Archives for July 2015

July 31, 2015 By Vrushali Athavle 3 Comments

Decoction Syrup (Kadha) – Out of Grandma’s books

It’s been pouring cats and dogs for the last few days thus giving us relief from the scorching heat of the sun. With the full fledged rains on, most rush to open their doors and windows of their house to let the cool breeze enter. One’s hands automatically get out of the window to feel the water droplets on their hands and face. The smell of the mud, the pleasant environment, the children happy and wanting to dance in the rain every time it rains, making paper boats makes us all feel rejuvenated. These are the little pleasures that the monsoon brings with it and there is no denying.

With all this pleasure, fun, greenery and cool climate, the rains also brings with it a bunch of illnesses like fever, cough, cold, infections, stomach disorders etc. Everyone from kids, adults and old gets trapped in it.

The quick fix which most choose in these conditions is to visit a doctor who prescribes us an antibiotic for quick relief. The medicines will definitely give you relief but, the relief is just temporary. Medicine suppresses our immunity and gives us temporary relief. In most cases the illness relapses.

I have a simple solution on to this ongoing monsoon illness. I try to keep myself and my family away from medicines as much as possible. My grandma has passed on her home remedial diary or more popularly known as “Dadiji ka batva” or ‘Grandma’s Home Remedy Tips’. It consists of natural remedies for many such illnesses.

Let me share one of those home-made natural herbs medicine for cough, cold, fever, stomach pain.

This special medicine is known as decoction syrup or KADHA (Decoction of Herbs) . Check out this recipe. It’s simple to prepare, tasty and kids too will like it. So you can avoid running behind them for medicines.

INGREDIENTS:

Garlic:

Amount: 1 clove of garlic. Crush it or slice it.

Properties: It contains sulfur compound known as Allicin which is anti-viral, antibiotic, and antiseptic.

Ginger:

Amount: 1 inch. Wash it properly, remove the skin and crush it a bit before adding.

Properties: Ginger is an excellent anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory herb known for suppressing nausea and vomiting, reducing fever and coughing, treating inflammation, congestion, cold, diarrhea, indigestion, and flatulence.

Cardamom:

Amount: 2 to 3 cardamoms

Properties: It stimulates digestion. It also helps to reduce body temperature and congestion of lunges.

Black Pepper :

Amount: 3 black pepper whole or crushed

Properties: It is loaded with antioxidants and relieves many pains including headaches

Jeshtimadh/ jyeshtamadhu (Liquorice Root)

Amount: 1 small stick

Properties: It is an excellent herb for getting relief from cough.

Cloves:

Amount: 2 Cloves

Properties: contains an anti-inflammatory chemical called Eugenol. The combination of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties spells heaps of health benefits.

Black Tulsi ( Basil)

Amount: 4 to 5 leaves

Properties: Black Tulsi or Basil leaves is an excellent anti-fungicidal, anti-bacterial and anti-biotic properties to fight fever. It is also know you reduce your fever.

Raw Honey/ Jaggery:

Amount: 1 teaspoon

Properties: Honey is antibacterial, antimicrobial, and antiseptic.

Lemon:

Amount: Half lemon

Properties: high in vitamin C, lemon may help decrease the strength of the cold and flu virus in the body and reduce phlegm.

METHOD:

Take 2 cups of water in a vessel
Add all the above ingredients (except honey/jaggery and lemon) into the water
Let the mixture boil, till the amount of water reduces to half
Switch off the gas and now add honey/jaggery and squeeze lemon
Strain it
Sip it hot

Try it and let us know if you did get relief from this simple Grandma’s home Remedy

Pls Note: Do visit a doctor in case of severe illness but, if you feel things are under control, try managing them with natural sources. Your body is designed to heal by itself.

July 30, 2015 By Payal Choudhury Leave a Comment

Carbohydrates-“Your diet’s fuel”

The way carbohydrates are demonized today, it’s no wonder that so many people actually fear eating them. I used to be one of them. As a recovering “carb-o-phobe,” I’m now on the flip side and advocate eating complex carbohydrates for optimal nutrition.

Carbohydrates are nutrients that act as a good source of energy for our body. It is made up of sugar, starch and cellulose and it contains hydrogen and oxygen in the ratio 2:1which is the same as that of water. Although carbohydrates can be digested a lot easier than fats or proteins, they aren’t considered indispensable for the body.

While some carbohydrates make us healthy, others can be harmful to our health, if taken in excess quantities. For example, certain carbohydrates increase the risk of diabetes and heart ailments. So why are certain carbohydrates are beneficial and others adversely affect our health?…We need to go deeper and learn about the different forms of carbohydrates.

There are many forms of carbohydrates, but the three common forms are sugars, starches, and fibres. The basic unit of all carbohydrates is a sugar molecule. Then there are simple and complex carbohydrates. While sugars are simple carbohydrates, starches and fibres are classified as complex.

We generally consume simple and complex carbs. To understand what they are about, we’ll look at the list of carbohydrate rich foods and all that is essential for.

Simple carbohydrates are sugars composed of monosaccharide (single sugar molecules) or disaccharides (two joined sugar molecules) such as glucose, sucrose, lactose, and fructose. This category of carbohydrates is best found in fresh fruits.

On the other hand, however, there is another grade of foods that contain simple carbohydrates. This class of foods is processed foods. The trouble with these foods is that they provide energy and calories in abundance. It is for this reason that these high-calorie products must be kept away. Apart from that, simple carbohydrates that the body obtains from natural foods are also easier to digest than those obtained from processed foods.

Simple carbohydrates contain one or two sugar molecules linked together and are digested or broken down into glucose faster, because the bonds in these small molecules are easily accessible to the enzymes of the digestive tract. Hence, these carbohydrates are readily absorbed.

Complex carbohydrate:

Complex carbohydrates (or polysaccharides) are made up of three or more sugar molecules that are bound together. Since these carbohydrates get digested slowly, they release sugar into the system very gradually, thus allowing the body a consistent level of energy.

Often referred to as starch, foods that contain these complex carbohydrates are a great source of vitamins, minerals, and fibres. The old belief that starch is bad for the body is rapidly dying, because starches by themselves contain only 4 calories per gram, while fat contains 9 calories per gram. Also, the advantage with complex carbohydrates is that they fill you up quicker, thus allowing a reduced intake of food, which very simply leads to a reduced calorie intake.

In addition, refined carbohydrates may contain hydrogenated vegetable oils, additional fat, and processed sugars. Eating refined carbohydrates like a cookie in the morning will neither give you the energy nor give you the nutrition to maintain a balanced body.

Benefits of simple sugars:

Eating sugar gives you immediate access to fuel. There are times when this is an advantage. When the level of sugar in your blood drops, you may feel sluggish or even ill. Eating a simple carbohydrate, such as a fruit, may raise your blood sugar and give you the burst you need.

Simple carbohydrates may have the advantage over complex when it comes to preparing for exercise. Before a training session, race or game, many athletes eat a large amount of carbohydrate to provide energy. So before any workout, simple carbohydrates are your best choice. Due to the fact that they’re digested more quickly, simple carbohydrates are good for athletes who need short bursts of energy, as opposed to endurance athletes who need longer-term energy from slow-digesting carbohydrates. Examples of pre-workout meals that contain simple carbs are bananas with honey, low-fat yogurt with jelly or chocolate milk.

Complex Sugars:

There a number benefits of eating more complex carbohydrates, so it might be necessary to make some switches. Here are some examples of easy substitutions:

Instead of white bread and pasta, switch to whole grain bread and pasta (if the switch is intimidating at first, try mixing half whole grain and half white when making your pastas).
Instead of munching on chips, try raw vegetables.
Instead of rice, try eating more beans as a base for dishes.

Also diets rich in fibre help to keep us ‘regular’ which also promotes greater intestinal health and, in turn, helps to guard against a number of illnesses including colorectal cancer. Immunity is strengthened. It contributes to Energy, Digestion, Metabolism, Sleep, Filling fibre, Brain function, and Nervous system function.

Well, to distinguish simple and complex carbohydrates and how they are processed by the body, one might think that foods containing complex carbohydrates are actually healthier than those that have simple carbohydrates. However, this is not always true. Rice is rich in starch which is a complex carbohydrate, while fruits contain fructose which is a simple sugar. But we all know that between the two, fruits are a better option when it comes to eating healthy.

Thus, we see that not all carbohydrates are bad. In fact, a balanced diet that has a fair share of carbohydrates, is essential for a healthy you. So let go of your carbohydrate fears and feel good about including some of these foods and reap the benefits that good carbohydrates have to offer.

July 29, 2015 By Neha Morche 7 Comments

Tips for Healthy Skin

Having flawless skin is every girl’s dream and why not? It only adds to the beauty of her personality. Most girls and women especially try every possible thing to make their skin look healthy and glowing. However, all these efforts are only for the betterment of the outward appearance which means that the actual overall nourishment that is required for the skin is not met. Let me inform you that skin is the largest organ of the body so you can imagine the urge of nutrients that skin needs.

So many people visit dermatologist for some or the other reason and they do prescribe medicine or foods accordingly. Every now and then you will find a column written on skin in newspapers and magazines for every season. Still we don’t pay heed and try to follow the artificially made or let’s say wrongly marketed products for instant results.

There are three types of skin: dry, oily and normal. So accordingly we must look after it in a natural way.

As it is said that ‘You reflect what you eat’.. quality of food does matter to skin. Here are the precautions we can take to make our skin healthy.

Drink 2.5 liters of water every day to eliminate toxins, to clear your bowel movements, to increase blood circulations.
Include fresh fruits and vegetables like oranges, all types of berries ,tomatoes, leafy vegetables etc, Oil seeds, green tea to get anti-oxidants, vitamin A,C,E, zinc which also protects your skin from free radicals produced in your body and from aging.
Wash your face twice a day at least to keep it clean from dirt and sweat.
15 minutes of activity daily will improve blood circulation and hence provide nutrients to the skin.

5 . Do include Amla juice, Aloe Vera juice early in the morning on empty stomach. You can revisit my blog on Aloe Vera

Try and include variety of foods to receive variety of nutrients.
Be patient for at least 3 months to a year to see the improvement in your skin.
Include first class proteins and good quality proteins in your diet like milk and it’s products, eggs, chicken etc.
Include whole grains cereals to get good amount of fibre to improve digestion.
Include omega 3 food items like flax seeds, fish, walnuts, soyabean etc.

Things to Avoid

Avoid meat, fish, eggs, fried foods, white flour and it’s products, coffee, tea, soft drinks, alcohol, tobacco.
Avoid wearing too much of make- up .and do use mineral rich products if you do have to wear make- up.
Avoid long exposure in the sun (10am to 4pm). Do apply sunscreen even if it’s cloudy..
Avoid dehydration as dryness as it leads to wrinkled skin.

You have got an idea on how maintain healthy skin but, the most important aspect that one should not forget is ‘Keep Smiling’ the best exercise for the face because happy face will always make you look beautiful.

July 27, 2015 By ASHWINI PRAKASH CHAUDHARI 4 Comments

5 Easy Ways to Cut Down on the Fat

During my college days, I was on the healthier side as compared to all my friends. And, I always felt I had to lose weight just to be like them. The first thing that crossed my mind was I should be skipping my meals. I did precisely that, started to skip my meals and lost weight. But, when is started back on my normal meals I realized I used to gain back the weight. After losing the weight, I also started feeling weak. Since I was into sports I needed to be fit too. I wondered why I am feeling weak. I have lost the extra weight but, yet not feeling energetic?

Slowly and gradually as time passed on, I started my dietetics studies and that’s when I realized the actual meaning of what is weight loss.

When we talk about losing weight, what does it actually mean? Does it mean losing weight or losing muscle weight??

I realized that, there is no shortcut or a magical pill for fat loss. There are several reasons and factors that are responsible for it. When I first lost weight, I started feeling weak because I lost muscle weight and not fat weight.

The key to real fat loss is combining the right foods together and eating right. When the right foods are combined there is a synergy affect resulting in double fat loss in almost half the time.

The way to successfully losing the fat weight is long-term healthy lifestyle change. I think this is a very clever way of informing people to stop trying to find a quick and easy way to lose fat. It just reaffirms that we need to mould ourselves in self created healthy environment and become a healthier individual naturally. Here, are some easy ways to cut down the fat weight rather than of yourself! So lets get started..

1)Healthy Eating Habits- When we talk about healthy eating habits what are the things that come to your mind?

Your major meals of the day which are breakfast, lunch and dinner. These meals are very important and we should not skip these meals. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Your body needs to know that it can start burning calories and breakfast is exactly that flag. One should have a king size breakfast. If you do not then you will end up eating unhealthy stuff. Lunch should be lighter than breakfast and well balanced with carbs and proteins. Same with dinner, it should be the lightest of the all meals, with more proteins and less carbohydrates.

Our meals should be load up on protein and fiber. To get rid of that stubborn fat, we need proteins. As proteins helps to repair and build muscles, intake should be up to the requirement. At the same time we should not forget fiber. Fiber helps to digest and lose weight by helping you feel full. So add beans, whole grains, brown rice, nuts, and berries on to the list which are awesome foods to get going.

Not only proteins and fibers but, also the fats are important to include in the daily diet. Not any sort of a no-fat or low-fat diet. Well, a low-fat diet is good but, only if you do it right. You need to stick to the good fats. The good kind (unsaturated; your omega-3s and 6s) can actually lead to fat burn, rising your metabolism.

To reduce calories, to get rid of body fat, you need not to cut out healthy fats completely. Include avocados, fatty fish, olives, nuts and seeds, and oils such as olive, flaxseed and canola in your diet.

2) Eat often- Getting rid of body fat is all about the metabolism, and to keep up the metabolism, you got to be eating constantly.

As we are talking about the major meals same time small frequent meals are important too. When you eat small meals all the time, your metabolic rate increases and the increase in metabolism helps to lose fat. If you eat six meals a day versus just the three regular meals (breakfast , lunch , dinner) with the same total calories, you can lose more fat because more meals burn more calories by increasing thermogenesis, the production of heat, in the body.

Let’s not forget portion control, while going through proper meals you need to have look on portion control as well.

Try to take a less portion when you are serving your plate. Mindful eating works well such as chewing the food thoroughly, eating slowly. Eating slowly helps because it is known that once you cross 20 minutes of eating, the satiety center in the brain gets stimulated which sends you a signal that you are full and you stop eating. This is how portion control helps.

3) Water-The body fuel! Water is the medium in which most cellular activities take place, including the transport and burning of fat. In addition, drinking plenty of calorie-free water makes you feel full. Drink at least 3 litres of water a day. This is going to help you in washing away the toxins from your body and also to lessen the load of liver and thereby helping the liver to focus on metabolizing fat and the metabolizing rate related with fat loss.

Set yourself to accomplish this goal and you are on. Drink loads of water. It’s practically the easiest detoxifying tactic there in.

Two glasses of cold water can actually spike up your metabolism for about half an hour.

4) Exercise with proper breathing- To be on a healthy path you need a proper exercise along with the diet! Try to be more active, Daily 30-45 mins of Interval walking/ Running can be beneficial. Your main focus when you exercise should be losing body fat, and you can’t lose body fat just by burning calories. When we exercise, our bodies start burning calories, but the calories that are burned are the calories from carbohydrates in our system. In order to burn calories from your stored fat, your body requires the presence of oxygen. There is a certain amount of oxygen that your body needs in order to start burning fat and the only way for you to measure the amount needed for your own body is to keep up with your target heart rate during exercise.

Fat burns in the presence of oxygen. There’s a phrase which says (When you eat more, breathe more). It means oxygen burns the extra calories we eat, which is not required by the body and also reduces the overall fat percentage in the body. Oxygen thins the blood a little which helps lower your blood pressure and speed up the flow of blood. This increases your metabolism and burns more calories. The more oxygen you have in your blood the faster your metabolism will be. Cool air causes an additional increase in your metabolic rate because you need to expend more energy to keep the body at a comfortable temperature.

5 ) Rest– as focusing on all activities to stay healthy, along with all that your body needs a crucial ingredient-“rest”!

The culprits are leptin and ghrelin. Leptin tells your body it’s full and ghrelin stimulates appetite. When you don’t sleep, leptin levels decrease and ghrelin levels increases. The result? You eat more unconsciously which can lead to fat gain. To avoid this scenario, make sure you rest. Try to take proper 7-8 hours of sleep. Also your body requires it to reduce stress levels and rejuvenate once again with fresh energy for the next day. You are like a powerhouse that just can’t be stopped, but your body needs to rest. Especially if you’re lifting weights like it’s your job; your muscles need time to repair themselves. And the muscle repairs and recovery happens when your body is at rest. So, take a day to take it easy. You don’t have to sit on the couch all day, but do allow your body to heal itself.
These are some fat burning food- Berries, grape fruit, Green tea, Eggs, Olive oil, Enova oils (Soy or canola) Almonds and other nuts, chilli peppers, whey protein, peanut butter, oat meal, spinach and other green vegetables, whole grains, beans and legumes, lean meat, fatty fish (salmon, tuna, etc), dairy products (low or no fat) etc.

For fat burning exercise you can check the following blog links written by my co-colleagues

https://goqii.com/blog/interval-training-to-put-your-fat-on-flame/

https://goqii.com/blog/10-tips-for-fat-burn-exercise/