Most people do not have the luxury of time to do physical activities to lose weight, that's why proper nutrition and healthy food intake can be considered as means manage calorie intake. Here are 10 easy ways to overhaul your diet without drastically changing your lifestyle, courtesy of Telegraph.
Tip #1: Swap your orange juice for an orange fruit
Instead of drinking the usual OJ for breakfast, eat an orange instead. A glass of orange juice has almost twice the sugar of one medium sized orange fruit and contains more fibre than powdered orange juice.
Tip #2: Eat crisps out of a bowl
Based on a study, people tend to eat more when they eat straight from the bag because our brain doesn't tell us to stop. Pouring a finite amount of food in a plate or a bowl, will make us eat less.
Tip #3: Choose dark chocolate instead
Dark chocolate helps restore flexibility to arteries while preventing white blood cells from sticking to the walls of blood vessels - that are both common causes of artery clogging. It also has half of the sugar content of milk chocolate.
Tip #4: Don't mix fruit and alcohol
The liver is unable to process large quantities of fruit sugar quickly, that means a "fruit-juice-heavy cocktail, complete with an alcohol base is about as bad as it can get." A fruit should only go with less alcoholic beverages.
Tip #5: Choose popcorn instead of crisps
Experts recommend popcorn that had been popped at home and not the once that is available in the cinemas. A 25g serve of plain air-pooped popcorn contains around 90 calories, no sugar and 1g of fat.
Tip #6: Get rid of distractions while eating
Eating while distracted can cause weight gain. As Professor Jane Ogden says: "Even though walking had the most impact, any form of distraction, including eating at our desks can lead to weight gain. When we don't fully concentrate on our meals and the process of taking in food, we fall into a trap of mindless eating where we don't track or recognise the food that has just been consumed."
Tip #7: Don't race to finish your food
Eating slowly can save up at least 70 calories over half an hour because it takes around 20 minutes for the body to register that it's full. Slow eaters consume 2oz of food per minute, while fast eaters eat 3.1oz.
Tip #8: Wake up earlier
Dr Phyllis Zee, Professor of Neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine says: "If a person doesn't get sufficient light at the appropriate time of day, it could de-synchronize your internal body clock, which is known to alter metabolism and can lead to weight gain.
"The message is that you should get more bright light between 8am and noon."
Tip #9: Don't skip breakfast
Dubbed as the most important meal of the day, eating breakfast is crucial in losing weight and maintaining the desired weight loss.
Milton Stokes, the Chief Dietitian for St. Barnabas Hospital in New York says: "People skip breakfast thinking they're cutting calories, but by mid-morning and lunch that person is starved.
"Breakfast skippers replace calories during the day with mindless nibbling and bingeing at lunch and dinner. They set themselves up for failure."
Tip #10: Use whole grain flour
Whole grain flour has more protein and fibre than white or all-purpose flour. It is a healthier alternative, only that it will change the consistency food but it tastes just the same.
