Archives for October 2015

October 29, 2015 By Urvashi Sareen Leave a Comment

Importance of CARBOHYDRATE Counting?

What is carbohydrate counting?

Carbohydrate counting helps one keep track of the amount of sugar, known as carbohydrates that you eat. If you are detected with, it is important to learn about carbohydrates found in food. Keeping track of your carbohydrate intake will help you control your blood sugar levels.

What is a carbohydrate?

A carbohydrate is a food that is turned into sugar (glucose) when you digest it. Any carbohydrate food will raise your blood sugar. Complex carbohydrates raise sugar more slowly (it takes your body longer to digest and absorb these) while simple carbohydrates or sugars can raise your sugar level more quickly.

Where are carbohydrates found?

Carbohydrates are naturally found in many different foods.

CARBOHYDRATE

NOT A CARBOHYDRATE

BREAD
ROLLS
TORTILLA
RICE
PASTA
POTATO
CORN
DRIED BEANS
SODAS

FRUIT
FRUIT JUICE
MILK
YOGURT
CANDY
CAKE
COOKIES
ICE CREAM

BEEF
CHICKEN
FISH
LAMB
BUTTER
MAYONNAISE
CARROT
CUCUMBER
LETTUCE

CHEESE
EGGS
PORK
TURKEY
MARGARINE
OIL
CAULIFLOWER
GREEN BEANS
ZUCCHINI

Some carbohydrate foods may be used less often in your diet due to high potassium, sodium, or phosphorus content. Your coach will help you know which foods are best for you.

What is a serving size of carbohydrate?

A serving size of carbohydrate is the amount of food that will give you about 15 grams, or one serving, of carbohydrate. Serving sizes to reach 15 grams of carbohydrate vary between foods.

The following foods are examples of one carbohydrate choice:

1 slice of bread
1 cup of fresh fruit
½ cup of canned fruit
¾ cup dry cereal
¾ cup hot cereal
½ cup mashed potatoes
½ cup corn

½ cup of pasta
1/3 cupof rice
1 medium sugar cookie
1 small piece cake, no icing
½ cup non dairy creamer
4 oz. juice or regular soda
6 pieces of hard candy

1 Fruit = 1 Milk = 1 Starch = 1 Low Calorie Dessert

Carbohydrate Counting and Meal Planning

Important things to remember when counting carbohydrates:

Eat at the same time every day to keep blood sugars even.
Eat the same amounts of carbohydrate at each meal and snack.
Eat a meal or snack every 3-4 hours to keep blood sugars even.
Do not skip meals.

The amount of carbohydrate you need will depend on your weight and activity level. In general, 3 to 6 servings of carbohydrates are recommended at meals and 1 to 3 servings are recommended at each snack.

You can check food labels for the grams of carbohydrates and convert the grams into servings. For example:

15 grams = 1 serving
30 grams = 2 servings
45 grams = 3 servings

Ask your GOQii coach to help with your carbohydrate intake.

Breakfast:___________________# of Carbohydrate Servings

Morning Snack:__________________# of Carbohydrate Servings

Lunch:_________________# of Carbohydrate Servings

PM Snack:_________________# of Carbohydrate Servings

Dinner:__________________# of Carbohydrate Servings

Bedtime Snack:_________________# of Carbohydrate Servings

October 26, 2015 By Parwage Alam 2 Comments

Exercises for overweight and obese people

Everyone is busy in today’s life – with a packed schedules, calendars have no column for relaxation or time for doing anything good. This also translates into “No Time” for eating healthy food and for satisfying hunger we make do with all the JUNK food that is available. One of the reasons is that it is a ready to eat option. Ultimate result of eating junk food can get you one title- OBESE. With the effort and taste of 4-5 years when we reach the level of being OBESE, it is then that we realize something is going wrong with our body. We start visiting a doctor multiple times and also start searching for options that will help us to reduce our weight and get back to on track.

Losing weight is hard for anyone but, not impossible if one is willing to put in that extra effort, dedication and have patience. Exercise is the key to creating a physically, mentally, and emotionally healthier body. However, at the same time some of the moves may be too painful or nearly impossible for those carrying extra weight.

With the help of Junk food restaurants, the new generation of overweight and obese adults is a plenty. If we really want our children to have healthy future with proper fitness than childhood nutrition and exercise intervention needs to be implemented as soon as possible.

Some exercise which can be done by any OBESE person, without any harm:

WALKING– One of the best and basic workouts can be done by anyone, anywhere without spending a single penny, low-impact aerobic exercise. It may still be difficult to work for those who are morbidly obese, which is when baby steps need to be implemented with a walker, walking cane, or assistance. Slow walking burns extra calories for those carrying extra weight because they have to exert more energy than a normal-weight person.

Exercise Ball Workouts: For a person who is OBESE, it’s uncomfortable to do the exercise in front of others, so the best solution is Exercise Ball, which is really a great help to do different workouts at home. An exercise ball will help them to do the variety of strengthening, toning, stretching and balancing exercises with support. Exercise balls can be used for abdominal crunches by lying on your back, setting your ankles onto the ball, and lifting upward with your core and both arms behind your head.

You can do:

# “Bouncing On the Ball Workout” which Target: Works core, quads, glutes, and hamstrings

# “Inner-Thigh Squeeze Workout”, which Target – Target: Strengthens inner thighs and core

# “Half Squat” with the help of Exercise Ball and wall”, which target: Strengthens abs, glutes, and hamstrings

Once you get comfortable with the ball, try incorporating it into your everyday activities, such as sitting on it while you are at the computer, eating at the dinner table, or reading a book.

Aqua Aerobics:You can perform your exercise under water because while doing exercise in water, water makes you feel lighter by helping to support your body weight. It also lessens the impact on your joints. You can do swimming if you know. To get more information about this you can read my Blog “One-Stop Shop Workout – Swimming” : http://goqii.com/blog/one-stop-shop-workout-swimming/

Seated Stationary Bike: The seated or recumbent stationary bike is different than a normal upright exercise bike. It provides a backrest optimal for overweight or obese people who haven’t developed a strong enough abdominal core to hold them upright long enough. It also places less stress on your lower spine, which is a frequent problem for those with excess weight. Biking also engages different muscles than walking or running do. Alternating exercise days between biking and brisk walking will also give the body a dynamic bonus aerobic workout.

Group Exercise Classes:There are chances when you do any exercise, you will get demotivated and stop giving your effort to achieve your goals. So this is the best way to motivate yourself – Join Group Exercise classes with other people who all are having a common goal, in this way everyone will motivate each other to achieve the goal. Initially, it will be difficult to achieve your goal, but with the continuous motivation and effort you will achieve your goal.

Are you still reading, it’s time to show your effort? So let’s get up, set your goal and start working towards.

Note: Please consult your Doctor before applying the upper suggestion into your routine, as an individual’s body and medical condition vary.

October 19, 2015 By Ami Shah 78 Comments

Moringa: Its benefits and side effects

If I have to ask how many of you all know what moringa is? I am sure few hands would go up. However, if I ask you what drumstick is? Majority of the hands would rise. However, majority of them who I know doesn’t like drumstick much! To your surprise, Moringa is also called as drumstick leaves. Moringa is a plant that is native to the sub-Himalayan areas of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. Traditionally, it has been used in Ayurveda for medicinal purpose.

While Moringa can be cooked and eaten as a tasty and juicy vegetable, it is also available in various forms like moringa leaves/ moringa powder and capsules. Moringa has lots of benefits that one should take note of.

The benefits of Moringa are:

It helps in stabilizing sugar.
Helps in regularizing cholesterol level.
It is a powerful antioxidant as it is packed with vitamin A and C
It controls blood pressure
Helps in detoxification
Boosts immunity
Acts as an anti-ageing factor
Improves digestive system

Moringa is a power house of minerals such as Iron, Calcium and Zinc. Let us look at each of these minerals and what they do

Iron alleviates anaemia.
Calcium is required for bone mineralisation.
Zinc: It plays a vital role in hair-growth, spermatogenesis, and skin health.

Dosage:It is important to know the dosage of Moringa. It is ideal to have 5-6 gms (1 tsp) daily up to three weeks. It can be taken along with water/juices or in salads too.

Side effects:

The taste is not too pleasant and tends to produce a gag reflex on many first time users.Moringa thickens the blood. This is of note to those on blood-thinning medication.The consumption of Moringaincludes nausea, diarrhoea and heartburn. Reduce the dose in this case

Moringa is not recommended for pregnant and lactating mothers. The chemicals found in the roots, flowers and the bark could cause a contraction to occur on the uterus.

To conclude, by now I am sure you must have got an idea about how strong and beneficial moringa is! Next time, don’t say ‘NO’ to drumstick veggies and make it a part of your daily routine.

October 15, 2015 By Rimjhim Chaturvedi 1 Comment

How to fast right? This Festive season

Today marks the third day of Navratri and most men and women fast through these 9 days of the festival. But, does anyone know what it means to fast right? Yes! You read it right! Fasting right! One would question, what could possibly go wrong with not eating?? The answer – A lot! could go wrong.

Many people fast during the navratri for various reasons. Some for religious beliefs others to just weigh a little lighter or just give your system a break or detoxify! Whatever, be your reason for fasting, it is important to do it right !

When done properly fasting has its own benefits for the body. It helps in re-setting the electrolyte balance, detoxification and freedom from bloating and water retention.

Well, a healthy fast should not put your body through stress. It should help you achieve your goal or purpose of fasting and make you feel good emotionally and not leave you irritable or feeling drained or sick. It should give you a feeling of fulfilment and accomplishment and make you feel energetic the next day and reduce cravings.

Starting the fast –

Start your day with a glass of warm water.
Have tender coconut water as this will keep you hydrated and energized through the day.

Through the day –

Do not stay hungry for a long period of time as that would bring about a drop in the metabolic rate, lower blood glucose levels and blood pressure resulting in giddiness and headaches. Staying hungry for a long time sends out a famine signal to the body which then goes into a conservation mode. It conserves all the energy or calories from your next meal and stores it as fat for future use fearing it might have to go without food for a long time! Bang goes your efforts to loose weight and burn fat! Therefore, it is advisable to have plenty of fruits and cucumber through the day as it will keep you hydrated and provide essential micro nutrients to keep you going. It will also help the body balance it’s pH and stay alkaline. Make sure you include papaya as they are one of the best foods to cleanse the liver, purify blood, reduce inflammation and remove harmful toxins. Also, if you eat papaya through the day, it will help in digesting the meal that you eat later during the day. It will help prevent constipation that might occur after fasting.
Drink tender coconut water or buttermilk. These would provide you with all the essential electrolytes and energy and also help the body attain an alkaline pH.
Snack on unsalted nuts and dry fruits and makhana (foxnut) through the day. Makhanas (foxnut) are a rich source of fibre, calcium and potassium ad are an ideal low calorie snack. CAUTION – they are highly addictive too!
Avoid sugar through the day. Have natural sugar in the form of dates, raisins, figs, apricots and prunes. Use jaggery and honey to sweeten things.
Avoid dairy products like milk and yoghurt. Choose coconut milk or almond milk. A fast is beneficial when we maintain an alkaline pH and dairy or milk is highly acidic in nature. That is the reason why some people experience acidity, bloating and discomfort during or after a fast. So, have buttermilk, coconut water, nimbu pani with honey or coconut milk instead and reap the benefits of fasting.
Avoid tea and have herbal teas instead. You can even sip on warm water with lemon and honey through the day. Lemons are great sources of vitamin C, which helps make glutathione, a substance needed for detoxifying the liver. They also contain a phytochemical called limonene, which enhances phase two detoxification of the liver and get rid of chemicals inside of the body.

Ending / breaking / opening the fast –

Always break your fast by having a glass of water or coconut water as this would hydrate you and activate your digestive enzymes and intestines and prepare your body for the food you are going to eat.
Certain fasts require you to break or open the fast by eating certain foods. In that case, have a glass of water and after 5 minutes have a small quantity of the recommended food item and then have fruits. After that you can eat a proper meal.
Refrain from a fat laden meal at the end of the day and avoid puris, kachori and deep fried sago vadas as they are deep fried and loaded with fat and also a source of empty calories in large amounts which are nutrient deficient. Moreover, eating a fried dish after a day’s fast is difficult to digest and leads to acidity. Opt for healthier options like roasted or boiled sweet potato and Singhada or lotus seeds.

If you are required to eat kootu ka atta ( buckwheat flour) or singhade ka atta ( water chestnut flour) then opt for healthier options like cheelas * instead of deep fried puri, kachori or pakodi. Remember not to feast while you fast!

Besides having powerful antioxidant properties and being a rich source of beta carotene, vitamin C and potassium, sweet potatoes contain a strong chelating agent – compounds that can bind heavy metals like cadmium, copper, mercury, and lead to help detoxify the body.

Use Sendha namak (Rock salt) instead of regular iodized salt or table salt. Sendha namak is low in sodium ad rich in potassium and helps in re-setting the electrolyte balance.
If you are fasting for entire 9 days, one will have to get back to normal diet very gradually. Start by having coconut water. Move over to a non citrus fruit like apple or banana. Then have semi solid foods and finally progress to a proper whole meal !

Please do not fast if you have a medical condition or are unwell and / or are on medication.

So, this navratri wish you happy FASTING! Try fasting the above mentioned way and transform your body. Feel the changes at many levels and do share with me.

Feel free to write in and ask for recipes * cheela recipe, reasoning behind the tips or if you have any queries.