Health Topics
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Healthy Living
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October 2011
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| Drink to Lose Weight |
| Priyanka Singh |
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Overweight and obesity are serious metabolic problems which if not controlled can lead to other metabolic disorders like hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), osteoarthritis and many more. To keep all these at bay, one has to maintain his/her ideal body weight. |
Drinks forslimming down
When we are on a regimen to lose weight, we should not only check or change our eating habits but we should also keep a watch on what we are drinking. Many beverages are so much rich in calories that they contribute towards our weight more than any food. Popular soft drinks, fruit juices and energy drinks can be loaded with added sugars and carbohydrates that can sabotage your weight loss strategy. But there are some beverages/drinks that can help in weight loss or can be called “weight loss drinks.â€
Water: There are many positive effects of water on metabolism. Studies have shown that drinking two glasses of water (500ml) 15 minutes before every meal fills up your stomach and makes you eat less and thus help in weight loss.
Green tea: Green tea boosts up the metabolism and speeds up the weight loss process. It’s a reservoir of antioxidants that detoxify the body. Studies have shown that you can burn 35–43% morefat during the day when you drink 3–5 cups of green tea.
Vegetable juice: Vegetable juices are full of nutrients and low in calories. Almost all vegetables can be taken in the form of juice. One cup of orange juice has 112 calories as compared to a cup of tomato juice that has just 41 calories. Hence, vegetable juices area better beverage for weight loss than fruit juices. The vegetables keep you fuller for longer and their tangy flavour will keep your taste buds happy.
Soups: A bowl of clear soup can help you lose weight. This doesn’t mean that you get on a soup diet alone. It means that adding a bowl of clear soup before your meal can help you prevent from overeating while adding important nutrition. A clear vegetable soup contains vitamins and minerals while a bowl of non-vegetarian clear soup has zinc and protein, besides vitamins and minerals.
Black coffee: Black coffee is rich in antioxidants and is calorie free and hence when you need to take some caffeine take black coffee instead of any energy drink or soda drinks. Also, coffee has been shown to stimulate thermogenesis, which heats up the body and boosts metabolism. Additionally, it suppresses hunger, improves mood and concentration.
Skim milk: Skim milk is an excellent source of lean protein, vitamin D and calcium, which help in building the muscles and keepthe bones strong. Calcium can boost weight loss by increasing fat breakdown in cells. Adding moderate amount of skim milk in one’s diet can double the rate of weight loss.
Coconut water: It is a rich source of electrolytes than most fruit juices and energy drinks. It also speeds up metabolism and gives more energy to work out for a much longer duration.
Low fat yoghurt: Calcium in low fat dairy foods triggers a hormonal response that inhibits the body’s production of fat cells and boosts the breakdown of fat.
Drink a lot of low-calorie fluids and eat high fibre foods to lose weight but don’t forget to exercise to get that perfect shape.
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Let us understand!
Our weight depends on how much energy we take in (the calories present in foods and drinks) and how much energy we burn or is used by our body.
- If the amount of calories taken in is equal to the amount of calories burnt/used up by the body, the weight remains normal.
- If we consume more calories than we can burn, then the body gains weight.
- If we consume less calories than required by our body, we lose weight.
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