt and do not avoid or exceed it.
- I suffer from kidney disease, and I’m prescribed low sodium, hence I’m using low sodium salts.
Low sodium salts are good for those who have to control their blood pressure, but it does not suit the kidney patients. All the available low sodium salts are rich in potassium, hence it is not recommended for kidney patients, as they have to check on their potassium levels as well. It can be used by people who suffer from high BP and do not have any kidney issues.
Any food taken in limitation always supports health. When you exceed the required quantity, it becomes an issue. Moderation should be the code to be followed.
Dine Healthy Dwell Happy!
Uma Maheshwari PS
Dietitian, Happy Living Diet Clinic
www.facebook.com/happylivingdietclinic
+91 99000 46344
