Nutritional Facts

Soaked lentil Soup
Q: I have heard on television that if we soak lentil in water overnight then drink it early morning it will help in weight reduction. Can you tell me if the totka really works? Farida
A: Lentil is a very good source of vegetable proteins. The vegetable proteins are basically the incomplete proteins, unlike animal proteins, they do not have enough of one or more of the essential amino acids. Therefore it is always recommended to eat a meal that has combination of both animal and vegetable proteins so that the body receives all the essential amino acids. It is important to mention here that proteins in diet are essential as they serve as the building materials for growth and repair body tissues. Now when we talk about the connection of protein and weight reduction people take it in different ways. Sometimes people go for high protein diets and sometimes have soaked proteins in the morning. But no formula really works unless a daily intake of calories is well controlled and a diet is balance. If you are having the soaked lentil soup in the morning it won’t really help you if your daily intake of calories is not according to your body requirements.

Overeating At Functions
Q: I often have to attend functions and meetings for work where I find it really difficult to resist eating junk food. Is there any way to control myself? Jibran, Karachi
A: The best way to resist having junk food or at parties is to take small meals throughout the day instead of taking three large meals. To control overeating at office and meetings you have to follow two simple rules, never skip your meal and don’t follow a crash diet plan. Eat only when you feel hungry and do not take large gaps between meals. At parties make smart choices while eating, begin your meal with salads, it is fibrous and makes you feel full. Eat little fat, have more protein and control your portion size. Eat slowly and taste each bite. The brain takes 20 minutes to tell you that you are full. Don’t skip breakfast; it slows down metabolism and makes you feel hungry for the rest of the day. Develop a practice of noting down your eating habits, it will help you in eliminating bad food from your diet.

Warm Water
Q: Does drinking warm water early in the morning help in weight reduction? Laila, Islamabad
A: It is good to have a glass of warm water early in the morning. It helps in releasing the harmful chemicals from the body. Whether we take green tea, tea, coffee or just a glass of warm water early in the morning, all of these warm liquids relieve constipation and increase our rate of metabolism. Whenever the metabolism is increased we burn calories, and when we burn calories we lose weight. So the more warm water we drink the more we lose. Not only this, but also warm water makes our skin glow. But let me make it very clear that drinking warm water is not a magical tool to weight reduction. I have mentioned several times before that successful weight loss is only possible with a balanced diet and an increase in physical activity.

Vibrating Machines
Q: Can you tell me how the vibrating machines help in weight reduction? Fahmida
A: These days vibrating machines are commonly found in many gyms and I have seen lazy people standing on these machines holding the handles and just doing nothing. They feel satisfied as though with the vibration they might be burning a lot of calories, which is wrong. Weight loss is only possible with balanced diet and exercise. If a person is not engaging in any physical activity then how it is possible that he/she is losing weight? A person burns 110 calories after one hour of driving, 350 calories after proper aerobics and around 400 calories after brisk walk for an hour. So just standing on such machines which vibrate a lot might make you feel very tired but lose no weight as no physical work is involved. Besides, these vibrating machines are not good for people with back and spine problems as these may worsen their condition and the pain may increase.

Sugarcane Juice
Q: Can I drink sugarcane juice during dieting? Sanam
A: Dear Sanam, I am confused: why do you want to drink sugar-cane juice when you are on a diet? If you like sugar-cane juice then you can have it occasionally, but if you are on a strict diet you should avoid unnecessary intake of such juices especially if you are really overweight. Fruits and vegetables are important for a healthy diet and very rich sources of vitamins, complex carbohydrates and fiber. I always advise my clients to go for fresh fruits and vegetables rather than relying on juices. It is also interesting that sometimes there are more calories in fresh juices as compared to fresh fruits, for example a fresh peach have 70 calories, whereas a glass of its juice would go up to 180 calories. So ideally to obtain fibre and maximum nourishment fruits should be consumed as a whole rather than juice especially when on a diet because this way your constipation will also be relieved. Now as far as sugar-cane is considered, it is commonly available in Pakistan. But the way it juice is prepared in our country is not hygienic so it is better to avoid sugar-cane juice.

Brisk Walk
I am a 20-year-old girl with weight 68kg and height 5 feet, how many calories may I burn in a walk of 30 minutes? Khadija
A: According to your age and height, your ideal weight should be 50kg. It clearly shows that you need to reduce about 15 to 18kg. Your daily intake of calories should be 1900 to 2000 calories according to your physical activity per day. If your lifestyle is sedentary then even 1600 calories are enough for you. A person can burn 175 to 200 calories after half an hour of brisk walk. You can and you will lose weight even with this but only when your daily intake of calories is a little less than required. The golden idea of weight reduction is to boost your metabolism and just decrease 100 less calories per day. If you cut your calories a lot that does not help in the long run as your body gets accustomed to it. Take oat meal for breakfast, fruit salad and chicken sandwich for lunch and brown bread with steamed vegetables for dinner.