Archives for October 2018

October 31, 2018 By Farida Gohil 7 Comments

10 foods with super qualities that will help in healthy living

All foods are unique in their calorie count, and unique in the way they are digested. Those foods with negative calories burn more calories than they contain. These foods are usually plant-derived foods that are high in water content and rich in fiber: grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits, except for fatty fruits like avocados and olives. Since your body takes a longer time to burn off fibrous foods, your metabolism continues to stay revved up, giving you a jump start to your weight loss.

While these foods may be an important source of micronutrients, they are not sources of fat packing calories.That works because your stomach senses when it is physically full, and it will trigger your brain to stop eating when you can’t handle more food.

This is why, believe it or not, the simple act of drinking a glass of water before each meal is a proven weight loss strategy. It fills your belly with water, thereby reducing the amount of space left for other foods.

This is the common property among all: They all contain a lot of water locked in a fibrous matrix. Apples are essentially “water fruits,” as are grapes and watermelons (hence the name). Many vegetables are also “water vegetables,” meaning that they’re loaded with water. Celery, for example, is the classic example of a water-rich negative-calorie food. I am providing you with the examples of negative calorie foods:

Apple:Apple contain amazingly powerful nutrients that improve your quality of life. Studies have also shown some evidence that the quercetin found in apples could lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by protecting your body from the damage that can be caused by dangerous free radicals.
Lettuce and leafy Veggies:Lettuce and other leafy greens, including kale and spinach, are extremely low in calories. These contain 50% water to 50% fiber. As a result, leafy greens are an excellent source of energy, and definitely help to reduce the urge to eat sweet treats.Dark greens are packed with Vitamins and nutrients as well.
Broccoli:Broccoli has a couple of different properties that make it an ally of those who are trying to lose weight. The fibre content is huge, helping to keep you feeling full and satisfied after you eat broccoli, and the protein is equal to that found in rice (while it contains just a fraction of the calorie content of rice). You should either steam the Broccoli or consume it raw if you want to make sure that you preserve all of the nutrients that make this vegetable a superfood.
Papaya:Papaya’s also like Oranges are just as rich as oranges in vitamin C and contain 15 times more of the antioxidant beta-cryptoxanthin. Papaya’s fibre is also good for combating constipation and keeping cholesterol in check.
Celery: About 75% of a celery stick is actually water; the other 25% is fibre and other roughage. The high water content of celery means that you will burn more calories eating it than it actually contains.
Cucumber:Cucumbers are mostly made up of water. The cucumber is one of the best vegetables when it comes to providing vitamin C, and there is plenty of evidence suggesting that a high intake of vitamin C is linked to an improved ability to resist invasion by bacteria and viruses.
Tomato:This veggie is more than 90 percent water. t has small amounts of carbohydrate, protein and fat, and it is rich in vitamin C, B, E and K, carotenoids and lycopene.The chromium that they contain might help your body to regulate blood sugar levels, keeping them within healthy limits by controlling the amount of sugar that gets absorbed in your blood.
Radish: Radish has an extremely low calorific value. It has good amount of of vitamin C, B and A. It is interesting that in the same amount of radishes there is 2 mg of iron and other minerals.
Watermelon: This fruit is extremely low in calories and contains no fat. It is a rich source of B vitamins, which increase your energy levels and reduce your need to eat extra foods.
Orange: Oranges are wonderful for heart health in a couple of different ways. Firstly, they contain magnesium and potassium, which naturally regulate blood pressure. They are also a source of something called herperidin, which lowers levels of bad cholesterol. .

Having talked about negative calorie foods, please understand that eating negative calories will not replace exercise.In GOQii, we do not believe in Calorie intake and we do not cunt calories, what we encourage is to eat a balanced diet and exercise to live a healthy life.

October 30, 2018 By Richa Athavale 22 Comments

How to include proteins to your Breakfast?

All of us are well aware that breakfast is the first important meal of the day. The second most important thing is to have frequent meals to keep our metabolism high. Our body goes into the rest mode for almost 8 to 10 hours after dinner when we are sleeping through the night. Hence, it becomes essential to eat a good, balanced meal which has the right proportion of carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins, minerals, fibres, anti- oxidants etc.in the morning. More often than not it is a difficult task to incorporate all these nutrients in the morning breakfast due to our rush to get to work.But, one can always try to incorporate as many nutrients as we can out of the above if not all.

It is advised to include proteins in every meal. The inclusion of proteins to your breakfast becomes a challenging task especially if you are a vegetarian. Lacto- Ovo vegetarian breakfast can easily get proteins through the milk and eggs. The tough task is for vegetarians and vegans (those who limit dairy products).

Common Indian breakfast items are Poha (cooked Puffed Rice with some veggies), flat breadsUpma, Idli and Dosa (steamed Rice pancakes), flatbreads(Chaapti), Rice, Porridgeetc. Today, I am going to tell you how we add proteins in our 1^st meal of the day – breakfast.

Whenever we have options like steamed rice pancakes (Idlisambhar) or bread omelette we’re obviously getting proteins from the dish. When we have options like Cooked Puff Rice, Upma, rice, cooked Wheat Flat breads (Chappati) etc. without any side dish we need to add some proteins to it.

Here are few items which you can add:

Peanuts/ Groundnuts: A humble source of proteins and MUFA (mono unsaturated fatty acids) will add to proteins in breakfast. We can use in different forms as peanut butter, chutney etc. spread it on your bread or chapatti. Excellent to be added in pre workout meal.

100 g of Dry roasted peanuts will give 24-26 g of proteins.

Roasted Chana: Simple, easily available and can be stored. Just add a handful of black (Kabuli)or brown Chana to your plate or have it on the go post breakfast. If you couple it up with peanuts it will be even better.

Mixed Sprouts: This one will need some preparation. Soak the sprouts for 6-8 hours, then drain the water and tie in the cloth for sprouts to come. Add handful of it either raw or steamed. Raw will give you good enzymes as compared to cooked ones. Whereas steamed will be easier to digest. Following are the rough values for sprouted and steamed sprouts.

Moong/ Green gram 2-3 g
Matki/ Moth bean 8 g
Chana/ Chick peas 9 g

Green peas: It is very to incorporate peas in any dish. Add it to your upma, poha, rice liberally. They will taste good as well as increase the protein value. Its green colour also add to the visual effect.

100 g of fresh green peas contain 5 g of protein

Nuts like (almond, walnut, cashew nut): Again a very handy option. Just adding them to your bowl of breakfast is very easy. They are rich in minerals like calcium, good fats like MUFA, omega 3 fatty acids. Don’t forget to soak and peel almond to avoid anti nutritional factors in the peel.

Almond 21.2 g
Walnut 15.2 g

Sesame, flax, sunflower, pumpkin seeds: Dry roasted seeds can serve as a protein quotient of the meal. You can easily stock it in cool and dry place. You can have them as it is or grind to make into chutney. Dips like tahini can be made from sesame seeds.

Milk: You can just add a glass of milk to complete the protein quota of the meal. It goes well with roti, chapati, bread, cereals etc. It is better to go for low fat milk. If having cow’s milk make sure it is Desi cow’s milk. Make sure you’re not having it with salty or savoury as milk and salt is not recommended to have together.1 cup of milk gives you 8 g protein on an average.

Curds/ Yogurt: Add a bowl of curds or yogurt to make your breakfast not only protein rich but yummy. We can mix poha, rice with it to give a better texture and taste. Fruits with yogurt can be another hit option and light still complete meal. 1 cup gives you 10-11 g proteins on an average.

Buttermilk: It is the best bet in summer. Having it post breakfast will help in digestion. It has good water content and therefore it will not be a concentrated source. Unlike milk it can be coupled with salty and savoury options as well.

Cheese: I am yet to come across a person who doesn’t like cheese unless of course you are a vegan. We can add it with breads, chapatti, pancakes etc. You can use different varieties like cheese spread, cubes, and slices or just grate some cheese on your dish. People who are targeting weight gain can have it on regular basis. Those who are trying to lose weight should limit it once or twice in a week. 100 g will give approx. 20 g of proteins.

October 29, 2018 By Komal Baxi 4 Comments

What is carb loading?

We have heard of the term Carb Loading’. Especially, those who have just taken to long distance running or cycling or mountain climbing. However, there are many questions on who, what, why, when, where and how should one do carb loading also known as ‘Super Compensation’. It is a strategy (yes you may call it a strategy!) that involves changes to training and nutrition which can maximize muscle glycogen stores prior to an endurance competition. It apparently also means reducing training load and resting the muscles to allow them to become completely loaded with glycogen. Let me highlight resting, which means involving in (low to moderate intensity exercise) which is as important as eating.

Now the question is –who should really do it!

Carbohydrates is considered the primary fuel for any physical activity. Our body usually has enough carb stores to utilize for short term exercises. Shorter term exercise is unlikely to benefit as the body’s usual carbohydrate stores are adequate.

However, when it comes to engaging in long, intense athletic events, your body needs extra energy to keep going. So basically, any one exercising continuously for 90 minutes or longer is likely to benefit from Carbohydrate loading. Sports such as cycling, marathon running, longer distance triathlon, endurance swimming and so on do require carbo loading so that the athletes can pull along the event with sustained energy along with minimal fatigue.

Normal muscle glycogen stores are usually in the range of 100-120 mmol/kg ww (wet weight) and it is expected to reach up to 150-200 mmol/kg/ww with proper carb loading. This extra supply of carbohydrate dramatically improves endurance of athletes! So yes it’s quite a fact that it works!

How it should be done!

Trust me it’s simple, since it’s all about carbs and rest!

Three to four days prior to the event, shoot up your carbohydrate intake to about 10 to 12 grams per kilogram of your body weight.

Reduce your training sessions.

And most important, rest completely the day before your big event.

Basically, 3-4 days of exercise taper while following a high carb diet, means you have successfully managed to elevate muscle glycogen levels.

What best to eat?

You should opt for simple carb rich foods like white rice, oatmeal, bread, pancakes, bagels, whole wheat bread and pastas, rotis, broken wheat like daliya, potato, peanut butter, dosas, Idlis, fish, chicken, rajma, chickpeas. Hummus is again a super power food.

Yoghurt is a great option too. Try to drink fruit juices instead of whole fruit during carb loading for best results.

Choose foods that are low in fiber and easily digestible.

Also, avoid high fat foods like cheese, butter, ghee, fried food or processed food to compensate for the extra carbohydrate-rich foods. Since your body requires more oxygen to your cells, too much of fat like cheese may actually slow u down as it makes the body acidic which hinders the oxygen supply to your cells.

Common Mistakes made while carb loading!

Carb loading requires an exercise taper. If u don’t rest, then it won’t turn out well!

In order to consume the necessary amount of carbohydrate, it is necessary to cut back on fiber and make use of compact sources of carbohydrate, such as sugar, cordial, jam, honey, jelly, tinned fruit. High fiber foods may be too bulky to consume at times.

Carb loading will most likely cause body mass to increase by approximately 2 kg. This extra weight is due to extra muscle glycogen and water. For some athletes, a fear of weight gain may prevent them from carb loading adequately.

Consuming too much high fat foods will make it difficult to consume sufficient carbohydrate. It may result in gaining body fat.

The bottom line is to eat to high-carb, low fat foods while carbohydrate loading!

October 27, 2018 By Neha Morche 8 Comments

All about Wheat Grass and its benefits

In the ancient days in India plants were used as a medicine to cure health issues. Later allopathy was invented and it made life simpler. During my days of college, I came across this magical grass called ‘Wheatgrass’ and it’s amazing benefits to our health.

Wheat grass itself cannot be eaten as it is hard to digest. Interestingly, it can be grown indoors and outdoors by putting wheat seeds in water and then harvesting the leaves; which also occupies less space. It is available in various forms such as juice outside parks, powders and in capsule form. But, the ideal way to have it is in the fresh juice form to get enough nutrients. Wheatgrass is used as a concentrated source of nutrients in powder and capsules.

Wheatgrass is a good source of potassium, dietary fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Pantothenic Acid, Iron, Zinc, Copper, Manganese and Selenium, and has negligible amount of proteins.

Wheatgrass is generally considered safe. A word of caution as it may cause nausea, headaches, swelling to your throat due to the bacteria present in it (due to contamination) as it is grown in soil or water.

Benefits :

It is rich in chlorophyll (similar to haemoglobin) and iron which increases blood cell count.
Lowers blood pressure by dilating the blood pathways.
Wheat grass juice has alkaline minerals which reduces acidity also gastrointestinal tract problems.
It detoxifies liver and the bloodstream.
It has powerful ability to fight against tumours.
If applied externally on the skin which eliminate itching immediately.
It prevents hair from greying.
It helps in stabilising blood sugar levels.
Drinking wheat grass juice will help in clearing sinuses by breaking up the mucus.
It helps in increasing immunity.