Halwa - Want Some?

Halwa.  You may love it, I certainly love it and I used to think that I needed to avoid it if I was ever going to be ‘healthy’ and lose weight. We released a post on Halwa quite some time back on Instagram, and it got people thinking.  What did it get people thinking about? Whether sugar is actually to blame after all for weight gain.  Please read on, let me explain.

You see when people go on a diet or start a health kick, they follow one of two extremes.  Its either quitting all junk food or eating very little. Both are unhealthy.

Our bodies are smart. Everyday we need a certain number of calories to live. To breathe.  To maintain its current weight.  Now this wont be the same everyday, as some days we will be more active, exercise etc.

In order for weight to be lost, we simply keep those number of calories in our diet, make better food choices and move more (exercise even).  By doing so, we then burn calories and put our bodies in a state whereby we need to find energy to run it (to do the things I said above).  So let’s say 2000-2200 calories keeps our weight steady – we don’t gain weight nor do we lose any.  In order to lose weight, the body needs to use fat and a little bit of muscle, as fuel.  The way to do this is to either eat slightly less or exercise regularly. Done. Simple.

Now sugar is the the guy I feel really sorry for.  Sugar is blamed for just about everything.  But guess what?  That healthy sweet potato or wholewheat roti you had is also sugar! Once your body has broken it down, it is converted into sugar so that it can be used as energy within the body.

Think about it.

What does sugar do?

It adds taste.  It makes food taste good.  What happens when food tastes good? You tend to overeat on those goods.  What happens when you overeat? You end up gaining weight.  Because the sugar is making foods tasty, you eat more of it.

Sugar itself doesn’t cause weight gain.  Not that im promoting it, but you could have a large tablespoon of sugar on its own if you wanted – not that you should, because that’s just weird.  But the sugar itself isn’t causing you to go fat – if that was the case, then why didn’t all those cans of fizzy juice turn you huge?  Sugar has a calorie value just like everything else, and if you have some in moderation each day, you will be just fine.  In fact if you exercise, even better! As your body empties out the sugars as these are used to fuel your workouts.  Make sense?

Why did I write this article? Because people are cutting out all sugars, avoiding fruit and are struggling as a result.  It is all about calories and moderation.  Sugar is not the main culprit!

So having some Kheer or Ras Malai on occasion won’t do you any harm.  Unless you are eating a bowl of it everyday with each meal, you won’t gain weight after one plate.

Enjoy the rest of your day and stop worrying too much, there are more important factors to consider when it comes to weight loss and overall health!