Proper weight control is of utmost importance in the maintenance of good health. Obesity may be described as a bodily condition characterised by excessive deposition or storage of fat in adipose tissue. It usually results from consumption of food in excess of physiological needs. Obesity is a serious health hazard as the extra fat puts a strain on the heart, kidneys and liver as well as the large weight-bearing joints such as the hips, knees and ankles, which ultimately shortens the life span.
Over weight persons are susceptible to several diseases like coronary thrombosis, heart failure, high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, gout, liver and gall bladder disorders. Diet plays a dominant role in any weight reduction programme. There are specific foods, which contain certain compounds found helpful in weight reduction.
FOODS THAT REDUCE BODY WEIGHT
Banana, Cabbage, Fennel, Finger Millet, Jujube Leaves, Lecithin, Lemon, Lime, Low-Salt Food and Tomato.
Banana
A ripe banana mashed in plain cow’s milk, mixed with a tablespoon of fresh banana flower juice, is an excellent weight-reducing food. This mixture should be taken two to three times a day for treating obesity. Sweets and fried foods should, however, be completely eliminated from the diet. This recipe is quite effective if used for a couple of months. It helps the weight reduction by supplying low calories, increasing urinary output and washing out the extra sodium chloride from the body.
Cabbage
This popular green leafy vegetable is of great value as a weight reducing food. Recent research has discovered in cabbage a valuable content called tartronic acid, which inhibits the conversion of sugar and other carbohydrates into fat. A helping of cabbage salad would be the simplest way to stay slim and a painless way of dieting.
A hundred grams of cabbage yield only 27 kilocalories of energy, while the same quantity of wheat bread will yield about 240 calories. Cabbage is found to posses the maximum biological value with minimum calorific value. Moreover, it gives a lasting feeling of fullness in the stomach and is easily digestible.
Fennel
This popular culinary spice is credited with the property to reduce weight since ancient times. The ancient Greeks were well acquainted with the weight-reducing power of this herb, as the Greek name for fennel is Marathron, which is derived from Mariano, meaning “to grow thin”. An eminent nutritionist William Coles used seeds, leaves and roots of garden fennel in drinks and broths for those who were over weight.
It helped greatly in reducing their unmanageable weight and made them grow thin and slender. The best way to take fennel for the purpose of reducing weight is in the form of tea made from fennel seeds. This tea is prepared by putting four teaspoons of the seeds in one litres of boiling water and allowing them to simmer for five minutes. The container should be kept covered and allowed to stand for 15 minutes and then strained. One cupful of this tea should be taken three or four times daily.
Finger Millet
Finger millet is a weight reducing food. It is an ideal food for the obese because its digestion is slow and due to this the carbohydrate takes longer time to get absorbed. By eating rag/-preparations, the constant desire to eat gets curbed, thereby reducing the daily caloric intake. At the same time, it supplies abundant calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin Bl and B2 and prevents malnutrition in spite of restricted food.
Jujube Leaves
The leaves of jujube or Indian plum are a valuable food in reducing weight. A handful of leaves should be soaked overnight in water and this water should be taken in the morning, preferably on an empty stomach. This treatment should be continued for at least one month to achieve beneficial results.
Lecithin
The use of lecithin, a fatty food substance, mostly extracted from soyabean, is of great importance in any weight reduction programme. It helps control weight by pulling fat deposits from fat bulges in the body and burning them out. It also helps a person feel well fed on less food intake so that he is not tempted to overeat or nibble between meals. Lecithin is available in the form of capsules, granules or liquids. Foods rich in lecithin, besides soyabean, are vegetable oils, whole grain cereals and unpasteurised milk.
Lemon
This citrus fruit is a valuable food for reducing weight. Substantial reduction in weight can be achieved by taking an exclusive diet of lemon juice. In this mode of treatment, the obese person should be given nothing except plenty of water on the first day. On the second day, he should take juice of three lemons, mixed with equal amount of water.
One lemon should be subsequently increased each day until the juice of 12 lemons is consumed per day. Then the number of lemons should be reduced in the same order until three lemons are taken in a day. The patient may feel weak and hungry on first two days, but afterwards the condition will stabilise by itself.
Lime
The juice of lime is an excellent food medicine for weight reduction. Fasting on lime juice honey water has been found beneficial in the treatment of obesity without the loss of energy and appetite. In this mode of treatment, one spoon of fresh honey should be mixed with a juice of half a lime in a glass of lukewarm water and taken at regular intervals.
Low-Salt Food
Restricting salt is an easy way to slim. Salt attracts and holds water in the body. Thus for instance, just one teaspoonful of salt, will retail three litres of water in the tissues of the body. So if a person wishes to lose weight with very little efforts, he should take as little salt as possible. This may help him shed as much as one and half kg in the first week.
He should also avoid foods that have been salted such as potato chips, salted peanuts, salted crackers, salted cheeses and foods that are preserved in salt like pickles, relishes and certain types of sausages. The obese person should also avoid water softened artificially because of its high sodium content. The body can get all the vital food salts it needs for well being from fruits and vegetables in their natural state.
Salt also makes a person thirsty and hence he drinks more water, which means more weight. A person can carry four and half to seven litres of water due to the salt that is in the body. When a person gives up the salt habit he will shed liquid weight, not fat. However, eliminating salt will greatly help a person to reduce the bulges of fat too, for salt is a stimulant and excites the appetite by increasing the flow of saliva, thereby creating a greater desire for food.
Tomato
This vegetable fruit is also very valuable food in reducing weight. One or two ripe tomatoes taken early morning, without breakfast, for a couple of months is considered a safe method of weight reduction, at the same time supplying the essential food elements which preserve the health.