Jelly diet and its benefits and harms for weight loss

Jelly diet is one way to quickly lose weight without the hassle. As the name implies, you need to eat lots of jelly while on this diet. Gelatin is indeed high in fiber which can make you full longer, thereby preventing strange food cravings. However, is this diet effective and really healthy? The following is the review.

Is it true that you only need to eat jelly during the jelly diet?

It's not like that. Jelly in this diet is more used as a substitute for snacks between meals to prop up the stomach. This means that you still need to control your calorie intake and adjust your daily meal portions while on a jelly diet.

Even so, the jelly that is used cannot be arbitrary. You are advised to eat agar which is low in calories and without sugar. In general, gelatin made from powder contains about 65 calories. Jelly also includes foods that are fat free.

The weight loss benefits of this jelly diet come from the gelatin content which is high in protein as well as fiber from seaweed. Half a glass of agar diluted (120 ml) can contain up to 2 grams of protein.

Meanwhile, several types of seaweed, such as brown seaweed, contain the pigment fucoxanthin which can increase the body's metabolic work to convert fat into energy. This is reinforced by a study published in the journal Food Chemistry which found that alginate, a natural fiber found in brown seaweed, can help slow down fat in the intestines by up to 75 percent.

Another benefit of the jelly diet

In addition to the potential for weight loss, the jelly diet also has various other health benefits. Among others:

1. Good for digestion

The fiber from seaweed and the glycine content in agar can help facilitate digestion. In addition, gelatin can also stimulate the production of stomach acid and other digestive enzymes to make it easier for food to move in the digestive tract.

That's why eating agar can prevent you from the risk of digestive problems such as diarrhea and constipation. Better gastrointestinal health also ultimately helps the body more effectively regulate and store energy and fat reserves.

In addition, a 2002 study stated that glycine can control blood sugar and improve insulin sensitivity in people who have type 2 diabetes.

2. Help sleep better

Glycine is a type of amino acid contained in gelatin. A 2012 study reported that glycine intake can increase stamina so that you are not easily tired and drowsy during the day.

Glycine also helps you sleep better because this amino acid helps stimulate the brain to release more stable amounts of the sleepy hormone melatonin throughout the night.

However, agar is almost nutrient zero

Although high in fiber and quite filling, jelly can be said to be a food that lacks other nutrients or is completely zero. So, you still need to meet other nutritional needs from other foods. If you don't, you will even run the risk of experiencing malnutrition. The lack of nutritional content in order to actually trigger a feeling of weakness and powerlessness.

In addition, most products for ready-to-eat on the market contain sugar. Excessive sugar intake will be stored by the body as a fat reserve. This of course can backfire for your original goal of dieting, right?

Make healthy jelly yourself at home

To get around the risk of unnecessary added sugar and ward off nutritional deficiencies during the jelly diet, it's a good idea to make your own jelly at home.

Use unflavored jelly powder that is minimal in calories and sugar, or from a sheet of beef gelatin dissolved in warm water. Don't add sugar, but present a sweet taste and other nutritional intake from fresh fruit toppings, such as mango slices, oranges, strawberries, to sprinkling yogurt as a sauce.