Think liquid diet can clip the inches? But you cannot sip your fat away

It's not that slice of pizza or dollop of ice-cream that's behind your weight change, says a recent study. Here's why you need to pay closer attention to what you are sipping on

There's no short cut to success or slimdom. So, those of you who are planning to swap solids for an all-liquid diet, need to know that research has proven that liquid calories have a greater impact on your body than solid food.

Researchers at Bloomburg School in the US tested the relationship between beverage consumption among adults and weight change, and found that weight loss is closelyu00a0 linked to a reduction in liquid calorie consumption.

In fact, consumption of liquid calories from beverages has increased in parallel with the obesity epidemic among adults.

Mumbai-based obesity consultant Dr Shahank Shah who is associated with LH Hiranandani Hospital says liquids exit the digestive tract faster than solids.

And some liquids are less calorie-dense with a lower satiety value,u00a0 leaving you craving for more.
u00a0
"If you are on a complete liquid diet, you cannot control hunger and are bound to binge after a while. No liquid is zero calorie, except water," he explains.
u00a0u00a0u00a0
While the world and its grandmother have counselled you on what to eat, we thought we'd bring you a cut-and-keep guide to the right liquid choices.

Eat fruits, avoid juices

Deanne Pandey Fitness trainer to celebrities

There's no way Deanne is buying the liquid diet helps shed kilos theory. Eating and drinking right coupled with moderate exercising work fine.

"If you have a taste for fresh fruits, eat them in their natural form rather than having juices. Fruits lose their vitamins and essential nutrients when blended.

A fruit juice is nothing but flavoured sugar water.u00a0 And if you must, make a juice at home rather than sip from a tin. It lacks fiber," she says.
u00a0
Deanne's fav WEIGHT LOSS drink: Warm water+lemon+honey

Cold water is tough to digest

Dr Ravi Kothari Ayurveda expert

Those of you on a diet should skip drinking cold water. It takes longer to digest. Sipping on warm water helps your kidneys, flushes out waste from the body and helps shed kilos.
u00a0
If you want to have a juice or Lime Juice, consume it at a room temperature. Avoid milkshakes; a combination of fruit and milk isn't good for the digestive system.
u00a0
Ravi's health drink

Take 4 glasses of water in a vessel, add mint leaves, green tea leaves, black pepper and dry ginger. Boil, strain and drink once it cools down.
u00a0
Benefits: It has a direct action on your fat cells, aiding weight loss. It is a great appetiser, aids digestion, flushes out toxins and increases metabolism.

Cut-and-keep guide

drink these

Anjali Peswani Nutritionist

Vegetable juice: Raw food is a must for good health and juicing enables the intake of large amount of raw vegetables. Vegetable juices do not raise your insulin levels like fruit juices do.
u00a0
Tip: Avoid mixing too many vegetables. Stick to 1 or 2. You choice of vegetables helps avoid an overdose of a particular vitamin. In case you opt for amla that's high in Vitamin C, balance it with carrot that contains Vitamin A.

Benefits: It detoxifies the body and provides a high dose of vitamins and minerals that are easy to absorb.

Buttermilk: It's lower in fat than regular milk, high in Potassium, Vitamin B12, Calcium, Riboflavin and a good source of Phosphorus. It's easily digested.

Tip: Add some flaxseeds or jeera powder to your buttermilk and garnish it with mint leaves.

Benefits: It enables proper canalisation of the circulatory system, preventing hypertension, diabetes and atherosclerosis. It also aids weight loss.

Coconut water: It's low in carbs and sugars, is 99% fat-free. It contains organic compounds that promote healthy growth of the body.

Benefits: It keeps your body cool, carries nutrients to cells, promotes weight loss and boosts energy. It is an isotonic solution that helps replace fluids and minerals your body loses during physical activity.

Avoid these

Aerated drinks: These contain filtered H2O, artificial additives, refined sugar, and zero nutrients.

Why avoid it: They are acidic in nature leading to tooth decay that follows erosion of enamel. Even "diet" colas add kilos. They contain aspartame, an artificial low-calorie sweetener that makes you crave for food.

Milkshakes: They are a good choice unless you are trying to lose weight. Fresh fruit and dryfruit milkshakes are very high in fat.

Lassi: It's usually made from buffalo milk that's high in fat.

Flavoured Iced Tea: It contains artificial flavours and sugars, a high level of flouride that's not particularly good for health.