Do You Need Probiotics?

Should you take probiotics?

Let’s understand this in a simplified way. In your large intestine, there are trillions of bacteria and they have two teams – good and bad bacteria. Both of these teams are constantly trying to outcompete each other. If the good bacteria outnumber the bad ones, your health will be optimal in most cases.

If the bad bacteria dominate, you might experience issues related to digestion and overall health, such as IBS, constipation, diarrhea, bloating, weakened immunity, skin problems, and various diseases, and generally, an overgrowth of bad bacteria can affect your health. 

There are two common causes: the first is an unhealthy lifestyle that involves consuming low-fiber foods, lack of exercise, insufficient water intake, a diet rich in low-nutrient foods, alcohol, and smoking, among other factors. The second is illness or the use of antibiotics. The only solution to defeat these bad bacteria is to increase the population of good bacteria.

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The first way to do this is by including high-fiber foods in your diet. All plant based foods are great sources of fiber such as nuts, seeds, lentils & beans, all whole grains, fruits & vegetables. Make sure you’re getting enough of them. In simple terms, fiber is the food of good bacteria. By consuming fiber-rich foods, you help these bacteria thrive and grow. 

The second method is by consuming probiotic foods. Probiotics are live good bacteria found in foods like curd, yogurt, and fermented foods. Generally, if you combine these two methods with regular exercise and adequate water intake, your gut health will be excellent. 

However, if you’re already dealing with a digestive issue or taking antibiotics, adding a probiotic drink or supplement for a few days can be a good initial step.

The bottom line is that under normal conditions, a good lifestyle with a diet rich in fiber and probiotic foods is sufficient for gut health. But if you’re dealing with a digestive issue or taking antibiotics, starting with a probiotic drink or supplement can be a smart strategy. 

Calisthenics Vs Weight Training For Building Muscle

Now, the primary principle for building muscle is applying continuous resistance or stress to the muscle, and in response to that stress, the muscle grows by becoming stronger and bigger. 

Now, this resistance can come either from external weights like dumbbells, machines, barbells, which is also known as weight training, or from bodyweight exercises like push-ups, pull-ups, dips, squats, and more, which is referred to as calisthenics, our body only cares about resistance. 

However, for continuous muscle growth, you need to consistently apply the principle of progressive overload, which means gradually increasing the stress on muscles. In weight training, this can be achieved by increasing the weight, repetitions, or sets, and in calisthenics, you can increase exercise difficulty, reps, and sets.

For example, if you want to do push-ups, start with knee-supported push-ups, then progress to regular push-ups, and gradually increase the level of difficulty from there. Also, 15-20 sets per muscle per week is a good range to work with.

In essence, if you want to build muscle at Home, calisthenics is an easy & fun way to increase your muscle mass and strength without getting bored. Besides, it will also increase your flexibility. The key, as always, is consistency.

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Can You Gain 1 Kg In A Week?

Can you gain 1 kg in a week?

The answer is yes. But should you gain 1 kilo in a week? No. Let’s make this clearer.

You know that to gain 1 kilogram of weight, you need to consume 7,700 calories above your maintenance calories. This means that if you consume around 1,100 extra calories every day, you will gain around 1 kg in a week but if you are under the impression that this entire weight is gained from muscle, then you’re mistaken my friend, because even in the best case scenario where your training and protein intake are on point (the two major stimulus needed for muscle gain), even then, the majority of this 1 kg weight will still be fat, not muscle.

This is because our bodies have evolved to store energy (as fat), so that this stored energy is used at the time of need.

So, the key takeaway here is that whether you consume an extra 300 calories or 1,000, you can only increase your muscle mass to a certain extent, and the rest of it will automatically get stored as fat. So, if a sense of urgency is what is driving you, hold on friend, gaining muscle takes time & patience while gaining fat doesn’t.

So, if your goal is to achieve a better body composition, a combination of resistance training and with small calorie surplus, optimal protein and patience will ensure great results. 

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Fruit Vs Fruit Juice Vs Dried Fruit

Now, any fruit consists of 70-90% water which means 100g of each contains roughly 70-90g water. 

Let’s understand this using apples as an example. In every 100 grams of apple, roughly 85 grams is water, leaving 14 grams of carbohydrates, including 2.5 grams of fiber, minimal protein, about 55 calories, and some vitamins & minerals.

however, when you turn this apple into apple juice, all the fiber is removed, leaving you with about 90-92% water, 10-11 grams of carbohydrates, a few micronutrients, and almost 45 calories.

Now, this was just an example with apples, but the composition of most fruits and their juices is likely to be similar, the majority of it being water & natural sugar, followed by some micronutrients.

However, dried fruits means fruits which are dried, such as dates, raisins, dried figs, and others, and their water content is reduced to 20-25%. That’s why they are more calorie-dense.

For example, if you look at 100 grams of dried fruit, you’ll find around 65-70 grams of carbohydrates (most of it coming from natural sugar), with 8 grams of fiber, some protein, approximately 250-300 calories, and various micronutrients.

In summary, whole fruits, due to their fiber content, will make you feel fuller compared to fruit juices. So, if you’re looking for satiety go for fruits. But if you’re going for dried fruits, be mindful of the quantity because it’s easy to overeat them . 

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Decoding Vegetables

A significant portion of any vegetable consists of water, roughly 70-95%. This means that in every 100 grams of any vegetables, there’s 70 to 95 grams of water. The remaining portion contains carbohydrates, usually ranging from 4 to 20 grams. Within carbs, there’s 0.5 to 4 grams of fiber. 0.5 to 5 grams is the protein content of most

veggies (green pea has the highest protein content), minimal fat, and various vitamins and minerals.

Now, based on their water content, vegetables can be categorized in 2 categories:

The first category comprises those with over 85% water content, while the second category includes those with less than 85% water content. For example, potatoes contain 78% water. Remaining part has around 20 grams of carbs, 2 grams of fiber, and 2 grams of protein. This means that 100 grams of potatoes will provide roughly 85 calories. Sweet potatoes have a similar profile. Green Peas contain the highest protein and fiber content among vegetables, with around 80 calories. Taro root has 25 grams of carbohydrates and approximately 105 calories. 

So vegetables in less than 85% water category contains 80-110 kcal per 100g.

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Now, Vegetables with over 85% water content generally have fewer than 40 calories. This includes carrot, broccoli, pumpkin, ladyfinger, onion etc. In fact, these 13 vegetables:

  • Cucumber
  • Bottle guard
  • Radish
  • Lettuce
  • Celery
  • Tomato
  • Apple gourd
  • Cauliflower
  • Cabbage
  • Bellpepper
  • Eggplant
  • Mushroom
  • Spinach

in this category have 25 calories or less. Spinach & mushroom also has 3% protein. 

So, in general, vegetables, because of their high water content, fiber, micronutrients, and very low-calorie content, are an excellent choice for a healthy life and can keep you satiated during your fat loss journey. 

Muscle Gain Vs Weight Gain

Gaining weight simply means weighing scale going up, and the more you eat beyond your energy needs or maintenance calories, the higher, the scale will go. 

But if you don’t already know this, let me remind you that your body weight is composed of these four elements. 

  1. Fat mass 
  2. Water
  3. Muscle mass
  4. Organs, bones and other tissues

So, the approach of just eating extra to tip the scale upwards primarily increases the fat mass or fat weight. However, for increase in muscle mass, you need more than just extra food; you also require regular strength training and sufficient protein intake. 

In simple words, For weight gain, you just need to eat more, doesn’t matter where those calories are coming from. As long as you are in energy surplus, you will keep gaining weight however, for muscle growth, you don’t just need to eating extra in a disciplined manner, but you also need these strength training (15-20 sets per muscle per week) & optimal protein (1.5-2g/kg of body weight). 

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Weight gain might happen quickly, but muscle gain requires time and effort. Therefore, irrespective of how big your surplus is you will still gain muscle at a slow pace. So to keep your fat gain minimal during muscle gain, a 200 kcal surplus is enough.

So, in a nutshell, I’m trying to say that muscle gain won’t just enhance your aesthetics, but it will also make you ready to make a big impact in the crucible of a disciplined life however, the choice is always yours. Right?