To aid in weight loss you need to consider two things. Are you exercising enough and doing the right type of exercise and what food and nutrition are you putting into your body? Basically diet and exercise.
The problem with both is that it can be hard to find the time to exercise and we get bored of diets and eating the same ‘healthy’ foods. You might end up getting cravings for sugars or fats. You may not fancy going to the gym on a cold, dark winter’s morning. Like anything you will get out what you put in but there are ways to make your routines easier and to put some fun back into your diet.
There are exercise gadgets and cooking appliances that promise to cut down fats and make tasty food with less calories. It’s difficult to decide what is true and what is just a gimmick. One of the biggest selling kitchen appliances over the last few years is the Instant Pot. Could this be something that can help you with your needs?
What is an Instant Pot?
This is a modern version of a pressure cooker. It has some energy and time saving advantages over other cooking methods and could potentially save you money but you are interested in the other benefits it can offer such as dieting, making healthy food and helping with weight loss.
How can it help me to lose weight?
Some of the reasons people break their diets is that the food has become repetitive and boring. It can also be that time constraints mean it is easier to get a takeaway than prepare a home cooked meal. There might be financial restraints or you may find the recipes in your diet too difficult or containing items you don’t know or like.
Below are some ways the Instant Pot could help you lose weight.
Time saving
Because the pot cooks food so much quicker it frees up time for you to do other things. Namely exercise. By utilising it’s features such as slow cooking or presetting the cooking time you will allow yourself extra time in the day to workout. For example you get home at 6pm normally and would like to spend 1 hour exercising or taking a yoga class but that means you will have to shower, prepare food and then eat which will now be way past 8pm and not ideal. By spending 10 minutes in the morning prepping some vegetables and putting that in the cooker with water and stock you can set the cooker to come on at 6pm and then keep the food warm. Once you have finished exercise your meal is ready and eaten before 8pm which is much healthier.
Easily digestible food
It isn’t always the food we put in our bodies that dictates how well we lose weight on a diet it could also be the method of cooking. microwaves make food less digestible than other methods. Instant Pots use steam meaning the food retains more moisture and is easy to digest. Even the toughest, cheapest cuts can be rendered moist and tender and easier to digest than barbecuing or grilling. The pressure cooker renders difficult to break down proteins much more easily digestible than conventional cooking and helps retain nutrients in some foods.
Steamed food is healthier than fried
Fairly obvious but worth mentioning is that you cannot fry in an Instant Pot so everything you cook is made with heat and steam. This means lower fat meals. They are very suitable for cooking vegetables, healthy soups and low fat curries. You can even make healthy versions of your favourite cake where you can control the ingredients. Another upside is that pressure cooking retains more nutrients than boiling or steaming.
Aren’t meals from pressure cookers a bit bland?
Again, you get out what you put in. You want to eat delicious food on your diet so you don’t get bored. You can use your cooker to make very tasty food that is healthy and low in fat and calories too. A diet doesn’t have to feel like a self imposed punishment. There are many recipes easily available to find and replicate. Don’t be scared to adjust them to suit your tastes and needs with extra spice or seasoning. Change a meat based recipe to use more vegetables or maybe reduce carbs so you can have Instant Pot brats without worrying about the bread.
These cookers can be used to make low calorie meals that are still enticing like chili, shredded chicken tacos, sweet potato curry and mediterranean chicken. By adjusting recipes to remove some of the carbs and fat and switching yoghurt based dishes for tomato ones you can use the cooker to make quick but diet friendly meals that you actually want to eat.
Snacking is ok?
Depending on your dietary requirements and how much weight you plan to safely lose each week you may still be able to have some treats. There healthy snacks like boiled peanuts with added chilli powder that can be made in an Instant Pot. Need some more protein? Then eggs are one of the best and cheapest forms available and the pot cooks them in half the time that it normally takes.
Summary
The Instant Pot has some benefits that can help you to lose weight but you will need to put some work in too. If you can search for interesting recipes and print them out and spare some time preparing your ingredients then you might find the time savings you get back in return will help you to eat better, at healthier times and also continue with your exercise routine. You will also have extra time for socialising and your happiness levels will improve helping you to stay on track with your weight loss. The tasty meals will also help you to stick with your goals but remember you have to do some work too. An Instant Pot can cook your food but only if you are prepared to feed it too!
