Of diets and weight loss

I am 30 years old, weigh 60 kg and am 5’2” tall. I joined a gym to lose weight and since i’m a vegetarian, my trainer says that I have to take protein shakes. However, it doesn’t suit me and I throw up every time I drink it. How can I get natural protein for my workouts. —SL

Before we get into the ‘how’, let’s start with the ‘why’. Do you need protein shakes to lose weight? Guess what, you don’t. Your body requires protein for repair, for wear and tear and for growth of muscles. Proteins don’t convert your fat into muscles. And to achieve weight loss, you need to burn the fat. Now let’s get to the ‘how’. How can you get rid of the fat? You can achieve fat loss by increasing the body’s output versus the input and you can do that with any cardiovascular exercise. Burning fat and building muscle is a two-step process. To lose weight, first focus on the cardio and play with your diet. Eat healthy, light and smaller meals frequently. Consult a nutritionist, if you need help planning a personalised meal plan. Later shift your focus to building muscle with weight training. Considering your measurements, and as a woman (I’m assuming that) you don’t need heavy training. And therefore, you definitely don’t need protein shakes.

My son is 14. Is it advisable for him to take multi-vitamins and protein supplements to gain height and overall fitness? His usual meal plan includes soya milk, almonds and two bananas for breakfast; aloo tikki/veg sandwich or orange during snack time; chicken/veg pulao for lunch, fruit/pancakes or paratha, and dinner is usually dal, rice/chapati and some chicken/fish/prawn curry. How can I improve his diet. My son is a fussy eater and likes continental food. —Ashu Khurana

Unfortunately, you haven’t mentioned your son’s current height and weight for me to make a correct analysis of his growth pattern. He eats often and that’s a good thing. Small, frequent meals provide a great boost to metabolism. A good metabolism also results in good blood circulation and increased energy levels. More energy to play and study at his age is excellent. However, a word of caution, on his daily soya intake. Please do have it evaluated by a nutritionist or doctor. Too much soya protein tends to increase estrogen levels in the body and hence is contraindicated for boys. What may be good for you, isn’t necessarily good for him. Too much of soya could interfere with his hormonal development. His food palate seems to be well balanced. As long as he is getting adequate nutrition, you really shouldn’t worry about his cuisine preference or label him a ‘fussy’ eater.

To figure out if he needs any nutritional supplements, figure out if his body has any deficiencies. You can find this out with some basic blood tests. Visit a pediatrician or nutritionist in order to have the same analysed and get guidance accordingly.

Pooja Makhija
Consulting nutritionist and clinical dietitian

SPEAK UP

Mail your queries at: dnahealthpage@gmail.com; you can contact Pooja at: pooja@nourishgenie.com