Nutrition

The Best Nut for Weight Loss

July 7, 2024

by pehlehealth with 2 Comments fitness Nutrition Weight loss

In a world where dietary choices can make or break your fitness goals, understanding the caloric impact of different foods becomes crucial.

This is especially true when it comes to nuts, often touted for their health benefits but also known for their high calorie content.

Let’s delve into why making smart nutritional choices, particularly regarding calorie density, is essential for effective weight management.

Caloric Comparison: Nuts vs. Fruits

Imagine this scenario: you have 100 grams of peanut butter or almonds, both packing nearly 600 calories. In contrast, an entire kilogram of apples contains around 520 calories.

At first glance, it might seem like you’re getting comparable energy from these foods. However, the key lies in the quantity.

Understanding Caloric Density

Caloric density refers to the number of calories in a given volume or weight of food. Nuts, while nutritious, are dense in calories. This means that consuming even a small amount can contribute significantly to your daily caloric intake.

On the other hand, fruits and vegetables like apples and guavas provide fewer calories per serving, making them less likely to lead to calorie surplus when consumed in reasonable portions.

The Importance of Caloric Deficit

For those aiming to lose weight, achieving a caloric deficit is paramount. This means consuming fewer calories than your body expends, forcing it to burn stored fat for energy.

While nuts can be part of a balanced diet due to their nutritional benefits, their high calorie density means they should be consumed mindfully.

Looking to achieve your fitness goals?

We offer personalized nutrition & training plans tailored for fat loss, muscle gain, or any other health goal. Click below, fill out the form, and reach your fitness goals much faster than most people.

Making Smart Choices

The essence of effective weight loss lies in making sustainable dietary choices. Opting for foods that are not overly calorie-dense most of the time can help you maintain a caloric deficit without feeling deprived.

This doesn’t mean you have to completely avoid nuts; rather, it’s about balancing them with lower-calorie options such as fruits and vegetables.

Incorporating Other Weight Loss Tools

Beyond dietary choices, achieving sustainable weight loss involves incorporating other strategies like NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) and regular exercise.

NEAT encompasses the calories burned through daily activities such as walking, gardening, or even fidgeting, all of which contribute to your overall energy expenditure.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while nuts like almonds and peanut butter offer nutritional benefits, their high caloric density requires careful consideration, especially if weight loss is your goal.

By prioritizing foods that are lower in calories but still nutritious, and by incorporating regular physical activity into your routine, you can create a sustainable path toward achieving and maintaining a healthy weight.

For personalized guidance on creating a caloric deficit and optimizing your nutrition for weight loss, feel free to reach out to us. Transform your approach to weight loss with informed choices and practical strategies.

Is a Multigrain roti Healthy?

December 7, 2023

by Manish kapoor with One Comment Health Nutrition

Let’s understand this through a small exercise.

In one scenario, you made rotis using 50g of whole wheat flour, and in another scenario, you made rotis using 50g of multigrain flour, which included four different grains, say whole wheat, oats, jowar & chickpea each in roughly equal amounts.

Now, the rotis made from wheat flour will provide you with

6g of protein
35g of carbohydrates
6g of fiber
172 kcal

and a good amount of the following macronutrients.

Wheat micronutrients per 50g expressed as a percentage of the daily requirement for an average individual (approximate values may change depending on harvest, brand etc.) –

b1 – 16%,
b3 – 18%,
b5 – 10%,
b6 – 12%,
iron – 12%
magnesium – 17%,
manganese – 90%,
phos – 20%
Zinc – 14%

On the other hand, the multigrain flour rotis will give you almost the same amount of protein (slightly more, around 7g)

32g of carbohydrates
6g of fiber
180 kcal

And similar micronutrients.

Looking to achieve your fitness goals?

There might be slight variations in the quantities of specific micronutrients you get, but nutritionally, there isn’t much difference between the two flours – most whole grains are a good source of:

fiber
b vitamins
Iron
manganese
magnesium
Zinc etc.

So, if the reason you’re eating multigrain roti is because of your neighboring aunty, you can ignore her advice right away because even if you eat wheat roti you’re not missing out on much.

So, whether you want soft rotis made from whole wheat flour or hard rotis made from multi grains is a call you need to make but either way, your long-term health will not depend on the type of flour you consume but on what you eat throughout the day will matter the most.

Olive Oil Vs Olive Pomace Oil

December 6, 2023

by pehlehealth with No Comment Health Nutrition

Now, when you press olives without applying heat using a machine, you get virgin or extra virgin olive oil. The process of producing olive oil from olives is longer than this however, the important thing to note is that these olives are neither heat treated nor any chemicals are used to extract oil from them.

Therefore they are sometimes called cold-pressed.

This is quite good for the heart because of the significant amount of unsaturated fat, where monounsaturated fat is predominant.

Approximate nutrition per 100g olive oil

Saturated fat – 15 g
Unsaturated fat – 85 g
Monounsaturated – 75 g
Polyunsaturated fat – 10 g

The cost of virgin olive oil is approximately 1000 rupees per liter or even higher.

Now, after extracting the olive oil, the remaining residue is further refined using solvents to extract any remaining oil, resulting in what is known as refined olive pomace oil. Finally, by adding a bit of virgin olive oil to this refined olive pomace oil, they are ready to be packaged and marketed as olive pomace oil, which is priced around Rs 350-500 rupees per liter.

Looking to achieve your fitness goals?

Nutritionally, these two oils are the same; the only difference lies in their price and processing. Olive pomace is highly processed but this processing offers one advantage, which is that they become suitable for high-heat cooking.

So, if you want a natural product, go for virgin or extra virgin and if you simply want to create an impression that you use olive oil in front of friends/relatives but don’t have the money, then go for olive pomace oil.

The key point is that both oils are good for the heart. The most crucial aspect about oils/fats is – whatever oil you use whether it’s olive, pomace, mustard or ghee, if you ensure that the quantity is appropriate, and you’re good to go.

What quantity of uncooked rice translates to what quantity of boiled rice?

November 26, 2023

by Manish kapoor with No Comment fitness Nutrition

Uncooked rice approximately doubles or triples in volume when cooked but it may also depend on the type of rice used and the cooking method, but as a general rule:

100g of uncooked rice ≈ 250g of cooked rice

This means that the calorie content of 100g of uncooked rice is the same as 250g of cooked rice since nothing changed other than the water content. Nutrition, more or less stays the same.

Now this information is important for people who stay with family/friends/relatives, basically a place where food is cooked for more than one person and obviously, can’t measure the uncooked food for one person.

However, a tip here is to experiment with weighing both uncooked and cooked rice 2-3 times so that you can be sure about the cooked quantity since different varieties of rice may have slight variations in how much they expand during cooking.

This is relevant because consuming the required calories is important for your fitness goal and doing this makes the task a little easier.

Looking to achieve your fitness goals?

Image credit : weightschool.com

Milk Vs Whey Protein : Which Is Best?

September 14, 2023

by Manish kapoor with 2 Comments fitness Nutrition

Milk Vs Whey Protein: Which Is Best Option For You?

Most of the fitness trainers in youtube suggests you to Add whey protein in your diet plan. But, at the same time some youtubers is saying that whey protein is made from milk. So, don’t consume whey protein start consuming Milk. Now, many poeple confused that what could I do and which option is best for me milk or whey protein.

So, Today in this Article I will clear all of your myths and misunderstanding regarding to milk and whey protein.

Nutritional Comparison Of Milk and Whey Protein

Nutrients	Milk	Whey Protein
Protien	3-4%	75%
Carbohydrates	4-5%	2-5%
Fat	3-6%	2-5%

Whey protein is made from milk, therefore, both are the highest quality protein sources which means that they are a complete protein having all essential amino acids in appropriate quantities and are highly bioavailable.

For the sake of comparison, let’s take 75 percent whey protein because when you’re paying for a whey protein, you should get a good amount of protein in it, hence any good protein powder with 75% or more protein content is recommended that comes at about Rs 2500/kg.

Looking to achieve your fitness goals?

So basis this, one scoop of whey (33g) will give 25 g of protein, and on the other hand, milk is only 3% protein, so to get the same amount of protein from milk as whey’s one scoop, one has to drink 800 ml milk.

While, whey has minimum fat and carbs and 800 ml of milk will give 28 g of fat, of which 17g (60%) is saturated, and 32 g carb, One scoop of whey gives 120 calories at Rs 82, and 800 ml milk gives 475 calories in Rs 43 (Rs 27/500 ml packet).

So the point is that drinking almost a liter of milk to get the same amount of protein as one scoop of whey may not be practical and digestible for many people, but milk is a nutrient-dense food providing a good dose of calcium, b12, etc.

So its consumption will be beneficial unless you are lactose intolerant, but if the question is about completing your daily protein intake, a combination of milk & other quality lean protein sources (this may include whey protein if needed) will be your best bet.

How To Complete 80g Protien Per Day

Milk – 500 ml packet – 15g protein
2 eggs – 12g protein
Soy chunks – 50g – 25g protein
Tofu – 100g – 14g
Whey – 20g – 15g protein

If you want to squeeze in maximum protein in fewer calories, lean sources such as soy, egg whites, tofu, tempeh, chicken, fish, whole eggs, etc. can be prioritized first and if calories aren’t a big issue, choose as per your wish.

Find your protein sources from the sheet below.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10XZbicpkw-o6iKzceXhdpMMFA3hfDKFBPxBzJTqizEY/edit#gid=983591962

Mass Gainer Vs Sattu Powder Which Is Best?

September 4, 2023

by Manish kapoor with No Comment Nutrition

Comparison Between Mass Gainer and Sattu Powder

All those looking to gain weight must understand this comparison carefully. Because, Nowdays A myth is going viral that sattu powder is better than protein powder and mass Gainer.

NUTRITION PER 100G	MASS GAINER	SATTU POWDER
CARBOHYDRATES	70G	65G
PROTEIN	2G	6G
FAT	20G	20G
CALORIES	380 KCAL	390 KCAL

This Data Differs From Place To Place

Every 100g mass gainer contains approximately 70% carbohydrates, and sattu also provides nearly 65g carbs. fat content is relatively low in both. and both are roughly 20% protein. even there isn’t much difference in terms of calories either. mass gainer provides around 380 calories, while sattu offers roughly 390-400 calories per 100g.

Now as you can see, the nutritional content and calories are quite similar for both, but the price difference is significant. You get sattu for just Rs 200/kg, while you would have to pay 5 times that amount, rs 1000/kg, for a mass gainer. So, if you have extra cash, feel free to spend it on mass gainers, else go for sattu and incorporate sattu into your meals.

Looking to achieve your fitness goals?

And, when it comes to gaining weight, you should pay attention to creating a caloric surplus using different strategies. First one is consuming liquid calories. This is where sattu will help. You can make a sattu peanut butter shake using sattu, milk, banana, nuts or nut butter etc. making this a high calorie drink or you could just make sweet or savory sattu with water.

Secondly, include other high-calorie foods like nuts, peanut butter, dry coconut, dark chocolate, paneer, whole eggs, bananas, potatoes, etc., in your diet. If you can’t have big meals, try eating smaller and more frequent meals.

Lastly, be more active during the day such as doing strength training. That will increase your appetite to some extent.

Basically, if you want to succeed at gaining weight, try to make a plan because results won’t come in a few months. You have to stick to it consistently to achieve the desired results.

How To Manage Diet & Stay Fit In College Hostel & PG?

October 22, 2022

by pehlehealth with 5 Comments Lifestyle Nutrition

College life is full of activity – both physical & mental – meaning, It’s time to learn, explore, make new friends, festivals, assignments, deadlines, events, hangouts, and whatnot. And, that’s how it should be. Isn’t it?

But during all this, health often takes a backseat most of the time, especially for kids staying in hostel/PG.

However, what most of you don’t realize is that these increasing demands – both physical & mental – will only be met if you use the right fuel aka “nutrition” & do proper maintenance aka “Physical activity” of your vehicle aka “your body” for a sustained period of time.

And things get even more challenging for kids staying in hostel/PG to get proper nutrition. So, let’s give you the strategies and tools needed to easily manage your nutrition while staying in a college hostel.

Nutrition approach & strategy

Out of three macronutrients – protein, carbs & fat – protein is difficult to get and over 80% of Indians lack this macronutrient according to a 2017 survey (1). And protein deficiency has been linked to a variety of negative health outcomes (2).

Long story short, protein is what you need to be concerned about. Carb & fat sources are available in plenty, Even if you’re not conscious about them, you’ll consume them in good quantities anyway.

And don’t think, protein is only needed by people engaged in sports and muscle-building activities. It is needed by everyone, though the quantities might change.

And it’s not that you consumed the recommended amount on a single day and you’re done. You’ve to consume it through your diet regularly. So prioritize protein over everything.

Protein sources for non-vegetarians – chicken, fish, eggs, meat etc.

Protein sources for vegetarians – Dairy (milk, paneer, dahi/curd, chaach), soy (chunks, granules, dal, tofu), legumes (dal, rajma, chole etc), nuts & seeds etc.

Refer to this article for cheapest protein sources.

Strategy for hostel mess

First, look for protein sources mentioned above and add them to your plate. Then add any of the carbohydrate sources such as – parantha, roti, sabzi, uttapam, cheela, idli, dosa, rice, bread, poori, pasta, macroni, pasta etc. Don’t fill your plate entirely with these.

Most of these sources also have fiber attached, another crucial non-caloric macronutrient.

Add some salad for additional fiber & micronutrients.

If there’s too much oil in curry, remove the oil as much as you can. We don’t want unnecessary calories coming in. Follow the same approach for non-curry items as well.

It’s not the we don’t want fat in our diet however, we don’t want extra fat which adds nothing but free calories.

How to complete protein if hostel mess has fewer protein options?

Purchase eggs and boil in your hostel/pg room in a kettle or purchase a cheap egg boiler from Amazon. It will cost around ₹350.

Secondly, you can purchase milk, paneer, curd etc. from the market and have it. If not, purchase any unsweetened milk powder from Amazon. It will give about 35g of protein per 100g.

Target around 15g protein per meal and 15g protein for different foods will look something like this.

For people engaged in sports activities or have some fitness goals such as muscle building or fat loss, their protein requirement is above normal requirement, about 1.2-2 g protein per kg of body weight. So if your body weight is 60 kilos, you need 72-120g protein/day.

Aim for 20-25g protein at each meal which will look something like this.

Foods you can stock in your hostel/pg room (perishable & non-perishable)

These will ensure that even if you’re late for class, you can quickly have your meal & get going.

Secondly, it will save you a lot of money.

The Truth About Most Viral Bollywood Body Transformations

October 15, 2022

by Manish kapoor with 2 Comments Lifestyle Nutrition

Bollywood transformations are more hype & buzz than science & mathematics.

Use of both is good enough to understand any bollywood transformation including the two which garnered maximum virality in Bollywood History – Aamir’s Dangal & Hrithik’s War transformation.

But the idea of this article is to help you understand the science behind these transformations & how you can apply the same science to create your own transformation rather than searching for aamir khan diet & workout plan all across the internet assuming that by following the same you will get a body like Aamir Khan.

So let’s get to the basics of fat-to-fit transformations first before decoding both stories.

Basics of Fat to fit transformations

Our body weight consists of fat mass & fat-free mass or lean mass. Fat mass is the weight of fat & lean mass includes muscles, bones, organs, water etc.

Body weight = Fat Mass + Fat-Free Mass (Muscles + Bones + Organs + Tendons + Water)

And a fat-to-fit transformation means two things –

1. Losing body fat or fat mass
2. Retaining muscle mass (lean mass)

Meaning, in any such transformation video you see, the person has lost body fat & retained as much muscle as possible. It doesn’t mean the person has built all that muscle right from scratch in the transformation period. He/she just lost fat & saved his muscle. Because building new muscle takes years of work.

Achieving such fat-to-fit transformation is very much possible with proper training, calorie deficit nutrition, optimal protein, hydration & rest.

Let’s understand this in a little more detail with Aamir’s Dangal Transformation.

1. Aamir’s Dangal Transformation

Aamir went from 97 kg body weight & 38% body fat to 68 kg weight & 10% body fat in 5 months or 22 weeks.

So starting body fat was 38% of 97 i.e. 37 kg. Meaning out of 97 kg total weight, 37 kg was fat weight.

If we subtract the two, we will get lean mass.

Body Weight – Fat Weight = Total Lean Mass = 97-37 = 60 kg

Aamir’s starting lean mass was 60 kg.

Fast forward 5 months, the new weight is 68 kg with 10% body fat, meaning 7 kg fat mass.

How much of the lean mass is left now, 68-7=61 kg.

So if you see, the before & after lean mass stayed almost the same in Aamir. So what changed?

Fat Mass. From 37 kg to 7 Kg.

In a nutshell, Aamir lost 30 kg of body fat in this transformation and retained his muscle.

Meaning, Aamir did not build this muscle in 6 months. That took over 15 years. If I remember, Ghajini was his first movie, we saw Aamir pack a lot of muscle.

That said, the fat loss was very drastic considering the timeline. One should not attempt such extreme fat loss in real life. Any fat loss journey should be gradual.

How can you do your transformation? Let me get to that in a while after discussing Hrithik’s transformation.

2. Hrithik’s War Transformation

Other than the transformation time period, no other details such as body weight, and body fat % were available on the internet about Hrithik’s transformation.

However, what can be deduced just by looking at the images/videos is that Hrithik went from around 25-30% body fat to 10% body fat in 6 months.

Again, like Aamir, Hrithik also lost body fat & retained his muscle. In fact, Hrithik gained all this muscle in 22+ years.

How to transform your body using this knowledge?

Calculate your body fat percentage using this US army body fat calculator. Read measuring instructions carefully before you input the numbers in the calculator.

10-20% body fat in men and 20-30% in women is considered a healthy range. Find what percentage you want to get to. Here’s a chart for your reference.

Now, find your maintenance calories using this calculator. Remember this is just an estimate. After a week of experimentation, you’ll know what works for you.

After calculating this, start consuming 200-300 calories less than maintenance. Since you will be eating less consume enough fiber-rich foods in each meal. This will keep you full. Also, keep protein intake between 1.5g-2g per kg of body weight. Other than satiety protein will help retain muscle. Keep yourself hydrated.

For weight training, if you’re a beginner, you have an opportunity to build muscle & lose fat at the same time. Just train at least 3-4 times per week.

If you’re an intermediate or advanced lifter, train 5-6 times in week hitting each muscle group at least twice.

Be consistent and you’ll start to see progress. Remember to measure your weight daily & body fat levels once per week to stay on track.

*Measure various circumferences using above mentioned instructions*

Conclusion

Proper training, calorie deficit nutrition, optimal protein, hydration, and rest – That’s all it takes to get a transformation like this. No magic bullet here. Consistency will bring results. Nothing else will.

Hope it helps.

References used –

Hrithik’s transformation video – YouTube (HRX Brand)
Aamir’s Transformation video – YouTube (UTV Motion Pictures)
Arner P. Fat Tissue Growth and Development in Humans. Nestle Nutr Inst Workshop Ser. 2018;89:37-45. doi: 10.1159/000486491. Epub 2018 Jul 10. PMID: 29991030.

How To Choose The Best Mithai/Sweets For You?

October 8, 2022

by pehlehealth with No Comment Lifestyle Nutrition

No doubt India is quite innovative as far as the art of sweet (mithai) making is concerned however, this art has made a lot of people vulnerable to obesity & many other lifestyle diseases.

Therefore, it is important to find mithais that are good for us and do not take a toll on our health.

But for that, we need to first get the basics right.

Mithai Basics

So irrespective of which mithai it is, essentially a piece of mithai is made up of about 50% sugar & the remaining 50% contains other ingredients such as flour, dairy, nuts/seeds, water, fats, flavors, etc.

That’s the reason it’s called a mithai. (because it has meetha i.e. sugar).

And as you all know, sugar is a source of empty calories i.e. meaning it only contributes to your calories for the day without contributing any essential nutrients your body needs for optimal function.

And this sugar makes a mithai highly palatable (tasty) and therefore, you end up eating more & more.

And, that’s the biggest problem one faces with mithai. They don’t know when to stop which significantly shoots up calories for the day.

Therefore, a better approach to finding the best mithai is to moderate the consumption of any mithai, and more so with sweets that you love. And below are the four strategies to do just that –

1. Mithais that are divided into pieces

Pick a mithai that’s divided into small portions such as barfi, kaju katli, peda, rasgulla, petha, sandesh, rasmalai, besan ka laddoo, kalakand, modak, jalebi, etc.

So if you’re someone, who doesn’t know when to stop while eating a mithai, then this strategy is definitely for you. Just pick a single piece of any of these mithais and you’re done. Portion control is what we’re looking at here.

The above-mentioned options will give anywhere between 70-150 calories with rasgulla being the lowest & soan papdi being the highest.

2. Moisture-based sweets

The next strategy is to look for water or moisture-based mithais. Let us explain that in a little more detail.

Any mithai made either from water or water based foods will obviously have more water content than the sweets which don’t use water.

The idea of doing this is to minimize the consumption of calories since water doesn’t have any calories, so you can still eat more in terms of volume and the mithai will contribute lesser calories.

Some examples are Pongal which is made from rice, moong dal & water, Gajar ka halwa which is made from carrot & milk which are almost 90% water, rasgulla from milk, shrikhand from curd which again is almost 88% water, rava kesari made from suji & water. Some more examples are – kheer, rasmalai, kalakand.

These sweets are almost 50% water and remaining 50-60% is made from other ingredients.

A 100g serve of these mithais will give 160-220 calories where Pongal is the lowest & rava kesari or suji ka halwa being the highest.

Both these strategies will make things easier for you. If you’ve questions so far, leave in comments.

3. Nutrient-rich sweets

See most Indian sweets are made up of good ingredients. In fact, from the 18 popular Indian sweets that we covered for this article (more details about sweets) 40% were milk-based which is a good source of protein, fat & calcium. You can pick any of them.

Rest were made from other good ingredients such as – Gajar ka halwa from carrots & milk – a source of protein, fat & vitamin a, besan ka laddoo from besan (gram flour) giving fiber, protein & micronutrients, cashew-based kaju barfi giving good fat, protein & micronutrients, pongal made from rice & moong, kheer made from rice & milk, modak made from coconut & rice flour and so on.

Exercise portion control even while consuming them as explained above.

If you want to reduce your calorie consumption from sweets even further, you can check Healthy Mithai Co. sweets which are sweetened with stevia which adds sweetness without adding calories.

4. Minimize or avoid the consumption of deep-fried mithais

Lastly, we have deep-fried mithais – that include jalebi, ghevar & gulab jamun. If you can limit your consumption to small pieces, eat them, else avoid them because they offer negligible nutrition, are very tasty & a source of empty calories.

Conclusion

Mithais are almost 50% sugar and 50% other ingredients. And sugar is what makes them highly palatable. So rather than finding the best mithai that you can eat in unlimited amounts, eat any mithai in limited amounts and make in healthy for you.

Because the best mithai is the one, where you stop eating on time.

And in a country like India, where meetha is deeply ingrained across cultures, instead of blaming meetha for your ill health, a better approach is always to make better habits.

And as long as, regular physical activity, control on choices & eating in moderation is part of your lifestyle, a piece of mithai here & there can do nothing.

Research conducted by Chandni

5 Cheaper Alternatives To Expensive Foods

October 1, 2022

by pehlehealth with No Comment Lifestyle Nutrition

First, understand why some foods are more expensive than others.

Some foods are expensive primarily because of health benefits or claims associated with them.

For example – lowering cholesterol, managing diabetes, maintaining blood pressure, improving heart health, weight loss, and so on.

However, these benefits or claims do not occur in isolation. But exist primarily because of a good nutrient profile i.e. good amount of essential nutrients found in such foods.

Couple this with a superfood tag in front of their name, and the cost, sales, & margins all skyrocket. And sometimes, even this isn’t required, just a foreign tag is good enough to command higher prices.

But an important takeaway for you so far is that these foods are expensive largely because of the good nutrients found in them. And those nutrients can also be found is cheaper foods as well.

For example, fiber is a macronutrient that is proven to help with weight loss if consumed in certain quantities (1). So, any food with a good amount of fiber may promote itself as a weight loss food.

Using the above example, a ₹500 rupee food may carry the same amount of fiber as a ₹100 rupee food. So why buy ₹500 rupee food? Go for ₹100 rupee food.

On these lines, we found some cheaper alternatives for you. You can find the rest.

1. Kiwi

A kilo comes at around ₹380. Some benefits linked with kiwi are digestive health, immunity, & reducing high blood pressure.

First off, potassium has a role to plan in lowering blood pressure, however, kiwi is not a significant source of potassium (7% RDA for 100g).

Secondly, fiber & vitamin c are linked with immunity & digestive health, and every 100g Kiwi gives 3g and 93mg of both respectively.

Now, the amount of fiber & potassium you will get from Kiwi in ₹38, a banana will give almost the same amount at just ₹6.

And as for vitamin c, though 100g kiwi helps you meet your entire vitamin c requirement for the day, however, even there you don’t have to spend ₹38, Guava will offer twice the amount of vitamin c (228mg) found in kiwi at 1/4th the price (₹8 per 100g – Guava).

2. Avocado

The price is ₹1200/kg or ₹120/100g.

Benefits include lowering cholesterol, heart health, and improving digestion.

The reason for these benefits are good or healthy fats (mono & polyunsaturated fat) & dietary fiber.

A 100g serve or a single avocado gives about 10g mono, 2g polyunsaturated fat and 7g fiber.

In comparison, just 41g peanuts will give 10g mono, 6g poly fat, and 4g fiber. In addition, you get 10g protein absolutely free.

To put this in perspective, what avocado offers in ₹120, peanut will offer a similar nutrient profile in just ₹7. So in a nutshell, avocado is about 1614% more expensive than peanuts.

3. Quinoa

It comes at around ₹360/kg. Claimed benefits include lower cholesterol, managing blood pressure, blood sugar, reducing inflammation etc.

Protein, fiber & micronutrients collectively play a role.

Amaranth or Rajgira seeds offer a very similar nutrient profile as quinoa at just ₹120/kg.

Some nutritional comparisons for you.

Both are almost similar in their protein & fiber content – 14g & 7g respectively.

Quinoa is ahead of amaranth in vitamins – b1, b2, b9, and amaranth leads in b5 & b6.

In mineral content – Quinoa leads in copper but amaranth leads in calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, iron, manganese, selenium, and both have a similar zinc content.

So overall, both are equally good from a nutritional standpoint but quinoa exceeds by 200% in price.

4. Olive Oil

Now, olive oil comes in various varieties however, its best variety extra virgin & virgin starts with ₹800 price tag, and its benefits include heart health & reducing inflammation in body.

Heart health is primarily because of the of availability of unsaturated aka good fat in large amounts (84%) where the concentration of monounsaturated fat is 73% and polyunsaturated fat is 11%.

Anti-inflammatory properties in olive oil are because of the presence of Vitamin e. Further, a tablespoon (14g) of olive oil will complete 10% of your vitamin e & k requirements for the day.

But you can find similar qualities in Rs 350/liter peanut or groundnut oil which also has a fair concentration of good fats (78%) – monounsaturated fat (46%) & polyunsaturated fat (32%).

Vitamin E content is also similar to olive oil and in terms of price, olive is more than double the price of peanut oil.

Even mustard oil has 59% mono & 21% polyunsaturated fat concentration and its price is just ₹175/liter.

5. Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin seeds are nutrient dense with each 30g serve giving 9g protein, an excellent source of these 5 minerals (iron – 19%, magnesium – 47%, manganese – 65%, phosphorous – 51%, zinc – 24%) and a good source of vitamin b3 (10%).

However, flax seed is a good alternative which is an excellent source of dietary fiber (8g), these 3 nutrients (b1 – 43%, magnesium – 33%, phosphorous – 28%), and a good source of protein & these three nutrients (b6 – 11%, iron – 13%, zinc – 14%)

As you can see both are equally good in their nutrient composition however, pumpkin seeds (₹1000/kg) are 400% more expensive than flax seeds (₹200/kg).

Conclusion

Expensive foods are not magical in itself. The benefits they offer are because of their nutrient composition.
The reason they’re expensive is their nutrient density, marketing, or foreign tag.
If you don’t follow the herd, nutrients found in them can also be found in much cheaper foods as demonstrated in the article.
If you have the budget, definitely purchase & consume these expensive foods as well but don’t consider them as a magical doorway to health and bring down this notion that only by eating these foods can you stay healthy.

And finally, to conclude if you’re overall lifestyle is good, you can do without these foods as well but if your lifestyle isn’t right, then you know where you’re heading.

Research conducted by Chandni

References –

Slavin JL. Dietary fiber and body weight. Nutrition. 2005 Mar;21(3):411-8. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2004.08.018. PMID: 15797686.

Daily Values of nutrients –

https://www.fda.gov/media/99059/
https://www.fda.gov/media/99069/
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/