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Tag: weight loss

How to know if you’re undereating

March 20th, 2019 by The Hello Doctor Team

If you are trying to drop a dress size or two, eating less seems like the simplest solution. But be careful, you might wind up losing more than a bit of weight!

Undereating is when you restrict the amount of food you eat. This might be a conscious decision to lose weight, following a diet trend, or it could be part of an eating disorder. It is also possible to undereat without realising it. For example, if you become engrossed in studying, working or even a hobby you enjoy, you might miss meals.  Or, if you have a fast metabolism or do extremely high levels of physical activity, you need to have enough food to keep up with what your body needs.

Undereating may seem harmless, but over time, it can lead to several health risks like bone fractures, infertility, a weakened immune system, malnutrition, anaemia and chronic fatigue.

Let’s find out if you’re undereating and what to do about it.

Are you undereating?

You’re running on zero
Calories can be compared to the charge in batteries. These are units of energy your body uses to function effectively. Calories come from the foods you eat and when you don’t get enough calories, you’re bound to be exhausted, simply because you lack enough energy for normal activities.

The number of calories you need within a 24-hour period is called your resting metabolic rate. The general metabolic rate for most people is higher than one thousand calories a day. The more physical activity you do, the higher your calorie needs. So, if you’re always tired, it’s possible that you’re probably not eating enough calories to sustain you.

Your stomach is growling
If you’re ravenous most of the time, you’re probably not eating enough. When you undereat, the levels of hormones that control hunger and fullness are changed. These hormones are called leptin and ghrelin.

An increased appetite or food cravings is a response to the change in these hormones. Reducing the amount of food you eat can also increase the hormone cortisol. Cortisol is linked to increased hunger because your body sends signals that you should eat to avoid starvation.

You’re moody
If small, daily irritations like missing the bus easily set you off, you may need to pile up your plate. Eating enough of the right foods provides your body with energy-boosting nutrients which are converted into blood glucose. When your body doesn’t get the glucose it needs, it panics and feels threatened. Because your body feels like it’s experiencing a life-threatening situation, it won’t take much for something to upset or irritate you.

You’re always sick
If you’re sniffling more than usual, your diet is probably to blame. Vitamins, minerals and nutrients help you maintain a healthy immune system. When your immune system isn’t at its best, you become sick more easily, and you’re also more likely to stay sick for longer.

Eat smart

If you think you are undereating, try to increase your daily calories to reach a healthy weight. The minimum number of calories a day is 1 200 and should come from healthy foods.

  • Eat meals high in protein like eggs, almonds, chicken, oats and cottage cheese.
  • Fill up on complex carbs like peas and beans.
  • If you struggle to eat big meals, opt for five to six smaller meals throughout the day.
  • Bone up with good fats like nuts and avocado.
  • Focus on a variety of nutritious vegetables.
  • Do strength training exercises. These bulk up your muscles and add to your weight.
  • Add toppings (like a sprinkle of cheese) to your foods to up your calorie intake.
  • If you think that you may have an eating disorder, don’t delay in asking for help! Talk to your doctor about what support is available to help you.

References

How to lose belly fat

March 19th, 2019 by The Hello Doctor Team

You may have noticed that, as you reach middle age, your proportion of body fat to body weight increases. If you’re a woman, chances are that these changes coincide with menopause.

Many of us are quick to dismiss these changes as “a normal part of ageing” but ignoring a growing waistline isn’t a good strategy. Being overweight dramatically increases your risk for life-threatening diseases, especially as you get older.

Fat around the belly is dangerous, with research showing that it increases the risk for heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and some types of cancer.

While researchers still don’t know exactly why fat around the midriff is riskier than fat around the buttocks, thighs and hips, they do know that abdominal fat releases large amounts of fatty acids. These fats affect the metabolism of insulin (the hormone that regulates blood glucose levels), setting the stage for Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other health problems.

Maintaining a healthy weight is one of the best things you can do to protect your overall health, says the Heart and Stroke Foundation of South Africa. And, once you start losing weight, the fat around your belly will also disappear.

Do you have too much abdominal fat? 

If you have a tape measure, it’s easy to figure out if you have too much fat around your belly. Place the tape measure midway between your hip bone and the bottom of your ribs, wrap it around your waist, and check your measurement. Where does it fall in the table below?

Waist circumference Approximate pants size
Normal Men ≤ 94cm
Women ≤ 80cm		 Men ≤ 36
Women ≤ 40 (US 14)
Overweight Men > 94–102cm
Women > 80–88cm		 Men ≥ 38
Women ≥ 42 (US 16)
Obese Men > 102cm
Women > 88cm		 Men ≥ 42
Women ≥ 44 (US 18)

Source: The Heart and Stroke Foundation of SA

If you slot into the “overweight” or “obese” category, it’s time to take steps to improve your health.

What you can do

To a large extent, your overall weight and the fat around your belly depend on how much and what you’re eating. Foods that cause a large increase in insulin, things like sugar, are more likely to cause weight gain in this area.

According to the Mayo Clinic, ageing is another factor. “Muscle mass might diminish slightly with age, while fat increases. Loss of muscle mass also slows down the rate at which your body uses calories.”

The starting point for bringing your weight under control and combatting abdominal fat, says the Harvard Medical School, is regular moderate-intensity activity. “Strength training may also help fight abdominal fat. Spot exercising, like sit-ups, can tighten abdominal muscles, but it won’t get at visceral fat (the deep fat that sits around your organs).”

The second step is a healthy, diet with loads of fibre-rich fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, proteins, dairy, and healthy fats. Combining this type of diet with regular exercise can help you lose weight if you do it properly.

  • Ask a registered dietician to compile an eating plan for you based on your age and lifestyle habits. Stick to it at least 80% of the time.
  • Exercise for at least 30 minutes, most days of the week.
  • Pay close attention to your portion sizes.
  • Use a food diary to track how much you’re eating.
  • Turn off the television when you’re eating. Eat mindfully, slowly and enjoy every bite.
  • Don’t drink your calories. Satisfy your thirst with water and other unsweetened beverages.
  • Cut out sugar and refined starches (e.g. biscuits, rusks, pastries, white bread, and white pasta).

References

How to lose weight and not gain it back

January 23rd, 2019 by The Hello Doctor Team

Dropping five kilos with a crash diet for your upcoming date sounds like a good idea – but it’s not! Everyone loves a quick fix (particularly when it comes to shedding weight). But, quick weight loss is bad for your health and it’s also unsustainable.

Slow and steady wins the race

Implementing drastic changes makes you feel good because it gives you hope and a sense of achievement. In the long run though, if your goals are too radical, you won’t be able to keep up. You might get to a point where you revert to bad habits.

For example, if you cut out all the junk food you love in one go, you’re bound to binge eventually. This is called “counter-regulatory eating” which happens if you severely restrict yourself. It creates an all-or-nothing mindset where all is well only if you’re following the rules.

And if you break one rule, you adopt a “What the heck!?” attitude and break them all. This takes you right back to where you started.

Why crash diets fail you

Losing weight rapidly comes with various health risks including nausea, fatigue and an upset stomach. It also increases your risk of rebound weight gain. Here are some of the main factors to consider, before you sign-up for the next ‘6 weeks to slim’ diet:

1. You’re probably not just losing fat

A healthy rate of weight loss means dropping between a half to one kilo per week. If you lose more, you might burn water or muscle because your body finds it difficult to burn large numbers of fat calories in a short amount of time.

2. Your fluids become unbalanced

Electrolytes are chemicals that help your muscles contract and helps your heart beat properly. When you lose weight too fast, most of it is water. Losing too much water weight disrupts the balance of electrolytes, like minerals. This wreaks havoc on your body because it won’t have the electrolytes needed to function properly.

3. There are side-effects

In some cases, losing weight too quickly causes dehydration, gallstones, malnutrition and an imbalance of electrolytes. Headaches, constipation, dizziness, irregular periods, muscle and hair loss and fatigue are other possible consequences.

4. Your metabolism dips

Rapid weight loss kicks your body kick into survival mode. This also means some of your body’s systems, including your metabolism slow down to use less energy. A slow metabolism burns fewer calories a day and makes it easier for you to gain weight while eating less food.

How to lose weight steadily and healthily

Research by Drexel University found that people whose weight fluctuated in the first few months of trying to lose weight, lost less weight in the long run, compared to those with consistent week-by-week progress. Here’s how to lose weight and keep it off.

1. Set a realistic goal

Don’t pressure yourself to lose 20 kilos a month. A good rule of thumb is to try and lose five to 10% of your body weight over six months and between half a kilo and one kilo a week. Aim for steady weight loss.

2. Get real

Stop aiming for perfection and go for sustainable and manageable instead. The 80/20 rule is a good place to start. About 80% of the food in your diet comes from whole foods and the leftover 20% can be treats. This works well because you aren’t depriving yourself of any food, so it’s easy to maintain. You can eat your fruits and veggies and have a small slice of cake too. Try the 90/10 rule once you’re comfortable.

3. Keep it simple

From Banting to intermittent fasting, search “weight loss plans” on the Internet and you’ll be overwhelmed with options. And when you’re overwhelmed, you’re likely to throw in the towel. Don’t overthink your weight loss journey. Research, pick a plan and try to stick with it. If you aren’t happy, change it. Ask a dietician, doctor or a personal trainer for help when you’re starting.

4. Write it down

When you commit something to paper, you’re holding yourself accountable. Every day, write down whatever you’ve eaten, including snacks and drinks. Also include the amount and kind of exercises you’ve done for the day. You’ll be surprised to find how unplanned treats or sugary drinks have crept their way into your diet. This also helps you to find and eliminate those habits that could be holding you back. You don’t have to do this forever. Doing it at when you start out will help you identify your weight loss wreckers.

5. Get moving

Your diet alone won’t help you lose weight. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week. For example, brisk walking. When you’re starting out, don’t push yourself to do it all in one go. Start with three sets of 10-minute workouts each day.

References:

 

 

Different types of body fat and what to do about it

November 30th, 2018 by The Hello Doctor Team

Seeing fat on your body may make you want to hit the treadmill to sweat it off or only eat carrot sticks for a week. The good news though, is that not all fat is bad… there are good kinds too.

Body fat plays an important role in storing energy, managing your hormones and regulating your metabolism. This means it’s important to have enough of the good fat and to manage the bad kind. There are four main types of fat in your body. Each kind has its own structure, colour, and effect on your health.

Where fat is stored also affects your health. Let’s look at the different kinds of fats, where they accumulate and how to manage them.

The good

Brown fat
This is one of the good fats in your body which primarily provides energy to your cells and regulates your body’s core temperature. It is found in the back of your neck and chest areas. Brown fat is considered a good fat because it helps your body burn bad fat and keep your weight down. Increase your percentage of brown fat with healthy food, regular exercise and consistent exposure to cold temperatures.

Beige fat
This fat is found along your spine and collarbone and is a combination of brown and white fat. When you exercise, a hormone called irisin is released, which converts white fat into beige fat. According to research by Washington State University, certain foods like grapes, blueberries, apples, and raspberries can help turn beige fat into brown fat. It can do this because it contains an antioxidant called resveratrol, which burns calories.

The bad

White subcutaneous fat
White fat is what weight gain nightmares are made of because it’s this type of fat that stores calories. When there’s too much white fat, your metabolism slows down. When your metabolism slows down, you gain weight around your hips, tummy and thighs. Fat in these areas on your body makes it difficult to lose weight.

Subcutaneous fat (SF)
SF fat is found all over your body; particularly around your bottom, thighs and arms. It’s located directly under your skin and is what is usually measured to calculate body fat percentage. This fat also produces oestrogen hormones in men and women, and a surplus of oestrogen has been linked to obesity. The worst place to have SF is around the stomach as it ups your risk of heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

Visceral fat
This is the most dangerous fat you can have, as it accumulates around your abdominal organs. In small amounts, it helps cushion your organs against injury, but an excess leads to health problems, including heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

Say goodbye to bad fat

  • To lose White SF fat and SF fat, replace processed foods and carbs with protein and healthy fats in your diet. Protein makes you feel fuller for longer, which can reduce your cravings for sugary foods.
  • Exercise regularly to keep a good amount of brown fat in your body.
  • SF fat is one way that your body stores energy. This means that you need to burn energy in the form of calories to burn SF fat. Do aerobic exercise and cardio like swimming, running and skipping to burn calories. Strength training like weightlifting can also help burn SF fat, by increasing your metabolism.

References:

What your body shape says about your health

October 8th, 2018 by The Hello Doctor Team

Should you wear skinnies or boyfriend jeans? Your body shape can help you decide which jeans you’d look best in – and reveal a few things about your health too.

The most common shapes are pear, apple, inverted triangle and rectangular. People of all shapes and sizes can be healthy, but sometimes your shape could put you at risk for certain diseases.

Your natural body shape is determined by your genes, but diet, exercise, sleep and stress levels all play important roles in “shaping” you.

Apple

If most of your weight accumulates around your hips and abdomen, you have an apple-shaped body. So basically, you’d be wide on top and small on the bottom. The apple shape usually develops with age and is most common in men, giving them a “pot belly”. This shape shows that you follow a poor diet, do very little exercise and are highly stressed. For men, drinking too much alcohol is a big contributor to this shape. An apple shape means excess fat in your abdominal area. This increases your risk for cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and high blood pressure. That’s because this type of fat builds up deep in your torso and constantly dissolves into the bloodstream, circulating throughout the body.

Stay healthy

Being active is very important if you’re apple-shaped. Choose exercises like swimming, cycling, jogging or weight training to help regulate your weight. Weight training is also good. If you can’t find the time to exercise regularly because of an office job, get up often to stretch, take walks during your lunch break, and take the stairs instead of the lift. For your diet, include protein-rich foods, lots of fibre and go easy on carbs. Avoid processed foods, cakes and biscuits, and instead, fill up on fruits and veggies.

Pear

Pear-shaped people are heavier at the bottom. As a pear, your hip section would be wider than your upper body, so most of your fat is deposited around your thighs, hips and buttocks. Pear-shaped people are healthier than apple shapes as they have less fat around their abdomen. This reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes, but the extra weight around the hips can increase the risk of osteoarthritis. Pear-shaped women are also more at risk of breast cancer as they have higher levels of oestrogen.

Stay healthy

By converting fat into muscle, pear-shaped people can lower their chances of getting diseases like osteoarthritis. Do exercises targeted at leg muscles like running, strength training and power walking. Fill up on high-protein foods like eggs, soy, cheese, milk, yoghurt, beans and lean meats like skinless chicken. Remember to check your breasts regularly for lumps that may hint at the beginnings of breast cancer. Talk to your doctor if you have any worries.

Rectangular

Like a ruler, a rectangular body shape is straight and slim. People with this shape carry their weight proportionally, but they may also have some weight around their middle.

Stay healthy

This shape usually indicates a fast metabolism. So, you can eat just about everything in moderation and aren’t at risk for a specific condition. You should still watch your calories, though. If you aren’t too happy with your straight frame and would like to build some curves, go for strength training. Focus on your shoulders, buttocks and thighs to add in a few healthy curves to your body.

Inverted triangle

Broad shoulders with a narrow waist point to an inverted triangle body shape. It might sound silly to be shaped like a triangle, but it’s a healthy shape. It means you’re likely to have enough muscle and a good waist-to-hip circumference. Like the rectangular shape, you’ll have a fast metabolism and won’t gain fat easily. If you stick to a healthy diet, keeping the weight off will be easy.

Stay healthy

To keep healthy and build muscle in your bottom half, choose exercises that will work your thighs, waist and buttocks. Try lunges, stepping and squats with cardio to get rid of fat in your midsection. Include enough chicken and fish in your diet to keep your protein levels at their peak. This will lower your risk for health conditions.

References:

How artificial flavour leads to obesity

August 3rd, 2018 by The Hello Doctor Team

In a 2011 segment on US current affairs show, 60 Minutes, journalist Morley Safer spoke to flavourists from food technology company Givaudan. The conversation was a damning one, in which the technologists admitted to wanting to develop food flavours that are addictive.

Fast forward to 2013, and New York Times journalist, Michael Moss, releases his expose, Salt Sugar Fats: How the Food Giants Hooked Us, on how the US processed food industry gets consumers to buy its products and keeps them hooked on high fat, high sugar and high salt pre-prepared foods.

It’s 2015, The Doritos Effect, by journalist Mark Schatzker, makes a case for the link between tasty, processed foods and obesity and other lifestyle diseases. The Doritos Effect goes a little further and suggests that as processed food flavours become more intense, whole foods, like fruit and vegetables, become blander.

Nutritional confusion

Schatzker argues that humans have evolved to appreciate tastes produced in fruit and vegetables by chemicals called primary compounds. These are accompanied by secondary compounds, which are the nutritive component in whole foods. Good taste signals to us that a food is nutritious. But processed foods, which are loaded with fat, sugar and salt (which we also crave), taste good, but lack the nutrients that plants do. Schatzker says this has fooled our bodies and we’re now “nutritionally confused”.

A good example of a processed food to which flavouring is added is a locally produced, long shelf-life fruit juice blend. The list of ingredients includes flavouring and added Vitamin C. A closer look reveals that a serving, 250ml, contains virtually no protein or dietary fibre, but five teaspoons of sugar. Five to six teaspoons of sugar is the World Health Organization’s maximum recommended dietary allowance for an adult; we give our kids fruit juice because we think it’s better than a cold drink. Eating a whole serving of each pureed fruit present in the juice provides significantly more fibre, less sugar and less sodium, and in South Africa at least, a good dollop of taste. Also, a low-sugar, high-fibre fruit provides that feeling of fullness and satisfaction or satiety that signals to our body that we can stop eating now.

Feeling full

Processed food, and particularly junk food, taste great, is high in fat, salt and sugar, low in nutrients, and doesn’t leave us with that feeling of fullness. In fact, our appetite almost seems to be bigger, with these foods leaving us wanting more. Nutrition Advance describes this as having a “full stomach with a hungry brain”. We eat more because the taste is delicious, but short-lived, leaving us hankering for more. We pack on the kilos and develop diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer and yet, still want the same kind of food repeatedly.

It gets worse; not only are naturally-occurring flavours now created in a laboratory because they’re cheaper to produce, technologists can also create whole new flavours. In a world that prizes affordable novelty, blueberry cheesecake ice cream is a sure profit spinner, but is significantly nutrition-poor, without a single secondary compound found in an actual blueberry.

Reprogramming your tastebuds

Schatzker suggests making whole foods tastier. Choose fruit and vegetables for taste as well as yield, disease resistance and shelf-life. If plants taste better, or as good as, artificial flavouring, humans will opt for more filling, nutritious food. Nutritionists agree that your taste buds can be trained to dislike foods high in addictive flavours and empty calories. Slowly cutting out processed foods in favour of whole foods, less salt over time, and eating fewer sugary foods allows your senses to fully appreciate the flavours in fruits and vegetables. Eventually, processed foods taste bad, you’ve kicked the habit, and you’re back on the track to health.

References

The best ways to boost your metabolism

June 18th, 2018 by The Hello Doctor Team

Making the right choices about your diet is a daily struggle for many. Occasional takeaway meals, crash diets, eating too much or too little can leave you feeling very anxious and conflicted as to what your body actually needs to function at its best.

Understand how your metabolism works, and you’ll be on your way to boosting your health and speeding up your weight loss.

What is metabolism?

Your metabolism sums up everything your body does. Every time you eat or drink, enzymes (protein molecules) in your body’s cells break down the food and turn it into energy. This energy keeps your heart beating, your mind thinking, and your legs working. Your genes, gender, age and size play a role in the speed of your metabolism. Those with more muscle than fat tend to have a faster metabolism because muscle cells need more energy to maintain them than fat cells do.

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

Your Basal Metabolic Rate is an important factor when it comes to your metabolism. It’s the minimum amount of energy your body needs to continue functioning normally while you’re resting, like sitting down and not doing anything. When you have a high BMR, your body needs more energy to function. If your BMR is low, that means your body can carry on as normal using low amounts of energy.

So, if you take in more calories than your body needs to function, the energy you don’t use gets stored as that thing we want to avoid – fat! As you get older, your metabolism may slow down – this is partly because you are likely to lose some of your muscle tissue and gain more fat-tissue.

Rev up your metabolism

  • First things first, toss away the junk food and add nourishing foods to your diet.
  • Jumpstart your day with breakfast. After a night’s rest, your body has been fasting for around 10 to 12 hours, and is “starving” for fuel, so a healthy breakfast literally wakes up your metabolism. Pack your breakfast with fibre and protein, and say no to sugar and fats. Choose Vitamin D and calcium-rich foods, which, according to research, may increase fat oxidation rates during the day. People who eat breakfast are less likely to overeat later in the day.
  • Replace your coffee with green tea. Research shows that green tea drinkers lose more weight than those who don’t drink the tea. In fact, two to four cups of green tea per day could help you burn an extra 200 to 300 kilojoules.
  • Consciously add protein to each meal. Protein fills you up, helping you to feel fuller and preventing overeating.
  • Starving? Drink a glass of water first. We often mistake thirst for hunger. A glass of water before meals also fills you up, which means you’re less likely to overeat.
  • The more active you are; the more calories you burn. The great thing about exercise is that your metabolism continues to burn energy hours after your workout. It’s a good idea to go for high-intensity exercise as it delivers a bigger and longer increase in resting metabolic rate than low or moderate workouts.
  • Muscle burns more calories than fat, so increase your muscle mass to lose weight. Do exercises that focus on your abdomen, legs, hips, back, chest, shoulders and arms; like body weight squats, push-ups, walking lunges and planks.

References:

Recipes – How to make delicious, healthy junk food

June 13th, 2018 by The Hello Doctor Team

There’s nothing like sinking your teeth into a juicy burger, munching on a slice of cheesy pizza, or diving into a big packet of chips. Yum!

But this indulgence comes at a cost.

Foods like burgers and pizza taste good but are packed with unsaturated fat, sodium and hidden sugars. If giving up your favourite junk food is stopping you from eating healthy, don’t worry. With a few simple swaps, you can still enjoy the taste, without all the consequences.

Here are a few recipes to get you started:

Healthy chocolate and raspberry ice-cream

Curling up with a bowl of ice-cream after a bad day is comforting and it hits the sweet spot, too. Too much ice-cream won’t agree with your waistline, though. Try this healthy alternative made with raspberries and cocoa powder. Cocoa powder is often overlooked, but it packs a healthy punch of iron, fibre and antioxidants. Along with raspberries which provides Vitamin C, K and E, you’ll be on your way to a guilt-free treat.

Calories in one scoop of chocolate ice-cream: approx 382 calories
Calories in healthy swap: approx. 167 calories

You will need:

  • 2 frozen, sliced bananas.
  • 2 tbsps of unsweetened cocoa powder.
  • ÂĽ cup fresh raspberries.
  • 2 tbsps raspberry jam.

Method

1. Place the frozen banana slices in a blender with cocoa powder and raspberries.
2. Blend the bananas and raspberries, then swirl in some raspberry jam.
3. Enjoy right away or place in the freezer for a harder texture.

Wholewheat English muffin pizzas

An English muffin makes a great addition to any breakfast. Did you know that it makes a mean pizza base, too? Load it with your favourite veggies, topped with low-fat cheese and you will soon have healthy mini pizzas. If you prefer other veggies that aren’t in this recipe, add them! Great pizza toppings include red pepper, green pepper, onion, zucchini, mushrooms, olives, and broccoli, which are packed with vitamins and minerals.

You’ll need:

  • 1 wholewheat English muffin.
  • 2-3 tbsps marinara sauce (or sauce of your preference).
  • 2-3 tbsps low-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded.
  • 1 tbsp baby spinach, finely chopped.
  • 1 tbsp tomatoes, finely diced.

Calories in small cheese pizza: approx 847 calories
Calories in healthy swap: approx 205 calories

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 230 degrees.
  2. Split the English muffin in half.
  3. Top each half with marinara sauce.
  4. Sprinkle cheese and vegetables on top.
  5. Place on a baking tray and pop into the oven.
  6. Let it cook until the cheese has melted (about two minutes).

Zucchini chips

If you can’t get through the day without snacking, zucchini has your back. It’s low in calories and carbs, and has anti-inflammatory properties which helps with heart health. Instead of mindlessly eating potato chips which will pack on the weight, try zucchini chips instead for your crunch fix.

Calories in potato chips: approx 536 calories per 100g
Calories in healthy swap: approx 16 calories per 100g

You’ll need:

  • 2 large zucchinis.
  • 1 tbsp of olive oil.
  • ÂĽ tbsp of salt.
  • ÂĽ tbsp of garlic powder.

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees.
  2. Slice the zucchini diagonally into medium thick pieces.
  3. Place the slices in a large bowl and toss with oil, salt and garlic powder.
  4. Arrange in a single layer in a baking tray.
  5. Bake the slices for 25 minutes and turn every few minutes.
  6. Reduce the temperature to 150 degrees and leave in for 10-15 more minutes.
  7. The chips will be ready once they’re brown and crisp.
  8. Leave the chips at room temperature for a few hours.
  9. Enjoy!

References:

How to trick your brain to like healthy food

June 3rd, 2018 by The Hello Doctor Team

It is a sad reality. The foods that we crave the most are, in terms of nutritional value, the worst. Salty chips, chocolates, burgers, pizza, ice cream… the list goes on. In fact, sometimes even the thought of these types of foods can set off the most intense craving.  However, it’s not all in your head…well, actually it is. In fact, it is all in your brain.

[ctt_hbox link=”UHe5m” ]Many of our favourite snacks have been carefully modified and manipulated by manufacturers to contain the perfect combo of sugar, salt, fat, additives and – most importantly – flavouring, designed to make you crave more.[/ctt_hbox]

The science of “wanting more”

You have up to 10,000 taste buds, spread over your tongue, mouth and throat. Each taste bud contains up to 100 taste receptor cells, which send messages to your brain about different substances in food. Your brain receives these messages and gives you “taste”. But you don’t only eat with your mouth. The taste, smell, sound and even the sight of food triggers a cascade of hormonal processes within your body before you’ve had your first bite. As you sample your meal, reward centres in your brain start to light up. The brain then sends out its own messages to get you to have another bite so that it can repeat, or at least maintain, those feelings of reward.

Certain foods, such as sugar, salt, certain types of fat and processed chemicals (e.g. artificial sweeteners) are potent natural reward-drivers. These foods not only light up key areas of the brain but KEEP them alight. This reaction occurs because they trigger the release of key “pleasure” brain chemicals, called neurotransmitters, more so than their healthy counterparts. That explains why it’s hard to resist something like a chip, but quite easy to forgo a carrot stick.

And there you were, thinking it was all about willpower!

Retraining your brain

You aren’t born loving pizza! Rather, your taste preferences change over time thanks to repeated exposure. So, when it comes to wanting to make healthier choices, repeated exposure to healthier options is the obvious solution. There are a few other ways though. The bad news is that you do need some willpower – especially when you start out, but the good news is that you can retrain your brain.

  1. Form new habits

What do you do every day at 3pm? Choose a sugary snack to see you through the rest of the day? Besides giving your brain the rush of sugar, you’re also programming a (bad) habit. Shake up your daily routine and ensure you avoid the afternoon slump by having lunch with protein and fat. Also, choose to snack on nuts and biltong instead of the vending machine to stop any cravings before they hit.

  1. Gradually reduce the amount of processed food you eat

Going cold turkey will likely just frustrate you, so instead of stopping altogether, start adding in more fresh produce at every meal. In other words, add don’t subtract. Because processed food can start to dull your taste buds, the less of it you eat, the less of it you’ll want and the more you’ll start appreciating flavours and textures of healthier options.

  1. Eat healthy foods that you like!

Just because Kale is in the news as the latest superfood doesn’t mean you need to eat it at every meal. Don’t like carrots? No problem! Choose options that are enjoyable to YOU and that you know will satisfy your taste buds.

  1. Chew. Repeat

Don’t inhale your meal. It can take up to 20 minutes after you’ve eaten something for your brain to realise there is something in your belly. Eating too quickly means you’re more likely to overeat before this messaging starts to happen. Focus on your food and be mindful of your eating experience. Soak up the colours, aromas and textures of your meal and let things settle before jumping for desert.

  1. Get some sleep

Poor sleep interrupts your natural circadian rhythm, or your body clock. This in turn, causes a disruption of your hunger hormones. Ghrelin, the hunger hormone, goes up and leptin, the fullness hormone, goes down. This is one reason you have all those cravings after a bad night’s sleep. Ensure you give sleep the priority it deserves and aim for between 7 to 9 hours each night. When you wake up, have a healthy breakfast to get your brain in a healthy mindset for the rest of the day.

References

Here’s why you aren’t losing weight

March 7th, 2018 by The Hello Doctor Team

You’ve been meal prepping like a pro and diligently sticking to your workout routines, so why hasn’t the scale moved an inch? Eating healthy and exercising may be the dynamic duo that helps with weight loss, but common weight loss mistakes may be preventing you from reaching your goals.

Find a balance in your workout routine

With weight loss, you lose muscle and fat. But the amount of either is affected by your exercise routine. Not exercising at all, or exercising too little will decrease the amount of muscle mass you lose and lower your metabolic rate. On the other hand, exercising too much and forcing your body to lose more calories, might damage your adrenal hormones (regulates stress response) which may lead to stress. If in doubt, try to alternate an intense cardio-day with a strength-training day. Rest one day a week, and do a slow stretching workout like yoga once a week.

Don’t underestimate weightlifting

If you’re only doing cardio, without lifting any weights, this could be why you’re not seeing any results. Studies have shown that weightlifting is one of the most effective exercises for weight loss, gaining muscle and increasing metabolic rate. What’s more, it also boosts belly fat loss. An exercise routine that combines aerobic exercise and weightlifting would be the most effective.

Don’t go low-fat

Reaching for foods with a low-fat label might seem like a good choice, but this could be the reason you might binge-eat later in the day. Low-fat options won’t make you as full as full-fat options and worse, many of these products are laden with sugar to improve their taste! Skip the low-fat foods and choose minimally processed foods and those with good fats like avocado, almonds, olives and fish instead.

Stock up on protein

If you’re aiming to lose weight then protein is your best friend.  Protein helps to increase feelings of fullness, decrease your calorie intake, increase your metabolic rate and protect your muscles during weight loss. Choose high-protein foods like eggs, white meats like chicken and fish and legumes like beans.  Remember not to overdo it though; too much protein can lead to the excess getting stored as fat. Men should have approximately 56g per day and women should have 46g.

Mind what you eat – even the snacks

The weight loss rule is, you need to burn more calories than you’re eating to lose weight. Instead of just counting your intake to make sure you aren’t having too much, you should be checking that your diet is balanced. Furthermore, one of the biggest calorie traps is big portions – just because something is healthy. Foods like nuts and cheese are good for you, but if you have it in large amounts, your calorie intake will skyrocket. On the other hand, decreasing your calorie intake too much may lead to muscle loss and slow down your metabolism.

Fibre up your diet

All types of fibre helps with weight loss, but research shows that a soluble fibre called viscose is especially helpful, as it reduces your appetite by forming a gel that holds water. The gel moves through your digestive tract and makes you feel full. It reduces your appetite and calorie intake, so when your fibre intake is high, fewer calories from other foods in mixed meals aren’t absorbed. Try doubling your intake with high-fibre foods like wholegrain bread or rice, beans, jacket potatoes and bran based cereal.

Good to know

  • Don’t focus on the scale weight as it’s only a measure of weight change. It’s also influenced by things like fluid fluctuations and how much food remains in your system.
  • Measuring your waist with a tape measure and taking monthly pictures of yourself is far more effective. Remember, you may be losing fat but gaining muscle which is heavier. The good news: muscle is leaner than fat!
  • Add healthy fats in your meals. They help to keep you feeling full, which curbs overeating. Choose oily fish, dairy products and seeds.
  • Keep sipping from your water bottle; water helps you burn calories and decrease your food intake.

References:

How your weight affects your sex drive

February 28th, 2018 by The Hello Doctor Team

Not feeling in the mood lately? Your weight might be to blame.

Being overweight isn’t just an unpleasant experience because you can’t fit into your clothes. Extra body fat can lead to heart and other health problems. And, it can also affect your sex life.

For both men and women, high levels of body fat mean higher levels of a chemical called “sex hormone binding globulin”. When there’s too much, you may lose your sexual appetite.

Heavy weight, low sex-drive

Knowing the different ways sexual drive is affected by your weight can help motivate you to get into shape and teach you how to get it back.

Positions are a struggle

There’s no denying that sex is physical and one or both partners being overweight makes moving into different positions more difficult. This also affects how much pleasure you might feel, as certain positions may not be possible.

Climaxing isn’t guaranteed

When you’re overweight there’s a decrease in blood flow to your genitals because the extra weight makes your blood vessels narrow. Your genitals need proper blood flow to reach an orgasm. If you’re too thin, this can also affect your ability to climax, since it can affect testosterone and libido (sex drive) levels.

How it affects women

Being overweight can affect your pleasure button, ladies. Susan Kellogg, director of sexual medicine at the Pelvic and Sexual Health Institute of Graduate Hospital in Philadelphia, found that the width of the blood vessels leading to the clitoris (the area of the vagina most closely related to sexual response) are affected by blockages that impact blood flow. When this happens, a woman’s sexual desire lowers, making you feel less in the mood to get frisky.

Other conditions can be to blame

Weight gain plays a big role in both high cholesterol and insulin resistance (resistance to the hormone insulin, which leads to increased blood sugar) and both conditions have an impact on sexual performance, especially in men. These conditions can cause tiny arteries in the penis to shut down when vessels are clogged with too much fat. Erectile dysfunction (when a man can’t get or keep an erection firm enough for sexual intercourse) is often the unhappy result.

It may affect fertility

If you and your partner have been trying to get it on in the hopes of getting pregnant but are struggling, your weight may be the culprit. Your weight affects fertility because it influences the amount of oestrogen in your body, which is important when wanting to fall pregnant. It may prevent regular ovulation (when eggs are available to be fertilised by a male sperm) which causes you to release less oestrogen. On the other hand, being underweight may cause you to release less oestrogen which also hampers fertility. Both partners affect fertility though, as weight affects levels of testosterone, too.

Get back your drive

Although being overweight affects sexual performance and sex drive in many ways, the good news is that you can make some changes to help your libido.

You can:

  • Lose a little weight to stimulate sex hormones.
  • Eat more nutritious foods, which control cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
  • Exercise regularly to get blood flowing to your pelvic area.
  • Pick up a sexy novel or watch a sexy movie.
  • Accept your body at any size because feeling better about yourself helps.
  • Embrace your sensuality.

References:

Banting vs. the Mediterranean diet

January 5th, 2018 by The Hello Doctor Team

There are many ways to get your body into shape. Whether you choose to go big on Banting, or cruise the Mediterranean diet – both have their pros and cons. Here’s what you need to know.

Med mania

When you hear “Mediterranean”, you might picture an idyllic scene overlooking a white sandy beach. In this scene, you’re scarfing down delicious fresh fish, fresh vegetables and salty olives.

The typical Mediterranean diet includes good fats, some carbs and a big side of vegetables. The diet is good for your heart because it replaces saturated and trans fats (which clog your arteries) with unsaturated fats.

It’s not a difficult diet to stick with as you don’t have to starve or cut out too many foods. Throw in some daily exercise, and you could also shed some unwanted weight!

Let’s eat Med

  • Fill up with loads of fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, legumes and olive oil.
  • Include lean sources of protein like poultry and fish, and avoid red meat as it has saturated fats.
  • Carbs come from fiber-rich, unrefined sources like beans or wholewheat bread.
  • Avoid processed food as far as possible.
  • Make olive oil the main fat in the diet.
  • A glass or two of red wine a day is fine.
  • Stock up on strawberries, fresh figs, grapes or apples. For dessert or snacks, opt for dried fruit and nuts.
  • Replace meat with fish like salmon and tuna, which will give you healthy fats like Omega-3-fatty acids.
  • Have at least two meals per week that consist of legumes (beans and lentils).
  • Snack on unsalted nuts to keep you going during the day and opt for healthy unsaturated fats.

Banting

At this point, who hasn’t heard of Banting? Basically, it’s all about minimal carbs and good fats. Banting fanatics swear it’s a great way to lose weight fast. A low-carb, high-fat diet is best suited to people with an insulin resistance.

Let’s Bant

  • Banting foods are split into three colour categories, namely, green, orange and red. Green is an all-you-can-eat list which can include 5-100g of animal protein, dairy, fats, flavourings, condiments, nuts, seeds and sweeteners.
  • The orange food group consists of ingredients containing 6-25g of carbs per 100g. This includes fruits, nuts, sweeteners and vegetables.
  • The red food group is the one that should be avoided as far as possible as they’re usually high in carbohydrates. Baked goods, soft drinks, dairy, dairy-related products, meat, starchy vegetables, fruit and sweeteners are included in this group.
  • Eat enough animal fat daily as this will help to keep you fuller for longer and stop you from overeating.
  • Include all vegetables in your diet, except butternut and starchy vegetables like potatoes.
  • Avoid eating too much protein and stick to the 100g limit.
  • Don’t have too many fruits and nuts as they naturally contain fructose, high contents of sugar.
  • If your goal is to lose weight while Banting, do at least 30 minutes of exercise per day.

Whichever diet you choose to follow, make sure you understand the requirements, and if it’s best suited for your needs. If in doubt, sign into the app and ask our doctors – they will be happy to help!

References:

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