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Tired of traditional Green Tea? Try This!

Green Tea which is native to India and China has been hailed and consumed for its health benefits globally. If you don’t know, this blog might help you to understand the super benefits of Green tea.

https://goqii.com/blog/?s=green+tea

Rather than the benefits of Green Tea, we focus on how to divert away from the traditional ways of consuming Green Tea. You might be tired of taking that warm cup of green tea every day. Don’t worry we have a solution to your problem.

Many of us enjoy coolers instead of hot beverages. Here’s how you can make green tea coolers which are tasty and low calorie. So enjoy the drink guilt-free.

  1. ICED MINT GREEN TEA
ICED MINT TEA

ICED MINT TEA

Ingredients:

2 mint flavored Green tea bags

1 cup ice

Method

Brew 2 mint tea bags in 2 1/4 cup boiling water for 4-5min. remove tea bags, let it cool. To serve, pour tea into 2 ice-filled glasses. Garnish with mint leaves.

  1. ICED FRUITY GREEN TEA
ICED FRUITY GREEN TEA

ICED FRUITY GREEN TEA

Ingredients:

Green tea bags-2

1/3 cup fruit juice without sugar (peach, plum, mango, strawberry or orange)

1 cup ice

Method: Put 2 green tea bags in 2/3 cup boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags and let it cool. Stir 1/3 cup of unsweetened fruit juice. To serve, pour tea juice blend into 2 ice-filled glasses. (You can add jaggery or honey for sweetness)

  1. FRUITY BUBBLE TEA
FRUITY BUBBLE TEA

FRUITY BUBBLE TEA

Same as the above ingredients.

Method: Use green or black tea bags, substitute milk with 1/3 cup fruit juice such as orange, mango or peach. No sugar to be added.

  1. LEMON GINGER TEA COOLER
LEMON GINGER TEA COOLER

LEMON GINGER TEA COOLER

Method:  Bring 1 cup of water to simmer in a saucepan. Add 1.5tbsp of chopped or peeled fresh ginger. Remove from the flame and let it steep for 20min. Strain the juice into a glass. Add 2tbsp fresh lemon juice and 1tsp sugar or sugar-free. Let it cool. Put 2 green or black tea bags in 2 cups of boiling water for a few minutes. Remove the tea bags and let it chill. To serve, pour the lemon ginger infusion into 2 ice-filled glasses. Top each glass with chilled green tea and garnish with lemon slices.

Serve these healthy coolers to your guests or enjoy in kitty parties, or any occasion. They are a good way to quench your thirst after a hot day under the sun.

Give it a try and tell us if you like it in the comment section.

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Yoga for the beginners: Some myths and benefits

Triangle-PoseCouple of months ago I had written a blog on meditation.(http://goqii.com/blog/author/parwage/). I now follow this written piece with a blog on Yoga which is also one of the ways to get stress free in your life and relax. I have been practicing Yoga for the last 8 years and have full faith in this form of exercise. Yoga can bring about positive changes in your life if practiced well. I personally feel the ‘Power of Yoga’.

Yoga is a precious gift given to us by our elders and can be practiced to better our lives. Originated in India, almost 26,000 years ago, Yoga is believed to have evolved during the period of the ‘Sat Yuga’, also called the Golden age. The term yoga can be derived from either yujir yoga (to yoke) or yujsamadhau (to concentrate).

While Yoga originated in India today, many people across the world practice yoga. Yoga in a way is helping many to achieve their physical fitness goal. Through this blog post, I would like to talk about the myths that are attached with Yoga and the benefits of Yoga for one and all.

A strong and flexible body, glowing beautiful skin, peaceful mind, good health – whatever you may be looking for, yoga has it on offer. Yoga helps you to achieve your overall fitness level. If you do follow Yoga regularly you are not just physically fit but, also mentally and emotionally balanced.

Ten minutes of yoga during the day can be a great way to get rid of stress that accumulates daily – in body and in the mind. This will also help you to achieve your inner peace. Some of yoga asanas are effective techniques to release stress.

Some myths regarding yoga :

  1. There is only one type of yoga:Vinyasa is the most popular type of yoga right now and involves using your breath with movement. Hatha yoga is slower with more static postures. Power yoga is more strengthening and cardiovascular. These are just a sampling of the many available styles today.
  2. Yoga requires time-commitment:If you give 10 min in a day daily to yoga, you can change your life.
  3. Yoga is only for women: This is not true. It has been proven by many schools of yoga that one and all can practice Yoga
  4. You have to be extremely agile: Yes, it’s true that there are some difficult yoga positions but, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to be super agile to practice yoga. Most postures can be modified to fit all skill levels or you can choose a position that isn’t so hard on the body.

Benefits of Yoga:

Yoga has both physical and mental benefits to the body and mind.

Health Benefits:

Physical benefits: Yoga improves flexibility and muscle joint mobility (Moving and stretching in new ways will help you become more flexible,).

Tones, strengthens and builds muscles; corrects posture; strengthens the spine (Many yoga poses require you to support the weight of your own body in new ways, including balancing on one leg (such as in Tree Pose) or supporting yourself with your arms (such as in Downward Facing Dog). Holding poses over the course of several breaths also builds strength.

Eases back pain; improves muscular-skeletal conditions such as bad knees, tight shoulders and neck, swayback and scoliosis; increases stamina; boosts immune response; stimulates the glands of the endocrine system; creates balance and grace; improves digestion and elimination; increases circulation; improves heart conditions; improves breathing disorders; decreases cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

Mental benefits:

Mental Calmness, Stress Reduction, Body Awareness

Asanas are good for developing coordination and helps to improve your concentration levels and memory. Regular practice can enable young people to keep their natural flexibility for many years. There is no age bar for Yoga.Yoga allows each and everyone who is practicing it to retain mobility and relieve problems such as arthritis and poor circulation. During pregnancy, yoga promotes good health in both mother and the unborn child. Yoga asanas lessen the effects of problems such as overweight, backache, and depression.

Here are some Yoga Asanas for the Beginners:

Mountain Pose (Tadasana) :Stand tall with feet together, shoulders relaxed, weight evenly distributed between your soles, arms on the sides.Take a deep breath and raise your hands overhead, palms facing each other with arms straight. Reach up toward the sky with your fingertips.

Downward Facing Dog (Adhomukhasvanasana): Get on all fours with your hands and knees and shoulder-and-hips-width apart. Walk with your hands a few inches forward and spread the fingers wide, pressing the palms into mat. Curl toes under and slowly press hips toward ceiling, bringing your body into an inverted V, pressing shoulders away from ears. Feet should be hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Hold for 3-4 full breaths.

Warrior Pose (Virabhadrasana): Stand with legs 3 to 4 feet apart, turning right foot out 90 degrees and left foot in slightly. Bring your hands to your hips and relax your shoulders, then extend arms out to the sides, palms down. Bend right knee 90 degrees, keeping the knee over the ankle; gaze out over right hand. Stay for 1 minute. Switch sides and repeat.

Tree Pose (Vriksasana): Take mountain pose. Then shift your weight onto your left leg. With your hips facing forward, place the sole of your right foot inside your left thigh and find your balance. When you’re there, take a prayer position with your hands. To kick it up a notch, reach your arms up as you would in a mountain pose. Be sure to repeat with the other side.

Bridge Pose (Setubhanda): Lie on the floor with your knees bent and directly over the heels. Place the arms on your sides, palms down. Exhale, then press feet onto the floor as you lift your hips. Clasp hands under lower back and press arms down, lifting hips until thighs are parallel to the floor, bringing chest toward chin. Hold for 1 minute.
Make it easier: Place a stack of pillows underneath your tailbone.

Triangle Pose (Trikonasana): Take warrior pose on your right side without lunging into your knee. Then touch the inside of your right foot with the outside of your right hand. Reach up to the ceiling with your left hand. Turn your gaze toward and pass your left hand to stretch your back. Don’t forget to repeat it on the other side.

Upward Facing Dog (Urdhvamukhasvanasana): Lie face down on the floor with your thumbs under shoulders, legs extended with the top of your feet on the floor. Tuck your hips downward as you squeeze your glutes. Keeping your shoulders down, push up and lift your chest off the ground. Relax and repeat.

Pigeon Pose (Ekapadarajakapotasana): Start in a push-up position, your palms under your shoulders. Place your left knee on the floor near your shoulders with your left heel by your right hip. Press your hands to the floor and sit back with your chest lifted. You can also lower your chest closer to the floor for a stretch. Try it on the other side.

Child’s Pose (Balasana): Sit up comfortably on your heels. Roll your torso forward, bringing your forehead to rest on the bed in front of you. Lower your chest as close to your knees as you comfortably can, extending your arms in front of you. Hold the pose and breathe.

What are you waiting for, get up, plan your day and bring Yoga into your lifestyle and stay stress-free lifelong.

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Is Organic a strict requisite? Not really

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There is always this debate on what is organic and oh organic foods are so expensive? in the third and last blog of the series on how we consume foods that can be hazardous to our health due to various reasons, in today’s blog we talk of is organic food a strict requirement to eat healthily?

Please keep in mind that we are in no way trying to say that consuming organic food is not necessary. This blog here is purely intended to give you an insight into those fruits and veggies that you don’t necessarily have to buy organic if you are planning to cut down on your expenditure. It is no secret that organic food is expensive, with a steady rise in demand for organic produce, the prices are hiking relatively. We live in a world where almost every conventionally produced food item comes adulterated with many chemicals and pesticides. The silver lining is that there are still some edibles out there which are least likely to be contaminated with pesticide residues. So if budget is a concern, you can buy the conventional production of these food items.

  1. Avocados

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For all the guacamole lovers out there, rejoice. Avocados have very little pesticide residue on it. This makes avocados a safe conventional product to consume.

  1. Sweet Corn

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Worried of pesticides? Sweet corn is a very safe option to choose from among conventional produces. It is one of the cleanest foods you can buy.

  1. Pineapples

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My personal favourite, we all love Pineapples, don’t we? The thick skin absorbs most of the pesticides residues used on pineapples. Don’t let your budget shadow your love for pineapples. Buy them conventionally.

  1. Papayas

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It’s hard to imagine your fruit salad without papayas. That would be like The Beatles without McCartney. You need not worry, a large percentage of papaya generally come with no pesticide residues in them. And hence, it is a very safe option to choose from conventional foods.

  1. Cabbage

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I’m surprised to find cabbage in the list. Their leafy exterior is bound to have pesticide residue, but that isn’t the truth. Apparently, the leafy exterior tends to leave a very little residue, making cabbage a safe conventional produce to consume.

  1. Onions

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As we all know, cutting an onion literally brings you to tears. Cultivators tend to use fewer pesticides on Onions because not a lot of pests try to mess with onion due to their lethal defensive mechanism.

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6 Effective DIY Techniques to Clean Pesticides of Fruits & Vegetables

 

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This is the second blog in the series of Hazardous chemicals in our food products. In today’s blog, we take you through some DIY ( do it on your own) techniques to clean your fruits and vegetables. Read part 1 here: https://goqii.com/blog/invisible-health-hazards-lurking-in-your-kitchen/

Fruits and Vegetables are irreplaceable ingredients of our everyday diet. Apart from the fact that they’re delicious, they are also packed with various nutrients and minerals. The paradox here is that these health powerhouses are coated with various disinfectants and pesticides which are extremely hazardous for health. It’s almost impossible to list the pesticides found in vegetables and fruits as there are over 1000 different varieties which are used to grow crops.

Even though minor amounts of pesticide residue on food doesn’t really pose a great health hazard, you should be careful of what you buy and also where you buy them from. There are many simple and effective ways to remove these toxic chemicals from your food which can be done at home.

  1. Salt Water Wash

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 Saltwater wash is one of the easiest technique of washing your food. The Saltwater solution will remove most contact pesticides that are present in your food. All you need to do to make the solution is to add 1tbsp sea salt into a bowl which is half filled with water. Hand scrub your fruits and veggies in the solution and ensure to rinse thoroughly before consumption.

  1. Vinegar Soak

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 Create a solution adding 90% water and 10% white vinegar and let the fruits/vegetables soak in the mixture. Stir your fruits and veggies in the solution and leave them for about 10 minutes, rinse thoroughly with cold water before using. You must be careful while washing fruits with thin skin as the solution might damage their porous outer skin.

  1. Lemon Juice Spray

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Lemon juice spray has proven to be a very effective way of removing pesticides from your food. The citric acid in lemon juice not only helps in removing pesticides but also helps in killing the microorganisms on the outer surface. To create the spray, mix 1 tbsp of lemon juice, 2 tbsp of baking soda and 1 cup of water. After making sure that the baking soda is properly dissolved, pour the mixture into a clean spray bottle. Leave the spray on your fruits and veggies for about 5-10 minutes before you rinse it off with water.

  1. Trim the Edges

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 Many vegetables, mainly the leafy ones like lettuce, cabbage, celery etc tend to have an abundant amount of micro-organisms and pesticide residue on their outer surface. Even though washing them under running water helps remove some of them, chopping the top and outer layers of these veggies will ensure more cleanliness.

  1. Peeling

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We are no strangers to peeling, it is one of the most basic methods used in households to discard those harmful microbes and pesticides. Most fruit peels contain many essential nutrients, hence it isn’t always the best way to clean your food but peeling of the outer surface of your food will ensure a cleaner, pesticide-free produce.

  1. Baking Soda Scrub

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It is important to know that this method only works with foods which have a hard skin and don’t easily wear off. All this technique requires you to do is sprinkle some baking soda over your eatables and rub them together gently. Ensure to wash them off thoroughly before use.

In our busy daily lives, going an extra mile to clean your eatables is almost deemed impossible but it is important to understand that health is our most prized possession and spending 10 minutes to clean your food properly can avoid many serious diseases and illnesses.

From Terminal Illness To Complete Wellness! Ananda Mukherjee Health Story

As we observe World Cancer Day under the powerful theme ‘United by Unique’ (2025-2027)**, we are reminded that every individual’s journey with cancer is distinct, yet united by shared resilience, hope, and the collective fight against this disease. This theme places people at the centre of care and their stories at the heart of the […]