Diet & Nutrition plan for Better Digestion and Metabolism

We know our metabolism is essentially the process in which our body converts the calories we consume from food and drinks into energy. The faster our metabolism, the more calories we will burn throughout the day.

Infect our metabolic rate depends greatly on a variety of factors such as genetics, physical activity, age, gender, lean body mass, hormone levels, and more. Some of these factors are out of our control, but there are still several things that we can do to optimize our metabolism.

• We must consume a minimally processed, whole foods based diet, with protein, healthy fats, and complex/high fiber carbohydrates at every meal. Make sure we are getting enough protein spread throughout the day aim for 20-30 grams per meal, especially at breakfast & lunch.
• Ditch the low calorie diets to avoid metabolic adaptation. Remember, when we under eat, our body puts itself into starvation mode in order to survive, causing our metabolism to drop considerably to save energy. Fueling our body with too few calories leads it to store those calories because it is unsure as to when it will be fed again and wants that extra fat as an energy reserve.
• Keeps our metabolism humming away by moving regularly throughout the day. Also, include physical workouts & strength training into our weekly workout routine at least 2-3 times a week. Add in daily walks {a daily dose of fresh air & nature will help relieve stress too}, and our metabolism will thank you!

There are certain foods which can increase our metabolism. The higher our metabolism, the more calories we burn and the easier it is to maintain our weight or get rid of unwanted body fat.

Here are few foods that rev up our metabolism, which may help our lose weight.

Protein-Rich Foods

Such as meat, fish, eggs, dairy, legumes, nuts and seeds, could help increase our metabolism for a few hours. They do so by requiring our body to use more energy to digest them. This is known as the thermic effect of food (TEF). The TEF refers to the number of calories needed by our body to digest, absorb and process the nutrients in our meals. Research shows that protein-rich foods increase TEF the most. For example, they increase your metabolic rate by 15–30%, compared to 5–10% for carbs and 0–3% for fats. Protein-rich diets also reduce the drop in metabolism often seen during weight loss by helping your body hold on to its muscle mass.

Iron, Zinc and Selenium-Rich Foods

Iron, zinc and selenium each play different but equally important roles in the proper function of our body. However, they do have one thing in common all three are required for the proper function of our thyroid gland, which regulates your metabolism. Research shows that a diet too low in iron, zinc or selenium may reduce the ability of our thyroid gland to produce sufficient amounts of hormones. This can slow down our metabolism. To help your thyroid function to the best of its ability, include zinc, selenium and iron-rich foods like meat, seafood, legumes, nuts and seeds in your daily menu.

Chili Peppers

Capsaicin, a chemical found in chilli peppers, may boost our metabolism by increasing the number of calories and fat our burn. This effect was initially observed after taking 135–150 mg of capsaicin per day, but some studies report similar benefits with doses as low as 9–10 mg per day. Moreover, capsaicin may have appetite-reducing properties. According to a recent study, consuming 2 mg of capsaicin directly before each meal seems to reduce the number of calories consumed, especially from carbs.

Coffee

Studies report that the caffeine found in coffee can help increase metabolic rate by up to 11%. In fact, six different studies found that people who consume at least 270 mg of caffeine daily, or the equivalent of about three cups of coffee, burn an extra 100 calories per day. Furthermore, caffeine may also help our body burn fat for energy and seems especially effective at boosting our workout performance.

However, its effects seem to vary from person to person, based on individual characteristics such as body weight and age.

Tea

According to research, the combination of caffeine and catechins that's found in tea may work to boost your metabolism. In particular, both oolong (Oolong tea is a traditional Chinese tea.) and green tea may increase metabolism by 4–10%. This could add up to burning an extra 100 calories per day.

In addition, oolong (Oolong tea is a traditional Chinese tea.)and green teas may help your body use stored fat for energy more effectively, increasing your fat-burning ability by up to 17%.Nevertheless, as is the case with coffee, effects may vary from person to person.

Legumes and Pulses

Legumes and pulses, such as lentils, peas, chickpeas, beans and peanuts, are particularly high in protein compared to other plant foods. Studies suggest that their high protein content requires our body to burn a greater number of calories to digest them, compared to lower-protein foods. Legumes also contain a good amount of dietary fiber, such as resistant starch and soluble fiber, which our body can use to feed the good bacteria living in our intestines. In turn, these friendly bacteria produce short-chain fatty acids, which may help our body use stored fat as energy and maintain normal blood sugar levels.

In one study, humans consuming a legume-rich diet for eight weeks experienced beneficial changes in metabolism and lost 1.5 times more weight than the control group.

Legumes are also high in arginine, an amino acid that may increase the amount of carbs and fat your body can burn for energy.

In addition, peas, faba beans and lentils also contain substantial amounts of the amino acid glutamine, which may help increase the number of calories burned during digestion.

Metabolism-Boosting Spices

Certain spices are thought to have particularly beneficial metabolism-boosting properties. For instance, research shows that dissolving 2 grams of ginger powder in hot water and drinking it with a meal may help you burn up to 43 more calories than drinking hot water alone .This hot ginger drink also seems to decrease levels of hunger and enhance feelings of satiety.Grains of paradise, another spice in the ginger family, may have similar effects.

A recent study reported that participants given a 40-mg extract of grains of paradise burned 43 more calories in the following two hours than those given a placebo.That said, researchers also noted that part of the participants were non-responders, so the effects may vary from one person to another.

Similarly, adding cayenne pepper to your meal may increase the amount of fat your body burns for energy, especially following a high-fat meal. However, this fat-burning effect may only apply to people unaccustomed to consuming spicy foods.

Cacao

Cacao and cocoa are tasty treats that may also benefit your metabolism.For instance, studies in mice found that cocoa and cocoa extracts may promote the expression of genes that stimulate the use of fat for energy. This seems especially true in mice fed high-fat or high-calorie diets. Interestingly, one study suggests that cocoa may prevent the action of enzymes necessary to break down fat and carbs during digestion.

In doing so, cocoa could theoretically play a role in preventing weight gain by reducing the absorption of some calories.

However, human studies examining the effects of cocoa, cacao or cacao products such as dark chocolate are rare. More studies are needed before strong conclusions can be made. If you'd like to give cacao a try, opt for raw versions, as processing tends to reduce the amounts of beneficial compounds.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar may increase your metabolism. Several animal studies have shown vinegar to be particularly helpful in increasing the amount of fat burned for energy. In one study, mice given vinegar experienced an increase in the AMPK enzyme, which prompts the body to decrease fat storage and increase fat burning.

In another study, obese rats treated with vinegar experienced an increase in the expression of certain genes, leading to reduced liver fat and belly fat storage.

Apple cider vinegar is often claimed to boost metabolism in humans, but few studies have investigated the matter directly.

Nevertheless, apple cider vinegar may still help our lose weight in other ways, such as slowing stomach emptying and enhancing feelings of fullness .One study in humans even showed that participants given four teaspoons (20 ml) of apple cider vinegar ate up to 275 fewer calories over the rest of the day.

If you'd like to give apple cider vinegar a try, be careful to limit your daily consumption to two tablespoons (30 ml).

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is experiencing a surge in popularity. That may be partly because coconut oil is high in medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). This is contrary to most other types of fats, which usually contain higher amounts of long-chain fatty acids.

Unlike long-chain fats, once MCTs are absorbed, they go directly to the liver to be turned into energy. This makes them less likely to be stored as fat.

Interestingly, several studies show that MCTs can increase metabolic rate more than longer-chain fats .In addition, researchers report that a daily intake of 30 ml of coconut oil may successfully reduce waist size in obese individuals

Water

Drinking enough water is a great way to stay hydrated.Additionally, it seems that drinking water may also temporarily boost metabolism by 24–30%.Researchers note that about 40% of that increase is explained by the additional calories needed to heat the water to body temperature.

Yet, the effects only seem to last for 60–90 minutes after drinking it and may vary from one person to another.

Seaweed

Seaweed is a great source of iodine, a mineral required for the production of thyroid hormones and proper function of your thyroid gland.Thyroid hormones have various functions, one of which is to regulate your metabolic rate.Regularly consuming seaweed can help you meet our iodine needs and keep your metabolism running at a high rate.The reference daily intake of iodine for adults is 150 mcg per day. This can be met by consuming several servings of seaweed per week.

Although, some types of seaweed such as kelp are extremely high in iodine and should not be consumed in large amounts.

Fucoxanthin is another compound found in some varieties of seaweed that may help with metabolism.

It's primarily found in brown seaweed varieties and may have anti-obesity effects by increasing the amount of calories we burn.

Anything Else?

Certain foods may help slightly increase your metabolism. Therefore, consuming them regularly may help you lose weight and keep it off in the long term.However, foods are not the only way to boost your metabolism. 

Sources:- www.healthline.com

Ideal Diet Plan tips for Weight Loss:-

Meal Plan(1) :- 10-15 minutes after wake up  from bed take minimum 3 glass of water then freshen up is to eat nutrition rich food drinks preferable Aloe Vera drinks (Aloe barbadensis)

Aloe Vera gel contains a complex carbohydrate known as acemannan, which facilitates the absorption of nutrients by the cells, nourishes them and also helps detoxify them.

Aloe Vera for Weight Loss

1. Aloe Vera helps aid digestion

Aloe Vera has laxative properties and when consumed in small quantities may aid in digestion. An unhealthy gut is generally linked to weight gain. A healthy digestive system translates to proper metabolism of food and an optimal expulsion of waste from the body that helps in losing weight.

2. Combats water retention

Water retention is one of the main conditions that can lead to weight gain. Due to it being a laxative, aloe vera juice is ideal for fighting water weight. However, it is important to keep in mind that one should not over exceed the consumption of aloe vera juice.

3. Boosts metabolism

Aloe vera is said to help in boosting metabolism, which further enables the body to burn fat. Aloe vera's fat burning abilities are credited to the presence of vitamin B, which converts the fat stored in the body into energy and aids weight loss.

4. Helps detoxify the body

NB::- Most people prefer tea or coffee to start the day. The caffeine content helps you reduce the drowsiness of early morning.  If you have tea or coffee as the first thing in the morning then it is adding up unnecessary calories because it doesn’t have any nutrition. It might hamper your target of 1500 calories, so the best thing is to stay away from these drinks. Caffeine in the tea increases the heart rate improving blood circulation,as a result , we feel fresh after having it.

If you want some drink to start your day, you can have apple cider vinegar and water or One glass of water contain with lemon along with honey for weight loss.

Meal Plan : 2  (Break fast) :- After 60 to 90 minutes of your first meal, the following items you can take Poha,Upma,Paratha,Puti bhaji,Roti-sabji,Idli Sambar with chutney,Dosa sambhar can be options for breakfast which will satisfy your taste. All of these meals contain the proper amount of required nutrients.

NB:- Eating Sweet is strictly prohibited on normal days except a cheat day. The cheat day concept came in to give some relief from the strict diet plan.  So on a cheat day, you can eat your favorite sweet or spicy item but in a specified portion. Then it won’t be stored as fat. Ensure you get a good amount of vitamin A,Vitamin D,vitamin B12,vitamin E from the food you eat.

Biscuits and packed food contain trans fat which is categorized as bad fat, so it must be avoided. Also if you eat your breakfast properly you won’t feel hungry at the later time of the day. Breakfast is the most important meal of the Indian diet chart for weight loss and never skip it if you are planning a healthy weight loss.

Meal Plan : 3 ( Mid Meal) : After having breakfast, you would resume your day to day work/chores. With a nutritious breakfast, it is easy for you to keep the energy levels and put your best at work. Make sure you do not overeat at any meal as the basic science we are following here is to break the food intake in parts.

Approximately 90 to 120 min after you have your breakfast you start feeling a little hungry. The best food to consume here would be any light food item or liquid diet.

The food items you can consume during the meal 3 session are a slice of cheese, roasted peanuts or a fruit. To gain maximum nutrition you can choose a different food group you would have ate for meal 1.

This meal is to avoid a huge gap between Breakfast and lunch so that you don’t jump over your lunch and end up overeating. Some people feel acidity on eating fruit empty stomach, if you are one of them then include the fruit here.

When I tell people to eat a sufficient amount in each meal session, the common question is how to determine the sufficient amount? The answer to this question can be found in Ayurveda. As per the ancient Indian wisdom, you shall eat only the amount of food that can be placed in the cup of your hand. Bring both of your palms together so as to touch the sides and make a cup-like shape.

We are going to apply this concept to the quantity of our meal. This is one of the mid-meal of Indian diet plan for weight loss, make sure it should not be heavy.  This is an important meal in the diet plan to reduce weight.

Meal Plan 4: (Lunch):- Now here comes the time for the heaviest meal of the day which is Lunch.What I have observed over the years, people tend to flex their lunch time. On a particular day, they would have lunch at 12-12.30 pm whereas on another day the lunch time is 3 pm. This would not only lead to various issues like acidity and loss of appetite but also can result in serious stomach issues. You shall max change your lunchtime by 15-30 min if you are very busy.

The best lunch option is Dal, Rice, Sabji, Chapati, and Salad. This is a balanced diet and provides all the required nutrients. No matter how busy you are during the day, do not skip your lunch at any cost. Skipping the main meals are not good and can surely affect your health.

You might ask, so how many chapatis shall I eat?

2 to 3 Rotis (of the size of phulkas) are recommended. But listen to your stomach, if you feel hungry eat 1 more and if you feel otherwise you can skip 1 roti. Sabji options can be of your choice but ensure that it is homemade and fresh.  Paneer,  chole,  chana are good options for the source of protein too.

Dal is the source of protein which should be properly cooked otherwise it can give you stomach troubles.  Avoid eating non-veg at this time as it’s time for work and you might feel heavy. You can include your non-veg dish during dinner. Try to include the food that burns your fat, here is a list of  foods that burn belly fat fast.

Meal Plan 5:( Post Lunch Snacks) Post Lunch the best meal option is buttermilk as it aids digestion and has many more health benefits. The consumption of dairy products like curd, paneer, cheese is essential to get calcium and other nutrition.

A slice of cheese can also be another good option. It is recommended that you don’t repeat any food option even if you love it. You can also drink green tea for weight loss.

Though I do recommend eating whole fruit, if you love drinking fruit juice it can be taken at this time. Couple of things to remember if you opt for fruit juice, first it should be a fresh fruit juice without added sugar and second don’t mix it with other fruits or milk to form shakes. Fruit, when mixed with milk, does more harm than good.

In the Indian diet chart for weight loss provided below, you can see many dairy products included as these are the best source of calcium and helps in strengthing bones and joints. This is one of the mid-meal of  Indian diet chart for weight loss, make sure it should not be heavy.

Meal Plan 6:( Evening Snacks) This meal slot is most crucial. The junk we eat is mostly coming in this part. Generally, you are in the office or just have finished your household chores and your stomach also starts giving you a signal to quench its hunger. So you opt for samosa, vadapav, bhelpuri etc. and things go wrong here. The key rule in the diet is not to eat anything unhealthy.

You can pack your snacks from home that can include, Sprouts or boiled chana, salad, roasted chana, makhana, boiled eggs etc.

Make sure you have some space left for dinner in your stomach, otherwise, you will not have dinner properly and can have late night cravings. This is one of the mid-meal of  Indian diet chart for weight loss, make sure it should not be heavy. In any balanced diet chart, you will find meals divided into parts to avoid overeating at a single point in time.

Meal plan 7: (Dinner) Dinner, again the very important meal in a diet. There are many dos and don’ts for dinner. For example,  you shall try to avoid rice for dinner or you should not do much physical activity after dinner only shatpavli (100 steps walking ) can be done etc. Definitely, dessert should be avoided after dinner even if you are in a party.

Also coffee, tea should be avoided. There is simple science that it is the last meal of the day after which our body goes too fast for 10 to 11 hours.

Our body does the repair work when we are in sleep. If we eat heavy dinner then all its energy will be required for the digestion purpose and not the function which it is intended for.

Rice can be eaten for dinner if you don’t have a cough or cold. White rice contains tryptophan which induces good sleep. Also, eat Dinner at least 2 hours prior to sleeping for the same above reason. Do not immediately go and sleep, it results in fat storage in the body.

Roti, Sabji, Dal or Rice, Dal, Sabji or dal roti or dal rice with ghee  are all good options for dinner. Choose any one amongst rice or roti for dinner.

Meal Plan 8: (Sleep Time Drink) In this Indian diet chart for weight loss, I have included Milk as the 8th meal. Milk has many essential nutrients that help us build our immune system,  add a pinch of turmeric to it. Include antioxidant rich foods in your diet to stay young.

Here, I have provided week wise nutrition plans with various meal alternative options. This is a 7-day diet plan for weight loss for 7 weeks. Follow this diet chart to lose weight fast.

Sources:-Internet

How BMR can help in weight loss ?

BMR stands for Basal metabolic rate, which are the minimum calories we require to live. It is influenced by lean mass each person has. A normal person BMR is the calculation of calories that each organ requires to function with, while you aren’t performing any activity. The increase in mass of muscles increases BMR. It decreases with growing age and muscle mass. Total daily energy expenditure, TDEE is the total number of calories body consumes, daily, to function. The TDEE varies numerous factors, such as age, gender, and activity level. Men tend to have higher TDEE compared to women due to more muscle mass. BMR calculator for men and women is used to calculate the basal metabolic rate.

How BMR can help in weight loss?

Another alternate definition of the Basal metabolic rate makes the relation between energy and calories really visible. It states that the Basal metabolic rate is the number of calories, required by an individual to survive or by the organs to keep functioning even when the digestive system is inactive. This statement also throws light on the relation between weight loss and BMR. 

Weight is lost when the total amount of calories consumed by a person are lesser than the ones that are burnt by the individual. BMR plays a very major role in weight loss which has been elaborated below.

1- Knowing the BMR – A starting point for weight loss

Basal metabolic rate and its knowledge are considered as a ‘’starting point’’ for the weight loss process. The initial advice given by the experts to anyone who plans on losing weight is the calculation of the basal metabolic rate. 

Weight is reduced and lost once a person’s total caloric intake becomes lesser than the calories that the individual is burning throughout the day. And therefore, after knowing the BMR, you are easily put into the state of knowing how to reduce the number of calories that you consume every day. And obviously, once you do it, weight loss will easily follow afterwards. Basically, it provides you with a rough idea of the number of calories you require each day to lose some weight keeping in view the number of calories your body is ‘’naturally’’ burning through the process of doing nothing but existing. 

2- You burn your calories while staying at rest. Sari Greaves who is a well-known dietician describes the calories burnt at rest as ‘’Couch-potato calories’’. Which when thought of, is practically true as you are burning those calories, not because of exercising or engaging yourself in some activity, but only because your organs are performing their activities. And more interestingly, it makes up 60 percent of the calories that you have consumed per day. The left over 40% are lost through your activities.

3- An estimation of your total calorie intake if you aim at losing weight Long ago, people did not have the concept of obesity and how it can impact a person’s health. Then came the duration, when people only lost weight for social acceptance. However, in this world where science has progressed at its best, people are now aware of how overweight/obesity can affect the quality of life. From certain kinds of cancers to different heart diseases, all are accompanied by obesity. 

Therefore, the concern towards weight is increasing day by day. And if you are someone who is all about fitness, you already know how you can calculate your total calorie intake that you need to maintain to lose some pounds. This also makes the importance of BMR in the weight-world, crystal clear. 

To ascertain the calories you have to keep up your present weight, multiply your BMR by an activity factor. For example, you work in an office where your job is to sit on the desk all day long, your activity factor will be around 1.2. If however, you exercise twice or thrice a week, your movement factor is 1.375. And if you increase your exercise level by instead of exercising for twice or thrice a week, you exercise 3 to 5 times per week, then your action factor increases to 1.55. In case you're associated with games and exercise six to seven days seven days, your action factor is 1.725. In case you're preparing for a long distance race or have a physically engaging activity, your action factor is 1.9. 

To make it even more clear, let’s explain it with an example. Consider a male individual of 43, with a height of 5’9 and a weight of 88. His BMR will fall around 1863 (you will require a accurate BMR calculator to calculate the value. We have mentioned the one you can use at calculators.tech for ease) if he is lightly active. To know the total amount of calories he needs to lose weight, simply multiply the BMR with the activity factor. And you get the desired result.

4- BMR can be altered for weight loss People have noticed and reported, that when they start with the weight loss, they lose weight real quick. After shedding some pounds in a short duration, the process slows down and so, they lose weight very slowly. This is simply because your Basal metabolic rate decreases as you lose weight, and this means that the total calories needed by a person per day also shows a decrease.The reason why this happens may be partially due to a decrease in muscle mass. For this purpose, experts suggest going for exercises such as squats, strength training, push-ups and etc. to maintain the BMI to some extent. (Ask your gym instructor for further details) and to lose weight at the same rate.

Source : https://www.calculators.tech/bmr-calculator