Which is better, fresh cooked rice or the one that has been cooled in the refrigerator? How can gut health help in losing weight? Can an apple a day help you reach a healthy weight? Why is protein important for weight loss? Why does meat contain more protein than vegetables? The answers are in this varied report.
Gut health and weight
Growing evidence suggests that good gut health is key to shedding excess weight. Here we answer our question: Which is better, fresh cooked rice or the one that has been cooled in the refrigerator? The correct answer is rice that has been cooled, because it contains a greater amount of resistant starch that is beneficial for intestinal health.
If you're one of those trying to lose weight the old-fashioned way of eating less and exercising more, you may be unsuccessful. On the other hand, there is growing scientific evidence that gut microbes are an important factor in determining your weight, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph.
While we are unable to control the precise composition of the microbiome, it has become increasingly clear that a healthy gut is an important factor in successful weight management. One study published in the International Journal of Obesity found that participants who had a greater number of bacteria belonging to a group called Prevotella than those belonging to the Bacteroides group lost weight and body fat more easily than people who had equal amounts of these bacteria.
Furthermore, an unhealthy digestive system can lead to dysbiosis, which is the proliferation of potentially harmful bacteria causing an imbalance in the microbiome, leading to digestive issues and increased risk of chronic disease. Research also indicates that imbalance contributes to obesity as the body's ability to regulate appetite is disrupted.
Here are 3 simple rules to quickly improve your gut health to support weight loss.
1- Eat yogurt daily (and do not bother with probiotic supplements)
Increasing the richness and diversity of our gut bacteria is the best way to improve overall gut health, which in turn aids digestion, influences how fat is absorbed and stored and regulates appetite hormones. The quickest way to achieve this is to eat foods that contain the live bacteria our gut needs to thrive, also called probiotics.
You might be tempted to take one of the many probiotic supplements available now, but according to Zoe, the nutrition company that conducted the world's largest nutritional study, there isn't yet enough good research to suggest that they… Can help lose weight. Instead, they recommend eating fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut and some types of cheese such as cheddar and Parmesan, which contain a wide range of live bacteria and probiotics.
Tips: Eating fresh yogurt daily, such as plain Greek yogurt, is an easy way to improve your diet by eating yogurt with chopped fruits, seeds and nuts for a healthy breakfast.
Use yogurt instead of mayonnaise to mix it with tuna or eggs in sandwich fillings. Add a tablespoon of yogurt to soups, stews, curries, or casseroles.
Make a fresh, delicious salad dressing by blending 150 milligrams of yogurt with two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, the juice of half a lemon, a handful of mint leaves, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
2- Eat an apple daily
Although prebiotics sound similar to probiotics, they perform completely different roles in the intestine. Prebiotic foods contain resistant starch (RS), a carbohydrate that the body cannot easily digest, which ferments in the intestines to feed the “good” bacteria. They also promote weight loss in several other ways.
Because resistant starch is harder to digest, your body will use more energy trying to break it down and because it stays in the intestines longer you won't feel hungry again as quickly, so you may eat less overall.
Foods that contain prebiotics include apples, slightly unripe bananas, leeks, garlic, onions, asparagus, barley, oats, and cooled cooked rice. Apples contain a prebiotic called pectin, which animal studies have found to positively affect obesity. So something as simple as eating an apple a day may actually help you lose weight.
Cooked and cooled rice contains more than twice the amount of resistant starch as fresh cooked rice. Use pre-cooked rice bags if you are short on time. You can reheat rice before eating it without reducing the amount of resistant starch it contains.
3- Eat 30 grams of fiber daily
We know that fiber is good for our gut, usually in the context of keeping bowel movements regular, but how can it help with weight loss? Soluble fiber, a type of carbohydrate that absorbs water and forms a gel in the stomach, makes us feel full and prevents overeating. It can also be linked to dietary fiber.
It is recommended to eat 30 grams of fiber daily. Here are two ways to get an extra 10 grams of fiber daily.
- Eat a medium-sized baked potato with the skin on, and add half a can of baked beans.
- A quick chickpea salad made with a can of drained chickpeas, half a red pepper, half a cucumber (diced), a teaspoon of olive oil, a teaspoon of vinegar, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Can protein help you lose weight naturally?
The answer is yes, as increasing the amount of protein you eat may help support weight loss by regulating certain hormones and helping you feel full longer, among other benefits.
Protein plays a key role in supporting weight management and overall health, according to a report on Healthline.
Eating a large amount of protein enhances metabolism, reduces appetite, and affects many weight-regulating hormones.
Protein can help you lose weight and belly fat, and works through many different mechanisms.
Protein changes the levels of many weight-regulating hormones. Your weight is regulated by your brain activity, especially by an area called the hypothalamus.
To determine when and how much you should eat, your brain processes multiple types of information. Some of the most important signals to your brain come from hormones that change in response to nutrition.
Eating more protein actually increases levels of satiety hormones such as GLP1, while reducing levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin.
If you replace some of the carbohydrates and fats in your diet with protein, you may feel less hungry and feel more full.
By modifying levels of appetite-regulating hormones, protein may reduce your hunger and help you feel full longer, which means you may end up eating fewer calories.
Protein digestion and metabolism burns calories
After eating, your body uses some calories to digest and metabolize food. This is often called the thermic effect of food.
Although not all sources agree on the exact numbers, it is clear that protein has a much greater thermic effect (20 to 30%) than carbohydrates (5 to 10%) or fat (0 to 3%).
The 30% thermic effect of protein means that 100 calories of protein end up with only 70 usable calories.
Reduce appetite
Protein reduces appetite and makes you eat fewer calories. Protein can reduce hunger and appetite through several mechanisms.
This can lead to an automatic decrease in calorie intake.
In other words, you end up eating fewer calories without having to count calories or consciously manage portions.
Some studies have shown that when people increase their protein intake, they start eating fewer calories.
In one 2005 study, consuming 30% of calories from protein automatically caused people to reduce their calorie intake by 441 calories per day, which is a significant amount.
Why does meat contain more protein than vegetables?
It is known that vegetarians need to work harder to get protein. Even common meat alternatives are often not as protein-dense as their animal counterparts. For example, tofu contains about 8 grams of protein per 100 grams, while chicken breast contains 31 grams, according to a report in Live Science by Marilyn Perkins.
But why, on a biological level, does meat generally contain so much more protein than plants?
According to Christy Calhoun, science communications resource officer at the American Meat Science Society, the main reason is that plants and animals have different cellular needs, resulting in different cellular compositions.
“Animals store more protein in their tissues because their bodies are designed to support active functions such as muscle movement, energy metabolism, and cell repair,” Calhoun told Live Science.
Key molecules in animal bodies such as enzymes and hormones are actually just specialized proteins, and other proteins such as actin and myosin form muscle fibers and enable active movement.
Plants, on the other hand, rely more on carbohydrates and other molecules for structure and energy storage, so their tissues naturally contain less protein.
While carbohydrates are an important energy source in both plants and animals, they cannot complete the same diverse cellular functions that proteins can due to their simpler molecular structure.
“One can imagine proteins as a necklace of beads, each bead made up of different amino acids,” said nutritionist Kenja Balogh, a nutritionist. Human bodies “link a variety of necklaces of different amino acid strands” together to make different proteins for different functions, she said.
There are 20 types of amino acids, and each plays a unique role in cellular processes such as tissue repair, nutrient transport and brain function. 9 of these amino acids are called essential amino acids because the body cannot produce them on its own. Humans need to obtain essential amino acids through their diet.
Complete proteins
Animal-derived proteins contain all nine essential amino acids, so they are classified as “complete” proteins. On the other hand, proteins from plant sources often lack one or more of the nine essential amino acids, making them “incomplete” protein sources.
“Animal proteins, such as those found in meat, have a higher bioavailability,” Calhoun said. This means that the human body can break down and absorb those proteins more easily. Since plant proteins can contain more indigestible substances, such as fiber, the body needs to work harder to process that protein.
Although meat tends to have a higher total protein content, more essential amino acids, and greater bioavailability, it is still possible to leverage nutritional science to make plant-based proteins more efficient.
“When it comes to plant-based diets, people have the option of combining several plant foods that contain incomplete proteins,” Balogh said. This strategy allows people to combine two or more incomplete proteins to check for all nine essential amino acids. Examples of such combinations include whole wheat bread and nut butter, beans and rice, or lentil soup with whole grain bread, Balogh said.
However, Balogh cautioned that a “heavy focus” on protein isn't always the best strategy.
She said: “The human body performs well when we consume a variety of foods in quantities that consistently meet daily requirements. Proteins work more effectively in the human body when we also consume sufficient amounts of energy, carbohydrates, and fats.”
