Nutritionist shares how ‘drinking calories might be sabotaging your diet’

To lose weight, many people switch to having juices and smoothies instead of proper meals. While that may seem the best way to lose extra kilos, it may not be the sustainable one, said nutrition consultant Ruchi Sharma.

On her Instagram page, Eat Fit Repeat, the expert shared how one of her recent clients wanted to lose weight, and started dieting. “She thought that ‘eating’ would make her fat, so she switched to liquids likes shakes and Juices all day long,” she said.

But after seven days, the contrary of what she expected happened. “She lost a week; was low on energy; was frustrated and started binging at the sight of food; so progress whatsoever, and ended up gaining a few 100 grams,” the expert added.

Debunking the myth that liquids don’t have calories, Sharma said, “What we drink has calories, and consuming excess calories makes us fat. Further, drinking calories doesn’t help us with satiety, so we start feeling hungry very soon.”

Switching to a complete liquid diet, in fact, can also have adverse impact on one’s health.

“Simple carbohydrates are easily and quickly utilised for energy by the body because of their simple chemical structure, often leading to a faster rise in blood sugar and insulin secretion from the pancreas – which can have negative health effects,” she said.

Is this applicable for all?

People who are ectomorphs or have difficulty gaining weight and need a “lot of calories for nutrition and growth and have a hard time getting their calories in, must add shakes and juices”.