Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
Being overweight raises your risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, High blood pressure, High cholesterol levels, Stroke, Gallbladder disease, Sleep apnea, breathing problems, Arthritis, Low quality of life, Depression, anxiety, and Certain cancers. Overweight and obese people, on average, do not live as long as people who stay at a healthy body weight throughout their lives.
If you are overweight, losing weight may help you prevent and manage these conditions. And you don’t have to lose a lot to improve your health—even losing a few kilograms can make a big difference.
Weight loss can be hard and frustrating because it involves changing the way you eat and your physical activity. The good news is that you can lose weight and keep it off, even if you’ve never done it before by putting this first thought in mind as being the most important step.
Here’s what we can do as baby steps and set attainable and measurable small goals:
- Cutting back on calories and fat by consuming more whole-food Staying physically active most days of the week.
- Eating breakfast every day.
- Weighing themselves at least once per week.
- Watching less than 10 hours of TV per week.
Regardless of what cuisine you prefer, these items to be consumed/avoided to control your weight and blood sugar:
- Fruits and vegetables Whole grains
- Plant-based sources of protein like legumes, pulses, nuts and seeds
- Avoid added sugar
- Avoid processed or ultra-processed foods
- Avoid trans and saturated fat
When you eat or drink foods that have carbohydrates—also known as carbs—your body breaks those carbs down into glucose (a type of sugar), raising the glucose level in your blood. Your body uses that glucose for fuel to keep you going throughout the day. This is what you probably know of as your “blood glucose” or “blood sugar.” When it comes to managing diabetes, the carbs you eat play an important role. After your body breaks down those carbs into glucose, your pancreas releases insulin to help your cells absorb that glucose. The carbs we consume impact our blood glucose—so balance is key!
Excess body weight may affect cancer risk in several ways, some of which might be specific to certain cancer types. Excess body fat might increase cancer risk by affecting:
- Inflammation in the body
- Cell and blood vessel growth
- Cells’ ability to live longer than they normally would Levels of certain hormones, such as insulin and estrogen, which can fuel cell growth
- Other factors that regulate cell growth, such as insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1)
- The ability of cancer cells to spread (metastasize)
The processing of UPF makes these foods convenient, pocket-friendly, highly flavourful, and attractive. The combination of added sugar, salt, refined carbohydrates, and saturated and trans fats make these foods extremely tasty which leads to overeating and difficult to stop eating in limited quantities. High consumption of these types of foods is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, obesity, metabolic syndrome, depression, cancer, and all-cause mortality.
Yes, cooking methods that use dry heat like grilling, baking, broiling, roasting, and frying produce advanced glycation end products (AGEs) which cause inflammation in the body. It has been linked to diseases like diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, heart and liver diseases, and premature aging.
These food items are prepared through industrial methods and techniques. They generally include artificial colors and flavors, emulsifiers, and preservatives, in addition to refined sugars, saturated & trans fats, salt, and sweeteners. These are mostly ready-to-eat food or require minimal cooking or effort in preparation like chips, biscuits, confectionary or bakery items, soft drinks, instant noodles, ketchup, sauces, candies, pastries, etc.
The processes used in the manufacturing of UPFs make these foods convenient, affordable, highly flavorful, and therefore attractive to consumers, especially compared with unprocessed, minimally processed, home-cooked foods. It has been suggested that food companies have designed their products to enhance palatability, which then increases consumption of their products. Researchers suggest that the combination of key ingredients—especially sugar, salt, fat, or carbohydrates—can create so much enjoyment and satisfaction that it makes it difficult to stop eating these foods.
Regular physical activity reduces the risk of dementia, heart attack, type II diabetes, stroke, cancer, and weight gain/obesity, improves bone health, aerobic fitness, and endurance, and prevents falls. It also helps you feel better, improving sleep and overall well-being. Physical activity may also help to boost your immunity.
- It’s just too hard and won’t be able to lose weight now
- The result will take too long
- It’s very expensive
- I want to do but I don’t have time
- I am too old / too out of shape to lose weight
- The weather is very cold/hot/rainy/too harsh
- I don’t have a company/accountability partner
A diet that is too high in sodium and too low in potassium puts you at risk for high blood pressure. Eating too much sodium—an element in table salt—increases blood pressure. Most of the sodium we eat comes from processed, packaged, ready-to-eat, and restaurant foods. Not eating enough potassium—a mineral that your body needs to work properly—also can increase blood pressure. Potassium is found in many foods; bananas, potatoes, beans, and yogurt have high levels of potassium.