First Eat Right - Dietitian Nutritionist Dr. Nafeesa's Diet & Nutrition Clinic

Humans want results and only results. We turn a blind eye to all the processing happening in the background to produce these results or don’t bother to understand what brings about results. The world is obsessed with obesity, overweight, weight loss, slimming and toning but most of us don’t know where the excess kilograms that gets knocked off our body go!
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What Reasons do People Give?
It’s both shocking and surprising to know that there is widespread confusion and misunderstanding regarding the process of weight loss among the general public as well as people involved in the health industry too. This does not come as a statement but does need a strong mention here due to conclusive evidences showing the same! A group of 150 doctors, dietitians and personal trainers who were surveyed on the question ‘Where does fat go as a person loses weight?” mostly responded wrongly, according to an article published in the reputed journal, BMJ. Most of them assumed that fat is converted into energy/heat while some others believed that fat is excreted via feces/urine or in fact, converted into muscle. Almost more than 50% of the 150 individuals responded that fat was converted into energy during weight loss. Amongst the 150 individuals, only 3 of them gave the correct answer which means that 98% of the health professionals were unaware of the right response. Is the answer extremely peculiar or something out of the ordinary that most respondents couldn’t hit it right?

Hitting the Bull’s Eye
The common misconception to fat burn might be due to the ‘energy in/energy out’ principle and the concept of energy production. Carbohydrates, fats and protein are the three macronutrients that get stored in our body through the food we consume. Our body uses these nutrients to produce energy for day-to-day activities and the excess carbohydrate or protein in the diet is converted into triglyceride and stored in the lipid droplets of adipocytes. Excess dietary fat undergoes lipolysis, a process of fat breakdown to generate energy. People trying to lose weight are actually trying to metabolize these triglycerides stored in the adipose tissue. Triglycerides contain three kinds of atoms-carbon, oxygen and hydrogen-and when broken down, 4/5th of it becomes carbon dioxide (CO2) and 1/5th of it forms water (H2O) molecules. When you wish to lose fat, you increase your energy output and decrease your energy input so that your body tries to use the energy stored in fat cells to keep performing (the body might also break down muscle for energy, but this again depends on the ratio of calorie in and calorie out which is why crash dieting or any other fad diets are strictly disallowed). At the cell level, triglycerides from the adipose tissue are released through lipolysis resulting in 4 different products from every triglyceride-1 glycerol and 3 free fatty acids.

If we were to jot down the whole process in the form of an equation:

Triglyceride (C55H104O6) + 78O2→ 55CO2 + 52H2O + energy

The results also showed that an individual trying to lose 10 kilogram of fat (triglyceride) requires 29 kilograms of oxygen to be inhaled and this process results in 28 kilograms of carbon dioxide and 11 kilograms of water expelled out of the body. The equation clearly shows that 1 triglyceride molecule is converted into multiple carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) molecules with the help of oxygen (O2). While researchers tried understanding the logic behind such a distribution, an earlier analysis showed that oxygen atoms are shared between carbon and hydrogen in fat in the ration 2:1 (resulting in CO2 and H2O). This helped the researchers arrive at the conclusion that 84% of a fat molecule’s atoms are exhaled as carbon dioxide and the remaining 16% is exhaled as water. When someone loses 10 kilograms of fat, 8.4 of these kilograms are exhaled as carbon dioxide and the remaining 1.6 kilograms becomes water and excreted via urine, feces, sweat, breath, tears or other body fluids. But none of these are clear because the carbon dioxide gas that we exhale is invisible. While the excreted water can be replenished by drinking water, the exhaled carbon from the CO2 molecule can be replenished only by consuming food or beverages.

Simply put, fat is breathed out as carbon dioxide and the lungs serve as the primary excretory organs for weight loss. If your next question is whether you can lose more weight by breathing more, the answer is a definite no! Breathing more can lead to hyperventilation that can make you feel dizzy, palpitate or lose consciousness. The only way to increase carbon dioxide production in your body is to exercise and move your muscles. A normal-weighted person who consumes a balanced diet exhales around 200 ml of CO2 in 12 breaths per minute. On any given day, time spend in leisure work, rest, sleep or light activity expels around 200 g of carbon. Replacing one hour of sedentariness with moderate activity or workout helps to expel 40 g of carbon (20% of 200 g) from the body increasing total amount expelled to around 240 g. Foods such as muffins, pancakes and other carb-rich snacks might seem small, but they represent a large portion of an average person’s energy requirements. A 100-gram muffin easily amounts to 20% of your energy requirement. Consuming such foods can be deceptive due to their small size, but physical activity can easily go in vain when such foods are consumed on a regular basis in between.

Eating a healthy diet and burning more than what you eat will enable weight loss. It seems simple when put on paper but an individual must eat all of the required nutrients within the stipulated calories that can be consumed for weight loss and for this purpose, it is better to get in touch with reputed dietitian nutritionists at www.firsteatright.com. But getting to know how this happens is essential, interesting and a must-know!

Loving others comes naturally only when you love yourself without bias. The human body is not a platform to showcase your beauty or status with fine jewelry matching your expensive clothing or feel reluctant about your own confidence owing to body shaming by people around and the idea of a perfect body image depicted in social media, magazines, movies, television and elsewhere which makes it even more challenging to maintain a positive attitude towards your own body. The first step towards loving yourself and your body is by overcoming these negative influences and implement self-love in your everyday activities. Accept yourself as such without if’ and but’s. Start loving yourself with the help of the options given below:
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Movement Should not become your Weak Moment
Not many enjoy the idea of exercising or moving around simply for the sake of activity. For some, it is actually a painful affair which they think of as an arduous task. In reality, exercise should lighten your mood, improve your health and keep you cheerful. A study even shows that people who exercise for at least twice a week are much happier and peaceful comparatively with such advantages steadily increasing as the exercise frequency climbs the graph.

Ample evidences pile up against the ill effects of sitting down and this makes it even more clear that movement is critical to improve well-being of an individual. By well-being it includes both mental and physical well-being which focuses on minimization of stress, depression and anxiety and improvement of overall life quality. Explore different options available and get habituated to those movements that keep you happy and content in life.

Feeling Amazing
Exercising is not only about numbers. There are many other critical outcomes of exercising beyond your weight loss and a toned body. It helps you determine your state of energy, rest, emotive differences (such as being happy or sad) and whether or not you cherished the entire process of workout. Here again, it is useful to observe the situations and habits that make you feel elated and stress-free. If there are not many, it is better to focus your attention on some mind relaxing techniques such as meditation or yoga that can help you free the mind, analyze the inner self and improve feelings towards your own self. Meditation and yoga are sought-after techniques for relaxing the mind but there are other few relaxation techniques that do justice as well. Lear about them at www.firsteatright.com.

Pamper Yourself Every now & Then
I’ve heard many individuals feel proud to have an hour for themselves in between an entire week or some lucky few have a day for themselves (mostly Saturday or Sunday). First, realize that keeping yourself fit (mentally and physical) can only make you fit for helping others. Follow your body’s cues and give it some cushion time to recover. Relax your mind and body by taking a small nap, going for a stroll or reading a book. Some love to pen down their thoughts and it is appreciable that these individuals start writing down something genuinely. Paying attention to the positive things in life boosts your overall self and makes you aware of the advantages in life.

Be Surrounded with Positive Thoughts & People
The proverb ‘Tell me your friend, I will tell you who you are’ proves to be absolutely true to the extent that people are easily influenced by things and people surrounding them. Surround yourself with positive people and you start feeling good but being amidst a group of pessimists kills your instincts and pushes you down the gutter. When a person chooses to be a part of a larger group of friends, family and neighbors the chances of exercising and following the schedule is even higher as he/she has a group who relies on his/her participation too. The Internet has everything to offer and it depends on the person using it to choose wisely. Only follow those social media sites that improve positivity, appreciate self-love and unfollow those which put down your efforts and body shame people. Surrounding yourself with positive thoughts and a positive environment definitely makes you experience better outcomes owing to a supportive environmental presence.

The juicy strawberries, the ravishing raspberries and the pulpy mulberries have more to their kitty than their colorful nature and use in jams and squashes. There is something more to these berries than their attractive color, but their beauty is in part due to the presence of pigments called anthocyanins. With more than 500 different types of anthocyanins there have been various studies and research concerning its benefits in protecting against human diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer too.
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Cancer
Cancer is a global health crisis with high mortality and disability rates. While prostate, lung, colorectal and liver cancer remain the common forms of cancer in males, breast, lung, uterine and stomach cancer remain dominant among females. Cancer cannot be defined as a disease of old nor is it always inherent. Lifestyle and health factors such as using tobacco, consuming alcohol, obesity and exposure to harmful radiations of the sun increase the risk of certain cancers. Abnormal weight ranges are associated with an increased risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, colorectal, esophageal, gallbladder, kidney, pancreatic and thyroid cancer. Food and diet are prime environmental factors that affects individuals at several levels. Certain foods can also be used as a tool to bring about a positive biological response to elevate health of the individual and protect him/her from diseases. Most commonly studied among them are fruits and vegetables that have been shown to protect the body against cancerous effects.

Very Berry
Berries are small, pulpy edible fruits that are rich in polyphenols and anthocyanins. The skin, seeds and leaves of the berries are rich in anthocyanins while polyphenols are found in fruits, seeds and leaves of plants. Berries have always interested researchers as many of its compounds have been upheld to possess chemopreventive properties. There have been studies showing that consumption of berries offers chemoprotective properties and also helps in showing an improved response in several cancer types.

Every kind of berry, specifically strawberries and raspberries are rich in ellagic acid (phytochemical) that has the ability to offer protection against skin, bladder, lung, esophageal and breast cancer. Strawberries contain flavonoids while blueberries contain anthocyanosides both of which are strongly believed to contain anti-cancer properties.

Targeting a Single Anthocyanin
Latest research focused on anthocyanin’s effects on an enzyme related to cancer and aging-sirtuin (SIRT6). This enzyme regulates the expressions of genes that are involved in various pathways and ageing causes a degeneration of this enzyme which in turn paves way for different illnesses.
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Researchers were interested in understanding a particular type of anthocyanin called as cyanidin which is commonly present in wild bilberry, raspberry and cranberry. Cyanidin increases the production of SIRT6 and also expression of enzymes in colorectal cancer cells. Surprisingly, the same anthocyanin also decreased expression of the cancer genes Twist1 and GLUT1 while increasing expression of FOXO3 gene that is a tumor suppressant. In a nutshell, this compound increased the production of cancer-stopping genes and decreased the production of cancer-inducing genes.

While this study clearly denotes the effects of berries on cancer there have been previous studies that boosted the advantages of consuming fruits on health. There was another study in 2016 that followed more than one lakh individuals and found that eating blackberries, blueberries, blackcurrants and strawberries rich in anthocyanins helped these individuals gain less weight within the next two years. Yet another research showed that eating raspberries, blackberries and black raspberries rich in antioxidants worked wonders in boosting health. Antioxidants offer protection against free radicals and for more information on antioxidant-free radicals reaction please visit the website www.firsteatright.com.

Berries are edible fruits containing different compounds such as anthocyanins, flavonoids and other antioxidants that seem to protect greatly against cancer, possess the ability to extend chemoprevention in cancer mainly of the GI tract, breast, lung, liver, prostate and pancreatic cancer. Until now there have been no disadvantages noted due to the intake of berries and this makes these fruits even more tempting to consume and a potentially useful strategy to reduce risk of cancer. 

Remember childhood days spent blowing bubbles that formed rainbow colors, trying to burst out each other’s bubbles and having fun trying to make the soapy liquid that doesn’t turn out as good as the store-bought one howsoever it is prepared? Some individuals feel as if a bubble is going to burst in their chest and this condition is associated with a variety of illnesses. Most common causes of a bubbling feeling in the chest include:
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Atrial fibrillation: Here the heartbeat is faster and abnormal as the upper chambers of the heart are not synched with the lower chambers. Common symptoms include dizziness, chest pain, breathlessness, tiredness, weakness and heart palpitation. Atrial fibrillation is not life threatening, but it can result in blood clots in the heart.

Bronchitis: The bronchial tubes that connect lungs to the mouth and nose are inflamed. It might be for a couple of days or even last for months together with symptoms such as chills, fever, cough and tightness in the chest. While acute bronchitis fades away in 10-14 days and treatment is similar to that of cold chronic bronchitis requires the use of inhalers and oxygen therapy.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): Stomach acid travels to the food pipe due to unhealthy lifestyle practices such as excessive consumption of alcohol and frequent use of medicines such as aspirin. A bubbling feeling in the chest, sore throat, chest pain, cough, swallowing difficulty, heartburn and sour taste in the mouth (due to stomach acid travelling to the food pipe) are common symptoms.

Indigestion: Also called as dyspepsia, indigestion is discomfort in the upper abdomen that causes a bubbling sensation in the chest and an awkward feeling in the abdomen every time after eating. Heartburn and nausea are also common symptoms. Indigestion is usually the result of eating spicy or fatty food, eating too quickly, drinking too much alcohol, consuming caffeine frequently or taking certain medications. Dietary interventions and lifestyle changes are the proposed treatment options for indigestion. For healthy lifestyle changes please get in touch with reputed dietitian nutritionists at www.firsteatright.com who can help you with meal plans and lifestyle changes that keep you fitter and better.

Asthma: A bubbling sensation in the chest is commonly experienced by people with asthma along with other symptoms such as shortness of breath, coughing and tightness in the chest. Allergies and weather conditions too trigger asthma whose main treatment methods include lifestyle interventions and medications.

Pleural effusion: This is often a sign of an underlying condition such as cancer, congestive heart failure, chest injury or pneumonia happening when there is fluid trapped between the lung lining and chest wall. Bubbling of the chest and shortness of breath are common symptoms.

Precordial catch syndrome: Nerves in the chest are pinched or squeezed and this condition is commonly present in children, adolescents and individuals in their early 20s. A sudden bubbling sensation or chest pain are common symptoms that fade away and disappear with age.

Heart attack, anxiety and stress are also common causes for a bubbling feeling in the chest.

Time for the Doc
As simple a problem such as indigestion could cause a bubbling feeling, but it could also be the result of complex problems such as tumor or a collapsed lung. It is time to meet the doc when you experience symptoms such as high fever, irregular pulse, abdominal pain, vomiting, a forceful pain that spreads to the face and neck, numbness in the arm and failure to stand or walk properly.