Holidaying where Food Is Definate,Yet Weight Gain Not A Must

Ho Ho Ho!

It is December holiday and Christmas mood is already with us. I can tell by the number of parties that I still have pending even before 25th and 26th. I must say thankyou for being an avid reader and am amazed that I can be of help to you!

So this post will definately tackle the subject of weight gain after this holiday where everyone gets worried that they have gained 20kgs by January. Wait a second, Did you know that as much as you indulge in December you might not gain as much weight as you feel you have in January?

Take your weight before you go indulging and do the same in January. If you calculate your BMI it might just be the same! Maybe you did not add up 10kgs as you thought! Ideally normal weight gain when relaxed ranges from only 0.5 to 1kg in a week. So lets say you vacated for 4 weeks you only gain 2kgs and not ten.

Truth be told though, after any holiday you always feel heavy and a need to cleanse your system. It is difficult not to indulge so please indulge responsibly!

However, here are some tips on how you can be able to indulge responsibly while avoiding harm to your body.:

Do not Skip Meals
Waking up at odd hours is definitely a norm during the holiday. If you wake up late, push your meals as per your schedule. But make sure you have them all i.e Breakfast,lunch and supper

Eat Some Melon
Watermelon, and other fruits like cantaloupe, and honeydew are high-liquid fruits, which can help flush out toxins and relieve water retention and bloat. Smart! Have a cup of chopped fruit in the morning, or make a quick smoothie with vanilla yogurt or lime juice. this way when you go to that party you will still be feeling abit full and will not overdo that nyam chom!

Make Simple Food Swaps
Using spices in place of fat in many dishes can boost flavor and combat that inflated-waistline feeling. "Cinnamon and ginger are digestive aids and commonly used in home remedies to help with gassiness and bloating.

 Go Bananas for Potassium
You know you have to cut back on salt to de-bloat, but did you also know you should stock up on foods that are high in potassium? It can help your flatten your stomach by flushing out excess sodium in your system. Try potassium-rich bananas, raisins, milk, and yogurt.

 Let your eyes feast first. Before eating, see what is being served. If there are raw vegetables or plain seafood, start with those, to take the edge off your appetite.

Stand far away from the buffet table. Once you’ve chosen food, take your plate into another room and enjoy calorie-free talk with friends. Make one trip to the buffet, and be selective.

Chew gum. When you don't want to eat, pop a piece of sugarless gum into your mouth. This works well when you're cooking or when you're trying not to dive into the buffet.


Remember weight gain in the body is gradual and does not just occur over night therefore, when you include fun and games in that party you will be amazed how well your body does not gain extra calories!

I know we shall have a great time sharing our holiday food habits in January! You have a question just post it here!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

IS THE BROWN BREAD YOU ARE CONSUMING THE REAL HEALTH DEAL?

With an increasing consciousness about health and hygiene, a large number of consumers are making the switch from white bread to brown bread or whole wheat bread at their breakfast tables. However, there is little awareness about why is brown bread considered healthy or what constitutes brown bread that makes it healthy. As a result, most people succumb to marketing tactics of companies that add caramel to white bread to make the color brown and advertise it as wholesome and tasty!

In some extremely lazy manufacturing, but inspired marketing, much of the ‘brown’ bread you’ll find in the supermarket is simply the same white bread with brown coloring, often CARAMEL, added back into it. Hardly the healthier choice it’s made out to be.
Likewise, ‘wholemeal’ bread with a bit of chemically treated wheat germ added back in, or ‘multigrain’, with a sprinkling of softened grains, hardly makes up for what the main ingredient – refined wheat flour – has gone through.
The fact is, the vast majority of breads from the big manufacturers are just slight variations, a little coloring here, a sprinkling of seeds there, of the same extremely unhealthy processed bread.
But the hullaballoo of wanting to eat brown bread as the healthy bread could all be distorted in kenya! This is because almost 80% of brown bread sold to us is not genuinely brown. The best bread to eat is the whole wheat grain bread that you can find in supermarkets and normally has a darker colour and is more expensive!
True whole wheat bread, if you can find it, should be a healthier option. Whole wheat bread is made with the wheat germ and the bran included and is hopefully not as heavily processed or full of chemical additives as most commercial loaves. It’s higher fiber content helps to slow down its digestion and therefore its effect on your blood sugar and levels of fat storing insulin shouldn’t be as pronounced.
A real brown bread is healthier than white bread because the wheat flour used to make brown bread is less processed compared to wheat flour used for making white bread. During the processing of the wheat flour for making brown bread the bran and germ in the wheat grain are not removed. The bran is the part of wheat grain that is rich in fibre, while germ is the inner part of wheat grain which is packed with nutrients, Vitamins B and E as well as phytochemicals.

So how do you tell the REALS from the FAKES?
It's commonly believed that you can tell the difference between white and wholemeal by the color of the loaf. Not so! The keywords to look out for are "whole grain" and "whole wheat" as the first ingredient on the ingredient list. If any other substance is listed first, you are likely looking at white bread that has had caramel colouring added.
There you have it, find this rare Whole meal bread and find your long lost and found real brown bread. Infact, ask yourself why you eat brown chapattis that taste real brown but when you eat brown bread it does not have similar taste?

This is not to say that white and brown breads could be exactly the same in Kenya market. If you compare the labels of white and brown breads of your favourite brand, you will probably find that the brown bread still has more dietary fiber, making it the wiser choice. What’s important to remember is not to confuse all brown breads with the much healthier whole grain bread alternatives. Do your research and read your labels for the choice that’s right for you. Best place to begin is in Tuskys supermarket at the bread parlour where you will spot the difference!
I know you have questions so comment below and email me on ndutaniceness@gmail.com

Weight Gain Habit 1:

Skinny guys often say they can eat anything they want without gaining weight. They think they're blessed with a fast metabolism. They'll say: "I make women jealous with my metabolism. I can eat junk food all day without gaining weight".
Truth is, you can eat anything you want without gaining weight because you're not eating a lot. I know you think you do, but you're not. Otherwise you wouldn't be skinny.

To gain weight you must eat more kilojoules every day from a range of healthy foods. Regular exercise is important to help build muscles so that weight gain is not just fat. To gain 1kg of weight in a month requires 1000 extra kilojoules a day.


we shall indulge on how much you eat from today! Remember pumping your system with burgers and fries will not be the solution. The quality of food is what matters! Portions acceptable include half the plate with vegetables, quarter the plate with proteins and the other quarter with carbohydrates.

Question is, which is the best plan to go with, what proteins, what carbohydrates and what proteins?
So as to attain a higher mass in the body which also translates to weight increase for your height, 5 meals a day are the way to go!

5 meals include: Breakfast, 10 o'clock snack, Lunch, 4 o'clock snack and supper/dinner.

The elements in the 5 meals have to all be balanced for this change of habit! this means that even the snack times ought to incorporate proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates in the proportions of the plate above alongside 2 glasses of water!

Today we look at which proteins you should include to your diet starting now..

 2-3 of your daily snacks and all 3 meals should contain protein.
Omega-3 eggs, salmon, plain organic yogurt, chicken and turkey are all good sources of protein.
As far as red meat is concerned,  organic beef and lean beef no more than once or twice per week because it is higher in saturated fats is best.
You can meet your daily protein requirements for weight gain by consuming a variety of high-protein foods every few hours. Examples of foods high in protein include eggs, red meat, poultry, seafood, fish, soy products, dairy products, legumes, nuts, seeds and peanut butter. For example, one egg contains about 6 grams of protein, 3 quarters of meat provide about 25 grams of protein, 1 cup of milk contains 8 grams, 1 cup of cottage cheese provides about 25 grams, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter contain about 7 grams, 1 cup of lentils provides about 18 grams.

 Some proteins, such as ribs, brisket and pork shoulder, are high in saturated fat -- which may add calories but can also raise your risk of developing heart disease. When trying to gain weight, add calories in the form of unsaturated fats such as those found in plant oils and avocados. High-calorie protein sources that also contain unsaturated fats are nuts and fatty fish, such as salmon.

So now,how do you change protein intake? this gradual process can begin by you changing your diet as follows: Incorporate :

• fish as in salmon, cod, or tuna
• red meats as in lean ground beef and lean steaks
• turkey and chicken
• dairy products like milk, cottage cheese and low-fat yogurts
• legumes
• ham
• eggs
• pork
• tofu
• lamb
• protein supplements in the form of whey protein and soy protein supplements.

Sample menu

Breakfast	Morning tea	Lunch	Afternoon tea	Dinner	Supper snack
Porridge with brown sugar and milk. Toast and margarine topped with avocado and tomato. Cup of tea with milk.  2 glasses water   Remember, you eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper! Nduta Nutrition counsellor	mandazi or muffin. Milkshake. 2 glasses of water	Rice,chicken and pumpkin vegetables.  2 glasses of water	Cake or biscuit. Glass of milk.  2 glasses of water	Meat, chicken or fish with roasted potatoes Small serve vegetables. fruits pudding and two glasses of water.	Milo made with milk. Toasted muffin with margarine or jam.