Snack More To Weight Less
“Going on low calorie diets can affect most systems of the body, including the cardiovascular system, immune system, musculoskeletal system, hormonal system etc”
Most of us today are in an endless battle against weight loss. And almost all of us have tried different techniques to do the necessary. But the most common ones have originated from a highly misunderstood statement – ‘food has calories. More calories mean weight gain. Therefore, reduce your food intake.’ It is based on a simple equation of ‘a’ is equal to ‘b,’ ‘b’ is equal to ‘C, and so ‘a’ is equal to c.’
It is mathematically quite true. However, food and nutrition deal with a lot more than math alone. Most of us are quite unaware about how things actually work inside our body. What happens when food is consumed and more importantly, what happens when lesser than required amounts of food is consumed.
The Main Macronutrients In Food
Food is not supposed to be known only for the calories it contains but also for a variety of nutrient compositions that it holds. There are three main macronutrients observed in food groups. These are carbohydrates, proteins and fats. They all share different pathways of metabolism, and these are dependent on a number of vitamins and minerals.
So, when your diet is inadequate, you will find yourself being deficient in most vitamins and minerals which will affect the breakdown of these macronutrients.
Going on low calorie diets can affect most systems of the body including the cardiovascular system, immune system, musculoskeletal system, hormonal system etc. And one of the major effects of low calorie diets is it impact on the thyroid hormone.
The Role Of The Thyroid Gland
The thyroid gland present at the base of the neck is a butterfly shaped gland that produces two main thyroid hormones, T3 and T4. These are released in the blood to be used up by the cells for normal functioning.
The thyroid hormone plays a crucial role in normal metabolism, growth and development. Indulging In a low calorie diet, a diet that provides lesser than 1000 – 1200kcals per day or skipping major meals leads to a drop in thyroid gland functioning and thus lower levels of T3 and T4.
Lower levels of thyroid hormone prevent fat breakdown. Lipid metabolism is hence inversely related to thyroid hormone function. This indicates that the lower the thyroid hormone, the more amount of fat will be stored.
Also, higher blood cholesterol and blood triglycerides (storage form of fats) have also been noted. Lower levels of the thyroid hormone leads to the storage of carbohydrates, once the cells have enough carbohydrates and these then get converted to fats.
What The Brain Perceives
Also another theory simply put, is that the more restricted your calories are in the diet, a message is sent to the brain that you are starving like in case of a calamity and it thus tries to reduce energy expenditure in order to save energy by instead storing it. And what you successfully lose out on, is protein which is your lean body mass or muscle mass, And this is because proteins are not the primary source of energy, carbohydrates and fats are.
So, the body gives away what you are trying to achieve and stores exactly what you despise! So, the initial weight that you lose is nothing but water and muscle.
Keep Your BMR High
The most sought after method is hence to keep your BMR high. This way you lose what you need to and store what you have to. And one of the most significant methods is to snack often. Most of us consume three major meals in the day, but adding a couple more can satiate us, while keeping our metabolism active.
Protein and fat rich foods are considered to trigger metabolism much higher than carbohydrates (exception: fibre rich foods) since the former are difficult to digest and thus require more energy.
Listed here are 25 snacks that are easy to carry and easily available. It suits individuals with long working hours, travellers, or even homemakers who barely find time for themselves.
Top 25 Healthy Snacks
- Roasted chanas
- Peanuts
- Dry fruits
- Nuts
- Oilseed mix
- Fruits
- Buttermilk
- Milk
- Chikki
- Health bars
- Kurmura bhel
- Yoghurt
- Roasted moong
- Chivda
- Boiled chanas
- Boiled eggs
- Mix veg/chicken tikkis
- Rajgeera/oats/besan laddoos
- Vegetable salads
- Carrot sticks
- Corn salad
- Low fat cheese
- Baked bajra puris
- Baked nachos
- Steamed muthiyas or kothimbir waddi
Eat these foods to keep your BMR in check and ensure healthy weight loss. Weight is just a number but your overall health is the matter of utmost importance.
Do not go on diets that promise higher weight loss in limited timespans, but instead, figure out a plan that works well with your body and keeps you happy!