‘EAT CARBS’
From actors Varun Dhawan, Taapsee Pannu, Vidyut Jammwal to fitness/nutritionist expert Rujuta Diwekar, they are all saying “don’t go off carbs”
TO DISPEL THE NOTION OF NOCARB DIETS, NUTRITIONIST RUJUTA DIWEKAR TWEETED, “DON’T GO OFF CARBS TO LOSE WEIGHT UNLESS OF COURSE, YOU ENJOY ARGUING WITH YOUR SPOUSE AND SNAPPING AT YOUR CHILD.” ACTION HERO VIDYUT JAMMWAL MENTIONED IN ONE OF HIS INTERVIEWS THAT ONE MUST NOT EXCLUDE CARBOHYDRATES FROM THEIR DIET. ACTRESS TAAPSEE PANNU ADMITTED ON AN INSTAGRAM THAT THE SECRET TO HER “ALL NATURAL ATHLETIC” BODY IS A DIET WITH CARBS.
While most film actors and models love to harp on nocarb diets, actor Varun Dhawan caused an online stir by urging his fans to consume it guiltfree. The Badlapur actor recently posted an image of his toned physique and six-pack abs on Instagram with the message “Cut down the voice and please eat your carbs.”
Like Varun, similar views on procarb diets by Taapsee Pannu, Vidyut Jammwal, and celebrity fitness/nutritionist expert Rujuta Diwekar have earlier debunked the myths around carbohydrates.
To dispel the notion of no-carb diets, in one of her tweets nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar wrote, “Don’t go off carbs to lose weight unless of course, you enjoy arguing with your spouse and snapping at your child.” Whereas, fitness and action hero Vidyut Jammwal mentioned in one of his interviews that one must not exclude carbohydrates from their diet. Even actress Taapsee Pannu admitted on an Instagram post that the secret to her “all natural athletic” body is a diet with carbs. She posted, “I eat 6 times a day and all my meals have CARBS! N this is strictly as per my diet plan by the one n only Munmun Ganeriwal”
(SIC).
GOOD VS BAD CARBS:
There are different types of carbs and the healthiest sources are considered to be the unprocessed or minimally processed whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and beans. They promote good health by delivering vitamins, minerals, fiber, and a host of important phytonutrients. Fitness coach and nutritionist Vaishnavi Boora explains, “Carbs provide energy for the central nervous system and working muscles in the body. You should consume carbohydrates in the form of fiber-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts. In nutrition, the word “carbs” refers to one of the three macronutrients and dietary carbohydrates have three main categories – sugars, starches, and fiber. Carbs are sometimes referred to as “simple” versus “complex” or “whole” versus “refined.” It’s true, there are some bad carbs, but not all carbs are bad. Many carbs are important because they get turned into fuel for your body. Carbohydrates are naturally found in plant-based foods, and these are typically good carbs.”
HEALTHY FAST FOOD:
For most common weight-loss programs, people are asked to cut down on carbs and in extreme cases go completely off. However, there’s no denying that carbohydrates are the body’s main fuel source and any imbalance can prove to be fatal. “We believe in Carbs! We love carbs! Also, where’s the fun if you take the carbs away,” declares Baking Bad’s Co-founder Saniya Puniani, as she adds, “Everything consumed in moderation is never bad. In fact, when we started our company, our idea was always to not treat it as fast/junk food. We wanted to make pizza into a healthy meal. If you want to cut out on refined flour owing to personal health choices, opt for 100 percent whole wheat crust or quinoa crust for gluten intolerants.
And to make these choices fun, infuse the crusts with organic beetroot or spinach and complete with a choice of broccoli, kale, sautéed spinach, artichokes, avocado etc for toppings. Unless a person is gluten intolerant, carbs should be an essential part of their diet.”
EXPERTS’ ADVICE:
Before you begin to binge on carbs, make sure to not go overboard with it. Remember, moderation is the key, and weight-loss diets can work if there’s a controlled intake of food. Not all that is yummy has to be bad for health, there are smarter ways to eat your favourite sweet and meals. According to Dr Prashant Jerath, founder of Jerath Path Labs for allergy testing, “Carbs are equally important in a diet as they are the main source of energy in our diet, plus they’re a major micronutrient our body needs in larger amounts. The intake depends on body size, blood sugar levels, and the activity an individual does. A lot of people come to us saying that they are allergic to a few wheat and grains and we normally recommend alternate options. If allergic to wheat, the healthiest options to have carbohydrates are oats with yogurt, carrots, sweet potatoes, quinoa salad with prunes, pumpkin soup, and buckwheat laddoos. The carbs that contain whole grains and dietary fiber have substantial benefits than the bad crabs that are found in bread, sugars, and candies, as they have added sugars which can cause Type-2 diabetes and obesity.”
CARBS ARE EQUALLY IMPORTANT IN A DIET AS THEY ARE THE MAIN SOURCE OF ENERGY IN OUR DIET, PLUS THEY’RE A MAJOR MICRONUTRIENT OUR BODY NEEDS IN LARGER AMOUNTS
— DR PRASHANT JERATH, founder of Jerath Path Labs