Top 5 Superfoods that Promote Weight Loss

When I say "weight loss", it means healthy weight loss with no diets or starving oneself. Healthy eating should be a part of one's life. People choose to emphasise more on body than on nutrition and health that's where ignorance starts. I have struggled with my weight and after adding these superfoods to my diet, my health has been better than before and it helped me in my fitness journey.

1. Green Tea

Green tea has antioxidants that helps in metabolism, reduces risk of cancer, burns fat and helps in losing weight. I have lipton's flavoured green tea with lemon where i can have both the effects as lemon water aids in digestion. Most of the fitness enthusiasts have green tea regularly and it gives great start to your morning instead of regular tea and coffee.

2. Oats 

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and what's best than oatmeal to start your productive day. Oats have fiber which keeps you full for longer. Oats can be also used in making cookies, energy balls, pancakes, etc. The best way to consume oats is porridge with fruits on top and people are getting creative with it also adding it to smoothies with nuts, chocolate, berries on top. Flavoured oats are also easy available in the market but i recommend not to have this as it contains added sugar.

3. Whole Grains

We Asians love rice but the white ones we eat is low in nutrition. Brown rice is highly nutritious and has fiber which helps in managing weight. Whole grains are unprocessed while white rice/ bread are refined and are stripped of its nutrients in the process. Though once in a while having white rice doesn't harm but opt for whole grains to get maximum nutrients and for healthy body. Some people get bloating after having bread so choose gluten free bread.

4. Lentils and Beans

Lentils and beans are good source of protein which are essential for vegetarians and vegans. They are cheap and are easily accessible in the market. Lentils are essential part of meals in India and having it with rice makes a complete meal. Consuming beans at night is not recommended as some may have digestion issues. Beans need to be soaked overnight and cooked the morning after. Canned beans have sodium and preservatives so it's best to avoid that.

5. Bananas

Bananas makes great pre and post workout snack. It is the most nutritious among the other fruits. It tastes great in smoothies. You can add in oatmeal and make a healthy addition to lots of recipes. It is the most consumed fruit and are available in all seasons. Good source of fiber and potassium.

Let me know if you like such posts, soon going to post recipes here :)

Why I went Vegan (From Meat-Eater to Animal Lover)

Being Vegan has changed my life! Lot of people doesn't know the term 'vegan' and are not aware of the dairy industry specially in India where milk consumption is more here. I want to share my experience on how i came across the feeling of compassion towards animals and how it's important to treat them as living beings not things.
I belong to Bengali family so fish and meat eating is natural over here. My mom use to make fish and egg curry regularly, though i enjoyed having eggs but i disliked the taste of fish. I once visited zoos and circus when i was a child and i was sad when i saw the animals being chained and kept in captivity. Then i visited a temple where goat was being sacrificed and the blood kept flowing like river on to the streets. That day I decided to not eat mutton or lamb, but i kept eating chicken, egg and fish. I never liked milk, but my family had the perception that milk gives you energy. In my native place my grandfather had dairy business where he used to keep cows behind our house, but i never felt the connection or the need to avoid milk.
I loved sweets and chicken biryani. I gorged on meat dishes after college and i gained my weight. And then something changed my life. While i was at home, i heard cat crying and after seeing out from the window, i found kitten who had her leg injured so my father took her home. My mom was against this as all are terrified of dogs and cats. There was a dog in my neighbour's house and whenever he came out we would not come out from our home. I did had interaction with cats at my native place but i was too scared to even touch them. 
The next day when i was about to give the kitten to my friend, mom wasn't happy and we chose to keep her. We played with her and she used to sleep with me, she became part of our family. We weren't aware of spay or neuter and after 1 year she gave birth to beautiful 4 kittens. I took care of the kittens. When they were 3 months old, we chose to set them free to roam outside to play. One dog attacked one kitten and she died and it made my heart broken. I couldn't control my tears and was sobbing uncontrollably and then my family decided to leave them on streets. I was against it but i couldn't do anything and i had to let them go. My brother left them inside a building and used to go often to see them. They did saw afterwards but i couldn't see them. I moved on and then there were small puppies outside my building and they grew up and more dogs came . I used to feed them but people in my locality were against it, some even gave a warning to kill them, then i got support from a lady who was a dog lover too and had 4 rescued dogs herself. 
We managed to feed them and treat them whenever possible and then i happened to have special bond with them. I had issues with my health by then and whenever i used to eat chicken i felt guilty. Then on March 2014 i became vegetarian and nobody believed it would last longer. I felt healthier but something was missing. I came to know the horrors of dairy industry and i went vegan after 6 months. After becoming vegan i explored different varieties of food and my family sometimes wanted to taste my food too. I began working out and i lost inches. People were complimenting me but i knew this wasn't just for health but for ethics too. I can't have dead animals on my plate. My friend recently turned vegetarian and feeling lighter too. My whole family feeds stray dogs near their locality.
People are getting diseases but can't get enough of dairy and meat. My family has health issues but still not giving up. What people need is awareness, we don't need meat and dairy to survive, this industry is damaging environment, slaughtering the animals and making profits. Not just food, but using cruelty free products and helping animals is what veganism is about!
Have a heart, go vegan for sake of the animals and planet. Do let me know if you like this post!