Veg Weight Loss Diets..For the Green Revolution inside YOU!

Cooking as we know has been the essense of food prepration as it enables richer blending of ingredients and brings in much needed taste to it. However research conducted in last few decades has shown the ill effects of cooking on nutritional value of the food we eat. Cooking alters the structure of the ingredients and hence in most cases reduce its nutritious value. In the same lines, there is lot of curiosity out there to know the benefits of uncooked oatmeal as oppose to cooked oatmeal and this article explores the same.

Uncooked Oatmeal Vs Cooked Oatmeal Comparison

We only have data available for 100 grams of each cooked and uncooked oat bran. As the cooked oatmeal have significant amount of water in it, it skews the comparison proportionately. The difference is such that cooked oatmeal food displays lower numbers for every element as water contributes to make up good chunk of 100 grams of sample being considered. Below comparison hence should be taken into consideration with this point in mind. The comparison has been broken down by type of elements i.e. proximates, minerals and vitamins.

Prioximates

Minerals

Vitamins

Verdict

Though this comparison easily gives an impression that uncooked oatmeal is the way to go as it has higher portion of every nutrient. The main thing to keep in mind is that it is not easy to digest and often not the tastier of the two. However there are products like Muesli, Granola out there which do use a portion of uncooked oats for making and as they have other tasty ingredients as well, it relatively easier to eat.

References

USDA – Uncooked dry Oat Bran

USDA – Cooked Oat Bran

Given the success of oatmeal (which is porridge made of oats) it is a no brainer inclusion into our daily diet (the best benefit of oatmeal is derived when it is had as a breakfast regularly). However there are different versions of story around how healthy oatmeal is and hence there are quite a number of people asking this question – “is Oatmeal Healthy”? Well, if you are after a quick one line answer then I would say “Yes, It surely is”. However, if you are after details as why oatmeal is healthy and what are the actual benefits then do read on. This article on Health Benefits Of Oatmeal Nutrition for Weight Loss will make an honest attempt to explore key health benefits of oatmeal (and oats), in a concise way and hopefully clear main uncertainties around it.

Image by Farmanac being used here under creative commons licence

Oats Nutrition Breakdown

Oatmeal is made from Oats. Oats in its basic form is a whole grain food with high amount of fiber and packed with good amount of protein. It fits the bill for one of the best breakfasts as it keeps you full for long enough to keep you away from those high calorie sugary snack. Taking oatmeal once a day promotes great health by building good body, help in excess weight loss, building immune system and cutting down risks of diseases or ill health.  Its natural to ask what does oatmeal contain for it to contribute in so many ways? Well, oatmeal is made from oats which has some key ingredients which contribute to health. Below are the key components of oats which aid us in many ways

1. Great Protein Source
2. Good source of Anti-Oxidants
3. High in soluble dietary fiber
4. Good source insoluble dietary fiber
5. Made up of best type of Carbohydrates, the complex carbohydrates
6. Contains Phytonutrients and Beta Glucan

These above components bring in some key benefits which are essential for us to know. The below section will touch up on that in detail.

1. Great Protein Source

Oatmeal (oats) are one of the very good source of protein which is one of the most essential nutrients we need for healthy living. Quality of protein available in a food source is defined by the number and the amount of each essential amino acids (EAA) that get supplied by them. As most of our food items don't supply all the 9 EAAs in sufficient levels and hence they require us to eat other food items along with them to make up for the remaining EAAs. This is a critical problem for vegetarian as most of their diets provide an incomplete set of EAAs. On the contrary Oatmeal is a great food which provides all EAAs in suffiecient quantity and hence can be termed as a complete source of Protein.  

To add to this, we humans need roughly 1 gram of protein per kg of our weight and hence it’s essential to have diets which are strong source of protein. Oats is once such diet as it is said to contain nearly 16 grams of protein for 100 grams of oats. If you are a vegetarian, you cannot get a better bargain than this from any of the wholegrain foods.

2. Good source of Anti-oxidants

Oatmeal are also very good source for wide variety of anti-oxidants which have numerous key benefits. For example, Selenium is one such anti-oxidant which is present in oats is said to reduce the risk of Asthma.

3. High in Soluble Dietary Fiber

Importance of soluble dietary fiber is immense for a healthy living. Below are some key benefits.

• Reduce bad cholesterol levels – Oatmeal contain good amount of soluble fiber which as they get digested will reduces absorption of cholesterol into blood stream and hence aids in reducing bad blood cholesterol (LDL) without affecting the good cholesterol (HDL). LDLs are one of the key contributors for cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks. If you are keen to know more on good and bad cholesterols here.
• Reduces High Blood Pressure (High BP) – In health studies conducted in recent past, it has been observed that high pressure has been associated with low soluble fiber and protein intake. Hence soluble fiber in oatmeal can add to necessary fiber requirement and subsequently reducing high blood pressure or hypertension possibilities.
• Promotes weight loss (indirectly) – The soluble fiber in oatmeal results in formation of gels. This gel formation ensures that the person feels fuller for a longer duration of time. This eliminating any need for an inter-meal snack which often tends to be a calorie rich. These snacks are one of the key reasons resulting in derailment of any weight loss plan being executed.

3. High in insoluble Dietary Fiber

Insoluble fiber also contributes heavily for healthy living and some of its key benefits are below.

• Promote Bowel movements and reduces risk of constipation – Insoluble fiber as it enters the digestive system do not dissolve by its nature. In turn as they are spongy they tend to absorb water which is many times its weight. This promotes healthy bowel movement and reduces the risk of constipation. Due to its high water retention power it enables easy movement of waste through the digestive system.
• Help keep optimal PH in intestines – Insoluble fiber also helps keep optimal PH levels in intestines which in turn help provide right ambience for healthy bacteria which are essential for our digestive system.

4. Made up of best type of Carbohydrates, the complex carbohydrates

One of the main reasons for weight gain is because our diet is loaded with a lot of refined products which provide a dose of simple carbohydrates. These simple carbohydrates tend to increase our blood sugar levels such that insulin will promote storing fat. The best way to avoid weight gain is by having more complex carbohydrates like oats. Hence having oatmeal as a regular part of your diet will have below benefits.

• Stabilize blood sugar levels – Unlike simple carbohydrates, complex carbohydrates present in oats tend to spread the raise in blood sugar levels over a longer period of time. This helps in keeping a tab on insulin levels which plays a pivotal role in both preventing diabetics and weight gain.
• Release energy at a steady pace – Due to the nature of carbohydrates, the digestion process is slow in nature and it takes time to release energy out of it. Scientific studies have been shown that regular consumption of oats alter metabolism positively to enhance performance when consumed 45 minutes to 1 hour before exercise.

Contains Phytonutrients & Beta Glucan

Oats also contain few special substances which add to the value of oatmeal as a food nutrient. Phytonutrients and Beta glucan are two such components.

• Phytonutrients (phytochemicals) in researches have shown to processes ability to reduce the risk of different types of hormone related cancer, primarily breast cancer. However there are researches which have shown similar results, albeit on a smaller scale for other hormone related cancers like prostate, endometrial and ovarian cancer.
• Beta Glucan present in oats is known as biological response modifiers (BRM) for their ability to enhance ability of our immune system. There are also some researches which strongly indicate positive influence in maintaining blood cholesterol levels.

Verdict

Simply put, oatmeal is one of the best wholegrain food out there. It should be part of regular diet of every individual as it has numerous benefits and this article only mentions few of them. Unlike in Wheat and Rice, oats contain a good balance of essential fatty acids, which have been linked with longevity and general good health. All of these great benefits makes oats one of the best food item to be incorporated into your diet.

References 

1.       Soluble fibre and Cholesterol reduction

2.       About Weight Loss, Reducing Cholesterol levels and Anti-Oxidants

3.       Impact of Soluble fibre on High Blood Pressure – An experimental study

4.       Benefits of Soluble/Insoluble fibre

5.       Insoluble fibre & digestive system

6.       More about Beta-Glucan

7.       Health benefits of Oats

Popcorn is one of the most famous snacks all over the world. It is almost a "must have" in all shopping malls and cinema multiplexes. It is very tasty and has a great flavour which drag us towards it instantly. Given its done in a constrained manner, Popcorn is one of our recommended healthy snacks for any occasion. Why? Read on to know popcorn nutritional value.

Popcorn Nutritional Value

Popcorn is a healthy wholegrain food and hence it is ideal for snacking between well timed balanced meals. It is generally filling in nature and has energy enhancing carbohydrates. In addition to its taste, it is the popcorn's nutritional value which makes it such a fantastic snack. It is a very good source of dietary fibre and protein. It is also known for its low sodium and sugar content.

Below is the table which details popcorn’s nutritional value.

Popcorn nutrition (30g)

Antioxidants

Another nutritional benefit of popcorn is its high content of antioxidants, which not only protect cells from damage caused by free radicals, they can reduce risk of getting cancer and heart disease. Below is a list of such key ingredients in 100 grams of popcorn.

Popcorn Types & Calories

Word of caution!

Care should also be taken when giving popcorn to small children (typically below age of 4) due to chances of choking. Special type of popcorn has been developed with special "hullness".

Please note that it will be a grave mistake to group all available popcorn into a “healthy snack” bracket. Most commercially sold popcorns might have extra oil/sugar/butter added to add more flavour to popcorn. Popcorn, only when it is made using the minimal amount of correct ingredients, can be said to be healthy. Below is a table which gives examples of different type of popcorn and its estimated calories

Popcorn Types & Calories

Summary

Based on the above table we can summerize below nutritional facts about popcorn.

Popcorn – things to remember

Ragi is the common name of Finger Millet in Southern part of India. Along with oats this is one of the most nutritious food and one of the easy one to to digest . It is rich in calcium and protein and also have good amount of iron and other minerals. It is low in fat most of which are unsaturated fats. As any other grains it has its shade of good and not so good aspects. Ragi is often ground to a fine power and sold and popularly known as Ragi Flour. In this article we will put together all the details Ragi Flour’s Nutritional Value and the Benefits it has to offer to us. To start with we will look at the % share of content of Ragi, second, we will look at the quantity of minerals present and different amino acids present. Finally we will round it up with comparing Ragi flour to other grains like Wheat, Maize against key staple food ingredients. (check out our new article on Health benefits of oatmeal nutrition for weight loss)

Ragi Flour Nutritional Value

In this below section depicts the in a typical content in 100 grams of Ragi Flour (edible portion, 12% moisture). Major portion of Ragi Flour is carbohydrate, followed by protein and fiber. It has the least amount of fat in them.

Ragi Flour Nutritional Value (Chart)

Below is the pie chart which shows the split of above numbers.

Major portion of Ragi Flour is carbohydrate, around 80%. The Fat percentage is quite less which is good. Protein and fiber content is relatively less as well. 100 grams of Ragi has roughly on an average of 336 KCal of energy in them.

Minerals

Below table shows typical mount of various minerals present in the Ragi Flour (to be referred as Ragi here after). As you can see in the table that Ragi has high amount of calcium. Calcium is one of the most important ingredients of our body and our daily need is around 350 mg. There are traces of Iron but rest of other minerals are negligible.

Ragi Nutrition Chart (Minerals)

Amino Acids

Ragi also has some good number of Essential Amino Acids (EAA) which are essential for human body. Few of the key EAAs which Ragi has are Valine, Methionine, Isoleucine, Threonine and Tryptophan. Below section beiefly explains why these are essential for us

Valine is essential for repair of tissues, muscle coordination and metabolism and also help maintain balance of nitrogen in the body. It also help promote mental calmness and enhance maintain mental vigor.
Isoleucine is essential for ensuring blood formation, keeping a check on blood sugar levels. It also helps heal and repair muscle tissues, bones and skin.
Threonine helps maintain protein levels in the body. It also helps formation of tooth enamel, also prevents formation of fat in the liver.
Tryptophan which act as natural relaxant and help fight anxiety, depression and insomnia. They also help in treating migraine headaches. They reduce excess appetite and help control weight gain; they also release of growth harmones.
Methionoine which is a sulfur based amino acid which is essential for various activities in human body. It is said to help promote growth of healthy skin and hair. The Sulfur which we get from Methionine helps produce a substance called lecithin which helps reduce cholesterol, reduce fat inside the livers and help protect kidneys. This methionine is generally lacking in staple diet of some of the vegetarians and hence regular Ragi intake will help get enough of these amino acids.

Ragi Nutrition Chart (Amino Acids)

Ragi Vs Other Grains (Wheat, Maize, Brown Rice)

Below table shows how Ragi (finger millet) stands against other staple grains – Wheat, Maize and Brown Rice.

Ragi Nutrition Chart (Comparison)

We can make out from the chart that Protein content in Ragi is not on the higher side. It is least on Calories, Protein and Fat. It is relatively high on Protein.

Ragi Nutrition Chart (Mineral Comparison)

Ragi has very high amount of calcium which are way more than others. The Ragi also have traces of Iron. Other minerals are not present in high numbers

Verdict

Ragi is a very good to be included as a part of staple diet as it lot of essential nutrients, amino acids and minerals. Add to this is the fact that these have very low amount of fat content and reasonable amount of fibre. Having said that caution should be taken to ensure that you dont take more than your body can take, esp if you have some limitation. This article is a testament of goodness of ragi and including Ragi into diet plan starting with couple of times a week will help a lot.

References

1. Finger Millet basics from Wikipedia.org
2. Finger Millet Facts and statistics from blackherbals.com
3. Essential Amino Acids and its need from Realtime.net

As you may know there are 3 types of Cholesterols – High Density Lipoproteins (HDL), Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL) and Triglycerides. Out of these only HDL is good for the body where as others are not so good. This article is mainly focusing on identifying and replacing those high cholesterol diets with those which are lowering cholesterol diets.

The percentage of all cholesterols in the body is influenced by the amount of fat we intake. Even in fats we have good and bad fats. Saturated and Trans Fat are bad fats where as Unsaturated fats (Mono and Poly) are good fats.

Saturated Fats

Saturated are the most dangerous of fats that we should avoid. These fats contribute heavily to increase our bad cholesterol levels. Let’s check out the common food items from which these make their way to our body and what are its apt substitutes.

      Red Meat, Organ Meats – Replace meat (more so red meat) with other diets like fish or simply go vegetarian.

      Butter – Replace them with Cheese which are said to have lesser amount of total and saturated fat.

      Palm Oil or Coconut Oil – Replace these with Olive oil or Sun flower oil

      Heavy Dairy Products – Go for skimmed or semi skimmed milk. Reduce other heavy dairy products.

      Egg Yolks – Avoid egg yolks and food items made of them. Go for egg whites only.

Trans Fat

The main source of Trans fat into the body is from the processed foods we take as these have high levels of Trans Fat. The common processed food includes pasties, crisps, donuts, cakes, cookies and almost all fried items sold on fast food outlets like KFC.

The best action to take is to avoid these processed foods all together and replace them with healthy snacks (like low sugar whole grain snacks) or fruits. Going natural with consciously replacing the intake of processed food with fruits and vegetables will have a great long term benefits.

OK, now let us discuss those good fats and their sources.

Monounsaturated Fats

These are relatively good fats when taken in reasonable quantities. These are said to reduce the LDLs which are bad and help increase levels of HDLs which are good. The below list gives different sources of monounsaturated fats

     Different kinds of oils like olive oil, grape seed oil, peanut oil, corn oil.

     Nuts, Avocados

     Whole grain wheat, Oat meal, cereals and popcorns

Polyunsaturated Fats

Like monounsaturated fats the polyunsaturated fats are good for the body when taken in moderate proportions. These also help in increasing HDLs and reduce LDLs. Below are the different sources of polyunsaturated fats.

       Nuts and seeds

       Sesame, Soy, Corn and Sunflower seed oils

       Whole grain wheat

      Peanut butter, Margarine

A word of caution is that even though both Mono and Polysaturated fats are termed as good fats they only should be taken in limited quantities. As they are a type of fat they will increase your body weight. Also an effort has to be made to consume the above food in its original form as heating of the food might result in food losing its property.

Verdict

If you are of age 7 or 70, what you need to do is quite simple. Reduce those foods which are high on saturated and trans fats and replace them with those food items which provide mono and poly unsaturated fats. Having said that care should be taken to limit the intake of all fats as all fats will add more weight to body. Hence adding a good exercise plan into daily routine will greatly help maintain good cholesterol levels.