No Cheat Codes

From nutritionists and to ‘free advice givers’, it is almost impossible to interrogate whom to believe. Trapped in the fancy blanket of habits that lead to clean eating, we tend to ignore as to what actually clean eating is and when did the idea came into existence. Does the realm of clean eating entails to “gluten-free, fat-free, and oil-free” eating? Or we question, is there much more to it? Let’s not follow the fads and burst the myths.

Sugar-free, please? We are always on the look out for products that are sugar-free but care to understand if they are really sugar-free? Consuming sugar-free products does not necessarily mean that they do not contain sugar rather they are infused with faux sweeteners that are hundred times sweeter than the sugar. Here’s Pooja Makhija, celebrity nutritionist, ready to burst your myth. She says, “Many products, in order to keep with the label ‘sugar free’ add other sweeteners like honey, jaggery - while some labels are using artificial sweeteners but we tend to ignore that this chemical sweetness can be harmful to our natural bodies. Also most 'sugar-free' products contains double the fat in order to make up to the taste and lure the customers to buy their products.” Oh yes, we can look at the packet in your hand now.

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Hydrate with Carbohydrates: Why bid goodbye when you really need them? And hey no, they don’t make you fat, rather help you with weight loss and even can help boost your mood and celebrity nutritionist, Nmami Agarwal couldn’t agree more. She says, “it is definitely a myth to abandon carbohydrates from our diet. Glucose, the simplest of carbohydrate, is the only source of fuel for a brain. If our brain cells do not receive this particular fuel it makes a human body sluggish, moody and irritated and definitely has an impact on the way we respond to others. The world is focusing on increasing the fibre intake to aid in weight-loss as it provides satiety and fullness. This form of complex carbohydrate shuns off the weight and helps achieving health goals.”

The two-toned Milk: You might would want to drink it twice everyday and we understand your milk mixes are incomplete without it but the catch is, did you know that milk isn’t as healthy as you think? It actually promotes calcium loss to your body. You can directly hear it from experts’ mouth. Shonali Sabherwal, macrobiotic nutritionist and chef says, “Milk is bad for you, its pH is acidic and it gets more acidic when consumed. So I do not advocate dairy and dairy products.”

The juice detox: So, this isn’t a late April-fool’s drill but it is often said that the best way to detox is to have juices but we rather disagree. Detoxing your body with juices and not whole fruits promotes loss of fibre and you are just gulping down a pure stream of sugar which is subtracted by proteins, fibre and, fat. And why not rely on vegetable juices? Ishi Khosla, clinical nutritionist, says, “Fruit juices are not recommended in general unless used in special circumstances. Fruit juices can increase blood sugar levels steeply and induce insulin imbalance which is undesirable. Eating whole fruit with fibre delays the absorption of sugar which does not create sharp imbalances in blood sugar levels. Vegetable juices are better to detox.”

The go-to bars: Your favourite energy and protein bars are the target here. We understand, these bars are your friends when you are hungry but wait, they could have more calories than you expect. And yes, we are not wrong. Pooja Makhija, celebrity nutritionist, says “Most consumers do not read the labels when they buy the product. The energy and protein bars that they consume have double the amount of fat and double the amount of sugar. Most bars will have 20g sugar and 20g fat for the 20g of the protein they advertise. They are selling sugar and fat under the label of protein bar. Awareness among people is very important. One should also learn how to read the labels in order to buy the right product for them.” Now, let us ask and you answer- do you eat them as a snack or as a meal replacement?