In today’s era, youth are now moving towards fitness. From social media to home kitchens, healthy lifestyle is now being discussed everywhere. Despite this, a surprising thing is that despite taking a healthy diet, their weight is gradually increasing instead of decreasing.
In such a situation, many questions start arising in the minds of people. The truth is that the reason for increasing weight is not just your plate, but the entire system of your body.
Ayurveda says that the body does not run on food, but on Agni i.e. digestive power. Science calls it metabolism. If this system goes wrong, even the most pure and nutritious food can enter the body and turn into fat. This is why healthy eating and weight loss do not always go together.
The biggest misconception is that healthy things can be eaten as much as you want. Some food items are considered heavy in Ayurveda. Dry fruits, ghee, honey, peanut butter or avocado are extremely nutritious, but it takes longer for the body to digest them. Science also believes that they contain very high calories. If the body gets more energy than it is spending daily, then weight gain is natural.
Nowadays, many healthy products available in the market are also playing a big role in weight gain. In Ayurveda, excessively sweet taste is said to increase phlegm. Science says that excess sugar increases insulin, which causes the body to store fat. Low-fat curd, multigrain biscuits or energy bars look healthy, but the sugar hidden inside them disturbs the balance of the body.
Many times the reason for weight gain is not food, but hormones. In Ayurveda it is called imbalance of doshas, especially aggravation of Kapha dosha. Due to thyroid, PCOS or prolonged stress, the body’s metabolism slows down. In such a situation, a person feels weight increasing even after eating less, because the body starts storing energy instead of burning it.
Sleep and mental state also have a deep impact on weight. It is said in Ayurveda that incomplete sleep weakens the digestive power. Science shows that less sleep increases the hunger hormone ‘ghrelin’ and decreases leptin, which signals fullness. Its effect is that the person starts eating even without hunger.
Metabolism also slows down due to aging or reduced physical activity. Science says that less muscle mass reduces calorie burn. Weight loss does not come through diet alone; keeping the body active is equally important.