Healthy foods for weight loss

They say that sweets are harmful to health, grapefruit juice burns fat, and water, if drunk in liters, relieves excess weight. WDay.ru decided to check how true these postulates are, and find out what is really harmful and what is useful for maintaining a figure and a healthy lifestyle.

Healthy foods for weight loss

It is customary to associate a healthy lifestyle with a diet. For some it is fasting, for others it is a rejection of sweets and starchy foods. In any case, the meaning comes down to various restrictions and prohibitions. This approach terrifies many stomachs who risked giving themselves up to a healthy diet. In fact, diet (díaita) in translation from Greek means a special way of life, the essence of which boils down to a simple truth: “It is not what we eat that matters, but how and at what time.” Exhausting gastronomic feats for the body are not required at all for this.

Myth number 1. Sugar is harmful to health and contributes to the emergence of extra pounds

Sugar-based dishes – those cakes, cookies and pastries – are so packed with calories that even looking at them is considered a malicious violation of any diet.

Actually: in addition to the fact that sugar is a supplier of useful Glucose (which has a very beneficial effect on brain cells, helping them to think quickly and make decisions), it also gives us a good mood and energizes.

As for the intake of sugar in food, it should be borne in mind that at different hours the body absorbs different amounts of calories. In the morning, the stomach converts all the food it receives into energy, thereby charging us for the whole day. A small piece of cake or a few chocolates eaten at this time is appropriate and even healthy. At lunchtime, sugar will be already superfluous, and for dinner it is an absolutely unnecessary product. After all, by the evening, the body, as it should be, tunes in to sleep, and it does not want to work at all. And all received calories he simply puts it off until tomorrow. However, tomorrow he will not be able to use them either, because a new day will come and new food will appear …

Replace unhealthy sweets with healthy ones

The essence of the diet is not to reject the product as a whole, but to reduce the amount of its use. For example, you can reduce the amount of sugar by replacing milk chocolate with dark chocolate. Gradually, you will get used to its taste and even begin to enjoy the not-too-sweet food.

Gastroenterologists claim that due to the high starch content, potatoes become an indispensable product for stomach diseases (ulcers, gastritis) and a predisposition to them. Starch soothes the stomach walls.

Myth number 2. For health reasons, you need to give up bread, potatoes, corn and other foods containing starch

Many of the products are classified as “forbidden” due to their high calorie content and incompatibility with other products.

Actually: Starchy foods become fatty and high in calories due to improper cooking. Lavishly flavored with mayonnaise, butter-fried potatoes really aren’t healthy. But rye bread paired with a light soup (no potatoes) for lunch is quite a decent food for maintaining health. Such simple combinations in the diet are not only permissible, but also necessary. After all, starch is a complex carbohydrate that supplies energy to the body.

Starches combine well with each other and poorly combine with other products. Pasta, potatoes, sweet potatoes and legumes should not be put on the table if meat or fish is already present.

Only clean drinking water helps to cleanse the body.

Myth number 3. To lose weight, you need to drink at least two liters of fluid a day.

It is believed that water cleanses the body of toxins, and also drowns out the feeling of hunger.

Actually: Of course, fluid is essential for the normal functioning of the body. But replacing your meals with more water or tea will not speed up your metabolism or destroy excess fat. Moreover, carbonated drinks and packaged juices contain sugar and a large amount of preservatives, their use throughout the day will only harm the process of losing weight and health in general. But clean drinking water, if consumed between meals, will really help remove toxins and toxins from the body. Moisture-rich fruits can be a great alternative to drinking at night. Mixed with cottage cheese, they can be a substitute for a hearty dinner.

Drink as much as you like!

The average dose of fluid per day is 1,5 to 3 liters. These are water, freshly squeezed juices, tea, soups and other “liquid” dishes. All this contributes not only to weight loss, liquid is an excellent remedy for the prevention of constipation. But the lack of water affects the appearance: the skin dries out, becomes flabby, wrinkles appear.

But there are people who are overweight associated with fluid retention in the body. In this case, you should not get carried away with taking water. It is best to consult with a specialist who will help you determine your individual daily water intake.

Nutritionists advise limiting yourself to one grapefruit per week or adding a wedge to a meat or fruit salad.

Myth # 4. Grapefruit Juices Burn Fat and Promote Weight Loss

It is believed that regular consumption of grapefruit can help you lose weight.

Actually: This is one of the most persistent dietary misconceptions. Products that “burn” fats do not exist in nature at all. In moderation, grapefruit helps digestion. Organic acids, pectins, fiber, lignin of rigid septa, plant proteases – all this accelerates the movement of food, promotes intestinal cleansing, activates liver activity and indirectly improves fat metabolism. But without physical activity and reducing the total number of calories, it is unlikely that it will be possible to lose weight.

Grapefruit and medicines

Citrus is incompatible with a wide variety of medications. It has been proven that women taking birth control pills and drinking grapefruit juice may one day find themselves a little pregnant, and those taking antidepressants – absolutely depressive. So while taking medications, it is better to refuse freshly squeezed juice of this representative of the citrus family.

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