“SHUBI HUSAIN CLEARS SOME FOOD & NUTRITION RELATED MYTHS" Published May 12, 2016

Shubi Husain

Q1. Do you believe that carbs are bad for the body?

Shubi Husain: Carbs aren't bad for you. Choosing the right carb is important. There are two types of carbs, Good carbs and Bad carbs. Bad carbs or simple carbs are easiest to digest and breakdown, therefore they tend to provide quick, short lived bursts of energy. Also since they are easy to digest, you often feel hungrier more quickly. This type can be found in foods such as cakes, candies, white breads and other food containing refined sugars.

Good carbs or complex carbs are difficult for the body to breakdown and therefore keep you feeling fuller longer. They are found in high fibre foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grain.

Eating carbs provides body with much needed energy. However, overindulging on them can have negative side effects such as weight gain and development of type -2 diabetes.

Q2. Are you of the opinion that water diet works?

Shubi Husain: If you are a healthy person, a few days of fasting probably won't hurt you but it's bad way to lose weight. When your main (or only) intake is water your body loses crucial nutrients it needs. The short term result is that you lose a lot of weight, most of which is water not fat. However, the built up hunger can lead to binging and weight regain. Without proper nourishment your hunger will grow so much that most people tend to revert back to their normal eating patterns, regaining the weight that they lost initially.

Q3.Do you believe that calories consumed at night are more fattening than those consumed during the day?

Shubi Husain: Calorie is a calorie, no matter what time of the day you consume it.

Q4. Should we have dinner before 7.30pm.

Shubi Husain: A heavy and late dinner is not just a bad practice, but detrimental to health. Dinner should be eaten early to maximize weight loss because people are less active in the evening, meaning extra calories are more likely to turn to fat. Also eating too close to bedtime increases your blood sugar and insulin, which make it harder to sleep. Your last meal should be the lightest meal of the day and should be eaten at least three hours before you go to sleep.

Q5. Is microwave food bad for you?

Shubi Husain: Microwave cooking and heating does not change the components of your food, it only heats the food. There is no evidence of toxin formation in food or carcinogens. If you over cook your food, then you are changing the components of the nutrients in your food. There is no microwave health risk unless it's carelessness on your part. Be wise, use the right containers, avoid cling film from touching the foods and maintain your microwave regularly.

Q6. Do you believe that fasting periodically, helps in permanent weightloss?

Shubi Husain: Fasting periodically helps in weight loss. In my opinion a lifestyle change is the only way to stay healthy and maintain a healthy weight permanently.

Q7. Is meat bad for you?

Shubi Husain: Diet high in meat is not good for your health. High level of animal protein can be bad for your health. Red meat and processed meat should be restricted and only limited amount of white meat should be included in the diet.

Q8.If we eat food or drink water immediately after a workout, will it ruin our weight loss process?

Shubi Husain: Eating food or drinking water immediately after a workout won't ruin your weight loss process. The ideal pre and post diet chart should be planned, taking in consideration your individual needs, weight and goals.

Q9.Do fast eaters gain more weight than slow eaters?

Shubi Husain: People who eat fast tend to be heavier and gain more weight over time compared to slower eaters. Eating slowly helps you eat less. Your appetite and calorie intake is largely controlled by hormones. Eating slow can increase satiety and eating fast often leads to overeating, as your brain doesn't have the time it needs to receive the fullness signals. Additionally eating slowly has been shown to decrease the amount of food consumed at a meal.

Q10. Are the effects of Diet soda any different than those of the normal soda?

Shubi Husain: Diet soda is simply the same as regular soda. The only difference is that they have different type of sweetener in the ingredients. In regular soda drinks, the beverage is sweetened using ordinary sugar (i.e. corn syrup, which is high in fructose) but in case of diet soda this ingredient has been omitted from the mix and replaced by another type of artificial sweetener commonly known as aspartame. However, many studies today contest that the addition of aspartame does not make the drink any healthier than regular soda and also doesn't give guarantee for losing weight.