Eat lunch at right time to shed kilos
If there is one thing that both science and Ayurveda will agree to is that every meal should be eaten at a fixed time for optimal health. This statement holds more importance when you are trying to shed kilos.
02/5Read on to know more!
Whether you are having six small meals throughout the day or are following an intermittent diet, every meal of yours should be in sync with your cardinal rhythm. Having food as per your internal body clock, make the digestion process easier and help your body absorb all the essential nutrients.
However, while managing our daily busy schedule most of us have this habit of eating our lunch late in the afternoon. The worst is that we do not realise how harmful this practice is for our general health and particularly our weight loss goal.
03/5​The worst timing to have your lunch
According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, having your lunch after 3 PM may have a major impact on the speed of your weight loss process. The study specifically observed the working of perilipin protein, which is found in human cells and is important for burning fat throughout the body. At the end of the study, it was found that people with a specific genetic variation of this protein lost less weight when they had their meal post 3 PM.
Another study published in the year 2013 in the International Journal of Obesity also stated that having lunch after 3 PM can slow down the weight loss process. However, both the studies were focused on people with specific genetic makeups.
04/5​Meal timing and circadian rhythm
Our body’s internal activity is governed by our circadian rhythms like sleeping and eating. It also influences the weight loss process. Circadian rhythms control insulin secretion in the body. Eating untimely, when your body is less sensitive to insulin can make it harder for you to mobilise fat and shed kilos. However, researchers did not find any connection between weight loss and breakfast and dinner timing. It could be because the study was carried out in Spain, where people consume calorie-rich food at lunch. So, if you are trying to shed kilos, have your meal before 3 PM.
05/5​How many calories you should eat in lunch
For many weight watchers, lunch is the heaviest meal of the day. That means you consume most of the calories at this time. So, it is important to plan your lunch correctly for effective weight loss. You must consume 50 per cent of your daily calorie intake at lunch, 15 per cent at breakfast, 15 per cent as a snack and 20 per cent at dinner.
01/5​The only two diets most people are able to maintain in the long run
The first thing that comes to your mind when you decide to lose weight is going on a diet. We all feel following a diet is the best way to shed to extra kilos. With so many diet plans in question, you naturally want to choose something that promises quicker results and is also not too difficult to follow, right? Most often, people fail to follow diet plans that are restrictive (let’s be honest – most diet plans are). Moreover, these diets help one lose weight faster but the lost weight comes back the moment you go off that diet.
Diet plans fail because apart from offering limited options to eat, there is also a lot of effort involved in preparing the meals and keeping up with the timings. All this needs a lot of planning and preparation in order for the diet to go right.
02/5​If you are someone trying to lose weight, here are two sustainable diets you can follow
As per research, the DASH diet and the Mediterranean diet are the two sustainable diets that promise to keep your heart healthy and is also good for people suffering with hypertension in the long run.
The DASH and Mediterranean diet do not want you to focus or avoid any macronutrient (fats and carbs). Instead, the two diets help you make better food choices overall.
03/5​Benefits of DASH and the Mediterranean diet
Most diets are restrictive and built around the concept of blocking out food items or even groups altogether. But psychologically, as soon as we are told not to eat something, that is exactly what we want to eat it.
The DASH and Mediterranian diet work the opposite way. The diets focus on what to include and limits the intake of processed foods, sugar and alcohol.
04/5​Other benefits of DASH and the Mediterranean diet
The DASH diet focuses on daily and weekly nutritional goals. As the diet name says, Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension. The diet limits the foods that are high in saturated fats, full-fat dairy and tropical oils.
The diet focuses on lowering blood pressure by increasing the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables.
The Mediterranean diet is inspired by the eating habits of people living in the Mediterranean region. It encourages you to choose dairy, fish and poultry over red meat and using olive oil as a source of monounsaturated fats. Furthermore, it focuses on heavy consumption of fruits, vegetables, potatoes, nuts, seeds, beans as per the American Heart Association.
The added benefit of the diet is that it allows limited intake of red wine. The diet focuses less on the quantity consumed and more on the quality of the food.
The diet is high in healthy fats and natural fibres. The diet focuses on eating minimally processed plant-based foods such as grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, which have a handsome amount of protein.
Unlike many diets, both Mediterranean and DASH diets do not focus on eating or avoiding a particular macronutrient like fat or carbs. The only matter is choosing high-quality foods.READMORE
05/5​Should you try dieting?
Though most diets have a bad reputation, you can still try these two diet plans. Sometimes, these diets can help you get started and change your habits for the better.
The diet you adopt should become a way of your life. And do not forget to pair your diet with regular exercise as that is the key to a healthy and fit life.