Tropical cocktail can help with weight loss – 04/24/2023 – Equilibrium

Made with passion fruit, chia, natural skimmed yogurt, ice and, depending on the recipe, lemon, the tropical cocktail would just be a fruit smoothie if it were associated with rapid weight loss.

Promoted to reduce appetite and binge eating, the drink should be consumed in moderation and only makes sense if it is part of a complete weight loss treatment, with changes in habits and physical exercise.

Although it is not miraculous as social networks point out, if consumed correctly, it is healthier than the Amazonian cocktail, another trendy drink, but with a strong laxative effect on three of the five herbs that compose it.

Advertising of the recipe on networks and the internet should be viewed with care, as it is full of exaggerations. “With this tropical cocktail here, I lost seven kilos of fat in three weeks and I’ve never looked better,” says one woman in a testimonial on TikTok.

Your video features a combo of falsely validated references. One more quick search and there it is: another publication with a news format and focused on weight loss, changing only the image of the person.

Doctor Maria Edna de Melo, endocrinologist and coordinator of the Advocacy Commission of Abeso (Brazilian Association for the Study of Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome), says that fads can pose serious health risks, including death.

“Not all of them generate such serious effects, but there is always the possibility, depending on the composition. Generally, this is very accessible and occupies the vacuum of treatment availability, as not everyone has access”, he says.

Are there contraindications?

Overconsumption can cause diarrhea. “Due to the fat in the chia, excess lactose and even some sweeteners. There is no better way to [consumir] health fads. They should be avoided”, Melo points out.

According to nutritionist Sabrina Theil, who works in the clinical area with an emphasis on weight loss and aesthetics, the search for quick and easy weight loss is what makes many people believe in miraculous promises like weight loss cocktails.

“Do they really work? Before analyzing the composition of this cocktail and its possible actions in weight loss, it is important to remember that the weight loss process involves changes in diet, as well as in the individual’s lifestyle, and it is not a cocktail that will have the power to lose weight by itself”, he points out.

Postgraduated in phytotherapy and aesthetic and sports nutrition, Theil reinforces that there are no “miracles” that save those who maintain bad eating habits.

What’s worth in the tropical cocktail?

The nutritionist says that in addition to reducing hunger caused by the protein, yogurt is a good source of probiotics and helps to make the intestine “healthier”, improving the absorption of nutrients.

“This increases the production of serotonin, a hormone that regulates mood and anxiety. The chia added to the cocktail is a food rich in fiber, increases satiety and improves intestinal health, and is also a source of omega 3, an anti-inflammatory compound. inflammatory process that helps in the weight loss process”, he points out.

Passion fruit, on the other hand, is worth it for its calming action, which helps to control anxiety, in addition to being a source of pectin, a fiber that decreases the absorption of carbohydrates and is an antioxidant.

“It is clear that the cocktail can be used to help with the weight loss process. If it is used between the main meals, in addition to helping with weight loss due to the aforementioned functions, it also replaces a snack that most often ends up being biscuits, bread or cake , that is, a food source of refined carbohydrate that does not generate long-term satiety and leaves you hungry a few hours later.”

The problem, says Theil, is seeing alcohol as a solution. “If it is to be included in the food routine, replace that fatter snack. If you combine this strategy with nutritional monitoring to create an individualized food plan that meets specific needs and objectives, in addition to the practice of physical activity, the weight loss is guaranteed”, she says.

For the nutritionist, the consumption of the cocktail is not harmful to health, unless the person is intolerant to some ingredient, exaggerates the amount or fails to seek professional assistance.