FAQ

Many doubts and queries in mind then just simply go through these FAQ and be free from it.

 

1. Late Night Eating is bad for us?

An occasional late night snack is fine as long as you choose healthy foods. The problem occurs for some people who keep to their healthy diets during the day, but at night they begin to snack and then end up consuming too many calories and their weight goes up. This might just be a habit to eat while watching television or maybe due to sugar or other food cravings. Night-eating syndrome patients also tend to also suffer from depression, low self-esteem and obesity. If you find that you eat most of your calories at night and you have diabetes or weight related problems

2. Question: What Are the Best Ways for a Vegan to Get Protein?

Plant-based foods contain protein, but not as much as animal-based foods, so it's understandable why a vegan may be concerned about getting enough protein in their diet. Legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains are vegan diet staples that contain protein. However, these plant proteins don't have all of the essential amino acids your body needs (why they're also referred to as incomplete proteins).

The one exception is soy protein. Soy protein is a complete protein, like animal-based foods, and has all of the essential amino acids you need.

Vegans should eat a variety of plant proteins. When you combine whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes, you can get all of the essential amino acids. You don't really need to combine proteins with each meal, just be sure to get a variety of plant proteins during the day.

A bigger problem for a vegan may be getting enough vitamin B12, which is only found in animal-based foods.

3. Fresh vs. Frozen?

Any fruits and vegetables are better than no fruits and vegetables. For peak flavor and good value, fresh produce in season is always a good choice. But frozen or canned fruits and vegetables, without added salt or sugar, are just as good for you as fresh. Here some easy ways to sneak more fresh and frozen fruits and veggies into your diet.

  • Buy many kinds of fruits and vegetables when you shop. Buy frozen and dried, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables
  • Experiment with new types of fruits and veggies
  • Keep a fruit bowl, raisins or other dried fruit on the kitchen counter and in the office
  • Keep a bowl of cut-up vegetables on the top shelf of the refrigerator for snacking
  • Add fruit to breakfast by having fruit on cereal
  • Choose fruit for dessert and use frozen fruits for smoothies
  • Add fruits and vegetables to lunch by adding them in soup, salads, or cut-up raw
  • Add extra varieties of frozen vegetables when you prepare soups, sauces, and casseroles

4. Is it safe to eat soybeans and other soy foods?

Recently, questions have been raised about the possible health risks of soy consumption, but the overwhelming majority of studies on soy have shown positive health effects or, at worst, neutral ones.

Eating soy in moderation is appropriate for a healthy diet. There have been concerns about processed soy products, such as "mock meats," but moderate intakes of these foods are not likely to cause health problems. Some soy products are high in sodium and contain a higher-than-healthy level of fat, so be sure to check the labels and choose the healthier versions. Nonetheless, these foods are much healthier than the animal-derived foods they are intended to replace.

If you do choose to avoid soy, you will find it can be easily replaced with other foods. Lentils, beans, and other legumes are a hearty and delicious source of plant-based protein and other nutrients. They are also the richest source of dietary fiber.

5. How is food digested?

Digestion begins in the mouth, when we chew and swallow, and is completed in the small intestine. Digestion involves the mixing of food, its movement through the digestive tract, and the breakdown of food into smaller molecules. The digestive process varies for different kinds of food.

6. What happens if I ate a quantity of fruits and vegetables that is more than the recommended servings?

Individuals are encouraged to eat the recommended two servings of fruit and two servings of vegetables daily.

Eating more than the servings recommended in general will not have any adverse effect for most healthy individuals. However, by doing so, other food may be displaced from the diet as fruit and vegetables are high in fiber and provide bulk. Fruit and vegetables do not contain all the essential nutrients needed for health, so it is important to eat a variety of food using the Healthy Diet Pyramid as a guide.

7. When you have a meal that contains only rice and meat, can you make it up by having only vegetables in another meal to balance your overall diet for a day?

Nutrient-wise, you may not need to be concerned about consuming foods from all the food groups at one meal as ultimately, it is the overall diet consumed in a day which matters. You can make up for missed servings of food from the different food groups at the next meal. For healthy individuals, as long as you can achieve the recommended number of servings for each food group in your daily diet, you should be able to obtain all the necessary nutrients you need.

However, having all the food groups in one meal may help increase absorption of certain nutrients. For example, vitamin C from fruits and vegetables helps with the absorption of the form of iron available in green leafy vegetables and whole grain products, which is not easily absorbed by the body. On the other hand, fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E & K) are better absorbed in the presence of fats in the diet. Having meals which consist of foods from all the food groups is also more enjoyable as you get to enjoy more food.