GOQii

Blog

  • HOME
  • HEALTHY LIVING
  • FITNESS
  • HEALTHY RECIPES
  • USER STORIES
  • KARMA
  • BUY GOQii

Archives for August 2017

August 29, 2017 By Mitali Ambekar 28 Comments

Fox nut – The Lotus Seeds and its nutritional benefits

roasted-makhana

As a kid my mother use to feed me fox nuts which I hated as it was tasteless. Then few years ago someone I know introduced me to it all over again and nothing had changed. I still hated and wondered why do people eat it, what do they like about it?

Thankfully, my mom had a way to get me eat fox nuts. She roasted the nuts and tempered it with some condiments and spices and there it was the new version of the healthiest popcorn. Crunchy, yummy and the best tea time snacks.

Fox nuts are lotus flower’s seed. It is grown in water and is largely found in India and know as ‘Makhana’ here. Also found in Korea, Japan and Russia and known as ‘Gorgon Nut’ there. It is also known as Euryale Ferox.   This is an Asian water plant and is mainly cultivated for its edible seeds which look like popcorn.

It is highly nutritious food that has been used as a snack all over and also used in different recipes especially in Indian cuisines. It can be had in the roasted or fried form. It can be stored for a longer time if kept in air tight containers. Chinese use it as a part of medicines as it has various medicinal properties too. They use to strengthen spleen and kidneys.

Fox nut and its beneficial attributes:

  • Fox Nuts are considered superior to dry fruits such as almonds, walnut, cashew nut and coconut in terms o sugar, protein, ascorbic acid and phenol content
  • It is high on anti oxidant and thus acts an anti-aging food, helping in preventing white hair, wrinkles, premature ageing etc.
  • It is high in fiber and so helps to avoid constipation. They help the body to flush out the waste and thus prevent the accumulation of toxins 
  • It is also an aphrodisiac, thus helping in fertility issues like premature ejaculation, increasing the quality of semen and also helps women in overcoming infertility.
  • These nuts are low on saturated fats and Sodium and high on Magnesium, Potassium and helps in controlling high blood pressure and diabetes too.
  • It helps in controlling palpitation and insomnia as it has calming properties
  • It helps in reliving arthritis- numbness and pain in joints
  • As it is has astringent properties it also helps cure diarrhea and have better appetite.
  • It strengthens the body and reduces burning sensation and quenches thirst.
  • These nuts are a type of seed that could be included in the daily cereals or soup to maintain good health. Since it has good amount of protein it is considered apt snack for vegetarians. But, because it is neutral in taste, usually no one prefers to eat it raw.

Here is a my mother’s simple recipe to make it more tastier

1) Heat 2 tspn of homemade ghee in a pan.

2) Add salt and turmeric and stir it for some time. You can even add red chilies, curry leaves and mustard seeds to it.

3) Add Fox nuts to it and roast for some time.

Best snack with your tea/ coffee or in between snack.

It is even eaten as a fasting food in India as it considered a very pious. And, is also used to worship God.

Apart from eating it as a snack or in your breakfast cereal it can also be added to a sweet dish or a vegetable curry or in Rice preparation.

August 28, 2017 By ASHWINI PRAKASH CHAUDHARI 16 Comments

Fat Burning Foods

fat burning foods

In my previous blog, you read about 5 easy ways to cut down on fat. When we are talking about burning that extra fat from our body, we need to take care of our food too. Let’s understand what are these fat burning foods?

I have chosen some fat burning foods that we use in our daily routine but, unaware of its impact on our health.

When we talk about fat burning food, the first thing that comes to mind is Green Tea.

#GreenTea is packed with antioxidants but, did you also know that it can help you shed the fat? It’s the Catechins-(a type of an antioxidant which found in tea). These are a part of green tea that gets your body to switch over to burning more calories, as well as fat. Several studies suggest green tea may promote weight loss by stimulating the body to burn abdominal fat. It temporarily speeds metabolism after sipping it. To get the most benefit of it, you may need to drink green tea 2-3 cups per day.

#Bulletproof Coffee-I am sure you will love this one. Your favorite beverage may actually help rev the metabolism and help you lose weight. Try to have a cuppa coffee first thing in the morning but, try this new and healthier version of the coffee-‘the bulletproof coffee’. For this coffee cut out the sugar and cream and add 1tsp of virgin coconut oil or our very own desi-ghee or unsalted butter and get your daily dose of MCT’-(Medium chain triglycerides, it’s a type of fatty acids. It helps in food absorption, decreases body fat and increases lean muscle mass), the good fats which helps you in reducing cholesterol, controlling hunger pangs and helps in fat burning.

#Egg whites : One of the best source of protein. It is also known to be rich in branched-chain amino acids, which keep your metabolism boosted for several hours.

#Chicken, Lean meat and Fish- Excellent source of protein, they help us pump up our muscles. More the muscles in body, higher is the metabolism and higher is fat burning. Protein has a high thermogenic effect: You burn about 30% of the calories the food contains during digestion. They are also rich in Iron. Iron deficiencies often make our metabolism sluggish refraining from fat burning. Grab on these protein-iron rich combo foods at least twice a week. Skinless chicken breast is a great choice. Lean meats are full of protein and less fats. Then there are fishes that are rich in omega-3 fats, proteins and iron- look out for salmon, herring and other fatty fishes.

#Fiber– High fiber foods tend to be less “energy dense,” which means they have fewer calories for the same volume of food. Most of the fiber rich foods have the thermogenic affect which increases energy expenditure by stimulating the sympathetic nervous system to cause enhanced metabolic activity. When metabolic rate enhances, fats breakdown rapidly. Example, Fruits, green leafy veggies like spinach, Whole wheat, nuts, beans, oats, etc

As I have mentioned in my earlier blogs, that I have been on a healthier side. So, to cut down the extra fat from the body,I have increased the fiber intake in my meals. Most of us begin their day with oats and even I did the same. I started having oats in my breakfast. Oats are a fiber-rich whole-grain. Your body burns twice as many calories breaking down whole foods (especially those rich in fiber such as oatmeal and brown rice) than processed foods. To make it healthier, I started adding nuts in it. They’re high in protein, fiber, and heart-healthy fats. The combination of oats and nuts were so impactful that it helps me blow up the fats.

Nuts are an excellent way to curb hunger between meals. They’re also rich in calories, so limit your portions. So, you can have handful nuts in a whole day. If you don’t like eating nuts for snacks, chop them and sprinkle over main dishes or side items. You’ll still get the good fats, they bring, and they help to flavor up the meal.

Similarly, the other raw vegetables make for an outstanding snack. They satisfy the desire to crunch, they’re full of water to help you feel full, and they’re low in calories. When you’re in the mood for chips and dip, replace the chips with raw veggies. Another way to fill up before a meal is by eating salad. Make your salad interesting by adding a variety of fruits and vegetables or pomegranate, corn. Be careful about dressing, which can add a lot of fat building foods.

Water: For all the above listed foods, water is the most wanted nutrient. Without sufficient water intake, your body goes into dehydration and we very well know “Dehydrated body almost kills your metabolism”. 3 liters of water every day is ideal. Also to digest of the above listed foods and get the maximum benefit of them, water is required. While reading this article too, grasp a glass of cold water, which forces your body to use more calories to warm it up.

There are many other foods which you can add to your daily routine which can help you to burn fats like berries, especially blueberries, chilli peppers, grapefruit, olive oil, Enova oils (soy or canola), whole grains, beans and legumes, low fat dairy products, yogurt, flax seeds, etc.

So let’s start adding these foods in our daily routine and start en-kindling the fat.

August 25, 2017 By Luke Coutinho 4 Comments

STAIR climbing – One of the best exercises

how-to-train-for-a-stair-climbing-race

You can run a 5k but running up a couple of flights of stairs tires you out?  You can squat heavy and lunge with weights, yet walking up a couple of flights of steps makes it feel like a whole other workout?

Here’s a workout that can actually challenge your body, endurance and actual strength and stamina.

Climbing stairs is one of the best exercises when it comes to pure FAT BURN, strengthening the lower body, toning the butt, thighs, calves, losing inches from those love handles and belly and building great abs. Along with these benefits is the immense good it does for your lungs and cardio vascular system.

  • It is totally free and just about all of us can get access to a set of stairs.
  • It leverages gravity and the heavier we are, the harder we’re forced to work and the more calories we burn.
  • It is a relatively intense exercise that quickly increases our heart rate and in doing so can greatly improve our cardiovascular fitness.
  • It helps strengthen and shape our most common problem areas like calves, thighs, buttocks and tummy.
  • It is a very efficient way of burning maximum calories and is great for those of us with limited time to exercise.
  • It can easily be mixed with other exercises, like walking, skipping and weight training, to maximize results and stair-climbing workouts are easy to build progression into.
  • It can be done by almost anyone, regardless of fitness level.
  • Because it is weight bearing, it helps build bone strength.
  • It is low impact and safe for the knees (providing correct technique is used and a preexisting condition doesn’t exist).

The  way forward with exercise is quality over quantity. Too many people fix a ‘ one hour’ work out in their mind and if they can’t find time for that’ 1 hour’  they just don’t do it.

Aim for power workouts, 25 to 30 mins max, where you max out your reps, burn those muscles and really get your heart rate up. 35 to 40 minutes should include a great warm up and an extremely important cool down.

You can burn more calories walking/running up steps in 30 mins than a 1 hour run or walk, plus it challenges your body.

Start off with a couple of flights, Walk and run slowly. As you get better, run and then skip 2 steps at a time and run or walk.

In a nutshell –

Burns more calories:

Stair climbing engages your body’s largest muscle groups to repeatedly lift your body weight up, step after step.

Thus using your muscles to carry your own weight is far higher to running as compared.

Maximises your cardio efforts:

It also raises your heart rate immediately thus maximizing your cardio benefits.

Increases core muscle strength:

Climbing stairs is a great way to amp your core muscle strength.

Tones and sculpts your body: It also engages every major muscle in your lower body

— glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, abs and calves to exercise and thus tones your body better.

Low impact workout: You don’t have to ideally sweat it out while climbing stairs. Just a few stairs every day will give you a good workout.

Safety first:  never run down the stairs, be confident while running up, take a break when needed.

Start doing this regularly and soon, you will be running up flights of stairs, feeling fitter, younger, stronger and leaner.

 

 

August 16, 2017 By Richa Athavale 3 Comments

Gopalkala – a perfect evening snack

gopalkala (2)

We always learn a lot from our tradition. It’s not only the stories but also practical implementations that we can do in our day to day life. I have grown up listening to stories of Lord Krishna. There is so much learning from our mythological stories and history alike.

As we all know, Lord Krishna was brought up in Gokul where there was plenty of milk & milk products. He was considered notorious for stealing milk, butter, and curd in his childhood. In one of the folklores, it’s mentioned that Lord Krishna used to gather all the food stuff brought by his fellows and mix it up.

This gave birth to the dish – Gopalkala (Dahikala) which has different foods mixed up with curd. We celebrate ‘Janmashtami’ –Lord Krishna’s birthday is truly the way Lord Krishna celebrated it. All the goodies that he liked are prepared at home. Gopalkala or Dahikala is made and given in offering to him on this occasion and then served to the rest of the people.

Let me now give you the recipe for this tasty dish called ‘Gopalkala’. It’s easy to prepare and doesn’t involve cooking. At the same time, it’s nutritious & healthy. One can have it as an evening snack, mid meal or even perfect pre workout meal! You can even give this dish to your kids in their school tiffin box.

Gopalkala-Richa (2)

Ingredients:

Thick Poha or rice flakes- 1 bowl

Fresh curds- 1 bowl

Chopped Cucumber- ½ bowl

Groundnuts- ¼ bowl

Future or roasted chick pea- ¼ bowl

Pomegranate- ¼ bowl

Grated coconut/ Coconut pieces -¼ bowl

Grated ginger- 1 Tsp.

Chopped Green Chillies- 1-2 Tsp.

Chopped coriander- 1-2 Tsp.

Sugar 1 Tsp.

Salt to taste

Method:

  1. Wash the rice flakes in the sieve and keep it aside for 5 min. Let it get soaked.
  2. In 1 big bowl beat the curd with sugar, salt, ginger, green chillies & coconut pieces.
  3. Add rice flakes in this bowl. Let it soak for another 5 min.
  4. Add cucumber, groundnuts, roasted chick pea, pomegranate seeds.
  5. Mix well & top it with coriander.

Nutrition Value:

It’s a healthy filling snack, nutritionally well balanced. Poha or rice flakes contribute for carbohydrate content. Curds, groundnuts and roasted chick pea make up for the protein content. The curd is an excellent pro-biotic good for gut health and digestion. It doesn’t require added oil or ghee but has healthy fats from groundnut (MUFA) & coconut. It completes your salads & fruits quota too through cucumber & pomegranate. So don’t worry about the fibres, vitamins and antioxidants.

Worried about Poha is a nice product and its GI (Glycemic Index)? Please don’t the protein, fats and fibres in it will bring down the GI.

So what are you waiting for for…. Don’t just eat it as an” Offering to God”. Include it in your daily meals.

 

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • Next Page »

Search

Recent Posts

  • How To Make Exercise A Habit
  • Healthy Eating: Corn Tikkis
  • From Terminal Illness To Complete Wellness! Ananda Mukherjee Health Story
  • GOQii Doctor Consultations: All You Need to Know!
  • 4 Ways to Naturally Heal Common Cold and Flu

Stay Updated

Archives

  • July 2022 (4)
  • June 2022 (30)
  • May 2022 (31)
  • April 2022 (30)
  • March 2022 (31)
  • February 2022 (28)
  • January 2022 (31)
  • December 2021 (31)
  • November 2021 (29)
  • October 2021 (29)
  • September 2021 (24)
  • August 2021 (28)
  • July 2021 (23)
  • June 2021 (25)
  • May 2021 (18)
  • April 2021 (21)
  • March 2021 (23)
  • February 2021 (18)
  • January 2021 (13)
  • December 2020 (11)
  • November 2020 (7)
  • October 2020 (13)
  • September 2020 (12)
  • August 2020 (13)
  • July 2020 (11)
  • June 2020 (11)
  • May 2020 (13)
  • April 2020 (16)
  • March 2020 (15)
  • February 2020 (9)
  • January 2020 (8)
  • December 2019 (9)
  • November 2019 (12)
  • October 2019 (13)
  • September 2019 (10)
  • August 2019 (12)
  • July 2019 (17)
  • June 2019 (14)
  • May 2019 (15)
  • April 2019 (17)
  • March 2019 (17)
  • February 2019 (19)
  • January 2019 (22)
  • December 2018 (13)
  • November 2018 (10)
  • October 2018 (12)
  • September 2018 (13)
  • August 2018 (23)
  • July 2018 (15)
  • June 2018 (22)
  • May 2018 (16)
  • April 2018 (24)
  • March 2018 (18)
  • February 2018 (14)
  • January 2018 (20)
  • December 2017 (14)
  • November 2017 (28)
  • October 2017 (21)
  • September 2017 (22)
  • August 2017 (9)
  • July 2017 (11)
  • June 2017 (13)
  • May 2017 (14)
  • April 2017 (9)
  • March 2017 (6)
  • February 2017 (7)
  • January 2017 (11)
  • December 2016 (10)
  • November 2016 (8)
  • October 2016 (9)
  • September 2016 (7)
  • August 2016 (12)
  • July 2016 (11)
  • June 2016 (10)
  • May 2016 (12)
  • April 2016 (17)
  • March 2016 (18)
  • February 2016 (8)
  • January 2016 (7)
  • December 2015 (5)
  • November 2015 (10)
  • October 2015 (8)
  • September 2015 (10)
  • August 2015 (14)
  • July 2015 (11)
  • June 2015 (14)
  • May 2015 (9)
  • April 2015 (13)
  • March 2015 (10)
  • February 2015 (6)
  • January 2015 (12)
  • December 2014 (14)
  • November 2014 (11)
  • October 2014 (6)
  • September 2014 (14)
  • August 2014 (14)
  • July 2014 (7)
  • June 2014 (3)
  • May 2014 (8)
  • April 2014 (5)
Ananda Mukherjee Health Story

From Terminal Illness To Complete Wellness! Ananda Mukherjee Health Story

We’ve always advocated that lifestyle diseases can be managed with a balanced, healthy and holistic lifestyle but can they also help you manage a terminal condition? Our Player Ananda Mukherjee, with help from his GOQii Coach, was able to battle such a … [Read More...]

Devesh Srivastava

Devesh Srivastava Lowers His HbA1c from 6.7 to 5.8 With GOQii

Have you ever suffered from a cold or fever and thought to yourself that you can manage this? In fact, there’s a good chance that with some medication and rest, the symptoms of a cold or fever have subsided. But, when you deal with issues such as Diabetes and Hypertension, trying to manage the issue […]

Deepak Sampat

Deepak Sampat Lowers His HbA1c Levels With GOQii

Diabetes often seems like a death sentence for those who are inflicted by it. It means spells of numerous medications, not being able to enjoy food they once did and regular check ups that only add up to the stress of living with Diabetes. We’re here to tell you that Diabetes is not a death […]

Ruta Pandya

How Ruta Pandya Managed Ulcerous Colitis & Arthritis With Lifestyle Changes

We’ve always spoken about how you can manage lifestyle diseases with minor tweaks to your habits. But sometimes, it isn’t enough. Especially when one condition leads to another. Our player Ruta Pandya suffered from a condition called Ulcerous Colitis and a series of other medical issues which she battled for years. After fighting an uphill […]

  • HOME
  • HEALTHY LIVING
  • FITNESS
  • HEALTHY RECIPES
  • USER STORIES
  • KARMA
  • BUY GOQii

Copyright ©2016 GOQii