Weight Loss : Chef Kahonge’s Top 5 Secrets

Many people talk about weight loss but are not doing the right things. It is all about getting information on nutrition and exercise that will help you shed that extra belly fat and improve your overall health.

Nowadays people can access the internet from ideally anywhere but interpretation of this new source of information can be tricky. For example my friend @vickyKaburu the other day came across a tweet about weight loss pills which we thought might have some very dangerous side effects because it is not natural. Why take cayenne pepper tablets when you can grow the pepper yourself, organically and inexpensively?

1. Cayenne Pepper

This has always been my favourite spice  not only because it is a catalyst for other nutrients, but also because it is very versatile in terms of medicinal and culinary uses. It suppresses your appetite so you won’t overeat and the capsaicin also helps in detox – toxins interfere with the metabolism which subsequently causes weight gain.

2. Whole Foods

Do you always get food cravings? That is because the bleached white rice you ate is bereft of nutrients that your body desperately needs everyday in the quest for optimum performance. So it signals you to get more food into the system, hence the cravings. Instead try brown rice, which has 90% more nutrients than white rice, and will make you full for longer like 6 hours without craving food.

Get whole oats with bran, which is also rich in insoluble fiber. It acts as a broom in the gut and sweeps out toxins, that interfere with metabolism which subsequently interferes with your body’s natural ability to burn fat. Get multi grain bread or better yet bake your own, using different whole grains like rye, amaranth etc.

3. Exercise

Do not go to the gym, reconnect with nature by taking a morning run or walk while taking deep breaths. If you can swim do it but not too often because the chlorine used to clean pools is not something you would like to get exposed to often. Yoga is my new favourite exercise because it is versatile and touches all aspects- physically, mentally and spiritually.

4. Vegetables and Fruit

5 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit is the average quantity we should consume to be healthy. The best way to get this done is juicing and eating plenty vegetables per setting, preferably half a plate. I like combining vegetables and fruit juice to balance taste and tartness. My recent eureka juice is a combination of spinach, pineapple and carrots << two glasses of this (preferably organically-grown produce) which helps flush out toxins and give you some great nutrients that are easily assimilated in liquid form.

That does not mean you substitute whole veg for juice, No! The whole vegetables and fruit has insoluble fiber which helps in cleaning the gut and other numerous health benefits. The best way to consume whole veg is of course steaming them or a saute.

5. High Fat Diet

Most doctors will tell you that a low-fat diet will aid in weight gain but it is actually the opposite. A high fat diet will help in weight loss and a low fat diet leads to obesity and diabetes subsequently. Yes, If you have a balanced diet, with whole grains, nuts, seeds, fruits, veggies, fish, beef, goat, raw milk etc you cannot avoid fat but you have to know that you need all types of fat for a healthy body. What you need to cut out is processed foods (white rice, refined sugar, chocolate, biscuits, chewing gum, sweets) and toxins like cosmetics, all purpose cleaners & commercial kitchen and bathroom soaps.

More about maintaining a healthy lifestyle on Chef Kahonge’s Blog.

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