Do you have these questions too?

Hello everyone,
Welcome back to another and last blog in the series of nutrition and health!
In this blog I’ll probably be addressing some of the common questions asked to me about dieting.
Lets start with it,

1. How to loose belly fat?
   Well, loosing weight is a all over process. When you loose weight, it happens all over and not just the particular part that you want to be lean. Say, you want to loose your belly fat but if you loose your belly fat, you will loose your body fat too. So you can’t really target one part of your body without undergoing changes all over. The best way to start with loosing fat is to start walking, jogging or running. More exercise you do, the more you burn.
2. How to gain muscle?
   Muscle gaining can happen only when you break them. If you workout with more and heavy weights, you’re muscle will build faster. The catch here is BCAA helps in giving you stamina to lift those heavy weights and protein helps with faster recovery.
3. What to eat before workout?
   So there are many scientific articles on what to eat before workout but to break that down for you, short and simple, If you eat 20 minutes before the workout, then you need short and sharp meal whereas if you eat 60 mins before the workout, then you need carbs and protein. The basic science behind this is protein takes a lot of time to digest whereas carbs and fats takes less time.
4. What are the options of pre-workout?
   If you eat 2-3 hours before, have a whole grain sandwich with protein source like eggs, meat or egg omelet with bowl of curd and cup of fruits.
   If you eat within less than 2 hours before workout, try protein smoothie, oat meal with banana or whole grain cereal.
   If you have to start workout within an hour, try nutrition bar, banana, apple or curd with fruits.
5. Why can’t i loose or gain weight?
   To loose or gain weight, you need to figure the science of your body. The most common reason to not gain or loose weight is calories you take, genetics, food choices and stress. (not that any of this can’t be dealt with)
   To loose or gain weight, you need a lot of calculation (not scaring you but it’s true). No one can plan a diet without analyzing the calculations. If you want to start something at home? Start with calculating the calorie you consume. You can obviously calculate your calories by downloading trustworthy apps like MyFitnessPal or Fitbit.
   Once you calculate these calories, note them down everyday. You can now start calculating the calories required for your basic metabolism and the kind of lifestyle you have (say, sedentary or active). After finding the difference you’ll be realise how much extra calories you’re consuming or how calorie deficit you are.
   From there, you can plan your meal accordingly.
6. Should i consume fats?
   If you’re a healthy individual, you should definitely consume fats. But don’t get confused with fats as french fries or double cheese burger.
   Healthy fats are cashew, walnut, almond, flax seeds (alsi), chia seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, egg with the yolk, fish.
   You may not need cholesterol in your body but you definitely need omega 3 & omega 6.Are detox juices good?
   There is no harm in cleaning your inner system but we should not forget that detox juices are low in nutrition, low in protein, extremely low calorie and blood sugar swings too. These factor can impact your health at some point and so one should always be careful when opting for detox juice options.
7. I can’t sleep, can food help?
   Definitely, one of the important thing which was taught to us while studying nutraceuticals is how can food help in relieving symptoms to some diseases and prevent other.
   Apart from meditation and yoga, you can try avoiding caffeine like tea and coffee in afternoon or evening. Warm milk, chamomile tea and almonds also help with sleep.
8. What diet should i follow?
   Well, the best diet you can follow is a complete mixture of proteins, fats and carbs. Remember the ratio in which you should consume.
   Also how many times you eat in a day also matters a lot. Long gaps between your meals can lead to impulse eating on fatty, unhealthy foods like chips. That is why fillers are really important in your meal like home made nutrimix, threptin biscuit, apples, bananas, fox nuts (makhana) instead of chips.
9. Do you need to eliminate sugar?
   If you are a healthy individual or have any lifestyle disorders like diabetes, fatty liver, high cholesterol or blood pressure. Everyone should avoid excess sugar.
   If you are asking where to start?
   Start with committing to yourself. When you dedicate yourself, you become accountable.
   Steps like no soft drinks, no tetra pack fruit juices, less sugar in tea/coffee, avoiding sweets can make a great impact in the commitment you make to yourself.

I hope that everyone reading this blog have found answer to at least one of their question. If you have any more doubts, feel free to comment below.
As we end the series to nutrition and health, I really hope I’ve been helpful to you with my knowledge in one way or other!

Till next time..,