Fault in our diet

By Somdatta Saha New Delhi [India], Oct. 2 (ANI): You eat healthy, stay super health conscious and never eat carbs after 7 pm. Then why does the needle on the weighing machine still refuse to move? Well, it's the fault in our diets!In a world, which is driven by marketing, we choose the product with the best packaging, thinking it to be healthy! But is it really so?We hardly read the nutritional information or the Asterix part written on the banner of the container. Ashishh Gupta, director at Gold’s gym and Nature fit and a fitness expert says, “Everyone knows what is good and bad for them. But they don't know what is bad in the good things they are supposed to consume! That's where the problem lies.”So he has enlisted some very common mistakes we do or say in regard to our daily diet, thinking them to be healthy.Firstly, ‘I only cook in olive oil.’ According to Ashishh, that is the biggest fad, highly overrated. We live in a tropical country where most of olive oil is imported. So, pure olive oil should not be expected.Even the bottle reads, 10 percent is olive oil, remaining is vegetable oil, which means we actually pay 20 percent extra. Olive oil indeed has a lot of good qualities too, but so does canola and sunflower oil. Second is, ‘Desi ghee kaun khata hai!’ (Who consumes Desi Ghee!) When our ancestors swear by it, then there has to be some reason!Even in the coldest weather, pure desi ghee never solidifies as compared to dalda or vegetable ghee, but still we don't want to use desi ghee. “The biggest benefit of desi ghee is that it doesn't block arteries and lubricates our bones! But since the West didn’t endorsed it till last season, why should we??” said the expert. Third is, ‘I am surviving on salads yet not losing weight.’When Ashishh was asked on the same, he explained. “That's because your bowl has more accompaniments rather than veggies! The main reason of salad is to get you fiber so you feel fuller for a longer time. Adding a dash of sauce is fine, but loading it with it will load it with calories too.”Fourth, ‘My entire family is obese.’ Genes do play a big part in our body structure but that does not mean that it can't be altered. “If your family is overweight, doesn't mean you have to compete with them. You might be able to get abs easily. But abs doesn't define being fit either,” said the expert.Fifth, ‘Organic food dena bhaiya.’ (Please give organic food.) Another fad! Organic is a farming method. This doesn't mean that it lowers food’s calorific value. It only gets rid of pesticides and other chemicals, which in no turn imply that you eat can whatever you want, without being calorie conscious.Sixth, ‘Detox with fruits and juices.’“Even though we need to have five kinds of fruits every day, one needs to be careful about the sugar content of fruits,” suggested Ashishh.For example, banana is a complete meal and should be avoided for dinner. One should go overboard on mangoes, lychees, chiku and even fresh juices. Juice has a high fructose content, which gives instant energy by producing glucose, which has a lot of calories.Seventh, ‘Dairy products make me fat.’ Every coin has two sides. Dairy products do have fat, but are also rich in protein and calcium, which is equally important. One can avoid dairy products at night, as they cause fat storage, but they need to be taken on a daily basis. One can use skimmed dairy products, which reduce the fat content drastically.Ashishh concluded by saying, “One should remember a simple formula. Calorie intake should be lesser than calorie burnt. It takes 7700 calories to lose a kilo! So use that mouth wisely.” (ANI)